Home Just In Close shave as Yeti Air plane veers off Pokhara Airport runway Pokhara, June 17 An aircraft belonging to Yeti Airlines has veered off the runway of Pokhara Airport in Kaski district on Sunday afternoon while it was landing. No human casualty has been reported in the incident. The aircraft, with the call sign 9N AHU, landed on grasses after its hydraulic system did not work. The aircraft was carrying 20 passengers besides the cabin crew. The company says it has called a technical team from Kathmandu to identify the problem and repair the aeroplane. Front page stories are almost same and similar in all major Nepali and English broadsheet dailies published from Kathmandu on Sunday. Few key issues have raised are muddy rainfall seen in Kathmandu and some other parts of the country, the parliamentary party meeting of Nepal Communist Party, and results of Nepali Congress trade union. The newspapers have also highlighted an agreement between Nepal and India to open more air routes. Few sociocultural and economic issues have also made them to the front page today. Important Murky rainfall troubles stakeholders Many newspapers have reported that the rainfall that Kathmandu Valley received on Friday evening and Saturday was murky and quoting meteorologists and experts, they have informed that the murky rainfall was a result of a dust storm entering Nepal via Rajasthan of India. The rainfall indicates a higher level of pollution and it may have an adverse impact on human health, plants and animals, Department of Hydrology and Metropology, Rishiram Sharma, has told Nepal Samacharpatra. The Kathmandu Post, however, says most of such rainfalls have no severe impact other than contaminating water sources if rainwater gets mixed with them. Nonetheless, the government has told the members of the public not to use such water, according to Rajdhani. The mountainous part of the country, however, has not witnessed such a rainfall, according to Nagarik. The report quotes met officials to say that Nepal had not recorded such a rainfall earlier. NCP lawmakers told to support budget statement Annapurna Post lead story for the day says the ruling Nepal Communist Party has directed its lawmakers not to protest the budget announcement for the next fiscal year that the government around three weeks. During a parliamentary party meeting of the party, the partys chairmen KP Sharma Oli and Pushpa Kamal Dahal also said the lawmakers should support the announcement as members of the ruling party. Meanwhile, Prime Minister Oli also told the meeting that his upcoming China visit would focus on promoting bilateral interests, reports Naya Patrika. Nepal will have four new air gateways now The lead story in Kantipur says Nepals dependence on only one air routes for international flights operating from and to various countries of the world except China and Bhutan has now ended as India has agreed to open four more gateways. The report informs that routes will now be opened via Biratnagar and Janakpur. Besides, there will be two more routes for Nepal-India corssborder flights via Mahendranagar-New Delhi and Janakpur-Patna. However, it will take one more year to launch the operation along the new routes, according to Annapurna Post. Discussions are yet to be held for opening more air routes via Bhairahawa and Nepalgunj, reports The Kathmandu Post in its lead story. Earlier, there was a rote via Simara only. Deuba losing grip in Nepali Congress? As results of the election held to elect the new leadership of Nepali Congress-affiliated trade union, Nepal Trade Union Congress, have been announced, the party President Sher Bahadur Deubas dominance over sister wings has been seen weaker, according to reports in Kantipur, Republica and The Kathmandu Post. Of 41 positions of the new leadership, the Deuba faction turned victorious in only only position whereas other positions were won by the candidates supported by his rivals including Ram Chandra Paudel, according to Kantipur. Meanwhile, The Kathmandu Post comments that this is the third back to back defeat for the establishment faction as the rivals had emerged victorious in the polls of the partys teachers union and engineers association. On the other hand, two key leaders of anti-Deuba faction, Shashanka Koirala and Sherkhar Koirala, who are members of the partys founder BP Koiralas family, also held a meeting and it has been seen as an attempt to strengthen the ongoing campaigning against Deuba. according to Republica anchor story. Ignored Four workers missing in Arun Annapurna Post anchor story says a landslide blocked an under-construction tunnel for the Arun III Hydropower Project in Phyaksinda Dobhan, Makalu of Sankhuwasabha dostroct and it also buried at least four workers underground. The report says the landslide occurred on Friday evening and four excavators had tried to rescue the missing through the day yesterday, but in vain. Nagarik says the search for the victims is underway. Kantipur has also published an one-column brief story about the incident. Two houses holding joint meeting today As recommended by the Council of Ministers and summoned by President Bidya Devi Bhandari, the Federal Parliament Secretariat is holding a joint meeting of the House of Representatives and the National Assembly, according to reports in Gorkhapatra and Nepal Samacharpatra. The meeting will endorse the regulation to operate joint meetings of the houses as well as joint parliamentary committees. Interesting Chinese investment goes up in Nepal Naya Patrika lead story for the day informs that Chinese investment is steadily increasing in Nepal in past 10 months. Amounts of actual investment, investment pledge and interests in investment are increasing, according to the report. Meanwhile, the report quotes experts to say the China is adding more investments to Nepal as a strategy to cope with the presence of India in the Nepali market. Haiti - Culture : The great historical and cultural projects of Minister Delva This week Joseph Guyler C. Delva, the Minister of Culture has announced in a press conference the major historical and cultural projects that he intends to set up this year until 2019. "The Slave Route" is the name of a historic project (initiated under the Minister Stephanie Villedroin in 2014). https://www.icihaiti.com/en/news-10622-haiti-news-some-news-here-and-there.html that Minister Joseph Guyler C. Delva plans to launch in the country by next year. This project aims to honor our ancestors who have given, at the price of their blood, the true meaning to humanity by breaking the chains of slavery. "This project will make Haiti a land of pilgrimage not only for the black peoples, but also for all those who believe in freedom in a logic of solidarity and reconciliation for a true duty of remembrance" stating that several talks have already initiated in Canada, with international organizations, ministers of culture from other countries and many artists of Haitian origin interested in this project. In addition, he announced the imminent installation of a bust in memory of Boukman in Bois-Caiman on instruction of the Head of State. Accompanied by members of the Nemours Jean Baptiste Foundation and students from the Institute of Studies and African Studies of Haiti State University, Minister Delva also announced the installation of the memorial bust of Nemours Jean Baptiste on July 26, on Place Sainte-Anne. Other activities in memory of the Creator of the "Konpa Direk" will take place for the celebration of its 100th anniversary. A committee will be set up to manage the Nemours Jean-Baptiste Fund, which will be used to implement projects aimed at making the "Konpa Direk" permanent. Finally, he said he was in talks with the New York City Hall to repatriate to Haiti the remains of Antoine Rossini Jean Baptiste "Ti Manno" which is a Haitian cultural heritage. Traditional dance and drumming competitions are also announced on July 22 to promote young talents and promote Haitian culture. HL/ HaitiLibre Home Just In Workers buried in Arun III tunnel rescued after 38 hours Sankhuwasabha, June 17 As many as four persons buried in the tunnel of Arun III hydropower project were successfully rescued after 38 hours in Sankhuwasabha on Sunday. Those rescued are Pradeep Shahi (32) of Siuna-4 in Kalikot; Prem Pariyar (44) of Chandannath-4 in Jumla; and two Indian nationalsSudhan Munda (55) and Nanka Kishore (45)from Bihar state. As a landslide blocked the tunnel, the workers were buried on Friday night. A joint team of Nepal Army, Armed Police Force and Nepal Police had successfully rescued the workers. While searching for the stuck workers, the rescue team made a hole on a large rock through which the light entered. Seeing the light, those stuck started making noise. We rescued them after hearing the noise, said Assistant Chief District Officer, Mohan Mani Ghimire, talking to Onlinekhabar. Their preliminary health checkup is underway. We are preparing to take them to the district headquarters for additional psychosocial counseling and rest for the required period of time. A team of health experts has reached the incident site and preliminary health check-up is underway, added Ghimire. They were stuck in the tunnel since 9:00 pm on Friday. Haiti - Culture : 2nd European tour of the walking band Follow Jah Wednesday, June 27, 8 musicians of the walking band Follow Jah of Petion ville will fly for their second European tour. This time, the Group will play mainly in summer festivals in France, Switzerland and the Netherlands. Program of the European tour : - Saturday, June 30: Les Rutilants Festival in Oignies (France) - Sunday 1st to 6th July: Stop in Brussels (Belgium) - Saturday 7 and Sunday 8 July: Africa Festival in Hertme (Netherlands) - From Thursday 12 to Saturday 14 July: City Festival in Lausanne (Switzerland) - From Monday 16th to Sunday 22nd: Residence in Largentiere (France) - Friday 27-July: Samba al Pais in Saint Antonin Noble Val (FR) The group will also benefit from its tour to continue the creative work started with La Nouvelle Flibuste, Belgian fanfare that he had hosted in Haiti in 2017, during a residency scheduled for July 16 to 22 in the village of Largentiere (France). Finally, the walking band "Follow Jah" launches a music for the summer of 2018: "Plezi vakans". ">https://w.soundcloud.com/player/?url=https%3A//api.soundcloud.com/tracks/458763192&color=%23ff5500&auto_play=false&hide_related=false&show_comments=true&show_user=true&show_reposts=false&show_teaser=true"> On his return, the band will immediately follow with the first preparations for the Carnival 2019 for which it already has some surprises. Learn more about "Follow Jah" : Founded in Petion-ville in 2001, supervised by the Caracoli association since 2010, the Follow Jah walking band multiplies their experiences of all kinds to explore the possibilities of the genre: animation for festivals, stage show, workshop for young public, collaboration with an American jazz saxophonist, a Malian DJ or a big band from Belgium! At the same time, the Group's international development is made possible thanks to a partnership with the French agency "Africa in the Ears", which represents the Group in Europe and the support of institutions such as for this year, the Konesans e Libete Foundation (FOKAL) as well as the Civil Society for the Administration of the Rights of Artists and Performing Musicians (ADAMI), French organization of collective management of the rights of performers. HL/ HaitiLibre Haiti - Diplomacy : Jovenel Moise wishes to favor Vietnamese investments The Vietnamese Ambassador for Cuba and Haiti, Nguyen Trung Thanh paid a six-day working visit (11 to 16 June) last week in Haiti to present his credentials to President Jovenel Moise, and transmit him the invitation to visit President Tran Dai Quang in Vietnam. The Diplomate proposed to implement concrete measures to boost bilateral cooperation in areas as diverse as the economy, trade, investment, telecommunications, agriculture, and to work collaboratively in forums multilateral. For his part, Jovenel Moise expressed the wish to strengthen bilateral cooperation relations. The two sides discussed measures to accelerate bilateral and multilateral relations, activate the mechanism of the Joint Committee on Trade and Investment, push bilateral cooperation particularly in telecommunications, agriculture, food security, energy and trade, and to start negotiations for the signature of the agreements for the encouragement and protection of investment and non-double taxation. Nguyen Trung Thanh was also received by Prime Minister Jack Guy Lafontant, who briefed him on the achievements of Vietnam and future directions of the country's foreign relations. Lafontant is committed to fostering Vietnamese business investment in Haiti and wants Vietnam to focus its investments on agriculture, the textile industry and share with Haiti its experiences in adapting to climate change and sustainable development . Addressing the regional situation, including the Eastern Sea issue, the Prime Minister shared the need to strengthen cooperation to promote peace, stability, security, the rule of law, peacefully resolve all disputes, including at sea. During his stay, Ambassador Nguyen Trung Thanh also worked with Antonio Rodrigue the Haitian Minister of Foreign Affairs and Jean Marie Reynaldo Brunet, the Minister of the Interior. HL/ HaitiLibre Haiti - News : Zapping... Rebound in the "Sonson Lafamilia" affair Two years after the appeal by the Haitian Government dissatisfied with the procedure used by Judge Lamarre Bellizaire to release Woodly Etheart, aka "Sonson la Familia" and Renel Nelfort, aka "the Recife" accused of being the leaders of the gang Gallil, the Court of Cassation ordered that the case "Sonson la Familia" be heard again before the same court but with a new composition See also : https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-13669-haiti-justice-strong-reaction-of-me-carlos-hercules.html https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-13663-haiti-justice-an-unacceptable-verdict.html The PM visits the works of the Marion hydro-electric dam On Saturday, PM Lafontant traveled to Terrier Rouge (Northeast) to monitor the progress of the construction of the Marion hydroelectric dam, which will have a reservoir with a capacity of 10 millions of m2 of water. By way of comparison, the Peligre dam reservoir was initially 650 million m3 (today, due to the alluvium, its capacity is only about 250 million m3) See also : https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-24264-haiti-politic-official-inauguration-of-dam-works-on-the-marion-river.html Commercial mission of African-American entrepreneurs A delegation of African-American entrepreneurs from the Houston Chamber of Commerce's "Tri-country Regional Black Chamber" is currently on a trade mission to Haiti to explore new business opportunities. The diaspora discover the Great North Friday, Colombe Emilie Jessy Menos, he Minister of Tourism participated in the cocktail launching the first edition of "Haiti Summer 2018: The Diaspora at the discovery of teh Great North" alongside Prime Minister Jack Guy Lafontant, the Senator of the North Dieudonne Luma Etienne and Government Ministers. This initiative of Guy Andre Francois the Minister of Haitians Living Abroad supported by the Ministry of Tourism aims to promote the tourism potential of the Great North as the patronal festivals approach. During her speech, Menos invited the diaspora and the local population to come and explore the many historic and natural sites that are the pride of the Great North. Towards the increase of water production Guito Edouard, the Director General of the National Directorate of Drinking Water and Sanitation (DINEPA) went this week in the town of Tabarre, to see the progress of the work of Horizontal Drilling Directed of the Riviere Grise made to increase the production of drinking water in the Metropolitan Region. HL/ HaitiLibre The UNC Charlotte Pride of Niner Nation Marching Band was selected as the official band to represent the United States in Normandy, France for the 74th anniversary of D-Day. June 6, 1944 was a day that changed the course of history. Massive waves of Allied troops and weaponry came ashore in France, to take on the fierce German occupiers and begin the retaking of Europe. Peace followed in the coming year and, on the home front, the US set its sights on post-war opportunities, sparking unprecedented demand for higher education, fueled by the GI Bill of Rights. Seventy-four years later, the University of North Carolina Charlottes Pride of Niner Nation Marching Band travels to France to perform in the international commemoration of D-Day. Even more than a life-changing trip abroad, the journey brought students the opportunity to touch the history that led to their university. On June 6, at 3 p.m. Eastern time, UNC Charlotte presented a live-stream special, Origins of Opportunity. The video below shows the bands performances and the exciting reactions and perspectives of the students as they experienced the sights and sounds of the historic Normandy coast. The program also features the expertise of one of the Universitys historian-experts on World War II, and the thoughts of Holocaust survivor and Professor Emerita Susan Czernyak-Spatz. Photo and text adapted from Origins of Opportunity website. Cant You Just Change the Agenda? by Tom Yamachika, President, Tax Foundation Hawaii Recently, State Auditor Les Kondo shocked the public and some Honolulu Authority for Rapid Transportation (HART) Board members when he charged, at a HART board meeting, that HART employees had been required to record all interviews with State Auditor personnel and then submit the recordings to management to be transcribed. Thats interference with the audit process, he said. What happened next, however, was even more shocking, at least to an untrained observer like me. A city attorney then pops up and says, in effect, Weve received testimony, but it doesnt relate to any agenda item, so the Board cant discuss it. Id like to ask a follow-up question, one Board member states. The city attorney then repeated his previous statement. Meaning, of course, that the Board member couldnt ask her question. The Board, clearly flummoxed by this development, decided it couldnt do anything about the issue that had surfaced, and moved on. Odd as they may seem, the city attorneys comments werent wrong. Our Sunshine Law (Hawaii Revised Statutes chapter 92) governs meetings of most boards, commissions, and county councils. (The State Legislature is allowed to follow different procedures.) That law says that a public board generally isnt supposed to be working on items that arent on the published agenda. This is to protect those in the public who didnt come to the hearing or submit testimony but would have testified, attended, or both if they knew this particular subject would be discussed. So, to be completely proper, the Board isnt supposed to do anything about an item that isnt on the agenda. It might want to put the item on the agenda for the next meeting. But what is to be done if the matter brought up is something that needs expedited consideration? The HART Board meets once or twice a month. Auditor personnel are typically in the field for a limited time, one or two weeks perhaps. If you were the HART Board member who was cut off by the City attorney in the dialogue above and you wanted to discuss and possibly do something about the State Auditors concerns, is there anything you could have done at the meeting? How about, Mr. Chair, I move to amend the agenda to add a business item relating to the concerns expressed by the State Auditor in his testimony? In most organizations, it is proper to move to amend the agenda. The motion typically requires a two-thirds vote to pass. The Sunshine Law does recognize that things may come up in the meeting that arent accounted for in the agenda and that may need prompt attention. So, section 92-7(d) of the law now says: No board shall change the agenda, once filed, by adding items thereto without a two-thirds recorded vote of all members to which the board is entitled; provided that no item shall be added to the agenda if it is of reasonably major importance and action thereon by the board will affect a significant number of persons. Items of reasonably major importance not decided at a scheduled meeting shall be considered only at a meeting continued to a reasonable day and time. Thus, the agenda can be changed to add an item that either is not of major importance or that will not affect a significant number of people. A development such as this one, which is more concerned with the internal operations of HART as opposed to something like a decision to change the rail route which certainly would affect many people, could have been dealt with using a motion to amend the agenda. 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If you are already a print subscriber and want online access, it is free, you simply have to create an online account and then attach your print subscription account number to the online account you create. iciHaiti - Justice : An individual arrested in the case of the disappearance of journalist Legagneur Inspector Gary Desrosiers, deputy spokesperson of the National Police of Haiti (PNH), during a press briefing revealed that an individual identified as "Guenold Jean" was arrested by the police in Hinche, for his alleged involvement in the disappearance of journalist Vladjimir Legagneur on 14 March https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-23931-haiti-security-the-mystery-remains-around-the-disappearance-of-journalist-legagneur.html In addition, concerning the results of DNA tests on human bones found in a vacant lot located in Sillon in the town of Palema (Grand-Ravine) https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-23952-haiti-case-legagneur-bones-of-a-body-without-head-found-in-grand-ravine.html Inspector Desrosiers said that the Central Directorate of the Judiciary Police (DCPJ) was still waiting for the results of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI). See also : https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-24299-haiti-flash-3-suspects-apprehended-by-the-police-in-the-disappearance-of-vladjimir-legagneur.html https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-23991-haiti-flash-the-hat-found-is-that-of-the-journalist-vladjimir-legagneur.html https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-23952-haiti-case-legagneur-bones-of-a-body-without-head-found-in-grand-ravine.html https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-23931-haiti-security-the-mystery-remains-around-the-disappearance-of-journalist-legagneur.html https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-23928-haiti-news-zapping.html TB/ iciHaiti A young Indian office worker checks his smartphone in Mumbai. Technology firm Avaya is set to support remote employees with improved technology, including next-generation of communications-enabled applications, that will allow them to work from anywhere on their smartphones. (Indranil Mukherjee/AFP/Getty Images) By Al Bawaba June 17, 2018 " Information Clearing House " - French elite soldiers are reportedly on the ground in Yemen, according to a report by Le Figaro newspaper on Saturday with a member of parliament backing the claims. The report follows signs of closer cooperation between Paris and a Saudi-led military coalition that is fighting Houthi rebels in the war-torn country. French special forces are reported to be working with the UAE military in Yemen, although no further details were given about their role in the conflict or location. A French MP also told Reuters that French troops were in Yemen, although UAE troops are assisting Yemeni fighters in their battle against al-Qaeda in the south of the country. UAE forces are mostly situated in coastal areas of Yemen, with a particularly strong presence in the port city of Aden and the island of Socotra. The UAE is also thought to have close relations with southern separatist militias. Abu Dhabi has been accused of using the war to carve out key territorial territories, particularly coastal regions in Yemen and East Africa. This would provide the UAE with control of the strategic waterways around the Horn of Africa and the Red Sea. UAE military forces are also leading an offensive on Yemen's key port of Hodeida, which is held by Houthi rebels with the capital Sanaa also under their control. The assault on the port has been widely criticised by the UN and other countries, with aid agencies warning the assault could lead to catastrophic consequences for the country. Hodeida is the entry point for around two-thirds of Yemen's aid and fighting in the area could lead to imports of humanitarian supplies being halted, despite Saudi-led coalition assurances that this won't happen. A drawn-out offensive would ultimately make the import of aid more difficult and could lead to famine likely affecting the millions of Yemenis who rely on humanitarian assistance to survive. France said on Saturday it was considering minesweeping operations in the waters around in Hodedia, once the campaign in the port ends. The US reportedly turned down a request from the UAE to provide a minesweeper and intelligence information to the pro-Yemen government coalition. The Saudi-led coalition said on Saturday its forces had captured Hodeida's airport, although was denied by the Houthis. Yemen's war began in September 2014, when Houthi rebels took over the capital Sanaa forcing the government to flee south. A Saudi-led Arab coalition began airstrikes in March 2015, and sending in troops to back President Abd Rabbo Mansour Hadi's forces. The Saudi-led air campaign and UAE-backed ground offensives have greatly escalated the war, with more than 10,000 people killed - the vast majority civilians. French Elite Forces, Saudi-led Coalition Cooperate to Fight Houthi in Yemen France is a key arms supplier to the UAE and Saudi Arabia. This article was originally published by " Al Bawaba " - The views expressed in this article are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of Information Clearing House. ====== Senators Call on Sec. Mattis to Disclose Full U.S. Involvement in Yemen By Sens. Mike Lee and Bernie Sanders June 17, 2018 " Information Clearing House " - WASHINGTON Sens. Mike Lee (R-UT) and Bernie Sanders (I-VT) sent a letter to Defense Secretary James Mattis today asking for details on the United States involvement in the Saudis war in Yemen, and to do so before U.S. involvement in those hostilities intensifies. The letter expresses concern that Congresss attempt to play their proper Constitutional oversight role may be impeded by Pentagon officials withholding information, leading to a violation of the War Powers Act of 1973. The letter reads, in part: We call on you to immediately disclose the full extent of the U.S. military role in the Saudi-led war against Yemens Houthis, including the use of special operations forces; disclose any role that the Pentagon is currently performing, has been asked to perform, or is considering performing regarding an attack on the port of Hodeida; and issue a public declaration opposing this impending assault and restating the Administrations position that Saudi Arabia and other parties to the conflict should accept an immediate ceasefire and move toward a political settlement to resolve the conflict. Todays letter follows a previous letter sent by Sens. Lee, Sanders, and Chris Murphy (D-CT) on May 17, 2018 asking for details on U.S. involvement in Yemen. The letter went unanswered; this, combined with the continued progression toward increased hostilities in the region prompted the need for this additional letter. A similar letter was sent by members of the US House of Representatives earlier this week on June 11th. An online version of this release and full text of both Senate letters can be found here . ====== French special forces on the ground in Yemen: Le Figaro France is not participating in Yemens Hodeideh battle Yemen is the worlds forgotten war: Its the worlds worst humanitarian disaster Join the Discussion It is not necessary for ICH readers to register before placing a comment. We ask that you treat others with respect. Take a moment to read the following - Comment Policy - What Or Who is Information Clearing House and Purpose and Intent of this website: It is unacceptable to slander, smear or engage in personal attacks on authors of articles posted on ICH. Those engaging in that behavior will be banned from the comment section. #Daejang-dong Key figure in land development corruption scandal heads home from U.S. for probe A key figure at the center of an escalating land development corruption scandal was to arrive in South Korea this week for questioning over his suspected role in bribing influentia... #football Pohang Steelers reach AFC Champions League semifinals Pohang Steelers reached the semifinals of the top Asian club football tournament with a 3-0 victory over Nagoya Grampus on Sunday. Lim Sang-hyub grabbed a brace and Lee Seung-mo... By Paul Blest June 17, 2018 " Information Clearing House " - Last year, we were inundated with stories about Senator Chris Murphy of Connecticut and his push to be a voice for a progressive foreign policy. Heres how Murphy explained his post-Iraq, liberal vision to the Atlantic last year (emphasis mine): But where Trumps America First mantra proved a relatively simple and effective sell for voters, Murphy shuns slogans; he repeatedly resisted when I asked him to encapsulate his worldview. The tensions in his vision go beyond the fact that he uses hawkish language like forward-deployed to advocate for dovish policies. His central argument is for a dramatic de-emphasis on military power in U.S. foreign policy, and yet he wont entertain the thought of cutting the defense budget. [...]Whats progressive about his philosophy, Murphy explained, is that its an answer to how we exist in the world with a big footprint that doesnt repeat the mistakes of the Iraq War. American values dont begin and end with destroyers and aircraft carriers, he told me. American values come by helping countries fight corruption to build stability. American values flow through tackling climate change and building energy independence. American values come through humanitarian assistance whereby we try to stop catastrophes from happening. You would think that Murphys desire for a dramatic de-emphasis on military power might gel with President Donald Trumps flirtation with withdrawing troops from the Korean peninsula, but youd be extremely wrong. On Wednesday, Murphy and fellow Democratic Sen. Tammy Duckworth filed a bill that would prevent Trump from making that decision unless the secretary of defense agrees with the move. Why, exactly, do we need a bill to ensure we have troops in South Korea at all times, even as the two Koreas seem closer to reconciliation than ever before? This is just the most recent example of a cognitive dissonance which has allowed Democrats to acknowledge that Trump is a threat to the fabric of democracy while making sure he stays on a permanent war footing. Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer praised Trumps move of the US embassy in Israel to Jerusalem, which helped lead to the Israeli Defense Forces slaughtering innocent Palestinian protesters, and he opposed the Iran deal before he half-heartedly opposed Trumps withdrawal from it. In April, Senator Tim Kaine joined Trump critic Republican Bob Corker to unveil a new Authorization for the Use of Military Force (AUMF) that would grant the president broad new powers to wage war in six different countries, as well as more power to indefinitely detain people, including U.S. citizens, without charges or a trial. And in March, 10 Senate Democrats helped the Senate GOP kill a resolution that brought together ideological opposites Bernie Sanders and liberatarianish GOP Sen. Mike Lee of Utah to force a vote on withdrawing U.S. support for Saudi Arabias war on Yemen. (Murphy also sponsored the resolution.) The U.S. continues to support both the war and the atrocities of the Saudi-led coalition in that war; last week, the UN estimated that up to a quarter of a million people could die as a result of Saudi Arabias attack on the port city of Hudaida. Earlier this week, the coalition bombed a Doctors Without Borders facility in Yemen, which Murphy highlighted on Twitter: The Yemen War is spiraling out of control. The Saudi/UAE/U.S. coalition bombed a Doctors Without Borders cholera treatment facility earlier today. Let me repeat that - the U.S helped bomb A DOCTORS WITHOUT BORDERS CHOLERA TREATMENT FACILITY. Chris Murphy (@ChrisMurphyCT) June 11, 2018 When you consider that Murphys push for increasing foreign aid apparently doesnt include North Korea, a country where UNICEF says up to 60,000 children face starvation partially because of sanctions, its a little difficult to take his brand of progressivism seriously. (Last year, Murphy argued for more sanctions on North Korea as a way to force them to the negotiating table.) The Murphy-Duckworth bill in response to Trumps offhanded remark about troop withdrawal from South Korea is a legislative manifestation of a somewhat surprising liberal backlash to Trumps summit. In addition to the view that Trump gave away too much in his negotiations with Kim Jong-un, a lot of people were mad about Trumps warmness towards a murderous dictator, as if that isnt something that weve always done. Still others, like Center for American Progress President Neera Tanden, were extremely mad about the North Korean flag being given equivalence to the U.S. flag, because of course the only good and correct way to do diplomacy is to neg the other country: I'm just surprised everyone seems cool cool with the North Korean flag standing side by side the American flag. Why won't every murderous dictator seek nuclear weapons if this is the treatment they get after they do? Neera Tanden (@neeratanden) June 12, 2018 Congresswoman Barbara Lee, who was the only member of Congress to vote against the 2001 AUMF that amounted to a declaration of war on Afghanistan and has since been used as barely legal cover for American intervention in a host of other countrieshad a decidedly different response. We have an opportunity to build permanent peace on the Korean Peninsula, stop nuclear proliferation in its tracks, and ensure greater respect for human rights in North Korea, Lee said. We need to ensure that this summit is more than just a photo opportunity. In the coming months, it is critically important that the U.S. continues the momentum towards a specific, concrete deal to address the many issues before our two nations. Diplomacy takes time. We have an opportunity for peace -- but it will require more than just a photo-op. The hard work is only getting started. We need seasoned experts at the table to secure concrete, verifiable commitments for disarmament, human rights and peace. pic.twitter.com/b5CZDRFx3X Rep. Barbara Lee (@RepBarbaraLee) June 12, 2018 According to a Monmouth poll released yesterday, a majority of the country is with Lee, and supported the talks. More importantly, so do an even larger majority of South Koreans. However wrong Murphy is in his execution, he is right in diagnosing the problem. Domestic issues like healthcare and higher education and wage issues lacked a prominent political voice or voices arguing for the left position prior to 2015, and thats about where the left sits on foreign policy and anti-imperialism today. But just as the Sanders campaign and whats followed it cant be seen in a vacuumwith the success of his campaign being foreshadowed by movements like the Fight for $15 and Occupy Wall Street, as well as the successes and failures of the Affordable Care Acta robust left response to Americas fundamentally broken foreign policy isnt just going to appear out of nowhere. As these things tend to go, unfortunately, itll probably only happen when were on the brink of another war. Lee is proof that theres another way besides soulless neoconservatism, liberal pragmatism that permits doing just a little imperialism, or just being a clueless dipshit who stumbles ass-backwards into something resembling diplomacy. And until America gets the anti-imperialist movement that the world so desperately needs, we could sure use more Democrats like her. Update, 12:10 PM ET: By Debbie Nathan June 17, 2018 " Information Clearing House " - U.S. Customs and Border Protection agents are systematically violating U.S. and international law by blocking immigrants at international ports of entry on the southern border from entering the country so they can claim asylum. Immigration civil rights advocates have been documenting this illegal behavior since late 2016, from Texas to California. It was sporadic then, and appears to have been based at least in part on CBPs difficulties with handling large numbers of people. Even so, the practice of turning immigrants away has suddenly become routine, creating chilling scenes of immigrants and children camped out near the bridges, exposed to sun, wind, and rain, amid make-do bedding, scattered clothing, and trash. A few times a day, the immigrants walk to the middle of the bridges and ask to be admitted to the port of entry building on the U.S. side so that they can request asylum. They are almost always turned back. Are You Tired Of The Lies And Non-Stop Propaganda? Get Your FREE Daily Newsletter The Intercept witnessed such a scene on June 4 in El Paso, Texas. At 6 a.m., the sun rose on a 15-year-old Guatemalan boy and his father who were trying to walk across the border to apply for asylum. They did not swim the Rio Grande or otherwise attempt to enter the country illegally theyd made their attempt on an arcing, international bridge that joins El Paso with its Mexican sister city, Ciudad Juarez. They were stopped at the top of the bridge by two CBP agents who refused to let them cross, pointed them back to Mexico, and said to try crossing later. This was the sixth time in three days that the man, his son, and about a dozen other Guatemalans had been thus rejected. I knew they were Guatemalans because Id spoken with the man two days earlier. I spotted him and the group squatting disconsolately on the Mexican side of the bridge by the public bathrooms. This man and others in the group told me then that they were asylum-seekers afraid to go back to their home country because of violence there. They were extremely frustrated about being turned away. They recounted that the agents always told them there was no room to process them at the port of entry, and they should come back later when there might be room. There never was room. False words, the man with the son said, in Spanish that was heavily accented by Qeqchi, his indigenous tongue. Another man started crying. Desperate Asylum Seekers Are Being Turned Away by U.S. Border Agents Claiming Theres No Room #asylum @CBP #ElPaso #Guatemalan #migrants turned back at int'l bridge into El Paso last night, today. Small children too. I filmed and interviewed. This is against US & international law. pic.twitter.com/KBui4C3PT1 Debbie Nathan (@DebbieNathan2) June 3, 2018 Under the Immigration and Nationality Act, immigrants within the U.S. who tell immigration officials theyre afraid to return to their countries have the right to request asylum and to be immediately processed. They are not supposed to be turned back at bridges. They are not supposed to be banished to life on Mexican sidewalks, by public toilets, begging passersby for tacos to feed their children. Yet this has been happening, not just at El Paso but also at ports of entry all along the southern border. Immigration rights advocates first noticed that asylum-seekers were being turned away at some bridges shortly after the election of Donald Trump, and the practice continued into 2017. A Southern California immigrant advocacy group, Al Otro Lado, responded by suing U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement for violations of U.S. immigration law and the Constitution. The suit is ongoing. The blocking works this way: In the precise middle of the international bridges, CBP agents stand, sentry-like, near the imaginary line dividing the two countries a line often marked with a ceremonial metal plaque. The agents peer at everyone crossing, looking for people they think might be candidates for asylum. If the people say anything suggesting they might be requesting asylum if theyre not Mexicans, and especially if theyre from Central America the agents block their way and say to come back another time. Local people who frequently cross the border started noticing the agents in early May, but did not know why they were on the bridge. Some people started calling Ruben Garcia, director of Annunciation House, a migrant shelter which encompasses a network of satellite shelters. The shelters have for years maintained a close relationship with ICE. They regularly take in immigrants whove been picked up by the Border Patrol, processed, and released by ICE pending the results of their immigration cases. Garcia says he is very familiar with how many people the government picks up from week to week, and with how much of their own space CBP and ICE have to process people. In late May, Garcia and some volunteers at his shelters began visiting the bridges and taking statements from Central Americans whod been denied entry. Based on that experience and on other information he has gathered, Garcia believes that the sudden day-in, day-out presence of CBP agents on the bridges, and their routine turn-backs of Central Americans and other migrants, is something new and disturbing. In El Paso, Garcia believes that the governments claims of no room in 2016 and 2017 might have had some merit. Back then, there really were a lot of Central Americans coming, and I know the government was overwhelmed in El Paso because we were overwhelmed at our shelters, Garcia said. But now, he said, the situation has changed: The numbers are down at our shelters. And if theyre down at our shelters, theyve got to be down at the governments facilities. Garcia said those facilities include interview rooms at ports of entry. He cant imagine they are overtaxed. Yet, he said, Central Americans stranded at the bridge constantly tell him that CBP agents say theres no room to process the migrants. Garcia said he asked a low-level CBP agent, who was working at an international bridge, why Central Americans were being blocked. This is a borderwide policy, Garcia said the agent answered. Garcia believes the policy is connected to Attorney General Jeff Sessionss zero tolerance policy initiated in early May. That is when the Trump administration began routinely splitting up immigrant adults and children who were caught crossing into the U.S. Most were families from Central America. By blocking asylum-seekers from crossing legally, CBP is pressuring them to cross illegally. Garcia believes that this new practice gives the government an excuse to split up even more families. By putting officers on the bridge, said a CBP spokesperson, the agency is taking a proactive approach to ensure that arriving travelers have valid entry documents in order to expedite the processing of lawful travel. Depending upon port circumstances at the time of arrival, individuals presenting without documents may need to wait in Mexico as CBP officers work to process those already within our facilities. The number of inadmissible individuals we are able to process in a day varies based on the complexity of the cases, resources available, medical needs, translation requirements, holding/detention space, overall port volume and enforcement actions. As in the past when weve had to limit the number of people we can bring in for processing at a given time, we expect that this will be a temporary situation. Amber Ramirez, a former immigration paralegal, came to the same conclusion earlier this month after she saw social media posts on Facebook about CBP agents blocking asylum-seekers on the international bridge. Ramirez, 25, crosses frequently between El Paso and Juarez. On her way to El Paso one day after looking at Facebook, Ramirez saw a group of people who looked distressed. Speaking with them, she learned that all were from Guatemala: a 16-year-old girl and a woman with a frightened preschool-aged daughter. The teenager told Ramirez they had been prevented from crossing for days. They said they were considering coming into the U.S. by wading and walking under the bridge. Ramirez knew that the wading and walking would result in the mother being criminally prosecuted and separated from her child, so she decided to act, even though she felt shaky. My whole life, Ive been scared and intimated by border agents, she said. She gathered the teenager, the woman, and the child. She walked them to the top of the bridge. Once there, she noticed that one CBP agent was standing north of the border, well within the United States. Ramirez then looked at the Central Americans and realized that they inadvertently had stepped forward. They were in the United States, too. The agents tried to get Ramirez and the group to take a few steps backward, into Mexico. Instead, the group stayed politely but stubbornly in place. A quiet standoff ensued. A supervisor arrived and seemed angry. Ramirez tried hard to remember the text of the Immigration and Nationality Act, the part about aliens in U.S. territory having the right to claim asylum. She wanted to quote it to the supervisor, but apparently he already knew the law. She remembers him scowling but waving the Central Americans past the blockade and toward the port of entry. Two days later, on June 4, I saw the Guatemalan man with his 15-year-old son walking south on the bridge to Mexico. The man said they had just been prevented from crossing by CBP blockade for the sixth time in three days. I asked if he and his son would walk back again, with me behind them, filming. He agreed. At the top, something similar to Ramirezs experience occurred. When the agents saw us, they noticed that I was taking a video with my phone and seemed flustered. While telling the man and his son that there was no room, they stepped backward into the U.S. The Guatemalans stepped forward. I noted to the agents that the Guatemalans were now in the U.S. and now had the legal right to request asylum. Its not that were not going to help them its a capacity issue, one agent said. The two shifted from foot to foot, and one called a supervisor. The Guatemalans stolidly held their ground in their first few inches of America. The supervisor arrived, assessed the situation, and waved the father and son northward. I followed. The supervisors walkie-talkie squawked to officials farther down the line that asylum-seekers were coming to the port of entry along with a reporter. Suddenly, another Guatemalan father-and-son pair came up behind us. Id earlier met and filmed them, too. They said they had decided to follow me when they saw I was walking behind the others. This second family had also been denied entry many times. Now, they had also just been let through. Inside the port, a gray-haired CBP agent peered at the four Guatemalans wrinkled identity papers, which the fathers had fished from old plastic bags. In a pleasant voice, the agent asked, Are you afraid to return to your country? Yes, said the Guatemalans. Step this way. I said goodbye and good luck to the Guatemalans. But without advocates or press at their sides, other immigrants are still not getting past the bridge blockade. On June 9, two journalists Bob Moore, a freelancer, and Claudia Tristan, of El Pasos KFOX-TV stood on the southbound side of the bridge, where they were not immediately visible to the CBP officials. Each pointed their phones toward the northbound side and filmed a woman whom they later determined was a Honduran asylum-seeker and her small son walking several feet into the United States. Their videos show the two being turned back to Mexico. Karolina Walters is a staff attorney at the Washington, D.C.-based American Immigration Council, one of three groups representing plaintiffs in the Al Otro Lado lawsuit. She says these turn-backs of people already on U.S. soil constitute civil rights violations and get to the heart of the lawsuit. The day after the journalists made their turn-back videos, Garcia called a community meeting to recruit volunteers to go to the bridge in shifts. Almost 50 people came to the meeting a very impressive number for El Paso, Garcia said. Similar gatherings have been underway during the past several days in other Texas border cities. Garcia is training some of his recruits to go to the bridges in shifts and take notes when they see refugees being turned back from requesting asylum. He has another group that is learning to accompany the immigrants to the invisible line. He hopes those volunteers will be able to help asylum-seekers exercise their rights in the face of blockading border agents. This article was originally published by " The Intercept " - The views expressed in this article are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of Information Clearing House. ====== Democrats gain entry to NJ immigration detention center after arguing with cops, 'literally banging on the door': "Now they're asking us to empty our pockets like we're common criminals?" he tweeted. "We are duly elected Members of Congress -- and we want access," Former CIA and NSA Chief Gets Smacked Hard For Comparing Holocaust To Trump Administration's Immigration Policies Not In Our Name: Pax Christi USA Deeply Disturbed by Vile Treatment of Immigrants Anthony Ray Hinton Spent Almost 30 Years on Death Row. Now He Has a Message for White America. Immigration & the Bible Join the Discussion It is not necessary for ICH readers to register before placing a comment. We ask that you treat others with respect. Take a moment to read the following - Comment Policy - What Or Who is Information Clearing House and Purpose and Intent of this website: It is unacceptable to slander, smear or engage in personal attacks on authors of articles posted on ICH. Those engaging in that behavior will be banned from the comment section. By John Wight June 17, 2018 " Information Clearing House " - The complicity of Western governments in the ocean of suffering being wrought in Yemen exposes them as agents of Saudi brutality. After three years of relentless conflict, it has been estimated that out of a population of 27.4 million, 22.2 million people in Yemen are in need of humanitarian assistance, 17 million are food insecure, 14.8 million lack basic healthcare, 4.5 million children are suffering malnourishment, while 2.9 million people are internally displaced. As for dead and injured, the toll stands at almost 10,000 and 50,000 respectively. As a result of the conflict, the country is also facing the "largest documented cholera epidemic of modern times." And this epidemic can only have been intensified by the Saudi bombing of a cholera treatment center in the west of the country, causing the French NGO Medecins Sans Frontieres to halt their work at the facility. Are You Tired Of The Lies And Non-Stop Propaganda? Get Your FREE Daily Newsletter Yet despite this mammoth scale in human suffering, the Saudi-led Sunni coalition's war not only continues, it has intensified with the unleashing of a massive air, land and sea offensive against the Houthi-controlled Red Sea port city of Hodeidah, one of the last remaining points of entry of food, medicines, and other essential humanitarian aid into the beleaguered country. Western Complicity in Saudi Arabia's Dirty War in Yemen According to Amnesty International, "Hodeidah's port is crucial to a country that is 80% dependent on imports to meet basic necessities. Cutting off this crucial supply line would further exacerbate what is already the world's worst humanitarian crisis." Thus the "assault on Hodeidah could have a devastating impact for hundreds of thousands of civilians not just in the city but throughout Yemen." Yemen, on the southern tip of the Arabian Peninsula, is the poorest country in the Middle East, with a per capita GDP prior to the conflict of just $1,400. President Abd Rabbuh Mansur Hadi heads the country's internationally recognized government. In the accustomed manner of legitimate leaders, however, Hadi is currently living in exile. President Hadi was elected as sole candidate for the office of president in 2011 after his predecessor, Ali Abdullah Saleh, relinquished power in the face of growing and sustained protests during the Arab Spring. Saleh had led North Yemen since 1978 before assuming the presidency of the Republic of Yemen in 1990, upon the reunification of the country's northern and southern halves. The former president, whose reign was mired in allegations of corruption and mismanagement of the country's resources, aligned himself with the very Houthi minority which played a role in ousting him during the aforementioned Arab Spring protests, when their rebellion against Hadi's government began in 2015. The casus belli of the Houthi rebellion was President Hadi's refusal to countenance more autonomy for the Shiite minority upon assuming office. As for Saleh, the Houthis killed him at the end of 2017 after he broke with the rebellion and declared his willingness to enter into dialogue with the Saudis over the country's future. What we have in Yemen, as we can see, is a crisis that is complex even by Arab standards. Yemen has long been buffeted by the stifling domination of the Arabian Peninsula by Saudi Arabia. This domination, in service to Riyadh's puritanical Wahhabi sectarian ideology, is partly fueling the rebellion of the country's Houthis, for whom President Hadi is a Saudi puppet. This being said, that the insurgency enjoys the sympathy if not open support of the wider Yemeni population is measured in its success in taking control of the country's capital, Sanaa, along with other urban centers such as the port city of Hodeidah. Taking a wider view, the conflict is considered part of an ongoing regional proxy war between Iran and Saudi Arabia. From the rebellion's outset in 2015, Riyadh has claimed that the Houthis are an Iranian proxy, thus justifying their own involvement. However, in 2015, veteran Middle East correspondent Patrick Cockburn was writing that this claim was "widely seen as propaganda or an exaggeration." Three years on and the Iranians are now certainly involved, supplying the Houthis with weapons and, according to some sources, also military advisers. Thus, Saudi Arabia's intervention in 2015 on the spurious claim of Iranian involvement has become a self-fulfilling prophecy. Returning to Western complicity in the carnage and suffering being meted out to the Yemeni people, never has there been a more naked example of hypocrisy masquerading as democracy. Indeed, the longstanding alliance between the US, UK and Saudi Arabia takes a scalpel to the oft-repeated boasts of Washington and London when it comes to their self-appointed role as champions and guardians of human rights and democracy. Beginning with the Obama administration, and ramped up under Trump, US involvement in this brutal conflict has consisted of direct military airstrikes (carried out against Al-Qaeda and Islamic State targets, according to Washington), along with logistical, intelligence, and other non-combat support provided to the anti-Houthi Saudi-led coalition. This, of course, is not forgetting US arms sales to the Kingdom, consisting of over 50 percent of all US arms exports. Meanwhile, in 2017, the Pentagon confirmed that US ground troops were also present in Yemen, again justified on the basis of being engaged in operations against Al-Qaeda and Islamic State (IS, formerly ISIS). As for London's role in supporting the Saudi war effort in Yemen, UK arms sales have also been key to the Wahhabi state's ability to project hard power in the region, amounting to 4.6bn (US$6bn) since 2015 alone. As with the US, Saudi Arabia is the biggest market for UK arms sales and has been for a number of years. In 2017, campaigners brought a legal case against the UK government over its sale of weapons to the Saudis, alleging that some of them have been used to kill Yemeni civilians. In 2017, it was also revealed that Britain's role in the conflict has amounted to more than arms sales. A story appeared in the Daily Mail outlining details of hitherto secret military operation, known as Operation Crossways, which involved up to 50 British military personnel training Saudi troops destined to be deployed to take part in the conflict. In response to this revelation, British Tory MP and former Development Secretary Andrew Mitchell lambasted it as evidence of the UK's "shameful complicity" in the suffering of the Yemeni people. Given the scale of this suffering, it would be safe to assume that all right thinking people share Mr. Mitchell's sentiments. The war in Yemen is a dirty war, being waged by a Western-supported Saudi kleptocracy in the name of clerical fascism. Bertolt Brecht was right: "As crimes pile up, they become invisible." John Wight has written for newspapers and websites across the world, including the Independent, Morning Star, Huffington Post, Counterpunch, London Progressive Journal, and Foreign Policy Journal. He is also a regular commentator on RT and BBC Radio. John is currently working on a book exploring the role of the West in the Arab Spring. You can follow him on Twitter @JohnWight1 This article was originally published by " RT " - The views expressed in this article are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of Information Clearing House. ====== Join the Discussion It is not necessary for ICH readers to register before placing a comment. We ask that you treat others with respect. Take a moment to read the following - Comment Policy - What Or Who is Information Clearing House and Purpose and Intent of this website: It is unacceptable to slander, smear or engage in personal attacks on authors of articles posted on ICH. Those engaging in that behavior will be banned from the comment section. June 17, 2018 " Information Clearing House " - NEW YORKSeventeen years of war in the Middle East and what do we have to show for it? Iraq after our 2003 invasion and occupation is no longer a unified country. Its once modern infrastructure is largely destroyed, and the nation has fractured into warring enclaves. We have lost the war in Afghanistan. The Taliban is resurgent and has a presence in over 70 percent of the country. Libya is a failed state. Yemen after three years of relentless airstrikes and a blockade is enduring one of the worlds worst humanitarian disasters. The 500 moderate rebels we funded and armed in Syria at a cost of $500 million are in retreat after instigating a lawless reign of terror. The military adventurism has cost a staggering $5.6 trillion as our infrastructure crumbles, austerity guts basic services and half the population of the United States lives at or near poverty levels. The endless wars in the Middle East are the biggest strategic blunder in American history and herald the death of the empire. Are You Tired Of The Lies And Non-Stop Propaganda? Get Your FREE Daily Newsletter Someone has to be blamed for debacles that have resulted in hundreds of thousands of dead, including at least 200,000 civilians, and millions driven from their homes. Someone has to be blamed for the proliferation of radical jihadist groups throughout the Middle East, the continued worldwide terrorist attacks, the wholesale destruction of cities and towns under relentless airstrikes and the abject failure of U.S. and U.S.-backed forces to stanch the insurgencies. You can be sure it wont be the generals, the politicians such as George W. Bush, Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton, the rabid neocons such as Dick Cheney, Paul Wolfowitz and John Bolton who sold us the wars, the Central Intelligence Agency, the arms contractors who profit from perpetual war or the celebrity pundits on the airwaves and in newspapers who serve as cheerleaders for the mayhem. The failed policies, or lack of policies, of the United States, which violate international law, have left the Middle East in total chaos, the Iranian ambassador to the United Nations, Gholamali Khoshroo, told me when we met in New York City. The United States, to cover up these aggressive, reckless and costly policies, blames Iran. Iran is blamed for their failures in Yemen, Iraq, Afghanistan, Syria and Lebanon. The Trump administration is very naive about the Middle East and Iran, the ambassador said. It can only speak in the language of threatspressure, sanctions, intervention. These policies have failed in the region. They are very risky and costly. Let the Americans deal with the problems of the countries they have already invaded and attacked. America lacks constructive power in the Middle East. It is unable to govern even a village in Iraq, Afghanistan, Yemen or Syria. All it can do is use force and destructive power. This U.S. administration wants the Middle East and the whole world to bow to it. This is not a policy conducive to sound relationships with sovereign states, especially those countries that have resisted American influence. The plan to arm moderate rebels in Syria was a cover to topple [Syrian President] Bashar al-Assad, the ambassador went on. The Americans knew there were no moderate rebels. They knew these weapons would get into the hands of terrorist groups like Daesh [Islamic State], Al-Nusra and their affiliates. Once again, the American policy failed. The Americans succeeded in destroying a country. They succeeded in creating bloodbaths. They succeeded in displacing millions of people. But they gained nothing. The sovereignty of Syria is expanding by the day. It is hard to imagine what President Trump is offering as a strategy in Syria. One day, he says, I will move out of Syria very soon, very quickly. The next day he says, If Iran is there, we should stay. I wonder if the American taxpayers know how much of their money has been wasted in Iraq, Syria and Yemen? Trumps unilateral decision to withdraw from the Iran nuclear deal, although Iran was in compliance with the agreement, was the first salvo in this effort to divert attention from these failures to Iran. Bolton, the new national security adviser, and Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, along with Trump lawyer Rudy Giuliani, advocate the overthrow of the Iranian government, with Giuliani saying last month that Trump is as committed to regime change as we [an inner circle of presidential advisers] are. The Iran nuclear deal was possible following several letters by Ppresident Barack Obama assuring the Iranian leadership that America had no intention of violating Iranian sovereignty, Ambassador Khoshroo said. America said it wanted to engage in a serious dialogue on equal footing and mutual interests and concerns. These assurances led to the negotiations that concluded with the JCPOA [Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action]. From the beginning, however, America was not forthcoming in its dealings with us on the JCPOA. President Obama wanted the agreement to be implemented, but he did not want it implemented in its full capacity. Congress, on the day JCPOA was implemented, passed a law warning Europeans that were doing business with Iran. The staffs of companies had to apply for a visa to the United States if they had traveled to Iran for business purposes. This began on the first day. The Americans were not always very forthcoming. OFAC [Office of Foreign Funds Control] gave ambiguous answers to many of the questions that companies had about sanctions, but at least in words the Obama administration supported the JCPOA and saw the agreement as the basis for our interactions. President Trump, however, even as a candidate, called the agreement the worst deal America ever made, the ambassador said. He called this deal a source of embarrassment for America. Indeed, it was not the deal but Americas unilateral decision to walk away from an agreement that was supported by the United Nations Security Council, and in fact co-sponsored and drafted by the United States, that is the source of embarrassment for America. To walk away from an international agreement and then threaten a sovereign country is the real source of embarrassment since Iran was in full compliance while the U.S. never was. In 2008, the Israelis told the world that Iran was only some days away from acquiring an atomic bomb, he said. The Israelis said there had to be a military strike to prevent Iran from acquiring a nuclear weapon. What has happened since? During the last two years, there have been 11 reports by the IAEA [International Atomic Energy Agency] clearly confirming and demonstrating Irans full compliance with the JCPOA. All of the accusations [about] Iran using nuclear facilities for military purposes were refuted by the IAEA as well as by Europe, Russia, China, along with many other countries in Asia, Latin America, Africa. America is concerned about Iranian influence in the region and seeks to contain Iran because the U.S. administration realizes that Americas policies in the Middle East have failed. Their own statements about Iran repeatedly contradict each other. One day they say, Iran is so weak it will collapse, and the next day they say, Iran is governing several Arab capitals in the Middle East. Iran announced recently that it has tentative plans to produce the feedstock for centrifuges, the machines that enrich uranium, if the nuclear deal is not salvaged by European members of the JCPOA. European countries, dismayed by Trumps decision to withdraw from the agreement, are attempting to renegotiate the deal, which imposes restrictions on Irans nuclear development in exchange for the lifting of international sanctions. Why go to war with a country that abides by an agreement it has signed with the United States? Why attack a government that is the mortal enemy of the Taliban, along with other jihadist groups, including al-Qaida and Islamic State, that now threaten us after we created and armed them? Why shatter the de facto alliance we have with Iran in Iraq and Afghanistan? Why further destabilize a region already dangerously volatile? The architects of these wars are in trouble. They have watched helplessly as the instability and political vacuum they caused, especially in Iraq, left Iran as the dominant power in the region. Washington, in essence, elevated its nemesis. It has no idea how to reverse its mistake, beyond attacking Iran. Those both in the U.S. and abroad who began or promoted these wars see a conflict with Iran as a solution to their foreign and increasingly domestic dilemmas. For example, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, mired in corruption scandals, hopes that by fostering a conflict with Iran he can divert attention away from investigations into his abuse of power and the massacres Israel carries out against Palestinians, along with Israels accelerated seizure of Palestinian land. The most brutal regime is now in power in Israel, the Iranian ambassador said. It has no regard for international law or humanitarian law. It violates Security Council resolutions regarding settlements, its capital and occupation. Look at what Israel has done in Gaza in the last 30 days. On the same day America was unlawfully transferring its embassy to Jerusalem, 60 unarmed Palestinian protesters were killed by Israeli snipers. [Israelis] were dancing in Jerusalem while the blood of unarmed Palestinians was running in Gaza. The Trump administration gives total support and impunity to Israel. This angers many people in the Middle East, including many in Saudi Arabia. It is a Zionist project to portray Iran as the main threat to peace in the Middle East. Israel introducing Iran as a threat is an attempt to divert attention from the crimes this regime is committing, but these too are failed policies that will backfire. They are policies designed to cover weakness. Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, facing internal unrest, launched the war in Yemen as a vanity project to bolster his credentials as a military leader. Now he desperately needs to deflect attention from the quagmire and humanitarian disaster he created. Saudi Arabia, as part of [the civil war in Yemen], has a tactical and strategic cooperation with Israel against Iran, the ambassador said. But the Saudi regime is defying the sentiments of its own people. How long will this be possible? For three years now, Saudi Arabia, assisted by the United States, has bombed the Yemeni people and imposed a total blockade that includes food and medicine. Nothing has been resolved. Once again, Iran is blamed for this failure by Saudi Arabia and the United States in Yemen. Even if Iran wanted to help the Yemenis, it is not possible due to the total blockade. The Yemeni people asked for peace negotiations from the first day of the war. But Saudi military adventurism and its desire to test its military resolve made any peaceful solution impossible. The U.S. and the U.K. provide military and logistical support, including cluster bombs to be used by the Saudis in Yemen. The Emiratis are bombing Yemen. All such actions are doomed to failure since there is no military solution in Yemen. There is only a political solution. Look at the targets of Saudi airstrikes in Yemen: funerals. Wedding ceremonies. Agricultural fields. Houses. Civilians. How do the Saudis expect the Yemeni people to greet those who bomb them? With hugs? The war has cost a lot of money, and Trump responds by saying [to Saudi Arabia], Oh you have money. [Paraphrasing here.] Please buy our beautiful weapons. They are killing beautiful children with these beautiful weapons. It is a disaster. It is tragic. And then there is President Donald Trump, desperate for a global crusade he can use to mask his ineptitude, the rampant corruption of his administration and his status as an international pariah when he runs for re-election in 2020. Of course, blaming and threatening Iran is not new, the ambassador said. This has been going on for 40 years. The Iranian people and the Iranian government are accustomed to this nonsense. United States intervention in the internal affairs of Iran goes back a long time, including the [Iranian] war with Iraq, when the United States supported Saddam Hussein. Then America invaded Iraq in 2003 in their so-called intervention for democracy and elimination of WMDs. Iran has always resisted and will always resist U.S. threats. America was in Iran 40 years ago, the ambassador said. About 100,000 U.S. advisers were in Iran during the rule of the shah, who was among the closest allies of America. America was unable to keep this regime in power because the Iranian people revolted against such dependency and suppression. Since the fall of the shah in 1979, for 40 years, America continued to violate international law, especially the Algeria agreements it signed with Iran in 1981. The Algeria Declaration was a set of agreements between the United States and Iran that resolved the Iranian hostage crisis. It was brokered by the Algerian government. The U.S. committed itself in the Algeria Declaration to refrain from interference in Iranian internal affairs and to lift trade sanctions on Iran and a freeze on Iranian assets. The warmongers have no more of a plan for regime change in Iran than they had in Afghanistan, Iraq, Libya or Syria. European allies, whom Trump alienated when he walked away from the Iranian nuclear agreement, are in no mood to cooperate with Washington. The Pentagon, even if it wanted to, does not have the hundreds of thousands of troops it would need to attack and occupy Iran. And the ideapushed by lunatic fringe figures like Bolton and Giulianithat the marginal and discredited Iranian resistance group Mujahedeen-e-Khalq (MEK), which fought alongside Saddam Hussein in the war against Iran and is viewed by most Iranians as composed of traitors, is a viable counterforce to the Iranian government is ludicrous. In all these equations the 80 million people in Iran are ignored just as the people of Afghanistan, Iraq, Libya and Syria were ignored. Perhaps they would not welcome a war with the United States. Perhaps if attacked they would resist. Perhaps they dont want to be occupied. Perhaps a war with Iran would be interpreted throughout the region as a war against Shiism. But these are calculations that the ideologues, who know little about the instrument of war and even less about the cultures or peoples they seek to dominate, are unable to fathom. The Middle East has many problems: insecurity, instability, problems with natural resources such as water, etc., Khoshroo said. All of these problems have been made worse by foreign intervention as well as Israels lawlessness. The issue of Palestine is at the heart of turmoil in the Middle East for Muslims. Any delay in finding solutions to these wounds in the Middle East exposes this region to more dangerous threats. Americans say they want the Middle East to be free from violent extremism, but this will only happen when the Middle East is free from occupation and foreign intervention. The Americans are selling their weapons throughout the Middle East. They calculate how much money they can earn from destruction. They dont care about human beings. They dont care about security or democratic process or political process. This is worrisome. What are the results of American policies in the Middle East? he asked. All of the American allies in the region are in turmoil. Only Iran is secure and stable. Why is this the case? Why, during the last 40 years, has Iran been stable? Is it because Iran has no relationship with America? Why is there hostility between Iran and America? Cant the Americans see that Irans stability is important for the region? We are surrounded by Pakistan, Afghanistan, Iraq, Syria, Yemen. What good would come from destabilizing Iran? What would America get out of that? Home Search ICH Bringing Julian Assange Home By John Pilger This is an abridged version of an address by John Pilger to a rally in Sydney, Australia, to mark Julian Assange's six years' confinement in the Ecuadorean embassy in London. June 17, 2018 " Information Clearing House " - The persecution of Julian Assange must end. Or it will end in tragedy. The Australian government and prime minister Malcolm Turnbull have an historic opportunity to decide which it will be. They can remain silent, for which history will be unforgiving. Or they can act in the interests of justice and humanity and bring this remarkable Australian citizen home. Assange does not ask for special treatment. The government has clear diplomatic and moral obligations to protect Australian citizens abroad from gross injustice: in Julian's case, from a gross miscarriage of justice and the extreme danger that await him should he walk out of the Ecuadorean embassy in London unprotected. We know from the Chelsea Manning case what he can expect if a US extradition warrant is successful -- a United Nations Special Rapporteur called it torture. I know Julian Assange well; I regard him as a close friend, a person of extraordinary resilience and courage. I have watched a tsunami of lies and smear engulf him, endlessly, vindictively, perfidiously; and I know why they smear him. In 2008, a plan to destroy both WikiLeaks and Assange was laid out in a top secret document dated 8 March, 2008. The authors were the Cyber Counter-intelligence Assessments Branch of the US Defence Department. They described in detail how important it was to destroy the "feeling of trust" that is WikiLeaks' "centre of gravity". This would be achieved, they wrote, with threats of "exposure [and] criminal prosecution" and a unrelenting assault on reputation. The aim was to silence and criminalise WikiLeaks and its editor and publisher. It was as if they planned a war on a single human being and on the very principle of freedom of speech. Their main weapon would be personal smear. Their shock troops would be enlisted in the media -- those who are meant to keep the record straight and tell us the truth. The irony is that no one told these journalists what to do. I call them Vichy journalists -- after the Vichy government that served and enabled the German occupation of wartime France. Last October, the Australian Broadcasting Corporation journalist Sarah Ferguson interviewed Hillary Clinton, over whom she fawned as "the icon for your generation". This was the same Clinton who threatened to "obliterate totally" Iran and, who, as US secretary of State in 2011, was one of the instigators of the invasion and destruction of Libya as a modern state, with the loss of 40,000 lives. Like the invasion of Iraq, it was based on lies. When the Libyan President was murdered publicly and gruesomely with a knife, Clinton was filmed whooping and cheering. Thanks largely to her, Libya became a breeding ground for ISIS and other jihadists. Thanks largely to her, tens of thousands of refugees fled in peril across the Mediterranean, and many drowned. Leaked emails published by WikiLeaks revealed that Hillary Clinton's foundation - which she shares with her husband - received millions of dollars from Saudi Arabia and Qatar, the main backers of ISIS and terrorism across the Middle East. As Secretary of State, Clinton approved the biggest arms sale ever -- worth $80 billion -- to Saudi Arabia, one of her foundation's principal benefactors. Today, Saudi Arabia is using these weapons to crush starving and stricken people in a genocidal assault on Yemen. Sarah Ferguson, a highly paid reporter, raised not a word of this with Hillary Clinton sitting in front of her. Instead, she invited Clinton to describe the "damage" Julian Assange did "personally to you". In response, Clinton defamed Assange, an Australian citizen, as "very clearly a tool of Russian intelligence" and "a nihilistic opportunist who does the bidding of a dictator". She offered no evidence -- nor was asked for any -- to back her grave allegations. At no time was Assange offered the right of reply to this shocking interview, which Australia's publicly-funded state broadcaster had a duty to give him. As if that wasn't enough, Ferguson's executive producer, Sally Neighour, followed the interview with a vicious re-tweet: "Assange is Putin's bitch. We all know it!" There are many other examples of Vichy journalism. The Guardian, reputedly once a great liberal newspaper, conducted a vendetta against Julian Assange. Like a spurned lover, the Guardian aimed its personal, petty, inhuman and craven attacks at a man whose work it once published and profited from. The former editor of the Guardian, Alan Rusbridger, called the WikiLeaks disclosures, which his newspaper published in 2010, "one of the greatest journalistic scoops of the last 30 years". Awards were lavished and celebrated as if Julian Assange did not exist. WikiLeaks' revelations became part of the Guardian's marketing plan to raise the paper's cover price. They made money, often big money, while WikiLeaks and Assange struggled to survive. With not a penny going to WikiLeaks, a hyped Guardian book led to a lucrative Hollywood movie deal. The book's authors, Luke Harding and David Leigh, gratuitously abused Assange as a "damaged personality" and "callous". They also revealed the secret password Julian had given the Guardian in confidence and which was designed to protect a digital file containing the US embassy cables. With Assange now trapped in the Ecuadorean embassy, Harding, who had enriched himself on the backs of both Julian Assange and Edward Snowden, stood among the police outside the embassy and gloated on his blog that "Scotland Yard may get the last laugh". The question is why. Julian Assange has committed no crime. He has never been charged with a crime. The Swedish episode was bogus and farcical and he has been vindicated. Katrin Axelsson and Lisa Longstaff of Women Against Rape summed it up when they wrote, "The allegations against [Assange] are a smokescreen behind which a number of governments are trying to clamp down on WikiLeaks for having audaciously revealed to the public their secret planning of wars and occupations with their attendant rape, murder and destruction... The authorities care so little about violence against women that they manipulate rape allegations at will." This truth was lost or buried in a media witch-hunt that disgracefully associated Assange with rape and misogyny. The witch-hunt included voices who described themselves as on the left and as feminist. They willfully ignored the evidence of extreme danger should Assange be extradited to the United States. According to a document released by Edward Snowden, Assange is on a "Manhunt target list". One leaked official memo says: "Assange is going to make a nice bride in prison. Screw the terrorist. He'll be eating cat food forever." In Alexandra, Virginia - the suburban home of America's war-making elite -- a secret grand jury, a throwback to the middle ages -- has spent seven years trying to concoct a crime for which Assange can be prosecuted. This is not easy; the US Constitution protects publishers, journalists and whistleblowers. Assange's crime is to have broken a silence. No investigative journalism in my lifetime can equal the importance of what WikiLeaks has done in calling rapacious power to account. It is as if a one-way moral screen has been pushed back to expose the imperialism of liberal democracies: the commitment to endless warfare and the division and degradation of "unworthy" lives: from Grenfell Tower to Gaza. When Harold Pinter accepted the Nobel Prize for Literature in 2005, he referred to "a vast tapestry of lies up on which we feed". He asked why "the systematic brutality, the widespread atrocities, the ruthless suppression of independent thought" of the Soviet Union were well known in the West while America's imperial crimes "never happened ... even while [they] were happening, they never happened.". In its revelations of fraudulent wars (Afghanistan, Iraq) and the bald-faced lies of governments (the Chagos Islands), WikiLeaks has allowed us to glimpse how the imperial game is played in the 21st century. That is why Assange is in mortal danger. Seven years ago, in Sydney, I arranged to meet a prominent Liberal Member of the Federal Parliament, Malcolm Turnbull. I wanted to ask him to deliver a letter from Gareth Peirce, Assange's lawyer, to the government. We talked about his famous victory -- in the 1980s when, as a young barrister, he had fought the British Government's attempts to suppress free speech and prevent the publication of the book Spycatcher -- in its way, a WikiLeaks of the time, for it revealed the crimes of state power. The prime minister of Australia was then Julia Gillard, a Labor Party politician who had declared WikiLeaks "illegal" and wanted to cancel Assange's passport -- until she was told she could not do this: that Assange had committed no crime: that WikiLeaks was a publisher, whose work was protected under Article 19 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, to which Australia was one of the original signatories. In abandoning Assange, an Australian citizen, and colluding in his persecution, Prime Minister Gillard's outrageous behaviour forced the issue of his recognition, under international law, as a political refugee whose life was at risk. Ecuador invoked the 1951 Convention and granted Assange refuge in its embassy in London. Gillard has recently been appearing in a gig with Hillary Clinton; they are billed as pioneering feminists. If there is anything to remember Gillard by, it a warmongering, sycophantic, embarrassing speech she made to the US Congress soon after she demanded the illegal cancellation of Julian's passport. Malcolm Turnbull is now the Prime Minister of Australia. Julian Assange's father has written to Turnbull. It is a moving letter, in which he has appealed to the prime minister to bring his son home. He refers to the real possibility of a tragedy. I have watched Assange's health deteriorate in his years of confinement without sunlight. He has had a relentless cough, but is not even allowed safe passage to and from a hospital for an X-ray . Malcolm Turnbull can remain silent. Or he can seize this opportunity and use his government's diplomatic influence to defend the life of an Australian citizen, whose courageous public service is recognised by countless people across the world. He can bring Julian Assange home. John Pilger Biography The views expressed in this article are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of Information Clearing House. ====== Opinion: Is The Zeitgeist Finally Shifting In Favor Of Julian Assange? Join the Discussion It is not necessary for ICH readers to register before placing a comment. We ask that you treat others with respect. Take a moment to read the following - Comment Policy - What Or Who is Information Clearing House and Purpose and Intent of this website: It is unacceptable to slander, smear or engage in personal attacks on authors of articles posted on ICH. Those engaging in that behavior will be banned from the comment section. Search Information Clearing House === Click Here To Support Information Clearing House Your support has kept ICH free on the Web since 2002. Click for Spanish , German , Dutch , Danish , French , translation- Note- Translation may take a moment to load. Fighter jets of the Nigerian Air Force conducted air strikes on at least three Benue State communities on Saturday, in an operation which lasted several hours, Punch reports. The NAF Director of Public Relations and Information, Air Vice Marshal Olatokunbo Adesanya, who confirmed the air strikes noted that it was an ongoing operation and that he could not reveal further details. Adesanya said; It is true that the NAF aircrafts are involved in an operation together with other security services in Katsina-Ala. But the operation is still ongoing and I cannot disclose further details. The reports states that the air strikes were carried out along the Katsina-Ala to Zaki Biam and Wukari Road and that the affected villages included Gbise, Ayaka and environs. A reliable source in Katsina-Ala, who is privy to the air attacks, said the operation could be a reprisal on hoodlums in the communities. Some hoodlums, dressed in military camouflage, had last week attacked the Commander of the Nigerian Army Engineering Corps, Maj Gen John Malu, in his hometown in Tse Adoor, Tiir Ward, Tongov in the Katsina-Ala LGA of Benue State. The source said, Gbise, Ayaka and other nearby villages in Katsina-Ala were on Saturday bombarded by the air force. These are reprisal attacks by the military to clear the hoodlums who attacked Maj Gen Malu when he was home last week. There were mortars, artillery pieces, assault rifles and aerial bombardments. The number of casualties or dead as of the time of filing this report could not be ascertained because military sources said the operations could last till Sunday (today). Ghanaian actress Rosemond Brown but popularly known as Akuapem Poloo is making a lot of headlines on social media after her interview with The Delay Show in which she confessed to have slept with 24 veteran actors. She further revealed that she had her first sugar daddy at the age of 16. Rosemond Brown held nothing back and spoke things as it is. Besides revealing that she has slept with 24 men besides veteran actors like Fred Amugi and Awaakye, Rosemond Brown talked about her first Sugar Daddy experience. According to Akuapem Poloo, she dated her first Sugar Daddy at the age of 16 when she was in the first year at the Senior High School. She revealed that the man spotted her on her way home from Koforidua after she had been sent away from school because of school fees. The man picked her up, took her home, gave her money and she went back to school. The man took her back to Accra where she completed school and rented a room for her. She revealed the name of the man as Mr. Emmanuel Naah and she claims Mr. Emmanuel Naah never slept with her until she was 16 years. See her interview with The Delay Show in her language: Ahead of the June 23 national convention of the All Progressives Congress (APC), one of the foremost aspirants to the national chairmanship position, Comrade Adams Oshiomhole, has promised to bring his natural abilities to resolve disagreements to bear in the partys internal conflicts, if elected. Guardian Ekiti state traditional rules under the aegis of Ekiti State Council Traditional Rulers on Friday told security agencies not to deploy soldiers to the state for the July 14 governorship election and also restrain from unlawful arrest. Tribune About 19 aspirants seeking for various positions in the All Progressives Congress, (APC) national secretariat risk disqualification. Imo state governor and chairman of the convention appeal committee, Governor Rochas Okorocha made the disclosure at the weekend. Acting director of defence information, John Agim, says some politicians use thugs disguised as herdsmen to attack communities. He while speaking on the farmers-herdsmen clashes that have led to killings in Taraba, Benue, Zamfara and Nasarawa. In an interview with PUNCH, Agim said some arrested suspects have labelled politicians as their sponsors. He said: The problem which the state governments (not only in Taraba) have with the military is that when the military came in, they thought the soldiers were coming to enforce their laws. Is that the militarys responsibility? If the military goes in and says it wants to enforce the states anti-grazing laws, then it means the military is doing the work of the state government. The military is not supposed to enforce those laws. So we told them we are coming to make sure that there is security. It was also discovered that there were a lot of people carrying arms, including the herdsmen. So we said nobody should carry arms; anybody who carries arms shall be arrested. But they (the state governments) dont want their own people to surrender their arms. During this period, we also discovered that some politicians were using their thugs against another community within the same state, and they made it looked as if herdsmen were attacking the people. Some of these people were arrested. For instance, in a local government area, there are two communities fighting against each other and we arrested some people with arms. We did not want to blow it up because it will be misinterpreted. Some of the suspects arrested and stopped from carrying out that vandalism told us that some politicians sent them against another community to carry out those attacks. So the state government said they did not agree with the army panel, but they have not given any cogent reasons. Reacting to Theophilus Danjumas allegation that the military is in collusion with herdsmen, Agim said: The military has no reason to collude with herdsmen because a good number of the troops serving in that operation are from that region. People should not play politics with security issues because if we do, it will not do anybody any good. President Muhammadu Buhari has said that fighting corruption head on, is one of the core responsibility of his administration and as such several top former political office holders have been sent to jail. Daily Trust has made a list of these prominent politicians including former governors, ministers and political party chiefs that have been made to leave their palatial residences in highbrow areas of the country to experience life in prison for engaging in corrupt practices in office. The report states that the incarceration of top shots illuminated the prisons, made the plight of inmates known and in some cases brought meaningful changes as in the case of the Jos prison where the presence of Senator Jonah Jang, a former governor of the state, led to the restoration of power supply. Two convictions have been secured under this administration, though the trial of the affected persons started long before now. Besides those who have been to prison, there are others who are on self-exile in an effort to dodge the net of anti-corruption agencies. In this category are the former chairman of the PDP, Adamu Muazu, a former Petroleum Minister, Diezani Alison-Madueke and Jamila Tangaza, a former director of the Abuja Geographic Information Systems (AGIS). Yero at Kaduna Convict Prison Mukhtar Ramalan Yero, a former governor of Kaduna State was recently sent to prison. Within five years, Yero without contesting an election became a commissioner, deputy governor and governor. Yero, who rose from a finance director in Namadi Sambos firm (Nalado Nigeria Limited) to became commissioner for finance in 2007, deputy governor in 2010 and governor in December 2012 following the death of Patrick Ibrahim Yakowa in a helicopter crash, spent about a week at the Kaduna Convict Prison. He was in detention from May 31 to June 6, 2018 together with a former chairman of the PDP in the state, Abubakar Gaya-Haruna; a former Secretary to the State Government Hamza Ishaq and a former Minister of Power, Nuhu Somo Wya. They are standing trial over an alleged case of fraud instituted against them by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC). Jonah Jang lights up Jos prison A former governor of Plateau State, retired Air Commodore Jonah David Jang, was a special guest at the Jos prison where he spent eight days. The presence of Jang, the senator representing Plateau North Senatorial District, led to the restoration of power supply at the prison. Jang who was a military governor of Benue, defunct Gongola and Plateau states between 2007 and 2015, is facing a 12-count charge of diverting N6.3bn alongside a former cashier in the office of the Secretary to the State Government, Yusuf Pam. He pleaded not guilty. Bala Ngilari: A convict with a choice Perhaps, the case of a former Adamawa State governor, Bala James Ngilari, was the first conviction recorded under this administration. In March 2017, Ngilari was jailed and convicted for failing to adhere to the procurement laws of the state. In a 75-minute long ruling, Justice Nathan Musa found the former governor guilty of four charges and discharged him on one, which bordered on conspiracy. He sentenced the former governor to five years in prison. Nyame, a convicted Reverend After over a decade trial, Reverend Jolly Nyame, a former governor of Taraba State, was convicted and sentenced to 14 years in prison for misappropriating funds while in office. Justice Adebukola Banjoko of the High Court of the Federal Capital Territory in Gudu, Abuja, sent Nyame to jail for criminal breach of trust by misappropriating N1.64bn preferred against him by the EFCC. Born in 1955, Nyame was governor of the state from January 1992 to November 1993. He also governed the state from May 1999 to 2007. His conviction was one of the landmark successes of the EFCC in recent times. Nwaoboshi, a senator in Kirikiri! For 48 hours, Peter Nwaoboshi (PDP-Delta North) was a guest at the Kirikiri maximum security prison over an alleged N805m fraud preferred against him by the EFCC. Nwaoboshi who chairs the Senate committee on NDDC was arraigned alongside two companies Golden Touch Construction Project Ltd and Summing Electrical Ltd on a two-count charge of fraud and money laundering before Justice Mohammed Idris. The Delta lawmaker was granted bail on self recognition. Lamido and sons at Kurmawa prison Shortly after this administration came on board in July 2015, a former governor of Jigawa State, Sule Lamido and his two sons, Aminu and Mustapha, were remanded in Kurmawa prison on money laundering charges to the tune of N1.351bn. Theirs was a family affair as the court was told, the money was laundered through four companies belonging to Lamido and his sons. The companies are Bamaina Holdings Limited, Bamaina Company Nigeria Limited, Bamaina Aluminum Limited and Speeds International Limited. It was gathered that the former governor was allotted the same cell as his children. Investigation into the case predated the Buhari administration. He is one of the politicians in the PDP eyeing Buharis seat. Metuh in Kuje prison A former spokesman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Mr. Oliseh Metuh, was in the Kuje prison in Abuja over alleged money laundering. The EFCC is accusing him of receiving N400 million from a former National Security Adviser, Sambo Dasuki, believed to be part of $2.1 billion meant for arms procurement during the previous administration. The case is still on even as Metuh at different times appeared in court on a stretcher. Bala Mohammed and son in Kuje prison A former Minister of FCT, Senator Bala Mohammed and his son, Shamsudeen, were at different times kept at the Kuje prison over allegations of financial misconduct. Just like the case of the Lamidos, theirs is also a family affair. While the EFCC arraigned the father on a six-count charge bordering on N864 million bribery and false assets declaration, his son was arraigned on a 15-count charge bordering on money laundering. Melaye, vocal lawmaker fingered in gun running For Senator Dino Melaye (APC, Kogi), luck and health saved him from going to prison as he was only remanded in police custody. His was not a corruption case but criminal conspiracy and unlawful possession of prohibited firearms, among others. His case led to the summon of the IGP, Ibrahim Idris thrice by the Senate and in all he snubbed the lawmakers, a development that made the Senate declare him as an enemy of democracy and unfit to hold public office within and outside the country. Ex-NSA Sambo Dasuki A former National Security Adviser, Colonel Sambo Dasuki, has spent 31 months in detention over allegation of mismanagement of $2.1bn meant for the purchase of arms. Most of other corruption cases involving top shots had their root in the Dasukigate as it is now known. Among those who allegedly participated in the sharing of the arms money are former governor of Sokoto, Attahiru Bafarawa, his Kano counterpart, Ibrahim Shekarau, Raymond Dokpesi, Bello Haliru and son, Musiliu Obanikoro and son. Babangida Aliyu, a chief servant battling corruption case A former governor of Niger State, Babangida Aliyu, has been held by the EFCC over allegations of abuse of office and money laundering. The Chief Servant, as he was called during his reign, is alleged to have diverted N2 billion ecological funds for political purposes. Fani-Kayode at Ikoyi prison, Nenadi at Kirikiri On same day in June 2016, a former Minister of Aviation Femi Fani-Kayode and that of Finance, Nenadi Usman, went to separate prisons on remand after they appeared at a court in Lagos over an alleged N4.9 billion fraud. They were arraigned before Justice Sule Hassan by the EFCC on a 17-count charge. While Fani Kayode was sent to Ikoyi prison, Usman was taken to Kirikiri prison as Ikoyi prison does not have facilities for female inmates. Dariye bags 14 years The latest of all is the case of Senator Joshua Dariye (APC, Plateau Central) who was on Tuesday sentenced to 14 years in prison over criminal breach of trust and two years for misappropriation of public funds, to run concurrently. Dariye, who defected to the APC in September 2016, was sentenced by Justice Adebukola Banjoko of the FCT High Court. He is the first member of the ruling party to be convicted. Out of the 23 count amended charges, he was found guilty of 15 bordering on criminal breach of trust and misappropriation of public funds. He was discharged on eight of the charges. Recall that the lawmaker was first arraigned in July 2007. The case which has to do with N1.16bn fraud had been on for over a decade Photos: Amanda Neri/@oniraproducoes Ooni of Ife, Oba Adeyeye Ogunwusi is currently on a tour of Brazil, meeting with Brazilians to reconnect them with their African roots. Brazil is home to the largest number of Africans outside the continent as an estimated 40 million Brazilians are actually Africans who were shipped from the west coast (West Africa) of Africa to Brazil during the Trans-Atlantic slave trade. Oba Adeyeye Ogunwusi was photographed speaking with a cross section of indigenes who knelt to pay homage before the king! While Catholicism is a major religion in the country many Afro Brazilians still stay true to their African belief systems and religious practices as Ifa worship and other Yoruba traditional practices are still being adhered to. The mantle of the Ooni Of Ife is arguably the most iconic and the most prestigious in all of Yoruba land. Bio Of the OONI via Wikipedia Early life He started his elementary education at Subuola Memorial Nursery and Primary School, Ibadan and Ibadan District Council, Akobo, Ibadan. He then proceeded to the prestigious Loyola College, Ibadan and later to St. Peters Secondary School, Ile-Ife, where he bagged his secondary school leaving certificate. He graduated as an accountant from The Polytechnic, Ibadan. Professional career He is a member of the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Nigeria. He is also an Associate Accounting Technician. The Oba is a certified member of the Institute of Directors. He is also a member of the Global Real Estate Institute. He holds a number of honorary doctorate degrees: one in Public Administration from the University of Nigeria, Nsukka and another in Law from Igbinedion University. The Oba is the Chancellor at the University of Nigeria, Nsukka. Selection and coronation Ooni Adeyeye Ogunwusi was selected from amongst several well to do indigenes of Ile-Ife who were also heirs to the throne on the 26th of October 2015. He received his staff of office on the 7th of December 2015. He has been described as an astute entrepreneur driven by the need to turn impossibilities into possibilities. The Oba is the spiritual leader of the Yoruba people now saddled with the responsibility of making supplications to God and the orishas on behalf of his tribe and the world at large during annual festivals such as Olojo. Achievements Shortly after his coronation, Ooni Ogunwusi met with the Alaafin of Oyo and by so doing initiated a new era in the history of the Yoruba States. He effectively broke the jinx of institutionalised discord between the thrones that had plagued Ile-Ife and Oyo for decades previously. The Oba is an advocate for the empowerment and emancipation of women and young people. He has transformed Ile-Ife into a tourist zone, with changes including the beautification, redesign and re-construction of the ancient city. Oba Ogunwusi is also a renowned philanthropist[3] who is committed to humanity and an advocate for the less privileged. He has granted support over the years through the House of Oduduwa Foundation and, recently, through Hopes Alive Initiative. Senator Ben Bruce, has urged President Muhammadu Buhari, to leave his predecessors alone. According to the Bayelsa state lawmaker, it would be better to stop blaming these predecessors, and let Nigerians see the outcome of his leadership instead. The senator made this known via his Twitter handle on Sunday, adding that, those Buhari blames constantly have tangible outcomes of their leader while Buhari has none. See his tweet below; President Buhari, please leave your predecessors alone. Stop blaming them. Instead, let Nigerians see the outcome of your leadership. Those you constantly blame, have tangible outcomes of their leadership. Yet, you who blames them, has no tangible outcome of your leadership. Ben Murray-Bruce (@benmurraybruce) June 17, 2018 The senator didnt quite make any sense to many of his followers on the platform. According to many of them, it was wrong for leaders to make these type of assertions, knowing fully well, that they are part of the problem. Some people even asked, what the tangible outcome of the previous leadership are and why his criticisms always seem to be one-sided. See reactions Our Naija is in the wrong hands! Our political leaders saying things like they arent comfortable with our deliberate failures as a country. But doing nothing to raise naija to greatness! I wonder how these so called leaders reason! #Nigeria #CommonSense Emmanuel Geomatics (@AmaezeTochukwu) June 17, 2018 Yesterday determines today while today determines tomorrow. Predecessors that plunged the country into these problems we are facing today mustnt be left alone, they must account for there misruled and wanton embezzlement. Posterity will never forgive them. #AlphySimplex (@aaoshioledwg) June 17, 2018 What is tangible about the outcome of the previous leadership. Leaders who made corruption the order of the day. Am always disappointed by your comment. Thats how you turn NTA assets to Silver bird property. You have case to answer soon Aramidew (@Aramidew1) June 17, 2018 Close Get email notifications on {{subject}} daily! Your notification has been saved. There was a problem saving your notification. {{description}} Email notifications are only sent once a day, and only if there are new matching items. This collection features the arguments in favor of and against the renaming of Catt Hall on Iowa State's campus, which was named in How to make your photos POP with these Photoshop Tricks 6/17/2018 ISO 1200 Magazine 0 Comments You may also like: I shot this car with AMBIENT LIGHT! Moe Zainal - Official collaborator card: Moe Zainal is an Automotive Photographer & a Digital Marketing Hero from the little island - Bahrain. Captivating Carreras. Alluring Audis. Photographically capturing vehicles in still frames is an acquired taste. Let's Get Connected: Car Photography tutorials | Instagram | Download My Free LUTs Moe Zainal is an Automotive Photographer & a Digital Marketing Hero from the little island - Bahrain. Captivating Carreras. Alluring Audis. Photographically capturing vehicles in still frames is an acquired taste. Text, image and video via Moe Zainal SUBSCRIBE Get Latest Videos,Promotions & Exclusive Offers Via Email: We don't send spam! Learn how to use photoshop to make your car photos & any other photos stand out with these Photoshop tips & tricks.Our Official Collaborator Moe Zainal rejected this photo a few months ago while selecting a large batch of rolling shots he took for Audi Bahrain during their driving experience, the photo was dark and dull.A few months later he decided to go back and sift through the set to see if he has missed any good potential shot, saw this photo & decided to bring it back to life with some photoshop magic & selective overlays.Moe shot the photo while dangling off an SQ5 SUV, 1/30 at F13 with ISO 640 and a focal length of 32mm. This Week in Review A weekly review of the best and most popular stories published in the Imperial Valley Press. Also, featured upcoming events, new movies at local theaters, the week in photos and much more. UPDATE: A jet skier found dead in the Rogue River on Saturday has been identified as 39-year-old James Dawson, according to the Associated Press (AP). The Josephine County Sheriff's Office believes that Dawson tried swimming to shore after his jet ski quit working, the AP reports. He was not wearing a life jacket at the time. (Updated as of 2:00 p.m. on Monday, June 18) GRANTS PASS, Ore. Rural Metro Fire says a missing jet skier was found dead in the Rogue River Saturday night. The rider went missing just below Robertson Bridge. Units from Rural Metro Fire, AMR-Josephine County, Grants Pass Department of Public Safety, Josephine County Sheriff's Office, Oregon State Police, and Josephine County Search and Rescue all searched for several hours by boat and on the bank. This is a developing story and will be updated with the latest information as it becomes available. Stefanie Herweck stands with other protesters in front of the U.S. Customs and Border Protection's Rio Grande Valley Sector's Centralized Processing Center on Sunday, June 17, 2018, in McAllen, Texas. The U.S. Border Patrol on Sunday allowed reporters to briefly visit the facility where it holds families arrested at the southern U.S. border, responding to new criticism and protests over the Trump administration's "zero tolerance" policy and resulting separation of families. (Joel Martinez/The Monitor via AP) FILE - In a June 27, 2009 file photo, 3 Doors Down bass guitarist Todd Harrell performs during the band's tour stop at the Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion in The Woodlands, Texas. Jackson County Sheriff Mike Ezell, in a news release, said 46-year-old Harrell, the band's original bass player, was arrested Friday, June 15, 2018 at his St. Martin, Miss. home after after guns and drugs were seen there. (Eric S. Swist/Houston Chronicle via AP, File) Police stand near an industrial area outside the warehouse building where the Art All Night Trenton 2018 festival was the scene of a shooting that resulted in numerous injuries and at least one death Sunday, June 17, 2018, in Trenton, N.J. (AP Photo/Mel Evans) FILE - This Sept. 23, 2012, file photo shows buffalo in Custer State Park in western South Dakota. A new book detailing the history of the American buffalo is telling the story of the last great bison hunts in the western Dakotas and efforts to restore the animals that were on the brink of extinction. "Buffalo Heartbeats Across the Plains," released in June 2018 by North Dakota author Francie Berg, takes a deeper dive into the people and places featured in her previous tour book. (AP Photo/Amber Hunt, File) 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 More than 600 journalists cover the arrival of the NGO "SOS Mediterranee" Aquarius aid convoy ships, at the eastern port of Valencia, Spain, Sunday, Jun. 17, 2018. Ships in the Aquarius aid convoy docked Sunday at the Spanish port of Valencia, ending a week long ordeal for hundreds of people who were rescued from the perilous Mediterranean only to become the latest pawn in Europe's battle over immigration. (AP Photo/Alberto Saiz) In this Oct. 2012 photo, Stephanie Jass of Tecumseh, Mich., poses at Adrian College in Adrian, Mich. The former "Jeopardy!" winner has been charged with illegally accessing co-workers' email accounts at a small Michigan college. (Mike Dickie/The Daily Telegram via AP) We're always interested in hearing about news in our community. Let us know what's going on! Go to form CRESCO, Iowa A teen facing eight burglary charges pleads guilty to three of them. Ezekiel Issac Larson, 18 of Lime Springs, was accused in April of six counts of 3rd degree burglary and two counts of attempted 3rd degree burglary. Authorities say he illegally entered Backwoodz Steak House and Lanes, Busti Lumber, the Chester Community Center, EDR Renewable Services, Elma Express, and the Elma Locker between April 11 and April 13 in 2017, as well as attempted to break into KCDs Bar and the Tank and Tummy Gas Station. Larson has entered a guilty plea to three counts of third degree burglary and received a deferred judgment. He must spend two to five years on supervised probation and pay back all his victims. If he fulfills those requirements, this conviction will be wiped from Larsons record. ROCHESTER, Minn. -- More than 120 Burn Boot Camp locations across the nation held a "Be Their Muscle" workout on Saturday including the two gym locations in Rochester. They were hoping to have the workout outdoors at Silver Lake Park, but lightning caused them to move the workout session indoors. All of the proceeds from the workout are donated to local chapters of the Muscular Dystrophy Association. Muscular dystrophy is a condition that affects muscle mass, making it not only difficult or impossible to exercise, but can also affect people's abilities to feed and bathe themselves, walk, and speak. That's why the gym is moving their bodies for those who can't. "There are people out there who unfortunately cannot use their own willpower to move their arms, legs, hands, fingers, and that's something that we don't really think about every single day," explains head trainer of the North location Abe Allen. The gyms' goal was to raise $4,000, but their final total was more than $7,000 for the MDA. Rochester's gyms came in fourth in the nation for the most money raised. With the proceeds, the MDA is sending children who have muscular dystrophy to a week-long summer camp. This was Rochester's first time participating in the event and they plan to do it again next year. CRESCO, Iowa A Howard County man accused of a multiple burglaries is pleading not guilty. Daryl Edward Sobolik, 47 of Cresco, is charged with four counts of 3rd degree burglary and one count of attempted 3rd degree burglary. Court documents allege that between September 2017 and May 2018, Sobolik stole or tried to steal from the homes of five different Howard County individuals. Sobolik was arrested on May 16 after Cresco police say they were shown security camera video of him trying to break into an apartment. Officers say Sobolik admitting during interrogation to burglarizing 10 homes in a two-year span. A trial is scheduled to begin on October 3. DES MOINES, Iowa - Mike Naig earned the Republican Party's nomination for Secretary of Agriculture. It happened at GOP's state convention in Des Moines. Republican Party of Iowa Chairman Jeff Kauffman released this statement following the nomination: I want to congratulate Mike Naig as the Republican nominee to be Iowas Secretary of Agriculture. Naig is abundantly qualified to be a great successor to Bill Northey as the guiding voice on agriculture issues, and to represent the farmers who make up the backbone of our economy. The strength of Iowas farm economy remains paramount to our states success, and theres no doubt in my mind that Mike Naig will be a champion for agriculture. We stand behind Naig and look forward to helping propel him to victory this November. MASON CITY, Iowa Trying to escape arrest lands a man a 100 day jail sentence. Eric William Jensen, 36 of Osage, pleaded guilty to eluding, an aggravated misdemeanor, and received that sentence. He was arrested on April 9 after a State Patrol trooper says Jensen drove away from an attempted traffic stop and reached speeds of 110 miles per hour before hitting an Alliant Energy power pole in Mason City. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, nearly 15 million Americans work a permanent night shift or regularly rotate in and out of night shifts. (Twenty20) KCHD provides new E. coli update for Knoxville KNOXVILLE The Knox County Health Department (KCHD) continues to investigate a cluster of E. coli infections in children. All potential sources remain under investigation; however, the evidence continues to suggest the cases are associated with two probable sources: consumption of raw milk and contact, either direct or indirect, with farm animals. KCHD is investigating any potential connections between these two likely sources. However, while it would be rare, it is possible these are two unrelated E. coli clusters occurring at the same time. The health departments ongoing investigation has included conducting extensive interviews with the families of the ill children; contacting persons who may be at risk to see if anyone in the household is ill; examining all potential sources; plotting symptom onset to aid in determining the first case, potential exposures and the type of outbreak; analyzing the statistical significance of the findings; and collecting samples from both sites. Samples collected from the farm and child care facility are still being analyzed. In these situations, public health laboratories not only culture the samples for the pathogen in question, E. coli 0157 in this case, they also conduct a more in-depth analysis that can reveal the exact genetic fingerprint of the strain of E. coli 0157. While samples are a part of due diligence in a disease investigation, they are just one piece of the overall evidence. Both Kids Place, Inc., Mascot, Tenn., and French Broad Farm, Knox County, Tenn., have fully cooperated throughout KCHDs investigation, including sharing contact information of those who may be at risk, supporting sample collection and ceasing operations as requested. At this point in the investigation and in light of the fact that there is no ongoing transmission, KCHD is lifting the health directive requesting French Broad Farm temporarily cease operations. While the investigation thus far has revealed no specific problems with French Broad Farm, the risk in consuming raw milk cannot be mitigated. Even with safety precautions in place at a dairy and adherence to the strictest dairying procedures, there is no way to ensure raw milk, while legal, is safe for consumption. This is why health officials recommend the public consume only pasteurized milk and dairy products. KCHD lifted the directive for Kids Place, Inc. on Friday, June 8, 2018. By following existing state and national procedures for infection control and mitigation at a permitted, regulated facility, the risk at Kids Place, Inc. has been mitigated. Published June 17, 2018 Kim Dae-hyun A jobseeker looks at a bulletin board during the Job Fair for Foreign-invested Companies 2018 at COEX in Seoul, Friday. The number of workers in their 40s has been declining for 31 consecutive months amid deteriorating job market conditions. / Yonhap By Jhoo Dong-chan The number of the employees in their 30s and 40s continues its decline, another gloomy indication the Moon administration's income-driven economy policy isn't working to help generate jobs, amid the highest jobless rate among young people. According to Statistic Korea, Sunday, the number of workers among 30- and 40-year-olds has declined over eight and 31 months, respectively. The number of the employees in their 40s was 6.7 million last month, down 88,000 from a year ago. The figure has declined for 31 months since November 2015, the longest streak recorded by the agency since it started collecting data in 1982. Likewise, the number of the employed in their 30s was 5.6 million in the period, also down 31,000 from a year ago. The number of the total employed was 27 million last month, up only 72,000 from a year ago. Deputy Prime Minister Kim Dong-yeon expressed shock. "The May employment figure was a shock," Kim said during a ministerial meeting held at the Sejong Government Complex, Friday. "Economy-related teams in the government should be responsible. We did our utmost to help generate more jobs, but the situation hasn't improved." Industry observers also raised their concerns. "People in their 30s and 40s are the backbone of the nation's economy. They are the prime labor force," Chung-Ang University professor Lee Byung-hoon said. "This isn't a minor social problem. They are the main force to drive the nation's economy. The government should immediately take countermeasures." The Hyundai Research Institute (HRI) attributed the slump in the nation's manufacturing and construction industries to the jobless rate. "Due to the slump in the manufacturing and construction industries, there is less room for 30- and 40-year-olds to work at the moment," HRI researcher Joo Won said. "Job addition was only 72,000 last month. It means the jobs figure could post a loss without government support for employment. It shows the downturn is more serious than the government outlook." The unemployment rate of people aged between 15 and 29 also marked 10.5 percent last month, the highest figure recorded by the agency since it started collecting data in 2000. And the employment rate among the nation's 30 and 40 year-olds has also failed too. By Jung Da-min, Jung Min-ho Residents of Bukchon Hanok Village, a popular tourist destination in central Seoul, gathered in their neighborhood Saturday to protest an overwhelming influx of tourists. "More than 300,000 tourists visit our residential area every month. They make noise, smoke, throw out garbage and even urinate in the street," a protester said in a statement. "We repeatedly asked the government to solve the problem, but little has changed so far." The residents said they have run out of patience, demanding the government designate their village as a restricted zone and enact proper measures to resolve the problem. "The government designated our village as a Hanok Conservation Area against our will and shifted the responsibility to us while making little efforts itself," the residents said. "Excessive tourism has seriously undermined the quality of our lives." David Kilburn, a British man who has lived in Gahoe-dong in the village since 1988, also raised his voice for the importance of "sustainable tourism." "Hanok should be open for those who want to experience them, but they should also function as livable communities for locals," he told The Korea Times. South Korea proposed that North Korea move its long-range artillery away from the heavily fortified border in an effort to reduce tensions during last week's cross-border military talks. Yonhap South Korea proposed that North Korea move its long-range artillery away from the heavily fortified border in an effort to reduce tensions during last week's rare cross-border military talks, government sources here said Sunday. During Thursday's general-grade meeting, the first in more than a decade, Seoul made a series of suggestions, including relocating the artillery pieces to areas 30 to 40 kilometers away from the Military Demarcation Line separating the two Koreas, the insiders said. The two sides held the talks to follow up on the Panmunjom Declaration from the April 27 inter-Korean summit at the truce village, which calls for joint efforts to alleviate military tensions and "practically eliminate the danger of war." "We conveyed our position to the North that in light of consultations between the North and the United States over the denuclearization issue, we have to craft measures to drastically reduce military tensions by removing practical threats," a source said on condition of anonymity. "I understand that (the South) suggested moving the North's artillery that threatens the Seoul metropolitan area to rear areas so as to actively implement the Panmunjom Declaration," the source added. Seoul's defense ministry later denied that it proposed the movement of the North's artillery farther north. According to a 2016 South Korean defense white paper, the North has 14,100 artillery pieces, including 5,500 multiple rocket launchers, a majority of which have been deployed near the border. Pyongyang is known to possess a variety of rocket systems, including 170 mm-caliber self-propelled howitzers and 240 mm multiple rocket launchers that can easily target Seoul and surrounding areas. The North's longer-range 300 mm multiple rocket launcher is seen as more formidable, as it is capable of reaching key U.S. military installations in Pyeongtaek in Gyeonggi Province and the headquarters of the South's Army, Navy and Air Force in the Gyeryongdae military compound in South Chungcheong Province. During Thursday's talks, the two Koreas agreed to completely restore their western and eastern military communication lines. They also exchanged opinions on demilitarizing the inter-Korean truce village of Panmunjom on a "trial basis" and agreed to thoroughly implement a 2004 bilateral agreement on preventing accidental clashes in the West Sea. Seoul is expected to propose holding following-up military talks late this month or next month. (Yonhap) Yemenis wait for a taxi at the Jeju International Airport on May 5. Yemen's civil war is forcing many Yemenis to seek refuge in other countries. / Yonhap By Jung Da-min Over 130 refugees from Yemen applied for legal refugee status at the Jeju Immigration Service May 1-8. This followed 90 Yemenis who arrived on the island up until April and applied this year. None have been approved so far. The only person to gain refugee status since the law was enacted in 2013 was a Chinese who helped North Korean defectors. Up until May 7, 325 Yemenis had landed on the island this year, skyrocketing from 52 last year and 10 in 2016. Colombian photographer Fernando Cano Busquets' "Boyaca" shows the unique hairstyle of a woman in Boyaca, a central part of Colombia. The photo will be displayed at an exhibition co-hosted by the Korea Foundation and the Colombian Embassy in Korea. / Courtesy of Korea Foundation Colombian photographer Fernando Cano Busquets captures the everyday life of the people in Cauca, a southwestern part of Colombia, in this photo titled "Cauca." / Courtesy of Korea Foundation By Yi Whan-woo Chile, Colombia, Mexico and Peru will hold a joint art exhibition in Seoul from June 21 to Aug. 17. The exhibition _ co-hosted by the Colombian Embassy and the Korea Foundation _will be at the KF Gallery owned by the foundation, which operates under the wing of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. The exhibition will be a part of the KF project "KF Global Bridge: Pacific Alliance Festival! Hola!" aimed to promote the culture of the four South American countries bordering the Pacific Ocean. The works of two acclaimed photographers _ Fernando Cano Busquets of Colombia and Christian Jamett of Chile _ will be on display. Busquets' photos show Colombians' everyday life while Jamett's works deal with the descendants of African tribes who have preserved their cultures and traditions. The exhibition will also feature the works of 13 Peruvian photographers and ancient Mexican manuscripts. "The Rhythm of the Soul," a photo taken by Christian Jamett of Chile, show descendants of African tribes. / Courtesy of Korea Foundation "Tonalamatl of Aubin Codex," an ancient Mexican pictorial codex that reads from top to bottom and from right to left. / Courtesy of Korea Foundation "Wampis Village. Maranon river, Amazon" by Peruvian photographer Walter Wust / Courtesy of Korea Foundation By Yi Whan-woo The Sri Lankan Embassy in Korea and the Sri Lanka Tourism Promotion Bureau co-hosted the inaugural Sri Lanka Day cultural festival in Seoul on June 16, showcasing traditional dances, foods and Ceylon tea, fabrics and other products. The festival at Magnolia Square on Seoullo was to offer people a glimpse of Sri Lanka. The Korean Culture Association and Seoullo Management Office supported the event. The embassy has been running various programs to promote the country's industries, including tourism. In February, the embassy hosted an annual festival at the Millennium Seoul Hilton, featuring authentic dishes prepared by two veteran chefs from Sri Lanka's luxurious Cinnamon Hotels and Resorts. Sri Lankan Ambassador to Korea Manisha Gunasekera said Korea is a "country of prime economic focus for Sri Lanka." By Yi Whan-woo A group of Portuguese delegates will visit Seoul from June 27 to 29 to promote development projects in the capital Lisbon and introduce business opportunities there. Delegates for the planned visit, jointly supported by the Portuguese Embassy in Korea and the Portugal Trade and Investment Agency, will include politicians and business people involved in Lisbon South Bay, a project aimed at redeveloping a waterfront area in the south of Lisbon. The Portuguese cities of Almada, Barreiro and Seixal and Baia do Tejo, a private company, have been running a promotion campaign on the project Among the delegates are Almada Mayor Ines de Medeiros, Portugal Trade and Investment Agency Head of Mission Joana Neves, Lisbon South Bay board member Sergio Saraiva and Invest Lisboa Executive Director Rui Coelho. The delegation will introduce the urban redevelopment projects at two seminars organized by the International Contractors Association of Korea and the Korea International Trade Association. The project seeks to transform three riverside areas _ Barreiro, Seixal Business Park and Water City. The Portugal Trade and Investment Agency said development of infrastructure around the Tagus River is expected to "deliver great potential" to nearly 900 hectares of state-owned land managed by Baia do Tejo. The aim is to transform the region around the Tagus River, which is open to the Atlantic Ocean, into a leading European metropolis by boosting industrial and business parks and other economic activities. By Yi Whan-woo The United Arab Emirates (UAE), a member of the Saudi Arabia-led Arab Coalition, is helping civilians in the war against rebels in Yemen's port city of Hodeida, the UAE Embassy in Korea said. The embassy said last week the country's Red Crescent sent an aid convoy carrying 10,000 food baskets to help 70,000 Yemeni civilians in Hodeida. The Arab Coalition's military operation against the Houthi militia was to help the Yemeni government "restore security and stability to the strategic port, to alleviate the humanitarian crisis in the country and to break the deadlock in the political process," the embassy said in a statement. It claimed the militia had been exploiting the city to smuggle arms and ballistic missiles that ultimately could target Saudi Arabian cities, while misusing Hodeidah's revenue to finance its campaign. "While U.N. efforts to negotiate a solution to the issue of Hodeida have been ongoing for over a year, the Houthis have repeatedly refused the U.N. envoy's proposals to hand over the port," the embassy said. "The intervention of the Arab Coalition in Yemen are based on the request of the legitimate Yemeni Government and in compliance with all relevant U.N. Security Council resolutions on the crisis, including resolutions 2216, 2201 and 2140," the embassy said. By Ko Dong-hwan Hanyang University has rolled out a K-pop summer camp in July for foreigners to experience what it takes to become a K-pop star. "ERICA Summer K-POP Camp 2018," held at the school's ERICA campus in Ansan, Gyeonggi Province, from July 16-28, aims to teach applicants basic techniques ranging from pronunciation and breathing tips to dance moves and choreography. The students will also learn how to apply cosmetic make-up like the stars. The program, with lessons from Monday to Friday eight hours a day, allows the students to let off steam by offering tours of trendy Seoul hotspots like Daehangno Street and Hongik University Street on weekends. Each student will complete the camp by performing a choreographed song. The camp will hold a graduation concert of the students on July 27. The students will leave with a certificate and a flash drive containing records of their training. Hanyang University says its practical music and dance programs are "the nation's best" with a strong pool of K-pop instructors and top-tier students screened through an entry test with up to 500 people vying for each position. Jeju Immigration Office in Jeju Island is filled with Yemenis applying for refugee status in South Korea. Online community By Ko Dong-hwan Refugees displaced from war-torn Yemen have had two opposite reactions on Jeju Islands. While the self-governing body of the tourism-centric southern island of South Korea held public sessions teaching them Korean and introducing jobs in the local fishing industry, local citizens unhappy about the refugees' influx have begun online campaigns demanding authorities rein in the newcomers. The situation basically represents a clash between the island's friendly stance toward the refugees and residents wary about predominately Muslims from the Middle East. On Saturday, more than 40 Yemeni refugees attended a Jeju Immigration Office class to learn basic Korean language. The class was to prepare them to work on fishing boats and fish farms, a local industry that has been suffering from a shortage of workers. An official from the National Federation of Fisheries Cooperatives told YTN Saturday it would be "encouraging for fishing boat operators if the refugees could legally help them with the work because workers are in a great demand now, whether foreigners or Koreans." Facing the growing number of Yemenis who filed for refugee status on the island more than 540 as of June 11 this year the immigration office held a job seminar on June 14 for those interested in the fishing industry. Over 400 Yemenis rushed to the seminar that looked for 170 workers. Another seminar for those interested in cooking is planned for June 18. The island's immigration authority made the decision nominally on condition the refugees "shall not deprive Koreans of the chances of getting employed in the same industries." But the move drew a backlash because the statement was vague about whether the approach was legal. The job opportunities are the result of a serious workers shortage in fishing-related industries and possibly sympathy for the refugees who need money to live. A Yemeni refugee told YTN some of his countrymen ate one meal a day and three of the refugees shared one motel room. Other poorer refugees lived on the streets. While the island authority was at the frontline of helping the refugees, Korean residents on the island voiced strong opposition. Their fiercest voices appeared on presidential office Cheong Wa Dae's website, where petitions appeared calling for the island's lax visa system to be changed and for the inflow of Yemeni refugees to be stopped. Both petitions gained significant support. The first petition titled "Let us defy Jeju Island accepting refugees" was posted on June 12. The petition, posted anonymously, claimed it was "obvious the Yemenis, who see women as not a human but a child-delivering object, will cause sexually explicit crimes...Look at the Chinese." The person asked why Koreans should have to put up with foreigners and demanded that legal action be taken immediately before it was too late. The petitions require the central government to make an official reply if they draw 200,000 supporters or more in one month. The June 12 petition attracted more than 180,000 in four days. But the petition was deleted from the site on Saturday without any notice from Cheong Wa Dae, causing an online outcry demanding an explanation. Yemeni refugees seeking to settle on Jeju Island gathered at a hall inside Jeju Immigration Office for a job seminar on June 14. Online community By Kim Rahn Sunken frigate Cheonan is being lifted in the seas near Baengnyeong Island in the West Sea in this 2010 photo. / Korea Times file First Sunday of every month, 3-4 p.m. and Third Sunday of every month Moxie Massage 605 E. Washington St., Springfield Downtown Free Health & Fitness Participate in a demonstration of free-flowing movements designed to relieve stress, promote balance and enhance clarity of mind. All skill levels and ages. Wear loose clothing and bring water. Check the host Facebook page for event updates. (217) 725-6597 Forty homemade shrimp paste producers are operating businesses in Ongam-ri in the midwestern fishery town of Gwangcheon. In its golden days, ships loaded with fresh shrimp gathered at the port in Ongam-ri _ better known as Dogbae Village (bedrock village) named after the large jar-like rock standing in the middle of the village _ where a large fishery market appeared every five days. / Korea Times Facing cheaper Chinese imports, fish sauce producers lose appetite for tunnel-based fermentation By Kang Hyun-kyung Gwangcheon, South Chungcheong Fermented in long, narrow mountain tunnels that stay at a constant temperature of 13 or 14 degrees Celsius all year round, nutrient-rich shrimp paste and fish sauce produced in the midwestern fishery town of Gwangcheon has long been considered premium. Tunnel-based fermentation is a storage method invented by a local homemade shrimp paste producer in the 1960s. Due to the high summertime temperatures, though, shrimp spoiled and local producers struggled with preserving premium shrimp caught in June for a sauce called "yuk-jeot." Tunnels, which are cool all year round, helped local fish sauce producers end their decades of struggle. The cool temperature inside the tunnels help the salted shrimp ferment gradually for three months, bringing out a great-tasting sauce rich in minerals, amino acids and other nutrients. Fermented shrimp from Gwangcheon were a big hit in the past. Today, however, local fish sauce producers say the good old days are gone. "Tunnel-based fermentation has no merit in terms of profits," said Hu Nyui, a producer of homemade fermented shrimp paste in Ongam-ri. "An increasing number of people in this town are giving up the fermentation method because it's not money-smart." Hu, 59, is a second-generation homemade shrimp producer. He said he has weathered tough times. "I have been involved in this business for 35 years since I took over my father's family business," he said. "I didn't make much money. If you only think about profits, you are not supposed to keep doing this because fermented shrimp doesn't yield much profit." Fermented shrimp / Korea Times Gwangcheon had been a thriving fishery town on the west coast for decades through the 1910-45 Japanese colonial rule of Korea until the 1980s. In its golden days, ships loaded with fresh shrimp gathered at the port in Ongam-ri better known as Dogbae Village (bedrock village) named after the large jar-like rock standing in the middle of the village as a large fishery market appeared every five days. The entire town was bustling. Retailers and tourists from all around the country visited the area to shop for fresh fish and premium shrimp sauce. Because of the clean waters and rich marine ecosystem in the seas off the west coast, locals proudly say Ongam-ri was home to the most delicious fish in the nation. Tunnel-based fermentation the product of Gwangcheon's local ingenuity was born to such a booming fishery business. Unlike salting designed to prevent seafood from rotting, fermenting shrimp is more science-based and nutrient-rich. Fermented shrimp have a better taste as well as solid texture. Fermented shrimp paste continued to be the main income source for locals since the mid-1990s when a seawall was established in Ongam-ri which led to the shutdown of the port. The luster of the thriving fishery town has since faded. Competition for salted shrimp has become tougher year after year, partly because of the influx of cheaper imports from China, Vietnam, Thailand and Indonesia. Han Geom-taek, a docent working with the division of interpretation at Gwangcheon County Office, said salted shrimp made with imported seafood is available anywhere, even in port cities, such as the southwestern port city of Gunsan and Sorae Village near Incheon along the west coast. "Some are saying an increase of kimchi producers and their mass production offer an opportunity for homemade producers of shrimp paste because kimchi producers are their main customers. This is wishful thinking," he said. "Kimchi producers are businesspeople. Their priority is cutting production costs. The question is, would they use expensive premium fermented shrimp sauce made in Gwangcheon? Many of them will opt for cheaper salted seafood sauces because they want to lower prices to sell their products." A decrease of kimchi consumption also poses a threat to homemade shrimp paste producers. A woman checks fermented shrimp in a tunnel in Ongam-ri. Salted shrimp is fermented for three months in the tunnel which stays at a constant temperature of 13 degrees Celsius to 14 degrees Celsius all year round. / Korea Times Shin Ji-ye, 27-year-old Seoul mayoral candidate for the Green Party Korea, poses for an interview with The Korea Times at the party office in Seoul, Thursday. / Korea Times photo by Shim Hyun-chul By Park Ji-won Not many expected Shin Ji-ye, a 27-year-old Seoul mayoral candidate for the Green Party Korea, to become famous after the June 13 local elections. The youngest-ever candidate for Seoul mayor landed in fourth place with 82,874 votes (1.67 percent) in the elections, following former presidential candidate Ahn Cheol-soo of the minor opposition Bareunmirae Party (19.5 percent), even beating the candidate from the Justice Party, a well-established minor opposition party. She was the first-ever candidate who presented herself as a "feminist" on campaign posters. Her party is little known to people because of a lack of campaign funds. "About 83,000 Seoul citizens sympathized with the need for a feminist mayor," Shin told The Korea Times. "Although the election is over, it (feminist politics) is not over, as an election in a democracy is not about winning or losing," she said. "Together with these 83,000 people, this election was about getting more people involved in politics. As the number of people who don't support specific parties or organizations but have a desire for a new politics has increased, they started to pay attention to the Green Party." Amid a long-built anti-feminist sentiment in Korea, despite the recent spread of the #MeToo and #WithYou movements, she is still a rare figure on the political scene. President Moon Jae-in and Rep. Jin Sun-mee of the ruling Democratic Party of Korea have called themselves feminists, but this is not likely their dominant identity. As to the election poster with the word feminist, some people, including a famous human rights lawyer, criticized her appearance on the poster as being "too arrogant for a woman." Also, her posters were damaged often during the election period: some posters were torn down from walls and her eyes in other posters were pierced. Two people were caught defacing Shin's posters, which is a violation of the Election Law. When asked about the attacks, she said she wasn't afraid for her safety but thought men in their 50s and older were behind the times as most of the attackers were such people. Ironically, she gained more popularity as a politician because of the attacks. But she says she never meant to become a politician until the moment came along for her to realize the importance of politics. "There was an old building called Buheung Jutaek, where many people including me and old people had lived for many years. But we had to be kicked out of the building as it was legal for the landlord to make us leave. I realized society doesn't change only by having good will together. It is about politics." She decided to become a feminist politician based on a childhood experience. She had a conversation with her female friends and learned they all have experienced gender discrimination and sexual violence. She dropped out of high school as she didn't agree with what the school forced her to do, such as limitations on students' hairstyles. She learned about feminism in a curriculum at an alternative school. "I realized that not only me but no woman is free from gender discrimination," she said. Embracing feminism as a key identity for herself, "her personal became political." Her campaign pledges were concentrated on gender equality: She promised to end sexual violence and gender discrimination by supporting the vulnerable and victims through setting up necessary municipal ordinances. She criticized President Moon for not providing opinions on the abortion law, saying he is not a feminist. In Korea, abortion is illegal and many women's groups say the law is outdated. "The abortion issue is about making a law. Moon has the right to propose a revision bill. He didn't do anything but is waiting for the Constitutional Court's decision. I don't think Moon is a feminist." When it comes to abortion laws, she pointed out related policies are also outdated. "The laws are restricting women's human rights. That's why we need more younger and new politicians." Shin at the Green Party Korea's office in Seoul, Thursday. / Korea Times photo by Shim Hyun-chul By Lee Kyung-min Prosecutors indicted 38 senior-level officials at six banks for engaging in hiring irregularities. The Supreme Prosecutors' Office said the officials from Kookmin, KEB Hana, Woori, Busan, Daegu and Kwangju banks were charged with obstruction of business. Busan Bank head Sung Se-whan was indicted on suspicion of manipulating the test scores of the son of a Busan Metropolitan City official in 2012, in return for administrative favors to help the bank land business, which helped his profile. Four officials at the bank were indicted, including a man surnamed Park who allegedly committed the same offense to favor the daughter of former lawmaker Cho Moon-hwan of the Saenuri Party, the predecessor of the main opposition Liberty Korea Party. Former Daegu Bank chief Park In-gyu was also indicted for allegedly manipulating test scores on seven occasions between 2014 and 2017 to help some applicants land jobs at the bank. Park was also charged with destruction of evidence for ordering his subordinates to replace the computer hard drives and destroy documents, in which hiring policies, procedures and selection processes were specified in detail. He made the order shortly after the Financial Supervisory Service (FSS) announced a plan to crack down on illicit hiring in state-run financial institutions. Former KEB Hana Bank President Ham Young-joo was indicted for allegedly hiring nine people who failed to meet the requirements of state guidelines on maintaining equitable women-to-men hiring ratios for new hires in 2015. Former Woori Bank CEO Lee Kwang-goo was indicted for allegedly helping five applicants land jobs at the bank including family members of high-level FSS executives in 2015. Prosecutors said Lee also helped children of bank executives land jobs at the institution in 2016 and 2017. Lee resigned last November over the allegation. The investigation into different bank branches nationwide came after the FSS referred the findings of its audit to the prosecution last October and January. Investigations are ongoing at the Seoul Eastern Prosecutors' Office into 22 cases of hiring irregularities at Shinhan Group and its affiliates. About half, or 13 cases, involve the children of key executives. Former company CEOs, high-ranking government officials and politicians were also implicated. The FSS found that five children of former and current executives and seven others landed highly coveted jobs at the institutions despite their failure to meet relevant requirements. Some of them had passed the documents review with a grade point average lower than the minimum, while others passed the final test after receiving the lowest grade in interviews. Other favors were granted to children of senior executives at Shinhan Group that applied for Shinhan Card, the FSS added. Evidence of hiring criteria manipulation was also uncovered. POSCO E&C CEO Lee Young-hoon By Park Jae-hyuk POSCO Engineering & Construction (E&C) has come under scrutiny over a series of worker deaths this year, including an accident that killed four workers and injured four others at a construction site of LCT, a high-rise apartment complex in Haeundae, Busan. The Ministry of Employment and Labor said Sunday it will start a month-long inspection today at the builder's head office in Incheon and its 24 construction sites nationwide. Including the LCT accident, POSCO E&C has been involved in five accidents in which eight workers have been killed this year. The accidents also include an accident last month at the construction site of an E1 factory in Seosan, South Chungcheong Province, and in March at a tunnel in Busan and in January at an apartment construction site in Incheon. Amid the mounting fatalities, workers have urged the government to investigate the company. "If POSCO E&C is found to violate safety standards during the inspection, the government will order the company to suspend construction and take legal action against it," a labor ministry official said. The ministry's recent announcement came a week after the arrest of a former labor ministry official surnamed Kim, 58, who is alleged to have accepted bribes from POSCO E&C and other construction companies. The former head of the Busan Regional Employment and Labor Office's Dongbu branch is facing a charge that he was entertained by POSCO E&C officials at a hostess bar in Busan, March 12, 10 days after the LCT accident. Having served as a safety supervisor on construction sites in Daegu and Busan for about a year, Kim is also suspected of receiving bribes worth 10 million won ($9,099) from builders. The ministry dismissed Kim last month, when he was under investigation by the police. Kim is the first who has been arrested because of the LCT accident. The police are investigating whether Kim influenced the office's decision to allow POSCO E&C to resume building LCT 35 days after the accident. The labor ministry said it will regularly check whether POSCO E&C continues to satisfy safety standards, even after the end of the special inspection. The Moon Jae-in administration aims to cut in half the number of victims of industrial accidents by 2022. By Kwon Bong-woon The aging of the population is progressing rapidly. With advancements in medical technology, and various food and nutrition industries, the average life expectancy is increasing fast. At this juncture, forestry welfare is emerging as an alternative to secure fiscal stability while improving public health in an aging society. The Korea Forests Research Institute under the Korea Forest Service started a forest therapy program to track changes in human bodies, and the study confirmed improved immunity and a decrease in stress. Germany has been utilizing forests as a means of improving health and preventing diseases since the mid-1800s. Japan has also been promoting forest therapy as a national project since the 2000s. In 2016, about 22 million Koreans visited recreational forests or forest therapy spots. In response to the growing forest welfare demand, the law on forest welfare promotion was enacted in March 2014. With the legislation, a system has been established for welfare facilities, forest welfare services for cycles, related research and job creation and assistance for the underprivileged. Considering the welfare expenses to GDP ratio, which is close to the OECD average, forests, which make up 64 percent of Korea's land, would be a blessed natural resource to contribute to the fiscal stability of the country. To establish forest welfare and actively and productively provide welfare services, an organization and manpower to efficiently and economically provide and manage forest welfare should be created. Korea's forests were created over 40 years of sweat and tears by the previous generation. The etymological root of the word forest ("forestrare' in Latin) means to exclude for a space when used as a verb, or a space of restricted access when used as a noun. The forest symbolize integrity, pride, vitality and affluence. Today forests are recognized as an indispensable supporting resource that humanity needs direly to resolve environmental problems confronting it. Forests are inseparable from the lives of Koreans; people praise forests from the old days, sing about them, and describe and write poems about them. We can find the wisdom that our ancestors had, who regarded forest and trees as objects with spiritual and intellectual values. Forests are economic resources that generate products directly, and are environmental resources that produce pure water, clean air and cultural resources that yield psychological stability, emotional support and artistic inspiration. Forests do not end with this. As we know, multifarious insects and animals living in forests play an important role in the ecosystem. Forests greatly contribute to Korean's health and therapy. People cultivate their own bodies and minds in forests, and purify their spiritual world. People learn to be happy about what they have done so far. The objective of the forests policy of the government is to manage them sustainably which is key to improving the quality of Korean people's lives, land conservation, economic development, and pursuing a sustainable green welfare nation. It is a great pity that forests fires are occurring too often. It is absolutely necessary to prevent forests fires. So we all are obliged to conserve our precious forest resources. The writer(kbw8234664@naver.com) lives in Dongjak-gu in Seoul. By Heo Mane The June 12 historic summit between President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un was the first face-to-face summit between the two countries since the 1948 establishment of the communist state. Closely watching their behavior at the Singapore summit, both leaders looked like winners, even though Trump put on a one-man show with announcing the signed document after negotiations. Trump seemed to have made too many concessions to Kim, most of which are harmful to peace and security for Seoul and Washington as well as Northeast Asia as a whole. On a closer look at the summit, everyone seemed to have expected that it would bring a genuine peace and long-term stability to the Korean Peninsula and Northeast Asia by getting Kim to commit to a "complete, verifiable and irreversible denuclearization" (CVID). But the word CVID was not seen in the historic statement. This is a fatal blow to Washington and Seoul that have long pursued it at the summit. The document failed to specify how to verify the North's process of dismantling its nuclear arsenal in an irreversible way, probably through IAEA inspections. So many world watchers and the South Koreans were disappointed by Trump's negotiating skills. Just one day before the summit, Trump made clear that the U.S. could not accept talks if CVID was denied. Trump said Kim only reconfirmed that a "complete denuclearization" would be implemented. Trump thought that he and Kim took confidence-building measures. You must know that those measures will be made only through concrete verification regimes, such as those in NATO and the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE). Moreover, Trump said he will stop holding war games with South Korea that are "provocative and expensive." He even hinted at a possibility to scale down regular annual military drills. Before leaving for Singapore, he might have hoped to bring back home the troops stationed in the South. However, he said the issue is not part of equation with the summit. The troops here are stationed in accordance with the ROK-U.S. Mutual Defense Treaty. On the other hand, Trump announced that Kim promised to demolish a key missile engine testing site at a proper time. More importantly, ahead of the summit, strong speculation once lingered that Washington and Pyongyang might discuss withdrawing U.S. troops from the South. North Korea has long demanded the troop withdrawal which it sees as necessary for Washington to end its hostile policy toward the North. To simplify, Trump hoped to make a new history with Pyongyang, with a view to building a lasting peace and stable regime on the peninsula. Taking these measures with Kim could enhance the prestige and popularity of Trump in the upcoming November midterm elections. Many experts on the inter-Korean affairs around the world were surprised to have seen many hasty concessions at the face-to-face talks. They are quite skeptical of Trump style of diplomacy toward Kim. We cannot accept a peace regime on the peninsula which will be fragile and short-lived without implementing CVID on the nuclear and missile issues. Furthermore, Trump should not declare an end to the Korean War without realizing CVID. Theoretically, CVID alone is a key factor to ensure a peace regime here. Given the absence of CVID, a key inspection function, there is growing speculation that Pyongyang's nuclear development could be revived anytime soon. Viewed from such vulnerability, the North's potential nuclear revival would harm the diplomatic initiatives of President Moon Jae-in in creating a stable peace regime on the peninsula. Considering this kind of danger, follow-on bilateral talks with high-level officials will have to be resumed soon. They must feel greater responsibility to work out elaborate details for the stable peace regime on the peninsula. They must be well versed in North's nuclear and missile development history and Kim's political willingness. It is worthwhile considering exchanging CVID with "complete, verifiable, irreversible and guarantee" (CVIG) because both can ensure peace and stability at an equal level, thus sustainably maintaining the peace regime. There will be no peace regime without such mechanisms. We don't understand why Trump and his advisers failed to insert this kind of mechanisms in the document. The first round of the summit was akin to an active volcano that may erupt anytime soon. In other words, it was a qualified success on the part of the Trump administration. For his part, Kim visited China on two occasions just before the Singapore summit, reconfirming the bloody relations between Beijing and Pyongyang. Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov dropped in on Pyongyang, with a view to supporting isolated Kim's diplomacy with Trump. Kim recently succeeded in upgrading economic, diplomatic and security relations with the two guardian states. They are now fully behind Kim's diplomatic offensive. With his first diplomatic debut, Kim made himself a world star. This is the greatest personal gain for him on the international stage. In a word, Kim will not be entrapped in the path that Mikhail Gorbachev trod in the past, consequently stepping down from power. As Trump said in Singapore, he is a smart negotiator. Heo Mane (mane398@naver.com) is a professor emeritus and adviser of the Korea-EU Forum. No details, no timetable, no verification, no mention of human rights, too many concessions, too little in return. If you're keeping score, it's easy to record a bunch of L's for President Donald Trump and a run of W's for North Korean dictator Kim Jong-un in the nuclear talks the two leaders held in Singapore. That's the traditional way of assessing such summits. But there was nothing conventional about the face-to-face meeting between Trump and Kim or the feverish run-up to it. Trump is not practicing anything like traditional diplomacy anywhere. His style has been obnoxious, disconcerting and, at times, disagreeable. But when it comes to North Korea, consider: Decades of orthodox diplomacy led to exactly what American negotiators wanted to prevent a nuclear-armed North Korea. So who's to say getting unorthodox won't work? There are concerns whether this process will lead to long-term peace. But we also understand the summit was the first inning of what always was going to be a long and tedious game. Follow-up is everything. Details will be critical. That will require discipline and commitment, not qualities typically associated with Trump. Then again, the sitting leaders of the two nations had never met before last week. To borrow from the president's patter, we'll see what happens. It certainly was strange to hear Trump praise Kim repeatedly as "talented" and a man who "loves his people" when he has killed family members and has a deplorable record of human rights abuses. It was odd to hear Trump say he trusted Kim, one of three generations of North Korean family known for reneging on promises. And it was jarring to hear Trump talk of the special bond he has with Kim, just days after he blew up relationships with actual longtime allies in the G7. But that was partly show to demonstrate strength to Kim. Trump understands optics better than anyone. That's why he showed Kim a video that placed the North Korean leader at a "what-if" moment, choosing between isolation and prosperity and included renderings of new beachfront condos and hotels. It's why Trump agreed to suspend military exercises with South Korea, drills he can always reinstate he understood Kim needed to bring back to his people some tangible sign of success to keep negotiations on track. That's the charitable interpretation. The other take is that Trump got rolled by the callow Kim. It's too early to know whether these are the intuitive strokes of a master salesman, or the seeds of disaster. Did Trump sign an agreement with Kim so full of holes as to be useless? Or is it so flexible that it can lead to more specific agreements? Will it bring about complete, verifiable, irreversible denuclearization and an improvement in living conditions for North Korea's people? Or was Singapore just a photo-op for a man who craves accolades on the world stage? Trump acknowledged he could find out in six months that he was wrong about Kim. We hope he's not. Because any agreement, in the end, hinges on what Kim wants. The two nations have tried to walk together before, but those journeys went nowhere. It's up to Trump to make sure this new path doesn't hit the same dead end. The above editorial appeared in Newsday. It was distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC. Seoul proposes withdrawal of NK artillery from border Inter-Korean detente is expected to help Seoul and Pyongyang ease military tensions and avoid the risk of war. This expectation gained a boost after South Korea proposed North Korea withdraw its long-range artillery from the heavily fortified border. The South made the proposal during Thursday's general-level meeting with the North, the first in more than a decade. Sources said the North virtually accepted the suggestion so it can be discussed in follow-up talks. They said the North called on the South's military and United States Forces Korea (USFK) to take reciprocal steps. It is worth noting that the two Koreas have started discussions about the relocation of the North's artillery pieces to rear areas 30 kilometers to 40 kilometers from the Military Demarcation Line (MDL) that separates the two. If the North agrees on the withdrawal, the South may need to take similar steps on a reciprocal basis. Such a discussion could signal meaningful progress from the North which had often threatened to turn Seoul into a "sea of fire." It followed the June 12 summit between North Korean leader Kim Jong-un and U.S. President Donald Trump. The historic Singapore summit was big on symbolism but short on concrete action for the North's denuclearization. However, Seoul hopes the meeting will give a boost to inter-Korean rapprochement. Against this backdrop, the South-North military talks -- if they go well -- can serve as a catalyst not only to alleviate tension on the Korean Peninsula, but also to build up mutual trust. Without removing military threats against each other, the two Koreas can never go down the path toward peace and prosperity. The South sees the North's long-range artillery as one of three major threats, along with nuclear weapons and missiles, to its security. The North currently deploys more than 1,000 artillery pieces along the border. And about 330 of them are 170mm-caliber self-propelled howitzers and 240mm-multiple rocket launchers aimed at Seoul and surrounding areas. Thus, the relocation of the artillery could remove practical threats against the South. It could also contribute to initiating arms control between the two sides. Yet, there still is skepticism over the North's real intentions -- both of denuclearization and inter-Korean detente. Pyongyang might try to use Seoul's proposal as leverage to demand the removal of U.S. strategic assets, including the nuclear umbrella, from the South. It may also call for the reduction or withdrawal of U.S. troops from the South. No one can rule out the possibility of the North raising its voice for such demands, particularly after President Trump agreed to suspend military drills with the South during the ongoing nuclear negotiations. The suspension of the "war games" as Trump called them may have a positive effect on the complete denuclearization of the North. But it is still premature to stop the drills, given that Pyongyang has yet to present action plans or a timeline for dismantling its nuclear weapons. In this context, the inter-Korean military talks need to keep pace with the North's denuclearization process to make a substantive progress. Voters cast their ballots for local elections at Itaewon Elementary School in Seoul on June 13. Yonhap Voting in Korea By Jacco Zwetsloot Dave Park, CEO of Recobell, an ad-tech subsidiary of Yello Mobile, speaks during an interview with The Korea Times at Yello Mobile's head office in Sinsa-dong, Seoul, last week. / Courtesy of Yello Mobile By Jun Ji-hye Dave Park, CEO of Recobell, an ad-tech subsidiary of Yello Mobile, believes that the value of blockchain technology will be appreciated only when it is used practically by people in their everyday lives. Based on that belief, his firm and partners have considered ways of applying blockchain technology to the advertising market so that people involved in ad production and dealings can experience real innovation and convenience. The result of their hard work has been the development of a blockchain platform called SIX Network. The SIX Network uses smart contract technology as well as blockchain to create a more effective ecosystem for advertisement deals by, for example, offering simple contract and payment features. The development and business team includes Futurestream Networks (FSN), a digital marketing subsidiary of Yello Mobile; GushCloud, a Singapore-based influencer marketing subsidiary of Yello Mobile; and Ookbee U, a Thailand-based content subsidiary of Chinese tech giant Tencent. "We began the project based on the belief that blockchain technology could resolve various problems involving the current advertising market," Park said during an interview with The Korea Times. "First of all, the SIX Network can guarantee liquidity for the market." In Korea, advertising agencies conventionally execute advertisements first, and advertisers pay fees two or three months later, Park explained. This time gap sometimes lays a burden on agencies as they need to pay out hundreds of millions of won first. This also sometimes causes unfair ad revenue sharing among multiple parties and inefficiency of liquidity in the market as well. "The SIX Network can resolve those problems as it records advertising deals daily and shows achievement immediately," Park said. "This enables agencies and advertisers to calculate advertising expenses every day. We believe real-time payment will be possible ultimately." The new platform will be useful especially at a time when the so-called "influencer marketing" strategy has been in the limelight, Park said. Influencer marketing refers to requesting influential YouTubers or power bloggers to advertise certain products such as games, food or cosmetics. Park said if a company wants 1,000 influencers to advertise its product, 1,000 contracts should be written in the current market. Managing different performances between influencers and handling their disputes is also an arduous task. "We thought this problem could be resolved through smart contract technology as it can create contracts automatically and calculate advertisement costs based on each influencer's performance that is tracked by the platform," he said. This can also reduce prime costs of advertisements as personnel expenses can be cut down, he said, noting that this will enable more influencers to participate in advertising. As part of efforts to begin the business in earnest using the SIX Network, the team carried out an initial coin offering (ICO) of its own blockchain and cryptocurrency token, SIX, in May. FSN said 520 million SIX tokens were sold through the ICO, noting that the token sale's soft cap of $15 million was also reached eight days after the public pre-sales began in April. The team began to circulate SIX tokens to purchasers, June 6. The tokens can be used in real life through SIX Wallet that the team is currently developing. "Our aim is to make it possible to buy content using our SIX token within the year," Park said. "That is the first test of the SIX Network. After we confirm that the token-based payment is working smoothly, we will continue to advance the platform." The final goal of the team is enabling parties involving ad dealings to conduct their business using the SIX token, Park said, adding that when using the SIX Network, advertisers can reduce unnecessary costs, while profit distribution among those involving the advertisement process can be done more fairly. "The blockchain technology will innovate the ad market as a whole," he said. The service of the SIX Network will begin in Thailand first and then be expanded to other Southeast Asian countries, he said, adding that Yello Mobile has acquired companies in Thailand, Indonesia, Singapore and Vietnam through its subsidiary Yello Digital Marketing Global to expand its presence in the fast-growing Southeast Asian market. "We will focus on the Southeast Asian and Korean market first," he said. "Then, if possible, we hope to expand the business to Japan." In the long term, Park said the SIX Network could be used to evaluate the value of digital assets such as copyrights of video clips. "The platform could evaluate standards such as the number of clicks and likes," he said. "Based on the precise assessment, we would be able to land our tokens to owners of such digital content." Yello Mobile is the fastest-growing mobile media group here, with market observers often calling it a "dinosaur venture." Amid the breakneck development of the Fourth Industrial Revolution technologies, Yello Mobile has been concentrating its efforts on conducting business using the blockchain tech. As well as the advertisement area, the firm has also been focusing on applying the advanced technology to finance. On May 11, the firm said its subsidiary, Daily Blockchain, set up a subsidiary, tentatively named Daily Crypto Investment Bank (IB), to push for the crypto IB business in earnest. The crypto IB would work similar to existing investment banks such as mergers and acquisitions, investment consulting and asset management as well as issuing derivative products. Daily Crypto IB will be jointly operated by Daily Blockchain and Formation Group, a venture capital firm based in Palo Alto with offices in Seoul and Singapore. Brian Koo, a founding managing partner of Formation Group, currently serves as an executive director of the board of Daily Blockchain. He is a grandson of LS Group's co-founder, Koo Tai-hwoi, who was also an honorary chairman of LS Cable & System. Because of his background, attention was high when he joined Yello Mobile's blockchain business. U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Nikki Haley / Reuters Talks with the United States over how to reform the main U.N. rights body have failed to meet Washington's demands, activists and diplomats say, suggesting that the Trump administration will quit the Geneva forum whose session opens on Monday. A U.S. source, speaking on condition of anonymity, told Reuters the withdrawal appeared to be "imminent" but had no details. Diplomatic sources said it was not a question of if but of when the United States retreats from the Human Rights Council, which is holding a three-week session through July 6. A separate U.S. official in Geneva had no information about a looming pull-out during the upcoming talks, saying: "We are still moving ahead with our engagement for the coming session." Nikki Haley, the U.S. ambassador to the United Nations, publicly told the Council a year ago that Washington might leave the body unless a "chronic anti-Israel bias" were removed. The forum, set up in 2006, has a permanent standing agenda item on suspected violations committed by Israel in the occupied Palestinian territories, which Washington wants removed. Washington says the Council is stacked with opponents of Israel and boycotted it for three years under President George W. Bush before rejoining under Barack Obama in 2009. The 47-member forum last month voted to set up a probe into killings in Gaza and accused Israel of excessive use of force. The United States and Australia cast the only "no" votes. Israel's ambassador in Geneva, Aviva Raz Shechter, castigated the Council for "spreading lies against Israel". Lack of consensus Talks held in Geneva and in New York for months could not find consensus around a new agenda, according to activists and diplomats who have taken part. While the Trump administration has yet to announce a decision, any suspension or withdrawal would be the latest U.S. rejection of multilateral engagement after pulling out of the Paris climate agreement and the deal with world powers over Iran's nuclear program. Diplomats said it could also lead to Israel being even more isolated in the Human Rights Council and could bolster countries such as Cuba, Egypt, Pakistan and Russia who resist what they see as U.N. interference in sovereign issues. The European Union failed to find a common position, mainly due to Belgium's wish to keep violations in individual countries firmly on the agenda of each session, they said. The United States also wants to make it easier to kick off member states with egregious rights records. Haley has cited Venezuela, China and Saudi Arabia as violating standards. The Council has ongoing investigations into violations in hotspots including Myanmar, South Sudan, and Syria, with a view to gathering evidence that could lead to future prosecutions. Marc Limon, executive director of the think tank Universal Rights Group, said there were "rumors and mutterings" of a "political decision" having been taken in Washington to disengage. "They could either leave the seat empty, which could happen in June, or if withdrawing, formally notify the (U.N.) General Assembly," he told Reuters. Swiss Ambassador Valentin Zellweger said: "The decision by the Americans will have a profound impact on the Council. If they withdraw, we can expect significant consequences." The United States had long played a "leadership role" in the Council, Zellweger said, adding: "Unfortunately I agree with them that not all members fulfil the (membership) criteria." (Reuters) Jeff Deahl is past president of the Builders Association of Northeast Indiana. Questions for the Square Corners column may be submitted at ba-ni.com or email info@ba-ni.com. If you're interested in submitting a Letter to the Editor, click here. Submit Among the dozen members inducted last month into the prestigious American Academy of Arts and Letters were historian Ron Chernow, playwright Terrence McNally, novelist George Saunders and artist Jenny Holzer. And then there was Ben Johnston, who, at 92, is Americans dean of microtonal music and consequently an outsider artist with nothing like the name recognition of the others. How is it possible that this elder statesman whose cycle of 10 string quartets is one of the wonders of American chamber music remains an outlier? Johnstons Octet, which was written in 2000 and appears to be his last completed composition (his health has been poor in recent years), didnt receive a first performance until a 2012 new music festival in Donaueschingen, Germany. It took an additional six years for the Octet to get its American premiere Friday night at REDCAT during the final concert of MicroFest 2018, the annual Southern California festival of microtonal music. Blame, if you will, the obscurity of microtonally tuned music for such neglect. But not so fast. Advertisement REDCAT was mostly full Friday (and reportedly again Saturday). MicroFest has made it a practice to end each June with a Harry Partch event in REDCAT. There is always an audience for the legendary American maverick who invented fabulous instruments that divide the octave into 40 parts and who found common ground between Greek mythology and the mythology of the road and rails that Partch rode as a hobo during the Great Depression. Johnstons music, graciously experimental in his early years and simply gracious in later ones, may be a little like that of the cantankerous Partch, who was represented by theatrical realizations of his dance piece Daphne of the Dunes and his hitchhiker-themed work Barstow. Johnson, nevertheless, was Partchs most important pupil and collaborator. And, I can think of no more gentle or effective introduction, especially for an American, to the world of Partch and his microtones than Johnstons sublime 17-minute Octet. Musicians rehearsal for the Harry Partch concert at REDCAT. (Gary Coronado / Los Angeles Times ) The score is a series of variations on a familiar tune that was used on the soundtrack of the Ken Burns television miniseries The Civil War. Each variation has a different instrumentation and sonic character the ensemble is flute, clarinet, bassoon, string quartet and double bass. But rather than being plunged into a micro-tuned world where everything sounds out of whack to the unsuspecting listener, we are introduced to the microtones gradually. The tunings take on the character of detours into intriguing territories, familiar but fantastical. By the end of the Octet, Jay Ungars Ashokan Farewell has been fully transformed. Microtonal harmonies open doors of the tune and the timbres. The melody is no longer a farewell but a welcome mat to the ears to come inside. I am unable to describe just how moving this sense of belonging made by music can be, but I sensed an aura sublimity all around me. The transcendent Johnston performances were anchored by the L.A.-based Lyris Quartet, which opened the program with Johnstons penultimate string quartet from 1988. The Lyris played it last fall for the Santa Monica new music series Jacaranda, but this time the ethereal slow third movement hinted at the serene micro-toned beauty of the Octet. The additional microtonally supple players for the Octet were flutist Sara Andon, clarinetist James Sullivan, Bassoonist Jon Stehney and bassist Scott Worthington. The good news is that these players go into the studio this week to record both pieces. As for the Partch, it was played by Partch, guitarist John Schneiders ensemble dedicated to re-creating the art-object Partch instruments the cloud chamber bowls, the exotic massive marimbas and the like. A new one is built each year. The latest novelty is called a Gourd Tree. Liz Casebolt, left, and Joel Smith of casebolt and smith performing Daphne of the Dunes by Harry Partch. (Gary Coronado / Los Angeles Times ) The Gourd Tree with bells was, of course, perfect for Daphne of the Dunes, given that the nymph of the myth is turned into a laurel to foil the erotic pursuit by the god Apollo. For the performance, casebolt and smith (the dance duo of Liz Casebolt and Joel Smith) recounted the myth first in entertaining patter, while a video behind the stage projected classic paintings of the characters. The dancers began portraying campy Greek myth, but once a video montage of clips from North by Northwest and Psycho were projected on a screen, the dance turned into a surprisingly effective Hitchcockian Daphne and Apollo chase scene among the Partch instruments. Even so, It was not always easy to know where to look, Partchs instruments alone being an eyeful. Musically, Partchs more disjointed scores, alternating between bouncy rhythms and the moody languorous passages on an altered violin or altered organ, sounding like nothing else in the sonic universe. For Barstow, Partchs riotous music set to hobo graffiti (offering advice on where to get a handout or a bride), Schneider replaced Partchs own gruff reciting/growling/singing (sort of) style with something more mellifluous and whimsically theatrical. Still microtonally dissonant and consonant, this is just how you would expect a wily drifter into the American Academy of Outsider Arts and Scrawled Graffiti to sound. Nick Terry plays Daphne of the Dunes, (Gary Coronado / Los Angeles Times ) mark.swed@latimes.com As former Trump campaign chairman Paul Manafort spent a first weekend in jail pending trial on charges brought by the special counsel investigating Russias interference in the 2016 election, President Trumps lawyer Rudy Giuliani on Sunday floated the possibility of presidential pardons for Manafort and others charged in the probe. Giuliani, in separate television interviews, suggested Trump could choose to pardon those he decides were treated unfairly but said the president should wait to do so until the Russia investigation is complete. Trump on Friday called Manaforts jailing very unfair. You are not going to get a pardon just because you are involved in this investigation, Giuliani said on CNNs State of the Union, adding, but you are certainly not excluded from it if, in fact, the president and his advisors, not me, come to the conclusion that you have been treated unfairly. And there is a lot of unfairness out there, Giuliani said, echoing Trumps oft-repeated assertion which he made yet again on Twitter earlier Sunday that the investigation led by special counsel Robert S. Mueller III is a witch hunt. The investigation so far has led to charges against 20 people, five of whom have agreed to guilty pleas. Advertisement Giuliani, the former New York City mayor who earlier served as the high-profile U.S. attorney for the Southern District of New York, has been playing offense on Trumps behalf, as he describes his role, attacking not only the tactics but also the very justification of the Mueller-led investigation. Thats what he did on the Sunday shows. He called for investigating the investigators, based on the conduct of a handful of FBI agents involved in what would become the Trump-Russia investigation, in their work on a separate probe of Hillary Clintons use of a private email server. The conduct he cited, in particular anti-Trump texts from agent Peter Strzok to an FBI lawyer with whom he was romantically involved, were made public last week in an extensive report by the Justice Departments inspector general. I believe that the Mueller investigation should be investigated, Giuliani said. Not because necessarily of Mueller, but because of its genesis in this very, very, now completely almost illegal and unethical probe, this Russian probe. Its crying out for somebody to investigate the investigators, he said on CBS Face the Nation. Giuliani did not provide a basis for his assertions about the investigations illegitimacy. U.S. intelligence agencies concluded early last year that Russia had sought to help Trump by meddling in the U.S. election, and the FBI began investigating those efforts during the 2016 campaign, a probe that has continued and expanded since. Giuliani in recent weeks has met with Mueller and his team to discuss under what terms the president might submit to questioning by the prosecutors an event that would pose risks for Trump if he provided untruthful answers. We are in rather sensitive negotiations with them, Giuliani said on CBS. As he has in the past, Giuliani would not say specifically whether Trump would submit to be questioned. If the president does not agree, its unclear whether Mueller would try to compel his testimony with a grand jury-issued subpoena. The tension surrounding the investigation escalated on Friday, when a U.S. District Court judge revoked Manaforts bail after Muellers team brought new charges of witness tampering, alleging that Manafort tried to influence two government witnesses who might testify against him at trial. Manafort was taken into custody and transported to a jail in Virginia about 90 miles south of Washington. Trump took to Twitter later that day to call Manaforts jailing very unfair. Manafort has pleaded not guilty to all of the pending charges, most of which allege a detailed conspiracy to launder and avoid paying U.S. taxes on tens of millions of dollars of income he received from representing foreign political clients, including a former leader of Ukraine who was aligned with Russian President Vladimir Putin. Although Trump has sought to distance himself from Manafort by minimizing his campaign role, Manafort joined Trumps team in early 2016 and was campaign chairman until August, including during the critical weeks culminating in Trumps nomination at the Republican National Convention. With questions now intensifying over a potential pardon for the 69-year-old Manafort who, if convicted, could face a sentence of many years in federal prison Giuliani on Friday told the New York Daily News, When the whole thing is over, things might get cleaned up with some presidential pardons. Mueller, the former FBI director enlisted by the Justice Department to be special counsel in May 2017, has overseen the wide-ranging investigation that to date has brought charges against 20 individuals. The five who have pleaded guilty include Michael T. Flynn, Trumps first national security advisor, who admitted to lying to investigators and is cooperating with Muellers team. In February, Trumps former deputy campaign manager, Rick Gates, pleaded guilty to lying to investigators and to many of the same financial-crime charges brought against Manafort, Gates former boss. On Sunday, Giuliani described Trumps criterion for any pardon: prosecutorial unfairness, in the eyes of the president. He did not specify how soon any pardons could be expected, but indicated that such action would come after the Mueller investigation. The president is not going to issue pardons in this investigation, he said on CNN. Because you just cloud what is becoming now a very clear picture of an extremely unfair investigation with no criminality involved in it of any kind. But, he added, When its over, hey, hes the president of the United States. He retains his pardon power. Nobody is taking that away from him. He can pardon, in his judgment. Many Republicans in Congress, privately and publicly, have urged the president not to consider pardons for anyone, including himself, at least until the investigation closes. Appearing after Giuliani on CBS, Sen. Susan Collins of Maine said, I think it would be more helpful if the president never mentioned the word pardon again with respect to the investigation. Here are some key moments in the history of the Los Angeles Times. Feb. 4, 1881 The Mirror Printing Office and Book Bindery begins publishing the six-day-a-week Los Angeles Daily Times. The four-page broadsheet costs a penny. July 28, 1882 Advertisement Col. Harrison Gray Otis, fresh from a government post in Alaska, becomes an editor of the Daily Times. October 1884 The Times-Mirror Co. is incorporated and Otis buys the holdings of the other partners in the venture. July 29, 1905 The Times breaks the story about water from the Owens Valley coming to Los Angeles: Titanic Project to Give City a River. Oct. 10, 1909 The first news story appears about making motion pictures in Los Angeles. Aug. 8, 1910 Hiram Johnson delivers his famous attack on Otis in a speech while campaigning for governor, condemning him as vile, infamous, degraded and putrescence with senile dementia, gangrened heart and rotting brain. Oct. 1, 1910 The Times building on First and Broadway is blasted with dynamite by union radicals; 20 employees are killed and the building is destroyed. Oct. 1, 1910: Crowds gather outside the Los Angeles Times after the bombing of the newspaper building. This photo appeared on page one on the Oct. 2, 1910, Los Angeles Times. (Los Angeles Times ) July 31, 1917 Otis dies and Harry Chandler becomes the second publisher of The Times. June 28, 1935 The historic eagle is placed atop a new Times building, at the corner of First and Spring streets. April 10, 1934: The Los Angeles Times Building at First and Spring street during cornerstone ceremonies. A similar photo appeared in the April 11, 1934, Los Angeles Times. (Los Angeles Times ) June 29, 1935: Harry Chandler, president and general manager of the Los Angeles Times, and Norman Chandler, vice-president and assistant general manager, stand in the new Los Angeles Times building entrance. This photo appeared in the June 30, 1935, Los Angeles Times. (Los Angeles Times ) Feb. 14, 1938 Hedda Hopper begins her Hollywood gossip column in The Times. She competes directly with Louella Parsons, whose column appears in William Randolph Hearsts Los Angeles Examiner. Sept. 23, 1944 Harry Chandler dies at age 80. His son, Norman Chandler, becomes the third publisher. 1955 For the first time, The Times publishes more lines of advertising than any other American newspaper, a total of 59,788,874 lines. April 12, 1960 Norman Chandler names his son, Otis, 32, the fourth publisher of The Times, creating a schism in the family. Otis starts hiring top journalists from around the nation and opening bureaus around the world. Otis Chandler took a newspaper that had generated almost as much ridicule as revenue and turned it into one of the nations best. (Los Angeles Times ) Otis Chandler, publisher of the Los Angeles times, left, meets with the editorial board. (Los Angeles Times ) November 1970 Weekday circulation tops 1 million. 1979 Times foreign and domestic bureaus total 31, including one in Peking. The paper publishes more advertising than any other in the world for the 25th consecutive year. April 14, 1980 Tom Johnson is named the fifth publisher of the Los Angeles Times. Johnson succeeded Otis Chandler, who assumed the new post of editor-in-chief of Times Mirror. Longtime Los Angeles Times editor Bill Thomas, flanked by longtime publisher Otis Chandler, left, and Chandlers successor, Tom Johnson, right, in an undated photo. (Los Angeles Times ) Nov. 1, 1989 The Herald Examiner announces that it will cease operation. April 1990 Times circulation reaches an all-time high of 1,225,189 daily and 1,514,096 on Sundays, making it the largest daily metropolitan newspaper in the country. April 17, 1995 The Times wins its 20th Pulitzer Prize in the category of local reporting of spot news for detailing the chaos and devastation of the 1994 Northridge earthquake. November and December 1998 The Times announces cutbacks and reorganizations, eliminating about 750 positions. March 13, 2000 The Chandlers announce an agreement to sell Times Mirror, including the Los Angeles Times, to Tribune Co., owner of the Chicago Tribune, four other daily newspapers, 22 television stations and four radio stations. March 2004 The Times average daily circulation for the period drops to 983,727. April 2004 The Times wins five Pulitzer prizes, the most earned by any newspaper in a single year. April 2007 Chicago real estate magnate Sam Zell buys Tribune Co. in a highly leveraged deal. Sam Zell in 2008. (Mark Boster / Los Angeles Times ) Dec. 8, 2008 In a recession and under heavy debt, Zells Tribune files for bankruptcy protection. July 13, 2012 Tribune emerges from bankruptcy controlled by hedge funds. July 2013 Tribune announces it will split, spinning off its newspapers into a company called Tribune Publishing. July 20, 2016 Tribune Publishing changes its name to Tronc. Jan. 4, 2018 The Times newsroom defies Tronc leadership and votes overwhelmingly to form a union. February 2018 Tronc announces it will sell the Los Angeles Times, the San Diego Union-Tribune and other local papers to Dr. Patrick Soon-Shiong. Attending Palomar Fire Academys graduation ceremonies on May 31, 3-year-old Evie Iverson looked at the other families in the audience and noticed how her family looked different. I dont have a daddy, Evie told her mother. Ashley Iversons response was immediate: You have a daddy, the widow said. You will always have a daddy. Cal Fire engineer Cory Iverson died fighting the massive Thomas fire in Ventura and Santa Barbara counties Dec. 14. Since then, his family has lived through several painful milestones: March 22, Cory and Ashleys wedding anniversary; April 29, the birth of the couples second child, Taylor; and Sunday. Advertisement Fathers Day is another challenging one, one of the most challenging holidays, said Ashley, 31. Because of the girls. Yes, I lost my soul mate, lost my husband. But the girls I cant wrap my head around that one. They lost their daddy, their superhero daddy. A photo on the dining room wall of the familys home in Escondido shows Cory in his firefighting gear. His urn sits on a mantle on the fireplace with a plaque that reads, Cory D. Iverson, Child of God & Beautiful Son, Loving Husband, Father, & Brother. Hes here, Ashley constantly tells her daughters Taylor and Evie, the couples first born. Hes with you. I want my girls to know who their daddy is. Always, she said. We have conversations with him every day. Cory Iverson with his wife, Ashley, and daughter, Evie Iverson. (Iverson Family ) The couple were married in 2014 and Ashley was pregnant with Taylor, their second child, when Cory was killed. Both wanted children, and both hoped the first child would be a boy. The moment Evie was born, though, everyone noticed the deep bond between father and daughter. The love and joy he had when Evie was born was just an awesome thing, said Corys brother, Luke Iverson. He would help teach her how to walk, how to talk, just everything. He wanted her to succeed with everything, no matter how small. Once she learned to run, Evie would dash into her fathers arms, greeting him when he came home. Last Fathers Day, Ashley posted on her Facebook page a photo from a family trip to the San Diego Zoo Safari Park. Cory is beaming at the camera while Evie gazes up at her daddy with an expression of adoration. We both agree, Ashley wrote, hes our moon, hes our stars, our hero, our everything. The last day Ashley spent with Cory, they had an appointment to learn their second childs gender. Hearing this would be another girl, Cory was crestfallen. Babe, he told Ashley, Im really sorry. I wasnt ready for that. In retrospect, Ashley wonders if Cory might have been too hard on a boy, pushing him to excel. Having a girl, she said, it softens you. On Dec. 14, what Ashley calls that terrible day, Cory didnt have his chain saw. On a rugged hill above Fillmore in Ventura County, he led four firefighters along a trail blazed by a bulldozer. Carrying 200 feet of hose and a scraping tool, Iverson attacked one spot fire, then another. As he reached the second spot, it erupted, the report said. At the same time, additional spot fires erupted along the dozer line west of the original spot fire. More fires sprang up, cutting off each line of escape. Cal Fire ordered helicopters and tankers to douse the flames around Cory, but it was too late. The Thomas fire, which burned from Dec. 4 through Jan. 12, was the largest wildfire in California history. It burned 281,893 acres, consumed 1,063 structures and was responsible for two deaths: Virginia Pesola, 70, a Santa Paula resident who was found in a wrecked and charred car, and Iverson. Three days after Corys death, a funeral procession traveled from the Ventura County Medical Center to El Camino Memorial Park in Sorrento Valley. Police escorts, a fleet of fire engines, thousands of spectators lined the route. Ashley was buoyed by the support, but wondered how Cory would have responded to the signs praising him, the T-shirts with his name and image. He was very secure in his skin, but extremely humble, she said. At a Dec. 23 celebration of Corys life, Ashley appeared strong and composed, expressing admiration and sympathy for her husbands fellow firefighters. My heart, she said, is obliterated for you. Her own grief hit in waves. On several occasions, Evie told her mother that she didnt want her to cry. Ashley reassured her daughter that it was OK, that it was natural to cry over the death of a loved one. Baby, she said, do you know what it means to die? Yes, Evie replied. Daddy. What happened when Daddy died? He kept going. With God? Ashley asked. Yes. For Evie, early memories of Daddy are reinforced by photos of father and daughter together. Every night, shes tucked into bed with two of these pictures. Born months after Corys death, Taylor has no firsthand memories of the man, but Ashley is working to fill that gap. She engages Taylors attention with stories about Cory and by showing her the mementos around the house. Taylor, herself, is a living reminder of the man. This one looks just like him, Ashley said, cradling the napping infant. There are times when I look at her profile shes a little female version of him. Over the last six months, Ashley has been stunned by the compassion of friends, family, even strangers. Every week, firefighters visit the house to take out the garbage, mow the lawn, run errands. Cecily Bauchmann, a friend, set up a GoFundMe page to raise money for the familys expenses. To date, pledges have topped $713,000. On Christmas Eve, 6-year-old Bennett Mallory of San Luis Obispo set up a hot chocolate and gingerbread stand, pledging all proceeds to the Iverson family. In February, her parents drove Bennett to Escondido, where she hand-delivered $2,600 to Ashley. The overwhelming amount of love that I have felt is otherworldly, the widow said. It is simply something I never before felt worthy of and will simply never be able to repay. There are still tears, yet some of the worries have vanished. After Corys death, for instance, Ashley fretted about the state of mind of this father and father-to-be. They hadnt been able to settle on a name for the new baby. Ashley had suggested a few, and was strongly leaning toward Taylor. Cory, though, seemed unsure. After tragedy struck, Ashleys sorrows included the thought that Cory had never known his second daughters name. But on the day of the four-hour funeral procession, she met one of the firefighters who had been with Cory in the Thomas fire. We had talked about names, Corys friend said, all the time. What do you mean? Ashley said. What is it? As he embarked on his final mission, there was no doubt in Cory Iversons mind. He told his partners about his beloved wife, Ashley; his cherished daughter, Evie; and the excitement he felt about his unborn baby. That childs name, he told everyone, would be Taylor. peter.rowe@sduniontribune.com Four UCLA employees have filed lawsuits against UCLA and the UC Board of Regents, accusing their workplace supervisor of sexual harassment and the university of failing to properly handle abuse complaints. Plaintiffs Jackie Rodriguez, Amber Rose Palega, Krystal Eda and Mayra Miguel allege supervisor Martha Mansoor, who is also named in the suit, regularly slapped their buttocks, caressed their thighs and made sexual comments about their bodies. The plaintiffs work in the universitys radiology scheduling department. The harassment allegedly started in early 2016 and ended in 2017, according to the lawsuits, which were filed Wednesday in Los Angeles Superior Court. Mansoor was terminated by the school in July 2017 after the women filed complaints earlier that year, the lawsuits state. Advertisement One of the women informed another supervisor in December 2016 about the harassment, but Mansoor remained in her job, said attorney Darren Richie, who is representing all four women. The plaintiffs feel like their complaints were pushed under the rug by the school, Richie said, in part because the allegations involved female-on-female harassment. UCLA issued a statement Sunday, saying these allegations are inconsistent with the standards of conduct expected of UCLA staff, faculty and students and we take them very seriously. The school encouraged members of the campus community to come forward with any concerns they might have about the workplace environment. We are closely reviewing the details of the lawsuit and intend to respond appropriately, the statement said. The Times was unable to reach Mansoor. Richie said the women faced retaliation from other supervisors after they filed complaints against Mansoor. The retaliatory behavior included making the women do more work and not allowing them to take time off to see their attorney, Richie said. The lawsuits also allege that the schools process for filing a claim is confusing and ineffective. Even though four women made reports about harassment, the school listed only one of the women as a complainant, while the other three were named as witnesses, Richie said. The women are suing for harassment; failure to prevent harassment, discrimination and retaliation; intentional infliction of emotional distress; and negligent infliction of emotional distress. Richie said the four plaintiffs are seeking more than $120 million in damages. dakota.smith@latimes.com Twitter: @dakotacdsmith UPDATES: 5:15 p.m. Sunday: This article was updated with a statement issued by UCLA. This article was originally published Saturday at 5:05 p.m. . 65 . , , , TACC 15 , 50% ... The Border Patrol says it is investigating an incident involving an indigenous man who was recorded on video being struck by an agents vehicle. The agency said Friday that its Tucson Sector had been made aware of the video taken Thursday on the Tohono Oodham Nation. Paulo Remes, a resident of the Tohono Oodham Nation, told the Arizona Daily Star he ran onto the dirt road because he knew the agent would hit him. He did not elaborate. The Border Patrol said in a statement that its fully cooperating with the Tohono Oodham Nation Police Department, which is investigating. Advertisement We stress honor and integrity in every aspect of our mission. We do not tolerate misconduct on or off duty and will fully cooperate with all investigations of alleged unlawful conduct by our personnel, the agency said. Tohono Oodham Nation Chairman Edward D. Manuel called the video disturbing in a statement Friday. Manuel didnt identify Remes but said the man in the video was a 34-year-old member of the tribe. He was treated at a healthcare facility for non-life-threatening injuries, Manuel said. Tohono Oodham Nation police are working with the FBI and the U.S. attorneys office on the investigation. The safety and well-being of the general public is the Nations top priority, and the Nations leadership is monitoring this issue closely, Manuel said. The reservation is located along the border with Mexico. No further details were available. A baby boy cried as a staffer carried him past chain-link fenced holding areas in the Border Patrol processing center in McAllen, Texas, on Sunday morning, a sprawling former warehouse, the largest of its kind on the border. Such crying is not unusual, said John Lopez, acting deputy patrol agent in charge. Our agents will hear that, try to find out whats going on and go care for them if theyre unaccompanied, he said. If theres a parent, they will reunite them for a bit. Last month, Border Patrol started charging more immigrant parents with crossing the border illegally in federal criminal court and separating them from their children, sometimes only for a few hours, officials said. Officials defend the policy as a necessary deterrent. Advertisement Congressional lawmakers and immigrant advocates protesting outside the center Sunday called family separation abusive, and insisted it needs to stop. Migrant advocates have sued to block family separations, documenting cases in which mothers were detained and separated from children sent to shelters across the country for months. The processing center is a converted warehouse that opened in 2014 in the busiest area of the border, Texas Rio Grande Valley. So far this year, 108,000 immigrants have been caught crossing illegally here, 36% of them families. The Times was allowed to tour the center with Rio Grande Sector Chief Manuel Padilla. Authorities did not allow immigrant interviews or photographs beyond what they later released, due to privacy concerns. In the morning, 751 family members and 258 unaccompanied youth were being processed. About 15 to 20 of the 130 unaccompanied children seen daily have been separated from their parents, said Monique Grame, a Border Patrol executive officer. Families were not separated because the federal criminal court was closed during the weekend, Padilla said. Instead, parents were lying shoulder to shoulder on green pallets, some with their children, some separate. The 72,000-square-foot facility was clean and spare, with bare concrete floors. Uniformed agents, some wearing masks, observed from guard towers and escorted migrants down corridors. Lopez noted with pride that the 42 portable toilets did not smell, although they were open at the top, due to security concerns. The centers two massive rooms were separated into 22 chain link-fenced spaces, many labeled cells with netting on top to prevent escapes. Theyre cleaned three times a day. Lopez said they used fencing because it was cheap and see-through. Behind the fence in one of four large holding areas, a woman breastfed her baby under a disposable metallic Mylar blanket. A toddler squealed as his father scooted a red toy car across his shoulder. Another lay with his head in his fathers lap, chattering away. A young girl fed a carton of milk to a barefoot boy (they get three meals a day, plus snacks). Another girl twisted her fingers through the fence. Some children watched a television suspended above. Beside them, spare diapers, powdered formula and water coolers had been set near diaper-changing tables mothers were using. A few of the immigrants were Asian or black, but the majority were Latino. In the centers processing area, which smelled of body odor, men and women were held separately. One of the cells sinks had overflowed, so the immigrants were moved into another while it was fixed. Some of the women were teary-eyed. In the segregation cell, which had a metal door with a window, a woman huddled in a corner, head down. Nearby, a dozen agents at a bank of computers communicated with colleagues elsewhere in Texas, Arizona and California, via video to process the immigrants. Several women sat at two banks of computers, talking to agents in Spanish as their young children squirmed. A 3-year-old girl in a flowered tank top cried, inconsolable after arriving with her mother from El Salvador. Two other women came from Guatemala with 3-year-old children, one girl nearly hairless and still in diapers. The center costs about $12.1 million to operate annually, compared with the entire sectors budget of $15 million. Built for 1,500 people, it has held more than 2,000 recently. It has a staff of 10 but due to the influx, Padilla added 300 more, about 10% of his workforce. Theres a medical unit with three paramedics, two medical staffers and space to quarantine those who have contracted chicken pox, scabies and other communicable diseases. There is no mental health staff, and agents have not received mental health training since the Trump administration zero tolerance policy was implemented May 6. Rio Grande Valley border agents have prosecuted 568 adults and separated 1,174 children since zero tolerance began, Padilla said. Of those, 463 were reunited with parents in a matter of hours after they returned from court. It wasnt clear how long the rest were separated. Officials try to keep siblings together and are not separating children ages 4 and younger from their parents, Padilla said, due to additional caring and logistics, but said that could change. When we exempt people from the law that creates a trend, and that is what we are seeing here, Padilla said, noting an 18% increase this month in non-Mexican families and unaccompanied minors crossing the border illegally compared with last month and a 36% increase compared with last June. He said zero tolerance was designed to deter people from violating the law. Without these prosecutions, we will not reverse this trend, he said. By law, unaccompanied youth must be turned over to the Department of Health and Human Services within 72 hours, which places them in shelters. Officials try to move people within 12 hours to free space, but the average stay is about 50 hours, during which time theyre not allowed outside. By afternoon Sunday, there were 1,129 immigrants at the center. The number of families had dropped to 528, unaccompanied minors to 197, as they were either released (with ankle monitors) or transferred to HHS. Merida Valesca, 24, was in one of the fenced holding areas with her 1-year-old daughter, crying. She said she knew about family separations before she left Guatemala, crossed the river with a group but lost them. Before she could say more, agents took the tour group away. More people shared bits of information as the tour passed: Dalia Cepeda said she came with her child a month ago; a father said he brought his 3-year-old son from El Salvador; a Guatemalan youth said he crossed the border alone three days ago. WATCH: I just went inside a Border Patrol processing center. This is what I saw About a hundred protesters had assembled outside. They raised signs saying, End Family Separations, Mothers and Fathers should not be held in jail and On Fathers Day, all families belong together. They chanted, You are not alone, in English and Spanish through bullhorns to the children inside. Some yelled at Border Patrol agents emerging from the center, urging them to quit. The militarization of the border, the wall, the separations its all of a piece, said Scott Nicol, who has fought the border wall as co-chair of the Sierra Clubs borderlands team. He brought his 11-year-old daughter Zay, who held a sign in the parking lot that said, Children need their parents. Jose Torres, 65, lives nearby and came to protest with his wife because he worries about families inside the processing center. Theyre being treated like animals, said Torres, who assists local farm workers. Thats not being humane, thats not showing friendship to people looking for a better life. Dr. Marsha Griffin also joined the protest, having toured the processing center three times and reported allegations of child abuse to Texas authorities. They were in cages, 10-year-old boys were screaming and sobbing and trying to control themselves as they could see their mothers in other cages, she said. Several members of Congress toured the center Sunday before holding a briefing outside. The group included U.S. Sen. Jeff Merkley (D-Ore.), who drew national attention to family separation during his last border visit two weeks ago when he was turned away from a federally contracted shelter for migrant youth. Merkley said he later spoke with Atty. Gen. Jeff Sessions about the issue. Hopefully we can get the president to talk to us, Merkley said. This is a complete strategy of injuring families to send a message to those overseas. Compared to his last visit, Merkley said the processing center appeared emptied out and cleaned up. He met with fathers who had trouble locating their children and a mother who had not heard from her 13-year-old daughter for two days. The lawmakers later visited the bridge to Reynosa, Mexico, where asylum-seeking families have been forced to wait recently, some for weeks. They arrived with armed Border Patrol guards. Reynosa is among the most dangerous cities surrounding Tamaulipas state, which according to the U.S. State Department is essentially a war zone due to cartel violence. Most of the families had vanished. Merkley said he spoke with a Honduran woman who crossed Sunday with her 3-month-old daughter by skirting authorities, pretending to clean windshields then following cars across. Theyre forcing people to cross illegally by blocking the border points and not allowing people to claim asylum, he said, a charge U.S. officials have denied. Mexican officials at the crossing said they started requiring those entering the bridge to show they had transit visas allowing them to cross. People are terrified now to come to the bridges, said Jennifer Harbury, a lawyer based in the Rio Grande Valley who works with migrant families and accompanied lawmakers to the bridge. People are going to go through the river with their kids and drown. molly.hennessy-fiske@latimes.com @mollyhf UPDATES: 8:40 p.m.: This story was updated throughout with additional comments by families, lawmakers and protesters. This story was originally published at 10:20 a.m. You may not realize it, but as you read this you are probably surrounded by the most important artificial material ever invented. Is there a floor beneath you, walls around, a roof overhead? Chances are excellent they are made at least partly out of this astonishingly underappreciated material: concrete. To most people, concrete is just the ugly stuff used to pave paradise and put up a parking lot. But concrete is an invention as transformative as fire or electricity. Since it came into widespread use around the turn of the 20th century, this man-made stone has changed where and how billions of people live, work and move around. It is the skeleton of almost every apartment block and shopping mall and of most of the roads connecting them. It gives us the power to dam enormous rivers, erect buildings of Olympian height, and travel the world with an ease that would astonish our ancestors. For all its blessings, however, concrete incurs serious costs to people and the planet and those costs are mounting exponentially. Concrete is essentially just sand and gravel glued together with cement. It is also by far the most widely used building material on Earth. We consume twice as much of it every year as steel, aluminum, plastic and wood combined. Thats because cities are exploding, especially in the developing world, as people leave the countryside for a shot at a better life in the metropolis. The number of urban dwellers is rising by about 65 million people annually according to the United Nations Population Division. Thats the equivalent of adding eight New York Cities to the planet every single year. Advertisement Enter the Fray: First takes on the news of the minute from L.A. Times Opinion Theres no way cities could grow this fast without concrete. Its an almost magically cheap, easy way to quickly create roads, bridges, dams and housing for huge numbers of people. An estimated 70% of the worlds population now lives in structures made at least partly out of concrete. Making all that concrete, however, takes a heavy toll on the atmosphere. The cement industry produces 5-10% of total carbon dioxide emissions worldwide, putting it behind only coal-fueled power plants and automobiles as a source of global warming gases. Concrete also soaks up the suns heat, and cities countless miles of warmed-up streets and sidewalks create a phenomenon known as urban heat islands. When combined with the heat from motor vehicle engines, paved areas can boost the temperature in some cities by as much as 19 degrees Fahrenheit, according to the California Environmental Protection Agency. That kind of heat also boosts the formation of air pollutants, especially ground-level ozone, better known as smog. The most frightening aspect of our dependence on concrete might be that the structures we build with it wont last. The vast majority of them will need to be replaced and relatively soon. We tend to assume concrete is as permanent as the stone it mimics. It isnt. Concrete fails and fractures in dozens of ways. Heat, cold, chemicals, salt and moisture all attack that seemingly solid artificial rock, working to weaken and shatter it from within. You could say our cities are like castles made of sand, except that they almost literally are castles made of sand. Many of the worlds concrete structures are already slowly disintegrating. The most recent report on the nations infrastructure by the American Society of Civil Engineers declared that one-fifth of our highways and one-third of our urban roads are in poor condition. According to the Federal Highway Administration, nearly one-quarter of all the United States bridges are structurally deficient or functionally obsolete. Our dams are in similarly dismal shape. Worldwide, as much as 100 billion tons of poorly manufactured concrete structures buildings, roads, bridges, dams, everything may need to be replaced in the coming decades, at a collective cost of trillions of dollars. To make matters worse, were running out of one of concretes essential ingredients: sand. Our planet contains enormous amounts of sand, of course, but the usable type found mostly in riverbeds, floodplains and beaches is a finite resource like any other. (Desert sand, eroded by wind rather than water, is generally too round to use for construction.) Humans consume nearly 50 billion tons of sand and gravel every year, enough to blanket the entire state of California. Most of that is used to make concrete. We tend to assume concrete is as permanent as the stone it mimics. It isnt. Concrete fails and fractures in dozens of ways. Mining sand is its own colossal industry with its own litany of environmental devastations. In the United States, countless tons are dredged up every day in almost every state, from the San Francisco Bay to rural Florida. The most accessible sources are increasingly tapped out. A 2012 report by Californias Department of Conservation warns that the state has access to only about one-third of the sand and gravel it will require over the next 50 years. All around the world, sand mining is slaughtering river-dwelling fish and birds, damaging coral reefs, undermining bridges and causing riverbanks to collapse. There is so much money to be made that in some countries, organized criminal gangs have moved into the sand business. In India, Kenya, Vietnam and elsewhere, hundreds of people have been beaten, tortured and murdered in recent years all over sand. Despite all that, well need to keep ripping billions of tons of sand from the earth to replace our failing concrete structures, and to keep building new ones. That cycle cant continue indefinitely any more than we can continue indefinitely sucking oil out of the ground to fuel an ever-growing armada of automobiles. Weve started to think twice about how much oil we can burn, how many forests we can cut down, how many fish we can harvest from the sea. Its time to start thinking about how much concrete we can afford. Vince Beiser is an award-winning journalist and author of the forthcoming book, The World in a Grain: The Story of Sand and How It Transformed Civilization. Twitter: @vincelb Follow the Opinion section on Twitter @latimesopinionand Facebook For the last eight years, I have used my commute from the South Bay to downtown to explore the neighborhoods of Los Angeles. The more I drive, the more I notice what I call L.A.s lost space, mysterious plots of land that sit abandoned or underused throughout the city. On Figueroa Street near West 52nd Place in South L.A., for instance, two barren parcels sit on opposite sides of the road, the larger one surrounded with an old rusted chain-link fence. As a person who studies the economy, Ive found it puzzling: How is it that in one of the worlds hottest real estate markets, in a city that is in dire need of affordable housing, land like this sits idle? The answer stands in plain sight at the center of one of those forlorn lots, where a large white sign reads: Property of the City of L.A. The city and other public entities, including the L.A. Unified School District and Los Angeles County, own a vast real estate portfolio. And they are among the regions worst absentee landlords. The city has been acquiring real estate ever since it was founded in 1781. Today its portfolio includes approximately 9,000 parcels, encompassing vacant land as well as office, mixed-use, commercial, industrial, single-family and multi-family properties throughout California, and in Arizona and Nevada. Advertisement Theres still no long-term strategy for using and leveraging L.A.s incredible wealth of city-owned land to meet our needs. Unfortunately, and rather shockingly, theres no central authority overseeing L.A.s holdings or developing a coordinated plan for putting them to good use. Until two years ago, City Hall didnt even have an accurate record of what it owned. That information was dispersed among 55 documents spread across multiple city departments. Thanks to a public-private partnership between the mayors office, the Mayors Fund and the L.A. Coalition for the Economy and Jobs, the city now has a consolidated, more accurate record of its portfolio. Analyzing this list, the city controller found that there are up to 500 underused city-owned sites available for development. The McKinsey Global Institute estimated in a 2016 report that there are also 5,600 to 8,900 vacant parcels, both publicly and privately owned, zoned for multifamily development throughout the region. We now know that were land rich. Faced with a growing homelessness crisis, City Hall has started offering affordable-housing developers opportunities to develop a small number of the citys surplus properties. Thats an important step. But theres still no long-term strategy for using and leveraging L.A.s incredible wealth of city-owned land to meet our needs for housing, schools, parks, recreation spaces, business development and many other things. Instead, were getting well-intentioned stopgap measures that may ultimately stand in the way of the solutions we need. Elected officials have been pushing communities to accept short-term strategies to help house the homeless, such as shelters on city-owned parking lots. Thats no way to plan a city. Overall, City Halls current approach to its real estate portfolio, worth an estimated $3 billion, is fragmented and balkanized. Too many departments and agencies handle the decision-making, policies, budgets, management and operations for L.A.s unwieldy collection of assets. Until this changes, the city will continue to make decisions in scattershot ways, rendering it difficult, if not impossible, to envision and raise capital for the urban development we need the most. In short, were winging it. And thats a tremendous waste. What L.A. really needs is a chief asset manager, or an economic development nonprofit overseen by a board of directors from both the public and private sectors, to develop a strategic plan. If City Hall would step back from the current system and look to the private sector as a partner with resources and best practices to share, it could find much better solutions strategies that reduce costs and drive more revenue to the city budget while enabling L.A. to develop the homes, parks and quality of life its citizens deserve. The city has been an absentee landlord for far too long. Michael H. Kelly is executive director of the Los Angeles Coalition for the Economy and Jobs. Follow the Opinion section on Twitter @latimesopinion or Facebook Over the last 50 years, fathers have become vastly more engaged and active with their children. By one estimate, fathers today spend seven times more time with their kids than in the 1970s. This shift in male domesticity has occurred without any formal movement behind it. There is hardly any intellectual edifice to the change, no icons or revolutionaries. There are barely any books telling fathers what to do; the guides for mothers vastly outnumber the guides for fathers. Whatever the forces behind the shift, the effects are likely to be salutary. Rethinking fatherhood is an essential step toward creating gender equality. Societies where men are more engaged fathers tend also to be more egalitarian. Take the men of the Aka tribe in central Africa, who are often described as the best fathers in the world. Although Aka fathers are somewhat famous for the sensationalist detail that they occasionally breastfeed their children, what is more extraordinary, really, is that they spend nearly 50% of their day within arms reach of their children. Advertisement For hunter-gatherers in general, fathers provide substantial amount of direct care, by comparison to fathers where you have farming, Barry Hewlett, an anthropologist at Washington State University who lived among the Aka, recently told me. That close physical contact has biological and social consequences. Compared to other central Africans, Hewlett said, the Aka are much more egalitarian in terms of gender. Rethinking fatherhood is an essential step toward creating gender equality. This relative egalitarianism is partly a function of the Akas practice of net-hunting, in which men and women work together. By contrast, if men are off tending to cattle while women are taking care of the children, boys are not exposed to men. Their childhood passes among women, so that when they grow up, they come to understand manhood as the rejection of femininity. Exposure to fathers lessens that fissure of identity. It means that boys, when theyre growing up, do not have to devalue those things which are feminine to increase their masculinity, Hewlett said. Girls, when theyre growing up, because theyre around their mothers, intimately know what its like to be female. For boys, its problematic. But not among the Aka. If being a man means not being a woman, patriarchy is inevitable. Patriarchy gives the role of the father overwhelming political dominance, but only as a metaphor. Historically, it established an imaginary father as the figurehead of power. The president is the father of the country. The CEO is the father of the company. Such patriarchs are always distant fathers. Distant fathers are idealized fathers; idealized fathers are distant fathers. And so, somewhat ironically, the cure for patriarchy is exposure to a man. The father being nearby simply removes idealization. The most important message for me is stay close, Hewlett said of the Aka. The quality time, yeah, theres probably some truth to that, if youre not around your kids very often. But the quantity time matters, because your kids get to know you intimately. This may come as good news to many fathers. The most important thing is just being there. You dont have to be smart. You dont have to be good. You just have to be there. Societies around the world are figuring out that the drive toward equality has to start with positive and active fatherhood. For instance, the Canadian government has expanded parental leave to 40 weeks, so long as the second parent takes five weeks. Canada was following the example of Sweden, where 60 of 480 days of paid parental leave are reserved for the father. Japan has started programs to increase the presence of fathers in the home. You cant fix work culture until you fix home culture, and vice versa. The pay gap between men and women might be more accurately described as a pay gap between mothers and fathers. Recent studies in the United States and Europe have shown that the single largest cause of the pay gap in the developed world is the birth of children. Womens pay declines precipitately when they have children. Mens pay doesnt. Gender inequality emerges from family structure and the social and economic responses to family structure. It emerges from how we think of mothers and how we think of fathers. Feminism focuses on the lives of women, naturally enough. But half the gender revolution takes place in the lives of men, and the arena for the male revolution is fatherhood. When masculinity is defined by a real, live human being in flesh and blood, the role of manhood no longer takes on the emptiness of an impossible abstract idea. As you know when you live with a dad or when you are a dad, the present father is human, often all too human. But thats the point. Stephen Marche is the host of the podcast How Not to Up Your Kids Too Bad, available on Audible. Follow the Opinion section on Twitter @latimesopinion or Facebook To the editor: Silicon Valley venture capitalist Tim Drapers ballot initiative to split California into three states is a great example of money controlling our politics. One billionaire has the money to hire paid signature gatherers to stop hurried, uninformed voters at a supermarket and ask them to sign a petition for something they know little about. I still regret signing the petition for term limits in California. Though it sounded like a good idea at the time, now we see politicians running for their next job instead of spending time on fixing the states problems. Now, the only people in Sacramento who have institutional memories and influence are the career staff and the lobbyists. So now we have a billionaire creating a situation that will create chaos for many years to come if our mostly uninformed voters support something that sounds good to them but would destroy California. Maybe they should consult with the Brits and see how they currently feel about Brexit. Herb Adelman, Del Mar Advertisement .. To the editor: Rural residents often have a wide open spaces conservative attitude toward governments role, yet they resent being last in line for infrastructure, healthcare and community resources even though they have a smaller tax base to pay for them. That urban-rural tension is what drives Drapers ill-conceived repeated efforts to split up the state. He says that with three states instead of one, governments will have to compete for us now because if we dont like one, we can now bust out. Whats keeping him? Hes free to move to any of the other 49 states to find one that suits him. Our nation has a similar rural vs. urban divide, so are we supposed to split up the country to solve the problem? Everyone seems to think somebody else has disproportionate power or is costing them too much. Linda Kranen, Carlsbad .. To the editor: Instead of dividing the state, we Californians should consider consolidating our 482 municipalities and 58 counties. The billions in savings could be put to immediate use in better and more coordinated public safety, housing, education and social services. One of many examples is the Palos Verdes Peninsula, which has multiple cities where a single entity makes much more sense. Daniel Constant, Manhattan Beach .. To the editor: To those considering voting for Drapers proposal, this native Virginian directs your attention to the only two words that really matter: West Virginia. Thomas Michael Kelley, Newbury Park Follow the Opinion section on Twitter @latimesopinion and Facebook Once a rare sight, electronic billboards that flash new ads every few seconds have sprouted up by the hundreds along California freeways in recent years, much to the alarm of environmentalists and traffic-safety experts. In the nearly eight years since Jerry Brown was elected governor, his administration has nearly tripled the number of commercial digital signs permitted along highways, from 125 to 366, records show. Now the Brown administration thinks California can make a profit, sending lawmakers a report that says it is feasible to allow commercial ads on state-operated electronic message signs along freeways in a test program that it estimates would bring in millions of dollars. If successful, the pilot program could lead to ads for commercial products on many of the 904 state-operated message signs that currently are limited to flashing traffic information, road hazard warnings and Amber alerts on abducted children, according to a feasibility study sent by the California Department of Transportation. Advertisement The study led to the introduction last week of legislation to authorize a five-year pilot program pushed by lobbyists for the influential billboard companies that would benefit from the change. Meanwhile, cities and counties have launched efforts to kill the measure, fearing it would take away their power to control signage. The bill by Democratic Assemblymen Kevin Mullin of South San Francisco and Rob Bonta of Alameda would exempt 25 digital billboards from the current state ban on such signs in public rights-of-way along freeways. This pilot project will provide the traveling public with clear, easy to understand messaging including public safety alerts and disaster alerts as compared to current electronic signs, Mullin said, adding he wants to make sure that we are taking full advantage of evolving technology and reaping the potential benefits of revenue that is generated in the process. Opponents fear the expansion will be one of the governors last actions before he leaves office in January, though Brown has not stated a position on the bill. Patrick Frank, a Los Angeles resident who is president of the Coalition to Ban Billboard Blight, is among those alarmed by the spike in electronic billboards and the potential for more to come. Its the worlds worst idea, Frank said. Its crazy. Its out of control. Its not financially necessary. We dont need advertising on our freeways. The test program would generate $10.2 million in revenue for the state over the first four years, according to the Caltrans analysis. But Frank notes the state is already projecting a large surplus next year, with almost $14 billion in its rainy day budget fund. He said the new digital billboards would be an eyesore. Were completely against it for aesthetic reasons, among others, Frank said. The proposal is also opposed by Jerry Wachtel, a traffic safety expert who has done research for Caltrans and the National Cooperative Highway Research Program, and who believes the digital signs would make California freeways more dangerous. Its a horrible idea, Wachtel said. There is no doubt that it would add to distracted driving. It takes the drivers eyes off the road. And depending upon how effective the beer ad is, it may take the drivers mind off the road as well. Billboard firms and their trade group spent $2 million lobbying in Sacramento during the last decade. They also contributed $4.52 million to political campaigns during that period. The contributions include a combined $100,000 to Browns campaigns for governor from Foster Interstate Media Inc., Clear Channel Outdoor and CBS Outdoor, now Outfront Media. Clear Channel and CBS also contributed billboard advertising worth a combined $193,000 to Browns campaign for Proposition 30, the governors 2012 ballot measure that temporarily raised taxes on the wealthy. Coverage of California politics Mullin and Bonta have received a combined $13,500 in contributions from the Foster firm for their reelection campaigns this year and in 2016. Supporters of the bill to launch the pilot program include digital sign firms Outfront Media and Intelligent Sign Network LLC, which has ties to Foster Interstate Media, the donor to Brown, Mullin and Bonta. Brown declined to comment on the latest proposals through a spokesman, who referred calls to transportation agency officials. Caltrans spokesman Mark Dinger said traffic safety issues would be paramount for the agency if a test program is tried. Although the pilot would be intended to assess revenuegenerating possibilities from the advertising, Caltrans primary concern would be any potential for a safety impact on the motoring public, Dinger said. Any such impact would cause the immediate and permanent discontinuation of the program. The legislation has already drawn opposition from the League of California Cities. The bill is purported to be a five-year pilot measure, when in fact it is a secretly negotiated deal between a large billboard company and the Legislature, said Bellflower City Manager Jeffrey L. Stewart, who declined to identify the firm he thinks will benefit. He added that the measure would serve to strip all local control and revenue from animated signs near freeways. Of the 366 digital billboards already permitted by Caltrans near freeways, 103 are in Los Angeles County, up from 66 allowed in the county in 2013, according to state data. Caltrans officials say their policy is to approve permits for digital billboards on private property as long as the structures comply with state standards. The program outlined in the Brown administration report would put commercial ads on 25 digital billboards that would replace message signs operated by the state in Los Angeles, San Francisco and Sacramento, according to the Caltrans study delivered to legislators last month. The three urban areas were picked as the highest three revenue markets in the State, the Caltrans report says. The agencys 160-page report says a successful test could result in commercial ads being extended to more of the 904 changeable message signs operated by the state. Los Angeles County has, by far, the most state-operated digital signs of any county in the state, with 126. Beyond the issue of distracting drivers, Wachtel said research indicates that putting commercial ads on the signs lessen their effectiveness in warning motorists of traffic hazards and other government information. The problem, as has been discovered in some studies, is that when official traffic signs convey advertising, motorists tend to begin to dismiss them, he said. The Caltrans report says that there are significant challenges to setting up a test program, including the need to change state law and to get the federal government to waive a ban on electronic signs in freeway rights-of-way. The Mullin-Bonta bill, which is scheduled for a hearing Tuesday in the Senate transportation committee, would remove an obstacle in state law. Supporters say the system can be designed in a way that might get approval from officials in Washington, D.C., although the Federal Highway Administration rejected a proposal last year to put ads on state-operated freeway traffic signs in Texas. Frank, the L.A. based activist, is not just concerned about any expansion. The proliferation of digital signs along freeways in recent years has also affected his opinion of Brown. Im really disappointed because I like Jerry Brown in a lot of respects, and the fact that this is happening on his watch doesnt speak well, Frank said. patrick.mcgreevy@latimes.com Twitter: @mcgreevy99 The state budget that Gov. Jerry Brown will sign by months end will total close to a record $200 billion, but its not spending that is shaping much of the perception about the proposal. Its savings or, more precisely, a heightened focus on cash reserves. California will continue its push toward the largest rainy-day fund in its history. The plan on Browns desk also creates two new reserve accounts, one of which lawmakers admitted last week is still a work in progress even though its slated to receive a $2.6 billion deposit in October. Im a little reserved about creating a whole bunch of new little reserves for whatever purpose, state Sen. Jim Nielsen (R-Gerber) said during a late-night budget conference committee hearing just nine days ago. Get the latest updates on California politics Advertisement Nielsens hyperbole aside, the purpose of one of the new accounts is quite clear: providing a lifeline to health and welfare programs in the event of a fiscal crisis. Democratic legislators and Brown agreed to seed the account with an initial $200 million, maybe more if tax revenues remain strong. Less clear is the path ahead for a second new fund, the Budget Deficit Savings Account. For starters, lawmakers insist stashing $2.6 billion there is only temporary. They said last week the money will be moved into the more ironclad rainy-day fund, created by Proposition 2, next spring. Its the rules of that 2014 ballot measure that may explain why this is happening. Proposition 2 will require spending on infrastructure projects once the rainy-day fund reaches its legal capacity and that happens once the $2.6 billion is deposited. After the independent Legislative Analysts Office pointed that out a few months ago, lawmakers started to tinker with ways to stash away more cash. Stashing cash for a rainy day isnt as easy as it sounds for California government If this remains focused on prudence, the budget maneuvers may not be much of a worry. But theres a difference between the new Budget Deficit Savings Account and the rainy-day fund created by Proposition 2. The voter-approved fund is in the California Constitution, while the new one is a regular state law, which can be easily changed. That means the next governor and legislative leaders could rethink the idea of saving all of that $2.6 billion. Or consider a different question percolating through Sacramento: Why not just put the money in the states short-term reserve account, the Special Fund for Economic Uncertainties (SFEU)? Here, too, is a lesson in state budget intricacies. When the SFEU gets to a certain size, Californias sales taxes are automatically reduced. And putting the money, instead, into the new Budget Deficit Savings Account keeps that from happening. Republicans argued last week that Democrats are just trying to avoid a tax cut. That may be true, but its also more complicated. After all, a short-term state crisis could empty out the SFEU, but the lower sales tax rate would remain and reduce state revenues for much longer. Raising those tax rates back to their prior level would take a supermajority vote in both houses of the Legislature. Such votes are rare. There are other rules, very specialized ones, for the new deficit savings account. But set aside all the legislative machinations and the real takeaway is that no one seems to have expected the Proposition 2 rainy-day fund would reach its legal capacity just five years after being created. And as lawmakers seek flexibility to sock away even more cash, they must confront the perception that sneaky things happen in Sacramento when politicians are given some wiggle room. john.myers@latimes.com Follow @johnmyers on Twitter, sign up for our daily Essential Politics newsletter and listen to the weekly California Politics Podcast The freshwater canals that once honeycombed through the city earned it the name the Venice of the East. Elegant walkways flanked the Shatt al Arab, the river cutting through the city. Legend has it that Sinbad the Sailor embarked on a journey from Basras shores. Given its rich history and location, Basra should be booming today. Its a metropolis of more than 2 million, home to Iraqs only port and its main gateway to Iran. Its the capital of the eponymous province that, with more than 200 billion barrels of estimated reserves, provides a staggering 80% of Iraqs oil riches. But the canals, whats left of them, now are lined with trash and exude a miasma tinged with the scent of sewage. A stroll along the banks of the Shatt al Arab offers little more than glimpses of crumbling walkways and the rotting hulks of ships long abandoned. And though multinational energy companies have swarmed here for decades, unemployment abounds. Though it was left unscathed in the brutal four-year war against Islamic State, Basra is where the scars of Iraqs troubles are most apparent: the perennial weakness of the state, the factions and tribes operating under their own laws, the deep-rooted corruption fueled by oil greed and now a thriving drug trade. Advertisement With Iraqis dissatisfaction with government at an all-time high, it is places like Basra that will test whether Iraq can return to the world stage as a functioning nation, or revert to the toxic mix of sectarianism and corruption that spurred the jihadis rise in the first place. There was a time when Basra, a city slightly larger than Washington, was considered one of the regions epicenters. Founded in 636 along the 120-mile-long waterway created the by joining of the Tigris and Euphrates, Basra became an essential stop for world travelers, such as the 14th century scholar Ibn Battuta. Basras past is better than its present, said Jabbar Saaedi, the head of the citys security council. [For] all of those who visited Basra in the 70s, even in the 80s, before the Iran-Iraq war, it was a beautiful place. And in the U.S.-led war on Iraq in 2003, the Americans and British, realizing its strategic value, made Basra the first city they invaded. Later on, they pushed it as the centerpiece of Iraq in the post-Saddam Hussein era. British troops, weary of fighting the Shiite militia called the Mahdi Army, transferred control to Iraqi authorities in 2007, and a year later government forces ousted the militiamen from the city. With order restored, Basra was rejuvenated. Oil companies came in droves. Glitzy architecture projects, including a proposed 230-story skyscraper (it was to be the worlds tallest) called the Bride, were to help Basra eclipse other regional boom towns like Dubai. But that all ended in 2014, when Islamic State launched its blitzkrieg across Iraqs northern regions. Though the militants never reached Basra, their effect was immediate. Troops were needed to go up north to deal with ISIS ... and you saw a degradation of the security institution in Basra, Ben Lando, head of the business publication Iraq Oil Report, said, referring to the group by one of its acronyms. The B team came in. With Basra no longer under tight control, the militias had a resurgence, unleashing a wave of kidnapping, theft and drug trafficking. The provinces constantly warring tribes joined the fray. They had engaged in oil smuggling during the days of Saddam. Though there was less smuggling, tribesmen were often engaged by oil companies to protect (in other words, refrain from blowing up) pipelines running through areas they considered their own. Now, the tribesmen, often heavily armed, fight among each other, said Yarub Mahmoudiyah, head of a committee for the resolution of tribal conflicts in Basra, to net the fantastical sums paid by the oil companies to drill in an area. Say a company wants to invest in a certain area. Its been long abandoned, but then two tribes claim ownership of it in the last 20 or 50 years, Mahmoudiyah said. So then they both come and start fighting over it. And the company cant do work. Meanwhile, the demands of the war against Islamic State, along with the deflation in oil prices, meant that Basra, whose oil fields produce some 3.7 million barrels per day, was getting no money from a cash-strapped federal government. We were supposed to receive $5 for every barrel of crude oil, $5 for every barrel of refined oil, and $5 for every 150 cubic meters of gas. Were also supposed to get half of the border fees from ports and land crossings, said Ali Shaddad, the head of the provincial councils oil and gas committee. Since mid-2015, we havent received any money from our petro dollars. The government refuses to pay, telling us it has no money to give. Shaddad said the municipality is often unable to pay its employees, and some 700 projects, including the building of schools, hospitals and infrastructure, have been postponed. Most of those contracts were given to local firms, so even our private sector was affected, he added. And with the government laser-focused on developing oil and gas, the provinces famous verdant farmlands have been devastated, even as Basrawis, as the people of Basra are known, have little to show for it. Much of the water in Basra has turned brackish, a result of years of poor water management excessive use upstream and excavation and dredging that allowed saltwater from the Persian Gulf to invade Shatt al Arab. What good did it do for us, having this oil and the port? Can you wash with fresh water here? No way, its always salty, shouted Um Ammar, a 32-year old saleswoman at a clothing store in the Ashar market. She gave only her nickname for fear of reprisals. All of our river water got destroyed. Go to Shatt al Arab. Theres no fish there. She also spoke of garbage that stays uncollected for days, and of streets that remain unpaved. As she began to rail against the frequent electricity shortages endured by residents, the neon lights in her shop turned off and generators whined as they kicked in; yet another power outage had begun. See? Summer is coming and its going to be boiling here, Um Ammar said. Its not unusual for summer temperatures to hit 122 degrees. Despite these drawbacks, some 40,000 Iraqis from other provinces have flocked to the city in recent years, said Saeedi. They join hundreds of thousands of Basrawis in a desperate search for employment in the oil sector, which, despite accounting for 65% of Iraqs gross domestic product, only employs 1% of the nations labor force, according to the U.N. Few residents work in their actual area of education or training. The luckier ones often have to pay bribes to land blue-collar jobs as cleaners or drivers. Most, however, are unemployed, living in ravaged neighborhoods or shantytowns with little to do. They are easy prey for Basras newest threat: crystal meth. Its big business. A gram of crystal meth can sell for roughly $70 here. In the past, Basra had been a conduit for the drug, transferring it from Iran to Persian Gulf countries such as Saudi Arabia. Now much of the drug stays in Basra. Weekly we catch something on the crossing with Iran, people smuggling drugs in shoes, clothes or even underwear, Saaedi said. Others, speaking on condition of anonymity for safety concerns, said the drug trade involved Shiite militias, tribesmen and prominent officials colluding with drug rings. Worse still, said Mahmoudiyah, the tribal arbitrator, now Basra itself had become an exporter. You have factories here producing this drug, he said. Its effects have been devastating: No fewer than 1,700 men are in prison on drug charges, flooding a prison system ill-equipped to deal with addicts. The user is not a criminal, theyre a victim. But the law treats them like a criminal, and puts them in the same place as a murderer, Shaddad said. Many of them enter as users and leave as dealers. He and the other officials interviewed insisted there was a need for rehabilitation centers. Mahmoudiyah had even asked oil companies to fund one such clinic. Hes still waiting for a response. Although the government conducted raids in February to crack down on crime, residents, including Um Ammar, dismissed the move as little more than posturing in the run-up to the parliamentary elections. The officials here, theyre all thieves. All of them, she said. She succinctly summed this ancient and once proud city. Basra bok, she said. Basra is all about stealing. One of Basras main canals, with sewage and trash lining its sides. (Nabih Bulos / For the Times) Bulos is a special correspondent. Twitter: @nabihbulos Stock Market News Sunday newspaper round-up: Brexit dealings, banks, insurance M&A, Virgin Money 17-06-2018 17:33 Stock News headlines are gathered from financial news sources around the web. Views and opinions on each item are from their respective authors and website. They are not opinions of LiveCharts.co.uk New Delhi: Former Supreme Court Judge Markandey Katju on last day took his Twitter account to start another row. In a latest tweet he shared his poor opinion of Indian armed force. He even asked that what kind of military is it when it has to buy all of its heavy weapons from foreign countries and cannot manufacture them itself. 'It is less a military than a joke and it can only fight another joke like Pakistan army, not modern one like US or China'. However, his tweet has infuriated many people and many started slamming him for the comment against Indian Armed forces. Bengaluru: With questions continue to hover the longevity of the Congress -JDS coalition government in Karnataka, Chief Minister HD Kumaraswamy on Friday said that no one can touch him at least till the 2019 Lok Sabha polls. The politician also expressed his confidence over the stability of the coalition. The Chief Minister also reiterated that he was committed to waiving farm loans and would announce it shortly. 'Dear farmers, Let there be no confusion on farm loan waiver. I am fully committed to the loan waiver. I want to ensure it is done scientifically benefiting maximum number of farmers. I am working on the moralities and will announce it shortly," Kumaraswamy said in a tweet on his official twitter handle. As the May 12 assembly polls in the state resulted in a hung assembly, Congress and JDS joined hands to form a post poll alliance to keep out the BJP, which had emerged as the single largest party. SBA 504 Loans offered statewide! Real estate and equipment, acquisitions, renovation, and new construction. Low, fixed-rates up to 25 years with as little as 10% down. : , .- , . : - , - ? : . , . , , . . , - . : ? : , . , , . . : . , . ? : , . , . 15 , 6 . 2/3, 2/3 14 , 15, , . , , 5 6 , . . 15 17 , . 17:4 , . , . , . . 11 , 1991 2001 , , , . 1997 2001 , , . ! , , , . , , . . . ? . , . : , . , ? : , , . ? , . ? : - - ? : - , , . : ? : , . , . , , . 15 , . , , , . . . . , , , . . : , ? : - . - . , . , . , . , . . , , . 15 . , , , . : ? : . , , . . ? , : 800 . 800 , 2 20 . . . ... . , . . : , , ? : . . : , , ? : , . . , . - , . . , . , , . . , , , . , . : . - ? : , , . . . , . . . . : - ? : . . , . Electric, vertical-lift air taxis may someday criss-cross the skies, but the timelines their advocates are proposing are ambitious, to say the least. Uber, for example, predicted at its Elevate conference last month that it would begin deploying its system, UberAIR, in 2023. Thats going to be a stretch: The autonomous control systems that will make such flight practical and affordable are in utero, the air traffic control integration necessary to make it safe and efficient are barely a twinkle in the FAAs eye, and the regulatory blessing necessary from federal and city governmentswell, lets just say theres nothing to bless yet. Eric Adams https://www.wired.com/story/four-reasons-we-dont-have-flying-cars-yet/ PFL Tech Inc. is a marketing technology company that provides sales enablement and marketing automation solutions, as well asprinting, mailing, and fulfillment services. They also provide some great Montana Jobs. One penny. Or, if you prefer, 0.000001 bitcoin. That tiny amount is the reason a cryptocurrency "mining" craze that upended small communities in Washington state has passed over Oregon. Oregons electric rates are cheap by national standards but not compared to Washingtons best prices, which are typically lower by 1 cent per kilowatt hour. That doesnt sound like a lot of money but it is in the world of bitcoin, a digital currency generated by power-hungry computers. By Mike Rogoway [email protected] The Oregonian/OregonLive https://www.oregonlive.com/silicon-forest/index.ssf/2018/06/bitcoin_mining_craze_bypasses.html Butte-based couple Sean and Jessica Kalagher have turned a love for the outdoors into a concept that could give destination tourism a techy new edge. For years the Kalaghers and their two young children have enjoyed exploring the outdoors and the countrys national parks. And part of those experiences, the Kalaghers say, have involved identifying the flora and fauna they find along the way. "It helps you be less of a simple observer," said Jessica. iXplore Yellowstone https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/ixplore-yellowstone/id1372173437?mt=8 ANNIE PENTILLA [email protected] https://helenair.com/news/state-and-regional/butte-based-app-developer-sees-bright-future-in-destination-application/article_7feacbf2-fb37-59e0-9098-e1e76db3fb11.html#tracking-source=home-the-latest Glacier is the hikers park, and with a number of loop trails, or at least routes where you can grab a ride back to your starting point, its a perfect opportunity to see the best of the park. "We have so many great hikes," said Courtney Stone, marketing director at Glacier Guides and Montana Rafting Company in West Glacier, who has spent years hiking the trails of the place she calls home. From short hikes for younger hikers or older visitors who arent sure of their abilities, to strenuous excursions bound to amaze, there is something for everyone. Amy Grisak, For the Tribune https://www.greatfallstribune.com/story/life/home-garden/2018/06/17/loop-trails-great-way-see-glacier-national-park-hiking-montana/701656002/ 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. Though I think Trump acted foolishly in starting a trade war with Canada, I can see one possible plus coming out of it: a shaking of the foundations of Canada's agricultural, cultural, telecommunications, and other cartels. For example, should Trump raise tariffs on Canadian cars and other products, that could criple the Canadian economy which in turn could put tremendous public pressure on Canadian agricultural, telecommunications, and other lobbyists to back off Canadian taxpayers and consumers. It might also make Canada seek international trade more aggressively. Unfortunately, it can also feed the flames of anti-Americanism for decades to come especially if Canadians feel defeated by it, and that could have major repercussions on both sides exceeding whatever benefit of freer trade forced onto us from the outside. I'm actually quite divided on that front. Economically, I could see a benefit to Canada if Trump wins the trade war to force us to open our borders more to trade. Politically though, I can see both sides paying a major price for years to come. Wisbech woman recreates a full size replica of the Bayeux Tapestry It is possibly the most talked about embroidered artefact in the world and one woman from Wisbech has set out to create a replica of the famous Bayeux Tapestry - all 69 metres of it. 01 May 2018Clare ButlerWisbech StandardMia Hansson turned her love of craft-making into a mission to recreate a full scale replica of the medieval artwork.She estimates the project will take more than a decade to complete but says it is for handicraft interest rather than a historic one.The 44-year-old started work on the design almost two years ago and aims to get it as close to the original as possible.Mia explained: I only use the seven shades of wool and work on a linen background.So far I have completed almost 13 metres and I look forward to embroidering the remaining 57. All going well, I will complete the replica in a total of 10 years.Her Facebook page Mias Bayeux Tapestry Story documents her journey and her success at the craft fairs including her visit to one at Sandringham last week.The tapestry tells the story of the future William Is conquest of England, culminating in the Battle of Hastings and the defeat of Harold in 1066.It was announced earlier this year that the real thing could be loaned to the UK before 2020, with Cambridgeshires Mayor James Palmer saying it should be hosted in Ely. Stars turn out for Stephen Hawking memorial at Westminster Abbey By Pallab Ghosh, BBC Science Correspondent Stephen Hawking said that science would take us on a path to "the mind of God". By that he meant that we would know everything that God would know, with the caveat, "if there were a God, which there isn't. I'm an atheist." On the face of it, the religious ceremony at Westminster Abbey was at odds with Prof Hawking's personal views. But hearing the choral works of Wagner, Mahler, Stravinsky, Elgar - and, of course, Holst's The Planets - filling the vast halls of the Gothic Abbey, one's mind was lifted beyond Earthly matters towards the ethereal. And that is what he did through his work - unravelling the mysteries of the Universe. 15 June 2018BBC NewsTributes have been paid to renowned physicist Prof Stephen Hawking in a Westminster Abbey memorial service.British actor Benedict Cumberbatch, who played Hawking in a BBC drama, and astronaut Tim Peake were among those giving readings at the ceremony.Prof Hawking died in March, aged 76, after a long battle with motor neurone disease.His ashes are being buried alongside other great scientists like Charles Darwin and Isaac Newton.Astronomer Royal Lord Martin Rees and Prof Hawking's collaborator and Nobel prize winner Kip Thorne also gave tributes during the service.TV personalities David Walliams and Piers Morgan, musician Nile Rodgers and Prof Brian Cox were among those who joined members of the public to celebrate the life of the scientist.Prof Cox said Hawking was a true inspiration and recalled the effect the Cambridge physicist's book, A Brief History of Time, had on him as a 20 year-old.He told BBC News: "I'd done physics up to A-level but I was a musician at the time; and I was in that process of 'Shall I do music or shall I do physics?' When that book came out my mum and dad bought it for me for Christmas. I read it and it re-affirmed - it really did - that [physics] is what I'd like to spend my life doing."To mark the occasion, the European Space Agency beamed Prof Hawking's words towards the nearest black hole to Earth. The transmission, which was sent from a big radio dish in Spain, was backed by an original score from composer Vangelis.One thousand members of the public, from more than 100 countries, were offered the opportunity to attend the service, after a ballot attracted 25,000 applications for tickets.Guests were welcomed by volunteers from the opening ceremony of the 2012 London Paralympic Games.Also at the service were students who all use electronic communication devices to enable them to speak - just as Prof Hawking did.Rose Brown, 20, a student at the National Star College in Cheltenham, a college for young people with disabilities and learning difficulties, said it was a great honour to be present.Speaking through her synthesiser, she said: "He showed what people with disabilities can do."I'm going to be an actress; everybody who puts their mind to something gets to be it. Stephen Hawking proved that more than anyone." PONTIAC, MI - A group of Oakland County Commissioners co-sponsored a resolution on Wednesday, June 13, urging regional leaders to continue discussions to improve regional transit in the county and southeast Michigan. Counties previously considered for a regional system of bus and express routes include Oakland, Wayne, Washtenaw and Macomb. Oakland County Commissioner Dave Woodward introduced the resolution Wednesday, suggesting leaders work "towards getting a plan with a goal of letting voters decide ... in November (20)18 and add our voice to that." Of the 21 commissioners, 11 co-sponsored the resolution, Woodward said, and it will be considered by the board's Economic Development Committee before being formally voted on by the commission on July 19. "I'm looking forward to its passage," Woodward added, although he emphasized the commission as a whole "doesn't support or oppose putting a (Regional Transit Authority) proposal on the ballot." The Regional Transit Authority of Southeast Michigan also is expected to vote in July on the new four-county "Connect Southeast Michigan" plan, proposed by Wayne County Executive Warren C. Evans. The transit plan would create five cross-region bus service routes along major corridors and 15 new express routes, and would seek a 1.5-mill tax to raise $5.4 billion over 20 years to pay for it. Oakland, Macomb, Wayne and Washtenaw counties each have two representatives on the authority who will vote this summer whether or not to put the proposal on the November general election ballot. At least one "yes" vote is required from each county. The recent Oakland County board meeting garnered several people asking the commission for an improved transit system. Megan Owens, executive director of Transportation Riders United, said the Suburban Mobility Authority for Regional Transportation (SMART) is not doing enough. "SMART provides a very important service but is limited by geography and budget. This RTA plan would build on SMART's great work and expand it to more places more frequently, while also keeping the Motor City at the forefront of new mobility technologies for decades to come," Owens said, who also serves as a board member of the Oakland County Public Transit Authority, which oversees SMART for the county. "There have been a lot of misconceptions and myths ... about the impact RTA would have on SMART. One is this idea that somehow RTA is a threat to SMART and they can't both operate. The reality is many metro regions across the country have multiple transit providers. The RTA is not going to be a provider, it is designed to ensure the gaps in the system are filled in." Several residents noted public transit is necessary for seniors, people with disabilities or for their children starting college but cannot afford to buy a vehicle. Kristen Milefchik of Clarkston told the board that regional transit would "free people with disabilities." "As someone with a lifelong disability, I can tell you with confidence that disability isn't the problem, the society that keeps trying to fix us rather than the prohibitive environment is," Milefchik said. The RTA surveyed 2,263 people about the Connect Southeast Michigan plan. About 41.4 percent were transit riders and 58.6 were not. About 62.5 percent said they support the plan, 17.1 percent are against, and about 20 percent are undecided, the survey found. County breakdown of transit riders surveyed on the new plan: Macomb: 67.4 percent support, 11.9 percent against. Oakland: 71.4 percent support, 10 percent against. Washtenaw: 79.9 percent support, 4.3 percent against. Wayne: 71.4 percent support, 6.1 percent against. County breakdown of non-transit riders surveyed on the new plan: Macomb: 40.4 percent support, 37.7 percent against Oakland: 53.8 support, 27 percent against. Washtenaw: 59.6 percent support, 19.9 percent against. Wayne: 54 percent support, 21.2 percent against. The RTA asked voters for a $4.6 billion millage proposal on the November 2016 election ballot for enhanced public transit across the four counties, but it was rejected by a margin of 18,000 votes, with 1.8 million votes cast. It fell short of winning majority support in Oakland and Macomb counties, but it passed in Washtenaw and Wayne counties. Here are more details of the RTA's survey: UPDATE: Bentley schools choose new superintendent BURTON, MI - Two finalists have been chosen in the search for a new full-time superintendent to lead Bentley Community Schools. David Schmittou, principal of Warrington Elementary School in Pensacola, Florida, and Kristy Spann, executive director of education services in the Brandon School District, are set to make district visits this week. They were chosen following interviews last week with candidates that included acting Bentley Community Schools Superintendent Christine Brockman and Karen Sherwood, former superintendent in the Boyne Falls and Kalkaska school districts. Charles Andrews, a search consultant with the Michigan Leadership Institute, said a total of 18 people applied for the superintendent position. The search began after former superintendent Chris Arrington agreed in late March to resign from the position after less than two years on the job. He'd been placed on non-disciplinary paid leave in December 2017 for what school board president Elaine Beckelic called a "pending investigation into job-related issues under the District's whistleblower policy." The district denied providing documents regarding what led to the investigation in response to the Freedom of Information Act request by MLive-The Flint Journal, pointing out the agreement was struck prior to the investigation being finalized. A separation agreement, obtained by MLive-The Flint Journal through a Freedom of Information Act request, notes Arrington will be paid and receive healthcare benefits through September. Four different superintendents -- including two full-time and two interim seat holders - have overseen the district since 2013. A former teacher and administrator in the Plymouth Canton, Trenton, and Milan school districts will pay a visit to Bentley schools on June 21 as part of the search process. Spann, a former teacher and building principal in the Brandon School District, is scheduled to visit the Burton school district on June 20. "Each candidate will spend most of the day in the district. The second interview session will allow the board to gain more insight on both candidates," commented Andrews. "The visit and interviews also give the staff and community an opportunity to have their questions answered and to get to know the candidates on a more personal level." School board members may also make visit site each candidate's home district, if needed, during the last week of June. The school board plans to appoint the new superintendent by July 10. MUSKEGON, MI -- Emily Sioma said she expected her university commencement ceremony to be full of empowerment and celebration. Sioma, from Grass Lake, was graduating from the University of Michigan in 2016 with a bachelor's degree in women's studies and a minor in sociology. When Sioma began to feel patronized by commencement speaker Michael Bloomberg's speech, she felt she couldn't sit silently. So she stood silently, among thousands of sitting students. On her cap, the words "I survived" were painted in teal, a reference not just to surviving college, but also to surviving campus sexual assault. "For me, that was, at the time, the hardest thing I had ever done," Sioma said, recalling the booing and objects thrown at her as she stood in protest. "I was met with so much torment in that moment that I realized, this is going to be a hard battle I'm going to be fighting for the rest of my life, but if I don't start now, who's going to do it?" It was a defining moment for Sioma, who realized then that she needed to change her platform for the Miss Michigan Scholarship Pageant. Sioma, now 24, was crowned Miss Michigan 2018 on Saturday, June 16 at the Frauenthal Center in downtown Muskegon. Her platform for the next 365 days? "I Believe You: Supporting survivors of sexualized violence." Along with the crown and title, Sioma received a scepter in honor of longtime pageant Executive Director Shelley Taylor, who died in February, $12,000 in scholarship money and the opportunity to take part in September's Miss America Scholarship Pageant in Atlantic City, New Jersey. It was Sioma's third time competing for the crown. She started competing in pageants at 18, and after competing in the Miss Michigan Scholarship Pageant for two years, took a seat from the 2017 competition. She credits her year away as what brought her a "new spark." "I've been told I'm going to be the edgy Miss Michigan," Sioma said, sitting in a thick brown chair in a room at the Holiday Inn in downtown Muskegon. "But it's come at a good time. We're rebranding our organization and maybe it's time to rebrand what it looks like to be Miss Michigan -- that there's not one type of girl that's supposed to be on this stage, but it's any girl that embodies what it means to be Miss America." Sioma grew up in the village of Grass Lake, east of Jackson, but says she's "a big-city girl at heart." She hopes to obtain a master's degree in either social work or public health, with an end goal of working for an organization that empowers others and helps uplift communities. She's an EDM fan who's been to more than 50 concerts, owns a small clothing design and repair business, loves thrift store shopping and is one of the first Miss Michigans -- if not the first -- to have visible tattoos. "This empowerment through the experience I had with my sexual assault built me up to be proud of every single part of who I am," she said. With her newfound platform, Sioma said she hopes to share her story, to encourage survivors of sexual assault to be proud of their recovery journey and to raise awareness of the issue. "Miss Michigan is an amazing platform to be able to use, because there are young men and women that look up to the people and the leaders of this organization, and if they see someone standing on stage with a crown or standing in a beautiful ballgown who talks about how they've been a victim of sexual assault and they've been a survivor of sexual assault, they can start to break down that fear and stigma," she said. Before switching her platform to supporting survivors, Sioma focused on advocating for organ donation, another cause she said is dear to her. And although she still had confidence in that platform, she had the opportunity to grow in other ways, she said. On day one as Miss Michigan, Sioma said she wants to partner with organizations locally and across the state that support survivors of sexual assault. She also said she hopes to bring awareness about local resources and work with survivors to add more resources wherever there are gaps. "Having this be my platform in this climate right now is going to be challenging because everyone's going to want to speak about it, but it's also such an amazing opportunity, because everyone's going to want to speak about it," she said. "This is finally a conversation that we're going to be able to have frankly and just very openly." Sioma said that the #MeToo movement and the Larry Nassar sexual abuse cases have opened up new conversations about the issue and have made sexualized violence a household topic. She said while it's unfortunate these conversations need to be had, it's also important. "My story is just one story, and as similar as it is to a lot of peoples' stories, it's so, so different from so many other experiences with sexual violence," Sioma said. "Being able to bring in race, gender, socioeconomic status -- all of those things compound together to affect the way that you can find justice and affect the way you can find empowerment through recovery." Empowerment is a key word for Sioma. It comes from being proud of where you are in the moment and it looks a lot like empathy, she said. It's part of the reason she said she thinks scrapping the swimsuit competition portion of the pageant isn't the right move. "In general, I support whatever decision that the Miss America organization makes, but I feel that we're taking a step in the wrong direction," Sioma said. "I think this organization is missing out on an opportunity, because of how large of an audience and how loud of a voice we have, to positively influence the way that people talk about women's bodies." Sioma said she supports empowering bodies in any form, whether it's in a two-piece swimsuit, a one-piece swimsuit or completely covered. "Women don't have to choose anymore," she said. "You can be empowered and talented and beautiful and brilliant all at the same time, and I think being in a swimsuit onstage is a great way to show people in a positive way that you can be all of these things at once." Sioma won the swimsuit portion of the pageant, the Kirsten Haglund Swimsuit Scholarship Award, all three years she competed for Miss Michigan. She said she is sad to see it go because she knew it was something she did well and would have helped her chances in September's Miss America Pageant. Despite what happens in Atlantic City in September, Sioma still has a year to travel the state and work on her platform. It's not a moment, it's a movement, she said. "Every portion of this competition, everything that I put into who I was on that stage and who I was this entire week was me. Because I said, 'If I'm going to do it, I'm going to do it my way,'" Sioma said. "That's what we need. We need more young women who are saying, 'I'm going to do it my way. I'm going to be empowered how I am going to be empowered.'" CARMEL, Ind., June 17, 2018 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- OPENLANE, the worlds largest upstream vehicle auction platform, is deploying a cache of industry-only capabilities to help customers monetize vehicles faster, easier and smarter than ever before. OPENLANE is a business unit of global vehicle remarketing and technology services provider KAR Auction Services, Inc. (NYSE:KAR) and supports private-label upstream programs for more than 40 OEM and financial institution brands. The reimagined OPENLANE platform integrates technology and innovation from across the KAR enterprise, combining data science, machine learning, artificial intelligence and cloud technology to streamline and simplify the upstream experience for sellers and buyers alike. With more than one million vehicles sold upstream over the past twelve months, we are continuously pushing the envelope of OPENLANEs technology, said Peter Kelly, KAR chief technology officer and president of KARs digital services group. Upstream selling is a critical part of our customers remarketing strategies. So, we have completely reimagined the upstream experience from our core technology to integrated data analytics to a more simplified, intuitive user interface. KARs investments and acquisitions position OPENLANE to support the needs of our customers today and tomorrow. Under the direction of KARs chief information officer, Tom Fisher, more than 300 IT professionals located in innovation hubs across North America have been dedicated to the re-architecture of OPENLANEs technical infrastructure. Over the past 18 months, the team has utilized an agile framework and hybrid cloud approach that integrates advanced cloud technology and specialized in-house development to advance an aggressive agenda of enhancements. The result is a stable, scalable and flexible upstream platform that leverages the most progressive technology solutions available. As a team, we challenged ourselves to view OPENLANE through the eyes of our customers and advance the most sophisticated and advanced platform possible, said Fisher. Weve successfully aggregated billions of data points across KARs diverse portfolio of companies while fortifying our technical foundation. This gives us the broad flexibility to deliver both out-of-the-box and bespoke solutions for our unique upstream customers. Further fueling OPENLANE are new data science and artificial intelligence capabilities developed by two of KARs recent acquisitions, DRIVIN and TradeRev. DRIVIN analyzes data from thousands of dealers and millions of vehicles each day to provide customers informed predictive pricing recommendations. Further, DRIVINs targeted seller-buyer matching algorithms can connect upstream vehicles with a curated list of buyers where the greatest demand exists. And with TradeRevs H artificial intelligence engine, customers can capture consistent and accurate condition report images in just seconds. Together, these capabilities help customers maximize the speed, outcome, and economic impact of their overall upstream business. Ultimately, a successful upstream program is all about portfolio management holistically optimizing outcomes and effectively mitigating risk, said Kayne Grau, co-Founder of DRIVIN and President of KARs Data as a Service group. DRIVIN translates data into clear, actionable intelligence for dealers, and were excited to be working with OPENLANE customers to deploy these powerful insights. Together, were creating a more informed, data-driven marketplace where both sides of the transaction can benefit. As one additional option for customers, OPENLANE is also offering the power of TradeRev as an additional auction layer in the upstream funnel. Vehicles not otherwise sold upstream can be automatically launched into TradeRevs live, one-hour digital auction marketplace, exposing those vehicles to thousands of additional North American dealers. KAR Contacts Media Inquiries: Analyst Inquiries: Gene Rodriguez Mike Eliason (317) 343-5243 (317) 249-4559 gene.rodriguez@karauctionservices.com mike.eliason@karauctionservices.com About KAR Auction Services KAR Auction Services (NYSE:KAR) provides sellers and buyers across the global wholesale used vehicle industry with innovative, technology-driven remarketing solutions. KARs unique end-to-end platform supports whole car, salvage, financing, logistics and other ancillary and related services, including the sale of more than 5.5 million units valued at over $40 billion through our auctions. Our integrated physical, online and mobile marketplaces reduce risk, improve transparency and streamline transactions for customers in 120 countries. Headquartered in Carmel, Ind., KAR has approximately 17,500 employees across the United States, Canada, Mexico and the United Kingdom. For more information go to www.karauctionservices.com. For the latest KAR news follow us on Twitter @KARSpeaks. ROCKFORD, MI -- Historical records show that Wolverine World Wide once stored toxic chemicals that are polluting the Rogue River in an unpaved area outdoors at the footwear company's former leather tannery complex in downtown Rockford. A pollution prevention plan from 1981 shows that drums of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances, or PFAS, were kept outside at the tannery near locations where recent testing has found extremely high levels of the chemistry in the soil and groundwater. The 1981 document, obtained though the Freedom of Information Act, may not have been provided to either the state or federal governments in response to mandatory record seeking related to an ongoing pollution investigation in Kent County. Neither the Michigan Department of Environmental Quality nor the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency would definitively say whether Wolverine provided the document in response to a state subpoena and a federal request for information. Other records obtained through FOIA show that regulators were unhappy with Wolverine's chemical storage at the time, but attempts to cajole changes at Wolverine were rebuffed. Records show that Scotchgard storage was eventually moved indoors. Academic experts who have independently analyzed records related to Wolverine use of PFAS-laden 3M Scotchgard fabric protector say the outdoor chemical storage could help explain the high contamination levels at the site, which is undergoing extensive pollutant testing this summer under EPA supervision. "Any spill that occurred in the storage area would certainly go into the groundwater," said Richard Rediske, a Grand Valley State University chemistry professor who first alerted the DEQ last year to Wolverine's historic PFAS usage. According to the 1981 Pollution Incident Prevention Plan (PIPP), Wolverine kept several varieties of Scotchgard outside near a warehouse at the south end of the manufacturing complex where tanned pigskin hides became iconic shoe brands like Hush Puppies. Today, the soil and groundwater under the demolished complex and the adjacent river are highly polluted with PFAS, a class of chemicals which gave Scotchgard its waterproofing abilities. Human studies have shown probable links between PFAS exposure and kidney cancer, thyroid disease, pregnancy complications and other illnesses. Documents show Wolverine Worldwide once stored PFAS chemicals outdoors at its former tannery in Rockford. Testing confirms PFAS in sediment in the Rogue River and Rum Creek, a tributary that flowed directly underneath the tannery and Hide House buildings where records show that Wolverine stored Scotchgard chemicals indoors. There is a PFOS fish consumption advisory in the river nearby and recent testing found extremely elevated PFAS levels in surface water foam at the Rockford Dam. The Rogue River was formerly the drinking water source for the city of Rockford, which switched to groundwater supply wells in 2000. Experts say the former surface water treatment plant downstream of the tannery would not have removed PFAS. Wolverine's own data shows the highest concentration of PFAS in the tannery groundwater is along the southwest corner of the property along the White Pine Trail, near a historic low area where upland drainage entered the river near a pump house that Wolverine formerly used to source water for tannery operations. According to the 2017 testing, the groundwater in that spot is contaminated with 532,000 parts per trillion (ppt) total PFAS -- about 330,000-ppt of which is PFOS, a highly bioaccumulative toxicant that was Scotchgard's key ingredient for decades. "Everything seemed to drain into that particular spot," said Rediske. Wolverine blamed the 100-year manufacturing history at the tannery grounds when asked to speculate why there are such high PFAS levels at the site. "Over decades of operations, and not unlike many other industrial operations, it appears some of the materials migrated into the soil," Wolverine said in a statement. The 1981 pollution prevention plan was obtained by the Concerned Citizens for Responsible Remediation (CCRR) in Rockford, a local watchdog group that petitioned the EPA in 2011 to investigate the tannery. The document is on file with the city of Grand Rapids, which accepted pre-treated Wolverine industrial wastewater at the city's sewage treatment plant on the Grand River until 2008. The Oct. 21, 1981 document was authored by the Grand Rapids-based engineering firm Fishbeck, Thompson, Carr and Huber, or FTCH. An MLive review of records provided under FOIA did not locate a copy of the 1981 plan in the thousands of pages Wolverine submitted to the DEQ as part of a subpoena for evidence in a pending federal case between Wolverine, the DEQ and Plainfield and Algoma townships. The 1981 plan was also not found in records provided to the EPA as part of an investigative information request known as a 104(e) issued in early December. It was also not provided to EPA in response to a similar request in 2012. The DEQ declined to comment on whether the plan is something investigators would expect to receive as part of state record-seeking. Wolverine would not confirm it gave DEQ and EPA the 1981 plan, stating that "the PIPP is a document that was continually updated as facts developed at the tannery site." "Wolverine produced more recent versions of the PIPP to EPA, including in 2012," the company said in a statement, noting that it "continues to supplement its response to those information request as additional documents are located." The 1981 plan shows other chemicals stored in drums outside with Scotchgard included acetic and muriatic acids, fungicides, machinery cleaners, surfactants, textile lubricants, tanning oils, silicone and volatile organic solvents like methyl isobutyl ketone (MIBK). The outdoor storage caught the attention of regulators at the time, who expressed concern with keeping hazardous chemicals in areas without pollution containment. In a Sept. 14, 1982 letter to Wolverine environmental manager Harold Bailey, Michigan DNR water quality specialist John Bantjes wrote that Wolverine should store all "drummed liquids" inside and only keep clean, empty drums outdoors. Bantjes, who had inspected the tannery a few weeks prior, also noted that a tin machinery shed near the warehouse should not also house chemicals, because "drum puncture is a likely event during machinery movement!" "Lack of secondary containment at that site will result in runoff of spilled material to the ground," Bantjes wrote. Wolverine responded a couple weeks later by refusing to significantly modify pollution containment at the tannery unless the work happened in conjunction with an expansion project that was stalled by a "depressed market conditions for leather goods." Until the "present economic climate changes," wrote hired engineer Carl Huber, "no major reconstruction projects are being undertaken by Wolverine World Wide." The outdoor chemical storage was noted about a decade later in a 1994 Environmental Site Assessment by the DNR, which was considering an easement swap with Wolverine for a railroad right-of-way that crossed lengthwise through the tannery. The deal resulted in construction of the White Pine Trail segment along the river. Chemical storage had moved inside by 1993, the DNR noted. Subsequent year pollution prevention plans show Scotchgard was stored on the third floor of the tannery building and the Hide House. EPA records show that Scotchgard was delivered to the tannery monthly by truck and, according to pollution plan updates in 1990, 1994 and 1996, the chemicals were stored in areas designed to drain spills to the tannery wastewater treatment plant. The records show Wolverine bought numerous products from 3M over the years, including reflective inks and color dyes as well PFAS products like Scotchgard. The company also used products containing various amounts of fluorochemicals from other sources. A 2000 tannery hazardous air pollutant summary shows that 16,590 pounds of Scotchgard FC-3573 and 64,409 pounds of Scotchgard FX-3573 were kept on hand. In the early 2000s, 3M reformulated Scotchgard to remove PFOS after EPA determined the chemistry was toxic to humans, magnifies up the food chain and persists in the environment. Wolverine and 3M met to discuss the matter in 1999. The new version, Scotchgard PM-4700, was stored in plastic and metal totes at the tannery. The reformulated version's key ingredient is PFBS, a PFOS replacement chemical for which federal health regulators are currently drafting a toxicity risk assessment. High PFBS levels are also found in tannery site groundwater. Rediske, who analyzed Wolverine's patented process for treating pigskin leather hides with Scotchgard as part of his initial memo alerting DEQ to the company's usage, said the leather was dipped in Scotchgard at the tannery before drying. Scotchgard application occurred toward the end of treatment, he said. Rediske said it's not known how Scotchgard was stored at the tannery prior to 1981. Wolverine began using Scotchgard in Rockford in 1958. "The plant was there a long time," he said. "Lines and valves break." What's the best advice dad ever gave you? That's the simple question MLive posed to Michigan residents of all ages in honor of Father's Day, which is being celebrated today, June 17. The answers, as it turns out, were as diverse as the people who gave them. Some appreciated the financial guidance their father provided them such as the idea of putting aside 20 percent of what you earn or investing money at a young age. Others noted the day-by-day advice their father gave them like "be a good person," "be happy" and "be confident in yourself." "Graduate high school before you get pregnant," another person said. Regardless of the advice, Father's Day is when we take the time to recognize fatherhood, paternal bonds, and the influence of fathers in society. As you can see, that influence comes in many ways. What answer would you give? Happy Father's Day! EMMETT TOWNSHIP, MI - Police are investigating a shooting in Emmett Township after they learned that a man drove himself to a local hospital on Saturday afternoon to seek treatment for a gunshot wound, according to the Emmett Township Public Safety Department. The condition and age of the male victim is unknown, and police said the man is not cooperating with investigators, according to public safety officials. The incident is currently under investigation. Public safety officers were dispatched at around 3:30 p.m. Saturday to a residence on Walnut Court near Jericho Street on a report of shots fired, according to a news release issued by the department. Officers upon arrival found a crime scene where it appears gunfire was exchanged between at least two subjects or groups of people, according to the release. Once there, officers learned that a male subject who had been shot near that location drove himself to a local hospital to seek treatment. Detectives made contact with the victim at the hospital but he is not cooperating with the investigators, according to the release. Investigators on scene have been collecting evidence and are trying to piece together what happened. Anyone with information on the shooting is encouraged call Emmett Township Public Safety at 269-968-9303 or Silent Observer at 269-343-2100. EMMETT TOWNSHIP, MI - A section of D Drive North between Harper Creek Drive and Beadle Lake Road in Emmett Township, Michigan has been closed until further notice due to safety precautions, according to the Emmett Township Public Safety Department. Public safety officers report that the road over a bridge stretching across Harper Creek has become unstable and is showing signs of collapse, police wrote in a news release on Sunday morning. Barricades have been put in place and the road will remain closed until the Calhoun County Road Department can determine if it is safe to use, police added. Police advise using 6 1/2 Mile Road as an alternate route to access Harper Creek Drive and other residences along D Drive North until further notice. MUSKEGON COUNTY, MI - A father who owes more than $20,000 in child support has been sent to jail. Stephen Arthur Blackwell, 37, of Muskegon was ordered to spend eight months in jail after the Michigan Attorney General's office prosecuted him for failure to pay child support. Blackwell owed $18,700 as of December 2014, according to the charges that were filed in 2016. By 2017, that amount had grown to more than $20,000 according to court documents. Muskegon County Circuit Judge William Marietti originally sentenced Blackwell in 2017 to 95 days in jail. Blackwell also gave the court addresses in Nevada. But a probation violation prompted Marietti to sentence Blackwell on June 11 to eight months in the county jail. In his application for a public defender, Blackwell included $63-per-month child support payments among his financial obligations. MUSKEGON, MI -- After years of competing and taking a break, the year she came back, she won. Emily Sioma of Grass Lake was crowned Miss Michigan 2018 on Saturday, June 16 at the Frauenthal Center after days of competition. "It's unreal," she said in an interview with MLive.com shortly after being crowned. "Like you practice it in the mirror all the time, you're always thinking, 'What am I going to react like', it's nothing like you practice. It's a total shock." The Miss Michigan Scholarship Pageant had 32 young women competing this year, representing counties all throughout Michigan. Contestants competed in the first two preliminary nights on Thursday and Friday. The final night of the competition took place on Saturday, where the five runners-up and Miss Michigan were announced. Along with the title Miss Michigan 2018, Sioma receives $12,000 in scholarship money and the opportunity to take part in the Miss America Scholarship Pageant, which will take place in September in Atlantic City, N.J. During the competition, Sioma's performance was a tap dance to the song "Gotta Push On" by GRiZ. Sioma won the $250 Kirsten Haglund Swimsuit Scholarship Award on Friday night. Sioma previously competed in the Miss Michigan competition, and was second-runner up in 2015. In 2016, she was in the top 10 and won the preliminary swimsuit award. But she said she took a year off to focus on herself and decided to come back in 2018, which led to her winning. "It's unbelievable," she said. "Coming back I just had fun, I had an attitude of, 'I'm going to do the best that I can so no matter what happens I'm going to be proud of myself.'" In her year coming back, Sioma said she learned a lot from her competitors. "(I learned) to really value the women that you surround yourself with because the women in this organization are unlike anything else," Sioma said. "They know why they're here for themselves and they know why they're here for one another. It's such an amazing feeling to be empowered with other empowering women around you." Her platform is "I Believe You: Supporting survivors of sexualized violence," this, is what she said she hopes to accomplish more for during the next year as Miss Michigan. "I really want to share my story as a survivor of sexual assault and encourage other women to not feel shame and stigma about what's happened to them, and men as well," she said. "Not feel shame, not feel like they have to hide, but instead be proud of where they are in their journey to recovery." She said she also wants to encourage more young women to be a part of the Miss Michigan organization. In the pageant's program, Sioma's interesting fact reads: "I own a small clothing design and repair business. I've been to over 50 concerts. I don't have canine teeth." Sioma's career goal is to complete a master's degree in social work or public health. She also wants to begin a career path focusing on inspiring youth and empowering women. Why the Swiss should vote for Vollgeld A radical rethink of the financial system was essential after a devastating crisis Martin Wolf A radical rethink of how the financial system works was, one might have thought, essential after the devastating crisis of a decade ago. Instead, the system was patched up. Now, predictably, the mood is shifting towards removing much of the regulation. That is why I hope, despite the polls, that the Swiss vote in favour of the Vollgeld proposal in the referendum on June 10. Finance needs change. For that, it needs experiments. According to a database compiled at the IMF, 147 individual national banking crises occurred between 1970 and 2011. These crises afflicted small and poor countries like Guinea, and big and rich ones, like the US. They were colossally expensive, in terms of lost output, increased public debt and, not least, political credibility. Within just three years from 2007, cumulative output losses, relative to trend, were 31 per cent of gross domestic product in the US. In the UK, the recent crisis imposed a fiscal cost only exceeded by the Napoleonic war and the two world wars. (See charts.) So how does this industry create mayhem on this scale? And why is it allowed to do so? It does so and is allowed to do so because, as the Bank of England has explained, banks create money, which is an essential public good, as a byproduct of their lending, which is an important economic good. We want banks to have risky assets and safe liabilities. Yet the liabilities of a highly leveraged, risk-taking institution cannot be safe and will unavoidably seem least safe during a crisis. Yet it is then that people want their money their reserve of purchasing power in a frightening world to be at its safest. Worse, it is often easiest for banks to justify lending more just when they should lend less, because lending creates credit booms and asset-price bubbles, notably in property. The willingness of the public to treat bank liabilities as stores of safe purchasing power provides stable funding, until panic sets in. To reduce the likelihood of panic, governments insure bank deposits, liquidity and even solvency. That makes crises rarer, but bigger. The authorities are simultaneously supporting banks and reining in the excesses created by support. This is a system designed to fail. Today, banks are less leveraged and better supervised than before the crisis. In the UK, retail banking is also ringfenced. Yet, the banks are leveraged at about 20 to 1: if the value of their assets falls by 5 per cent or more, such a bank becomes insolvent. One way to make banks safer then would be to increase their equity capital four or five times, as recommended by Anat Admati and Martin Hellwig in The Bankers New Clothes. An alternative way to make the system safer is to strip banks of the power to create money, by turning their liquid deposits into state or sovereign money. That is the idea backed by the Vollgeld initiative. An alternative way of achieving the same outcome would be via 100 per cent backing of deposits by claims on the central bank an idea proposed by free-market Chicago School economists in the 1930s. The rest of the financial system would then consist mainly of investment banking and mutual funds. The latter shift risk on to the investors automatically. The former might need to be regulated, but mainly on capital. The shift to a system like this would, as Thomas Jordan of the Swiss National Bank argues, be a mini-earthquake. Moreover, the proposal raises questions about the purposes to which the new sovereign money might be used. The obvious possibility is to use the money to finance the government. This idea is highly objectionable to some: it would surely create big challenges. Yet those challenges are nothing like as fundamental as was transferring responsibility for a core attribute of the state the creation of sound money to a favoured set of profit-seeking private businesses, co-ordinated by a price-setting government institution, the central bank. In no other economic area is public power so mixed with private interests. Familiarity with this arrangement cannot make it less undesirable. Nor can familiarity with its performance. There are many other ideas in this broad area that seem worth pursuing. One would be to allow every citizen to hold an account directly at the central bank. The technological reasons for branch banking are, after all, perishing quickly. Nicholas Gruen, an Australian economist, has argued that no private institution should have better access to the publics central bank than the public itself does. Furthermore, he adds, the central bank could operate monetary policy by lending freely against safe mortgages. The central bank would not need to lend to banks per se at all. It would focus on assets. The fundamental point here is that the burden of proof should not be on those who favour change. After a long series of huge and destructive crises, it falls rather on those who support the status quo, even todays modified status quo. The advantage of the Vollgeld proposal is that it is a credible experiment in the direction of separating the safety rightly demanded of money from the risk-bearing expected of private banks. With money unambiguously safe, it would be far easier to let risk-taking institutions bear the full consequences of their failures. To the extent that bankruptcy remained difficult, regulation would still be needed, especially of equity capital. At the limit, as some argue, risk-bearing financial intermediation might need to be ended. The Vollgeld proposal is not as radical as this. Yet it could provide an illuminating test of a better possible future for what has long been the worlds most perilous industry. May the Swiss dare. We attempted to send a notification to your email address but we were unable to verify that you provided a valid email address. Please click here to update your email address if you wish to receive notifications. Otherwise, you may click here to disable notifications and hide this message. Letter to editor: Congress can get this right This item is available in full to subscribers. Attention subscribers We have recently launched a new and improved website. To continue reading, you will need to either log into your subscriber account, or purchase a new subscription. If you are a digital subscriber with an active subscription, then you already have an account here. Just reset your password if you've not yet logged in to your account on this new site. If you are a current print subscriber, you can set up a free website account by clicking here. Otherwise, click here to view your options for subscribing. Armenias National Security Service (NSS) today arrested two well-known personalities Manvel Grigoryan and Artur Asatryan (aka Don Pipo) after a raid of their Etchmiadzin homes unearthed large amounts of illegal arms and ammunition. The arrests occurred amidst rival demonstrations in Etchmiadzin pitting opponents and supporters of the town mayor Karen Grigoryan (Manvel Grigoryans son) against one another. MP Grigoryan, a retired army general and former Armenian deputy defense minister, was arrested and detained on suspicion of committing a crime under Article 235 (part 2) of the Criminal Code of the Republic of Armenia (Illegal acquisition and possession of firearms and ammunition by a group of persons). Asatryan, a reputed crime figure who some local news outlets allude to as behind the demonstrations against Grigoryan, was arrested and detained on suspicion of committing a crime under Article 235 (part 2) of the Criminal Code of the Republic of Armenia (Illegal acquisition and possession of firearms and ammunition by a group of persons) Four other men, al Russian citizens, were arrested with Asatryan. The NSS, in a written statement, said that Asatryan is also suspected of kidnapping three individuals who had allegedly plotted to assassinate him a few years ago. Photo (from left): Manvel Grigoryan, Artur Asatryan Republican Party of Armenia (RPA) Press Spokesman Edward Sharmazanov told Hetq that yesterdays arrest of MP Manvel Grigoryan on illegal weapons charges was politically motivated and that the retired army general rejects the charges. Manvel Grigoryan has so many legal weapons, why would he need to store illegal ones? Sharmazanov asked, adding that the arrest had violated the constitution and the law. Sharmazanov, Deputy Speaker of the Armenian National Assembly, and Vahram Baghdasaryan, who heads the RPA parliamentary faction, visited Manvel Grigoryan in jail yesterday after his arrest. Sharmazanov told Hetq that Grigoryans arrest was an attempt to strike a blow against the RPA and the Yerkrapah Union. (The former is an organization of ex-Karabakh volunteer soldiers headed by Manvel Grigoryan) Grigoryan isnt despondent, Sharmazanov said. Even the Turks couldnt get the general to lose hope. What are they doing now? Making the Turks happy? Unless the Prosecutor Generals Office motions the parliament to strip Grigoryan of his immunity as a deputy, which has yet to happen, Grigoryan can only be detained for no more than 72 hours. By PTI MUMBAI: Anushka Sharma took a passerby to task when he allegedly threw garbage on the road and her husband Indian cricket skipper Virat Kohli recorded the incident in a video that has now gone viral on social media. In the 17-second-long clip, the actor can be seen scolding the man in a chauffeur-driven dark sedan for littering the streets. The video, however, did not capture the man in the act. "Why are you throwing garbage on the road, you cannot just throw plastic on the streets just like that," Sharma can be heard as saying in the video shared by Kohli on Twitter She then asks the man to use a dustbin instead of throwing garbage on the streets. Kohli captioned the clip as: "Saw these people throwing garbage on the road & pulled them up rightfully. Travelling in a luxury car and brains gone for a toss. These people will keep our country clean? Yeah right! If you see something wrong happening like this, do the same & spread awareness. @AnushkaSharma. " He further called out people for turning everything on social media into a meme. "Lot of people who don't have the courage to do something like this find it funny. Everything for people nowadays is meme content. Shame," he wrote in another tweet. The person, who was admonished by Sharma, went on to criticise the actor for "ranting and yelling" at him "like a crazy roadside person". The man who identified himself as Arhhan Singh shared a post on Facebook, saying though he is "apologetic" for his carelessness, the actor could use some etiquette in her speech. "Horrible! So I happened to carelessly litter a square millimetre of plastic while driving! A car passing by rolls their window down and there we have our wonderful Anushka Sharma ranting and yelling like a crazy roadside person! "While I'm apologetic for my carelessness, Mrs Anushka Sharma Kohli a little etiquette and politeness in your dialogue wouldn't have made you a lesser star! There are all kinds of manners and hygiene verbal etiquette is one of them!" he wrote. Saw these people throwing garbage on the road & pulled them up rightfully. Travelling in a luxury car and brains gone for a toss. These people will keep our country clean? Yeah right! If you see something wrong happening like this, do the same & spread awareness. @AnushkaSharma pic.twitter.com/p8flrmcnba Virat Kohli (@imVkohli) June 16, 2018 Singh added the garbage mistakenly went out of the window of his luxury car. "(It) was way less then the garbage that came out from your mouth. From your luxury car's window. Or the trashy mind Virat Kohli to shoot and post this online. For whatever gains." he said. Sharma is yet to publicly respond to the incident. Success! An email has been sent to with a link to confirm list signup. Vienna, 17 June 2018 A group of 25 Permanent Representatives to the OSCE will be traveling to Armenia, Georgia and Azerbaijan from 18 to 22 June 2018. In all three countries, the ambassadors will meet with representatives of the national authorities and parliaments, as well as with civil society. They will use the opportunity to see the reality on the ground at first hand and to convey messages to the national authorities and others whom they will meet during the trip. In particular, the visit aims to reconfirm the ambassadors support to stability, peace and prosperity in line with OSCE commitments and principles as well as their support to the OSCEs past, current and potential future engagement in each of the three countries. Columnist Tom Kacich is a columnist and the author of Tom's Mailbag at The News-Gazette. His column appears Sundays. His email is tkacich@news-gazette.com, and you can follow him on Twitter (@tkacich). One of Editor & Publishers 10 That Do It Right 2021 Chief Executive Carrie Lam (centre) and Secretary for Commerce & Economic Development Edward Yau (third-left) raise their glasses at a cocktail reception organised by the Hong Kong Tourism Board. Chief Executive Carrie Lam (centre-left) and Secretary for Commerce & Economic Development Edward Yau (second-left) witness the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding between the Hong Kong Tourism Board and the Convention & Tourism Office of Bordeaux Metropole. Chief Executive Carrie Lam began her visit to France in Bordeaux yesterday. Mrs Lam visited Chateau Latour, which is more than 600 years old, to learn about the wine-making process and later toured La Cite du Vin, a cultural facility which offers visitors a unique presentation on wine in different ages, cultures and places around the world. She witnessed the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding between the Hong Kong Tourism Board and the Convention & Tourism Office of Bordeaux Metropole on strengthening collaboration in wine and food tourism promotion between the two places. Mrs Lam later attended a cocktail reception organised by the Hong Kong Tourism Board, which was held on a sailing ship decorated with the Hong Kong brand on the Bordeaux river bank, to celebrate the friendship between the two cities. She said fine wine and food tourism promotions in Hong Kong have been well received by tourists and locals. Mrs Lam also hoped the two cities will keep a close relationship. Manvel Grigoryan's "Hidden Assets": Law Enforcement Uncovers Mini Arsenal and Supplies Destined for Armenian Troops in "Four Day War" Grigoryan appropriated food, medical and clothing supplies donated by Armenians for the troops on the Artsakh frontline Armenias National Security Service (NSS) has issued a statement providing details regarding yesterdays arrest of MP Manvel Grigoryan on illegal acquisition and possession of firearms, describing what they found at his property as a veritable arsenal. The NSS says it inspected two properties owned by Grigoryan his private house in Etchmiadzin and a property he owns in the Armavir village of Arshaluys used as a summer resort. In addition to a large cache of weapons, NSS employees also uncovered boxes of donated medical and food supplies and clothing that were destined for Armenian troops during the April 2016 Four Day War on the Artsakh frontline. The NSS says it will launch an investigation as to how these supplies, donated by schools, kindergartens and individuals in Armenia wound up in Arshaluys. Also found at the site were boxes of supplies allocated by the Ministry of Defense and clearly marked For Soldiers, and not intended for resale. Grigoryan used food donations to feed animals in his personal zoo The NSS claims that Grigoryan used the foodstuffs to feed his menagerie of animals (tigers, bears and ostriches) at his personal zoo in Arshaluys. A variety of all-terrain vehicles and a medical ambulance, donated by representatives of the Armenian community in Russia for use by Armenian troops during the Four Day War, were also found at Grigoryans garage in Arshaluys. The NSS says that Grigoryan registered the vehicles as gifts from friends and shipped them to his garage. A number of classic and contemporary cars, several motorcycles and snow mobiles, were also found at the Arshaluys site. The arms cache confiscated by the NSS included 18 antitank rockets, 20 mortars, 21,589 rounds of various caliber ammo, and a variety of explosives. At Grigoryans Etchmiadzin house, the NSS confiscated 79 rifles and 39 pistols with factory markings and 12,300 rounds of ammunition. Ownership documents for a score of properties were also found at Grigoryans house. For further insight into Manvel Grigoryans assets and lifestyle: From Army General to Affluent MP: Manvel Grigoryan Hides Income, Doesn't Pay Taxes General Grigoryans Tigers and a Swiss Reporters Ripped Trousers We visited one of the countries that are giving condoms to prisoners. What we know is that they havent evaluated the programme, so its quite difficult to draw any lessons from that. We also picked a problem with the programme. The condoms are different from those meant for heterosexual people. These ones are slightly thicker and come with lubricants. What we picked was that the lubricants were running out faster than the condoms, he said. The Game Was Almost Over. Then, Over the PA: 'Protect Yourselves' (Newser) An Australian artist has been buried alive with a bucket and a book, but don't worrythey plan to dig him out Sunday. More than 3,000 people watched Thursday as Mike Parr, 73, descended a ladder into a 25-foot-square box under a road in Hobart, Australia, for a performance piece called "Underneath the Bitumen the Artist," the New York Times reports. The confinement was billed as a memorial to victims of totalitarian violence and British colonialism in Australia, notes ABC News Australia, but many assumed it was about local Aboriginal Tasmanian history being buriedparticularly the 19th-century Black War in which British settlers nearly wiped out Indigenous Tasmanians. And that sparked a few fighting words. story continues below "It is a bit insulting, really," says Tasmanian Aboriginal Center CEO Heather Sculthorpe, per Pedestrian. "If they have any interest in telling the Aboriginal story then they should have put it out there for Aboriginal people to do it." But an Aboriginal activist called Parr "courageous" and said that "we support this bloke." Meanwhile, Parr sits below Hobart traffic with his thermos and a microphone that lets his team monitor his breathing. The apparent risk is old hat for Parr, who in past works has nailed his arm to a wall, sewn his mouth shut, and stayed in a glass cage for 10 days with only water to survive. But what if he never emerges from this one? "I haven't thought of that," he says. "No, no, no, I'm coming out definitely. I have all sorts of performance plans." (National Geographic admits its past coverage of Australian Aboriginals and others has been racist.) (Newser) Seems the US and South Korea really are on the verge of stopping "large-scale" military exercises, Reuters reports. Per Yonhap, a South Korean news agency, the two nations will announce the move this week with the stipulation that exercises with resume if Pyongyang fails to denuclearize as promised. "It costs us a lot of money," Trump said Friday of the military drills, per the New York Times. "I save [a] lot of money. That's a good thing for us." Meanwhile, Yonhap says South Korean officials have asked North Korea to move its artillery 20 to 25 miles away from the military demarcation line between the two nations, but South Korea denied making the request. (Read more South Korea stories.) (Newser) Shooting broke out at an all-night art festival early Sunday in Trenton, NJ, sending people stampeding from the scene and leaving one suspect dead and 20 people injured, a local prosecutor said. Mercer County Prosecutor Angelo Onofri told a news conference Sunday that 16 of the 20 injured were treated for gunshot wounds. Four of those, including a 13-year-old boy, were in critical condition, reports the AP. He said that two suspects opened fire during the Art All Night festival that showcases local art, music, and food. One of the suspects, a 33-year-old man, was killed; another suspect is in custody. story continues below Authorities say that about 1,000 people were in the area when the shooting started. "Everybody ran," Franco Roberts tells NBC10. Angelo Nicolo told Philadelphia 6ABC TV that he and his brother were at the event when they heard loud popping sounds. He said people started running down the street. "I saw two police officers escort a guy that got shot in the leg. They bandaged him up and whisked him away," Nicolo said. Local television stations showed numerous police vehicles at the scene. The Trentonian said that the venue for the festival was strewn with broken glass and other debris. The event began Saturday afternoon and was scheduled to conclude Sunday afternoon; organizers have canceled the remainder, saying "we're still processing much of this." (Read more shooting stories.) (Newser) Two associates of President Trump claim the whole thing was an FBI setup. Longtime Trump confidant Roger Stone admits he met a man with a thick Russian accent in Florida in 2016, and the manwho went by the name Henry Greenbergwanted $2 million for political dirt on Hillary Clinton. Stone says he refused and texted Trump communications official Michael Caputo that the meeting was a "waste of time." Now, talking to the Washington Post, Stone and Caputo have produced records showing that Greenberg is a Russian national who claims to have worked for the FBI. "I didn't realize it was an FBI sting operation at the time, but it sure looks like one now," says Stone. Greenberg denies Stone's account, saying he brought a Ukrainian friend to the meeting who did the talking. story continues below Greenberg has a colorful history, having lived in Moscow with Hollywood film producer John Daly, frequented the city's club scene, and battled charges that he had defrauded a firm out of $2.7 million. "He is strikingly good-lookingtall with graying dark hairand oozes self-confidence," the Moscow Times wrote in 2002. Greenberg also claimed in a US court filing to have worked as an FBI informant for years, but says he stopped after 2013. For their part, Caputo and Stone failed to reveal the Greenberg meeting to Congressional investigators but say their memories were recently jogged by text messages. "How crazy is the Russian?" texted Caputo after the meeting. Stone replied, "Wants big &$ for the info- waste of time." Caputo: "The Russian way. Anything at all interesting?" Stone: "No." (An FBI agent texted that "we'll stop" Trump from becoming president.) (Newser) Kellyanne Conway says "nobody likes" the migrant-family separation policy but insists it's not just a bargaining chip for the Trump administration, the Hill reports. "As a mother, as a Catholic, as somebody who's got a conscience I will tell you that nobody likes this policy," Conway said Sunday on NBC's Meet the Press. "Congress passed the law that it is a crime to enter this country illegally. So if they dont like that law, they should change it." But she denied the bargaining-chip angle as President Trump and Congress tussle over immigration laws: "I certainly dont want anybody to use these kids as leverage," she added, per Politico. "I saw a headline that breathlessly screamed as much and I object to that very forcefully." In other talk around the Sunday dial: More on the children: "Just be a dad," Rep. Luis Gutierrez urged Trump on CNN regarding the separation policy, per the Hill. "I'm sure you love your children. Love these children the same way you love your own." Sen. Susan Collins sounded a similar note, calling the separations "inconsistent" with US values on CBS' Face the Nation, reports the Hill. "That is traumatizing to children who are innocent victims." story continues below Steve Bannon's back : "Donald Trump is accomplishing everything he committed to the American people on the campaign that I stepped in as CEO," said the former Trump advisor on ABC's This Week, per Politico. "I couldnt be prouder of the guy." The Hill reports that Bannon was asked if Trump ever lies, and he responded, "Not to my knowledge, no. Except when he called me 'Sloppy Steve.'" : "Donald Trump is accomplishing everything he committed to the American people on the campaign that I stepped in as CEO," said the former Trump advisor on ABC's This Week, per Politico. "I couldnt be prouder of the guy." The Hill reports that Bannon was asked if Trump ever lies, and he responded, "Not to my knowledge, no. Except when he called me 'Sloppy Steve.'" What pardons? Appearing on CNN, Trump lawyer Rudy Giuliani tackled the topic of Trump possibly issuing pardons in the Russia probe, Politico reports. "And my advice to him, as long as Im his lawyer, is not to do it," he said. "Because you just cloud what is becoming now a very clear picture of an extremely unfair investigation with no criminality involved of any kind." Appearing on CNN, Trump lawyer Rudy Giuliani tackled the topic of Trump possibly issuing pardons in the Russia probe, Politico reports. "And my advice to him, as long as Im his lawyer, is not to do it," he said. "Because you just cloud what is becoming now a very clear picture of an extremely unfair investigation with no criminality involved of any kind." North Korea: Sen. Jack Reed called it "preposterous" for Trump to say North Korea is no longer a nuclear threat, the Hill reports. "North Korea is a nuclear threat," Reed said on Fox News Sunday. "The presidents statement was absolutely, in my view, preposterous." Hillary's emails : Rep. Adam Schiff called it "deeply disturbing" that Rep. Devin Nunes saw classified FBI information on Hillary Clinton's emails in 2016, per the Hill. "This is the first that we've heard about it, and it is deeply disturbing because if this was shared by New York field agents with Devin Nunes, was it also shared with Rudy Giuliani?" he asked on Meet the Press. "Or did Devin Nunes do something, which we have seen subsequently, which is coordinated with the Trump team?" : Rep. Adam Schiff called it "deeply disturbing" that Rep. Devin Nunes saw classified FBI information on Hillary Clinton's emails in 2016, per the Hill. "This is the first that we've heard about it, and it is deeply disturbing because if this was shared by New York field agents with Devin Nunes, was it also shared with Rudy Giuliani?" he asked on Meet the Press. "Or did Devin Nunes do something, which we have seen subsequently, which is coordinated with the Trump team?" Fear of Trump: Rep. Mark Sanford said on Meet the Press that he lost his primary election in South Carolina because he wasn't "Trump enough," per Politico. "People are running for cover because they don't want to be on the losing side of a presidential tweet," he said. "The idea that you can't speak out and say, 'I disagree with you here, but I agree with you on 90% of the stuff' ... is, again, a twilight world that I've never seen." (Read more politics stories.) New Delhi: As Arvind Kejriwals sit-in at Lieutenant Governor Anil Baijals office enters the seventh day, four CMs of West Bengal, Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka and Kerala has come out in support of the Delhi Chief Minister. Terming the tussle a constitutional crisis, West Bengal CM Mamata Banerjee, along with Andhra Pradeshs N Chandrababu Naidu, Karnatakas HD Kumaraswamy and Keralas Pinarayi Vijayan demanded the Centre to intervene and resolve the issue immediately. We came here to show our support to Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal. We demand that the Prime Minister interferes and takes necessary steps to solve the problem, Kumaraswamy said. However, the Congress party, which runs a coalition government in Karnataka with Kumaraswamys JD-S, has been slamming the Delhi chief minister for the sit-in at Lt Governors office. The chief ministers went to Kejriwals home and held a press conference there after they were denied permission by Baijal to meet Kejriwal at the Raj Niwas. I wanted to meet the Delhi chief minister but I was told, verbally, that permission will not be granted. Then four of us wrote to the LG for an appointment, but we were told that he is not there. We were not allowed, Banerjee said. The CMs - Banerjee, Naidu, Vijayan and Kumaraswamy who are in Delhi to attend a meeting of the Niti Aayog on Sunday met Kejriwals wife and several other AAP leaders at the Delhi chief ministers home. We were not even given six minutes to meet him. We want this problem to be solved. This has become a constitutional crisis. Ultimately, if this problem is not solved then people will face issues, Banerjee said. If this is happening in the capital then what will happen in other states? We will meet the prime minister tomorrow and request him to intervene and solve the problem, she added. Kejriwal, along with his four cabinet colleagues Deputy CM Manish Sisodia, Health Minister Satyendar Jain and Gopal Rai are camping inside Baijails office since Monday demanding that the "strike" by bureaucrats in the city be called off. Their demands also include approval to the doorstep ration delivery scheme. The bureaucrats in Delhi are not meeting Delhi ministers as part of their protest against an alleged assault on Chief Secretary Anshu Prakash in February. They are demanding an apology from Kejriwal for the incident. (With inputs from PTI) New Delhi: Amid Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwalas sit-in at Lt Governor Anil Baijalas office, the Aam Aadmi Party had planned a march to Prime Minister Narendra Modias residence on Sunday to seek his intervention in ending the months-long IAS officeras strike in the national capital. AAP workers and supporters gathered at Mandi House around 4 PM and march to the PMas residence. However, the Delhi police claimed that the party has not sought any permission to hold a march and slapped prohibitory orders banning large gatherings in the nearby areas. The AAP, however, claimed that it would carry out a peaceful protest march and there will not be any violence. AAP leader Saurabh Bhardwaj said that they only intend to tell the prime minister that the Lt Governor appointed by him was doing injustice to Delhi. Kejriwal, along with his four cabinet colleagues, is camping inside Baijailas office since Monday demanding that the "strike" by bureaucrats in the city be called off. Their demands also include approval to the doorstep ration delivery scheme. Here are the Highlights on AAP protest march: # 08:03 PM:A AAP protest march to PM house stopped midway by Delhi police # 06:06 PM:A No permission to AAP's protest march to PM's residence:A They don't have permission for a protest march. They've been contained at Parliament street. They're being told that they can't go any further. Specially trained personnel are deployed to keep the situation under control. We're sure they'll listen to us: DCP New Delhi. They don't have permission (for protest march). They've been contained at Parliament street. They're being told that they can't go any further. Specially trained personnel are deployed here. We're sure they'll (AAP members & protesters) listen to us: DCP New Delhi on AAP protest pic.twitter.com/eR5lqQWOXg a ANI (@ANI) June 17, 2018 #05:10 PM: We are being used for political gains:A Let us do our work. We are feeling frightened and victimised. We are being used for completely political reasons: Varsha Joshi, IAS Association Delhi Let us do our work. We are feeling frightened and victimised. We are being used for completely political reasons: Varsha Joshi, IAS Association #Delhi pic.twitter.com/Y7b2fE4hNI a ANI (@ANI) June 17, 2018 #05:05 PM:A Members & supporters of Aam Aadmi Party are staging a protest march to the Prime Minister's residence in support of Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal's demand that Delhi Lieutenant-Governor Anil Baijal put an end to the strike by state government officers. Visuals from Mandi House: Members & supporters of Aam Aadmi Party are staging a protest march to the Prime Minister's residence in support of #Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal's demand that Delhi Lieutenant-Governor Anil Baijal put an end to the strike by state government officers. pic.twitter.com/wcs7vjNZVp a ANI (@ANI) June 17, 2018 #04:50 PM: Kejriwal calls Modi a "dictator": As AAP carries out a protest march towards PMO, its chief Arvind Kejriwal has called Modi a dictator. aa a aaa aaa aa aaa aa, aaaaaaaa aa aaaa aaa a aa aaa a aaaaaaaa aa, aaaaaaaaaaaa aaaaa aaa aa a Arvind Kejriwal (@ArvindKejriwal) June 17, 2018 #04:40 PM:A CPM leader Sitaram Yechury to join AAP's protest rally to PM's residence: "Joining the protest rally to the Prime Ministeras residence today to express serious condemnation over the manner in which federalism, a fundamental feature of our Constitution, is being undermined by this BJP Central government," Yechury tweeted. #04:20 PM: AAP workers started reaching at Mandi House:A AAP Leaders Sanjay Singh,A Dilip Pandey,A Sushil GuptaA reached Mandi House.A Party Volunteers reaching in numbers to march towards PM House.A #3:50 PM: Delhi police claim AAP didn't sought permission to hold march:A "The call given by the AAP to march towards PM office or residence is without permission. No permission has been applied for. As such the areas under New Delhi district are under prohibitory orders," senior Delhi police official said. #03:30 PM: Entry, Exit at four metro stations near PM residence closed: In wake of AAP's protest march,A entry and exit gates have been closed at Patel Chowk, Central Secretariat, Udyog Bhawan, Janpath and Lok Kalyan Marg. However, interchange service between Yellow & Violet Lines at Central Secretariat will remain available. #03:00 PM: What happened so far:A Day 1 a Monday: Arvind Kejriwal along with four cabinet colleagues a Deputy CMA Manish Sisodia, Health MinisterA SatyendarA Jain and Gopal Rai a went to meet Lt Governor Anil Baijal with few demands. They refused to leave the office until Baijail accepts their demands. Day 2- Tuesday: Seeing no response from Baijalas side, Delhi Health Minister SatyendarA Jain begins indefinite hunger strike. Day 3 - Wednesday:A After Jain, Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia also goes on a hunger strike. Meanwhile, party workers and supporters also marched from CM Kejriwal's residence to LG's office. Day 4 - Thursday: Kejriwal writes to Prime Minister Narendra Modi seeking his intervention in the issue. AAP workers launched a candle-march to protest against Baijal. Meanwhile, the Delhi High Court agreed to hear a plea seeking to declare the sit-in by the CM and his cabinet colleagues as unconstitutional and illegal on June 18. Day 5 - Friday: Kejriwalas wife denied permission to meet him. aWe wanted to meet our husbands for 10 minutes. They made us wait for 1.5 hours at the first barricade and then turned us away. Are we a security threat? Is he (Baijal) so insecure?" Sunita KejriwalA tweeted. Day 6 - Saturday: Kejriwal found support from four non-BJP state chief ministers. West Bengal's Mamata Banerjee, Karnataka's HD Kumaraswamy, Kerala's Pinarayi Vijayan, Andhra's N Chandrababu Naidu tried to meet Kejriwal but denied permission. A Day 7 - Sunday: AAP party called upon the people of Delhi and urged them to join the protest march from Mandi House to PMas residence. Dlehi Police claims AAP didnat seek permission to hold the march. #02:30 PM: What are Kejriwal's demands: 1.)A Issue a direction to IAS officers to end their "strike"; 2.)A Action against those who have struck work for "four months"; 3.) Approve the proposal for doorstep delivery of rations. #01:50 PM: After Mamta, Naidu, Naveen Patnaik and Kumaraswamy,A Omar Abdullah extends support to Kejriwal:A "Forget the arguments & counterarguments, a CM elected by the people of Delhi with an overwhelming majority is protesting in the Lt. Governoras residence for the last 6 days & the powers that be couldnat seem to care less. Democracy anyone?"A Abdullah tweeted. #01:30 PM:A AAP calls for people's support:A Dear Delhiites, India needs you, AAP needs you to save the democracy!A Reach Mandi House today,A March to PM Residence will start at 4 PM, tweets Aam Aadmi Party. Dear Delhiites, India needs you, AAP needs you to save the democracy ! Reach Mandi House today, March to PM Residence will start at 4 PM. pic.twitter.com/h0BH97Ra4k a AAP (@AamAadmiParty) June 17, 2018 #01:00 PM: Hello and welcome to News Nation Live Updates. The Aam Aadmi Party has decided to go full throttle against Delhi Lt Governor Anil Baijal and will carry out a protest march to Prime Minister Narendra Modi's residence. The party claims that Baijal's is not adhering to his constitutional duties and working to destabilise the Delhi government. Kejriwal himself is sitting on dharna inside Baijail's office for the last seven days demanding action against IAS officer's halting work since February and clearance to his door-to-door ration delivery scheme. Stick with us as we bring you all the latest updates from AAP's protest march. For all the Latest India News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps. New Delhi: The family of the martyred Army Jawan Aurangzeb has demanded the Narendra Modi government to take swift revenge from the terrorists who abducted and killed the soldier while he was on his way to home for Eid celebrations. The brother of martyr Aurangzeb said that 100 terrorists should be killed to take the revenge of his brother and added that if the government cant do this, he himself will do this. "I appeal to Prime Minister Narendra Modi to take swift action in this. 100 of their people should pay the price for the death of my brother. If you (the government) are not able to do so, then tell us, we will do it ourselves," ANI quoted Aurangzebs brother as saying. Aurangzeb, an army soldier from Jammu and Kashmir was abducted by terrorists from Pulwama on Thursday when he was his way back to home in Rajouri for Eid celebrations. Later in the day, his bullet-ridden body was recovered from Gussoo village in Kalampora area of Pulwama district. "My son has abided by his pledge, he has kept his promise. He sacrificed himself for the nation and came back to me. I request the central and state governments to eliminate militancy," said Mohd Hanif, the father of the brave heart. Earlier, he had given the Modi government an ultimatum of 72-hours to find and eliminate the terrorists who abducted and killed his son. "I am giving Narendra Modi 72 hours for avenging my sons killing, otherwise we are ready to take revenge on our own," Aurangzeb's father said. Hours after his brutal killing, the terrorists had released a video of Aurangzeb who was involved in the encounter of Hizbul Mujahideen commander Sameer Tiger. In the 1.15-minute video, the terrorists were seen grilling the martyred Army Jawan about his role in the recent encounters and his responsibilities. For all the Latest India News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps. New Delhi: He is an epitome of selfless love, a Godas blessing and to the world, he is a father, who sacrifices everything for their children. As the world celebrates Fatheras day 2018 on today (June 17), Google has dedicated a heart-warming doodle to personify the love and care fathers shower on their children. Celebrating fatherhood, the Google doodle shows colourful handprintsA that resemble dinosaurs. The Google doodle reflects the bond of love, care and protectiveness of fathers for their children. Fatheras day is celebrated all across the globe with several traditions and forms of celebrations. This is the day dedicated to fathers when children honour and pamper their dads. Fatheras day is celebrated on the third Sunday of June every year. The history of the dates back to 1908 when it was first observed at a church in West Virginia. It was celebrated in the honor of over 200 fathers who had died at a mining explosion in Monongah. It became an annual event in 1910 in Spokane, Washington. In 1913, the first bill was brought in the Congress to consider the Fatheras Day as a national holiday. However, the bill could be passed only in 1972 and Fatheras Day on every third Sunday of June became a national holiday. For all the Latest India News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps. New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday chaired the 4th meeting of the Governing Council of the Niti Aayog at Rashtrapati Bhawan to discuss the implementation of his governmentas flagship schemes relating to various sectors. aLooking forward to the 4th Governing Council meeting of @NITIAayog tomorrow (Sunday). Implementation of key policies relating to a wide range of sectors will be discussed during the meeting,a Modi tweeted on Saturday. The Governing Council of NITI Aayog is the premier body which looks after the work done in the previous year and deliberates upon the future national development priorities, sectors and strategies. The day-long meeting was attended by Union Ministers, Chief Ministers from the states, Lieutenant Governors of Union Territories and senior officials from the Centre. Here are the Highlights on Niti Aayog 4th Governing Council meet: # 03:30 PM calls upon Chief Ministers: Narendra Modi urges MP, Bihar, Sikkim, Gujarat, UP, WB and Andhra CMs to work together to make recommendations on coordinated policy approach to 2 subjects of 'agriculture & MNREGA' including both pre-sowing and post-harvest phases. # 03:30 PM: PM Modi at NITI Aayog 4th Governing Council meet: World expects India to become a $5 trillion dollar economy soon. States are welcome to give fresh ideas to Fin Commission, for incentivizing outcome-based allocations and expenditure correction #11:50 AM:A Andhra Pradesh CM N Chandrababu Naidu today in NITI Aayog Governing Council meeting raised issues related to state bifurcation, special category status, Polavaram project. Demonetization and GST were also raised. Andhra Pradesh CM N Chandrababu Naidu today in NITI Aayog Governing Council meeting raised issues related to state bifurcation,special category status, Polavaram project. Demonetization and GST were also raised (file pic) pic.twitter.com/YR0krq2BZB a ANI (@ANI) June 17, 2018 #10:55 AM:A Delhi: West Bengal CM Mamata Banerjee, Uttarakhand CM Trivendra Rawat and UP CM Yogi Adityanath at the fourth meeting of the Governing Council of NITI Aayog. It is being chaired by PM Modi. Delhi:West Bengal CM Mamata Banerjee, Uttarakhand CM Trivendra Rawat and UP CM Yogi Adityanath at the fourth meeting of the Governing Council of #NITIAayog. It is being chaired by PM Modi. pic.twitter.com/rhtQTkgPBf a ANI (@ANI) June 17, 2018 #10:50 AM: PM hails 'Team India' spirit in policy implementation:A PM Modi said that the NITI Aayog Governing Council has approached complex issues of governance as "Team India", in the spirit of cooperative, competitive federalism. He described the smooth rollout and implementation of GST as a prime example of this: Statement #10:45 AM: PM assures Centre's support to states:A PM Modi reiterated that NITI Aayog Governing Council is a platform that can bring about "historic change." He assured CMs from flood-affected States that Centre would provide all assistance to them, to deal with flood situation currently affecting parts of the country: Statement #10:30 AM:A Delhi: Andhra Pradesh CM N Chandrababu Naidu, Arunachal Pradesh CM Pema Khandu, Assam CM Sarbananda Sonowal and Bihar CM Nitish Kumar present at the fourth meeting of the Governing Council of NITI Aayog. Delhi:Andhra Pradesh CM N Chandrababu Naidu,Arunachal Pradesh CM Pema Khandu, Assam CM Sarbananda Sonowal and Bihar CM Nitish Kumar present at the fourth meeting of the Governing Council of #NITIAayog. It is being chaired by PM Modi. pic.twitter.com/RoRbKtAM3N a ANI (@ANI) June 17, 2018 #10:20 AM:A Delhi: Chaired by PM Modi & consisting of Chief Ministers, Lt. Governors, Union Ministers and Special Invitees, the fourth meeting of the Governing Council of NITI Aayog begins. Delhi: Chaired by PM Modi & consisting of Chief Ministers, Lt. Governors, Union Ministers and Special Invitees, the fourth meeting of the Governing Council of #NITIAayog begins pic.twitter.com/Mlx1yygtBM a ANI (@ANI) June 17, 2018 #10:05 AM:A Karnataka CM HD Kumaraswamy & Chief Minister of Punjab Captain Amarinder Singh arrive for NITI Aayog governing council meeting.A #Delhi: Karnataka CM HD Kumaraswamy & Chief Minister of Punjab Captain Amarinder Singh arrive for NITI Aayog governing council meeting. pic.twitter.com/q5m7POwMV6 a ANI (@ANI) June 17, 2018 #10:00 AM:A Home Minister Rajnath Singh and Chief Minister of Madhya Pradesh Shivraj Singh Chouhan arrive for NITI Aayog governing council meeting.A #09:50 AM: Hello and welcome to the News Nation live updates. PM Modi will chair the 4th meeting ofA Niti Aayog's Governing Council today.A During the meeting, several issues, including measures taken to double the income of farmers and progress of Modi governmentas flagship schemes such as Ayushman Bharat, National Nutrition Mission and Mission Indradhanush, will be discussed. Stay with us as we bring you all the latest updates and information about the NITI Aayog meeting. For all the Latest India News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps. New Delhi: The government has decided not to extend Ramzan ceasefire in Jammu and Kashmir post the month of Ramzan, the Union Home Ministry said on Sunday. "The Government of India decides not to extend the suspension of operations in J&K announced at the beginning of Ramazan. The operations against the terrorists to resume," the Home Ministry tweeted. Home Minister Rajnath Singh said that while security forces displayed "exemplary restraint" during the Ramzan ceasefire, the terrorists continued to attack civilians and security forces. "It was expected that everyone will cooperate in ensuring the success of this initiative. While the Security Forces have displayed exemplary restraint during this period, the terrorists have continued with their attacks, on civilians and SFs, resulting in deaths and injuries," Singh tweeted. The home minister directed the security forces to resume their operations and take all necessary actions to prevent terrorist attacks and violence in order to restore the terror free and peaceful environment in the Valley. "The Security Forces are being directed to take all necessary actions as earlier to prevent terrorists from launching attacks and indulging in violence and killings. The Government will continue with its endeavour to create an environment free of terror and violence in Jammu and Kashmir," he said. Singh also appealed all the peace-loving people of Jammu and Kashmir to join hands and isolate terrorists and motivate misguided youth to bring them back to the mainstream. "It is important that all sections of peace-loving people come together to isolate the terrorists and motivate those who have been misguided to return to the path of peace," he added. On request of Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti, the Government of India had decided to suspend the anti-terror operations in the Valley, which often result in the death of civilians, during the holy month of Ramzan. For all the Latest India News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps. New Delhi: In a major setback to Indias strategy to counter increasing Chinese influence in the Indian Ocean, Seychelles President Danny Faure has refused to move forward a joint project with New Delhi to develop a naval base at Assumption Island in his country. Seychelles move to back out of a joint military base at Assumption Island came days ahead of President Faures state visit to India on June 26. During Prime Minister Narendra Modis visit in 2015, India and Seychelles had signed a pact to develop a naval base at Assumption Island which would have given India a strategic advantage over China in the Indian Ocean Region. The growing political opposition and environmental concerns are said to be the reason behind the Seychelles governments decision to reject Indias proposal. At a press conference on June 4, Faure had said Seychelles would develop military facilities at the island on its own and that the project with India will not move forward. In next years budget, we will put funds for us to build a coastguard facility on the Assumption ourselves. It is important for us to ensure that we have a military post in this area, Seychelles News Agency quoted Faure as saying. The Seychelles president had also said that the issue of the military base at Assumption Island would not be discussed during his India visit. The Ministry of External Affairs has not yet commented on the issue. (With Inputs from PTI) For all the Latest India News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps. A leading charity initiative is seeking Bahraini partners to create a unique food distribution channel aimed at feeding the needy. The initiative aims to collect food from supermarkets, hotels and restaurants from all over Bahrain and distribute it to the modest sections of the society. Michelle Bailey, and her husband Riyaz Jivanjee who are spearheading the efforts see the endeavour as an expansion to current Feed the need initiative. As part of initiative, which has been there for the past five years, food is made available for free to the deserving through fridges that are kept in different areas of Bahrain. Thousands of necessitous labourers, domestic workers and other under-privileged residents have benefited from such fridges that have been placed in key locations. The initiative has been a great success, we have about 20 fridges spread out in different places in Bahrain. Generous residents donated the fridges and also fill up the fridges whenever it gets emptied. This is a grassroots level initiative, said Ms Bailey, who has previously worked for the Australian governments welfare system. With the help of a Bahraini partner, they now plan to start a social enterprise that would enable them to collect food from various sources and distribute it to those living in straitened circumstances on a much larger scale than Feed the need. A nuclear reactor at a trouble-hit complex in southwestern Japan restarted operations Saturday for the first time in more than six and a half years amid lingering safety concerns. The No. 4 unit at the Genkai plant in Saga Prefecture is the fourth reactor of operator Kyushu Electric Power Co's to go back online and the ninth nationwide under stricter safety rules implemented after the Fukushima crisis in 2011. The utility aims to generate and supply electricity from Wednesday and start commercial operations in mid-July. The restart sparked local protests, with around 100 people gathering in front of the plant. Hajime Aoki, an 80-year-old farmer living about 6 kilometers away from the plant, said, "Everyone knows that nuclear plants are dangerous. If I think about the Fukushima nuclear accident, I certainly cannot agree to this." Recognizing the opposition of the local residents, Saga Gov Yoshinori Yamaguchi promised to deal with the issue seriously, while Michiaki Uriu, president of Kyushu Electric, separately said the plant's operation will proceed by taking into account "safety as a top priority." At the same time, there were some residents who said that while they were worried about plant safety, they also saw the economic benefits to having such plants in the area. The restart comes after the Genkai complex has been mired in troubles. In May, pumps installed to control the circulation of cooling water at the No. 4 unit suffered malfunctions, following a steam leak from a pipe at the No. 3 reactor just a week after it was reactivated in March. With Japan now planning to open its doors to more foreign workers, academics and other observers are beginning to wonder exactly what kind of turn the country is in for -- one that lifts the economy or one that delivers discord. The cabinet on Friday adopted the basic economic and fiscal policy outline for a new residence permit for overseas workers in five industries suffering severe labor shortages -- including construction, agriculture and elderly care. The program, to begin next fiscal year, is expected to bring in more than 500,000 laborers by around 2025. Previously, programs designed to help Japan deal with its labor shortage have been limited to technical internships and other short-term initiatives. The latest change opens up Japan to unskilled labor for the first time. Prime Minister Shinzo Abe has repeatedly argued that recent steps to allow more overseas workers in Japan do not constitute an immigration policy. But Friday's outline states that resident permits with no maximum length of stay might be considered, as will permission for family members to stay in Japan. Daisuke Karakama of Mizuho Bank was among the many experts expressing support, saying an "increase in the working population pushes up potential [economic] growth." Hiroya Masuda, a former internal affairs minister who now serves as an adviser at the Nomura Research Institute, predicted that "smaller localities will reap significant benefits." Japan's working-age population, which consists of 15- to 64-year-olds, has been decreasing since 1997. Small and midsize businesses in the country are already dealing with the repercussions, Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga told reporters on Friday. In 2040, Japan's working-age population is expected to have shrunk by another 1.5 million. The Peoples Democratic Party has outlined how its 2019 presidential candidate will emerge. In a 40-page document titled Electoral Gui... The Peoples Democratic Party has outlined how its 2019 presidential candidate will emerge.In a 40-page document titled Electoral Guideline for the PDP, Directorate of Organisation and Mobilisation, the party said its presidential aspirants are to pay a total sum of N12m for both nomination and expression of interest forms, respectively.However, female aspirants are to pay only N2m for expression of interest form as they are exempted from the payment of N10m nomination fee.The document that explained these modalities was signed by the National Chairman of the PDP, Prince Uche Secondus and the National Secretary of the party, Senator Umaru Tsauri.The party said all aspirants are to swear to an oath to abide by the decisions of the party on the conduct of its primary elections.The document said each aspirant must be nominated by not less than 60 persons from at least two-thirds of all the states of the federation who shall be registered voters in their respective local government areas and also registered members of the party.The document added, A copy of the voters registration card of the aspirant shall be attached to the duly completed nomination form.To be accompanied by a sworn declaration made before a Commissioner of Oaths or notary public; undertaking to abide by the guidelines, all laws and any rules or regulations made by the party for the conduct of the primary elections.The decision of the National Executive Committee of the party on all primary elections shall be final and binding.The party stated that its NEC would appoint a Presidential Screening Committee on the recommendation of the NWC.The committee, it said shall consist of a chairman and eight others. One from each geo-political zone, plus two women (one from the North and another from the South).It added that aggrieved aspirants, who fail the screening exercise, would be free to appeal to a panel that would be led by Secondus, which will also include all other members of the NWC.On the payment of fees, the party said, An aspirant shall obtain the expression of interest forms code PD002/P upon payment of the non-refundable fee of N2m from the national secretariat of the party or such place as may be designated by the NWC of the party, and, on completion, return same to the national secretariat.An aspirant shall obtain Nomination Form code PD003/P from the national secretariat of the party or such other place designated by the NWC of the party and evidenced upon payment of the prescribed non-refundable fee of N10m, save that female aspirants shall be exempted from the payment of the prescribed nomination fee.The document added that all the aspirants must be duly registered financial members of the party.It was however silent on the modalities to determine the financial status of the aspirants.While it said the presidential candidate would emerge through modified open secret system, it also added that the aspirant with the highest number of votes at the end of voting shall be declared the winner of the primary.The document was however silent on the date and venue of the special national convention where the candidate would emerge.The party indicated that the date and venue for the convention would be made known, at least seven days before the event (convention).Part of the qualifications listed for its presidential aspirants are that they must be citizens of Nigeria by birth and that they must not be below the age of 40.The aspirants are also expected to be registered voters and must attach a copy of their voter card and registration cards to their duly completed form code PD003/P.Among those who have declared their intention to run for Presidency on the platform of the PDP are a former Vice President, Atiku Abubakar; a former Governor of Kano State, Ibrahim Shekarau; Governor of Gombe State, Ibrahim Dankwambo; Governor of Ekiti State, Ayo Fayose; and a former Minister of Special Duties, Tanimu Turaki (SAN).There are unconfirmed reports that a few members of the ruling All Progressives Congress may defect to the former ruling party to vie for its presidential ticket.I may sue political parties over nomination fees FalanaHuman rights lawyer, Mr. Femi Falana (SAN), on Saturday, restated his opposition to the sale of nomination forms to aspirants for elective offices by political parties.Falana, in an interview with newsmen, threatened to take legal action against political parties that were still selling nomination forms to aspirants despite previous court judgments prohibiting such payment.Falana, had last week, in Lagos, during the one-day national electoral summit, organised by the Transition Monitoring Group with support from the United Kingdoms Department for International Development, railed against the commercialisation of nomination forms by political parties.He regretted that despite President Muhammadu Buhari expressing disappointment that he took a loan of N27m to buy the APC nomination form during the 2015 elections, he had not been able to change the guideline.Falana took on the political parties on Saturday while also indicating his intention to sue them if they continued in the act.He said, The conditions for contesting elections from local government, to the House of Assembly, governorship, House of Representatives, Senate and presidential levels, are all in the constitution.There are decisions of the court to the effect that the Independent National Electoral Commission and state electoral commissions cannot collect fees from candidates who are contesting elections.So, if I am going to contest election, you cant ask me to pay N27m as nomination fee because that is unknown to the constitution.Therefore, the parties cannot decide their own rules. They cannot impose prohibitive rules that will restrict the participation in the contest of an election to moneybags.Of course, we may have to sue the political parties if they continue this illegality. We cannot go on like this.He added that aggrieved aspirants should be encouraged to sue their parties.Aggrieved party members should be encouraged to challenge the prohibitive nomination fees imposed on aspirants by political parties.I believe any citizen, who meets the requirements outlined in the Constitution, is qualified to contest any election. Political parties cannot add to the constitutional requirements. The Peace Corps of Nigeria (PCN) has pleaded with President Muhammadu Buhari to prevail on the Inspector-General of Police (IGP), Ibrahim... The Peace Corps of Nigeria (PCN) has pleaded with President Muhammadu Buhari to prevail on the Inspector-General of Police (IGP), Ibrahim Idris, to unseal its corporate headquarters following several court orders to that effect.It claimed to have secured over 15 valid court judgments against the police and other security agencies, none of which has been appealed.National headquarters of Peace Corps of Nigeria at 57, Iya Abubakar crescent off Alex Ekwueme Street, opposite Jabi Lake, Jabi, Abuja, has been under lock and keys by the Police since February 28th, 2017, a day it officially opened.National Commandant of Peace Corps, Dickson Akoh, claimed the organisation pays as much as N13.5m rent annually on the sealed office.But the Police have refused to vacate the properties despite two subsisting court orders; resolution of the House of Representatives; the letter of authority from the Attorney-General of the Federation; the interventions from the Civil Society Organisations and National Human Rights Commission.Last Tuesday, Justice John Tsoho of the Federal High Court Abuja restrained the Police and Idris from further harassing Akoh or prosecuting him on any ground until all previous court judgments are obeyed.Briefing newsmen on the judgment, Akoh said his group remains a non-confrontational and law abiding organization and has explored all lawful means, including seeking political solutions to its ordeal but to no avail. I recently started my own consulting business and it's been really good. You know how nice it is to have everyone calling you a busin... I recently started my own consulting business and it's been really good. You know how nice it is to have everyone calling you a business strategist, sales expert etc, getting invitations to speaking gigs, my face splashed all over posters and banners and even on TV. I leveraged all social media and I could work from home. Until recently. A corporate organization reached out to me, " Ms. T, we really like what you do and we would like for you to work on a project for us. However, due to the proposed size of the project, our procurement team would like to come and visit your office and meet your team, just as due diligence, no big deal. Of course, you will also be required to submit your company incorporation documents and tax documents to them, so that you can be registered as a vendor. My God! Office ke, team ke? LOL!! I had registered a business name so that wasn't a problem. " Errmm Sir, I actually, err, work from home and I do not currently have a fixed team, I usually go to my clients instead of them coming to me. " Madam, because of the size of our organization and our procurement policies, you have to have a physical location and at least 2 or 3 staff. This project we want to entrust to you has a relatively large budget and it can't be handed over to a freelancer. I couldn't afford to lose this. This was big!! "Ok Sir, please sir, just give me some time, I'll sort everything out and let you know". "You have 1 week Ms T, hope to hear from you soon. Have a good day." Na wa o. That was how i embarked on project Set up an Office in 1 week. I started scouring the internet immediately, looking for agents who could find me an office space, simultaneously trying to find office furniture. For staff, I was just going to pull some of my contract staff in, at least until the great procurement visitation happened. Agents kept calling me with ridiculous offers, the prices didn't even make me go and inspect the properties. Where was i to find 1.5 million to rent an office and pay for for 2 years at once ( N 3M)?? And then it occurred to me- Why not find a suitable co- working space and share an office? While searching I came across www.glendaleworkspaces.com , the price was amazing and almost unbelievable. N 150,000 monthly for a Serviced Private Office? I didn't have to pay for a year? A Furnished Office with desks for my team members and absolutely Free Printing, in Lekki Phase 1? I placed a call to find out if the offer was real and visited the facility. Once I checked it out, I made payment immediately. It was more than suitable and I was ready to resume work bringing in nothing but my handbag, laptop and files. They even gave me a little sign on my office door with my company name & logo on it. Wow! Talk about a professional image! I got my team together and since they were also freelance contract staff, they were happy to have somewhere to work from everyday. That, my brothers and sisters is how I set up my office in 1 week. I didn't buy furniture, printer, photocopier, modem, Nothing!! And yes, I got the contract *wink* Glendale Work co- working facility offers fully furnished private offices & work desks with reliable power and high speed internet. Visit today at No 4. Babatope Bejide crescent , off Emma Abimbola Cole, Lekki Phase 1, Lagos. My clients, small business owners like me didn't seem to mind Skype meetings and Whatsapp calls. Neither did I, it felt so good to be able to run my business without any traditional structures in place. Suspected Boko Haram jihadists killed at least 31 people in a twin suicide bomb attack on a town in northeast Nigeria, a local official ... Suspected Boko Haram jihadists killed at least 31 people in a twin suicide bomb attack on a town in northeast Nigeria, a local official and militia leader told AFP on Sunday.Two blasts ripped through the town of Damboa in Borno state on Saturday evening targeting people returning from celebrating the Eid al-Fitr holiday, in an attack bearing all the hallmarks of Boko Haram. Following the suicide bombings, the jihadists fired rocket-propelled grenades into the crowds that had gathered at the scene of the attacks, driving the number of casualties higher.There were two suicide attacks and rocket-propelled grenade explosions in Damboa last night which killed 31 people and left several others injured, said militia leader Babakura Kolo. Two suicide bombers detonated their explosives in Shuwari and nearby Abachari neighbourhoods in the town around 10:45 pm (2145GMT), killing six residents, said Kolo, speaking from the state capital Maiduguri, which is 88 kilometres from the town.No one needs to be told this is the work of Boko Haram, Kolo said. A local government official, who spoke on the condition of anonymity, confirmed the death toll. The latest death toll is now 31 but it may increase because many among the injured may not survive, said the official. Most of the casualties were from the rocket projectiles fired from outside the town minutes after two suicide bomber attacked, he said.The jihadist group has deployed suicide bombers, many of them young girls, in mosques, markets and camps housing people displaced by the nine-year insurgency which has devastated Nigerias northeast. On May 1 at least 86 people were killed in twin suicide blasts targeting a mosque and a nearby market in the town of Mubi in neighbouring Adamawa state. Nigerian President Muhammadu Buhari came into power in 2015 vowing to stamp out Boko Haram but the jihadists continue to stage frequent attacks, targeting both civilians and security forces. The militants stormed the Government Girls Technical College in Dapchi on February 19, seizing over 100 schoolgirls in a carbon copy of the abduction in Chibok in 2014 that caused global outrage. The outgoing Deputy National Publicity Secretary of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Comrade Timi Frank, has said that the act of dis... Dear Sir, JUNE 12 AND THE BURDEN OF GOOD GOVERNANCE It is with great delight that I write this open letter to you, Mr. President, and wish to congratulate you and all Nigerians for the great honour done to late chief MKO Abiola and his running mate, with the conferment of GCFR and GCON on them respectively, whilst not forgetting others who stood gallantly in reclaiming the JUNE 12 MANDATE against all odds. Indeed, this great gesture has soothed the open sore of the June 12 struggle and has began the process of healing the wounds of those dark days, whilst bringing succour to the souls of the departed who fought against dictatorship and tyranny in a bid to reclaiming the lost mandate of the Nigerian people. Suffice to say, Mr. President, that it is no coincidence that this laudable gesture has been achieved 25 years after all hopes of restoring the mandate appeared to have been dashed indefinitely. Having recognised the need and finally put to rest this dark episode in our countrys history, I humbly urge you to take the subsequent step in declaring Chief Abiola as President (Posthumously) and further recognising all the key players who played different roles in the actualization of democracy during those trying times, and of course, those who also paid the ultimate price for freedom with their sacred lives. It is no gainsaying to say the least that Nigerians will forever remain grateful to you for standing up and putting to rest the June 12 imbroglio, irrespective of dissenting opinions. It will be wise to conclude, therefore sir, that this great feat will usher in a new Nigeria where all the main ingredients to sustaining and entrenching democracy will become the norm in our daily lives, spearheaded by those in power at all times. The lessons of June 12 and what it meant to Nigerians should be the bedrock of our democracy, as anything short of this will rubbish the very intention for which the honours were conceived ab initio. Furthermore, Mr President, having been a lone voice in criticizing the activities of your administration, despite being a member of the APC, many will wonder what the true intent of this Open Letter may convey, but be rest assured sir, that only those who mean well for this country will speak up when wrong is being painted as right. The CHANGE mantra upon which this administration was voted into power massively by Nigerians, irrespective of ethnic, religious and social affiliations, is fast eroding away and Im afraid, sir, that if nothing is done to Right the Wrong, then the Hopes and Aspirations which had ushered in a brighter tomorrow will end up in Regret and Despair. That I have decided to speak up against the current ills in the system attest to the fact that, it is only when people speak up that True Change will eventually occur. The resilience and belief in the June 12 Struggle attest to the fact that those who fought for democracy in Nigeria believed in the truest meaning of democracy in all its ramifications. A country where the RULE OF LAW, FREEDOM OF SPEECH AND ASSOCIATION, UPHOLDING THE RIGHTS OF EVERY CITIZEN AND ABOVE ALL RESPECT FOR FUNDAMENTAL HUMAN RIGHTS was and is the very pillar upon which Chief MKO ABIOLA and several others paid the ultimate price with their lives. Anything short of this will amount to MILITOCRACY or DICTATORSHIP as it were. The lack of adherence to these social rights, I must admit, are very prevalent in this administration and seems to be growing larger by the day. These ills are reminiscent of and a sad reminder of the Junta days, with many regretting their actions of voting the APC into power. It will be pertinent, Mr. President sir, to proceed on a personal fact finding mission to the Nigerian streets, irrespective of bias, to find out the true reflections and opinions of Nigerians toward your administration. The flagrant disregard for the Rule of Law, Disobeying of Court Orders, Acute Nepotism, Selective Persecution, and Lack of Transparency are some of the ills very prevalent in the nation today. The various reports from Amnesty International and the U.S. Department of State have gravely indicted this administration. It is in this vein, Mr. President, that I urge you to give regard to the Rule of Law as the continuous incarceration of perceived enemies, without obedience to court orders, has become an enormous albatross confronting your government. Many a people believe that the duo of Sheikh EL Zak Zaky and the erstwhile NSA, Colonel Sambo Dasuki (rtf), are some of the personal witch-hunt of your administration, and therefore having preached peace and reconciliation during the Holy Month of Ramadan, Nigerians would be interested to see if they will be set free, to at least allow for the Rule of Law take its course. The infighting within the National Assembly and the clamp down on opposition voices is clearly in sharp contrast to the democracy that was envisaged and clamoured for by Nigerians before your inception. As we draw near to another election year, it will be beneficial to your administration that these concerns are vigorously addressed, so as to usher in a ray of hope for a better Nigeria as envisioned by MKO Abiola himself. The EKITI and OSUN elections will be a litmus test for all Nigerians to attest, if indeed, what is to come in 2019 will be anything to go by. Having preached peace and perseverance to all Nigerians, your actions or inactions will be very vital as we approach these elections. I would conclude by leaving you with this words that: If the position is that the June 12th sensationalism is beyond the personification of Chief MKO Abiola GCFR, and more about the memorial and honour of the protagonist that advocated and sacrificed for democratic tenets, then the moral, socio-political, and emotional modus operandi of its proponents must unequivocally demonstrate the Rule of Law, which is intrinsically the Blood of Democracy. Any move, in whatever class, shade, or shape that is short of upholding the Rule of Law is simply shenanigans. No matter who and how many people approve of the gesture. God loves, because He is Love. Also, God gives Justice, because he is just. The outgoing Deputy National Publicity Secretary of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Comrade Timi Frank, has said that the act of disobeying rule of law and selective persecution against the perceived enemies of the government form part of challenges confronting the current administration of President Muhammafu Buhari.He, however, urged the president to address what he described as infighting within the National Assembly and the clamp down on opposition voices. Frank, in an open letter to President Muhammadu Buhari, titled June 12 and the burden of good governance released on Sunday, said the Ekiti and Osun governorship elections will be a litmus test for all Nigerians to attest, if indeed, what is to come in 2019 will be anything to go by. Jaime Gialloreto of Woolwich Township broke into a joyful cheer when she was crowned Miss New Jersey 2018 Saturday night at the Ocean City Music Pier. After entering the pageant as Miss South Shore, the 19-year-old will now represent New Jersey during the Miss America pageant in September in Atlantic City. "I feel over the moon right now, I'm on cloud nine, this is the most surreal experience in the world," Gialloreto said, shortly after being crowed Saturday night. During her year as Miss New Jersey, Gialloreto will promote her platform, "Don't Get Nutty: Food Allergy Awareness," along with other acts of community service around the state. Gialloreto won a share of the lifestyle and fitness swimsuit category on the first night of preliminaries Thursday, tied with Miss Coastal Shores Natalie Ragazzo. She also won the talent category with her dance performance on the second night of preliminaries Friday. Saturday night she entertained the crowd with a lyrical dance performance set to Aretha Franklin's "A Natural Woman." "I'm excited for all of the people I'm going to meet and all of the service I'm going to do throughout the state," Gialloreto said. "I can't wait to represent the other 27 beautiful girls I stood on this stage with, and I'm looking forward to what the changes hold to." Those changes include Miss America dropping the swimwear portion of the competition as the organization says it will "no longer judge our candidates on their outward physical appearance." It's a decision the 2017 Miss New Jersey does not agree with. Shortly after the announcement was made, Kaitlyn Schoeffel posted on Instagram that she felt "empowered" by competing in the swimsuit competition. First runner up to Miss New Jersey was Miss Sea Shoreline, Kyra Seeley of Middlesex; second runner up was Miss Coastal Shores, Natalie Ragazzo, of Ocean City; third runner up was Miss Central Coast, Amanda Rae Ross of Galloway; and fourth runner up was Miss Eastern, Madison Welsh of Westville. Although the rest of the summer will be filled with preparations for the Miss America competition, Gialloreto was quick to answer how she was going to celebrate her success. "I'm going to eat an apple fritter from Britton's Bakery in Wildwood Crest," she said. "My mom bought me a box of them so I can't wait to go back and eat my apple fritter." Olivia Rizzo may be reached at orizzo@njadvancemedia.com. Follow her on Twitter @LivRizz. Find NJ.com on Facebook. Have a tip? Tell us. nj.com/tips In an interview earlier this month with the Gothamist, actor Brian Cox had a few choice words for Jared Kushner, whose family's company (which he resigned from when he became part of the Trump administration) used statistics about Jersey City's under-served Bergen-Lafayette sections to secure funding to help address such inequities for the Trump Bay Street luxury tower. Cox was being interviewed about his latest TV project "Succession," an HBO series about the privileged and shark-like brood of his character media mogal Logan Roy. The show was created by Jesse Armstrong, who worked on "The Thick Of It" and "Peep Show. " When asked if the show had parallels to the Trumps and Kushners, Cox said: "I think it's very reflected. I think it's about this thing of entitlement, which is what these children suffer from, and it's what Kushner and Ivanka Trump suffer from. There's no more obscene sight than seeing them open that embassy when all those people were being killed in the Gaza Strip. It was like...you couldn't have written that. Cox told the Gothamist, "... This is what's wrong with the world. This is what's really wrong. The egalitarian principles of this country have been so watered down, they don't have any meaning anymore. "And so a series like this is absolutely about reflecting thatand how it goes, and what it goes to, the potential is enormous if we get a chance to do it again .... But I think that it's vital, and it is reflecting the time, and reflecting that whole thing of those kids who do feel that entitlement, and feel, 'Well we should be a part.' And you go, 'Yeah, but you f**k it up.' You know, Jared Kushner, you f**king idiot." Hundreds of public safety officers in various Hudson County jurisdictions have trained on an expensive, high-tech simulator for crisis situations where seconds matter. Add to the total 31 clergy, religious and community leaders who completed a four-hour "police academy" at the USS Juneau Building on the Kearny waterfront earlier this month. Billed as the "Second Hudson County Clergy Academy," Hudson County Prosecutor Esther Suarez welcomed the guests to the session on the use of deadly force by police. "Many issues and problems facing police today as they interact with the community can be resolved through communication," she wrote in her invitation. And talk moved to action as three groups had a chance to experience the VirTra Firearms Simulator, a 3D audio and special effects computer with large screens. Suarez promised it would show what a police officer encounters in real life situations and the quick decisions they have to make on whether to use force. I was surprised when more than a third of the 31 said they own a gun and had even fired one. Five men and one woman were in my group. One of the men volunteered to wear a holster with a simulated gun as Thomas Willis, deputy coordinator of the county Office Emergency Management and a retired Sheriff's captain, guided us through the demonstration. On screen, a man with a gun was facing the "officer," who was able to issue commands and unholster his gun if necessary. When the man refused to drop his weapon and proceeded to shoot, the volunteer took out his gun to return fire. By the time he got off his shot, the man had turned to run and was hit in the back. It was obvious that our "officer'' did not intend to shoot him in the back, but what would the public conclude? Earlier in the academy, Deputy First Assistant Hudson County Prosecutor Peter H. Stoma guided us through what the law allows for use of deadly force. While several questioned why an officer can't just shoot someone in the arm or leg, Stoma said an officer can only discharge his weapon to take down a subject. "That's the law," the 30-year prosecutor with 23 years in internal affairs said. Two-thirds of the participants were people of color and the rash of black-related shootings by police all over the country prompted a lively discussion that there may be racist overtones to the shootings. According to Stoma, "under the law, race is not a factor when evaluating an officer's use of force." He then explained the process of independent county investigations mandated by the state Attorney General's office, which can also take over a case if it sees fit. Gurbir S. Grewal, the new state Attorney General, greeted us and assured us that his office will make sure all investigations are done within the mandated 20-day period. His goal, he said, is to "build solid police community relations." Grewal has initiated the "21/21 Community Policing Project" by asking the 21 county prosecutors in the state to organize quarterly public events to discuss issues relevant to community policing in the 21st century. The remaining topics this year are opioids, immigration enforcement and bias crimes. Willis said the VirTra simulator cost $250,000 -- purchased through a grant -- and the county is one of the few entities in the state to own and use one. When real officers train, the machine is able to analyze and debrief the officer. "It is better to make mistakes in a controlled environment so there can be better outcomes and (one) learns," Willis said. The simulations opened my eyes to how media reports of a police shooting can influence the public's perceptions. It's better to wait until an investigation by authorities is complete, and that may be the real message the Attorney General wants clergy to get out to their people. EDITOR'S NOTE: The Rev. Alexander Santora is the pastor of Our Lady of Grace and St. Joseph, 400 Willow Ave., Hoboken, 07030, FAX: 201-659-5833; Email: padrealex@yahoo.com; Twitter: @padrehoboken. HOBOKEN -- Oh deer! Now here's something you don't see everyday. A small deer was spotted running down Hudson Street in Hoboken. A video of the animal prancing down the sidewalk was posted on the Twitter page of culture blogger, Hoboken Girl. Replying to a question about the deer on social media, Hoboken Police Chief Ken Ferrante said police tried to contain the animal but it was moving too fast and was headed for Jersey City. "The deer has run into Jersey City. Animal Control will not come out until the deer is "contained". ??? Our officers tried containing it to an area but it was way too fast. It was first seen in the area of 4th and Hudson and ran south to Jersey City after it went west thru Hoboken," he wrote on Twitter. Jersey City officials did not immediately say if residents had reported seeing the animal. Last year, a deer from Staten Island made its way to McGinley Square in Jersey City before it had to be euthanized. Caitlin Mota may be reached at cmota@jjournal.com. Follow her on Twitter @caitlin_mota. Find The Jersey Journal on Facebook. JERSEY CITY -- A 34-year-old Jersey City woman has been charged with ramming her sister's car from the rear in traffic and pushing it nearly two blocks through oncoming traffic from Kennedy Boulevard east on Congress Street, officials said. Ivanelis Vega, of the 100 block of Congress Street, is charged with numerous counts of aggravated assault for alleged attempting to cause serious bodily harm to her sister, including for pushing her through a red light at Summit Avenue and Congress, the complaint says. Vega is charged with making terroristic threats for allegedly telling her sister, "I'm going to kill you. Get out of the car and don't run," the complaint says. The defendant is also charged with possession of a weapon for an unlawful purpose her vehicle, the complaint says. Finally, she is charged with criminal mischief for the damage done to the her sister's vehicle when she allegedly, repeated rammed it during the incident that ended between Passaic and Central avenues, the complaint says. Vega made her first court appearance on the charges on Wednesday in Criminal Justice Reform Court in Jersey City via video link from Hudson County jail in Kearny. At the hearing, she was ordered released with conditions of supervision pending trial. The complaint says the alleged victim refused medical attention. UPDATE: Suspected gunman killed in shooting ID'd as gang member with violent past This year marked the 12th annual Art All Night, a 24-hour event meant to showcase creativity in New Jersey's capital city. But after gunfire erupted there shortly after 3 a.m. Sunday, leaving 22 people injured -- including 17 people who were shot and one fatality -- a once joyous event in Trenton will now always be tied to this outburst of violence. Last year, over 1,500 artists participated and 30,000 patrons visited the event, which offers free submissions to artists, as well as free admission to attendees, according to its website. This year, it was scheduled to run from 3 p.m. Saturday to 3 p.m. Sunday at the historic Roebling Wire Works building on South Clinton Avenue. The building was part of the former site of a steel cable factory operated by the designer of the Brooklyn Bridge. Though it long remained vacant after the factory shuttered, much of the complex has been revitalized over the past few years. The 50,000 square foot venue is adjacent Millyard Park. The annual event, which includes live music, interactive art, displays, lectures, and a film festival, takes place indoors and outdoors. Organizers did not respond to requests for comment Sunday, but have previously said the event is a catalyst for community development. ArtWorks, Trenton's non-profit downtown visual arts center, puts on the event every year. In 2016, organizers told NJ Advance Media bringing the event to Trenton in 2007 was the brainchild of Michael Gumpert, then executive director of ArtWorks, who had volunteered with the original Art All Night in Pittsburgh. "I looked at him and laughed, 'You're crazy, that's never going to work here,'" Joseph Kuzemka, the event's creative director, told NJ Advance Media in 2016. "He had this vision and I bought into it at some point." The event, its website explains, take submissions from a wide range of artists, from young kids drawing "refrigerator" art, to seasoned professionals. Locals who attend the event every year said Sunday it has never before been host to violence. The shooting, which officials said broke out between multiple gunmen -- including one who was killed by police and one who is in custody -- changed that. While off-duty Trenton officers were working security at the event, there were no metal detectors inside the venue, officials said. The future of Art All Night seems unclear. While Trenton's mayor-elect, state Assemblyman Reed Gusciora (D-15th Dist.) said he "hopes" the event continues, "...we are going to have to reevaluate security measures in the future." In a talk at the Galilee Baptist Church in Trenton Sunday afternoon, Gov. Phil Murphy, a Democrat, seemed more sure of its continuation. "As it related to Art All Night -- (the shooting) tells me we need it now more than ever before. Events that will bring the community together," he said. Staff writer Karen Yi contributed to this report. Bill Duhart may be reached at bduhart@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @bduhart. Find NJ.com on Facebook. Have a tip? Tell us. nj.com/tips Authorities have identified the 32-year-old man shot and killed by police during an outbreak of gunplay in Trenton at the Art All Night festival early Sunday morning. Tahaij Wells was shot and killed by police after allegedly exchanging fire with at least two other suspects in a burst of violence that injured 22 people, 17 of whom were shot, Mercer County Prosecutor Angelo Onofri said during a press conference Sunday evening. The shooting appears to be a gang-related dispute, Onofri said. Wells. (Mercer County Prosecutor's Office) Prior to the shooting, fights broke out inside and outside Roebling Wire Works, where the annual event was held. Police attempted to disperse the crowd and urged the organizers to shut down the festival, Onofri said. "Those individuals continued to loiter and additional fights broke out, and then the shooting occurred," Onofri said, noting the suspects first shot at each other before police opened fire. Authorities said Wells was carrying a handgun with an extended magazine -- a gun that's illegal to possess in New Jersey. It was one of several guns recovered at the scene. Authorities also commented on his violent past. Wells was sentenced in 2004 to 18 years in state prison after pleading guilty to aggravated manslaughter in the fatal shooting of 22-year-old Robert McNair during a dispute over who should drive a car Wells had driven from a local bar. Wells was 17 at the time of his killing, authorities said. At the time of the 2002 killing, after Wells had been announced as a suspect, his mother told the Times of Trenton "he (was never involved) in things like this." The latest on the shooting in Trenton that left one dead and injured 22 at the Art All Night festival early this morning from the Mercer County Prosecutor. Posted by NJ.com on Sunday, June 17, 2018 Records show that in 2010, Wells -- still serving time for the 2002 killing -- was sentenced to six more years after pleading guilty to a second-degree racketeering charge following a prosecution by the state Attorney General's Office. In that case, state prosecutors said Wells had helped David "Duke" Allen, the imprisoned leader of the Bloods' Nine Trey Gangsters faction, run his gang from behind bars. The Attorney General's Office has described Wells as an alleged Bloods gang member. He was released from prison in February, records show. Onofri also said two other suspects, Amir Armstrong and another he did not identify, are in the hospital in critical and stable condition, respectively. He did not detail the charges facing the two. A search of state court records did not show any prior felony convictions for Armstrong. The other two injured people who were previously in critical condition Sunday -- including a 13-year-old boy shot in the melee -- have been upgraded to stable condition, Onofri said. It is possible that some victims were injured by cops' bullets as officers were shooting at the suspects, officials said. How many shots were fired in all is still under investigation, they said. The fatal eruption of gunfire had a noteworthy impact in a city where gun violence is not uncommon. By Sunday evening, Trenton Public Schools had announced they would adopt beginning Monday a "shelter-in-place" policy, barring access to school buildings by anyone other than students or staff. The gunfire rang out at around 3 a.m. at the celebrated community event in Trenton, when about 1,000 people were in attendance. Officials said they are still investigating what sparked the fight, but noted that the arts event did not seem to be a target of the violence. Authorities said Art All Night organizers were in the midst of shutting the event down when the shots rang out. Organizers could not immediately be reached for comment, but did post a message on the Art All Night Facebook page saying they were "very shocked" and "deeply saddened" by the violence. Reporter Thomas Moriarty contributed to this post. This post has been updated to reflect Tahaij Wells' age -- he was 32. Sophie Nieto-Munoz may be reached at snietomunoz@njadvancemedia.com. Follow her at @snietomunoz. Paige Gross may be reached at pgross@njadvancemedia.com. Follow her at @By_paigegross Find NJ.com on Facebook. Have a tip? Tell us. nj.com/tips By Kelly Heyboer | NJ Advance Media for NJ.com A decade ago, Cloyd Edralin got in what he thought was a little trouble. The Filipino immigrant, who came to the U.S. legally 30 years ago, was pulled over with an air rifle, the kind that shoots pellets for hunting rabbits and squirrels, and a small amount of drugs in his car, police said. Prosecutors eventually dropped the drug charges. Edralin pleaded guilty to possession of the air rifle and was sentenced to probation in 2007, according to court records. He served no jail time. He renewed his green card a few years ago, allowing him to remain as a legal, permanent resident in the U.S., without a problem and went on with his life. He thought his brief brush with the law was behind him. It wasnt. Last week, Edralin was picked up by immigration agents in Highland Park at dawn on his way to his job as a machinist. He was one of 91 immigrants arrested in Operation Cross Check, a five-day sweep of New Jersey by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement. All face deportation. We never heard anything. He renewed his green card, went through the process and had no issues, said Brandi Davison-Edralin, his U.S.-born wife and mother of the couples four children. It was just boom hes gone, she said. Don't Edit (Los Angeles Times/TNS file photo) Who is getting arrested in ICE sweeps? Edralins arrest comes as ICE appears to be stepping up arrests of immigrants living in the country legally, immigrations advocates say. In many cases the green card holders are being arrested by ICE and deported for relatively minor crimes they were prosecuted for years ago. Many of the 91 immigrants arrested in ICEs New Jersey sweep last week were immigrants living in the country illegally with violent pasts, including alleged gang members, drug traffickers and a convicted killer. "ICE arrests 91 in New Jersey operation targeting criminal aliens," read the headline on the agency's alert to the media on Monday. But some of those arrested in the sweep were legal, permanent residents with valid green cards, said Emilio Dabul, a spokesman for ICEs Newark office. There were several green card holders among those arrested. I dont have the exact number, Dabul said. The ICE spokesman said arrests of immigrants living in the country legally is not unusual in immigration sweeps. It is typical for there to be green card holders among those arrested in these kinds of operations. This is not something new. Any green card holder who has violated the terms of maintaining a green card, such as breaking the law, can be subject to arrest in removal, Dabul said. Don't Edit Cloyd Edralin, of Highland Park, with his wife and their four children. Edralin, a legal resident who immigrated from the Philippines 30 years ago, was arrested last week by ICE agents. (Edralin family photo) Why are N.J. immigration rights groups concerned? Immigrant rights groups say they have seen a spike in New Jersey green card holders getting arrested and facing deportation for relatively small criminal convictions from years or even decades ago. The trend has many immigrants worried about the Trump administrations expanding efforts to deport not only immigrants living in the country illegally but those who thought they had made a permanent, legal home in the U.S. Under the current administration, the ICE Field Office in New Jersey has increased arrests across the board, including arrests of green card holders who have lived in New Jersey for decades, said Farrin Anello, a senior staff attorney for the American Civil Liberties Union of New Jersey. The arrests are breaking up families and separating New Jersey children from their parents, Anello said. By abandoning the idea of prosecutorial discretion and arresting long-time residents, including those with no past arrests or with very old or low-level convictions, ICE is terrorizing communities and leaving U.S. citizen children without their parents, Anello said. Johanna Calle, director of the New Jersey Alliance for Immigrant Justice, said immigration advocates are concerned with how green card holders are suddenly getting on ICE's radar. Many people are being picked up even though they pose little threat to public safety. "This is about numbers to ICE, if you look at their reporting it's always about the number of people they picked up, not about the facts," Calle said. Don't Edit What does the law say? Under the law, immigrants who have been granted a green card officially known as a Permanent Resident Card are allowed to live and work in the U.S. permanently as long as they renew their cards every decade and follow the rules. Green card holders are warned that their legal status could be revoked at any time and they could be deported if they are convicted of a crime. However, under past presidential administrations, immigration officials have usually overlooked minor brushes with the law and allowed green card holders to remain in the country. That changed after President Donald Trumps election. The president issued new guidelines directing ICE to expand its focus to deporting a broader range of immigrants, including low-level offenders and those who have lived in the country for decades. Don't Edit How many immigrants have been arrested by ICE in New Jersey? Arrests by ICE agents surged in New Jersey during fiscal year 2017, including a large increase after Trump broadened ICE's mission after his inauguration. There were 3,189 arrests by ICE's New Jersey office that year, a 42 percent increase compared to the previous year. Of those arrested, 1,918 had criminal records, according to an NJ Advance Media analysis of the federal data. ICE did not disclose how many of those arrested were green card holders. Numbers for 2018 are not yet available. Don't Edit Don't Edit What type of crimes have the arrested green card holders committed? Across the country, the most common criminal convictions of immigrants arrested by ICE in 2017 were: driving under the influence of alcohol; possessing or selling "dangerous drugs"; previous immigration offenses such as falsifying citizenship claims; traffic offenses; and assault, according to federal statistics. "ICE continues to focus its enforcement resources on individuals who pose a threat to national security, public safety and border security," the agency said in its statement about last week's ICE immigration sweep that resulted in 91 arrests in New Jersey. Calle, director of the New Jersey Alliance for Immigrant Justice, said it is possible there has been an increase in the number of ICE arrests because immigration agents have shifted how they go after immigrants and how they find people with previous criminal convictions. "What you are seeing now is an increase of the usual ICE tactics, which include finding anyone to deport, stalking them, tracking them down, even if they don't pose a threat to public safety, even if they have a family that would be impacted by their deportation, and deporting them back to their home country regardless of the consequences," Calle said. Don't Edit Can green card holders fight back? Cloyd Edralin, the green card holder from the Philippines arrested in Highland Park last week, plans to fight his deportation. Last week, a rally was held in Highland Park calling for his release. Seth Kaper-Dale, an immigration activist and pastor of the Reformed Church of Highland Park, said Edralin and his family have deep roots in the community and are active in the local girls softball community. His conviction on a gun charge from a decade ago, when Edralin was battling drug addiction, is far behind him, Kaper-Dale said. "It should not be undone, and trauma should not be caused to the children because of the strange choice of the morality police that wear ICE uniforms," Kaper-Dale said. Philippine advocates speak out against Cloyd Edralins detainment: I think we can all agree that ICE is a danger to the community. #immigration2018 pic.twitter.com/iPtscuZMxv Steph Solis (@stephmsolis) June 8, 2018 Edralin, 47, is being held at the immigration detention facility in Elizabeth, where his family visits him every day, his wife said. Earlier this week, they were interviewing immigration lawyers to represent Edralin. The attorneys reassured the family that Edralin could make a case that his conviction for possession of an air rifle a decade ago was not serious enough to force him to leave his wife, four children and the country where he has lived for 30 years. All of them said they really dont believe he will be deported, Brandi Davison-Edralin, his wife, said of the attorneys the family has interviewed. A GoFundMe page has been started by relatives to raise money for Edralin's defense. As of Thursday, it had raised $1,620. Edralin is scheduled to appear before an immigration judge July 11 to ask for bond to leave immigration detention while he awaits his deportation hearing, his wife said. Don't Edit Don't Edit Read more about N.J. immigration Staff writer Carla Astudillo contributed to this report. Kelly Heyboer may be reached at kheyboer@njadvancemedia.com. Follow her on Twitter @KellyHeyboer. Find her at KellyHeyboerReporter on Facebook. The First Reformed Church of Pompton Plains in Pequannock was built before there was a New Jersey, a United States, or a Constitution of either one. When the first Dutch settlers came in the early 1700s and gathered to worship in what today is Pequannock Township, there was no delineated separation of church and state. Similar to many colonial settlements, the church was established before the government. The First Reformed Church, like many 18th and 19th century churches, was the centerpiece of the towns that grew up around it. In Pequannock, the bright white church, built in 1769 with its towering steeple, is directly across from town hall. A pathway of brick pavers across the Newark-Pompton Turnpike, the main street in town, connect the two anchor structures of the downtown. "We like to say we are at the intersection of faith and life," said pastor Kathleen Edwards-Chase. Life at the church means opening its doors to 17 non-religious organizations, including a town choral group, Belle Voce, and volunteer a service network called Community Partners for Hope, which feeds the hungry and helps the drug-addicted. An Alzheimer's support group meets there, as does Alcoholics Anonymous. Faith and life intersect at the Church of Redeemer in Morristown, which feeds dozens of homeless and poor every day at its Community Soup Kitchen. These two churches, and 10 others in Morris County, are hoping to challenge a recent New Jersey Supreme Court ruling that prohibits government funding for historic preservation of active houses of worship. MORE: Recent Mark Di Ionno columns The case was brought to the court by the Freedom from Religion Foundation, supported by the American Civil Liberties Union and a group called Americans United for Separation of Church and State, which argued that a Morris County program of awarding historic preservation funds to churches was unconstitutional. The ruling is legally correct. The New Jersey Constitution, adopted on July 2, 1776, specifically says, no person should be "be obliged to pay tithes, taxes, or other rates for building or repairing any church or churches, place or places of worship, or for the maintenance of any minister or ministry ..." In the April ruling, Chief Justice Stuart Rabner said a Morris County program that awarded $4.6 million in historic preservation funds to active churches "ran afoul" of the "plain language" in the state constitution that "bars the use of taxpayer funds to repair and restore churches." But here's the problem. The intersection of life and faith at these churches also is an intersection with history. How do you separate them from their role in American history? Among the original 13 colonies, the Presbyterian churches were centers of intense patriot fervor. For instance, Rev. James Caldwell was a significant revolutionary force. He was pastor of the Connecticut Farms Presbyterian Church in Union. The murder of his wife, at the church parsonage during the Battle of Springfield, is depicted on the seal of the Union County government flag. He's buried at First Presbyterian in Elizabeth, and both Alexander Hamilton and Aaron Burr went to school on church property. At the First Presbyterian Church of Springfield, Caldwell rallied the troops, who took position in the church to fire at Loyalists and British Troops. Presbyterian churches in Succasunna and Mendham were used as small pox hospitals for the Continental Army during the Morristown Encampments and both cemeteries hold the bodies of dead soldiers. At the First Presbyterian Church in Orange, 78 men who fought in the Revolution are buried. St. Michael's Episcopal Church in Trenton was in the center of the Christmas battle there that turned the momentum of the war. At these various houses of worship, church and state are inextricably linked. Many are on the national and state historic registries because they are a part of America's secular history. That was the logic behind Morris County granting $4.6 million for exterior church repairs. Exterior. That's an important word to remember as the county and churches petition the U.S. Supreme Court to hear the case. "The New Jersey Court didn't recognize that the purpose of these grants is not to further worship or religion, but to preserve the history of these churches and protect their architectural significance," said attorney Kenneth Wilbur of the law firm Drinker Biddle in Florham Park, who is representing the 12 churches. "The architecture is a very important piece of this," he said. "It gives us a good snapshot of the trends of the time." The steeple at the Pequannock Church, for example, was designed by Sir Christopher Wren, the architect of London's St. Paul's Cathedral, one of the world's most spectacular structures and the most visited. The church was a documented stop on "Rochambeau's March," when 7,000 French soldiers trekked from New England to Yorktown, Va., to support George Washington's army in 1781. The property was also a documented stop on the Underground Railroad, some 80 years later. And this is where the separation of church and state ruling gets a little convoluted. The minister's home at Pequannock is called the Giles Mandeville house. It was built in 1789 and was not part of the church. A subsequent owner opened his home to runaway slaves prior to the Civil War. The church bought it about 100 years later. If the home were never put in church hands, it would easily qualify for historic grants. But now, it is ineligible. The Pequannock church received $700,000 from the county to fix and beautify the exteriors of three buildings at the heart of the town. Pastor Edwards-Chase says this is another part of the case being overlooked. "If these types of buildings are allowed to deteriorate, it impacts the whole town," she said. "People here, not just parishioners, value our historic buildings. They're proud of them because of the way they reflect on the community." This is true. The aesthetic character of the Morristown Green, for example, is set by the light colored stone and Romanesque Revival architecture of the Presbyterian Church and darker puddingstone of the United Methodist Church. On grounds of the Presbyterian Church, George Washington received Holy Communion. A stained glass window in the church commemorates it. Under the Morris program, county funds could go to protect it. Under this ruling, they can not. In that window, the intersection of faith and American history are illuminated. And so, the irony of the court ruling is this: these churches did their part in the fight for the very freedom that is now being used to deny help with their upkeep. There has to be a better solution. Mark Di Ionno may be reached at mdiionno@starledger.com. Follow The Star-Ledger on Twitter @StarLedger and find us on Facebook. By Ben Mattlin Do you remember being carried in your father's arms? No? I do. That's because my dad was still lifting me when I was in college. See, I can't walk. Never could, never will. I was born with a genetic neuromuscular weakness called spinal muscular atrophy. I have full sensation, a big and opinionated mouth, and zero muscles. Tall and broad-shouldered as he is, Dad only stopped lifting me when his back gave out. And I moved out, though not for that reason. I was 21. Before I got my first wheelchair, at age 4, I moved about primarily on my mom's slim hip. But after that, as I got bigger, Dad took over moving me in and out of my chair, the bathtub, the car and elsewhere. He'd still be doing it - I can tell he wants to by the way he sometimes reaches for me - but he's now 90. I've never been all that heavy - 90 pounds at present - due to my lack of musculature. My petite wife can lift me. Still, I recall feeling especially secure in Dad's embrace. Even when he almost lost hold of me in an amusement park ride a lifetime ago, a story he frequently recounts with horror. My memory: He held on; I was safe. ...And here we see an aging couple basking in the glow of a California sunset... pic.twitter.com/GJiAAStJ5a Ben Mattlin (@benmattlin) February 21, 2018 I've thought a lot about what makes the ideal father for a kid in a wheelchair. Dad, a Harvard-educated Fulbright scholar, might seem an unlikely candidate. Before my birth, he gave up academia to become the first editor of a fledgling magazine soon known the world over as GQ. (He still calls it "Gentlemen's Quarterly.") He knew nothing about fashion, but he possessed a definite sense of what it meant to be a gentleman. And that boded well for me. Of the 13 years he stayed at GQ (before metamorphosing, again, into a financial journalist), he's proudest not of his celebrity encounters - though I love hearing about Fred Astaire's disdain for being photographed as a clothing model, Cary Grant's insistence that war was caused by sexual frustration and how Farley Granger made a pass at Dad. Rather, Dad points to being an early publisher of George Plimpton (October 1958 and April 1959), Joan Didion (October 1959 and October 1962) and Joseph Heller (December 1959). To him, a gentleman should be not just well-dressed but well-read. That was a key lesson for me, on whom clothes never quite fit right because of my skinny limbs and scoliotic spine. It told me that I could nonetheless bring something valuable to the table. My ideas. My wit. Throughout my childhood, Dad always proved willing to experiment. He kept an eye out for gadgets that might assist me in performing daily tasks. To this day, I am a keen user of the latest high-tech assistive devices. Not that things were always great between us. Looking back, I see that Dad had a hard time accepting my disability. For a while, he went down a rabbit hole of pseudo-medical craziness in search of a cure. (There is none.) He took me to a spiritualist who promised to commune with the Other Side on my behalf. And we almost went to Europe for an experimental transplant of sheep cells, purported to help generate new motor neurons. (I still have his extensive notes on the project.) Crazy, yes. But as a father now myself, I can only applaud his efforts. If he'll never exactly be an advocate for disability pride, he has always been an advocate for me. My mother was equally supportive, to be sure. But Dad's insistence that things can and should be better became a transformative spark for me. It spurred me to keep striving, to prove the pessimists wrong. Let's face it: I'm a cripple who can't scratch his own nose. Yet that was never going to define me. Dad not only had confidence in my potential; he instilled in me a driving sense of ambition, a hunger to achieve. I credit this, in part, with helping propel me to graduate from Harvard (just like Dad), to move across country, to marry and have kids, and to write articles such as this one. Many other disabled people I've met tell me their parents either discouraged them from trying to live a normal life, for fear of disappointment, or set unachievably high expectations. The results are as you might expect. I'm eternally grateful that my upbringing fell somewhere in between. Ben Mattlin is the author of "In Sickness and in Health: Love, Disability, and a Quest to Understand the Perils and Pleasures of Interabled Romance." Bookmark NJ.com/Opinion. Follow on Twitter @NJ_Opinion and find NJ.com Opinion on Facebook. By Samantha Marcus and Brent Johnson | NJ Advance Media for NJ.com Don't Edit Photo by Patti Sapone | NJ Advance Media for NJ.com From legal marijuana to free community college to a higher minimum wage to tighter gun laws, Gov. Phil Murphy made a slew of (sometimes lofty) promises to New Jerseyans as he ran for governor last year. Now, the Democrat is five months into his tenure succeeding Republican Chris Christie. So how many vows has Murphy fulfilled? NJ Advance Media singled out 19 of Murphy's promises shortly after he was elected last November. Some of them could get hung up in dramatic negotiations over his first state budget proposal. But here's a look at where he stands on those 19 vows and one we missed last time: Don't Edit 1. Fully fund schools Murphy vowed to fully fund the state's school funding formula, which could be $1 billion under its current parameters or $2 billion if you ignore a cap on the increases in aid districts can receive from year to year. This is a tall order, considering the state already spends more $9 billion of its $37.4 billion on school aid. PROMISE KEPT? It's a start. Murphy's first proposed state budget, for the fiscal year that begins July 1, puts another $284 million into schools. He has faced heat from parents who want him to provide more money for underfunded schools. Don't Edit 2. Legalize marijuana If you knew Phil Murphy for anything in last year's campaign, you knew this: He wanted to legalize recreational marijuana. He said it would not only boost tax revenue for the state, but, more importantly, help cut down on the arrest and conviction rates of minorities. "If it doesn't pass the social justice test, you can't talk about revenue implications, and the fact of the matter is that we have the widest white-nonwhite gap of persons incarcerated in New Jersey," Murphy said. PROMISE KEPT? Not yet. But it's hardly his fault. Murphy maintains he will sign legislation to legalize pot when it hits his desk. He already has a plan to tax the sale of marijuana, and expects it will raise $49 million in revenue for the new budget year. Legislation was just introduced in the Senate on June 7. Assembly Speaker Craig Coughlin, D-Middlesex signaled early on he had serious misgivings, and allowed Assemblyman Joe Danielsen, D-Somerset to hold public hearings. Don't Edit 3. Fully fund pensions Murphy has said he wants to meet or beat Christies plan to fully fund government worker pensions. The state is currently contributing half of whats recommended by actuaries. Under the plan Christie set in motion, the state should contribute 60 percent next year and continue increasing the contribution by one-tenth of whats recommended by actuaries until reaching the full payment, more than $6 billion, in 2023. At a minimum, well continue the progress thats being made right now, Murphy said. PROMISE KEPT? Like he said, he's continuing on Christie's path. Murphys proposed budget includes $3.2 billion for pensions about $700 million more than the state will contribute this year. Don't Edit Don't Edit 4. Free community college It was one of Murphy's grandest vows: offering tuition free community college to all New Jerseyans, including those leaving high school or looking to change careers. His campaign estimated it would cost only $200 million a year. PROMISE KEPT? Not yet. Murphy plans to institute his proposal over the next few years. His state budget plan includes $50 million for it, allowing up to 15,000 residents to receive free tuition. But Democratic leaders in the state Legislature have told Murphy they're opposed to the plan, sources say. Don't Edit 5. Raise the minimum wage Murphy wants to increase the state's minimum wage to $15 an hour. Right now, it's $8.60 an hour a 16-cent bump from last year. It's adjusted annually based on changes in the consumer price index. Murphy's stance is in line with top Democratic lawmakers, who pushed through a $15 an hour bill that Christie ultimately vetoed. That proposal would have gradually increased the minimum wage over several years, and additional increases would have been based on increases in the consumer price index. PROMISE KEPT? Not yet. In his first budget, Murphy's push begins with an $11 minimum wage for state employees and contractors in 2019. But that's contingent on lawmakers going along with his plan. He and lawmakers have also not settled on legislation for all workers across New Jersey. Don't Edit 6. End PARCC as a graduation requirement Within a few years, students will have to pass PARCCs math and English exams to graduate from high school. The test is controversial and often criticized as too time consuming and confusing. Murphy told an audience of teachers during the campaign that he would scrap PARCC Day 1. PROMISE KEPT? Not exactly. It turns out getting rid of PARCC may be harder than Murphy expected. Students will be taking PARCC next year, and possibly longer. The state is in the final year of a four-year contract with PARCC, and Murphy came into office too late to solicit bids for a new test vendor for next school year. Don't Edit 7. Protect 'Dreamers' During last year's campaign, Murphy's Republican opponent, then-Lt. Gov. Kim Guadagno seized on his commitment to protect "Dreamers," undocumented immigrants who came to the U.S. illegally as children, accusing him of being soft on crime. Guadagno slammed Murphy for saying he'd consider making New Jersey a "sanctuary state" to protect those Dreamers from deportation. PROMISE KEPT? Partly. Murphy hasn't declared New Jersey a "sanctuary state," nor has he explained what that would look like. But you might expect him to limit his administration's cooperation with federal immigration authorities. In sanctuary cities, that means declining to hold undocumented immigrants who have been arrested by local officials under detainer requests by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement. More substantially, Murphy gave Dreamers a boost in May when he signed legislation that gave unauthorized immigrants in New Jersey access to college financial aid. Don't Edit 8. Restore the millionaires tax Murphy considers this tax on New Jerseys wealthy to be part of the answer to its funding woes. Its projected the increase in the top tax rate from 8.97 percent on income over $500,000 to 10.75 percent on income over $1 million would bring in more than $700 million a year. PROMISE KEPT? To be determined. Democrats who control the state Legislature have wanted this 10.75 percent top tax rate restored since it sunset after Gov. Jon Corzine left office, and they put it on Christie's desk five times. While Murphy has called for a millionaires tax in his budget, he's yet to win over the Democratic leaders who say they've had a change of heart and now warn that it's the wrong time to tax the rich. Don't Edit Don't Edit 9. Restore family planning funding Murphy said it was a top priority to restore the $7.5 million in funding for family planning services in New Jersey that Christie cut every year since 2010. PROMISE KEPT? Yes. The first bill Murphy signed into law restored the money for health clinics and Planned Parenthood. He also signed a law that makes contraceptives available to women on Medicaid in the state. "I don't have to tell you all that today has certainly been a long time coming," Murphy said in January. "New Jersey will once again stand strong for Planned Parenthood and reproductive rights." Don't Edit 10. Divest pensions from hedge funds Public labor unions disagree with the states investment strategy for their pensions, specifically its dive into alternatives. At the urging of labor representatives on the State Investment Council, the body slashed its investments in hedge funds by more than half. Murphy, a former Wall Street banking executive, vowed to divest the pension from altogether from hedge funds and private equity, saying the pensioners arent getting their moneys worth. PROMISE KEPT? Not yet. Murphy has appointed a few new members to the State Investment Council, but they haven't taken their seats yet. The board votes on investment strategies. Don't Edit 11. Close tax loopholes Murphy wants to close two loopholes that would bring in more revenue from corporations and private equity and hedge fund managers. The first, called combined reporting, would capture profits that multi-state corporations are now able to shift to states with no or lower corporate income taxes. By requiring combined reporting, New Jersey would treat related companies, like parent companies and subsidiaries, as one and grab its share of the income based on the while corporations activity in the Garden State. The performance fees and bonuses Murphy wants to tax are referred to as carried interest. PROMISE KEPT? To be determined. Murphy has proposed both of these tax proposals in his budget, but he'll need the Legislature to back them. Don't Edit 12. Reverse Christie on guns In one of his most vocal promises, Murphy vowed to strengthen New Jersey's gun laws across the board, including banning .50 caliber rifles, requiring more training to get a gun license, outlawing bump stocks and toughening background checks. He's said he'd sign every piece of gun legislation that Christie has vetoed including a bill that would have required all gun retailers to stock at least one personalized smart gun model. "We believe we can make them stronger," Murphy said last October. "Even if we save one life, it would be worth it." PROMISE KEPT? Yes. Strengthening gun control has been one of Murphy's focuses in his first few months. One of his first acts as governor was to reverse an effort by Christie to loosen "justifiable need" requirements to obtain a concealed carry handgun permit. By April, Murphy issued an executive order creating a monthly report of gun crime data and joined governors in neighboring states to create a consortium to study gun violence. In May, he named Bill Castner, a former health-care executive and state government veteran, as a special adviser to the governor on firearms. Last week, Murphy signed a half-dozen new measures into law which will reduce magazine capacity, ban armor-piercing bullets, make it tougher to obtain a permit to carry a handgun, expand background checks on private gun sales, and keep firearms out of the hands of people deemed a threat to themselves and others in New Jersey. Murphy also vowed to continue to tighten the state's gun control rules if the Legislature, which has shown a willingness to continue to pass gun reform legislation, sends him additional bills. Don't Edit 13. Mandate earned sick leave Though many companies New Jersey already offer paid sick leave to employees, about 1.2 million did not have access when Murphy took office. He promised to change that by signing a law that had long been stalled in the Legislature. PROMISE KEPT? Yes. Murphy ended an eight-year battle when he signed a law in May guaranteeing pay sick time off to nearly all employees across New Jersey. "This is not just about doing what's right for workers and their families," Murphy said. "This is about doing the right thing for our economy." Don't Edit Don't Edit 14. Fight gender pay discrimination Christie vetoed legislation sponsored by Democrats that would have enhanced legal remedies for gender-based pay discrimination that he said departed from established law and would have made New Jersey an outlier. But Murphy said he supported increasing penalties for wage discrimination. PROMISE KEPT? Yes. In April, Murphy signed what he heralded as the most sweeping equal pay law in America. Among other provisions, it protects women and minorities in the New Jersey from workplace discrimination by making it illegal to offer lower pay and benefits to them. "Let there be no doubt: New Jersey is back and New Jersey is once again leading the way," Murphy said. Don't Edit 15. Raise the Earned Income Tax Credit Since 2015, New Jersey lawmakers have raised the states Earned Income Tax Credit for the working poor twice: first, from 20 percent to 30 percent of the federal tax credit as part of the fiscal year 2016 budget, and then from 30 percent to 35 percent as part of a deal to raise the gasoline tax. Murphy said he wants to raise the tax credit to 40 percent of the federal level. PROMISE KEPT? To be determined. His budget proposal includes the first of a three-year increase in the EITC, with a $27 million pricetag. Don't Edit 16. Rejoin the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative Just a year after taking office, Christie pulled New Jersey out of the cap-and-trade program, saying it was a tax on business that was ineffective in reducing greenhouses gas emissions. Murphy said one of his first acts as governor will be rejoining the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative. He's vowed also to set a goal to reach a 100 percent clean energy economy by 2050. PROMISE KEPT? Yes. Murphy signed an executive order to return New Jersey to the multi-state pact a few days after taking office. Don't Edit 17. Boost voter participation Christie vetoed the "Democracy Act," a Democratic-backed effort to boost voter registration and participation, in 2015. But Murphy vocally supported updating New Jersey's voting laws to allow more people to vote. He said he wants automatic voter registration, online voter registration and same-day voter registration. He also said he wants 17-year-olds who will be 18 by the general election to be able to vote in the primary. PROMISE KEPT? Yes, so far. In April, Murphy signed into law a bill that would automatically register people to vote if they apply for a driver's license or non-driver ID card in the Garden State. Don't Edit 18. Fight addiction Christie made fighting opioid addiction one of his main focuses. The end of his tenure was defined by the anti-opioid TV commercials he appeared in imploring people to seek help. Murphy said he would continue the battle, but likely in a different way. He said he'd increase the number of drug treatment beds, require insurers to cover medication-assisted treatment for opioid addiction, limit initial opioid prescriptions to seven days, fund a public-awareness campaign and lower the cost of Narcan, the life-saving nasal spray used to reverse the effects of an opioid overdose. PROMISE KEPT? Not quite. First, Murphy has ended those commercials. And his state budget plan does propose spending $100 million to fight addiction but what that money would fund is the question. Don't Edit Don't Edit 19. A better N.J. economy Murphy said he wants to kick start New Jerseys economic growth, which has lagged growth nationally. Theres a lot that he says goes into this, including putting more money into education and attracting new businesses. He has said he wants to establish a state bank that would be owned by taxpayers and lend money through community banks to small businesses and students. He's also vowed to bring more technology companies to the state. PROMISE KEPT? It seems the state bank has been put on the back burner. But in March, the governor announced a redevelopment project in New Brunswick that he says will help New Jersey draw science and tech companies, as well as start-ups. The details, however, haven't really come into focus. Don't Edit 20. Fix NJ Transit NJ Transit has been plagued by problems in recent years, and Murphy said he'd help fix it by increasing funding, replacing leadership, and more. Shortly after being elected, he called the agency "a national disgrace." PROMISE KEPT? Partly. Murphy's budget plan includes a $242 million increase in funding for NJ Transit which would go towards new drivers, facility upgrades, and more. Of course, the Legislature still needs to approve the budget. Murphy also ordered a full audit of the agency in January, days after being sworn in. But that had not started as of May. Don't Edit NJ Advance Media staff writers Matt Arco and Susan K. Livio contributed to this report. Samantha Marcus may be reached at smarcus@njadvancemedia.com. Follow her on Twitter @samanthamarcus. Brent Johnson may be reached at bjohnson@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @johnsb01. Find NJ.com Politics on Facebook. WASHINGTON -- The Trenton shooting, where one person was killed and 22 injured, sparked a new debate over gun safety as New Jersey passed new regulations while congressional Republicans acted to roll back national rules. "Despite all of our state's efforts, New Jersey is not an island -- we can't make our neighborhoods safe as long as guns can come in across a bridge or state line, from Pennsylvania or North Carolina," said Rep. Bonnie Watson Coleman, D-12th Dist., whose district includes Trenton. "This is a problem we can only solve at the national level, with Congress leading the way." And Bishop David O'Connell, bishop of Trenton, decried the "ongoing, seemingly relentless acts of gun violence plaguing our cities." "How many times can our hearts break?" he said. Gov. Phil Murphy last week signed legislation banning most magazines of more than 10 rounds of ammunition and armor-piercing "cop-killer" bullets, making it harder to receive handgun permits, requiring background checks for all private sales, and keeping guns from those deemed a threat to themselves. But given Sunday's shooting, National Rifle Association Regional Vice President Bob Verhasselt questioned how effective those measures were. "I thought Governor Murphy got elected to 'end the scourge of gun violence,'" Verhasselt said. "Looks like he and his progressive Democratic minions had better concentrate their efforts in the urban areas if they want to be more effective." Murphy on Sunday acknowledged that "we're a long way from getting rid of this senselessness," and even when signing the bills called on Congress to act. Congressional Republicans have sought to weaken gun restrictions, not strengthen them. House Republicans voted to overturn state restrictions against concealed weapons, and to prevent the federal government from stopping mentally ill veterans from buying guns unless a judge ruled that they were dangers to themselves or others. GOP lawmakers also voted to overturn the requirement that the Social Security Administration report the names of those with mental illnesses who need representatives to handle their disability and supplemental benefit checks. President Donald Trump signed that bill into law. And while Trump accused lawmakers of of being "petrified" of the NRA, he has pushed for more guns in schools by arming teachers. He also has characterized new gun laws as a threat to the right to bear arms, even though the U.S. Supreme Court has ruled that certain regulations are constitutional. The NRA spent $55 million in the 2016 elections on behalf of Trump and congressional Republicans, more than any other interest group, according to the Center for Responsive Politics, a Washington-based research organization. Rep. Chris Smith, R-4th Dist., who voted against the concealed carry measure, called on his fellow congressional Republicans to act in response to the Trenton shooting. "This is another tragedy that compels policy makers at all levels including Congress to do more to end the escalating violence, including universal background checks to keep guns away from dangerous people," Smith said. And Watson Coleman, who in 2016 helped lead a Democratic sit-in on the House floor in an unsuccessful effort to force votes on gun measures, urged her colleagues to act. "As it comes home to my own district, I'm heartbroken knowing we could make it harder to access these weapons," Watson Coleman said. "Dozens of the congressmen and women I work with every day have gotten the call I got this morning alerting them to a shooting in their district. For anyone that hasn't, I'm asking to work with you now, before it happens to you. There are bills ready for consideration right now. We just need to be brave enough to call for votes." Jonathan D. Salant may be reached at jsalant@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @JDSalant or on Facebook. Find NJ.com Politics on Facebook. A half-dozen U.S. representatives from New Jersey and New York spent Father's Day at the federal detention center in Elizabeth in support of parents whose kids have been taken from them under President Donald Trump's immigration policy. "In every case, they were fleeing to the United States because they or their children or younger siblings were victims of violence," said Rep. Frank Pallone Jr., D-6th Dist., who visited the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement facility with Reps. Bill Pascrell Jr., D-9th Dist.; Albio Sires, D-8th Dist., and Democratic lawmakers from New York. Pallone said in an interview after his visit that the parents have not been told where their children have been taken, and in one case the authorities removed a father's 5-year-old daughter in the middle of the night. Telling the stories of the detainees I just met with who have been ripped away from their families. @RealDonaldTrump has no shame. pic.twitter.com/JBqprFRLKV Rep. Frank Pallone (@FrankPallone) June 17, 2018 He said that the immigrants were not coming for economic reasons, and rather than sneak over the border to find work, were turning themselves in to the federal authorities and requesting asylum, which is the normal practice for political refugees. "They're not coming here to take anybody's jobs," Pallone said. "They were fleeing persecution, which this country has always been a haven from. They're going to be tortured or murdered when they go back. They bring their kids because they don't want their kids to die." The lawmakers were kept waiting for two hours Sunday after showing up with signed permissions from the detainees and their lawyers before being allowed to visit. "What is happening to them is despicable. It is a sin," Pascrell said. "On this Father's Day, I get to go home to see my children and my grandchildren. These poor souls don't get that luxury. My heart aches for every one of them." .@RepJerryNadler is describing the heartbreaking stories we heard. Trump and Sessions says they're following laws. There are no laws requiring families to be ripped apart! Republicans control every lever of government. They are making this disgrace happen. pic.twitter.com/noPFfR85Lt Bill Pascrell, Jr. (@BillPascrell) June 17, 2018 Opposition to Trump's policy has been bipartisan. "It is inconsistent with our American values to separate these children from their parents unless there is evidence of abuse or another very good reason," U.S. Sen. Susan Collins, R-Maine, said Sunday on CBS's "Face the Nation." White House counselor Kellyanne Conway said immigrants coming to the U.S. need to know that the Department of Homeland Security will enforce the laws. "Nobody likes seeing babies ripped from their mothers' arms, from their mothers' wombs frankly," Conway said Sunday on NBC's "Meet the Press." "But we have to make sure that DHS's laws are understood through the sound bite culture that we live in." Attorney General Jeff Sessions justified the policy by quoting a passage from the Christian New Testament that in the past was used to support slavery. "I would cite you to the Apostle Paul and his clear and wise command in Romans 13, to obey the laws of the government because God has ordained them for the purpose of order," Sessions said Thursday in Fort Wayne, Indiana. "American citizens that are jailed do not take their children to jail with them. And non-citizens who cross our borders unlawfully -- between our ports of entry -- with children are not an exception," he said. Trump falsely has blamed congressional Democrats for his administration's decision to separate children from their parents who cross the border into the U.S. and request asylum. Democrats can fix their forced family breakup at the Border by working with Republicans on new legislation, for a change! This is why we need more Republicans elected in November. Democrats are good at only three things, High Taxes, High Crime and Obstruction. Sad! Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) June 16, 2018 Pascrell said Trump and Sessions were lying. "There are no laws requiring families to be ripped apart," Pascrell said. "Trump claims Democrats are to blame for families being broken up. That is a lie. Republicans control every branch of government. For over a decade, Republicans have rejected every single immigration compromise put before them. They are making these disgraces happen every day." While demanding that Democrats work with Republicans, Trump rejected bipartisan efforts to strengthen border security and allow unauthorized immigrants brought to the U.S. as children to remain in the country they grew up with, saying he did not want people from "shithole countries." Meanwhile, House Republican leaders, who previously refused to consider the 2013 immigration bill that overwhelmingly passed the Senate, are preparing this week to bring up legislation crafted without Democratic input after rejecting another bipartisan effort to draft a measure that had support from both parties. Jonathan D. Salant may be reached at jsalant@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @JDSalant or on Facebook. Find NJ.com Politics on Facebook. UPDATE: Phillipsburg death may not have been homicide, prosecutor says A woman aged in her 40s was found dead and a man also believed to be aged in his 40s has been arrested in what police are calling a homicide investigation at a Phillipsburg apartment building. The incident happened at 10:42 a.m. Sunday at the three-story building with off-white siding in the first block of Brainard Street. Warren County Prosecutor Richard Burke said the woman was found by investigators dead inside the apartment and pronounced at the scene. The cause of the woman's death remains under investigation by authorities. The male suspect also was found inside the apartment and arrested, Burke said. Burke said authorities are awaiting next of kin before identifying the woman. Police also are withholding the suspect's identity with Burke saying the man arrested is the only suspect in the homicide investigation. Burke did not have information about the relationship of the pair or what they were doing at the apartment during the time of the alleged killing. It's unclear if either the woman or the suspect actually lived at the apartment; Burke said several people rented out space in the building. By 3 p.m. Sunday, the front door was open to the building and yellow crime scene tape surrounded the area. There was a heavy law enforcement presence and a Phillipsburg cruiser parked out front, as well as a black unmarked SUV blocking the road from traffic. The street was shut down from Hudson Street to Tyndall Avenue. Neighbors appeared stunned, with a 27-year-old woman who declined to provide her name because she had a young child, saying she returned home to police investigating. Another neighbor, a 49-year-old Phillipsburg native, said he knew the victim and another man sitting next to him believed she lived in the area for more than two decades. "She wouldn't ask you for a dollar," said the 49-year-old as he leaned back in his chair and smoked a cigarette. "She would ask you for 25 cents for a cup of coffee. She wouldn't bother you. Maybe ask for a cigarette. She never bothered anybody." Other neighbors reported seeing guns drawn by police as they approached the apartment building Sunday morning. The suspect, they described, was taken out in handcuffs from a small back yard behind the building. Asked about the neighborhood, the 49-year-old native said, "It ain't bad." "There's other neighborhoods that are worse," he added. The incident remains under investigation by Phillipsburg police and the Warren County Prosecutor's Office. Burke expected to release additional information about the case Monday. Pamela Sroka-Holzmann may be reached at pholzmann@lehighvalleylive.com. Follow her on Twitter @pamholzmann. Find lehighvalleylive.com on Facebook. A section of farmers, under their umbrella body National Union of Coffee Agribusinesses and Farm Enterprises (Nucafe), are working with the European Union (EU) to try to mark coffee and relate it to its region of production as part of a bigger plan of penetrating deeper into the export market. The initiative, Enhancing Africa Green Economy through Eco Geographical Indication for Coffee Project, is also a way of contributing to governments ambitious target of producing 20 million bags by 2020. Joseph Nkandu, the executive director of Nucafe, explained that although coffee is the countrys third most important foreign exchange earner after tourism and workers remittances, it is high time Ugandan coffee is identified by region of production. The geographical indication means increased competitiveness of Ugandas coffee on the international market; this gives Uganda the opportunity to have ownership; empowering communities to take responsibility for the environment where the coffee if produced, he said. According to Nkandu, farmers will now have three certifications, including fair trade, organic coffee, and geographical indications. With funding to a tune of Shs 5.8bn from EU, we are going to develop it in a way that we characterize the coffees coming from that place, develop instruments that will see farmers add value, he said. The Shs 5.8bn will be utilized in the three districts of Kasese (Rwenzori region), Kabarole and Bunyangabu. Nkandu believes farmers incomes will double and production will increase by at least 35 per cent. He said: We are lucky government passed the Geographical Indication Act 2013. So, now we have institutions like Uganda Registration Services Bureau (URSB) which will patent coffee. Michael Kabafusa Werikhe, the state minister for Trade, said coffee consumers will be able to know where the coffee comes from. People will know that it is from Rwenzori, Mt Elgon. In the past, it used to be Uganda coffee but we want to go a step further and know where exactly it comes from. This will benefit our clients in the international market, he said. Pavlos Evangelidis, the EUs Head of Section, Green Economy, said EU supported the programme under the Switch Africa Green project, a global programme with an African component. The project is to promote sustainable production and consumption patterns We are looking at maximizing investments at all levels of the value chain. justuslyatuu08@gmail.com A clenched fist Even the creator is biased. Not everyone is bequeathed with equal beginnings into this world. Some, it seems, are naturally blessed as victors while some are their preordained victims. Afghanistan Eid car bomb, claimed by Islamic State, kills 26 A car bomb killed at least 26 people at a gathering of Taliban and Afghan armed forces in the eastern city of Nangarhar on Saturday, an official said, as soldiers and militants celebrated an unprecedented Eid ceasefire, Reuters reported. Blessed to have a nationality Amidst many stateless people globally, one must feel grateful to have a nationality Articles Sorry, there are no recent results for popular articles. We have used your information to see if you have a subscription with us, but did not find one. Please use the button below to verify an existing account or to purchase a new subscription. Standard Chartered Bank Ghana Limited says it has made good progress in 2017, putting the business back on an upward growth trajectory. The growth is underpinned by deepening client relationships, investment in technology and strengthening our control environment. Speaking at the Facts behind Figures programme on the Stock Exchange, Mr Henry Baye, Executive Director of Standard Chartered Bank, said the position had been consolidated in the Banks performance for the first quarter of 2018. The bank, he said, remained focused on its strategy and continued to pursue prudent cost management strategies and drove operational efficiencies with a conscious focus on investment in technology. "We are committed to driving a revolutionary service culture change across the Bank by simplifying processes for clients," Mr Baye, said. The Bank ended 2018 with income stability and well-contained costs, strong return on Equity and balance sheet position, healthy capital and liquidity and robust control environment The Performance for the first quarter of 2018 continues to remain strong with a positive end-of-year outlook amid a more stable macro-economy. He said the first quarter 2018 demonstrated the robustness of their performance. Chief Finance Officer, Mr Kweku Nimfah-Essuman said the bank was working to meet new capital requirements of GH400 million after shareholders approved to move funds from surplus income to stated capital. He said the bank would speed up the process of moving the funds from the surplus income account into the stated capital account to ensure that the bank was among the first banks to recapitalise. Shareholders at the bank's annual general meeting approved the transfer of some GH305 million (including withholding tax) to the stated capital account, which currently has GH122 million. Source: GNA Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority. Featured Video Ghana has initiated measures to understudy Aberdeen Skills and Enterprise Training Limited (ASET), which is an International Oil and Gas Training Academy towards the setting up of the National Petroleum Training Institute. Mr Egbert Faibille, Chief Executive Officer of Petroleum Commission, Ghana, disclosed the setting up of the Petroleum Training Institute during a consultative meeting with Mr Atholl S. Menzies, ASET Chief Executive at Aberdeen, Scotland. He noted that the Commission has developed several strategies to increase in-country value retention and boost Ghanaian participation in the upstream sector, and that, the establishment of a training institutions would fast track the capacity and skills development in the upstream petroleum sector. The Petroleum Commission CEO noted that, the Commission seeks to further build the capacity of local companies in technical areas to improve their competitiveness in the upstream petroleum industry. He therefore invited ASET to undertake similar mission to Ghana to assess facilities across board in the upstream sector. ASET is a wholly owned subsidiary company of North East Scotland College, and operates mainly on a commercial basis for the Oil and Gas and Construction industries in Process, Maintenance Engineering, Electrical and Ex Hazardous Areas, Emergency Response, Marine, including DP and Stability and Scaffolding on a worldwide basis. Mr Atholl S. Menzies, ASET Chief Executive told the delegation that the Academy would be willing to train Ghanaians in the Oil and Gas field. He said ASET trains upstream and downstream Oil and Gas Production and Maintenance Technicians; New entrants; Industry Apprentices; Semi-experienced Technicians; Experienced Technicians; Senior Management including Offshore Installation Manager and Control Room Operator; Dynamic Positioning Operators Semi-Submersible; and Jack-Up Rig Operational Personnel. Mr Menzies noted that ASET also offers training in Electrical; Emergency Response; Marine and Radiotelephony; Health and Safety; Assessor and Verifier Qualifications among others. He said ASETs exclusive range of City and Guilds credit rated and levelled Oil and Gas short courses allow delegates attending these courses the opportunity to demonstrate their ongoing professional development. This exclusive range of courses are not only recognised within the SCQF framework but also provide the building blocks to enhance existing qualifications and provide a road map to further modes of study. The advantages of having a qualification placed in the SCQF are that learners, employers, receiving institutions, awarding bodies, Sector Skills Councils and standard setting organisations (SSOs) can see the level of skills being developed by the learner or employee and how the qualification relates to other qualifications and learning programmes. It can also help when selecting relevant training options and identifying development paths and progression routes, he said. The consultative meeting with ASET forms part of the maiden Oil and Gas trade mission to Aberdeen, Scotland, which seeks to create opportunities for Ghanaian indigenous companies with valid Petroleum Commission registration permits to develop networking opportunities with Scottish businesses. The Oil and Gas trade mission also aimed at forging links with Scottish companies interested in supporting Ghanaian oil and gas production, share operational experiences related to best practices and explore possible joint venture strategic partnerships. Mr Stephen Sekyere-Abankwa, Board Chairman of the Petroleum Commission; Dr Mohammed Amin Adam, Deputy Minister of Energy; Mr Egbert Fabille Junior, Chief Executive Officer of the Petroleum Commission are leading the about 100 delegates from both upstream and downstream sector. The Oil and Gas trade mission, organized jointly by the Petroleum Commission, Ghana; United Kingdom/Ghana Chamber of Commerce (UK-GCC); and the Scottish Development International (SDI), the overseas trade arm of Scottish Enterprise. Source: GNA Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority. Featured Video The Food and Drugs Authority (FDA), has sensitised Judges in the Greater Accra Region on the Food and Drugs Law to better appreciate the work of the Authority and help in the speedy trail of offenders of the law. We are of the firm belief that speedy trail, coupled with the imposition of penalties as prescribed by the law, will act as a deterrent to these unscrupulous persons and serve as notice to persons that will desire to endanger the lives of Ghanaians, Dr Sammy Ohene, Chairman of the FDA Board has said. Speaking at a days sensitisation workshop for the lordships and ladyships of the High Courts and Circuit Bench in the Region, Dr Ohene, said the Authority had long desired to have such engagement with the Judiciary to discuss healthy ways of fighting the menace that confronted the FDA in regulating food, drugs, herbal medicinal products, and related products. He noted that it would have been an ideal world if participants within the food and drug industry put the health of consumers above profit. However, because profits have often been put ahead of health, laws have been passed by the state to check these unscrupulous persons. The Judges were sensitised on the work of FDA, in particularly, the Public Health Act, Act 851 which was passed into law in 2012. The FDA also seeks to discuss ways to partner the Judiciary to fight the menace of counterfeit and fake products in Ghana. Mrs Delese Mimi Darko, Chief Executive Officer of the FDA said: They know our Act already but this will enable them to better understand our law and our work, how we regulate medicine, how we regulate food, cosmetics and households chemical substances and even clinical trials and tobacco and substances of abuse. So that when we have people who go against the law and we have to prosecute them, the judges will be able to better deal with such offenders of the Food and Drugs Law. She assured that the Authority would extend such engagements to the regions. Justice Dennis Adjei, a Court of Appeal Judge who doubles as the Director of the Judicial Training lnstitute, said because of the comprehensive nature of the law passed six years ago, there was the need for the judges, including himself to understand, appreciate and apply them in accordance with law. He said there was also the need to appreciate the Policy that led to the law of FDA and be able to understand and apply them. Justice Adjei on behalf of the Chief Justice, Mrs Sophia Akufo, reiterated the need for the FDA to extend the sensitisation to other areas of Kumasi, Sekondi, Koforidua, and in the northern sector, saying, if we end here, we disadvantage the Judges in other regions. She however opined that if need be, there should be a review of the law that currently provide for the payment of a fine or term of imprisonment. Mrs Cynthia Dapaah-Ntow, Head of Legal Division, FDA, said the work of the Authority was to protect public health and safety and from insanity conditions, as well as from deceptions. She said all advertisements on food and medicine should have approval from the Authority before airing in the media, and urged the media to desist from advertising any unapproved adverts. She also appealed to her senior colleagues on the Bench, to apply the approved minimum or maximum penalty unit or sentences to offenders of the Public Health law. Mr James Lartey, Public Relations Officer at FDA said most often, the media houses go ahead to advertise food and products, which had not been approved by FDA, even though they had been cautioned severally not to do so. He warned that, FDA would not hesitate to charge such media personnel for prosecution, should they continue to air unapproved adverts. The Judges were taken through topics which included, the Food and Drugs Offences Under the Public Health Act, 2012, (Act 851), Food Regulation in Ghana, Medical Devices, Cosmetics and Household Regulation in Ghana, and a Case Study on the Republic V Rita Fordjour. Source: GNA Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority. Featured Video The Tema Mantse Dr. Nii Adjei Kraku ll, has called on the government and opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC) to come to a convergence point on the execution of the process to provide Ghanaians with a national Identity Card. In an interview with journalists in Tema, the revered King lamented that something as needful as providing identity cards for Ghanaians had ended up in court. It is lamentable that even the implementation of something as needful as providing identity cards for ourselves, has ended up in court and political acrimony. As a country we have to learn to draw the line I call on the ruling party and the main opposition party to come to a convergence point on this issue so that we can have these cards as soon as possible, he said. He told journalists in his palace at Manhean that it was an indictment on Ghana as a nation that in the 21st century, nobody could officially identify who a Ghanaian was. Governments attempt to provide identity cards for citizens estimated to be some 30million, has run into controversy with the opposition National Democratic Congress and Civil Society Organisations raising concerns over a purported $1.22billion budget. After government came out to claim that the $1.22billion was a mistake and that the cost was a little over $200million, Ghanaians looked forward to having the ID cards. However, the opposition party soon went to court over dispute that the governments proscription of the voters ID card as a means of registration was illegal. The government had said that the exclusion of the voters ID card as a means of acquiring the Ghana card was due to the fact that there were none Ghanaians in possession of voters ID card. The NDC which had dismissed that argument also pointed out that passports and birth certificates which the government said were acceptable for obtainment of the Ghana Card were equally in the hands of non-Ghanaians. Some members and supporters of the NDC have since said the ruling party was trying to exclude the usage of the voters ID card because it wanted to illegitimize many ordinary Ghanaians and create room for middle class Ghanaians. It is amidst the debate that the NDC went to the Supreme Court to force government to use the voters ID card for obtainment of the Ghana card. From where I sit, this issue could have easily been resolved without going to court. The Majority and Minority MPs in Parliament could have sat down and made corrections to the bill for the Ghana Card. It is not too late, they can sit down and resolve this issue, Nii Adjei Kraku said. GNA Source: GNA Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority. Featured Video The President of the Republic, Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, has stated that from the 2018/19 academic year, which begins in September 2018, all Colleges of Education in the country will be upgraded to University Colleges. Additionally, from September, President Akufo-Addo indicated that a 4-year Bachelor of Education (B.Ed) degree will be introduced in the University Colleges. These Colleges will, initially, be affiliated with the University of Cape Coast, and, subsequently, to other public universities. This means that, eventually, a first degree will be the minimum requirement for teaching at any level of our education system, he said. Currently, many teachers who complete the three-year Diploma in Basic Education (DBE) at the Colleges of Education go on, later, to do a two-year top-up first degree, by distance learning, at the University of Cape Coast. This means that, in addition to the extra amount of money spent on getting a degree, it takes trainee teachers not less than five years to get a degree. With the introduction of the 4-year Bachelor of Education degree, you would now obtain your first degree at the end of your schooling. This ensures that you enter the teaching service as university graduates, with an increase in your earning capacity, the President added. President Akufo-Addo made this known on Saturday, 16th June, 2018, when he delivered the keynote address at the 170th anniversary celebration of the Presbyterian College of Education, in Akropong, in the Eastern Region. Stressing the importance of teachers, the President indicated that all modern, successful nations that have experienced extraordinary results in the formation of human capital and economic development, such as Singapore, Finland, Korea and Canada, have shown that teacher quality is the single most important determinant of their success. He, therefore, indicated that for us also to make a success of our nation, we must pay attention to teachers. It is only a crop of well trained and motivated teachers that can help deliver the educated and skilled workforce we require to transform our economy. In addition to this year's 11% increase in basic salaries for teachers, the President revealed that Government has cleared all arrears, accrued between 2013 and 2016, owed teachers with respect to travel allowances, transfer grants and overtime allowances. Presently, Government is no longer accruing arrears. We have instituted an insurance package for teachers with SIC Life, which has been agreed on with the teacher unions. We have reinstituted teacher trainee allowances. Government intends to restore the teaching profession to the status it once enjoyed, and make it an attractive career choice, he added. With Government focusing on improving the quality and strengthening the quality of technical and vocational education and training, the President indicated that his administration has, thus, begun the supply of equipment to boost the capacity of the Colleges of Education that specialize in technical and vocational teacher training. Mampong Technical College of Education, some four days ago, benefitted from the provision of two thousand, five hundred and eighty-six (2,586) pieces of assorted Science, ICT, Technical and Vocational equipment. President Akufo-Addo assured that all other Technical Colleges of Education, including the Presbyterian College of Education, will, in the course of the year, receive their due share. These reforms form part of Government's vision to transform the country's education delivery system to meet the needs of a 21st century economy, and to produce a skilled and confident workforce to drive the nations agenda for industrialisation and modernization, he added. Source: Peacefmonline.com/Ghana Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority. Featured Video Mr Razak Kwadjo Opoku, Founder/Leader of the Concern Voters Movement, has appealed to the New Patriotic Party (NPP) delegates to reward the Ashanti Region, it's stronghold by voting massively for Henry Nana Boakye (a.k.a.Nana B) as the National Youth Organiser. He said: We cannot afford to ignore the competency, solid organisational skills, top-notch communication skills and boundary spanning skills of Mr Nana Boakye ahead of the 2020 election. Mr Opoku made the remarks when he granted an interview to the Ghana News Agency at the weekend in Accra. He described Nana B as a boundary spanner and a resource investigator who can reach out and attract first time, floating/neutral and real Voters. Mr Opoku said Boakye fully understood and appreciated the utilisation of voter psychology, value maximisation and relationship management to mobilise the youthful voters towards achieving a convincing and resounding victory for President Akufo-Addo in the 2020 Presidential Election and retain and secure more parliamentary seats for the Party. The CVM Founder said the National Chairman, General Secretary, National Treasurer, National Organizer and National Women Organizer executive positions would be occupying by persons not coming from the stronghold of the Party. With all humility and respect to the delegates, overwhelmingly vote for Henry Nana Boakye as the National Youth Organizer to represent the Ashanti Region on the National Steering Committee, the organ responsible for the day-to-day running of the Party. Our Stronghold, the Ashanti Region deserves more than a Deputy National position. Source: GNA Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority. Featured Video 4 buried workers rescued alive from Arun III project site in Sankhuwasabha Four workers buried on Friday after a mound of earth caved in while they were digging a tunnel of the Arun III Hydropower Project in Sankhuwasabha district have been rescued alive. The Speaker of Parliament, Professor Michael Aaron Oquaye, has condemned the lateness of Members of Parliament (MPs) to work. He said the late attendance affected the smooth flow of business in the House. Prof. Oquaye expressed the concern last Thursday, following the late start of proceedings. The sitting was officially supposed to start at 10 a.m. but it started an hour later. The Minister of Education, Dr Mathew Opoku Prempeh, who was scheduled to respond to some questions on educational infrastructure in some constituencies, was in the House. However, when the Speaker requested that the Minister of Education stepped forward to answer the questions, his Deputy, Dr Yaw Adu-Twum, rather stood up, but Prof. Oquaye said he (Dr Adu-Twum) was not the appropriate person to answer the questions. The Majority Leader, Mr Osei Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu, indicated that Dr Prempeh had to leave for the Jubilee House to attend a Cabinet meeting, and that Dr Adu-Twum was standing in for him. Before granting Dr Adu-Twum the opportunity to answer the questions, Prof. Oquaye said it was not in the interest of mother Ghana for a minister to wait for two hours to answer questions. He, therefore, urged the MPs to abide by the official time of starting proceedings in the House. "If you want us to start at 12 p.m., let's start at 12 . If you want us to start at 10 a.m., let us start at 10 a.m," he said. Research assistants On research assistants for MPs, Prof. Oquaye said Parliament would not compromise on the criteria for the selection of research assistants. The research assistants must have a minimum of Bachelors Degree (First Class) from a recognised university. He noted that the Parliamentary Service Board had decided that the research assistants should be selected by the MPs because the legislators must have confidence and trust in their research assistants. "The person must be comparable with the overall interest of Parliament. Their work will impact on Parliament, which as an institution is not going to compromise this position no matter how close the person is to you," he stated. Prof. Oquaye said the Clerk to Parliament would be issuing the letters to research assistants who had met the criteria on Monday, June 18, 2018. Source: Graphic.com Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority. Featured Video The Member of Parliament for Ayawaso West Wuogon, Hon Kyeremanteng Agyarko has hit back at critics of MPs car loan, stating the judiciary and the executive arms of government are not more important than Parliament. He has thus asked persons who have been criticising Parliament over car loans for Members of Parliament to cease, as in his view, it constitutes denigration of the legislative House. On the back of the death of a 70-year-old man who needed emergency medical care but was rejected by seven major hospitals in Accra on grounds of No Beds, some have been questioning the priority of government. Some critics have questioned why the various governments have been spending on MPs and their officials while our health system and other sectors requiring urgent attention have been relegated to the background. They have reignited the MPs car loan issue, which generated headlines last year and condemned government for its lack of priorities. Last year, parliament was reported to be considering the approval of a 22.5 million-dollar loan facility for the purchase of vehicles for all the 275 MPs in the country. Each MP was expected to receive about 80,000 dollars to be repaid within four years. In a Facebook post Friday, a law professor, H. Kwasi Prempeh, questioned the constitutionality of parliament in using its powers to approve private loans for its members to procure vehicles for official duties. Parliament, he argued does not have the power to approve private loan facilities between any individual, regardless of his employment or employer, and a private lender. But commenting on the post, the NPP MP stated, this denigration of Parliament as an arm of government must stop. He averred that the executive and the judiciary which are the other arms of government as part of their conditions of service are supplied vehicles at no cost to them but wondered why in the case of parliamentarians they are made to take loans. Parliamentarians as another arm of government have to take out loans to procure vehicles for official use, he indicated, adding I submit that one arm of government cannot be more important than another. Mr. Agyarko thus said, It is time we stop treating Parliament as the whipping boy of our democratic enterprise. He contended that democracy is expensive and suggested that if the people of are not willing to fund it, then the nation should shutdown the institutions that it does not want. Source: 3news Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority. Featured Video Member of Parliament for Mpraeso Constituency, Seth Kwame Acheampong has admonished former president John Dramani Mahama to better stay off talking about the economy. The New Patriotic Party (NPP) MP says he is advising the former president as a senior brother. This advice comes in the wake of the former presidents mockery of Vice President Dr Mahamudu Bawumia in a tweet over the week. In the tweet, Ghanas fourth president in the Fourth Republic posted a video of Dr Bawumia lashing out at the then National Democratic Congress (NDC) government over the depreciation of the domestic currency, Cedi, to the US Dollar. But Mr Acheampong appeared frustrated by Mr Mahamas gesture, saying the economy was brought to its knees in the last quarter of 2012, when he was president. Speaking on TV3s New Day on Saturday, the Mpraeso MP said Ghana overspent its budget by more than GH8 billion in the lead-up to the elections that year. According to him, Ghana has since not recovered and the current government has had to continue servicing some of the debt and loans incurred during that period. Bawumia was Bible & Quran But Mr Mahamas Campaign Coordinator in the 2016 elections, Kofi Adams, who was also a panelist on the programme, disagreed with the MP. He said Dr Bawumia was considered a Bible and a Quran by the NPP family and became an authority on any issue on the economy. Mr Adams, who is NDCs National Organiser, said what Mr Mahama sought to do on Twitter was a harmless posting of the old video, leaving Ghanaians to judge. He recalled how the Minister of Finance had gone to Parliament earlier this year to tout the resilience of the economy under the Akufo-Addo government. With the Cedi depreciating, Mr Adams insinuated, Ghanaians have to look at the government with the same lens as Dr Bawumia did: a matter of weak fundamentals. Source: 3news Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority. Featured Video Mr Rockson Ayine Bukari, Upper East Regional Minister has reiterated governments preparedness to pass the Right to Information (RTI) bill into law this year. He indicated that government was enthusiastic about getting the RTI working as it formed the foundation for which corruption and its related phenomenon could be drastically reduced to put Ghanas democracy on a sound footing. He said the 1992 Constitution had provided for access to information by Ghanaians, to enable them participate fully in governance, and added that efforts were made over the years to empower citizens to actively participate to bring governance close to the people. The provision for freedom of the press and establishment of independent governance institutions like the National Commission for Civic Education (NCCE) and the Commission on Human Rights and Administrative Justice (CHRAJ) were meant to protect citizens rights while educating them about public space for their participation in development, he said. Mr Bukari said this in a speech read on his behalf at a days workshop to sensitise Civil Society Organisations (CSO) on the RTI bill, organised by the RTI Action Campaign in collaboration with the Accountable Democratic Institutions and Systems Strengthening (ADISS) project. It is a four-year United States Agency for International Development (USAID) funded project and implemented by the Ghana Integrity Initiative (GII), the Ghana Anti-Corruption Coalition (GACC) and Send-Ghana. The Minister said in spite of the progress made in protecting freedom of the press and democratic governance, issues of transparency and accountability of duty bearers still remained a challenge, and recalled that some media houses were slapped with fines for wronging individuals and institutions because of their reportage. At the same time, the Minister noted that several allegations of corruption flood the airwaves every time and said all these could be attributed to the lack of adequate information by the public from duty bearers. Mr Bukari said when the RTI bill was passed into law, it would ensure truthfulness and transparency in governance, and indicated that corruption would be reduced to the barest minimum. According to him, the New Patriotic Party (NPP) had proved itself as the only political party that continued to expand the frontiers of democracy and freedom of speech in Ghana. We repealed the criminal libel law that held press freedom, paving way for the establishment of vibrant media in the country, he said. The Minister said I wish to strongly assure members of the RTI Coalition that the RTI will surely be passed into law this year. We are a government that believe in transparency and accountability and would have nothing to hide. Madam Ugonna Ukaigwe, the National Coordinator for the Sustainable Development Goals Platform, who advocated the need to pass the RTI bill into law, said it would help citizens to effectively enjoy the rights enshrined in Article 21 (f). She said the RTI was a right an individual had to access information held by public institutions and agencies to fast track development, and added that In developed countries, information is not in the custody of one person. Madam Ukaigwe who is a member of the RTI Coalition, said we would like to take leadership by their word that the bill will be passed as they have promised us, and we hope that it will be passed soon. She urged the media to embark on massive public education on the need for the RTI, and said It is what the media shows the public that the public sees. Source: GNA Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority. Featured Video A gay and lesbian rights activist stands between Ukrainian police guards during the annual Gay Pride parade, protected by riot police in Kiev, Ukraine, Sunday, June 17, 2018. Several thousand supporters of gay pride have held a march in Ukraine's capital that lasted about 20 minutes despite opponents attempts to block them. (AP Photo/Evgeniy Maloletka) A cupcake "edible" is shown at a stall at a "Green Market" pop-up event in Toronto on Sunday, December 18, 2016. Beer brewed with marijuana. Baking mixes designed to bring out the unique flavours of cannabis oil. Good old-fashioned pot cookies. Canadian companies are creating them all, but there's no word yet on when stores across the country will legally be able to stock the edibles for recreational users. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Chris Young Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and Foreign Affairs Minister Chrystia Freeland speak at a press conference in Ottawa on Thursday, May 31, 2018. A new analysis of escalating trade disputes involving the United States warns that a deterioration into an all-out, global trade war would knock North America's economies into recession. THE CANADIAN PRESS/ Patrick Doyle Allan "Chicky" Polchies Jr. is seen in this undated handout photo. The new leader of a New Brunswick First Nation says he's proud to be the first openly LGBTQ chief in Atlantic Canada, though he says he's more well-known in his community for his leadership skills and creativity. THE CANADIAN PRESS/HO, Allan Polchies Jr. *MANDATORY CREDIT* Civic body vows to fight fraud and corruption Kathmandu Metropolitan City (KMC) on Saturday vowed to fight corruption and financial embezzlement to herald good governance and transparency in all its official transactions. . Opinion Richard Hass/project-syndicate: The Singapore Summit's uncertain legacy Kevin Lim/The Strait Times Donald Trump's depiction of his meeting with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un as a great success that solved the nuclear problem could make it tougher to maintain international support for the economic sanctions that are still needed to pressure Kim. Weakening the prospect of achieving one's goals is not the mark of a strong negotiator. NEW YORK US President Donald Trump returned from his short summit meeting in Singapore with North Korean leader Kim Jung-un in an exultant mood. Everybody can now feel much safer than the day I took office, Trump tweeted . There is no longer a Nuclear Threat from North Korea. He subsequently told reporters, I have solved that problem. There is only one catch: what Trump claimed was untrue. The nuclear threat posed by North Korea remains undiminished. The joint statement issued by the two leaders was as brief just 391 words as it was vague. The statement was far more about aspirations than accomplishments. North Korea committed only to work toward complete denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula. Missing was any definition of what denuclearization might entail, a timeline for implementation, or a reference to how any actions would be verified. Other issues related to nuclear weapons, including ballistic missiles, were not even mentioned. Thus far, at least, the agreement with North Korea compares unfavorably to the Iran nuclear deal that Trump denounced and then renounced a month before meeting Kim. This is not to argue that the Singapore summit had no value. At least for now, bilateral relations are in a better place than they were a year ago, when North Korea was conducting nuclear and missile tests, and observers (including me) were busy calculating the chances that the two countries would be making war rather than peace. And, looking forward, there is, in principle, the possibility that the United States and North Korea will be able to reach agreement on the many relevant issues and details that the Singapore summit statement left out. But turning this possibility into reality will be extraordinarily difficult. There are many reasons to doubt whether North Korea will ever give up weaponry that, more than anything else, explains America's willingness to take it seriously and treat it as something of an equal. In addition, the experience of Ukraine, a country that gave up its nuclear weapons, only to see the world do nothing when Russia annexed Crimea, hardly provides a reason for Kim Jung-un to follow suit. Much the same could be said of Libya, given Colonel Muammar el-Qaddafi's fate. There is also good reason to doubt that North Korea, arguably the world's most closed and secretive country, would ever permit the sort of intrusive international inspections that would be required to verify that it had complied with undertakings spelled out in some future pact. Trump seems to think that Kim can be swayed not simply by threats and pressure, but by flattery and promises as well. The White House released a four-minute video that showcased Kim as someone who could be a great historical figure if only he would fundamentally change. The video also went to great lengths to show what North Korea could gain economically were it to meet US demands. The president even spoke of the North's potential as a venue for real-estate development and tourism. What seems not to have occurred to Trump is that such a future holds more peril than promise to someone whose family has ruled with an iron grip for three generations. A North Korea open to Western businessmen might soon find itself penetrated by Western ideas. Popular unrest would be sure to follow. Trump emphasizes the importance of personal relationships, and he claimed to have developed one with Kim in a matter of hours. More than once, he spoke of the trust he had for a leader with a record of killing off those (including an uncle and a brother) he deemed his enemies. All of this turned Ronald Reagan's maxim trust, but verify on its head, to something like Don't verify, but trust. In fact, some of Trump's post-summit remarks have actually weakened the prospect of achieving his goals. His depiction of the summit as a great success that solved the nuclear problem will make it that much tougher to maintain international support for the economic sanctions that are still needed to pressure North Korea. Trump also did himself no favor by unilaterally announcing that the US would no longer conduct what he described as provocative war games, also known as military exercises meant to ensure readiness and enhance deterrence. In so doing, he not only alarmed several US allies, but also gave away what he could have traded for something from North Korea. The danger, of course, is that subsequent negotiations will fail, for all these reasons, to bring about the complete and verifiable denuclearization of North Korea that the US has said must happen soon. Trump would likely then accuse Kim of betraying his trust. In that case, the US would have three options. It could accept less than full denuclearization, an outcome that Trump and his top aides have said they would reject. It could impose even stricter sanctions, to which China and Russia are unlikely to sign up. Or it could reintroduce the threat of military force, which South Korea, in particular, would resist. But if Trump concludes that diplomacy has failed, he could nonetheless opt for military action, a course John Bolton suggested just before becoming national security adviser. This would hardly be the legacy that Trump intended for the Singapore summit, but it remains more possible than his optimistic tweets would lead one to believe. Richard N. Haass, President of the Council on Foreign Relations, previously served as Director of Policy Planning for the US State Department (2001-2003), and was President George W. Bush's special envoy to Northern Ireland and Coordinator for the Future of Afghanistan. He is the author of A World in Disarray: American Foreign Policy and the Crisis of the Old Order . Petroleumworld does not necessarily share these views. Editor's Note: This commentary was originally published by Project-Sindicate. O rg . 06/16/2018. Petroleumworld reprint this article in the interest of our readers and does not necessarily reflect the opinion of Petroleumworld and its owners. Link to original article. All comments posted and published on Petroleumworld, do not reflect either for or against the opinion expressed in the comment as an endorsement of Petroleumworld . Use Notice:This site contains copyrighted material the use of which has not always been specifically authorized by the copyright owner. We are making such material available in our efforts to advance understanding of issues of environmental and humanitarian significance. We believe this constitutes a 'fair use' of any such copyrighted material as provided for in section 107 of the US Copyright Law. In accordance with Title 17 U.S.C. Section 107. For more information go to: http://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/17/107.shtml. All works published by Petroleumworld are in accordance with Title 17 U.S.C. Section 107, this material is distributed without profit to those who have expressed a prior interest in receiving the included information for research and educational purposes.Petroleumworld has no affiliation whatsoever with the originator of this article nor is Petroleumworld endorsed or sponsored by theoriginator.Petroleumworld encourages persons to reproduce, reprint, or broadcast Petroleumworld articles provided that any such reproduction identify the original source, http://www.petroleumworld.com or else and it is done within the fair use as provided for in section 107 of the US Copyright Law. If you wish to use copyrighted material from this site for purposes of your own that go beyond 'fair use', you must obtain permission from the copyright owner. Internet web links to http://www.petroleumworld.com are appreciated. Copyright 1999-2018 Petroleumworld or respective author or news agency. All rights reserved. Petroleumworld.com Hit your target - Advertise with us We welcome the use of Petroleumworld stories by anyone provided it mentions Petroleumworld.com as the source. Other stories you have to get authorization by its authors.Internet web links to http://www.petroleumworld.com are appreciated. Petroleumworld welcomes your feedback and comments, share your thoughts on this article, your feedback is important to us! Petroleumworld News 06/18/18 . We invite all our readers to share with us their views and comments about this article. Follow us in : twitter / Facebook Send this story to a friend Write to editor@petroleumworld.com By using this link, you agree to allow PW to publish your comments on our letters page. Any question or suggestions, please write to: editor@petroleumworld.com Best Viewed with IE 5.01+ Windows NT 4.0, '95, '98,ME,XP, Vista, Windows 7,8 +/ 800x600 pixels Olivia B. Waxman/Time: What it means to be a 'Good' Father in America has changed. Here's how What It Means to Be a 'Good' Father in America Has Changed. Here's how : Play Video The purpose of Father's Day, an annual holiday that falls in the U.S. on the third Sunday in June is clear: families spend some quality time with dad, maybe buying him a gift, to show their appreciation. But the work they're appreciating the role that Americans expect fathers to play throughout the rest of the year is a complicated one. In practice, every family and what that family expects from a father, if one is present is different. But that has never stopped anyone from imagining that there's a certain way to be a good dad. Some of the tensions there are near-constant, like the contradictory expectations between going out and being a breadwinner and staying home and spending quality time with the kids. Some of them are distinctly modern, like the impact of social media. And over time, as the role of the American dad has been subject to increasing analysis, there's been less and less agreement on the right way to be a father. The American Dad Emerges In the early years of the United States' existence, the concept of what it meant to be a dad was something that, as far as historians can tell, people just didn't think all that much about. In that period, a good dad imparted faith and knowledge, and that was that. The topic of fatherhood was not commonly discussed in Colonial American sources, historian Shawn Johansen, author of Family Men: Middle-Class Fatherhood in Early Industrializing America, told TIME in an email. Fathers were to teach their children religious piety and doctrine, while inculcating good work habits and the necessary knowledge to succeed in a mostly agrarian economy. That began to change like so much else in the 19th century, in the years after the Civil War. The growth of the U.S. commercial economy meant that it became more common for a family's primary source of income to be a job performed outside the home rather than a farm or family business, meaning that someone, usually the father, left every day for work. This shift jump-started the rise of a middle class, just around the same time that children started to be seen more as individuals with rights that must be protected rather than just another pair of hands. Kids started to leave home for public school, too, and it was the responsibility of the father to guild them, especially sons, to later finding their own jobs. (Johansen notes another surprising change in this period when it comes to American fatherhood: this is when some men in the middle class start to be present in the room when their children are born.) Industrialization led to a unique set of expectations for working-class fathers, too. Fathers' identities revolved around bread-winning and their ability to place children in work positions, says Johansen. The vagaries of industrial work, however, made working-class fathers' authority more vulnerable than even the middle-class fathers. In American cities, as immigration boomed, dads in those communities faced their own challenges, as they struggled to balance expectations that a father would control his family against the common situation in which his children were the ones better assimilated into their new community. New Fatherhood So by the time the 20th century begins, bread-winning is the primary characteristic of society's idea of a good American father. But, perhaps not surprisingly, there was soon a swing back toward recognition if not accommodation of the rest of a father's job. Around the turn of the century, expectations for American kids evolved quickly, and fathers' roles changed accordingly. Families were having fewer children Johansen points out that the typical white American woman bore six children in 1800, and only three in 1900 which meant parents might concentrate more on each one. Amid the growing professionalization of psychology, child development (including the impact of the father) became more widely studied. The psychologist G. Stanley Hall led Americans to recognize adolescence as a life stage, and to take the minds of young people seriously. But at the same time, the trend continued toward men spending more and more time working outside the home. Urbanization and suburbanization, the institution of the 40-hour work week and the spread of the automobile all contributed. I think the key change for the invention of the modern father is in the 1920s, says historian Robert L. Griswold, author of Fatherhood in America: A History. The advent of the automobile is part of the broader growth of consumer society, heaping on the pressure on breadwinners to earn more bread, as Griswold puts it, just as families were also realizing just how much a father's non-economic role in the family mattered. In what's often billed as the beginning of a New Fatherhood movement, a surge in literature argued that men should be changing diapers, imparting words of wisdom and playing with children when they weren't at work. Not coincidentally, this is the same period when Father's Day becomes a thing. The Great Depression was hard on marriages, especially as society expected fathers to provide for their families but female-dominated service jobs were hit less badly than male-dominated industrial jobs were. Some advocates thought there should be a national holiday to raise the self esteem of unemployed and under-employed men. (Despite the push, Father's Day would only become law in 1972 when President Richard Nixon signed a measure making the day official for the third Sunday of June.) Even so, recognizing the importance of fathers didn't mean it was easy for dads to spend more time with their kids. During World War II, fathers went from being absent from work during the Depression, to absent at war, as Griswold puts it. Fathers weren't drafted until late 1943 contributing to a spike in marriages , as starting a family was a way to avoid the draft because of experts' concerns about what kind of impact the draft would have on the American family. U.S. Senator Burton K. Wheeler (D-MT) argued that slackers in government bureaus should be sent to war before American homes are broken up. The Modern Father The next major shift is one that continues to this day. Since the women's liberation movement took off in the late '60s, leading to more opportunities for women pursue a wider range of job and education opportunities, the image of the family breadwinner changed. The rise of no-fault divorces also led to more kids splitting time between homes. Though there had always been women who supported their families, and families that didn't conform to the mom-dad-kids model, in the late 20th century American society began to recognize that truth in a new way. And as Americans in families of all types struggled to figure out what it meant to be a good parent, fatherhood was part of the battle. In keeping with the spirit of the times, the New Fatherhood movement came back in full force, with renewed concern about the role fathers would now be expected to play in the family as it evolved. More children will go to sleep tonight in a fatherless home than ever in the nation's history, TIME declared in a cover story on fatherhood that hit newsstands for Father's Day 1993, amid increased public awareness of this situation. Talk to the experts in crime, drug abuse, depression, school failure, and they can point to some study somewhere blaming those problems on the disappearance of fathers from the American family. But talk to the fathers who do stay with their families, and the story grows more complicated. What they are hearing, from their bosses, from institutions, from the culture around them, even from their own wives, very often comes down to a devastating message: We don't really trust men to be parents, and we don't really need them to be. The idea that fathers get the message that they're not needed especially now that social media has increased the platforms by which ideas about good parenting can be offered is still an issue. For example, a study that recently appeared in The Journal of Child and Family Studies suggests that such as maternal gate-closing, the idea that mothers still know the most about childcare, could be overwhelming fathers and negatively affecting their confidence in their own ability to parent. Clearly society has not yet arrived at the perfect image of the good American dad, so the evolution continues. And thinking about the evolution is an element of that process. One of the most important parts of this centuries-old balancing act, that recent study's author Lauren Altenburger told TIME, is for fathers and mothers all to communicate openly about parenting. PW 300.000 plus request per week Hit your target - Advertise with us Olivia Waxman writes and reports for TIME.com . She graduated with honors from Columbia University's Graduate School of Journalism in May 2012. She has written for TIME, The Daily Meal, Talking Points Memo, and NY1 News. . Petroleumworld does not necessarily share these views. Editor's Note: This commentary was originally published by Time Magazine, on June 15, 2018. Petroleumworld reprint this article in the interest of our readers and does not necessarily reflect the opinion of Petroleumworld and its owners. Original article All comments posted and published on Petroleumworld, do not reflect either for or against the opinion expressed in the comment as an endorsement of Petroleumworld. Use Notice:This site contains copyrighted material the use of which has not always been specifically authorized by the copyright owner. We are making such material available in our efforts to advance understanding of issues of environmental and humanitarian significance. We believe this constitutes a 'fair use' of any such copyrighted material as provided for in section 107 of the US Copyright Law. In accordance with Title 17 U.S.C. Section 107. For more information go to: http://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/17/107.shtml. All works published by Petroleumworld are in accordance with Title 17 U.S.C. Section 107, this material is distributed without profit to those who have expressed a prior interest in receiving the included information for research and educational purposes. Petroleumworld has no affiliation whatsoever with the originator of this article nor is Petroleumworld endorsed or sponsored by theoriginator.Petroleumworld encourages persons to reproduce, reprint, or broadcast Petroleumworld articles provided that any such reproduction identify the original source, http://www.petroleumworld.com or else and it is done within the fair use as provided for in section 107 of the US Copyright Law. If you wish to use copyrighted material from this site for purposes of your own that go beyond 'fair use', you must obtain permission from the copyright owner. Internet web links to http://www.petroleumworld.com are appreciated.Copyright 1999-2018 Petroleumworld or respective author or news agency. All rights reserved. We welcome the use of Petroleumworld stories by anyone provided it ] mentions Petroleumworld.com as the source. Other stories you have to get authorization by its authors.Internet web links to http://www.petroleumworld.com are appreciated. Petroleumworld welcomes your feedback and comments, share your thoughts on this article, your feedback is important to us! Petroleumworld News 06/18/2018 ISSUES.... Inside, confidential and off the record What is at stake in Colombia's runoff vote? Radio Guama - Foto tomada de internet The June 17 vote will determine Colombia's future. The outcome of the first round of Colombia's presidential elections was not surprising. It followed the general trend across Latin America of increasing polarisation on the political scene. In the June 17 runoff , right-wing candidate, Ivan Duque, who came out first with 39.1 percent of the vote, will face the left-wing Gustavo Petro, who finished second with 25.1 percent. Duque and Petro represent the two contradicting currents of political sentiment in Colombia . On the one hand, there are people who want the return of "law and order" through heavier policing to secure private property and guarantee economic stability. Those are the Duque voters. On the other hand, there are also many Colombians who want the growing social, economic and environmental inequalities in the country tackled and at the same time fear the return of a heavy-handed and abusive government. These are Petro's voters. The centrist candidates who did not make it have called on their supporters to reject the runoff and cast a blank ballot. This decision is likely to hurt Petro much more than Duque and usher in another right-wing presidency that could endanger Colombia's fragile peace. Nevertheless, Petro recently secured endorsements from several centrist politicians and started to gain the support of some centrist voters. This could tip the scale in his favour and generate a surprising result on Sunday. The peace deal with FARC The 2016 peace accords between the FARC rebel group and the Colombian government, which ended decades of conflict, are at the heart of the division in Colombia. The conservative forces in the country - now represented by Duque and his mentor former President Alvaro Uribe - argue that the peace deal will allow t hose responsible for serious war crimes escape meaningful punishment. They also say the deal puts the protection of private property at risk. They have been relatively successful in their efforts to undermine the peace accords so far. In October 2016, conservative forces managed to mobilise the Colombian electorate to reject the peace accord in a referendum. But a couple of months later , the government managed to push through a revised agreement . The progressive forces represented by Gustavo Petro, on the other hand, want the peace accord to stay as is, and for former FARC fighters to have a say in the future direction of the country. Petro, a former M-19 Marxist rebel, is promoting a leftist agenda and appealing to the most progressive sectors of Colombian society. Accusations of 'castro-chavismo' This is the first time that a leftist candidate even gets to the second round of a presidential election, but Petro is in no position to celebrate this success - he is facing significant challenges. During his time as mayor of Bogota, his administration was perceived as problematic and disorganised, and this has not been forgotten by the voters. Moreover, Petro is currently struggling to prove to the Colombian public that he can introduce an alternative model of governance to the traditional neoliberal one and at the same time maintain economic stability. More importantly, he carries the burden of constantly being compared with the leaders of neighbouring Venezuela, Hugo Chavez and Nicolas Maduro. "Castro-chavismo", a neologism that describes a supposed leftist ideology that could allow communism to be installed in Colombia, is commonly being used in conservative circles to describe Petro's agenda. His detractors claim that if he wins the elections, Colombia's economy will sink, just like Venezuela's. This "fear of the left" is not exclusive to Colombia. For example, in Mexico, the leftist presidential candidate Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador, who is running on a promise to facilitate change, is also facing accusations of following this made-up ideology of "Castro-chavismo". Across Latin America, following the decline of the so-called "pink tide" of late 1990s and early 2000s - with Hugo Chavez, Luis Inacio Lula da Silva, Rafael Correa, Evo Morales and the Kirchners as main exponents of socialist ideology in the region - there is currently a turn towards the extreme right and Trump-style candidates in the region. Right-wing politicians such as Fabricio Alvarado, the Christian evangelical who almost won the presidency of Costa Rica, and Jair Bolsonaro, a pro-gun and anti-establishment candidate supporting the return of military rule in Brazil, are good examples of this shift in regional politics. These far-right candidates, just like Duque in Colombia, represent the most conservative positions - they are proposing to sacrifice individual liberties in favour of a return to "law and order". Addressing the root causes of violence What is at stake in this election is Colombia's future. The new president will be responsible for not only implementing the peace deal but also making sure its conditions are observed to avoid a resurgence of violence. The decades-long Colombian conflict had its roots in deep socioeconomic inequalities and the lack of social interventions by the state mainly in the rural areas. As long as these root causes are not addressed, the risk of a conflict relapse will remain high. here are very real concerns over Duque's ability to overcome these challenges. To succeed, he will need to form an independent government and resist the fierce rejection of the peace process by his electoral base. Even with historically low levels of approval (14 percent), President Juan Manuel Santos managed to make significant advances in violence reduction and economic indicators in Colombia. The country also recently joined the OECD and NATO. This created a relative sense of optimism, but people living in the most isolated regions of Colombia are still doubtful about the political elite's ability to improve their living conditions. Inequality is still rampant across the country. Colombia's next president must be able to secure the currently uncertain future of the peace process while simultaneously creating the necessary economic conditions for a sustained and redistributive growth. The ability to unify a divided country will be fundamental to healing the wounds inflicted on Colombian society by decades of armed conflict, violence and confrontation. Political discussions in Colombia have long been focused on the fight against the rebels, but in the new post-peace-deal era, the focus must be on the fight against rampant corruption, organised crime and extreme inequality. The views expressed in this article are the author's own and do not necessarily reflect Al Jazeera's editorial stance. Katherine Aguirre Tobon / Aljazeera / June 17, 1999 * This first 1999 essay made Anthony Bourdain famous. Anthony Bourdain, chef, memoirist, and TV host, is dead at 61 years old. ISSUES.... 06/ 18/ 2018 - Send Us Your Issues Inside, confidential and off the record Is an independent journalist effort from Petroleumworld, on Inside, Confidential and Off The Record Information, the views are not necessarily those of Petroleumworld Link to the Original Article Mahakali project in pits as crews extract stones The embankment construction under the Mahakali Irrigation Project along Khanya Khola area is at risk after the contracting company haphazardly extracted stones and pebbles from the area on the pretext of carrying out construction work in Kanchanpur. Participants in the Out of the Darkness Overnight Walk begin the nearly 17 miles journey through the city from the Philadelphia Museum of Art on Saturday night. Read more The names, etched in black marker across the backs of hundreds of blue T-shirts, flooded the steps of the Art Museum at dusk Saturday night. "I'll Be Up All Night For Oliver," one read. "I'll Be Up All Night For Daddy," read another. For Chris. For Mom. For Jeff. For Bev G. "I'll Be Up All Night," another shirt read, "for All Who Suffer In Silence." For hours leading up to sunset Saturday, individuals arriving solo and in groups climbed one of Philadelphia's most famous landmarks and rested. After all, many said, they would need their strength to walk 16.7 miles across Philadelphia over the next nine hours. Still, others said they had been searching for strength for much longer than Saturday. After losing kids, spouses, parents, and friends to suicide over the years, many of the estimated 1,700 who showed up from all corners of the country came to heal, grieve, and celebrate the lives of those they lost. Since 2005, the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention (AFSP) has been organizing its Out of the Darkness Overnight Walk in cities across the country, to raise awareness and funds for suicide prevention. This year, walks are taking place in Dallas and Philadelphia. Participants can walk individually, or as part of a team. Malinda Fritz, a 48-year-old high school teacher from the Long Beach Township area of New Jersey, walked in honor of her 19-year-old son, who she said has survived suicide attempts in the past. Fritz said she was sitting under a tree in front of the Art Museum Saturday, when 41-year-old Gabby Arroyo, a teacher from the Bronx New York, asked if they could walk together. Both women consider themselves luckier than most, they said. While each has a son who has expressed suicidal thoughts in the past, both get to hug their sons every night. Still, Arroyo said, "it's a fear that will be there forever." As the event kicked off Saturday at 7:30 p.m., AFSP volunteers led the crowd in stretches, and honored many longtime participants of the Overnight Walk onstage. "I think it's important to not be silent about what suicide is doing to the people we love, and that's why I'm here," said Gideon Glick, a stage performer and actor best known for his role in Spring Awakening. He helped kick off the event before participants departed at 8 p.m. The overnight walks are AFSP's major fund-raiser, and participants must raise a minimum of $1,000 from pledges to take part. Last year, the two walks raised a combined $1.5 million, money that goes toward developing education programs, advocating for state and federal policies to prevent suicide, and providing support and guidance for survivors. After departing the Art Museum steps, participants are expected to complete the walk journeying to the Delaware River and into University City by 5 a.m. and return to their starting point. When they arrive in the morning, they will find 1,700 white paper bags, decorated with memories and images of their loved ones, lit up by candles, quietly illuminating the finish line. If you are in crisis, please call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-TALK (8255) or contact the Crisis Text Line by texting TALK to 741741. Anya van Wagtendonk contributed to this report. Set in Gilded Age and early 20th-century New York, and based on E.L. Doctorow's 1975 novel, the musical Ragtime bursts with contemporary themes: the challenges of integrating waves of immigrants, the struggle by blacks for equal rights, the attempt by women to find their own voice, even the lure of celebrity. From its panoramic opening number to its stirring finale, Pennsylvania Shakespeare Festival's visually lush production, directed by Dennis Razze, does the show thrilling justice. Named for a musical style associated with both Harlem and modernity, Ragtime has a Tony Award-winning book (by Terrence McNally) and score (lyrics by Lynn Ahrens, music by Stephen Flaherty). The same songwriting team created the even more seductive Once on This Island, a Tony winner this month for Best Revival of a Musical. Daringly, but sometimes to its detriment, Ragtime is a show driven more by ideas than character or plot. With songs such as "Success," "Wheels of a Dream," "Back to Before" and "Till We Reach that Day," it both celebrates and interrogates our civil religion of progress and economic opportunity. An undertow of tragedy suggests that for African Americans, in particular, progress has been far too slow. The musical, like the novel, is a tapestry, telling the intersecting stories of an elite white suburban family, the proud black musician Coalhouse Walker Jr., and an Eastern European Jewish immigrant, Tateh, who leaps from silhouette artist to film director. Punctuating the action are cameos by celebrities such as Harry Houdini (an immigrant who literally breaks his chains), Evelyn Nesbit (whose husband, Harry K. Thaw, shot her lover, the architect Stanford White), Booker T. Washington (an exponent of black assimilation), the industrialist Henry Ford, and the anarchist Emma Goldman. Despite a melodic, eclectic score, the almost three-hour-long show, with its episodic storytelling and flashbacks, sags in spots. The upper-crust white characters, with names such as "Mother," "Father" and "Younger Brother," can seem deliberately cartoonish. The final romantic pairing, along with the multicultural family it produces, registers mostly as a fantasy. This production benefits from Broadway-caliber talent. Brandi Burkhardt as Mother and Nkrumah Gatling as Coalhouse Walker Jr. the two characters with significant emotional arcs anchor the show, as they should. Destinee Rea, as Sarah, Walker's love interest, does a beautiful rendition of "Your Daddy's Son," the song that helped make Audra McDonald a star. Samuel Druhora is an imposing Tateh. As Emma Goldman, Michele Ragusa (Evelyn Nesbit in the original Broadway production) makes us want to enlist in whatever movement she's leading. Above all, the staging is gorgeous, from the sumptuous lighting (by Eric T. Haugen, who also designed past PSF musicals) to the costumes (Courtney Irizarry) and set (Steve Teneyck's evocation of the steel arches and girders of the 1893 Chicago Columbian Exposition). Stephen Casey's choreography gives each group the white elite, immigrants, African Americans a distinct style of movement. It's worth noting that PSF, in the heart of politically divided Lehigh County, is making some canny, non-escapist choices in its musical-theater programming. Two years ago, West Side Story tackled both immigration concerns and the tragic fallout of racial prejudice; last summer's Evita spoke to the pitfalls of charismatic, authoritarian leadership, and Ragtime registers as a blazingly relevant paean to both the awakening of oppressed women and the Black Lives Matter movement. I can't wait to see what Razze and PSF do next. Ragtime. Presented through July 1 by the Pennsylvania Shakespeare Festival on the Main Stage at the Labuda Center for the Performing Arts at DeSales University, 2755 Station Ave., Center Valley, Pa. Tickets: $25-$75. Information: www.pashakespeare.org or 610-282-9455. On Friday June 15th, Lady B is being honored with a never before seen documentary, filmed during her 30th year anniversary of working in radio. Read more June is Black Music Month and it's nearly impossible to talk about Philly's hip-hop history without mentioning DJ, recording artist, and radio personality Lady B. She is the subject of A Salute to Lady Ba short documentary that examines the 30-plus years of Lady B's influence on hip-hop and Philadelphia at largeat the African American Museum on Friday. Last December, WRNB 100.3 turned Lady B's 3 to 7 p.m. slot over to D.L. Hughley's syndicated radio show. "I was very disappointed with the company that I worked for," Lady B said. "There was no 'thank you' along with [my dismissal]. It was very cold and abrupt. There was no insubordination on my part, whatsoever. I was told by the station that they decided to go in a different direction." >> READ MORE: Lady B's exit from WRNB 100.3 means the loss of one of hip-hop's most important voices | Elizabeth Wellington But Lady B maintains that Philly is the biggest open secret when it comes to the formation of hip-hop. During a time when hip hop was still an obscure novelty, Wendy "Lady B" Clark played an integral role in filtering the then-new sounds of rhythmic vocal patterns over customized beats to Philadelphia radio. Filmed by Mike "Mike D" Dennis in 2011, A Salute to Lady B was meant as a tribute to celebrate Lady B's 30th anniversary on the air. But it never screened after weather conditions cancelled the original premiere seven years ago. The documentary is a glimpse into how Lady B's career helped shape the radio culture of Philly and hip-hop with intimate interviews and appearances from notables like Russell Simmonds, Will Smith, Jill Scott, "Fly Ty" Williams, E-Vette Money, World B. Free, and others. "Hip-hop has come so far," Lady B said. "Philly played a pivotal role in the history of hip-hop and I think that sometimes that's overlooked. I think it's important [for others to know] that New Yorkers weren't the only trendsetters in the genre. There were a lot of firsts to come out of Philly, including me, Will Smith [and DJ Jazzy Jeff], who was the first hip-hop artist to win a Grammy. Schoolly D was the first 'gangster rapper.' One of the most popular graffiti artists ever was, Cornbread and a lot of people think he's from New York, but he's a Philadelphian. If we don't keep telling the stories, our children won't know." >> READ MORE: How Schoolly D invented gangsta rap The emergence of the mainstream hip-hop music that now dominates radio did not come to prominence without hard work. "I went from begging for these songs to be played, that no one knew anything about, to having a weekly show. You could only get your hip-hop on the weekends when I started. Mr. Magic, up in New York, and I were the only jocks from the radio that would play hip-hop music," she said A Salute to Lady B also highlights the philanthropy that served as the underpinning of Lady B's career. For decades, she has been well known for using her radio platform to amplify the voices and struggles of marginalized communities. She said that she understands the power of the microphone and over the years, she's learned how to wield that power for the betterment of her community. "I went from the party girl who had everyone raising their hands in the air like they just don't care, to being very concerned about our children and our seniors. It is what I miss most about being on the radio; being able to get valuable information out to the masses that could change people's lives for the better." Along with A Salute to Lady B, Philadelphia filmmaker Mike D will also be screening a teaser of his documentary Bring the Beat Back, focused on the origins of hip-hop in Philadelphia. "I love Lady B," said Mike D. "You have friendships that go in and out but Lady B is a constant. She's always there for me and for Philadelphia." Do rich men make poor fathers? Being born to wealth might look like a sweet deal to the 99 percent, but television says otherwise. The latest argument comes on Wednesday in the Paramount Network's new Montana-set drama, Yellowstone, which stars Kevin Costner as John Dutton, a wealthy and immensely powerful rancher who controls the largest contiguous ranch in the United States. He's also a father who's only beginning to confront some of his own poor parenting choices, and he's hardly alone in having made some. HBO's new Sunday drama Succession, recently renewed for a second season, depicts aging media mogul Logan Roy (Brian Cox) as a cranky tyrant at war with his dysfunctional offspring. Showtime's Billions just wrapped up a third season in which billionaire Bobby "Axe" Axelrod (Damian Lewis) was far less engaged with his two young sons than he was when we first met him, before his split from their mother, Lara (Malin Akerman). He may still brag that he has "two kids at home who think I can fly," but the way he's neglected them this season is another sign that he's not the same man it was once very hard not to like. >>READ MORE: Malvern's Adam McKay talks about HBO's 'Succession' I'm a whole season behind on Fox's Empire, so do let me know if Lucious Lyon (Terrence Howard) has been transformed into a paternal role model in my absence. I'm guessing not. And then there's FX's Trust. Donald Sutherland gave us an entertaining, even nuanced, portrait of J. Paul Getty, but the late billionaire's performance as both a father and a grandfather wasn't exactly the stuff that inspires Father's Day cards. (Dear Granddad, thanks for eventually paying to ransom me and my remaining ear. We'll always have Italy.) >>READ MORE: Donald Sutherland, Hilary Swank on Getty kidnapping story Costner at least gets to hang out with some of his adult kids on horseback when he's not overseeing his sprawling acreage from a helicopter. Yellowstone, created, written and directed all 10 episodes by Taylor Sheridan (Hell or High Water, Sicario), is there for all of us who can't resist the Dances with Wolves and Wyatt Earp star on a horse, near a horse, or even, as in the beginning of Wednesday's two-hour premiere, saying a hard goodbye to one. It also could be there for those who miss the wide open spaces of the Wyoming-set Longmire, the A&E/Netflix series that, like Yellowstone, frequently touched on the complex relationships between the people of a Native American reservation and their neighbors and on the challenges that development presents in the 21st-century West. Paramount, which you'll find on the cable channel formerly known as Spike (and before that, TNN), launched under its new name in January. Its originals so far have included Waco, a mini-series about the 1993 standoff with the David Koresh-led Branch Davidians; an ill-considered reboot of Heathers that was first postponed, then taken off the schedule; and American Woman, a 1970s-set dramedy that premiered June 7 and that stars Alicia Silverstone as a Beverly Hills divorcee fighting to keep a roof over her kids' heads. Yellowstone, filmed in Montana and Utah, feels like an effort to establish a brand, so it's probably appropriate that it's set on a ranch where not only the cattle feel the heat of the iron. Costner's Dutton is a widower with three sons played by Wes Bentley (American Horror Story), Luke Grimes (True Blood), and Dave Annable (Brothers & Sisters) seemingly good enough guys who have to varying degrees disappointed him, and a daughter played by Kelly Reilly (True Detective) who's a hotshot banker with a hot mess of a personal life and her daddy's apparently unwavering support. Dutton's also a grandfather longing to know his only grandson, Tate (Brecken Merrill), who lives on the Broken Rock reservation with his parents, Dutton's estranged son Kayce (Grimes) and his schoolteacher wife, Monica (Kelsey Asbille). Kayce's barely making a living breaking horses, but he's so far winning fatherhood. He's a hands-on parent whose young son already exhibits the confidence and resourcefulness Dutton finds lacking in Kayce's brothers, Jamie (Bentley), a lawyer with political ambitions, and Lee (Annable), who's devoted his life to helping run the family ranch. It's hard not to think, seeing Dutton pick at them, that they, too, may once have been as sure of themselves as Tate, who pulls off something in a later episode that won my undying admiration. Jamie, who exercises his law license trying to prevent efforts to encroach on the Duttons' massive holdings, needs to think more like a landowner, not just a lawyer, complains his father. Lee, helping his father deliver a calf out on the range, is too much cowboy, too little rancher. Of the sons, only Kayce, the one who left (and who at some point became a war hero) has earned his father's grudging respect, and Kayce wants no part of it. Their sister, Beth (Reilly), meanwhile, wants no part of horses, choosing instead to torture Rip Wheeler (Cole Hauser), a possibly too loyal ranch hand whose mean streak doesn't extend to Beth, whom he unwisely adores. As an Easterner, I can't comment with authority on how the Duttons' interests align with the rest of ours. Costner's a master at engendering sympathy for potentially unsympathetic positions did I mention how good he looks on a horse? and Yellowstone isn't subtle in setting up the opposition, casting Danny Huston (Magic City) as an unlikable developer who wants to put a housing development at the edge of Dutton's extraordinarily large backyard and Gil Birmingham as Thomas Rainwater, the new leader of the Broken Rock reservation and a man whose decision to challenge Dutton could be as much about ego as about righting history's wrongs. But then there's Rip, who wouldn't be out of place as a mob enforcer, and who willingly handles Dutton's dirty work. It's clear that the Duttons are enormously rich, but unlike Billions or Succession, with their frequent displays of affluence porn, Yellowstone is more interested in the power than the money. "Leverage is knowing that if someone had all the money in the world, this is what they'd buy," Dutton says. It's leverage that requires an awful lot of outside support, starting with the governor of Montana (Wendy Moniz), whose interest in her state's largest landowner may involve more than campaign contributions. Watching a man, even a man who looks terrific on a horse, trying to hold on to what he already has can take Yellowstone only so far. It's the son who got away who could help Dutton stay interesting, and maybe even teach him something about fatherhood. When Kayce, who doesn't quite fit into the life he's chosen or the one he's left behind, talks to Monica about letting his father get to know their son, she reminds him that what goes around comes around, and that they, too, will someday lose their son to a wife and children, "and all we'll get is little fixes" of their grandchildren. "That's the meanest thing you've ever said to me," he replies. Watch this Yellowstone. 9 p.m. Wednesday, Paramount Network (formerly Spike). A boy whose family went to court last month to challenge Children's Hospital of Philadelphia over its efforts to take him off life support an action stayed by a court order died Saturday, an attorney for Jayden Auyeung's family said. "We do not know the exact cause of death as of yet. It is too early to tell," Christopher Bagnato wrote in a statement Saturday. "But we do know that Jayden's life support was not removed from him. The court's stay preventing removal was still in place. God bless him and his family during this very difficult time." Jayden's parents, Anna and Jonathan Auyeung of Edison, N.J., filed for a temporary restraining order in Philadelphia Common Pleas Court on May 16, their son's 10th birthday. The boy, who suffered from a genetic motor neuron disease, couldn't breathe after a mucus plug developed in his throat while he was at home on May 4, his mother said. Despite efforts to revive him, he had to be taken to Robert Wood Johnson Hospital in New Brunswick, N.J., where he was placed on life support. Two days later, he was transferred to CHOP, where he had been treated for years. Another family whose child is a patient at CHOP has also gone to court to keep their son alive. Areen Chakrabarti, 14, has been on life support since arriving at CHOP on April 14. He suffered smoke inhalation and severe brain injury during a fire in the family's Bordentown home. The hospital sought to remove the boy from a ventilator and other life-sustaining treatment against his mother's wishes. In April, a judge ruled that CHOP must keep Areen on life support, pending additional hearings or at least until he can be transferred to another hospital. The case is pending. In Pennsylvania and most states, a diagnosis of brain death is enough to declare someone legally dead, meaning he or she can be taken off life support. New Jersey lawmakers years ago enacted a religious exemption: If the family's faith dictates that a patient is alive so long as the cardiovascular system is functioning, then a physician cannot declare the person dead based on brain death alone. >> READ MORE: At CHOP, two boys were diagnosed with brain death. Here's what that means Staff writer Tom Avril contributed to this article. The Firefly Music Festival, shown here in 2016, saw its first death this past weekend. Read more A 20-year-old Philadelphia woman was pronounced dead shortly after being found unconscious at a campsite at the annual Firefly Music Festival in Dover, Del., on Sunday morning. Dover police identified the woman as Caroline Friedman and said the cause of her death was still under investigation, although it was not the result of foul play. Officers found Friedman on Firefly Camping Lot 18 around 6:30 a.m. She was pronounced dead at Bayhealth Kent General Hospital at 6:55 a.m., police said. It was the first death in the music festival's seven-year-history, said Master Cpl. Mark Hoffman, a spokesman for the Dover Police Department, though last year, police found human remains near the event's campgrounds during the festival. In 2017, organizers said 90,000 people came out to Firefly, a four-day event that calls itself the biggest festival of its kind on the East Coast, to camp and see live music. Eminem and Kendrick Lamar were among this year's headliners. >> READ MORE: Review: Eminem's blistering headlining set at the Firefly Music Festival Deaths at outdoor music festivals are not uncommon: At Bonnaroo in Manchester, Tenn., one of the most popular music and camping festivals in the country, more than a dozen people have died in its 17-year history, including a 35-year-old man at the festival June 8. In 2016, Los Angeles County passed laws designed to keep festival attendees safe, not long after the death of two young women at a music festival in Pomona, Calif. A nonprofit called DanceSafe, which promotes safety in the electronic dance community, warned that drugs being sold at parties are not often what they seem: Out of more than 500 samples of the drug MDMA, or "Molly," MDMA was present in only 60 percent of the samples they tested. In 2016 and 2017, police arrested nine people at Firefly for selling drugs ranging from MDMA to LSD to cocaine. Pennsylvania Attorney General Josh Shapiro, pictured above, is expected to drop a sweeping, scathing report this month on child sexual abuse by Catholic clergy. YONG KIM / Staff Photographer Read more HARRISBURG For more than two years, dozens of victims have filed into a secret grand jury room in Pennsylvania, faced a group of strangers, and recounted how they were sexually abused as children by Catholic priests, their rapes and molestation buried by church leaders. One, a former Erie priest who testified that he was molested when he was a teenager, called the experience cathartic. Another victim did not fare well after testifying. She attempted suicide and from her hospital bed implored the grand jurors to complete their investigation and make their findings public, according to a source who had been briefed on her account. Later this month, state Attorney General Josh Shapiro is expected to release a landmark report by that grand jury that will detail, in stark and stomach-turning terms, decades of abuse and cover-ups in every Catholic diocese in the state except Philadelphia and Altoona-Johnstown, which have already undergone such scrutiny. It is, legal experts say, among the most expansive investigations into clergy abuse in the country, one that will provide a panoramic view into the church's handling of the scandal, dating back decades, across most of the state. According to one of the few court documents that has been made public, the case has drawn dozens of witnesses and nearly a half-million pages of internal church documents. It has homed in on alleged crimes and misconduct by "individuals associated with the Roman Catholic church, local public officials and community leaders" and could implicate hundreds of people. As a result, the more than 800-page report has become the target of an intense but secret legal battle, as a group of unnamed individuals have waged a fight under court seal to delay its public release. The grand jury report is not expected to include criminal charges, according to people familiar with the content. Yet it is bound to have sweeping legal and political implications, including reviving the deeply emotional fight in the legislature during a critical election year over whether victims of long-ago abuse should have the chance to sue their abusers and the people and institutions who covered it up. "I'm not a politician, but if I was, I'd be pretty scared," said James Faluszczak, a former priest in the Diocese of Erie who was among the victims to tell the grand jury about the abuse he experienced as a teenager. The attorney general's investigation has zeroed in on six of the state's eight Catholic dioceses: Allentown, Scranton, Harrisburg, Pittsburgh, Greensburg, and Erie. Philadelphia's archdiocese was not included in the inquiry because it was investigated twice in the last 15 years. The first investigation was led by former District Attorney Lynne M. Abraham, who released a scathing grand jury report in 2005 detailing decades of child sexual abuse by scores of Philadelphia area priests. Abraham's approach she released a comprehensive investigative report even as she acknowledged the crimes were too old to be charged has since been used by prosecutors nationwide. A second grand jury probe in Philadelphia led to the 2011 arrests of four priests. The Diocese of Altoona-Johnstown was also left out of the current probe, because it had already been investigated by Shapiro's predecessor, former Attorney General Kathleen Kane. During the course of the investigation, Shapiro's office has charged two Western Pennsylvania priests with abusing children. The Democratic attorney general, who took office last year, has said little about the inquiry but revealed in a statement last month that he expects to "speak publicly" about it by the end of this month. "The only thing that could stop these findings from becoming public at that time is if one of the bishops or dioceses would seek to delay or prevent this public accounting," Shapiro said in a May 21 statement. One by one, bishops from each diocese under scrutiny have stated publicly that they will not stand in the way of the report's release. "I realize that the grand jury report will contain information that will be difficult for all of us to hear, but in order for us to focus on the future, we have to have a solid knowledge of the past," Bishop Lawrence Persico of Erie said in a statement last month. "The grand jury investigation and its report will provide a voice for the victims. We must listen to that voice and learn from it." Still, the Pennsylvania judge who oversaw the grand jury's inquiry unsealed an opinion this month that revealed a behind-the-scenes legal fight by unnamed individuals or organizations to redact or change its report. The move by Judge Norman A. Krumenacker III to unseal his opinion was unusual, as grand jury proceedings are typically shrouded in secrecy. Krumenacher did not name those involved in the legal push, which involves a request to hold "evidentiary hearings" prior to the report's release so that people named but not charged in it have a chance to defend their reputations. The judge denied their request, saying it would upend the role of the grand jury, which he said was to investigate rather than adjudicate. The unnamed individuals had until Friday to appeal Krumenacker's decision to the state's highest court. It is not known if they did, as they are allowed to do so under court seal. Their lawyers either declined comment or did not return calls. Those who accepted phone calls refused to reveal the identities of their clients. The pitched legal battle does not surprise Terence McKiernan, president of BishopAccountability.org, which tracks and archives abuse scandals in Catholic dioceses across the country. "This is an amazing moment," he said. "With this report, and the previous ones, we will have an assessment of all the dioceses across the state. That has never happened before." McKiernan and others predicted the report will reignite impassioned debate in the Capitol over extending Pennsylvania's civil statute of limitations. During the legislature's last session, the GOP-controlled House and Senate clashed over whether to make the change retroactive, so that victims who aged out of the statute before they could come to terms with what had happened to them as children would also have the ability to sue. The retroactivity clause, as it came to be known, would have opened the door to a wave of lawsuits for child sex abuse that occurred as far back as the 1970s. But that is where agreement ended. Opponents, notably the Catholic Church, argued that it would unfairly cripple, if not bankrupt, parishes and members who bear no blame for the past misconduct of clergy. They found allies in top Republican senators, including Senate President Pro Tempore Joe Scarnati (R., Jefferson), who believed applying the law retroactively would be unconstitutional. But the GOP-controlled House passed a bill that includes retroactivity, setting the stage for an uncomfortable political stalemate that, in the end, killed any chance of a change in the law for both future and past victims. This time around, supporters of retroactivity say, it will be difficult for legislators to ignore the impact of the scandal. The sheer scope of the report will bring details into nearly every legislative district. "The expansiveness of it that in and of itself will be so damaging," said Rep. Mark Rozzi, a Democratic lawmaker from Berks County who has championed the push for retroactivity in the Capitol. In a current bill, he proposes a two-year exception to the statute of limitations that would allow victims to file civil suits. Rozzi, who was abused as a child by a priest, is among the hundreds who testified before the grand jury. In an interview last week, he said he has spoken to other victims, as well as "nuns, priests," and others who contacted Shapiro's office. Some, he said, described being abused in a "cult-type atmosphere" in church basements and elsewhere. "Some of the stories are truly horrific," Rozzi said. "As legislators, how long can we keep ignoring them? And denying them justice?" Faluszczak, the former Erie Diocese priest, said appearing before the grand jury to tell the story of being molested as a teen by his parish priest, who is now deceased, was painful but affirming. Though he has struggled with alcohol dependency and panic attacks and has experienced flashbacks for the first time since testifying he was heartened the grand jurors listened. "To talk in front of strangers like that, knowing what the stakes are ," Faluszczak said, his voice trailing off. "It was therapeutic." Rozzi put it this way: "A lot of the victims are hanging on threads. Legislators don't understand that." The grand jury learned that firsthand when it heard from the victim who later tried to kill herself after testifying, the source told the Inquirer and Daily News. She was said to have asked the jurors for one thing: Tell the world "what really happened." Nicole Hernandez, of the Mexican state of Guerrero, holds on to her mother as they wait with other families to request political asylum in the United States, across the border in Tijuana, Mexico, on Wednesday, June 13, 2018. The family has been waiting for about a week in this border city hoping for a chance to escape widespread violence in their home state. (AP Photo/Gregory Bull) Read more With the mercury expected to rise to 105 degrees by the end of the week, the white tents in Tornillo, Texas a morally jarring new twist in the rise of America's immigration gulag went up just in time for Father's Day weekend. Inside the white canvas tents rising like a mirage in the hazy heat of the Rio Grande Valley, there are no fathers. Instead, the first of what officials say will be as many as 400 or so children mostly teenage boys for now are already detained inside the air-conditioned makeshift tents. It's a sign of the Trump administration scrambling to figure out what to do with a growing number of migrant children in custody, including as many as 2,000 forcibly removed from their moms and dads under a new "zero tolerance" policy toward migrants seeking to flee poverty and violence in Central America. "As a Hispanic and as a father I feel we're under attack," Victor Rodriguez, a 55-year-old factory worker who lives near the Tornillo tent city, told the Dallas Morning News. "I cannot imagine children with European backgrounds facing the same thing. This isn't right." Even with the new tent city, and with shelters for children and the county jails helping to detain their parents already overflowing, the new Border Patrol chief for the Rio Grande Valley is telling the Washington Post that he expects the pace of family separations to double in the coming weeks. "We are trying to build to 100 percent prosecution of everybody that is eligible," Manuel Padilla, Jr. told the newspaper. "We are not there yet, but that is our intent." The mercury in the Rio Grande Valley isn't the only thing that's about to boil over. A series of shocking reports over the family separations that have come with the "zero tolerance" scheme announced earlier this spring by Attorney General Jeff Sessions a mother alleging her young child was taken from her while she was breastfeeding, sobbing kids being told at one packed shelter they're not allowed to hug each other, a grief-stricken dad committing suicide after his son was forcibly taken have taken the immigration debate out of the political realm and into a new, dark place. In the 242nd year of the American Experiment, how can such official cruelty be morally justified? On CNN on Saturday night, the 8 p.m. news hour began with these words from anchor Ana Cabrera: "Something disgraceful is happeningsomething that can be stopped." At a White House briefing late last week, journalist Brian Karem gave up trying to get press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders to explain the border policy to, instead, lash out, in exasperation, at whether at long last she had no sense of decency left. "You're a parent." Karem exclaimed. "Don't you have any empathy? Come on, Sarah, you're a parent! Don't you have any empathy for what these people are going through?" Just moments earlier, Sanders had turned to what struck many as an odd place to find a moral defense of taking children away from their parents: the Bible. "I can say that it is very biblical to enforce the law," President Trump's top press aide said in response to a question. "That is actually repeated a number of times throughout the Bible." Sanders made those comments after Sessions, earlier in the day, had also cited Scripture in insisting that what our government is doing at the border is very godly indeed. The attorney general went before the friendly audience he could find law-enforcement officers in Indiana and told his "church friends" that the Bible backed up Trump's draconian policies. "Persons who violate the law of our nation are subject to prosecution I would cite you to the Apostle Paul and his clear and wise command in Romans 13 to obey the laws of the government because God has ordained the government for his purposes," Sessions said. "Orderly and lawful processes are good in themselves and protect the weak and it protects the lawful." There you have it: A political party that relies on Jesus to help get elected turning its back on the charity and goodwill of the Gospels and reinventing the Bible as spreading the good news of law-and-order. It's not surprising that such words would come from Sessions, who fled his small Alabama town during its time of 1960s civil-rights upheaval to attend a small, mostly-white Bible college. As several experts pointed out, the passage from Romans 13 that Sessions invoked to support family separation for immigrants was often cited by Southerners in the 1840s and 1850s to morally justify slavery, which of course also ripped kids away from their mothers and fathers. "This is the same argument that Southern slaveholders and the advocates of a Southern way of life made," John Fea, a professor of American history at Messiah College in Pennsylvania, told the Washington Post. It's a Biblical crutch to defend a policy that is born of prejudice and crass political calculation. The prejudice comes straight from the top, from a president with little patience for the details of health care or nuclear disarmament but who obsesses over the tally of monthly border crossings, berating his Homeland Security secretary and ranting about "shithole countries." As the New York Times noted this weekend, the family-separation practices that had been rejected by Trump's Republican and Democratic predecessors as inhumane were now pushed by aides like Stephen Miller, whose entire career has been built on stirring up xenophobia and white nationalist hatred. "The message," Miller insisted to the Times, "is that no one is exempt from immigration law." The irony is that this comes at a time when many men and women of faith as well as supporters of an ethical humanism not necessarily rooted in religion are wondering why the Far Right in American politics has been allowed to redefine morality as restricting women's reproductive rights or returning Christian prayer to public schools even as we increasingly ignore the advice of Jesus to tend to the poor, the desperate, and to people who don't look like us. Michael Curry, the presiding bishop of the Episcopalian Church, told MSNBC this weekend that there's no Christian justification for taking toddlers from their mothers and that the current policies go against every teaching from Jesus about loving our neighbors, even our enemies. "Love of neighbor trumps everything," the bishop said. "That is fundamentally Christian and American."Many other top spiritual leaders the U.S. Catholic Bishops, even some top evangelicals have also sharply criticized the Trump "zero tolerance" policies. Recently in the space, I wrote about the ongoing Poor People's Campaign, led by the Rev. William Barber, the North Carolina minister on a mission since the dawn of the Tea Party era to define lack of health care, cuts to the safety net and restrictions on voting rights as fundamentally immoral. In a speech last year, Barber noted that the struggle for America's soul is drenched in the crusades against slavery, against Jim Crow laws and in the efforts of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and Caesar Chavez. They saw that patriotism is far more than blind allegiance. They understood faith had to be deeply rooted in the moral principles of justice, love, mercy, care for the stranger, and concern for life, as the highest value. They knew that America, like every nation, needed prophets rather than priests for the empire if a nation is ever going to repent and mend every flaw, if the nation's successes are ultimately going to be noble and divine. This, increasingly, is our fight today. What is morality, and whose God is it, anyway? Will we, as a civil society, put our faith in the heartless rigidity and exclusion preached by Jeff Sessions, or in the social gospel of loving our neighbors and comforting the poor, the sermonizing of William Barber. Awful as they are, Trump's immigration policies have helped remind us of one thing: That the American question even for those who don't believe in a higher power has always been a moral question. Father's Day 2018 feels like the perfect day to recommit ourselves to the ultimate family values keeping families together, and helping those in need. Take a few moments to call your member of Congress, make a donation for legal defense or humanitarian aid, or plan a march for the sake of America's soul. You don't have to reach much deeper into the Book of Romans past the favorite verse of Sessions and his fellow white nationalists to find an expression of the higher order that could make America a nation of moral law, what we need it to become: "Love does no wrong to a neighbor; therefore love is the fulfillment of the law." Milking strategy Despite sufficient dairy technicians, the DDC is neither running in profit nor has strategic vision for management Police personnel investigate at the scene of Art All Night Trenton 2018 where 17 people were shot and 5 people were injured early in the morning Sunday, June 17, 2018 in Trenton, New Jersey. Read more A neighborhood dispute led to gunfire early Sunday at an annual all-night arts festival in Trenton, leaving one dead a suspected gunman and 22 injured, including a 13-year-old boy. Police were in the process of shutting down the Art All Night event at the Roebling Wire Works warehouse amid escalating altercations between several visitors when at least two men started shooting at about 2:45 a.m. Police said there was gunfire both inside and outside the venue on the 600 block of South Clinton Avenue. About 1,000 people were still at the event when the shooting began, triggering a stampede. Mercer County Prosecutor Angelo Onofri said two men are in custody and a 33-year-old man was shot dead by police. He said a "neighborhood beef" was behind what happened. At a late-afternoon news conference Sunday, authorities identified the dead man as Tahaij Wells, who had been on parole since February after serving time in prison for a fatal 2002 shooting he committed when he was 17. Amir Armstrong, 23, who is in critical condition with unspecified gunshot injuries, was charged with weapons offenses, including having a handgun with an extended capacity magazine. A third unidentified suspect is also hospitalized in critical condition with gunshot wounds, authorities said. >> READ MORE: 'Please do not go.' Facebook warned of Trenton shooting The violence was presaged on social media Saturday, said Jerell Blakeley, a recently elected councilman-at-large, who pointed to a Facebook post that said: "Please. Please. Please. Do Not Go to the Art All Night. They will be shooting it up." The head of the New Jersey police union said the gunmen fired with "no care for innocent people around them." "Officers engaged the active shooters to stop the senseless violence," Patrick Colligan, president of the New Jersey State Policemen's Benevolent Association, said in a statement posted on Twitter. "Sounds like it was some sort of dispute we will bring the full weight of law and justice against them," said Gov. Murphy, who spoke Sunday at a service at the Galilee Baptist Church in Trenton. Mayor-elect Reed Gusciora said in an interview at the church that the shooting "appears to be a turf war" between neighborhood gangs. >> READ MORE: 'I could feel percussion of the shots,' Trenton festival shooting witness says "It's a concern," he said. "We are about to enter the summer and we have to change the mindset of Trenton so that people don't solve things with violence, particularly gun violence." Before the shootings, there were several physical altercations inside and outside the venue, and police instructed organizers to shut down the event. Police had begun to disperse the crowd, though many were loitering, Onofri said. He said 17 people were shot, and several were in critical condition. Others were injured in the chaos and panic that followed the shooting. "There were people trampling other people, cars hitting other cars," said Gennie Darisme, who was getting ready to leave the festival when she heard shots and saw people running. Onofri said the matter remains under investigation, including the extent of the officers' involvement in any shootings. "Multiple" guns were recovered at the festival scene, he said, and the federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives is at the site to tally up spent casings. The violence marred an event, in its 12th year, that aimed to attract 30,000 visitors to experience visual artists, short films and a diverse range of about 60 live music groups in a 24-hour marathon. The remainder of the festival, which was scheduled to run until Sunday afternoon, was canceled. Mayor Eric Jackson said Trenton had never had a shooting of this magnitude. He called the arts festival "a great event" but said it might need to tighten security and perhaps change its hours. The shooting attracted international media attention and condemnation by the Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence. "This is unacceptable, and it's long past time for our elected officials to stand and say enough," Brady co-president Kris Brown said in a statement issued late Sunday morning. City officials had discussed increasing security ahead of the event, which has drawn larger crowds in recent years, but the city had not recommended the use of metal detectors, Onofri said. Festival organizers posted a statement on Facebook on Sunday morning. In addition to confirming the festival's cancellation, organizers said, "our staff, our volunteers, our artists and musicians all seem to be healthy and accounted for." "We're very shocked," organizers said in the statement. "We're deeply saddened. Our hearts ache and our eyes are blurry but our dedication and resolve to building a better Trenton through community, creativity and inspiration will never fade. Not tonight. Not ever." Police are also investigating an attempted carjacking that occurred around the time of the shooting, Onofri said, to determine whether it was connected to the shooting. The event was expected to be teeming with festival-goers on Sunday, but instead was roped off with police tape and off-limits to the public. The scene outside the red-brick warehouse, a plaza with trees and picnic tables, was mostly deserted except for police, reporters, and a few people from the neighborhood. Theresa Brown, 61, a longtime volunteer at the free event, said she was heading to it when she heard what sounded like gunshots and turned around. She said there have been no problems in the past. There were food trucks and a beer stand in the plaza and bands both inside and out, she said. Earlier in the day, Brown said, "it was a lot of kids enjoying walking around with their family." The atmosphere changed by night. Janel Frink, 40, who grew up in Trenton and now lives in nearby Hamilton Township, said she had intended to go inside the arts festival building, arriving about 12:30 a.m., but got worried by a group of youths running around and the heavy presence of police and ambulances. She said police told her to get out of the way. So she left without seeing any art. "I could tell something was brewing," said Frink, who called the festival "one of the greater things that Trenton had going." Edward Forchion, 54, said he witnessed two tense moments transpire before shots rang out. First, he saw a group of men having a disagreement inside. Then, after a festival staffer began to close one of the doors, a group of teens, Forchion said, pushed their way inside. It was unclear who initiated the gunfire, he said. "I was 25 feet away from them," he said. "I don't know if you've been that close to a gunshot, but the air moves. I could feel percussion of the shots." Forchion, who captured a graphic video of the aftermath and shared it on Facebook, said he missed the initial shots, but saw police respond soon after. "Everybody froze like deer in headlights," he said. "Then everybody started moving." Forchion described these moments as chaos. Angelo Nicolo, 41, was sitting on the porch of his home down the street from the festival when he and his brother heard gunshots. "It's sad. It really is," said Nicolo. "Those people had to run for their lives instead of looking at art from local artists." Jim Doria visited the arts festival Saturday and said the atmosphere was "different" from that in previous years. He returned Sunday afternoon with his family to lay three bunches of flowers at the edge of the yellow crime-scene tape. "The vibe was different last night," Doria said. "It was crowded. I saw a mini altercation break out at one point." He fears lasting negative ramifications for a beloved event. "A lot of people don't want to come into Trenton because of the violence," Doria said. "This is one thing they would come into Trenton for. Now I feel like that's all going to be in jeopardy." This article contains information from the Associated Press. Editor's note: Earlier versions of this article misspelled the name of Trenton mayor-elect Reed Gusciora. A view of the Art All Night festival several hours before gunfire erupted early Sunday leaving one dead and 22 injured. Read more Edward Forchion said he didn't fully react as bullets started flying early Sunday morning at the Art All Night festival in Trenton. But a half hour later, he realized several people surrounding him had been shot. By then, the 54-year-old Trenton resident and activist for marijuana legalization had made a video documenting the chaos and terror that followed the gunshots inside the Roebling Wire Works. "Everybody froze like deers in headlights. Then everybody started moving," he said of the moments right after the first shots. "[Police] started moving towards the door. Then they started shooting." >> READ MORE: Gunmen ID'd in Trenton arts festival shooting that left 1 dead, 22 injured Forchion doesn't think he moved quickly enough. "I was 25 feet away from them. I don't know if you've been that close to a gunshot, but the air moves," he said. "I could feel percussion of the shots." It was not the experience Forchion expected when he set out for the annual festival, his fifth in its 12-year history. He appreciates how the event pulls together people from various social strata in the area. Forchion saw this year's festival as an opportunity to distribute flyers for his state Assembly bid. He's running in the 15th district as an Independent. As he was enjoying the art and music inside the red brick warehouse, Forchion said he heard one man arguing with several others. "The guy was saying that other dude disrespected him," recalled Forchion. The man who was most upset, he said, sounded like he had been incarcerated and was disappointed with the other men for not looking after a family member. "He kept saying 'We're family. And you didn't take care of my sister. And now she's lost.'" >> READ MORE: 'Please do not go.' Facebook warned of Trenton shooting The man's tone wasn't particularly nasty, and Forchion didn't expect matters to escalate. He turned his attention to a door at the back of the venue as an event staffer was closing it. A group of teens muscled their way through, he said, causing a stir. Forchion didn't see who shot first. He's not positive whether it came from the group that was having a dispute or the young people rushing the door. Police had been in the crowd of festival-goers, he said, when the first bullets flew. To Forchion's ear, they sounded like they came from a .45-caliber gun. Forchion said a man who ran past him was shot by police. On the video Forchion later captured, the man can be seen lying in the street. "One [cop] went around him and asked him to stay down," said Forchion. "He was just wiggling like he was in pain. He was panicking." Initially, Forchion questioned whether the man who was shot had a weapon, but on his video, he later saw police recover a gun. It is not clear whether that man was one of the suspected gunmen who was the only reported fatality. In all, 17 people were shot; an additional five injured, mostly from falling in the rush to flee. While Forchion said he believes many people were injured by police gunfire, he emphasized that he's not passing judgment on law enforcement's handling of the scene. "It's easy to be a cop-hater and be second-guessing. But I was standing right there," he said. "I don't think it was abusive. I think it was chaotic." Forchion is concerned that the shooting won't receive its due attention in the national conversation. "It gets portrayed as gang members shooting gang members. Drug dealers shooting drug dealers. Black-on-black crime. That's how it's going to be and it's going to die down in two or three days," he said. "This is our Parkland. This is our Columbine. [Black communities] don't have mass shootings in schools. They have them at clubs and gatherings." The activist said he's hoping that young people in town will mobilize, following the example of students from Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Fla. As for him, he's still sorting through what would be the best way forward. "I'm trying to think of something prophetic to say, but I'm at a loss for words," Forchion said. "Senseless. How many times do you hear people say, 'It's senseless'?" N.J. Gov. Murphy visits Galilee Baptist Church in Trenton Sunday to help calm city nerves after the early-morning shooting at the Art All Night festival. With him is Deacon Stacy Fannin. Read more A Trenton neighborhood "turf war" precipitated the shoot-out at an all-night arts festival early Sunday morning and a Facebook post Saturday warned of it, city officials said Sunday. It was not immediately clear if police and organizers of the Art All Night festival had been aware of the post and took any particular precautions. Attendees reported a heavy police presence at the site after midnight and up to the time of the 2:45 a.m. shooting. The event, in its 12th year, usually draws 20,000 or 30,000 people to Trenton. A suspected gunman was killed authorities believe by police and 22 people were injured in the shooting that traumatized New Jersey's state capital and made national headlines. Gov. Murphy visited a local baptist church Sunday morning and shooting victims in the afternoon, hoping to calm a city on edge as law-enforcement investigated the violent outbreak at the historic Roebling Wire Works. "We need to be hugging each other right now," Murphy said departing Galilee Baptist Church. >> READ MORE: Gunmen ID'd in Trenton arts festival shooting that left 1 dead, 22 injured Mayor-elect Reed Gusciora said in an interview at the church that the shooting "appears to be a turf war" between neighborhood gangs. "It's a concern," he said. "We are about to enter the summer and we have to change the mindset of Trenton so that people don't solve things with violence, particularly gun violence." Jerell Blakeley, a just-elected councilman-at-large, said that there had been "rumblings of hostility" at the festival in online comments on Saturday, showing on his phone a Facebook post that said: "Please. Please. Please. Do Not Go to the Art All Night. They will be shooting it up." Gusciora, who takes office with Blakeley in July, also was aware of the social posting as were other officials. >> READ MORE: 'I could feel percussion of the shots,' Trenton festival shooting witness says Mayor Eric Jackson said the shooting appeared to be a "local dispute" that spilled into the art festival, noting that Trenton hadn't previously had a single shooting of this "magnitude." He called the arts festival "a great event" but it might need to tighten security and perhaps change its hours. Officials also called for tighter gun control and more outlets for children and teenagers in the summer. Editors note: The name of Trenton mayor-elect Reed Gusciora was misspelled in earlier versions of this article. MAKINDYE Detained former inspector of police Gen Kale Kayihura has refused to cooperate with the military and police officials interrogating him and hired two lawyers to take over the matter and demand that he is presented before a civil court, PML Daily has learnt. Gen Kayihura was arrested last week from his farm in Kashagama, Lyantonde District, and flown to Kampala and is being questioned over several issues at Makindye Military Barracks. However, sources privy to the investigation has told this website that he has since refused to cooperate with the investigating team, whom he accuses of being biased against him. The interrogation panel is said to comprise Chief of Defence Forces (CDF), Gen David Muhoozi, the Security minister, Gen Elly Tumwine, CMI commander Brig Abel Kandiho, director of Internal Security Organisation (ISO), Frank Kaka Bagyenda, Director for Counterterrorism Abbas Byakagaba and CID Director Grace Akullo. Sources said for the first two days, he was cooperative with the investigative team but when they brought questions implicating him in the death of former police spokesman Andrew Kaweesi and espionage, he is said to have been incensed and refused to cooperate, demanding to meet his lawyers. When contacted to substantiate the claims, army spokesman Brig Richard Karemire refused to divulge details, insisting that Gen Kayihura has a right to his lawyers and that any further statement will be issued formally on the matter when necessary. However, security sources said Gen Kayihura has since hired lawyers of Caleb Alaka and Company Advocates and Kampala Associated Advocates (KAA to defend him, saying his rights to a fair trial are being abused. When contacted on Sunday, Alaka and Elly Karuhanga from KAA confirmed being hired by Gen Kayihura. Alaka added that they expect Kayihura to be presented before the General Court Martial on Monday. However, he said he was not aware of the charges that are expected to be slapped against the former police chief. Sources said Kayihura has protested the manner in which the investigation is being handled and is reported to have told his lawyers that he does not expect a fair trial because some members of the probe team have personal vendettas against him. Sources said earlier, the investigations team managed to extract confessions from some of the officers who are arrested alongside him, linking the former police chief to some crimes such as illegal extradition of refugees, cooperating with a foreign country, high profile murders and robbery. Some of those arrested are Boda Boda 2010 patron Abdullah Kitatta, Senior Commissioner of Police Joel Aguma, Senior Superintendent of Police Nickson Agasirwe, Herbert Muhangi, the former polices Flying Squad Unit commander, former cyber-crime head Richard Ndaboine, and former crime intelligence director Col Ndahura Atwooki. The group, who are said to also be held in Makindye Military Barracks alongside Kayihura, are said to have been hoodwinked by an intelligence operative KAMPALA -President Museveni has said he is exploring ways in which several opposition party members can be arrested and prosecuted for dividing people along sectarian lines during the Rukungiri District Woman MP by-election. The hotly contested election was won by the Forum for Democratic Change (FDC) candidate, Ms Betty Muzanira, who garnered 50,611 votes against her closest contender and NRMs Winfred Matsiko, who polled 46,379. However, Mr Museveni, who is also the ruling NRM party chairperson, said FDC won the by-election because they resorted to dividing people along sectarian lines. The opposition had to box itself in a criminal trap, out of desperation, of incredibly using open and crude sectarianism of religion (Catholics vs Protestants) and tribe (Bakiga vs Bahororo). I am trying to corroborate these stories. If they are true, all those involved will have to be held accountable, he said in statement issued on Saturday. Ahead of last months by-election, the President donated boda-bodas, money, trucks, mini buses and an assortment of machinery worth over Shs5 billion to more that 100 groups. However, he said the opposition must be prosecuted for bringing hooligans to intimidate the voters in Rukungi, and in Jinja; the two constituencies won by the opposition in the by-elections. The opposition should not be allowed to import personnel in the district hooligans and undemocratic leaders who come to intimidate village voters, he said. Each candidate should only be allowed two agents for monitoring. These are the ones to monitor that there were no electoral malpractices. I am told that there is another category of observers. These are supposed to observe but not to intervene; they should, apparently, only report. Yet, the opposition imports hooligans and the undemocratic leaders to intimidate unprotected villagers with impunity. They accommodate these hooligans in hotels or the homes of the opposition local supporters, Mr Museveni said. On the election day, they fan out along the village paths and start intimidating the people going to vote. In Jinja, they were ambushing women coming out of their mizigo with words of intimidation. They even use rape against our supporters when they are going back home, he added. Related NCP rank and file urged to strengthen govt The first Nepal Communist Party standing committee meeting since the merger between CPN-UML and CPN (Maoist Centre) has decided to further strengthen the government. I am at the special Fifth District endorsing convention. It will be called to order in the next few minutes. Erin Golden previews the convention and coming primary contest here in todays Star Tribune. DFL Vice Chair Keith Ellison is the incumbent congressman, but he is contending for the DFL nomination for Minnesota Attorney General. Has any major party candidate ever run for such an office with a record of support for cop killers and cop killer wannabes, as Ellison has throughout his career? Joanne Chesimard a/k/a Assata Shakur is probably the most prominent of his cop killer causes. She is the first woman to make the FBIs Most Wanted list. But I digress. Observing the delegates gather, I can see that the contest for the convention endorsement seems to have come down to state representative Ilhan Omar and state senator Patricia Torres Ray. If I were a betting man, Id bet that its Time for Ilhan, as the title of the new documentary has it. She is the first first-term state legislator ever to achieve international renown. I will update this post with the convention result later this afternoon. We have just received word that a tornado watch is in effect until 9:00 p.m. (Central) tonight. Nothing symbolic about that. UPDATE: The contest at the convention had in fact boiled down to two candidates, Torres and Omar. The convention endorsed Omar on the second ballot. All the candidates proceed to the multicandidate DFL primary on August 14. I dont understand the DFL, but Im pretty sure that Omar has to be considered the strong favorite to emerge as their candidate for Congress in this strongly Democratic district. A few days ago, the Washington D.C. police fatally shot 22-year-old Marqueese Alston. According to the police department, Alston fired on officers who chased him into an alley. The department has produced a photo of the gun they say Alston used. The officers who chased Alston reportedly had their body cameras on, but as far as I know the footage has not been publicly released. Thus, we cannot say for sure that the officers version of events is accurate. However, there is no reason at this point to assume it is not. Alston had been released from prison in March after serving 30 months for robbing a man of his car at gunpoint. At the time he was killed, Alston was on supervised release. He was barred from possessing a gun and from leaving the District, and was wearing a GPS bracelet so the Court Services & Offender Supervision Agency could keep track of his movements. The shooting of Alston raises at least two noteworthy points. First, it confirms the futility of early, supervised release from prison. GPS bracelet or not, Alston was free to hang out in the crime infested area where he encountered, and fled from, the police. Prohibition on possessing a gun or not, he was, from all that appears, in possession of one. Second, Alstons sentence was ridiculously low. Carjacking at gun point netted him only 30 months of jail time. A properly functioning criminal justice system would have locked him for at least three times that long. If our system had, Alston would still be alive. How did Alston get such a light sentence? He pleaded guilty to a reduced charge of robbery and one count of illegal possession of a handgun. This is typical, and it undercuts complaints from the leniency crowd that, as a general matter, criminal sentences are too long. If anything, they are usually too short. Alston then received a low end sentence for the offenses he pleaded guilty to, thanks to something called the Youth Rehabilitation Act. This despite the fact that the carjacking occurred in context Alston selling drugs. The Youth Rehabilitation Act resulted in sentencing reduction, but no rehabilitation. Only recidivism. Expect the same thing if Congress is foolish enough to pass, and President Trump to sign, the FIRST STEP legislation being pushed by Van Jones and Jared Kushner. Alston tried to serve even less than 30 months. He wrote to the sentencing judge asking for early release so he could take care of his fiance and newborn daughter. The judge was unmoved. However, one can imagine a different judge letting Alston out early. Letting felons out of jail so they can be a presence in their childrens lives has become a fashionable argument for leniency. But thugs are unlikely to be a positive presence even in the lives of their children, and their presence on the street is obviously a big negative in terms of public safety. Promoting public safety has always been an important purpose of the criminal justice system. Permitting felons to be with their children never has been and never should be. Marqueese Alstons experience is a typical tale not his death but his apparent prompt return to criminality. The recidivism statistics tell us so. Team Leniencys narrative to the contrary is a dangerous fantasy. Nepal Army shortlists six firms to prepare DPR Nepal Army, the government appointed developer of the Kathmandu-Tarai Expressway, has shortlisted six firms interested in preparing the detailed project report (DPR) of the road. The six companies shortlisted by the Army on Friday are: AF-Consult of Switzerland, JV of Yooshin and Pyunghwa of Korea, Louis Berger Consulting of India, Meinhard Limited and Soosung Engineering Co of China and SMEC International of Japan. If you were looking for the Charlestown Democratic Town Committee website and ended up here, try this Got news tips, gossip, suggestions, complaints?E-mail us: progressivecharlestown@gmail.com We strive to avoid errors in our articles. Our correction policy can be found here The CPCP credential is awarded to P-Card professionals who have demonstrated experience and understanding of the body of knowledge necessary to administer a Purchasing Card program. Sixteen Commercial Card and Payments professionals received the Certified Purchasing Card Professional (CPCP) credential, after taking the exam in April at the 19th Annual NAPCP Commercial Card and Payment Conference in San Diego, California. These individuals hail from 11 U.S. states, and Canada, and represent the highest standards in the Commercial Card and Payment industry. Becky Alexander Newnan, GA Anne Brown Lakewood, CO Estela Castillo Whittier, CA Yvonne Dean Bristow, VA Tommy Fernandez New York, NY Debra Ganley Fairbanks, AK Janice Gentry Knoxville, TN Avril Henry Calgary, AB Canada Kim Hufstetler Dalton, GA Melissa Inmon Starkville, MS Rebecca Krystopa Snellville, GA Regina Miller Bangor, ME Kevan Peterson Los Angeles, CA Barbara Puls Essex Junction, VT Terry Suggs-Zimmat Lakewood, CO Natieka Washington Houston, TX The CPCP credential is a milestone for Commercial Card and Payment professionals who take ownership of their careers, providing a basis for continued personal and professional growth. It provides documented evidence to a current or potential employer that the individual has been examined by an independent certifying organization and found to possess a mastery of the body of knowledge in the specialized field of Purchasing Cards. Pursuing the credential allows professionals to leverage knowledge and experience into career advancement and improve value to an employer. The CPCP credential also provides a standard of experience and knowledge requisite for certification, thereby assisting employers, the public, and members of the Purchasing Card profession in the assessment of Purchasing Card professionals. Five scholarships are offered to Commercial Card and Payment end-users by the NAPCP and TD Bank. The scholarship demonstrates TD Bank's commitment to advancing the careers of industry participants. The deadline to apply for the scholarship is June 30, 2018. The NAPCP is a membership-based professional association committed to advancing Commercial Card and Payment professionals and industry practices worldwide. Serving a community of more than 20,000, the NAPCP is a respected voice in the industry and an impartial resource for members at all experience levels in the public and private sectors. The NAPCP provides unmatched opportunities for continuing education and peer networking through its conferences, Regional Forums, webinars, website, virtual demonstrations, newsletters and regular communication. The association sponsors research and publishes timely and relevant white papers, survey results and other documents. Digital Video Instructor Ron Wojnar teaches students on how to operate the camera. One of the quickest ways for nonprofit organizations to pull at the heartstrings of potential donors is by showing who they are and what they do for the community through videos. However, most small- to medium-size nonprofits may not have a budget for a high-production video that can cost several thousands of dollars. To fill that void, Northwest Vista College in San Antonio provides free videos to local nonprofits in exchange for hands-on production experience for students. According to faculty at Northwest Vista College, the Digital Video & Cinema Production program has saved local organizations close to a half million dollars in video production fees. Nonprofit video views are on the rise with 670 million views generated in 2014, according to Visible Measures. The organization reports an 857 percent increase in nonprofit video views in just six years from 2009 to 2014. Additionally, four times as many customers would rather watch a video about a product than read about it, according to HubSpot.com Thomas M. Taylor, coordinator of Digital Video & Cinema Production (DVCP) program at Northwest Vista College, said once word spread about the professional quality of the student video projects, response from the community has at times been overwhelming. To date, Taylor said, students have completed more than 100 video projects in the 15-year span since the practice has been in existence. Completed videos range in length from three to five minutes. Taylor estimates that each of these videos, if done by a small or medium-market production agency, would cost anywhere from $5,000 to $10,000. Taylor said the college gets anywhere from 12 to 15 requests per semester from nonprofit organizations seeking videos and can only fulfill half of them. "The remarkable take away from the program is the experience the students gain in working and collaborating with clients outside of the classroom on story development from initial treatment, storyboard and script to final production," Taylor added. "In most cases, these nonprofit agencies are able to immediately use the videos in marketing their programs." The value of the program was recognized two years ago as a "Best Practice" among its sister colleges when Northwest Vista College president Dr. Ric Baser spoke about it to the Alamo Colleges District board of trustees. The Alamo College District includes Northwest Vista College, San Antonio College, St. Philip's College, Northeast Lakeview and Palo Alto College. Many of the nonprofits who have used the DVCP program to make its videos have seen the immediate impact. San Antonio-based Daisy Cares emailed their student-made video to its donor database and soon after received donations. The organization's mission is to help people care for animals by way of pet food, veterinary care, and animal welfare education programs. Maria Alvarado of Daisy Cares said her organization benefits from having the student video which can be shown during special events. "The video helps to clarify our message, and how our partnership with the San Antonio Food Bank benefits pets," said Alvarado. "Before that, we had a lot of individuals who didn't know how Daisy Cares works and the video helps to tie in the partnership with the San Antonio Food Bank really well. The Food Bank distributes the dog food on our behalf, which is a partnership we started nine years ago." Another nonprofit, San Antonio Threads, has a mission to provide a safe and nurturing shopping experience for teens in the San Antonio area. Teens can shop for free, twice a year, selecting clothing, shoes, essentials and toiletries. Cathy Hamilton, CEO of San Antonio Threads, said having a video is important for a nonprofit organization that tries to spread the news about the work they do. "The expense of a video is out of our budget and for students to choose our nonprofit and share our message is great," she said. "When you can tell your story in video, that's huge, and helps to make an impact." To learn more about Northwest Vista College's Digital Video & Cinema Production program, go to http://www.alamo.edu/nvc/academics/departments/digital-video John and Mark Johns Crazy Socks is truly a business born out of love between a father and son. Google celebrated Fathers Day by releasing a video about Johns Crazy Socks, a father-son business. John Cronin, a young man with Down syndrome, wanted to sell crazy socks because they let me be me and he wanted to go into business with his Dad. Johns Crazy Socks is truly a business born out of love between a father and son. Google published a blog article and a video about the relationship between the two and their business. The internet search giant also put a link on the Google Home page reading: Happy Fathers Day! Check out how a father-son business turned crazy socks into hope. John and his father Mark X. Cronin opened their online store in December 2016 with a mission to spread happiness. They have built the business on four pillars: Inspiration and Hope Giving Back Socks You Can Love Making It Personal John says, We want to show what is possible when you give someone a chance. The business has created 35 jobs with 16 held by people with differing abilities. They have raised $130,000 for charity partners through their Giving Back Program. Their store features over 1,900 different socks, a Sock of the Month Club and many gift boxes and gift bags. Each package gets a thank you note from John and some candy. In their first year and a half of business, Johns Crazy Socks has shipped over 107,000 orders to every state and 44 different countries and earned $4 million in revenue. Mark says, We hire people based on what they can do, not what they cannot do. We show that people with differing abilities are ready, willing and able to work. People with differing abilities can not only continuable to a business, but make it a success. About Johns Crazy Socks Johns Crazy Socks was co-founded by the father and son team of Mark and John Cronin. John says, we have a mission to spread happiness. They opened their online store on December 9, 2016 and have managed to grow the company rapidly. Mark X. Cronin says, We offer over 1,900 different socks that people can love: beautiful, colorful, fun and crazy socks that let people express their passions and personalities. We deliver the socks through fast and personal service and every package includes some candy and a thank you note from John. Giving back is important at Johns Crazy Socks so the company donates five percent of earnings to the Special Olympics and raises money for its charity partners through Awareness and Charity Socks. Johns Crazy Socks has garnered media attention from the BBC, Fox Business News, ABC News, Money Magazine, The Mighty and Fox-5NY among other media outlets. To learn more about Johns Crazy Socks, please visit our website or Facebook page. You can also contact us at service@johnscrazysocks.com or call 631-760-5625 Welcome Guest! You Are Here: Nepal to get 4 new air gateways India has agreed to open four new air entry points to Nepal in the eastern and western parts of the country to facilitate movement of international traffic, but two vital entry points are still on hold. The incident has sent shivers down the spine of residents as police warn hunters in the area to stay away from the Oku Game and Wildlife Reserve which is five kilometres deep into the Kogyai Forest to avert a recurrence. The family of the deceased say they had no idea the deceased had entered the restricted wildlife reserve. Four days after his disappearance, they reported to the police and a search was mounted. Few hours after the search parties have gone to work, Mr Akwasi Onyamos almost decomposed body was found about five kilometres deep into the reserve. According to the police, the deceaseds gun was found a few metres from where his body was found with seven spent shells. The body of the buffalo was also lying some metres away. DSP Charles Atuah, Nsuta District Police Commander, told Joy News Erastus Asare Donkor that there are signs the deceased fired several times at the animal. A look at the disturbed number of trees in the Reserve, it was clear to see that there was a lot of struggle between the deceased and the buffalo. READ ALSO: undefined The animal violently stepped on the deceased after he shot it, he said. The police said they are surprised the man went that far because that area is restricted and not open to hunting or picking firewood. What happened should be a wakeup call to those who have been straying into the Reserve as offenders will face the law, he said. Over 100 buffalos besides other wild animals are said to be living in the Oku Wildlife Reserve, which is might be the reason hunters like Kojo Sika Nti are motivated to go hunting there. He told the reporter that despite the death and current ban, they will still steal shots at the animals there. I dont go there anyway, save something like this happens to me, he said. Saturday PUNCH learnt that Bello had been subjecting the girl to assaults since January 2018 when she was brought from Benue State, where her parents live. The suspect reportedly relocated Paulina to Lagos with a promise that she would enrol her in a school, which she never did. READ ALSO: undefined Our correspondent learnt that the abuse of the girl reached its height sometime in May 2018 when the little girl damaged the knob while she was fetching water for the woman, who had gone to work that day. It was learnt that Bello met Paulina ironing clothes when she returned from work. Entreaties by neighbours that the girl should be forgiven for the offence fell on deaf ears as she allegedly snatched the iron from her and slammed it on her lap. Bello reportedly left the girl in pains without providing treatment for the wound. The girl was walking along the street one day when a resident sighted the injury and beckoned at her. Paulina was said to have confided her plight in the resident, who reported the assault to a human rights group, Esther Child Rights Foundation. The resident, who spoke on condition of anonymity, told Saturday PUNCH that the foundation subsequently reported the case at the Gowon Estate Police Station and the mother of two was arrested. Recently, the woman instructed her to fetch water from the tap. Unfortunately, she damaged the knob of the tap in the process and was scared to tell her boss knowing that she would be seriously dealt with. When the woman returned from work, neighbours begged her to pardon the girl. On getting inside, she met the girl ironing clothes. She collected the iron from her and placed it on her lap. A source said 37-year-old Bello told the police that Paulina fell on the ground and sustained the injury, but the girl refuted the claim, insisting that her boss slammed the hot iron on her. The Lagos State Police Public Relations Officer, CSP Chike Oti, confirmed the incident, adding that the woman had been arraigned. He said, The suspect is a nurse. She has two kids and the victim, a 10-year-old girl lived with her. He had earlier in a June 4th speech accused her of bleaching after she knelt and pleaded with him to forgive members of the NDC for disrespecting him. In a viral movie, the ex-president is heard saying the apology was pre-planned. He said, "...she is a crook. She's lucky I don't talk about her. What she did was pre-planned. "Yeah, the woman on the stage, June 4, when she went on her knees. READ MORE: Rawlings to mark 39th June 4 anniversary at Madina READ MORE: NDC MPs deny grabbing Ghana Card The NIA in a swift response said: The National Identification Authority (NIA) has noticed with profound regret pictures circulating on social media purporting to be photos of Ghana Cards issued to some Minority Members of Parliament by NIA, following their alleged secret registration for the cards. NIA has no evidence of having registered any Minority MP, adding that: NIA has not issued a Ghana Card to any Minority MP. The fake Ghana cards published on Facebook included that of the minority chief whip and MP for Asawase, Mutaka Mubarak, Kwabena Mintah Akando, MP for Juaboso and Isaac Adonko, MP for Bawku Central. In separate statements, the MPs have denied registering for the Ghana Card. Kwabena Mintah Akando reacted: "I have not registered and will not register until voter ID is accepted as a valid document for registration. That is the only means by which majority of my constituents can be registered. On the said Date (13/06/18) I was on Utv opposing same. Again I never went anywhere close to the registration center at parliament on the said date" Hon. Isaac Adongo wrote: "Fraud. I wasn't born in 1974. The dress in the picture is what wore last year to register as a new mp before I was sworn In." Muntaka said: "People who do not have shame will descend to this kind unlawful thing. The sad thing is that the way it is trending, you dont know where it started for you to hold the person accountable. It would have been helpful if any of them could be courageous to say I saw it and I posted so that we can sue that person for defamation. Below is the statement: The National Identification Authority (NIA) has noticed with profound regret pictures circulating on social media purporting to be photos of Ghana Cards issued to some Minority Members of Parliament by NIA, following their alleged secret registration for the cards. The NIA wishes to put the following facts on record for the attention of the general public: 1. NIA has no evidence of having registered any Minority MP; 2. NIA has not issued a Ghana Card to any Minority MP; 3. NIA has no evidentiary basis to consider that it issued the purported Ghana Cards; 4. Neither the A.g Executive Secretary nor any NIA authorised Registration Official has anything to do with the creation and circulation of the said pictures which can only be photoshoped. 5. The purported Personal Identification Numbers on the cards fall completely outside the unique numbering system and scope of NIA. 6. The pictures on the cards also dont conform to NIA picture requirements. 7. NIA is acutely mindful of its obligations to respect and protect the integrity of all personal data entrusted into its care by the citizenry. Effectively ensuring all-round compliance with data protection laws and policies will remain a core concern of NIA; and 8. NIA is a creature of statute and is determined to obey the existing laws of the Republic of Ghana in implementing the National Identification System Project. It has no need to, and will never resort to any unfair, devious and illegal methods of persuasion in its bid to get all Ghanaians to register for the Ghana Card to ensure social and economic inclusion. The Authority therefore states emphatically that the said CARDS ARE FAKE and should be disregarded. The security, confidentiality and protection of all data in our custody therefore remains assured. While this statement is meant to deny the Authoritys knowledge, involvement or connection with the fake cards, the Authority will soon issue a comprehensive statement covering the technical and operational processes involved in the issuance of the Ghana Card. Following the suicide bombings, the jihadists fired rocket-propelled grenades into the crowds that had gathered at the scene of the attacks, driving the number of casualties higher. "There were two suicide attacks and rocket-propelled grenade explosions in Damboa last night which killed 31 people and left several others injured," said militia leader Babakura Kolo. Two suicide bombers detonated their explosives in Shuwari and nearby Abachari neighbourhoods in the town around 10:45 pm (2145GMT), killing six residents, said Kolo, speaking from the state capital Maiduguri, which is 88 kilometres from the town. "No one needs to be told this is the work of Boko Haram," Kolo said. A local government official, who spoke on the condition of anonymity, confirmed the death toll. "The latest death toll is now 31 but it may increase because many among the injured may not survive," said the official. "Most of the casualties were from the rocket projectiles fired from outside the town minutes after two suicide bomber attacked," he said. The jihadist group has deployed suicide bombers, many of them young girls, in mosques, markets and camps housing people displaced by the nine-year insurgency which has devastated Nigeria's northeast. On May 1 at least 86 people were killed in twin suicide blasts targeting a mosque and a nearby market in the town of Mubi in neighbouring Adamawa state. Nigerian President Muhammadu Buhari came into power in 2015 vowing to stamp out Boko Haram but the jihadists continue to stage frequent attacks, targeting both civilians and security forces. I was starting an MBA that I hoped would catapult my career to the next level, but it came at a sacrifice. As I built my career in the UK, I missed birthdays and weddings, graduations and funerals. Coming home just once a year, it was easy to miss out on special occasions, so sending small amounts of money became one of the central ways to stay involved in the life of my family and friends. Even as a student, I began sending small sums like 100 for special occasions, but nearly 10% of that money went to fees. After landing a job in London following my graduation, I began to send more money to invest in a farm just outside Nairobi. These experiences are by no means unique to me they are shared by over 3 million Kenyans in the diaspora who send staggering amounts of money home each year. Family support People in the diaspora often share similar stories about their motivations to move abroad, with creating opportunities for their children and providing support for family at home nearing the top of the list. International Day of Family Remittances, celebrated on June 16, recognizes the significant financial contributions of workers, living and working away from home. In 2018, Kenyans in the diaspora deserve to be celebrated more than ever. A decade ago, Kenyans abroad sent home $645 million. Today, the World Bank now estimates that Kenya receives nearly $2 billion in remittances annually a nearly 200% increase in ten years. We are currently the 4th largest remittance recipient in Africa and, according to the Central Bank of Kenya, diaspora remittances have overtaken revenue from tea, coffee, and tourism as the top foreign exchange earner. Local agents Living in Southwest London ten years ago, I struggled to find local agents where I could send money home to Kenya. Instead, I spent many a lunch break rushing to the ATM before joining a long queue alongside Kenyans and Nigerians, Indians and Filipinos also hoping to send money home. When I sent money to my parents in Nairobi, they, in turn, had to brave the traffic to find an agent or bank branch to pick up the funds. Sending money to my grandmother, who lives in a rural village outside Eldoret, was even more complex affair. As an elderly woman without a car, she had to hitch a ride to the nearest town to pick up the money. But if it was tough for those picking up the funds, for those sending the pain of seeing money disappear into fees was also acute: sending $500 per month over a decade would rack up over $1300 in fees or almost a full year of tuition at the University of Nairobi. M-Pesa However, today, contributions from the diaspora are increasing not only because there are greater numbers of Kenyans abroad, but also because digital tools are improving the way people are sending and receiving payments. Mobile money has played a huge role in that story. Since M-Pesa first launched in 2008, over 36 million mobile money accounts are now registered across the country, making Kenya the pioneer in digital payments not just on the African continent but globally. It also makes us the leader in mobile-based remittances. Today, transfers to mobile are growing by 52% annually. Even when mobile money cash-out fees are considered, sending money by services like M-Pesa or Airtel Money, for example, is still 21 per cent cheaper on average to send $200 than with traditional remittances channels, and 36 per cent cheaper to send $50. In short, the digital revolution means the money being sent home goes further, and there is more available invest in the things that make a difference to families across Kenya whether it be school fees or entrepreneurial ventures. Diaspora remittances What is clear too, is that our countrys success is down the harambee spirit not just in Kenya, but also those living abroad too. As Kenya attempts to grow its GDP 10 percentage points by 2030, diaspora remittances will no doubt help us reach that ambitious goal. Remittances can cover the cost of school fees of Kenyas future engineers and doctors or purchase farmland to help support our budding avocado industry. Now, having returned home, I see firsthand the ways that little sums of money can make a big difference. Our countrys reputation as the economic engine of East Africa is due to the hard work of those at home, but is also directly linked to the role that Kenyans abroad play in proudly giving back to their country and their families. ALSO READ: Popular Nollywood actor passes away Writing a tribute to his late colleague, Duker wrote, He was among the few people I spent time with on Thursday, 14th at the Zafaa Global Awards media unveiling before my car was burgled and my laptop amongst other valuable carted away. He was just so engaging and entertaining that afternoon. I was with my wife and when I told her Chukwudi Bambino Anachina died today. She screamed, no. He wasnt looking sick. Bambino was a very committed and devoted actor, production manager and highly enterprising creative entrepreneur. Humble, respectful and hardworking. I will never forget his role at all the wake keeps/night of tributes organised for departed colleagues. Chukwudi was a very instrumental participant who ran the events and showed so much passion to give a befitting respect to those departed colleagues. Now Nollywood will mourn you. Sad and painful exit because you didnt show any sign you will leave so soon. Anachina's cause of death is yet to be ascertained as of the time of the report. May his soul rest in peace. Nelson Gold slumps, dies days after 26th birthday Ezeora Nelson Oluchukwu aka Nelson Gold is reported to have slumped and died barely10 days after celebrating his 26th birthday. Instablog9ja reports that the late Gold who was a graduate of the University of Nigeria, Nsukka, reportedly slumped at a movie location in Enugu State. ALSO READ: 10 Nollywood actors who died in 2017 According to the reports, Gold was rushed to the hospital shortly after the incident occurred but slipped into a coma. PM tells ruling party lawmakers not to criticise central budget Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli has directed lawmakers of the ruling Nepal Communist Party (NCP) not to criticise the budget during discussions at Parliament, claiming that the countrys coffers was not strong enough. According to The Guardian, Ogunye is suing the Canadian government to the tune of $10m in compensation, after he was held in detention for eight months. ALSO READ: Kenyan lawyer sues Israel over Jesus' crucifixion The reports revealed that Ogunye was approached by border agents and detained his home in Toronto in June 2016, even after he had produced citizenship papers and a government-issued health card. According to the reports, the validity of Ogunye's documents was disputed by the agents, which led to his detention at a facility close to Toronto Pearson airport. The agents took his fingerprints and alleged that his prints matched those of a fraudulent refugee claimant who was reportedly deported to Nigeria in the 1990s. Ogunye's lawyer, Adam Hummel said, It is shocking. Even people who are having their citizenship revoked are not detained like this. According to Hummel, the results of the fingerprint analysis which was never shown to his client were reportedly contradicted by numerous sworn affidavits from friends and neighbours who have known Ogunye for years. Hummel and his client have charged the government with breach of Ogunyes constitutional rights; The case was filed in Ontario superior court on May 30, 2018. ALSO READ: Kenyan Lawyer Sues Israel Over Jesus' Death Ogunye who was reportedly immigrated to Canada from Nigeria with his family and became a Canadian citizen in 1996, was prevented from contacting his family members during the course of the detention. He was said to have been placed on suicide watch due to the trauma of his detention. Speaking with CBC, Ogunye said, One time, for the whole month, I was crying nonstop. I was crying continuously." The dead man, whose name was given simply as Ibrahim, was said to have met his fate on June 15 during a cult clash. The Spokesman of the Nasarawa State Police Command, ASP. Samaila Usman, confirmed the development in an interview with a NAN correspondent on Sunday in Lafia. Usman explained that two young men were earlier brought to the Masaka Police Station at about 11:30 p.m. on June 13 with various degrees of injuries. He said that investigations revealed that the injuries were sustained during a cult clash at Angwan Jaba community in Masaka. Usman said that on June 15, the command received information that rival cults had mobilised again for reprisal attack at Angwan Tiv village in Masaka during which Ibrahim was killed. A combined team of police officers were immediately dispatched to the area to bring the situation under control. But our men met stiff resistance from the cult members, numbering about 50. We were, however, able to disperse them while five of them were arrested at the scene and 24 others arrested later at different locations in the area. Usman said that one Hassan later reported at the Masaka Police Station that his cousin, named Ibrahim was macheted to death at Angwan Tiv. So, the police immediately mobilised to the place and collected the corpse but the parents refused us taking the corpse to the mortuary. The spokesman pleaded with members of the public to assist the police with useful information that would help to check the menace of cultism and other criminal activities in the Masaka area. There are concentrations of organised cult groups in Angwa Tiv and Angwa Jaba in Karu but we are on top of the situation. According to Punch, the air strike which lasted for many hours, hit areas like: Katsina-Ala, Zaki Biam and Wukari Road. A source who spoke on the incident, alleged that it was a reprisal mission, following an attack on the Nigerian Army Engineering Corps Commander, Maj Gen John Malu by hoodlums in his hometown in Katsina-Ala LGA of Benue State. Gbise, Ayaka and other nearby villages in Katsina-Ala were on Saturday bombarded by the air force. These are reprisal attacks by the military to clear the hoodlums who attacked Maj Gen Malu when he was home last week. There were mortars, artillery pieces, assault rifles and aerial bombardments, the source said. Air force confirms strikes The Air force spokesman, Air Vice Marshal Olatokunbo Adesanya, confirmed the air strikes to Punch. Adesanya however said that he could not disclose the details of the operation, as it is ongoing. His words: It is true that the NAF aircrafts are involved in an operation together with other security services in Katsina-Ala. But the operation is still ongoing and I cannot disclose further details. Other military sources who spoke under condition of anonymity said that the operation could last till Sunday, June 17, 2018. Dokubo made this known while fielding questions during the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) forum in Abuja. He said the office was waiting for the declaration of the president to admit more people into the programme because they were all from the Niger Delta. Dokubo also allayed the fears in some quarters that the amnesty programme would be terminated, saying that there was no date for the termination of the programme. For those who want to come anew into the programme, it is not in my power to admit them unless Mr President gives the order because they are not part of the budget that has been passed for us. So the President must make a declaration. We have phases one, two and three. Phase one is the initial Presidential declaration, phase two also was Presidential order and even phase three. These new people need the support of this amnesty programme and we will do all it takes that they are not the forgotten ones and they are part of the programme. There is no date for terminating this programme and I will not advise any government to cut it off because of the achievements it has recorded. There is peace in the Niger Delta, there is human security and it impacts positively on the people. Commenting on the policy of sending beneficiaries abroad to study courses that were available in NIgerian instructions, the Coordinator said he would curtail it because of budgetary constraints. According to him, a lot of people that were sent abroad were on faulty premises; how can you send somebody to the US to read political science when most universities in Nigeria offer political science. That is why I am concerned about offshore training because the money we will spend on one person, we can spend on 10 people in Nigeria; only specific courses like pilots, aircraft maintenance that I can look at. Speaking on the Federal Governments plan to build modular refineries, Dokubo was of the opinion that as long as it would benefit the people and not endanger their health, it was a welcome development. According to him, if the government deems it fit that it is good, my concerns are just about the environment and the pollution it creates. If modular refineries are the new path to empower my people and it will not endanger their health later and where the government will spend a lot of money training them again, I will say welcome. Speaking on the agitators laid off from the amnesty office, he said those who were laid off were either not qualified or failed the examination. According to the minister, the innovative measures that the current administration has put in place are paying off. Mohammed said this while delivering the keynote address at the 2018 Africa Together Conference at the University of Cambridge in the UK. He also said Buharis administration has changed the business environment in Nigeria, adding that the government has also improved infrastructure in the country. In my country, school enrolment is a challenge we face. And one of the main culprits is malnutrition. The government has stepped in: 8.2 million are being fed daily free meals in 45,000 schools. Not only does this increase attendance and provide children with a in some case only nutritious meal a day, it enhances learning efficacy in class and boosts cognitive development over the long term, he added. N-Power Highlighting the achievements of the N-Power initiative, Mohammed said the programme has helped to address the shortage of labour in the country. According to him, the initiative has provided medium and small businesses with loans as well as vocational training for graduates. The minister also said that the government does conditional cash transfers to the most vulnerable members of the society, Tribune reports. Much of our programme has honed-in on business reform. Nigeria has moved up 24 places on the World Bank Ranking of Ease of Doing Business index putting it amongst the top 10 global reformers, along with Zambia, Malawi and Djibouti. The two areas we have prioritised are starting a business and access to credit. In Nigeria, registering a business used to take months. Now it takes 24-48 hours. Unwrapping the bureaucracy and streamlining processes encourage an uptick in new official enterprises. "We have introduced online registration, with features such as the electronic stamping of documents. And to ensure this brings with it the maximum benefit, Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises clinics have been deployed across a variety of states to provide regulators with a contact point with informal business and budding entrepreneurs to clarify any issues, he said. Power supply Lai Mohammed listed power supplyand transportation are the major challenges businesses face in Nigeria, adding that measures have been put in place to tackle the challenges. For instance, Nigeria earmarks 30% of its annual national budgets for capital expenditure. That means 2.7 trillion Naira has gone towards our infrastructure in the last 2 years -unprecedented in our history. Power generation has climbed to 7000MW (from just over 2500MW), to which we hope to add another 2000MW by the end of the year. We have also laid down thousands of kilometres of road. Also, the Government has now signed a concession agreement with an International Consortium led by General Electric. This will breathe new life into the tracks, increasing capacity and speed. Not only will this allow for goods and services to be moved around cost-effectively, it will allow the prosperity of the nation to be more equitably spread through increased connectivity, he added. Meanwhile, the former spokesman of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Timi Frank, in an open letter, said that Nigerians are regrettingthat they voted the party into power. According to Daily Post, Frank said this in an open letter to the President with title: June 12 and the Burden of good governance. Violation of social rights According to the former spokesman, violation of social rights are prevalent in Buharis administration. Frank also said that the ills are not the values that late Chief MKO Abiolastood for. A country where the RULE OF LAW, FREEDOM OF SPEECH AND ASSOCIATION, UPHOLDING THE RIGHTS OF EVERY CITIZEN AND ABOVE ALL RESPECT FOR FUNDAMENTAL HUMAN RIGHTS was and is the very pillar upon which Chief MKO ABIOLA and several others paid the ultimate price with their lives. Anything short of this will amount to MILITOCRACY or DICTATORSHIP as it were. The lack of adherence to these social rights, I must admit, are very prevalent in this administration and seems to be growing larger by the day. These ills are reminiscent of and a sad reminder of the Junta days, with many regretting their actions of voting the APC into power. It will be pertinent, Mr. President sir, to proceed on a personal fact finding mission to the Nigerian streets, irrespective of bias, to find out the true reflections and opinions of Nigerians toward your administration, he said. Values fast eroding The former spokesman of the ruling party also said that the ideals of the Change mantra that brought the President into power are fast eroding. According to him, if nothing is done to salvage the situation, the hope and aspirations of many Nigerians will die. The CHANGE mantra upon which this administration was voted into power massively by Nigerians, irrespective of ethnic, religious and social affiliations, is fast eroding away and Im afraid, sir, that if nothing is done to Right the Wrong, then the Hopes and Aspirations which had ushered in a brighter tomorrow will end up in Regret and Despair. That I have decided to speak up against the current ills in the system attest to the fact that, it is only when people speak up that True Change will eventually occur. The resilience and belief in the June 12 Struggle attest to the fact that those who fought for democracy in Nigeria believed in the truest meaning of democracy in all its ramifications, he added. Timi Frank has consistently criticised the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) and its chairman, John Oyegun. According to Premium Times, Kalu said Obasanjo was travelling around the world for three years when he became President in 1999. The former Governor said this on Saturday, June 16, 2018, in Jigawa state while rallying support for President Buharis re-election. People seem to have forgotten when former President Obasanjo was literally absent for about three years traveling all over the world when he was president and then nobody told him not seek re-election. He does not have the moral right to decide for Nigerians who becomes president. When he was president no one wrote letters advising him against seeking for re election, he said. Kalu also called on residents of Jigawa state to vote for Governor Muhammed Badaru. ALSO READ:7 horrible things Orji Kalu said about Obasanjo The former Governor also told Badaru that he was in Jigawa to talk to Nigerians to vote for Buhari. Accordign to him, his vote will go for Buhari alone. Although Alhaji Sule Lamido happens to be my long time political friend and an aspirant for Nigerias president in the PDP, I told him I wont vote for him against President Muhammadu Buhari, he added. According to Daily Post, Fayoses spokesman, Lere Olayinka said the Governor will never move to APC. He also called on Nigerians to disregard such reports, describing them as lies being circulated by the ruling party. The Governor, in a statement signed by Olayinka, said The statement was part of the many lies being circulated by the Ekiti APC and its unsellable governorship candidate, Dr. Kayode Fayemi, obviously to suppress reports of his rejection by Ekiti people. Even when APC was still basking in the euphoria of its electoral success of 2015, Governor Fayose made it abundantly clear then that he will never have anything to do with the party, not to talk about now that the party is nearing its political grave. As we approach the July 14 governorship election, it is expected that several lies will be told by the APC and its sinking candidate to confuse the unsuspecting members of the public. ALSO READ:Fayose says Fayemi brought bloodshed to Ekiti Therefore, members of the public are urged to disregard any statement not attributed to me or the Chief Press Secretary to the governor, Idowu Adelusi. Most importantly, Governor Fayoses comments on issues (both national and State) are always on his Twitter Handle @GovAyoFayose. Any statement credited to Governor Fayose and cannot be found either on his Twitter Handle or my Facebook Timelines and Twitter Handle should be DISREGARDED. According to Sunday Nation, the DP is focused on messaging and has recently splashed millions in the media, acquiring stake in a local media house that publishes a daily newspaper. He has also acquired several vernacular radio stations and a television station is in the offing to ensure that his message reaches all corners of the country. At the center of his strategy is a financial war-chest to sponsor an elaborate campaign. That the DP is a man of able means is not in doubt. The DPs camp is also keen on having a foothold in all counties and has gone ahead to court county chiefs as a fall-back plan should the populous Mount Kenya region fail to support his bid. His camp has also taken advantage to ensure that opposition leader Raila Odinga and Hassan Joho who has expressed interest in the 2022 race are left isolated. To this end, a charm offensive launched by the DP's camp has seen vocal leaders ditch Odinga and Joho in favour of the DP. His latest conquest is the Coast region where his erstwhile political rivals Kilifi governor Amason Kingi and Malindi MP Aisha Jumwa have warmed up to him. In areas where he cannot secure support, a cunning strategy of planting and supporting his allies in pole positions to elbow out those perceived to be a threat to his bid or toning down the competition. Case in point is last week when his ally Kipchumba Murkomen and Kimani Ichungwa attended a church service in Nyeri town, with a clear indication that Mr. David Maina is the chosen point-man to elbow out area MP Ngunjiri Wambugu who has been a vocal critic of the DP. In his Rift Valley home-turf, the DPs camp is keen on extinguishing KANU. To this end, concerted efforts were made to ensure that KANUs candidate in last years Baringo South parliamentary contest Mr Charles Kamuren defected to Jubilee, leaving the party with no candidate to field in the by election and eventually pulling out of the race. Despite frequent calls to shelve politics and focus on development, the DP appears keen on an early start and has been traversing the country with politics featuring prominently. Purpose-built for your world. The tagline for Stoney Creek could not be any truer. Owner Brent McConnell recently had a customer bring in a 14-year-old jacket that was still doing what it was made for. He told RadioLIVE's Rural Exchange at the National Fieldays that what puts Stoney Creek clothing above other high-end brands on the market is the quality assurance of its durability. "We understand what the product's being used for. We want to build it so it's a better experience for everyone using it. The Waikatos a great place to look at how the weather changes but it does that right through New Zealand. Were all about building purpose built products that maximise experience when youre working, Mr McConnell told RadioLIVE. Mr McConnell owns and operates Stoney Creek alongside his wife, Juanita, and says the company is run by farmers for farmers. We control the whole line; from design, and right through the whole production process. Were using some pretty slick technology, he said. So its definitely way better for us. Watch the full interview with Brent McConnell above. Rural Exchange with Hamish McKay, Sarah Perriam and Richard Loe, 5-7am Saturday and Sunday on RadioLIVE with Carters Tyre Service. Click here for all the ways to watch and listen. RadioLIVE. Police start community security drive Nepal Police on Saturday launched a campaign called Tole-Tole Ma Prahari (Police Patrols in local areas) with the objective of involving citizens to create safe and secure societies. New Zealand tech startup Halter has announced an $8m capital raise this week. The funding investment comes from venture capitalists in Silicon Valley who fund other major tech companies such as Facebook and Space-X. In 2016, the Halter team set out to create the future of farming. The Auckland based company is producing a product that allows farmers to remotely guide stock around the farm. Essentially its a cow collar - and is set to revolutionise dairy farming, and could mean the end of physical fences on dairy farms. Chief executive Craig Piggott joined Rural Exchange at Fieldays and said the goal is to change the face of milking, pasture management and things like keeping cows out of waterways. Mr Piggott says Halter is committed to reducing the intensive hours farmers work, while enhancing animal welfare and protecting the environment. Watch the full interview with Craig Piggott above. Rural Exchange with Hamish McKay, Sarah Perriam and Richard Loe, 5-7am Saturday and Sunday on RadioLIVE with Carters Tyre Service. Click here for all the ways to watch and listen. RadioLIVE. Helping young Kiwis have the best chance of a healthy childhood is the leading force behind a new partnership between Cure Kids and seed supplier, Pioneer brand products. Pioneer Head of Commercial Operations, Steve Richardson, said that the partnership with Cure Kids is a tangible way for taking an active role in improving health outcomes for New Zealand children. "What Cure Kids has achieved in child health is inspiring. Our business is underpinned by excellence in innovation and strong family values. "Cure Kids commitment to supporting the best science to make a difference to children is so well aligned with how we operate as a business." Mr Richardson, along with Brendon Pongia, Business Development Manager for Cure Kids, joined Rural Exchange co-host Sarah Perriam to discuss the venture. Pioneers core business is supplying maize hybrid technology to New Zealand farmers and grain growers. Mr Richardson says the company plans to donate a portion of seed sales to Cure Kids, as well as run fun and engaging fundraising activities amongst their staff and customers. The partnership started in April and plans to engage nationally with Pioneers staff and customers nationally over the coming year. Seeds are a regular feature on REX thanks to the experts at Pioneer Brand Products. If you have any questions or want to find out more, call 0800 PIONEER or visit their website. Watch the full interview above. Rural Exchange with Hamish McKay, Sarah Perriam and Richard Loe, 5-7am Saturday and Sunday on RadioLIVE with Carters Tyre Service. Click here for all the ways to watch and listen. RadioLIVE. Find a great selection of commercial real estate, manufactured homes, timeshares and more for Sale Buy real estate. Find a great selection of commercial real estate, manufactured homes, timeshares and more for Sale in US and Canada. Search Real Estate The Indian Post Payments Bank will be a boon to Indians who live in rural areas. India has 154,000 post offices, of which 139,000 are rural. Kiran Rathee reports. The much-awaited launch of the India Post Payments Bank can happen this month because KPMG has provided third-party certification to the banking platform, which is being tested since March, and the RBI is likely to give the green signal soon. According to officials at the India Post Payments Bank, the banking platform has been running almost without a glitch and KPMG has certified the platform ready to use. "We have secured third-party certification from KPMG. The RBI's approval is expected soon, and after that the commercial launch will be announced," an official added. The India Post Payments Bank, which has been delayed by months, is running pilot services in Raipur and Ranchi. To launch its commercial service, it needs the go-ahead from the RBI for the software platform used for systems integration. For the pilot, the India Post Payments Bank had used the Punjab National Bank platform, but as the bank has now developed its own platform, the RBI needs to certify it. It takes 4 to 6 months to secure certification from the RBI. HP, which was awarded the contract last year, has built the software for integrating various functions of the bank. The India Post Payments Bank has provided smartphones to postmen to do banking functions. The infrastructure has been put in place for the bank to commence commercial services, the official added. The Department of Posts was one of the 11 entities to get the in-principle nod from the RBI in 2015 to set up a payments bank. Many other entities including Airtel and Paytm have launched services. The India Post Payments Bank missed the September 2017 deadline to open 650 branches across the country primarily because it failed to get a system integrator on board on time. When launched, the India Post Payments Bank will be a boon to people in rural areas. India has 154,000 post offices, of which 139,000 are rural. The government is planning to utilise the 650 branches to serve as controlling offices to service and monitor all post offices in the country. Communications Minister Manoj Sinha had said the India Post Payments Bank was anticipated to acquire about 80 million customers in five years. Suresh Sethi had been appointed the India Post Payments Bank's managing director and chief executive officer. An account holder in a payments bank can deposit up to Rs 100,000, withdraw cash from authorised centres, and make payments as is done in the case of a savings bank account in a full-fledged commercial bank. IMAGE: Mamata Banerjee and Chandrababu Naidu were among the four CMs who rallied behind their Delhi counterpart Arvind Kejriwal. Photograph: / PTI Photo Chief ministers of West Bengal, Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka and Kerala rallied behind their Delhi counterpart Arvind Kejriwal, who is on a sit-in at the Lieutenant Governors office for six days, and sought Prime Minister Narendra Modis intervention in solving what they termed a constitutional crisis. After their request for permission to meet the Aam Aadmi Party chief at the LGs office was verbally denied, West Bengals Mamata Banerjee, Karnatakas H D Kumaraswamy, Andhra Pradeshs N Chandrababu Naidu and Keralas Pinarayi Vijayan reached the chief ministers home on Saturday evening. The open support to Kejriwal by the four regional heavyweights -- from Trinamool Congress, Telugu Desam Party, Janata Dal-Secular and Communist Party of India-Marxist -- comes amid opposition efforts to cobble together a rainbow coalition ahead of the 2019 Lok Sabha elections. But the Congress, which has been eyeing a grand alliance of opposition parties, has been slamming the Delhi chief minister for the sit-in at Lieutenant Governor Anil Baijals office. Kejriwal and three cabinet colleagues have been staying put in a waiting room at Raj Niwas, protesting against what they call is a strike by the bureaucrats in the national capital. The four chief ministers, who are in Delhi to attend a NITI Aayog meeting on Sunday, are expected to take up the matter with the prime minister. We came here to show our support to Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal. We demand that the prime minister interferes and takes necessary steps to solve the problem, Kumaraswamy said. I wanted to meet the Delhi chief minister but I was told, verbally, that permission will not be granted. Then four of us wrote to the LG for an appointment, but we were told that he is not there. We were not allowed, Banerjee said. Earlier, the four leaders met at Andhra Bhawan. The CMs met Kejriwals wife, members of minister Satyendar Jains family and several Aam Aadmi Party leaders at the Delhi chief ministers home. We want this problem to be solved. This has become a constitutional crisis. Ultimately, if this problem is not solved, the people will face issues, Banerjee said. If this is happening in the capital, then what will happen in other states? We will meet the prime minister tomorrow and request him to intervene and solve the problem, Banerjee said. The bureaucrats in Delhi are not meeting Delhi ministers as part of their protest against an alleged assault on Chief Secretary Anshu Prakash in February. They are demanding an apology from Kejriwal for the incident. At their joint press conference at Kejriwals home, the CMs said they had come to show solidarity with the protest by the AAP chief. Pinarayi Vijayan said the Centre must take immediate steps to resolve the issue. We demand PMs intervention to solve this problem, he said. He said the situation had developed in this manner because of the attitude of the central government, which is destroying the federal system. The threat was not just to Delhi government but to the whole country, he said. Mamata Banerjee said there has been no work in Delhi for the last four months. We want this issue to be sorted out as there is a constitutional crisis, she said. The people should not suffer due to a political crisis and their mandate should be respected, she added. Kejriwal also attacked Narendra Modi, tweeting that the Prime Ministers Office had directed Baijal to refuse permission to Banerjee to meet him. Chandrababu Naidu said both the states and Centre should work together for the service of the people. Senior Bharatiya Janata Party leader Vijay Goel said the four leaders are in the national capital to attend the NITI Aayog meeting and not to do politics. It doesnt suit them, he said. Where were they when Delhi Chief Secretary Anshu Prakash was assaulted at Kejriwals residence in his presence? And what will happen if the chief secretaries of their states also come out in support of Prakash, Goel said. Private schools hit by educational strike Most of the private and boarding schools in the Kathmandu Valley and other parts of the country remained closed on Sunday due to the educational strike called by All Nepal National Independent Students Union (ANNISU-Revolutionary) close to Nepal Communist Party led by Netra Bikram Chand ' Biplav'. Chief ministers of West Bengal, Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka and Kerala on Sunday met Prime Minister Narendra Modi and urged him to intervene for solving the tussle between Delhi Lt Governor and the Aam Aadmi Party government, terming it a "constitutional crisis. IMAGE: Prime Minister Narendra Modi shakes hand with Andhra Pradesh chief minister N Chandrababu Naidu as Karnataka CM HD Kumaraswamy, West Bengal CM Mamata Banerjee and Kerala CM Pinarayi Vijayan look on during the governing council meeting of NITI Aayog in New Delhi. Photograph: ANI On the sidelines of the NITI Aayog governing council meeting, West Bengal's Mamata Banerjee, Andhra Pradesh's Chandrababu Naidu, Kerala's Pinarayi Vijayan, and Karnataka's H D Kumaraswamy requested Modi to resolve the crisis so the "federal structure of the Constitution is maintained". "I along with the Hon'ble CMs of Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka and Kerala have requested Hon'ble PM today to resolve the problems of Delhi government immediately (sic)," Banerjee tweeted after meeting with Modi. On Saturday, the four chief ministers after being denied a meeting with Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal had announced that they will raise the issue with the prime minister. The leaders had termed the situation "unconstitutional" and said the prime minister should make sure that the problem gets resolved. The open support to Kejriwal by the four regional heavyweights -- from the Trinamool Congress, Telugu Desam Party, Janata Dal-Secular and Communist Party of India-Marxist -- comes amid opposition efforts to cobble together a rainbow coalition ahead of the 2019 Lok Sabha elections. Kejriwal accompanied by his deputy Manish Sisodia and ministers Satyendar Jain and Gopal Rai have stayed put at the LG office since Monday demanding that Baijal direct IAS officers to end what AAP described as their "strike" and approve doorstep ration delivery scheme. The West Bengal chief minister also supported Chandrababu Naidu on the issue of 2011 Census being adopted by 15th Finance Commission in the NITI Aayog Governing Council meeting and requested not to penalise the performing states. Kejriwal slams LG for 'replacing' him at NITI Aayog meet Meanwhile, Kejriwal that said he has not "authorised" LG Anil Baijal to attend the NITI Aayog meeting in his place after a report claimed the presence of the Constitutional head at the meeting. However, NITI Aayog Chief Executive Officer Amitabh Kant described the report as "totally incorrect". "Under which provision of the Constitution does LG have powers to replace the Chief Minister? I have not authorised him to go in my place," Kejriwal tweeted. Kejriwal was responding to a Twitter user's claim that LG Baijal "chose" to represent Delhi at the Niti Aayog meeting and had reached the meeting venue. Responding to the report, Kant said, "This is totally incorrect. Lt. Governor of Delhi is not present at the Fourth Meeting of the Govening Council of NITI Aayog." The Centre on Sunday called off its month-long suspension of operations against terror groups during the holy month of Ramzan in Jammu and Kashmir and directed the security forces to take "all necessary action" at the earliest to prevent terrorists from launching attacks and indulging in violence. "Security forces are being directed to take all necessary actions as earlier to prevent terrorists from launching attacks and indulging in violence and killings," Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh said in a statement but made it clear that the government will continue with its endeavour to create an environment free of terror and violence in the state. "It is important that all sections of peace loving people come together to isolate the terrorists and motivate those who have been misguided to return to the path of peace," he said. The Centre had announced suspension of operations at the beginning of the holy month on May 17 and had said the decision was being taken in the interests of the peace loving people of the state, in order to provide them a conducive atmosphere during the fasting month. He commended the role of security forces for having implemented the decision in letter and spirit in the face of grave provocation, to enable the Muslim brothers and sisters to observe Ramazan in a peaceful manner. "This has been widely appreciated by the people all over the country, including Jammu and Kashmir, and has brought relief to the common citizens," he said, adding it was expected that everyone will cooperate in ensuring the success of this initiative. "While the security forces have displayed exemplary restraint during this period, the terrorists have continued with their attacks, on civilians and Security Forces, resulting in deaths and injuries," he said. According to officials, there were 18 incidents of terror between April 17 to May 17 this year and the figure rose to above 50 during the suspension of operations. The suspension of operations saw brutal killings which included that of An army soldier by militants, attacks on civilians propagating moderate approach and finally gunning down of veteran journalist Shujaat Bukhari, who was a strong voice of peace, they said. The security agencies had alerted the government about designs by certain terror groups to disrupt the forthcoming Amarnath Yatra beginning June 28 and the need for conducting some operations in South Kashmir. "We have to take the decision in the right spirit. The Home ministry has taken note of all the inputs available and decided that suspension of operation, which was carried out for one month, will no longer continue," Minister of State in the PMO Jitendra Singh said. "I think the immediate priority for all of us is conducting the upcoming Amarnath yatra in peaceful and successful manner and for that not only the government but the civil society will have to extend cooperation and we will have to ensure that nothing happens that will disrupt the Amarnath yatra and discourage the pilgrims who come from far and wide," he told TV channels. Meanwhile, political parties in Jammu and Kashmir described as "disappointing" the Centre's announcement of not extending the ceasefire in the state and blamed the Centre and the state government for not making it effective. Former Jammu and Kashmir chief minister Omar Abdullah took a dig at some state BJP leaders who were upbeat about the calling off of the unilateral ceasefire. In his tweet, Omar wrote it was "the Centre's initiative and yet these people are celebrating its failure as if it had been announced by our enemies. "It's failure is the failure of everyone who wanted to give peace a chance," he said. Communist Party of India-Marxist leader and MLA Mohammed Yusuf Tarigami termed it as an opportunity lost and regretted that the centre had to call off the unilateral ceasefire. "I know the grave risks involved in announcing such a decision ahead of Ramzan and would have hoped for some more confidence building measures for creating a viable environment for political dialogue," he said. On Friday, Prime Minister Narendra Modi had held a meeting with Home Minister Rajnath Singh on the security situation in the state and to review the suspension of operations during the holy month of Ramzan. It is disappointing but not entirely (an) unexpected development, the state's main opposition National Conference's spokesperson Junaid Mattu said. Mattu said the Central government should have done some necessary back channel work for the ceasefire to be effective. The decision to announce the ceasefire was welcomed by us and we had expected that the decision would have been taken after due application of mind and with the necessary back channel work. "That turned out not to be the case and the recent developments including the tragic assassination of (veteran journalist and editor 'Rising Kashmir') Shujaat Bukhari made this decision inevitable, he said. The NC spokesperson said the failure of the Centre's unilateral ceasefire was the collective failure of the state and the central government and a loss for all those who believe in peaceful resolution to "Kashmir's political issue". The ruling PDP said while the party was also disappointed, there was very little it could do as peace is a two-way traffic. Peace is a two-way traffic, it is not one way. We tried everything from our side. Is there any CBM (confidence building measure) which we or Mehbooba did not work on? Stone-pelters were given amnesty, their cases, in thousands, were revoked, even those who were booked in 2010 by the then NC government. "There was a dialogue process. Even Union Home Minister mentioned talks with Hurriyat by taking their name. What else could we have done? PDP general secretary Peerzada Mansoor said. "You can lead a horse to the water, but you cannot make it drink. Ceasefire happened after many years. Last time it happened, the government was opposed to that. We called for an all-party meet this time where there was a consensus. Then Mehbooba initiated it, we are grateful that the Prime Minister (Narendra Modi) honoured it. Then (Union) home minister announced it. You saw how death and destruction stopped in the Ramadhan except for one boy who came under a forces vehicle. People had a sigh of relief. You travel to Pulwama or Shopian and see. But, see the situation in the last few days. What happened to Bukhari. How he was mercilessly killed. What can we do? he said. Mansoor said the situation in the valley had left the ruling party with no choice. Criticising the separatists for setting pre-conditions for talks, the PDP leader said engagement is in the interest of Kashmir and its people. ... They (separatists) could also have constituted a team. If the Centre has constituted a team (special representative Dineshwar Sharma), let them (separatists) also form a team, but there should be engagement so that people are saved from death and destruction. What can we do, where will we go. Kashmir is burning because of these things, he said. Photograph: PTI Photo The Human Rights Law Network -- a group of committed lawyers, paralegals and social activists -- is making justice accessible to people who can't defend themselves, says Geetanjali Krishna. Illustration: Dominic Xavier/Rediff.com Consider these stories: In January 2017, a sonography revealed that a 22-year-old Mumbaikar's foetus had no chances of survival. The 21-week-old foetus could not develop kidneys and the womb was devoid of amniotic fluid. However, in India, medical termination of pregnancy is only allowed within its first 20 weeks. Consequently, her request for abortion was denied. Angura Bibi survived a brutal acid attack in 2016. But she was unable to claim financial assistance for her rehabilitation and medical needs from the West Bengal government. Kajal was six and her brother Badal four years old when their mother, a domestic worker, was set afire by her employer because she asked for the year's wages due to her. Their father, an alcoholic, could neither register a case of murder nor claim compensation or rehabilitation for his children from the Punjab government. For people like Angura Bibi or Kajal, legal help would have been a distant dream but for the intervention of the Human Rights Law Network, or HRLN, a group of committed lawyers, paralegals and social activists that is making justice accessible to people who can't defend themselves -- impoverished minorities, women, children, labourers and more. It provides pro bono legal services, undertakes public interest litigation and runs campaigns to spread awareness of human rights. "HRLN grew out of my experiences with the trade union movement under Datta Samant in Mumbai," says Colin Gonsalves, the Indian Institute of Technology alumnus who founded the network in 1989. "He taught me to see the world through the eyes of the working class." Through this lens, Gonsalves found himself getting drawn into issues of women's and minority rights, environmental damage, child labour, disability law, land confiscation, sexual harassment, prisoner abuse, human trafficking, refugee rights and right to nutrition. Today, the network has 29 branches with over 250 lawyers, paralegals and staff -- arguably the largest legal aid network in Asia. Funded mainly through grants from various agencies, HRLN's lawyers have taken on central and state governments as well as industrial giants such as Enron. Unsurprisingly, much of their work involves outreach. "This is important in a country where over half the population is unaware of their legal rights -- and if they are, they can't afford the bus fare to reach a lawyers office," he says. On their Right to Food Campaign, Gonsalves estimates that his team and he did extensive fact-finding in over 100 cases across the country. The landmark case went on for over 17 years in the Supreme Court, but became instrumental in the addition of Right to Food in the Constitution. Gonsalves now aims to set up a Centre for Constitutional Rights in India. "We want to train lawyers, paralegals and activists from the developing world," he says. The idea is also to demonstrate how the HRLN model can be applied internationally to ensure that human rights of the poor and oppressed are upheld. Gonsalves estimates that the project would require about Rs 6 crore (rs 60 million) across three years and is currently on the lookout for donor agencies. Last year, when Gonsalves was awarded the Right Livelihood Award, also known as the Alternative Nobel Prize given to people whose work the award foundation believes is being ignored by the Nobel Committee, his citation moved many. Gonsalves was recognised 'for his tireless and innovative use of public interest litigation over three decades to secure fundamental human rights for India's most marginalised and vulnerable citizens.' As for the three cases mentioned in the beginning, the Mumbaikar was allowed to abort her foetus -- a landmark judgment by the Supreme Court in the campaign for women's reproductive rights in India. Angura Bibi was awarded compensation, as have 150 other acid-attack survivors whose cases HRLN has taken up. Kajal and Badal have been awarded Rs 2 lakh (Rs 200,000) each as interim compensation and are being looked after by the State. Each of these cases has not only benefitted the individual plaintiffs, but has also paved the way for more progressive and compassionate future judgments. Gonsalves's respect for the Indian legal system has remained unshaken against all odds. After all, he and his army of lawyers and paralegals have shown to India and the world the power of public interest litigation. hrln.org Ramechhap businessmen protest heavy vehicles ban on BP Highway Hundreds of businessmen took out a rally on Saturday in Manthali, the district headquarters of Ramechhap, carrying Dhakar, a bamboo basket, against the Supreme Courts decision to ban heavy vehicles on the BP Highway. Repair works at Gandak Canal delayed by India Nepali famers that plan to utilise the Gandak Irrigation Canal during paddy plantation this season might face difficulties irrigating their fields as Indian officials have yet to complete maintenance works at the different sections of the canal that fall within the Indian territory. Congress Clash: Sister wing polls suggest Deuba losing grip If the election results of Nepali Congress sister wings are anything to go by, party President Sher Bahadur Deuba is losing his grip on the NC with rival factions registering victory in the general conventions of the sister organisations one after another. A Place for All Conservatives to Speak Their Mind. Whats new in school Some stakeholders argue that the government has changed the curriculum in haste Color is the second measurement of the 4C system used by experts for the polished diamond grading. Talking about this parameter, the jewelers imply the presence or absence of a hue in a classic colorless or so called white - diamond. Part of stones mined have a marked hue they are called color or fancy color diamonds, but some other methods are used to assess them. Ideally, completely colorless rough diamonds contain no impurities (their content is under 0.001%), it means they consist of pure carbon. Such stones are rather rare in nature and that is why they are very valuable on the jewellery market. Besides, due to the lack of irregularities in the structure a white diamond has the best internal color reflection, which results in better glittering and sparkling. Most of the polished diamonds have various color intensity. Diamonds formed due to the crystallization of the carbon molecules under high pressure deep in the Earth, and in this process, the atoms and molecules of other substances penetrated into the crystals and deposited as impurities. The color of gems is attributed to impurities and structural irregularities. the diamonds of similar colors are often mined at the same deposits, which can be explained by the mineralogical peculiarities of the area. Figure 1. Polished diamonds of various hues from the colorless to the yellow one. D, K and Z color grades as per the GIA grading system. Nitrogen is the key impurity in diamonds, and the diamonds can be sorted out into several categories based on the nitrogen content. Type 1 are nitrogen-containing diamonds with the N-concentration of up to 0.25%. if the nitrogen atoms form a pair, they have no influence on the crystal color these are Type IaA diamonds. And the impurities consisting of the conglomerates made by these pairs give the color a yellow or brown hue these are Type IaB diamonds. About 98% of all the gem-quality diamonds mined are Type IaA, Type IaB diamonds or their combination. The experts call this group as the Cape series - named after the South African province rich in gems of this type. Such diamonds absorb light both in the infrared and ultraviolet regions and their fluorescence is in the blue spectral band. I should make a digression: Fluorescence is the ability of a diamond to glow when it absorbs radiation that is in the ultraviolet region of the spectrum. Many gems show so weak fluorescence that is seen under the special lamp in a dark room only. However, individual gems show fluorescence even when exposed to the usual daylight. For the diamonds of higher color category, the fluorescence is rather a defect, but in yellowish stones, the strong blue fluorescence can neutralize this hue so that in the daylight, the stones would look as colorless ones. Fluorescence is not included in the 4C diamond grading system but can influence the price for a stone. For example, there is a demand on the US market for colorless diamonds with scarcely perceptible hues that is why they are slightly more expensive. In Europe, on the contrary, such polished diamonds are in lower demand and their price is lower. For the Russian market, the fluorescence most commonly is of no importance. Figure 2. fluorescence: This is how the same polished diamonds look like in the ultraviolet and daylight illumination. The fluorescence grading scales are: none, faint, medium, strong, very strong. Back to the classification. If nitrogen atoms are all over the crystal (without making atom pairs or atom pair groups, which is important), the mineral often becomes bright-yellow canary colour, sometimes it has a cognac (brown) color and refers to a color diamond group. This group makes about 0.1% of the known gem-quality diamonds. By the way, almost all HPHT synthetic diamonds contain nitrogen impurities of this type and specific properties of fluorescence. Most of the devices designed to detect the lab-grown diamonds are based on this and the devices work rather well and do not reject natural diamonds the statistics show that just 2% of the natural diamonds are rejected and need additional testing. Type II diamonds are those lacking the measurable quantities of the nitrogen impurities. The type IIa diamond group accounts for 1.8% of all the gem-quality diamonds that have no impurities at all. These stones are colorless, permit light through perfectly well and are very valuable. Yellow, brown, orange, pink and violet colors can be attributed to the structural irregularities that occur in them due to the plastic deformation in the process of their formation. Many large famous rough diamonds (like the Cullinan and Kohinoor ones) are Type IIa stones. The synthetic diamonds manufactured by CVD - chemical vapor deposition are also Type IIa stones. Type IIb diamonds that make 0.1% of the fine diamonds are among the rarest ones. They contain significant boron impurities that make them light-blue or blue-grey color (Type Ia diamonds can have the blue-grey hue but it is due to structural peculiarities and not due to impurities). By the way, Type IIb diamonds are the only ones with the semiconductor properties. Table 1. Diamond classification based on the nitrogen content. Green diamonds stand apart - their color is attributed not to impurities but to the structural changes caused by the radiation in the process of the diamond formation. These diamonds are exceptionally rare. When grading colorless diamonds using a 4C system, the expert should determine exactly the polished diamond color intensity in the standard lighting conditions using color standards. Nowadays, master sets of cubic zirconium are often used as a standard instead of a diamond master set as they are ten times cheaper than the diamond standards and are practically of the same quality. The GIA master set is the most popular one widely used in Russia as well - to grade color in diamonds. It is subdivided into groups and starts with absolutely colorless polished diamonds designated by a Latin D. Then the color changes and the yellow tint intensity increases and the final group has a distinctive light yellow color and designed as Z. The same master set is used to grade the diamonds of brownish, greyish and greenish hues, because it is the color intensity that is important and not the color itself. The diamonds of the colors beyond Z are considered to be fancy-color ones. Often, retailers do not carry colorless diamonds in the range lower than J due to a low demand for them. Figure 3. The GIA master set used to grade the color in diamonds. Grading is done as follows: an expert puts polished diamonds face down in a row on the paper near its central bent. There should be no dark areas on the working surface, and the lighting should be soft to exclude reflection and diamond sparkling that interfere (by the way, special jewellery lamps with daylight temperature are produced for color grading). The expert doing color grading should look at the stone perpendicular to the polished diamonds surface. In such a positon, it is possible to quickly detect slight color tints of each diamond if to look very attentively. Then comparing them with the master set, the expert gives the final characteristics of the color. When a diamond is set in a jewellery piece, grading is given with 1-2 level accuracy, because the color of the mounting influences much on the color perception. Here lies some jewellers artfulness those stones that look yellow in white gold mountings, will look practically colorless in yellow gold mountings; that is why yellow diamonds are often set in yellow gold mountings. So, platinum and white gold require top-color grade diamonds. Figure 4. J-color stone looks more colorless when set in yellow gold. The Russian color grading system is governed by state standard GOS R 52913 2008, that has 4 color gradations from small-size polished diamonds with 17 facets, 7 gradations for the rest diamonds weighing up to 0.29 ct, and 17 groups for 0.3+ct gems. The diamond GIA characteristics and their respective GOST characteristics are given in Table 2. As for the diamond price, the color influences the value almost lineally for the small-size stones (under 1 ct), and it decreases with every hue gradation. As for the large-size stones, the influence of the color on the diamond price is especially marked for the top quality diamonds. The comparison of the round Ideal diamond prices of the comparable size (1 ct) and clarity (IF, VVS2, SI2) and available in April 2018 is given in Figure 5. Vertical axis: Price, USD; horizontal axis: Color Figure 5. The polished diamond price vs the color of the diamond. The data provided by Blue Nile, Brilliance, Brilliant Earth, Ritani, James Allen was compared. Table 2. The GIA color scale for the colorless polished diamonds. And a little bit about the colored diamonds. They fall outside the GIAs grading scale and are graded by measuring hue, saturation, light-to-dark tones (intensity), and the diamonds uniformity of color distribution. Unlike regular diamonds, for which a carat weight, clarity, color and cut (the 4Cs) are equally important, the color is the most important characteristic for these diamonds. The 27-color scale is used to describe the hue. Figure 6. The polished diamond color-grading scale (Source: Asteria Diamonds). Each color has nine saturation gradations. The key ones are faint, light, fancy light, fancy, fancy intense, fancy deep, fancy vivid. The value of a fancy color diamond jumps with the increase in the tone saturation. Fancy vivid color diamonds are really the most expensive and rare color ones followed by the fancy intense color gems. Figure 7. Tone and saturation scale for color diamonds (Source: Asteria Diamonds). There exists another kind of gems like black diamonds. They became black due to the graphite and hematite impurities, are not transparent and reflect the light from the surface only. Moreover, they have a special diamond structure carbonado - different from that of the rest diamond types and consisting of small-grain irregular-shaped parts (fragments) of crystals. This explains their being fragile and difficult in cutting. Strictly speaking, until recently, black diamonds were considered a rejected material and were not used in the jewellery manufacture. The jewellery house de Grisogono made them fashionable when they launched a collection of rings, plaques, earrings, cuffs and watches decorated with black diamonds. Though they gained worldwide recognition, the price for the black diamonds is much lower than that for translucent diamonds. Translucent black diamonds are rare in nature and the matter is in the abovementioned structural irregularities and not in impurities. Such stones are sold at a fancy price and at the auctions only. Apropos: Historically, various systems were used to designate the polished diamond quality. They included I, II, III A, B, C; then and for rough diamonds of the quality higher than . Their color often was described by metaphorical terms like First Water, River or, for example, Cape to describe the yellowish diamonds from the Cape of Good Hope. Later on, when the Gemological Institute of America (GIA) was established and the GIA International Diamond Grading System was developed, one of the tasks was the clear-cut dissociation of the new scale from the existing ones. That is why the color-grading scale to assess the color in Gia starts from D to distinguish from A, B and C that were used in other less consistent scales. Olga Tretyakova, Rough&Polished A 20.47-carat diamond ring is a top seller at Christies, New York 18 june 2018 News A 20.47-carat brilliant-cut, D-colour, type IIa diamond ring fetched $2.7 mn at Christies Sales of Magnificent Jewels in New York on June 12, 2018, according to Rapaport. Its pre-sale estimate was from $2.5 mn to $3.5 mn. Other lots included a heart-shaped diamond pendant necklace by Leviev, which fetched $1.6 mn, and jewels from the collection of Peggy and David Rockefeller, which went under the hammer for a total of $3.5 mn. Another lot, a diamond fringe necklace with pear-shaped diamonds suspended from a row of oval-shaped and marquise-cut stones, was sold for $1.6 mn, says the agency. An exquisite selection of signed jewels, coloured gemstones and special colorless and fancy coloured diamonds were featured at the New York Magnificent Jewels auction. Victoria Quiri, Rough&Polished Migrants rescued from the Mediterranean and turned away by Italy and Malta have arrived in Spain's port of Valencia, according to reports. The first of three vessels entered harbour soon after dawn. The Aquarius, which rescued the 630 migrants last weekend, arrived several hours later carrying a second group. Health officials and interpreters are on hand to offer support. Spain's new socialist government has promised free healthcare and says it will investigate each asylum case. An Italian coast guard ship, the Dattilo, entered the port of Valencia at 06:20 (04:20 GMT). It was carrying 274 migrants, the Italian news agency Ansa reported. The Aquarius itself entered the port shortly after 09:30. A second Italian ship, the Orione, is expected to dock later on Sunday morning, carrying the rest of the migrants. For comments and feedback contact: editorial@rttnews.com Business News Soyuz rocket missions in 2018 With the Proton rocket struggling to get back its customers, the Soyuz rocket family took the lead in the Russian space program by the end of 2010s. Previous page: Soyuz rocket missions in 2017 From the publisher: Pace of our development depends primarily on the level of support from our readers! February 1: Soyuz-2-1a rocket launches a pair of Kanopus-V satellites, nine secondary payloads In the first Russian orbital launch attempt of 2018, a Soyuz-2-1a rocket returned to flight on February 1, 2018, from the Vostochny spaceport, after a similar mission failed on November 28, 2017. The vehicle successfully delivered the third and fourth Earth-watching satellites in the Kanopus-V series along with nine small commercial payloads. Second time is a charm for Progress MS-08 After a 48-hour delay, the new attempt to launch Progress MS-08 went without a hitch and the Soyuz-2-1a rocket lifted off from the snow-covered Pad 6 at Site 31 in Baikonur on February 13, 2018, at 11:13:33.233 Moscow Time (3:13 a.m. EST). The orbital insertion also worked as planned and the spacecraft successfully deployed its antennas and solar arrays immediately after its separation from the third stage of the launch vehicle at 11:22 Moscow Time (3:22 a.m. EST). March 9: Soyuz rocket successfully launches fourth O3b quartet On March 9, 2018, a Soyuz rocket successfulled delivered the fourth quartet of O3b satellites, to be operated by SES networks and designed to provide low-cost Internet access around the world, after lifting off from its Amazon region launch pad in French Guiana. The European Arianespace consortium, which operates commercial Soyuz launches from the South-American launch site, designated the mission as VS18, which denotes the 18th launch of the Russian-built rocket from the site. March 21: Soyuz MS-08 enters orbit In the first manned launch of 2018, the Soyuz MS-08 spacecraft carried three members of Expeditions 55 and 56 to the International Space Station, ISS. Russian cosmonaut Oleg Artemyev and NASA astronauts Drew Feustel and Ricky Arnold lifted off on a Soyuz-FG rocket from Pad 5 at Site 1 in Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan on March 21, 2018, for a five-month shift aboard the orbiting outpost. March 29: Soyuz-2-1v launches a military payload On March 29, 2018, the Russian Ministry of Defense successfully launched a light-weight Soyuz-2-1v rocket carrying the EMKA satellite, apparently designed to test a new miniature Earth-imaging system. June 6: Soyuz-FG launches Soyuz MS-09 In the second manned launch of 2018, the Soyuz MS-09 spacecraft carried three members of Expedition 56 and 57 to the International Space Station, ISS. Russian cosmonaut Sergei Prokopiev, ESA astronaut Alexander Gerst and NASA astronaut Serena Aunon-Chancellor lifted off from Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan on June 6, 2018, for a long-duration shift aboard the orbiting outpost. It is the 55th flight of the Soyuz spacecraft series to the ISS, denoted in the outpost's official flight manifest as 55S. June 17: Soyuz-2 rocket launches the 56th GLONASS mission The Russian military personnel in Plesetsk successfully orbited a fresh satellite to replenish the nation's orbital navigation network. The 56th mission to deploy and maintain the GLONASS constellation lifted off on a Soyuz-2-1b rocket on June 17, 2018. July 10: Soyuz-2-1a launches Progress MS-09 A Russian cargo mission departed Baikonur Cosmodrome today to deliver supplies to the International Space Station, ISS. The Progress MS-09 spacecraft lifted off at 00:51 Moscow Time on July 10, 2018 (5:51 p.m. EDT on July 9). For the first time in the ISS program, the Progress flight successfully reached the outpost after a two-orbit rendezvous profile. October 11: Soyuz MS-10 makes emergency landing after a launch failure The launch of the Soyuz MS-10 at 4:40 a.m. EDT on October 11 ran into a "booster problem" near the time of the first-stage separation around two minutes after liftoff. The spacecraft entered a "ballistic reentry mode," according to NASA. Rescue helicopters lifted off from Baikonur in the direction of the projected emergency landing site between 3:51 and 3:55 a.m. Houston time and were expected to reach the site in 1.5 hours, NASA said. Around 5:20 a.m. EDT (or less than half an hour after launch), NASA reported that rescue services were in radio contact with the crew on the ground east of Dzhezkazgan in Kazakhstan following a ballistic reentry and landing. The crew was reported in good condition, NASA said. October 25: Soyuz family resumes flights after accident The Russian military personnel in Plesetsk launched an operational spacecraft for electronic intelligence, known as Lotos-S1 or 14F145, but officially identified only as Kosmos-2528. The fourth spacecraft in the Liana constellation, it lifted off on a Soyuz-2-1b rocket on Oct. 25, 2018, at 03:15 Moscow Time (8:15 p.m. EDT on October 24) or just two weeks after the failed launch of the Soyuz MS-10 spacecraft on a Soyuz-FG rocket. November 3: Soyuz-2 rocket completes the 57th GLONASS mission The Russian military successfully launched a fresh satellite to replenish the nation's orbital navigation network. The 57th mission to deploy and maintain the GLONASS constellation lifted off from Plesetsk on a Soyuz-2-1b/Fregat rocket on Nov. 3, 2018, at 23:17 Moscow Time. Slightly more than three and half hours later, the GLONASS M-57 satellite was released into its planned circular orbit around 19,000 kilometers above the Earth's surface. November 16: Progress MS-10 lifts off to resupply ISS A Russian cargo mission departed Baikonur Cosmodrome to deliver fuel and other supplies to the International Space Station, ISS. A Soyuz-FG rocket with the Progress MS-10 spacecraft lifted off from Site 1 on Nov. 16, 2018, at 21:14 Moscow Time (1:14 p.m. EDT). The launch also marked the return to flight of the Soyuz-FG rocket variant after its launch failure with the Soyuz MS-10 spacecraft on Oct. 11, 2018. December 3: Soyuz resumes crew flights after launch failure A month and a half after a nerve-racking launch accident and the risky emergency landing of the Soyuz MS-10 mission, the Soyuz MS-11 spacecraft lifted off with a fresh crew in the latest attempt to staff the International Space Station, ISS, with the three members of Expedition 57 and 58. A Soyuz-FG rocket launched the mission from Baikonur Cosmodrome on Dec. 3, 2018, at 14:31 Moscow Time (6:31 a.m. EST). December 19: Russian rocket delivers European spy satellite Revealing a strange geo-political dichotomy, a Russian-built rocket was launched to boost Europe's military reconnaissance capabilities from space. The launch of a Soyuz ST-A/Fregat-M rocket from the ELS facility near Kourou, French Guiana, on Dec. 19, 2018, (after a 24-hour delay due to high-altitude winds), delivered the CSO-1 imaging satellite to serve the needs of the French Ministry of Defense and other European armed forces. The 3.5-ton spacecraft will undoubtedly be used to monitor Russia's military activities. December 27: Soyuz rocket launches a 28-satellite cluster Closing Russian space activities in 2018, a Soyuz-2-1a rocket launched a pair of Kanopus V Earth-watching spacecraft, accompanied by 26 hitchhiking payloads on December 27. It was the 4th launch from Vostochny since the introduction of the new spaceport in 2016. Launches of the Soyuz rocket family in 2018: Next page: Soyuz rocket family in 2019 Foreign Minister meets UN envoy [17/June/2018] SANAA, June 17 (Saba) - Foreign Minister Hisham Sharaf and Deputy Foreign Minister Hussein al-Azzi on Sunday met with UN special envoy to Yemen, Martin Griffith in capital Sanaa. During the meeting, the officials reviewed the efforts of the UN envoy during the past period and presented him with briefings to the Security Council on developments in the situation in Yemens western coast. The Foreign Minister said there was optimistic in the past meeting with the UN envoy on June 3 on the proposed peace steps, but the coalition military escalation in Western coast obstacle to any resumption of peace negotiations. Sharaf stressed that Yemen is still with reaching a political settlement and the peace of Yemeni people. For his part, the Deputy Foreign Minister said that the recent military escalation aims to thwart the peace process and put obstacles to the efforts of Special Envoy, adding the situation is still with the honorable peace of Yemen people. Al-Azzi referred to the attacks on the health and service facilities in Hodeidah and Hajjah, the last of which is the MSF Center for the Treatment of Cholera and Thawra General Hospital. In turn, the Special Envoy stressed on the continuation of efforts to stop the military operations and to access to the political negotiations process for reaching a comprehensive political settlement that restore security and stability to the Yemeni people. At the same time, Griffith pointed out that his current mission and visit was a special task at a critical time in order to stop any threat to peace efforts. Sameera Hassn Saba A day before the Niti Aayog meeting, four non-BJP Chief Ministers extended their support to Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal's sit-in protest at Lt. Governor's office, saying there is a "constitutional crisis" in the state and they will urge Prime Minister Narendra Modi to solve the issue at the earliest. The Chief Ministers - West Bengal's Mamata Banerjee, Kerala's Pinarayi Vijayan, Karnataka's H.D. Kumaraswamy and Andhra Pradesh's N. Chandrababu Naidu - also accused the Central government of "restricting the federal system", terming it a threat to the nation. They also said they were denied permission to meet Kejriwal and the Lt Governor Anil Baijal even after having waited for long, asking how was it possible in a "democracy". "This is a constitutional crisis. But there should never be such crisis due to which a government and the common people have to suffer," said Banerjee at a joint press conference with Vijayan, Kumaraswamy and Naidu. "We will tell the Prime Minister to intervene in this matter and solve it. Had the President been here, we would have told him too. This is a democracy and that is not how a democracy functions. "They (the Centre and the Lt Gov) are not allowing the government to function. They (the Kejriwal regime) say they are not able to work. What they will do. Their work has been obstructed and restricted," she said. To show solidarity to Kejriwal's protest demanding IAS officers to end their non-cooperation with his government, the four Chief Ministers visited Kejriwal's residence, where they met his wife and other members of his family. "We have come here to show solidarity with Kejriwal. Politics is there in its own place," they said. "Because of the attitude of Central government this has happened. Centre is restricting the federal system which is a threat to the nation. Everyone is with him (Kejriwal). All the democratic people are with Delhi Chief Minister," Vijayan said. "We want the issue should be solved and there should not be any fight on this. The mandate of the people of Delhi should be respected," Banerjee said, noting that if such a "small problem" of Delhi can not be solved, how can the country's problems be solved. "LG is the appointed leader, if not him then to whose doors will one go and knock? They should have solved the matter among themselves. Why did it take so long," she asked and pointed that how the Lt. Governor did not meet Kejriwal who is on protest for six days for even six minutes. The four Chief Ministers, who had met here to discuss the issue, also wrote a joint letter to Baijal seeking to meet Kejriwal but again verbally denied on the pretext that Baijal is out. "We tried our best as per the Constitution to seek permission from the LG to meet Arvind and him. He (the Lt Gov) has not given us permission. If he has not given us permission, then don't consider us so small that we are like street beggars. Even we have due respect," Banerjee said. "We waited for three-four hours to meet the Lt. Governor. In a democracy, how can I not meet a Chief Minister and an Lt. Governor in a democracy. This is not democracy." In the evening, Banerjee attended a meeting at Andhra Bhawan with her counterparts Vijayan, Kumaraswamy and Naidu. The four Chief Ministers met shortly after Baijal declined permission to Banerjee to meet Kejriwal. She had planned to go to the protest site -- Lt. Governor's residential office -- along with Naidu. Informed sources said the four Chief Ministers were planning a strategy on how to strengthen Kejriwal's hands. Kejriwal, along with Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia and Cabinet ministers Satyendar Jain and Gopal Rai, is camping at Raj Niwas since Monday demanding a direction to the IAS officers working in the Delhi administration to end their undeclared strike. He also wants the central government to approve his government's proposal to deliver ration to the poor at their houses. Workers condemn NEDA statement as insult and out of touch NEDAs P127 a day food budget standard for Filipino family is an insult to workers; ALU-TUCP wants Edillon to retract statement and apologize By ALU-TUCP June 6, 2018 QUEZON CITY For setting the living standard of Filipino family to the lowest level, labor group Associated Labor Unions-Trade Union Congress of the Philippines (ALU-TUCP) is demanding that the governments National Economic Development Authority (NEDA) retracts its statement and apologize in public for making out of touch declarations. Speaking before reporters Tuesday, NEDA Undersecretary Rosemarie Edillon said the living standard for a Filipino family of five is only P10,000 a month. Out of which only P3,834 are needed food or P127 a day alone. We condemn this argument as inaccurate and a grave mistake. This is an affront to millions of poor Filipinos. We demand that the NEDA retract this out of touch statement and we are demanding that Undersecretary Edillon to apologize in public for insulting all of us with such a very low government standard of living and for taking the dignity of poor Filipino family to the lowest level, said Alan Tanjusay, spokesperson of ALU-TUCP. The P127 a day for food expenses for a family of five is very low government standard, Tanjusay said adding: This amount does not reflect the reality of majority of Filipinos who are poor. Why dont the NEDA officials including Ms. Edillon try to live with P127 a day, tingnan natin kung mabubuhay sila with this amount. Tanjusay said government should set the standard at a modest and acceptable level after reflecting the realities on the ground. Government officials particularly the NEDA should immersed themselves in communities before they announce standards and policies. They should be immersed in public wet markets. They should often visit the talipapas and sari-sari stores not just depend on table studies if they want to know the real living conditions being experienced by Filipino families, Tanjusay said. Bluebird Lumber and Hardware Company Limited, Saleufi Store, celebrated its new facelift and upgrade at their Saleufi store on Friday. The new added services to Bluebird Saleufi include the kitchen design and installation services, the swimming pools and pumps department and automotive paint mixing. The management and staff of Bluebird were joined by more than 20 of their overseas suppliers from Australia, New Zealand and Fiji to meet customers and showcase their products. Bluebird General Manager, Faina Ah Liki said works on the upgrade began at their Vaitele store in 2015. Bluebird Vaitele underwent a full transformation; we called it the Bluebird Revolution Campaign. The campaign included a full infrastructure upgrade to a modern look, new store layout with more products and services. The new goal of this campaign was to service the entire Samoan market, not just the village market. From there we launched our new slogan named building and beyond. Since the campaign in 2015, we are now local agents and exclusive retailers to some of the world renowned brands such as Sika, STIHL, Dulux, TRAMONTINA, Do It Best, Whirlpool, Lowara, ONGA, HPM Legrand and PROTEC. All our overseas suppliers present today (Friday) were beside us to assist with the Bluebird revolution campaign until now, and we thank you for that. But the Bluebird Revolution idea was still incomplete without upgrading the original store; the Saleufi Store. Our people deserve the best. We want to make sure that we have that service. Make it easy for them to get what they need, make it friendly and an easier life for everyone. If we do not make changes to upgrade our facilities and services, then we are not doing our job for the people of Samoa. It is all part of our service of giving back to the community again and also being as good as overseas standards, but it is available here, she added. Ms. Ah Liki said people are what make Bluebird different from its competitors. In saying that, good team work, work harder, work smarter, good discipline, good attitude, skills, and good management. We have to be the number one team. The Bluebird PLUS Campaign, where prices on their products are sold at a discount, will run until 31 July, 2018. Now and then, people come along and things happen near us we cant quite work out, let alone explain. You see its natural for us as mere mortals to always try to rationalise, reason and figure out everything that happens near us. Its just the way we were created. And our Creator in all his infinite wisdom would probably not have it any other way otherwise it would be such a boring life. Indeed, people exist for one reason or another. It goes without saying that everyone has a purpose in life however long they walk the face of the earth. Some people get a lot of time, others dont. The ones who are taken early though often leave us asking questions. The biggest of them all is why. But some people come along and you just know that their purpose in life is to inspire, encourage and motivate. When they leave us, they hold a very special place in our hearts, they are dear and unique. One such life was that of Baby Miracle Nanai. A remarkable young girl who lived to defy the odds, she finally passed away last week, more than ten years after she was born. The story of Baby Miracle has been well told. Born with severe facial and boty part deformities, health workers told her parents she would not live for more than a day. After four days she was still breathing, he father Nanai told this newspaper. I still remember when I walked in on the fourth day to say goodbye to her because we were waiting there for days for her to die. I bent over and told her that I was leaving and if whatever happens she has my heart. Thats when my daughter turned her head at me as I whispered in her ear. I will never forget that day. What happened next is the beginning of a beautiful story between a father and daughter that should be a constant reminder that love knows no boundaries. They just gave an IV and said that was feeding her, he said. But Nanai wasnt satisfied. He had to sneak in bottles of milk to feed. I felt that my daughter was hungry when I walked in to see her and felt her cheek. So I hid the bottles of milk under my arms and took it in to feed her, he recalled. I took two bottles of milk and both of them were finished. She was hungry. From that day onwards, Baby Miracles story would be one that is told not just in Samoa but all over the world. The fact she survived amidst what would have been a very difficult first few days is testament of how she overcame her health challenges for the next few years. But her survival is credit to members of the community who reached out and offered a helping hand. No one more passionate, caring and prominent than Good Samaritan, Papalii Carol Ah Chong. With the help of her family and a community of kind spirited people, they proved that Miracle deserved to live. And not just live too. They showered her with love, making her life as normal as any other child would have. Sadly, Miracles life has ended. The sentiments expressed by her father at her passing is shared by many of us who followed this story from the start. At the end of the day, He is God and does whatever that pleases Him. Our thoughts will never be his thoughts and we can never understand the reason He does the things that He has done, Nanai said. Through Miracles birth, it taught us endurance in the middle of chaos and how the society viewed us. It was hurtful, but I loved my daughter. I have learnt that through tough times, it teaches us patience and to wait on God in everything. There is no person that God has ever created for them to look like an animal. They called her names and later on accused of things that I have never done such as eating the pig of the Church Minister. This face is what Miracle grew up with and a lot of statements have said its a face of an animal. That might have been how some people viewed her which is very disappointing. But we know this much, God is not in the business of accidents. He does not make mistakes. Baby Miracle lived to prove that it is indeed God who giveth and taketh away, in his own perfect time. That no matter what people think and say, God is sovereign, all knowing and he does what he wants whether we agree or not. Have a wonderful week Samoa, God bless! Dear Editor, Re: P.M. threatened with lawsuit over O.L.P. If the F.B.I. was involved or is currently involved, then theres the window of opportunity for the U.S. to investigate money laundering and tax haven in Samoa. Government corruption, the refusal of Samoas leadership to tighten up international laws concerning tax haven and money laundering and so the country is still on E.U. blacklist. The misappropriation of government funds in some government ministries is a crime against humanity. It means thousands of people have missed out on opportunities that should have bettered their lives. People are still without running clean water and electricity. Many more have departed this world because of underfunded and under-equipped health sector while the P.M. gets a warrant of fitness overseas. Yet Stui is more concerned about silencing disgruntled citizens of Samoa. The question then is what is he going to do when he takes these lovely people to Court? Is he going to take $9000,000 or more from the government to fund his court case just like the money he signed away from the government to fund defamation cases in 80s against the Samoa Observer? Its a huge sum of government money being used on a private matter, isnt that the same as money being lost through government corruption like the O.P.C. Report 2010? That sum of money could have saved a lot of lives at Motootua Hospital in the 80s but sadly the government of the day were much more important than the common citizen. How much money is Samoa getting from money laundering and what benefit is Samoa getting from these illegal activities? I hope the F.B.I. and American government should look deep into Samoas activities, the lack of transparency suggest that Samoa may be a party (willing or unwilling) to the funneling of funds to terrorists groups worldwide and organised crimes. Lets not forget taxes being denied to foreign countries because of Samoas tax havens so this is quite serious coming from the government. Le Mafa P. This website is inclusive of tolerant people of all faiths, without exception. Neither anti-Semitism nor Islamophobia nor homophobia should ever be acceptable to anyone. We must all strive to live in peace and harmony with each other, regardless of religious affiliations, or none. Intolerance is the mother of strife and conflict. Mark Alexander We Britons are Europeans!Wir Briten sind Europaer! Nous, les Britanniques, sommes europeens ! Mark AlexanderEmail me at:markalexander.librabunda@gmail.com Dear Editor, Re: China hikes tariffs on US soybeans, electric cars, fish The Chinese house of cards will crumble if they will go toe to toe with the US in a tariff war. Heres why; China is the one country that holds most of the US Debt in the form of treasury notes and they rely heavily on the US consumers to feed the frenzy of buying American companies made in China products that gave them an edge of holding their economy intact. They can sell those treasury notes back to the US as a last resort in a form of a nuclear option but they know very well that they cannot bite the hand thats been feeding them for a decade or two, it will be a disaster to their economy if they do that. With the new US tax law that allows companies hoarding cash outside of the US to be repatriated back to the US with only 15% tax is a big win for American companies that are coming home to once again built the crumbling economic infrastructure of the US since NAFTA and other supposedly not so free trade agreements as been drummed up by the fake news. The US economy is now expected to grow 5% of GDP which has never been seen in a long time is showing signs that the man that was so hated by the media is delivering on his promise to the American people. All the US is asking for is to level the playing field and make fair trade, fair trading; not charging 20% of our products going out while we only charge 5% of your products coming in. As for the EU and our other Allies, well you have to pay your fair share, we dont need NATO any more, dismantle NATO and make this world a peaceful world, Russia is not a threat anymore as the media was so relentless in hounding Russia as hacking and meddling with the US election which is a farce. North Korean Mr. Kim Jong Un is a smart man, he knows that this is his real chance to strike a more meaningful deal with this President that will yield a better solution to transform his nation to an economic powerhouse. This is only to be seen in the near future if both sides bargain in good faith. A little secret that Ive learned from researching is; when the main stream media is reporting a story, believe the opposite of the story. It worked all the time. The only exception is Samoa Observer that hasnt been compromised by the moneychangers, or it has? So far youre countering and exposing corruption within our country, thank you for that. Leituala Roger B. Anza-Borrego Desert State Park is a 1,000-square-mile wilderness that straddles three counties and is a popular destination for wildflower enthusiasts, hikers and campers. Its also severly unstaffed. Last year, there were eight to 10 rangers on staff, plus two supervising rangers and a superintendent. Today, there are no supervising rangers. The superintendent position has been eliminated. And there are only four rangers patrolling the largest park in California. Advertisement The lack of coverage for the 600,000-acre desert, coupled with the exodus of a number of rangers after the suicide of a beloved ranger, has led former park employees to sound the alarm. They say their warnings are not being taken seriously enough in Sacramento. State park officials said there are staffing shortages at all the parks, not just Anza-Borrego, and they are trying to fill the vacancies. The retired park workers fear those hiring efforts may come too late. People will die, said Mark Jorgensen, a Borrego Springs resident who was the superintendent of the park for many years before retiring in 2009. There is no doubt in my mind that people will get themselves in trouble out there in the desert this summer, he said. Under a full staff, you would have people patrolling the entire park by vehicle and aircraft. They are the ones that discover people in trouble. Not long ago, rangers would be assigned specific 80,000-acre parts of the park to patrol. But with only four rangers now working (one of them is a pilot), Jorgensen and others say huge swaths of Anza-Borrego are being ignored. If you wait until some loved one at home says, my son was due home yesterday, and its 118 degrees out there, your son probably died yesterday or last night, Jorgensen said. If you wait for dispatch in Perris, Calif. to call down here and say we got a cell phone call from a person stuck out in the desert, then youre just reacting and your not going to come in contact with those people in trouble on a timely basis. Mike Wells, a former Colorado District District Superintendent who oversaw operations at Anza-Borrego and the other parks in the district including Palomar and Cuyamaca Rancho before his retirement eight years ago, was a young ranger in Anza-Borrego for four years in the late 70s and early 80s. During that time,we had nine patrol rangers and two seasonal rangers assigned to patrol (specific districts) in the park, Wells said. There were two supervising rangers, a chief ranger and an area manager. They were all peace officers. There were 14 badged employees there. And Im guessing that the visitation was well less than half of what were getting now. Wells said he fears there are parts of the park that dont get regularly patrolled. Rangers now go to where the visitation is heaviest, he said. But there are people in other parts of the park and those areas are not being as well covered. A spokeswoman for the California Department of Parks and Recreation, Gloria Sandoval, did not dispute the current staffing levels at Anza-Borrego in written responses to questions. Hiring diverse, qualified and talented people to help us serve our visitors and take care of the nations largest state park system has been a challenge, Sandoval said. All 280 park units have staffing shortages. She said Sacramento has made arrangements for four new officers who graduated from the departments training academy this past week to join the Anza-Borrego staff in the fall. Recently, the department launched a new recruitment effort called Live the Parks Life designed to reach potential candidates who are reflective of Californias diverse population. Because of attrition rates and a desire to attract more diversity to the professional classifications, Sandoval said, initial efforts are focused on the recruitment of lifeguards and rangers. She also said Gov. Jerry Browns proposed budget includes funding for fixing state parks. The 2018-19 budget allocates $1.5 billion to the park system, up from $846 million last year, and creates 54 new peace officer positions statewide. Kathy Dice, who retired last year from her Anza-Borrego superintendent position, said public safety concerns are real, but for me its about damage to the resources. The park is losing some of its pristine qualities because of the lack of presence out there in terms of staffing, she said. Anza-Borrego features more than 500 miles of dirt road, 125 miles of paved roads, and it has always been a battle for the rangers to keep visitors in line. Dice said people will create new roads or hiking trails which, if left untreated, will become established areas where people will drive and hike through sensitive areas. She said things such as ground fires and fireworks violations are not being addressed simply because there arent enough rangers to monitor the activity. Signs are going unrepaired, she said. I know the existing staff is very dedicated and working really hard, she said. But government is very slow to overcome its shortcomings.Our hiring practices are archaic and very slow, she said. Dice said the departments leadership seems to be lacking. Its like they are frozen in place in terms of what they want state parks to look like, she said. The departure last year of a number of rangers was preceded by the death of Ranger Steve Bier, a highly respected and well-liked employee. It is not known why Bier killed himself in March 2017. Many of the rangers who left or transferred out were involved in the search and discovery of his body and Jorgensen said it had a major impact on the morale of the staff. These people travel around on patrol with the thought of him every day, Jorgensen said. You cant go anywhere without thinking of him. When he died last year, it was a tremendous shock. He was an icon of the staff. Living in the desert can be tough and the isolation, combined with the sometimes grim work that must be done, takes its toll. Four rangers, two married couples that had recently purchased homes in Borrego Springs, decided to leave Anza-Borrego in the months after the suicide. His widow, also a ranger, turned in her badge and gun to take an administrative position. Others retired. None of those position have been filled. Jorgensen, Dice, Wells and others all wrote letters to Sacramento last fall detailing their concerns about what was happening. The remaining rangers and maintenance folks have shown amazing resolve to do the very best they can under the circumstances, but the current situation has reached the level of being unbelievable and ridiculous, Jorgensen wrote. Sacramento never replied. Not one of us got a single word, Jorgensen said. Whats the message in that? Nobody cares. Our park system is going to hell in a hand basket. I really believe that.what Ive seen is a total loss of passion and love for the park system. Im disappointed that the current generation of park staff and park leadership is not interested in our experience and our knowledge and our history, added Dice. Sandoval on Friday said she could not verify the letters were sent to the directors office. jharry.jones@sduniontribune.com; 760/529-4931; Twitter: @jharryjones Del Mar cannot limit short-term vacation rentals to just 28 days a year, the California Coastal Commission has decided. The commission has rejected the citys proposed short-term rental ordinance, saying Del Mar should let residents rent out their homes for as many as 100 days a year. The commission also said the city should allow minimum stays of only three days, not the one-week minimum Del Mar had proposed. It was kind of half a loaf, Del Mar Mayor Dwight Worden said Thursday. Its not what we asked for, but we are going to be evaluating all our options. The commissions staff had recommended a cap of 180 days, but after a brief discussion at its June 7 meeting in Chula Vista, the commissioners settled on 100 days. The city has six months to revise its proposal and return to the state agency, which oversees coastal access and development. Advertisement The Coastal Commission has said repeatedly over the years that restricting short-term rentals limits access to the beach by making it harder for people with average incomes to vacation on the coast. Steve Padilla, a Chula Vista councilman and one of the 12 voting members appointed to the commission, said at their meeting that he was deeply concerned by assertions by some Del Mar residents that short-term rentals will never be affordable in Del Mar. The state Coastal Act requires beach access for all segments of the population. Im not aware that there is an exemption to the statute for wealthier communities, Padilla said. Thats a real problem for me. Powerhouse Park is a popular destination in Del Mar, which has proposed an ordinance to limit short-term vacation rentals. (Union-Tribune file photo by Eduardo Contreras ) Few people are happy with Del Mars proposed short-term rental ordinance. For decades, the city has allowed the rentals to continue unregulated. Now, with the rise of online rental services, such as Airbnb and VRBO, Del Mar and other coastal and resort communities are trying to develop new rules for vacation rentals. Short-term rentals often bring noise, trash and crime to older, quiet neighborhoods, some residents say. However, owners who offer short-term rentals say their tenants tend to be vacationing families who are peaceful and neat, and are familiar faces who often return year after year.. Some residents say the advent of online rentals has not increased the number of rooms available in Del Mar, only moved the rentals into more established neighborhoods where the long-time residents oppose them. We have obligations to protect our residential neighborhoods, Worden said. Also, Worden and others have said that switching from long-term occupants to short-term renters sacrifices much-needed housing that otherwise would be available to permanent residents. Commission staffers said the issue of affordable,ong-term housing should be kept separate from short-term rentals. The Coastal Commission had received more than 150 letters opposed to the citys ordinance and only two letters supporting it, a staffer said. Why have a cap on it at all? resident Lory Trombly said Thursday. People want to come here all year long. One hundred days is not enough in a city thats a resort town, that has all kinds of activities going on all year long. Resident Betty Wheeler spoke to the commission in support of the citys proposal, saying the short-term rentals often turn out to be more expensive than advertised. Many of them are booked at rates higher than those displayed, which are often per bedroom for a rental with multiple rooms. It is a pipe dream that these STRs are providing affordable overnight services for visitors, Wheeler said. Renting any room in Del Mar is not cheap. The city has six hotels with a total of 355 rooms, where the average rate is $314 a night, according to a city staff presentation. A recent survey showed about 280 short-term rentals in the city, with an average nightly rate of $331. And the demand is high. With the San Diego County Fair and the Del Mar Thoroughbred Club races, the city sees about 4 million visitors annually. Del Mar has the countys smallest population, about 4,200 residents, but it also has the highest property values. The average home in Del Mar is worth more than $2 million, and many residents use the short-term rentals to supplement their income. Any limits on rentals will hurt residents, said Kimberly Jackson, who runs a small vacation rental business specializing in North County coastal homes. Its devastating for people who rely on this type of income, she said. Before this ordinance, the general public could vacation rent up to 365 days a year. The citys proposal was in effect a ban on short-term rentals, she said, and the commissions proposed modifications were not much better. This is not a win for us, Jackson said of the commissions recommendation. This is a violation of property rights. Del Mar has six months to decide whether to accept the commissions recommendation, and the council could take up the issue again as early as July. To become effective, the ordinance must be certified by the Coastal Commission and included in the citys Local Coastal Program, a general guideline for development in the city. Del Mar has been working for years to strike a balance between the rights of residents who want short-term rentals and those who dont. In 2016, the city placed a moratorium on any new short-term rentals in residential zones until a new ordinance is approved. Unlimited short-term rentals area allowed in the citys commercial zones, which is a small area downtown with few homes. philip.diehl@sduniontribune.com Twitter: @phildiehl The Mainly Mozart Festival opened last week with a late Baroque era composers dissonant chord that seemed to look ahead to the anything-goes harmony of the 20th century. Saturday evenings festival offering at the Balboa Theater found Igor Stravinsky looking back to the music of J.S. Bach in his Dumbarton Oaks Concerto. Stravinsky modeled this work after Bachs Brandenburg Concertos, but no one would mistake the acerbic harmonies, sputtering melodies and shifting rhythms of Dumbarton Oaks for Baroque music. When Stravinsky appropriated another composers music, it was never simple pastiche but rather brilliant transformation. The inspiration is usually apparent Pergolesi, Tchaikovsky, Mozart, Webern but the music is uniquely Stravinskys. Festival director Michael Francis led 15 musicians in a crackling performance. Many groups play the outer movements of Dumbarton Oaks under tempo, but Francis matched the speeds of Stravinskys own recordings. The result was maniacally bubbly, a giddy counterpoint of chirpy melodies that dont quite line up, but happily grind away at each other. Advertisement All 10 string players marvelously dug into their parts, playing with bite or sweetness as appropriate, slamming those crazy accents outside the beat. The winds and brass couldnt help stepping out in that ensemble and did so wonderfully. Flautist Jeffrey Khaner and clarinetists Boris Allakhverdyan twittered away like mechanical birds while bassoonist Whitney Crockett gloriously pooped along underneath. Jeffrey Fair and Haley Hoops had just the right amount of bark in their playing. Tchaikovskys Variations on a Rococo Theme looks back to Bach, but instead of Johann Sebastian, Tchaikovsky was inspired by his son Carl Philipp Emanuel and C.P.E.s pre-Classical contemporaries. Cellist Johannes Moser was the soloist, and he brought with him Tchaikovskys original version of the Rococo Variations. The cellist for whom Tchaikovsky wrote this work, Wilhelm Fitzenhagen, felt that he could improve Tchaikovskys piece. After the premiere, Fitzenhagen threw out one variation, re-ordered and rewrote others, and made his solo part flashier. Tchaikovskys publisher warned him that Fitzenhagen was trying to cello up the Variations, but Tchaikovsky gave up his compositional authority as a lost battle against his Moscow Conservatory colleague. In recent times, cellists such as Moser are going back to Tchaikovskys original, but the Fitzenhagen version is in public domain (i.e. cheaper to perform). Tchaikovskys part, with its high register playing, was challenging enough without Fitzenhagens additions. Moser played it beautifully, with Francis and the Mainly Mozart Festival Orchestra providing a lovely accompaniment. The program was book-ended by two symphonies in D major by Mozart. The first was No. 31, K. 297 (Paris), arguably Mozarts first great symphony, written when he was 22 years old. Many assume that Mozarts talent was there from the beginning, but no it took him 30 tries before he could produce a symphony worthy of consideration against the symphonies of Haydn. The Symphony No. 35, K. 385 (Haffner) was composed four years later, and with it Mozart produced a masterpiece in his mature style (at the age of 26, mind you). Heard on the same program, the transformation from Symphony No. 31 to No. 35 was remarkable we hear Mozart grow from a very good composer into one of the geniuses of classical music. The Festival Orchestra played miraculously, executing rapid passages with utmost precision and flawless phrasing. If this ensemble could not convince you of Mozarts brilliance, its doubtful that any group will. Hertzog is a freelance writer. I think this one will take off, predicted Dean LeCrone. LeCrone, a freelance cartoonist wearing full steampunk regalia, stood and surveyed the ballroom Saturday at the Town and Country Resort in Mission Valley, where science-fiction fans had gathered for the first-ever InterGalactiCon. The sci-fi themed pop culture convention included 30 booths with exhibits by book and game publishers, artists and illustrators, along with television and movie celebrities, workshops, contests and speakers. This is a great space, LeCrone said, as other costumed characters walked around him in the large room. Its pretty good for a show the first time out to land a couple of celebrities. Advertisement LeCrone wore a long, dark coat, a top hat, bat-like wings and had an animated creature called a drabbit a cross between a dragon and a rabbit on his shoulder. He calls his character Dr. Artemus Peepers, and hes a regular at pop culture conventions across Southern California. The new event aims to fill a mid-sized niche left open by the huge growth of San Diegos Comic-Con. Founded in 1970, Comic-Con now draws more than 130,000 people over four shoulder-to-shoulder packed days every July at the downtown San Diego Convention Center. San Diego residents Julian Mushkin and his wife, Cynthia Heinlein, were at the new show dressed as characters from the 1990s sci-fi television series Babylon 5, along with their 9-year-old daughter Alexandra, dressed as herself. Were big Babylon 5 fans, he said, and the convention included a chance to meet one of the shows stars, Claudia Christian. We have it all on DVD. In the booth next to Christians were four actors from another sci-fi television series, Eureka, which ran on the SyFy channel from 2006 through 2012. Its a dramedy, said star Niall Matter, sitting at a table beside co-star Ed Quinn. We were constantly saving ourselves from ourselves, Matter said. I had a blast shooting the show, and were all still friends to this day. That says a lot. The actors often worked 14 hours a day on the show, which usually was centered on a plot of technology gone wrong. It was a ratings hit for the network, and remains its most-watched show ever. It put me on the map, Quinn said, and hes had steady acting work since. Other celebrity guests at the convention included Colin Cantwell, who created models for all things that flew in the first Star Wars movie, film director and martial artist Noah Fleder, and video game creator Ryan Schneider. Los Angeles writer Rubyn Warren was at a booth selling issues of his new comic book series called Swag Patrol. Its a great all-ages story, said Warren, 25. Its about three teens, and they fight crime with the help of their science teacher. Hes had two issues of Swag Patrol printed so far, an online-only pilot edition, and hopes to print a third issue early next year. He estimated about 500 print copies have been sold. Meanwhile, hes also a stand-up comedian and writes scripts for movies and television. At the other end of the room, Lauren Chen and her husband, Kee, were selling anime art books, figurines and collectibles. Our specialty is out-of-print titles, Lauren Chen. I was into anime in the 80s as a kid. The show is designed to be more accessible to the fans than the big cons, with tables, chairs and sofas where people can relax and talk. Its an all-inclusive experience, show founder Steve Capt. Kirk, a Ramona resident, said Saturday. We are trying to fill that middle tier, to be more accessible to people, and hopefully they will create memories. Attendance was expected to be close to 1,000 through Saturday for the two-day event, he said. Next year he plans to expand to three days at the Town and Country and double the attendance, Kirk said. philip.diehl@sduniontribune.com Twitter: @phildiehl Chicago anti-violence activists and a group of Florida high school shooting survivors fanned out across the citys South Side on Saturday, knocking on doors and registering people to vote in a bid to build support for changing the nations gun laws. Ryan Deitsch, 18, from Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Fla., where 17 people died Feb. 14, said the shooting has afforded the survivors a national spotlight they are now using to try to build a groundswell of support. Their goal is to reach anybody who lives here and is tired of the status quo. We need to be able to live out the American dream and if were just being gunned down at 21 or younger we cant, he said. Its killing the future of this country. Advertisement Chicago is the first of more than 25 stops on a tour Parkland students are taking this summer, targeting communities rocked by gun violence, or where lawmakers supported by the National Rifle Assn. are seeking office. They plan on holding rallies, town halls and registering people to vote. Later Saturday, the group held a town hall in Naperville, an upscale suburb where Republican Rep. Peter Roskam has been a consistent supporter of gun rights and has received donations from the NRA. They should be speaking to their own people to realize what the problems are, Deitsch said. Politicians become so detached from the situation that the people they represent arent represented. In addition to knocking on doors and talking to people on the South Side, which activists believe is unfairly portrayed in news stories about Chicago violence, the group planned to host a cookout in a park where people could also sign up to vote. On Friday, the group held a rally at a church, featuring former Arizona Rep. Gabby Giffords, who was gravely wounded in a 2011 shooting. She told the crowd to vote on election day to effect the change they want. Entertainers Jennifer Hudson, Chance the Rapper and will.i.am also appeared. We need to vote people in who will speak for us, or take them out if they are not, said activist KeShon Newman, 16, of Chicago. Deitsch said strengthening state gun laws is good, but ultimately a federal effort will be required to tamp down gun violence. Tough thoughts raced through Evie Iversons tender mind. Attending Palomar Fire Academys graduation ceremonies on May 31, the toddler reflected on the other families in the audience and how her family looked different. I dont have a daddy, Evie, 3, told her mother. Ashley Iversons response was immediate: You have a daddy, the widow said. You will always have a daddy. Cal Fire engineer Cory Iverson died fighting the Thomas fire last Dec. 14. Since then, his family has lived through several painful milestones: March 22, Cory and Ashleys wedding anniversary; April 29, the birth of the couples second child, Taylor; and today. Advertisement Fathers Day is another challenging one, one of the most challenging holidays, said Ashley, 31. Because of the girls. Yes, I lost my soul mate, lost my husband. But the girls I cant wrap my head around that one. They lost their daddy, their superhero daddy. While this loss is permanent, Ashley works to ensure it is not total. Anyone visiting the familys home in Escondido meets Cory. Hes in the kitchen, where family snapshots are pinned to the refrigerator door with magnetic letters spelling out ALL MY LOVE and OUR HERO. Hes on the dining room wall, where a photo shows him in Cal Fire gear, scanning a tinder-dry Southern California canyon. Hes on the mantle over the fireplace, in an urn with a plaque: Cory D. Iverson, Child of God & Beautiful Son, Loving Husband, Father, & Brother. Hes here, Ashley constantly tells her daughters. Hes with you. I want my girls to know who their daddy is. Always, she said. We have conversations with him every day. OK, hotshot! At some point in their childhoods, Evie and Taylor will hear how their parents met. The tale has been told on many occasions, including Iversons standing-room-only celebration of life at Point Lomas The Rock church, and it begins outside a Hillcrest bar. It was Ashleys 26th birthday, and she was coming off a nasty breakup. At the time I didnt trust anyone, male or female, she said. I didnt trust love to work. Done with dating, she went to dinner with a group of friends, then proposed a round of drinks at Gossip Grill. At the entrance to this lesbian bar, she paused to scan her cell phone. Thats when she felt a muscular arm on her shoulder. Hey, a stranger said, youre cute. Youre cute, too, Ashley replied, trying not to appear startled. Are you gay? No, he said. Are you? The physical attraction was instant. She took in his blue eyes, warm smile, toned body. He would not even flex, she said, and have a washboard stomach. They drank, danced, flirted. She asked what he did. Im a hotshot, Cory said. While Ashley dismissed that as bravado OK, hotshot!, she thought Cory Iverson was telling the truth. Elite firefighters for the U.S. Forestry Service, hotshots are trained to tackle the nations worst wildfires. Cory was devoted to this dangerous profession, as well as the party-hearty life of a young, single man with a steady paycheck. We were both younger and pretty wild, said Nic Remer, Corys cousin and former roommate. One time, we closed out the bars in P.B. 18 nights in a row. When Cory met Ashley, though, he began to change. The relationship had some rough patches, and neither was sure if it could survive the frequent absences that are part of a firefighters life. The turning point came during a hike up Cowles Mountain, Cory carrying a full pack of emergency supplies, Ashley weighed down by her doubts. I told him I wanted to have kids some day, she said, and I didnt want to tell them I didnt know where their daddy is. His response? He pulled me in and kissed me. From day on, it was a whole different ballgame. That was in July 2013. In September, they moved in together. Dec. 30, he proposed. Less than three months later, they were married at Corys parents house in Escondido. The new husband devoted himself to his wife, hustling home from fire stations when possible, texting when not. While Ashley was capable of hanging with the guys She was like one of the group, Remer said, we needed no filter around her Corys priorities had changed. Thats all he talked about, his family, said Cal Fire Capt. Dan Heiser, who worked with Cory. That was the most important thing for him. He grew up real fast, Remer said. He wanted it, he really wanted it. And he was ready to be a father. Moon and stars During Ashleys childhood, an arsonist tried to set fire to her familys property in the Monterey region. While was blaze was extinguished, her fear of fire bloomed. Years later, Ashleys husband soothed this and other anxieties. Cory saved me, she said. He helped me be the best version of myself. Both wanted children, and both hoped the first child would be a boy. The moment Evie was born, though, everyone noticed the deep bond between father and daughter. The love and joy he had when Evie was born was just an awesome thing, said Corys brother, Luke Iverson. He would help teach her how to walk, how to talk, just everything. He wanted her to succeed with everything, no matter how small. Once she learned to run, Evie would dash into her fathers arms, greeting him when he came home. Last Fathers Day, Ashley posted on her Facebook page a photo from a family trip to the San Diego Zoo Safari Park. Cory is beaming at the camera while Evie gazes up at her daddy with an expression of adoration. We both agree, Ashley wrote, hes our moon, hes our stars, our hero, our everything. Obliterated The last day Ashley spent with Cory, they had an appointment to learn their second childs gender. Hearing this would be another girl, Cory was cresfallen. Babe, he told Ashley, Im really sorry. I wasnt ready for that. In retrospect, Ashley wonders if Cory might have been too hard on a boy, pushing him to excel. Having a girl, she said, it softens you. He had wanted a son, Remer said, but He found the light in it, either way. He had a lot of happiness from his girls. Cory kidded about preparing for his daughters prom dates. Wed joke that he wouldnt have a shotgun ready, Ashley said, he had his chain saw ready. On Dec. 14, what Ashley calls that terrible day, Cory didnt have his chain saw. On a rugged hill above the Ventura County town of Fillmore, he led four firefighters along a trail blazed by a bulldozer. Carrying 200 feet of hose and a scraping tool, Fire Apparatus Engineer Iverson FAE1, in the official report attacked one spot fire, then another. As FAE1 reached the second spot and began to take action, the report noted, it erupted. At the same time, additional spot fires erupted along the dozer line west of the original spot fire. More fires sprang up, cutting off each line of escape. Cal Fire ordered helicopters and tankers to douse the flames around Cory, but it was too late. The Thomas fire, which burned from Dec. 4 through Jan. 12, was the largest wildfire in California history. It burned 281,893 acres, consumed 1,063 structures and was responsible for two deaths: Virginia Pesola, 70, a Santa Paula resident who was found in wrecked and charred car, and Cory Iverson. Three days after Corys death, a funeral procession traveled from the Ventura County Medical Center to El Camino Memorial Park in Sorrento Valley. Police escorts, a fleet of fire engines, thousands of spectators lined the route. Ashley was buoyed by the support, but wondered how Cory would have responded to the signs praising him, the T-shirts with his name and image. He was very secure in his skin, but extremely humble, she said. I know he is up there, his eyes rolling. At the Dec. 23 celebration of life, Ashley appeared strong and composed, expressing admiration and sympathy for her husbands fellow firefighters. My heart, she said, is obliterated for you. Her own grief hit in waves. On several occasion, Evie told her mother that she didnt want her to cry. Ashley reassured her daughter that it was OK, that it was natural to cry over the death of a loved one. Baby, she said, do you know what it means to die? Yes, Evie replied. Daddy. What happened when Daddy died? He kept going. With God? Ashley asked. Yes. Choosing a name For Evie, early memories of Daddy are reinforced by photos of father and daughter together. Every night, shes tucked into bed with two of these pictures. Born months after Corys death, Taylor has no first-hand memories of the man, but Ashley is working to fill that gap. She engages Taylors attention with stories about Cory and by showing her the mementos around the house. Taylor, herself, is a living reminder of the man. This one looks just like him, Ashley said, cradling the napping infant. There are times when I look at her profile shes a little female version of him. Over the last six months, Ashley has been stunned by the compassion of friends, family, even strangers. Every week, firefighters visit the house to take out the garbage, mow the lawn, run errands. Cecily Bauchmann, a friend, set up a GoFundMe page to raise money for the familys expenses. To date, pledges have topped $713,000. On Christmas Eve, 6-year-old Bennett Mallory of San Luis Obispo set up a hot chocolate and gingerbread stand, pledging all proceeds to the Iverson family. In February, her parents drove Bennett to Escondido, where she hand-delivered $2,600 to Ashley. The overwhelming amount of love that I have felt is otherworldly, the widow said. It is simply something I never before felt worthy of and will simply never be able to repay. There are still tears, yet some of the worries have vanished. After Corys death, for instance, Ashley fretted about the state of mind of this father and father-to-be. They hadnt been able to settle on a name for the new baby. Ashley had suggested a few, and was strongly leaning toward Taylor. Cory, though, seemed unsure. After tragedy struck, Ashleys sorrows included the thought that Cory had never known his second daughters name. But on the day of the four-hour funeral procession, she met one of the firefighters who had been with Cory in the Thomas fire. We had talked about names, Corys friend said, all the time. What do you mean? Ashley said. What is it? As he embarked on his final mission, there was no doubt in Fire Apparatus Engineer Cory Iversons mind. He told his partners about his beloved wife, Ashley; his cherished daughter, Evie; and the excitement he felt about his unborn baby. That childs name, he told everyone, would be Taylor. June 17, 1963 The San Diego Union The San Diego Union-Tribune will mark its 150th anniversary in 2018 by presenting a significant front page from the archives each day throughout the year. Monday, June 17, 1963 In June 1963, twenty-six-year-old Valentina Tereshkova of Russia became the first woman in space. Tereshkova was launched into orbit by the Soviet Union on a solo mission aboard Vostok 6. She spent 71 hours in flight, orbiting the Earth 48 times before returning safely. Women pilots said the United States had missed its chance to achieve the space milestone. In the early 1960s, 13 women passed the same medical and stress tests as the Mercury astronauts, but NASA required all astronaut candidates to have military jet test pilot experience. Congress shut down the U.S. Women-in-Space program in 1962. American women would face a long wait. It would be two decades before NASA astronaut Sally Ride became the first American woman to travel in space when she flew on the space shuttle Challenger on June 18, 1983. After she left NASA, Ride joined the physics faculty at UC San Diego in 1989, and started Sally Ride Science to encourage children to explore careers in science and technology. The La Jolla physicist died of pancreatic cancer in 2012 at age 61. Here are the first few paragraphs of the story: Russia Orbits Woman; Space Link-Up Seen PILOTS REACTION U.S. Muffed Its Chance, Women Say Aileen Saunders of San Diego, one of Americas best known women fliers, said yesterday she felt sure the United States could have put a woman into orbit ahead of the Soviet Union. She admitted, however, that she wouldnt have wanted the job. When I take off in an airplane I like to know Im coming back to this good old earth, said the two-time winner of the transcontinental Powder Puff Derby. ADVANTAGES SEEN Mrs. Saunders, 36, said she thought the United States could have snared a first by launching a woman astronaut and I think this would have boosted U.S. prestige. I feel women physically can take out space better than men, she said. Ive talked to some doctors and they said we can take changes better because of our physical makeup. Also, were smaller and would take up less room in a spaceship. PILOT OF YEAR Mrs Saunders, who in 1960 was voted pilot of the year by the National pilots Association, lives at 1303 W. Lewis St. Mrs. Saunders predicted that the United States eventually will put a woman into space, otherwise why would they have put Jerrie Cobb through all that training? She referred to a Ponca City, Okla., aviatrix who passed some of the same tests taken by several astronauts in the Project Mercury program. Reached by a news service reporter in Oklahoma City yesterday, Miss Cobb said she prayed for the safe return of Russian cosmonaut Valentina Tereskova, the 26-year-old parachute enthusiast now in orbit. However, said Miss Cobb, the United States could have scored one of the remaining space firsts if it had launched a woman ahead of the Russians. The Oklahoma aviatrix said she fought for three years to make an American woman the first in space and still felt the feat could be achieved within a few months. REACTIONS VARY San Diego County woman pilots interviewed on the idea of a woman in space had varied reactions. Mrs. Marian Jepsen of 460 Grand Ave., Del Mar, said she wished she were younger so I could qualify for a space trip. Im 42 and no American woman over 39 ever was considered. Id sure love to make a space flight.I wouldnt be afraid. Mrs. Jepsen has competed in seven Powder Puff Derbys and finished third in 1956. FEELS NO ENVY Mrs. Carolyn Huntington of 875 Adele St., veteran of four transcontinental air races, said shed be scared to death to venture into space. I dont envy her (the Russian woman cosmonaut) one bit. Mrs. Harold O. Bishop of 6232 La Jolla Blvd., La Jolla, a grandmother, said of course shed like to go into orbit. Most all women pilots in this country would like to have been the first woman in space, she said. Mrs. Bishop flew in an international air race from Canada to Florida in April. View anniversary front pages online at sandiegouniontribune.com/150-years. For more from the Union-Tribune digital archives, go to newslibrary.com/sites/sdub. Searching is free, with registration. A fee is required to view full stories. Los Angeles police shot and killed a man armed with a sharp weapon in Van Nuys Saturday afternoon after receiving reports of an attack on two women, a police spokesman said. Officers responded to reports that a suspect was stabbing or cutting victims around 1 p.m. in the 6400 block of Tyrone Avenue, said LAPD Sgt. Frank Preciado. When officers arrived at the scene, they found a male suspect armed with a sharp weapon, he said. There wasnt an opportunity to de-escalate the situation, Preciado said. Whenever someone is assaulting someone with a sharp weapon great bodily injury or death officers are forced to take action. As a result there was an officer-involved shooting. Advertisement The suspect, believed to be in his 30s, was transported to a local hospital, where he died of his injuries, Preciado said. Two female victims were taken to the hospital but their conditions are not known, he said. carlos.lozano@latimes.com UPDATES: 8 p.m.: This article was updated with new information from Los Angeles police. This article was originally posted at 3:05 p.m. I felt her staring at me on the playground as I called out to my daughter. She must be someones grandmother, I thought. She must be curious, as people often are. Then she took one step toward me pink fingernails, dark blond hair and opened her mouth, e-nun-ci-a-ting each word. Speak English, she commanded. Youre confusing the poor girl. Advertisement My stomach dropped. I rose from the grass and braced myself to respond. And I did. How has language affected the way you see the world and how the world sees you? Share your story with us But not before an old, familiar feeling washed over me, a mix of fear and shame I used to carry like a knapsack in grade school. I was 7 years old, just two years older than my daughter is now. You wetback. Dirty beaner. Go back to Tijuana. You sound like Ricky Ricardo. So many days at Lake Marie Elementary School ended the same way for me: angry and broken, waiting by the rosebushes for my moms beat-up blue Datsun, wearing my knockoff sneakers and cheap, ruffled dresses from the swap meet. I thought I would never catch up. Thirty years later, I have a career, a house, a husband, two cars, two kids and a dog. Lee este articulo en espanol I became a U.S. citizen, watched The Sound of Music, read Truman Capote, danced the hokey pokey, shook hands with two presidents and lived alone for five years in Oregon. Ive looked up and memorized and practiced out loud every bizarre American idiom Ive ever heard cut the mustard, bite the bullet, burn the midnight oil. I did all this, but, according to this stranger, I havent done enough because I still speak Spanish. I was in kindergarten when I left El Salvador. My mom came first, after the civil war erupted and my grandfather was shot dead in his home. My aunt was killed and my father was exiled and my uncle disappeared and the bodies of so many others, one by one, turned up on the cobblestone paths at sunrise. She sent for me as soon as my visa was approved. I arrived one summer night to a brown stucco house facing an alley in South Whittier. I was giddy to see so many faces that had left me in El Salvador uncles, aunts, cousins I thought were gone from my life. My family gathered on the porch to welcome me and to hear me count to 10 in English. I picked up the language fast and soon became their interpreter. They would take me to job interviews, doctors appointments, government offices and the DMV. I was a superhero, dashing back and forth between two worlds. I knew then Spanish would always be a part of me. When I grew up and got married, my husband felt the same way about his first language Armenian. Los Angeles Times reporter Esmeralda Bermudez at home in the garden with her husband David and 5-year-old daughter on June 7, 2018. (Brian van der Brug / Los Angeles Times ) We would have long discussions about passing on our native tongues to our children. But how do you raise a trilingual child? A child who can weave in and out of three different languages, writing systems and cultures? When I got pregnant in 2012, I made it my mission to find out. I scoured the internet, consulted with pediatricians and attended panel discussions with child psychologists. All the while I kept thinking how laughable my hunt would seem to so many of the worlds polyglots. Experts all told me the same thing: Your newborns mind will be wide open. She will tune herself to any language shes exposed to by those who care for her. She will know when to switch based on the sounds she picks up from each individual voice. The key, I was told, was for each parent to stick to one language. I committed to speaking only Spanish to our daughter. My husband committed to Armenian. The evening we brought our newborn home was one of the most awkward nights in our marriage. We settled into our king-size bed to caress our baby and cuddle. David spoke softly to her. I did, too. But we couldnt understand each others words. It felt lonely. And it would feel that way, off and on, for years. Still, we knew if we held fast, our efforts would pay off for our child. Her world would be infinitely bigger. Los Angeles Times reporter Esmeralda Bermudez and her husband David, left, committed to speaking only Spanish and Armenian to their daughter from the day she was born. The 5-year-old girl picked up English on her own and shes also learning French. (Brian van der Brug / Los Angeles Times ) Those first couple of years, English was an ocean tide, lapping ever closer to our homes front door. Our relatives would come over and speak English to our daughter. They bought her books in English and flipped the channels to English-language cartoons. Her cousins, on both sides, were being raised almost exclusively in English. David and I became cops, constantly demanding that our relatives switch back to Spanish and Armenian. It made me think about a story I wrote during that time about how hard it was for professional Latinos to keep their kids speaking Spanish. Some parents left the task to abuelita. Some didnt think their Spanish was good enough or said they werent around enough Spanish speakers. Others worried that if they pushed Spanish too much, their kids would fall behind in English. Several of my close friends made choices that left them with a mix of doubt, guilt and resignation. Occasionally, David would waver and think maybe its rude to speak Armenian in places where people dont understand. Sometimes, he would shift to English with our daughter. I would tell him not to do that. Teach her to speak it proudly, no matter where she is. Before the age of 2, our little girl with big brown eyes and enormous cheeks began to do just that. Mama, lechita! Papa, katik! Besito, pachik, perro, shunik. Her words were gems that came from her mouth in sets of two one for mama, one for papa. In time, she began to string them together into sentences, moving effortlessly between both languages. She would make up poems about el sol in Spanish and sing her favorite Armenian song, Im Poqrik Navak, at the top of her lungs in the kitchen. She would translate for me at Armenian bakeries, and when her grandmothers were together, she would translate between them. One day, when our daughter was almost 4, a neighbor noticed her shiny gold sneakers. Those are so cool, she said to our girl, who answered in English, Yes, my mom got them at the mall. My jaw dropped. This was the first time Id heard her speak English. Where the heck did that come from? Soon she started preschool, and English was all she spoke there and during playtime with cousins. Language became something she couldnt get enough of. She excavated words like some kids excavate faux dinosaur bones. Mama, did you know theres lots of ways to say grass in Spanish? Grama, zacate, cesped, pasto, monte. Mama, have you heard the word gargantuesco before? It means big. Like really big. Mama, how do you say caterpillar in Spanish? What about in Armenian? What about in Russian? I dont know, Id tell her. Lets look it up. About a year ago, we were at the dinner table with our daughter and her 2-year-old brother when she made an announcement. It was about Dohmerrish, her imaginary friend, a redheaded, freckle-faced French boy. Hes going to live with us, she said. I need to learn French so I can talk to him. OK, we said, and enrolled her in French lessons. The daughter of Los Angeles Times reporter Esmeralda Bermudez takes part in her weekly French class. The 5-year-old, in yellow shoes, told her parents she wanted to learn French so she could chat with her imaginary French friend, a redheaded boy named Dohmerrish. (Brian van der Brug / Los Angeles Times ) Back at the La Mirada playground, I looked at the woman. She knew nothing about me and my daughter. You dont need to worry about my child, I told her. She speaks English, Armenian and Spanish and is learning a fourth language. How many languages do you speak? I asked. I speak Een-glish, she told me, hand on hip. Thats what matters. Then she asked how well my daughter could know any of her languages to which I replied, smiling, You would be surprised. That evening, with a mix of emotions, I described the encounter on Twitter. What came next stunned me. This was a few days before communicating in my first language became a national flashpoint before a New York lawyer heard a group speaking Spanish and threatened to call Immigration and Customs Enforcement, before a Border Patrol agent near the border in Montana heard two U.S. citizens speaking Spanish and detained them. Within hours my first tweet went viral. It was retweeted nearly 80,000 times, ultimately reaching millions. Thousands of people across the world chimed in with their views on language, on America, on identity and culture. Nkululeko Sizwe from South Africa: In Johannesburg most young Africans speak 3 or more languages. I speak 6/7 (and I was raised in Namibia). Natasha Carlyon from Atlanta: Unfortunately, people told my mom to stop speaking to me in Korean, and she listened. She regrets the decision. Im now trying to learn Korean. Annu Jalais from India: Good for you. My 4 yr old also speaks 4 languages & it is only monolinguals (the French, Americans, British) who keep telling me all these languages will confuse him. Charlie Kelly from Pittsburgh: The more languages the better! forever wishing i was multilingual. John Wallace from Texas: Those who scold others about which language they speak in a free country have a strange definition of freedom. Please adopt me!! I promise Ill clean my room and even ... help with dusting. Bravo, mama. Your daughter is my hero! The comments kept coming for days, 20, 30 at a time. This is crazy, I kept telling David as my phone buzzed and buzzed. In this sea of voices, just about all of them positive, that one womans voice faded out. I could hardly remember what she looked like. All I knew was that my kids would be just fine. The 5-year-old daughter of Los Angeles Times reporter Esmeralda Bermudez sang songs and recited poems in Armenian at her Armenian schools end-of-the-year celebration. (Brian van der Brug / Los Angeles Times ) esmeralda.bermudez@latimes.com @LATBermudez If the powers in San Diego finally get the waterfront convention center expanded, they may deserve a boatload of credit, regardless of what you think about the actual project. Theyll really have to thread the needle on this one. The good thing for the supporters of the ballot initiative is they have a lot going for them: A broad coalition of hoteliers, unions and business leaders. A proposed tax increase that hits hotel visitors, not the locals who vote on it. The promise of billions of dollars not just for expanding the building but for homeless services and fixing roads. The potential for an economic boost and increased government revenues. The likelihood of a well-funded campaign in the fall. (The signature-gathering effort to put the measure on the ballot is in the final stage.) But opposition is emerging on the right and left, and while its scope and funding are uncertain, it might not take that much to upend the proposal, or muddy the waters, even if a majority of voters approve. Advertisement The initiative needs two-thirds voter support for the hotel-tax increase to be approved without question. Its status is murky if the measure only gets simple-majority support. California law long had been interpreted as requiring a two-thirds majority for a tax increase like this one. Thats a high bar to clear even without organized opposition. Some believe its harder to do in San Diego than elsewhere. Bill Evans, board member of Evans Hotels, said during a previous unsuccessful attempt to expand the convention center that he had doubts a supermajority of San Diego voters would back such a tax. San Diegans historically have shown even if you give them free ice cream on the ballot, its tough to get two-thirds, he famously said in 2014. Recent court rulings raise the possibility that the tax threshold could be a simple majority, but its not clear. So if the measure falls short of two-thirds but gains a majority, that likely puts the whole matter in limbo as the courts sort it out. Of course, opponents will try to keep it from gaining a majority to definitively put a stake through it. A potent opponent could be Carl DeMaio, radio host and former San Diego City Council member. Hes justifiably feeling his oats these days as a leader of the initiative headed to the November ballot that would repeal the recent state gas-tax increase. He also was a key player in the June 5 recall of Orange County state Sen. Josh Newman, a Democrat in a traditionally Republican district who was targeted because he voted for the gas-tax hike. In a recent email to followers, DeMaio urged them not to sign petitions to qualify a massive $6.4 billion tax increase locally. Thats an accurate revenue estimate, over 42 years, though backers emphasize it would be paid almost entirely by out-of-towners. He added that $2 billion of the funds will be wasted on homeless social service programs. . . Supporters of the tax believe one of the big selling points is a lot of the money will be used to combat homelessness, which has become a huge social problem and public health concern. But one well-known homeless advocate, Michael McConnell, isnt sold on the initiative. Hes not agreeing the money would be wasted, but is worried it could be diverted from homeless programs. He hired Remcho Johansen & Percell, perhaps the states pre-eminent law firm specializing in election law, to analyze the measure. The firm concluded the initiative is riddled with loopholes, according to McConnells release. Among other things, the analysis says the San Diego City Council would have the authority to weaken or eliminate most of the existing protections in the measure, including for funds aimed at homeless programs and street repairs. The analysis no doubt will be challenged, but it provides fodder for opposition to the initiative. The Republican Party of San Diego County has opposition to tax increases as an automatic default position. But it can decide to go neutral (by internal majority vote) or support (by two-thirds internal vote). Chairman Tony Krvaric said the party will take up the issue this summer. The City Council on Tuesday approved a $33 million deal to give the city control over land needed to expand the convention center. Council members David Alvarez and Georgette Gomez voted against it. Among other things, Alvarez objected to the non-refundable $5 million upfront payment from public funds to leaseholders of the property, who would get the balance if the measure is approved and, if need be, upheld by the courts. But that court resolution would have to happen by March 15 the Ides of March per negotiations between the city, the port district and the leaseholders, Fifth Avenue Landing. Some participants arent sure thats enough time for the wheels of justice to turn. Members of the port commission had to sign off on the deal and did so unanimously, but not without some concerns. It would probably send the wrong message for me to vote no with so much on the line, Commissioner Dan Malcolm said, according to a report by the Union-Tribunes Lori Weisberg. The Port of San Diego is bearing tremendous risk in that this is one of the most valuable port properties. We make 100 percent of our revenues on rent. So, in effect, by entering into a deal with an uncertain outcome where were taking the land off the market, the port is in all the way with financial risk. Now that sounds like someone taking one for the team. Tweets of the Week Go to Conn Carroll (@conncarroll), communications director for Sen. Mike Lee, R-Utah, and Ryan J. Reilly (@ryanjreilly) of the Huffington Post. This isnt about a local matter, but its too good to pass up. Carrol: Ok so Im in the Capitol Visitors Center gift shop with a 6th grade field trip and a kid asks why the shot glasses on sale all have toothpicks in them. I have no idea. The sales lady says they werent allowed to sell shot glasses so they are called toothpick holders Reilly: This is actually a great lesson about how D.C. works. (Correction: This column has been updated to include the correct first name of Port Commissioner Dan Malcolm.) San Diegos three large dormitory-style tents for the homeless are called bridge shelters because theyre supposed to transition people from the street into permanent housing. But thats not happening, new data shows at least not at the scale originally envisioned. When city officials agreed last November to spend $6.5 million to open the tents, they set a goal of at least 65 percent of the occupants exiting to permanent housing. The results so far: 12 percent. Advertisement Almost three times as many people have used the shelters like revolving doors exiting and returning as have moved into housing. The numbers are a stark reminder of the challenges public officials and service agencies face as they grapple with the nations fourth-largest population of homeless people, 8,576 at last count. Despite dozens of assistance programs put in place here, and millions of dollars spent, theres been little change in the total over the past five years. The new tents, which have a combined total of 674 beds, are designed to help move the needle. But the agencies managing them say the 65 percent goal is unrealistic because there arent enough housing units and rental subsidies available. Theres certainly not housing out there for 65 percent of the people in the shelters, said Bob McElroy, President and CEO of Alpha Project, which runs the tent in Barrio Logan. If there was, they would be in it. Critics say the poor performance is a reflection of a dysfunctional system that overemphasizes emergency shelters and hasnt figured out how to align the communitys resources with the longer-term needs of the homeless. Theres nothing wrong with the shelters per se, but they havent really improved anything, said Michael McConnell, a homeless advocate and former vice president of the Regional Task Force on the Homeless. Theyve just made the bottleneck bigger at the front end. An outside consulting firm evaluating the shelters said they are doing several things right in keeping with best practices nationwide, such as providing a variety of services on-site: medical care, meals, showers, and benefits assistance. But the consultant is also recommending a deeper culture shift that makes those who come into the tents and those who work there understand that the purpose is not just to provide emergency beds. The current messaging needs to shift away from fill out these forms and then wait for housing to lets figure out how you can get back into housing, a new report from the San Diego Housing Commission staff says. The consultant also recommends that the city set a more reasonable interim goal for the next six to 12 months of moving 30 percent of the tent occupants into permanent housing. Were learning a lot about our system and the demographics of the population, said Lisa Jones, vice president of homeless housing innovations for the Housing Commission, which is funding the bridge shelters. Its helping us identify resource needs and gaps. Finding the most vulnerable? The bridge shelters went up in the wake of last years hepatitis A outbreak, which hit the homeless particularly hard as it killed 20 people and infected 588 others. The city was also seeing a spike in the number of people living on downtown streets in makeshift sidewalk encampments. Alpha Projects tent, which serves single adults, opened Dec. 1 and can hold up to 324 people. A shelter for military veterans, operated in the Midway District by Veterans Village of San Diego, opened Dec. 22 with a capacity of 200. Father Joes Villages opened the third shelter, for single women and families, on Jan. 3 in the East Village. It has room for 150 people. Data from the shelters through April 30 shows they have brought in 1,830 homeless people. Of those, 37 percent are age 55 or older. Fifty-three percent have no monthly income, and another six percent have incomes of $500 or less. Almost 50 percent are considered chronically homeless, which is defined by the federal government as someone who has experienced homelessness for a year or longer, or has experienced at least four episodes of homelessness in the last three years, and has a diagnosed disability that hinders the ability to maintain employment or housing. What those numbers suggest is that the shelters are attracting some of the regions most-vulnerable homeless, which is what they are designed to do. In the past, emergency shelters often operated on a first-come, first-served basis. At the bridge shelters, intakes are coordinated with the Regional Task Force, which maintains a database ranking homeless people by their level of need, and another one that tracks the availability of permanent housing, which includes long-term supportive units (3,733 beds countywide) and shorter-term rapid re-housing units (1,372 beds). In theory, that would allow the people to be matched with the places. But what looked good on paper hasnt worked out in practice. When the shelters opened, the Task Force sent them lists of potential clients considered priority one. These are people who had been given a needs-assessment, were matched to rental assistance, and could go into a housing unit when it became available. Outreach teams took to the streets and tried to find the people on the lists. Many of them were already housed or had moved away. Others couldnt be located because their contact information was out of date. As a result, through April 30, only 108 of the shelter occupants were priority one. The expectation early on that a majority of the people would be housing-resource ready was very much an overstatement, said Deacon Jim Vargas, president and CEO of Father Joes Villages. Instead, almost half of the occupants were priority four, not far enough along in the assessment and matching process to be eligible for housing resources. A revolving door Of the 1,174 exits from the shelters so far, 137 have been to permanent housing. (Another 46 have exited to other kinds of longer-term housing such as residential drug-treatment programs, health-care facilities, and foster care.) That success rate of 12 percent has startled some city officials, who were hoping that the massive tents would do better than other emergency shelters in the county, which move about 20 percent of their occupants into permanent housing, according to tracking by the Regional Task Force. The agencies running the bridge shelters said they told officials early on that their goals were unrealistic. The challenge is, there are too few places to move them out to, and even if there was, it takes time to place them, said Kim Mitchell, President and CEO of the Veterans Village of San Diego. Some of the homeless are content to stay in the shelters, she said. Although there is no limit on how long they can remain, the goal is an average stay of no more than 120 days before moving into housing. The shelters are meeting the 120-day exit mark, not because of housing placements, but because so many of the occupants are leaving and then returning. Through April 30, 385 people had exited and then come back, most of them once. Fifty had left and re-entered four or more times. Some couch-surf with friends for a few days, or they go back to the streets, said Vargas, from Father Joes. In general, thats something that happens with this population. The revolving-door undermines the effectiveness of the shelters, city officials said, disrupting case managers and housing navigators as they try to steer their clients toward a place to live. Its been particularly problematic at the Veterans Village shelter, where more than two-thirds of the exits and re-entries 266 have occurred. In response, the rules there were changed recently. People who left had been allowed to return after 48 hours. Now the wait is 96 hours, Mitchell said, and thats been curtailing the back-and-forth. Learning curve Despite the setbacks, each of the shelters also has success stories, people who have been moved into supportive housing after years on the streets, others who have found jobs that enable them to pay their rent. Were making headway, said McElroy, from Alpha Project. The shelters have been mostly full, with an average occupancy rate of 95 percent. Thats enabled outreach teams to move beyond just trying to find people to come into the tents; they now target specific areas in the city and do vulnerability assessments and collect demographic information all with an eye toward better understanding San Diegos homeless population and what it needs to stay off the streets. This is really a new program, a different way of running a shelter, said Jones, from the Housing Commission. We kind of anticipated learning as we go. Another change involves the housing navigators, who help connect the homeless to various resources. Because an unexpectedly low number of clients came into the shelters already matched through the Regional Task Force to subsidized housing resources, the navigators have had to steer those who do arrive in other directions, even encouraging them to bring back phone numbers they see on for rent signs. That will need to continue, according to the outside consultant, Focus Strategies, which is evaluating the shelters. Its recommendations include more training for the staff to identify possible housing solutions, a small amount of flexible funding that will help clients move into apartments quickly, and clearer messaging to the homeless about why the shelters exist. A final report from the consultant is due at the end of July. john.wilkens@sduniontribune.com The pre-war co-op on New Yorks Upper West Side, across the street from Central Park, was the fictional home of Seinfeld character Elaine Benes. In real life its where an accused Sinaloa drug kingpin stashed fentanyl to be weighed, bagged and labeled for sale on New York streets under the names UBER, Panda, and Wild Card. When narcotics agents raided Apartment 6D in August, they found 1,100 glassine envelopes of the deadly synthetic heroin, plus everything else needed for a distribution mill: bags of bulk fentanyl, stamps, ledgers, gloves, masks, rubber bands, a heat sealing device and a gun stuffed between couch cushions. The iconic building was the final stop on just one artery of an illicit pipeline stretching all the way back to China. Advertisement Flowing in one direction, this fentanyl pipeline runs through Mexican cartel strongholds and heads north on well-established drug trafficking routes. It funnels 80 percent of the drug through the San Diego border before dispersing throughout the U.S. The pipeline flows in another direction, as well, direct from Chinese laboratories to U.S. customers through the mail, bringing small, hard-to-detect packages of extremely pure fentanyl to suburban doorsteps. Both channels are feeding a deadly epidemic, moving a drug so potent that the equivalent of a few grains of table salt can be fatal. In 2016, fentanyl-type drugs were responsible for killing nearly 20,000 people in the U.S., according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Sealing the fentanyl pipeline, however, has proven to be thus far an insurmountable challenge. The effort involves navigating delicate political relations with China and Mexico, addressing weaknesses at U.S. borders and within international mail systems that continue to allow narcotics to slip through unnoticed, battling nimble and powerful drug traffickers, and trying to keep up with enterprising chemists who constantly skirt drug controls with new formulations. Piece of cake Fentanyl was first developed in 1960 as a powerful painkiller and surgery anesthetic without the side effect of nausea. It is 100 times more potent than morphine and up to 50 times stronger than heroin. It is prescribed in controlled settings for the most serious conditions, such as to treat cancer pain, and usually dispensed in patches or lollipops. Then drug traffickers realized its potential. The first major wave of illicit fentanyl-laced heroin hit the U.S. around 2005 and 2006. Now, it has completely invaded the illegal drug market. Mexican drug cartels often take bulk pure fentanyl from China and then cut it with any number of substances, from heroin to cocaine to methamphetamine to cheap fillers such as sugar and acetominophen. The end result is packaged wholesale into powdered bricks that are extremely diluted, 6 to 7 percent typically, and smuggled across the border. The street dealers then call it whatever they want, leaving most customers completely unaware that the drug they just bought is actually fentanyl. The guy who is addicted to heroin has no idea what hes getting, he just knows hes getting that same feeling, said Dean Kirby, a senior forensic chemist at the DEA lab in San Diego. Small amounts of pure fentanyl are also commonly mixed with the same kinds of fillers and pressed into pills. They are then falsely marketed as pharmaceuticals such as oxycodone or Xanax, seizing upon Americas heavy demand for prescription painkillers. Poorly blended batches can create fentanyl hotspots, proving fatal for unsuspecting users. While some traffickers brag about using top-of-the-line mixers sometimes the same machinery used by pharmaceutical companies others use rudimentary equipment, authorities say. Why take the risk of killing off customers? It all comes down to economics. Fentanyl can be cheaply procured from Chinese laboratories, and a little bit goes a long way. Consider what it takes to produce heroin large plots of secure land to grow opium poppies, a labor force for farming and refining, and several months of time. Then youve got weather, pests and water supply issues to deal with. Move the entire process to a lab and it is so much more predictable and profitable. With fentanyl, you need about 20 times less product to achieve the same high as heroin. One kilogram of pure fentanyl from China, costing about $3,300 to $5,000, can be turned into a diluted powder sold on San Diego streets at a $300,000 value, according to the DEA. As it travels farther away from the border, the value skyrockets. If it is in pill form, 1 kilogram of pure fentanyl can be made into 1 million pills containing 1 milligram of fentanyl each. Sell each pill for $10 to $20 a piece on the street and that is a $10 million to $20 million product. Obviously, theres lots of money to be made in this, said Assistant U.S. Attorney Sherri Hobson, who prosecutes fentanyl traffickers in San Diego. Or, drug traffickers can make the fentanyl themselves. The immediate precursor chemical for fentanyl, called 4ANPP, can be purchased from China for $1,000 per kilogram and mixed with a few other chemicals to produce about 1 kilogram of pure fentanyl. And if 4ANPP is unavailable, a cook with a more advanced skill set can use the chemical NPP to make 4ANPP. If you get the right ingredients, its like making a cake, Kirby said. Whack-a-mole It all starts in China, where a booming legitimate chemical industry hides illegal producers, and precursor chemicals and other items such as pill presses have been scarcely regulated, according to a March report by the U.S. Government Accountability Office. It wasnt until February that the precursors NPP and 4ANPP were deemed controlled substances under Chinese law. Much of the U.S. diplomatic effort in China focuses on regulating chemicals and fentanyl analogues legislatively. And therein lies the problem with controlling synthetic drugs: regulate one form and a chemist figures out how to slightly tweak the molecular structure to make it technically something else. Theres butyrlfentanyl, brifentanyl, furanylfentanyl, lofentanyl and acetylfentanyl, for starters. Its a game of whack-a-mole, one U.S. official told a group of San Diego County law enforcement officers in a gathering on fentanyl in November, but the alternative is no better. In February, the DEA took a swing at the whole fentanyl family by controlling any substance with a similar chemical makeup. Direct mail The pipeline from China to the U.S. is connected by an online marketplace that is moving commerce deeper underground on the dark web, where drug purchases can be made with anonymity. The nature of fentanyl extremely potent in small doses when pure makes it ideal to move through the mail, keeping packages small and inconspicuous. Experts say its hard to know just how much fentanyl is coming direct from China to the U.S. A few U.S. investigations suggest it is on a large scale. One network allegedly led by Jian Zhang of China sent thousands of packages of fentanyl, pill presses, stamps and dye to U.S. customers since 2013, according to federal prosecutors. Another operator, Xiobing Yan, is accused of running at least two chemical plants in China capable of producing ton quantities of fentanyl and selling the drugs to U.S. customers online. In a San Diego case, a Clairemont man was caught with homemade gelatin tablets of fentanyl and meth that hed been selling over the dark web and shipping through the U.S. mail. Hed bought the tablets from an Oklahoma man over the dark web, who had made the pills from fentanyl purchased from China, Hobson said. The Clairemont man was also found with carfentanil, 100 times more potent than fentanyl, Hobson said. With fentanyl deaths rising and the discovery of new networks, U.S. authorities are trying to figure out how to weed out the drug deliveries from the nearly 500 million international packages coming into the countrys five U.S. mail inspection facilities each year. Part of the problem is Chinas complex and misleading freight forwarding system, which moves parcels from shipper to shipper, making it virtually impossible to trace it to its original source. Fentanyl shippers will often mislabel the package as an extra layer of caution and forward the package through another country, such as Tonga, to avoid U.S. suspicion, federal authorities said. A recent Senate investigation found another hurdle is the U.S. Postal Services failure to fully deploy a program to require more detailed sender and recipient information on packages a tool that helps law enforcement target suspicious shipments. Private shippers such as UPS and FedEx, however, are required to include the information, apparently making the U.S. Postal Service a more attractive option for illicit shippers, the report found. In fiscal 2017, Customs and Border Protection interdicted 118 shipments totaling 240 pounds of fentanyl from express consignment carriers and 227 seizures totaling 92 pounds from the international mail, according to recent CBP testimony to Congress. Mexicos phantom drug Much more fentanyl is being seized along the Mexican pipeline. But just how the fentanyl gets there from China, and how much, has been something of a mystery. Fentanyl has been something of a ghost, said analyst Alejandro Hope, formerly a high-ranking official with the Mexican security agency, CISEN. Nobody knows how much is being produced, how much is being imported, there is very little sound information about it. Renato Sales, Mexicos national security commissioner, told the Mexico City newspaper, Reforma, in a recent interview that most fentanyl entering Mexico from China comes through the busy Pacific Coast port of Manzanillo in the state of Colima. In the interview, Sales also linked fentanyl trafficking to the rise in violence in the state. Despite these statements, there have been no announcements of significant seizures or the drug or its precursors at the port. On one subject there is little dispute that the smuggling of fentanyl through Mexico to the U.S. border is largely conducted by the long-established Sinaloa cartel, and the rising powerhouse Cartel Jalisco Nueva Generacion, or CJNG, both large trafficking organizations with international reach. The fentanyl that passes through Mexico to the U.S. border travels through many of the same routes used to smuggle heroin, meth, cocaine and marijuana with seizures reported in recent months all along the western corridor that runs through Jalisco, Sinaloa, Sonora, and Baja California. The drug has been found hidden inside shoes, in a passenger bus, and in numerous cargo parcels at the Tijuana airport. In March 2017, Mexican military at a checkpoint in Sonora found 18 kilograms of fentanyl hidden in a semi-truck load of bell peppers. In August near the same area, the Mexican military made a record seizure after intercepting a big rig with grocery supplies headed from Mexico City to Tijuana that also carried 30,000 pills and 63 kilos of powder, both containing fentanyl. While there is evidence of increased seizures of fentanyl in recent years, there remains debate as to just how much comes to the United States through Mexico. I would believe that the majority come directly from China, said Vanda Felbab-Brown, a scholar at the Brookings Institution in Washington, D.C., who studies illegal economies. Another sensitive question is how much fentanyl is produced in Mexico. Both Felbab-Brown and Hope, the security analyst, say there there would be little incentive for Mexican trafficking organizations to produce the drug, because of low weight and high potency. Its not really advantageous to buy precursors and make it, she said. To the extent that it is happening, it is still in the very nascent stages. Still, clues there have been indications of at least some efforts to produce the drug. A 2006 overdose outbreak in Chicago led back to a fentanyl lab near Toluca, Mexico, where one of the operators told authorities hed bought NPP from a Chinese company. In 2016, Chinese customs agents seized 70 kilograms of fentanyl and acetyl fentanyl in a cargo container that was bound for Mexico. In November, the Mexican military found a clandestine lab outside Culiacan, Sinaloas capital city, seizing 16 drums of NPP, as well as 40 kilograms of an unidentified solid substance, according to news bulletin from the Mexican attorney generals office. There is at least one documented case of a fentanyl precursor being sent south from the United States to Mexico. In August, a CBP officer working the Los Angeles International Mail Facility intercepted a 1 kilogram package of 4ANPP from China. It was destined to a Post Office box in San Ysidro. Investigators switched out the dangerous substance for a decoy, allowed the package to be delivered, and did round-the-clock surveillance to see who would pick it up. It was Cesar Daleo, a former Border Patrol agent living in condo hed bought in Mexico, authorities said. He placed the package in his trunk, then headed south on Interstate 5 to the border. He was pulled over just before he drove into Mexico, according to court records. He is headed for trial next month. Over the border Much of the fentanyl is headed for San Diego, to be crossed in cars, in semi-trucks or by pedestrians at the ports of entry as all other drugs are. In fiscal 2017, CBP seized 355 kilograms of fentanyl at San Diego ports of entry, accounting for 82 percent of all border crossing seizures nationwide, according to updated CBP data. The couriers are Mexican citizens, U.S. citizens, legal permanent residents and drivers with SENTRI passes, according to review of numerous border prosecutions. Some claim to be blind mules. Some know they are smuggling drugs, they just dont know what kind. Some say they they drove the load across the border under threats of harm to them or their families. Other smugglers appear to be more involved in the distribution cells. In one San Diego case, prosecutors say two women would smuggle drugs, including fentanyl, across the border and then use the Las Vegas restaurant they own as a front for sales and to launder money. As that case illustrates, along with the massive amount of fentanyl seizures being reported across the U.S., most of the fentanyl that crosses here moves on. The Midwest and East Coast have been especially hard hit by fentanyl overdose deaths. DEA experts attribute some of that to a long established demand for heroin in those parts of the country. We know when we see fentanyl seizures in Kansas, Nebraska, Ohio, Boston, New Jersey, said Hobson, the federal prosecutor, these highway interdictions of fentanyl are going to be traced back to the border. Francisco Quiroz-Zamora (DEA) The fentanyl seized from the Seinfeld apartment came from Mexico, smuggled through California or Arizona. An alleged trafficker with Sinaloa ties, Francisco Quiroz-Zamora, is accused in an indictment of coordinating the loads from his home in San Jose del Cabo in Baja California Sur. But San Diego has not been spared from the clutches of fentanyl. Fentanyl-related overdose deaths have risen steadily in the county, from 33 in 2016 to 81 last year, according to medical examiners data. Richard Summerfruit, a 26-year-old Poway man who had gotten clean from addiction several months earlier, relapsed a week before Thanksgiving in 2016. We dont know what triggered him that day, his mother, Pam Summerfruit, said in an interview. In text messages, hed asked his dealer for Percocet, or oxycodone. Later that day he was found in distress in his car, and he died at a hospital. The half pill hed smoked was blue with the markings of a Percocet M30. Lab results revealed it was fentanyl instead. Had he known that, he wouldnt have done it, his mother said. I know in my heart. The dealer, Alfred Lemus Jr., was prosecuted on a murder charge, with evidence that hed known he was selling fentanyl-laced drugs from Mexico. In a jail holding cell, Lemus bragged he was selling up to $3,000 in drugs a day, mainly the pills, according to court records. S**ts dangerous though, he said, adding someone died off them pills. Lemus pleaded guilty to voluntary manslaughter and earlier this month was sentenced to 15 years in prison. The Summerfruits will never be the same. Were still healing. We have good days and bad days, Pam said of her family, including her husband and their two daughters, both in their 30s. Its kind of like a rollercoaster. Well never be like we were as a family again. kristina.davis@sduniontribune.com Twitter: @kristinadavis State agents on the trail of an inmate firefighter who disappeared from a minimum-security East County camp on Wednesday tracked him to Long Beach on Friday. Marco Calderon, 22, was taken into custody about 11:50 p.m. at a park, where he was living in a car with his fiancee, state prison authorities said in a statement released Saturday. Calderon had been last seen in his bunk at the McCain Valley Conservation Camp, in the rural Boulevard community, about 11 p.m. Tuesday, according to the state Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation. He was reported missing about 1:30 a.m. Wednesday. Cal Fire and California Highway Patrol officers helped Office of Correctional Safety agents search for Calderon, but they couldnt find him. A public notice of Calderons disappearance was issued on Thursday. Advertisement Corrections officials said that during their investigation, they learned that Calderon was a transient and living in a car in Long Beach. They found him at Cesar E. Chavez Park in that city and arrested him. An investigation was continuing to determine whether his fiancee was involved in his escape. Calderon had been convicted in Los Angeles County of second-degree robbery and sentenced last fall to five years in custody. He had been assigned to McCain Valley Conservation Camp as an inmate firefighter since May. He was due to be released in November of 2020, but now a case will be forwarded to the San Diego District Attorneys Office for possible charges of escape from custody, authorities said. pauline.repard@sduniontribune Twitter: @pdrepard If youve ever considered trying to save a bit of cash after imbibing with friends by passing on a ride-share service and taking an electric scooter instead think again. That could be a DUI waiting to happen. Uber and Lyft are still cheaper than going to jail and being the laughing stock of the cell because you got a DUI-scooter, said Officer Mark McCullough, who is with the San Diego Police Departments traffic division. Motorists and motorcyclists arent the only ones who can get slapped with drunken driving charges in California. Basically, if youre inebriated and youre driving or riding on a vehicle of any kind, you could be arrested for DUI, police said. Advertisement That includes bicycles and scooters which can now be picked up and rented in cities across the county. On Monday, a 41-year-old man was cited for allegedly driving under the influence of alcohol after he rode a rented scooter into the path of a car and was struck in University Heights. He wasnt wearing a helmet and was taken to a hospital with serious injuries. A motorized scooter doesnt even have to be on for the rider to get a DUI. In 1977, a state appellate court judge ruled that if a vehicle, equipped with a motor, is being steered or controlled by an intoxicated person, and the vehicle is in motion, the driver is subject to prosecution even if the engine is not running at that time. State law says it is illegal for a person age 21 or over to operate a vehicle if that person has a blood-alcohol content that measures .08 percent or higher. However, theres no minimum blood-alcohol level at which a scooter rider is considered to be intoxicated. In those cases, officers who must have probable case to make the stop determine whether riders are impaired. Scooter riders and bicyclists also arent at risk of losing their license. When the driver of a car or motorcycle is arrested on DUI charges, officers seize his or her license and hand it over to the California Department of Motor Vehicles, McCullough said. Suspects have 10 days to contact the state agency to determine what comes next, which includes the possibility that the license will be suspended. Twitter: @LAWinkley (619) 293-1546 lyndsay.winkley@sduniontribune.com Thank you for reading! On your next view you will be asked to log in to your subscriber account or create an account and subscribepurchase a subscription to continue reading. Bunnings, the hardware chain owned by Australia's Wesfarmers, will pay more than $11 million to 12,235 New Zealand past and current employees after identifying mistakes in implementing the Holidays Act 2003. The company has recalculated all leave payments from April 1, 2004, to May 31, 2018, and said all money owed will be inflated to today's dollars in line with the Reserve Bank of New Zealand Consumer Price Index. The median payment is $317. The government last month formed a taskforce involving government, business and workers, to recommend changes to the Holidays Act 2003 in a bid to unravel the legislation's complexity to cope with a fast-changing labour market. Business has long lobbied for changes, arguing its complexity costs time and money, in particular with the rising number of part-time and casual workers. The taskforce aims to recommend changes to the act by mid-2019. Bunnings NZ general manager Toby Lawrance said today that the company will ensure employees are paid correctly until a permanent solution can be implemented. Like many other private and government organisations, we have found interpreting and applying the Holiday Act to be a challenge," Lawrance said in a statement. "As a large employer in New Zealand we understand the importance of the trust that exists between our team and the business, particularly in ensuring they are paid correctly. Clearly this is disappointing for us and for our team and we will continue to work to ensure that we have the right systems and processes to support our team." Back payments for current employees are already underway and past employees are being contacted via their last known address, Lawrance said. Bunnings said anyone who thinks they may be affected should submit a claim form on the Bunnings website. Data from the Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment indicates between July 2012 and March 2018, 51 employers have paid arrears to 18,100 workers totalling $6.14 million due to noncompliance with the act. The data doesn't include data from the New Zealand Police. According to MBIE, the police have made six arrears payments totalling $39 million, and have more payments to come as they await the implementation of their new compliant payroll system. (BusinessDesk) Comments from our readers No comments yet Add your comment: Your name: Your email: Not displayed to the public Comment: Comments to Sharechat go through an approval process. Comments which are defamatory, abusive or in some way deemed inappropriate will not be approved. It is allowable to use some form of non-de-plume for your name, however we recommend real email addresses are used. Comments from free email addresses such as Gmail, Yahoo, Hotmail, etc may not be approved. Anti-spam verification: Type the text you see in the image into the field below. You are asked to do this in order to verify that this enquiry is not being performed by an automated process. Related News: FreshLeaf: Cannabis on course to be 'medicine of the masses' Arvida Group Limited (NZX: ARV) to Acquire Arena Living Retirement Living Portfolio My Food Bag Group Limited (NZX: MFB) Market Update and HY Results Announcement Date Harmoney Corp Limited (NZX: HMY) Delivers Record September Quarter Vital Healthcare Property Trust (NZX: VHP) Announces Successful Completion of $115m Placement 14th October 2021 Morning Report General Capital Limited (NZX: GEN) Completes Greenfern Listing LISTING AND QUOTATION NOTICE: NZX MAIN BOARD - GREENFERN INDUSTRIES LIMITED 13th October 2021 Morning Report Hotel Montreal: Patterson Family Buys Christchurch's Hotel Montreal The media critics to 1998 AD and strong COPEI essentially today are also its allies and have been involved as others in the political process. In my opinion a huge mistake which has also played the government. "Severe or mild? This depression has a clearly reactive dating easy and accurate over time. In principle, reactive depression is less severe than the endogenous, since they do not meet the constitutional structures person, but cyclical episodes in its history. It is, in effect, a depression that evidences a psychological mood continental structurally depressed. On the contrary, Venezuela is a joyous and festive, full of rebellion and utopia, with great creativity to address the problems and full of good humor to the point of joking about himself healthy. Nor is it a depression that comes from a centuries-old process that has been gnawing psychological structures be fundamental to our Latin American spirit. The country is most strongly felt herself, the more signals that own identity issues, and all this, until today. DEPRESSION "long or short? If history is accelerating constantly, today, in time of maximum communication and exchange, we share and grow rapidly (reflection, empathy, reprocessing of conscience ...) than before procesabamos in decades or centuries. Who can deny that this situation can be promptly? Not to be reactive depression often remits spontaneously one day, our body, which has been obeyed (by force) in their requirements, reacts, adapts to the new situation and recover the lost vitality. Back to normal. Even without special therapy: time heals everything. In Iraq, Angelina Jolie calls for focus on conlfict prevention Arbil, Iraq, June 17 (AFP) Jun 17, 2018 Hollywood star Angelina Jolie called Sunday for a larger focus on conflict prevention rather than responding to its repercussions, during a visit to Iraq with the UN refugee agency. "I hope that we can find the strength to find a better way forward together: so that we move into a new era of preventing conflict and reducing instability, rather than simply struggling to deal with its consequences," Jolie told a news conference at the Domiz refugee camp in Iraq's autonomous Kurdistan region. It was Jolie's third visit to the camp as UNHCR special envoy, after previous visits in 2012 and 2016. The Domiz camp opened in 2011 and is home to 40,000 Syrian refugees who fled the seven-year civil war across the border. "When UNHCR's Syria response was only 50 percent funded last year, and this year it is only 17 percent funded, there are terrible human consequences," Jolie said. "We should be under no illusion about this," she added. Late last month, the UN made an "urgent and critical" appeal for donations to its main budget for Syrian refugees after contributions pledged in April failed to trickle in. "When there is not even the bare minimum of aid, refugee families cannot receive adequate medical treatment, women and girls are left vulnerable to sexual violence, many children cannot go to school, and we squander the opportunity of being able to invest in refugees so that they can acquire new skills and support their families," she said. Her visit coincided with the third day of Eid al-Fitr celebrations marking the end of the Muslim holy month of Ramadan. On Saturday, Jolie visited western Mosul, held by Islamic State jihadists for nearly three years until they were pushed out by Iraqi forces last summer. During her visit, she walked through Mosul's destroyed Old City, met with displaced families and spoke about reconstruction. "This is the worst devastation I have seen in all my years with UNHCR," Jolie said. "It is deeply upsetting that people who have endured unparallelled brutality have so little as they try, somehow, to rebuild the lives they once had." The visit marked Jolie's 61st mission -- and fifth to Iraq -- with the UN refugee agency since 2001. Bir Lahlou (Liberated Territories), June 16, 2018 (SPS) - The Polisario Front on Friday brought an action for annulment of the Council of the European Union's decision, which allows the European Commission to open negotiations with Rabat to extend EU-Morocco fishing agreement to Western Sahara and its maritime space, Polisario Secretariat member M'hamed Khadad said. "In the Face of European Commission's inability to ensure the enforcement of its decisions, the Polisario Front has no other choice but to refer the matter to EU courts, on behalf of Western Sahara people, for the cancellation of the negotiations under way," said Khadad, also minister for Coordination with the UN Mission for the Referendum in Western Sahara (MINURSO) in a declaration. The negotiations, he said, "violate Western Sahara people's right to self-determination, as they are held within the framework of Morocco's annexationist policy." "They can only lead to a new illegal agreement." The decision, taken on April 16 by the Council of the EU, allows the Commission to open negotiations with Morocco to extend EU-Morocco fishing agreement to Western Sahara and its maritime space while, Khadad noted, the decisions the EU Court of Justice issued on 21 December 2016 and 27 February 2018 condemn this practice. (SPS) 062/SPS/APS Each Saturday and Sunday well post a Quick Smoke: not quite a full review, just our brief verdict on a single cigar of buy, hold, or sell. The catalog favorite Nica Libre has always been a discount cigar with an emphasis on its Nicaraguan pedigree. Lately, the line has expanded, including with this 25th Anniversary Silver offering (25 years since the sovereign post-revolution war, not of the Nica Libre brand) made by A.J. Fernandez. I cant remember the last time I smoked a cigar with this much in-your-face spice right from the beginning. The Nicaraguan puro is dominated by cayenne and black pepper notes, backed up by black coffee and oak flavors. Its a bit unbalanced, but if you crave spice this is for you. Verdict = Hold. Patrick S photo credit: Stogie Guys The West sees China as a threat, as do Chinas neighbors. What bothers many non-Chinese is what exactly are the Chinese up to. China doesnt really need all the territory they are laying claim to. What does China need with the South China Sea, large chunks of India and, rather quietly, the Far Eastern Russian territories? These adjacent land areas can be seen as the traditional Chinese way of expanding but China has tended, for thousands of year, trying to absorb areas not populated by Han (ethnic Chinese) people. While the traditional Chinese lands are now incorporated into communist China what, the question is, to the Chinese want and why? Westerners fail to realize some basics about Chinese history and practice. For example, the Chinese have long called China Zhongguo, which is usually translated into English as middle kingdom. But a more literal and accurate translation is everything under the heavens. Until the 21st century, this mainly meant adjacent land areas occupied by a least a large minority of Han Chinese. But now China points out that everything means the South China Sea as well and perhaps much more distant lands. Again this is not what China is up to. China has laid claim to the South China Sea because China is currently faced with a situation unique in Chinese history; dependency on markets and resources far from the Chinese heartland. Until quite recently China had observed the policy that we have everything we need and do not require whatever foreigners have. These were one exception; gold, silver and gems. This made trade with China difficult because China had much to offer (silk and other exquisite textiles were the most valuable exports). China tolerated foreign traders coming in by sea. Most of these were Arab and Indian, but this trade was not essential for China. Nor was trade via the land route (the Silk Road that reached as far as the Middle East, as well as India and all points along the way. Since China preferred to be paid in silver (gold and gems coming in second) this limited how much distant customers could afford. China did like to keep an eye on what was happening in distant lands and sometimes took extraordinary measures to do so. For example in the early 15th century (1402-33) China funded a large fleet (over 300 ships) which included many enormous ships (120 meters/370 feet long) so that distant lands could be investigated. This fleet was proposed and commanded by Zheng He, a very capable Chinese general and a senior official who had the trust of several Chinese emperors. The purpose of the tribute fleet was to impress on foreigners the might of China and to demand tribute from foreign rulers. The tribute fleet also traded, if only to bring back samples of foreign goods, envoys and ideas. All of these were seen as curiosities, not anything really useful to China. The tribute fleet also carried over 20,000 soldiers to impress on foreigners that you did not want to mess with China. Zeng He was a very capable general and he used his tribute fleet troops a few times to impress on troublesome foreigners that the Chinese meant to get their way. These seven voyages took the fleet into Southeast Asia, India, the Middle East and east Africa. But when Zeng He died, apparently while leading the last voyage, the emperor ordered the fleet dismantled and the written records of the voyages to be filed away. China had, as always, everything it needed in China and the foreigners had nothing to offer that justified such a large fleet. Let the foreigners come to China with their offerings and as long as they recognized Chinese supremacy they would be tolerated. What Zheng He missed was the growing knowledge explosion in Europe. This was producing all manner of new, and very useful technologies. Before the end of the 15th century some of these new European ships had reached East Africa and over next few decades showed closer and closer to the Chinese empire. When these black ships of the western barbarians showed up seeking to trade the Chinese were not impressed by what the western voyagers had to offer. Western ideas were particularly disdained. For 500 years after the first voyage of Zheng He China dismissed Western ideas, encompassed in the Renaissance, Age of Enlightenment, Industrial Revolution and a growing body of new scientific, engineering and political developments. From the 17th century on those Western concepts became more difficult to ignore. Western advances in ship building, navigation and weapons (cannon and firearms) came to China more frequently, in larger numbers and often violently. China was slow to adapt. By the late 19th century, when the despised Japanese adopted much of this Western technology, China was forced to recognize that the world had changed, and not in a way that benefitted China. The new ideas generated by the Renaissance and Age of Enlightenment could be ignored but not Western technology. Western ideas like democracy and radical socialism (communism) had some appeal to Chinese eager to replace the ancient imperial system (feudalism with a highly skilled bureaucracy). Efforts to implement these new ideas caught on, but not in a big way and often with disastrous results. What was produced was a century of revolution and civil war that made China much weaker. When the Chinese communists came out on top after World War II China sought to finally reap the benefits of the Industrial Revolutions. But the Great Leap Forward of the 1950s and the Cultural Revolution of the 1960s killed over 30 million Chinese and did little to help the economy or most Chinese. In the 1970s the communist government could only claim to have destroyed feudalism and replaced it with a communist economic system that was not much more effective than the imperial rule. Then Chinese leaders sought to try something different. They allowed for Chinese to create an Industrial Revolution using Western ideas of property rights and entrepreneurial development of new products and manufacturing techniques. The Chinese leaders proclaimed that it was glorious to get rich as long as you stayed out of politics. In other words, the communist dynasty would still rule, but in a way that allowed most Chinese to get rich (or at least more affluent than they had ever been in the past). It worked and from the 1980s through the present China finally went through the Industrial Revolution and became the second largest economy in the world (after the United States). The Chinese leaders were impressed by the United States, which had been the most effective practitioner of the Industrial Revolution (which the Americans got into late, during the 19th century.) By 1900 the U.S. had the largest economy in the world and, the Chinese noted, were still a nation that produced all it needed within the continental United States. Despite that, the Americans were very much a trading nation, but that was something of a bonus. The Chinese communists noted that during World War II the Americans mainly exported (weapons, industrial equipment, fuel and food). The Americans did this with a population less than a fifth that of China. By World War II less than ten percent of Americans were employed in agriculture and produced nearly as much food as China and exported what they did not consume. The Americans were producing most of the new technology. By World War II the U.S. had the most powerful fleet on the planet (and still did). Their air forces were unmatched and in the 1960s Americans were walking on the moon and retuning safely. By the end of the 20th century, Chinese leaders were wondering what to do about this. These leaders, while still communist, were seen by most Chinese as another dynasty. The privileged sons of the senior communist officials were disparagingly called little princes. And while some these sons were an embarrassment to their families, many more turned into the next generation of senior leadership into what amounted to hereditary rule. The Chinese leaders noted this, along with the growing assertiveness of the newly affluent Chinese. By the early 21st century over half the Chinese population were wealthier than they ever imagined. In two generations most Chinese families had gone from poverty to affluence. Their children were better educated than any before. At this point, the Chinese rulers realized they could hang onto their hereditary power only as long as the newly affluent saw their communist rulers aiding continued economic growth rather than losing it via growing corruption or wars that achieved little other than impoverishing the newly affluent Chinese. To assure the survival of the new dynasty Chinese leaders adopted a typically Chinese solution; they deliberately planned for the long term. In Western terms, they played the long game. This meant maintaining economic growth while also creating Chinese scientific and military capabilities that were beyond what any other nation possessed. That had worked in the past until Chinese emperors ignored the rest of the world despite the good advice of imperial officials like Zheng He (who is now seen by Chinese as a visionary). China would no longer ignore the rest of the world but would instead become prosperous and powerful enough to dominate it for the long term. To achieve military dominance Chinese leader accepted that this would take decades and that is what the Chinese are up to. The military reforms began in the 1980s as the Chinese adopted Western weapons, techniques and technology. China purchased or stole all the Western tech they could and this included manufacturing technology as well as Western designs for weapons, training and military equipment. China went slowly. They never built a large nuclear arsenal once they had learned how to build nuclear weapons and ballistic missiles in the 1960s. Same with warplanes and armored vehicles. This was not the Western way but it has worked for the Chinese as they acquired and learned to use one technology after another. Take warship design and construction. Since the 1990s the Chinese have gone from producing copies of Russian designs to equally the latest Western designs. It was the same with the ground and air forces. The Chinese also realized they could no longer rely on a large (in manpower) armed forces but needed a much smaller force of better educated, trained, equipped and armed troops. Back in the 1980s Chinese leaders calculated that it would take half a century to match and surpass the West in military power. Back then Westerners scoffed at such an idea but now it is generally agreed that by the 2030s the Chinese will achieve their goal. That does not mean China will use that military power to conquer the world. No the Chinese plan is to possess military power that will, like Zheng Hes tribute fleet, impress upon foreigners that China is not to be defied and that if China wants something they are more likely to get it. That is being done via the Chinese OBOR (one belt, one road) project which is reestablishing the Silk Road but in land and maritime versions. The land version involves investing over half a trillion dollars in building transportation (and other infrastructure) from China into Central Asia, Southeast Asia, South Asia and even Europe. The local investments give China enormous political and economic leverage. Long terms it means China has finally sound something worth exporting along the Silk Road; Chinese economic and if needed, military power. The maritime version of the new Silk Road is there to ensure access to areas outside Eurasia. However, China may find that the land-based OBOR may revive the class Chinese self-sufficiency. After all the American showed how it could be done and the Chinese will try and do it better, or at least bigger and meaner. Username: Password: or Register Thread Rating: 3 Vote(s) - 3.67 Average 1 2 3 4 5 Page: 1 2 THESE EUROPEAN COUNTRIES REFUSE TO ACCEPT THE UNCHECKED MIGRANT INFLUX SMART ONES lop guest User ID: 433529 06-17-2018 10:45 PM Post: #1 THESE EUROPEAN COUNTRIES REFUSE TO ACCEPT THE UNCHECKED MIGRANT INFLUX Advertisement It appears that international tourists looking to travel to Europe still have some safe options. Read more here: Austria, Slovenia, Hungary, Poland, Czech Republic, Italy, Malta, Denmark, Greece.It appears that international tourists looking to travel to Europe still have some safe options.Read more here: https://www.infowars.com/these-european-...nt-influx/ Spiddy Registered User User ID: 372707 06-17-2018 10:50 PM Posts: 18,378 Post: #2 RE: THESE EUROPEAN COUNTRIES REFUSE TO ACCEPT THE UNCHECKED MIGRANT INFLUX Lol. People still link infowars? The f*ckin' government has decided that AJ ain't fit to look after his own kids but he's still supposedly fit to run a media organization? Then again the government has decided that a lot of people ain't fit to look after their own kids lately.. Hence walmarts full of ankle biters in cages. As democracy is perfected, the office of president represents, more and more closely, the inner soul of the people. On some great and glorious day the plain folks of the land will reach their heart's desire at last and the White House will be adorned by a downright moron. H.L. Mencken 1920. 2am Breathe I'm hot User ID: 443617 06-17-2018 10:51 PM Posts: 50,725 Post: #3 RE: THESE EUROPEAN COUNTRIES REFUSE TO ACCEPT THE UNCHECKED MIGRANT INFLUX The USA won't allow nearly any of the immigrants that those countries are taking in to come into the USA. The USA has a totally different 'Immigration' problem. Two completely different situations. What is your point besides posting an article from another website? LoP Guest lop guest User ID: 433529 06-17-2018 10:51 PM Post: #4 RE: THESE EUROPEAN COUNTRIES REFUSE TO ACCEPT THE UNCHECKED MIGRANT INFLUX This list of countries whom are acting to protect their unique cultural identities seems to be expanding exponentially. Imagine that! Clearly, forced "multiculturalism" is a trojan horse that now past it's time LoP Guest lop guest User ID: 433529 06-17-2018 10:53 PM Post: #5 RE: THESE EUROPEAN COUNTRIES REFUSE TO ACCEPT THE UNCHECKED MIGRANT INFLUX Look > a 1-star vote from a paid shill. There is obviously something to this info that some people don't like! Spiddy Registered User User ID: 372707 06-17-2018 10:55 PM Posts: 18,378 Post: #6 RE: THESE EUROPEAN COUNTRIES REFUSE TO ACCEPT THE UNCHECKED MIGRANT INFLUX 2am Breathe Wrote: (06-17-2018 10:51 PM) The USA won't allow nearly any of the immigrants that those countries are taking in to come into the USA. The USA has a totally different 'Immigration' problem. Two completely different situations. What is your point besides posting an article from another website? His message is the same as always. 'Lonely xenophobic incel seeks similar for reassurance and mutual masterbation' Somebody needs to set up a dating site for these guys. There's money to be made from them for sure. His message is the same as always.Somebody needs to set up a dating site for these guys.There's money to be made from them for sure. As democracy is perfected, the office of president represents, more and more closely, the inner soul of the people. On some great and glorious day the plain folks of the land will reach their heart's desire at last and the White House will be adorned by a downright moron. H.L. Mencken 1920. Spiddy Registered User User ID: 372707 06-17-2018 10:57 PM Posts: 18,378 Post: #7 RE: THESE EUROPEAN COUNTRIES REFUSE TO ACCEPT THE UNCHECKED MIGRANT INFLUX LoP Guest Wrote: (06-17-2018 10:53 PM) Look > a 1-star vote from a paid shill. There is obviously something to this info that some people don't like! I don't need to be paid to sh*t on your dinner. I do it for fun. I don't need to be paid to sh*t on your dinner.I do it for fun. As democracy is perfected, the office of president represents, more and more closely, the inner soul of the people. On some great and glorious day the plain folks of the land will reach their heart's desire at last and the White House will be adorned by a downright moron. H.L. Mencken 1920. Spiddy Registered User User ID: 372707 06-17-2018 11:00 PM Posts: 18,378 Post: #8 RE: THESE EUROPEAN COUNTRIES REFUSE TO ACCEPT THE UNCHECKED MIGRANT INFLUX LoP Guest Wrote: (06-17-2018 10:51 PM) This list of countries whom are acting to protect their unique cultural identities seems to be expanding exponentially. Imagine that! Clearly, forced "multiculturalism" is a trojan horse that now past it's time For massive massive lulz tell me all about Italys 'unique cultural identity'. Once you've done that explain to me what a 'Wop' is. I'm sure as sh*t you know. For massive massive lulz tell me all about Italys 'unique cultural identity'.Once you've done that explain to me what a 'Wop' is.I'm sure as sh*t you know. As democracy is perfected, the office of president represents, more and more closely, the inner soul of the people. On some great and glorious day the plain folks of the land will reach their heart's desire at last and the White House will be adorned by a downright moron. H.L. Mencken 1920. (This post was last modified: 06-17-2018 11:02 PM by Spiddy .) LoP Guest lop guest User ID: 446456 06-17-2018 11:03 PM Post: #9 RE: THESE EUROPEAN COUNTRIES REFUSE TO ACCEPT THE UNCHECKED MIGRANT INFLUX Spiddy Wrote: (06-17-2018 11:00 PM) LoP Guest Wrote: (06-17-2018 10:51 PM) This list of countries whom are acting to protect their unique cultural identities seems to be expanding exponentially. Imagine that! Clearly, forced "multiculturalism" is a trojan horse that now past it's time For massive massive lulz tell me all about Italys 'unique cultural identity'. Once you've done that explain to me what a 'Wop' is. I'm sure as sh*t you know. Rule nr 1. Don't turn their dinners into desserts. Rule nr 1. Don't turn their dinners into desserts. LoP Guest lop guest User ID: 433529 06-17-2018 11:11 PM Post: #10 RE: THESE EUROPEAN COUNTRIES REFUSE TO ACCEPT THE UNCHECKED MIGRANT INFLUX Morocco building wall to halt tide of illegal immigration into Europe https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldne...urope.html And now another European country has jumped on board... Spiddy Registered User User ID: 372707 06-17-2018 11:20 PM Posts: 18,378 Post: #11 RE: THESE EUROPEAN COUNTRIES REFUSE TO ACCEPT THE UNCHECKED MIGRANT INFLUX LoP Guest Wrote: (06-17-2018 11:11 PM) And now another European country has jumped on board... Morocco building wall to halt tide of illegal immigration into Europe https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldne...urope.html Why are yanks so sh*t at geography? I used to hope it was just a xenophobic stereotype but it honestly seems to be true. C'mon America, reaffirm my faith in your geographical abilities by telling me where Opie went wrong with this post. Why are yanks so sh*t at geography?I used to hope it was just a xenophobic stereotype but it honestly seems to be true.C'mon America, reaffirm my faith in your geographical abilities by telling me where Opie went wrong with this post. As democracy is perfected, the office of president represents, more and more closely, the inner soul of the people. On some great and glorious day the plain folks of the land will reach their heart's desire at last and the White House will be adorned by a downright moron. H.L. Mencken 1920. LoP Guest lop guest User ID: 445797 06-17-2018 11:33 PM Post: #12 RE: THESE EUROPEAN COUNTRIES REFUSE TO ACCEPT THE UNCHECKED MIGRANT INFLUX SMART ONES Wrote: (06-17-2018 10:45 PM) Austria, Slovenia, Hungary, Poland, Czech Republic, Italy, Malta, Denmark, Greece. It appears that international tourists looking to travel to Europe still have some safe options. ... Bulgaria, France and England, Germany - instead of sight seeing you get terrorist seeing. When friends say they will visit those countries I ask, "Did you get a bargain basement, giveaway, freebie ticket to take The Terrorist Tour?" Bulgaria, France and England, Germany - instead of sight seeing you get terrorist seeing.When friends say they will visit those countries I ask, "Did you get a bargain basement, giveaway, freebie ticket to take The Terrorist Tour?" Spiddy Registered User User ID: 372707 06-17-2018 11:43 PM Posts: 18,378 Post: #13 RE: THESE EUROPEAN COUNTRIES REFUSE TO ACCEPT THE UNCHECKED MIGRANT INFLUX LoP Guest Wrote: (06-17-2018 11:33 PM) SMART ONES Wrote: (06-17-2018 10:45 PM) Austria, Slovenia, Hungary, Poland, Czech Republic, Italy, Malta, Denmark, Greece. It appears that international tourists looking to travel to Europe still have some safe options. ... Bulgaria, France and England, Germany - instead of sight seeing you get terrorist seeing. When friends say they will visit those countries I ask, "Did you get a bargain basement, giveaway, freebie ticket to take The Terrorist Tour?" Royal wedding pass you by did it? This yank spent four days living in a childs tent at the side of the road in London and yet not one Muslim murdered her. Lordy, watch the vid and I bet even you'd want to murder her. I know I do. Maybe the Muslims are trolling us by not cutting her head off? Royal wedding pass you by did it?This yank spent four days living in a childs tent at the side of the road in London and yet not one Muslim murdered her.Lordy, watch the vid and I bet even you'd want to murder her.I know I do.Maybe the Muslims are trolling us by not cutting her head off? As democracy is perfected, the office of president represents, more and more closely, the inner soul of the people. On some great and glorious day the plain folks of the land will reach their heart's desire at last and the White House will be adorned by a downright moron. H.L. Mencken 1920. (This post was last modified: 06-17-2018 11:45 PM by Spiddy .) LoP Guest lop guest User ID: 433529 06-18-2018 06:21 AM Post: #14 RE: THESE EUROPEAN COUNTRIES REFUSE TO ACCEPT THE UNCHECKED MIGRANT INFLUX LoP Guest Wrote: (06-17-2018 11:33 PM) SMART ONES Wrote: (06-17-2018 10:45 PM) Austria, Slovenia, Hungary, Poland, Czech Republic, Italy, Malta, Denmark, Greece. It appears that international tourists looking to travel to Europe still have some safe options. ... Bulgaria, France and England, Germany - instead of sight seeing you get terrorist seeing. When friends say they will visit those countries I ask, "Did you get a bargain basement, giveaway, freebie ticket to take The Terrorist Tour?" Yes - it's quite sad to see the decline of those countries due to inept immigration policy. At least some Eurpean countries are not that blind Yes - it's quite sad to see the decline of those countries due to inept immigration policy. At least some Eurpean countries are not that blind LoP Guest lop guest User ID: 433529 06-18-2018 07:22 AM Post: #15 RE: THESE EUROPEAN COUNTRIES REFUSE TO ACCEPT THE UNCHECKED MIGRANT INFLUX Q: which European country will be next to put an end to this madness of thie open-border mass migration "multi-culturalism" experiment? My guess is Germany Advertisement St George is also the patron saint of Catalonia (San Jordi), Aragon (San Jorge) and Caceres in Extremadura. The legend popular all over Catalonia is said to have occurred in Montblanc, where a dragon constantly attacked the kingdom. The petrified inhabitants decided to give two lambs every day to satisfy the dragons hunger and prevent further attacks on the village. Soon the animals became scarce and so it was decided to draw lots to send a person and a lamb. One day a princess was chosen to accompany the lamb, but a knight called Jordi slew the dragon and rescued the princess. From the blood that flowed from the body of the monster a red rose blossomed, which Jordi handed to the princess. The king offered the knight all the riches he desired, but he preferred that they be allocated to the inhabitants of the kingdom. A church was built in his name, from which flowed miraculous water that was able to heal the sick. April 23 is not a public holiday in Catalonia, however, special flower and book markets are held in the centre of cities and towns. Many people buy books and flowers, particularly roses, to give to their loved ones on St Georges Day. The St Georges Cross - Creu de San Jordi - is one of the highest civil distinctions awarded in Catalonia. In Aragon, April 23 is a public holiday known as the Dis de Aragon. Legend says that God sent St George, who descended from Heaven riding on a horse, to aid the King of Aragon, Pedro I, in his conquest of Huesca in 1096. To celebrate this victory, Saint Georges cross was used as the insignia of Huesca and Aragon. As in Catalonia, roses and books are exchanged among individuals, often bearing ribbons with the colours of Aragons flag. In Caceres, San Jorge festivities take the form of a grand parade including a figure representing the dragon that is later burned. They like to call themselves woodland builders and their tools are the trees which grow on the mountainsides. They are also the successors to the engineers who reforested Malaga back in the 1970s, most of whom are no longer with us, and now it is their turn to manage the results of those projects. Recently, SUR went with technicians from the regional government's Environmental Department in Malaga to take a look at the forestry restoration works which are now coming to an end in the Genal Valley. The place in question is an old vineyard on an estate known as Barranca Honda in the municipality of Pujerra, which was expropriated in 1972 and reforested up to 1978. It is where the source of the Guadalmansa river is located. At first they used colonising or pioneering species, like the insignis or radiata pine, which grows quickly, so they could take advantage of the wood from them, explained Antonio Pulido, a forestry engineer and technician at the department, who is responsible for the use and reforestation of the woodland. In fact this area has the highest forestry productivity in Spain (19 cubic metres of biomass per hectare per year, compared with the average of three m3), which can be explained by the latitude, the solar radiation, high humidity and type of soil. At these latitudes, the pine trees can grow up to 35 metres high. Evolution of the woods Between Pujerra and Jubrique there are about 1,500 hectares of radiata pines which were cultivated 40 years ago. Much of the land is privately owned and the owners are earning good money thanks to the fact that this species grows at a rate of about two centimetres a year, and at 25 the trees are in optimum condition for felling. This particular species was also chosen because this is the mountain range with the highest loss of soil in the country due to the steep slopes, (over 100 per cent) and the aim was also to protect nearby populations from flooding, especially the Costa del Sol, because the water reaches as far as Marbella, San Pedro and Estepona. Our predecessors achieved a rapid coverage of the ground to stop the erosion, and at the same time that resulted in a spontaneous regeneration of the autochthonous woodland, with a mixture of oaks like gall oaks and corks as well as chestnuts, said Miguel Arenas, head of the Natural Environment Management service. Once that point has been reached, the next stage of evolution of the species takes place: once the pine trees have fulfilled their function, the Mediterranean woodland starts to return to its natural state. By cutting down the first trees, other young ones appear below: holm oaks and Pyrenean oaks, (also known as rebollo, melojo or, in some parts of Spain, roble). This is native flora has grown in the shade and shelter of the others, and has also served as a defence against cattle and wild fauna. The cork oaks which have emerged are also exceptional quality, because their branches are high and the cork is in good condition. We've uncovered the native woodland and undergrowth, said Miguel. The reforestation works have provided about 3,000 tonnes of wood and kindling which is sold by the Junta de Andalucia, which then uses the money it receives to subsidise the reforestation and other forestry works. The trunks are taken to a sawmill in Velez-Malaga to make planks; and the kindling goes to power plants in the province to produce electricity. The less this costs the authorities the better. We're looking after public money said Antonio Pulido. In addition to the natural regeneration, and as a way of reinforcing it, about one thousand other trees have been planted as a means of artificial reforestation. They are different species, including walnuts, maples, rowans, hackberries, stone pines, bay and even cherry (they used to exist in their wild state in this area, but their origins are unknown). Future plans Jose Lopez Quintanilla, head of the Department of Natural Environment Projects and regional coordinator of the Pinsapo Recovery Plan, says experiments are being carried out with a view to the future, looking for the species which adapt best, because chestnut trees are reducing in number, affected by wasps and, especially, a chancroid fungus which can kill a tree in barely two months. The jewels of this part of the project are the 230 holly trees which can already be seen above the protective netting which is placed around them to stop wild animals or cattle eating the new shoots. This is an endangered species and there were already a few adult trees in the area, so the aim is to increase the population. The technicians from the Environment department are hoping to be able to create a mosaic of species, so that in the future the sight of the characteristic colours of the Genal Valley is not lost, and at the same time diversify the economic profits (wood, fruits) and offer farmers alternative options if the chestnut sector becomes very depleted. A greater diversity of flora will also contribute towards tackling climate change. It can be summed up in one phrase: What we are doing is also a form of R+D+i. holly trees have been used to reforest the Genal Valley, and about 1,000 others including maples, cherries, hackberries, walnuts, rowans, stone pines and bay trees. tonnes of wood have been produced from this campaign, used for making planks and to produce electricity at power plants. cubic metres of biomass per hectare are produced in the Genal Valley each year, the highest density in the whole of Spain. In this area, the pines used in the first reforestation are now up to 35 metres tall. Candidates named in city and school elections With the passing of the filing deadline for the upcoming city and school election, several area governing bodies including the City of Tama and ... A case of the plague is confirmed this week in a young Idaho boy, but he is expected to make a full recovery after receiving proper medication. The plague has a bad reputation in history, but it is no longer as prevalent as before. What are some important things to know about the plague? Bubonic Plague In Idaho Boy This week, a young boy from Elmore County, Idaho was confirmed to have fallen ill with the plague. The Central District Health Department confirmed the case, along with the announcement that the child is already on the way to recovery after receiving proper antibiotic treatment. It is unclear whether the boy contracted the disease from his locality or whether he caught it from a recent trip to Oregon. Authorities note that both locations do have records of the plague in wildlife. In fact, since 1990, eight human cases of the plague have been confirmed in Oregon and two human cases have been reported in Idaho. This season, however, there were no reported unusual ground squirrel behavior or a die-off. The Plague And Rodents The plague is an infectious disease that may affect rodents, humans, and other animals. It is caused by the Yersinia pestis bacteria, which can be found in places around the world including the United States, and may be naturally occurring in some types of rodents. In humans, the disease is often contracted through the bite of an infected flea, by having direct contact with the tissues or bodily fluids of a live or dead infected animal, and through inhaling respiratory droplets from an infected animal. It is for this reason that authorities in Idaho are now calling for the public to avoid interacting with wild rodents, whether dead or alive and to also keep pets from hunting them as they can also contract the plague. Bubonic And Pneumonic Plague There are two main forms of the plague, namely Bubonic and Pneumonic plague. Bubonic plague is often transmitted through the bite of an infected flea. Once the bacteria have entered the body, it travels to the lymphatic system where it replicates and causes the lymph nodes to become swollen, tense, and painful. In advance stages, these inflamed lymph nodes or buboes can turn into sores that are filled with pus. It is rare that Bubonic plague will be transmitted from one person to another. However, in advance stages, the disease could travel to the lungs and turn into the more severe type of plague, which is the pneumonic plague. In this case, the disease can easily be passed from person to person through air droplets, and if left untreated, could be fatal. However, recovery rates are rather high if the disease is detected early on, or within 24 hours after the onset of symptoms. Symptoms of bubonic plague include fever, chills, headache, or having one or more swollen lymph nodes, while pneumonic plague symptoms are rather similar but may include rapidly developing pneumonia, shortness of breath, watery or bloody mucus, cough, and chest pain. Treatment often includes antibiotics and supportive therapy. In the United States, an average of seven cases of human plague is reported every year in the last decades. They are usually of the bubonic form and has affected all ages, from infants up to 96 years old. Worldwide, there are about 1,000 to 2,000 cases of the plague every year, and it is most endemic in Peru, Madagascar, and the Democratic Republic of Congo. 2021 TECHTIMES.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. Del Monte has recalled several varieties of their vegetable food trays after several people from multiple states fell ill with a parasitic infection. What are important things to know about the multistate outbreak, and what are the authorities doing about it? Multistate Cyclospora Outbreak Early this month, Kwik Trip immediately removed several varieties of its Del Monte vegetable trays with dill dip from the shelves. It learned that the products they have sold in several states caused cyclosporiasis among their consumers. It is an illness caused by the cyclospora parasite that affects people who ingest contaminated food or water. At the time, Del Monte recalled the 6-ounce and 12-ounce vegetable trays with dip, which are no longer available for purchase. However, on Friday, the U.S. Food and Drugs Administration announced that Del Monte is also recalling the 28-ounce vegetable tray with dip. However, despite these products being no longer available on the market, some of the affected products might have already reached several peoples homes, especially since the expiration dates on the said products is June 17, 2018, or a little earlier. The products affected by the recall were distributed to several retail stores in Iowa, Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Wisconsin, and Minnesota. According to reports, at least 78 people have already been affected by the multistate cyclospora outbreak. FDA Action The FDA, together with the CDC, the state, as well as local partners are working together to find the exact source of the parasite infection. In this case, the trays have several components including baby carrots, celery, cauliflower, broccoli, and the creamy dill dip. Any of these could have been the primary source of the parasite, but the FDA has so far not been able to pinpoint the culprit. As such, investigations include every component of the tray, as well as the all the distribution and supplier information related to the affected products. This way, outbreaks of this kind could be prevented in the future. Authorities also encourage anyone who may still have the affected products to throw them away. Cyclosporiasis Cyclosporiasis is an illness that is caused by cyclospora, a microscopic parasite that can cause illnesses when ingested through contaminated food or water. Most people who get cyclosporiasis experience diarrhea and explosive bowel movements, loss of appetite, weight loss, stomach cramps, bloating, fatigue, nausea, flu-like symptoms, body aches, fever, and increased gas. However, some infected people do not get any symptoms at all. If left untreated, cyclosporiasis could last for over a month and in some cases, symptoms may relapse. Although cyclosporiasis is not considered a life-threatening illness, it can be difficult to deal with and may cause the infected to lose several days of work. As always, proper food preparation is key to making sure that the food and beverages consumed are clean and free of pathogens like parasites and bacteria. 2021 TECHTIMES.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. Sean Gallup/Getty Images(NEW YORK) -- President Donald Trump's former chief strategist said the president is trying to make peace with North Korea but is getting unfairly "vilified" following his summit with Kim Jong Un. "President Trump is trying to be a peacemaker," Steve Bannon said in an exclusive interview with ABC News Chief White House Correspondent Jonathan Karl on This Week Sunday. "He is being vilified." Trump and Kim signed a one-page letter at their meeting in Singapore announcing the intent to denuclearize the Korean Peninsula. The president afterward said he wanted to end the United States' joint military exercises with South Korea. The summit and Trump's later comments have raised questions and drawn some criticism, including over whether the president has lavished too much praise on Kim, a brutal dictator; when any specifics will be announced on ending North Korea's nuclear program; and whether Trump is working closely enough with U.S. allies South Korea and Japan on North Korea policy. Bannon continued that Trump's meeting with Kim helps to curb Chinese influence in the Far East. "Donald Trump is handed cards, OK, with the inexorable rise of China and -- and Korea, its vassal state as a -- as a nuclear threat to our allies in the northwest Pacific in the United States. Thats what hes dealt with," Bannon said. "And -- and what does everybody say about Trump? 'Oh hes an isolationist, hes going to go it alone.'" Bannon suggested that Republican members of Congress should be touting Trump's North Korea summit rather than criticizing its outcome. "Where is the Republican establishment on Capitol Hill? Where are [Sen. Bob] Corker and all those guys flooding these Sunday morning shows? Why am I here?" Bannon asked. "Why are they not flooding these Sunday morning shows, talking about how the president of the United States is finally engaged with our allies in the Pacific to stop Chinese hegemony?" Tennessee GOP Sen. Bob Corker, chair of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, said last week that he was "happy" the president met with Kim, but he questioned the strength of the document Trump and Kim signed in Singapore. "I read the statement and it's difficult for me to see if something was actually agreed to or not, Corker said. "I dont think we know enough to challenge or celebrate. Copyright 2018, ABC Radio. All rights reserved. The Plymouth Rd. Big Boy closes An offer too good to refuse. by Sabine Bickford From the June, 2018 issue The Big Boy at Plymouth Rd. and US-23 will close on June 17. Uncommonly for a national chain, it was a well-known and well-liked community establishment. Owners Jonathan Marsh and Joe Diequez bought the franchise and property nineteen years ago. Diequez told us that they put the property on the market for "three times what it had been appraised for" and never expected to get an offer. But one came in, Marsh says, at a price too good to refuse. "It's bittersweet," says Marsh, whose photography lines the walls. "A lot of staff have been there the whole time." He'll be retiring to California to become a full-time photographer. "I thank everybody for the nineteen years we had here," he says. "It was great being in Ann Arbor ... The hardest thing is, I've known a lot of customers almost all nineteen years. It's family." Diequez says he'll stick around the area, though he too mourns the loss of a community: "The only way I can describe this is like graduating high school," he says. "You've been here for so long with all these people, and then suddenly it all changes, and you'll never see them again." There may be hope yet for those regulars. Diequez and Marsh both told us they think the new owners are planning a family-oriented restaurant in the same spot. [Originally published in June, 2018.] Frogs are commonly found in wet tropical forests today. More than a third of nearly 7,000 species of frog, in fact, live in wet forests. Frogs Lived In Wet Tropical Habitat For At Least 99 Million Years Fossil record, however, has little direct evidence to show a longstanding association between these animals and their most common habitat today. It is nearly impossible to learn much about early amphibians because of their small size and biology. They do not fossilize easily, and most of the remains of extinct species of frogs are long gone. Fossil record for amphibians from wet tropical environments have been nearly nonexistent, which leaves paleontologists with few clues on the early evolution of frogs. A juvenile frog trapped in sticky tree sap about 99 million years ago when the dinosaurs still roamed the Earth however, offers hints where these amphibians lived during the Cretaceous period. The frog trapped in the amber is an extinct species now named Electrorana limoae. Its remains were one of the four fossils that now provide scientists with the earliest direct evidence that frogs lived in wet tropical forests before the mass extinction event that occurred at the end of the Cretaceous period. David Blackburn, from the Florida Museum of Natural History, and colleagues who reported the discovery in a new study published in Scientific Reports on June 14 said that the discovery showed that frogs lived in wet tropical forest for at least 99 million years. "Frogs have been around on earth for approximately 200 million years," said Blackburn. "How long have they been associated with these wet forests? Is it a recent phenomenon or an ancient one? These amber frog fossils indicate that this association extends back to at least 100 million years ago." Amber Provides Record Of Ancient Ecosystems The amber that was found during excavations in Myanmar, Southeast Asia, contains the frog's forelimbs, head, part of its spines, and part of one of its hind limbs. The ribs and bone found in the cartilaginous plate supporting the tongue hint that Electrorana closely resembled some of the modern-day species, such as the midwife toads and fire-bellied toads. Interestingly, these species now live in temperate, not tropical ecosystems. The amber deposits also provide record of ancient forest ecosystems, as it contains fossil evidence of aquatic spiders, mosses, and bamboo-like plants. "These amber deposits represent an excellent opportunity for discovering three-dimensionally preserved small vertebrates with a rich associated paleoecological context," Blackburn and colleagues wrote in their study. "These Burmese fossils provide the earliest direct evidence of anurans in a wet tropical forest ecosystem." 2021 TECHTIMES.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. Purchases made via links on our site may earn us an affiliate commission The first crop of medical marijuana grown at Southern University will be harvested next week, and products made with the crop should be sold in Louisiana dispensaries in the next month or two, the head of the schools agriculture department said Monday. The Louisiana Legislature is going to give it one more shot to address the $650 million fiscal cliff the state faces when more than $1 billion in temporary taxes expire at the end of the month. The Legislature will begin its third special session of the year at 4 p.m. Monday and, once again, consider a proposal to prevent deep cuts to state programs including the Taylor Opportunity Program for Students, colleges, welfare programs and public safety. Gov. John Bel Edwards is expected to give a short session-opening address about 5 p.m., urging lawmakers to agree to extend one-half of an expiring 1 percent state sales tax. House Republican leaders have been steadfastly opposed to the half-cent proposal and continue to push for a smaller fraction. Edwards, a Democrat, spent much of the week leading up to the next session in meetings with small groups of legislators often House and Senate members from the same districts at the same time to try to encourage votes in the conservative GOP-controlled House, where previous attempts have been thwarted. Without additional revenue, the budget would cut the popular TOPS scholarships by about 30 percent, reduce college and university state funding by nearly 20 percent, prompt 2,000 state employee layoffs, eliminate food stamps in Louisiana, shutter senior centers for the elderly, close state parks and possibly lead to the release of inmates, the Edwards administration contends. Edwards' message in recent meetings with lawmakers focused largely on the local impact to members' districts what cuts would mean for sheriffs, college students and families who rely on food stamps. The special session must end by 6 p.m. June 27, but some officials said they hope it can end ahead of schedule. Special sessions cost taxpayers about $60,000 a day. The first special session this year cost $643,000 the bulk of that in per diem and mileage expenses for legislators. The second special session's costs are still being calculated, but it was held when the Legislature would have normally been in regular session to save money. "Most of the legislators have a keen interest in getting in and getting out," Commissioner of Administration Jay Dardenne said in a recent meeting with The Advocate editorial board. But as the Legislature has demonstrated repeatedly this year, that may not be so easy. While the session's main objective is to reconsider revenue, the House Appropriations Committee plans to meet early in the week to hold a hearing on the Louisiana Department of Health budget. The health department, which oversees the Medicaid program and public-private partnerships to run safety-net hospitals, was spared from cuts in the budget the Legislature adopted in the special session and that Edwards signed into law. House Appropriations Chairman Cameron Henry said some members have questions about what he believes are newly identified efficiencies in the health department's budget. Health Undersecretary Jeff Reynolds said the department had previously revealed much of the $67 million boost during the regular session, but about $24 million came from an adjustment in estimated Medicaid growth at the request of Republican senators. It's official: Legislature's 3rd special session of 2018 to start June 18 Louisiana lawmakers will be back at the State Capitol on June 18 for the third special session of the year and a last-ditch attempt at address With a $13 billion budget based largely on estimates and projections of people and health care costs, the Edwards administration has defended the health department as having a budget that has historically been hard to pin down. "They don't know where they are going to be until the end of the year," Dardenne said. The fact that the budget is up for discussion at all in this session is largely because of a mistake in the drafting of House Bill 1: It says that the revenue raised in the "second extraordinary session" will be divided up among the priorities in the supplemental section of the bill, so it has to be tweaked to say revenue from the third special session. But some House Republicans view it as an opening to tapping into other areas of the budget namely health department funding, which is the largest agency budget in state government. "What I'm being told is we can do that," Henry said. "If members choose that they want to reduce an agency a supplemental allows for that." He said he doesn't plan to push for an entire rewrite of HB1, though. Dardenne said he worries that rehashing the budget could "blow up the session." "That would be a shame," he said. The scoop on state politics in your inbox Get the Louisiana politics insider details once a week from us. Sign up today. e-mail address * Sign Up Edwards spokesman Richard Carbo said any attempts to relitigate the budget that passed both the House and Senate would at the very least be a distraction in the 10-day session. A similar HB1 passed in the regular session, but Edwards vetoed it. "Twice, the Legislature passed a budget with items on this 'wish list' to be funded should additional revenue become available," Carbo said. "After they called that a 'responsible' approach, it would be a waste of time and hint that they're trying to run out the clock and sink the session again with just days remaining until the end of the fiscal year." Another special session looms but questions remain; here's what's at risk under current budget Louisiana lawmakers are heading into yet another special session, but as the dust settled from a chaotic end to the most recent one, several q The days leading up to the start of the next special session offered little clarity, and lawmakers continued to express doubt over whether this latest effort will turn out differently than the two earlier sessions, which collapsed after the House repeatedly rejected sales tax proposals. Advocates on both sides have ramped up pressure on legislators in recent days. The conservative anti-tax Americans for Prosperity has been rolling out what it calls the "Takers Dozen" a list of Republicans who have voted in favor of tax bills and has been highlighting their votes online and on the ground. Additionally, prominent anti-tax activists Grover Norquist, founder of Americans for Tax Reform, and Stephen Moore, who founded the Club for Growth, dismissively tweeted about Louisiana's tax proposals, drawing more national scrutiny. On the flip side, the Louisiana Democratic Party and its supporters have taken to publicly thanking via social media each member who voted in favor of taxes in the past sessions. Rebuild Louisiana, a group that backs Edwards, took to TV airwaves with an ad featuring the governor explaining state programs that are at risk. In the spot, Edwards describes his proposal as a tax decrease because, under his proposal, the state sales tax rate would go from 5 percent on June 30 to 4.5 percent on July 1, and he blames House Republicans for its failure to pass. College students and parents also have become increasingly involved in recent days. A rally will be held at the Capitol on Wednesday to oppose cuts to TOPS and higher ed. Tax measures require 70 votes in the House, which means any approach must have bipartisan support. Both the half-cent and one-third proposals failed to meet that threshold in the House in the most recent session. The difference is about $150 million for programs, which must distributed equally among unfunded priorities under HB1. For taxpayers, the difference between the two competing proposals would be 17 cents on a $100 purchase. Just hours after the second special session of the year ended, the Louisiana House Republican Caucus, which has positioned itself as the largest opponent to Edwards' agenda, vowed it "will not waver" in the third. "Since the first day of this legislative session and throughout the special session, the Louisiana House Republican Delegation has been crystal clear in its opposition to growing the size of government," the caucus said in its statement. "We will enter into the upcoming special session laser-focused on reducing state spending and meeting the critical needs of the state. Our commitment to the taxpayers will not waver." Stephanie Grace: Want to make this session really special, Louisiana lawmakers? Do your jobs Maybe its time to come up with a new word and stop calling these unscheduled legislative sessions special or to use the formal government Some Republican lawmakers also are worried that members of the Legislative Black Caucus will vote against the sales tax bill, after successfully gaining a modest increase in a tax break for the working poor last session, which was viewed as leverage to build support for the sales tax. The Edwards administration denies that there is concern of this on its part. Sales taxes disproportionately affect the poor, but Edwards has said he doesn't believe Louisiana's is as regressive because sales taxes are not charged on food, prescription drugs or residential utilities. "The governor never wanted to extend any portion of the penny," Dardenne said. "Income tax became something the Legislature didn't want to touch. That was a concession." Dardenne said he sees little logic in supporting one-third or two-fifths of 1 percent, but not one half, and suspects that it's more about opposing the governor. "It kind of came out of nowhere, just to say 'We're not going to give you half a penny,'" Dardenne said. Dardenne, a Republican who served as secretary of state and lieutenant governor before an unsuccessful bid for governor in 2015, said politicians will already face backlash for supporting the 1-cent sales tax hike in 2016, and he doubts voters care about the fractional differences now up for debate either lawmakers voted in favor of the tax or not. "Then they are in the position of voting for taxes but not fully funding TOPS," he said. Gov. John Bel Edwards told a news conference in the early morning hours of Tuesday, June 5, 2018, that he would call another special session after the Louisiana Legislature adjourned without approving any major revenue-raising measures. Perhaps because he is a bit younger than the general run of legislators in the Great Silo of Statesmanship in downtown Baton Rouge, Ted James if the people of Biafra want Republic of Biafra, it will be a reality during my administration. ----Donald Trump Donald Trump I wi... A man sits in the courtyard of his house, his dexterous hands arranging bamboo strands woven with iron wire, forming a large sphere. "I am making the skeleton frame for an elephant's head sculpture. It was ordered by a restaurant in Surakarta, which will display it next to a rice field for a photo spot for its patrons," Jumiyo said while working on his craft. The 66-year-old has been making a living out of creating papier mache sculptures since 2000. He works out of his home in Gading village, Gunungkidul regency, Yogyakarta. His workstation is lined with sculptures in various stages of completion, some of which are of animals, such as cows, goats, birds, lions and camels, while others are wayang (shadow puppet) characters. Jumiyo's papier mache sculptures are also made of bamboo, wood and iron wire that are shaped into a three dimensional frame following the shape of characters or animals to be created. The skeleton is then coated with paper, usually used cement bags, that is layered and coated with glue made with a starchy material. To complete the designs, parts such as eyes, beaks or nails made from plastic materials are incorporated. Meanwhile, for hair or fur, Jumiyo uses ijuk (rough fiber) or sabut kelapa (coconut fiber). "The materials used to make the sculptures are easy to find. I often don't have to go out and look for them as many people come here to sell used paper, especially used cement bags, and coconut fiber that is collected from sellers of young coconuts," Jumiyo said. Read also: Surakarta upcycling market gives new shape to old things The used items are shaped into a sculpture within three to five days. Completed sculptures sell for Rp 750,000 (US$53.66) to Rp 1,500,000 ($107), depending on the size and difficulty of the item. Jumiyo also rents out sculptures for Rp 350,000 ($25). His busiest days are national celebrations, such as Independence Day, and Islamic celebrations such as Idul Adha and Idul Fitri. For Idul Fitri this year, Jumiyo has received orders for 30 sculptures of camels and Garuda, which will be displayed in Wonosari and Kaliurang during Takbiran (night marking end of Ramadhan). One of Jumiyo's papier m'che sculptures are featured in a village ceremony to celebrate the harvest. (JP/Stefanus Ajie) In his village in Gunungkidul, his sculptures are also used at ceremonies celebrating harvests. Jumiyo learned to make sculptures when he worked on sets for horror movies in Jakarta. When job opportunities at the film studio decreased, he returned to Yogyakarta. "Making papier mache sculptures like this is something I enjoy. The process of making them is a pleasure for me, and every time I make a sculpture with a new shape it is always a challenge," Jumiyo said. (liz/wng) Decades of commercial mountaineering have turned Mount Everest into the world's highest rubbish dump as an increasing number of big-spending climbers pay little attention to the ugly footprint they leave behind. Fluorescent tents, discarded climbing equipment, empty gas canisters and even human excrement litter the well-trodden route to the summit of the 8,848-metre (29,029-foot) peak. "It is disgusting, an eyesore," Pemba Dorje Sherpa, who has summited Everest 18 times, told AFP. "The mountain is carrying tonnes of waste." As the number of climbers on the mountain has soared -- at least 600 people have scaled the world's highest peak so far this year alone -- the problem has worsened. Meanwhile, melting glaciers caused by global warming are exposing trash that has accumulated on the mountain since Edmund Hillary and Tenzing Norgay made the first successful summit 65 years ago. This handout picture taken on May 20, 2018 and released on June 12 by Damian Benegas shows discarded climbing equipment and rubbish scattered around Camp 4 of Mount Everest. Decades of commercial mountaineering have turned Mount Everest into the world's highest rubbish dump as an increasing number of big-spending climbers pay little attention to the ugly footprint they leave behind. (AFP /Damian Benegas) Efforts have been made. Five years ago Nepal implemented a $4,000 rubbish deposit per team that would be refunded if each climber brought down at least eight kilogrammes (18 pounds) of waste. On the Tibet side of the Himalayan mountain, they are required to bring down the same amount and are fined $100 per kilogramme if they don't. In 2017 climbers in Nepal brought down nearly 25 tonnes of trash and 15 tonnes of human waste -- the equivalent of three double-decker buses -- according to the Sagarmatha Pollution Control Committee (SPCC). This season even more was carried down but this is just a fraction of the rubbish dumped each year, with only half of climbers lugging down the required amounts, the SPCC says. Instead many climbers opt to forfeit the deposit, a drop in the ocean compared to the $20,000-$100,000 they will have forked out for the experience. Pemba shrugs that many just don't care. Compounding the problem, some officials accept small bribes to turn a blind eye, he said. "There is just not enough monitoring at the high camps to ensure the mountain stays clean," he said. Inexperience The Everest industry has boomed in the last two decades. This has sparked concerns of overcrowding as well as fears that ever more inexperienced mountaineers are being drawn by low-cost expedition operators desperate for customers. This inexperience is exacerbating the rubbish problem, warns Damian Benegas, who has been climbing Everest for over two decades with twin brother Willie. Sherpas, high altitude guides and workers drawn from the indigenous local ethnic group, carry heavier items including tents, extra oxygen cylinders and ropes up the mountain -- and then down again. Read also: World's highest ER battles to save lives on Everest This picture taken on May 21, 2018 shows discarded climbing equipment and rubbish scattered around Camp 4 of Mount Everest. Decades of commercial mountaineering have turned Mount Everest into the world's highest rubbish dump as an increasing number of big-spending climbers pay little attention to the ugly footprint they leave behind. (AFP/Doma Sherpa) Previously most climbers would take their own personal kit like extra clothes, food, a sleeping bag as well as supplemental oxygen. But now, many climbers can't manage, leaving the Sherpas to carry everything. "They have to carry the client's gear so they are unable to carry down rubbish," Benegas said. He added that operators need to employ more high-altitude workers to ensure all clients, their kit and rubbish get safely up and down the mountain. Raw sewage Environmentalists are concerned that the pollution on Everest is also affecting water sources down in the valley. At the moment the raw sewage from base camp is carried to the next village -- a one-hour walk -- and dumped into trenches. This then "gets flushed downhill during the monsoon into the river", said Garry Porter, a US engineer who together with his team might have the answer. They are considering installing a biogas plant near Everest base camp that would turn climber poo into a useful fertiliser. Another solution, believes Ang Tsering Sherpa, former president of the Nepal Mountaineering Association, would be a dedicated rubbish collection team. This handout picture taken on May 20, 2018 and released on June 12 by Damian Benegas shows discarded climbing equipment and rubbish scattered around Camp 4 of Mount Everest. Decades of commercial mountaineering have turned Mount Everest into the world's highest rubbish dump as an increasing number of big-spending climbers pay little attention to the ugly footprint they leave behind. (AFP /Damian Benegas) His expedition operator Asian Trekking, which has been running "Eco Everest Expeditions" for the last decade, has brought down over 18 tonnes of trash during that time in addition to the eight-kilo climber quota. And last month a 30-strong cleanup team retrieved 8.5 tonnes of waste from the northern slopes, China's state-run Global Times reported. "It is not an easy job. The government needs to motivate groups to clean up and enforce rules more strictly," Ang said. Russian conductor Gennadi Rozhdestvensky has died at the age of 87, Moscow's prestigious Bolshoi Theatre announced on Saturday. "The Bolshoi is in mourning," the theatre announced on Twitter. "Today, June 16, Gennady Rozhdestvensky passed away at the age of 87." Born in Moscow in 1931, Rozhdestvensky -- who was also a pianist and a composer -- was general artistic director of the Bolshoi between 2000 and 2001. During a career that spanned more than 50 years, he was chief conductor of a number of orchestras both inside and outside Russia, including the Bolshoi orchestra, the BBC Symphony Orchestra in London, the Vienna Symphony Orchestra and the Royal Stockholm Philharmonic. Read also: Musician Ari Malibu dies He was awarded the title, "People's Artist of the USSR" in 1976, the highest cultural distinction in the former Soviet Union. His repertoire was wide, but he was perhaps best known for his interpretations of Russian composers, such as Dmitri Shostakovich, Sergei Prokofiev, Sofia Gubaidulina and Alfred Schnittke. Rozhdestvensky also taught at Moscow's Conservatory of Music since 1974, the Russian news agency RIA Novosti reported. "When you remember Gennady Rozhdestvensky, you realise what a powerful personality has departed from the world of music," RIA Novosti quoted the Bolshoi's current director, Vladimir Urin, as saying. The London Symphony Orchestra tweeted: "Sad to hear of the death today of the great Gennady Rozhdestvensky. We had a long and fruitful relationship.... Farewell Maestro." Tales of a giant creature lurking beneath the murky waves of Loch Ness have been around for more than 1,500 years -- and one academic hopes the marvels of modern science can finally unravel the mystery. Neil Gemmell has travelled from the University of Otago in New Zealand to collect water samples in the Scottish lake, in the hope of finding out more about the creatures that inhabit its depths. "Over 1,000 people claim that they have seen a monster. Maybe there is something extraordinary out there," he told AFP, as he dropped a five-litre probe into the loch. Gemmell said he would be keeping an eye out for "monster DNA" but the project was more aimed at testing environmental DNA techniques to understand the natural world. Local resident Adrian Shine said Gemmell's findings could contribute to his own long running research programme -- The Loch Ness Project. The venture was itself inspired by the efforts of earlier international explorers like American Dan Scott Taylor who patrolled the loch in his Beatles-inspired Yellow Submarine in the late 1960s. "I'm sure that some species will be found which have probably not been described. They're more likely than anything else to be bacteria," Shine told AFP. "If you did find something else -- and I do emphasise the if -- then you would actually get quite a good handle on what sort of creature, what class of animal, it is." Record number of sightings Theories abound about the true nature of the Loch Ness Monster, from a malevolent, shape-shifting "water horse", to an aquatic survivor of the dinosaur age, right down to logs, fish, wading birds or simply waves which have been blown out of all proportion. "Anything that you see on the loch that you don't understand can be your Loch Ness Monster on that day," Shine said. The earliest chronicles of a creature in Loch Ness are attributed to Saint Columba, who brought Christianity to Scotland in the sixth century. The last reported sighting was on March 26 this year by a US couple standing on the ramparts of the majestic ruin of Urquhart Castle. Read also: Google Earth spots 'sea monster near Antarctica Urquhart Castle is seen from the waters of Loch Ness in the Scottish Highlands, Scotland on June 10, 2018. (AFP/Andy Buchanan) "They described a large shadow moving under the water which they estimated to be around 30 feet in length," said Dave Bell, skipper of the Nessie Hunter tourist boat. "Last year we had a record number of sightings: 11 in total." Bell has never seen anything himself in his many years on the loch, but that does not shake his belief that there is something down there. "I find it hard to believe that over 1,000 people can be wrong," he said. "Too many rational, level-headed people have said they have seen what they believe to be a creature in the loch." Tourism boom The Highlands are experiencing a boom in tourism -- and not all of it is related to mythical monsters. Inverness is the gateway to the North Coast 500, a new 500-mile (800-kilometre) trail dubbed "Scotland's Route 66" which attracted 26 percent more tourists to the area last year, according to the Highlands and Islands Enterprise agency. "There's a lot more people around," said Joanna Stebbings, operations manager at Loch Ness Lifeboat Station, which carried out a record 33 rescues last year. "All the hire companies, whether they are kayaks or cruisers or even yachts are fully booked." Andrea Ferguson, 56, a school teacher from Saint Louis, Missouri, took a trip on Nessie Hunter to try to catch sight of the monster which has fascinated her since childhood. Tourists take in Urquhart Castle on the banks of Loch Ness in the Scottish Highlands, Scotland on June 10, 2018. (AFP/Andy Buchanan) "So many sightings have been made that there may be a little truth to the Loch Ness Monster," she told AFP. "The loch is huge. It's even bigger than I thought it was. "It's dark water, very mysterious, there's lots of fog and mist, and large mountains draped in clouds so it has an aura of majesty and mystery about it. It's beautiful!" Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin Vassilis Kyriakoulis (Agence France-Presse) Psarades, Greece Sun, June 17, 2018 18:06 1218 a7124a1e87885b91d244660f9e96f1c6 2 World greece,Macedonia,names,Republic-of-North-Macedonia Free Greece and Macedonia on Sunday signed a historic preliminary agreement to rename the small Balkan nation the Republic of North Macedonia, ending a row that has poisoned relations between the two neighbours since 1991. "This is a brave, historic and necessary step for our peoples," said Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras. "We are here to heal the wounds of time, to open a path for peace, fraternisation and growth for our countries, the Balkans and Europe," he said. "Our two countries should step out of the past and look to the future," said Macedonia Prime Minister Zoran Zaev. "Our peoples want peace... we will be partners and allies," he said. Riot police blocked a few hundred flag-waving Greek protesters several kilometres away from the ceremony. And in Psarades, priests rang the local church bell in a sign of mourning, an AFP reporter said. The accord aims to start unravelling one of the world's longest -- and arguably most arcane -- diplomatic disputes, which began 27 years ago with Macedonia's declaration of independence but whose roots date back centuries. "The time has come again to sing happy songs in the Balkans," Tsipras said, moments before the document was signed by the two countries' foreign ministers. Zaev and several of his ministers arrived by speedboat at the picturesque fishing village of Psarades under a sunny sky, on the southern bank of Lake Prespa that is one of the natural boundaries between the two countries. Tsipras and Zaev embraced on the village dock and were treated to a standing ovation by gathered dignitaries. UN under-secretary-general for political affairs Rosemary DiCarlo, longterm UN negotiator Matthew Nimetz, EU diplomatic chief Federica Mogherini and EU enlargement commissioner Johannes Hahn were on hand, snapping pictures with their smartphones. Nimetz, who turned 79 on Sunday and was given a birthday cake, has been trying to broker a solution since 1994, first as a US envoy and subsequently on behalf of the United Nations. But it was the election of Zaev in 2017, replacing nationalist prime minister Nikola Gruevski, that proved crucial. An economist and former mayor of Strumica, Zaev made rapprochement with Greece a priority to secure his country's membership of the European Union and NATO, blocked by Athens for years. After the signature, Tsipras crossed over to the Macedonian side of Lake Prespa for lunch, becoming the first Greek prime minister to visit the neighbouring state. Since 1991, Athens has objected to its neighbour being called Macedonia because it has its own northern province of the same name, which in ancient times was the cradle of Alexander the Great's empire -- a source of intense pride for modern-day Greeks. The two premiers, born just months apart in 1974, have bucked strong hostile reactions at home to push ahead with the agreement. Tsipras has been accused of treachery by Greek hardliners, and on Saturday defeated a vote of censure against his government amid protests and clashes with police outside parliament. In Macedonia, President Gjorge Ivanov plans to exercise a one-time veto option to block the deal that the nationalist opposition has called a "capitulation". The Macedonian parliament is scheduled to start debating the agreement next week. The accord still needs to be approved by Macedonia's parliament and then pass a referendum. The Macedonian constitution must also be revised by the end of the year, before Greece's parliament is called to ratify it. Tsipras' domestic critics say he has bargained away Greece's diplomatic advantages -- the power of veto over EU and NATO accession -- for a deal that could backfire. Specifically, by officially recognising a Macedonian language and nationality, it is almost certain that the country will be called Macedonia by the broader world, instead of North Macedonia, opponents of the deal argue. Officials in Athens insist that the deal will help stabilise the historically volatile Balkan region, permitting Greece to focus on other regional challenges, Turkey among them. Macedonia was admitted to the United Nations in 1993 under the provisional name of the "Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia", but more than 120 countries including Russia and the United States have recognised the Balkan country under the name of "Republic of Macedonia". Skopje hopes to secure a date to begin European Union accession talks at an EU summit in late June and an invitation to join NATO in mid-July. Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin Sebastian Berger (Agence France-Presse) Pyongyang Sun, June 17, 2018 16:16 1218 a7124a1e87885b91d244660f9e96c28c 2 Business North-Korea,investment,US Free Donald Trump dangled the carrot of foreign investment in front of North Korean leader Kim Jong Un at their nuclear summit, but analysts say few will want to put money into one of the highest-risk business environments in the world. The US president showed Kim a movie of bright lights, high-speed trains and soaring tower blocks -- pitching a future that could be possible if Pyongyang gives up its weapons. Optimists say that with mineral wealth, cheap labour, and a helpful geographical location, the North has huge potential. But the history of overseas firms who have tried to set up operations in the isolated, impoverished country is a long and sorry one. Rules that can change on a whim, bills that are never paid, and the threat of expropriation hang over foreigners who step into the wildest of wild east investment destinations. For now, dozens of restrictions apply under the various sanctions regimes imposed on the North over its nuclear ambitions. Joint ventures are banned by the UN Security Council, the European Union blocks financial transfers of more than 5,000 euros, and US regulations mean international banks are loath to enable transactions of any kind - so much so that even humanitarian organisations struggle to fund their activities. And even if they are lifted, there are major challenges to working in the North. Infrastructure is poor, and analysts say corruption is widespread. Crucially, said a diplomatic source in Pyongyang, "legal guarantees for business are very weak". 'Huge cultural gaps' During the Sunshine Policy, a previous period of warmer ties, South Korean conglomerate Hyundai poured hundreds of millions of dollars into a tourist resort for Southerners to visit the scenic Mount Kumgang. But the trips came to an abrupt halt when a North Korean soldier shot dead a woman from the South who strayed into a forbidden zone. Many South Korean firms set up operations in the joint-venture Kaesong Industrial Complex where they employed cheap labour from the North, but Seoul closed the project in 2016 over Pyongyang's weapons programmes. Egyptian telecom firm Orascom poured hundreds of millions of dollars into setting up the North's first mobile phone network, Koryolink, only for the government to set up a rival operator of its own. The company was also unable to get its money out. "I am taking all the hits," Orascom's billionaire owner Naguib Sawiris told Bloomberg last month. "I am being paid in a currency that doesn't get exchanged very easily, I have put a lot of money and built a hotel and did a lot of good stuff there." Construction giant LafargeHolcim last year disposed of its stake in a North Korean cement plant for an undisclosed sum, nursing significant losses. "Governance is weak, information is lacking and there are huge cultural gaps with local partners," said Geoffrey See, founder of Choson Exchange, a non-profit that trains entrepreneurs and economic policymakers in the North. The most successful foreign firms in the North, he added, focus on trading activities to avoid having assets in the country that are vulnerable to seizure. 'Filthy wind of bourgeois liberty' Kim undoubtedly wants to make his country better off. He declared earlier this year that having completed the development of his nuclear arsenal, "socialist economic construction" was now his top priority. State media's coverage of the Singapore summit included extensive pictures of the prosperous city-state, a port, and even Kim's motorcade passing a Cartier advert - images that would not have been shown in the past. It was an indication of "permissible aspiration", said an Asia-based diplomat. The highly secretive North has been quietly bringing in reforms for several years, allowing private traders to operate in informal markets, giving state-owned enterprises some freedoms to operate, and turning a blind eye to private company operations. The moves are reminiscent of China's "reform and opening" under Deng Xiaoping, which propelled the country from a basketcase to the world's second-largest economy. Foreign firms are beginning to make inquiries in response, says Michael Spavor of Paektu Consulting, who has been working with the country for 20 years. Our organisation has had much interest recently from investors interested in market research as well as face-to-face matchmaking with potential DPRK ministries and future partners, he told AFP, using the official acronym for North Korea. But the North has not officially embraced the market. At the last ruling party congress, Kim decried the "filthy wind of bourgeois liberty and 'reform' and 'openness' blowing in our neighbourhood". China has taken North Korean officials on study tours of Beijing, Shanghai and its coal-rich provinces to try to encourage them to follow its example, and diplomats say it is offering detailed development planning. But they add that Pyongyang is wary of being too dependent on Beijing, and prefers to look to Vietnam for an example of how a smaller Communist country has been able to adopt capitalism while not weakening the authorities' hold on power. North Korea does have some advantages, says Gareth Leather, senior Asia economist for Capital Economics, pointing out natural resources including zinc, magnesite, iron and copper, low-cost labour, and an advantageous location. But even if sanctions are lifted, he said, "it's basically a police state and you have a long way to go to North Korea becoming a normal economy". "It's going to take a very brave investor to venture in again." Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin News Desk (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta Sun, June 17, 2018 14:43 1218 a7124a1e87885b91d244660f9e96a792 1 National hisab,rukyat,ramadan,Idul-Fitri,Zulkifli-Hasan Free Peoples Consultative Assembly (MPR) Speaker Zulkifli Hasan said he supported the creation of an Islamic calendar to end once and for all the almost annual debate over when Ramadhan started and ended. [With modern technology] we are already able to calculate the arrival of lunar and solar eclipses up to 50 or even 100 years ahead, he said as quoted by Antara on Friday. He argued that it was also possible for modern science to determine when hilal the first crescent moon that marks a new month in the lunar/Islamic calendar will take place. In Indonesia, the Religious Affairs Ministry and Muslim organizations such as Muhammadiyah and Nahdlatul Ulama usually convene a day or two before Ramadhan or Idul Fitri to decide when Ramadhan begins and ends. It is not uncommon for religious organizations to arrive at different conclusions, given that they use different methods to determine the beginning of a new month. Some use what is called hisab (astronomical calculations) and others use what is called rukyat, or moon sighting. The proposal to create an official Islamic calendar was made by the Houses Commission VIII, which oversees religion and social affairs. (nor/ahw) Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin Karina M. Tehusijarana (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta Sun, June 17, 2018 17:28 1218 a7124a1e87885b91d244660f9e96ea4f 1 Politics Sukmawati-Soekarnoputri,blasphemy,Blasphemy-Law,police,poem Free The National Police have ended their investigation into Sukmawati Soekarnoputri, the daughter of Indonesias first president Sukarno, for alleged blasphemy, police spokesperson Brig. Gen. Muhammad Iqbal said in a statement on Sunday. Based on the preliminary investigation [] we did not find any illegal or criminal act so the case will not be escalated to a full investigation, he added. The announcement of the investigations termination comes shortly after police confirmed that they have also dropped their investigation into a pornography case allegedly involving firebrand Islam Defenders Front (FPI) cleric Rizieq Shihab. Last year, Sukmawati reported Rizieq to the police in an unrelated case, alleging that he had defamed Sukarno and the state ideology, Pancasila. That case was dropped by the West Java Police in February. In April, about 30 groups and individuals reported Sukmawati, to the police, accusing her of composing a poem that insulted Islam in violation of articles 156 and 156a of the Criminal Code. Sukmawati read the poem, entitled Ibu Indonesia (Mother Indonesia), during a fashion event to celebrate designer Anne Avanties 29th anniversary in the business during Indonesia Fashion Week (IFW) in Jakarta on March 29. In the poem, Sukmawati allegedly unfavorably compared cadar (the full-face veil) to konde (the traditional hair bun) and adzan (Muslim call to prayer) to traditional Indonesian songs. Sukmawati issued a tearful apology shortly after she was first reported to the police, saying that she had no intention of insulting Islam. Since this literary work has sparked controversy, especially among Muslims, I apologize to all Muslims who feel offended by this poem, she said at the time. (ahw) Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin Blanca Morel (Agence France-Presse) Managua Sun, June 17, 2018 08:45 1218 a7124a1e87885b91d244660f9e965e2e 2 World Nicaragua,Managua,politics,unrest,Latin-America Free At least eight people were killed Saturday in Managua, police sources said, raising to 178 the number of deaths in anti-government unrest that began two months ago in Nicaragua. Six of the dead were members of a single family whose home was burned down at dawn after a group of hooded armed men threw a Molotov cocktail, while the other two were attacked while clearing road barricades, police said in a statement. Two inhabitants of the house survived by throwing themselves from a balcony, one of them a woman in serious condition and the other a child admitted to the hospital with burns, according to neighbors. "This act of terror is a crime against humanity and cannot go unpunished," tweeted Luis Almagro, head of the Organization of American States. Protests for two months have escalated in a bid to pressure President Daniel Ortega to exit -- upheaval the government has met with brutal repression. The latest violence comes as the country's Catholic bishops attempt to reboot fragile negotiations between government and civil society representatives. In a surprise announcement late Friday, the clergy said rival government and civil delegates had agreed to create a "verification" commission and invite independent international bodies to probe the violence. Under the new agreement, Managua would urge the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights -- an autonomous branch of the Organization of American States -- to investigate "all deaths and acts of violence, the identification of those responsible and a comprehensive plan for the victims so that effective justice is achieved," Cardinal Leopoldo Brenes said. Bishops reconvened government and civil representatives to discuss "the process of democratization of the country." The talks ended with plans to meet again Monday and discuss a "timetable of reforms" that would include consideration of "advancing the elections from 2021 to March 2019," Catholic bishops said. Brenes said the Church had asked Ortega to move up the next general election -- a key demand of activists. The president refused to answer directly, instead telling the bishops "we reiterate our full readiness to listen to all the proposals within an institutional and constitutional framework." The leftist leader has in the past expressed no intention of stepping aside. Nicaragua's descent into chaos was triggered on April 18, when relatively small protests against now-scrapped social security reforms were met with a government crackdown. Those demonstrations mushroomed into a popular uprising, with anti-government protesters facing off against police and pro-Ortega paramilitaries. Activists have erected blockades on more than two thirds of the country's roads in a bid to fend off Ortega-backed forces. The makeshift roadblocks have wreaked economic havoc, halting the delivery of goods and thwarting regional trade. The Nicaraguan Foundation for Economic and Social Development (FUNIDES) estimates the country could lose up to 150,000 jobs by the end of the year if the crisis persists. The church had launched earlier talks with Ortega but called them off after a march led by victims' mothers last month turned deadly at the hands of Ortega-backed forces. The embattled president's Sandinista guerrilla forces ousted the Somoza dictatorship in 1979, and the leftist leader has remained a major political force ever since. He is currently serving his third consecutive executive term, due to expire in 2022. State-owned airport operator PT Angkasa Pura (AP) I has urged people not to launch unauthorized hot air balloons, kites, drones, lanterns or other flying objects near the airport area as it could threaten flights' security and safety. The announcement was made following 14 reports received since June 14 about the disturbance of unmanned hot air balloons from pilots who passed through Yogyakarta Military-controlled airspace, such as Wonosari, Kebumen, Sleman, Surakarta, Kulon Progo, Purworejo and Cilacap, at altitudes ranging from 4,000 to 25,000 feet above sea level. AP I director Faik Fahmi said such reports became a serious concern for the airport. Therefore, again, we urge people not to release hot air balloons or other similar flying objects without our permission near the airport area, Faik said in a press release. Local authorities secure hot air balloons that are set to be released in Wonosobo regency, Central Java, on Saturday, June 16. (Angkasa Pura I/File) As specified in Article 421, Paragraph 2 of Law No. 1/2009 on aviation, people who create obstacles and/or conduct other activities that will put flight operation, security and safety at risk will receive a maximum of three years imprisonment or a Rp 1 billion (US$71,800) fine. On May 7, the Transportation Ministry released Ministerial Regulation No. 40/2018 that specifically regulates the use of hot air balloons during cultural events, such as by setting a standard of maximum diameter of 4 meters and a height of 7 m for oval-shaped balloons, or if it is not oval, the maximum dimensions of the balloon must be 4 m by 4 m by 7 m. Moreover, the balloon must have striking colors with a minimum of three ropes connected to the ballast on the ground. It has to be released with a maximum altitude of 150 m in uncontrolled airspace area, such as 15 kilometers outside the airport and helicopter landing areas. Faik said the operator had collaborated with the Civil Aviation Directorate General, the Indonesian Flight Navigation Service Institution (AirNav), the Indonesian Military (TNI) and airlines in supervising hot air balloons in the airport area. Weve actively educated people, especially those who live around 13 AP I airports' area, regarding flights' security and safety regulation, in the hope that they will understand and obey the rules while participating in the local tradition, said Faik. Releasing hot air balloons is a tradition in parts of Central and East Java in celebrating Idul Fitri. (wir/wng) The Department of Trade and Industry said the trade war between the US and China will not have a major impact on the Philippine exporters. The US said it was imposing a tariff of 25 percent on $50 billion worth of exports from China, which, in turn, announced retaliatory moves against the US. This will have a huge impact on the economies of the two countries, as their higher import costs will affect their respective consumers and imported inputs-using manufacturers, Trade Secretary Ramon Lopez said. US lawmakers agreed, expecting the trade volume between the two countries to decline. Lopez said the trade war might backfire on the US cost and competitiveness and would affect American industries. The situation could also encourage affected manufacturers to shift their production activities to other countries like the Philippines. Philippine exports have started reviewing product lists that the Philippines can easily supply.The other trade moves of US were not country-specific but product specific and would China and other countries as well, Lopez said. Invoking Section 201 of US Trade Act, the US can impose duties and non-tariff barriers on products that injure or threaten to injure their local industries. Affected products are solar panels and washing machines, Lopez said. For the Philippines, there is no impact for washing machines, but there is an impact for solar panels since there is one major exporter Sunpower Inc. The company has submitted (its)position for exemption, he said. The US may also impose the tariff on sensitive products to address issues on national security, like steel at 25 percent tariff and aluminum at 10 percent. While the Philippines is a not a major exporter of steel and aluminum, trade representatives are meeting with the US Trade Representative for an exemption. As we see no major impact to the Philippines, we may stand to benefit if other affected manufacturers in countries affected shift their production base to the Philippines to avoid facing higher tariff rates, said Lopez adding the Philippines still enjoyed the General System of Preference privilege with the US, covering 3,500 product lines that enter the US market at zero percent duty. The occupation began on 5th June in support of the outsourced workers' strike the following day. The occupiers left on the evening of 6th June to join the demonstration. In a statement, they demanded a clear commitment to bringing all outsourced workers in-house and end insecure contracts within the next 12 months. They also demanded that the University give workers a pay rise as promised in 2012 and that the right to protest is guaranteed at the University of London.The campaign against outsourcing at the University of London, led by the Independent Workers' Union of Great Britain (IWGB) and supported by student and trade union activists, has been ongoing since September 2017. The University had previously promised to bring the outsourced workers in-house over the next few years in response to the campaign, but the IWGB criticised the response severely, describing it as a "vague commitment" lacking in detail and containing an excessive number of caveats.Its General Secretary Dr Jason-Moyer Lee said then: "Until the University of London announces the termination of all outsourcing on a reasonable timescale, IWGB will continue to campaign." This latest student occupation comes on the heels of the recent disclosure by the University of London that it spent 415,000 on security during student protests in March and April alone. Nearly one-hundred thousand pounds (99,690) was spent during a 10-day sit-inbetween 19th and 28th March. The increased security has led to incidents between protesters and security, with security staff drilling bolts onto emergency exits to lock occupiers in, as well as allegedly physically and sexually assaulting protesting students. In a statement released after the occupation, which saw the University of London concede to ending zero-hours contracts by autumn 2018 but not to the other demands, the occupiers promised further action "until every demand is met." A group of US students has surprised their English teacher with an album based entirely around him. Ten students at Williamsport High School in Maryland presented the self-titled album, named The Clinton Authority, to teacher Clinton Baun on Tuesday and videoed the handover. Jake Foster, 17, one of the students behind the album, told the Press Association: Me and my friends have all met at my house for years to hang out. One day Im making music and we start making lyrics about the teacher as a joke. Producing the one song amused the friends so much that the endeavour snowballed into creating an entire album, which took six months to complete. Once it was ready, the students created a lyric booklet and made it into a vinyl, which they then presented. The team didnt want the rest of the world to miss out on the chance to hear the album, so theyve put it on YouTube and Spotify So why dedicate an entire album of music to your teacher? Hes just a great guy, says Jake. Hes a teacher thats very creative and musical We can talk to him like he was one of us. Jakes favourite tracks on the album are Bon and Strange, which include lyrics such as: There were so many days laughing in my room coming up with lyrics, says Jake. Although Clinton was initially shocked by the presentation of such an elaborate gift, according to Jake he is now pretty proud. He talks about it to all his classes and laughs about it. Sounds like these talented students and their dedicated teacher are a perfect match. As the Trump administration continues to enact controversial legislation, from immigration to taxation, all eyes are on the White House. In other words, all eyes are on Washington DC. When I first arrived into DC, I expected to immediately sense the underlying political divide which is permeating much of the United States. Washington holds a central position within national politics; it is a city around which the rest of the US orbits. I expected to hear whispered political asides, see protesters lining the streets, perhaps even feel the tension in the air. However, wandering around this pristine city, sprinkled with pink cherry blossom petals and bathed in the warm summer sun, I could find no hint of tension. In fact, Washington DC is now one of my favourite cities in the world. Neither in the stark white architecture of the government buildings, nor in any of the tour guides cheerful performances, could I find a crack in Washingtons gorgeous facade until I came across a protest outside of the White House itself. So here are the top places to see in the amazing Washington DC, concluding with a brief scuffle outside the home of President Trump: Library of Congress This beautiful building is often neglected by city visitors. Its regal exterior would perhaps stand out in other cities, but amongst the marble architecture which characterizes Washington's political buildings, it can be missed in favour of more renowned sites. Stepping past the main reception, I was struck speechless by the elaborate interior architecture. Tall white columns line the inner foyer, contrasting the pale pink and orange shades of the outer walls. Proud statues are peppered through the building, holding torches aloft as if lighting the way for visitors. Delve further into the rooms upstairs to discover exhibitions on a variety of subjects, from natural history to colonial conquests. The supreme court is another architectural marvel. The smooth marble surfaces of each room provide a majestic feel to the experience, and the plaques and portraits along the walls detail various events, from the construction of the building itself, to the incorporation of women within the legal system (better late than never!). There is even a plaque dedicated to the incredible work of the Obamas (interestingly, there was no mention of Trump on the walls or on the tour). Make sure to catch one of the courtroom lectures for a more detailed summary of the buildings history and current proceedings. The silhouette of this building has become increasingly renowned over the years; it is the symbol of US politics. No matter your view on American politics, one glance at this building and you can immediately sense that many important, world-changing events have occurred here. Make sure to take a free tour and stand within the world-famous dome. You can also go to separate desks upstairs and collect a ticket to see the senate or the house of representatives in action. In my experience, the queues for this can be long and arduous but are definitely worth it if you catch a good debate or speech. Too often, people try to cram in as many museums as possible just to check boxes. In the case of Washington, this is too easy to do due to the number of museums here! I suggest a classic pick-and-mix approach - do whichever you fancy. The Air and Space Museum is particularly spectacular with missiles, rockets, and the first unmanned planes, hanging from the ceiling as if in mid-flight. This small museum is a must-see since it houses the Declaration of Independence, The Constitution, and The Bill of Rights. These enormous documents, faded by time, are pieces of legislation over which countless battles have taken place, throughout history and today. This building often hosts incredible speakers in small, intimate lecture-style settings. I managed to catch Pete Souza, Obamas official photographer during his eight years in office, who shared hilarious and heart-wrenching tales about Obamas presidency. Check for events in advance to secure a ticket.The memorials surrounding the National Mall are beautiful by day, but spectacular by night. Meander through the park under the glowing Washington Monument, quietly ponder as you stroll past the Korean and Vietnam War Memorials, marvel at the enormous statue of Martin Luther King as he literally emerges from a mountain. The White House To see Washingtons beautiful veil lifted, catch a protest outside of the White House. I was standing outside when Trump announced to alter the legislation of the Iran nuclear deal. There was an immediate response. A group in pink t-shirts holding protest signs erupted into boos and shouts, one turned around to yell at the White House itself. Opposing individuals began to emerge from the crowd, one pair singing the national anthem while donning American flag t-shirts, and a few young people from the middle-east arguing that the protesters knew little about the conflict. One group of protestors showed unfailing loyalty to Trump, while others screamed "not my President" at the White House. This was the only time when I felt I was peeking behind the curtain, that I saw the political fragility revealed and social divide made clear. Despite the controversial politicians living in this city, it is an incredible place to visit, buzzing with political uncertainty. Walking towards Union Station, down red-brick streets dappled with sunlight and past stark white regal buildings rich with history and culture, I left Washington with a heavy heart and an eagerness to return. Santa Rosa, LagunaStaffers of Laguna 2nd District Rep. Jun Chipeco have filed robbery extortion and estafa charges against two persons for posing as towing company employees and impersonating the lawmakers staff while trying to victimize workers of a shuttle service, whose bus broke down here last week. In a report by Police Supt. Eugene Orate, City Chief of Police of Santa Rosa, to Laguna Provincial Director Senior Supt. Kirby John Brion Kraft, the suspects were identified as Dina Andes Del Rosario and Domingo Hilario Artes, former Land Transportation Office workers. Del Rosario and Artes were arrested in an entrapment operation by the Santa Rosa Police at the Sta. Rosa Commercial Complex in Barangay Balibago last Wednesday night. The event stemmed from a complaint filed jointly by Havana Shuttle Service, represented by its operations manager Edwin Moyco Cerdena; Kevin Doy Lusabia, representing Central Towing Services; and Melchor Lusabia, owner of Central Towing and a staffer of Rep. Chipeco, against the couple. They alleged that Del Rosario and Artes went around posing as employees of the towing firm, using the name of the elder Lusabia, to solicit funds for a supposed company outing without the knowledge of the latter.If their would-be victims like Havana denied their request, the duo threatened to tow their shuttle or tour buses, especially if they found them parked along the main Sta. Rosa Highway, unless they were paid a certain amount to prevent the towing. This modus continued until the local police successfully entrapped them last week. Lusabia stressed that he has never authorized any employees of his towing company to go on solicitation errands to raise funds for any sort of outing. This is a warning to groups who are doing this modus that they will not succeed in their plot, he added. Birthday wishes Call 281-422-8302 or email david.bloom@baytownsun.com to wish someone a happy birthday. We will print your birthday wish on Page 2 of The Sun. Happy Birthday Wishes Manila Mayor Joseph Estrada has announced the activities lined up for the upcoming 447th Araw ng Maynila on June 24, highlighting the citys numerous achievements and historical events. The city chief executive said the celebration will start today, June 18, with the awarding of Outstanding Employees and City Service Awardees at the City Halls Bulwagang Villegas at 2 pm. From June 19 to 21, the Division of City Schools leads the awarding of Outstanding Educators at the Century Park Hotel at 1 pm, and a youth concert to be led by the Manila Youth Bureau at the Rajah Sulayman Park at 7 pm. The concert is free and open to the public for them to appreciate and listen to the talents of the citys homegrown bands. The former President will also honor Manilas senior citizens in the Gabi ng Parangal Para sa mga Nakatatandang Manilenyo (Awards Night for Elder Manilenos) to be held at the Universidad de Manila starting at 4 pm. On June 20, Mayor Estrada will also honor exceptional Filipino artists who have excelled in architecture, painting, and other art forms and culture through the yearly Patnubay ng Sining at Kalinangan Awards (Arts and Crafts Awards). It will be held at the Ayuntamiento in Manila. The following day, June 21, Estrada will bestow honors to outstanding city employees, teachers, judges, prosecutors, and police officers at the Manila Hotel at 7 pm. He will likewise honor the Outstanding Taxpayers and Manilans with the Bureau of Permits and Manila Barangay Bureau as the lead division of the city hall, at the Manila Hotel at 7 pm on June 22. On June 24, Estrada will grace a Thanksgiving Mass at the San Agustin Church at 7 a.m., right after the wreath laying at the Rizal Park. On June 26, the much-awaited grand coronation night of the annual 2018 Miss Manila pageant will be held at the Philippine International Convention Center at 7 p.m. Last year, Estrada also led the awarding of plaques to nine Outstanding Manilans of 2017 in rites at the Manila Hotel.Honored were the late Juan Arellano, Sen. Sonny Angara, Ramon Orlina, Socorro Ramos, Auraeus Solito, Patrocinio Villafuerte, Boots Anson-Roa, Ben Farrales and Amelia Lapena-Bonifacio. They were chosen for success in their respective careers, thus giving honor to Manila, Estrada said. Anson-Roa was cited for her being a popular movie actress and a FAMAS awardee, while Angara was recognized for his public service. On the other hand, Farrales is a well-known Filipino fashion designer while Orlina is the father of Philippine grass sculpture. Villafuerte was honored for being a multi-awarded writer, linguist, and educator. Solito is an award-winning filmmaker and indigenous peoples rights advocate and Ramos is the woman behind retail giant National Bookstore. Lapena-Bonifacio was honored for being the grand lady of Philippine puppet theater. Estrada bestowed a posthumous award on Tondo-born architect Juan Arellano, who designed the Metropolitan Theater, the Legislative Building that now houses the National Museum and the Manila Central Post Office Building. Estrada also awarded outstanding business and real property taxpayers. Letter to the editor: Mass. congressional leaders can't give Trump his due on North Korea Senator Richard Gordon on Sunday underscored the need for the Philippines to have a deterrent force in the Panatag or Scarborough shoal to assert the countrys rights over the area. In an interview on radio dzBB, Gordon said the government should boost its military capability in the area so that China will not belittle Filipinos by harassing fishermen who operate there. He said it was wrong for members of the Chinese Coast Guard to board Filipino fishing boats and confiscate part of their catch. They are harassing and intimidating our fishermen because we dont have the capacity [to defend them], he said. He cited Vietnam and India, which did not back down from using might to address Chinese aggression. Gordon, an administration ally, said President Rodrigo Duterte was not remiss in his duty to assert the Philippines rights in the shoal. We are talking. But China should respect our President, he said.While he acknowledged the friendship between the two countries, Gordon said what China was doing to the Philippines was not the attitude of an elder brother to his younger brother but that of a bully. Gordon earlier said alliances are best seen by the actions of a people, not their words. You are not a reliable ally or a friend, he said, addressing China directly. We are not enemies of China but you are treating us as if we are interlopers in our own country. Gordon said the Philippines should have the resolve to tell China that it would not be bullied, adding that China should be reminded that, at the very least, the ownership of the area is still being disputed. He also suggested that the Philippines may be forced to form alliances with Korea, Japan, Indonesia, Singapore, Australia, New Zealand or perhaps the United States should Chinese bullying continues. Festival season is here. There is no Glastonbury but those who enjoy their live music irrespective of the vagaries of the British weather are still spoilt for choice. Here, we look at how you can experience the festival season without having to dig too deep. Plan ahead for big names The music festival has come of age. It is no longer about muddy fields, poor toilet facilities and flower power. It is a slickly run industry with more than a hundred events nationwide from which to choose, catering for a wide range of tastes and budgets. Volunteer: Student Napsugar Bardocz offers support to bands to get free tickets This Thursday sees the start of the Isle of Wight Festival that has a heritage stretching back to 1968. It was axed after 1970, when Jimi Hendrix was the main act, and then resurrected 16 years ago. This year, highlights are The Killers, Van Morrison and Kasabian. A Saturday ticket will set you back 75, plus a 5.50 fee. A weekend ticket including camping costs 209 plus a 14.20 booking fee. Other major festivals include the four-day BoomTown Fair in Hampshire between August 9 and 12 with tickets costing 236 plus a 7.50 booking fee. Headline acts include Gorillaz, Die Antwoord and Limp Bizkit. The Rize Festival, which replaces the V Festival, takes place at Chelmsford on August 17 and 18. Top line acts include Liam Gallagher, Manic Street Preachers and Stereophonics. Tickets for the Saturday cost 59.50 plus an 8.95 booking fee while a festival ticket including three nights of camping, costs 165 plus a booking fee of 16.20. Then there are the Reading and Leeds festivals (August 24 to 26). For either venue, a Saturday ticket costs 69.50 plus a 7 booking fee. Weekend camping tickets cost 205 plus a 16.40 fee. On stage will be Kings of Leon, Kendrick Lamar and Fall Out Boy. The big stage: The Isle of Wight festival kicks off on Thursday It is vital to book ahead to avoid ticket disappointment. Also, share the experience with family and friends to make it more enjoyable and cut travel costs. Those taking public transport will find it is cheaper to book a train in advance. Be aware that buses laid on for revellers can sell out in advance. Discover the value of smaller gigs A number of small venues provide festival fun for a fraction of the price of the bigger offerings. Nainesh Mehta runs the Summer Festival Guide website and he says the nature of festivals is changing. He says: There is a lot more hip hop and grime music around these days. Those who want something more traditional may find that a smaller festival with crowds of perhaps 5,000 or less will be more appealing. Many of these festivals are family orientated so everyone has fun. He suggests families should consider festivals such as Standon Calling, Hertfordshire, between July 26 and 29. Day tickets cost 65 plus a 5.92 booking fee or 159 plus 12.74 for the weekend. Top attractions include Bryan Ferry and Paloma Faith. Those seeking a bit of punk should consider Rebellion Festivals in Blackpool from August 2 to 5. It features bands such as John Lydons Public Image Limited and Stiff Little Fingers. You can share in the anarchy with a 60 day ticket. Paul Reed, chief executive of The Association of Independent Festivals, says: Some of these festivals have evolved out of parties that simply got out of hand. The smaller festivals tend to be about a huge love of music. A full list of festivals, including line-ups and prices, is available at Summer Festival Guide. Be wary of ticket touts Festival-goers should be wary of buying tickets on the second-hand market. Websites such as StubHub, GetMeIn, Seatwave and Viagogo offer a marketplace for ticket trading but there can be onerous charges that make the final price poor value. Viagogo was recently referred to National Trading Standards by the Advertising Standards Authority for failing to make additional fees clear. Musical chairs: For those who enjoy classical music, open air opera is a natural choice. Glyndebourne in East Sussex is one of the most celebrated venues Other big resellers were criticised for adding VAT, booking and delivery fees at the end of the buying process, but have agreed to clean up their act. Last month, pop star Ed Sheeran cancelled more than 10,000 tickets for a forthcoming tour to escape the unethical practices of touts. Any tickets that were listed for resale on websites such as Viagogo were cancelled with 240,000 refunded to fans. Adam French, of consumer group Which?, believes ticket traders such as Twickets, Scarlet Mist and phone app Dice, are better value as ticket sellers are not allowed to charge more than the tickets face value. If buying second-hand, pay using your credit card. This is because you can seek redress from the card provider under Section 75 of the Consumer Credit Act 1974 if any tickets costing more than 100 fail to turn up in the post. Volunteer for a free ticket An army of volunteers and paid workers are required for concerts, providing everything from first-aid, media support, through to litter picking. Details of volunteering vacancies are often available on festival websites. You may have left it too late to offer support this year but there is no harm in contacting organisers and asking whether there are any opportunities. Napsugar Bardocz gets to enjoy festivals for free by offering support to bands and working as a talent scout. The 21-year-old is a student at the British & Irish Modern Music Institute in Brighton. She says: You cannot compare the feeling of being in a crowd when the music comes on. There is a sense of joy you only experience at a concert. It is all about the music and enjoying the moment. She adds: I am fortunate as my course has enabled me to make contacts that will hopefully lead to a career in music management. When assisting bands you rarely come across musicians acting like prima donnas. Cider or beer? is the first question I always ask. Among Napsugars open air concert favourites she has helped at is the Barn On The Farm near Gloucester (July 5 to 8), 2000trees Music Festival (July 12 to 14) near Cheltenham, and the Y Not Festival in Pikehall, Derbyshire (July 26 to 29). BANK TAKEOVER Lender Virgin Money is expected to agree to a 1.6billion takeover proposal from Clydesdale and Yorkshire banks owner CYBG. The deal, if agreed today, could see up to 1,500 jobs go and create a bank with assets of more than 70billion and more than six million customers. JETS JETTISONED Engineer Rolls-Royce has filed a patent for an electric engine, under long-term plans to find alternatives to the jet engine. Boss Warren East has just announced a further 4,600 job cuts, saying he is trying to make the firm fit for the future. Lender Virgin Money is expected to agree to a 1.6billion takeover proposal from Clydesdale and Yorkshire banks owner CYBG BIG DEAL German insurance giant Allianz is said to be looking for a big deal, with a possible approach for FTSE 100 rivals RSA and Aviva among options being considered. The chief executive of one global insurer said: Bate [chief executive Oliver Bate] badly wants to make an acquisition. That said, I dont believe they would do anything hostile. RETAIL WOE Electronics retailer Dixons Carphone is expected to report a sharp fall in profits next week as the retailer continues to reel from a mammoth data breach that saw millions of customer details hacked in a cyber-attack. The electricals chain is forecast to report a 23per cent decline in full-year pre-tax profits to 382million, according to a consensus of City analysts. LONDON LISTING Services firm RA International is joining the AIM junior stock market on June 29 valued at around 97million. The Dubai-based company provides construction and supply chain services to remote locations in Africa and the Middle East, and employs more than 1,600. It wants to raise 18.8million to fund growth. Deceased: John Edwards had to sell pots of honey to make ends meet The computer meltdown at crisis-hit TSB, now entering its eighth week, has not just caused chaos among customers unable to access their bank accounts, exposing them to fraudsters. It has also killed off hundreds of its customers. One such victim is John Edwards. For the past 60 years, he has been busy building beehives as a profession. Now aged 75, he still works as a beekeeper. He also enjoys rude health. Yet, nearly seven weeks ago, Johns bank informed him he was dead. As TSBs computer systems began to implode, he was deemed deceased one of 370 customers accidentally deleted by the banks failing systems. Having been killed off, John was blocked from accessing his bank account for a week. His state pension, normally paid into his TSB bank account, was also rejected and returned to the Department for Work and Pensions. It took more than a month of phone calls before he could get it back. Johns extermination by bungling TSB is reflective of the continued chaos at the bank, following its suspension of 1.9 million customer accounts in the wake of a failed IT migration in April. The upgrade was promoted as ensuring that the bank would be fit for the digital age. In reality, it was a cost-cutting move designed to save 100 million a year as TSB switched from a system run by its former parent group Lloyds to one built by its current owner, the Spanish bank Sabadell. The Mail on Sunday has been inundated with correspondence from readers angry at the banks poor handling of the system failure. TSB is still busy dealing with the fallout. Customers calls are not picked up promptly and software glitches regularly slow the website to a standstill. Customers have visited branches, only to discover they cannot withdraw cash as the systems are down. The TSB website says: Were working to put things right and Please watch out for fraud. Here's what to do if you are a victim of the TSB meltdown Complain directly to TSB, giving details of the way the crisis has affected you. Be firm and friendly and know in advance exactly how much you would like in compensation and stick to that figure. A sum of 100 for distress and inconvenience is reasonable. Support the demand with details of failed bank transactions, time spent on the phone and effort and money wasted on visits to the nearest branch of TSB. Move bank. The current account switch guarantee means that moving to another provider should be straightforward and take no longer than seven working days. Consider where you might like to go. Well-regarded providers include Nationwide Building Society, First Direct and Santander. Apply to the new bank or building society. It is then responsible for redirecting incoming and outgoing payments, and transferring money to your new account before closing the old one down. Go to the Financial Ombudsman Service if you believe TSB failed to handle your complaint in a way that you think is fair. Contacting this independent body will not cost you a penny and the Ombudsman has the power to demand the bank pay you compensation. For further details visit financial-ombudsman.org.uk. Some 1,300 TSB customers have so far fallen victim to fraud as criminals have exploited the chaos at the bank. The fraudsters have been posing as bank staff, contacting customers and offering to help sort out problems, only to empty their bank accounts once they have gleaned key security information. TSB claims that no customer will be left out of pocket due to its IT issues, but it is still struggling to handle a crisis that has led to some 100,000 complaints and a multi-million pound compensation bill. The bank could also face a class action lawsuit and a hefty fine from the City regulator. When John Edwards, from Market Rasen in Lincolnshire, was killed off, he went to his nearest TSB branch in Louth. He says: The staff looked like they had seen a ghost when I told them I had been declared dead. No one could explain how it had happened. Staff spent an hour trying to tell the banks computer I was not dead but it refused to believe it. It took a week to bring me back to life. Under pressure: So far TSB chief executive Paul Pester has refused to resign. This is despite calls from MP Nicky Morgan, chairwoman of the powerful Treasury Select Committee, for TSBs board to consider his future During this time TSB not only stopped his pension payments, but also cancelled his debit cards and bank account. John was forced to borrow money and sell jars of honey for cash so he could afford to go shopping for essential groceries. The first he knew about his demise was an email from the nursing home that looks after his 73-year-old wife Lynne. Staff explained that a cheque he had made out to the home was being returned as he was deceased and his bank account had been closed. Adding insult to the mortal injury, the bank has, since then, only offered 50 in recompense for its error. John says: The amount of compensation is ridiculous. I spent several hours trying to convince TSB I was not dead when they were adamant I was deceased. How they managed to kill me off without a death certificate I will never know. Other customers accuse the bank of a hit-and-miss approach to its handling of complaints, only offering compensation if customers refuse to go away. David Edes, from Inverness, has so far refused a 111 offer of compensation for the mess that TSB left his landlord business in. He believes the cost of the inconvenience is closer to 1,000. The 64-year-old says: The compensation offer is no more than chicken feed. The bank fails to factor in all the costs the wasted time, extra travel and all the inconvenience related to not being able to access a bank account. As a retired bank manager myself I have sympathy for the TSB staff, but no time for the lack of genuine help the bank is providing. So far TSB chief executive Paul Pester has refused to resign. This is despite calls from MP Nicky Morgan, chairwoman of the powerful Treasury Select Committee, for TSBs board to consider his future. He recently agreed to give up a 1.6 million integration bonus related to the IT migration. On Friday, TSB said it would now be reaching out to John Edwards corporate jargon that sounds like the bank might use a Ouija board rather than a phone to track him down. It added: We made an update to his account in error and would like to apologise for any distress and inconvenience caused. Concerned: Five Tory MPs are urging the Government to probe a group set up to sue RBS on behalf of small investors Five Tory MPs are urging the Government to probe a group set up to sue RBS on behalf of small investors following a Mail on Sunday investigation. Colin Clark, MP for Gordon, in Scotland, has written to Justice Secretary David Gauke calling for an urgent inquiry into the RBoS Shareholders Action Group company, whose co-founder Gerard Walsh has been named as a fraudster by the Jersey Royal Court. Thousands of investors who signed up to the group won a 200 million settlement from RBS last June - compensation for shares they bought in 2008. But most of the money has yet to be paid out amid legal battling between the action group and Manx Capital, an investment vehicle of Trevor Hemmings which has taken control of the mass legal claim. Clarks call has been backed by four other Scottish Tories Ross Thomson, Andrew Bowie, Stephen Kerr and Alister Jack. At least five other MPs have raised concerns separately. If you have been affected, contact: william.turvill@mailonsunday.co.uk Fashion chain New Looks ambitious plans to open 500 new stores in China are under review as the company battles woes on the UK High Street. Former boss Anders Kristiansen, 51, wanted to build a sprawling store portfolio in the Asian powerhouse, but new executive chairman Alistair McGeorge has his sights on downsizing instead. He said: We are taking a view on all our stores. We are taking a good hard look, and we will probably do some downsizing. Fashion chain New Looks ambitious plans to open 500 new stores in China are under review as the company battles woes on the UK High Street It comes as New Look made a loss of 74.3million for the year ending March 24 after sales plunged, compared to a 97.6million profit the previous year. It has also this year struck a deal with landlords for a company voluntary agreement, which will allow it to close 60 stores, affecting 1,000 jobs. New Look, which is owned by South African billionaire Christo Wiese, already has 148 stores in China. It owns and operates the outlets directly, rather than through a franchise agreement. About 700 bosses at Sky are set to share a windfall of around 350million from the expected takeover of the broadcaster About 700 bosses at Sky are set to share a windfall of around 350million from the expected takeover of the broadcaster. 21st Century Fox and Comcast are battling for control, with bids of 10 and 12.50 per share on the table. Some 700 executives, senior managers and long-serving producers are part of a bonus scheme that could see them collect 28million shares if a deal goes through. Those 28million shares are worth 350million at the current Comcast bid, meaning an average pay-out of 550,000 for each executive. The scheme is thought to also include some presenters. Sky shares have shot up since the takeover battle erupted. They rose from 767p to more than 1000p when Rupert Murdochs 21st Century Fox, which already owns 39per cent of Sky, made its approach at the end of 2016. They then leapt to above 1300p when Comcast gate-crashed the offer in February this year. Asset-stripper Melrose has fired the starting gun on its sell-off of engineer GKN. Bosses are plotting to kick-off the sale of its powder metallurgy division potentially as soon as this autumn, according to reports. The business accounted for about 1.1billion of GKNs 10billion sales in 2017. It is thought it could fetch between 1.5billion and 2billion. Asset-stripper Melrose has fired the starting gun on its sell-off of engineer GKN Plans are being drawn up and investment bank Rothschild is in line to be hired as adviser, Sky News reported. It comes just three months after turnaround firm Melrose bought car and plane parts-maker GKN for 8.1billion. They won a bitter hostile takeover battle with 52per cent of the vote. During the bid, bosses said they planned to sell powder metallurgy in the medium term and only after improvement. They criticised GKNs own plans to sell the division before boosting its value. Tale of a British icon 1759 GKN story begins with founding of Dowlais Ironworks Co in South Wales 1980s Guest, Keen and Nettlefolds changes name to GKN and moves into making airplane parts January 2018 Melrose makes hostile bid for GKN March 29, 2018 Melrose wins bid after fiercely fought battle with 52per cent of vote May 21 GKN delisted from London Stock Exchange Mid-June Melrose eyes 2billion powder metallurgy sale, just months after saying it would keep it for the near term Sources have now confirmed to Sky News that the division will be sold in the near term. Industry analyst Howard Wheeldon said there was likely to be interest in the division from China or Japan. He said: Its a great company that has been developed by GKN over the past 25 years and is a very big player globally. I believe it is a gem of a business and could have massive potential in the right hands. If GKN had survived as an independent business, I would have liked it to stay part of the group, but I think the future of powder met is far better secured with a company that wants to develop it. Powder metallurgy makes specialised metal powders used in parts for cars, planes and engineering equipment, and also makes around 11million parts itself. It employs 6,000 around the world, with key sites in France, Germany and elsewhere, but not the UK. It is Redditch-based GKNs third core division alongside aerospace and automotive. Under a deal agreed following the takeover, the UK government can block the sale of parts of GKN on national security grounds. The planned sale suggests Melrose bosses, who made 40million each last year, are wasting no time in implementing their plans for GKN. Chief executive Simon Peckham, 55, executive chairman Christopher Miller, 66, and executive vice-chairman David Roper, 67, have a strategy of selling firms on within three to five years. They made 40million each last year. Sources close to Melrose stressed a timetable for the sale of powder metallurgy has yet to be fixed. Melrose did not comment. Families grieving the loss of a loved one are to be hit by a 'death tax' of more than 100, adding to the already huge cost of funerals. Under the scheme quietly slipped out by the Government last week, bereaved relatives will now have to pay for extra checks into how the person died. Cash raised will pay for a system of NHS 'medical examiners' who will double-check the cause of death before the body can be released for burial or cremation. Critics said the charges will hit poor families hard at a most difficult time and argued that the new examinations will not be thorough enough to detect foul play (stock image) It is hoped the examiners will spot evidence of any suspicious circumstances and so avert another case like that of serial killer GP Harold Shipman who killed hundreds of his patients but was able to get away with it by recording the deaths as due to natural causes. Last night, critics said the charges will hit poor families hard at a most difficult time and argued that the new examinations, expected to take just 15 minutes, will not be thorough enough to detect foul play. The news comes as two major inquiries start into the high cost of dying, with HM Treasury investigating costly pre-paid funeral plans and the Competition And Markets Authority looking at steeply rising fees. The average burial now costs a staggering 4,000, having doubled in just over a decade. Frank Field MP, chairman of the work and pensions select committee which recently investigated support for the bereaved, said: 'This will put the overinflated cost of a basic, decent funeral even further out of reach of poorer families. It is hoped the examiners will spot evidence of any suspicious circumstances and so avert another case like that of serial killer GP Harold Shipman (pictured) 'The new charge must not be added to the bill of people already facing a pauper's funeral for their loved ones. Government must quickly establish a fair cost for a fair funeral that it will fund for families who cannot afford even that.' The reforms are intended to introduce more 'independent scrutiny on the accuracy and completeness' of the Medical Certificate of Cause of Death. They will deter 'crime and malpractice' while also detecting poor practice in hospitals and helping the bereaved learn more about how their loved ones died, it is hoped. Latest figures show 490,791 deaths were registered in England in 2016, but only 90,404 were investigated by post mortem or a coroner's inquest. When bodies are to be cremated, families must currently pay 184 for three different forms signed by two doctors and a crematorium official to certify the cause of death. In the 20 per cent of deaths that lead to burial, a doctor signs a death certificate for the registrar but there are no additional checks. Within the next year, the NHS will have to appoint and train as many as 408 medical examiners along with 1,086 officials in every hospital trust to check an estimated 373,000 'non-coronial' deaths. They will look at the deceased's medical records, discuss the case with relatives and the doctor who gave the initial cause of death and possibly carry out an external examination of the body. The basic checks will take only 15 minutes per case, according to a Government Impact Assessment. Fees to be fully introduced in 2021 have not been set but will be at least 95 according to calculations in the Impact Assessment. However local authorities say this will not be enough to cover the cost of the system. GenevaThe last batch of late legendary wine maker Henri Jayers Burgundieswhich include some of the worlds most expensive winesgo on auction in Geneva Sunday and could rake in up to $13 million. In all, 1,064 bottles will go under the hammer at the Baghera Wines auction, which will take place at a gourmet restaurant in Geneva. They include Cros-Parantoux Vosne-Romanee Premier Cru, which ranks among the worlds priciest wines. The 855 standard bottles and 209 magnums, dating from between 1970 and 2001, are from the personal wine cellar of the man broadly considered the king of the Pinot Noir. These bottles and magnums from his personal reserve were a bit like his laboratory... A way to see his vintage wines age over the years, his daughters Lydie and Dominique Jayer, wrote to AFP in an email. It was natural for us, since we could not drink all of these bottles, to offer them up for sale so that wine lovers ... could buy them and drink them in his honor, they said. The daughters will be present at the auction to watch the dispersion of their inheritance. Frenchman Henri Jayer, who died in 2006 at the age of 84, established a name for himself in the 1970s, when specialized wine reviews ranked his wines among the best in the world. Over the years, he became the emblem of the Burgundy in the eyes of the public, Swiss wine critic Jacques Perrin, who knew Jayer personally, told AFP. A Henri Jayer wine has all the grace of the Pinot, the slenderness, the structure, the aromatic finesse. He did everything to preserve that, he said. Baghera Wines chief Michael Ganne agreed. The great force of the Henri Jayer wines, when you have the chance to taste such wine, is really the fruit, [which] has just an incredible elegance and finesse, he told AFP.It is this quality that has made Jayers wines some of the most sought after in the wine worldand brought them their sometimes astronomical price tags. The most expensive lot at the auction-a series of 15 magnums of Vosne-Romanee Cros-Parantoux dating from 1978 to 2001-has been valued at between 280,000 and 480,000 Swiss francs ($282,000-$484,000, 237,000-406,000 euros). The entire auction is expected to pull in between 6.7 and 13 million francsan amount that has raised eyebrows in the business. Im not sure it is really worth the price, Perrin said. He said the cost reflected the speculation effect, which is undeniable, but also the collector effect, spurred by an eagerness to acquire this last vestige of a heritage, almost a relic. Ganne meanwhile explained that buyers of this kind of wine are generally fairly well-known collectors, predicting that a number of Asian, American and some European wine auction regulars would show up. Each bottle is equipped with a seal that guarantees its traceability and authenticity. Jayers daughters meanwhile hope the bottles new owners will not just leave them in their cellars to gain dust and value. We hope they will go into the cellars of wine lovers who know how to open and drink these wines, they said. Lets not forget that wine is synonymous with sharing, and these wines were above all made to be drunk and enjoyed. (At Waterford KaMhlaba) MBABANE The theme was to unbind Africa, and Mama Graca Machel rekindled the fire that burnt the shackles. The former Mozambique and South Africas first lady was the cherry on top of what has been a marvellous week at prestigious multi-racial school, formed as an instrument to oppose the oppressive apartheid system in South Africa, Waterford Kamhlaba United World Colleges. She was a perfect choice for a keynote address at an event that brought together pupils, parents and guests in the latter stage of the celebration of the Africa Week at the school. Among the guests was Nedbank Managing Director Fikile Nkosi, who was one of the panellists during the discussions held since Wednesday at the school. Former Waterford pupil and Yale alumnus Wabantu Hlophe, anchored the discussions after Mama Gracas keynote address. And the moving lecture by the world renowned political activist was preceded by a captivating pupil-led African music concert. Hers was just simple; to challenge the current generation of pupils to interrogate the socials ills in their lifetimes, the same way the likes of anti-apartheid activists Samora Machel, Nelson Mandela, Walter Sisulu and Oliver Tambo did in their lifetimes when they brought apartheid to its knees. In her eloquent best, Mama Graca, as she is affectionately known, was unwavering as she rallied the youth to re-embrace the African values centred on oneness, selflessness and empathy at the packed auditorium. She placed the burden of responsibility on the shoulders of the pupils to use their education to confront the systems that breeds poverty, gender violence and lack of clean water supply in Africa. Be conscious of the power you have and use it to change the continent. Change it by challenging systems that cause the social ills. Challenge governments who pass laws that are counter-productive to the peoples needs, not by burning houses and breaking down bridges, but by being united in one voice. Change by voting those governments out of office, she said. One thing that came out clear from her address was when she challenged the youth to use their education to engage in debates and conduct research that would determine the causes of the social ills such as teenage pregnancy. This was after she had shared a news article on how about 1 000 pupils, estimated to be at Grade V, were said to have fallen pregnant at Ekurhuleni outside Johannesburg. A question had been posed to her, on what they could do to bring in new ideologies in communities without breaking the bond with the elders when confronting issues like child pregnancy and gender violence. You need to be united and determined to speak in one voice. You need to develop tactics on how to implement your strategies. You have an opportunity with social media to mobilise as many people as possible to be able to speak in one big voice. The challenge with most campaigns has been that organisations were so fragmented and therefore couldnt make an impact, she said to a round of applause. She said the youth of this generation has to create its own history and that they need to come up with ways that would leave the same, if not more significance, than the Machels and Mandelas of this world. She said the current issues confronting the society today are issues of poverty, gender-based violence, developmental inequalities stemming from the way economic development is conceptualised or systemized. She punched holes at the education systems and the GDP concepts of defining development of a country, ignoring the millions who are cramped in abject poverty. We need scholars who would vigorously engage in debate and researches that would stimulate change in these economic development systems and patterns. She went on to say: we need to begin to define a human being in her holistic nature; body, mind and spirit. The current systems, even of education, should go beyond providing knowledge and skills, but should connect with our spiritual needs. That is where the culture of sharing and being empathic to one another comes in. You have a responsibility to develop a generation that will fully and truthfully rekindle the African values of we from the I. She passed a stern warning to Africa to learn from the mistakes of the unsustainable development experienced by the so-called developed countries. Dont allow the Chinese and any other nation to come and destroy your environment in the name of development. In South Africa, there are communities who cant drink waters from their rivers that have been contaminated by mines, she said. At the end she said the future was in the youths hands and it was upon them to make a change. MBABANE Is Municipal Council of Mbabane Chief Executive Officer Gideon Mhlongo one of the luckiest men in the country? Information has emerged that before he was given a lucrative five-year contract that made him one of the highest paid CEOs in the country, the municipality also paid Mhlongo money for a contract he had terminated with the countrys capital in November 2003. Confidential information seen by the Times SUNDAY shows that even though the Industrial Court of Appeal dismissed any claim Mhlongo had with the municipality, the latter, however, decided to pay him exactly 10 years later. Documents reflect that under the topic Closure of outstanding issues on previous contract of Chief Executive Officer, four resolutions were made and executed by Council. One of the resolutions reads: To bring closure to the Chief Executive Officers previous contract, all outstanding balances due to the Chief Executive Officer arising as a result of his employment under the previous contract such as leave days, provident fund contribution, and tax refund will be determined and paid out administratively within one week. It is shown that this resolution was indeed implemented by the Mayor and Director Human Resources. At that time, the mayor was the late William Mbhamali. SETTLED AGAINST MONIES The resolution went alongside another one which stated: The Chief Executive Officers debt to Council be settled against monies legitimately owed to the Chief Executive Officer by Council. This concludes the issue of the debt to Council by the Chief Executive Officer. This particular resolution was carried out by the Mayor and the Director Finance. Thirdly, it was resolved that an appropriate agreement will be entered into, to bring closure to these issues and the Mayor be authorised to sign on behalf of Council. The Mayor and the Director Human Resources were again mandated to implement this resolution, which they did, as stated in the documents. The fourth and final resolution was that the Mayor will not sign the agreement until the legal opinion from council lawyers is attached that gives advice to resolving the dispute between Council and the Chief Executive Officer. On the last resolution, the Mayor and the CEO were mandated with the resolutions implementation, which they also did. Psarades, GreeceThe small fishing village of Psarades is about to make history Sunday when the leaders of Greece and Macedonia meet to bury a 27-year-old name row, but many locals are seething. I would not call it a pleasant day, says Achileas Papadopoulos, a 60-year-old fisherman on the banks of Lake Prespa, a natural boundary between the two countries. We are giving away the name Macedonia, and were supposed to be happy? he says. Greece and Macedonia later today will sign a preliminary accord to rename the small Balkan state the Republic of North Macedonia, ending a dispute dating to 1991. Security is intense, with police cordons in place many miles from the village. Anybody seeking to approach has to pass through successive identity checks. Protests against the agreement are expected in the area on Sunday. On Saturday, as the government defeated a censure motion against the accord in Athens, clashes broke out between protesters and police outside parliament. Officials later blamed the incident on far-right supporters of Greek neo-Nazi party Golden Dawn, some of whom attacked the cars of lawmakers after the vote. Opposition is even stronger in Greeces north, where Greek and Bulgarian guerrillas fought a bitter four-year war in the early 20th century for predominance among Orthodox Christians in then Ottoman-held Macedonia.Two short wars were then fought in 1912 and 1913 between the Balkan states and the Ottoman Empire to end six centuries of rule from Istanbul, with atrocities committed by both sides. This land has been watered with blood, says a 22-year-old Psarades local, who declined to give her name. Our grandfathers talk about the past and cry, says this Greek woman. The deal, brokered after months of intensive talks, is touted as a vital step for stability and economic development in the Balkans. Signing the deal will mean opening the border soon I guess. It means a lot, for us it is a huge thing, says Bosko Dimovski, a 60-year-old from Dolno Dupeni, the first village on the Macedonian side of the border. This used to be one of the richest regions in the Balkans, and after the border was closed it became one of the poorest. Imagine what (the deal) will mean, just for the flow of people... local business, revival of tourism, says Dimovski, who runs a beach bar just 50 metres from the border. Greek Foreign Minister Nikos Kotzias and Nikola Dimitrov of Macedonia will sign the historic accord, with Prime Ministers Alexis Tsipras and Zoran Zaev in attendance, joined by officials from the United Nations and the European Union, who have welcomed the move. Once ratified by the countries respective parliaments and confirmed by a referendum in Macedonia by the end of the year, the agreement will also enable the landlocked state to eventually join the European Union and NATO. Exploration of the unknown and the thrill of discovery are exhilarating experiences for those who dedicate their lives to the professions of science and health, Nobel laureate Paul Berg, PhD, told Stanford School of Medicine graduates on June 16. Such experiences are rare, personally rewarding and not always recognized by prominent prizes, Berg said. A professor emeritus of biochemistry at Stanford, Berg spoke at the medical schools 110th diploma ceremony, which was held on campus at Sand Hill Fields beneath the shade of a large white tent. Lloyd Minor, MD, dean of the School of Medicine, fellow faculty members and graduating students candidates for medical degrees and graduate degrees in the biomedical sciences were seated behind him on a stage decorated with ferns and cardinal red Stanford Medicine banners. In the audience, family members, guests and classmates of the students numbered in the hundreds. The weather was mild, with temperatures in the low 70s. A light breeze drifted through the tent. Berg, 91, the Robert W. and Vivian K. Cahill Professor of Cancer Research, Emeritus, affirmed the scientific core of medicine, noting that breakthrough discoveries can be made both in the lab and at the bedside. Physicians, by their encounters with and proximity to patients displaying a range of pathologies, are often the first to identify novel and disruptive aspects of human biology, he said. Indeed, physicians have initiated some of the most significant discoveries that changed the course of medical thinking and progress. But the challenge for those who practice medicine has unique demands, said Berg, who won the Nobel Prize in chemistry in 1980 for creating the first recombinant DNA. It is not for the faint-hearted, for it will engage every ounce of your powers of patience, understanding and empathy. He emphasized the indispensable role of investigation, and charged the graduates to aim high and keep learning, be skeptical of accepted certainty and stay fast in the belief that facts matter. Inspire others by your passion In his remarks to the graduates, faculty and guests, Minor also underscored the importance of science, especially in a world with a growing distrust of science as a source of truth. Commending an example from Bergs career the historic Asilomar conference that Berg convened to work through questions of safety raised by his work in genetic engineering Minor said, We must not shy away from the public debate; indeed, it is incumbent on us to begin the conversation. Les lunettes de marque ne sont pas ce qui manque dans les commerces. Il y en a de toutes les sortes dont les lunettes de [] Parents face $132,000 claim after kid knocks over sculpture Parents of a 5-year-old Kansas boy were hit with a $132,000 bill after their son knocked over an art sculpture on display at a local community center. Surveillance video captured the little boy reaching for the sculpture, called "Aphrodite di Kansas City" on display in the lobby of the Tomahawk Ridge Community Center in Overland Park, Kansas, when it toppled over. Even more coverage of a local controversy that continues to garner notoriety . . . Special thanks to TKC readers who forwarded this one along. Here's the best round-up so far: Sympathetic Vibrations | Kansas City of Music A few quietly celebrated last fall as Kansas City was officially designated a "Creative City of Music" by The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization. More insight and reporting on international honors for Kansas City's jazz history. To be fair, this article highlights the work of many who continue to keep KC's signature sound alive and relevant for an increasingly global audience. Read more: "Our office in Wyandotte County was locked down because of a shooting a few blocks away at the courthouse. "Im grateful our staff and volunteers are safe, but two sheriffs deputies were killed yesterday because someone who shouldnt have had a gun had one. Weve gone less than a month since weve had a major school shooting in this country. And Im not even counting the other shooting victims from just our area this week. "This has got to stop. Click now to sign on to our petition calling for Rep. Kevin Yoder to stop taking NRA and gun lobby contributions. He may say nice things, but he wont do anything as long as he is in the pocket of the NRA." "Astonishingly disgusting that any candidate would use the blood of murdered law enforcement personnel to pander to his campaign for Congress. This has to be the most egregious use of tragedy ever in elections . . ." BRENT WELDER RECENTLY EARNED A GUEST SPOT ON THE YOUNG TURKS AND NOW HAS THE POTENTIAL TO DRAW SUPPORT FROM PROGRESSIVES ACROSS THE NATION!!! Brent Welder is the leading progressive candidate in the Democratic Party push against Kansas Congressman Kevin Yoder.MSM is pushing limp establishment Democratic Party candidates butHowever, a recent statement from the upstart candidate caused controversy after the tragic shooting this week.First, the offending e-mail blast line from the Brent Welder campaign:To be fair, the Conservative response to this note was swift but also reveals that even the right-wing denizens of JoCo are starting to realize that Mr. Welder's campaign presents a serious threat to incumbent Congressman Yoder.Here's a note sent our way by a right-wing JoCo leader and TKC reader:In better news for the Welder campaign . . .Seriously, you can tell the host Cenk Uygur likes the guy and really feels like the Bernie Bro contingent of the Democratic Party has the chance to score a major victory in the Kansas 3rd District contest.You decide . . . Moody's Investors Service has assigned an A3 insurance financial strength rating (IFSR) to Saudi Re For Cooperative Reinsurance Company (Saudi Re). The outlook for Saudi Re is stable. Based in Saudi Arabia, Saudi Re writes reinsurance across the regions of Middle East, Africa, Asia and has affiliation in the Lloyd's market. The A3 IFSR of Saudi Re reflects its: (i) strong brand and market position in Saudi Arabia as the sole Saudi professional reinsurer as well as a growing presence in its target markets of Asia, Africa and Lloyd's, (ii) preferential position in Saudi market due to a right of first refusal on a portion of premiums ceded by primary carriers in the Saudi market, (iii) strong asset quality exemplified by its conservative investment portfolio, (iv) good capital adequacy, both in terms of capital levels, with gross underwriting leverage (GUL) of 2.2x, and relatively modest exposure to natural catastrophe risk, (v) strong financial flexibility with non-existent leverage and good access to capital markets in Saudi Arabia given its listing on the Saudi stock exchange, and broad investor base. While Saudi Re is of modest scale, relative to its global reinsurance peers, its scale is sufficient to allow it to provide meaningful levels of capacity to clients in its chosen markets, which exclude most of the large, very competitive and well-developed markets, such as North America, Europe and Australia. Further, the group's strong relationships and detailed local knowledge strengthen its position in its key markets, and provides a competitive advantage relative to mid-tier global reinsurers which would typically have shallower local ties in these relatively niche markets. Saudi Re's business mix is well-diversified by line of business, spread across property, short-tail casualty and specialty, with a modest amount of life and health business. Its product risk is moderate, given the predominance of short-to-medium tail business, and limited natural catastrophe exposure. Its small but growing life insurance business, which is predominately yearly-renewable term protection, provides a layer of diversification not typically present in smaller to mid-sized reinsurers. Saudi Re's financial profile is underpinned by its good capital adequacy and strong asset quality. Good capital adequacy is evidenced in its moderate level of GUL, which at 2.2x is in line with our expectations for short-to-medium tailed P&C business. The company's capital is strong according to its regulatory and internal economic capital measures, with it maintaining adequate buffers above required levels, to provide resilience to stress. Saudi Re's modest exposure to natural catastrophe risk, as measured by its modelled net catastrophe losses relative to equity, and extensive excess-of-loss (XoL) retrocession program reduce the potential for volatility in capital levels, and the risk of significant capital erosion due to large, unexpected events. The company maintains a relatively conservative investment portfolio, with significant liquidity and moderate exposure to high-risk assets (HRA), including real estate, equities and below investment grade debt. At year-end 2017, HRA as a per cent of shareholders' equity amounted to 41.6 per cent. More negatively, Saudi Re's profitability has been weak and volatile historically, in terms of both underwriting as well as overall profitability, with a 5-year average return on capital (ROC) of minus 2.4 per cent and 5-year average combined ratio (COR) of 103.6 per cent between 2013-2017. However we note that over the past three years profitability has improved as a result of growing sophistication in risk management, including underwriting actions taken to reduce exposure to under-performing business. Three-year average ROC was 0.6 per cent and 3-year average COR was 94.8 per cent, result levels which we expect Saudi Re will maintain in the future. Outlook The stable rating outlook reflects our expectation that Saudi Re will maintain its recent improvements in profitability whilst maintaining its strong assets quality, capital adequacy and adequate level of reserves. Given the stable outlook, there is currently limited upward pressure on the rating. Nonetheless, upward pressure could result from: (i) significant improvement in Saudi Re's market position amongst global reinsurance peers, including increased geographic diversification and attaining the scale necessary to compete as a core reinsurer in a number of reinsurance markets; and/ or (ii) meaningful improvement in profitability, with through-the-cycle combined ratios in the low-to-mid 90 per cent range, and return on capital above 8 per cent, while maintaining good capital adequacy. Conversely, negative rating pressure could result from: (i) a reversal of its recent improvements in profitability with COR consistently at or above 100 per cent; and/ or (ii) sustained deterioration in regulatory or economic capitalisation, including, for example GUL rising over 3x or a meaningful increase in modelled natural catastrophe loss exposure; and/or (iii) meaningful reduction in the extent or quality of its retrocessional protection; and/ or (iv) significant deterioration in asset quality including a shift in investment strategy to be more returns-focused versus the current capital preservation focus; and/ or (iv) deterioration in financial flexibility with financial leverage in excess of 15 per cent. Saudi Re reported a 4.4 per cent decline in its premiums to SR942 million ($251 million) for 2017 from SR985.5 million in 2016 and still reported a 100.6 per cent growth in net income (before Zakat tax) equating to SR39.3 million in 2017 from SR19.6 million in 2016. As a result Saudi Re's consolidated (shareholders' and policyholders') equity increased by 3.0 per cent to SR831.4 million at YE 2017 from SR807.6 million at YE 2016. TradeArabia News Service Russia and Saudi Arabia have agreed a termless extension of the Opec+ deal at the Moscow meeting, stated Russias energy minister as saying on Saturday, adding that the agreement stipulates output regulation at any moment, a media report said. "I would like to point out that two days ago the meeting between [Saudi Arabias] Crown Prince Mohammad bin Salman and [Russian] President Putin in Moscow saw one of historic decisions - to extend the collaboration between the countries, the so-called Opec+ agreement for an unlimited period of time," Alexander Novak was quoted as saying by Russian news agency Tass. "I think that the framework is the same. It will simply be institutionalized, and will not specify particular volumes. Most likely it will stipulate the possibility of decision-making if needed," Novak explained. "Previously they also stood for an extension. The only thing was to seek for a cooperation format," he said, adding that the issue would be "discussed with all participants of the agreement." At the end of 2016, Opec and 11 independent oil-exporting countries, including Russia, entered into an agreement to reduce oil production. According to the agreement, during the first half of 2017, the participants had to withdraw 1.8 million barrels per day from the oil market against the level of October 2016. Russia pledged to reduce oil production by 300,000 barrels per day. The purpose of the agreement is to reduce global oil reserves to five-year average levels, Tass reported On June 22-23, Opec + participants will meet in Vienna to discuss options for further implementation of the transaction, including mitigation of the existing restrictions. Production growth is expected to equal 1.5 million barrels per day, and may start on July 1, according to the report. Vous etes confrontes a une infestation par la puce, la punaise de lit ? Voici plusieurs actions qui sont a mettre en uvre pour faire [] editorial@tribune.com Tribune News Service Bathinda, June 16 Demanding fulfillment of their long-pending demands, sanitation workers staged a protest in front of the MC office here on Saturday. The protest was led by Vinod Mali, president of the Sanitation Workers Union. The workers raised slogans against the state government. Mali said they had been protesting for the past many years to meet their demands. He said they had been demanding employees salaries on time and end of the contract system. He said but till date, their demands were not fulfilled. Mali said officials and leaders always give them assurances, but no one works for their betterment. Due to anti-employee polices of the government, we are forced to protest against the state government. Our other demands are the implementation of pension scheme, regularisation of temporary employees services, recruitment of new employees, scrapping of new pension scheme, special allowance of Rs 1,000 per month to sanitation workers and employees PF along with interest, he said. On a call by the Municipal Employee Action Committee, Punjab, the sanitation workers also announced to observe a strike on July 17 and 18 across the state. Sanitation workers said during the strike, no workers across the state would work. They said today to wake up the government from the slumber, a district-level matki fod protest was organised in the state. Shelley Walia Shelley Walia COUNTERING the long history of savagery and malevolence, British historian Niall Ferguson offers the self-congratulatory argument in his book, Empire, that Britain bestowed upon the world the gifts of language, banking, liberalism and democracy, and that India, the worlds largest democracy, owes more than it is fashionable to acknowledge to British rule. Ironically, he may well have added to the list Britains current support to criminal fugitives by offering them a safe haven. It is not a coincidence that the recent crop of financial offenders Vijay Mallya, Lalit Modi and Nirav Modi have absconded to Britain. Britain succeeded in obtaining its maximum revenue from India through plunder and exploitation. Indian exports plummeted from 27 per cent to 2 per cent at the turn of the 19th century. The Indian shipping industry was demolished and Indian currency cleverly deployed while prices and procedures were manoeuvred for British profit. In his book, Capitalism and Colonial Production, Hamza Alavi estimates that the resource flow from India to Britain between 1793 and 1803 was in the order of 2m a year. This has not only been a major factor in Indias impoverishment it has also been a very significant factor in the industrial revolution in Britain. Britain continues to obtain economic gains through the one-trillion dollar money laundering that it permits by allowing economic offenders to nonchalantly continue residing in a land that still brags of being the mother of the parliamentary form of government and the idea of liberalism. Once a stable government, it now is living through a phase of excruciating humiliation with its weakened Prime Minister, a civil war in the ruling party, and Labour led by a staunch Left liberal. An established democracy once, it finds itself in a quagmire of unlawful deals with the hope that it might turn the economic tide in its favour. Remittances from India continue to flow into UK banks by way of the millions that the economic offenders rip off from their own country. The British affluence comes not only from the reprobates from abroad. The Paradise Papers exposed some 100 UK millionaires guilty of tax fudging through surreptitious offshore siphoning of wealth with government complicity. Astonishingly, the Queen and the Oxbridge endowment funds also find a place in the honourable list. According to Robert Seiler, an investment economist, Unsurprisingly, the shadowy nature of Britains financial sector and well-developed infrastructure for avoiding taxes has made the City of London a key destination for foreign investors looking to do the same. Super-rich (and often corrupt) moneyed interests from around the world have flocked to make their homes in London, causing property prices to surge and driving anyone of more modest means out to the edges of town. Investment in property in the UK thus has become an opportune mechanism to launder the ill-gotten wealth of overseas investors with no state measures as deterrence in place. Instead, the state has laid out a welcome mat to criminals like Vijay Mallya and Nirav Modi, to name only two of at least 30 offenders who have been chased for years by the Directorate of Enforcement and the CBI. Like a typical shopkeeper, Britains entrepreneurial deeds are underpinned merely by avarice and opportunism. Queen Victorias 1858 proclamation about its colonial subjects in their prosperity will be our strength, in their contentment our security, and in their gratitude our best reward resounds in the secure residency that Britain now provides to its economic offenders. Sudhir Choudhrie, the middleman arms dealer accused of taking bribes from Rolls-Royce and for MiG contracts, is an unabashed donor of the Liberal Democrats and has been adequately recompensed with UK citizenship. Vijay Mallya, accused of money laundering and financial fraud to the tune of Rs 9,000 crore, has been in London for over two years now, living in luxurious comfort. His deportation still awaits a nod from the UK government. Lalit Modi is similarly accused of financial irregularities, and his extradition request remains pending. Orders for his permanent residency would arrive any day now. The list is endless with conspicuous names of notorious offenders like Nadeem Saifi, Ravi Shankaran and Tiger Han of enjoying their stay in the UK while the Indian Government waits hopelessly for their extradition. It appears that residency and citizenship are accessible to those who can invest a few million in Britain. This is outrageous. This expedient indulgence of the British government further blemishes the traditional romanticised accounts of colonial history. The inflated self-regard turns into hollow rhetoric of a nation that has sunk so low that the EU has derecognised most of its beaches for not keeping to the standard sanitary levels prescribed all over Europe. Over the past many years the world is witness to a litany of unequivocal ethical letdowns such as the cash-for-question row, the Hinduja and Ecclestone dealings, the BAE corruption probe, the cash-for-honours jaunt and the cash-for-amendments scandal. Russian money and commercial interests have turned London into a crucible of Russian secret service and mafia activity that unscrupulously eliminates those in disagreement with Kremlin. Add to this the humiliation of allowing itself to be a haven for the economic or anti-national offenders and the outrage against Britain gets exacerbated by the dodgy decline or delay by the UK government to accept the extradition requests of the Indian Government. If prima facie evidence has been provided, one wonders why such a delay. The UK with its slack tax laws, and low tax rates, and promise of financial confidentiality, lures many offenders with easy incentives to unload their wealth into Britain, a nation steadily firming up as a tax haven. This at present is being looked upon by the EU as a deterrent to financial transparency that would emerge only out of willing exchange of banking information. Though Britain somewhere feels it is in a better position under the Brexit status to become a tax refuge, it does not realise that the EU now can enforce the anti-laundering directive more rigorously. However, if the Criminal Finance Act is enforced strictly in Britain, properties belonging to criminals could be instantaneously seized, a redeeming feature that could counter the label of Britain as a zone of escape for non-residents. The Serious Fraud Office, HM Revenue and Customs and other agencies can seek, through the judiciary, prosecution orders for both unaccounted possession of real estate and assets amounting to more than 1,00,000. Accounts can be frozen and expensive art impounded. A report from the Home Office says, Land Registry figures show UK real estate worth more than 170 bn is held by more than 30,000 tax haven companies. We have to see how serious enforcement agencies can be. Or is it again a part of British hypocrisy, and India must wait endlessly for Britain to relent? Reicha Tanwar Reicha Tanwar Former Director, Womens Studies Research Centre, KU MARRIAGE is considered to be a relationship of love, affection, care and concern between the two spouses. Falsehood, adultery, cruelty and desertion are destructive of its foundations, necessitating social as well as legal interventions. Marriage is a sacrosanct social institution with an element of a legal contract. There has been a rise in cases of Indian women being deserted after marriage or tricked into fraudulent marriages by husbands and their families who are residents of a foreign country. How severe the problem is and how it impacts the women came to fore when I was confronted with complaints as a member of the District Family Welfare Committee, set up by the Supreme Court to monitor te misuse of Section 498A. From January, 2015 to November, 2017, the MEA received 3,328 such complaints. Most of the complainants were from Punjab, Andhra Pradesh, Telengana followed by Gujarat. On an average, at least one woman married to an NRI calls home every eight hours, seeking help to return after being deserted by her husband or because of reasons like ill-treatment and physical torture. These figures are a tip of the iceberg as there would be an equal number of cases which are reported only to the district courts or not reported at all. Divya (name changed), MTech, was married to a boy in Canada who was from a well-respected, educated family of Haryana. The girls family was told that the boy was an engineer with an MBA and a permanent resident of Canada and he worked with a private company in a senior capacity. The boy and his family left for Canada one month after the marriage as it was said that the boy had only one month's leave. They said the documents for the girl to join them in Canada had been submitted to the embassy and she would be able to travel in a month or so. But it took her nearly 10 months to get the visa. Whenshe reached Canada, she discovered that the boy was a school dropout and he worked as a pizza delivery boy. The boy and his family started harassing her, telling her to ask her parents for money for her husband to establish a business. Out of a sense of responsibility to her parents who had spent lavishly on her wedding, the girl did not reveal her plight to them. It was only when she had given birth to a daughter and the in-laws turned her out of their house one wintry evening that she gathered the courage to spill the beans. Her parents arranged for her stay with some friends in Canada. Her father lodged a complaint with the local police in India but since none of the family members of the boy were in India, the case could not be pursued. Manjit (name changed), BSc, BEd, was married to a boy from Germany. The groom's family said that he had a petrol pump and a grocery store and he was a permanent resident of Germany. After the lavish wedding arranged by the bride's family, the boy left for Germany, saying that processing of her visa application would take around two months. After he had left, Manjit discovered from his extended family that he was already married to a German lady and had an eight-year-old daughter. Her husband returned after one and a half years and did not bother to even speak to her. Manjit also found out that her husband was working as a truck driver. She realised that he had married her only to please his family and had no intention of taking her along. These cases are typical of the fraudulent marriages by NRIs. Now the question is why the boy's credentials were not verified by the girl's family. In India, marriages are usually arranged by relatives and friends and, therefore, the parents do not go in for verification of facts, because of the fear that the relationship may break. The marriage is arranged on the basis of trust in the 'bicholiya' or 'middle person' who arranges the relationship. There is also a sense of desperation of the parents to marry the girl at the right age to the right boy of their own caste/community. Then there is the fascination for a foreign land which has an aura of a luxurious western lifestyle which most NRI families paint when they visit India. Also, often, most marriages to NRI boys are arranged in a hurry as the family of the boy insists that the groom has limited leave. The victims of such marriages are from both urban, progressive, educated families as well as rural, semi-literate backgrounds. The Punjab-based Lok Bhalai Party estimates that over the last decade, there have been more than 20,000 cases of abandoned wives in the state. In fact, every village has several girls who have such a tale to narrate. Notably, the number of marriages coming up in dispute is increasing at an alarming rate. A major issue for the break-up or discontent in marriages is money which in turn is connected with consumerism, being projected by market forces. The government has set up various mechanisms to deal with the problem. The NCW has an NRI Cell which is the coordinating agency at the national level for dealing with issues pertaining to NRI marriages. There is a need to address the difficulty and consequent delay in serving judicial processes issued by Indian courts through the Indian missions abroad. Also, there is need to develop mechanisms to enable a quick tracking of NRIs/PIOs in case of desertion. Some state governments have established NRI Cells in the Police Headquarters to deal with such cases. Punjab has an NRI wing at its headquarters in Chandigarh and six sub-division offices and 15 NRI police stations. But the bottomline remains that the parents of girls looking for matrimonial alliances in foreign lands need to take extra precautions. Among other things, technology could be of help. uttara@tribuneindia.com New Delhi, June 17 Ten gurdwaras in the national capital, including the historic Bangla Sahib Gurdwara, have implemented the food safety and hygiene standards set by food regulator FSSAI. Around one lakh devotees partake of langar here daily, five lakh during weekends. The Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) has initiated Project BHOG (Blissful Hygienic Offering to God) to encourage all places of worship in the country to adopt and maintain food safety and hygiene. Delhi Sikh Gurdwara Management Committee (DSGM-C) president Manjit Singh GK said they had set food safety and hygiene standards for community kitchens on the procurement of ingredients. Desi ghee and edible oils purchased for use in langar have been standardised and are tested for purity in government labs. Payment to suppliers is made only after the lab reports are obtained. Vegetables are directly procured from Azadpur Mandi to ensure freshness and nutritional content, while fortified staple items rice, flour and milk are procured to make prasad nutritious and wholesome, he added. Reverse osmosis (RO) plants have been set up to provide clean water for cooking. Even the training and adoption of hygienic practices by the food handlers is being closely monitored, Manjit Singh said. Employees engaged in langar kitchen are required to wear aprons, gloves and head covers. Certain items like chapatis are prepared using standard equipment without being touched by handlers. All langar premises are cleaned twice a day and a non-profit group has been engaged for regular training and updating of the langar staff and food handlers, the DSGMC chief said. TNS laxmi@tribune.com THE Karnataka Police has finally claimed to have cracked the Gauri Lankesh murder case. Like all police briefings in the first flush of rounding up of suspects, all assertions need to be taken with a pinch of salt. A frail, fiery activist-journalist, Gauri had unapologetically inserted herself in the maelstrom of local politics. Her forte was her anti-establishment stance with an unalloyed tinge of secularism which also became the reason for her death. But what we have from the police so far is a two-tone, confusing account of investigations. The Karnataka Police is lucid on the six suspects; their earlier contribution to raising the Hindutva pitch in ways unconstitutional is supposed to consecrate its version about their involvement in the extant murder. But elusiveness takes over in painting the larger picture of conspiracy. The police have let it be known that most of those allegedly complicit in Gauris killing belonged to a 60-member faceless, nameless organisation spread over five states. The polices reticence or the inability to present a sharper contour about this apparently sinister body, spread over five states and specialising in the assassinations of ideological thorns in the Hindutva flesh, is confounding. This is especially so when the police are portraying the suspected killer as contrite and regretful. The Karnataka Police, more than trying to corner glory for, admittedly some police footwork, needs to reflect over the need to soft-pedal the busting of a sustained and murderous approach at political muzzling. The police lost precious time in unravelling the murder of Gauris ideological fellow traveller MM Kalburgi three years back. Since then, the intimidation of dissenters to Hindutvas one-size-fits-all press-ganging gained critical mass, leading to yet another killing. Gauri had no illusions about Karnatakas secular formation; then CM Siddaramaiahs recant on his atheism came months before Kalburgis murder by when these forces had acquired an air of impunity and assurance with the formation of a new Union Government from within their flock. It is never too tough to arraign the gunslinger, as in the case of both Gauri Lankesh and Shujaat Bukhari. It is the network of masterminds and puppeteers that needs to be unravelled. editorial@tribune.com Sushil Manav Tribune News Service Sirsa, June 17 Battling a surge in drug addiction in Sirsa district situated at the tri-junction of Punjab, Haryana and Rajasthan the polices narcotic control mission has got a boost, courtesy a judicial officer. Dr Ram Niwas Bharti, the District and Sessions Judge, has launched twin efforts of counselling of prisoners in district jails as well as launching a campaign in drug-affected villages of the district. Sirsa and the neighbouring Fatehabad district, which are increasingly being used by traffickers to smuggle in narcotics from Rajasthan to Punjab, have become the hub of drugs and pharmaceutical intoxicants. Dr Bharti inaugurated a rehabilitation centre in the district jail for drug addicts last week, where he told inmates how drugs not only ruined families, but were also eating into the vitals of society. When the head of a family falls into a drug trap, the entire family has to bear the brunt. You should shun the path of drugs and lead a new life after your release, he said. Later, he announced that an awareness drive will be launched in various villages of the district through the District Legal Services Authority (DLSA). During my visits to Sirsa District Jail for inspection, I was shocked to learn that over 15 per cent of the inmates had been arrested for trafficking narcotics, purchasing or storing these for their consumption. The Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances Act 1985 has a provision of a jail term from 10 to 20 years, besides heavy fine. There is no provision of bail. Once arrested, a persons entire life is spent in jail. My efforts are aimed at ensuring that the youth do not spoil their lives owing to lack of awareness, said Dr Bharti. Sirsa SSP Hamid Akhtar, too, has launched a campaign named Prabal Prahar against drugs and even takes drug-related complaints on Facebook. Only on June 9, DGP BS Sandhu complemented Akhtar for his efforts. The menace of drugs, narcotic substances and illicit liquor is rampant in Sirsa. The results of Operation Prabal Prahar have been very positive. More than 55 FIRs have lodged against drug peddlers, more than 80 have been arrested, SSP Akhtar said. Expressing concern over how the drug problem has now permeated to the village level, he said, Drugs spare no one. A policemans son died of drug overdose in Fatehabad last week. Its a huge challenge. Welcoming steps initiated by the judiciary, the SP said all sections of society need to be part of the fight against drugs. editorial@tribune.com Ravi S Singh Tribune News Service New Delhi, June 17 Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar on Sunday expressed optimism that the state would continue with its progressive trend with regard to sex ratio at birth (SRB). Taking part in the meeting of Niti Aayogs Governing Council, Khattar said, We are proud that the ratio had reached 900 in 2016 and 914 in 2017. I am confident that by the end of this year, it will cross 925. He said this years figure from January to May had improved to 922. Khattars enunciation assumed significance as Haryana was among the states known for its dismal male:female ratio. As per official figures, the SRB, as of January 2015, had plummeted to 871. Consequent to the social malady, Prime Minister Narendra Modi launched Beti Bachao, Beti Padhao programme from Panipat on January 22, 2015, to draw the nations attention and for salutary intervention. Ten districts with SRB figure of less than 900 were included in the programme. Mahendragarh in south Haryana, core of the Ahirwal belt, had the lowest figure of 745. Khattar said the SRB figure in Mahendragarh was still under 900. Mahendragarhs figure since the launch of the programme had improved to 881, an increase of 136 points, which was still a far cry. Dwelling on the states other progressive measures, he said the Pradhan Mantri Jan Dhan Yojana, Pradhan Mantri Suraksha Bima Yojana and Pradhan Mantri Jyoti Bima Yojana had been implemented in toto in all 235 villages identified in 20 districts during the Gram Swaraj Campaign in April-May. With regard to the NDA government policy of doubling farmers income by 2022, the state had taken measures, including instituting the Kisan Kalyan Pradhikaran and implementation of the Bhavantar Bharpai Yojana with regard four vegetable crops, he said. The state had constituted the State Health Authority for implementation of Ayushman Bharat, a national health protection mission, he said. Dwelling on the governments welfare measures in Nuh district, Khattar said it was among the countrys 101 aspirational districts identified by the Centre. Mewat had always been a victim of political neglect, he claimed. The BJP government did not allow it to be discriminated against, he added. He suggested that the policy of laying down five conditions, including basic educational qualification, to members contesting panchayati raj elections be implemented in all states. editorial@tribune.com Tribune News Service Karnal, June 17 The Haryana Power Engineers Association (HPEA) has decided to go on a days strike in December against the proposed Electricity (Amendment) Bill, 2014. The decision was taken in the executive meeting of the association held here on Saturday. The association demanded rationalisation of workload norms in the system at sub-divisions. The Bill wants to bifurcate the distribution of power into carriage (the distribution network carrying the electricity to consumers) and supply (or the sale of electricity to consumers). Basically, the government will lay down the wires that carry the electricity up to the consumer, while private companies will sell the electricity. This is intended to separate out the more profitable aspects of distribution that can then easily be taken over by the private players. Padamjit Singh, chief patron, All-India Power Engineers Federation, said: We have been objecting to the proposed Bill, but no one has paid heed to our protest. So, all workers and engineers associations across the country have decided to go on strike against the proposed Bill in December. KD Bansal, president, HPEA, said zonal meetings had been planned to mobilise engineers for the December strike. In the existing system, the workload norms for subdivisions are not revised and all Executive Engineers (XENs) and Sub-divisional Officer (SDOs) are stressed out. In such circumstances, the power supply during the paddy season will be affected. In spite of staff shortage, we are committed to improving the financial and technical health of power utilities, and reducing aggregated technical and commercial losses, he said. KK Malik, general secretary, HPEA, said the executive committee demanded arrest of employees responsible for manhandling of SDO of Satrod sub-division in Hisar against whom an FIR had been registered. He demanded that seven vacant posts of Superintending Engineer in the Haryana Vidyut Prasaran Nigam (HVPN) should be filled, as work was suffering. He said extension to Directors should not be given as it affected the career of engineers at subordinate rank. The power utilities should get their engineers trained in IT so that they can handle the computerised system with efficiency, he said. Meanwhile, the HPEA took note against irregularities in awarding contracts. It cited an example of a firm which was capable of executing a contract of only Rs 40 crore per year, but was awarded work of Rs 240 crore. The law Proposes editorial@tribune.com Lalit Mohan Tribune News Service Dharamsala, June 17 Government officials are hesitating on ordering the closure of about 40 stone crushers in Kangra district and 60 in other parts of the state. The closure was to be ordered as stone crusher owners are not paying penalty worth about Rs 150 crore to the state government. Sources said the lower-rung officials at the district level wanted direct orders for closing the stone crushers from the higher officials whereas higher officials had left it to the low-rung officials. A senior official in the Mining Department said the matter had been pending with the state government since months. The government should have withdrawn permissions for operating the stone crushers. However, it was strange that no such direction had been issued. Sources in the department said since the stone crusher owners were not paying the penalty despite the fact that their plea had been rejected in the Supreme Court, the government should have ordered their closure. The decision assumes significance as many erring stone crushers were owned by ruling party MLAs or office-bearers of the party. Minister for Industries Bikram Thakur was not available for comments despite the repeated attempts to contact him on the phone. Forty stone crushers in Kangra district owe Rs 80 crore to the state government as penalty for illegal mining. Despite the fact that the stone crusher owners had lost the case against penalty in the Supreme Court, they have not paid the amount to the state government, nor submitted any schedule repayment. Interestingly, about 25 erring stone crushers are still being allowed to operate by the authorities. In Kangra district, most of the defaulters are in Nurpur that borders Pathankot district of Punjab. Mining officer posted in Nurpur subdivision Naresh Kumar said notices had been issued to the violating stone crushers to deposit the penalty. He said the closure of stone crushers would be ordered once the directions were received from the higher authorities. The issue was also raised in the Himachal Assembly. BJP MLA from Nurpur Rakesh Pathania had raised it after he was targeted by party MLAs over illegal mining. The mining officer said since the BJP government took over, power connections of 25 illegal stone crushers were severed. The power connections of seven had now been restored after they completed the papers. The state on April 6 increased the penalty for illegal mining to Rs 5 lakh. However, no one has been penalised under the new rules. The mining officer said for the first time in the state, a penalty of Rs 50,000 was imposed on a stone crusher owner for using Pokelane crane for mining. However, the changed mining rules have failed to discourage people from illegal mining. The department has registered 50 cases in which a fine of Rs 7 lakh has been imposed. The sources said the illegal mining had increased in Himachal as it has almost been stopped in many areas of Punjab. Pending for 6 months shalender@tribune.com The complete merger of a 'jivatma' with the 'paramatma' is called yoga. This thorough blending of the two brings an end to all grief and suffering, the highest goal of human life. Yoga is believed to be in vogue since eternity as it is the science of God, who is without a beginning and an end. The Gita states that Lord Krishna had revealed the knowledge of the immortal yoga to the Sun-God (Vivasvan) who conveyed it to his son Manu. Thus it was transmitted in succession. This is the story of one kalpa (one cycle of creation); and such endless kalpas have passed and will come forth in future. It would be too simplistic and misconstrued to understand yoga to be a set of limb-twisting asanas. It becomes easily comprehensible if seen in a spiritual framework - a way of life in a broad sense, much different from the narrow interpretations of religious frameworks. The popularity Yoga bestows on its practitioners immense physical and mental health, spiritual power, material sufficiency and brings an end to all sufferings in this life and beyond. It is an art that is practised all over the world. The most beautiful part of this art is its universality. It can be practised by people of all age, caste, creed and nationalities. Even a dying person can use its immortal tools to help oneself in every possible way. The reason for its worldwide popularity is that it suits the needs of varying temperaments of people. Those who aspire for physical fitness, receive 1that. Those who want mental peace also gets that. Similarly, the spiritual aspirants and seekers of worldly wealth fulfil their needs. The erosion Yoga, as the meaning of the word itself suggests, is a process of union between divinity and its creation. It is, therefore, essentially a spiritual art. All practices-- yamas, niyamas (rules of conduct), asanas (postures), pranayama (control of prana), pratyahara (withdrawal of senses), dharana (concentration), dhyana (meditation) and samadhi (absolute mergence in God) -- are all very clearly meant for the maintenance of good holistic health with the basic purpose of direct spiritual uplift, which is the only means for a person's liberation from all sorrows and afflictions. At many places, this basic aim of yoga is forgotten and whimsical new ways are adopted without keeping in mind the meaning and purpose of as pristine an art as yoga. For example, we hear of hot yoga and even dog yoga (where people are practicing yoga with their pet dogs). Yoga should be practised in temperatures, which is normally suitable to human beings instead of raising the temperature beyond the normal level. Such efforts unnecessarily deplete human energy and bring undesired results. Yoga practice, if done sincerely, enables its practitioners to rise above heat and cold. Similarly, the original teachings of God and God-realised siddha saints, must be kept in mind for attaining true happiness and being established in real anandam, the true happiness. It is a state beyond enjoyment and suffering, it transcends the both. The right way If you have a guide, you are very fortunate or else make God your guru whose special dwelling is in your heart. Thereafter, one must connect one's consciousness with the consciousness of the istam (chief deity or one's object of meditation). Great stress is to be laid on the positive continuous presence of your istam. Then you feel an inner peace. The istam is not a mental illusion. It is something real and will help you in all conflicts and weaknesses. This will give you infinite strength, calm, stillness, a deep inner sense of peace and you will be unruffled by anything which comes in your way. Giving up spiritual practice amid conflicts and temptations is suicidal. The person may experience an immediate fall from which one may not be able to recover for a long time. So, instead of giving up spiritual practice during moments of weakness and crises, one must cling to it all the more, make it more intense, effective and full-proof by plugging in all loopholes. There should be a calm, steady, one pointed nididhyasana (continuous remembrance of divinity) coupled with strict compliance of ethical culture. Then the seeker is established in peace and fulfilment. He becomes free from all sorrows forever and experiences inexhaustible bliss beyond description of words. For the elderly In old age, one needs to be extra careful regarding the usage of time. The routine (ahar/vihar) should be in time with holistic wisdom. Yoga practices like jalneti, pawanmuktasana, series of bodily moments starting from toe to head, deep yogic breathing, and in-take of yogic food in right amount and being regular in prayer habits are very beneficial. For common health issues, one should first go for time-tested home remedies while simultaneously practising yamas and niyams as they give solid backup support and the seeker also receives the blessing of the divinity. Finally, one should always keep himself busy in some useful positive work. It is very healthy for the body and mind to remember divinity deeply when one is breathing his or her last in this world. Idea is to live a yogic life, full of meaning and positivity. This energy will enable a person in the end to merge one's self with the almighty and the nature in a harmonious way where the jivatma meets the paramatma. International Yoga Day The timeline September 27, 2014: PM Modi proposed it at the 69th UN General Assembly December 11, 2014, the 193-member General Assembly approved it Assembly decided to observe June 21 as "International Day of Yoga" The draft resolution, proposed by India, was endorsed by a record 175 member states The UN Resolution Noting the importance of individuals and populations making healthier choices and following lifestyle patterns that foster good health, Underscoring the fact that global health is a long-term development objective that requires closer international cooperation through the exchange of best practices aimed at building better individual lifestyles devoid of excesses of all kinds, Recognising that yoga provides a holistic approach to health and well-being, Recognising also that wider dissemination of information about the benefits of practising yoga would be beneficial for the health of the world population, Decides to proclaim 21 June the International Day of Yoga Source: un.org YOGA The tradition Yoga has a Sanskrit root yuj meaning to join or to unite It leads to the union of individual consciousness with universal consciousness Dates back to 2700 BC, as per fossil remains of Indus Saraswati Valley Civilisation Maharishi Patanjali codified the then existing Yogic practices The benefit Yoga is essentially a path to liberation from all bondage Beneficial for physical fitness, musculoskeletal functioning, cardio-vascular health It helps in managing diabetes, respiratory disorders, lifestyle-related disorders Depression, fatigue, anxiety disorders and stress are reduced Interesting facts India-China College of Yoga has been established in the Yunnan Minzu University, China Total number of registered yoga professionals are 37,938 (as of March 2018) Padma Shri Nouf Marwaai Played an instrumental role in legalising yoga in Saudi Arabia Used yoga to overcome an auto-immune disease by birth Born on May 21, 1980, she has set up the Arab Yoga Foundation Padma Shri V Nanammal India's oldest yoga teacher from Tamil Nadu Practising yoga since she was 8 Continues to teach yoga at the age of 98 Has trained more than 10 lakh students in 45 years. Source: GoI The writer is Course Director at Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan, New Delhi shalender@tribune.com Yoga is increasingly becoming popular. Although, originated in the ancient India, it is now practised in almost the entire world. Unfortunately, most of the people trivialise it by reducing yoga to merely an instrument of instant cure of maladies. Yoga is, however, an art and science of living and cannot be equated with allopathy or homeopathy. Unfortunately, most of the people treat it as a 'pathy', a system to cure a disorder or a disease. This is a reductionist approach. Yoga is closely linked with spirituality and it balances between mind and matter. Often, out of ignorance and at times due to material greed, some people claim that yoga can cure asthma or arthritis. Claims of curing blood pressure and various types of cancers are also heard. Such claims are baseless. Yoga is not a stream of medical science. It is, however, helpful in living a healthy life. It is an undeniable fact that yoga has a major role in management of several diseases. But, its role is limited to the management of diseases and their cure. Yoga is a holistic science and an ancient art of balancing and harmonising body, mind and emotions. It, however, starts working on the most obvious first i.e., the body. From here it impacts the mind and finally controls our emotions. Yoga cannot provide a cure, but it is a proven system or tool for coping with physical and mental distress. It's like an umbrella that protects from the rain, but cannot stop it. Therefore, yoga is, undoubtedly an efficacious physical as well as mental therapy. It has provided immense support to people suffering from asthma, blood pressure, diabetes, arthritis, digestive disorders and other chronic and constitutional nature of diseases. Yoga in itself cannot cure these diseases, but it can help in managing them. For example, take diabetes. One has to take certain medicines regularly to keep one's sugar level under control. One cannot afford to stop taking these medicines. In fact, the dosagesof these medicines or injections increase gradually. By practising certain yoga for about 20-30 minutes daily, one may keep one's sugar level within the limit. This is, however, a continuous process. One cannot stop practising the prescribed yoga just because sugar level is not rising. One needs to keep practising yoga daily to keep a check on the sugar level. It is a lifetime process. Yoga is not the form of physical exercises. It is, rather, an aid to establishing a new way of life that embraces both inner and outer realities. This way of life cannot be understood without comprehending spirituality associated with it. Yoga practices, if done correctly, in a relaxed atmosphere, release immense positive energy that would relax the mind, soothe the nervous system, improve hormonal secretions and rejuvenate the internal organs. Hence, yoga has great preventive value. The writer is a Chandigarh-based yoga teacher editorial@tribune.com Majid Jahangir Tribune News Service Srinagar, June 17 Security forces are gearing up for a major offensive against the militants after the Centre formally called off the month-long Ramzan ceasefire in Jammu and Kashmir. Formal orders have been issued by the Central government to the security forces in the counter-insurgency grid to resume anti-militancy operations across Jammu and Kashmir. Soon after the directions, Inspector General of the CRPF, Srinagar sector, Ravideep Sahi, said they had started the area domination exercise. The area domination operation has already started. As soon as we get information about militant presence, we will launch an operation, he said. Earlier today, Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh had tweeted: Security forces are being directed to take all necessary actions as earlier to prevent terrorists from launching attacks and indulging in violence and killings. The government will continue with its endeavour to create an environment free of terror and violence in Jammu and Kashmir. After the unilateral ceasefire was announced on May 16, militants had made their intentions clear. During the entire month of Ramzan that ended on Friday, at least nine security men were killed. While the anti-militancy operations were halted by the forces, the counter-infiltration operations continued during Ramzan that left 24 militants dead. Security sources said the cordon and search operations (CASOs), which had been the backbone of anti-militancy operations in security circles, would resume whenever they get an input about militant presence. "Till this evening, no CASO had been launched, but we will launch operations on specific inputs," a south Kashmir-based senior Army officer said. South Kashmir witnessed several militant attacks during the Ramzan month. State police chief Shesh Paul Vaid said the forces would carry out operations on the same pattern as they did before Ramzan. Combing operation begins in Baramulla After calling off the unilateral ceasefire, security forces launched the first anti-militancy operation in north Kashmirs Baramulla district. Sources said after an input about the presence of militants at Mughalpora in Tangmarg, joint teams of the Armys 29 Rashtriya Rifles and the J&K Police launched a cordon-and-search operation (CASO) in the area. We have launched the CASO in the area, police sources said. No, anti-militancy operation was carried by the forces during Ramzan. editorial@tribune.com Arteev Sharma Tribune News Service Jammu, June 17 Jammu and Kashmir is bracing for the annual pilgrimage to the holy Amarnath shrine of Lord Shiva, nestled in south Kashmir Himalayas, commencing simultaneously from both routes Pahalgam and Baltal on June 28. Given the prevailing fragile situation in the state, particularly in Kashmir in the backdrop of the Centres unilateral ceasefire and last years deadly terror attack on Amarnath pilgrims, security agencies do not want to be complacent while ensuring adequate deployment through their multi-tier security grid from Lakhanpur, the gateway of J&K, up to the cave shrine. Governor NN Vohra, who is the chairman of Shri Amarnathji Shrine Board, had discussed the arrangements for the yatra with Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh during his meeting with him in New Delhi on June 1 and in Srinagar on June 7. According to sources, about 35,000 troops were deployed during the Amarnath pilgrimage in 2017 and this number could go up this year to ensure foolproof security of pilgrims intending to undertake the yatra. As of now, there is no specific input about any terror threat to the yatra but security forces are taking no chances. The deployment of Central Armed Police Force is being increased from 181 companies in 2017 to 213 companies this year. Similarly, the number of J&K Armed Police battalions and Indian Reserve Police companies will be increased, a source said. However, experts are of the view that the smooth conduct of the yatra will be a challenge for the security agencies and believe that they should not expect anything from the unilateral ceasefire. The ceasefire had hardly any reciprocation from the other side as the terror attacks continued to take place. To expect something genuine from the ceasefire amounts to abandoning our strategy in dealing with terrorism, Kuldeep Khoda, former Director General of Police (DGP), J&K, said, adding, We have to remain alert on the security front as there is no room for any complacency. The ex-DGP also believed that Pakistan could not be trusted for its statements and commitments. MM Khajuria, former DGP, said, The indications emanating from Kashmir are not very good. A majority of people want peaceful conduct of the Amarnath pilgrimage because the yatra is directly linked to their livelihood but a situation has been created in the Valley where the conduct of yatra is at the mercy of some elements who are inimical to peace. He also took a dig at the Centres policy in dealing with the situation in Kashmir, saying A psychosis has been created where everyone believes that the Indian state is on a retreat. The Centre is creating a suicidal situation in Kashmir. As far as Pakistan is concerned, they are hitting you in a manner which hurts you badly. The Centre has failed in dealing with the situations both on external and internal fronts, he added. Arun Manhas, Additional Deputy Commissioner (ADC), Jammu, said, The Amarnath pilgrims will be treated well and we will make all efforts to ensure that they have a comfortable stay here. Different security agencies are involved in making the yatra safe and secure for the pilgrims. Over 1.9 lakh register this year monicakchauhan@gmail.com New Delhi, June 17 The Delhi Police on Sunday stopped hundreds of Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) workers from taking out a protest march to Prime Minister Narendra Modis official residence in support of Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal and three of his Cabinet colleagues, who have been holding a sit-in at the L-G office for the last one week, demanding that Lt Governor Anil Baijal direct IAS officers to end their strike. AAP leaders and supporters gathered outside the Mandi House Metro station around 5 pm and tried to march toward the Prime Ministers residence, which is located on Lok Kalyan Marg. However, the police stopped the protesters at Parliament Street with the help of barricades. Hours before the AAP's protest march, the Delhi Police had said no permission was sought for it, even as AAP leaders alleged that party supporters were being prevented from taking part in the protest march. Kejriwal had on Friday said that the march was planned after his letters to the Prime Minister, seeking his intervention in the matter, drew no response. The Lok Kalyan Marg metro station, which falls in the vicinity of PMs residence at 7, Lok Kalyan Marg, was the first to have been shut ahead of the march. As advised by the Delhi Police, no entry or exit will be available at Lok Kalyan Marg station from 12 noon onwards till further directions, a senior DMRC official said earlier. He later said four more stations were closed, but interchange facilities at Central Secretariat station would be available. As advised by the police, entry and exit at four more metro stations will be closed from 2 pm onwards till further directions. The stations are Patel Chowk, Central Secretariat, Udyog Bhawan and Janpath, the official said. However, interchange between Yellow and Violet Lines at Central Secretariat will remain available, he added. Earlier, CPI(M) general secretary Sitaram Yechury said his party condemns the manner in which the federal feature of the Constitution was being undermined by the BJP government at the Centre. Joining the protest rally to the Prime Ministers residence today to express serious condemnation over the manner in which the federalism, a fundamental feature of our Constitution, is being undermined by this BJP central government, Yechury said in a statement. Meanwhile, Delhis IAS association today rebutted the claim of the AAP that its officers are on a strike and alleged they are being targeted and victimised. Agencies amansharma@tribunemail.com New Delhi, June 17 Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on Sunday said he has not "authorised" Lieutenant-Governor Anil Baijal to attend the NITI Aayog meeting in his place after a report claimed the presence of the Constitutional head at the meeting. However, NITI Aayog Chief Executive Officer Amitabh Kant described the report as "totally incorrect". This is totally incorrect. Lt. Governor of Delhi is not present at the Fourth Meeting of the Govening Council of NITI Aayog. https://t.co/1U95F4wz59 Amitabh Kant (@amitabhk87) June 17, 2018 "Under which provision of the Constitution does LG have powers to replace the Chief Minister? I have not authorised him to go in my place," Kejriwal tweeted. Kejriwal was responding to a Twitter user's claim that LG Baijal "chose" to represent Delhi at the Niti Aayog meeting and had reached the meeting venue. Responding to the report, Kant said, "This is totally incorrect. Lt-Governor of Delhi is not present at the Fourth Meeting of the Governing Council of NITI Aayog." Kejriwal accompanied by his deputy Manish Sisodia and ministers Satyendar Jain and Gopal Rai is staging a dharna at Baijal's office for the last one week, demanding that IAS officers end their "strike" and approve doorstep ration delivery scheme of his government. The fourth meeting of Niti Aayog's Governing Council is underway here today with the main agenda of deliberating upon measures taken to double farmers' income and the progress of government's flagship schemes. Prime Minister Narendra Modi is chairing the meeting, which is being held at Rashtrapati Bhawan. "Chaired by PM @narendramodi & consisting of Chief Ministers, Lt. Governors, Union Ministers and Special Invitees, the Fourth Meeting of the Governing Council of #NITIAayog begins. #FourthGCM," the government think tank said in a tweet. The Governing Council is expected to take up issues such as measures taken to double farmers' income, progress made by flagship schemes such as Ayushman Bharat, National Nutrition Mission, and Mission Indradhanush and development of aspirational districts. West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerejee, Andhra Pradesh CM Chandrababu Naidu, Kerala CM Pinarayi Vijayan, Karnataka CM H D Kumaraswamy, Rajasthan CM Vasundhara Raje and Uttar Pradesh CM Yogi Adityanath are among the chief ministers attending the meet. Among others attending the meet are Union ministers J P Nadda and Nitin Gadkari. - PTI uttara@tribuneindia.com New Delhi, June 17 Suspended BRD Hospital paediatrician Kafeel Khan on Sunday accused a BJP Parliamentarian of having hired shooters to kill his brother. Khan accused BJP Member of Parliament Kamlesh Paswan and another person he identified as Satish Nangalia, owner of Baldev plaza, of having had his brother killed on June 10 over a land belonging to his uncle. BJP MP Kamlesh Paswan and Satish Nangalia, owner of Baldev plaza, hired shooters for this. Paswan has no personal enmity with my brother. My uncle has a piece of land that Kamlesh and Satish encroached upon in February. An FIR was lodged. They wanted the high court to stay their arrests, Khan said at a press conference. He accused the Uttar Pradesh Police of deliberately conducting shoddy investigations on special instructions, demanding that either the Central Bureau of Investigation or a high court judge should investigate the murder. It was promised that the culprits would be nabbed within 48 hours. It has been a week now but no action has been taken yet, no arrests have been made yet. It was very evident that UP Police was acting on someone's instructions. Their intention was clear, he said. We don't want this to be investigated by UP Police. Agencies pardeepdhull@gmail.com Vibha Sharma Tribune News Service New Delhi, June 17 Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu, who as part of the BJP-led NDA once headed a committee to address the demonetisation issue, on Sunday said adequate care was not taken in its rolling out and implementation, and that Prime Minister Narendra Modi big fiscal move continued to put people to hardship till date. Speaking at a Niti Aayog meeting, where he came face to face with Prime Minister Modi for the first time after walking out of the alliance some weeks back, Naidu said: We support the ideology of the policy. However, adequate care was not taken in rolling out and managing its implementation. Till date, people are put to hardship for receiving their own funds affecting small businesses and workers. As he raised state-related issues like the bifurcation-related Special Category Status, Polavaram project, revenue deficit, etc., Naidu also called as ill-drafted provisions of the controversial Financial Resolution and Deposit Insurance ( FRDI) Bill. Ill-drafted provisions of the FRDI Bill like conversion of deposits of individual investors into equity have led to widespread fear among public. There is a severe cash crunch in the country, with no cash available in ATMs or banks for farming operations, to disburse pensions or for daily other needs, he said. Notably, soon after demonetisation on November 8, 2016, the Centre constituted a committee of Chief Ministers headed by Naidu to promote digital payment systems and prepare a roadmap in this regard. The move was also seen as a political strategy by the Centre to diffuse any possible differences with the states on the plan and the then proposed GST Law. amansharma@tribunemail.com Vibha Sharma Tribune News Service New Delhi, June 17 As four chief ministers of key Opposition-ruled states on Saturday landed at the residence of Arvind Kejriwal in a show of solidarity, the BJP is drawing comfort from the missing Congress in the politically-significant "photo op". With the Congress standing by its disapproval of Kejriwal's sit- in, images like these are keeping alive BJP's hope that 2019 Lok Sabha elections will not be a direct "it versus the rest" but a multi-cornered fight, ensuring the division of anti-saffron votes. The open support to Kejriwal, BJP leaders believe, is also a significant signal to the Congress, trying to put together an anti-BJP front at the national level. Read: RSS-BJP meet on 2019: Energise cadre, list non-performing MPs The BJP gains when votes against it are divided and fares poorly if they get together -- this had been proven time and again and more recently in Kairana, Gorakhpur and Phulpur in Uttar Pradesh. Four Chief Ministers Mamata Banerjee (West Bengal), N Chandrababu Naidu (Andhra Pradesh) P Vijayan (Kerala) and HD Kumaraswamy (Karnataka) together in a picture sent a powerful message of solidarity to the BJP. However, it also puts a question mark on whether the Congress will be a part of the set which expected to see AAP and Kejriwal on board. If the Congress is not a part, it would be a happy situation for the BJP. Opposition plans to take on the BJP-led NDA collectively in 2019 was also among key points discussed at the 'manthan shivir' of BJP sangathan that concluded yesterday. editorial@tribune.com Shahira Naim EID was far from sweet for nine families in Bahraich and Barabanki districts of Uttar Pradesh, with their breadwinners, mostly daily wagers and small traders, behind bars under the draconian National Security Act (NSA) for the past many months. Rihai Manch, an organisation supporting the rights of the illegally incarcerated, recently visited the two districts to meet the relatives of the jailed youths. According to the Manch report, in Nanpara town of Bahraich on December 2, 2017, a minor skirmish over change of route of Barawafat procession led to communal tension. Subsequently, the district administration rounded up several Muslims. While most got bail after approaching the High Court, Munna, Noor Hasan, Aslam, Maqsood Raza and Mohammad Raza were not so lucky. They were booked under the NSA. Four families of Mahadeva village in Ram Nagar tehsil in Barabanki too are waiting for the return of their breadearners Rizwan, Zubair, Atiq and Mumtaz. Three of them are daily-wagers while one ran a tent rental shop. They have been behind bars for the past three months. After speaking to their family members, the Rihai Manch team pieced their stories together. Munnas brother Abdul Khalid of Nanpara said Munna had just returned home after daylong labour at a local brick-kiln when policemen came for him. Another brother Naseebul and two nephews Saajan and Rajan were taken away too. While the others returned, Munna was detained under the NSA. Rickshaw-puller Noor Hasans wife Aquila Bano has a two-year-old daughter, Saiyyada. Her husband was taken away as soon as he had returned from Dr Hussain Bakhshs clinic. He had gone there with their sick child but the clinic was closed owing to tension in the area. The police said they were taking him away for questioning. She has not seen him since. Aslam ran a bangle shop in the market from where he was picked. The family is allowed to meet him thrice a week, but this costs money which the family doesnt have. His wife Shanno refers to Rasuka (NSA in Hindi) as Asoka. In Mahadeva village of Barabanki , a shobha yatra (grand procession) was taken out on March 14 this year as part of a ritual to install an idol of Lord Shiva in a temple in neighbouring Sarjupur. Mahadeva resident Shah Fahad was crossing the procession on his bike with his sister on the pillion. Some members of the procession allegedly threw gulal on his sister. This angered Fahad. An argument turned into communal tension, resulting in the arrest of 12 persons, all Muslims. Four of them were booked under the NSA Rizwan alias Chuppi, Zubair, Mumtaz and Fahads brother Atiq. Rizwan and Zubair were hawkers, Mumtaz was a daily wager and Atiq ran a small rental business. On June 11, a delegation of Rihai Manch activists visited Barabanki and met Barabanki District Magistrate Udyan Tripathi and Additional SP Digambar Kushwaha, demanding the release of the four NSA prisoners and a high-level probe into the incident. The delegation included family members of the prisoners, retired Uttar Pradesh DGP SR Darapuri and advocates Randhir Singh Suman, Mohd Shoaib and Rajeev Yadav. The Rihai Manch submitted a memo to the administration, alleging that a day after the incident (March 15), 12 persons were arrested and four of them booked under the NSA (on March 20) at the behest of Ramnagar BJP MLA Sharad Kumar Awasthi and members of the Hindu Yuva Vahini and Hindu Samrajya Parishad. One Shiv Bhagwan Shukla filed an FIR which claimed that 40-45 persons had attempted to disrupt the June 14 procession and had thrown away a brass idol. Ramnagar SHO Jhanjhan Lal Sonkar corroborated the FIR, claiming a police team had arrested the 12 alleged offenders at a crossing on March 15 while they were preparing to flee to Nepal. The Manch delegation that met the Barabanki DM on June 11 pointed out that the FIR clearly contradicted the Barabanki SSPs version of the March 14 incident, who, while briefing the local media on March 14 evening, had categorically said the communal tension had occurred due to the throwing of gulal. Why no FIR was lodged for the offence is a mystery. Describing such misuse of the NSA as politically motivated to polarise society, former DGP Darapuri points out that Dalit crusader and Bhim Army founder Chandrashekhar Azad Ravan has also been behind bars under NSA for over a year, demonstrating that the Yogi government is using the law to terrorise Dalits and Muslims. amansharma@tribunemail.com New Delhi, June 17 Ahead of his India visit, Seychelles President Danny Faure has said a joint project with New Delhi to develop a naval base at Assumption Island in his country would not move forward. There has been growing political opposition in Seychelles to a pact it signed with India in 2015 to develop a naval facility at the island which would have given India a strategic advantage in the Indian Ocean Region. Government sources said Faure would arrive here on June 26 on a bilateral visit during which a range of issues to strengthen two-way cooperation would be discussed. At a press conference on June 4, Faure had said Seychelles would develop military facilities at the island on its own and that the project with India "will not move forward". According to the Seychelles News Agency, he said, "In next year's budget, we will put funds for us to build a coastguard facility on the Assumption ourselves. It is important for us to ensure that we have a military post in this area." He had also said the issue would not be discussed with the Indian leadership during his visit to New Delhi. The Ministry of External Affairs has not commented on the issue. India was keen on developing the Assumption Island as a naval base to expand its footprint in the strategically key region where China has been trying to enhance its military presence. The pact on the Assumption Island between India and Seychelles was first signed in 2015 during Prime Minister Narendra Modi's visit to that country. An updated version of the original pact was finalised by the two sides earlier this year. However, opposition leaders in Seychelles came out openly against the pact after the original document as well as the revised version of it surfaced online in March. After the furore, the Seychelles president said he would not approach the country's parliament to ratify the agreement with India. Seychelles had ordered an inquiry into the leak of highly classified agreement. Modi and Faure had a bilateral meeting in April on the sidelines of the multilateral Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM) in London. - PTI monicakchauhan@gmail.com Ravi Singh Tribune News Service New Delhi, June 16 Punjab Chief Minister Capt Amarinder Singh on Sunday urged Prime Minister Narendra Modi to constitute a national committee, including representation of Chief Ministers, to prepare a blueprint of a National Debt Waiver Scheme for farmers. He underlined that process should be in consultation with the states. Presenting the Punjab case during the fourth meeting of NITI Aayogs Governing Council Meeting, which was presided over by Modi, Capt Amarinder urged the Centre to include rivers of Punjab for capital assistance on the lines of Ganga Action Plan. He reiterated states demand for approval of projects for upgradation of irrigation system, and speedy approval to Shahpur Kandi Dam projects on river Ravi. He batted for debt relief for the farmer and sought procurement of alternate crops such a maize, oilseed and pulses by Central agencies. He yet again asked the Centre to incentivize farmers through a conditional cash transfer by way of non-burning bonus of Rs 100 per quintal on paddy to checkmate burning of straw and stubble in fields. The Chief Minister rooted for special one-time infrastructure development package for border areas for Punjab, which has an active International Border with thickly populated border districts. He drew Prime Ministers attention to the allocation of funds under Border Areas Development Programme, which he alleged was unfavorably to the state. He made a case for review of the new system of reimbursement of Post-Matric Scholarship for Scheduled Caste students to ensure that the intended beneficiaries are not put to disadvantage. He reiterated the states request for central assistance to celebrate 550th birth anniversary of Guru Nanak Dev and the centenary of the Jallianwala Bagh massacre in Amritsar next year. monicakchauhan@gmail.com Nabha, June 17 Deepak Gupta left behind the comforts of his promising international career in Singapore to pursue his dream back home. He says he is a happy man now. Gupta, who spent nearly 30 years in Singapore working at a global company connecting the food chain system after completing studies at DAV College in Chandigarh, wanted to set up a technology-enabled modern dairy farm in Punjab. Two years after his return from Singapore, he has achieved his objective by setting up the Himalayan Creamery in Nabha, about a two-hour drive from Chandigarh. Gupta, 54, says he does not regret taking the plunge into entrepreneurship. Why would he? He has set up the dairy farm over a 20-acre plot and it now has 350 Holstein Friesian and Jersey cows. Nearly 200 cows are milked in a herringbone parlour at the farm. The milk is not touched by hand, is pasteurised and packed on the farm under the brand name "Himalayan Creamery". "I had a strong desire of providing pure un-adulterated milk to consumers. It's nothing new and quite common to see 'farm to table' dairy businesses around the world, which customers love," Gupta said. "The idea first took root on my visits to India while I was still working (in Singapore). I would read stories about adulteration and contamination of milk and would see my friends and family making a lot of effort to secure a reliable supply of fresh milk, sometimes relying on a local milk vendor," he said. Having gained understanding of the agriculture sector because of his years spent at the food chain system firm in Singapore, Gupta said: "I began to consider my dream of setting up a dairy farm in India to be able to market fresh milk to customers directly from our farm." "It's never touched by hands and is stored in a cold room before being loaded on the refrigerated trucks to be delivered fresh to customers," he said. Green fodder, wheat and vegetables are also grown at his farm using organic farming methods. It uses the cow manure to produce biogas for electricity generation and as fertiliser. "I feel social entrepreneurship is a great way to drive change in agriculture. We share best practices in dairy farming with local farmers, educate them about animal health, feeding and hygiene, create employment opportunities for the rural youth and elders," Gupta said. At the farm, attention is given to animal comfort. The cows are kept in sheds with water showers and fans, while brushes rotate on demand to keep them clean. The cattle are fed corn silage, soybean meal, wheat bran, minerals, dry and green fodder grown at the farm. Gupta said an animal monitoring system from an Israeli dairy tech firm has been installed at the farm, which helps in seeing each individual cow's behaviour and health in realtime. PTI monicakchauhan@gmail.com Sukhmeet Bhasin Tribune News Service Bathinda, June 17 A poultry-farm owner was reportedly shot dead by gangster Davinder Bambiha gang members on the Phul-Gill Kalan village road in Rampura area in broad daylight on Sunday. The deceased has been identified as Hardev Singh alias Gogi Jattana (45), a resident of Phul. Claiming that Jattana was a police informer, Bambiha-gang members took the responsibility of killing him on their Facebook page. In their FB post, they claimed that Sukhpreet Budda Kussa and Aman Jaito have killed Jattana. They said they have taken revenge, as Jattana was the one who had given information to police about Davinder Bambiha when he was killed in a police encounter in 2016 near Phul village in Bathinda district. They have also threatened that in future too if anyone will give information about their group members to police, he would meet the same fate. Bathinda SSP Naveen Singla said, I have also seen the Facebook post on which Bambiha gang members have taken the responsibility of this murder. We have started a probe, only after which it would be clear they have killed him." As per information, two motorcycle-borne assailants opened fire on Jattana on Sunday morning on Phul-Gill Kalan village road before fleeing the spot. The victim was taken to hospital for treatment, where doctors declared him brought dead. After getting the information, DSP, Phul, Jaswinder Singh, Phul SHO Gurmail Singh, CIA team, fingerprint team and dog squad reached the spot and started a probe into this incident. Police are working on various angles in this case. Phul SHO Gurmail Singh said police have registered a case against unidentified persons on the statement of the deceased's brother Megha Singh. In his statement to police, Jattana's brother stated that on Sunday around 10.45 am when Hardev was standing near the gate of their poultry farm, two assailants came on a motorcycle and called him, and asking the price of eggs. However, when he approached them, the person riding pillion opened fire at him. One of the bullets hit his head while the other pierced into his stomach. He fell on ground with blood profusely flowing from his body. Subsequently, the labourer working inside the farm and family members rushed towards him. He was immediately taken to civil hospital at Rampura, but could not be saved. The SHO revealed that murder was carried out with 7.62 mm pistol. Police are also checking the call details of the deceased to find a clue about the attackers. pardeepdhull@gmail.com Chandigarh, June 17 With the arrest of four people, the Punjab Police on Sunday busted an international drug syndicate, an official said. He said these arrests have exposed a module that was involved in smuggling opium and the potent date-rape drug ketamine. The accused were allegedly using the courier services route to smuggle drugs abroad, said Assistant Inspector General of Counter Intelligence, Punjab Police, H P S Khakh. The racket was allegedly found to be masterminded by Canadian citizen Kamaljit Singh Chauhan, residing in Toronto in Canada, who originally hails from Phillaur district in Jalandhar, and Davinder, alias Dev, of Ganganagar in Rajasthan, who is currently residing at Khanna in Ludhiana, he said. While Dev is among the four arrested, Chauhan is yet to be apprehended, he said. Dev, a big name in the drug smuggling world, had been under close watch by the Enforcement Directorate and the Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB), Khakh said in an official statement issued here. The police also seized 4.75 kg of ketamine and 6 kg of opium, neatly packed in double layered seven big cooking bowls, the official said. Apart from Dev (68), the other arrested accused have been identified as Ajit Singh (45) of Jaitewali village in Jalandhar, Tarlochan Singh (42) of Jaitewali village and Gurbax Singh (50) of Katthe village in Hoshiarpur, he said. Acting on a tip-off, the police carried out a special operation on Haripur T-Point near Jandu Singhaand in Jalandhar and arrested the four people who were travelling in two cars. They were carrying seven big cooking bowls containing drugs which were meant for transporting to Canada through a courier company, Khakh said. The use of private couriers or postal services is a new modus operandi used by global drug smugglers to avoid police and other agencies. Preliminary investigations have revealed that the consignment was prepared by Kamaljit Chauhan, who visited India last winter and fixed a deal with the accused for smuggling ketamine and opium to Canada, he said. As per the agreement, Dev and Ajit Singh, alias Jeet, were to arrange drugs from their sources and pack them properly, while Chauhan had taken the responsibility to further take the drugs to Canada, Khakh said. On a trial basis, they sent two consignments of opium, weighing 6 kg and 14 kg, respectively, packed nicely in sweet boxes, to Chauhan who took this delivery near Jalandhar bus stand through his men, he said. After successfully taking two deliveries, Chauhan asked Dev and Jeet to now deliver ketamine along with opium, he said. On Chauhans direction, Jeet purchased 14 big cooking bowls from Malerkotla and, after hiding the drugs in between two layers, he got the upper brims of two bowls soldiered to make them appear as one bowl, the official said giving details of the modus operandi adopted by the accused. Seven such bowls were prepared by Jeet, who was specially trained in welding and had bought opium from Madhya Pradesh and ketamine from Rampur in Uttar Pradesh, he said, adding that Jeet also involved his brother Tarlochan Singh, a truck driver, and his cousin Gurbax Singh. Besides, the four arrested accused, Chauhan too was booked and an FIR was registered today under various provisions of the IPC and Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances Act, he said. All payments were being made through hawala channels, which are also under investigation, he said. PTI Saba Naqvi Saba Naqvi Prime Minister Narendra Modi brought the BJP to an era of single-party rule that Atal Bihari Vajpayee could not have even conceived of at the time when he was Prime Minister (from 1998 to 2004). But as we head to the 2019 elections, it has now entered the realm of possibility that a simple majority could elude the BJP. One must therefore ask if Modi can ever do a Vajpayee? For Vajpayee did indeed manage the remarkable task of first gathering regional parties around him, ending BJPs isolation, and then going on to run a stable coalition. It worked because alliance partners did not feel threatened by the BJP. On the contrary, figures such as socialist and trade union leader George Fernandes were as engaged in forming the NDA as Vajpayee and L.K. Advani. Lets flashback to the 1998 swearing-in ceremony of Atal Bihari Vajpayee, a modest affair on March 19, that I attended. Sworn in on that day were two regional heavyweights of the time: Ramakrishna Hegde, former chief minister of Karnataka and Surjit Singh Barnala, former chief minister of Punjab. The future of Indian politics, too, was there. No one paid particular attention to the oath ceremonies of Nitish Kumar and Naveen Patnaik. Both would eventually move to their states and become chief ministers and undisputed leaders of their parties. It was a stepping stone in their careers. A year later, Mamata Banerjee, too, would join the NDA and serve as railway minister; she too would emerge as the powerhouse in her state. Twenty years later, the BJP is in a near hegemonistic position under Modi and president Amit Shah. Many regional players from the TDP to the Akalis to the JD(U) and factions of the disintegrating AIADMK were open to doing business with them if it were in their self-interest to do so. That is what coalitions are about if they are to succeed: all players, big and small, gain from the process. Vajpayee gave it a rhetorical spin and called it coalition dharma. The current BJP allies obviously see limited gains now in being with the NDA. The most revealing, perhaps, is the case of the Shiv Sena in Maharashtra that shares an ideological orientation with the BJP, yet seems to loathe them quite whole-heartedly these days. The current BJP only terrifies the smaller parties. The fear is not just about substance, it is also about style. There is a belief that the BJP uses enforcement and income tax agencies to fix its opponents; that demonetisation was aimed at making other parties bankrupt; while in the following year, the BJP reported an 82 per cent increase in its own income and thereby became, according to figures filed in the Election Commission, the richest party ever in Indias history. The earlier unspoken pact among political parties was to live and let live and let all the cronies and capitalists thrive. The present regime has broken that compact and sent others running for cover. In Gujarat where Modi cut his teeth in electoral politics, he did so by squashing other power centres in his ideological family, be it the old BJP guard led by Keshubhai Patel, VHP leaders such as Pravin Togadia and RSS whole timers such as Sanjay Joshi. He is ruthless, charismatic and very successful. In Delhi now, no one in the BJP today enjoys real power beyond Modi and Shah; the rest are just beneficiaries of power, not the yielders of it, and there is a significant difference in that. The ruthless model of electoral politics has succeeded till now. But there are clear limitations to the Shah model when it comes to the business of dealing with parties that would not like to crawl before the BJP command and control. It requires an all-together different set of skills to cobble an alliance when you fall short and need some self-respecting regional parties to come to your aid. Vajpayee managed it but he was a man who had friends across the political spectrum and he was committed to respecting the parliamentary traditions of our country. The current BJP leadership would do well to imbibe some lessons from the Vajpayee era. amansharma@tribunemail.com Athens, June 17 Greece's Left-led coalition government survived a no-confidence vote in parliament brought over a deal to end a decades-old dispute with neighbouring Macedonia concerning the latter's name. But the government suffered a loss in its parliamentary majority after lawmaker Dimitris Kammenos of the nationalist Independent Greeks, the government's junior coalition partner, voted in favour. He was kicked out of the party immediately after the vote, leaving the governing coalition with a three-member majority. Lawmakers voted 153-127 in the 300-member parliament yesterday against the motion brought by the conservative main opposition party over the deal to rename the former Yugoslav republic North Macedonia. In the agreement, Athens would drop its objections to the country joining NATO and the European Union. Thousands of protesters rallied outside parliament during the debate, waving Greek flags and chanting anti-government slogans. Scuffles broke out, with riot police firing tear gas to stop protesters from breaching police lines. Some of the protesters tried to break into the parliament after the vote was over but were pushed back by police. There was one arrest. Riot police chased some of them across the square outside the Parliament. A few flame bombs were thrown by police and one protester was injured in the leg and taken away by ambulance. Parliament speaker Nikos Voutsis accused the extreme-right Golden Dawn party and what he called its "shock troops" of being behind the clashes. The deal reached by Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras and his Macedonian counterpart Zoran Zaev on Tuesday aims to end a bitter dispute that has roiled the two countries' relations since shortly after Macedonia declared independence from Yugoslavia in 1991. Greece argued the term "Macedonia" implied territorial claims on its province of the same name, which is the birthplace of the ancient warrior king Alexander the Great, and usurped its ancient Greek heritage and history. The deal was met with fury by critics in both countries, who accuse their respective prime ministers of conceding too much. "Hatred toward the country of another is not patriotism," Tsipras said during his speech in parliament. The agreement will be signed today morning by the two nations' foreign ministers at Lake Prespa near their common border. Both prime ministers will attend the ceremony, as will European officials. Protests have been called in both countries. Speaking during the debate, Defence Minister and Independent Greeks head Panos Kammenos stressed that voting against the no-confidence motion was not a vote in favour of the Macedonia name deal, which he vowed to reject when it is eventually brought to parliament. Tsipras stressed the deal met all of Greece's demands and would close "the open wound that has been troubling our country for more than 26 years." Conservative New Democracy party leader Kyriakos Mitsotakis, who had brought the no-confidence motion, argued that a vote in favour of the government was a vote in favour of the name deal. "Today you are all mortgaging the future of the country," he told lawmakers. Across the border, Zaev has also met with opposition, with President Gjorge Ivanov saying he will not sign off on the agreement. Zaev has said he will put it to a referendum in the fall. "With the signing of the agreement between Macedonia and Greece, everyone will benefit," Zaev said Saturday. Macedonian Foreign Minister Nikola Dimitrov stressed the deal would pave the way for NATO and EU accession. "We have forces that are fighting for the future, we have forces that are fighting for the past," Dimitrov said in Skopje. "We cannot change the past, we could the future." The ratification process will take months. In Macedonia, the agreement must clear the hurdles of parliamentary ratification, a referendum and a constitutional amendment. If Ivanov refuses to sign off on the deal, it will be sent back to parliament for a second vote. If it passes again, the president must sign it. In Greece, the deal faces ratification in parliament only after Macedonia has completed its part of the process. - AP amansharma@tribunemail.com Washington, June 17 The prestigious Harvard University in the US racially discriminated against Asian-American students by rating them lower than others applicants on traits like "positive personality", according to a lawsuit against one of the Ivy League schools. The 388-year-old institution is being sued by Students for Fair Admissions, an action group, for discriminating against Asian applicants, the New York Times reported. The group commissioned an analysis of admission data of more than 160,000 applicants who applied for admission from 2000 to 2015, which showed that Asians were given lower scores on "personality" traits -- likability, courage, kindness and being "widely respected". Asian-Americans scored higher than applicants of any other racial or ethnic group on admissions measures like test scores, grades and extracurricular activities, according to the analysis commissioned by a group that opposes all race-based admissions criteria. But the students' personal ratings significantly dragged down their chances of being admitted, the analysis found. The court documents, filed in federal court in Boston, also showed that Harvard conducted an internal investigation into its admissions policies in 2013 and found a bias against Asian-American applicants. But Harvard never made the findings public or acted on them, the report said. Harvard, one of the most sought-after and selective universities in the country, admitted only 4.6 per cent of its applicants this year. That has led to intense interest in the university's closely guarded admissions process. Ted Lieu, a congressman for California, blasted Harvard for appearing to "attribute personality traits based on race." He called the report "outrageous", adding that "it feeds into historical damaging stereotypes about Asian-Americans." In response, Harvard commissioned its own study, which described the report as "incomplete and misleading". "Thorough and comprehensive analysis of the data and evidence makes clear that Harvard College does not discriminate against applicants from any group, including Asian-Americans, whose rate of admission has grown 29 per cent over the last decade, Harvard said in a statement. The organisation's incomplete and misleading data analysis paint a dangerously inaccurate picture of Harvard College's whole-person admissions process by omitting critical data and information factors." The findings come at a time when issues of race, ethnicity, admission, testing and equal access to education are confronting schools across the country. Many Ivy League schools, not just Harvard, have had similar ratios of Asian-American, black, white and Hispanic students for years, despite fluctuations in application rates and qualifications, raising questions about how those numbers are arrived at and whether they represent unspoken quotas, the report said. - PTI Thank you for reading! Please log in, or sign up for a new account and purchase a subscription to continue reading. singhking99@yahoo.com Kathmandu, June 17 Nepal Prime Minister KP Sharma Olis upcoming five-day visit to China, his first after re-election, will see the two countries sign a number of agreements, including one on energy cooperation and construction of a railway line connecting Kerung in Tibet to capital Kathmandu, a senior NCP leader said today. Oli will be in China from June 19 to 24. During his visit, a host of projects under the Belt and Road Initiative as well as Chinas plans for an India-Nepal-China economic corridor are expected to be discussed. The visit will further strengthen bilateral ties and promote cooperation between Nepal and China, said Ganesh Shah, member of Communist Party of Nepal Standing Committee. Half a dozen MoUs will be signed between Nepal and China during the official visit to China by Oli, he said. Nepal will sign an MoU on constructing a railway line connecting Kerung of Tibet to Kathmandu. A feasibility study will be conducted for the railway line, which is expected to complete within four years. An agreement will be signed for energy cooperation between the two countries, Shah said. An agreement will be made to form a permanent government to government mechanism between Nepal and China to look after different projects being constructed under Chinese assistance. Oli, during his earlier brief tenure as premier in 2016, had widened China-Nepal ties by signing the transit trade treaty with China to reduce the dependence of his landlocked country on India at the height of the Madhesi agitation and had sought expansion of road links through Tibet besides extension of Chinas railway network to Nepal through the Himalayas. However, since his re-election, he made his first foreign visit to India promising to follow a more balanced policy between India and China. PTI monicakchauhan@gmail.com Jalalabad (Afghanistan), June 17 A suicide attack in restive eastern Afghanistan on Sunday killed at least 14 people and wounded 45, an official said, the second attack in as many days to mar an unprecedented ceasefire. The explosion happened outside the Nangarhar provincial governor's office in the capital Jalalabad, his spokesman Attaullah Khogyani told AFP. It was also close to the Indian consulate. Khogyani said 14 people had been killed and 45 wounded. An Afghan security source confirmed the suicide attack but gave a lower death toll of at least 10. There was no immediate claim of responsibility for the blast. Khogyani said a suicide bomber on foot had targeted Taliban, local elders and civilians as they left the governor's compound where they had attended a special event for the Eid holiday. Yesterday, a suicide attack on a gathering of Taliban, security forces and civilians in a district of the same eastern province of Nangarhar killed at least 36 people and wounded 65 others, provincial health director Najibullah Kamawal told AFP. The Islamic State group's Afghanistan franchise claimed responsibility for that attack. AFP pardeepdhull@gmail.com Kano (Nigeria), June 17 Suspected Boko Haram jihadists killed at least 31 people in a twin suicide bomb attack on a town in northeast Nigeria, a local official and militia leader said on Sunday. Two blasts ripped through the town of Damboa in Borno state yesterday evening targeting people returning from celebrating the Eid al-Fitr holiday, in an attack bearing all the hallmarks of Boko Haram. Following the suicide bombings, the jihadists fired rocket-propelled grenades into the crowds that had gathered at the scene of the attacks, driving the number of casualties higher. There were two suicide attacks and rocket-propelled grenade explosions in Damboa last night which killed 31 people and left several others injured, militia leader Babakura Kolo told AFP. Two suicide bombers detonated their explosives in Shuwari and nearby Abachari neighbourhoods in the town around 10:45 pm (2145GMT), killing six residents, said Kolo, speaking from the state capital Maiduguri, which is 88 kilometres from the town. No one needs to be told this is the work of Boko Haram, Kolo said. A local government official, who spoke on the condition of anonymity, confirmed the death toll. The latest death toll is now 31 but it may increase because many among the injured may not survive, said the official. Most of the casualties were from the rocket projectiles fired from outside the town minutes after two suicide bomber attacked, he said. The jihadist group has deployed suicide bombers, many of them young girls, in mosques, markets and camps housing people displaced by the nine-year insurgency which has devastated Nigerias northeast. On May 1 at least 86 people were killed in twin suicide blasts targeting a mosque and a nearby market in the town of Mubi in neighbouring Adamawa state. Nigerian President Muhammadu Buhari came into power in 2015 vowing to stamp out Boko Haram but the jihadists continue to stage frequent attacks, targeting both civilians and security forces. The militants stormed the Government Girls Technical College in Dapchi on February 19, seizing over 100 schoolgirls in a carbon copy of the abduction in Chibok in 2014 that caused global outrage. AFP uttara@tribuneindia.com KABUL, June 17 Taliban militants headed into cities across Afghanistan on Sunday as they continued to celebrate their Eid ceasefire with feasts and selfies, raising questions about what happens when the ceasefire ends at midnight. President Ashraf Ghani extended a government ceasefire on Saturday and urged the Taliban to do the same, garnering praise at home and international backing, but critics said such overtures have allowed the Taliban to pour into cities unchecked and win the upper hand. Ghani had committed "a grave mistake" by allowing Taliban fighters to enter government-controlled areas, said Amarullah Saleh, a politician and a former head of the National Directorate of Security. "We don't have mechanisms in place to mitigate the breach of ceasefire by the Taliban," Saleh told Reuters. Members of parliament opposing Ghani's move said he had not consulted politicians and would be left with no recourse if the Taliban rejected his impromptu request. A senior western diplomat in Kabul said Ghani's decision was "a bold move" but questioned what happens if the Taliban do not extend their unprecedented halt in hostilities against government forces. "The consequences could be disastrous," he said. Over the weekend, ecstatic men and children crowded around the soldiers and Taliban fighters, some of who had checked in their weapons at the entrances to cities, and urged them to turn their ceasefire into a permanent peace. Governors and senior government officials hosted small feasts, played music to welcome the militants' ceasefire, coinciding with the close of the month-long Ramadan fasting season. "So far, no decision has been made for the extension of the ceasefire, so today is the last day of our three-day truce," Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid said. "Our normal operations will start tomorrow (Monday). Ghani's office has yet to declare a new timeframe for the extended ceasefire. Members of Afghanistan's High Peace Council supported the decision and urged the Taliban, whose numbers on the streets of Kabul and other cities are impossible to calculate, to extend their ceasefire. "Good steps for peace have been taken, but more steps have to be taken," said council chairman Karim Khalili. US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, echoing Ghani's remarks, said peace talks would have to include a discussion on the role of "international actors and forces". Pakistan role "Ghani has full blessings of the US administration and it is crucial for the US officials to prove that Trumps policies are working and talks with the Afghan Taliban are imminent," said a senior diplomat who met Afghan officials on Sunday to monitor the chance of back-channel talks with Taliban leaders. The United States wants Pakistan, which it accuses of harbouring Afghan Taliban commanders, to exert more influence on the group to bring it to the negotiating table. The only time direct talks between the Afghan government and the Taliban have been held, in 2015, they broke down almost immediately. The Taliban are fighting US-led NATO forces, combined under the Resolute Support mission, and Ghani's US-backed government to restore sharia, or Islamic law, after their ouster by US-led forces in 2001. Resolute Support did not immediately respond to a request for comment. But Afghanistan has been at war for four decades, ever since the Soviet invasion in 1979. A car bomb killed 36 people at a gathering of Taliban and Afghan armed forces in the eastern city of Nangarhar on Saturday. Islamic State claimed responsibility. On Sunday, Taliban insurgents were travelling freely with their flags and meeting civilians despite curbs imposed after the Nangarhar attack. "In order to prevent our countrymen from being harmed and... we become a reason for that, all officials should ban all mujahideen (Taliban fighters) under their command from participating in such crowds and gatherings," Taliban spokesman Mujahid said. The Taliban already roam huge swaths of the country and, with foreign troop levels of about 15,600, down from 140,000 in 2014, there appears little hope of outright government victory. For now the atmosphere is festivea story doing the rounds on social media is that one Talib, after hugging Kabul residents, asked for directions to Baharistan, to the west of Kabul. "I have heard there is very good ice cream there," he said. Reuters UNHCR Special Envoy Angelina Jolie today visited West Mosul, an urban area held captive by ISIS for three years until its liberation last summer. After walking among the bombed-out buildings that line its quiet streets and meeting with some of the first families to return, she urged the world not to forget the agonies they have endured and not to ignore the new struggles they now face. This is the worst devastation I have seen in all my years with UNHCR, said Jolie, speaking in front of the ruins of al-Nuri Mosque in the Old City. These people have lost everything, and the trauma and the loss that they have suffered is unparalleled. The Special Envoy marvelled at their ability to carry on, despite the worlds seeming indifference. I have no words for the strength it must take to rebuild after loss like this, she said. But that is what the people of this city are doing. They are grief-stricken and traumatized, but they are also hopeful. They are clearing their homes with their own hands, and volunteering and helping each other. But they need our assistance. This is the worst devastation I have seen in all my years with UNHCR." The visit marked Jolies 61st mission and fifth to Iraq with the UN Refugee Agency since 2001. It coincided with the second day of Eid al-Fitr, with many residents planning to spend the day with relatives to celebrate the end of Ramadan. At this time last year, heavy gunfire, shelling and air strikes rocked the city, still weeks away from freedom. People who had fled to East Mosul or to camps south of the city are now slowly returning. But they are coming home to scenes of epic destruction. Not one structure is unscathed. Not one pane of glass is unbroken. Iraq: Angelina Jolie visits families returning to Mosul (Dalal Mawad, producer; Bela Szandelszky, camera/editor) One local family showed Jolie the damage to their ancestral home, built a century ago. Mohamed, 47, spoke of how he was born and married there, and how a mortar tore through the roof one morning last June, gravely injuring his 17-year-old daughter. When they carried her to get medical care, he said, they were turned away and she bled to death. Zubayda was very sociable and energetic, very simple and generous, he said, tears gathering in his eyes. If she had only one bite to eat and food was very limited then she would give it to her siblings. For the time being, nearby friends have taken in Mohamed, his wife Hoda and their three surviving children. But the space is too crowded to stay there much longer. I want to rebuild the house and come back here, Mohamed said. Even if I have painful memories in this house, where else would I go? I have to come back home. UNHCR Special Envoy Angelina Jolie meets with Tahsin (right) and his family in West Mosul, Iraq. His 17-year-old sister was killed by a mortar that destroyed most of the family's home. With them are his parents, Mohamed and Hoda, and two surviving siblings. UNHCR/Andrew McConnell Throughout Mosul, Iraqs second-largest city, some 40,000 homes are in need of rehabilitation. UNHCR and its partner, Human Appeal, have begun to provide cash assistance to returning families so they can repair or rebuild their homes. The initiative aims to reach 1,500 families this year. Without such assistance, the families returning here risk sliding deeper into poverty. Overwhelmed by the lack of shelter, infrastructure, services and jobs, thousands are being displaced again and seeking shelter in camps outside the city. So far, efforts to rebuild are modest. In West Mosuls al-Zanjely section, several residents were seen earlier this week mixing cement, laying tile and running electrical wires for when the power occasionally comes on. Young men riding on the back of a truck delivered blocks of ice for refrigeration. UNHCR Special Envoy Angelina Jolie visits the Old City in West Mosul during a visit to Iraq. Local residents told her the corpses of several militants are still buried in the rubble behind her. The red blanket covers some unexploded ordinance. UNHCR/Andrew McConnell One family who has lived here for generations told Jolie of their plans to rebuild as soon as the paperwork is in order. The father, named Mohamed, used to run an interior design boutique next door, but it was destroyed along with their home during the fighting. His eight-year-old daughter, Falak, has gone without treatment for a gene disorder since the doctor fled two years ago. Militants killed her cousin right in front of her, a traumatic experience that haunts her still. Even now when our children hear fireworks, it terrifies them, Mohamed said. They are traumatized. Hassan, a 33-year-old vegetable vendor whose house was seized by militants and later destroyed during Mosul's liberation, stands with his three children outside the new home he is building in West Mosul. UNHCR/Andrew McConnell It was also here in al-Zanjely that Jolie met Hassan, a 33-year-old vegetable vendor who spoke of losing his home twice: first when militants confiscated it, and then when an air strike reduced it to rubble. He and his wife Lamiaa, along with their three young children, are renting space in a modest house with another family. Their girls returned to school this year and proudly showed the Special Envoy their report cards. Each ranked at the top of her class. Their father, meanwhile, applied for cash assistance to rebuild their home. Since receiving the first instalment two weeks ago, he has wasted no time. He finished the first phase in time for Eid, erecting several new walls, windows and doorways. Soon he will begin work on the roof. This is home. Where else would I go? This is home. Where else would I go? Hassan said. This is my country, my people, my neighbours. Why would I go? One doesnt leave his home. Such resolve may be a crucial element in building a stable future in Mosul, Iraq and the region. But people like Hassan will need more support from a world that has turned its eyes away. It is deeply upsetting, Jolie said, that people who have endured unparalleled brutality have so little as they try, somehow, to rebuild the lives they once had. UNHCR Special Envoy Angelina Jolie speaking to journalists at Domiz refugee camp in Iraq. UNHCR/Andrew McConnell In my country, when we speak of the Middle East we often focus on conflict and human suffering. And it is true that countless families in Iraq, Syria, Libya and Yemen are suffering from conflict they personally have no part in, instability they cannot control, and extremism that they reject. But on this visit I have been reminded, as I am every time I am here, of the truly extraordinary dignity, resilience, warmth, generosity and grace of the people of the Middle East. And I want to thank the people of Iraq for their generosity towards Syrian refugees and displaced people, and in particular the KRI government, which is setting a model for refugee protection. Im happy have been here on Eid al-Fitr, and I wish the Iraqi people, the Syrian people, and families across this region and beyond, Eid Mubarak, or Jaznawa Piroz Bit. I am in Iraq to mark World Refugee Day next week. On Tuesday, UNHCR will publish new figures showing that the numbers of displaced people, and the duration of their exile, are the highest they have ever been. At the same time political solutions seem completely lacking, leaving a void that humanitarian aid cannot fill. Words like unsustainable dont paint a picture of how desperate these times are. This is my third visit to Domiz camp in six years. The vast majority of its inhabitants are Syrian women and children. Their lives are on hold indefinitely because of the war. They cannot go back, they cannot move forward, and each year they have less to live on. I met two mothers this morning, both of them widows. They both lost their husbands while living as refugees, to medical conditions that could normally have been treated. And now they are both caring for young aged five 5 and 7 who also have life-threatening medical conditions. When UNHCRs Syria response was only 50 per cent funded last year, and this year it is only 17 per cent funded, there are terrible human consequences. We should be under no illusions about this. When there is not even the bare minimum of aid, refugee families cannot receive adequate medical treatment, women and girls are left vulnerable to sexual violence, many children cannot go to school, and we squander the opportunity of being able to invest in refugees so that they can acquire new skills and support their families. This is the picture in Iraq, in Syria, and wherever in the world you find refugees and displaced people today. The only answer is to end the conflicts that are forcing people to flee their homes - and for all governments to meet their responsibilities. So this World Refugee Day I hope that people around the world will consider this larger picture: What this level and length of displacement says about our world being dangerously out of balance. What it will say about us if our response is to be selective about when we help, and when we are prepared to defend human rights. And what it will mean for the future if we are unable to provide enough basic humanitarian support for displaced people and unable to find any solutions to conflicts at the same time. That is the situation today, but it is not hopeless. There are millions of refugees and displaced people who want to return home and to work and start over as I saw in Mosul yesterday, where brick by brick, with their own hands, they are rebuilding their homes. There are countries that are keeping their borders open to refugees, despite all the pressures and challenges. There are aid relief workers who are stretching the aid resources, somehow, to minimize loss of life and provide protection. And there are people around the world who are more committed than ever to defending human rights and basic values. So on World Refugee Day this year I hope that we can find the strength to find a better way forward together: so that we move into a new era of preventing conflict and reducing instability, rather than simply struggling to deal with its consequences. Thank you. Media contact: In Iraq, Marie-Noelle Little-Boyer, [email protected] , +41 79 217 3046 or +964 0751 736 7401 Video and photos: The first migrants from Aquarius arrive at the port of Valencia aboard the Italian ship Dattilo to which they had been transferred. UNHCR/Markel Redondo GENEVA UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency, applauds Spain for its actions today in bringing to an end a sea-rescue crisis on the Mediterranean after a ship, the Aquarius, was refused permission to land and disembark elsewhere more than 600 rescued people. After spending over a week at sea, and with some having been transferred from the Aquarius to two Italian ships, the over 600 people were finally disembarked today in the port of Valencia, where their needs will be assessed, including identifying any who might be at risk and in need of international protection. UNHCR has offered support to the Spanish authorities. Were grateful this ordeal is over for all involved, but this incident is something that should never have happened in the first place, said Filippo Grandi, United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees. Rescue at sea is too important a principle to jeopardize, and any wavering about disembarkation presents grave peril not just to refugees and migrants but to anyone in difficulty at sea. UNHCR advocates for assured and predictable regional disembarkation in situations of rescue at sea - and following disembarkation, for proper responsibility sharing arrangements, to avoid situations in which countries are penalized by being left to manage processing and follow up alone. UNHCR is ready to work with States of the Mediterranean to achieve this. For more information on this topic, please contact: In Valencia, Spain: Maria Jesus Vega [email protected] +34 670661263 In Rome: Federico Fossi [email protected] +39 349 0843461 In Geneva: Charlie Yaxley, [email protected], +41 795 808 702 Fodacon Bac Ha, where a fire occurred last month, is on the list The Hanoi Police Department of Fire Fighting and Prevention has just uncovered safety violations at 108 high-rise buildings across the capital. Adding to the list of 91 properties in late May. The announcement lists a hundred buildings run by well-known real estate developers that are located in Ba Dinh, Dong Da, and Cau Giay, and some suburban districts. 14 of the listed buildings are developed by Duc Dai Phat Commercial and Manufacturing Company under the Ministry of Defences Urban and Housing Development Investment Corporation, including the A1, A2, A4, B1, B2, B3, B4, B5, B6, C1, C2, C3, C4, C5 buildings in My Dinh I urban area of South Tu Liem district. Sudico Service JSC under Da River Urban and Industrial Zone Investment and Development JSC is the developer of four buildings, namely CT1, CT4, CT5, and CT6 in My Dinh-Me Tri urban area of South Tu Liem district. Six buildings in Dai Kim and Hoang Liet wards of Hoang Mai district are managed by No.1 Dien Bien Province Construction Private Enterprise, the developer which was responsible for eight buildings from the 91 listed in May. The list of 108 buildings also includes buildings run by Vimeco JSC (a member of Vinaconex Corporation), Vinaconex Corporation, Hanoi Real Estate Investment JSC, Thang Long Victory apartment building (in Hoai Duc District) by IPACO, and Licogi 18, among others. The Fodacon apartment building in Ha Dong district where a fire occurred on May 25 is also included on the list. High-end apartment buildings are also listed, along with the headquarters of 35 companies, central and local agency offices, and four educational facilities. The 19 hotels listed include OASIS, Candle, Maydeville (Ba Dinh district), ASEAN hotel, Larosa, Emotion Hanoi (Dong Da district), and London Hotel (Cau Giay district). Officials said they would continue to work with building managers to address the shortcomings. Investors who do not follow regulations will be subject to criminal proceedings. Earlier on May 29, Hanoi announced a list of 91 buildings violating the fire code. As a result, there are nearly 200 buildings in Hanoi violating fire regulations. Lotte Center Hanoi is the symbol of South Korean investment in the capital Around 1,500 representatives, including leaders of the government, ministries, agencies, cities and provinces, international organisations and hundreds of investors and businesses will attend Hanoi 2018Investment and Development Co-operation. About 160 projects covering various fields, including smart city, education development, hi-tech agriculture, healthcare, environment, and tourism will be introduced. Twenty Memoranda of Understanding and investment certificates are expected to be signed or granted with the total value of VND270 trillion ($12 million). Nguyen Gia Phuong, director of the Hanoi Promotion Agency, said that this is a good opportunity to create a transparent investment climate in line with the process of international integration, facilitating investors to do long-term business in Hanoi and strengthening linkages between the capital and the key northern economic region as well as the Red River Delta region. The capital always ranks first in FDI attraction, especially after expanding its administrative geographical boundaries. Foreign capital mainly comes from the most developed countries, such as Japan, Singapore, South Korea, and goes into real estate, processing and manufacturing, information technology, finance, and banking. Besides key projects that were granted investment certificates last year such as Aeon Mall Hadong with the total investment of $192.5 million, Hatay Millennium Tower raising investment to $32.2 million, and Park City urban area raising investment to $72 million, as well as three clean water projects worth $327 million, Hanoi has just given certificates to two, altogether $400-million projects of Japans Nidec Corporation in Hoa Lac Hi-Tech Park. The city is also considering the $92 million project of Mitsubishi Chemical to produce OPC drums in Hoa Lac Hi-Tech Park, the beer factory of Heineken Hanoi to raise investment capital to $43 million, and the trade-finance centre project of TSQ Vietnam Co., Ltd. to raise capital to $68 million, among others. While Hanoi attracted $3.435 billion of FDI capital (up 10.2 per cent on-year), it is estimated to have received $1.3 billion in the first half of 2018 (up 10.2 per cent on-year), according to the Hanoi Authority for Planning and Investment. These are testament to the actualisation of the citys policy to lure investment into selected sectors, contributing to the capitals socioeconomic development. Large-scale real estate projects have contributed to modernising the face of the capital, services projects improved the quality of life, and education projects are forming high-quality human resources. Indonesian government imposed taxes on Chinese and Vietnamese colour-coated steel. Source: vtc.vn Indonesia imposes anti-dumping duty on Vietnamese and Chinese colour-coated steel Indonesia has just announced applying anti-dumping duty of 12.01-28.49 per cent on colour-coated steel products imported from China and Vietnamfor five years. vietnamfinance.vn stated that accordingly, the two domestic steel manufacturers Hoa Sen Group and Nam Kim Group will be imposed tariffs of 12.01 and 19.16 per cent. Previously, Indonesia has been imposing similar taxes of 13.5-36.6 per cent on cold-rolled steel products imported from Vietnam, China, Korea, Japan, and Taiwan since 2013 and has continued to maintain the safeguard measures after the countrys anti-dumping investigation in September 2015. New tax may have slight impact on Vietnamese steel manufacturers According to Viet Dragon Security Company (VDSC), Hoa Sen Group and Nam Kim Group will not suffer much of an impact from the Indonesian governments tax because exporting colour-coated steel has never been a major activity of the Vietnamese steel industry. Specifically, in 2017, the total output of domestic steel exports reached 1.6 million tonnes, including 47 per cent of galvanised steel, 38 per cent of cold sheet metal pads, and just 17.1 per cent of colour-coated steel, equalling 278,000 tonnes. VDSC also estimated that nearly three-quarters of colour-coated steel manufactured goes to serve the domestic market. In 2017, the total consumption of colour-coated steel was 1.1 million tonnes, while 278,000 tonnes were exported, equalling 28 per cent of the total consumption. The security firm also stated that domestic steel manufacturers tend to focus on developing products of gavalnised steel and cold sheet metal pads, and are steadily reducing colour-coated steel production because the durability and profit margins of the first two product categories are higher. Manufacturers like Hoa Sen and Nam Kim also have smaller capacity of colour-coated steel than other steel products. Thanks to Hoa Sen Groups great market share and revenue from its retail chains over the country, the firm does not depend on exporting activities, as 70 per cent of its products go to the domestic market, while the rest is distributed to 70 countries. Indonesia used to be Nam Kim Groups main market, taking up 60 per cent of its export output in 2015. However, by taking advantage of the globalboycott of Chinese steel, Nam Kim has expanded its export range to reduce indonesia's portion in its exports to 40 per cent in 2017. In addition, the firms colour-coated steel output last year only made up 13 per cent of its export output. Thus, the new Indonesian tariffs may not impact the two domestic steel manufacturers significantly. Song Hau 1 project. Source: CAND The three projects include $1.82 billion Duyen Hai 3 expanded, $2 billion Song Hau 1, and $1.2 billion Long Phu 1 thermal power plants. The Duyen Hai 3 thermal power plant expansion project The project at Duyen Hai thermal power complex located in Dan Thanh commune, Duyen Hai district includes a 688MW power facility. The facility was scheduled to start operation in 2018, supplying approximately 3.9 billion kWh to southern region. In 2014, Sumitomo Corporation received an engineering, procurement, and construction (EPC) contract to construct a supercritical power station in the 688MW Duyen Hai 3 coal-fired thermal power station expansion project of Power Generation Corporation 1, a power subsidiary of state-run utility Electricity of Vietnam (EVN). Duyen Hai 3 is one of four power projects developed at Duyen Hai Power Centre with a combined generation capacity of 4,348MW as outlined in the nations power development master plan between 2011 and 2020 with vision towards 2030. The centre occupies a total area of 879 hectares. According to the report of the National Steering Committee for Power Development, the construction of Duyen Hai 3 expanded project is 6.5 months behind schedule. Sumitomo Corporation and sub-contractors weakness in management and operation capacity, in collaboration with the delays in supplying machineries and equipment, are major reasons for falling behind schedule. Especially, the fire at the construction site in March, caused by the carelessness of the sub-contractor Jurong Engineering Limited, will extend the delays in the construction of the project. The fire at Duyen Hai 3 expanded project Song Hau 1 thermal power plant Song Hau 1 thermal power plant is one of the key projects in the National Power Development Master Plan VII. It is invested by Petrovietnam and managed by PetroVietnam Song Hau 1 Power Project Management Board and developed by general contractor Lilama Corporation through the EPC format. This project is part of the 5200MW Song Hau Thermal Power Centre (including three member thermal power plants), located in Chau Thanh district, Hau Giang province with a $2 billion total investment. The construction of the project was started in May 2015. According to plan, the plant would come into operation with full capacity in 2019 and generate 7.8 billion kWh of power per year. However, as of April 2018, the construction progress only met 56.57 per cent of the schedule, meaning a 24 month delay. According tothe EPC contract, 12 months after the signing (April 10, 2016), the projects management board and the general contractor will be permitted to discuss adjustments to the prices for a number of component construction projects. However, the documents of competent state management agencies do not provide detailed guidance on the method of adjustment, thus, parties have yet to reach a compromise ever since. Besides, according to the EPC contract that PetroVietnam and Vinaincon E&C signed on May 15, 2017, Vinaincon E&C will conduct the construction of the 500kV distribution yard segment within 602 days, however, the segment is still being evaluated and has not even started construction. Furthermore the delay in construction caused the investment capital of the project to increase by VND10.45 trillion ($458.04 million) due increases in the price of machinery, equipment, and labour, among others. Long Phu 1 thermal power plant On January 26, Power Machines, the EPC contractor of Long Phu 1 thermal power plant, was put on the US Department of Treasurys extended list of Russian individuals and companies subject to sanctions imposed on Moscow over the Ukraine crisis. The move may delay the construction of Long Phu 1 project by 36 months. After the sanctions were imposed on Power Machines, General Electric announced cancelling the contract of supplying turbines and generators, which are two important segments of the project. In September 2015, PetroVietnam and the Power Machinery-PTSC contractor partnership held a ceremony to begin he construction of Long Phu 1 in the Mekong Deltas Soc Trang province. The thermal power plant consists of two generators with a capacity of 1,200MW in Long Duc commune, Long Phu district, and is one of the key national projects within the National Power Development Master Plan VII. The first generator was expected to be put into commercial operation in 2018 and the second in 2019. Patty Hearst. Photo: Jamie McCarthy/Getty Images for EJAF Patty Hearst, whose daughter Lydia is married to Chris Hardwick, seems to have come to his defense on Twitter. On Friday, the heiress to the Hearst family fortune tweeted an image that read Beware the person who stabs you and then tells the world theyre the one whos bleeding. She followed up on Saturday by tweeting ME Carthyism along with a photo of Joseph McCarthy, a reference sometimes made by those critical of the #MeToo movement. She also shared an article titled Welcome To The Kangaroo Court Of Social Media and has been retweeting stories about Hardwicks denial of the allegations that have been leveled by his ex-girlfriend Chloe Dykstra. Deadline also reports that she responded to a TMZ story about the claims with the words Bunny Boiler, a possible reference to the movie Fatal Attraction, though that appears to have been deleted. Hearst is most famous for being kidnapped by a guerrilla group and serving time in prison for committing crimes alongside them. She later claimed to have been brainwashed by the group and was pardoned. Hearst has previously praised the #MeToo movements empowerment of abuse victims while condemning an unauthorized book written about her kidnapping, saying the movement was where so much progress is being made in regard to listening, and providing a voice, to those who have suffered abuse. Neighbors in Madison County are on edge after hearing a womans body was found near their homes. According to officials, the body believed to be that of missing woman Oralia Mendoza was found at Moon Cemetery on Cave Spring Road on Friday. Mendoza was the grandmother of 13-year-old Mariah Lopez. Her body was found last week. Yoni Aguilar and Israel Gonzalez Palomino were arrested and charged with capital murder for killing the teen. WAAY 31 talked with folks who live near the cemetery about the apparent double homicide. Its very odd, and, of course, it makes me feel like crime is right next door, so to speak. So, when it can happen out here, I guess it can happen anywhere," said James Campbell. Campbell lives right next door to Moon Cemetery. Thats where investigators say they found the body of who they believe to be missing woman, Oralia Mendoza. Mendoza was the grandmother of 13-year-old Mariah Lopez, whose body was found just a couple miles away last week, which is something Campbell says he still cant wrap his head around. When people have such little regard for life, it makes me think were getting too far away from God and our country," he said. Campbell says he never expected something like this to happen so close to home, and his neighbors agree. I had no idea that the grandmother would be found so close to where I live," said Katherine Henson. Especially not next to a cemetery. I mean, thats kind of why we picked to build here, because its nice and quiet," Campbell added. "Its a cemetery. Its not made for a dumping ground. Campbell says hes surprised no one saw or heard anything when it happened. When youre coming up and down this road right here, if youre not from here, then somebodys going to say, Hey, what are you doing out here? But Katherine Henson says, despite whats happened, she feels her neighborhood is still a safe place to live. I was nervous and scared at first, but its so safe here that Im just happy its over," she said. Neighbors say theyre just glad to hear those behind the crime are now behind bars, and they say theyre thinking about the family of the victims during this difficult time. I feel sorry for the family, and I have them in my prayers," Henson said. I hope they have God in their lives. I hope that they have peace. I hope they can get through this little piece of bad news, because its going to be tough," Campbell added. Officials tell WAAY 31 the two men who were arrested for killing 13-year-old Mariah Lopez are expected to face more charges in this case. The State of Alabama has issued an Amber Alert. The Alabama Law Enforcement Agency asks for your assistance in locating Christiana Hagler. She is a five week old, white female. Hagler was last seen in Mobile, Alabama and is believed to be in extreme danger. The abductor is described as a white man, with red hair and may go by the name of Shawn. He is believed to be in his mid-thirties. He may be driving a 2003 black Cadillac Escallade with an Alabama tag 2BW5517. Anyone with any information is asked to call 911. True stories are sometimes more astounding than fiction. Such is the case with Pino Lella. This article was originally published on FEE.org. Read the original article. Nothing is so contagious as example; and we never do any great good or evil which does not produce its like. Francois de la Rochefoucauld (1613-1680). Heroes for liberty are not particular to any region of the world or to a particular time period or to one sex. They hail from all nationalities, races, faiths, and creeds. They inspire others to a noble and universal causethat all people should be free to live their lives in peace so long as they do no harm to the equal rights of others. They are passionate not solely for their own liberty, but for that of others as well. In my last book, Real Heroes: Inspiring True Stories of Courage, Character and Conviction, I wrote about 40 individuals whose views, decisions, and actions served this cause in various ways. That book planted the seed for this new weekly series to be published each Thursday at FEE.org. But this time, others from around the world will do the writing, and Ill be content to do the editing while keeping that to a minimum to preserve the authors voice. It is my hope that when all is said and done some months from now, the literature of liberty will be greatly complemented by this collection of short biographies. The authors will be writing about heroes for liberty who are (or were) citizens of each authors own country. Each weeks installment will be added to the collection here. The subject of this weeks essay in the series is a man I was privileged to meet in person on Lake Maggiore in Italy on April 12, 2018. His name is Pino Lella. Hes 92 today. At age 17 in 1943, he began a two-year war-time experience that is the subject of a recent and riveting Amazon bestseller, Beneath a Scarlet Sky, by Mark T. Sullivan. I read the book in December 2017 and then posted about it on my Facebook page. A friend from Montana, Ann Koopman, commented, The author lives right here in Bozeman! I contacted Mr. Sullivan and asked if he might arrange for a friend, Kendra Shrode from Michigan, and me to meet Mr. Lella during an April vacation in northern Italy. He put me in touch with Mr. Lellas son Michael, who lives in California. Michael and his wife Norma and I became good friends when I visited them in late March. Michael arranged for Kendra and me (and another friend, Luigi Manzione from Rome) to meet Pino on April 12, and he is the author of this very moving essay about his father Pino. --- Lawrence W. Reed, President, Foundation for Economic Education A sons account of his fathers role in Amazons #1 Best Seller, Beneath a Scarlet Sky by Mark Sullivan. If you were 17 and growing up in Milan, Italy, in 1943, more than likely you would have been forced, indoctrinated, and brainwashed into Fascism. The dictator of Italy responsible for it, Benito Mussolini, had been in power since 1922. My dad, the protagonist of author Mark Sullivans 2017 Amazon bestseller, Beneath a Scarlet Sky, was born in 1926. The voice and image of Il Duce (as Italians were obliged to call Mussolini) were ubiquitous in Italy at the time. Mussolini would ultimately drag the country into the Second World War on the side of Germanys Adolf Hitler. My father is now 92 and lives an hour north of Milan, and his name is Pino Lella. His last two years as a teenager are inseparable from the war and the fall of Fascism. A Young Man from Milan If you had to pick a time to be a teenager in Milan, 1943 would have been the worst of choices. In June, as my dad was nearing his 17th birthday, the British began an intensive six-month bombing campaign. It left a third of the citys population homeless (about 400,000). My father and his younger brother (my Uncle Mimmo) narrowly escaped death one night following the bombing of a movie theater. They were there to see You Were Never Lovelier with Fred Astaire and Rita Hayworth and witnessed many casualties. My dad was singled out by Father Re and trained to become an Alpine guide. My grandfather Michele, in an effort to keep his boys from becoming victims of the continued bombing, sent my father and uncle to a Catholic Boys School. They were familiar with it because it was there that they had learned to ski and to love the mountains as children. The school was located high in the Alps, above Lake Como, not far from the Swiss border. It was called Casa Alpina and was run by a courageous priest by the name of Father Luigi Re (pronounced Ray). Being the oldest of the boys, my dad was singled out by Father Re and trained to become an Alpine guide. At first, my father knew nothing of the brutality of the Nazis against Jews and others. In fact, he had learned to respect the Nazi High Command, many of whom were customers of his familys leather goods store. They had occupied Milan as brothers-in-arms to defend Milan from the British bombing. But my dad became brutally aware of Nazi crimes in September of 1943 when word came of 52 prominent Jews being rounded up by the Nazis and executed in the village of Meina on Lake Maggiore. Their bodies were thrown into the lake for the local citizens to see. Smuggling Refugees Through the Alps It was then that many Italians rebelled and began hiding and protecting their Jewish-Italian friends. They formed an Underground Railroad, a network of escape routes similar to the one that was developed to save American slaves before and during Americas Civil War. One of the networks routes went through Casa Alpina, where the Lella brothers were sent to wait out the bombing of Milan. My father guided many Jewish refugees across the Alps into neutral Switzerland to escape Italy. For nine harrowing months while at Casa Alpina, from the fall of 1943 through June of 1944, the month of his 18th birthday, my father guided many Jewish refugees across the Alps into neutral Switzerland to escape Italy. He risked his life evading Nazi patrols, surviving avalanches and grenade attacks. He was robbed by bandits disguising themselves as anti-fascist partisans. He often carried the weak and elderly on his back in the dead of winter over the top of the Alps, some of the worlds most rugged mountain terrain. Some had embarked on the journey with my father Pino in such a hurry they wore street shoesnot exactly hiking gear for the Alps in below-zero temperatures. At the time, my dad simply did what he was told to do and thought little of it. Father Re instructed him to take people to safety and so he did it. He knew it was dangerous, of course, but even to this day, he doesnt think of what he did as heroic. He had faith in doing the right thing and such high regard for Father Re that he would have done anything for him. But the missions gave him an identity, a meaningful purpose, and an opportunity to lead. And like many 17-year-olds, with reckless abandon, he thrived on the excitement and adventure of it all while it lasted. What happened next was almost unbelievable. In June of 1944, my father turned 18, the age at which young Italians were drafted by the state into the military. He had two choices. He could join Mussolinis Fascist army and quite likely end up on the Russian Front. His other option was to conscript with the German Army. His aunt and uncle had connections that might land him a secure and hopefully safer job in the Organization Todt, the armament and construction division of the Third Reich. For his safety, but against his wishes, Pinos father and mother (my grandparents) talked him into enlisting in the German Army. Pino reluctantly donned the military uniform with the Nazi swastika and was ordered to the Todt Boot Camp in Modena. What happened next was almost unbelievable. "The Observer" Through a series of extraordinary circumstances, including his wounding during an Allied bombing raid, my father was ordered back to Milan to convalesce for two weeks. Then, with a little help from family and the abilities to speak French and drive a car, he landed a position as the personal driver and confidant for one of Hitlers most mysterious officers in the German High Command. He was a man so powerful in Italy that he responded directly, personally, and only to Adolf Hitler. His name was General Hans Leyers, the Plenipotentiary of the Italian Sector for Organization Todt. My father, still a teenager, as the new, personal driver for a top Nazi commander, became a spy known to the Allies as The Observer. To Pinos aunt and uncle, his assignment as the driver for such a powerful figure was a serendipitous opportunity of a lifetime. It could help change the direction of the War. They understood the importance of it because they were already working in secret for the Allies and the Italian Resistance. The kind of information their nephew now would have access to could be critical for the fight against the Germans. My father, still a teenager, as the new, personal driver for a top Nazi commander, became a spy known to the Allies as The Observer. For the last year of the War, while driving General Leyers around northern Italy, my dad learned the locations of tank traps, land mines, ammunition tunnels, and every fortification between Florence and Milan. He observed the building of the Gothic Line, the Germans main defensive positions. He secretly documented troop movements. He took notes and photos. And he fed mounds of that crucial information to the Allies by using his uncles shortwave radio. More than once, Pino was nearly caught, which would likely have led to his torture and execution. But he kept the trust of an unwitting General Leyers. My dad personally witnessed the Nazi persecution of Jews as well as the working to death of slaves from many faiths and nationalities in work camps, hoping and dreaming that one day he could testify against those responsible. From Observation to Action At midnight on April 24th, 1945, upon orders from the Resistance, my father single-handedly arrested General Hans Leyers and delivered him to the American Command, led by 5th U.S. Army Major Frank Knebel. For the next five days, he became Major Knebels personal guide and translator, at last discarding his uniform and the Nazi swastika. My father was asked if he would do America a favor and accept a final mission. On April 28th, Pino and Major Knebel witnessed a hideous moment in Italian history: the public desecration of Mussolinis body in Piazzale Loreto amid the hysteria and fanaticism of frenzied Italian mobs. Hitler killed himself in Berlin two days later. With the deaths of the two fascist dictators, my dad thought he was done with the war. But in fact, the war wasnt quite done with him. In early May, the famous Brenner Pass through the Alps was the most dangerous corner of Europe. The German Army was retreating from Italy through the Pass into Austria. Thousands of Nazi troops who refused to surrender were on-the-run, being chased down and cut off by Italian Resistance fighters and the U.S. Army. In the midst of this, my father was asked if he would do America a favor and accept a final mission. The Americans asked my dad to be a guide one last time, leading one final escape from Italy. His mission was to drive an important, high-ranking Nazi from American custody to the Austrian border where he could be safely interrogated for the intelligence he possessed about Hitlers Reich. Who was this top commander my dad was enlisted to escort to safety? None other than the very man he had driven for, the very man he had arrested and turned over to the Allies just weeks beforeGeneral Hans Leyers. Like many of that Greatest Generation, the experience and the weeks preceding the Wars end continued to haunt him for the rest of his life. Distraught and tormented over the events of the last week of the War, Pino accepted that final mission. You can only imagine the conversation in the car between my dad and General Leyers. By evening of that same day, May 3, my dad delivered General Leyers to the Americans waiting for him on the Austrian border. That final escort ended my fathers involvement in World War II, but like many of that Greatest Generation, the experience and the weeks preceding the Wars end continued to haunt him for the rest of his life. And without spoiling it, let me say that youll have to read the book (Beneath a Scarlet Sky) to know the rest of the story. A television mini-series based on the book, starring British actor Tom (Spiderman) Holland as my dad, will premiere in a year or two, and I hope you will want to see it. I know that my dad, and all of us in the Lella family, are looking forward to it! (Editors Note: The picture at the top of this article, of Pino Lella and his son Michael, includes a Spiderman mask next to copies of Beneath a Scarlet Sky. Just one week before my April 12, 2018, visit with Pino on Lake Maggiore (pictured below), British actor Tom Holland, the most recent Spiderman in two major motion pictures, visited with Pino to meet the man whom he will play in a forthcoming television mini-series based on the book. Filming begins soon. LWR). SaveSave By Jun. 17, 2018 Have you always wanted to try rock climbing, but you didn't know where to start? Rock Climbing 101 will be a great beginning. During the hour long introduction to rock climbing, all the basics will be covered. Those in attendance be introduced to the history and various disciplines of climbing (indoors & out), as well as, safety considerations, climbing techniques and basic gear. The instructor will focus on empowering participants with a foundation of information and basic skill awareness with the objective of individuals being ready to pursue the climbing discipline of their choice. The session will include hands on introduction to basic knots and uses of equipment. The instructor will also share a variety of resources to get you started after the course. Mike Gowen has been teaching and leading adventure trips for 20 years. He is a lecturer in Murray State Universitys Department of Community Leadership & Human Services. Gowen has traveled the United States in pursuit of adventure. Climbing has led him to destinations in the eastern and western United States. He is a certified climbing instructor, Leave No Trace Master Educator and wilderness first aid instructor. All programs are free & open to the public For more information, contact Bobbie Wrinkle at 270-442-2510 ext. 119 or email: bwrinkle@mclib.net. PADUCAH, KY - McCracken County Library will host Rock Climbing 101 on Tuesday, July 31st from 7-8 pm with Mike Gowen, certified climbing instructor. Visit, vote for best scene in Crittenden County Bale Trail Email To : Multiple e-mail addresses must be separated with a comma character(maximum 200 characters) Email To is required. Your Full Name: (optional) Your Email Address: Your Email Address is required. 21:22 Agencies probing the alleged USD 2-billion PNB fraud have detected that absconding diamond merchant Nirav Modi possessed at least half-a-dozen Indian passports and a fresh FIR is being mulled against him for this offence, officials said today. Modi has been traced to Belgium by Indian intelligence agencies and his frequent travels, despite the revocation of his passport, have led the sleuths to unearth that of the six passports he held, two were active for quite some time. The four other passports were found to be not active, sources said. Of the two active passports, one had Modi's full name while the other only had his first name with a 40-week UK visa issued against it and that is probably how he kept travelling to various countries, despite the government revoking his first known passport earlier this year, the sources told PTI. The second passport was also subsequently revoked by the Indian authorities. The sources said the government, through the ministry of external affairs, has informed the Interpol about the two revoked passports of Modi, but it appears that in the absence of a uniform international mechanism, the legal blocking of the documents in various countries could not be done and the fugitive diamantaire kept using those to travel through airports and possibly seaports too. The revocation order of the passports has been appended to the application of the probe agencies (CBI and ED), seeking an Interpol arrest warrant or a "red corner notice" against Modi. "It is a criminal offence to use a revoked passport and also to possess more than one valid passport if a person does not enjoy a special status like that of a diplomatic entity, a government employee or on a few other grounds. "A fresh criminal FIR may be filed against Nirav Modi and he may face prosecution for the offence after the completion of an internal inquiry," a senior official in the security establishment said. He added that an inquiry was also being held to ascertain if Modi was using passports issued by other countries to travel. Recently, the Central Bureau of Investigation and the Enforcement Directorate have again urged the Interpol to issue an arrest warrant against the fugitive diamantaire on the basis of their respective chargesheets against him and others, containing corruption and money-laundering charges. -- PTI 22 Hurt at Festival Shooting; Shooter Dead Advertisement By The Associated Press Jun. 17, 2018 | TRENTON, NJ By The Associated Press Jun. 17, 2018 | 02:48 PM | TRENTON, NJ Two gunmen opened fire at an all-night arts and music festival early Sunday morning, sending people running over each other in the scramble to safety. Authorities said one suspect was killed and 22 people were injured. Of 17 people treated for gunshot wounds, four of them, including a 13-year-old boy, remain in critical condition late Sunday morning, said Mercer County Prosecutor Angelo Onofri. The shots rang out around 2:45 a.m. during the Art All Night Trenton festival that showcases local art, music, food and films. Onofri said a 33-year-old man was killed, apparently by police, and the second suspect is in custody. He said a neighborhood beef is behind the shooting. Police are also investigating an attempted carjacking that occurred in a nearby alley. Onofri said police are working to determine if its connected to the shooting. Gennie Darisme was getting ready to leave the festival around 2:45 a.m. when she heard shots and saw people running. There were people trampling other people, cars hitting other cars, she said. When she was walking back to her car after the shots stopped, Darisme said she saw someone bleeding on the ground, in handcuffs. People were running to him, trying to see his face, to see if hes a family member or a friend, she said. Theresa Brown, who has been volunteering at Art All Night for 12 years, said she was leaving her volunteer shift around 2 a.m. when she heard pop, pop, pop. I thought it was a car backfiring, she said. The remainder of the two-day festival has been cancelled. Were very shocked. Were deeply saddened. Our hearts ache and our eyes are blurry but our dedication and resolve to building a better Trenton through community, creativity and inspiration will never fade. Not tonight. Not ever, festival organizers posted on social media Sunday. Thank you for reading! Please purchase a subscription to read our premium content. If you have a subscription, please log in or sign up for an account on our website to continue. WiGBits Headline News Would you like to receive our WiGBits? Signup today! WiG Entertainment News Would you like to receive our WiG Entertainment News? Signup today! Digital Issue Would you like to receive our Digital Issue? Signup today! FRANKFORT, N.Y. - Students representing more than 30 years of the Frankfort-Schuyler School District came together Saturday afternoon to honor one of their own, a music teacher who is retiring this year. Current students and alumni spent months organizing a celebration theyve dubbed a Cegl-ebration - in honor of Shelley Ceglia. She is retiring after 32 years. Katie Maneen is a 2009 graduate of Frankfort-Schuyler. She volunteered on the committee that organized the celebration. Its a true testament to her as a teacher, Katie Maneen said. You know being a teacher for so many years and having so many different alarm from, I mean I dont even know how many different years we have. And its just a true testament to what an amazing person she has an influence he had on all of us. In honor of Mrs. Ceglia, students formed a scholarship in her name. So far, they have already raised more than $1,500. "This type of attitude, this type of love between teachers and students, is what our community is all about, School Superintendent Bob Reina said. We love these kids, we love Mrs. Ceglia. This is a great afternoon." If you would like to give to the Ceglia Scholarship Fund, you can donate directly to the Frankfort-Schuyler School District. ROME, NY People in the Rome community responded to KKK pamphlets and flyers that were left on doorsteps in the town of Lee with candlelight vigils on Saturday. The first vigil was held at Delta United Methodist Church, located a short distance from where the literature was left behind. 20 to 30 people gathered on the lawn of the church to pray and sing songs like We Shall Overcome. Pastor Brian Lothridge of the Rome First Methodist Church says they wish to meet the message of hate with a message of love. When the KKK comes knocking at our doorstep, evil has entered our community. Were called by our baptism to show up and resist that and offer the counter-narrative of love. A slightly larger vigil, with about 40 to 50 people, took place on the Griffo Green, located behind Rome City Hall. They lit candles, sang songs, and let it be known how they felt about the recent KKK activity. I just wanted to get people together to let groups like the KKK know that they are not welcome here, says Cam Tien, who helped organize the City Hall vigil. Their hate against fellow human beings is not welcome in the city of Rome or the surrounding areas. China News on Women Sorry, the page you requested was not found. If you're having trouble locating a destination on Womenofchina.cn, try visiting the Womenofchina Home page Call for custody watchdog volunteers to police the police This article is old - Published: Sunday, Jun 17th, 2018 A North Wales wide search has been launched to find volunteers to act as custody watchdogs to police the police. North Wales Police and Crime Commissioner Arfon Jones is seeking up to six independent custody visitors to join the existing team responsible for visiting custody facilities in Wrexham, St Asaph and Caernarfon. Their job will be to safeguard the welfare of people detained by the police and ensure their rights are upheld. Successful candidates will be expected to undertake at least 10 unannounced visits a year along with and attending training courses, meetings and conferences. Mr Jones said they are looking for people with good communications skills who can demonstrate that they have independence and an impartial view, while at the same time maintaining confidentiality. We have a responsibility to ensure that the police are doing things correctly and abiding by the Police and Criminal Evidence Act, continued Mr Jones. It is imperative therefore that we have a way of monitoring what goes on in a police custody area. This is a very important and interesting role, and I hope that we will attract a lot of interest from suitable candidates from all kinds of backgrounds. I am particularly keen to attract Welsh speakers, younger people and members of the black and ethnic minority communities. Custody visiting, formerly known as lay visiting, owes its origin to Lord Scarman, whose report on the Brixton disorders in 1981 recommended a system of independent inspection of procedures and detention in police stations by local community members. However it did not become statutory until 1984 when responsibility was given to police authorities to have in place an effective independent custody visiting scheme. All work done is on a voluntary basis, and travelling expenses are reimbursed by the Office of the Police and Crime Commissioner. Executive Officer Meinir Jones, who has responsibility for overseeing the visiting scheme within the PCCs office, said: This is one of the Commissioners statutory duties and we are looking to recruit people over the age of 18 who either live or work in the North Wales Police area. They should also be independent of the criminal justice in that they do not work for the police or the probation service and do not serve as magistrates. The overall objective is to ensure that people held in custody are detained safely and properly and that their rights and welfare are being attended to. Visitors are free to arrange their own visiting times which can be anytime from early in the morning to late at night, any day of the week. John Dolan, the chair of the North Wales Custody Visitors Panel, has been a Custody Visitor for over four years and believes that the scheme can only add value to the whole policing service. He explained: Operating in pairs, we approach a custody area unannounced and we have to be given immediate access. Accompanied by a sergeant or a civilian detention officer, we speak to detainees and check the condition of the cells to make sure they are clean and that everything is in working order. When vulnerable people are held in custody, we have to ensure that their needs are met as well as those of other detainees. We are not allowed to know the names of people in detention or what they are in for which allows us to retain our objectivity. We produce a written report at the end of each visit which is signed by the custody sergeant and anything we believe needs rectifying is put right straightaway or can be raised at the quarterly meetings which are held between visitors, the Police and Crime Commissioner and senior police officers. Ninety-six per cent of the people in custody wish to speak to us and we find that they communicate freely with us. They also value the opportunity to speak to an independent person about their detention and their welfare. He added: I have been a Custody Visitor now for over four years and I find it a very fulfilling role. It does give you a sense of purpose and its not just a box-ticking exercise. Its important to be a good communicator so that you can build up a rapport with detainees and also a professional relationship with the police. Our visits can be very rewarding and I believe detainees feel more confident that their welfare is of the utmost importance. Magistrates and serving or former police officers and special constables are not allowed to become custody visitors. To avoid possible conflict of interest, others may be excluded if they have direct involvement in the criminal justice system, such as solicitors or probation officers. Eligible individuals who are interested in applying to become a Custody Visitor in North Wales should contact Meinir Jones at the Commissioners office, either by ringing 01492 805486 or via email at: opcc@nthwales.pnn.police.uk Wrexhamite unmasked as real-life superhero by Odeon cinema This article is old - Published: Sunday, Jun 17th, 2018 Following its nationwide Calling All Heroes search Chloe Davis from Wrexham has been named North Wales local hero for her contribution to the local community by Odeon. Odeon launched the search to fine to uncover the real-life superheroes who go the extra mile, wake up to put a smile on the face of others to coincide with its Calling All Heroes season of superhero blockbusters from Solo: A Star Wars Story to the upcoming Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom. Chloe, an 18-year-old student and Welsh Air Ambulance volunteer from Wrexham, has been named North Wales local hero for her avid fundraising and support to those within her local community. Chloe was nominated by her mother, Helen Pemberton, who applauded her ability to always put others first. To celebrate her heroic status, Odeon Wrexham put on a private screening of the superhero epic Avengers: Infinity War for Chloe and her family to enjoy. She was also rewarded with an unlimited Odeon membership for a year. Gareth Williams, Deputy Manager of Odeon Wrexham said: Were used to seeing superheroes grace our screens at ODEON Wrexham, but it was a real pleasure to welcome local hero Chloe through our doors to celebrate her super-heroic work in the local community. Heroes come in so many shapes and sizes and from all walks of life, which was clear from all of the incredible and inspiring entries we received as part of this search. Chloe said: To be nominated was so unexpected, but such a wonderful surprise! Its an honour to be named a hero, but the real heroes are the ones I raise money for, who battle the odds to overcome challenges every day. We had such an amazing time at the screening my family and I are big fans of Marvel, so it was awesome to have the screen at Odeon all to ourselves!. TERRE HAUTE, Ind (WTHI)- Eugene V. Debs is well known for many things. He played vital roles in the starting the Brotherhood of Locomotive Firemen, the American Railway Union as well as the American Socialist Party. Thats why people like Danny Cheshier came to Terre Haute Saturday. He went to Eugene Debs home to learn more about debs' contribution to so many Americans. "Every time I walk in that home even though Ive been through it numerous times, you always pick up something you might have bypassed," said Cheshier. They were there to honor one of Debs most famous speeches. IT was a speech delivered 100 years ago in Canton, Ohio, voicing concerns over being involved in world war one. Noel Beasley, President of the Eugene V. Debs Foundation says the speech focused on America needing to focus more on worker growth then sending boys to war. The speech originally went for four hours and I think that was because there was a lot of cheering and shouting and so forth," said Beasley. One at a time volunteers took part in reading Debs historic speech from his porch. The historic words helped shape the U.S. into what it is today. Members of the Debs foundation just hope others will take time to see how relevant those he spoke long ago means today. "Snd we just hope that folks will take this opportunity to remember not just a great man but also the need to have this kind of focus in our lives in 2018," said Beasley. Even though Debs speech would come to an end, those who still agree with his beliefs say it's a speech they would listen to again. "Its quite a drive for a short presentation but nothings too good for the Debs foundation," said Cheshier. Even though the event may be over you can still learn more about Eugene Debs. Follow this website to learn more. TERRE HAUTE, Ind. (WTHI) - A local bike park is helping kids explore the great outdoors. Saturday, Griffin Bike Park hosted an event for Take a Kid Mountain Biking Day. Families helped kids test out their skills as part of the nationwide celebration. They also took some time to walk around and check out all the bike park has to offer. Griffin Bike Park will stay busy next week with Vigo County Salutes. It's a week dedicated to military service and sacrifice. One of the events will be a groundbreaking event for the warrior trail. It's a trail specifically made for disabled veterans to enjoy. Schedule of Events from the Terre Haute Chamber of Commerce: June 18th, 11 a.m. 12 p.m. Lt. Governor Suzanne Crouch tours Griffin Bike and provides updates on state growth, tourism in Western Central Indiana, followed by lunch. June 19th, 6 p.m. 7 p.m. Warrior Trail Groundbreaking at the lake dock located at the S.E. entrance of Griffin Bike Park. Group bike ride immediately following (open to public). June 20th, 1:30 p.m. 3:30 p.m. Camp Navigate Day (open to public). Nature & Recreation will provide games, mountain biking, scavenger hunt, food and snacks. Kids bikes provided. Call for details: 812-201-4862. June 21st, 6 p.m. 9 p.m. Wabash Valley Base Community Council hosts cookout honoring military members & their families: games, music, kayaking, mountain biking, yoga instruction. June 22nd 11:30 a.m. 1:30 p.m. VIP Luncheon with Retired Lt General William G. Boykin and Former Navy Petty Officer Lonnie Bedwell, National Heroes, Speak on Military and Life Experiences, Indiana Theatre. Call Terre Haute Chamber for Tickets: 812-232-2391. June 22nd 7 p.m. 9 p.m. Evening Session with Lt. General William G. Boykin, General Admission, Indiana Theatre. $10 donation at door. TUPELO, Miss. (WTVA) - A man wanted by the Mississippi Department of Corrections has been arrested by Tupelo police. City spokeswoman Leesha Faulkner confirms several police were called to the Love's gas station off McCullough Blvd. and Interstate 22 on Saturday after a 911 call about a man with a gun supposedly holding someone hostage. However, this was proven not true. Faulkner says police were able to make an arrest after an investigation. It was discovered the person arrested had a warrant out for his arrest by MDOC. He has been charged with felon in possession of a firearm. Faulkner says there was not an altercation nor resistance, and no one was injured. We are working to learn the identity of the person arrested. We will continue to provide updates as this story develops. Source: Xinhua| 2018-06-17 04:06:53|Editor: Mu Xuequan Video Player Close NEW YORK, June 16 (Xinhua) -- Nine Hong Kong films, including two world premieres, one North American premiere, and three New York premieres, will be featured at the upcoming 2018 New York Asian Film Festival (NYAFF) in Lincoln Center, New York City. The two world premieres are Sunny Chan's directorial debut "Men on the Dragon" and Antony Chan's comeback "House of the Rising Sons." "Men on the Dragon," selected by NYAFF to be the Centerpiece presentation, will compete in the festival's relaunched Main Competition with six other films. Sunny Chan, together with actress Jennifer Yu, will attend the premiere and a meet-the-audience session for the movie on July 12. Yu is one of 10 up-and-coming artists featured in the Hong Kong Film New Action 2018 - Nova Power initiative. Antony Chan is an original member and the drummer of the legendary teen-idol band the Wynners formed in 1973, and he has returned to the director's chair after 26 years to present a vibrant biopic. His previous directorial works included "A Fishy Story," for which he was nominated for Best Director in the 1990 Hong Kong Film Awards. The director will attend the film screening on July 2 to talk about his music and filmmaking career. Presented under the "Hong Kong Panorama" banner and with the support of Hong Kong Economic and Trade Office in New York (HKETONY), Hong Kong films have been the backbone of the annual festival since 2009. Oxide Pang's "The Big Call" will have its North American premiere on July 4. The three New York premieres are Jonathan Li's debut "The Brink," Wilson Yip's "Paradox" and Chapman To's "The Empty Hands." The star of "The Empty Hands," Stephy Tang, who was nominated for Best Actress at the 2018 Hong Kong Film Awards, will attend the film screening and meet the New York audience for the first time. This year is also the time to celebrate the career of Dante Lam, whose first psycho-thriller "Beast Stalker" became an instant modern classic when it was released in 2008. The festival will present him with the Daniel A Craft Award for Excellence in Action Cinema. Lam will attend the festival's opening to discuss his films together with long-term producer Candy Leung. The Film Society of Lincoln Center and Subway Cinema have announced the 17th edition of the New York Asian Film Festival is to be held from June 29 - July 15, 2018. BERLIN, June 16 (Xinhua) -- German Chancellor Angela Merkel on Saturday reiterated the need for an European Union (EU)-level solution to illegal asylum seekers. "Migration is a big challenge. It's also a European challenge that needs a European answer. And I consider this topic one of the crucial for the cohesion of Europe," said Merkel in her weekly podcast video. Merkel and German Interior Minister Horst Seehofer have been in a dispute over the immigration policy, as Seehofer wants to tighten Germany's border controls and turn back undocumented asylum seekers on the borders, while Merkel insists on seeking a European solution to illegal immigration at the EU summit set for late the month. Named the "German-French momentum for Europe," Merkel's podcast speech released before Merkel's meeting with French President Emmanuel Macron on Tuesday in Meseberg, outside Berlin, to prepare for the summit. Seehofer threatened to bypass Merkel to push through his plan, which will result in a government crisis, as Merkel's coalition government will lack majority without the support from Seehofer-led Bavaria-only Christian Social Union. Merkel said in the podcast that Germany and France will answer four major challenges, including EU common foreign, defense and security policy, immigration, future development of economic and monetary union, and innovation. WARSAW, June 16 (Xinhua) -- Amended laws on the Supreme Court (SN) and common court system introducing changes to the extraordinary appeal and court assessors' appointment proceedings came into force in Poland on Saturday, local media reported. According to Polish Press Agency, Polish President Andrzej Duda signed into law a draft amendment to the SN act put forward by the ruling party Law and Justice on May 22. Under the new law, extraordinary appeals against court verdicts to the Supreme Court will be filed only by the Prosecutor General and the National Ombudsman. According to the amended law on common court system, court assessors are going to be appointed by the president and not the justice minister, as had been the case until now. The amendment has also introduced a solution whereby the president would consult the National Judicial Council (KRS) on decisions prolonging the tenure of a Supreme Court judge who reaches retirement age -- 65 years. On Dec. 20 last year, the European Commission took an unprecedented step by triggering Article 7, the first time in its history, and launched an unprecedented censure against Poland over a judicial reform dispute. The European Commission doubted Poland's laws reforming the Supreme Court and the National Judicial Council might be undermining the EU's rule-of-law principles. SAN FRANCISCO, June 16 (Xinhua) -- Several pro-rights groups in the U.S. west state of Oregon are urging U.S. immigration authorities to protect the civil rights of more than 120 asylum seekers currently detained in a federal prison in the state. Lawyers for the American Civil Liberties Union Foundation of Oregon (ACLU of Oregon), Innovation Law Lab, and the American Immigration Lawyers Association Oregon Chapter (AILA Oregon) said 123 asylum seekers are "being held by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) at the federal prison in Oregon without meaningful access to attorneys in violation of the U.S. Constitution and federal immigration laws." ACLU of Oregon said in a statement posted on its website that the Oregon detainees, all men, are among the 1,600 immigrants marked for expedited deportation that U.S. President Donald Trump's administration sent to federal prisons in five states in an unprecedented move last week. "There should be no deportations until all one hundred and twenty three men have meaningful access to lawyers," said Mat dos Santos, legal director of the ACLU of Oregon. The rights advocacy group complained that the detainees in the Oregon prison were denied access to lawyers through this weekend. Some of the detainees were reported to be forcibly separated from their partners and children, and lack information about their family members' whereabouts, it said. The ACLU of Oregon called on the public to attend a vigil to be staged outside the federal prison in Sheridan, a city in northwest Oregon next Monday. The Trump administration has been criticized over past few days for cracking down on illegal immigration with a "zero-tolerance" policy of separating families at the U.S. border. Media reports say nearly 2,000 children were separated from their families during a six-week period in April and May. Source: Xinhua| 2018-06-17 10:17:40|Editor: ZD Video Player Close Wang Chen (L), a member of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee and vice chairman of the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress (NPC), meets with U.S. House of Representatives Speaker Paul Ryan in Washington D.C., the United States, on June 14, 2018. Wang visited the United States from June 13 to 16 at the invitation of the U.S. Congress to promote bilateral ties. (Xinhua/Li Muzi) WASHINGTON, June 16 (Xinhua) -- Wang Chen, a member of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee, visited the United States from June 13 to 16 at the invitation of the U.S. Congress to promote bilateral ties. Wang, also vice chairman of the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress (NPC), met separately with U.S. House of Representatives Speaker Paul Ryan, president pro tempore of the Senate Orrin Hatch, and House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi. He also held meetings with Congressman Rick Larsen and other members of the U.S.-China Working Group, U.S. senators including Steve Daines of Montana, as well as Deputy Secretary of State John Sullivan. In the meetings, Wang dwelt on China's principles and positions on issues of trade and economy, intellectual property rights, and related legislation, among others, expressing the hope that Washington could treat the China-U.S. relations from the prospective of strategic and overall picture and properly manage sensitive issues and differences. The two sides should stick to mutual respect and win-win cooperation, Wang said, urging to strengthen communication, mutual trust and collaboration between legislative bodies of the two countries. The U.S. side said it attached great importance to the development of U.S.-China relations and was ready to enhance exchanges to increase mutual understanding and cooperation. In his four-day trip, Wang also visited Boston, where he met with lawmakers of the state of Massachusetts, and held talks with scholars of Tufts University. Source: Xinhua| 2018-06-17 10:57:43|Editor: ZD Video Player Close Vice President of Maldives China Trade and Cultural Organization (MCTCO) Midhuam Saud is interviewed by Xinhua News Agency in Male, capital of Mavldives, on June 13, 2018. The Maldives and China have always enjoyed a healthy, mutually beneficial relationship, which has reached to a historic level over the past few years, Midhuam Saud told Xinhua in the interview. (Xinhua/Zhu Ruiqing) By Zhu Ruiqing, Tang Lu MALE, June 17 (Xinhua) -- The Maldives and China have always enjoyed a healthy, mutually beneficial relationship, which has reached to a historic level over the past few years, Vice President of Maldives China Trade and Cultural Organization (MCTCO) Midhuam Saud told Xinhua in a recent interview. In the future, with sky being the limit, infinite possibilities lie in the cooperation between the two countries, said Midhuam. Midhuam said, today, the Maldives is cooperating with China in a wide range of platforms, from co-building the multi-national Belt and Road Initiative, to joining China-proposed financial institutes like the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank, to several culture exchange programs. The cooperation between the Maldives and China has yielded fruitful results and indeed brought benefits to the Maldivians, said the vice president. "For instance, the China-Maldives Friendship Bridge is realized under the Belt and Road Initiative; the ambitious social housing project in the Maldives' Hulhumale island is realized under Chinese finance. And over 300 Maldivian civil servants went to China for professional training last year alone." "In addition to the Chinese government scholarships, China Maldives Cultural Association and MCTCO which I represent, both registered NGOs in the Maldives, are now working closely with the Chinese side in promoting all kinds of exchange programs to strengthen people to people relationships," the vice president said. Midhuam continued, "as we speak, a team from the Maldives's local government authority including several councilors are preparing to go to China for a training program." China indeed plays a vital role in the "economic boom" in the Maldives today. And this is not a case local to the Maldives but a global phenomenon. China is a vital economic and trade partner of many countries on earth, not just the Maldives, he said. While commenting on the questioning rhetoric that the projects undertaken by Chinese companies in the Maldives are making the island country increasingly debt-burdened, Midhuam said that debt is a "natural" issue common to all developing countries like the Maldives, as well as most developed countries. "Debt per say, is not an issue, if the borrowing nation has a plan to pay back. The only way we, as a developing nation, can achieve our developmental goals is by taking loans, and most people I meet here accept this fact," he explained. Midhuam further explained why the Maldives chooses to take the loan from China, saying that over the past few years, not only the Maldives, many developing countries in need of loans to bring major economic changes have turned to China, the only country which has the capacity to give loans with friendly conditions. "After decades' development, today's China has the financial capacity to provide loans to other countries with the attached terms and conditions being far more attractive than those from other financial institutes. That's why we take the loan from China," the vice president said. The Maldives is a young country, with the median age less than 30 years old. By quoting legendary U.S. political activist Malcolm X's saying "the future belongs to those who prepare for it today", Midhuam called on the youths in the Maldives to be ready for the opportunities brought from the cooperation between China and Maldives. "Economically, 35 percent of the world growth from 2017 to 2019 will come from China according to statistics; environmentally, China has promised to achieve blue skies in all major cities, and China is already equipped with state-of-the-art solar energy technology now. The rise of China is dominating the world picture today," Midhuam said. "It is necessary that our youths understand the opportunities they get today through the Maldives, China cooperation will help them to be well prepared for tomorrow. The future does belong to those who prepare for it today," Midhuam concluded. Source: Xinhua| 2018-06-17 12:07:50|Editor: ZD Video Player Close HAVANA, June 16 (Xinhua) -- Cuba's President Miguel Diaz-Canel on Saturday called on university students to participate in a nationwide debate on major economic and social issues. Diaz-Canel made the call while attending a meeting of the University Student Federation in preparation for its congress scheduled for July. "In this exchange with you we learn a lot, we know your motivations, aspirations and commitments," he said at the meeting held at the University of Havana. Diaz-Canel voiced his trust in Cuba's youth, and urged them to discuss with government officials pressing issues facing Cuba. "We're constantly going to come here, but any time you have any doubts, problems or simply a project for the development of the country, you can count on us," he added. He appealed for the students' commitment to Cuba's task of updating its social and economic model in sustaining socialist development. "You will be the ones who in the next five to 10 years will be making decisions in this country, in the middle of a complex situation that the world is experiencing," he said. The Cuban president also stressed the importance of scientific research, communication and proper management of social media and the internet. Source: Xinhua| 2018-06-17 12:27:52|Editor: ZD Video Player Close HAVANA, June 16 (Xinhua) -- Lazara Dranguet was delighted when she received a loan from the government to rebuild her destroyed house, thanks to a policy started by former President Raul Castro and continued by his successor Miguel Diaz-Canel. Dranguet lost her apartment in the old quarter of Havana when a neighbor's gas stove blew up, burning the entire building down to the ground. The waitress in a government agency cafeteria and her family then joined the ranks of 880,000 families suffering from Cuba's housing shortage, with nearly a quarter of them in Havana alone. After months of paperwork, she was granted 90,000 Cuban pesos (90,000 U.S. dollars) and a piece of land where she could build a new home on her own, a policy encouraged by Castro to speed up solutions to the shortage. "My husband is very skilled in construction, so he has been doing all the masonry and we are saving on labor, which is much more expensive than the construction materials," Dranguet told Xinhua recently. For the last 20 years, Cuba has faced an economic crisis which, combined with the U.S. embargo, has crippled the local construction materials industry. Access to the few materials available is hampered by unscrupulous individuals who hoard them to resell them at a huge mark-up. "Getting cement is the biggest problem, it flies out of (state-owned) shops where it is sold at 6 CUC (six dollars) but then people re-sell it to you at 12 (12 dollars), or even 20 CUC (20 dollars)," Dranguet said. According to the National Statistics Bureau, in 2016, the island manufactured only 29 percent of the construction materials it had produced at its peak in 1989. The cement industry is designed to manufacture about 5 million tons a year, but in 2016, Cuba produced only 1.4 million tons. To make things worse, the island is frequently hit by hurricanes, which increases the number of people affected. Castro foresaw that resolving the housing deficit through state management alone would be an impossible mission and encouraged Cubans to construct and repair their homes on their own. To facilitate that, he authorized banks to grant low-interest loans to those who could build or repair their homes, and non-refundable loans to poorer people or those on welfare. Roberto Fernandez, 59, a hydraulic engineer, joined the thousands of families who have benefited from the policy. Fernandez applied for a loan to buy a plot of land and received 40,000 CUC (40,000 dollars) on 3 percent interest to be repaid over 10 years. "Every year I can apply for a new credit if necessary. I just need to make payments back to the bank on a regular basis... Already... my house is almost finished," he told Xinhua with a big smile. The housing deficit is considered the worst social problem facing Cuba since demographic growth over the last half century has been bigger that the construction rate. According to government figures issued in 2017, Cuba has a shortage of 883,050 dwellings and must build 44,000 housing a year for the next two decades. This rate seems highly unlikely, considering the current pace of 10,000 houses a year. Source: Xinhua| 2018-06-17 12:47:54|Editor: ZD Video Player Close BEIJING, June 17 (Xinhua) -- China's top economic planner has promised zero tolerance and harsh punishments for the illegal production of inferior-quality steel bars as the government remains firm in its capacity-cut drive. From May 22 to June 15, the National Development and Reform Commission (NDRC) has sent eight teams to 21 provinces and regions to inspect whether production of inferior-quality steel bars had been seriously curtailed. According to NDRC spokesperson Meng Wei, the capacity-cut drive has produced effective results, but some weak links remain in certain regions, including the illegal use of production facilities and illegal addition of new capacity. Meng said the NDRC will continue to improve the monitoring mechanism to detect problems in a timely manner and punish those responsible for malpractice. As excess capacity has weighed on China's overall economic performance, cutting overcapacity has been high on the government reform agenda. China plans to cut 30 million tonnes of ineffective steel capacity and 150 million tonnes of coal capacity in 2018, according to a government work report released earlier this year. HOUSTON, June 16 (Xinhua) -- Mercantilist policies could significantly hamper the United States' position as a global energy exporter, according to a new report. The United States should carefully consider "the negative consequences of retreating from multilateral and bilateral free trade policies," the report published by Rice University's Baker Institute for Public Policy in Houston, Texas, on Friday said. Titled "Energy Over the Next 20 Years: It's Not All About the U.S.," the report says it is the developing world, not the developed countries, that will be the driver of global energy growth in the 21st century. Thanks to the "shale revolution," the United States is well on its way to becoming the world's top oil and gas producer and a major exporter of both products. The report suggests that U.S. policymakers and stakeholders should take into account the fact that the future of the U.S. fossil fuel sector will increasingly depend on foreign demand. The report was published on the day the U.S. government unveiled plans to impose additional 25 percent tariffs on Chinese goods worth around 50 billion U.S. dollars, the latest unilateral move that could provoke a trade war between the world's top two economies and damage the global economy and trading system. China expressed its firm opposition to the new tariffs after the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative published a list of Chinese goods subject to them. A spokesperson of China's Ministry of Commerce (MOC) said Friday that though China does not want a trade war, it will fight back forcefully to safeguard the interests of the nation and its people, and uphold economic globalization and the multilateral trading system. UNITED NATIONS, June 16 (Xinhua) -- UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres welcomed on Saturday the Afghan government's announcement of a unilateral extension of the ceasefire with the Taliban. Speaking through his spokesperson Stephane Dujarric, Guterres urged the Taliban to heed the call for peace from the Afghan people and reciprocate the gesture. He said he believes that the only solution to the conflict in Afghanistan is through an inclusive political process and urged both sides not to let those trying to derail the peace efforts to prevail. The UN chief condemned Saturday's attack in the eastern province of Nangarhar targeting Eid celebrations. At least 26 people were killed in the blast in Nangarhar, a provincial government spokesperson said. The incident occurred in the afternoon when explosive materials in a Taliban vehicle detonated at a gathering on the outskirts of the provincial capital of Jalalabad. Among the victims were Taliban militants, civilians and members of Afghan security forces. The government announced a seven-day ceasefire from June 12 to encourage the Taliban to support the national reconciliation process. Reciprocating the step, the armed group announced a three-day truce from the first day of Eid-ul-Fitr to the end of Sunday. The ceasefire was extended Saturday unilaterally by the Afghan government despite the bombing, through a rare televised address by President Mohammad Ashraf Ghani. Ghani asked the Taliban to extend their three-day ceasefire too but the group has not responded so far. Source: Xinhua| 2018-06-17 14:38:06|Editor: ZD Video Player Close BEIJING, June 17 (Xinhua) -- The use of antibiotics in China dropped to 7.7 percent in outpatient services and 36.8 percent in inpatient services in 2017, according to the country's medical authority. Guo Yanhong from the National Health Commission said that China has been improving its clinical drug use, and the overall situation of antibiotic resistance remains stable. Resulting from the overuse of antibiotics, drug-resistant superbugs have become one of the major challenges for global public health. Chinese authorities have required the strengthening of supervision and management in prescribing antibiotics for children, the elderly, and pregnant women. Education and promotion of the correct use of antibiotics needs to be improved among medical personnels and the public, the commission said. Source: Xinhua| 2018-06-17 15:38:13|Editor: ZD Video Player Close BEIJING, June 17 (Xinhua) -- The Forum on China-Africa Cooperation (FOCAC) Summit, to be held in Beijing in September, will focus on five goals, a senior Chinese official said. Dai Bing, director-general of the Chinese Foreign Ministry's Department of African Affairs, said the summit will seek to take the time-honored friendship between China and Africa to a higher level. It will strengthen the strategic consensus between the two sides to maintain their friendship, consolidate the political foundation for their unity and cooperation, and inject a strong impetus into the development of the bilateral ties in the new era. The event will also chart the course for developing future relations. To build a stronger community of shared future between China and African countries and achieve win-win cooperation and common development, it will aim to synergize the Belt and Road Initiative, the United Nations' 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, the African Union's Agenda 2063, and the development strategies of individual African countries. It will seek to enhance national and global support and understanding of China-Africa friendship and cooperation, and to encourage the international society to see the development of China-Africa relations from a more objective and just perspective. The summit's goals also include promoting economic and trade cooperation, taking longer-term benefits into account as well. More targeted and effective measures are expected to align Africa's natural resources, population dividends and market potential with China's investment, equipment and technology, so that their cooperation will be market-oriented instead of government-led, expand to production capacity from commodity trading, and with more investments than contracted projects. The leaders are also expected to discuss a coordinated and balanced development of China-Africa cooperation. To further build the China-Africa comprehensive strategic and cooperative partnership, the two sides will seek greater headway in existing areas such as infrastructure, trade, financing, health and human resources development. They will also seek new growth points in fields ranging from poverty reduction, living standards improvement and people-to-people exchanges, to peace and security and environmental protection. More than a dozen sub-forums and events on the sidelines of the summit will address topics concerning the youth, local and non-governmental efforts, think tanks, media outlets, as well as cooperation in defense security and health. The summit will promote South-South cooperation, seeking new cooperation between developing countries and securing stronger international support for their efforts. NEW DELHI, June 17 (Xinhua) -- The Indian government on Sunday announced to resume security operations against terrorists in Jammu and Kashmir after a month-long ceasefire during the holy Ramazan fasting season. The Ramazan fasting period ended Saturday with the celebration of the festival of Eid. In a series of tweets Sunday, the country's Home Minister (internal security) Rajnath Singh said that the security forces in Jammu and Kashmir are being directed to take "all necessary actions as earlier" to prevent terrorists from launching attacks and indulging in violence and killings. On May 17, Indian government ordered security forces to suspend offensive operations in the area during the holy month of Ramazan. The minister tweeted that while the security forces observed restraint during the past one month, the terrorists continued with their attacks on civilians and security forces resulting in deaths and injuries. The past one week saw a sudden increase in terror incidents in Jammu and Kashmir. While a senior journalist Shujaat Bukhari was shot dead by terrorists in Srinagar, one Armyman identified as Aurangzeb was abducted and then brutally killed. Both these incidents had sparked a debate on whether to extend the ceasefire or not. Source: Xinhua| 2018-06-17 16:18:18|Editor: Liangyu Video Player Close TEHRAN, June 17 (Xinhua) -- Iranian Foreign Ministry on Sunday condemned the recent deadly suicide attack in Afghanistan, semi-official Mehr news agency reported. "The terrorists and enemies of Afghan nation have been targeting the stability and security of the country," Bahram Qasemi, spokesperson of the foreign ministry, said in a statement. A suicide bomber blew himself up in Afghanistan's eastern city of Nangarhar on Saturday as most Taliban fighters gathered to celebrate a three-day cease fire marking the Islamic holiday of Eid al-Fitr. In the attack, at least 26 people were killed and 54 injured. "The ill-wishers of the Afghan nation, who consider peace, reconciliation and cease-fire between the government and the Taliban group contrary to their interests, did not tolerate a ceasefire and unity in the country," Qasemi said. The spokesperson expressed hope that "Afghan people and the government will overcome terrorism and reap benefits of their patience and resistance against the terrorists." Source: Xinhua| 2018-06-17 16:38:20|Editor: Liangyu Video Player Close TEHRAN, June 17 (Xinhua) -- Iran is planning to eradicate the risk of spreading hepatitis B virus via blood transmission, an Iranian health official was quoted as saying by semi-official Mehr news agency on Sunday. Vaccinating blood donors and newborns against hepatitis are among the main plans of Iran to wipe out the risk of spreading such disease via transfusions, said Ali Akbar Pourfathollah, head of the Iranian Blood Transfusion Organization. Special screening and testing programs are also the ways, which have had satisfactory results, he said. With the blood donation rate of 27 per 1,000 people, Iran ranked the first place among 21 countries in Eastern Mediterranean region, said Iran's Blood Transfusion Organization Spokesperson Bashir Hajibeigi in mid-February. Hepatitis is an inflammation of the liver. Hepatitis viruses are the most common cause of hepatitis in the world. Source: Xinhua| 2018-06-17 17:38:27|Editor: Xiang Bo Video Player Close JERUSALEM, June 17 (Xinhua) -- Israel's military said on Sunday that its aircraft have struck a vehicle belonging to "a leader" of a group who sent burning kites from Gaza into Israel. No injuries were immediately reported in the early morning strike. The attack was perceived as an escalation in the Israeli reaction to arson and explosive kites and balloons that have burnt thousands of dunams of farmlands in southern Israel. "In recent days, the military has warned numerous times against these launches," the Israel Defense Forces said in a statement. "These are terrorist acts that endanger Israeli residents living in southern Israel." The statement said that the military will "continue to act with increasing intensity against these acts of terror, as long as required and with a variety of tools." The statement also warned that Israel holds Hamas, a Palestinian Islamist movement that runs Gaza, accountable for any hostility coming from Gaza, and "it will bear the consequences." People in the Palestinian enclave have started flying the incendiary kites as part of a mass protest against the blockade imposed by Israel on the Gaza Strip. Israeli soldiers stationed behind the fence between Israel and Gaza have fired live fire against mostly unarmed protesters. At least 128 Palestinians have been killed by Israeli forces since the protest began on March 30. Source: Xinhua| 2018-06-17 17:53:28|Editor: Xiang Bo Video Player Close JERUSALEM, June 17 (Xinhua) -- Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu Sunday warned that Israel will take further actions against Iran and its allies in Syria to prevent them from establishing a military foothold in Israel's northern neighborhood. The remark was made during the government's weekly cabinet meeting in Jerusalem. Netanyahu told the ministers that he had talked about that with Russian President Vladimir Putin and U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo over the weekend. "I reiterated our guiding principles regarding Syria. First, Iran needs to withdraw from all of Syria. Second, we will take action -- and are already taking action -- against efforts to establish a military presence by Iran and its proxies," he said. "We will act against these efforts anywhere in Syria," he said, stressing that Israel could act both close to the border and deep inside Syria. Israel has carried out fatal airstrikes in Syria, saying the attacks were aimed at halting Iran's effort to establish military presence in Syria and to destroy weapon convoys to the Iran-backed Lebanese military of Hezbollah. Source: Xinhua| 2018-06-17 18:28:33|Editor: Liangyu Video Player Close DOHA, June 17 (Xinhua) -- Qatar strongly condemned the terrorist attack that took place in the Nangarhar Province in eastern Afghanistan during a cease-fire ceremony, said state-run Qatar News Agency (QNA) on Sunday. In the attack, at least 26 people were killed and 54 injured. In a statement, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs expressed Qatar's full solidarity with the Afghan government and its support for all efforts in achieving peace and stability in Afghanistan, QNA said. Qatar also considered the attack as an attempt to deter the cease-fire agreement between the Afghan government and the Taliban movement. Qatar also sent its condolences to the families of the victims, the government and the people of Afghanistan, the statement added. On Saturday afternoon, Nangarhar witnessed an explosion during one of the cease-fire celebrations between the government and the Taliban. The Islamic State militant group said it carried out the attack. GENEVA, June 17 (Xinhua) -- The Swiss parliament has voted for gender quotas in the boardrooms of large publicly-traded companies. The vote in the House of Representatives, led by Justice Minister Simonetta Sommaruga, was tense and tight, reported the Swiss News Agency, SDA-ATS, with the result swung by a single vote (95 for, 94 against, with three abstentions). The companies concerned have between five and ten years to make the changes. However, the result may be more symbolic than concrete as no sanctions are attached to non-adherence, rather an order to "explain" any failure to comply. But, the mere mention of the word "quota" represents a leap forward, Sommaruga told Swiss public broadcaster, RTS. The conservative-right Swiss People's Party opposed the proposal and said it would vote against the entire package of business reform legislation within which the quotas are contained. The center-right Radical-Liberal party was also against the proposal, mainly for reasons of free-market integrity and the "insult" implied by "reducing woman to quotas" in the words of one of its members. The decision will affect the largest publicly-traded companies in the country, potentially some 250 businesses. They must ensure that 30 percent of the Board of Directors in the next five years and 20 percent of the Executive Board is female over the next ten years. Currently, said Sommaruga, the corresponding figures are stuck at 10 percent and 20 percent. A folk artist lacquers the dragon head for the bow of a dragon boat in Daoxian County of Yongzhou City, central China's Hunan Province. (Xinhua/He Hongfu) by Ronald Ssekandi, Lyu Tianran and Zhang Gaiping ENTEBBE, Uganda, June 17 (Xinhua) -- As people in China are going to celebrate the Dragon Boat Festival on Monday, thousands of miles away in Uganda, the peoples of China and Uganda jointly celebrated the festival on Saturday. The event, hosted by the Chinese People's Association for Friendship with Foreign Countries and the China Africa Friendship Association of Uganda, was held in Entebbe city, 40 km south of the capital Kampala. There was fanfare, barbecues and live music on the shores of Lake Victoria as different teams composed of Chinese and Ugandans were racing on the water in the second edition of the Dragon Boat Festival in Uganda. The athletes were paddling to the utmost following the rhythm of the drummer, as the crowd cheered on. Revelers feasted on Chinese and Ugandan dishes on the shore. Dumplings and other Chinese dishes were a highlight. Cultural games including kite show, tug rope and acrobatic displays among others were also a highlight at the event. The Dragon Boat Festival commemorates the death of Qu Yuan, Chinese poet and minister of the State of Chu during the Warring States period between 475 and 221 B.C. Qu drowned himself in the Miluo River in central China's Hunan Province after he was banished and accused of treason for his well-intended advice to the king. Legend has it that upon learning of his death, locals raced boats to find his body in the river and dropped rice in the water in the hope that it would distract fish from eating Qu's body. These became traditions observed to this day. The dragon boat festival not only serves as a competition and gathering, but also deepens the relationship between the two peoples and the two cultures. Muhamud Nsamu, a 24-year-old law student, is an initial member of a dragon boat team which participated in Saturday's competition. He helped founded the team, "because it (dragon boat racing) is a good sport that is going to bring us Chinese culture to us." The dragon boat race promotes the relationship between Ugandans and Chinese, as a large number of Chinese and Ugandans are meeting here, he said. "We want to promote friendship with Chinese people here and we are seeking it," said Ivan Wankayi, the leader of a participating team consisting of 24 fishermen. At a Chinese food stall set up on the shore, Zhang Xiaofeng from central China's Jiangxi Province was passing a basket of dim sum to a customer. "The Dragon Boat Festival is a traditional festival of China. It was not celebrated in Uganda, but now Ugandans are joining Chinese to celebrate it," Zhang said, adding that this kind of activity helps enhance mutual understanding between the two peoples. The Ugandan government now is looking at tourism opportunities provided by the festival. Uganda's tourism department is targeting to make the festival an annual event attracting domestic and foreign tourists, Godfrey Kiwanda Ssubi, Minister of State for Tourism, Wildlife and Antiquities, told Xinhua in an interview. ATHENS, June 17 (Xinhua) -- Greece and the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia (FYROM) sealed a historic agreement on Sunday, putting an end to the dispute which started in 1991 over the use of the name Macedonia. According to the preliminary accord signed by the two countries' foreign ministers, they agreed to rename the Balkan nation "The Republic of North Macedonia," despite strong protests over a deal from both sides. The signing ceremony, broadcast live on Greek public broadcaster ERT, was hosted on the border at Prespes lake. The move of the two neighboring states potentially paved the way for Skopje's admission to the European Union and North Atlantic Treaty Organization. Source: Xinhua| 2018-06-17 19:13:39|Editor: ZD Video Player Close JERUSALEM, June 17 (Xinhua) -- Israeli pro-settlement activists attacked and injured Israeli police officers during a court-ordered eviction of an illegal outpost in the occupied West Bank on Sunday, the police said. The clashes started as hundreds of police officers arrived in Tapuah Maarav, a Jewish outpost in the northern West Bank, to evict 10 houses that were built without permits. The Supreme Court ruled that these houses were built illegally on privately-owned Palestinian land and should be evicted by the end of June. A police statement said that by noon, some 11 police officers were injured and six settlers were arrested for rioting. Under the international law, all Jewish settlements in the West Bank and East Jerusalem, territories occupied by Israel in the 1967 Middle East war, are illegal. However, Israel charges that the settlements, home to some 600,000 Israelis who live in heavily guarded communities among about 3 million Palestinians, are legal. Outposts like Tapuah Maarav are settlements built without official permits from the Israeli authorities and are also deemed illegal under the Israeli law. JALALABAD, Afghanistan, June 17 (Xinhua) -- An explosion rocked a provincial governor office after a meeting between Afghan officials and Taliban members in Jalalabad city, capital of Afghanistan's eastern Nangarhar province on Sunday, leaving casualties, sources said. The blast came as the Afghan government and Taliban agreed for a temporary ceasefire during a three-day Eid-ul-Fitar festival, the second largest Muslim festival. A man stands guard during the reception ceremony of the first batch of locomotives for the Mombasa-Nairobi standard gauge railway in Mombasa, Kenya, on Jan. 11, 2017. (Xinhua/Sun Ruibo) NAIROBI, June 17 (Xinhua) -- Ephraim Muguru displayed the discipline and focus of a trained military officer as he held two flags aloft waiting for the Standard Gauge Railway (SGR) passenger train to arrive at the Athi River Terminus on the outskirts of the Kenyan capital of Nairobi. The 29-year-old station assistant was attentive as he prepared to wave the green and red flags to signal the arrival of the modern commuter train that had earlier departed from Mombasa Terminus. Shortly, the SGR commuter train, dubbed Madaraka Express, arrived at the Athi River Terminus and dozens of passengers alighted. Muguru was in ecstatic mood as he welcomed alighting passengers destined for different parts of Athi River town, which is one of Kenya's oldest industrial hubs. The university graduate has mastered his vocation that involves signaling the locomotive driver to land safely at the terminus while directing alighting passengers to hop into the platform as they exit to their respective destinations. Muguru's job, that he has been carrying out for the last one year, is key to the safety of the SGR train and throngs of passengers. His office is perched above the platform equipped with the latest computer software to monitor in real time as passenger and cargo trains approach the Athi River Terminus. To ensure smooth running of the trains, it is controlled via the Centralized Traffic Control System to ensure maximum efficiency and safety. As part of his daily routine, the Kenyan man has to disembark from his office and move downstairs to the platform, a few minutes before any train approaches the terminus. Muguru has perfected his craft thanks to the mentorship he received from Dai Weigang, the Chinese station master. Muguru had kind words for Dai describing him as a jovial leader who interacts freely with his Kenyan colleagues. "We have a workplace that is fun and friendly," Muguru told Xinhua in a recent interview. Dai said he had developed a strong bond with nine Kenyan colleagues whom he has been supervising at the Athi River station for the last couple of months. The 43-year-old veteran in modern railways operations used to be a station master of the Fu Hai Station in Heilongjiang province, northeast China. He never dreamt of landing a job overseas and had braced for a quiet retirement in hometown. "The moment I received a letter of appointment to work for Kenya's SGR commuter service, I took up the offer with gusto and with conviction that discovering the magic of other parts of the world could be a game changer in my life," Dai told Xinhua. Now he spends the bulk of his working hours monitoring the arrival and departure of the Mombasa-Nairobi train service while prodding Kenyan colleagues to be up to task. Dai has been able to overcome initial language barriers that hindered interaction with Kenyan colleagues and has put extra efforts to improve his proficiency in English that happens to be the official language in the East African nation. "Before coming to Kenya, I had almost forgotten my English but now am able to communicate with Kenyan employees at the basic level after sparing sometime to improve on my grasp of this language," said Dai. "As a Chinese expatriate based in a foreign country, I am obliged to learn and respect their customs which will eventually cement our bonds of friendship," he added. "Mr. Dai remembered all our names when he met us for the first time," said Hannah Mwangi, a 31-year-old SGR crew member. "He always persuades us to be polite with passengers and become passionate with our job," she added. Mwangi credited Dai for acquiring requisite skills and emotional intelligence to enhance her capacity to offer quality service at the SGR commuter service. She added that Dai is a good listener and a passionate mentor who is ready to make sure Kenyan employees are acclimatized with railway operations. "He has taught us to be polite and calm when handling all customers' grievances," said Mwangi. She noted that due to Dai's influence, she has learnt a lot of Chinese words and is considering joining a Confucius Institute to improve his proficiency in Chinese language. Muguru agreed that Dai has been a source of motivation to the Kenyan staff and is always ready to enhance their competence in railway operations. Prior to working for SGR, Muguru used to meet his basic needs through casual labor at construction sites in Nairobi. "The workload was heavy yet the wages were very low. Besides the meager income, the casual jobs were seasonal and could hardly sustain me," Muguru said. He added that the SGR commuter service granted him the first formal job since graduation from a local university. Source: Xinhua| 2018-06-17 20:18:47|Editor: ZD Video Player Close BEIJING, June 17 (Xinhua) -- More experienced overseas-trained Chinese professionals are returning to China as the country's tech-oriented economic transition offers abundant career development opportunities, a recent report showed. The percentage of overseas Chinese professionals aged between 30 and 40 years old among the total returned overseas Chinese talent, or "haigui," rose from 16.5 percent in 2013 to 30.6 percent in 2017, according to a report released by global employment-oriented social networking platform LinkedIn. The report attributed the increasing numbers of experienced haigui returning to the ceiling for career development in foreign countries and showed that these professionals enjoy marked title and pay rises as Chinese firms invest big to attract top talent to help drive business growth. In addition to first-tier cities like Beijing and Shanghai, emerging first-tier cities like Hangzhou and Chengdu are popular destinations for haigui to develop their careers, the report pointed out. The finance and high-tech sectors have attracted the largest number of haigui, who prefer to work in multi-national and large-and-medium-sized private companies. A lack of understanding of the working environment in Chinese firms is the top concern for overseas Chinese professionals seeking opportunities in the country, the report showed. U.S.-headquartered LinkedIn officially entered the Chinese market in 2014 and now has over 41 million Chinese users. LinkedIn China launched a campaign in 2016 to help Chinese firms like NetEase and DiDi recruit overseas professionals, especially those specializing in artificial intelligence, data analysis and cloud computing. "Helping match Chinese firms and global professionals as well as business opportunities has become a historical opportunity for us," said David Yu, managing director of LinkedIn China. ATHENS, June 17 (Xinhua) -- Greece and the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia (FYROM) sealed a historic agreement on Sunday, putting an end to the dispute which started in 1991 over the use of the name Macedonia. According to the preliminary accord signed by the two countries' foreign ministers, they agreed to rename the Balkan nation the Republic of North Macedonia, despite strong protests over a deal from both sides. The signing ceremony, broadcast live on Greek public broadcaster ERT, was hosted on the border at the Prespes lake region. The move of the two neighboring states potentially paved the way for Skopje's admission to the European Union and North Atlantic Treaty Organization. "We are making an historic step, there will be only winners from now on," Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras said at the event. "So that we can heal the wounds of the past, open a path for peace, friendship, cooperation and growth, not only for our countries, but for all Balkans and Europe," he said as he and his FYROM counterpart Zoran Zaev received a standing ovation from officials at the ceremony. Both countries have been working towards settling the decades-old dispute over the past months. The issue began in 1991 when FYROM declared its independence from Yugoslavia, choosing the name Macedonia, which is also the name of a northern Greek province. Athens is worried that the use of the same name by the neighboring state could lead to territorial claims. "Today we put an end to a problem, we put an end to long-standing differences which were raising walls and cast shadows on our neighborly relations," Zaev said. Sunday's ceremony was held under draconian security measures as hardliners in both countries object to the deal because they regard it as a national sellout. 1 suspect dead, 20 injured in New Jersey festival shooting Source: Xinhua 2018-06-17 20:38:49 NEW YORK, June 17 (Xinhua) -- A shooting broke out early Sunday at an all-night art festival in New Jersey, the United States, leaving the suspect dead and around 20 people injured, said a local prosecutor. Editor: Liangyu Source: Xinhua| 2018-06-17 20:43:50|Editor: ZD Video Player Close BEIJING, June 17 (Xinhua) -- China will further promote public blood donations and expects to see 15 blood donors in every 1,000 people by 2020, according to the National Health Commission. "The clinical use of blood will 100 percent come from voluntary blood donations in 2020," Zhou Changqiang, an official from the commission, said at a press conference held earlier this week. "As we mark the 20th anniversary of China implementing the Blood Donation Law, the commission will work with other departments, including the Red Cross Society of China, to launch a blood donation campaign from July to September," Zhou said. According to Zhou, the commission will also explore the applications of the Internet, big data and artificial intelligence in precisely promoting blood donation, and improve the connectivity of blood management information across the country. Dragon boats sail in the canel of Aveiro, Portugal, on June 16, 2018. A dragon boat sailing event, jointly organized by the Confucius Institute at Aveiro University and the municipality of Aveiro, was held here on Sunday, to greet the upcoming Chinese Dragon Boat Festival. (Xinhua/Zhang Liyun) AVEIRO, Portugal, June 16 (Xinhua) -- Residents in Portugal's northern city of Aveiro on Saturday enjoyed a series of activities marking China's traditional Dragon Boat Festival. The celebrations, co-hosted by the Confucius Institute at the University of Aveiro and Aveiro Municipal Hall, featured a folk art display, Chinese calligraphy, tea art, a dragon dance, martial arts, and a small workshop teaching people how to make zongzi, pyramid-shaped dumplings made of glutinous rice wrapped in bamboo or reed leaves. A star attraction of the activities was a dragon boat sailing event, in which nine teams of Chinese learners in Aveiro and nearby cities participated. As the dragon boat sailed along a canal through downtown Aveiro, local residents lined up on both banks and watched with excitement. Luis Felipe, a cultural councillor of the City of Aveiro, said at the opening ceremony that he was very happy to participate in the dragon boat sailing and hoped everyone present would have a wonderful time. Catarina Barreto, an Aveiro city official, said that the activities have brought together the traditional cultures of both Portugal and China and provided local people with a good opportunity to learn more about Chinese culture. She said that the event has a positive impact on cultural exchanges between the two countries, and that Portugal is receptive to other cultures. Barreto said she hoped that similar activities will be held in the future. Source: Xinhua| 2018-06-17 20:43:51|Editor: ZX Video Player Close People gather at the site of an attack in Nangarhar province, Afghanistan, June 17, 2018. At least 15 people were killed and 45 others wounded as an explosion rocked a provincial governor's office after a meeting between Afghan officials and Taliban members in Jalalabad city, capital of Afghanistan's eastern Nangarhar province on Sunday, a source said. (Xinhua/Saifurahaman Safi) JALALABAD, Afghanistan, June 17 (Xinhua) -- At least 15 people were killed and 45 others wounded as an explosion rocked a provincial governor's office after a meeting between Afghan officials and Taliban members in Jalalabad city, capital of Afghanistan's eastern Nangarhar province on Sunday, a source said. "The initial information found a terrorist blew his explosive jacket up at the gate of the building roughly at 3:15 p.m. local time when people were leaving the building when the meeting ended," the security source told Xinhua anonymously. The death toll was likely to go up as many of the injured were in critical condition, the source added. The government announced a seven-day ceasefire from June 12 to encourage the Taliban to support the national reconciliation process. Reciprocating the step, the armed group announced a three-day truce from the first day of Eid-ul-Fitr, Friday to the end of Sunday. Attahullah Khogyani, provincial governor spokesman, confirmed the incident to Xinhua. He said a probe was on and information about the identity of the victims would be shared with media later in the day. On Saturday, 25 people were killed and 54 others wounded in another similar incident on the outskirts of Jalalabad for which the Islamic State militants claimed responsibility. Those among the killed and wounded were Taliban members, civilians and security forces. Afghan President Ashraf Ghani on Saturday extended the ceasefire for an unknown period of time. Source: Xinhua| 2018-06-17 20:53:52|Editor: Liangyu Video Player Close BEIJING, June 17 (Xinhua) -- Chinese scientists and engineers are designing drones to help firefighters rescue trapped people, especially in high-rise building fires. Developed by China Academy of Launch Vehicle Technology (CALT), the drones can quickly fly into a building via doors or windows, search for trapped people and plan rescue routes. When a fire occurs in a high-rise building, firefighters often have to walk upstairs and their sight is affected by heavy smoke, making it hard to plan a rescue route. According to Xu Jian, designer at CALT, the drones can be quickly flown into the fire location to access the situation before firefighters arrive. "For a skyscraper with a height of around 500 meters, it takes about half an hour for firefighters to climb the stairs to the top floor, but the drones take only two minutes," Xu said. The drones can avoid obstacles, draw a three-dimensional map indicating the distribution of obstacles, and plan a barrier-free rescue route. They are also equipped with cameras and pictures can be transmitted back to the ground in real time, which help firefighters locate trapped people. The exterior of the drone is made of a composite material commonly used on rockets, allowing it to withstand a high-temperature environment of 200 degrees. China has a huge demand for the drones and they are expected to be put into use by the end of this year, Xu said. Source: Xinhua| 2018-06-17 21:08:54|Editor: ZD Video Player Close XINING, June 17 (Xinhua) -- Traveling through the wilderness of the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau, Guo Zenghong always tells his driver to drive slowly and carefully to avoid hurting young Caragana seedlings on the route. "It is extremely difficult for seeds and saplings to survive in the desert at a high elevation," said Guo. "But they are the last hope in turning the desert into an oasis. I hope that no one will damage them," he added. Working as an engineer in the Gonghe County forestry department in northwest China's Qinghai Province, the 54-year-old has been battling desertification on the Qinghai-Tibet plateau, with an average elevation exceeding 4,500 meters, for nearly 20 years. Guo was excited after finding that seedlings he planted three years ago in a desert area not only survived but grew even taller than him. "Thanks to staff from the forestry department and local herders, these cold- and drought-resistant plants have finally taken root in the desert," he said. The fight against desertification at high altitudes is much harder than other places, as severe weather in different seasons makes the situation worse. "We have to stabilize the sand dunes first and use straw checkerboard barriers to prevent wind and stop the dunes from moving or expanding," he said. Qinghai Province has spent more than 300 million yuan (47 million U.S. dollars) on desertification control and prevention projects, with more than 133,000 hectares of land under control last year, according to the provincial forestry department. In neighboring Gansu Province, scientists are also exploring ways to control desertification in tourist areas. Yueya Spring, a crescent-shaped lake surrounded by desert in the city of Dunhuang, has attracted millions of tourists from home and abroad. The site was once under threat because human activities disrupted the ecological balance and changed the flow of wind and sand. Sand dunes were approaching the spring. Scientists from Northwest Institute of Eco-Environment and Resource under the Chinese Academy of Sciences used technology such as aerial photography and GPS surveys to discover the causes. "We found that the shrinkage of the spring were mainly because winds from the northeast were blocked or weakened," said Qu Jianjun, researcher and leader of the desertification team at the institute. "Only with those findings could we take targeted actions to stop the movement of sand dunes toward the spring," Qu said. So far, the local government has taken a series of actions, such as demolishing buildings and planting bushes instead of tall trees to allow winds to flow and restore the ecological balance of the area. The shrinkage of the spring has been stopped. "The awareness of targeted desertification policies has been raised among science workers. China has made great progress in desertification control," according to Wang Tao, director of the institute. China aims to bring 10 million hectares of desertified land under control during the 13th Five-Year Plan (2016-2020) period. Source: Xinhua| 2018-06-17 21:18:55|Editor: Liangyu Video Player Close BAGHDAD, June 17 (Xinhua) -- At least six Islamic State (IS) militants were killed Sunday in an airstrike on IS hideout in Iraq's central province of Salahudin, a paramilitary Hashd Shaabi source said. The incident took place early in the morning when the Iraqi aircraft bombarded an IS hideout in Farhatiyah area near the town of Balad, some 80 km north of the Iraqi capital Baghdad, destroying the hideout and killing six IS militants inside, Sheikh Safaa al-Timimi, a leader of a brigade in Saraya al-Salam militia, told Xinhua. The airstrike was based on intelligence reports by Saraya al-Salam, or Peace Companies, affiliated with the prominent Shiite cleric Moqtada al-Sadr, Timimi said. Sadr's militia is a reformation of the previous militia Mahdi Army, which he led during the U.S. occupation of Iraq and the subsequent sectarian strife in the years after 2003. Later in 2014, Sadr announced the formation of Peace Companies to protect Shiite shrines from the IS following the June 10, 2014 blitzkrieg when the group seized large swathes of territories in predominantly Sunni provinces in northern and western Iraq. Key cities of Salahudin province, including the provincial capital Tikrit, some 170 km north of Baghdad, were captured by IS militants in June 2014, but the Iraqi security forces freed the province during major anti-IS offensives. ZAGREB, June 17 (Xinhua) -- Croatian manufacturers of agricultural products are looking forward to exporting their best to China. Croatia's agriculture ministry expects the Chinese inspectors to visit the largest Croatian producers of milk and dairy products in order to be convinced of the quality of the products, an official with the ministry said Saturday. China has simplified the procedure for obtaining a license for the import of food products since March, which makes it easier for Croatian exporters to place their goods on the Chinese market. The export license, among others, is expected by Paska Sirana, the cheese producer based on the island of Pag in northern Adriatic, whose "Pag cheese" is one of the most famous Croatian agricultural products. "We have already sent samples to China and the reactions are very positive. The Chinese market can only be won with the top quality products, but there should be also a greater amount of export goods," Ante Ostaric, Managing Director of Pasko Sirana, told local media. The interest of the Croatian olive oil producers for exporting to China is also growing. The Sardina company from the Island of Brac, which already exports canned fish, is planning to export tuna. According to Croatian Bureau of Statistics, in the first three months of this year, the commodity exports from Croatia to China were worth 220 million Croatian kuna (34.6 million U.S. dollars), which is 15.7 percent more than the same period in 2017, while imports from China increased 30.4 percent to 1.58 billion kuna. Source: Xinhua| 2018-06-17 22:54:09|Editor: mmm Video Player Close Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras (R) and Prime Minister of the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia (FYROM) Zoran Zaev (L) attend a signing ceremony about bilateral name row, at Psarades, in the Prespes lake region of Greece, June 17, 2018. Greece and the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia (FYROM) sealed a historic agreement on Sunday, putting an end to the dispute which started in 1991 over the use of the name Macedonia. According to the preliminary accord signed by the two countries' foreign ministers, they agreed to rename the Balkan nation the Republic of North Macedonia, despite strong protests over a deal from both sides. (Xinhua/ Dimitris Tosidis) ATHENS, June 17 (Xinhua) -- Greece and the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia (FYROM) sealed a historic agreement on Sunday, putting an end to the dispute which started in 1991 over the use of the name Macedonia. According to the preliminary accord signed by the two countries' foreign ministers, they agreed to rename the Balkan nation the Republic of North Macedonia, despite strong protests over a deal from both sides. The signing ceremony, broadcast live on Greek public broadcaster ERT, was hosted on the border at the Prespes lake region. The move of the two neighboring states potentially paved the way for Skopje's admission to the European Union (EU) and North Atlantic Treaty Organization. "We are making an historic step, there will be only winners from now on," Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras said at the event. "So that we can heal the wounds of the past, open a path for peace, friendship, cooperation and growth, not only for our countries, but for all Balkans and Europe," he said as he and his FYROM counterpart Zoran Zaev received a standing ovation from officials at the ceremony. Both countries have been working towards settling the decades-old dispute over the past months. The issue began in 1991 when FYROM declared its independence from Yugoslavia, choosing the name Macedonia, which is also the name of a northern Greek province. Athens is worried that the use of the same name by the neighboring state could lead to territorial claims. "Today we put an end to a problem, we put an end to long-standing differences which were raising walls and cast shadows on our neighborly relations," Zaev said. Matthew Nimetz, the United Nations (UN) secretary-general's special envoy for the name dispute, called the deal a "fair and honorable" compromise which sets an example to resolve other disputes worldwide. The ceremony was also attended by the EU's High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Federica Mogherini, European Commissioner for Enlargement Johannes Hahn and the representative of UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, UN Under-Secretary-General for Political Affairs Rosemary DiCarlo. Sunday's ceremony was held under draconian security measures as hardliners in both countries object to the deal because they regard it as a national sellout. HO CHI MINH CITY, June 17 (Xinhua) -- Vietnam is encouraging organic fertilizer production and consumption from available domestic materials, Vietnam News Agency reported on Sunday. The country's agriculture ministry plans to set up national planning on fertilizer production which looks to larger production and consumption of organic fertilizer, Vietnam News Agency on Sunday quoted Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development Nguyen Xuan Cuong as saying. "The ministry will attract more investment and take advantage of sources from developed countries and international organizations to transfer and apply latest technology," he said. According to the ministry, Vietnam's farming sector uses 11 million tons of fertilizers each year, but only 8 percent of which is organic. Vietnam has 10 million hectares of farmland. Organic production covers only 43,000 hectares of land which means organic fertilizer has not been widely used. Many fertilizer enterprises in Vietnam have switched to manufacturing organic fertilizer, and they have also thought about exporting it. Binh Dien Fertilizer Company said Vietnam's organic fertilizer is competing with that of other Association of Southeast Asian Nations countries such as Myanmar, Cambodia and Laos. By late 2017, Vietnam had 713 organic fertilizer products manufactured by 180 licensed facilities which can produce up to 2.5 million tons of fertilizer per annum. BANDAR SERI BEGAWAN, June 17 (Xinhua) -- More than 40,000 people visited Istana Nurul Iman, Brunei's royal palace on Sunday, the second day of the three-day "Open Palace" Hari Raya celebration. Istana Nurul Iman sees a total of 42,921 visitors on Sunday, more than Saturday's 35,613 visitors. As a country with around 400,000 population, Brunei has kept the tradition to open its royal palace to the public for years, in conjunction with the annual Muslim festival of Hari Raya Aidilfitri, to enable Bruneians and tourists to meet and convey their greetings to the Sultan Haji Hassanal Bolkiah as well as other members of the royal family. According to official statistics, the palace received over 100,000 visitors during the "Open Palace" celebration in 2017. KHARTOUM, June 17 (Xinhua) -- Sudanese economic analysts have said that the additional 25 percent tariffs imposed by the United State on certain Chinese goods violate the world trade system and harm the international economy. "There are regulations governing the world trade system and the U.S. measure is likely to jeopardize this system," said Abdul-Raziq Ziyada, a Sudanese economic analyst at Al-Rasisd Center for Strategic Studies in Khartoum. "We fear that the new tariffs imposed by President Donald Trump's administration will impact the global macro-economy," he added. He said that it is certain that many economies will be negatively affected by the U.S. action and the expected reaction from China and other countries. Meanwhile, Fathi Esheikh, a Sudanese economic analyst and lecturer of economics at the faculty of economics at Sudan International University, told Xinhua that there would be no winner in the trade war ignited by Washington. "The U.S. economy will be the biggest loser in this war and the flow of the U.S. exports will be affected by the new tariffs," he noted. Esheikh further criticized the U.S. unilateral move as it would harm the international economic interests, stressing that it is important for other countries to unite in the face of the U.S. actions. On Friday, the U.S. government unveiled plans to impose additional 25 percent tariffs on Chinese goods worth around 50 billion U.S. dollars. The U.S. move has triggered international criticism as it violates related regulations of the World Trade Organization. TIRANA, June 17 (Xinhua) -- A total of 9,477 new businesses were registered during in Albania in the first five months of 2018, Albanian General Directorate of Taxation informed on Sunday. According to GDT data, the highest number of businesses, a total of 2,359, was registered in January. Meanwhile, during the first five months of 2018, the number of the de-registered businesses reached 1,648. According to the data, most of the businesses are concentrated in the capital city of Tirana, where only in the first quarter of the year there were 2,532 registered businesses in the National Center of Businesses. VALLETTA, June 17 (Xinhua) -- Maltese Prime Minister Joseph Muscat has explained his stance on the matter of the 629 migrants stranded on a humanitarian ship, saying that had Malta been the closest port of call, it would have had no hesitation in taking them in. No country will order Malta around, irrespective of the relationship Malta has with them, Muscat said in a radio interview on Sunday, referring to the recent standoff with Italy about 629 migrants on the crowded humanitarian ship. Malta's stance had the approval of the international community and the European Commission. The rescue had taken place in Libyan waters, with Lampedusa being the closest safest port, Muscat reiterated. Earlier this week, Malta rejected an Italian demand that it accept the ship, the MV Aquarius, after Italy closed its ports to the vessel, stating that in terms of international law, the migrants should have been taken to the nearest safe harbour. Muscat said on Sunday that while on its way to Italy, the ship was asked by Italian authorities to anchor in international waters -- a request which breached international law and risked causing a humanitarian crisis. Had Malta been the closest port of call, and thus duty-bound to take in the migrants aboard the Aquarius, Malta would not have hesitated to do so, Muscat stressed. He explained that his decision to deny the Italian request was not him "playing tough", but simply because his country was not responsible for the vessel, and because "we were obeying international law". SKOPJE, June 17 (Xinhua) -- Macedonian Foreign Minister Nikola Dimitrov and his Greek counterpart Nikos Kotzias signed on Sunday the final agreement on the name dispute settlement and the establishment of a strategic partnership between the two countries. Under the agreement reached, the country will be called Republic of North Macedonia used both internally and internationally. Macedonian Prime Minister Zoran Zaev in his address after the signing ceremony called the agreement a celebratory act of commitment to finding a solution in the interest of the future and the citizens of the two countries. "We are proud of this agreement of ours. We are proud of having been able to unite over a solution to a dispute that has been dividing us and we have chosen a solution that unites us," underlined Zaev. He said that "we are putting an end to years-long differences that had erected a wall, which had hindered many friendly relations between the neighbors." According to Zaev, the agreement signed creates a chance, and it is a historic opportunity for enhanced cooperation and stronger economic ties that will increase growth and development. In his speech, Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras emphasized that the agreement respects the fundamental values of the two peoples. "We are here looking at the history of our people, we are both here to do our patriotic duty. We are not in the mood to mourn the defeats of the past, but to make a historic step to have only winners from now on, to pave the way for peace, to walk together in a new era of prosperity and security. Our common goal was to overcome obstacles and difficulties," stated Tsipras. Attending the ceremony, EU foreign policy chief Federica Mogherini called today an historic day not only for the two counties, but for EU and the Balkans as well. "Many people were skeptical about the possibility of reaching a mutually beneficial agreement... We are here today, first of all to thank the two sides, because they make us all Europeans proud of the capacity to find -- through dialogue -- a win-win solution for a problem that was long-standing for too many decades," Mogherini told reporters. Meanwhile, Macedonia's opposition VMRO-DPMNE party leader Hristijan Mickoski is leading a protest in Bitola city after the signing of the agreement. The law on ratification of the agreement is expected to pass on Monday to the government and later to be submitted to the Macedonian Assembly for an approval that requires a simple majority. According to the procedures, the law will be sent to Macedonian President Gjorge Ivanov who has to sign within seven days. In the case when Ivanov uses the right of veto, the name deal will go back in parliamentary procedure, and then it will require at least 61 votes for the lawmakers and the same again will return to the President, who according to the constitution, is obliged to sign it. Ivanov already announced his position on Wednesday when he called the agreement reached with Greece as "harmful" for Macedonia and declared that he would not sign it. Zaev declared that Macedonian citizens will say their words on the agreement in a referendum, which is expected to be held in September or October this year. JUBA, June 17 (Xinhua) -- China Railway Construction Engineering Group has offered free training to some 20 young South Sudanese engineers. The engineers drawn from the field of civil, electrical and carpentry recently completed a one-month training at the China-aided project for modernization and expansion of South Sudan's biggest public health facility, the Juba Teaching Hospital. According to the Chinese company, the 20 students who enrolled for the training, only seven managed to complete it and they would be offered contracts to work for the firm. Deng Agany Aguto, a graduate of electrical engineering from the University of Rwanda, said he learnt about discipline, self-management and hard work which are key aspects for engineers. "Working with Chinese is one of the best thing ever because I can see in South Sudan we don't have such modern tools. We have been working with them peacefully, no quarrels and no fight. Having such knowledge is important. I hope to continue working with the Chinese," 25-year-old Aguto told Xinhua. "The Chinese engineers are very skillful and very interesting to work with. Our only challenge was language barrier because many of the Chinese engineer's cannot speak English," said Benjamin Bol, a graduate of civil engineering from the University of Juba. Dut Abednego, Representative of China-South Sudan Friendship Association (CSSFA), a body that brings together people and firms from the two countries, said the training program was initiated last month and it seeks to provide technical knowledge to engineering students and boost relations between South Sudanese and Chinese engineers. He said the program also aims to connect fresh engineering students to get employment opportunities in Chinese companies working in South Sudan. "We want to bring our civil engineers, electricians closer to Chinese engineers so that they can understand and gain skills from each other because majority of our engineers don't have technical experience and if they work with the Chinese, they will gain experience," Abednego said. Enditem DHAKA, June 17 (Xinhua) -- A head-on collision between a passenger bus and a pickup truck in Bangladesh's Nilphamari district, some 360 km northwest of capital Dhaka, on Saturday night left at least 11 people dead and eight injured, a senior police official said. Nilphamari district's Additional Superintendent of Police ABM Atikur Rahman told Xinhua that "At least 11 passengers were killed on the spot and eight sustained injuries in the head-on collision between the bus and the pickup truck." The road accident occurred at around 9:30 p.m. local time also left some passengers critically injured, he said. All the injured were rushed to local hospitals and clinics, he said, adding that the cause of the accident is under investigation. ADDIS ABABA, June 17 (Xinhua) -- The Ethiopian Parliament is to grill on Monday Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed on recent border and economic liberalization decisions made by the ruling coalition. In a press statement, the Ethiopian Parliament, said Ahmed in a special parliamentary session will present explanation about key decisions taken by Ethiopian People Revolutionary Democratic Front (EPRDF) Executive Committee to concede a border town to bitter rival Eritrea and to partially liberalize key sectors of the economy. The prime minister will will answer questions raised by members of parliament. On June 5, the Executive Committee of the EPRDF, said it is committed to an unconditional implementation of Algiers peace agreement with Eritrea. The peace agreement ended a two-year border war that killed an estimated 70,000 people from both sides, but a tense armed standoff continued, with the two countries engaging in skirmishes occasionally. Ethiopia until this month had declined to endorse the results of the peace agreement fully, including the symbolically important town of Badme which Ethiopia currently controls but which was awarded to Eritrea. Eritrea for its part has insisted the border demarcation has to be done first before any talks on normalizing ties. Also, on June 5, the Executive Committee of the EPRDF said decision has been made to expand mixed ownership or outright full privatization of state owned enterprises such as railway projects, sugar development, industrial parks, hotels and other manufacturing industries. The committee also decided to allow minority shares in Ethio-Telecom, Ethiopian Airlines, electric power generation projects and the Ethiopian Shipping and Logistics Services Enterprise. The statement further said the move to partially liberalize key sectors is intended to increase the constructive role of Ethiopia's large diaspora population and foreign investors. Ethiopia until now has resisted liberalizing key sectors to foreign and local investors, saying it needs to protect its economy from multinational firms and ensure domestic ownership of the economy is kept intact. NAIROBI, June 17 (Xinhua) -- Kenya's ministry of environment will enact new policy and regulatory tools to promote sustainable land-use practices and halt rapid desertification linked to human activities and climatic shocks, officials said on Sunday. Keriako Tobiko, Cabinet Secretary in the Ministry of Environment and Forestry, said the government has already developed new guidelines to promote management of land and forests amid rising threat of desertification. "We have put in place sound policy and legal frameworks to promote management of natural resources such as land in order to contain spread of deserts in semi arid parts of the country," Tobiko said. He spoke during an event to mark the 2018 World Day to Combat Desertification whose theme was "Land has true value. Invest in it." Kenya is signatory to the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD) after ratifying it in 1997. Tobiko said the government and bilateral partners have invested in public awareness, reforestation and renewable energy to enhance response to climate change induced desertification. "The enactment of climate change act has given impetus on our national programs to reverse desertification. We are also implementing several projects to restore degraded landscapes in the arid and semi arid regions," said Tobiko. He said that investment in climate resilient farming and pastoralism is key to combat desertification effectively. Tobiko said Kenya will promote sustainable production and consumption models as a means to improve management of vital ecosystems that could act as a buffer against spread of deserts. Charles Sunkuli, the Principal Secretary in the ministry of environment and forestry, said that investments in land regeneration will not only halt desertification but also stimulate economic growth. "Sustainable land management will cushion rural communities from the risks associated with desertification including extreme poverty, hunger, water scarcity and resource based conflicts," Sunkuli remarked. He said that Kenya's goal to achieve 10 percent tree cover by 2022 will revitalize the war against desertification. CAIRO, June 17 (Xinhua) -- Egypt condemned the deadly suicide bombings that took place northeastern Nigeria on Sunday, leaving dozens dead and injured, the Egyptian Foreign Ministry said in a statement. "The Egyptian government and people stand in solidarity with their Nigerian counterparts in confrontation of the phenomenon of terrorism," said the Egyptian statement, expressing condolences to the families of the victims. Egypt also called for collective international efforts to combat terrorism worldwide. At least 34 people were killed and 18 others wounded following two suicide bombings and a grenade attack in Nigeria's northeastern town of Damboa. The Nigerian security officials suspect Boko Haram terrorist group to be behind it. Since its current insurgency started in northeast Nigeria in 2009, Boko Haram killed more than 20,000 people and displaced over 2.3 million, according to United Nations reports. Egypt, likewise, has been suffering terror activities at home that have killed hundreds of policemen and soldiers as well as civilians since the army toppled former Islamist President Mohamed Morsi in July 2013 in response to mass protests. Local affiliates of the Islamic State regional terrorist group claimed responsibility for most of the attacks in Egypt. ADDIS ABABA, June 17 (Xinhua) -- Ethiopia's national flag carrier Ethiopian Airlines (ET) announced on Sunday it plans to double its aircraft fleet to reach 200 within seven years. Speaking to Xinhua, Busera Awol, Chief Commercial Officer at ET, said the ambitious plan to double the aircraft fleet in a relatively short period of time is part of the airlines' plan to keep its top position among African airlines. "Earlier this month, ET celebrated the arrival of its 100th aircraft, it plans to add 19 more aircraft in the next 10 months as it strives to keep its status as Africa's most successful airlines," said Awol. He said with Ethiopian Airlines celebrating opening 112th route with the third largest U.S. city Chicago on June 10 and planning more than half a dozen new destinations in the second half of 2018 alone, the acquiring of additional aircraft is of urgent priority. "ET plans to add the Spanish city of Barcelona, Jakarta the capital of Indonesia, Turkey's largest city Istanbul and Russia's capital city Moscow and the Southern Chinese city Shenzhen in the second half of 2018, significantly expanding its global flight networks," said Awol. Ethiopian Airlines also plans to consolidate its grip on the African air service market in the coming months with regional hubs across the continent, including in Conakry, Guinea, Ndjamena, Chad, Malabo, Equatorial Guinea, Maputo, Mozambique and Lusaka, Zambia. Ethiopian Airlines currently has daily passenger flights to Guangzhou and Beijing and three times a week passenger flights to Chengdu as well as daily passenger and cargo flights to Hong Kong and Shanghai. Ethiopian Airlines became the first African carrier and the fourth in the world to fly to China back in 1973. Source: Xinhua| 2018-06-18 02:45:00|Editor: yan Video Player Close By Xinhua writers Liu Jie and Yu Jiaxin BEIJING, June 17 (Xinhua) -- Hours after the U.S. administration fired the first shot on Friday, China announced additional tariffs on U.S. goods that are of the same scale and intensity and due to take effect on the same date. China's countermeasure is responsive, passive and reciprocal. The U.S. announcement of imposing additional tariffs on 50 billion U.S. dollars worth of Chinese goods follows months of shuttle diplomacy between Washington and Beijing. China has shown utmost sincerity in rounds of negotiations with plans to meaningfully increase purchases of U.S. goods and services, to meet demands of Chinese people for higher living standards and help the United States to boost employment. The U.S. side also admitted meaningful progress and important consensus were made in the past rounds of talks, as the two sides vowed not to launch a trade war. But consensus has soon proved to be short-lived after the U.S. side demonstrated flip-flops with an obvious intention to escalate the trade spat. China does not want the trade war, but facing a capricious Washington, China has no choice but to fight back vigorously in defense of its national interests, the trend of globalization and the world's multilateral trading system. In fact, China has prepared for volatile Washington. In the wake of the latest round of talks in Beijing earlier this month, China issued a statement, stressing that the outcome of the talks should be based on the prerequisite that the two parties meet each other halfway and will not engage in a trade war. All economic and trade outcomes of the talks will not take effect if the U.S. side imposes any trade sanctions including raising tariffs. Washington obviously has turned a deft ear to this serious message of China. When it comes to defending national interests, China means business. China said it will impose an additional 25-percent tariffs starting July 6 on 545 products from the U.S. including soybeans, electric cars, orange juice, whiskey, salmon and cigars. China noticed that the U.S. side had threatened to impose additional tariffs should China take retaliatory measures. This logic of a typical bully won't make China flinch. China is ready to take corresponding measures. In this day and age, launching a trade war is outdated and backward which begets popular antipathy. Earlier this year, the Trump administration had unilaterally imposed tariffs on steel and aluminum imports, sparking strong opposition even from its major trading partners. With its closest allies rejecting the protectionism, can the United States really afford to go it alone? Reciprocal tariffs are always the last resort. But if Washington is unable to stop its capriciousness which costs the interests of people of both countries, reciprocal tariffs are the leverage China has no choice but to use. Source: Xinhua| 2018-06-18 02:55:01|Editor: yan Video Player Close GAZA, June 17 (Xinhua) -- Israel carried out five successive airstrikes Sunday on launchers of arson kites and balloons as well as military facilities in the Gaza Strip. No injuries were reported, medics and security officials said. The security officials said that Israeli army drones fired two missiles at Palestinian young men in two separate incidents on Sunday as they were launching and releasing kites and balloons carrying fire bombs and Molotov cocktails in central Gaza Strip. Later on Sunday, Israeli war jets targeted with three separate missiles a military facility that belongs to Hamas movement's militants in central Gaza Strip, also causing no injuries. Earlier on Sunday morning, the Israeli army struck with a missile an empty car in eastern Gaza city with no injuries reported. The Israeli army said in a statement that the car belongs to the leader of the kites and balloons launchers. On Saturday, two kites and balloons launchers were moderately injured after they were targeted by a missile fired from an Israeli army drone east of al-Bureij refugee camp close to the border with Israel. Over the past four days, Palestinian security officials in Gaza said that the Israeli army carried out around seven airstrikes targeting activists who fly and release arson kites and balloons that caused huge fires into agricultural fields in southern Israel. Flying and releasing kites and balloons are part of an activity of the rallies and protests the Palestinians call "the Great March of Return and Breaking the Israeli Siege," which started in the Gaza Strip on March 30. Ashraf al-Qedra, the health ministry spokesman in Gaza told reporters that the death toll since March 30 has grown up to 128 killed and around 14,000 injured; around half of them were shot by live ammunition and many of them are still in critical condition. Meanwhile, the highest commission said in an emailed press statement that the Israeli army is trying to militarize the protests and rallies that are fully popular and peaceful. The statement condemned targeting young Palestinians who launch kites and balloons that are made in the frame of the peaceful and popular activities of the march. The group accused Israel of justifying the use of excessive force against the Palestinian activists, adding that "Israel is trying to show those activists as militants to prepare for committing war crimes against them." Source: Xinhua| 2018-06-18 03:10:03|Editor: yan Video Player Close QINGDAO, June 17 (Xinhua) -- The first Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) film festival dropped the curtain Sunday in Qingdao, east China's Shandong Province, with the Golden Seagull Awards presented. Enter the Forbidden City, a Chinese film, and the Afghan film Mina Walking won the Best Picture Award. Mina Walking's director Yosef Baraki won the Best Director Award, and the honor of the Best Screenplays was shared by Andrey Taratukhin and Dmitry Lanchikhin for the Russian film Thawed Carp, and Mahesh Narayan and P.V. Shajikumar for the Indian film Take Off. The Best Actor Award went to Akylbek Abdykalykov in the Kyrgyzstani film Night Accident, and Toleubek Aralbai in the Kazakhstani film Little Prince of The Big City. The Best Actress Award were garnered by Odonchimeg Ishdorj in the Mongolian film Insane Mother and Zhou Xun in the Chinese film Our Time Will Come. Special Jury Awards went to the Uzbekistani film Yo'L Bo'Lsin, the Tajikistani film the Air Safar, the Iranian film Mermaid, the Pakistani film Punjab Nahi Jaungi and the Belarusian film Tum-Pabi-Dum. Opening on Wednesday, the festival was a major cultural activity following the latest SCO summit in Qingdao. A total of 55 films produced in the past two years by 12 countries have been screened in Qingdao in the past five days, attracting nearly 50,000 viewers. During the festival, 25 movie companies from the SCO member states showed their films and equipment, increasing understanding of each other's movies and culture. "These films represent the high levels of movie industries of their countries, and display different film styles and diverse cultures," said Li Guoqi, deputy director of the State Film Administration. The festival also aims to promote international communication in film industries, and has witnessed cooperation agreements signed by China and over 20 countries and regions. Both Beijing Film Academy and China Film Co., Ltd. announced to offer study and research opportunities for students and practitioners in movie industries from SCO member states. NAIROBI, June 17 (Xinhua) -- Kenyan President Uhuru Kenyatta and Zambian President Edgar Lungu on Sunday resolved to boost economic and security cooperation between the two countries. The two leaders in a joint statement issued in Nairobi after holding bilateral talks agreed to increase cooperation in sectors including tourism, transport, trade, investment, air link and regional security. "Part of the deals reached on cooperation in tourism, where Kenya has vast experience, included the training of 50 Zambian students at the globally renowned Kenya Utalii College. The training is scheduled to start as soon as feasible," they said. The two countries have long enjoyed warm relations where they cooperate in areas such as agriculture, tourism, education and information communication and technology (ICT). The Zambian president, who has been in Kenya on a private visit, visited a college in the coastal town of Kilifi to appraise himself with the development of the tourism sector in Kenya. According to Kenya's presidency, the two countries have an existing MOU on science, technology and innovation. DAR ES SALAAM, June 17 (Xinhua) -- Civil society organizations in Tanzania on Sunday advised the government to broaden its tax base and ensure proper allocation of resources for successful implementation of its 2018 budget. The organizations under Policy Forum said some of the measures to broaden the tax base and increase revenues included identification and formalization of business, enhancing the use of electronic fiscal devices, and appropriate supervision of the Tanzania Revenue Authority. Nicholas Lekule, Policy Forum manager responsible for budget and policy analysis, said in a news conference in the capital Dodoma that the government has been struggling to finance the budget through its internal revenue collections but it has never attained the goal. "There should be strategies to increase revenue collections since donors do not fully honor their pledges," said Lekule. Lekule suggested that the government increase budget in the education, health and agricultural sectors and called on the government to ensure timely disbursement of funds allocated to the education and agricultural sectors. The agricultural sector which employs 66 percent of Tanzanian population and contributes 30 percent to GDP has continued to record slow growth at an average of 3.7 percent annually over the past 10 years. Presenting budget estimates for the 2018 financial year, the Minister for Finance and Planning, Philip Mpango, said on Thursday Tanzania will raise its spending in 2018 fiscal year to 14 billion U.S. dollars, up by 2.4 percent compared with the previous year. The bulk of spending will be allocated to infrastructure, education and water projects, said Mpango. Source: Xinhua| 2018-06-18 04:15:12|Editor: mmm Video Player Close A Croatian police boat takes crew members from a damaged Turkish cargo ship in Split, Croatia, on June 17, 2018. The Turkish cargo ship that suffered damage near Jabuka island off southern Croatia on Sunday morning will be dragged to the Trogir shipyard during the night, Split maritime police commissioner Joso Vujic told the media. (Xinhua/Ivo Cagalj) ZAGREB, June 17 (Xinhua) -- The Turkish cargo ship that suffered damage near Jabuka island off southern Croatia on Sunday morning will be dragged to the Trogir shipyard during the night, Split maritime police commissioner Joso Vujic told the media. Croatian news agency quoted Vujic as saying that there was no danger of the ship sinking or pollution in the Adriatic Sea. Eight of the 13 crew member on the Turkish ship Haksa were brought to Split port by a police boat, while the captain and another four crew members stayed on the ship. The incident happened at around 4 a.m. Sunday, when the crew of the ship reported sea water going into the underwater freight vessel. It occurred in international waters 16 miles northwest of Croatian island Jabuka. The police commissioner told reporters that the ship likely suffered damage because it was old. The 85-meter-long ship was transporting 3,000 tonnes of magnesite from Turkey to Slovenian port Koper. "We have shown with this operation that all state search and rescue services are ready and can respond to any challenge at sea, showing Croatia to be a safe tourist destination," Vujic said at the press conference. The assistant to the Minister of Maritime Affairs and Transport, Sinisa Orlic, told reporters that a very dangerous situation was successfully solved as it seemed earlier in the morning that the ship would sink. He explained that the rescuers attached an aluminum plate at the opening where the water was penetrating and that the situation is under control. "We hope that this will end without human sacrifices and without pollution of the sea," Orlic said at the press conference. HELSINKI, June 17 (Xinhua) -- A Finnish citizen arrested in London last weekend on suspicion of preparation of terrorist acts has been released. The 29-year-old Finnish national was released on Friday and no further action will be taken, according to the London metropolitan police on Sunday. The Finnish man was stopped by police officers under the British 2000 terrorism act as he attempted to board a connecting flight at Heathrow Airport a week ago. A Finnish security police spokesperson told Finnish newspaper Helsingin Sanomat last Thursday that the Finnish security police had cooperated on this case with British police. Helsingin Saomat noted on Sunday evening that this was the third time a Finnish national was detained in the UK on a terrorism charge during the last two years. One of the detainees was later convicted, while another got no terrorism related conviction, but was imprisoned on another charge. Canaccord Genuity reissued a buy rating and issued a C$27.00 price target on shares of Canada Goose Holdings in a report on Monday, April 10th. Therefore 100% are positive. GOOS outperformed the S&P500 by 107.78%. Koch Industries Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Canada Goose in the first quarter worth about $452,000. For the quarter ending March 31, Canada Goose reported net income of almost $8.1 million in Canadian dollars or 7 cents per share. TD Securities maintained the stock with "Hold" rating in Wednesday, April 12 report. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 556,900 shares of the company's stock worth $17,596,000 after buying an additional 96,700 shares during the period. Canada Goose (TSE:GOOS) had its price objective hoisted by Barclays from C$50.00 to C$64.00 in a report published on Thursday. Canada Goose Holdings Inc is a Canada-based company, which is a designer, manufacturer, distributor and retailer of outerwear for men, women and children. Finally, Instinet began coverage on shares of Canada Goose Holdings in a report on Monday, April 10th. The company has a market capitalization of $4.70 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 136.88, a PEG ratio of 2.47 and a beta of 2.60. "Stock Rose 13% Last Month" on June 08, 2018. The Company operates through two segments: Wholesale and Direct to Consumer. It has a 97.98 P/E ratio. The Short Hills and Montreal locations will be the first locations in North America to offer a "cold room" - an immersive experience where fans can test the brand's warmest parkas in temperatures as low as -25 Celsius (-13 Fahrenheit) to find the flawless jacket for the adventure they seek. Canada Goose shares surged nearly 30 per cent to close at a record high of $78.01 in Toronto after touching $81.30 earlier in the day. GOOS stock was up 25% as of Friday afternoon and is up 44% year-to-date. Eurazeo is a private equity and venture capital firm specializing in growth capital, leveraged buyouts, and buyins of a private company, and investments in mid-market and listed public companies in the Fintech sector. The firm seeks to invest in medium-sized or large companies, SMEs, high growth companies, and real estate management and investment activities. It primarily invests in United States, France, Italy, and other European countries. Receive News & Ratings Via Email - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings with our daily email newsletter. RABAT, June 17 (Xinhua) -- An increasing number of African migrants are trying to reach Europe via Morocco, while number of migrants who choose the Libyan-Italian route declined. On Friday, 307 people were rescued in the Strait of Gibraltar, while the bodies of four dead were recovered. This number adds up to some 1,153 migrants arriving at Spain's southern shores in the first 10 days of June, according to the International Organization for Migration (IOM). On the Moroccan side, security forces arrested some 57 migrants as they were embarking on a boat in route to Europe Friday, and arrested 155 others on Saturday for attempt to organize an illegal migration operation. These figures reflect a returning focus of migration attempts via Morocco to Spain after years of surge in the Libyan-Italian route. According to IOM, more than 9,315 reached Spain by sea from January to June 10 compared to only 4,161 migrants during the first half of 2017, and 8,100 during the whole year of 2016. A vast majority of these migrants are likely to have arrived from Morocco as distance between Spain and Morocco is shorter compared with other North African countries. Meanwhile, the number of migrants arriving in Italy, typically from the more favored Libyan route, has drastically declined. A total of 14,330 migrants reached Italy between January and June 2018, down from 61,799 migrants during the same period last year. However, passing through Morocco and avoiding war-wracked Libya is perilous, too. At least 244 people have died at sea so far this year trying to cross to Spain, an increase of more than 400 percent year on year, IOM statistics show. The shifting of the routes is partly because of the stricter counter-migration measures in Libya and Italy, the humiliating conditions the migrants are experiencing in Libya and the growing number of African migrants arriving in Morocco. Thousands of sub-Saharan African migrants try to flee poverty and unrest in their countries via Morocco to Europe every year, either by land into Ceuta and Melilla, two Spanish ports in the Moroccan territory, or by sea to Spain, often in flimsy vessels. According to Morocco's Interior Ministry, security forces arrested some 50,000 illegal migrants in 2017 and dismantled over 70 organized illegal migration networks. In addition to the security approach, Morocco has adopted since 2014 more open migration policy, opening windows to migrants to earn legal status in the country. The North African kingdom organized two operations to regularize the status of these migrants in 2014 and 2016. In the first operation, over 23,000 have been granted a legal status, most of the from sub-Saharan Africa. In the second operation, which ended last December, the Moroccan authorities received some 28,400 requests. HELSINKI, June 17 (Xinhua) -- Once holding a negative stand towards the use of nuclear energy, Finnish Green Party seems to have adopted a more practical attitude. Touko Aalto, chairman of the Green Party said on Sunday the party "is no longer dogmatic about nuclear power." He told the media after the party's convention in Vantaa, near Helsinki, that "the party takes a stand when the matter comes up". Aalto told newspaper Helsingin Sanomat that nuclear power "used to be opposed on ideological grounds ... but today it is actually endorsed on ideological grounds." The party's program accepted in the convention noted that the Green Party has an "open attitude towards all research and development of all low-emissions and environmental friendly technology." In a vote at the convention, only a small minority was categorically against nuclear power, Helsingin Sanomat reported. The Green Party's nuclear power policy has been a fact that had to be taken into account in the composition of governments during recent decades in Finland. In 2014, the Green Party walked out of the then coalition government following the government's acceptance of an amendment to the authorization for a nuclear power plant in northwestern Finland. In 2002, the Greens ended their participation in a government coalition as a protest against the government's acceptance of another nuclear power plant project. The Green party currently enjoys 13-14 percent backing in Finland. It is a drop from the height last year, but is still higher than the party's long time average. Local observers have noted the next government, to be appointed after May 2019 parliamentary election, may have to take a stand on further nuclear construction such as additional output in Loviisa, on the south coast. You have permission to edit this article. Edit Close Coun Perez reiterates warning to barangay leaders involved in drugs 07 Aug 2017 Hits:37 Comments(0) Liga ng mga Barangay President, Councilor Jerry Perez yesterday reiterated his warning to all barangay officials from using or selling drugs. Perez said he is closely monitoring the activities of all the barangay officials and vowed sanctions against erring leaders. Aqui gane na mio barangay ya quita ya iyo na puesto cunel dos barangay leaders quien mas temprano ya sale positivo na... A judge revoked Paul Manafort's bail Friday as he awaits trial on conspiracy and other federal charges. Mr Manafort was accused of contacting people related to his case in breach of his bail terms. Mr. Graham said the president "has been a friend to me", but was willing to "tell him when he is wrong". "I can't take away his phone". Unfortunately for him, news keeps happening, like the charge that the Donald J. Trump Foundation is, legally speaking, less "a charity" than it is "a Russian nesting doll of scams". Sending the former Trump campaign chairman to jail could boost the pressure on him to cut a deal with special counsel Robert Mueller. Donald Trump's former campaign chief was sent to jail on Friday (Jun 15) pending trial on a series of federal charges, as the U.S. president ramped up efforts to discredit the wider probe into possible collusion between his campaign team and Moscow. If, for example, Obama's 2008 campaign manager David Plouffe, his deputy campaign manager Steve Hildebrand, his national security adviser Thomas Donilon and a campaign foreign policy adviser (say, Samantha Power or Denis McDonough) all pleaded guilty to crimes, the GOP would have long ago started screaming for the president to resign. Trump has countered with increasingly forceful rhetoric in his attempts to discredit Mueller's probe and the Federal Bureau of Investigation. CNN host Kate Bolduan on Friday asked Graham about several recent statements and decisions by Trump and why he continues to defend the president. Speaking to reporters earlier, Trump sought to play down Manafort's influence on the campaign, saying he "worked for me for a very short period of time". "I feel badly for some people because they've gone back 12 years to find things about somebody". Manafort was not sentenced, as Trump suggested. Trump's tweet also comes after he's issued a series of high-profile pardons, some for prosecutions he's claimed were "unfair". Manafort has pleaded not guilty to the charges. His lawyers didn't immediately comment after the hearing. He's first scheduled to go to trial in Virginia on another case brought by Mueller involving charges of bank fraud, tax evasion and failing to report foreign bank accounts. "You've abused the trust placed in you", she later added. Mr Manafort is now confined to his home in the Washington suburb of Alexandria, Virginia, and forced to wear a Global Positioning System monitoring device. She denied his lawyers' request to delay his detention while they appeal. This week, prosecutors submitted as evidence a four-page memo that Mr. Manafort wrote to Mr. Yanukovych detailing his campaign to convince members of Congress, the State Department and the Western news media that Mr. Yanukovych, who was elected Ukraine's president in 2010, was a champion of democratic reforms. Manafort lobbied in Europe on behalf of the Ukrainian government that was overthrown in a US-backed coup in February 2014. A June 8 indictment accused Manafort and an aide with tampering with witnesses about their past lobbying for Ukraine's former pro-Russian government. Bhojpuri film 'Bin Tere O Sathi Re' that features an ensemble cast of newcomers is all set to be released on June 22. The film has been facing delay due to distributors' lack of interest in the film owing to the absence of any Bhojpuri superstar in the project. 'Bin Tere O Sathi Re' has been directed by Gopal Pandey and produced by Meena Kesari. As per reports, the film producers on several occasions asked the distributors to release the film. But the film kept on getting delayed as the distributors did not show any interest in releasing the film. The film stars young actor Gaurav Jha, Ritu Singh, Sanjay Verma, Dinesh Sinha among others. Here are some of the posters of the film: As per reports, after the distributors' negligence towards the film, the producers decided to release 'Bin Tere O Sathi Re' himself across theatres. The film, which got screened at a handful of theatres, created a stir and ran houseful at those theatres. The film has been running successfully at theatres for consecutive three weeks. In Mumbai, the film was released in theatres and here too, the shows ran houseful which pulled the distributors' attention towards itself. It is said that after looking at the response 'Bin Tere O Sathi Re' received, the distributors have finally decided to release the film full-fledged, much to the surprise of the producer. The digital promotion of the film will be done by BFilms (Digital Media). Director Gopal Pandey said that after watching the movie, some audiences advised the filmmaker to make more such films. New Delhi: One of the most-popular actresses of Bhojpuri movie industry, Monalisa is an avid social media user. The actress keeps her fans updated about her latest work by sharing a number of photographs on the photo-sharing app, Instagram. The recent picture of hers has grabbed our attention as the actress looks alluring in a black coloured jumpsuit. The picture was captioned as- A Smile Is A Curve.... That Sets Everything Straight... ? Being Sexy Is All About Attitude... Not Body Type ... #offshoot #selfie #oftheday A post shared by MONALISA (@aslimonalisa) on Jun 15, 2018 at 11:03am PDT Monalisa appeared in season 10 in one of the most controversial yet popular reality television show Bigg Boss. She became a household name after appearing the show hosted by Bollywood superstar Salman Khan. She married her Bhojpuri co-star Vikrant Singh Rajpoot while she was inside the house of Bigg Boss. Her wedding ceremony was aired on national television. The actress has set the internet on fire ever since she emerged as Jhuma Boudi in Dupur Thakurpo season 2, a Bengali web-series. Monalisa aka Antara Biswas is a very popular name in the Bhojpuri film industry. She is one of the highest paid actresses. She made her debut in a film titled Bhole Shankar in 2008 and has worked in a number of films since then. New Delhi: Bhojpuri sizzler Monalisa, who is quite active on social media, has posted an adorable message for her father on the occasion of Father's Day. Taking to Instagram she wrote, "My Father Gave Me The Greatest Gift... Anyone Could Give Another Person.... HE BELIEVED IN ME ... happy Fathers day ... #happy #blessed The actress keeps her fans updated about her latest work assignments by sharing photographs on the photo-sharing app, Instagram. Monalisa appeared in season 10 in one of the most controversial yet popular reality television show Bigg Boss. She became a household name after appearing the show hosted by Bollywood superstar Salman Khan. She married her Bhojpuri co-star Vikrant Singh Rajpoot while she was inside the house of Bigg Boss. Her wedding ceremony was aired on national television. The actress has set the internet on fire ever since she emerged as Jhuma Boudi in Dupur Thakurpo season 2, a Bengali web-series. Monalisa aka Antara Biswas is a very popular name in the Bhojpuri film industry. She is one of the highest paid actresses. She made her debut in a film titled Bhole Shankar in 2008 and has worked in a number of films since then. New Delhi: Ranveer Singh stunned everyone by his look as Alauddin Khilji in Sanjay Leela Bhansali's 'Padmaavat'. The actor is ready to take the silver screen by storm yet again by playing a super cop in Rohit Shetty directorial 'Simmba'. The actor never fails to impress us with his quirky sense of humour, off-beat outfits and outstanding performances in films. Ranveer is one of the most-popular actors of B-Town and can be rightly termed as 'the powerhouse of talent'. Noted film critic and trade analyst Taran Adarsh took to Twitter to share Ranveer's look from 'Simmba'. The actor looks dapper in the garb of a cop and the way he looks at the camera will leave you intrigued. Ranveer Singh's look from #Simmba... Directed by Rohit Shetty... 28 Dec 2018 release., Adarsh wrote on Twitter. Check out his tweet right here: Ranveer Singh's look from #Simmba... Directed by Rohit Shetty... 28 Dec 2018 release. pic.twitter.com/97zH6o9Ha1 taran adarsh (@taran_adarsh) June 17, 2018 'Simmba' is Ranveer's first with Rohit and the filmmakers maiden venture with Karan Johars Dharma Productions banner. There were reports suggesting that the film may have Ajay Devgn on board for a cameo but the makers haven't yet made any announcement. Rohit is a very close friend of to Ajay and he has delivered a number of blockbusters Golmaal series, Singham, Singham Returns with him already. He has also worked with Shah Rukh Khan to give a super-hit film like Chennai Express to Bollywood. 'Simmba' will also mark Ranveer's first film as a police officer and it will be interesting to see how he pulls off this role. The film will hit theatres on December 28, 2018. New Delhi: Ten Gurudwaras in the national capital including the historical Bangla Sahib Gurudwara have implemented the food safety and hygiene standards set by food regulator FSSAI. The stricter set of food safety standards and hygiene have been put in place at all the 10 Gurudwaras where around one lakh devotees partake Langar, said Delhi Sikh Gurudwara Management Committee (DSGMC) president Manjit Singh. The Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) has initiated Project BHOG (Blissful Hygienic Offering to God) to encourage all places of worship in the country to adopt and maintain food safety and hygiene in the preparation of Prasad. The project was among the Safe and Nutritious Food (SNF) bouquet of initiatives launched by the country's apex food regulator last year. "DSGMC has surpassed the stringent targets set by Union Ministry of Health under FSSAI's project BHOG to ensure that Sikh Sangat (visiting devotees) are served safe, hygienic and nutritious prasad at all the ten historic historic gurudwaras managed by it in national capital," Singh claimed. Around one Lakh devotees partake Prasad (Guru Ka Langar) in these Gurdwaras on week days and the number rises more than five Lakhs on weekend and festive occasions, he said. The management committee has set up food safety and hygiene standards for the community kitchens preparing Langar and Prasad with rules related with procurement of ingredients like ghee, vegetables, milk and grains. Desi ghee and edible oils purchased by the committee for use in Langar are standardised and tested for purity in government labs. Payment to suppliers is made only after the lab reports are obtained, he said. Vegetables are directly procured from Azadpur Mandi to ensure freshness and nutritional contents, while fortified staple items rice, flour and milk are procured to make prasad nutritious and wholesome, he said. Reverse osmosis (RO) plants have been set up to provide clean water for cooking to prevent contamination of food. Apart from materials used, the training and adoption of hygienic practices by the food handlers is being closely monitored, Singh said. All regular employees engaged in Langar kitchen are required to wear aprons, gloves and head covers. Certain items like chapatis are prepared using standard equipment without being touched by food handlers. All Langar premises are cleaned twice a day to ensure proper sanitation and hygiene standards, he said. The management committee is in regular touch with civic agencies to ensure strict adherence to guidelines and directives for hygienic maintenance of Langar places. A non-profit group has been engaged by the committee for regular training and updating of the Langar employees and food handlers in matters relating to food safety and hygiene standards, Singh said. Workshops and training sessions are organised for the food handlers and vendors in Gurudwaras to sensitise them about the need for food safety regulations and health hygiene, he added. New Delhi: The Aam Aadmi Party's (AAP) protest march from Mandi House to Prime Minister Narendra Modi's residence was stopped at Parliament street on Sunday. The Delhi police said that the party had not received permission for the march. They don't have permission (for protest march). They've been contained at Parliament street. They're being told that they can't go any further. Specially trained personnel are deployed here. We're sure they'll (AAP members & protesters) listen to us: DCP New Delhi on AAP protest pic.twitter.com/eR5lqQWOXg ANI (@ANI) June 17, 2018 Visuals of AAP members & supporters at Parliament Street. They were marching towards PM residence to support Delhi CM's demand that Delhi Lt Governor end strike by bureaucrats. Delhi DCP says 'They've been contained at Parliament street & are being told they can't go any further' pic.twitter.com/CftpRdA71J ANI (@ANI) June 17, 2018 The march which began around 5 pm was in support of Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal and three of his Cabinet colleagues, Manish Sisodia, Satyendar Jain and Gopal Rai, who have been holding a sit-in at the Lt Governor's office for the last one week, demanding that Anil Baijal direct IAS officers to end their 'strike'. They also demand that the LG approve the proposal for doorstep delivery of ration. , , , , , , - ! ! pic.twitter.com/lKjhL9wSOQ AAP (@AamAadmiParty) June 13, 2018 Also, five prime Metro stations in the heart of Delhi were on Sunday closed. Lok Kalyan Marg metro station, which falls in the vicinity of PM Modi's residence at 7, Lok Kalyan Marg, was the first to have been shut ahead of the march. "As advised by Delhi Police, no entry or exit will be available at Lok Kalyan Marg station from 12 noon onwards till further directions," a senior DMRC official had said earlier. He had later said that four more stations were closed, but interchange facilities at central secretariat station would be available. "As advised by the police, entry and exit at four more metro stations will be closed from 2 pm onwards till further directions. The stations are - Patel Chowk, Central Secretariat, Udyog Bhawan and Janpath," the official had said. "However, interchange between Yellow and Violet Lines at Central Secretariat will remain available," he had added. Kejriwal had on Friday said that the march was planned after his letters to the PM, seeking his intervention in the matter, drew no response. Kejriwal on Saturday had alleged that there is de facto president's rule in Delhi because of what the AAP government describes as an ongoing IAS officers' 'strike'. In response to a tweet about IAS officers 'withdrawing from work', he had tweeted, "I agree. It is de facto president's rule in Delhi through IAS strike." I dont think Honble LG can take such a decision on his own. Obviously, PMO has directed him to refuse permission. Just like IAS strike is being done at PMOs instance. https://t.co/hKEe99s8Fp Arvind Kejriwal (@ArvindKejriwal) June 16, 2018 Good morning Delhi , ? Arvind Kejriwal (@ArvindKejriwal) June 17, 2018 On Sunday, he posted another tweet requesting PM Modi to ask IAS officers to call off their 'strike'. , , - IAS https://t.co/hXnPNpUK7E Arvind Kejriwal (@ArvindKejriwal) June 17, 2018 Meanwhile, asserting that they were 'being used for political ends', IAS officers on Sunday said that they were not on 'strike' as claimed by Kejriwal. They also said that all files were being moved and that they were feeling frightened and victimised. "I would like to inform that we are not on strike. The information that IAS officers in Delhi are on strike is completely false and baseless. We are attending meetings, all departments are doing their works. We are sometimes also working on holidays, all work is being done, all files are being moved... Reports over how desilting of drains has been hampered due to our so-called strike is also not true," Manisha Saxena, IAS, said. "We are only accountable to the law. We are completely apolitical and neutral. We have never been required to come out and clarify our stand," she added. Another IAS officer, Transport Commissioner Varsha Joshi, said, "I have been targeted by social media handles of a certain political party in an unfair manner. The way we have been forced to do certain jobs is not righ... We are feeling frightened and victimised, we are being used for political ends, we are here only for work... All files are being moved... Work not being hampered... Shocked and scared after chief secretary's 'assault'." (With PTI inputs) Ahmedabad: The tribal people, who are generally on the margins of the financial system, will soon have easy access to ATM services in Gujarat. Around 40 locations have been identified in Gujarat's tribal belt where ATMs (automated teller machines) will be installed by banks in the coming months, state tribal development department secretary Ramesh Chand Meena told PTI. "Our aim is to provide the basic banking facilities to those living in some of the most remote pockets of the tribal-dominated districts, where ATMs are not available. A large population is these areas is forced to travel a great distance to deposit or withdraw cash," he said. The state government has signed memorandums of understanding (MoUs) with leading banks to set up ATMs at 40 locations in remote places of the tribal belt, which stretches from Tapi district in south Gujarat to Sabarkantha district in the north, Meena said. "We conducted a survey and found that one ATM can serve a population living in its vicinity of around 20 km. This way, these 40 ATMs would cover a large population. The ATMs will solve their problem of getting instant cash and also allow them to deposit cash," he said. These ATMs, he said, will be located near 'haats', the traditional market places thronged by tribals frequently. Sincewages under the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MNREGA) and other subsidies are deposited directly in bank accounts by the government, the tribals will soon be able to withdraw it directly through ATMs without visiting banks, the official said. One of the key features of this financial inclusion initiative is the overdraft facility of Rs 2,000, wherein the tribal account holders can withdraw that much cash more than the actual deposits in their account, he said. For this Rs 10 crore project, the state and the Centre have allocated Rs 5 crore each, he said, adding that tribals in the remote pockets were recently imparted training by banks on how to operate ATMs. "As per our agreements with banks, the state governmentwill bear 50 per cent infrastructure cost of setting upthe ATMs. The government will also support banks inmaintaining these devices for five years," he said. The government will also provide space to open ATM centres at state-run schools or panchayat offices, thus saving banks from the hassles of finding locations in the remote pockets, Meena said. Some of the remote talukas and towns in Sabarkantha, Dahod, Chhota Udepur, Narmada, Tapi and Dangdistricts will be among the places covered under the project, he added. Mumbai: The ruling alliance partners in Maharashtra, the BJP and the Shiv Sena, are set for a clash again in the biennial elections to the Legislative Council, after a bitter face-off in the Palghar Lok Sabha bypoll. Elections will be held on June 25 for the Mumbai Graduates', Mumbai Teachers', Konkan Graduates' and Nashik Teachers' constituencies for the Legislature's Upper House. The terms of sitting members - Deepak Sawant (of Shiv Sena - Mumbai Graduates), Kapil Patil (of Lok Bharati party - Mumbai Teachers), Niranjan Davkhare (who switched over from NCP to BJP - Konkan Graduates) and Apoorva Hire (an independent - Nashik Teachers) - are expiring on July 7. The elections have assumed significance as the Shiv Sena has denied ticket to Deepak Sawant, the state health minister, from the Mumbai Graduates' constituency which he represented for two consecutive terms. Besides, the election in the Konkan Graduates' seat is also going to be keenly watched as sitting MLC Niranjan Davkhare last month quit the NCP to join the BJP. Total 71 candidates are in fray for the four seats. The ruling allies will clash in the Konkan and the Mumbai Graduates' constituencies. Davkhare of the BJP will take on Sena's Sanjay More in the Konkan Graduates' seat. The NCP has fielded Najeeb Mulla, who has support of the Congress and other like-minded parties. In the Mumbai Graduates' seat, Vilas Potnis of the Shiv Sena is pitted against BJP's Amit Mehta. The Congress and the NCP have lent support to independent Rajendra Korde. Jalinder Sarode of the Lok Bharati party is also in fray from the seat. In the Mumbai Teachers' seat, Shiv Sena's Shivaji Shendge will clash with sitting MLC Kapil Patil (Lok Bharati). Patil has the support of the Congress and the NCP while the BJP is backing independent nominee Anil Deshmukh. In Nashik Teachers' seat, BJP's Aniket Patil is pitted against 23 independents. The NCP is supporting independent candidate Sandeep Bedse. When asked about the ruling allies pitted against each other in two of the four Council seats going to polls, BJP spokesman Keshav Upadhyay said his party is in favour of an alliance. "If the alliance materialises in future, we will contest together," he added. Maharashtra Congress president Ashok Chavan said his party had never contested the teachers' and graduates' constituencies in the Legislative Council but supported independents and like-minded parties. A graduates' constituency is one in which only graduates from any recognised Indian university, or having an equivalent qualification, can vote. In a teachers' constituency, only a full-time teacher in at least a secondary school or higher is eligible to vote. In the 78-member Maharashtra Legislative Council, 31 MLCs are elected by the state Assembly members, 21 by local authorities, 12 are nominated by the governor and seven each (total 14) are elected by graduates and teachers. The constituencies, seven each for teachers and graduates, are (division wise) - Mumbai, Pune, Konkan, Aurangabad, Nagpur, Nashik, and Amravati. After the signature, Tsipras crossed over to the Macedonian side of Lake Prespa for lunch, becoming the first Greek prime minister to visit the neighboring state. Once ratified by the respective parliaments in each country and confirmed by a referendum in Macedonia by the end of the year, the agreement will also enable the landlocked state to eventually join the European Union and North Atlantic Treaty Organisation. "This shameful deal will not pass, we will defend Macedonia's name and pride", said Petre Filipovski, 40, dressed in the trademark red T-thirt of the opposition VMRO-DPMNE party. Macedonia's Prime Minister Zaev said the deal put an end of the barren policies of the past that focused on isolation and self-isolation. Meanwhile, violence erupted Sunday when protesters demonstrating against the deal in the nearby village of Pisoderi tried to break through a police cordon and reach the lakeside village of Psarades where the ceremony was taking place. Macedonia was admitted to the United Nations in 1993 under the provisional name of the "Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia", but more than 120 countries including Russian Federation and the United States have recognized the Balkan country under the name of "Republic of Macedonia". Zaev is to arrive by boat from across the lake, to be greeted by Tsipras. Others chanted the Greek national anthem. Opposition MPs accused Tsipras of being too compromising on the issue, an argument that as many as 70 percent of Greeks agreed with in an opinion poll published by the Proto Thema newspaper on Saturday. Moscow has noticeably refused to endorse the agreement. "It knows that this will see Macedonia join North Atlantic Treaty Organisation", he said. "There will be fears that Russian Federation may now try to somehow influence the vote", Ker-Lindsay sadi. Greece and the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia (FYROM) have signed a deal that, if ratified, will resolve a decades-old dispute concerning the latter country's name. "Our two countries should step out of the past and look to the future", said Macedonia Prime Minister Zoran Zaev. "We were bold enough to take a step forward". While the European Union and the United Nations welcomed the agreement, thousands of Greek protesters rallied outside Greece's Parliament building, accusing the prime minister of being a "traitor", according to Reuters. Greece argued that the name "Macedonia" implied territorial claims on its province of the same name, which is the birthplace of the ancient warrior king Alexander the Great, and usurped its ancient Greek heritage and history. Speaking during the debate, Defense Minister and Independent Greeks head Panos Kammenos stressed that voting against the no-confidence motion was not a vote in favor of the Macedonia name deal, which he vowed to reject when it is eventually brought to parliament. Veteran UN mediator Matthew Nimetz, who has been overseeing talks for a quarter century, described the agreement as an honourable deal. It was, he said, an example of "how neighbours can solve a problem if they really work at it". "Today is my birthday", said Nimetz, who turned 79 on Sunday. Both prime ministers also attended, along with United Nations mediator Matthew Nimetz and other European officials. Kapurthala/Amritsar: Punjab Local Bodies and Tourism Minister Navjot Singh Sidhu on Sunday reiterated that the drive against illegal colonies and buildings in the state would continue despite resistance by some people, including from his own party. The government would take a tough stand against the illegal colonizers and builders who would obstruct the ongoing drive in the state, Sidhu said while talking to media persons here after inspecting the ongoing repair of heritage buildings in Kapurthala. Replying to a question regarding complaints by some Congress MLAs against him to Chief Minister Amarinder Singh, he said he was not bothered about "such complaints and his department would continue the drive". Notably, Congress MLA of Jalandhar (West) constituency, Sushil Rinku, had staged a protest for nearly two hours on Friday and allegedly did not let a team of the municipal corporation demolish an illegal structure in his constituency. Rinku had said that the "state government should make some policy for these poor people whose structures would be demolished". Sidhu, during a visit to Amritsar, said, "I am with Punjab and I will not spare anyone who tries to grab the land of Punjab." "I cannot allow violations and not take action against those not taking permissions. I am firm on my stand," he added. "Punjab Government cannot surrender and just allow people to do violations and grab the land of Punjab," Sidhu said. In Kapurthala, the minister inspected the ongoing maintenance work of the Darbar Hall and the Moorish Mosque. He said the government would take a stand on the dilapidated condition of the Jagatjit Palace housing Sainik school, Kapurthala and asked the school authorities to shift the school to adjoining more than 100 acres of land lying vacant in Sainik school. Sidhu said the state government would allot 100 acres of land and bear the cost of construction of new school building. He said the government had already announced Rs 10 crore for this purpose. The minister said the Jagatjit Palace and the Darbar Hall would become a place of attraction for the tourists and Kapurthala would become a sought after tourist destination. Sidhu said the Tourism department has enough funds amounting to Rs 590 crore to promote tourism industry in the state. He disclosed that Harike would be developed soon and tented accommodation would be provided to the tourists to enjoy the site of migratory birds. Meanwhile, during his visit to Amritsar on Sunday, Sidhu announced that holy city will be made the tourism capital of northern India. Sidhu said that all measures were being taken to unlock the potential of Amritsar and give visitors a programmed visit to this place and tourism spots of surrounding areas. He visited various tourist destinations in Amritsar along with a team of consultants, media persons and officials from the Tourism department. "We will make Amritsar the tourism capital of north India. This is not a hollow boast but a dream that will be fulfilled in totality," he said. Giving details on the plans to boost tourism in Amritsar, Sidhu said, "Town Hall will be a complete food street on the lines of Lahore. As Amritsar is known for its food, we will have 146 delicacies in that food street." The Punjab Tourism minister announced that an Aero city would be developed in Amritsar. "We will be developing an Aero city. It can be in the heart of city or close to the airport with around 20 hotels. Apart from the top end hotels, we also intend to have hotels which are affordable for all and not very expensive," he said. New Delhi: Asserting that they were 'being used for political ends', IAS officers on Sunday said that they were not on strike as claimed by Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal. They also said that all files were being moved and that they were feeling frightened and victimised. "I would like to inform that we are not on strike. The information that IAS officers in Delhi are on strike is completely false and baseless. We are attending meetings, all departments are doing their works. We are sometimes also working on holidays, all work is being done, all files are being moved... Reports over how desilting of drains has been hampered due to our so-called strike is also not true," Manisha Saxena, IAS, said. "We are only accountable to the law. We are completely apolitical and neutral. We have never been required to come out and clarify our stand," she added. Another IAS officer, Transport Commissioner Varsha Joshi, said, "I have been targeted by social media handles of a certain political party in an unfair manner. The way we have been forced to do certain jobs is not righ... We are feeling frightened and victimised, we are being used for political ends, we are here only for work... All files are being moved... Work not being hampered... Shocked and scared after chief secretary's 'assault'." Kejriwal alongwith his deputy Manish Sisodia, ministers Satyendar Jain and Gopal Rai, is sitting at the office of Lt Governor Anil Baijal for past one week, demanding him to direct IAS officers to end their 'strike' and approve doorstep delivery scheme of his government. The Delhi CM on Saturday had alleged that there is de facto president's rule in Delhi because of what the AAP government describes as an ongoing IAS officers' 'strike'. In response to a tweet about IAS officers 'withdrawing from work', Kejriwal had tweeted, "I agree. It is de facto president's rule in Delhi through IAS strike." I dont think Honble LG can take such a decision on his own. Obviously, PMO has directed him to refuse permission. Just like IAS strike is being done at PMOs instance. https://t.co/hKEe99s8Fp Arvind Kejriwal (@ArvindKejriwal) June 16, 2018 Good morning Delhi , ? Arvind Kejriwal (@ArvindKejriwal) June 17, 2018 Meanwhile, the Delhi BJP on Sunday accused Kejriwal of resorting to a "political stunt" in a bid to form an "anti-BJP, anti-Narendra Modi" front in the run-up to the 2019 Lok Sabha election. Leader of Opposition in the Delhi Assembly Vijender Gupta, who is sitting on an indefinite hunger strike at the CM's office in the Delhi secretariat, wrote an "open letter" to Kejriwal, asking him to look beyond "political interests" and resume work, along with his ministers. (With PTI inputs) The anti-terror operations, suspended during the month of Ramzan in Jammu and Kashmir, is set to resume as the government has decided against extending the same. The decision by the government comes after recent killing of Rising Kashmir editor-in-chief Shujaat Bukhari and Indian Army jawan Aurangzeb by terrorists in the state. Heres the full statement released by the Ministry of Home Affairs: On 17th May, 2018, Government of India took the decision that Security Forces will not conduct offensive operations in Jammu & Kashmir during the holy month of Ramazan. This decision was taken in the interests of the peace loving people of J&K, in order to provide them a conducive atmosphere to observe Ramazan. Government commends the role of Security Forces for having implemented the decision in letter and spirit in the face of grave provocation, to enable the Muslim brothers and sisters to observe Ramazan in a peaceful manner. This has been widely appreciated by the people all over the country, including J&K, and has brought relief to the common citizens. It was expected that everyone will cooperate in ensuring the success of this initiative. While the Security Forces have displayed exemplary restraint during this period, the terrorists have continued with their attacks, on civilians and Security Forces, resulting in deaths and injuries. Security Forces are being directed to take all necessary actions as earlier to prevent terrorists from launching attacks and indulging in violence and killings. Government will continue with its endeavour to create an environment free of terror and violence in Jammu & Kashmir. It is important that all sections of peace loving people come together to isolate the terrorists and motivate those who have been misguided to return to the path of peace. NEW DELHI: The Indian Meteorological Department (IMD) on Sunday predicted heavy rain at isolated places over Tamilnadu, Kerala, south interior Karnataka, Konkan and Goa, sub-Himalayan West Bengal and Sikkim. A thunderstorm accompanied with gusty winds and lightning is likely to hit isolated places over Uttarakhand, Haryana, Chandigarh and Delhi, west Uttar Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, north coastal Andhra Pradesh, Telangana and Rayalaseema. On the other hand, heat wave conditions are expected at some places over Coastal Andhra Pradesh and at one or two pockets over Bihar, Odisha and Jharkhand. The Met department further said that stagnation in further advance of southwest monsoon is likely for the coming one week due to the weakening of the monsoon circulation pattern. As a consequence, rainfall activity is expected to reduce over interior parts of the south peninsula, central and eastern parts of India. However, the enhanced rainfall activity over northeastern states will probably continue for the next three days. The southwest monsoon has weakened after remaining "very active" during the first half of June, a meteorological department official said today, adding it is expected to revive in the next five-six days. The India Meteorological Department official said the "lull" in monsoon activity is normal. The northern limit of the monsoon continues to pass through Thane (including Mumbai), Ahmednagar, Buldhana, Amravati, Gondia, Titlagarh, Cuttack, Midnapore, Goalpara and Baghdogra. The ongoing heavy rainfall spell is also likely to continue for next two to three days over parts of the northeastern states. Some parts of north and northeast India got some breather from hot weather conditions after it rained on Sunday, while the flood situation in Assam deteriorated affecting more than 4.5 lakh people. (With inputs from agencies) Among the 113 flight cadets, who graduated as flying officers of the Indian Air Force on Saturday, is Meghana Shanbough, who has become the first woman fighter pilot from Karnataka. She has joined the club of five other women fighter pilots of the IAF, who hail from Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, Bihar and Uttar Pradesh. Born in Chikmagalur in Karnataka in a family of lawyers, Meghana pursued engineering in Information Science and Engineering from Sri Jaya Chamarajendra College of Engineering in Mysuru from 2011 to 2015. After the completion of her graduation in 2015, Meghana did basic mountaineering course form Manali and Para gliding at Goa in 2016 before joining the Indian Air Force. She joined the force in January 2017 in the Flying branch at Air Force Academy. She was cleared for flying in fighter stream in a trifurcation board in December 2017. Meghanas father MK Ramesh is a practicing lawyer and mother SC Shobha is presently serving as a judge in the District Consumer Forum in Udupi. She did her schooling at Little Rock Indian boarding school in Brahmavar area in Udipi district. The News Minute quoted the Meghana as saying that she got inspired to become a fighter pilot in June 2016 when she read the stories of Indian Air Forces first fighter pilots Avani Chaturvedi, Bhawana Kanth and Mohana Singh. On Saturday, 113 flight cadets, including 13 women officers graduated as Flying Officers of the Indian Air Force at the Air Force Academy. Apart from this, 80 young pilots, six navigators and 27 ground duty officers earned their coveted Wings and Brevets, along with six officers of Indian Navy and five of the Indian Coast Guard, who successfully completed their flying training. Various awards were also given on the occasion to flying officers who excelled in their training. Flying Officer Tarun Nair from the Flying branch was awarded Presidents Plaque and the Chief of the Air Staff Sword of Honour for standing first in Overall Merit in Pilot Course. Flying Officer Abhishek Bajpai and Flying Officer Banti were awarded Presidents Plaque for being first in overall merit in Navigation and Ground Duty branches respectively. Chennai: With President Ram Nath Kovind reportedly rejecting Tamil Nadu government's plea to release seven Rajiv Gandhi assassination convicts, the mother of one of them has demanded "mercy killing" of her son. Arputhammal, the mother of AG Perarivalan, recalled the recent assertion by the Tamil Nadu government that it was for the release of the convicts including her son. The seven convicts Murugan, Perarivalan, Santhan, Jayakumar, Robert Payas, Ravichandran and Nalini have been in jail for over 20 years now. Speaking to reporters in Vellore district, Arputhammal said "we are now frustrated" following the prolonged legal battles and the latest development. "We don't want this life anymore. I am planning to petition the Central and the state governments to kill us. I am going to do that... Please do mercy killing of my son," she said. Arputhammal recalled an earlier statement of an ex-CBI official, who recorded Perarivalan's statement, to a court that part of the convict's confession was "omitted." "My son was taken by police on the pretext of an inquiry (in connection with the case) when he was 19-year-old and now he is 47. His youth and prime (of his life) have been lost," she said. Arputhammal said even Congress president Rahul Gandhi has forgiven the convicts. As per the prosecution's case, Perarivalan had procured two batteries that were used in the belt bomb used to kill the former Prime Minister at Sriperumbudur in Tamil Nadu in May 1991 during an election rally. The Tamil Nadu government had on June 5 said that it was for the release of Rajiv Gandhi assassination case convicts but the matter was pending before the Supreme Court. "There is no second opinion" that the convicts in the case should be freed, Law Minister C Ve Shanmugam had told the state assembly during a debate. Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar on Sunday backed the demand of Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu for special category status to the southern state. Supporting the demand of the Telugu Desam Party (TDP) chief over the demand at the Niti Aayog Governing Council meeting, the Janata Dal United (JDU) leader demanded the same status for Bihar, where he is in power in alliance with the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). Naidu also got the backing of West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on the issue of 2011 census being adopted by the 15th Finance Commission. The TDP chief also made a request to the Centre to not penalise the performing states. Notably, the TDP chief had walked out of Prime Minister Narendra Modi-led NDA government at the Centre over special category status to Andhra Pradesh. He had accused the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) of not fulfilling its promise of providing the status to the state. Inaugurating Mahanadu, the TDP's annual conclave, Naidu had said that the Centre had reneged on its promise to grant Andhra Pradesh Special Category status and to implement the AP Reorganisation Act. Naidu accused the BJP of betraying the people of AP and trying to create law and order problems in the state in collusion with the YSRCP. The TDP had in March 2018 withdrawn support from the NDA government over the Centre's refusal to grant special category status to the state. Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal seems to have triggered an all-new offensive against Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the NDA government with his relentless dharna at the office of Delhi Lieutenant Governor Anil Baijal. After four Chief Ministers Andhra Pradeshs N Chandrababu Naidu, Keralas Pinarayi Vijayan, West Bengals Mamata Banerjee and Karnatakas HD Kumaraswamy now DMK working president MK Stalin has come out in support of the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) chief. Taking to microblogging site Twitter, Stalin said that he was concerned with the disdain shown towards an elected Chief Minister, accusing the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) of proactively destroying the federal structure of India. The DMK working president tweeted, I am concerned with the disdain shown by Lt. Gov. of Delhi towards an elected Chief Minister like @ArvindKejriwal. The BJP is proactively destroying the federal structure of this nation. I express my solidarity with the Chief Ministers who are standing up for States' rights. Thank u sir for supporting people of Delhi. They r continuously insulting the people of Delhi, which will not be tolerated. https://t.co/nsdz14ua84 Arvind Kejriwal (@ArvindKejriwal) June 17, 2018 The support from the Tamil Nadu strongman was welcomed by the Delhi Chief Minister, who thanked Stalin for supporting people of Delhi. Kejriwal said, Thank u sir for supporting people of Delhi. They r continuously insulting the people of Delhi, which will not be tolerated. (sic) Stalins tweet on the issue came hours after Naidu, Mamata, Kumaraswamy and Vijayan addressed a press conference, asking Prime Minister Narendra Modi-led NDA government at the Centre to resolve the crisis immediately. "We came here to show our support to Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal. We demand that the PM interferes and takes necessary steps to solve the problem," Kumaraswamy said during the press meet. The four chief ministers went to Kejriwal's residence after they were "denied" permission by Delhi L-G Anil Baijal to meet Kejriwal. "I wanted to meet the Delhi chief minister but I was told, verbally, that permission will not be granted. Then four of us wrote to the LG for appointment, but we were told that he (Baijal) is not there. We were not allowed," said Mamata. Kejriwal, along with Deputy CM Manish Sisodia and Cabinet ministers Satyendar Jain and Gopal Rai, is camping at Raj Niwas since Monday demanding a direction to the IAS officers working in the Delhi administration to end their 'undeclared strike', among other demands. Intelligence agencies have suggested that Pakistans spy agency ISI might be involved in the killing of Indian Army soldier Aurangzeb, who was kidnapped by terrorists and later found dead in Pulwama district of Jammu and Kashmir. According to sources, the Pakistan ISI has even asked terror outfits like Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT), Jaish-e-Mohammad (JeM) and Hizbul Mujahideen to not claim responsibility for the killing of the Indian Army jawan in Pulwama. Source have also said that the ISI is keeping a close watch on the situation in Jammu and Kashmir following the killing of Aurangzeb. The anger in the Valley and the support to the Indian Army after Aurangzebs killing has trouble the Pakistani agency. Aurangzeb was laid to rest in Poonch with full state honours on Saturday and hundreds of people had attended his last rites. The martyred jawan's body was earlier flown from 92 Base Hospital located at the 15 Corps at Badami Bagh Cantonment in Srinagar. On June 14, Aurangzeb boarded a private vehicle to reach Shopian, from where he was supposed to go to his home in Rajouri district for Eid celebrations. The terrorists intercepted the vehicle as it approached Kalampora and abducted the jawan. Aurangzeb's bullet-ridden body was found by a team of police and Army at Gussu village, about 10 km away from Kalampora, in Pulwama district. He was shot in his head and neck, police said. Sources in intelligence bureau told Zee Media that four terrorists two from Lashkar-e-Toiba (LeT) and two Hizbul Mujahideen were behind the abduction and cold-blooded murder of Aurangzeb. The terrorists used an Alto car to abduct the jawan. One of the terrorists - Jahoor Ahmed Tokar - was in the Territorial Army before he had joined the militant outfit Hizbul Mujahideen in 2017. Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday said that the Niti Aayog Governing Council has approached complex issues of governance as Team India. Addressing a meeting of the Governing Council, the Prime Minister said that it functions in the spirit of cooperative and competitive federalism. To assert his point, Prime Minister Modi said that smooth rollout and implementation of the Goods and Services Tax was a prime example of functioning of the Governing Council. Addressing the fourth meeting of the Niti Aayog Governing council, which was attended by chief ministers of all states except Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, the Prime Minister further reiterated that it is a platform that can bring about "historic change". PM @narendramodi and other dignitaries at the 4th meeting of the Governing Council of @NITIAayog. pic.twitter.com/7mnJBIHl6B PMO India (@PMOIndia) June 17, 2018 The Prime Minister said that India has no shortage of capabilities, capacities and resources. In the current financial year, States are receiving over 11 lakh crore rupees from the Centre, which is an increase of about 6 lakh crore rupees, from the last year of the previous government. Prime Minister Modi also assured chief ministers of flood-affected states that Centre would provide all assistance to them to deal with the situation. The meeting chaired by Prime Minister Modi was attended by Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu, Arunachal Pradesh's Pema Khandu, Assam CM Sarbananda Sonowal, Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar, among others. West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee and Uttar Pradesh CM Yogi Adityanath were also part of the meeting. Tweeting about the meeting on Saturday, Prime Minister Modi had said, "Looking forward to the 4th Governing Council meeting of @NITIAayog tomorrow. Implementation of key policies relating to a wide range of sectors will be discussed during the meeting." A statement released ahead of the meeting had said that issues, including measures taken to double farmers' income and progress of flagship schemes, would come up for discussion. The development agenda for 'New India 2022' was also likely to be a part of the meeting. Speaking at news conference alongside Italian Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte, Macron also said current European immigration rules were not satisfying and that Europeans had not shown enough solidarity with Rome over the migrant crisis. "The exchange we had made it possible to agree on several issues", Macron. This includes greater control in countries of origin and transit of immigrants and refugees in Africa, reinforcement of surveillance on EU's sourn border. They have either completely opposed or resisted quotas that European Union member-countries endorsed in 2015, at the peak of the migration crisis, when more than 1.26mn people applied for asylum in the bloc. Macron cited an initiative of his government previous year to establish "protection missions" that pre-screen asylum-seekers in Chad and Niger to prevent citizens of the two west African countries from risking the unsafe sea journey. On Wednesday, Italy had summoned France's envoy and demanded an apology from Macron, who had said Rome's move to block the ship from its ports was an act of "cynicism and irresponsibility". If the timeline holds, that would be a week after the Aquarius first sought permission to dock in Italy. "We must adopt European responses, there can not be national responses". "France does not benefit from this situation". Through the first five months of 2018, 35,455 migrants reached European shores, with 11,792 of them arriving in Spain. Dublin rules must change. Macron and Conte wanted to lower tension that has exploded following Italian refusal to receive in ir ports Aquarius, boat with 630 migrants (according to new count) that Spain has offered to host. Italy will also present its own proposal to overhaul European Union asylum and immigration policy during the second half of the year, Reuters quoted Conte as saying on Friday. She added that in Germany, Chancellor Angela Merkel, who had opened the country up to refugees, today faces "a serious internal crisis" where her Interior Minister Horst Seehofer takes a hard line against her. Earlier, European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker said that the EU should not have become so anglicized. "English has probably never been so present in Brussels as when we're talking about Brexit", Mr. Macron said in March on the Day of Francophonie-a celebration of French language and culture observed in more than 70 countries. The French president later sent a conciliatory message to officials in Rome and the two leaders spoke by phone before rescheduling the talks. "This is quickly becoming the main issue between these two countries", Christian Blasberg, a professor of contemporary history at Rome's LUISS University, said in an interview. According to the newspaper The Wall Street Journal (WSJ) for the first time macron has unveiled his idea of the March 20 worldwide day of Francophonie, which marks the establishment of the global cooperation organization of French-speaking countries. New Delhi: Ahead of his India visit, Seychelles President Danny Faure has said a joint project with New Delhi to develop a naval base at Assumption Island in his country would not move forward. There has been growing political opposition in Seychelles to a pact it signed with India in 2015 to develop a naval facility at the island which would have given India a strategic advantage in the Indian Ocean Region. Government sources said Faure would arrive in New Delhi on June 26 on a bilateral visit during which a range of issues to strengthen two-way cooperation would be discussed At a press conference on June 4, Faure had said Seychelles would develop military facilities at the island on its own and that the project with India "will not move forward". According to the Seychelles News Agency, he said, In next year's budget, we will put funds for us to build a coastguard facility on the Assumption ourselves. It is important for us to ensure that we have a military post in this area." He had also said the issue would not be discussed with the Indian leadership during his visit to New Delhi. The Ministry of External Affairs has not commented on the issue. India was keen on developing the Assumption Island as a naval base to expand its footprint in the strategically key region where China has been trying to enhance its military presence. The pact on the Assumption Island between India and Seychelles was first signed in 2015 during Prime Minister Narendra Modi's visit to that country. An updated version of the original pact was finalised by the two sides earlier this year. However, opposition leaders in Seychelles came out openly against the pact after the original document as well as the revised version of it surfaced online in March. After the furore, the Seychelles president said he would not approach the country's parliament to ratify the agreement with India. Seychelles had ordered an inquiry into the leak of highly classified agreement. Modi and Faure had a bilateral meeting in April on the sidelines of the multilateral Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM) in London. Kohima: Two Assam Rifles personnel were killed and four others suffered injuries in an ambush by suspected Naga insurgents in Mon district of Nagaland on Sunday. The incident occurred around 3 pm near Aboi when armed cadres ambushed a team comprising six Assam Rifles personnel, PRO to the Inspector General of Assam Rifles said. Havildar Fateh Singh Negi and Sepoy Hungnga Konyak died on the spot while four others suffered critical bullet injuries, he said, adding that the injured were hospitalised, PTI reported. The security men retaliated the attack, but casualty on the other side is yet to be ascertained. As per ANI, the gunfight took place between Assam Rifles personnel and suspected National Socialist Council of Nagaland-Khaplang (NSCN-K) terrorists after they were ambushed when they were on their way to collect water from a river between Aboi and Mohung. Nagaland:Gunfight took place between Assam Rifles personnel & suspected National Socialist Council of Nagaland (NSCN-K) terrorists after Assam Rifles personnel were ambushed when they were on their way to collect water from a river b/w Aboi & Mohung in Mon district, earlier today pic.twitter.com/DU5gvEJAmJ ANI (@ANI) June 17, 2018 Since 1980s, the outfit has engaged in subversive activities, including attacks on security forces, extortion and looting. The NSCN(K) was involved in the killing of 18 Army soldiers in an ambush in Manipur on June 4, 2015. Following the Manipur ambush in 2015, the Indian Army had carried out cross-border raids on NSCN(K) camps located inside Myanmar killing several militants. The ambush on the Army convoy was carried out by the group despite it being involved in peace negotiations with an interlocutor of the central government. Subsequently, the government has snapped the dialogue and in September 2015, the NSCN(K) was declared as an unlawful organisation for five years. (With Agency inputs) Bengaluru: Karnataka Chief Minister HD Kumaraswamy on Sunday requested the Central government for 50 per cent support to his government's farm loan waiver scheme. "Debt of farmers is staring us in the face. My government is ready to address this problem and I request the Government of India to support us," he said. In his address at the 4th meeting of the NITI Ayog governing council in New Delhi, a copy of which was shared with the media here, the CM said in Karnataka about 85 lakh farmers have outstanding debts on account of agricultural loans from banks. He said, "Due to recurring droughts, the distress of the farmers is even more severe. I request the Government of India to provide 50 per cent support for our loan waiver initiative." Kumaraswamy is under intense pressure to announce the farm loan waiver that his party, the JD(S) had promised in the run-up to the assembly elections in Karnataka. After initially citing coalition compulsions for the delay, the chief minister on May 30 amid the opposition and farmers' bodies stepped up pressure on him to fulfill his pre-poll promise, had said his government would arrive at a decision to implement a two-phase scheme for farm loan waiver within 15 days. With the 15-day deadline coming to an end on June 15, Kumaraswamy reiterated that he was committed to waiving the farm loan and would announce it shortly. "Dear farmers, let there be no confusion on the farm loan waiver. I am fully committed to the loan waiver. I want to ensure it is done scientifically benefiting maximum number of farmers. I am working on the the modalities and will announce it shortly," he had said in a tweet on Friday. Addressing the NITI Aayog governing council meeting for the first time, Kumaraswamy said the new government has to fulfill several aspirations of the people of Karnataka, and "we need full support of the Government of India for this." "While we represent various political ideologies, when it comes to development we should work together," he said. Stressing the need for gearing up to climate resilient agriculture, Kumaraswamy said, the climate change is a reality, especially so in the agriculture sector. "I call upon the Government of India to harness national and international expertise to develop a comprehensive framework, strategies and practices for ushering a climate resilient agriculture revolution in the country," he added. Noting that water is becoming a scarce resource and is going to be a limiting factor for growth, both in agriculture as well as other sectors, he also suggested dedicating a full decade for "extensive and intensive" water conservation efforts. Highlighting that allocation to Karnataka for the period 2015-20 under SDRF (State Disaster Response Fund) is only Rs 1,375 crore, which is much less than the allocation to other states, the chief minister said the state's unmet needs are huge but has not been addressed either in the Finance Commission award or under the NDRF. "A comprehensive discussion is needed on this issue," he added. Kumaraswamy further said he is sure the NITI Aayog will prove its federal character given the developmental disparities in India and added the Aayog and the Union government must re-emphasise federal and participative medium-term planning with concrete goals and inclusive development programmes. Los Angeles Reality TV star Khloe Kardashian has heaped praise on brother Rob Kardashian for being an amazing father to his daughter Dream. Rob, 31, became a father in November 2016 when he welcomed baby Dream into the world with his now former-fiancee Blac Chyna. And Khloe, 33, who earlier this year welcomed her first child, named True, has been impressed by how he has adapted to fatherhood, reports mirror.co.uk. In a post on her app shared on Friday, Khloe wrote: "My brother Rob is like my father in so many ways - his sense of humour, silly nature, the way he loves and respects family. But, seeing him as a father has been beautiful! My dad would do anything for his kids and my brother is the same way for Dream. "I'm so proud of him! All he wants to do is make his daughter happy and give her unconditional love." Khloe and Rob's father, also named Robert, was a well known lawyer who worked on the OJ Simpson case and passed away in 2003. New Delhi: Ranbir Kapoor and Alia Bhatt's relationship is the talk of the town. The actor recently confirmed his relationship with Alia Bhatt saying that it was 'too new to talk about'. Ranbir is gearing up for the release of 'Sanju'. The film is slated to release on June 29 and is one of the most-awaited films of the year. Ranbir's transformation grabbed a lot of eyeballs and his uncanny resemblance to Sanjay Dutt makes the wait for the film even harder. Ranbir took over the Twitter account of Foxstarhindi on Sunday to answer some questions by his fans. When the actor was asked which are the two songs that he is hooked on to the most, the actor replied - Kar Har Maidaan Fateh from #Sanju and Dilbaro from @RaaziHoon Alia Bhatt's Raazi impressed the critics as well as the audiences. The actress won a lot of hearts by her impeccable performance in the film. In the song 'Dilbaro', Alia looks breathtakingly beautiful as a bride. The song features her wedding to a Pakistani military officer. 'Raazi' is an adaptation of Harinder Sikkas novel 'Calling Sehmat', about an Indian spy married to a Pakistani military officer during the Indo-Pakistani War of 1971. The film hit the screens on May 11, 2018. Alia and Ranbir will next be seen together in Ayan Mukerji's 'Brahmastra', the first part of the superhero trilogy announced by Karan Johar. The film also stars Amitabh Bachchan in a pivotal role besides TV actress Mouni Roy in a supporting act. New Delhi: Bollywood's first female superstar Sridevi's doting daughter Janhvi Kapoor's debut film is all set to hit the theatres. Just a few days ago, the trailer of her first film 'Dhadak' was unveiled and the world got to see Janhvi in a whole new avatar. But before we see her on the silver screen, let us have a look at a video featuring a young Janhvi handing over an award to superstar Shah Rukh Khan, which is going viral on social media. Needless to say, Janhvi looks absolutely adorable and a young Shah Rukh Khan is a sight to behold. In the video, a shy Janhvi, dressed in a black suit, can be seen standing on a stage with her dad Boney Kapoor and actress Preity Zinta. Boney Kapoor lifts Janhvi up as they announce the Best Actor award. Little Janhvi hands over the award to Shah Rukh as soon as he reaches the stage. He plants a kiss on her cheeks and they all pose for a picture. Check out the adorable video here: At the trailer launch, Janhvi reflected the excitement and nervousness of a Bollywood debutante but she was emotional as she missed her mother. "I definitely miss her today. The biggest and most helpful tip she has given me is to work hard and to feel every emotion," Janhvi had said. The 21-year-old was accompanied by her father, producer Boney Kapoor, who has been her constant support after the sudden demise of Sridevi earlier this year in Dubai. Produced under the banner of Dharma Productions, 'Dhadak' is directed by Shashank Khaitan and will hit the screens on July 20, 2018. It stars Ishaan Khatter opposite Janhvi Kapoor in the lead roles. The film is Hindi remake of Marathi superhit 'Sairat'. At least seventeen people died at a Caracas club early on Saturday morning when a person activated a tear gas grenade inside, Venezuela's interior minister Nestor Reverol said. Over 500 people were at a party at the Los Cotorros club in the middle-class El Paraiso neighborhood when the device went off at about 3 am during a fight between several people, causing a stampede towards the exits, Reverol said on state TV. Eleven people suffocated to death when the gas filled the club's confined space, said Noris Villanueva, an autopsy assistant at the local Perez Carreno Hospital, who examined their bodies. It was not clear how the other six died. Eight of those who died were younger than 18, Reverol said, and five people were injured. Reverol said authorities had arrested 7 people and the investigation was ongoing. "The government of the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela, led by President Nicolas Maduro, deplores this unfortunate event. We send our condolences to the families," he said. The club, a two-story red brick building, was empty later on Saturday morning and there was no police presence outside, according to a Reuters reporter there. "We haven't received a response from anybody, neither from the police nor the doctors," Nilson Guerra, the father of one victim, said at the hospital. He only knew his 19-year-old son Luis had died because he had seen him in the morgue. Another son of his had been hospitalized. Homicide rates in Venezuela have shot up during the country's spiral into economic crisis and political meltdown and many Caracas residents refuse to go out at night due to security fears. There were almost 27,000 violent deaths last year, making Venezuela proportionally the world's second most murderous nation after El Salvador, according to a local crime monitoring group. The homicide rate in Caracas alone was 104 per 100,000 people, the Venezuelan Observatory of Violence said. Authorities say non-governmental groups inflate figures to create paranoia and tarnish Maduro's socialist government. Washington: The prestigious Harvard University in the US racially discriminated against Asian-American students by rating them lower than others applicants on traits like "positive personality," according to a lawsuit against one of the Ivy League schools. The 388-year-old institution is being sued by Students for Fair Admissions, an action group, for discriminating against Asian applicants, the New York Times reported. The group commissioned an analysis of admission data of more than 160,000 applicants who applied for admission from 2000 to 2015, which showed that Asians were given lower scores on "personality" traits - likability, courage, kindness and being "widely respected". Asian-Americans scored higher than applicants of any other racial or ethnic group on admissions measures like test scores, grades and extracurricular activities, according to the analysis commissioned by a group that opposes all race-based admissions criteria. But the students' personal ratings significantly dragged down their chances of being admitted, the analysis found. The court documents, filed in federal court in Boston, also showed that Harvard conducted an internal investigation into its admissions policies in 2013 and found a bias against Asian-American applicants. But Harvard never made the findings public or acted on them, the report said. Harvard, one of the most sought-after and selective universities in the country, admitted only 4.6 per cent of its applicants this year. That has led to intense interest in the university's closely guarded admissions process. Ted Lieu, a congressman for California, blasted Harvard for appearing to "attribute personality traits based on race." He called the report "outrageous", adding that "it feeds into historical damaging stereotypes about Asian-Americans." In response, Harvard commissioned its own study, which described the report as "incomplete and misleading". "Thorough and comprehensive analysis of the data and evidence makes clear that Harvard College does not discriminate against applicants from any group, including Asian-Americans, whose rate of admission has grown 29 per cent over the last decade, Harvard said in a statement. The organisation's incomplete and misleading data analysis paint a dangerously inaccurate picture of Harvard College's whole-person admissions process by omitting critical data and information factors." The findings come at a time when issues of race, ethnicity, admission, testing and equal access to education are confronting schools across the country. Many Ivy League schools, not just Harvard, have had similar ratios of Asian-American, black, white and Hispanic students for years, despite fluctuations in application rates and qualifications, raising questions about how those numbers are arrived at and whether they represent unspoken quotas, the report said. Washington/New York: Hundreds of yoga enthusiasts gathered to flex their body at historic monuments of the US, including the Capitol Hill, kick-starting a host of events planned this week to mark the fourth anniversary of the International Day of Yoga. In New York, people gathered at the Governors Island in the backdrop of the iconic Statue of Liberty and the Manhattan skyline to participate in the Yoga Day commemoration organised by the Consulate General of India. The two-hour event 'Let Yoga Govern Your Life' organised yesterday by the Consulate General of India in New York, included meditation and a guided yoga session based on 'Common Yoga Protocol' conducted with the help of yoga demonstrators and teachers. People from various backgrounds, accompanied with their families, participated in the yoga sessions, performing the Surya Namaskar, Pranayama, various yoga asanas and breathing exercises. Among the highlights of the event was an impressive Mallakhambh performance by children. Specially designed yoga kits and T-shirts were distributed to those in attendance. Addressing the gathering, Congresswoman Carolyn Maloney, the Chief Guest for the event, said yoga is a "unique way? to approach an individual's health and well-being. A yoga practitioner herself, Maloney said she considers the ancient practice one of the best ways to exercise and relax at the same time. "Practicing yoga has been shown to decrease stress, fatigue, and alleviate chronic pains, as well as improving physical fitness. I know first-hand the benefits of practicing yoga. It is an essential part of my life, I practice it as often as I can, and it helps me to find balance and peace," she added. She said about 15 per cent Americans, over 36 million people, practice the ancient Indian science today, a testament to both the immense benefits of practicing yoga as well as the convenience and accessibility of the discipline to people of all ages and abilities. She added that the long and productive friendship between India and the US has benefited both countries, lauding the Indian-American community for being a vital part of New York City. India's Consul General in New York Ambassador Sandeep Chakravorty highlighted yoga's universal appeal and the role of the ancient Indian practice in bringing together the cultures and people of America and India. "Nothing better connects the two countries than yoga because it epitomizes and is a good example of our relationship, that something which originated in India is so popular here. Celebrating the 4th International Yoga Day sends out a big message of the importance of yoga in our daily lives? in both the US and India and across the world, Chakravorty told PTI. Chakravorty, who joined those present in performing various yoga and meditation exercises, said the extent to which yoga now permeates people's lives is tremendous. Referring to hour-long yoga sessions organized daily at the World Trade Centre buildings, he said yoga has now become part of the corporate culture. Yoga is a rapidly growing trend in the U.S. With an 80% increase in practitioners between 2012 and 2015, according to estimates. In Washington, hundreds of health enthusiasts gathered at the iconic US Capitol Saturday morning to flex their body under the guidance of a trained Indian yoga teacher. This venue at the Capitol Hill where presidential swearing in ceremonies are held every four years, this morning experienced one of the largest gatherings of yoga exercises in Washington DC. "It shows that huge enthusiasm that yoga has gathered amongst all of us and all over the world," Indian Ambassador to the US Navtej Singh Sarna said in his brief remarks to the participants of the fourth International Day of Yoga who had gathered since early morning with their yoga mats at the Capitol overlooking the National Mall. "I think, the day is not far that you will have the whole space between the monument and the Capitol filled up," Sarna told reporters thereafter. Yoga was always a popular discipline, but "qualitative and quantitative change" has come since 2014 when under the guidance and inspiration of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the United Nations recognized June 21 as the International Day of Yoga, he said. "It recognised it through a resolution which had a record co-sponsorship of 177 countries. This is an endorsement like no other, that the world has accepted as the Prime Minister called it one of the ancient gifts of Indian sages to humanity," Sarna said. Welcoming the participants, Sarna noted that Yoga is widely embraced by the American people as a survey conducted in 2016 showed that there were 36.7 million Yoga practitioners in the US. In his special message on the occasion, Senator Tim Kaine said that while the idea of International Yoga day is new, the art is built upon ancient Indian principles born of a desire to maintain inner well-being. "Yoga symbolizes unity of mind, body and spirit," Kaine said. Congressman Gerald E Connolly said that this celebration is a "testament to the transformative nature of yoga" and the Indian-American community's indelible mark on the cultural fabric of the United States. VALENCIA: An Italian coast guard ship arrived in the Spanish port of Valencia on Sunday, carrying migrants rescued by the Aquarius charity-run vessel, which Rome refused to allow to dock a week ago. The coast guard ship is one of two Italian vessels that took on some of the Aquarius`s passengers before escorting it to Spain, at the invitation of Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez. U.S. President Donald Trump and Russia's President Vladimir Putin talk during the family photo session at the APEC Summit in Danang, Vietnam November 11, 2017. Trump, in his remarks, blamed former President Barack Obama for losing Crimea, claiming it was his "fault" because "Putin didn't respect President Obama". Furthermore, no on in the White House has been able to deter Trump's insistence on the summit. "He wants to have a meeting with Putin, so he's going to have a meeting with Putin". "Putin seeks to shatter North Atlantic Treaty Organisation, he aims to diminish the appeal of the western democratic model and attempts to undermine America's moral authority", Mattis said. The report, citing experts in Russian Federation and outside of US government, states an announcement for a summit might be imminent and could happen in July. President Donald Trump speaks to reporters at the White House, Friday, June 15, 2018, in Washington. Shortly after that brief, five-day war a decade ago in August, Russia recognized the independence of the Georgian enclaves of Abkhazia and South Ossetia and has continued to occupy them without significant consequences in violation of a cease-fire agreement negotiated by France. Russian Federation used to be part of the former G8, but they were expelled over the 2014 invasion of Ukraine and annexation of Crimea. The Obama administration, along with the European Union and individual allied countries, imposed sanctions on Russian Federation over Crimea, and even members of Trump's Cabinet have said they will not be lifted until the situation is resolved. Trump doubled down on his comments with Fox News while returning stateside following the summit with Kim Jong Un. Skabeeva says jubilantly at the end of the show, which in English translates to "Crimea is ours, Trump is ours!" Republicans have historically held hawkish stances on Russian Federation, while Trump's predecessor, Democrat Barack Obama, led the charge for Russia's dismissal from the then Group of 8 in 2014 over its annexation of Crimea from Ukraine. "I'm not for Russian Federation". Vatican City: Pope Francis denounced abortion on Saturday as the "white glove" equivalent of the Nazi-era eugenics programme and urged families to accept the children that God gives them. Francis spoke off-the-cuff to a meeting of an Italian family association. The Vatican didn't immediately provide a transcript of his remarks, but the ANSA news agency and the SIR agency of the Italian bishops' conference quoted him as denouncing the pre-natal tests that can result in parents choosing to terminate a pregnancy if the fetus is malformed or suffering other problems. "Last century, the whole world was scandalized by what the Nazis did to purify the race. Today, we do the same thing but with white gloves," the agencies quoted Francis as saying. The pope urged families to accept children "as God gives them to us." Francis has repeated the strict anti-abortion stance of his predecessors and integrated it into his broader condemnation of what he calls today's "throw-away culture." He has frequently lamented how the sick, the poor, the elderly and the unborn are considered unworthy of protection and dignity by a society that prizes instead individual efficiency. Francis has dedicated much of his pontificate to preaching about families, marriage and the problems that families today encounter. These issues he is expected to highlight during his August trip to Ireland where he'll close out the Catholic Church's big family rally. Kano: Suspected Boko Haram jihadists killed at least 31 people in a twin suicide bomb attack on a town in northeast Nigeria, a local official and militia leader said . "There were two suicide attacks and rocket-propelled grenade explosions in Damboa last night which killed 31 people and left several others injured," militia leader Babakura Kolo told AFP. Kabul: A suicide attack in restive eastern Afghanistan on Sunday killed at least 18 people in a crowd celebrating the Eid holiday, the second assault in as many days to mar an unprecedented ceasefire. There was no immediate claim of responsibility for the suicide attack in Jalalabad city, outside the office of the Nangarhar provincial governor. The Islamic State group, which was not part of the truce, had claimed an even deadlier blast near the city a day earlier. Further dampening hopes for peace after jubilant scenes during the ceasefire over the Muslim holiday, the Taliban announced they would not be extending the truce beyond tonight. That has raised concerns among some Afghans over the number of Taliban who have taken advantage of the ceasefire to enter cities around the country, including the capital Kabul, and may still be there when the truce ends. Nangarhar provincial health director Najibullah Kamawal put the death toll from Sunday's blast at 18 with 49 wounded. "Some of the wounded are in a serious condition," Kamawal added, suggesting the death toll could rise. Governor's spokesman Attaullah Khogyani put the death toll slightly higher at 19. He said a bomber on foot blew himself up among a crowd of Taliban fighters, local elders and civilians leaving the governor's compound after attending a special event for Eid. On Saturday a suicide assault on a gathering of Taliban, security forces and civilians in the province killed at least 36 people and wounded 65, Kamawal told AFP. The Islamic State group's Afghanistan franchise claimed responsibility for that attack. Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid announced the decision to resume fighting after President Ashraf Ghani said on Saturday a government truce with the militants would be extended. He had asked the group to reciprocate. "The ceasefire ends tonight and our operations will begin, inshallah (God willing). We have no intention to extend the ceasefire," Mujahid told AFP in a WhatsApp message. Mujahid made no reference to Ghani's announcement. The government has extended its ceasefire with the Taliban by 10 days but security forces would defend themselves if attacked, a spokesman for President Ghani tweeted tweeted. The first formal nationwide ceasefire since the 2001 US invasion had been widely welcomed across the country as Afghans -- Taliban, security forces and civilians -- celebrated Eid, the holiday that caps the fasting month of Ramadan. Taliban fighters and security forces embraced and took selfies with each other over the first two days of the Muslim holiday. Civilians also flocked to greet the militants, who had left their posts or areas under their control to celebrate the halt in hostilities, fuelling hopes among war-weary Afghans that peace was possible. Ghani's extension of the government's eight-day ceasefire, which had been due to expire Tuesday night, drew immediate international support and calls for the Taliban to follow suit. The Taliban had agreed to a truce but only for the first three days of Eid, which started Friday, promising not to attack Afghan soldiers or police. They would, however, continue attacking US-led NATO troops. With the ceasefire due to end Sunday night, fighting is likely to resume on Monday. Adding to unease among ordinary Afghans, who have borne the brunt of the nearly 17-year war, is the number of Taliban fighters now inside cities around the country. "Seeing all the strange face(s) on the streets of Kabul I am concerned. I hope there is not deception at work," Mohammad Saber wrote on Facebook. A user called Kargar posted, "There is word that hundreds of Taliban fighters have come to Kabul, but only a small number have left. Can Kabul police guarantee our security?" Before the Taliban's ceasefire had even started, analysts had expressed cautious optimism that the truces, if successful, could help build trust between the government and the Taliban and lay the groundwork for peace talks. But it was clear on Sunday that not everyone in the Taliban approved of the bonhomie between their fighters and security forces. The Taliban ordered their fighters to avoid gatherings of security forces and civilians, ostensibly to avoid further civilian casualties, following Saturday's attack. "The enemy has misused the ceasefire issue and there is a chance of more such bad incidents happening," Mujahid said in an earlier message. But some Taliban commanders also told AFP they disapproved of their fighters visiting government-controlled areas and celebrating with police and troops. The Taliban's decision to resume fighting came as no surprise to several Western diplomats in Kabul. "If they extend the ceasefire they will be compelled to talk, which I think the Taliban isn't interested in. They're looking for an outright victory," one diplomat told AFP on condition of anonymity. The historic document was signed by the Foreign Ministers of Greece and Macedonia The treaty on the renaming of the former Yugoslavian republic Macedonia was signed in Greek Prespes. The relevant document was signed by the Foreign Ministers of Greece and Macedonia, as Reuters reports. Therefore, Macedonia was renamed to the Republic of North Macedonia. The agreement still requires the approval of both parliaments and a referendum in Macedonia. That approval is far from assured, as it faces stiff opposition from the Greek public, and Macedonias president has vowed to block the deal, the news agency reports. The argument between Greece and Macedonia concerning the name lasted for 27 years. Earlier, the governments of Greece and Macedonia agreed on the renaming, but it was accepted with a serious discontent. Greek Parliament held voting for the censure vote of Tsiprass Government, but it was not supported. Also in the presidential administration said that they did not discuss this topic with the European MP Rebecca Harms Ukraine's Presidental Administration The Administration of the President of Ukraine declares that they are not preparing any draft laws on equality of rights and did not discuss this topic with the deputy of the European Parliament Rebecca Harms. This is stated in the AP's comments for Interfax-Ukraine. "No one from the Administration has called or discussed this topic with Rebecca Harms, there is a high probability it was just prank," the presidential administration reported. Earlier we reported that Petro Poroshenko, the President of Ukraine, will present a bill on equal rights next week, as Rebecca Harms, the European Parliament Member, said after the Equality March in Kyiv, Interfax Ukraine reports. Today in the morning I have received a call and Poroshenko informed me that he would not only support the March with the state institutions but also that he intends to present a draft bill on equal rights next week, she said. Later, Maxym Eristavi, Harms Advisor, in his commentary for Interfax Ukraine specified that Poroshenko informed about his intentions concerning the legislative initiative which will be connected with Ukrainians LGBT rights within the European legislative standards. Earlier, mass media informed that the Ministry of Justice considered a possibility to legalize the register of the civil partnership of the same-sex couples. The question of guaranteeing the security of the DPRK is still being discussed 112 Agency Japanese Foreign Minister Taro Kono said that in the framework of the agreement with Pyongyang on the denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula, Washington presented claims on 47 articles. This is reported by the NHK television channel. According to him, the implementation of these points is the main condition for the lifting of sanctions from North Korea. He also noted that the issue of guaranteeing the security of the DPRK is still being discussed. The Japanese Foreign Minister stressed that the US troops will remain in South Korea until the situation with the denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula is resolved. Earlier we reported that outcome of the meeting of Donald Trump, the U.S. President, and Kim Jong-un, the Leader of North Korea, which is to be held on June 12 in Singapore, might be the announcement of the end of the Korean War, as Nikkei reports. Japanese news agency found out the details of the coming summit agenda. In particular, the U.S. intends to confirm the terms of a full denuclearization of North Korea. Japan supports the initiative and offers a concrete term 2020 year. Such time limits might coincide with the U.S. presidential elections. This is seen as a reference to declaring the Korean War over, which would constitute a major achievement. Declaring an end to the war would pave the way for talks with Beijing and Seoul to turn the armistice into a peace treaty to officially end hostilities, which may work in Kim's favor, the news agency reports. Earlier, the leader of two Koreas conducted a historic meeting on April 27 in Panmunjon, near-border village on the territory of South Korea. During the talks, Kim Jong-un announced his intentions to shut down a nuclear test site in Punggye-ri. As it was reported earlier, Trumps meeting with Kim Jong-un is scheduled for the end of May early June. CBS News referring to the sources stated that the leaders of the U.S. and North Korea are choosing the place of a bilateral meeting it will be either Mongolia or Singapore. It is also noted that the situation in the Ukrainian prisons is "more or less normal" 112 Agency The UN Special Rapporteur on the Prevention of Torture, Nils Melzer noted significantly fewer cases of inhuman treatment and torture in Ukraine comparing to 2016. About this Melzer said in an interview with Dzerkalo Tyzhnya. "I must say that after 2016, we have noted significantly less cases of inhuman treatment, torture in the territory controlled by the Ukrainian authorities ," Melzer said. He also noted that in the temporary detention facilities "the situation is already more or less normal." Earlier it was reported that Melzer together with his team from May 20 to June 8 in Ukraine assessed the general situation about the prohibition of torture or other treatment that degrades human dignity. Earlier we reported that Lyudmyla Denisova, Ukraines Commissioner for Human Rights, was denied to visit Mykola Karpyuk, a Ukrainian political prisoner kept in a Russian prison. It was reported on the Facebook page of the Commissioner. I have filed an application to the Vladimir Central Prison to meet Mykola Karpyuk. The head of the penitentiary came up to me and took my application. He stated that for now, I can meet Mykola neither as commissioner now as a private person. They cannot let me visit him as a commissioner as they have not received the relevant documents. As a private person because the time of submitting the application was over, Denisova noted. She added that according to the head of the prison, the application is to be considered at the beginning of the week. Earlier, Lyudmyla Denisova, Ukraines Commissioner for Human Rights, and her Russian colleague Tatyana Moskalkova agreed to meet in Moscow on June 18. Moskalkova stated that the meeting would be held in her office. The parties intend to discuss the conditions of human rights defenders visit of the prisoners kept in Russian and Ukraine. Denisova informed that she intended to visit Oleg Sentsov, Oleksandr Kolchenko, Stanislav Klykh, Mykola Karpyuk, Roman Sushchenko and Resul Veliyev the Ukrainian political prisoners kept in Russia. On June 15, the Ukrainian ombudsman arrived in the prison where Sentsov is kept, but she was not let to visit him. In her turn, Moskalkova stated that Denisova violated the agreements. High Council of Justice will consider the bill on the formation of the Anti-Corruption Court on Monday On Monday, the High Council of Justice will consider the bill on the formation of the Anti-Corruption Court. The bill can be presented in the Parliament on Tuesday, as Petro Poroshenko, Ukraines President, said in the interview for the Ukrainian TV channels, the Presidents Administration reports. On Monday, the High Council of Justice agenda has my bill on the implementation of the decisions the Law on the anti-corruption court and formation of the anti-corruption court to be discussed. I really hope that the consideration in the Council will be positive. And this will give me an opportunity to register this bill in the Verkhovna Rada on Tuesday without wasting time. I will ask that the bill is voted for at the first reading and in general. So that this step towards the creation of the court is made as fast as possible, Poroshenko said. Poroshenko stated that he would sign the amendments to the law on the anti-corruption court if adopted. The Presidents position is absolutely clear it is presented in the bill, and I ask you to check it, registered on December 22. This norm was explained in the bill very clearly: all the cases which are passed to the other court during the process of the creation of the anti-corruption court have to be transferred to the anti-corruption court immediately, the President noted. Earlier, the law on the Supreme Anti-Corruption Court came into force on June 14. As it was reported earlier, the President of Ukraine Petro Poroshenko has signed the law on the Supreme Anti-corruption court on June 11. On June 7, the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine voted for the law on the establishment of the Supreme Anti-Corruption Court. The decision was supported by 315 deputies. In particular, the law determines the procedure for holding a competition for the selection of anti-corruption judges. The perpetrators applied pepper spray canisters against the law enforcers, five of them are receiving medical assistance A clash between the law enforcers and the representatives of a nationalist organization which was against the conduction of the Equality March in the capital, as it is reported on the website of Kyiv Police. Five law enforcers are receiving medical assistance. 57 people were taken to the police department to determine their personal information and get explanations, as Andriy Kryshchenko, the Head of Kyiv Police, said in the commentary for 112 Ukraine. We received an application on carrying out a prayer near the monument to Hrushevsky filed by the series of non-governmental organizations. Yet, at around 6 am 2000 people violating their own application blocked Volodymyrska street to impede the march. Therefore, the police have taken measured to unblock the street because the organizers did not want to cooperate, Kryshchenko stated. The police officers were communicating with the participants of the march, but they refused to free the pass. As a result, the law enforcers pushed them away from the road to prevent any provocations and clashes. At the same time, a few men, who were resisting and used pepper spray canisters against the law enforcers, were detained. The data was included in the Unified Registry of the Pre-trial Investigation under the articles of Ukraines Criminal Code on opposition to the law enforcer and threat and violation towards the law enforcer. The plans 'cause us serious concern, ' Russia's embassy in Norway wrote on its Facebook page. Initially, the USA troops were scheduled to leave Norway after just six months. "We view them as clearly unfriendly and they will not remain without consequences", it said. "We paid attention to the reports of the Norwegian Ministry of Defense released on June 13, which contain Oslo's agreement to double the US Marine Corps stationed on the Norwegian territory from 330 to 700 people, prolong their rotation presence there for five years, expand its footprint to the north, closer to the border with our country, and create infrastructure for warplanes at the expense of the US under the implementation of the so-called European initiative to deter Russian Federation", she said. "Norwegian and Allied forces are training to defend Norway's territory, and pose no threat to Russia", Pentagon spokesman Eric Pahon said, adding that the U.S. presence complied with Norway's policy on the stationing of foreign troops. There are now no plans to have a permanent USA military base in the country. "Even if persons are exchanged, the presence is continuous", the statement reads and points to this as a contradiction to Norway's 1949-decission not allowing foreign powers to have military bases in the country in peace-time. Norway shares a border with Russian Federation that stretches some 122 miles, and rotating Marine deployments will be training within 250 miles or so of that border. Additional 700 USA troops would arrive to join the 330 marines already in Vaernes and to be deployed in Setermoen. The additional Marines would increase the number of US Marines to 700 for a period of up to five years. "We can't see any serious reason why Russian Federation should react, even if we expect it will again this time since it always does about the allied exercises and training". However Mrs Soereide said that there would not be a permanent USA base in Norway. Oslo will ask Washington to send 700 Marines from 2019, compared with 330 presently. "We believe that security in Europe must be equal and indivisible". "The defence of Norway depends on the support of our North Atlantic Treaty Organisation allies, as is the case in most other North Atlantic Treaty Organisation countries", said Defence Minister Frank Bakke-Jensen in a statement. He said: "For this support to work in times of crises and war, we are are totally dependent on joint training and exercises in times of peace". At the same time, it was reported that there were five injured by the pepper spray canisters KyivPride Equality March is over. As the correspondent of 112 Ukraine reports, the event was held without any serious clashes. According to the organizers, the KyivPride column comprised 5000-6000 participants. The opponents tried to attack the column a couple of times, but there were no serious clashes. Earlier, at the beginning of the march clashes between the law enforcers and the nationalists occurred. The perpetrators applied pepper spray canisters against the law enforces. Five law enforcers received medical assistance. 57 people were taken to the police department to determine their personal information and get explanations. It is about the legislative initiative which will be connected with Ukrainians LGBT rights within the European legislative standards Open source Petro Poroshenko, the President of Ukraine, will present a bill on equal rights next week, as Rebecca Harms, the European Parliament Member, said after the Equality March in Kyiv, Interfax Ukraine reports. Today in the morning I have received a call and Poroshenko informed me that he would not only support the March with the state institutions but also that he intends to present a draft bill on equal rights next week, she said. Later, Maxym Eristavi, Harms Advisor, in his commentary for Interfax Ukraine specified that Poroshenko informed about his intentions concerning the legislative initiative which will be connected with Ukrainians LGBT rights within the European legislative standards. Earlier, mass media informed that the Ministry of Justice considered a possibility to legalize the register of the civil partnership of the same-sex couples. Later, the representatives of the Ministry of Justice disproved this information. On June 14, the observers of the OSCE SMM (Special Monitoring Mission) came under fire in Pikuzy, Donetsk region Open source The U.S. State Department urged Russia to stop "deprolable behaviour", as Heather Nauret, the Spokesperson of the Service, wrote on Twitter. Im seeing reports Russia-subordinated personnel fired a weapon to intimidate unarmed @OSCE_SMM monitors in eastern #Ukraine. @OSCE_SMM risk their lives to protect civilians. #Russia should stop this deplorable behavior before more SMM personnel are killed & get out of Ukraine. https://t.co/mwLiHvPPXt Heather Nauert (@statedeptspox) June 16, 2018 On June 14, the observers of the OSCE SMM (Special Monitoring Mission) came under fire in Pikuzy, Donetsk region. The representatives of the organization think that the fire was of a preventive nature to make the observers leave the district. Ukraine news on 112.international It is being defined whether to prosecute the pilots of the aeroplane Ukrainian military men detained a light aeroplane in Donbas conflict zone, as JFO HQ reports on Facebook. Today, on June 16 as around 06:30 the air surveillance of Ukraines National Guard near Rozdolne (Donetsk region) noticed a light aeroplane and informed the air defence command point about this. The Lilienthal Bekas (a 2/3 seat, high wing single engine pusher ultralight from Ukraine, - ed.) was forced to land, the message says. It is noted that two Ukrainian citizens were navigating the light aeroplane without permission of the Joint Forces. These citizens and the aeroplane was passed to the National Police department. It is being defined whether to prosecute these individuals. PLEASE NOTE! Due to the March 23, 2020 NM DOH Public Health Order, These Event Listings Are Not Accurate! All non-essential businesses are closed, public gatherings are prohibited! (One day some of these events will be rescheduled or will resume, but they are not happening now!) A group exhibition corresponding with the Interplanetary Festival celebrating humanitys fascination with the vast expanse beyond Earths boundaries. Runs through 7/20. ABOUT THE EXHIBITION Please join photo-eye Gallery for Cosmos, a group exhibition corresponding with the The Santa Fe Institutes Interplanetary Festival running this June in the Railyard. Cosmos features work by Beth Moon, Kate Breakey, Chris McCaw, Linda Connor, Alan Friedman and introduces Bryant Austin at photo-eye Gallery for the first time. An Opening and Artist Reception for Cosmos will be held on Friday, May 25th from 5 to 7 pm during the Last Friday Art Walk in the Santa Fe Railyard Arts District. ABOUT THE ARTWORK Cosmos celebrates of humanitys fascination with the vast expanse beyond Earths boundaries. In this group exhibition, six diverse photographers focus on heavenly bodies as a means to convey sublime notions of time, scale, and splendor. Cosmos reminds us how tiny, quick, and precious life is while engaging a fundamental curiosity. Collectively, these works create a place for reverence and wonder. THE ARTISTS Bryant Austin Austins minimal and atmospheric landscapes are portraits of the sun while it traverses the sky on a specific day at a specific time. Kate Breakey Cosmos will feature Orotones leafed in 24kt gold from Breakeys Golden Stardust series. Linda Connor Rich renderings on printing out paper from Californias Lick Observatory captured during the late-19th and early-20th Centuries. Alan Friedman Friedman crafts striking, high definition images of the sun, what he calls our neighborhood star. Chris McCaw Using handmade cameras and vintage silver-gelatin paper, McCaw tracks the suns movements in his unique solarized prints. Beth Moon With star-lit backdrops, Moons African tree portraits blend the visible and invisible to reveal something truly magical. YEREVAN, JUNE 17, ARMENPRESS. Human Rights Defender of Armenia (Ombudsman) Arman Tatoyan visited arrested Member of Parliament Manvel Grigoryan in the NSS detention facility at night, the Ombudsmans office said. The Ombudsman had a private conversation with the lawmaker, documents relating the case have been studied and the conditions of detention have been inspected. Health condition and medical aid issues were also studied. A number of issues have been raised, which have been solved on the spot. The Member of Parliament did not present complaints regarding the conditions of his detention or treatment by officers. Based on the question of the MPs attorney, the detention facility said it will ensure Grigoryans medical examination by his own preferred doctor, if needed. The Ombudsmans staff is also in contact with MP Grigoryans attorneys. A discussion procedure has been initiated in the Ombudsmans office for taking necessary steps within the framework of lawful powers. Edited and translated by Stepan Kocharyan The 630 migrants whose rescue sparked a major migration row in Europe arrived in the Spanish port of Valencia on Sunday after a turbulent week that saw Italy and Malta turn them away. The Aquarius, which has been at the centre of the crisis, sailed into Valencia harbour about 10:30 am (0830 GMT) with 106 migrants on board to applause from police, health workers and translators waiting on the pier. Under blue skies, migrants danced and sang, their excitement captured in footage released on Twitter by SOS Mediterranee which operates the rescue vessel with Doctors Without Borders (MSF). The remaining migrants arrived on an Italian coastguard ship, the Dattilo, and an Italian navy vessel, the Orione. They had been transferred from the Aquarius to make the voyage safer and more comfortable. Medical staff wearing white overalls, gloves and masks went on board the three ships to carry out initial checks before the migrants disembarked in groups of 20. They were welcomed by a team of more than 2,000 people, including 470 translators and 1,000 Red Cross volunteers who distributed blankets, clothes and hygiene kits. High waves and winds had forced the convoy to take a detour on its 1,500-kilometre (930-mile) voyage to Spain. "It is the end of a far-too-long voyage," said the head of MSF Spain, David Noguera. - 'Lost moral compass' - At the port, a huge banner was hung up saying "Welcome home" in various languages including Arabic. Among the passengers are 450 men and 80 women -- at least seven of them pregnant -- as well as 89 adolescents and 11 children under the age of 13, figures released by the Valencian authorities show. The majority are from Africa. A total of 144 migrants were taken to hospital for treatment -- mainly for scratches and burns -- and only six were expected to stay overnight, the regional government of Valencia said in a statement. The migrants were given three forms to fill out, one to ask to stay in Spain for 45 days, one to ask for asylum in Spain and another to ask for asylum in France, according to Noguera. Carmen Moreno, a doctor and Red Cross volunteer who helped look after the migrants after they disembarked, said they were "very excited and hopeful". "They also look tired," she told AFP. The Aquarius rescued the migrants off Libya's coast last weekend but Italy's new populist government and Malta both refused to let it dock, accusing each other of failing to meet their humanitarian and EU commitments. Spain eventually stepped in and agreed to receive the refugees as a "political gesture" to "oblige Europe to forge a common policy to a common problem," Foreign Minister Josep Borrell said. France said Saturday it would welcome Aquarius migrants who meet the criteria for asylum. "The situation cannot repeat itself. The inaction of Europe is criminal," SOS Mediterranee cofounder Sophie Beau told a news conference in Valencia. MSF emergency coordinator Karline Kleijer said the affair shows "how Europe has lost its moral compass in the Mediterranean." "These men women and children fled poverty and wars," she told the same news conference. - 'Voyages of death' - The plight of the Aquarius has again highlighted the failure of EU member states to work together to deal with the influx of migrants since 2015. After Rome's decision to ban the Aquarius, Macron and Italian premier Giuseppe Conte met Friday and called for the EU to set up asylum processing centres in Africa to prevent "voyages of death". They also demanded "profound" changes to the EU asylum rules which put the migrant burden on their country of entry to Europe -- mainly Italy and Greece. Italy's far-right Interior Minister Matteo Salvini warned Saturday that other NGO operated rescue ships would also be banned from docking. He criticised other EU nations on Sunday for not taking their fair share of refugees, and hoped Spain would "receive 66,000 other (migrants) and that the Portuguese, the Maltese and others could also receive them". However, 42 migrants rescued this week by a US ship off Libya before being transferred to an Italian coastguard vessel already carrying 500 migrants would be allowed to land in Italy, media reported in Rome on Sunday. The USS Trenton also picked up 12 dead bodies during the rescue. Nearly 1,000 migrants arrived Friday and Saturday in the south of Spain, the third busiest gateway for migrants into Europe after Italy and Greece. On Sunday, 60 activists who marched from the French-Italian border town of Ventimiglia -- a bottleneck for migrants travelling north -- arrived in Paris where they joined around 2,000 protestors at a rally calling on Europe to do more to welcome migrants and refugees. The Aquarius rescue ship carrying some of the 630 migrants rescued last week entered the Spanish port of Valencia at around 0830 GMT The migrants on board the Aquarius come from 26 countries, mainly from Africa but also Afghanistan, Bangladesh and Pakistan, according to Doctors Without Borders (MSF) The first of three ships to arrive in Valencia was the Datillo, an Italian navy boat carrying 274 migrants The EU's 2015 migrant reallocation scheme: national quotas and people actually rehoused so far. Medical teams were sent into check the migrants before they disembarked at the port of Valencia in Spain Part of Trump's agreement with Kim involves the repatriation of the bodies of several thousand USA servicemen, lying in North Korea since the Korean War was put on hold by ceasefire in 1953, a point that the president talked up several times on Friday. Along with destroying North Korea's stockpile of 60 nuclear warheads, Mr. Kim promised to recover the remains of the over 7,600 US prisoners of war and soldiers declared missing during the Korean War (1950-1953). When asked by a reporter why he continues to praise the North Korean dictator and ignore Kim's human rights record, Trump said because "I don't want to see a nuclear weapon destroy you and your family". North Korea has begun returning remains the missing remains of soldiers from the Korean War, President Donald Trump told Fox News' "Fox & Friends" Friday morning during an impromptu interview on the North Lawn of the White House. One of the men who knows Donald Trump as well as anyone, said on MSNBC on Saturday that Trump's admiration for North Korean strongman Kim Jong-un is a tip-off that he would deeply enjoy being a murderous despot if given a chance. "Look, he's doing what he's seen done", Trump told Greta Van Susteren when asked about Kim starving his own people. "[Kim] said, 'Yes, we will do that, '" Trump explained. In the video released Friday, Trump says economic sanctions will remain in place, and Secretary of State Mike Pompeo will work with North Korea in the weeks ahead to craft the details of a denuclearization deal. "We're getting remains back". "During our conversation, I emphasized the tremendous new prosperity, security, and opportunity that awaits North Korea when they denuclearise". I want to have a good relationship with many other countries. "Regardless of the smiles in the summit, many in Japan, South Korea, and the U.S. Congress doubt that North Korea is honest in its intentions", Axios reveals from the report. "He's the head of a country, and I mean he's the strong head-don't let anyone think anything different", Trump said while floating the possibility that Kim could be invited to the White House soon. "I can now call him", he said. "I could go through a lot of nations where a lot of bad things were done". "We pay for it. The people of Asia feel safe and right now, the people from all over the world feel much safer than the days before I was president", Trump said. "You don't understand sarcasm". "That's a good thing for us". He - I've been talking about this for a long time now, and I feel like it's extreme to keep repeating it, but also, what we need to hear. On the hit sitcom "The Good Place," Bambadjan Bamba plays an eternal being in the afterlife. In reality, the Ivorian actor is living in limbo in the United States as an undocumented immigrant. The 36-year-old Bamba, who most recently appeared in "Black Panther," is one of 700,000 "Dreamers" -- immigrants brought illegally to America as children who were protected by the Obama-era Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program. "For a while, I wanted to share my story but I was paralyzed in fear," he said in an interview with AFP as he picked up a human rights award in Los Angeles from the American Civil Liberties Union. "I just didn't want to ruffle any feathers. I didn't want to put my career on the line, and even my family on the line." Bamba's family fled political instability in the west African state of Ivory Coast in 1993 and he arrived in the US when he was 10. Bamba then spent his teenage years between New York's South Bronx and Richmond, Virginia. The young French speaker learned English quickly and got into New York's Conservatory for Dramatic Arts, driving taxis to pay the fees. It was during the college applications process, when Bamba was thinking about financial aid, that his parents revealed they had no legal status in the United States. They were eventually granted political asylum, but Bamba was 21 by then -- too old to share the new rights they had won. - 'A lot of fear' - Despite his undocumented status, the aspiring star began picking up acting jobs and has appeared in more than two dozen television shows such as "Law and Order," "ER" and "Grey's Anatomy." In 2016, he secured a recurring part as a human rights activist and secret celestial torturer in NBC sitcom "The Good Place," and has since appeared in small roles in two comic book blockbusters -- "Black Panther" and "Suicide Squad." Like thousands in his situation, Bamba felt like his world had collapsed when President Donald Trump canceled the DACA program last year, leaving Dreamers vulnerable to deportation at any moment. The court system has ordered that the scheme continue, but the uncertainty surrounding their status remains. "It has really been volatile. There's so much uncertainty in our communities. There's a lot of fear and we don't know what's going to happen next," he told AFP. "Most of us have families, degrees, have careers, have made our lives here, and we really don't know what's going to happen month to month." Bamba had told very few people of his citizenship status but decided to speak out in an interview with the Los Angeles Times in November of last year. "I have a wife and a daughter. She's one-and-a-half years old. Back in November, that really spurred my decision," Bamba told AFP. "I looked at her and I wanted her to know her father stood for something and stood for her, especially right now when families are being torn apart at the border." - Black cloud - Bamba says friends and colleagues have been incredibly supportive since he "came out," and his fears that it would nix his career turned out to be unfounded. He told the LA Times his biggest worry was being hauled off set by immigration officials during a shoot. He works a lot in Canada or elsewhere abroad but always worries about getting back into the United States. The Republican-led Congress failed earlier this year to pass immigration reform proposals, including one championed by Trump that would have resolved the legal status of 1.8 million migrants. Lawmakers are working on a new solution that would include measures to boost border security and reform legal immigration but, for the time being, the uncertainty is a black cloud hanging over the Dreamers. "I'm still being vocal but, to my surprise -- I guess this was a little naive of me -- I thought we would have a solution by now. I thought we would have a Dream Act passed by now," said Bamba. "I thought, with the government shutdowns and all those things that happened, that we would have something on the table. So the fact that we don't have anything helps me know that the fight continues and that I have to continue to do my part." Actor Bambadjan Bamba -- shown here at an American Civil Liberties Union event in Los Angeles on June 8 -- hails from Ivory Coast, and is now living in the US as an undocumented immigrant US President Donald Trump -- shown here in San Diego in March -- has canceled the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program, leaving so-called "Dreamers" like Bamba uncertain about their futures in the US Yemeni pro-government forces, backed by Saudi Arabia, battled Huthi rebels around the key port city of Hodeida on Sunday, as a top UN envoy held crisis talks with the insurgents in the capital. Saudi Arabia and its allies in a regional military coalition on Wednesday launched an offensive aimed at retaking the Red Sea city of Hodeida, home to the country's most valuable port which is controlled by the Iran-backed Huthis. The United Nations has warned the offensive could spark a fresh humanitarian crisis in a country already hit by war and impending famine, sending its envoy for Yemen to the capital Sanaa in a bid to come to a solution with the rebels. The Huthis, who accuse the UN of bias, however said there were major obstacles to any peace talks shortly after meeting with envoy Martin Griffiths on Sunday. The United Nations and relief organisations have warned that an all-out assault on Hodeida by the Saudi-led coalition, which commands a massive joint air force, would put hundreds of thousands of people at risk. Nearly 4,500 households have been displaced in Hodeida province so far this month, the UN said Sunday. Yemen's military forces have closed in on areas south and west of the port, pushing closer to an airport just south of the docks, sources in the army said. More than 70 percent of imports to all of Yemen pass through the docks of the Hodeida port. The army on Saturday claimed it had seized the defunct Hodeida airport, which has been in Huthi hands since 2014. The Shiite rebels, however, denied the claim in a statement on their Saba news agency on Sunday. They have also reported Saudi air strikes on Huthi outposts across Hodeida, with the insurgents' representative Hisham Sharaf pointing to the raids as a major obstacle to peace talks. The highway between Hodeida and the government-held port of Mokha was cut off Friday in battles between the two warring sides, disrupting precious supply lines to the military. The fighting is already nearing densely populated residential areas, rights groups have warned, and aid distributions have been suspended in the west of the city. At least 139 combatants have been killed since the launch of the operation on Wednesday, according to medical and military sources, most of them rebels. - Closely guarded UN talks - The Huthi rebels drove Yemen's government out of Sanaa in 2014, pushing President Abedrabbo Mansour Hadi into exile and sparking an intervention by Saudi Arabia and its allies the following year. The Saudi-led coalition earlier this year imposed a near-total blockade on Hodeida port, alleging it served as a major conduit for arms smuggling to the rebels by Riyadh's regional arch rival Iran. The potential capture of Hodeida would be the coalition's biggest victory of the war so far. Rebel leader Abdulmalik al-Huthi has urged his forces to put up fierce resistance and turn the region into a "quagmire" for the Saudi-led coalition troops. UN envoy Griffiths arrived in rebel-held Sanaa on Saturday for a second round of talks since taking the post in February. Huthi representative Sharaf, however, accused the Saudi-backed government of "obstructing negotiations", saying the Hodeida offensive had foiled any potential peace talks in a statement carried by the rebels' Saba news agency. Multiple rounds of UN-brokered talks between the rebels and the Hadi government have failed to find a solution to the conflict. Griffiths, whose talks in Sanaa have been largely kept under wraps, is believed to be pressing the Huthis to cede control of the Red Sea port to a UN-supervised committee that would allow deliveries of commercial goods and aid to continue to flow. On Saturday he called for restraint and said he was in contact with all the warring parties in a bid to halt the fighting. The UN Security Council on Thursday demanded that Hodeida port be kept open to vital food shipments but stopped short of backing a Swedish call for a pause in the offensive to allow for talks on a rebel withdrawal. The Yemen war has claimed some 10,000 lives since the Saudi-led coalition intervened in 2015. More than 22 million Yemenis are in need of aid, including 8.4 million who are at risk of starvation, according to the UN, which has described the conflict as the world's worst humanitarian crisis. Yemeni pro-government forces launch an attack on Huthi rebels in Hodeida province on June 16, 2018 as loyalists try to take back control of a key port Map of Yemen locating the port of Hodeida, which governmental forces are trying to retake from Huthi rebels. More than 70 percent of imports to all of Yemen pass through the docks of the rebel-held Hodeida port UN special envoy for Yemen Martin Griffiths holds talks with a Huthi official upon his arrival at Sanaa international airport on June 16, 2018 Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Sunday was cheered on by tens of thousands of supporters at a rally in Istanbul ahead of next weekend's election, after facing tough opposition in the campaign. Erdogan and his Justice and Development Party (AKP) which he co-founded in 2001 are seeking a second term in power in snap parliamentary and presidential polls on June 24. "Are you in for a strong government on June 24?" Erdogan asked the crowds who filled the Yenikapi rallying ground on the European side despite the heavy rains earlier in the day. "Are you in for a strong Turkey on June 24? Will you make history on June 24?," he said, with the crowd replying "yes" in harmony. "I believe this job is over in Istanbul. With Allah's permission, Istanbul has made its decision," Erdogan told his supporters waving Turkish flags. Erdogan is a clear favourite to win Sunday's elections but analysts say the victory is a not foregone conclusion and that the vote could go to a run-off. "When we already have a true servant of the people, I don't care about the utopia of his rivals," Ali Beral, a fervent supporter of Erdogan, told AFP during the rally. "God willing, we will win again and we will emerge stronger," he said. The Turkish leader is up against increasing pressure from rival Muharrem Ince of the secular Republican People's Party (CHP) who has brought dynamism to the heated contest with his rhetorical skills matching those of Erdogan. Erdogan has boasted of his mega projects for Istanbul during the Yenikapi rally including a third bridge across the Bosphorus slated to open in October, as well as Canal Istanbul -- an alternative sea route aimed at taking pressure off the waterway. "I am not fabricating dreams but talking of what we have done," he added. Erdogan and Ince are both holding several rallies daily, in what appears to be the biggest ballot box challenge of Erdogan's career. In an address to his supporters in northern Anatolian city of Tokat, Ince said: "An exhausted man cannot help Turkey get out of hole. Turkey is need of fresh flood." Turkey's President Recep Tayyip Erdogan gives a speech to party supporters during a rally in Yenikapi Square in Istanbul Conservative Ivan Duque won Colombia's presidential election Sunday after a campaign that turned into a referendum on a landmark 2016 peace deal with FARC rebels that he pledged to overhaul. Duque, 41, polled 54 percent to his leftist rival Gustavo Petro's 42 percent with almost all the votes counted, electoral authority figures showed. Petro, a leftist former mayor and ex-guerrilla, supports the deal. Tensions over the deal became apparent in the immediate aftermath of Duque's victory, after the president-elect lost no time in pledging "corrections" to the peace deal. "That peace we long for -- that demands corrections -- will have corrections, so that the victims are the center of the process, to guarantee truth, justice and reparation," Duque told supporters in his victory speech at his campaign headquarters. "The time has come to build real change," Duque said, promising a future for Colombians "of lawfulness, freedom of enterprise and equity," after decades of conflict. His vanquished opponent Petro promised to resist any fundamental changes to the deal. "Our role is not to be impotent and watch it being destroyed," he said. FARC, which disarmed and transformed into a political party after the peace deal but did not contest the election, immediately called on Duque to show "good sense" in dealing with the agreement. "What the country demands is an integral peace, which will lead us to the hoped-for reconciliation," the FARC said in a statement after Duque's presidential win. The former rebels also called for an early meeting with Duque. "One of the big questions here is what's going to happen with the peace process," analyst Yann Basset of the University of Rosario told AFP. "He has said he will not end the agreement, but that he will make modifications, and it's not very clear what these changes will be." - Momentous elections - "These are momentous elections," President Juan Manuel Santos, who will step down in August, said as he cast his ballot early in the day. "Let us continue to build a country at peace, a country of democracy, a country which we all hold dear and to which we all contribute." His efforts to end the war with the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) brought him the Nobel Peace Prize, though he is leaving office with record unpopularity in a country of 49 million people. The world's leading producer of cocaine, the Latin American country continues to battle armed groups vying for control of lucrative narco-trafficking routes in areas FARC once dominated. Duque's victory means he will be Colombia's youngest president since 1872. He comfortably won the first round last month, having campaigned on a pledge to rewrite the agreement signed by Santos. As he voted surrounded by his children, Duque said he wanted to make sure that those who commit crimes "pay for them." The former economist and first-term senator says he wants to keep ex-FARC rebels from serving in Congress. The agreement allowed the group to transform itself into a political party. Duque is buoyed by the backing of his popular mentor, former president and now senator Alvaro Uribe, whose two-term presidency from 2002-2010 was marked by all-out war on the FARC. Petro, 58, was the first leftist to reach a presidential runoff in Colombia, and believed his presence showed the South American country had shed its suspicions of the left, tainted by 50 years of conflict. "The need to change things is fundamental," he said after voting. "We are going to build a humane Colombia that is at peace, that is reconciled with itself." A former member of the disbanded M-19 guerrilla group, Petro had promised to implement the agreement with the FARC, whose 7,000 ex-combatants have struggled to return to civilian life. FARC leader Rodrigo Londono, known as Timochenko during the conflict, said: "With either one of the two (candidates), we cannot let down our guard." Highlighting Colombia's glaring inequalities during his campaign, Petro also said he would buy out land owned by the big agro-industrial companies and redistribute it to poor farmers. Polls closed at 4:00 pm (2100 GMT) after a day of peaceful voting. - 'We are in limbo' - "The biggest challenge will be to adopt a clear position on the peace agreement because, for the moment, we are in limbo," Fabian Acuna, professor of political science at Colombia's Javeriana University, told AFP. "It will be very costly to go backwards," Acuna warned. According to Andres Ortega of National University, Duque will "arrive with a very strong coalition in Congress," where the right swept the polls in March legislative elections. The FARC withdrew from the presidential elections, having suffered a drubbing in its first electoral contest as a political party in March, polling less than half a percent. It still gets 10 seats in Congress as a result of the peace agreement -- a clause Duque is intent on scrapping. Colombian conservative Ivan Duque (L) celebrates his presidential election win with runningmate Marta Lucia Ramirez in Bogota Leftist presidential candidate Gustavo Petro speaks after his defeat by Duque Supporters of presidential candidate Gustavo Petro react after partial results show he lost to Duque Soldiers are deployed at Bolivar Square in Bogota for the vote One of the world's longest -- and arguably most arcane -- diplomatic disputes could move a step closer to being resolved on Sunday when the foreign ministers of Greece and Macedonia sign a preliminary accord on the latter's name. Ending a dispute that began 27 years ago, but the roots of which date back centuries, Greece's Nikos Kotzias and Nikola Dimitrov of Macedonia will meet at the Prespes Lake district to sign the historic accord, brokered after months of diplomatic haggling. Joining them will be Prime Ministers Alexis Tsipras and Zoran Zaev, as well as officials from the United Nations and the European Union, who have welcomed the move. The delegations will sign the agreement on the Greek side of the border before crossing over to the Macedonian side for lunch, Athens said. Tsipras and Zaev last week beat the odds to announce a deal that will see the tiny Balkan state renamed as the Republic of North Macedonia. Since 1991, Athens has objected to its neighbour being called Macedonia because it has its own northern province of the same name, which in ancient times was the cradle of Alexander the Great's empire -- a source of intense pride for modern-day Greeks. The two premiers, both in their forties, have bucked strong reactions at home to push ahead with the agreement. - Accusations of treachery - Tsipras has been accused of treachery by Greek hardliners, and on Saturday defeated a vote of censure against his government over the issue. In Macedonia, President Gjorge Ivanov plans to exercise a one-time veto option to block the deal that the nationalist opposition has called a "capitulation". Zaev, elected last year, has made rapprochement with Greece a priority to secure his country's membership of the European Union and NATO, blocked by Athens for years. The Macedonian parliament is scheduled to start debating the agreement next week. Demonstrators from both countries plan to hold protest rallies near Prespes on Sunday. The agreement still needs to be approved by Macedonia's parliament and pass a referendum. It also needs to be ratified by the Greek parliament, a process likely to take months. Among Tsipras' staunchest critics is his predecessor, former conservative prime minister Antonis Samaras, who was foreign minister in 1991 when the dispute originally began. "You have recognised an aberration which will not stabilise the area, it will undermine it," Samaras said Saturday. "You are legalising (Macedonian) irredentism," he said. - A deal that could backfire? - Tsipras' domestic critics say he has bargained away Greece's diplomatic advantages -- the power of veto over EU and NATO accession -- for a deal that could backfire. Specifically, by officially recognising a Macedonian language and nationality, it is almost certain that the country will be called Macedonia by the broader world, instead of North Macedonia, opponents of the deal argue. Officials in Athens insist that the deal will help stabilise the historically volatile Balkan region, permitting Greece to focus on other regional challenges, Turkey among them. They also note that Greece had already been criticised by the International Court of Justice for blocking Macedonia's membership of NATO. In a 2011 ruling, the top UN court said Greece had "breached its obligation" under a provisional agreement reached in 1995 to end the dispute over the name of the former Yugoslav republic. Macedonia was admitted to the United Nations in 1993 under the provisional name of the "Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia", but more than 120 countries including Russia and the United States have recognised the Balkan country under the name of "Republic of Macedonia". Skopje hopes to secure a date to begin European Union accession talks at an EU summit in late June and an invitation to join NATO in mid-July. Greece's northern province of Macedonia was the cradle of Alexander the Great's empire and is a source of intense pride for modern-day Greeks The Greek government under prime minister Alexis Tsipras defeated a vote of censure over the Macedonia issue on Saturday Protest rallies against the name change are expected from both countries Greece and Macedonia on Sunday signed a historic preliminary agreement to rename the small Balkan nation the Republic of North Macedonia, ending a row that has poisoned relations between the two neighbours since 1991. "This is a brave, historic and necessary step for our peoples," said Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras. "We are here to heal the wounds of time, to open a path for peace, fraternisation and growth for our countries, the Balkans and Europe," he said. "Our two countries should step out of the past and look to the future," said Macedonian Prime Minister Zoran Zaev. "By signing the agreement... we have really moved mountains." But as the two countries' foreign ministers signed the deal Greek protesters clashed with riot police, who beat them back with tear gas near the small village of Pisoderi, 25 kilometres (16 miles) away. Six policemen and six protesters were injured, police said, as around 500 demonstrators waving Greek flags tried to approach the ceremony. The accord aims to start unravelling one of the world's longest diplomatic disputes, which began 27 years ago with Macedonia's declaration of independence but dates back centuries. "The time has come again to sing happy songs in the Balkans," Tsipras said, moments before the document was signed by the foreign ministers. Zaev and several of his ministers arrived by speedboat at the picturesque fishing village of Psarades under a sunny sky, on the southern bank of Lake Prespa, one of the natural boundaries between the two countries. Tsipras and Zaev embraced on the village dock and were treated to a standing ovation by gathered dignitaries. UN under-secretary-general for political affairs Rosemary DiCarlo, longterm UN negotiator Matthew Nimetz, EU diplomatic chief Federica Mogherini and EU enlargement commissioner Johannes Hahn were on hand, snapping pictures with their smartphones. Nimetz, who turned 79 on Sunday, and was given a birthday cake, has been trying to broker a solution since 1994, first as a US envoy and subsequently on behalf of the UN. But it was the election of Zaev in 2017, replacing nationalist prime minister Nikola Gruevski, that proved crucial. An economist and former mayor of Strumica, Zaev made a rapprochement with Greece a priority to secure his country's membership of the European Union and NATO, blocked by Athens for years. After the signature, Tsipras crossed over to the Macedonian side of Lake Prespa for lunch, becoming the first Greek prime minister to visit the neighbouring state. Since 1991, Athens has objected to its neighbour being called Macedonia because it has its own northern province of the same name, which in ancient times was the cradle of Alexander the Great's empire -- a source of intense pride for modern-day Greeks. The two premiers, born just months apart in 1974, have bucked strong hostile reactions at home to push ahead with the agreement. - Accusations of treachery - Tsipras has been accused of treachery by Greek hardliners, and on Saturday defeated a vote of censure against his government amid protests and clashes with police outside parliament. In Macedonia, President Gjorge Ivanov plans to exercise a one-time veto option to block the deal that the nationalist opposition has called a "capitulation". The Macedonian parliament is scheduled to start debating the agreement the coming week. The accord still needs to be approved by Macedonia's parliament and then pass a referendum. The constitution must also be revised by the end of the year, before Greece's parliament is called to ratify it. On Sunday, some 5,000 people marched peacefully against the name deal in Bitola, in southwestern Macedonia, an event organised by the main opposition VMRO-DPMNE party. But in Skopje special police fired tear gas after some among 2,000 people protesting in front of the parliament hurled stones and flares and attempted to break through a police cordon. The protestors, who organised themselves through social networks, chanted "Zaev traitor". The state-run MIA news agency reported that 10 people including seven police officers were injured. - 'Brave steps' - Tsipras' domestic critics say he has bargained away Greece's diplomatic advantages -- the power of veto over EU and NATO accession -- for a deal that could backfire. Specifically, by officially recognising a Macedonian language and nationality, it is almost certain that the country will be called Macedonia by the broader world, instead of North Macedonia, opponents of the deal argue. Officials in Athens insist the deal will help stabilise the historically volatile Balkan region, permitting Greece to focus on other regional challenges, Turkey among them. Macedonia was admitted to the UN in 1993 under the provisional name of the "Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia", but more than 120 countries including Russia and the United States have recognised the Balkan country under the name of "Republic of Macedonia". "It is indeed a historic day... I believe this will be inspiration for many in the region and Europe to make brave steps," Mogherini said. Skopje hopes to secure a date to begin EU accession talks at an EU summit in late June and an invitation to join NATO in mid-July. strs/jph/ljv The name change was agreed on in talks between Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras, seen on the right, and his Macedonian counterpart Zoran Zaev, both of whom were at the signing ceremony Greece's northern province of Macedonia was the cradle of Alexander the Great's empire and is a source of intense pride for modern-day Greeks Protest rallies against the name change took place in both countries India said Sunday it was resuming military operations against rebels in disputed Kashmir after a rare 30-day suspension for Ramadan expired, with a top minister blaming militant attacks. Army operations were halted on May 16 at the start of the Muslim fasting month, despite a months-long escalation of violence in the Muslim-majority Himalayan region. Troops would stop the pursuit of militants and door-to-door house searches but would still retaliate if attacked, officials said at the time. "While the security forces have displayed exemplary restraint during this period, the terrorists have continued with their attacks, on civilians and SFs (security forces), resulting in deaths and injuries," Home Minister Rajnath Singh said on Twitter. "The security forces are being directed to take all necessary actions as earlier to prevent terrorists from launching attacks and indulging in violence," Singh added. "The government of India decides not to extend the suspension of operations" in Jammu and Kashmir state, Singh's office said in a separate statement on Twitter. "The operations against terrorists to resume," it added. The government's suspension had failed to halt the mounting death toll in Indian-administered Kashmir, which is also claimed by Pakistan. A youth died after being hit by a paramilitary vehicle during a demonstration. A number of militants and at least five soldiers or police were also killed in clashes. One young Indian soldier from Kashmir, who was on leave for the end of Ramadan, was abducted and murdered by suspected rebels. Prime Minister Narendra Modi held a cabinet meeting on Thursday to discuss whether to extend the initiative, amid a heated debate on the move. It was the first time in almost two decades that Indian authorities had suspended military operations against militants. The killing of the abducted soldier and the shooting last week of a leading Kashmir editor, Shujaat Bukhari, put pressure on the government to resume operations. The home minister said the suspension had been ordered "in the interests of the peace-loving people" of Kashmir "to provide them a conductive atmosphere to observe Ramadan". Violence in Kashmir has escalated since troops killed a top militant commander in 2016. Last year was the deadliest in the region for the past decade. Kashmir has been divided between India and Pakistan since the end of British rule in 1947 and the two nations have fought two wars over the territory. Rebel groups seek independence or a merger of the territory with Pakistan. India accuses Pakistan of arming the rebels but Islamabad says it only gives diplomatic and moral support. Kashmiri youths throw stones during clashes in Srinagar on June 16 Ukrainian police said Sunday they had detained 56 far-right activists who tried to disrupt a gay pride march in central Kiev, which saw around 5,000 people take part and a huge security presence. Around 150 members of a far-right group blocked the planned route of the march before it began, with several of them throwing gas canisters at police. Five officers had to seek medical treatment, police said. The march later took place without incident as participants with rainbow flags and multi-coloured hair walked through the capital. The number of participants was roughly double that of the previous year. US ambassador Marie Yovanovitch and Rebecca Harms from the European Parliament were at the front of the march. Along the way supporters of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender rights were guarded by another 5,000 officers, including mounted police. "There must always be the police, otherwise someone will come, otherwise someone will interrupt, otherwise someone will attack," 19-year-old Liza, who was on the march, told AFP. "I think this is not the way it should be in a civilized country," she added. "We just want to show that we are here -- all different, but all equal," Svitlana, a 20-year-old LGBT activist said. Not only the far-right activists came to protest against the march, but also people who said they were defenders of "traditional family values". "Gay parades are a propaganda of gay dictatorship," Larysa, a 52-year-old woman told AFP. "They can do what they want, but we are against the propaganda, against implantation of this to our children," she complained. Homophobia is still commonplace in post-Soviet Ukraine, but Kiev authorities are attempting to demonstrate their tolerance by allowing pride marches to take place, in contrast to neighbouring Russia. Far-right activists protest against a gay pride march in central Kiev amid a large police presence The last batch of late legendary winemaker Henri Jayer's Burgundies -- which include some of the world's most expensive wines -- was sold for a mouth-watering 30 million euros ($35 million) in Geneva on Sunday, well in excess of the estimated price. In all, 1,064 bottles went under the hammer at the Baghera Wines auction at a gourmet restaurant in Geneva. They included Cros-Parantoux Vosne-Romanee Premier Cru, which ranks among the world's priciest wines. "Everything was sold and each one of the lots was extremely well bid" in an auction that lasted six and a half hours, said Emilie Drouin, spokeswoman for the Baghera Wines auction house. The 855 standard bottles and 209 magnums, dating from between 1970 and 2001, were from the personal wine cellar of the man broadly considered the king of the Pinot Noir variety of grape. Originally, their estimated price had been set at between 6.7 million and 13 million Swiss francs (5.7-11.2 million euros). "These bottles and magnums from his personal reserve were a bit like his laboratory... A way to see his vintage wines age over the years," his daughters Lydie and Dominique Jayer, wrote to AFP in an email prior to the sale. "It was natural for us, since we could not drink all of these bottles, to offer them up for sale so that wine lovers... could buy them and drink them, in his honour," they said. The daughters were present at the auction. - 'Emblem of the Burgundy' - Frenchman Henri Jayer, who died in 2006 at the age of 84, established a name for himself in the 1970s, when specialised wine reviews ranked his wines among the best in the world. Over the years, he became "the emblem of the Burgundy in the eyes of the public", Swiss wine critic Jacques Perrin, who knew Jayer personally, told AFP. A Henri Jayer wine has "all the grace of the Pinot, the slenderness, the structure, the aromatic finesse. He did everything to preserve that", he said. Baghera Wines chief Michael Ganne agreed. "The great force of the Henri Jayer wines, when you have the chance to taste such wine, is really the fruit, (which) has just an incredible elegance and finesse," he told AFP. It is this quality that has made Jayer's wines some of the most sought after in the wine world -- and brought them their sometimes astronomical price tags. The most expensive lot at the auction -- a series of 15 magnums of Vosne-Romanee Cros-Parantoux dating from 1978 to 2001 -- has been valued at between 280,000 and 480,000 Swiss francs ($282,000-$484,000, 237,000-406,000 euros). Even before the auction, the original price estimate of between 6.7 and 13 million francs had raised eyebrows in the business. "I'm not sure it is really worth the price," Perrin had said beforehand. He said the price reflected "the speculation effect, which is undeniable", but also "the collector effect", spurred by an eagerness to acquire "this last vestige of a heritage, almost a relic". Ganne meanwhile explained that "buyers of this kind of wine are generally fairly well-known collectors", predicting that a number of Asian, American and some European wine auction regulars would show up. Each bottle is equipped with a seal that guarantees its traceability and authenticity. Jayer's daughters meanwhile hope the bottles' new owners will not just leave them in their cellars to gather dust and value. "We hope they will go into the cellars of wine lovers who know how to open and drink these wines," they said. "Let's not forget that wine is synonymous with sharing, and these wines were above all made to be drunk and enjoyed." The wines auctioned included Cros-Parantoux Vosne-Romanee Premier Cru, which ranks among the world's priciest, and a host of others top notch Burgundies In all, 1,064 bottles went under the hammer at the Baghera Wines auction at a gourmet restaurant in Geneva President Donald Trump on Saturday repeated his false assertion that Democrats were responsible for his administration's policy of separating migrant families apprehended at the border, sticking to a weekslong refusal to publicly accept responsibility for a widely condemned practice that has become a symbol of his crackdown on illegal immigration. The DHS official also rejected as "not true" various reports of wrongdoing, including the turning away of some asylum-seekers. Last month, facing a sharp uptick in illegal border crossings, Mr. Trump ordered a new effort to criminally prosecute anyone who crossed the border unlawfully - with few exceptions for parents traveling with their minor children. In April, Attorney General Jeff Sessions announced a new "zero tolerance" policy for migrants detained while crossing the border between ports of entry. The Department of Homeland Security did not immediately respond to a request to provide a breakdown of the age of children separated from their parents and held in custody, but the official said they do not separate babies from adults. Yet US President Donald Trump, for reasons that aren't yet clear, said yesterday that he won't support their bill. The process can take several weeks. Brooks said to call the Department of Justice and tell them what you think. Signed into law by President George W. Bush in 2008, the legislation ensures that unaccompanied children who arrive at the US-Mexico border are "exempt from prompt return to their home country", unless those countries are Canada or Mexico. Since then, stories of weeping children torn from the arms of their frightened parents have emerged and the policy has been widely criticised by church groups, politicians on both sides of the aisle and children's advocates. "I'm very disappointed", said Representative Mike Coffman, a moderate Republican from a competitive Colorado district. "I would cite you to the Apostle Paul and his clear and wise command in Romans 13, to obey the laws of the government because God has ordained them for the goal of order", he said. "We don't want kids to be separated from their parents", Mr Ryan said. Cardinal Daniel DiNardo, president of the US Conference of Catholic Bishops, issued a statement on Wednesday criticizing the government's immigration policies. The moves by the government to separate families have been widely decried by medical professionals, the United Nations, and a wide swath of USA religious leaders. But while Trump has been calling for Democrats to come to the negotiating table, he has kept up his fiery rhetoric on MS-13 - the gang started by Central American immigrants in the 1980s and known for its particularly brutal crimes and motto: "Kill, rape, control". Democrats fired back, with top House Democrat Nancy Pelosi calling the Republican proposal "simply unworthy of America". Family separation "is an immoral, horrific policy", added Senator Dianne Feinstein, who has introduced legislation to keep immigrant families together. Malaysia was once a loyal partner in China's globe-spanning infrastructure drive but a new government is now pledging to review Beijing-backed projects, threatening key links in the much-vaunted initiative. Kuala Lumpur's previous regime, led by scandal-mired Najib Razak, had warm ties with China and signed a string of deals for Beijing-funded projects, including a major rail link and a deep-sea port. But the long-ruling coalition was unexpectedly turfed out of power last month by voters disgusted at allegations of corruption and angered at rising living costs. Critics say many agreements lacked transparency, fuelling suspicions they were struck in exchange for help in paying off debts from a financial scandal which ultimately helped bring down Najib's regime. The new government, led by political heavyweight Mahathir Mohamad, has pledged to review Chinese deals seen as dubious, calling into question Malaysia's status as one of Beijing's most cooperative partners in its infrastructure push. China's ambitious initiative to revive ancient Silk Road trading routes with a global network of ports, roads and railways -- dubbed "One Belt, One Road" -- was launched in 2013 and is the economic crown jewel of President Xi Jinping's presidency. Malaysia, along with Beijing ally Cambodia, were seen as bright spots in Southeast Asia, with projects in other countries often facing problems, from land acquisition to drawn-out negotiations with governments. "Malaysia under Najib moved quickly to approve and implement projects," Murray Hiebert, a senior associate from think-tank the Center for Strategic and International Studies, told AFP. Chinese foreign direct investment into Malaysia stood at just 0.8 percent of total net FDI inflows in 2008, but that figure had risen to 14.4 percent by 2016, according to a study from Singapore's ISEAS-Yusof Ishak Institute. However, Hiebert said it was "widely assumed" that Malaysia was striking quick deals with China in the hope of getting help to cover debts from sovereign wealth fund 1MDB. Najib and his cronies were accused of stealing huge sums of public money from the investment vehicle in a massive fraud. Public disgust at the allegations -- denied by Najib and 1MDB -- helped topple his government. - Beijing's plans derailed? - Malaysia's first change of government in six decades has left Najib facing a potential jail term -- and appears to have already unsettled Beijing's plans in the country. New prime minister Mahathir has announced a planned high-speed rail link between Kuala Lumpur and neighbouring Singapore will not go ahead as he seeks to reduce the country's huge national debt. The project was in its early stages and had not yet received any Chinese funding as part of "One Belt, One Road". But Chinese companies were favoured to build part of the line, which would have constituted a link in a high-speed route from China's Yunnan province to trading hub Singapore, along which Chinese goods could have been transported for export. Work has already started in Malaysia on another line seen as part of that route, and which had received Chinese funding -- the $14-billion East Coast Rail Link, running from close to the Thai border to a port near Kuala Lumpur. Mahathir has said that agreement is now being renegotiated. Other Chinese-funded initiatives include a deep-sea port in Malacca, near important shipping routes, and an enormous industrial park. It is not clear yet which projects will be changed or cancelled but experts believe axing some will be positive. Alex Holmes, Asia economist for Capital Economics, backed cancelling some initiatives, citing "Malaysia's weak fiscal position and that some of the projects are of dubious economic value". The Chinese foreign ministry did not respond to request for comment. But a recent commentary in China's Global Times, a nationalist state-run tabloid, warned Mahathir if he damaged the interests of Chinese companies, they had the right to seek compensation. "The Chinese government will also take concrete measures to safeguard the interests and rights of Chinese enterprises," it said. Adding to China's woes, Mahathir has a clear preference for Beijing's rival Japan, and last week went to Tokyo for his first foreign trip since taking office. During the visit, the 92-year-old signalled ties with Beijing would cool: "We will be friendly with China, but we do not want to be indebted to China." Malaysia's new government, led by PM Mahathir Mohamad, has pledged to review Chinese deals seen as dubious The regime of Malaysia's ousted PM Najib Razak signed a string of deals for Beijing-funded projects McDonalds will begin replacing its plastic drinking straws with paper in all of its UK and Ireland branches, in a bid to reduce waste. From September, the chain will begin rolling out the change at its more than 1,300 restaurants across the two countries. The paper straws will disintegrate in the environment, rather than plastic ending up as litter or landfill. McDonalds will begin replacing its drinking straws with paper in all of its UK and Ireland branches, in a bid to reduce plastic waste. Source: Investor Place Customers reacted positively to trials of moving plastic straws to behind the counter at some stores, with many enthusiastic about protecting the environment, chief executive of McDonalds UK and Ireland Paul Pomroy said in a statement. Reflecting the broader public debate, our customers told us they wanted to see a move on straws but to do so without compromising their overall experience when visiting our restaurants. The governments ambitious plans, combined with strong customer opinion, has helped to accelerate the move away from plastic and Im proud that weve been able to play our part in helping to achieve this societal change, he said. McDonalds is also testing alternatives to plastic straws in Belgium, France, the US and Norway. There is no word yet on whether McDonalds stores in Australia will follow the lead of the UK and Ireland, but heres hoping. French President Emmanuel Macron heads to Germany on Tuesday seeking progress with Chancellor Angela Merkel on elusive eurozone reforms, but the deepening EU rifts over migration threaten to dominate an already daunting agenda. The Franco-German ministerial meeting, being held at the Meseberg castle north of Berlin, is seen as key for forging a consensus ahead of a crunch EU summit on June 28-29. But Italy's refusal last week to allow a ship carrying 630 rescued migrants to dock on its shores has shattered the bloc's fragile status quo on dealing with the wave of people fleeing war and misery in Syria, Iraq and elsewhere since 2015. Merkel herself is facing a showdown with her own hardline interior minister after his call for turning back undocumented migrants at German borders and speeding up ejections of rejected asylum seekers. Most Germans support the moves according to opinion polls, while critics say Merkel's liberal migrant policies have bolstered far-right and populist parties at home and abroad. EU deals with Turkey and Italy have sharply reduced the number of new arrivals, yet hundreds of people still attempt to cross the Mediterranean from Libya each day. Merkel and Macron both agree on the need for a Europe-wide response, and are hoping to hammer out a policy acceptable to all member states that would ease the burden on Italy, Greece and other main entry points. Yet the tensions that flared across Europe last week after Italy's move to block the Aquarius rescue ship have pushed any potential deal further from reach. - 'Maximum of agreements' - Paris no longer harbours any illusion of securing a revamp of the so-called Dublin rules before the end-of-June deadline set by EU leaders last December. The rules require migrants to apply for asylum in the first country they enter -- a policy France has used to defend its own efforts to keep people from trying to cross over from Italy. But Paris is hoping to get Berlin's agreement on increased funding for the EU's Frontex border force, harmonised asylum rules and the creation of asylum processing centres in Africa. "We're hoping to obtain a maximum of agreements on Tuesday, and in late June," a source in the French presidency told AFP. That hope, however, is running up against an "axis of the willing" to combat immigration announced last week by Italy's new far-right interior minister and his German and Austrian counterparts. And countries such as Hungary and Poland have either refused outright or resisted taking in refugees under an EU quota system that has essentially floundered. - Common ground? - Despite the migrant policy headache, Macron and Merkel might find more common ground on deeper EU economic integration. Macron, a centrist who swept to power last year, pledged to reconcile Europeans with the Union after years of austerity and growing disillusionment with the bloc's institutions. Merkel has cautiously come around in recent weeks, but she may not have much political room to manoeuvre further. Rightwingers in her delicate governing coalition -- as well as several northern European countries -- remain hostile to France's push for a common eurozone budget, fearing taxpayers could foot the bill for fiscal irresponsibility in southern EU states. Merkel made some concessions earlier this month, agreeing to support Macron's call for an investment fund to help poorer European countries catch up in the areas of science, technology and innovation. The size of the fund remains unclear, however, with Germany resisting the hundreds of billions of euros sought by France. Nonetheless, French Finance Minister Bruno Le Maire, who will attend Tuesday's meeting along with the two countries' defence and foreign ministers, tweeted late Saturday that "an agreement is close at hand". France and Germany may also strike a deal aimed at harmonising corporate taxes across the bloc, to stop multinationals from taking advantage of low-tax regimes in countries like the Netherlands, Ireland or Luxembourg. Merkel said the common tax system would also help both countries shore up their competitiveness in the face of a potential trade war unleashed by US President Donald Trump. Trump's threat to reduce US funding for NATO unless European members step up their contributions could also lead to new measures for strengthening EU defence cooperation. Merkel has said she is "favourable" to a French call to create a European Intervention Initiative of forces which could be deployed rapidly to deal with crises outside the framework of NATO. German Chancellor Angela Merkel has so far given a cautious welcome to French President Emmanuel Macron's ambitious efforts to deepen EU integration German Chancellor Angela Merkel is facing a showdown with her Interior Minister Horst Seehofer, who wants tougher measures to clamp down on migration to Europe More than eight tonnes of waste has been retrieved from Mount Everest in the past two months, including rubbish, mountaineering gear and even human excrement left by a growing numbers of visitors. Enthusiasts from all over the world who flock to the worlds tallest mountain, at a height of 8,850 metres between Tibet and Nepal, discard tonnes of rubbish each year. A team of 30 people has cleared about 5.2 tonnes of household waste, 2.3 tonnes of human faeces, and one tonne of mountaineering rubbish in the cleanup by Tibetan mountaineering officials, the paper said. More than eight tonnes of waste was removed in the cleanup. Source: AFP Discarded climbing equipment and rubbish scattered around Camp 4 of Mount Everest, where decades of commercial mountaineering have left a trail of discarded waste. Source: Agence-France Presse The work is almost as demanding as tackling the summit, say climbers, since collection is a strenuous task that boosts the consumption of oxygen people need to breathe, it added. During last years climbing season, which usually runs from March until May, 202 climbers summitted from the Tibetan side, versus 446 from the Nepali side, while thousands of tourists visited base camps on both sides. The warming global climate has melted frozen garbage left by climbers over decades, spurring environmental concerns in Nepal, India and China, which is taking tough measures to clean up air, water and soil contaminated after decades of breakneck growth. Since 2015, officials in Tibet have given every climber two rubbish bags to retrieve at least 8kg of rubbish, levying a fine of $100 for each kilogram by which a climber falls short. Nepal adopted similar rules in 2014. Mountaineering expedition organizers in Nepal are sending huge trash bags with climbers on Mount Everest during the spring climbing season to collect trash that then can be winched by helicopters back to the base camp. Source: AP, file China also plans to build environmentally friendly toilet and waste collection sites at Mount Everest, the official Xinhua news agency said. Authorities in Tibet have pledged to complete 45 pollution cleanup tasks before 2020, according to a list published this week by the environment ministry, after a central inspection team flagged concerns last year. Beijing plans a further round of inspections early next year, the Peoples Daily newspaper of the ruling Communist Party has said. The head of the Red Cross urged European Union member states Sunday to follow Spain's example of welcoming a rejected migrant ship and "put into practice" the humanitarian values promoted by the bloc. Spain has "opened its arms at a time when many reject (refugees) and are not showing solidarity," Elhadj As Sy of the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies told AFP in the Spanish port of Valencia, where he was overseeing the arrival of 630 migrants from the Aquarius rescue boat. "There are 66 million people right now seeking refuge and some of them are coming of course to Europe like they are going to other places because they are looking for support, they are looking for solidarity," he added. "Those are values that Europe is promoting. And we also expect from Europe to put those values into practice like we are seeing here today." The Aquarius migrants rescued off Libya's coast last weekend were left in high-seas limbo after Italy and Malta bickered over who should accept them, sparking a major migration row. Spain eventually agreed to take them in. "We call on all other countries to follow suit in helping those in need in the name of the one fundamental principle, which is one humanity which we all share," As Sy said. He recalled that one-third of Lebanon's population is made up of refugees, with another one million refugees in Jordan and three million in Turkey. - Game changer? - Spain's new Socialist Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez offered Monday to allow the Aquarius to dock in Valencia "to help avoid a humanitarian catastrophe" and "comply with our human rights obligations". The migrants, most of them from Africa, were welcomed by a team of more than 2,000 people, including 470 translators and 1,000 Red Cross volunteers who distributed basic items such as blankets, clothes and hygiene kits. As Sy said the Aquarius case could change the way Europe handles migration. "If people sustain the efforts that are being made and we do not see a one-off operation, it could be a game changer," he said. "Be it in Valencia or anywhere else where we have witnessed people arriving, we have seen people spontaneously come out to help. I think when people see more and more the benefit of helping others, that can alleviate fears and misunderstandings, and misinterpretations for political... games," he added. "What matters at the end of the day is the humanitarian support and assistance." He also hailed France's offer to accept Aquarius migrants who meet the criteria for asylum. "That is of course welcome. I hope that they can continue and do more and that other countries will follow suit as well," he said. - 'Symbol of many others' - Hundreds of international journalists were accredited to cover Sunday's arrival of the migrants in Valencia. "We are happy that this is being covered because it is a symbol of (the fate of other migrant ships)... Attention should be drawn to the fact that this situation has to be managed and responded to in a humane way," As Sy said. "There should be space for people to feel safe, where people should have the opportunity to develop themselves and care for themselves and their families," he added. He stressed more needed to be done to avoid that migrants "do not fall in the hands of traffickers and smugglers". Countries have an obligation to host and protect asylum-seekers "according to international law for refugees but also according to the principles of humanity," As Sy said. Secretary General of the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) Elhadj As Sy poses in front of the Italian coast guard boat Dattilo at the port of Valencia on June 17, 2018 during an interview.The 630 migrants whose rescue sparked a major migration row in Europe began disembarking in Spain, after a turbulent week that saw Italy turn away the Aquarius ship. The migrants, mainly from Africa, will be welcomed by a team of more than 2,000 people, including 1,000 Red Cross volunteers and 470 translators. The small fishing village of Psarades is about to make history Sunday when the leaders of Greece and Macedonia meet to bury a 27-year-old name row, but many locals are seething. "I would not call it a pleasant day," says Achileas Papadopoulos, a 60-year-old fisherman on the banks of Lake Prespa, a natural boundary between the two countries. "We are giving away the name 'Macedonia', and we're supposed to be happy?" he says. Greece and Macedonia later today will sign a preliminary accord to rename the small Balkan state the Republic of North Macedonia, ending a dispute dating to 1991. Security is intense, with police cordons in place many miles (kilometres) from the village. Anybody seeking to approach has to pass through successive identity checks. Protests against the agreement are expected in the area on Sunday. On Saturday, as the government defeated a censure motion against the accord in Athens, clashes broke out between protesters and police outside parliament. Officials later blamed the incident on far-right supporters of Greek neo-Nazi party Golden Dawn, some of whom attacked the cars of lawmakers after the vote. - Bloody history - Opposition is even stronger in Greece's north, where Greek and Bulgarian guerrillas fought a bitter four-year war in the early 20th century for predominance among Orthodox Christians in then Ottoman-held Macedonia. Two short wars were then fought in 1912 and 1913 between the Balkan states and the Ottoman Empire to end six centuries of rule from Istanbul, with atrocities committed by both sides. "This land has been watered with blood," says a 22-year-old Psarades local, who declined to give her name. "Our grandfathers talk about the past and cry," says this Greek woman. The deal, brokered after months of intensive talks, is touted as a vital step for stability and economic development in the Balkans. "Signing the deal will mean opening the border soon I guess. It means a lot, for us it is a huge thing," says Bosko Dimovski, a 60-year-old from Dolno Dupeni, the first village on the Macedonian side of the border. "This used to be one of the richest regions in the Balkans, and after the border was closed it became one of the poorest. Imagine what (the deal) will mean, just for the flow of people... local business, revival of tourism," says Dimovski, who runs a beach bar just 50 metres from the border. Greek Foreign Minister Nikos Kotzias and Nikola Dimitrov of Macedonia will sign the historic accord, with Prime Ministers Alexis Tsipras and Zoran Zaev in attendance, joined by officials from the United Nations and the European Union, who have welcomed the move. Once ratified by the countries' respective parliaments and confirmed by a referendum in Macedonia by the end of the year, the agreement will also enable the landlocked state to eventually join the European Union and NATO. strs/jph/bmm Protests in Athens 2018 against the agreement reached to resolve a 27-year name row with Macedonia but Greece's leftist-led government survived a no-confidence vote and the accord is due to be signed Sunday in in Psarades on their border Suspected Boko Haram jihadists killed at least 31 people in a twin suicide bomb attack on a town in northeast Nigeria, a local official and a militia leader told AFP on Sunday. Two blasts ripped through the town of Damboa in Borno state on Saturday evening targeting people returning from celebrating the Eid al-Fitr holiday, in an attack bearing all the hallmarks of Boko Haram. Following the suicide bombings, the jihadists fired rocket-propelled grenades into the crowds that had gathered at the scene of the attacks, driving the number of casualties higher. "There were two suicide attacks and rocket-propelled grenade explosions in Damboa last night which killed 31 people and left several others injured," said local militia leader Babakura Kolo. Two suicide bombers detonated their explosives in Shuwari and nearby Abachari neighbourhoods in the town around 10:45 pm (2145GMT), killing six residents, said Kolo, speaking from the state capital Maiduguri, which is 88 kilometres (55 miles) from the town. "No one needs to be told this is the work of Boko Haram," Kolo said. A local government official, who spoke on the condition of anonymity, confirmed the death toll. "The latest death toll is now 31 but it may increase because many among the injured may not survive," said the official. "Most of the casualties were from the rocket projectiles fired from outside the town minutes after two suicide bombers attacked," he said. The attack is the latest example of Boko Haram's continued threat to Nigeria and the Lake Chad region, said Ryan Cummings, Africa analyst at the Signal Risk consultancy in South Africa. "Boko Haram still maintains both the intent and operational capacity to launch mass casualty attacks in parts of northeastern Nigeria," Cummings said, despite the government's repeated claims that the group is on the back foot. The use of the rockets is "particularly conspicuous," Cummings said, as it "indicates that the sect continues to have access to military-grade weaponry." "The Boko Haram insurgency is not showing any immediate signs of" easing, said Cummings. - Suicide bombings - The jihadist group has regularly deployed suicide bombers -- many of them young girls -- in mosques, markets and camps housing people displaced by the nine-year insurgency. On May 1 at least 86 people were killed in twin suicide blasts targeting a mosque and a nearby market in the town of Mubi in neighbouring Adamawa state. The attacks have devastated Nigeria's northeast, one of the country's poorest regions where illiteracy and unemployment are rampant. Seeking purpose and money, disillusioned and jobless young men have turned to the radical Islam of Boko Haram, which decries Western colonialism and the modern Nigerian state. In their quest to carve out a caliphate, the jihadists have razed towns to the ground, kidnapped women and children and slaughtered thousands of others, putting many more on the brink of starvation. Nigerian President Muhammadu Buhari came into power in 2015 vowing to stamp out Boko Haram but the jihadists continue to stage frequent attacks, targeting both civilians and security forces. The militants stormed the Government Girls Technical College in Dapchi on February 19, seizing over 100 schoolgirls in a carbon copy of the abduction in Chibok in 2014 that caused global outrage. The deadly violence has put Buhari under pressure as elections approach in February next year. Along with Boko Haram, Buhari faces the continued threat of militants in the oil-rich south, separatists in the southeast and an upsurge in communal violence in the country's central region. Injured men in hospital after a suicide bomber attack in northeastern Nigeria last month, with another 31 killed late Saturday in a similar attack suspected to be the work of Boko Haram jihadists. The Taliban refused to extend their ceasefire beyond Sunday night, dampening hopes for peace after jubilant scenes over the Eid holidays in Afghanistan. The announcement came after a suicide attack in the restive eastern part of the country on Sunday killed at least 18 people in a crowd celebrating the Muslim holiday, the second assault in as many days to mar the unprecedented ceasefire. Kabul extended its ceasefire with the Taliban by 10 days but said security forces would defend themselves if attacked, a spokesman for President Ashraf Ghani tweeted. The Afghan leader also requested the militant group halt hostilities but the Taliban said fighting would resume. "The ceasefire ends tonight and our operations will begin, inshallah (God willing). We have no intention to extend the ceasefire," Zabihullah Mujahid, the group's spokesman, told AFP in a WhatsApp message. He made no reference to Ghani's announcement. The announcement has raised concern among some Afghans over the number of Taliban who have taken advantage of the ceasefire to enter cities around the country, including the capital Kabul, and may still be there when the truce ends. The Islamic State group, which was not part of the truce, claimed it had carried out its second suicide attack in two days in the province of Nangarhar. Provincial health director Najibullah Kamawal put the toll from Sunday's blast in Jalalabad city, outside the office of the Nangarhar provincial governor, at 18 dead and 49 wounded. "Some of the wounded are in a serious condition," Kamawal added, suggesting the death toll could rise. The governor's spokesman, Attaullah Khogyani, put the death toll slightly higher at 19. He said a bomber on foot blew himself up among a crowd of Taliban fighters, local elders and civilians leaving the governor's compound after attending a special event for Eid. On Saturday, a suicide assault on a gathering of Taliban, security forces and civilians in the province killed at least 36 people and wounded 65, Kamawal told AFP. The Islamic State's Afghanistan franchise, which is particularly active in the east, claimed responsibility for that attack. The group has killed hundreds of people in multiple attacks across the country since it first emerged in the region in 2014. It has also fought the Taliban in some areas. - No surprises - The first formal nationwide ceasefire since the 2001 US invasion had been widely welcomed across the country as Afghans -- Taliban, security forces and civilians -- celebrated Eid, the holiday that caps the fasting month of Ramadan. Taliban fighters and security forces embraced and took selfies with each other over the first two days of the Muslim holiday. Civilians also flocked to greet the militants, who had left their posts or areas under their control to celebrate the halt in hostilities, fuelling hopes among war-weary Afghans that peace was possible. Ghani's extension of the government's eight-day ceasefire, which had been due to expire Tuesday night, drew immediate international support and calls for the Taliban to follow suit. The Taliban had agreed to a truce but only for the first three days of Eid, which started Friday, promising not to attack Afghan soldiers or police. They would, however, continue attacking US-led NATO troops. Adding to unease among ordinary Afghans, who have borne the brunt of the nearly 17-year war, is the number of Taliban fighters now inside cities around the country. "Seeing all the strange face(s) on the streets of Kabul, I am concerned. I hope there is not deception at work," Mohammad Saber wrote on Facebook. A user who went by the name Kargar posted: "There is word that hundreds of Taliban fighters have come to Kabul, but only a small number have left. Can Kabul police guarantee our security?" Before the Taliban's ceasefire had even started, analysts had expressed cautious optimism that the truces, if successful, could help build trust between the government and the Taliban and lay the groundwork for peace talks. But it was clear that not everyone in the Taliban approved of the bonhomie between their fighters and security forces. Following Saturday's attack, the Taliban ordered their fighters to avoid gatherings of security forces and civilians, ostensibly to avoid further civilian casualties. "The enemy has misused the ceasefire issue and there is a chance of more such bad incidents happening," the group's spokesman Mujahid said in an earlier message. But some Taliban commanders also told AFP they disapproved of their fighters visiting government-controlled areas and celebrating with police and troops. The Taliban's decision to resume fighting came as no surprise to several Western diplomats in Kabul. "If they extend the ceasefire they will be compelled to talk, which I think the Taliban isn't interested in. They're looking for an outright victory," one diplomat told AFP on condition of anonymity. There was no immediate claim of responsibility for the suicide attack in Jalalabad city, outside the office of the Nangarhar provincial governor The first formal nationwide ceasefire since the 2001 US invasion had been widely welcomed across the country as Afghans -- Taliban, security forces and civilians -- celebrated Eid Civilians flocked to greet the militants, who had left their posts or areas under their control to celebrate the halt in hostilities, which had fuelled hopes among war-weary Afghans that peace was possible The Taliban has announced they would not be extending the truce At least eight people were killed Saturday in Managua, police sources said, raising to 178 the number of deaths in anti-government unrest that began two months ago in Nicaragua. Six of the dead were members of a single family whose home was burned down at dawn after a group of hooded armed men threw a Molotov cocktail, while the other two were attacked while clearing road barricades, police said in a statement. Two inhabitants of the house survived by throwing themselves from a balcony, one of them a woman in serious condition and the other a child admitted to the hospital with burns, according to neighbors. "This act of terror is a crime against humanity and cannot go unpunished," tweeted Luis Almagro, head of the Organization of American States. Protests for two months have escalated in a bid to pressure President Daniel Ortega to exit -- upheaval the government has met with brutal repression. The latest violence comes as the country's Catholic bishops attempt to reboot fragile negotiations between government and civil society representatives. In a surprise announcement late Friday, the clergy said rival government and civil delegates had agreed to create a "verification" commission and invite independent international bodies to probe the violence. Under the new agreement, Managua would urge the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights -- an autonomous branch of the Organization of American States -- to investigate "all deaths and acts of violence, the identification of those responsible and a comprehensive plan for the victims so that effective justice is achieved," Cardinal Leopoldo Brenes said. - Expedite elections? - Bishops reconvened government and civil representatives to discuss "the process of democratization of the country." The talks ended with plans to meet again Monday and discuss a "timetable of reforms" that would include consideration of "advancing the elections from 2021 to March 2019," Catholic bishops said. Brenes said the Church had asked Ortega to move up the next general election -- a key demand of activists. The president refused to answer directly, instead telling the bishops "we reiterate our full readiness to listen to all the proposals within an institutional and constitutional framework." The leftist leader has in the past expressed no intention of stepping aside. Nicaragua's descent into chaos was triggered on April 18, when relatively small protests against now-scrapped social security reforms were met with a government crackdown. Those demonstrations mushroomed into a popular uprising, with anti-government protesters facing off against police and pro-Ortega paramilitaries. Activists have erected blockades on more than two thirds of the country's roads in a bid to fend off Ortega-backed forces. The makeshift roadblocks have wreaked economic havoc, halting the delivery of goods and thwarting regional trade. The Nicaraguan Foundation for Economic and Social Development (FUNIDES) estimates the country could lose up to 150,000 jobs by the end of the year if the crisis persists. The church had launched earlier talks with Ortega but called them off after a march led by victims' mothers last month turned deadly at the hands of Ortega-backed forces. The embattled president's Sandinista guerrilla forces ousted the Somoza dictatorship in 1979, and the leftist leader has remained a major political force ever since. He is currently serving his third consecutive executive term, due to expire in 2022. Two inhabitants of the house survived by throwing themselves from a balcony, one of them a woman in serious condition and the other a child admitted to the hospital with burns, according to neighbors A man tries to extinguish a remaining fire in the home set ablaze A man walks inside the burnt out Managua home Onlookers watch the house that burned down Two people were injured in a town in southern France on Sunday when a woman shouting "Allahu akbar" (God is greatest) attacked two people in a supermarket with a boxcutter, prosecutors said. A man was struck in the chest during the late-morning attack in La Seyne-sur-Mer, outside the Mediterranean port of Toulon, but the wound is not life-threatening, prosecutor Bernard Marchal told AFP. A woman working at a checkout counter was also wounded, though not as seriously. Both victims were taken to hospital. "It appears to be an isolated case by a person with known psychological problems," Marchal said, "though that doesn't exclude the possibility that she may have been radicalised." France has been on high alert following a string of jihadist attacks since early 2015, often by people who have become radicalised or claim to have acted in the name of the Islamic State group. The 24-year-old assailant, who did not have a police record, was overpowered by others in the supermarket and has been taken into custody. Police later searched her home to determine if she had any links to the Islamic State group. "We don't yet know if this is a terrorist act, but in any case it was terrifying," Marchal said. More than 240 people have been killed in jihadist attacks since the massacre at the Charlie Hebdo satirical magazine in Paris in January 2015. Last month a knifeman shouting "Allahu akbar" killed one person and wounded four others during a Saturday night attack in a bustling Paris neighbourhood. Map of southern France locating La Seyne-sur-mer where a woman was arrested after wounding two people with a box cutter U.S. President Donald Trump said he was pushing ahead with hefty tariffs on $50 billion of Chinese imports on Friday, and the smoldering trade war between the world's two largest economies showed signs of igniting as Beijing immediately vowed to respond in kind. China and the US are major seafood trading partners beyond just lobster, and the new tariffs would apply to dozens of products that China imports from the USA, including salmon, tuna and crab. The official, who asked not to be identified, declined to say whether Trump would make good on a March threat to hit another US$100 billion in Chinese goods with tariffs in response to Beijing's retaliation. The prospect of a U.S. "Manufacturers certainly have concerns that tariffs will cause more problems than they solve, but we also recognize that the administration may intend to use them as a negotiating tactic to bring China to the table and achieve larger goals", Timmons said. An initial list of 545 categories of items valued at $34 billion will be subject to tariffs starting July 6th-the same day the USA says it will impose tariffs. U.S. President Donald Trump has said the goal is to punish Chinese companies for intellectual property theft, a sensitive issue as the world's No. 2 economy makes the transition from the world's low-priced assembler of devices like Apple Inc.'s iPhone to an innovator that makes its own chips and components. US President Donald Trump announced that the US would begin collecting 25 percent tariffs on Chinese goods worth $50 billion (roughly 43 billion) from July 6, repeating his pledge to clamp down on what he deems unfair trade practices by China. Aircraft featured on the April list but were not on the revised list. The White House had set a June 15 deadline for announcing the full list of items that will see a tariff imposed, focusing on areas of China's industry such as aerospace, robotics and machinery. USA officials say the tariff hike targets goods that might benefit from Chinese theft of technology or pressure on foreign companies to hand it over in exchange for market access. The White House has said these tariffs will come into effect soon, although no date has been announced. President Donald Trump's tariffs on Chinese goods are meant to help American companies that have been hurt by Beijing's industrial policies. More on that soon. Scott Kennedy, a specialist on the Chinese economy at the Center for Strategic and International Studies, said the Chinese threat was real and helped along by recent strains exhibited between the USA and allies. "These tariffs are essential to preventing further unfair transfers of American technology and intellectual property to China, which will protect American jobs". Analysts warn that the move could kick of a full-blown trade war with China. The U.S. imported more than $2.7 billion in Chinese seafood past year, and the U.S. exported more than $1.3 billion to China. Another round of trade talks took place in Beijing earlier this month but failed to yield any breakthroughs. America's trade in goods with China topped $635 billion in 2017, according to the U.S. Census Bureau. The $50 billion in tariffs will likely mean just a tenth of a percentage point hit "at most" on annual US economic growth and a similar jump in overall consumer prices, according to data from Barclays, the British bank. Even if the USA duties reach the full $150 billion, they estimated it would shave well under a half-percentage point off China's annual growth rate, which could be offset by fiscal and monetary policy actions. Businesspeople and economists say Chinese leaders are less likely to compromise on technology. But he said that underlying strong economic fundamentals in the United States would dampen the market impact. Trump's decision to impose fresh tariffs on China follows his recent imposition of steep tariffs on steel and aluminum imports from Canada, Mexico and the European Union on national security grounds. Two people were hurt in a town in southern France on Sunday when a veiled woman shouting "Allahu akbar" (God is greatest) attacked them in a supermarket with a boxcutter knife, prosecutors said. A customer was struck in the chest during the late-morning assault in La Seyne-sur-Mer, outside the Mediterranean port of Toulon, but the wound is not life-threatening, prosecutor Bernard Marchal told AFP. A woman working at a checkout counter was also injured, though not as seriously. Both victims were taken to hospital. "It appears to be an isolated case by a person with known psychological problems," Marchal said, "though that doesn't exclude the possibility that she may have been radicalised." France has been on high alert following a string of jihadist attacks since early 2015, often by people who have become radicalised or claim to have acted in the name of the Islamic State group. The 24-year-old assailant, who was dressed in black and wore dark sunglasses, did not have a police record. She was overpowered by a customer and two supermarket employees and was taken into custody. "I grabbed her wrists to get hold of the cutter," said the customer who gave only his first name, Sebastien. "I asked her 'Why did you do it.' She did not answer." The woman "was in a panic, she was afraid, she did not understand what was happening to her, she had no strength left," Sebastien said. Police later searched her home to determine if she had any links to the Islamic State group. "We don't yet know if this is a terrorist act, but in any case it was terrifying," Marchal said. More than 240 people have been killed in jihadist attacks since the massacre at the Charlie Hebdo satirical magazine in Paris in January 2015. Last month a knifeman shouting "Allahu akbar" killed one person and wounded four others during a Saturday night attack in central Paris. A forensic police officer examines the grounds of a supermarket where two people were injured when a woman shouting "Allahu akbar" (God is greatest) attacked them with a boxcutter in La Seyne-sur-Mer, southern France Map of southern France locating La Seyne-sur-mer where a woman was arrested after wounding two people with a box cutter in a supermarket. Two people were hurt in a town in southern France on Sunday when a woman shouting "Allahu akbar" (God is greatest) attacked them in a supermarket with a boxcutter knife, prosecutors said. A customer was struck in the chest during the late-morning assault in La Seyne-sur-Mer, outside the Mediterranean port of Toulon, but the wound is not life-threatening, prosecutor Bernard Marchal told AFP. A woman working at a checkout counter was also cut over her eye. Both casualties were taken to hospital. "It appears to be an isolated case by a person with known psychological problems," Marchal said, "though that doesn't exclude the possibility that she may have been radicalised." "Several witnesses have quoted her as saying it was Allah who told her to do it, that they were all miscreants and that she wanted the police to kill her," the prosecutor said. He added that "contrary to what was said at the start, she was not wearing a veil, but a black tunic over black trousers and black glasses." France has been on high alert following a string of jihadist attacks since early 2015, often by people who have become radicalised or claim to have acted in the name of the Islamic State group. The 24-year-old assailant, who did not have a police record, was overpowered by a customer and two supermarket employees and taken into custody. "I grabbed her wrists to get hold of the cutter," said the customer, an electrician who gave only his first name, Sebastien. "I asked her 'Why did you do it.' She did not answer." The woman "was in a panic, she was afraid, she did not understand what was happening to her, she had no strength left," Sebastien said. Police later searched her home to determine if she had any links to the Islamic State group, but Marchal said they found only an old Koran and an Algerian flag. A computer was seized from the studio where she lived a few kilometres (miles) from the shop. "We don't yet know if this is a terrorist act, but in any case it was terrifying," Marchal said. The woman, who carried a physical handicap card, would undergo a psychiatric assessment. More than 240 people have been killed in jihadist attacks since the massacre at the Charlie Hebdo satirical magazine in Paris in January 2015. Last month a knifeman shouting "Allahu akbar" killed one person and wounded four others during a Saturday night attack in central Paris. In March, a Franco-Moroccan man shot dead three people, including a policeman, at a supermarket in the southern town of Trebes before being killed by police. He had also killed the passenger of a car he hijacked in nearby Carcassonne. A forensic police officer examines the grounds of a supermarket where two people were injured when a woman shouting "Allahu akbar" (God is greatest) attacked them with a boxcutter in La Seyne-sur-Mer, southern France Map of southern France locating La Seyne-sur-mer where a woman was arrested after wounding two people with a box cutter in a supermarket. It wasn't a rally with thousands of people in attendance or a high-dollar fundraiser. And that's OK with Larry Sharpe, the Libertarian Party's gubernatorial nominee. Sharpe held a meet-and-greet last week at Wild's Eats & Sweets on Genesee Street in Auburn. Nearly 30 people attended the two-hour event and listened to the candidate for governor explain why he's running. Economics is a major reason why Sharpe decided to run for governor. As an entrepreneur he founded and operates a business consulting firm he has faced the same struggles as many other small business owners. But he is resisting the temptation to relocate to a more business friendly state. Sharpe revealed that he lost 50 percent of his income in 2017. This year, mainly due to his campaign for governor, he has lost 75 percent of his income. "I love this state and if I don't change it, I have to move," he said in an interview before the meet-and-greet. "I don't want to move. I have a wife and two kids. I am bleeding like there's no tomorrow." To address New York's economic woes, he wants to reduce property taxes, eliminate unnecessary regulations and emphasize skills development in schools that could help students find jobs and provide employers with a better prepared workforce. One of his top goals: eliminating unfunded mandates. He noted that for most New York counties, Medicaid costs and other mandates are a large percentage of their annual budgets. Sharpe wants to change that by decentralizing government and giving counties more control. Aside from his economic positions, Sharpe supports legalizing marijuana polls show New Yorkers believe marijuana should be legal and is an advocate for fathers' rights. (He believes the family law system is broken and in need of reform.) Those positions alone may set himself apart from the major party gubernatorial candidates, incumbent Democratic Gov. Andrew Cuomo and Republican nominee Marc Molinaro. But there is something else that sets him apart: his travel. Sharpe has crisscrossed the state to spread his message and meet with voters. Before coming to Auburn last week, he made a stop in Utica. His trip included several other events in upstate New York. "When I go to towns, I find people who are shocked that I'm there," he said. His events tend to be free. While other candidates hold fundraisers or aren't holding very many (if any) public events, he prefers to meet with voters in a setting like Wild's Eats & Sweets. Before the forum, he engaged in conversations with the restaurant's owner and patrons about criminal justice reform. While speaking with this reporter, he was asked by an early-arriving attendee if he supports legalizing marijuana. (He does.) For Sharpe, it's the ideal environment. "Give the guy or gal who runs this shop some money. Eat your thing, drink your thing and listen to me yap," he said. Love 11 Funny 2 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 0 As the news fills yet again with the sound of gunshots at a school, or a concert, or on the streets of our cities, our hearts break. I pray they do not break closed, but open. May a fire of rage and hope burn in us, which insists that the lives of our children matter and which demands immediate action and legal reform. I say this because, as pastor, I believe this is what Jesus would say. In the Gospel of Mark, Jesus challenges the interpretation and practice of another law: the Sabbath (2:23-3:6). As a Jewish man, Jesus observed and valued the Sabbath. It was a day when former slaves celebrated the freedom to have no master but God no responsibility but the joy of life. It was a day when the people of God had time enough to worship, be in community and love each other. The Sabbath was part of a tapestry of law designed to protect and serve the community and its prioritization of God and justice. Our own laws today are not so different. The founders of our nation celebrated their hard-won freedom with a Constitution designed to protect and serve the people of their fledgling nation. They created laws intended to further life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. At the time, their definition of the people protected by those laws was woefully narrow. The dream of this nation is to see the day when We the people includes, serves and protects all the people. That dream, and these laws, are what make our nation possible. But something's gone wrong. Certain laws seem to have become more important than the people they were supposed to protect and serve. The Gospel of Mark tells the story of Jesus entering the synagogue to worship on the Sabbath. In the shadows, Jesus spots a man doubled over in pain, grasping his withered hand. Jesus invites him into the center of the room and asks the people to look at this man who needs help. He asks them to care enough to say or do something, even if it means bending the law and working on the Sabbath. And all he gets is silence. The people turn their heads and look away. Jesus is furious. He looks at these people, these law-abiding citizens, whose hearts have hardened with indifference, and he is grieved. Today, Christ invites us to look again. To see the youth of our nation who carry the withered names and faces of friends gunned down. To see the mother, the father, gripping the casket of their child. To hear their plea: Not one more. And imagine his rage when we look away, when we are more outraged by a school walkout than by a school death. Recently, students from the Parkland, Florida, high school where 17 people were shot and killed earlier this year staged a die-in protest at a Publix grocery. Shoppers stepped over the bodies of these teenagers to reach milk and fruit, while counter-protesters shouted derision at children who simply do not want to die. Two-thousand years ago, Jesus staged a similarly symbolic challenge to the laws of his time, not out of disrespect for those laws, but out of the conviction that they were meant for something better: meant to protect and serve. The youth of our nation care about a law that was created to guard them against tyranny and violence, to protect and promote their welfare. Theyre not asking that all guns be taken away. Theyre just asking that we remember why the Constitution was created in the first place: to protect us. Theyre just asking that it be allowed to protect us still, because clearly right now its not. In Marks story, Jesus invites the man to put his hand forward. And as he stretches his trembling hand into that silent space, all of humanity puts its hand forward. He is healed, and with him, we are healed. In that moment, Jesus restores more than a hand. He restores the original purpose of the law, of Sabbath: a day for compassion, for people, for God. Christ can do the same for us today. He can help us see the people who are not being protected and served by the law. He can soften our hearts and help us respect the law by respecting the people for whom the law was made. Together, we can find a way to protect both our freedom and our lives. The Rev. Patrick David Heery is the pastor of Westminster Presbyterian Church in Auburn, and the former editor of the Presbyterian Church (USA)s denominational magazine, Presbyterians Today. A graduate of Princeton Theological Seminary, Heery lives in Auburn with his wife, Jenna, and their two dogs, spending much of their free time hiking the countryside. Love 0 Funny 2 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 0 June 17, 1993 Cayuga County Sheriff's Deputy Jim Langler takes a turn at carrying the torch during the annual fundraising Law Enforcement Torch Run to kick off this year's Special Olympics. The event began at the Seneca County line, where the torch was passed to a team of Cayuga County law enforcement officials, who finished their segment of the run at the Onondaga County line. Legends of Auburn opened its doors at 42-44 Lewis St. on July 1, 1988. The restaurant and card shop owned and operated by myself and my partner, Bill Martin, quickly became a show-place for Auburn memorabilia and photos of local folks. Customers began bringing in photos, etc. of their own to be placed on our walls. We had so much that we had to put the excess in a heavy metal storage cabinet and we kept rotating all the photos on the walls. We were having a great time seeing all the guys and gals we grew up with and enjoyed having them as our steady customers. Then on March 17, 1991, a devastating fire took out Legends, Billy Martins Card Shop, Seals Camera, Prestons Flowers and part of Sun-Brite Cleaners, putting 37 people out of work. A short time after the fire, firemen showed up with a box of charred photos. These items were the only things that survived the fire because they were stored in that heavy metal storage cabinet but the heat from the fire had fused most of them together. Soon after that I had an operation and was home with nothing to do, so I tried to peel the photos apart and cut away the charred edges. I was able to save about 100 of the photos. I then took a job at the YMCA service desk and I would bring in one of the salvaged photos and put it on the desk and have a trivia contest. Winners would be awarded prizes from fictitious former Auburn businesses from years ago. Dave Tobin, who used to write for the Post-Standard, was also a staunch YMCA member and one day he saw the photo and asked if I would be interested in writing a weekly column about a photo I might have in a Post-Standard section called Neighbors. I agreed and soon I started interviewing folks for the column. Many people began offering me old family photos and scrapbooks they had in their attics to add to my collection. I soon became inundated with photos and memorabilia and I started organizing them in books and showing them at many community functions. In 2002, we held a Y-Field Reunion where 1,200 former Y-Fielders showed up from 25 different states. I had many of my photos in the clubhouse for that occasion. Through the effort of Paul Lattimore Jr., Cayuga Community College heard of my collection and offered to give me a place to show it in their local history room. Photo # 3 - Korean War Veterans.jpg Korean War Veterans Association members from the Auburn area pose for a photo: From left, John Fischetti, Don Tavener, Jim Ferris, John Barwin The amazing part to me is that I started with nothing, and everything at the college has been donated by all of you. So, I have said this often: This is not my collection; it is yours. I have simply organized it for you. I selfishly think it is the best visual history of our entire community that you can find. Memories, its been said, are the most sincere form of honor. Many thanks, Ormie. Ormie King's column appears Sundays in The Citizen and he can be reached by email at ormie5king@gmail.com. Love 10 Funny 1 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 0 BROWN, Thomas A., 52, of North Division Street Road, Auburn, N.Y. passed away Thursday at Roswell Cancer Institute in Buffalo, N.Y after a long battle with leukemia. Friends are invited to call on the family from 4 to 8 p.m. Tuesday, June 19, at First Presbyterian Church, 112 South St., Auburn, N.Y. Funeral Services will be held at 11 a.m. Wednesday, June 20, at First Presbyterian Church, followed by a celebration of life at the Ukrainian National Club, 125 Washington St., Auburn, N.Y. In lieu of flowers, contributions in memory of Thomas A. Brown may be made to the James P. Wilmot Cancer Center of Strong Memorial Hospital. Some may see it as a loophole. Others may see it as being forced to jump through bureaucratic hoops. What everyone should see is a system that's not working as it should. What we're referring to is the state public employees pension system rules that say elected local officials cannot collect retirement benefits from their regular public-sector jobs if they are also employed in their elected positions. It's a rule aimed at limiting the practice known as "double-dipping," or collecting a taxpayer-funded retirement check and a taxpayer-funded employment check at the same time. It's easy to understand how double-dipping could be abused if it went unchecked. But it's also easy to see that many municipally elected offices carry modest salaries on which many people would struggle to subsist if they were the only income source. Cayuga County Legislator Joseph Bennett to be reappointed following pension resignation AUBURN Cayuga County Legislator Joseph Bennett is scheduled to be reappointed to his District 10 seat at Tuesday's special Legislature sessi Such is the case with the handful of locally elected officials, including three Cayuga County legislators in the past dozen or so years, who have chosen to temporarily resign from their elected post just before their retirement from a full-time public sector job. They must do this in order to be able to collect the pensions they earned from the non-elected job. Cayuga County Legislator Joseph Bennett was the latest example of this practice. The Auburn representative stepped down from the Legislature on May 30 so he could be eligible for retirement benefits from his job as a maintenance technician at Cayuga Community College. About two weeks later, Bennett's colleagues on the Legislature appointed him to fill the vacancy he had just created. And now the law states that a special election must be held this fall to fill the remainder of the term for Bennett's seat, which expires in 2019. In Bennett's case, we're not talking about a ton of money, but it's nonetheless going to require Board of Elections time and resources to process petitions for this special election, potentially hold primaries and then follow-up counting the votes and certifying the result. There's also the issue of representation. The reality is that Bennett's district had none for 12 days. That's never ideal. We'd prefer not to see our local elected leaders who who hold additional public-sector jobs take this resignation step; ideally, they would run for office with a full understanding of how it could affect their ability to retire mid-term. But we also realize it's a fairly common practice. The unanimous reappointment vote for Bennett with no discussion at last week's special Legislature meeting is a testament to that. In order to keep these types of locally elected officials in their elected offices without interruption or disruption, it makes sense for state officials to come up with some common-sense reforms to the pension eligibility rules. Perhaps a law can be enacted to waive the requirement for retiring public workers in elected offices with a salary below some reasonable limit. Without some change, we can expect more of these resignation games. The Citizen Editorial Board includes publisher Rob Forcey, managing editor Mike Dowd and executive editor Jeremy Boyer. Love 1 Funny 0 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 2 The Trump administration will no longer oppose discrimination by health insurance companies against those with pre-existing medical conditions, which is particularly cruel and deadly. Your online article points out 133 million Americans ability to buy or afford health insurance will be at risk if they are successful (6/8/18, "Trump's DOJ labels the Affordable Care Act unconstitutional, placing healthcare for 133 million at risk"). The president seems intent on harming the population and moving us backward, because he abhors his predecessor, or is intent on increasing health insurance company profits that are soaring anyway. What makes even less sense, is this hands his political opponents a potentially thunderous win before important fall elections. Health insurance premiums could increase by an average of 24 percent next year if approved by state regulators. Insurance companies rightfully blame President Trumps repeal of the individual mandate in his recent tax cut resulting in millions less covered by insurance, most of whom are younger and healthier. Its more expensive to take care of an older, sicker population for insurance companies. In order to accommodate their profits, large bureaucracy and huge executive salaries, insurance companies raise premiums. Nearly all developed countries have universal coverage, where large fluctuations in premiums dont exist. This stabilizes costs for business, providing predictability. New York state businesses spend approximately $2 billion per year searching through hundreds of health plans to select what works for their employees. Polls consistently show support for universal coverage and an increasing number of conservatives, Republicans and business leaders are speaking up about the unsustainable nature of healthcare costs. Lets expand and improve Medicare for all. The New York Health Act is close to passage in the New York State Senate. In Congress, Rep. Katko should co-sponsor Medicare for all and demand the Trump administration give up this cruel and deadly fight to deny the sick the ability to afford or even buy health insurance. Sunny Aslam Jamesville Love 0 Funny 2 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 0 Get a price in less than 24 hours Fill out the form below. One of our domain experts will have a price to you within 24 business hours. Now that it is fully apparent, to all who have the ability to pay some modicum of attention, that Imposter President Biden has extreme cognitive issues, in addition to being an inveterate liar: Can OUR Republic continue with this Executive Office that has completely failed, so many times, on far too many issues here at this early date in this abysmal presidency? No, Joseph R. Biden is completely unqualified, morally and cognitively, to represent real Americans, and lead this Republic of disparate peoples. Yes, Joseph R. Biden has started whispering again, even softer now than before; so, I know he still cares, plus, OUR media will soon stop reporting on Afghanistan in favor of OUR Socialist ideals. Tom Campbell Standing in the Great Hall of the Admissions Building on Ellis Island you can almost hear the voices and feel the anxiety and excitement of the thousands of immigrants who daily poured into this country around the turn of the twentieth century. Then, as now, gaining entrance to America wasn't easy. At Ellis Island you visit the rooms where immigrants submitted to health examinations, intelligence and literacy tests and provided proof they could support themselves long enough to find work. You are struck how difficult this process must have been but you also realize this country welcomed them.The United States was growing, prospering and eagerly embracing its future, welcoming folks using tongues foreign to ours who came here desperate to make a better life than the one they left. We wanted folks to build the railroads and skyscrapers, dig the coal and run the machines. It was understood those at the lower end of the pay scale would help grow this country and provide opportunity, for themselves and everyone else to move upward. Yes, there was racial prejudice, there always has been, but there was also the overarching belief there was room for everyone at the table, plenty to be done, great opportunities and a better tomorrow.What changed? When did we stop welcoming those from other countries? Instead of hiring thousands to process the thousand-plus people per day arriving on our shores we hired guards to protect our borders. What caused us to believe opportunity was limited, resources scarce, jobs fewer? Why did immigrants become our enemies? Do we not still believe our future is bright? Why are we unwilling to provide services and education to those coming here? And what so changed the political climate that our federal government is unable or unwilling to formalize new immigration policies, literally forcing states and cities to deal with the immigration issue?Many states have reacted by enacting stiffer laws. In Alabama, a high-ranking German executive from parent Mercedes was detained for hours because he could not produce the proof of citizenship, as required by law, to be carried on every person at all times. Not only do we not welcome immigrants we don't welcome foreign executives, the very people who brought hundreds of high-paying jobs to Alabama. You can be sure they will get the message.Small business owners in Alabama and Georgia and other states with restrictive immigration laws report they can't find workers for construction, landscaping, food service and manufacturing. Farmers have crops rotting in the field for lack of workers. In Georgia the economic loss is estimated to be almost 400 million dollars.Larry Wooten, President of the North Carolina Farm Bureau recently wrote an op-ed piece saying a more rational and reasonable policy for guest workers and immigrants must be developed, adding farmers aren't recommending amnesty, nor advocating the exploitation of cheap labor, but insist on a timely public policy discussion on immigration reform. He is correct in saying we can't wait any longer.Surely a country that grew great through immigrants should be able to find solutions that will keep the welcome mat out for newcomers. To do otherwise is to dishonor the Ellis Island experience that helped shape our country. We are better than that. Why Are You Performing So Poorly? There are lots of answers to the question posed by this blog posting. Here are some very logical ones... I don't know what I am doing. I don't care whether I do it right or not. I only have one arm and this is a clapping contest. The above list is certainly incomplete but, no matter how hard you tried, you probably never would have thought of this one... I Am Deliberately Not Performing Well So I Can Charge More For Not Performing Well. You are probably thinking that I am making up more silly stuff in my ongoing pursuit of Foolishness ... Or am I? Actually you are being silly. Always remember, my Foolishness is based on the facts I run across from observing the silly world in which we live. This was published in the Wall Street Journal some time back... The U.S. Patent And Trademark Office Is Now Going To Charge Inventors Extra For Expedited Service. I am now going to think my way through this one. Please follow along with me because this is going to be fun... Fact ... Our Patent Office takes an awful long time to grant patents. Fact ... Our inventors get awful frustrated having to wait that awful long time for approval of their inventions. Fact ... Our Patent Office is now going to reap significant financial rewards as a result of their decades of Bureaucratic Foot Dragging. It's as simple as this... If you want to get your patent approved, we will jump right on your nifty idea, if you pay us to be efficient. Our inventors will certainly give in and the increased revenue will soon start rolling into our Federal Treasury. The dramatic inflow of this new revenue will be so immense that the next General Tax Increase will be delayed a whole 27 days. The Head Patent Guy has already held a meeting with his crack staff and has used a PowerPoint Presentation to lay out these undeniable facts... Fact ... The Patent Office's long standing inefficiency is about to become a Revenue Enhancement Bonanza which will certainly increase their annual bonus checks. Fact ... If they work together to get even slower, they will be able to ensure a never ending spiral of increased revenues and ever bigger bonuses. Fact ... The first step toward slowing down even more has already been enacted because afternoon naps are now mandatory for all workers. Here are more particulars of the plan that is now being called... If you want something extra from us, you have to give something extra to us. The inventors who pay extra will have their inventions pulled ahead of those who do not, or cannot, pay extra. This will increase the pressure on those who do not, or cannot, pay extra to pay extra... This means more people will have to go into our Financial Markets and Loan Sharking Industry for the funds they need to tide themselves over while they wait for their patents to be approved. Many inventors will have to go to these same sources to obtain added funds to pay the extra fees which they hope will expedite the ever-slowing approval process. The Patent Office will also be able to get "contributions" from the Financial and Loan Sharking Industries. These shrewd businessmen will be more than happy to pay the Patent Office for slowing down their giddy up. Some are calling this a Bureaucratic Rip Off. Others are calling for a Congressional Investigation but Congress is busy working on their own Slowdown Reimbursement Plan. Still others are saying, relax, it's the American Way (but it never used to be). Would I kid u? Smartfella Alejandro Chavez Zavala was running for mayor of Tareta in the state of Michoacan when he was gunned down following a campaign event. He is the 114th candidate to be murdered in this election cycle, leading up to the vote on July 1. Primarily, the murdered candidates were standing for local office, running on anti-corruption tickets. 23,000 people were murdered in Mexico last year, the worst on record. The safest way to run for office is to reassure cartels that you will cooperate with them and allow them to operate with impunity. This does not bode well for Mexico's future. At least 113 politicians have been killed in the bloodiest election campaign in Mexico's modern history, and the violence appears to be intensifying in the final weeks before the July 1 national election. According to Mexico City-based security consultancy Etellekt, many of the slain candidates were running for local office. Michael Lettieri, a historian at the Center for U.S.-Mexican Studies at the University of California, San Diego, said: "The risk going forward is that there will be reluctance to participate in local politics because it has become so dangerous." Mexican Mayoral Candidate Becomes Murder Victim Number 114 [Reuters] America's health care is totally screwed up, Part Ten Gazillion: in many cases, the medicines your doctor prescribes are cheaper than the co-pay your health insurance charges, which means that if you just buy the meds instead of charging them to insurance, you save money. Which is terrible, but what's worse is that many states have laws that make it illegal for the pharmacist to volunteer this information unless you ask (the insurance companies' benefits mangers keep the profits from this arrangement, and they've successfully lobbied for gag rules that keep pharmacists from subverting it). So remember: every time you bring an Rx to the pharmacy, ask whether you'd save money by paying cash. Also remember: the US health insurance industry is not your friend and should be put to death and replaced by a single-payer system that will remove the profit motive from health care. It's not a small problem. "Researchers analyzing 9.5 million Part D prescription claims reported in a letter in the Journal of the American Medical Association in March that a patient's copayment was higher than the cash price for nearly one in four drugs purchased in 2013," reports Kaiser Health News. "For 12 of the 20 most commonly prescribed drugs, patients overpaid by more than 33 percent." (On the other hand, benefits manager claim it's not that common of a practice, and it will depend on your pharmacist's contract.) Ask Your Pharmacist About Paying for Your Prescriptions in Cash [Alicia Adamczyk/Lifehacker] (Image: Philip Taylor , CC-BY-SA) As the US-Canada trade war heats up, Canada finds itself in an asymmetrical battle, vastly overmatched against a country with an order of magnitude population advantage. Fighting fair using tariffs to fight tariffs is a losing strategy. To win asymmetric fights, you have to target your opponent's weakest points. In the case of the USA, that's pharma patents. US pharma companies hold more patents than any other country's industry, and the international recognition of these patents is a matter of trade law the same trade law Trump has just shitcanned in his bizarre war on his northern neighbour. Moreover, pharma is the most effective and powerful lobbying group in America, with so many Congressjerks bought and paid for that the shenanigans never stop. Just the threat of losing their patents in Canada (which would create a thriving grey market in generic Canadian equivalents being sold into the USA and everywhere else) would send an army of rabid attack-lobbyists to the Capital to get Congress to sit on Trump until he cut that shit out. Either that, or they'd order Trump to invade. \_()_/ (If pharma doesn't work, Canada could expand to copyrights, nationalising Disney movies and Microsoft's operating systems) He argues the strategy need not be limited to pharmaceuticals, but could include intellectual property rights on everything from music to airplane parts. The mechanisms would need to be worked out, but Gold said it could include special Canadian legislation to override U.S. patents in targeted areas. Attaran believes the tool already exists in trade law governing drug patents. He points to a historical example: Back in the days before the 1989 Canada-U.S. Free Trade Agreement, Ottawa routinely granted domestic drug companies the right to manufacture U.S. drugs a practice that ended when the FTA and NAFTA were signed. "If you want to go there, Washington, and start behaving in a pre-NAFTA, pre-free trade way, as by imposing tariffs, well, then we're also going to behave in a pre-free trade way, as by taking your patents," Attaran said. (Thanks, Alex Flanagan!) We're into the fifth week of the Poor People's Campaign: A National Call for a Moral Revival, a national uprising over the state of the richest nation in the world, where 140,000,000 people live at or below the poverty line (America is history's first rich poor country). As the movement sweeps into 39 states, it has also resulted in over 2,000 arrests of movement activists, and the crackdown is ramping up. At first, peaceful demonstrations and occupations of state houses were ignored by police, by politicians, by the media. But as the protests grew in volume and frequency, statehouses started to bar their doors to protesters (for shame, Kentucky, New Jersey, New York and Alabama). Police in Missouri targeted Michael Nigro, who has been covering the Campaign, for arrest leaving the demonstrators, but busting the guy who was livestreaming. The most egregious crackdown on the Poor People's Campaign's actions, however, also occurred last week in Washington, D.C., where nine people of faith, including Poor People's Campaign co-chair, the Rev. Liz Theoharis, were arrested while praying on the steps of the Supreme Court. The group was protesting to draw attention to the Court's Husted v. Randolf Institute decision, which upholds voter suppression, one of the main battles of the Poor People's Campaign. The nine were held in shackles for 27 hours, had their religious garments taken away, were ordered to surrender their passports as well as to stay away from the Supreme Court, and will be required to conduct weekly check-ins with a pretrial service program. It has not yet known if they will be tried by a jury. Saturday, June 23, thousands of people from across the country are expected to flood Washington, D.C. "But [that's] not the end of the Poor People's Campaign," the Rev. Barber told me in North Carolina during an action last month. "June 23 is the launch of the movement." The Poor People's Campaign The 'Fight' Phase of the Poor People's Campaign Has Begun [Michael Nigro/Truthdig] (via Naked Capitalism) (Image: Truthdig) In the NYT, a pair of behavioral scientists describe a forthcoming Organizational Behavior and Human Decision Processes article (Sci-Hub mirror) that studied the effect of mindfulness meditation (a trendy workplace moral-booster) on workers' motivation and performance. Turns out that people who meditate are less motivated: "Meditation was correlated with reduced thoughts about the future and greater feelings of calm and serenity states seemingly not conducive to wanting to tackle a work project." People who had meditated were more focused, but they didn't perform better than their less calm, more anxious colleagues, because "their lower levels of motivationseemed to cancel out that benefit. During the heyday of psychedelics, the prevailing conspiracy theory explaining the criminalization of "mind-expanding" substances was that the boss class realized that people who could perceive greater truths would be unshackled from meaningless materialism and the need to work to attain status goods. Whether or not that was why regulators acted to ban psychedelic substances (an act that former UK Drugs Czar David Nutt called "the worst case of scientific censorship since the Catholic Church banned the works of Copernicus and Galileo"), there certainly seems to be a correlation between discomfort and anxiety and your willingness to work hard for someone else's enterprise. Management theorists and organizational leaders often think about motivation in terms of financial incentives. So as part of our research, we studied whether offering a financial bonus for outstanding performance would overcome the demotivating effect of mindfulness: It did not. While the promise of material rewards will always be a useful tool for motivating employees, it is no substitute for internal motivation. Mindfulness might be unhelpful for dealing with difficult assignments at work, but it may be exactly what is called for in other contexts. There is no denying that mindfulness can be beneficial, bringing about calm and acceptance. Once you've reached a peak level of acceptance, however, you're not going to be motivated to work harder. Hey Boss, You Don't Want Your Employees to Meditate [ Kathleen D. Vohs and Andrew C. Hafenbrack/NYT] (via Marginal Revolution) News / National by Staff reporter PROPERTY estimated to be worth over $35 000 is reported to have been destroyed after a nurses' quarters at St Paul's Clinic in Lupane District, Matabeleland North Province was razed by fire on Thursday.St Paul's clinic's sister-in-charge Siphephisile Nyoni said the cause of the fire, which destroyed a 10-roomed house which accommodated 11 nurses is still to be ascertained. Another room attached to the house, which was being used as a police base was also gutted by the fire."We were left devastated by the loss (of property). It happened at around 8pm and we don't know what started the fire. The fire completely destroyed five rooms that housed nurses. Another room attached to the main house which was being used as a police base station was also destroyed by the inferno. For now we are being forced to share accommodation with the affected nurses and their families," said Sister Nyoni.The mission clinic was formerly a hospital but owing to lack of adequate and requisite staff it was downgraded to a clinic. Acting Bulawayo chief fire officer Mr Edward Mpofu confirmed the incident. Mr Mpofu said they were only called to the scene two hours after the fire so nothing could be salvaged. He said those at the scene started by calling the police and Kusile Rural District Council officials."In the case of fire, the first port of call is the Fire Brigade. All these other stakeholders can come in later. We must all strive to save life and property. I advise the public that in the event of fire, get hold of the Fire Brigade immediately. We got the call at 10.18pm and only to hear that the fire had started at around at 7.30pm."Lupane District Administrator Ms Ennety Sithole said the clinic needs help to rebuild the damaged building.She said about $150 000 is needed for renovations. The damaged building also housed four pupils from Mandlethu Secondary School."We are appealing for any assistance be it in cash or kind. We are in a dire situation and we do not know how we are going to survive as these people will need shelter," she said.Ms Sithole said they needed building material, food, blankets and clothing for the affected people.The Lupane DA said a team was on site compiling a report for the Civil Protection Unit to ascertain the extent of the damage.Ms Sithole said they need tents for shelter until permanent structures are in place.A local village head Mr Richard Ncube said the destruction of the house was likely to affect health service delivery in the area and its surrounding areas. News / National by Stephen Jakes Heal Zimbabwe has joined the rest of Africa in commemorating the Day of the African Child.The day celebrated every year on 16 June, was set aside to remember the young people of South Africa who were massacred in Soweto in 1976 for protesting against apartheid system of education. The theme for this year is "Leave No Child Behind for Africa's Development".The trust said the 2018 theme highlights the need to ensure that no child is left behind by specifically targeting those who are not benefitting from Africa's growth and development."The theme also underscores the need for inclusive development for children, that is, whenever undertaking to develop programs and policies for implementing Agenda 2030, children should be at the centre-stage and Member States should ensure that no child is left behind in the drive towards sustainable economic development," said the trust."Zimbabwe is a signatory to the African Charter on the Rights and Welfare of the Child (ACRWC) which compels member states to uphold the rights and welfare of the children. According to a 2010 survey conducted by Heal Zimbabwe in Muzarabani District, 20% of families are child headed as a result of political violence that has remained a permanent feature in the area till this day. This has deprived children of their right to social services such as health and education that are explicitly provided for in the ACRWC. Children of victims of political violence from Muzarabani North ward 3, 23 and Muzarabani South ward 3 and 9 are still being discriminated against in the Basic Education Assistance Module (BEAM). Under this scheme, School Development Associations (SDA) are run by Councillors who in most instances have barred children of some victims of political violence from benefitting from BEAM citing political reasons."The trust said to date, it continues to record reports of such discrimination at Muringazuva Primary School, Muringazuva Secondary School, Hoya Primary School, Chiwashira Primary School and Hoya Secondary school."Because of such deprivation, one child who had both parents murdered during the 2008 political violence has been forced into early marriage at the tender age of 15 years. This is despite the fact that Article 21 of the ACRWC provides for Protection against Harmful Social and Cultural Practices where every child is to be protected from early marriage," said the trust."With Zimbabwe scheduled to conduct elections on 30 July 2018, mechanisms that seek to protect children from any form of abuse as provided for in the Zimbabwe constitution on Section 81 (e) still need to be enforced. In the past electoral periods, Heal Zimbabwe has documented gross abuse of children by political parties where in most cases children have been forced to attend political rallies at the expense of their education. In some instances, most children remain vulnerable during electoral periods in the event of eruption of political violence. Past episodes of political violence, particularly the 2008 elections left several children displaced, orphaned and vulnerable after their parents or guardians were murdered."The trust said for Zimbabwe, the occasion of the Day of the African child offers an opportunity for Government to evaluate progress made in ensuring that children are protected from any form of abuse."Section 19 of the Constitution provides for children's rights where every child is to be protected from maltreatment, neglect or any form of abuse and have access to appropriate education and training. In light of this, Heal Zimbabwe calls on the Government of Zimbabwe to adopt policies and measures that ensure that every child is protected from violence, abuse or torture and be protected from harmful cultural practices, exploitation and all forms of abuse. With elections fast approaching, the National Peace and Reconciliation Commission (NPRC) must without delay develop mechanisms for early detection of areas of potential conflicts and disputes especially those that directly affect children," said the trust. News / National by Staff reporter ZAPU leader and former Home Affairs minister Dumiso Dabengwa yesterday gave MDC Alliance presidential candidate Nelson Chamisa a huge lift when he announced a deal to join the country's biggest opposition grouping.This came hardly a day after Chamisa suffered a huge blow in his last ditch attempts to persuade rival leaders to join him who instead filed their own papers at the Nomination Court, confirming their participation in the presidential election to be held next month.Dabengwa revealed yesterday that he had pulled out of contesting in the presidential election at the last minute to give Chamisa and the MDC Alliance a chance."At the last minute, Zapu drew back from fielding its president as a candidate in the 2018 elections. Prior to this decision, we had facilitated protracted discussions and consultations with what we regarded as significant actors in Zimbabwe's national politics with a view to forging a grand coalition."Needless to say, the will to take this difficult but necessary path did not prevail, hence the number of opposition presidential candidates standing on their party tickets by the end of nominations yesterday (Thursday)," Dabengwa told journalists during a press briefing.On Thursday, former vice president Joice Mujuru, as well as the leader of the splinter MDC faction Thokozani Khupe and the little-known Violet Mariyacha, filed their papers to contest in the presidential poll.Mujuru, who is the leader of the National People's Party and the Rainbow Alliance, had been expected to join the MDC Alliance at the last minute together with Khupe whose running feud with Chamisa had appeared to have ended until the revelations that he was in talks with the National Patriotic Front (NPF), a party backed by former president Robert Mugabe and his much-disliked wife Grace.Many Zimbabweans, including political analysts, civic society leaders and student movement heads, had consistently said the country's opposition stood a better chance of finally ending Zanu-PF's dominance of local politics by fielding a single candidate against President Emmerson Mnangagwa in next month's crucial polls.Dabengwa said it was regrettable that his long-drawn wish to have a grand coalition to face president Mnangagwa and Zanu-PF had collapsed."A united front of opposition parties has failed mainly because of competition for the top spot of presidential candidate, yet it is essential to enhance the capacity of one of the opposition leaders to take over the country's presidency," he said.Turning to his deal with the MDC Alliance, Dabengwa said the parties will remain autonomous with Zapu set to continue campaigning for its candidates."However, the two entities will make sure that they do not compete against each other in some parliamentary seats. In addition, the MDC Alliance will reserve some agreed slots for Zapu among those to be chosen on the basis of proportional representation (PR)."For my part, I will actively support the candidacy of Nelson Chamisa and be at hand to support if he wins the presidential contest, as I earnestly hope."Our candidates too will include in their campaigns the party's commitment to the co-operation agreement and the presidency of Nelson Chamisa," Dabengwa said.Next month's national elections have generated a lot of interest among both ordinary Zimbabweans and ambitious politicians alike, with many people anticipating a close contest between Zanu-PF and the MDC Alliance, as well as between Mnangagwa and Chamisa.A record 23 presidential candidates are participating in next month's election which sees for the first time, women vying for the country's top political job.The polls themselves will be the first in the past two decades not to feature former president Robert Mugabe and the late MDC founding leader Morgan Tsvangirai who lost his valiant battle with cancer of the colon in February. News / National by Staff reporter PRESIDENT Emmerson Mnangagwa told his supported in Masvingo on Friday that the scarf he wore on his first trip to Davos soon after the coup and to everywhere else he has been to outside Zimbabwe is attracting investors into the country."When I went to Davos I took with me my rainbow scarf and they now know me and Zimbabwe is on everyone's lips. Before we came here we went to Mashava Mine which we are currently resuscitating," said Mnangagwa.He added, "On Tuesday we will sign a deal with investors whom we met in Davos and are interested in CSC Masvingo. On 31 July, they will start operations at the abattoir and 500 jobs will be created."He went on, "In mining, we have lithium at Bikita; we are introducing new investors who will partner Government in exploring the minerals. Minister Chitando must make sure that he walks the talk, if he doesn't do so I will relieve him from his duties. Diamonds in Sese, Chivi District will be exploited after the elections as we are crafting a new diamond policy and we will start mining in September.""The Beitbridge-Chirundu Highway has caused many deaths due to accidents. The contracted company, Geiger International, had no money. We are now looking at new companies and we are looking at their proof of payment," he added. News / National by Staff reporter Mthwakazi Republic Party (MRP) says it has engaged lawyers to challenge the disqualification of some of its candidates by the Zimbabwe Electoral Commission (ZEC) on grounds which the separatist party claims are flimsy.The party has accused ZEC of deliberately rejecting the nominations papers of their candidates in Matebeleland and Midlands provinces."In Matebeleland South ZEC disqualified us. In Gwanda South, Njabulo Ngwenya was disqualified, and so was Edmund Nleya in Mangwe under unclear circumstances because both of them were nominated by registered voters. We are making efforts with our lawyers to challenge ZEC's decision," said the party's president, Mqondisi Moyo in an interview with New Zimbabwe.Moyo said in Midlands's province, two of the party's candidates were also denied access to the nomination venue after they arrived at 16:00 hrs.The MRP president said the party managed to successfully field candidates in all the 12 constituencies in the province while in Matebeleland North they managed to forward nine candidates out of the 13 constituencies in the province.The party also managed to field one candidate in Masvingo West and another candidate in Mberengwa West as well as in Silobela.MRP is advocating for the separation of Matebeleland and parts of Midlands province from the rest of the country. News / National by Staff reporter FORMER Finance minister Ignatius Chombo will next month stand trial in a case in which he is accused of wearing Zanu-PF party regalia without authority.Harare magistrate Victoria Mashamba on Friday set July 26 as the trial date for Chombo and his three accomplices, Kudzanai Chipanga, Innocent Hamandishe and Mathew Nleya, also former ruling party top officials.Chombo will also stand trial for contravening sections of the Prevention of Corruption Act on July 18 this year.He is being represented by his lawyer, Lovemore Madhuku. News / National by Staff reporter PRESIDENT Emmerson Mnangagwa has revealed ambitions of being life president when he said Thursday he could still be the country's leader in 2030, setting the stage for a potential fight with his deputy, seen as harbouring the same ambitions.According to NewZimbabwe.com, Mnangagwa, who turns 76 September this year, will be 88 at the time."I chose 2030 and it's not a magic year, but I believe I will still be there," he told captains of industry at the Buy Zimbabwe conference in Gweru.In his comments, Mnangagwa also inadvertently gave away future plans to amend the country's constitution to accommodate Presidential candidates of above 70 as well as scrapping the two term presidential limit.The new State leader ascended to the country's top job via a popular military coup November last year.However, credit was given to Chiwenga, then Zimbabwe Defence Forces commander, who executed the coup which paved way for the now State leader to emerge from his short-lived exile to become President.Chiwenga, 61, has never publicly revealed his presidential ambitions but is said to be the de-facto State leader, often issuing far reaching decisions within government corridors.Observers say Chiwenga is keen on seeing Mnangagwa serve his first 5 year term and pass the baton to him before he becomes too old for Presidency.There are strong indications Chiwenga was drafting in former military personnel into Zanu-PF in attempts to create a more pliant support base which will one day come in handy in supporting his bid for Presidency.But the statement by Mnangagwa could be an indirect message to allies eying his job not to wish too much as his ambitions which much bigger than imagined.The Zimbabwean leader is eying his first ever democratic mandate in elections due this coming month and should he succeed in becoming State leader for the next 12 years, he could follow the footsteps of his former boss who left his job at 93.Should he proceed to rule beyond his two terms and age limit, Mnangagwa is also sure to get a lot of resistance from political opponents and civil society.Countries such as Burundi and DRC have been experiencing internal conflict after their leaders have outlived their welcome. News / National by Staff reporter Zanu-PF Bulawayo Province has intensified its campaign trail by embracing those who lost in primary elections and appointing them as campaign managers for its candidates.In a fully packed meeting held at Zanu-PF Bulawayo provincial headquarters this Sunday, defeated primary election candidates took to the stage to rally behind winning candidates for the party to garner maximum votes in the upcoming harmonised polls.The atmosphere of oneness prevailed as speakers unanimously agreed that the party comes first ahead of individual ambitions and interests.Delivering his keynote address, Zanu-PF Secretary for Administration, Dr Obert Mpofu encouraged primary election contestants to unite and form formidable teams for the party to win the polls next month.Dr Mpofu also told the multitudes that thronged Davies Hall to give the presidential mandate to Cde Emmerson Mnangagwa whom he described as loving, listening and people centered person.At the same event, party members were urged to be pioneers of peace during the campaign period as the country braces for free and credible elections. News / National by Staff reporter Vice President Retired General Constantino Chiwenga has come out in support of Mabvuku-Tafara residents in Harare who suffer the brunt of paying council bills yet for years they have not been accessing tap water.This comes as Zanu-PF rallies continue to pull large crowds ahead of next month's harmonised elections.In Mabvuku today, the crowd erupted into song and dance when Vice President Chiwenga and his wife arrived.Addressing thousands of supporters gathered at number 1 grounds in Tafara, Chiwenga said there is no justification in billing people for services that are not being rendered.Residents in most eastern suburbs like Mabvuku, Tafara and Greendale have given up any hope of ever seeing water coming out of their taps.Chiwenga urged the residents to give the Zanu-PF government led by President Emmerson Mnangagwa a chance to rebuild the economy, create jobs and uplift the standards of living of the people.He added that Zanu-PF is committed to resuscitating the economy and leaving a lasting legacy for future generations while also assuring supporters that fiscal reforms to end the cash crisis are in the pipeline.The Vice President also implored all candidates who contested in the Zanu-PF primaries to unite and work together and ensure that Zanu-PF romps to victory come 30 July.Chiwenga's messages on violence free elections, no to corruption and the need for people to adhere to designated vending sites were also loud and clear.Zanu-PF Harare Provincial Chairman, Godwills Masimirembwa is vying for the Mabvuku Tafara National Assembly seat, while Tawanda Chidzidzi is the revolutionary party's councilor for ward 19. News / National by Staff reporter Parliamentary Public Accounts Committee has exposed massive illicit financial flows within the Higher and Tertiary Education ministry.In a report on the examination of the appropriation and fund accounts for the ministry of Higher and Tertiary education, the committee said the ministry lost money due to poor maintenance of records, delays in reporting and misapplication of fund resources."The audit observed that, payments totalling $121 000 made to foreign missions were not fully supported by invoices, receipts from suppliers and acquittals in violation of Treasury instructions 1216."The audit, therefore could not ascertain whether expenditure incurred at foreign missions was a proper charge on voted funds.""The committee recommends that the ministry should avail to the Auditor-General all the supporting documentation for the $121 000 by 30 June, 2018. At the same time, it should advise on measures taken to prevent recurrences in future."The Committee observed that the ministry failed to reconcile the outstanding variance of $23 902 between the sub-paymaster general account and the appropriation account noted in 2015."The ministry suspected that some transactions could have been processed into the System but funds were then not made available."The committee's assessment is that, the ministry would have detected the variance on time, if monthly reconciliations were being carried out religiously. It failed to understand why it had taken the ministry two years to clear the variance."The committee also noted a $287 748 variance between the opening and closing accumulated fund figures in 2011."In 2011, an unexplained difference of $287 748 was observed between the opening and closing accumulated fund figures and in 2012, the difference was $158 382. The ministry attributed the differences to imbalances in financial statements submitted to head office by the learning institutions."As highlighted earlier on, the ministry indicated that some of these institutions were operating manual accounting systems while others did not have accountants with requisite skills hence the imbalances in the financial statements."It informed the committee that individual institutions had been requested to investigate the variances."The committee further there is lack of supervision of institutions of higher learning by the ministry."This was demonstrated by use of different accounting systems, late submission of financial statements and failure by institutions to carry out reconciliations to prevent imbalances resulting in Auditor-Generals expressing a disclaimer of opinion on the set of financial statements. Institutions were left to themselves yet the Ministry should play an oversight role over these institutions."The Committee recommends that the Ministry should fully investigate the variances and submit the evidence to the Committee and the Office of the Auditor-General by 30 June, 2018. The Committee recommends that by the time of the next audit the Ministry must ensure that the learning institution's accounts are"Payment of $1 497 136 in salaries, wages and allowances to casual workers without CSC approval. The Audit observed that Management had used the income from the Fund totalling $1 497 136 to employ and pay casual workers without CSC approval as required by the Public Service Act.According to the report the absence of debtor control system resulted in unexplained difference of $441 908 (2011: $1 166 107) between financial statements and the consolidated account."Failure to recover loans amounting to $201 344 (2014: $185 909)"As observed in 2014, the Fund failed to meet its intended objectives due to failure to recover loans amounting to $201 344."In terms of the Standard Operating Procedures Manual, beneficiaries should start serving the loans six months after receiving the loan. Only one beneficiary had paid $1 000." Opinion / Columnist For all his shortcomings, real or imagined, Morgan Tsvangirai had two great strengths humility and the ability to listen. My first direct interaction with him was in 1999 in Gaborone, Botswana, when he was on a regional tour campaigning against the draft constitution which was to be put to a referendum the following year. I next met and spoke to him almost twelve years later in Perth, Western Australia, when he was Prime Minister. I am yet to see his kind of humility, clarity and selflessness in any of those he left behind. Anokodzera korona (he deserves a crown).The only other Zimbabwean politician of repute whom I have known for similar traits was the late Eddison Zvobgo. These two men could talk to anybody on any day and would never interrupt you until you finished talking. Zvobgo would even ask "Mapedza?" meaning "Have you finished?" In contrast, former President Robert Mugabe thought he knew it all. He would not listen to anyone. In the process, he reduced his ministers and deputies to mere placeholders. He also disconnected himself from the people to the point that for 37 years, most of us only saw him in the media. Consequently, he became a dictator and a monumental failure. That era must be gone for good!Looking at some of our leaders today, I get the impression that most of them like to hear their own voices more than they want to hear anybody else's. They are only willing to listen to other voices if they are full of praise. If you tell them the truth, you become an instant enemy. They are immune to frank discourse. They forget that you learn more from criticism than praise. They would rather be proud than wise.At his inauguration, soon after his return from his short exile in South Africa, President Emmerson Mnangagwa said "The voice of the people is the voice of God". This has become almost a mantra. It was his way of reaffirming the fact that he would be a listening president. He carries the burden of his promise.In the past few months, I have noticed that some of our aspiring leaders are showing worrying signs of dangerous vanity to the point of not listening to any dissenting voice. As I have said elsewhere, a combination of superficiality and arrogance can be disastrous.Primary elections in both camps, ZANU-PF and MDC-T were chaotic. Imposition of candidates became the order of the day while some candidates were sidelined or frustrated. Some were surprised to find their names missing from the ballot papers. We saw a manifestation of the confusion and shenanigans at the Nomination Court as well.As we have always done, without fear or favour, ZUNDE spoke out against these irregularities. Personally, I challenged the decision to sideline or frustrate Jessie Majome from contesting in Harare West. I have known her as a genuine, fearless, consistent, intelligent but humble colleague in the democratic struggle. I am not surprised that she has decided to contest as an independent. If leadership had listened to the people, this situation would have been easily avoided.There is also some perennial deadwood that has made it to the final list of ZANU-PF candidates. Some have been senators for many years but have never opened their mouth to say anything in senate. Surely, Zimbabwe does not have a shortage of quality candidates.Leaders who listen do not resort to inflammatory or derogatory language each time they take to the podium. Rather, they articulate issues, policies and programmes. They talk about peace, love, reconciliation, prosperity and opportunities.Election 2018 is probably going to be the most interesting after the 1980 plebiscite. This is not because we do not have Morgan Tsvangirai and Robert Mugabe in the ring. It is because for the first time, Zimbabweans are going to scrutinise and assess candidates based on their ideas and policies as opposed to which party they belong. That is the mistake we have made in previous elections. In 2008, we voted for many candidates whom we did not even know. It was about the party, not the candidate. This must and will change.On social media, I have observed that Zimbabweans are so polarised. They almost threaten to harm those who do not say what they want to hear. It is blind supporters and shameless parrots who create bad leaders for us. Their candidate is always right and the opposing candidate is always wrong. That is utter rubbish! There are no angels in politics and there are no infallible politicians.As we prepare for one of the most crucial elections ever, I urge my fellow Zimbabweans to move away from emotion and embrace objectivity. After July 30, whoever wins or loses, Zimbabwe will still be there. Let us look closely at what our leaders do. Let us listen carefully to what they say. Are they making sense? If yes, let us vote for them. If no, let us ditch them. It is that simple.We do not belong to political parties. Rather we belong to Zimbabwe. Let us do the best thing for our country. Let us even vote for a candidate from another party including independents, if they make more sense. We only have one chance in 5 years to make this decision. Let us choose wisely. We do not want to be stuck with zombies or arrogant winners after the election we would be the losers.Do not feel sorry if you are not decided yet. It is OK to delay your decision until the very last minute. For now, listen to their messages, watch their actions and analyse carefully.It is time we had leaders who listen.Moses Chamboko is a pro-democracy activist and Secretary General of ZUNDE.He can be contacted at chambokom@gmail.com; www.zunde.org Opinion / Columnist Dear brother in Christ. President Chamisa.I hope this letter finds your well.Politics is a great career when one is people centred than anything else. With what has transpired in the MDC Alliance, I personally don't believe in your leadership anymore despite some senior citizen party stalwarts (Mafa, Nkomo etal) unwavering loyalty to you. I believe you've failed the electorate of certain Constituencies by failing to offer them Primaries, e.g Magwegwe. This has led Magwegwe to have more than 10 independent candidates gunning for MP position because of discontentment against the current incumbent.God help you in this move because you're at risk of your position by creating political detest and trusting on people who lie to you and still report to your wishes. Come Congress, these are the people who'll ditch you out. The consequences for violating the very foundation of democracy in our movement are on the way. They cause corruption, decay of our infrastructure, looting, compromised loyalty at the expense of people and eventually an armed struggle.I must tell you first that I find it difficult to support your cause when you've grievously practiced dictatorship similar to maggots of ZANU-PF. Denying people their primaries is just a good example of dictatorship, particularly looking at the Zimbabwean Constitution and MDC-T Constitution. Take in mind, this has taken USA State Department by shock as they've been backing the movement that has turned worse than the old ZANU-PF. I can't see how I can honestly support you after you have hurt so many who trusted you or those who were willing to give you a chance. You have personally assaulted women and elderly senior people in our movement and practically initiated a purging system against their political careers despite their popularity in their constituencies. This is plainly political demagoguery. You've created a political intense environment, particularly from a pastor who must always champion Love and Unity. You have destroyed it.You have denied your own Magwegwe people a right to vote. What sort of leadership is that?Bulawayo Chairman Gift Banda and Secretary Genaral Mwonzora have stated openly that you stoped Magwegwe elections because Mafa was winning. What kind of cruelty is this to a man who stood by you through thick and thin?The old man believed in you and yet you dug a hole in his heart and betrayed him after he did everything to save you from Khupeism. How could your character be so flawed to even extend refusing an election in Kuwadzana against a man who also stood by you? Why did you conduct primary elections without security? You imposed Hwende, a candidate known for violence without giving the opponent a hearing over false allegations that he was stoping an election. If he stopped an election in Kuwandzana, who stopped the election in Magwegwe and Entumbane?Elections are something very fundamental to our democracy. Stopping elections is a cardinal sin deserving your resignation or firing from the party for you are not above the law. You have also used deception to dribble their emotions and taken away the people's hope. It's difficult to land you support. I however, will continue to support the movement with the hopes of cleaning out corrupt people that you have lined up to do your bidding. I just hope we can salvage what is left of it. Your crimes against the people of Magwegwe and other constituencies only deserves one solution. Resign or be impeached because you don't want to rectify the problem.Our parents fought the War against white man Colonialism so that they could vote. Now we're fighting against ZANU-PF so that we could vote, suprisingly you've taken that from them by using a single text message. We vote every five years to replace power and you my friend have become a dictator. Why?If the allegations of selling MP seats is proven, this money is peanuts compared to millions of dollars you will have access to in the national treasury. Can we trust that you won't loot our national treasures when controlling the leavers of government ?People have brought in their complaints about the failure of primaries, but you have preferred to listen to certain close subordinates of yours who are doing your bidding. How different are you from ZANU-PF when you've denied your supporters to elect their own Candidates? These are the very activists on the ground that galvanize our masses to be motivated to vote against ZANU-PF. Your actions seem as if you have covertly hijacked our movement and I can't imagine a leader of a Movement behaving like Old ZANU-PF. You've killed people's hearts who have been loyal to us.Our past and present conversation have brought me to conclude these things on my own. You have no possibilities to being redeemed. Many fear to speak because they want favors and are very hungry and you have used food to buy their loyalty. Mark my words Mr. President- they are seeing what I see and know fully well that you've diverted the true approach. You are a flawed candidate now.Our mission is one - remove Zanu-PF. I must say that you have made it very hard for us to accomplish this task because you have been organizing your henchman in order to facilitate running our movement like a mafia. You've also created bootlickers.Change this attitude very quickly. Even your campaign rhetoric is filled with lies and unbelievable realities.Give us back our movement or resign Mr. President or suffer impeachment for voting rights violations.You've proved to be a silent dangerous leader in this movement. You have no right to expect ZANU-PF to respect us based on all what you have done.Please give us our movement back by resigning now or be impeached at the close of the election. Win or no win. This will be my dedicated campaign and I hope to sign up many who are silently grappling.Dedicated Carder of DemocracyMasongenyoka Thsokomela Devine Ndabezitha Mafa Sibanda Opinion / Columnist "Muromo hauzarurwi nerwizi!" (Nothing can stop those who talk too much, not even a flooded river!) so goes the Shona adage. When you are dictator who is not democratically accountable to anyone, there is no flooded river you cannot cross.The people of Zimbabwe will always remember Robert Mugabe for his exuberance passion and confidence in making every Zimbabwean prosperous, "Gutsva ruzhinji!" (Mass prosperity!) The very fact that he brought mass poverty instead only makes it even more memorable. "Big mouth!" many have often cursed the tyrant!After nearly 50 years as Mugabe's right-hand man, 37 years of which as cabinet minister in successive Mugabe governments; if there is one lesson President Emerson Mnangagwa has learned from Mugabe it is the art of being big mouth! President Mnangagwa has set himself the task of reviving Zimbabwe's economy and he is beaming with confidence nothing is going to stop him achieving that goal. Nothing!The immediate question he has conveniently brushed aside and will never want to answer is: why has he done nothing, these last 37 years when he was in cabinet, to stop the country going to the dogs? Worse still, he must have been cocksure Mugabe's "gutsva ruzhinji" dogma was working because is the one person who has ruthlessly imposed Mugabe and Zanu-PF on the nation. But let us put this aside for a while."I would want to commend the Buy Zimbabwe team which has continued to work closely with both private and public sectors to drive the buy local message and encourage the purchase of local products and services so that local businesses can thrive, thereby, stimulating economic growth and creating decent jobs for us to be a middle-income country by 2030," President Mnangagwa told his audience recently.Mnangagwa said he had a vision to turn the economy into a cashless economy and urged Zimbabweans to embrace plastic money since this was the global trend.When President Mnangagwa took over from Mugabe following last November's military coup his carrion call was "Zimbabwe is open for business!" He was cocksure he was opening the flood gates for would-be foreign investors whose money would help kick start the economy. There flood of investors has failed to materialize because investors are shrewd lot, they can see that Zimbabwe is still a pariah state which was why they had shied away all these years in the first place.If President Mnangagwa did not have these mister-know-it-all dictatorial tendencies, then he would have listen to the voices of those who said it was pointless trying to attract investors when the country has not resolved its pariah state status. How can Zanu-PF claim to be a democratic party when it was refusing to implement democratic reforms, the pre-requisite for holding free, fair and credible elections, for example?He has promised to end corruption and host other teething economic problems but has singly failed to make any significant progress. It is no secret that Zanu-PF ruling elite are some of the richest individuals in the country including VP Chiwenga and President Mnangagwa himself. It has all been talk but no concrete action.There is no doubt that President Mnangagwa's vision to make Zimbabwe a middle-income nation by 2030 is just another "Gutsva ruzhinji!" that is doomed to fail.President Mnangagwa appealed to listeners and the people of Zimbabwe "to vote for him so that he could achieve his vision for the country."Well, Mr President there is the real crux of the matter! The people of Zimbabwe have never had free, fair and credible elections and therefore a meaningful say in who governed the country. Zanu-PF has systematically rig the vote to stay in power and is set to rig this year's elections too."ZEC run by Govt to run elections is not set up in terms of the Constitution. Most of its full-time staff are former or current Army, CIO & ZRP. ALL of TECHNICAL staff is 100% from security organs & ALL polling officers are civil servants!" wrote Professor Moyo in his opinion article in Zimeye, a few days ago."On the back of the Nov coup, and the fact that Zimbabwe is under military rule, it's unreasonable to expect a Govt run ZEC to run free, fair & credible elections. With securocrats managing its TECHNICAL operations, ZEC is a rigging tool!"Govt has seconded to ZEC a team of Chinese BVR & cyber experts from the People's Liberation Army linked to a top Chinese university. Their remit is to manipulate the voters roll through shadowy & virtual polling stations & fake voters!"Zimbabwe is in this economic mess today because for 37 years President Mugabe wittered on and on about "Gutsva ruzhinji!" whilst dragging the nation deeper and deeper into this economic hell-on-earth. The people could see Mugabe was corrupt and incompetent but they helpless to stop him and his Zanu-PF thugs destroying the economy because they did not have a meaningful vote.These elections are not about stopping you, President Mnangagwa wittering about your vision of "Zimbabwe becoming a middle-income nation by 2030." These elections are about making sure the people of Zimbabwe gave you the mandate in a free, fair and credible elections to pursue your vision and not you rigging the elections again and impose your rule on the nation!President Mnangagwa, if you fail to deliver on your promise to hold free, fair and credible elections this year, then you will be asked to step aside to allow a new interim administration to be appointed who will implement the democratic reforms agreed in 2008 and hold free and fair elections. Our top priority is to ensure all future governments are democratically accountable to the people, that is the only way to stop "big mouth" dictators with their pie-in-the-sky visions imposing themselves on the nation. Opinion / Columnist There's a reason the "bullet train" train is a predictable pre-election teaser: it's an irresistible idea.With an expansion of rail networks, especially inter-city rail, we could expect the following benefits:1. Fewer people need to drive, meaning massive reduction in traffic jams and road accidents and less fuel import costs2. With easier access from more remote areas, there is far less pressure and competition for inner-city real estate, potentially reducing costs of housing for millions of people.3. Much easier for tourists to connect our major destinations- Eastern highlands, Kariba, Victoria Falls, Matipo, etc.4. People can do work or entertain themselves on the train. In a car, you look at the car in front of you, and in a plane, you spend most of that time getting messed around by security clearances, restrictions and endless announcements.Imagine sauntering down from Harare to Bulawayo or even Johannesburg's Park station in a comfortable seat on board a shiny new Fast Train. We could call it iHlasi. You would sit and work on your laptop, or read a book, or recline your seat to take a nap while the landscape whizzes by fast. And then, less than two hours later, you would alight at Bulawayo Central, and get on with your day.I have loved travelling by train, ever since I was in high school and when I visited Europe as a postgrad student and got a taste for the romance of long-distance rail. More recently, travelling by the G trains running between Beijing and Shanghai at a high speed of 350 km/h has hooked me on the convenience. But even if the Zimbabwe's fast train version ends up being slower, I think it's still a better option to catching a plane. Just think of all the faffing around you avoid when you take an intercity train. To take a flight you have to catch a bus or taxi to the airport, then queue to check in both person and baggage, then the security scan, then schlepping to the boarding gate, then boarding, then you can't take out your laptop for roughly half the trip, then you wait to get off, then you wait at the baggage carousel, then you wait for a cab or train. Phew!However, with regular trains, just think how many more of us would travel intercity on a regular basis. How many dodgy buses you could avoid (over 1000 people have perished in bus crushes since 1980). It would provide competition to airlines, and it'd also provide a way around the airport curfews. At last, you could leave Bulawayo after dinner, and arrive in Harare before midnight.A fast train would also integrate the MDC's proposed shift of the country's capital city to Gweru far more successfully with the most populated corridors in the country. It would allow civil servants to work in Gweru while still living in Bulawayo or Harare. The Acela train that links Washington DC with New York, Boston and Philadelphia is a legendary piece of infrastructure, famously caught by former Vice-President Joe Biden so he could remain based in Delaware with his family.Traditionally, we dream big pre-election, and then discover via a post-election study that it isn't viable, so I'm bracing myself for disappointment. There's always a chorus of naysayers who point to the cost. If you consider that Zanu-PF looted $15bn dollars' worth of diamonds, Zimbabwe can afford a fast train. Morocco has just introduced Africa's fastest train at a cost of $2.3bn.I'd also point out that in other countries, they don't seem to dither over the cost of major infrastructure projects - they just build them. Just under 40 years ago, China was a poor country dominated by peasant farming. Fast forward to 2018, the Shanghai Maglev trains are the fastest trains commercially operated in the world, with a top commercial speed of 431 kph and a top non-commercial speed of 501 kph. At that speed, a Harare- Bulawayo journey will be done within one hour. Harare- Johannesburg would take about 5 hours (including border stops), 2 hours Harare- Lusaka and under 2 hours to Victoria Falls.Forty years ago, the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China started the courageous endeavour and still on-going process of reform and opening up in China. There is every reason to believe that the MDC Alliance dream of national rejuvenation will likely guide us on a journey of reform and opening-up anew. The MDC Alliance will have to lead the Zimbabweans in taking on difficult issues and navigate treacherous rapids, cutting a path through the mountain rocks of corruption and building a bridge across the rapid currents of infrastructure. I just don't see the same will and energy in Zanu-PF. Opinion / Columnist Nelson kindly allow me to be your advisor only for today. In Shona they say vamwe vakaudzwa hondo nemurwere wepfungwa' which can be loosely translated as, in life you can get advice even from the most despised person in the community. I am writing from the dusty streets of Kwekwe and I hope you will get a chance from your busy schedule to read this letter.All things being equal (if 2018 elections are done freely and fairly) you are the next President of Zimbabwe. People can dispute that only to quench their egos but if we may be objective, chances are high that if elections are done in a credible manner you are going to be the next President. Millions of Zimbabweans (who are tired of ZANU-PF rule like me) are banking their hopes on you that you are the Joshua who can take us to the much anticipated promised land. However there are a few issues which I would like to raise Comrade, I would have loved to meet you in person but it's not easy for a grassroots activist like me to get that chance.If you are not wise enough the MDC Alliance will be the next ZANU-PF.Nelson, the greatest mistake which Robert Mugabe did which contributed a lot to his downfall was his tolerance to kleptocracy, thugocracy, political corruption and how he surrounded himself with cheerleaders and criminals. Mugabe turned ZANU-PF into a den of clowns, thieves and killers, he didn't mind whatever those criminals around him were doing bleeding the country dry because there were very loyal to him at that time. But one day chickens came home to roost and it all backfired on him when his gang of thieves after feeding them in his own palace for almost four decades turned against him. There are a lot of thugs, violent people and potential killers in your party who are so obsessed with an I can kill for Chamisa' attitude. My brother whilst this maybe to your advantage at the moment but don't tolerate thugocracy. Cases of violence and people being beaten during MDC Alliance primary elections (intra-party violence) worried me a lot. Honestly if you don't deal with those violent, rowdy elements and thugs in your party I have no doubt that your party will be the next ZANU-PF. Show the world that your party believes in democratic values and principles by being different from ZANU-PF and by tolerating diversity within your party. Unity does not mean uniformity. Those with divergent views in your party must be respected and tolerated not harassed or beaten. The so called Vanguard must be a group of young people advocating for peace and democracy not ma youth anofamba achirova vanhu nokuti zvinobva zvaita kuti mufanane nema Taliban e ZANU-PF (the youth league must be known for going around preaching peace and democracy not beating people that will make them look like the ZANU-PF youth league which is known for perpetrating violence). Uproot thugocracy which is growing in your party, failure to do that am afraid you are on the path of becoming the next ZANU-PF.The primary elections which your party had ahead of the harmonized elections scheduled for July 2018 were a total mess. I can't blame you alone on this one but if I may be candid, you are surrounded by liars and power mongers who are pursuing their personal interests not the interests of the party. People around you are not telling you the truth Nelson, most of them are just trying to use you to get what they want and this is going to cost you in the coming elections. There are three issues which I noticed in your primary elections which made me believe that your party (if you don't attend to these issues as soon as possible) is on the path of becoming the next ZANU-PF;Intra-party violence and thugocracy; To add an insult to an injury most of the thugs who perpetrated violence during primary elections beating up other party members for exercising their democratic rights of supporting candidates of their choice are walking scot free. I think having been victims of Mugabe's orchestrated political persecution all these years you and I can agree that violence must not be condoned. Impunity being given to rowdy elements within your party worries me a lot.Rigging; There was no clear voters roll during primary elections and one could not tell who is an eligible MDC T member. There were a lot of different lists of your party structures with different names so one could not tell which one is an eligible structure which must be considered as the voter roll for the primary elections. Does it mean you don't have a database of your party members? The primary elections done by your party in some constituencies and wards out there were sham polls full of rigging, manipulation and electoral fraud. If you failed to come out with a clear internal voters roll of your own party, how are going to handle the national voters roll if you get it?Imposition of candidates; This is going to cost you in the coming elections because some of the candidates of the MDC Alliance were imposed and are not popular with the electorate. Since primary elections were not done in a free and fair manner some of your candidates are not going to win because they came through the back door therefore people will protest in the ballot. I personally talked to many of the candidates who defected from your party and are now contesting as independents. Most of the cases and issues they were raising were very genuine. Your party's failure to solve those critical and genuine concerns showed me that you are surrounded by liars, power hungry people and a very weak national executive which has deviated from democratic principles and values. I am just being honest with you because I know very few have the guts to tell you the truth and I don't want you to fall in the same trap which destroyed Robert Mugabe. Kune dzimwe nzvimbo MDC Alliance ichadyiwa kwete nekuti haidiwi nevanhu but bato renyu raka imposer mamwe ma candidates asingadiwi nevanhu and it's going to cost you. Huyai pa ground munzwe zvichemo zvine vanhu vebato renyu musanyanyovimbe zvamuri kuudzwa ne varikumusoro ikoko vazhinji vacho varevi venhema. (In some constituencies the MDC Alliance is going to lose not because people do not like it but candidates there were imposed and this is going to cost you. Don't trust most of the things which your top brass is telling you, many of them are liars with personal agendas and they misled you in the just ended primary elections. Visit your structures and listen to the issues that they have as soon as possible. You are likely to win the Presidency but your party is fragmenting and it is currently in shambles. I pray that God gives you wisdom to reinforce it before things gets out of hand).Politics of entitlement; The Chinhu Chedu Syndrome.Most of the war veterans (former freedom fighters) in Zimbabwe feel like they have the title deeds of this country simply because they liberated us from colonial rule. I do not need to tell you more about this because you were victimized several times by unruly war vets who think they own this country. Sadly even in the pro-democracy movement we now have Comrades who believe that for one to be an eligible leader he or she must have a background in the students union. I know of many Comrades who think that the students union is the only oven where real leaders are incubated. Some of them are even around you waiting to unionize everything in the corridors of power when you become President. Nelson, leaders come from diverse backgrounds with different talents and capabilities. I (and many others out there) did not come from the students union because my parents at that time could not afford to send me to university but the little influence I have in my community might also help your government. I am not talking about myself per se but I am concerned about dozens of capable leaders who are in the dustbins because they do not have student leadership credentials and they are being sidelined because of that by those who think they own the struggle for democracy in Zimbabwe. Politics of entitlement does not work, diversify your support base and embrace everyone, like I said in the beginning vamwe vakaudzwa hondo nemurwere wepfungwa. Some barefooted people in the rural communities out there might have the influence and strategies which might help you penetrate their communities even if they might not have college degrees but they are very useful. Be a unifier and a father of all democratic forces regardless of backgrounds or academic credentials. The Chinhu Chedu syndrome must not be tolerated, Zimbabwe belongs to us all and no one has monopoly on ideas.Godfatherism in provinces; There are a lot of God fathers and mothers in your party who are destroying the entire movement because of their selfish interests and egos. Most of them are founding members of your party and they are now running it like their private estate shutting the door to potential leaders who they think are a threat to the empires which they are building for themselves. Unfortunately these God fathers and mothers are trusted by the national leadership at Morgan Tsvangirai House where they usually go to tarnish the names of potential leaders who they see as threats in their provinces. These Comrades are afraid of talent and they want to remain the tallest trees in the jungle that is why they make sure that they destroy or assassinate the character of any leader who is showing too much potential in the party. As a result mkoma bato renyu razara nema dofo nenyaya yekuti vane njere dzinogona kusimudza musangano uyu varikuvharirwa panze muma provinces umo nema Godfathers awa. (As a result your party is now in the hands of incompetent Comrades because people with the brains to take the party forward are not being given the chance to do so since all the space is being monopolized by these Godfathers). It is even known by most of your party members that for one to be able to contest for any position in the party you need their blessings first because they run the party like their own tuckshop. Most of them are very allergic to democracy and are certified dictators who are compromising the party for their own personal interests. Do your own investigations on this issue, most of the God fathers and mothers of your party, the so called senior members are the acid which is corroding your party at grassroots level feeding you with lies every day as they try to position themselves ahead of the 2019 congress. They love power more than the party and those people are very dangerous Nelson. If you know what is good for you get rid of those Godfathers musangano udzokere kuvanhu.You are now a national leader (fatherly figure) speak like one;You are now a national leader and a fatherly figure in Zimbabwe not a student or a youth leader so I would like to advise you to speak like a father. Many of my friends and Comrades who are student leaders enjoy throwing big words and jaw breakers which does not mean anything to the targeted audience. It's no longer the time to expect us to sing seva seva iwe' for you enjoying nice speeches which does not have results, this is not student politics anymore dzave nyika idzi mkoma. Yes sevai asi sevai zvine chiremera sababa venyika musangonakirwa nekutaura zvinhu zvisina zvazvinobatsira nyika. I am not saying that's what you do am just advising you so that you don't became another Robert Mugabe who could get a standing ovation at the African Union yet his country was in shambles. This country is need of leaders who can deliver not orators. You are at the make or break moment of your political career, don't destroy yourself with your own mouth like Grace Mugabe.Always respect your wife and stick to her and her only.A female friend of mine told me that she is going to vote for you because you are very handsome (whatever that means). You are very youthful and energetic, there are a lot of people who will come your way for different reasons. I am glad you are a pastor think about how the biblical mighty Samson fell from grace, not only him think about the wisest man King Solomon and how he ended up in a broken fellowship with God. You are not immune to that be careful. Always respect your wife vakakudai maiguru zvehuPresident zvisati zvavepo izvi mukatambura mese kana ishe akuropafadzai pindaiwo muhushe mese. Mukavarasa misodzi yavo inoudza shamhu yaMwari pamsoro penyu.Coin inclusive slogans, I don't like the Chete Chete Slogan.Get people who are creative and innovative within your party to coin slogans that are inclusive, and those which reflects democratic values and principles which your party advocates for. I am sorry but I personally don't like the chete chete slogan it creates demi-Gods and ndomatangiro akaita Mugabe. Chanting slogans like Chamisa Chete Chete can be interpreted as saying you and you only must be at the helm. That reminds me of Grace Mugabe who once said only Mugabe is capable of ruling Zimbabwe and that even from his grave he will remain in charge. Sadly the Mugabes were overthrown and they can now see that it was a myth that only them were capable of ruling Zimbabwe. 2018 might be your chance to be President of Zimbabwe but always keep it at the back of your mind that you are being given a social contract by the people of Zimbabwe never ever think that you are the only one capable of being in power. Also slogans like simudza mudenga rovera pasi hezvoko bwaaa such a slogan incite violence. I would like to propose that your party coin new slogans which tolerates diversity as well as advocate for peace and democracy in the country.Apologize to your party members;Last but not least I think there is a need for you to say SORRY to some of your party members. Some were beaten during primary elections, others were rigged in a broad daylight, some after serving the party faithfully in council or in parliament only found themselves in the dustbins dumped by the party without any clear explanation about why the party decided to do that and many of your party members feel betrayed by how your party deviated from democratic values and principles zvinhu zvakungoitwa zvekuginyabvura kunge zvinhu zveZANU-PF and thousands of your supporters out there are hurt. I can not put all the blame on you,in some cases you were misled by your top brass and some God fathers and mothers who are manipulating you for their personal interests. But try to reach out and engage all your disgruntled members and tell them you are very sorry. The number of people who defected from your party who are now contesting the 2018 elections as independent candidates shows how the party failed to engage some members and listen to their grievances. Most of these people did not want to stand as independents but your party leadership delayed in engaging them, some could have been calmed by this five lettered word SORRY. Don't be like President Mnangagwa who is failing to say sorry to the people of Zimbabwe for his involvement in Gukurahundi genocide. There are communities and districts which you must visit as soon as possible just to apologise to the local leadership. It will calm some of the storms out there.I still have the time and the energy to pen such a long letter because I believe in you Nelson, if you were Emmerson Mnangagwa I wouldn't have wasted my time throwing stones to a fruitless tree. Mnangagwa is a tried, tested and certified failure who (for the past four decades) bled Zimbabwe dry alongside Robert Mugabe. It will be a waste of time for Zimbabweans to give him another chance. You are the beacon of hope for the people of Zimbabwe therefore you need people who can tell you the truth helping you to climb the ladder to success. The only difference left between ZANU-PF and MDC T is that ZANU-PF if the push comes to shove it can kill or butcher its perceived opponents. I am afraid that thugs around you (basing on what I observed in the just ended primary elections) if they remain in charge of your party internal processes by 2023 MDC T will also be killing people. I recommend that your party peacefully get rid of those rowdy elements in the coming 2019 congress if you still want to remain a democracy movement.I am available to meet you in person if I get the chance. May I wish you well in the coming elections. If the Zimbabwe Electoral Commission is going to do a free and fair election, you are likely to win Nelson. This is why I have penned this letter from the bottom of my heart because I want you to be a better President and a leader who will wipe the tears trimming down the chicks of millions of Zimbabweans. I hope you will take the issues I have raised in this letter seriously, a listening President will always prosper. The penitent thief on the cross asked Jesus to remember him when he gets into his kingdom. May I (on behalf of comrades in grassroots communities out there) ask you not to forget us when you become President. We might not be privileged to sit at the high table with you but the little that we can do especially in the ballot box in support of your leadership matters most.May God save the Republic of Zimbabwe.God bless you Nelson.Behold the New!Truly YoursNkosilathi Emmanuel Moyo,SrHuman Rights Defender and Democracy ActivistKwekweWhatsapp +32485850059 Opinion / Columnist "President of the National Council of Chiefs (NCC) Fortune Charumbira is facing jail after failing to comply with a court order that directed him to issue an apology for rallying other chiefs to support the ruling Zanu-PF in this year's elections," reported Daily News."Charumbira was given seven days within which to issue the apology, which expired on Thursday. This followed an application lodged by the Election Resource Centre (ERC)."In terms of the country's laws, chiefs are not allowed to participate in political activities or to be seen to be pushing the interests of a particular party."This is all academic, at the very best; in real terms this is just a classic case of closing the door when the horse has bolted.We all know that the Chiefs and all the other traditional leaders are a politically compromised lot with no real power except what Zanu-PF gives them; puppets in the puppeteer's hands. The Chiefs and village heads are the government's representative and land-barons to the communal owned-land, hence the reason rural areas are called communal areas.These traditional leaders have always used their autocratic powers to kick povo off the land as the ultimate weapon to force povo into a straitjacket. It was the white colonialists did not want the blacks to own any land, this made it easier for the white government to remove blacks from any piece of land without even the "By your leave!"The Chiefs did not mind being removed from their ancestral land, rich soil with good rainfall, to be resettled in the dry and arid area, as long as their retained their autocratic powers. Only one or two Chiefs objected, notably the late Chief Rekayi Tangwena. The present cosy arrangement in which the traditional leaders are used to impose the dictatorial wishes of national government is a carryover from the colonial days.President Mnangagwa has distributed brand new twin cab Isuzu trucks to all the country's 282 Chiefs, down payment for the Chiefs to make sure the rural electorate are kept in their straitjackets, frog marched to attend Zanu-PF rallies and then vote for the party. President Mnangagwa was only fulfilling the pledge Robert Mugabe had made to the Chiefs before he was booted out in the November 2017 coup.Chief Charumbira had assured President Mugabe, when the tyrant promised the trucks, all the Chiefs will campaign for Zanu-PF. Why did ERC not charge Mugabe for the blatant vote buying?Chief Charumbira repeated his promise that the Chiefs will campaign for Zanu-PF to President Mnangagwa when the Chiefs received their down payment bribes. Why did ERC not sue President Mnangagwa for bribing the Chiefs to break the constitution stipulating that Chiefs must stay out of party politics?Even if Chief Charumbira had publicly apologized "for rallying other chiefs to support the ruling Zanu-PF in this year's elections," ordered by the court. Will was not going to stop the Chiefs campaigning for Zanu-PF, given they are all driving around in the new twin cab Isuzu trucks and therefore constantly being reminded why they got the trucks?The Chiefs are out there campaigning for Zanu-PF; they are telling the rural voters that if Zanu-PF does not win all those suspected of voting for the opposition will be punished. The rural voters know this is not an empty threat as many rural voters had their home burnt, have been beaten, raped and even murdered in cold blood.The only rational reason why ERC have pursued this case demanding a public apology from Chief Charumbira is justify the civic group's own existence. This is just a political gimmick. The problems of ensuring these elections are free, fair and credible is a serious matter demanding serious solutions and not these political gimmicks!The raft of democratic reforms agreed at the onset of the 2008 GNU were designed to severe the undemocratic control Zanu-PF has over ZEC, the Police, the Army and all the other state institutions including the traditional Chiefs and village heads.The single most important democratic reform in our rural areas must give everyone title deeds to the land and end this communal ownership nonsense!Why do we need traditional leaders when we have local council too? At least the people have, in theory at least, a say in the later institution and none in the former. People like Chief Charumbira have shown just how corrupt and utterly irrelevant traditional leaders have become. We should completely abolish the chieftainship; all those holding public office must be democratically accountable to the people and elected in free, fair and credible elections.It is inconceivable that these elections can ever be free and fair without first implementing the reforms. For the umpteenth time; these elections should not be taking place without first implementing the raft of democratic reforms!"The ERC will be proceeding using all available remedies to ensure that consequences follow the disregard shown by chief Charumbira. With all due respect to the chief, our chief, my chief, it is unfortunate that he has decided to go down this road," said ERC director Tawanda Chimhini.Zimbabwe is in this economic and political hell-hole because we have been stuck for 38 years with a corrupt, incompetent and tyrannical regime that rigged elections to stay in power. If Zanu-PF rigs these elections, signs are that is exactly what the party is doing; then, there is no hope of the nation ever getting out of the hole for another five to ten years. The long-suffering people of Zimbabwe will derive no solace from the courts slapping Chief Charumbira's wrist for failing to perform the empty gesture of closing the stable door after those pulling the Chiefs, ZEC, Police, etc. puppet strings had deliberately letting the horse out! Opinion / Columnist There is a problem when a crab, which tends to move sideways, starts complaining that snakes slither. The local opposition is behaving pretty the same way like a crab.The MDC Alliance and smaller parties like the National Constitutional Assembly are currently working a sweat over the voters roll and are bitter that the Zimbabwe Electoral Commission (ZEC) is behaving badly by frustrating their efforts to access the register in order to analyse it and take appropriate action where anomalies are identified.These parties are particularly irked by the fact that President Emmerson Mnangagwa went ahead and proclaimed the nomination and election dates despite the fact that ZEC has not yet availed the final voters register. In fact, nomination went ahead last Thursday without political parties, the electorate and other stakeholders having access to the roll, particularly in its electronic form which is more user-friendly.The point, as articulated by the NCA in an urgent court application last week, and also by Welshman Ncube, the MDC Alliance secretary, is that nomination could not proceed without candidates and voters having definitively ascertained that they were registered properly. The law stipulates that a candidate must be nominated by a specified number of registered voters. You can't conclusively establish that you are registered without access to the voters roll.The provisional roll, which was also very difficult to access before nomination on June 14, has opportunities and possibilities for errors and, therefore, cannot be used for purposes of nomination. This was amply proved through an urgent chamber application that was recently made by Warship Dumba and Celine Nyakutsikwa of Mount Pleasant Heights in Harare. They discovered that they had been moved from Ward 17 in Mount Pleasant where they have always voted, to Ward 20 in Mazowe South.Imagine this: Dumba, who is an aspiring local government candidate, gets to the nomination court to file his application under Ward 17 and takes with him voters who have also been moved to Ward 20. At that stage, he and his nominators discover that they have been moved to a totally different ward and local government. How does ZEC handle that without prejudicing the candidate and the nominators?As Ncube pointed out, ZEC was not supposed to rush things as elections could still take place close to a month after the date that Mnangagwa proclaimed. The commission must have used its time to clean the roll, finalise it and make it accessible to all stakeholders, so as to optimise the chances for free, fair and credible elections. That also means the president must not have been in a hurry to make the proclamation.The opposition has also complained bitterly about the manner in which ZEC and other relevant state agencies handled the biometric voter registration (BVR) exercise. The campaign was characterised by subtle and direct intimidation and violence. Admittedly, ZEC and the other agencies failed to decisively act on those violations, which means the registration process produced a tainted roll.These are legitimate concerns, of course. That means the opposition is not offside to complain and its message on how ZEC has handled the voters roll, in particular, is good to listen to. The problem, though, is with the messenger, particularly the MDC Alliance. These guys are accusing ZEC of what they also guilty of.The manner in which specifically the Alliance handled its primary elections shows that it is nowhere near the moral high ground. This opposition outfit, just like other political outfits, uses party member registers to conduct its primaries. These registers are the equivalent of the voters roll. What happens is that primary election candidates must be given the opportunity to scrutinise the register and be satisfied with it before internal polls are held.But there are there lots of anecdotes that demonstrate that this was not the case. This applies mostly to the primaries to choose parliamentary candidates. In an amazingly big number of constituencies, the party registers were manipulated. These registers were managed from Harvest House, the MDC-T headquarters, where certain individuals in privileged positions doctored the documents in favour of their preferred candidates, some of who I am told paid handsomely for that to happen.Disturbingly, some big shots were involved in this scam because they wanted their preferred candidates to win at all costs."Hostile" names were removed. Ghost party voters were added. In some cases, candidates were imposed. Quite disturbingly, some candidates never got the registers and if they did, they had them flashed in their faces just before the primaries, literally. Rented mobs moved from one constituency to another voting for chosen candidates simply because the process lacked transparency. In yet other cases, rivals' CVs, a primary requirement, were stolen to jeopardise their chances. It looks like this scam was a calculated institutional operation, just like what we saw in the 2013 MDC-T primaries.Similarly, the Alliance primaries were not without violence and intimidation. Hired youths gave hell to rival candidates. They decided who voted and musn't and were strategically positioned at the polling points to make that happen. That makes it very hard for the political outfit to make a convincing cause out of the fact that the BVR process was marred by violence and intimidation. This is because, more often than not, humanity has a tendency to look at the messenger before listening to the message.Now, what is good for the goose must be good for the gander too. The Alliance badly managed its own roll yet it wants ZEC to be sparkling clean when it comes to the national voters register. That is what two-faced hypocrites do. Generally, hypocrites are looked down upon because they are dishonest and dishonesty is universally seen as bad. That hypocrisy betrays the opposition's potential to start behaving like ZEC if it gets into power. It weakens the opposition's moral legitimacy to be complaining about how the commission is handling the voters roll.Never mind the fact that the opposition is making good points moaning over the voters roll. Where ZEC is bad, so is the opposition. It must have avoided doing what it doesn't want to happen to it. That is approaching the voters roll conversation with a dirty mouth. As they say, charity begins at home.--------Tawanda Majoni is the national coordinator at Information for Development Trust and can be contacted on tmajoni@idt.org.zw. Opinion / Interviews ZANU-PF is going for broke ahead of the July 30 general elections with a war chest of over $200 million despite reports that the ruling party is broke. The extravagant campaign has raised questions about the source of the funding amid allegations that foreign countries are bankrolling Zanu-PF.Obey Martin Manayiti (OMM) yesterday spoke to Zanu-PF secretary for administration Obert Mpofu (OM), who defended the spending, saying the ruling party had many sources of money. He also spoke about allegations that the selection of primary candidates had left Zanu-PF in tatters and that there were fears President Emmerson Mnangagwa's campaign might be sabotaged by disgruntled party members. Below are excerpts from the interview.OMM: The divisions that rocked Zanu-PF during the primary elections seem to be persisting despite the nomination court sitting last Thursday where some candidates decided to stand as independents. How are you addressing those problems?OM: It is their democratic right to do so although there are quite a few that have gone that route. The majority are working with those that succeeded in the primary elections. There are just a few cases where some of our aspiring candidates have chosen to go independent.OMM: So you are not worried about them?OM: We are worried in as far as these are our members, but if they decide to take that course there is not much we can do. They know that Zanu-PF is a democratic party and it will not dissuade people from pursuing their missions in whatever way.OMM: It seems as if Zanu-PF is overconfident about winning the forthcoming harmonised elections. What makes you that confident?OM: No, my brother, we are the only party that has upheld the aspirations of the people before independence where we fought for the emancipation of our country and after independence we have tried, regardless of the economic challenges. Zanu-PF has always tried to uplift the majority of our people. Remember the land reform programme, the issue of peace and we are the only party that can assure stability in this country. If you look at our manifesto, it addresses all the aspects of people's freedoms and rights and others.OMM: Zanu-PF has been saying it will do things differently during this election campaign. Please explain what you mean by that?OM: Firstly, we had over 10 000 members of the party seeking to be nominated as Members of Parliament and that opened the space for people's wishes. All of them were processed and at the end of it all, we had the required number of MPs and councillors as per the constitution.Secondly, we have assured the nation of peace and stability during the campaign period and at the time of elections. I am the minister of Home Affairs and I have given instructions across the board that police should deal with whoever goes astray. Whoever feels interfered with or intimidated or threatened on political grounds should report to the nearest police station and that will be dealt with.We have also asked the world to come and participate in the observation of our electoral processes and this has never happened before. We have said the door is open for any interest groups and individuals who are interested to see how we conduct our elections.However, we have not invited them to come and interfere with our processes. We might have one or two instances, you know, when dealing with human beings there could be one or two who are against the rules, but we want to deal with whatever comes in terms of interfering with due processes across all political parties.My president is prepared to meet with his colleagues who are contesting against him just to assure them of the same message and also to get their assurances of how they are going to conduct themselves.OMM: Critics say this Zanu-PF campaign lacks direction compared to those of the Robert Mugabe era. What is your reaction to that?OM: We are not talking about the era of former president Robert Mugabe. We are talking about the current dispensation whose superintendent is none other than President Emmerson Mnangagwa, who himself was a subject of unfair justice and he knows exactly what it means to subject people to unjust conduct or process of political activity.Therefore, he means what he says because he experienced it himself during that period. We are very clear as cabinet, politburo and members of the party of his vision of a peaceful Zimbabwe and at no time has he ever mentioned to us anything to do with violent politics. He urges us to conduct ourselves peacefully and to allow other players to do their game without fear or favour.OMM: But people are saying Zanu-PF lacks sharpness and precision.OM: What does that mean?OMM: Judging by the way you are doing things right now?OM: We have not yet started our campaign activities. It will only start now because the nomination court is done. Zanu-PF is just moving around and the president has been moving around to look at projects and appreciate the economic state of provinces and now we are going for a full throttle campaign through star rallies.We will despatch our vice-presidents throughout the country, the politburo members and we have lined up star rallies for the president throughout the country. The opposition is yet to see the juggernaut of Zanu-PF when it comes to appealing to membership and its voters. Those saying we are not active on the ground must wait and seeOMM: The president revealed that there is a group of Zanu-PF candidates plotting to impeach him if he wins the presidency. What is Zanu-PF doing to prevent that?OM: The election process for candidates in Zanu-PF was very thorough exactly to address some of those issues and it will be naive for anyone to think of jumping out of a moving train.Zanu-PF is a train that is going to deliver people to prosperity and who will ever contemplate leaving the party under our leadership? Of course, there were people who thought it would be the case but look, Zanu-PF is the party of delivery and we have candidates who have gone through thorough screening of the party to represent the party and I can assure you that no candidates are going to be found wanting when it comes to loyalty to the party. We may have individuals like in any situation who have such tendencies, but we will be on the lookout to make sure that it will not happen.OMM: Do you fear a bhora musango (redirected votes)campaign?OM: Any political party will have concerns about that, but we have selected candidates that will ensure that their voters vote for Zanu-PF. Even if we have such people they will still lose anyway. Zanu-PF has enough genuine supporters who will ensure that the party wins this harmonised election.OMM: The opposition has continuously claimed that Zanu-PF has roped in the military in its campaign, especially in rural areas for purposes of intimidating the electorate. What is your reaction to that?OM: Again we always get surprised by the opposition parties. Their message is just about Zanu-PF, that is the only thing they can deliver to the electorate and think they can win an election.They have been complaining about everything, but we have challenged them to come up with evidence that such a development is happening. After all, we have retired policemen, military, prison officers who have chosen to take political careers be it in Zanu-PF, MDC or any other political party and that is their right as Zimbabweans.If they are talking about uniformed forces, then their concerns are totally misplaced. We have members of the party who retired from the private sector, government, from the army, police or wherever and how do we chase away people who want to come to the party just because they have been in certain organisations of the government? They are free to join any party of their choice.They talk about this, but we wonder what their concerns are. I know of a lot of former army generals who are in MDC or in other parties. for example, (Ambrose) Mutinhiri, who was my instructor during the war, he is a well-respected general, but now he is in the opposition. (Agrippa) Mutambara is in the opposition and why don't they talk about them if they don't want people who were in the army to join the politics of this country?OMM: Zanu-PF is running an expensive campaign. Where are you getting the money since a recent central committee report revealed that the party is broke?OM: We have never run a cheap campaign, my brother, we prepare ourselves and Zanu-PF is the only most organised political party in this country. As you may have seen during our nomination, there were no issues on the Zanu-PF side.We have always budgeted for our campaigns and what we are doing is exactly what we have done before although we are even now more modernised in our campaigns than we used to be before.Just a few minutes ago you were saying we are lacking precision, but you are now saying the campaign is very sophisticated. I am the secretary-general of the party and what we are doing is what we have planned for. It is going according to plan and the resources are there, we have mobilised the resources. This is not unusual because we planned it although now we are a gear up.OMM: But where is Zanu-PF getting that money?OM: Zanu-PF has over three million members and they subscribe to the party. We have diaspora support who have come up and identified themselves with our programmes and our campaigns.We have well-wishers, businesspeople in Zimbabwe who are associating with the party and it's overwhelming when it comes to the support of the party. That is why we are actually managing our campaign through quite advanced resources, but I know you want me to comment on the millions that have been talked about in the media.OMM: Yes, you can comment on that.OM: This is the party's resources through well-wishers and companies that support us, but if you have any information outside what I am telling you please provide evidence. I am fully aware of what is happening in the treasury of the party and this is a party of choice. People love Zanu-PF.OMM: Why were you keeping a secret account with so much money?OM: How can an account be secret when it is in a bank here in Zimbabwe? All accounts are secret, isn't it? I don't know what the MDC account is.When is an account called public? All accounts are secret to their owners and you want Zanu-PF to advertise its account just for the sake of transparency?It doesn't work that way. It is not only that account alone, Zanu-PF has accounts to support various programmes in its departments so that account you are talking about is the party's account and if you want to call it secret, well, but you know about it. Businesses in Bellingham, Wash., rely heavily on Canadian visitors to stay afloat. That means the increasingly testy trade relationship between Canada and the U.S. come with high stakes for the border-area city. Tariff threats and even personal insults have been slung back and forth between Canadian and American officials, not least by U.S. President Donald Trump. Some voices in Canada are calling for a boycott of American companies. "[On] a Canadian long weekend, when our friends from across the border are coming in and shopping, can make up sometimes close to 50 per cent of a retailer's business," Bellingham Regional Chamber of Commerce head Guy Occhiogrosso told The Early Edition host Stephen Quinn. "So it's substantial." Despite the headline-grabbing rhetoric, Occhiogrosso says there is an important distinction to be made between words and and policy changes when it comes to cross-border trade. He said the rhetoric certainly affects businesses, but the damage tends to be short-lived. He says policy changes, which could cause long-term economic harm, have not been seen yet. "It's certainly unfortunate and unwanted either way," he said. "They are different scenarios and we have to have different scenarios for those." A particular area of concern, Occhiogrosso says, are the many Canadian-owned companies with locations in Bellingham area which employ Americans. "I'm worried, concerned, how that impacts those employees," Occhiogrosso said. Listen to the full interview: With files from CBC Radio One's The Early Edition By Helen Murphy and Steven Grattan BOGOTA (Reuters) - Right-wing candidate Ivan Duque won Colombia's presidential election on Sunday, beating leftist Gustavo Petro in a victory that will reassure investors but raised the prospect of changes to a landmark peace accord with Marxist rebels. With 99.9 percent of polling stations counted, Duque comfortably won the ballot with 54.0 percent of votes while Petro, who had pledged to shake up Colombia's economic model, had 41.8 percent. It was Colombia's first presidential election since the 2016 peace deal with the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC), which ended their part in a five-decade conflict that has killed more than 220,000 people and displaced millions. Duque, 41, the business friendly protege of hardline former President Alvaro Uribe, wants to change the deal, which he deems too lenient on the Marxist FARC rebels, while keeping Colombia's economic policies intact. By contrast, former guerrilla Petro had pledged to take on political elites, redistribute land to the poor and gradually eliminate the need for oil and coal in Latin America's fourth-largest economy. His positions prompted critics to compare him to Venezuela's former socialist President Hugo Chavez. "Our hope has arrived," said 52-year-old publicist Carlos Cortes, a Duque supporter. "Now, with more respect for private enterprise, more jobs will be generated and we'll move forward as a country." From the sweltering Caribbean coast to the frigid heights of the Andes, voting was uneventful at 11,230 polling stations. Marking of ballots was monitored by international election observers to guard against fraud. Although Petro won a majority in only nine of 32 provinces, including the capital Bogota, the fact that a leftist advanced to a second round and won 8 million votes - versus 10.3 million for Duque - is historic in Colombia where traditionally conservative politicians have held sway. Petro, 58, had called on supporters to take to the streets if he felt there was widespread manipulation of the tally, but he appeared to accept the outcome of Sunday's election. "What defeat? Eight million free Colombians taking a stand. There is no defeat here. For now we won't be the government," Petro said on Twitter. FRACTURED LEFT Duque will face significant challenges when he takes office in August. The economy remains weak; drug trafficking gangs have moved into areas once controlled by the FARC and more than half a million Venezuelan migrants have crossed into Colombia, looking for food and work. His plans to change the peace deal to seek tougher punishments for FARC war crimes will face considerable opposition in Congress and from Colombia's Constitutional Court. Duque has promised to bolster the $324 billion economy, keep investors happy by cutting business taxes, support the oil and coal sectors - top exports - and help manufacturing. State-run oil company Ecopetrol SA is responsible for almost 60 percent of Colombia's oil production of around 830,000 barrels per day and operates export pipeline infrastructure. Petro had promised to shift its emphasis toward wind and solar power. "It is a result that's very in line with what the market had been expecting and it guarantees that Colombia's reputation - political and economic stability - is still valid," Felipe Campos, head economist at Alianza brokerage, said. Duque is the candidate for the Democratic Center Party, a movement started in 2013 by Uribe, seen as the power behind the throne. A one-term senator, Duque worked at the Inter-American Development Bank in Washington until 2014, when Uribe asked him to return to Colombia and take a seat in Congress. Duque's running mate, Marta Lucia Ramirez, will be Colombia's first female vice president. For decades, Colombia's fractured left has failed to come close to winning the presidency or exercising control in Congress, overshadowed by right-wing contenders who have promised strong security policies. Yet the 2016 deal with the FARC clearly shifted priorities for many voters in the Andean country of nearly 50 million people. Despite Petro's loss, voter interest in tackling inequality, corruption and inadequate social services looks set to create opportunities for the left in future, possibly as soon as 2022. (Reporting by Steven Grattan and Helen Murphy, Nelson Bocanegra, Julia Symmes Cobb additional reporting by Dylan Baddour; Editing by Daniel Flynn, Diane Craft and Cynthia Osterman) The election of a Progressive Conservative government in Ontario has raised the hopes of rural voters who opposed projects pushed through using the provincial Green Energy Act.despite local objections. John Kordas has been rallying local residents and lobbying the government against a 500-kilowatt solar project next door to his farm on 6330 Ganaraska Rd. in Port Hope. Now, he says, he's been told by members of the Ontario Progressive Conservative Party that the new government will pull the plug on Renesola GreenLife Solar Project #19. "For all projects that are not complete or have missed their completion date, the intent is to cancel the projects entirely," said Kordas. "That was welcome news to us. Let's hope they follow through on that regard," Kordas, 60, has long contended that the property is fertile farmland and, therefore, not a suitable site for a solar farm. "This project ought never to have set foot on prime agricultural land." He says Project #19 was slated to be producing power as of April 2018, but little has been done on the site so far. ReneSola did not return calls from CBC News, but in an email Andrew Dow of the Independent Electricity System Operator (IESO) said: "The contractual status of the project is that it has been given a notice to proceed with construction and has not reached commercial operation." Kordas says opposition to initiatives such as Project #19 was one of the reasons why many rural voters wanted the Liberals out. "The fact that there was no consultation, the fact that there was no public engagement, the fact that there was no public support, the fact that there was no local council support. Yes, that helped put the Liberals where they are today," he said. Green Energy Act helped approve projects and 'ram them through' The Green Energy Act came online in 2009 promising lucrative contracts for wind and solar generated energy through a Feed-In-Tariff program. It also overrode all municipal regulations, planning, and zoning bylaws, allowing the Ministry of the Environment to approve projects directly. Story continues Ross McKitrick, a professor of economics at the University of Guelph who specializes in environmental economics and policy analysis, says the act caused a lot of friction in rural communities. "It meant it was easier for the energy minister's office to site new wind turbine facilities and just ram them through, but it did mean they went in over the objections of local property owners," he said. "The fact that the Ford campaign was running explicitly against the Green Energy Act, I think, played a very strong role in rural ridings and they are also now going to be expecting him to follow through on those commitments." Dave Nixon, 73, lives in Prince Edward County south of Belleville. He and other members of the Alliance to Protect Prince Edward County (APPEC) opposed a local green energy project because of its effect on wildlife. The amateur herpetologist says the Blanding's turtle, an endangered species, is being put at further risk due to the construction of wind turbines for the White Pines Wind Project near Milford. 'Shut this damn project down,' activist tells PCs "All I'm asking for is for (PC MPP) Todd Smith and Doug Ford to shut this damn project down," says Nixon. The company says over the next four weeks, it will be taking delivery of turbine components to be stored on private lands. Ford announced Friday that the new government will cancel Ontario's current cap-and-trade scheme, Nixon hopes the Green Energy Act is next, but isn't sure how that will happen. "The problem now is the Liberals can't do it because they will get sued. Can the Conservatives? I don't know," Nixon said. Under the Feed In Tariff program, large and small green energy producers signed contracts with the province at fixed rates per kilowatt hour that were higher to encourage the building of solar and wind farms. Professor Warren Mabee from Queen's University's Institute for Energy and Environmental Policy says projects that are not yet online may be less costly to cancel. Province could face court challenges "There is a possibility that [Ford] could end those contracts they would certainly be the easiest ones," he said. "Undoubtedly you would be taken to court by companies who have invested heavily. It's going to cost a fair bit of money and cost us credibility with the international business community." Mabee says Ford's election promise to reduce hydro bills by 12 per cent may be a challenge. "It's hard to see how we could reduce prices by cancelling everything we've done. The better thing to do, and I suspect what he will do, is not rip up all the contracts. It will be renegotiation." Toronto lawyer Eric Gillespie, who is acted on behalf of APPEC against White Pines, says even before the election, the Liberals were signalling that the province had enough electricity. He says only one wind project has been approved in last year. "So even the Wynne government had essentially stopped approving projects," Gillespie said. He also says the White Pines Wind Project faces court challenges that could also prevent the turbines from going up. "Needless to say the people in Prince Edward County and elsewhere are hoping the government sticks to its commitment and not proceed with any of these types of projects." Daniel Martin captured video of an alligator dragging a dead fish across a road in Berkeley County, South Carolina, on June 10. The filmer and his family were on their annual trip to the Short Stay recreation area and campsite in Moncks Corner when they came across the reptile at around 11:30 pm June 10. Martin told Storyful that the alligator, which he said was up to 9 feet in length, backed off once seeing his car but eventually returned for his meal. Credit: Daniel Martin via Storyful Canada's recreational boating industry says it's bracing for big losses if proposed countermeasures against American tariffs go ahead on July 1. On Wednesday, the National Marine Manufacturers Association Canada, which represents the recreational boating industry, wrote a two-page letter to Prime Minister Justin Trudeau. It asked that the federal government remove four tariffs that target recreational boats from its proposed scope of retaliatory tariffs against the United States. These tariffs "will cause irreparable and disastrous damage to the industry, from which it would likely never recover," wrote association president Sara Anghel. The four tariffs of 10 per cent the National Marine Manufacturers Association Canada wants lifted include: - Inflatable boats - Sailboats, with or without auxiliary motor - Motorboats, other than outboard motorboats - Outboard motorboats, other vessels for pleasure or sport Should those four tariffs come into effect, the association requests a grace period of six months to allow Canadian recreational boat dealers to adapt to the new pricing scheme. Should the tariffs proceed and be removed in a few months, the association requests the tariff be paid back so as not to unfairly burden Canadian importers and dealers. Dealers already cancelling orders According to Anghel, the recreational boat industry in Canada generates $10 billion in revenues with a GDP of $5.6 billion and employs 75,000 Canadians. There are nearly 5,000 marine-related businesses across the country, many of them small and family-owned. "[W]e must emphasize that the proposed Canadian countermeasures will have severe negative and long-term impact to the jobs, taxes and tourism that recreational boating represents and generates across Canada," wrote Anghel. She stated recreational boat tariffs will be mostly felt by middle-class Canadians and will come at a particularly bad time for recreational boating as the industry is gearing up for the summer boating season. Story continues "Canadian dealers are already cancelling orders and bracing for a sales downturn." In the Maritimes, where there are more than 4,000 people employed in the recreational boating industry, people are already bracing for a downturn according to Patricia Nelder, executive director of the Atlantic Marine Trades Association/Boating Atlantic. "One of our members wrote to me and he feels that if the 10 per cent tariff goes through it will have a drastic effect on his business since all his new boats that he's selling come from the U.S," said Nelder, who's from Martins River, N.S. Nelder said the majority of recreational boats sold in the Maritimes are imported from the U.S. She says the recreational boating industry is already facing enough challenges thanks to a perfect storm of factors tariffs on both side of the border, volatile aluminum prices and a weakening exchange rate with the U.S. that stand to spark a significant spike in prices for imported American vessels. For example, a pontoon boat that costs $50,000 now could be selling for $65,000 after July 1 if retaliatory tariffs go ahead. Nelder said some business sectors in the recreational boating industry, including marinas, are expecting a 20 to 25 per cent decrease in business and corresponding job losses as a result. Government reviewing retaliatory tariffs The Office of the Minister of Foreign Affairs said on Friday it concluded a consultation period to ensure there are no unintended consequences of Canada's retaliatory tariffs. The results of the consultation will be reviewed with a final list of countermeasures to follow. The U.S. announced the imposition of tariffs on imports of steel and aluminum products from Canada last month. In response, Canada announced dollar-for-dollar tariffs on up to $16.6 billion worth of U.S. imports. These retaliatory tariffs include more than just steel, aluminum and recreational boats. Ballpoint pens, beer kegs, bobbins and many other goods are included in a long list of countermeasures set to take effect on Canada Day unless the U.S. eliminates its trade restrictions. Seychelles President Danny Faure ahead of his state visit to India has said that India-Seychelles joint project to develop naval base at Assumption Island in his country will not move forward. He also mentioned that Seychelles will develop military facilities at the island on its own. This statement comes after growing political opposition in Seychelles to agreement that was signed with India in 2015 to develop a naval facility at Assumption Island which would have given India strategic advantage in Indian Ocean Region (IOR). Background India was keen on developing the Assumption Island as naval base due to key strategic location in the western periphery of Indian Ocean and to expand its footprint in the region where China has been trying to enhance its military presence. For this, India had signed 20 years agreement in 2015 during Prime Minister Narendra Modis visit to that Seychelles. It was meant to Indias first Naval Base project overseas and had acquired significance after China had acquired its first African naval base in Djibouti (near Horn of Africa) in November 2014. However, after opposition leaders in Seychelles came out openly against agreement with India, Seychelles President refused to place in Seychelles National Assembly (its parliament) since he didnt have majority. Later in January 2018, India and Seychelles finalised an updated version of the original pact to accommodate lot of concerns of Seychelles side. Assumption Island Assumption Island is a small island situated southwest of Seychelles main and largest island of Mahe. It is situated very close to Mozambique Channel from where much Indian Ocean maritime routes pass. Its location lends it strategic importance for monitoring shipping in the Mozambique Channel. The International Day of Family Remittances (IDFR) is observed every year on 16 June across the world. It is aimed at recognizing significant financial contribution migrant workers make to wellbeing of their families back home and to sustainable development of their countries of origin. It is also aimed at encouraging public and private sectors, as well as civil society, to do more together and collaborate to maximize impact of remittances in developing world. Remittance Remittance is a transfer of money by foreign worker to individual or family in their home country. It competes with international aid as one of the largest financial inflows to developing countries. Background The IDFR was unanimously proclaimed by all 176 member states of International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD)s Governing Council at its 38th session in February 2015. Later it was adopted by United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) in June 2018 through resolution A/72/L.56. The first IDFR was celebrated on 16 June 2015. Observance of this day recognizes efforts of migrant workers globally, but also to strengthen current partnerships and create new synergies among sectors to promote development impact of remittances worldwide. International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) IFAD is international financial institution and specialised agency of UN dedicated to eradicating poverty and hunger in rural areas of developing countries. It was established in 1977 as one of the major outcomes of 1974 World Food Conference. Its headquarters is in Rome, Italy. It is member of UN Development Group. Among the subjects President Donald Trump apparently didnt discuss with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un in Singapore the regimes human rights abuses, its exports of missile technology and its mistreatment of U.S. prisoners theres one more: its long record of dangerous cyberattacks against sensitive targets in the U.S. and allied nations. Experts warn that the countrys hacking skills have become increasingly sophisticated and dangerous in recent years. North Korean exploits have included the damaging 2017 WannaCry ransomware attacks, intrusions into banks in more than a dozen countries to heist millions of dollars over the last few years, and continually brazen cyberattacks on South Korean computer networks. The historic Singapore meeting focused on denuclearization of the Korean peninsula, although it didnt yield a detailed agreement for accomplishing that goal. In the run-up to the June 12 meeting, the Department of Homeland Security warned of an ongoing threat by North Korean government hackers, who have attacked critical infrastructure and media, aerospace and financial companies since at least 2009, infecting networks in at least 17 countries and the United States. Days after the summit, DHS sent a fresh notice describing malware variants used by North Korea. But there is no indication that the two leaders discussed cybersecurity, worrying experts who warn that North Koreas cyberwarfare capabilities pose an immediate threat to U.S. interests that warrant high-level attention. Few know the impact of a North Korean cyberattack like former Sony Pictures CEO Michael Lynton. More than three years ago, the American movie studio owned by Sony suffered a crippling hack prior to its release of The Interview, a film centred on a screwball satire of Kim. The unprecedented corporate cyberattack cost Sony more than $100 million destroying more than 70 percent of the computers at the then-7,000-person studio, Lynton told The Associated Press in an interview Wednesday. It took the company roughly a year to recover. Lynton left Sony in 2017 to become chairman of Snap Inc. Denuclearization is great, but we also have to concern ourselves with what the cyber capabilities are, so we can make sure that doesnt happen to our businesses and other assets in the United States, Lynton said. The Associated Press made efforts to determine whether the subject came up in Singapore, but the White House declined official comment for this story. The subject wasnt mentioned in official statements out of the summit or by the president in his post-summit press conference. Dmitri Alperovitch, co-founder of cybersecurity firm CrowdStrike Inc., said North Koreas recently cyberactivities have focused on traditional espionage aimed at gathering intelligence from nations involved in the summit, as well as destructive attacks and cybercrime to raise money for the regime. North Korea has slowly joined the small group of nations, along with China and Russia, with both the hacking mojo and a proven willingness to attack U.S. interests. Following the attack on Sony, the FBI publicly blamed North Korea, the first time it had done so. The Obama administration imposed sanctions as a result. An Obama-era agreement with China aimed at curbing economic cyberespionage was reaffirmed by the Trump Administration last year. But earlier this year, Trump accused China of continuing to conduct and support cyber intrusions into U.S. computer networks to gain access to valuable business information so Chinese companies can copy products, costing the economy hundreds of billions of dollars annually. DHS officials have carried on with their cybersecurity mission outside of the main focus of the Trump-related political sphere, often out of public view. But the results of that China-U.S. pact have left many a little jaded about the efficacy of diplomacy on this issue. Trumps cybersecurity efforts have been largely overshadowed by immigration, health care and ongoing investigations. Still, last year the Justice Department announced sanctions and criminal indictments against an Iranian state-sponsored hacker network that had targeted hundreds of U.S. and foreign universities, U.S. companies and government agencies, and the United Nations. The Trump presidential campaign has also benefited from embarrassing disclosures in hacked emails stolen from the Democratic National Committee, Hillary Clintons campaign staff and others. Trump also openly invited Russian hackers to find and release tens of thousands of personal emails that Clinton had deleted from the private server she had used to conduct government business as secretary of state. Click on Deccan Chronicle Technology and Science for the latest news and reviews. Follow us on Facebook, Twitter. Click on Deccan Chronicle Technology and Science for the latest news and reviews. Follow us on Facebook, Twitter. For nearly a decade now, Boko Haram has used violence in an effort to force its twisted ideology on the people of northeast Nigeria, and has also launched vicious attacks in Cameroon, Niger and Chad. At least 20,000 civilians have been killed in the conflict, and hundreds of thousands more across the Lake Chad Basin are suffering extreme hardship as a result of this violence. Indeed, Boko Haram and its offshoot, ISIS-West Africa have contributed to a major humanitarian crisis in the region. Some 2.4 million people have been displaced and nearly 11 million people across the region need assistance to survive. The Lake Chad Basin humanitarian emergency is among the most severe in the world. People affected by the ongoing conflict are facing hunger in northeast Nigeria, including over one million in hard to reach areas due to Boko Harams presence. According to the Famine Early Warning Systems Network, at least one in 5 households in Nigerias Adamawa, Borno, and Yobe states may not be able to feed themselves without aid, or may often go hungry through this coming September. Elsewhere, a significant number of people in Cameroons Far North Region, Chads Lac Region, and Nigers Diffa Region may also find it difficult to obtain enough food through September. On June 7, U.S. Ambassador to Nigeria Stuart Symington announced nearly 112 million dollars in additional humanitarian assistance to those needing help in the Lake Chad Basin, including nearly $102 million for people in Nigeria. The funds will provide life-saving aid to hundreds of thousands of people, including emergency food, nutrition treatment, shelter, health care, safe drinking water, services for survivors of sexual violence, and support to children separated from their families. The United States is the largest donor for the humanitarian response in the Lake Chad region.Since October 2016, the United States has provided nearly 761 million dollars in humanitarian aid to the region. The United States remains committed to helping the people affected by the terrorist group Boko Haram and its offshoot ISIS-West Africa. A comprehensive political and security solution is ultimately the only way to bring peace to the region and end the suffering of the people there. The United States calls on the global community to follow our example and donate generously to address the basic life-saving needs of the displaced, and the communities that host them. The United States welcomes the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding, or MOU, by the UN High Commissioner for Refugees, UN Development Program, and the Burmese government to support the creation of conditions conducive to the voluntary, safe, dignified, and sustainable return of Rohingya refugees to Burma. This is a positive step, said State Department spokesperson Heather Nauert. We see this MOU as a confidence-building measure that, if effectively implemented, could allow much-needed humanitarian assistance to reach all affected communities and assist Burma in creating the necessary conditions for voluntary return and to support recovery and resilience-based development for the benefit of all communities living in Rakhine State. Since last August, over 700,000 Rohingya people have fled violence in Burma's Rakhine State and crossed the border into Cox's Bazar, Bangladesh, a District that already was hosting more than 200,000 Rohingya refugees. In addition, 8.3 million people in Burma live in areas affected by conflict, not only in Rakhine State, but throughout the country. This conflict, and the ensuing displacement of people, has created one of the world's largest humanitarian crises. As the worlds largest humanitarian donor, the United has contributed nearly $204 million to the Rakhine crisis response since the outbreak of violence in August 2017. The total U.S. humanitarian assistance for displaced people in and from Burma comes to more than $299 million since the beginning of fiscal year 2017. The United States encourages the Burmese government to fulfill its commitment to work with the UN High Commissioner for Refugees and the UN Development Program, and implement the recommendations of the Kofi Annan-led Advisory Commission on Rakhine State. Two members of the Iranian Parliament (Majles) have responded to Mashads firebrand Friday prayer leader Ayatollah Ahmad Alamolhodas accusation of treason, with counter-accusations implying the ayatollah was involved with threat messages sent to MPs. Some members of parliament had complained that they received messages telling them not to vote for Iran joining an international convention against money laundering and supporting terrorist groups. Conservative Ali Motahari and reformist Mahmoud Sadeqi, both Tehran MPs, made the counter-accusation against the hardline cleric. Alamolhoda had said on Friday that MPs who vote for the bills would be committing treason against the country. He also warned them that they could have a fate similar to Hassanali Mansour, an Iranian prime minister assassinated by Islamic extremists in 1965, before presenting a bill that would give US military advisers in Iran legal protection under the Vienna Convention the assassinated prime minister. On June 10 The Iranian Parliament postponed talks on joining the UN Convention Against Transnational Organized Crimes (UNTOC) for two months, the Tasnim news agency reported. Joining UNTOC is a requirement of FATF (Financial Action Task Force), a G-7 initiative to combat money laundering and financial terrorism. Iranian hardliners, particularly those who like Alamolhoda are close to the ultraconservative party Paydari (Steadfastness), oppose joining the conventions fearing it would prevent Iran from sending money to groups such as Lebanese Hezballah and Hamas in the Palestinian territory. Alamolhoda said in his sermon that accepting UNTOC and FATF would put foreign enemies in control of Irans banking in the same way that, in his opinion, the 1965 Capitulation bill would have put Iran under UK and US control. Responding to Alamolhodas charges, Ali Motahari in his Instagram page called him an unaware person, adding that if the MPs were to listen to Alamolhodas discretions, they would have been surrendering the country to the US and Israel long ago. Meanwhile, reminding that threat messages were sent from Mashad to members of Parliament who were inclined to vote for the bill, Motahari implied Alamolhodas involvement by saying Perhaps Mr. Alamolhoda can help pinpoint the origin of the threats to MPs. Three series of text messages sent to MPs, became increasingly harsher, culminating in death threats shortly before June 10, when MPs were going to vote for the bills that would authorize Iran to join the international anti-crime convention UNTOC, media reports from Tehran say. Motahari said, those who send the threat messages are possibly the same people who had set fire to the Saudi consulate a few years ago, alluding to accusations at the time that pointed fingers at Alamolhodas office. In a related development, reformist MP Mahmoud Sadeqi wrote on his Twitter, Who would be accountable for the damaging behaviour of those who want to prevent transparency in banking operations? Sadeqi charged that many of those in financial corruption in the banking system come from Khorasan, the province under the control of Almolhoda and his son-in-law former presidential candidate Ebrahim Raisi and their hardline aides. Sadeqi was apparently referring to Mashad-based financial institutions such as Samenol Aemeh that have refused to return investors money, causing widespread discontent and even unrest not only in Khorasan province, but elsewhere in many other Iranian cities. Alamolhodas son-in-law is in charge of Mashads holy shrine and its vast financial conglomerate that owns tens of companies, but he allegedly does not pay tax and is exempt from financial checks and balances. Baku, Azerbaijan, June 17 Trend: Over the past 24 hours, Armenias armed forces have 83 times violated the ceasefire along the line of contact between Azerbaijani and Armenian troops, the Azerbaijani Defense Ministry said June 17. Armenias armed forces were using heavy machine guns. The conflict between the two South Caucasus countries began in 1988 when Armenia made territorial claims against Azerbaijan. As a result of the ensuing war, in 1992 Armenian armed forces occupied 20 percent of Azerbaijan, including the Nagorno-Karabakh region and seven surrounding districts. The 1994 ceasefire agreement was followed by peace negotiations. Armenia has not yet implemented four UN Security Council resolutions on withdrawal of its armed forces from the Nagorno-Karabakh and the surrounding districts. Baku, Azerbaijan, June 17 By Leman Zeynalova - Trend: Azerbaijans Foreign Ministry assesses the visit of Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan to the occupied territories of Azerbaijan, including the contact line, as a call to war, Azerbaijani Foreign Ministry spokesperson Hikmet Hajiyev told Trend. "After the visit of the Armenian president, Pashinyan's visit to the occupied territories of Azerbaijan is a provocation and a deliberate step to aggravate the situation. They openly show that Armenia is not interested in resolving the conflict through negotiations and, ultimately, in ending military aggression and occupation, and withdrawing its troops from the occupied Azerbaijani territories", Hajiyev said. He pointed out that Armenias purpose is to paralyze the negotiation process with various tricks, aggravate the situation by provocations, ultimately continue the occupation of Azerbaijani territories and maintain the status quo. "Everyone knows what is an alternative to the negotiations, and therefore responsibility lies entirely with Armenia," Hajiyev said. Hajiyev said he is confident that the new Armenian leadership, which has populist and ultra-chauvinist nationalist views, understanding its inability to solve serious social and economic problems in the country, is trying to manipulate the public consciousness with the theme of the war and Karabakh. "The utopian and impracticable program, presented by the new government of Armenia, openly demonstrates the situation in which the country turned out to be. But the military adventurous policy pursued by the new leadership of Armenia puts the region face to face with new threats, Hajiyev said. Baku, Azerbaijan, June 17 By Leman Zeynalova - Trend: A group of 25 Permanent Representatives to the OSCE will be traveling to Azerbaijan, Georgia and Armenia from 18 to 22 June 2018, said a message from OSCE. In all three countries, the ambassadors will meet with representatives of the national authorities and parliaments, as well as with civil society. They will use the opportunity to see the reality on the ground at first hand and to convey messages to the national authorities and others whom they will meet during the trip. In particular, the visit aims to reconfirm the ambassadors support to stability, peace and prosperity in line with OSCE commitments and principles as well as their support to the OSCEs past, current and potential future engagement in each of the three countries. Baku, Azerbaijan, June 18 Trend: Statements made June 15 by Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova are disrespect not only to diplomatic principles, but also to rules of ethical behavior, the chairman of Azerbaijans Press Council Aflatun Amashov wrote on his Facebook page on June 17. It is very difficult to understand Zakharova. Sometimes it seems that Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs has nothing to do with Russia at all. Of course, the pro-Armenian position of Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov also has great influence in this situation. But it seems to me that Zakharova herself is a separate anti-Azerbaijani island, he said. Amashov noted that instead of apologizing for the open distortion on the website of Russian Foreign Ministry, Zakharova justifies it. There is a fact. The distorted form of the fact is on the website of Russian Foreign Ministry. Apparently, the hype around Kozhins response in Armenia is more important than the reputation of the Foreign Ministry of such a great country as Russia. We once again regret that Russian Foreign Ministry fell into such a situation. Apparently, it is necessary to draw the attention of Russian society to the current environment of irresponsibility in the countrys Foreign Ministry. Therefore, we, as the media community of Azerbaijan, are thinking about sending new appeals to relevant structures of Russia on this issue. We must try to ensure that this shameful approach against the Azerbaijani journalist is widely discussed in Russian society as well, Amashov said. It should be noted that earlier, Deputy Director of the Information and Press Department of the Russian Foreign Ministry Artem Kozhin, responding to a question of Trend, said that the statements of Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan on the settlement of the Armenia-Azerbaijan Nagorno-Karabakh conflict are nonconstructive. "In general, loud statements that do not fit onto the appropriate rails, in particular laid by the OSCE, are probably not constructive," he said. This situation caused unambiguous assessments in Russian and Armenian media outlets. Trend published its official statement June 4 over the accusations against the news agency. Heads of over 20 Azerbaijani media outlets sent an appeal to the Director of the Information and Press Department of the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs Maria Zakharova. Baku, Azerbaijan, June 17 By Huseyn Veliyev - Trend: The new payment system Paymanat (paymanat.az) will be launched in Azerbaijan, the company told Trend. The company noted that, a contract with Expressbank, which will act as a processing center of the payment system, will be signed in a few days. "In the next three weeks, the services of payment of fees for telecommunications, utilities, etc. will be integrated into the Paymanat system. In parallel, the launch of a mobile app Paymanat for devices running on Android and iOS within a month has been envisaged," the company said. In addition, in the near future, plastic cards Paymanat will also be presented to the market, the company said. It will be possible to get the Paymanat cards through Expressbank OJSC. "A limited number of cards are currently issued for testing," the company said. The Paymanat card will be combined with the e-wallet, and this will allow registered users to open a virtual account. The e-wallet account can be replenished via MilliON and eManat payment terminals. The funds uploaded to the virtual account can be used to purchase goods, pay for services, as well as to make money transfers. Currently, such platforms as hesab.az, azericard.com, gpp.az, cib.az, e-pul.az, portmanat.az, e-govpay.az etc. are functioning on the market of electronic payment systems of Azerbaijan. --- Follow the author on Twitter: @h_veliyev French carmaker Renault will maintain its presence in Iran despite the threat of renewed US sanctions, CEO Carlos Ghosn said, according to Tasnim. "We will not abandon it, even if we have to downsize very strongly," Ghosn said at the annual shareholders' meeting in Paris on Friday, AFP reported. "When the market reopens, the fact of having stayed will certainly give us an advantage," he predicted. US President Donald Trump announced in May that he was pulling out of the hard-fought 2015 deal between Tehran and world powers. The US exit means renewed US sanctions on Tehran, while foreign companies doing business there will face penalties if they do not quit the country in between 90 and 180 days. Companies including aircraft maker Boeing, French energy giant Total and Danish shipping group Maersk have announced plans to pull out. Renault's rival PSA, which produces the Peugeot and Citroen brands, has also announced it will quit Iran due to the threat of the US sanctions. But Ghosn signaled that Renault, which counted 160,000 cars sold in Iran last year out of its total 3.76 million, would try to stay in the country. "We have a future in Iran," he insisted. "However, we are not going to do so to the detriment of Renault's interests -- we will be watching closely to make sure our presence in Iran does not provoke direct or indirect reprisal measures on the part of American authorities." Ghosn said a Renault team working on the issue was "in direct contact with the American administration to work out what can be done and what cannot be done". Iranian Foreign Ministry Spokesman Bahram Qassemi strongly condemned Saturdays suicide attack claimed by the Daesh (ISIS or ISIL) terrorist group that killed and injured dozens of people in Eastern Afghanistan, IRNA reported. In a statement released late on Saturday, Qassemi sympathized the Afghan people and government over the deadly attack targeting Afghan and Taliban forces in the eastern city of Nangarhar. The ill-wishers of the Afghan nation, who regard stability and tranquility and recent (peace) efforts, including the ceasefire between the government and the Taliban, as contrary to their interests, did not tolerate the efforts to achieve a ceasefire and unity in the country and, by committing another crime, demonstrated that their existence hinges on crimes and divisions, he said in the statement. Daesh claimed responsibility for the suicide bombing that killed at least 26 people. The group's Amaq website said the attack on Saturday targeted "a gathering of Afghan forces" in Nangarhar, but gave no details. According to Attaullah Khogyani, the provincial governor's spokesman, the attack happened in Rodat district, some 25km from Jalalabad, and wounded more than 54 people. Civilians, security forces and Taliban members were among the casualties as people celebrated the second day of Eid al-Fitr, marking the end of the Muslim holy month of Ramadan. Al Jazeera's reporter in Afghanistan described the bombing as a "very devastating blow" for the "unprecedented gathering of the Taliban and Afghan security forces in Jalalabad". Login Login or e-mail Password Login Register Forgot password Login with Facebook Login with Facebook Register First name * Last name * Login or e-mail * Phone Company Industry Password * Confirm password * Register Login with Facebook Login with Facebook Password reset Login or e-mail Reset Matta, highlighting on the risks imposed on food security and environment caused by desertification and drought, said that at the global level, studies indicate that continued land degradation over the next 25 years could reduce global food production by up to 12% and potentially result in an increase of up to 30% in world food prices. Global trends such as population dynamics and the increasing demand for energy, food, and water are expected to dramatically increase pressure on the land. By 2030, the demand for food, energy, and water is expected to increase by at least 50%, 45% and 30% respectively. At least seven people were killed and another 28 injured in a bus crash in the city of Guadalajara in west Mexican state of Jalisco, the local prosecutor announced on Saturday. The vehicle, with around 40 passengers on board, overturned and fell into a canal Friday night when it was travelling through Tlaquepaque, a town southeast of Guadalajara. The Jalisco prosecutor-general issued a statement, saying that by Saturday, seven people had been killed in the crash, including two children of 2 and 11 years old. Another 25 passengers were injured in the crash and are being treated at five hospitals in the area, while another three were already discharged from hospital. It added that the state personnel were working to find out the causes of the accident and to find the driver, who is thought to have fled the scene as his name did not appear among the injured. The empty streets were blocked by barricades made of stones to cover the bursts of shots. A total of 146 people have been killed in the socio-political crisis in Nicaragua as of Monday, according to the Nicaraguan Center for Human Rights (Cenidh). The protests against Ortega began on April 18 for failed social security reforms and escalated into protests for his resignation after 11 years in power marred with accusations of abuse and corruption. Local human rights organisation says at least 100 people have been killed since the protests began after changes to the Central American nation's social security system triggered student-led protests in April. Many of those killed have been young men. Protesters are demanding Ortega step down, but the president has shown no sign of heeding that call, which could end one of the longest standing leftist governments in Latin America. In an effort to break the deadlock, officials from the Catholic Church met with Ortega on Thursday to help push peace. They gave the president a proposal to restart national dialogue for a solution which had previously stalled. Despite the peace calls and continued violence, defiant protesters occupied streets across the country. In the central city of Ticuantepe, demonstrators erected makeshift blockades as they stand their ground against the government. Syrian state media, citing a military source, reported early on Monday that U.S.-led coalition aircraft had bombed one of our military positions in eastern Syria, leading to deaths and injuries, Reuters reported. The strike took place in al-Harra, southeast of Albu Kamal, it reported. A spokesman for the coalition was not immediately available. The foreign ministers of Greece and Macedonia signed an accord on Sunday to rename the former Yugoslav republic as the Republic of North Macedonia", Reuters reported. The accord, signed on lake Prespa in northern Greece bordering Macedonia and Albania, hopes to settle nearly three decades of talks between the two over the young Balkan states names. It still needs to be approved by both parliaments and in Macedonia by a referendum. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu Sunday warned that Israel will take further actions against Iran and its allies in Syria to prevent them from establishing a military foothold in Israel's northern neighborhood, Xinhua reported. The remark was made during the government's weekly cabinet meeting in Jerusalem. Netanyahu told the ministers that he had talked about that with Russian President Vladimir Putin and US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo over the weekend. "I reiterated our guiding principles regarding Syria. First, Iran needs to withdraw from all of Syria. Second, we will take action -- and are already taking action -- against efforts to establish a military presence by Iran and its proxies," he said. "We will act against these efforts anywhere in Syria," he said, stressing that Israel could act both close to the border and deep inside Syria. At least 15 civilians were killed and 45 others wounded in a suicide bombing at the governors compounded in Jalalabad city, said Najibullah Kamawal, head of Nangarhars health department, TOLO News reported. A suicide bomber detonated his explosives close to the governors compound in Jalalabad city in eastern Nangarhar province on Sunday afternoon, local officials confirmed. The attack took place in PD1 in Jalalabad at about 3pm local time. No group including the Taliban has claimed responsibility for the attack yet. A head-on collision between a passenger bus and a pickup truck in Bangladesh's Nilphamari district, some 360 km northwest of capital Dhaka, on Saturday night left at least 11 people dead and eight injured, a senior police official said, Xinhua reported. Nilphamari district's Additional Superintendent of Police ABM Atikur Rahman told Xinhua that "At least 11 passengers were killed on the spot and eight sustained injuries in the head-on collision between the bus and the pickup truck." The road accident occurred at around 9:30 p.m. local time also left some passengers critically injured, he said. All the injured were rushed to local hospitals and clinics, he said, adding that the cause of the accident is under investigation. A gunfire broke out at 24-hour Art All Night show in the Roeblign Market section in New Jersey's capital city at 2:45 am local time, Sputnik reported. At least one person was killed and several were injured as a result of a shootout which happened in the US city of Trenton, local media reported on Sunday, citing police. According to the Trentonian newspaper, the incident took place during a 24-hour art event Art All Night in the city. The police confirmed that one person was killed, while the number of injured has not been established so far, the newspaper said. Sources told the newspaper that up 15 people could have been shot. An off-duty police officer who happened to be at the scene returned gunfire, the newspaper specified. According to the Mercer County Prosecutor Angelo Onofri, 16 out of 20 injured were delivered at nearby hospitals for gunshot wounds' treatment. Four of them, including 13yo boy, were in critical condition. The investigation into the incident is underway. KYODO NEWS - Jun 17, 2018 - 20:38 | All, Japan The approval rating for Prime Minister Shinzo Abe's Cabinet stood at 44.9 percent, up for the second month, the latest Kyodo News poll showed Sunday. The rate compares with 38.9 percent in May and 37.0 percent in April, when public support for the Cabinet hit the second-lowest level in Kyodo polls since Abe returned to power in 2012. The disapproval rating declined to 43.2 percent from 50.3 percent in May and 52.6 percent in April. The latest telephone poll, conducted Saturday and Sunday across the nation, also showed most respondents were negative about the prospects for a complete denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula, with only 16.4 percent saying it can be achieved while 77.6 percent do not think so. On the Finance Ministry's decision in early June to punish 20 officials, including former senior bureaucrat Nobuhisa Sagawa, for doctoring and destroying documents related to the ministry's murky public land sale to a nationalist school operator with ties to Abe's wife Akie, 78.5 percent said the punishment has yet to settle the issue. Only 15.7 percent said the issue involving the Moritomo Gakuen school operator, part of cronyism allegations against the premier, has been resolved. On who should be elected in the ruling Liberal Democratic Party's presidential election in September, Abe, the current party leader, and Shinjiro Koizumi, a rising star in the LDP and son of former Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi, both garnered 26.1 percent to top the list. (Shinjiro Koizumi) Abe and Koizumi, the LDP's chief deputy secretary general, were closely followed by former Defense Minister Shigeru Ishiba at 24.1 percent. Internal Affairs and Communications Minister Seiko Noda came next at 4.0 percent, former Foreign Minister Fumio Kishida at 3.1 percent and current Foreign Minister Taro Kono at 2.9 percent. By political party, the LDP remained the most popular, supported by 38.8 percent. It was followed by the main opposition Constitutional Democratic Party of Japan at 12.2 percent, the LDP's junior coalition partner Komeito at 3.7 percent and the Japanese Communist Party at 2.5 percent. But 36.0 percent, rivaling the support rate for the LDP, said they don't support any political party. KYODO NEWS - Jun 17, 2018 - 18:25 | World, All South Korea and the United States are expected to announce this week the suspension of their major joint military exercises as hinted at following the recent summit between U.S. and North Korean leaders, Yonhap News Agency reported Sunday. According to Yonhap, a South Korean government source said Sunday that Seoul and Washington are likely to include in the announcement a provision to restart the exercises should Pyongyang fail to honor its promises to denuclearize. (U.S. President Trump and South Korean President Moon at the White House on May 22) [Getty/Kyodo] "The South Korean and U.S. military authorities have been having close consultations over the combined exercises that U.S. President Donald Trump has said he will stop," Yonhap quoted the source as saying on condition of anonymity. "This week, the South Korean and U.S. defense ministries will jointly announce the results of their discussions," the source added. The source also said that the suspension might only cover annual large-scale maneuvers. After his historic summit on Tuesday with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, Trump suggested suspending the military exercises with South Korea in an apparent confidence-building move, provided the North continues denuclearization talks in good faith. At the summit in Singapore, Kim committed to "complete" denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula, while Trump pledged to provide security guarantees to Pyongyang. On Thursday, South Korean President Moon Jae In echoed Trump's sentiment, saying Seoul is prepared to make "flexible changes" to its military stance toward North Korea if Pyongyang continues to hold sincere negotiations with the two countries. North Korea has long demanded that the United States and South Korea stop conducting joint military exercises, which it regards as a rehearsal for invasion. The allies have long insisted that the drills are defensive in nature. In the inter-Korean summit held on April 27, Kim and Moon expressed their commitment to the "complete" denuclearization of the peninsula. City-Cost - Jun 17, 2018 - 23:14 | Arts Singaporean filmmaker Yee Wei Chai was awarded the Grand Prix prize at the Short Shorts Film Festival & Asia 2018 for his film short Benjamins Last Day At Katong Swimming Complex, at an awards ceremony held in Tokyo, Sunday. In celebration of the 20th anniversary of one of Asias largest short film festivals, Chai was handed the Grand Prix prize which was named this year as the George Lucas Award in a world-first, honoring the original Star Wars helmer who has been a supporter of SSFF & ASIA since its inception in 1999. I want to share this with everyone from my home country as well. All the struggling filmmakers. All short filmmakers, many of us struggle to make it. Its like a dream come true. said an emotional Chai on stage at the awards ceremony held at Meiji Jingu Kaikan in Tokyos Shibuya ward. Benjamins Last Day At Katong Swimming Complex tells the story of Benjamin who rushes back to a swimming complex when he finds out it will be demolished, where childhood memories come flooding back as he dreams about recapturing the magic of the past. I think everyone once in their life will have a moment of epiphany and some sort of sexual awakening. I mean, it happens to everyone. I felt that I wanted to capture this moment in this little boy's life and sort of hopefully everyone can share that moment. Chais short film, which was also awarded the Asia International Best Short Award, was selected for the Grand Prix prize ahead of shorts from Italian directorial duo Andrea Brusa and Marco Scotuzzi who picked up the Internationational Best Short Award, and Japans Seiji OHara who was awarded the Japan Best Short Award. (Filmmaker Yee Wei Chai presented with his award by Tokyo Governor Yuriko Koike) Benjamins Last Day At Katong Swimming Complex will now become eligible for nomination at next years Academy Awards. Sundays awards ceremony also featured a screening of Shakespeare in Tokyo from Australian filmmaker Genevieve Clay-Smith, a film short in which the protagonist, a Shakespeare fan with Down syndrome played by Australian actor Gerard O'Dwyer, sets off on a solo adventure of Tokyo winning the hearts of the people he meets with his knowledge of the Bard and a book of his sketches. Shakespeare in Tokyo is part of the Tokyo Cine-magic project, a joint effort from SSFF & ASIA and the Tokyo Government, aimed at promoting the charms of the Japan capital to potential visitors, domestic and from overseas. Im so grateful to the Tokyo Government for allowing us to make a film that shows human potential and tells the world that everyone is equal and everyone should be included. Clay-Smith told the audience, which included Tokyo Governor Yuriko Koike, at the ceremony to present the Best Short in both the Asia International and Japan competitions. (Australian filmmaker Genevieve Clay-Smith at the SSFF & ASIA 2018 awards ceremony) The shooting in Tokyo was absolutely fabulous. We saw so much incredible culture and art and the whole team was just amazed at the beauty of Tokyo -- its old and its new. Its been incredible. Shakespeare in Tokyo will be launched worldwide on YouTube later in June. The film is also notable for a turn from Japanese actor JJ Sonny Chiba, for whom it was a first time to appear in a film short. Chiba, something of a cult figure with overseas film fans after appearing in Quentin Tarantino's ""Kill Bill" in 2003, was also a member of jury panel at SSFF & ASIA, alongside, among others, Audition director Takashi Miike. The awards ceremony was presided over by announcers Jun Hori and Rie Mochizuki with festival founder Tetsuya Bessho and event ambassador for 2018, LiLiCo also present at the celebrity-filled ceremony. SSFF & ASIA 2018, held at venues across Tokyo, kicked off on June 4 and runs through until June 24. The festival received over 10,000 short film submissions from over 130 countries and regions with around 250 of those being shown during the event. For more information about the event, visit Short Shorts Film Festival & Asia official website. For more images from the awards ceremony visit www.city-cost.com Call of the Wild: Tribal communities of Gavi and their Makka Doctor Between 2013 and 2016, West Africa suffered the most severe outbreak of Ebola ever recorded. In Guinea, Sierra Leone and Liberia, a total of 29,000 patients were diagnosed with the disease. More than 11,000 people didn't survive. The epidemic has now passed, but researchers are wondering which intervention strategies would have been most effective in containing the disease. Creating an Ebola family tree With the genetic data of 1,610 samples from Ebola patients, researchers from the Rega Institute at KU Leuven mapped the spread of the Ebola virus in West-Africa between 2013 and 2016. "We created a genetic family tree of the epidemic, in time as well as space, with the oldest DNA sample from early 2014 in Guinea, a sample of the virus when it entered Sierra Leone in March or April 2014, and so on," says Professor Guy Baele from KU Leuven. Key role of the capitals The researchers connected the family tree of the epidemic to other information, such as geographical information and transportation. "Long-distance transportation, such as air travel by contaminated people, doesn't appear to have been important in spreading the virus," says postdoctoral researcher Simon Dellicour from KU Leuven. "Contrary to what happens during a flu epidemic, the Ebola epidemic spread due to short-distance travelling. The epidemic stepped up its pace once the virus had reached Conakry, Freetown and Monrovia - the capitals of Guinea, Sierra Leone and Liberia, respectively. These capitals attracted the virus, so to speak, and played a key role in spreading it." Closing international borders The findings also reveal which policy measures can successfully slow down or, conversely, accelerate the spread of the Ebola virus. "Guinea, Sierra Leone and Liberia have each closed their international borders at a different moment in time. These interventions are visible in our phylogenetic tree of the Ebola virus and we also see how the virus continued to evolve afterwards. Closing the borders was an effective way to prevent Ebola from becoming an international epidemic. That's important to know, as this type of intervention strategy obviously has major economic and social consequences. Preventive measures within one city or district would have made little difference: we believe that a coordinated approach would have had a bigger impact." Potential for on-going epidemics "This research method gives us a quick and accurate view of the key times and locations of the Ebola epidemic," Baele continues. "That teaches us where and when we should have intervened." "This information is also useful for on-going epidemics. For one thing, we want to apply this phylogenetic inference-based technique to rabies, a disease that still kills 60,000 people each year in Asia and Africa." ### More information This research was funded by Research Foundation - Flanders (FWO), the European Research Council (Consolidator Grant no. 725422-ReservoirDOCS) and the Wellcome Trust (Grant 206298/Z/17/Z). About KU Leuven KU Leuven is Europe's most innovative university in the latest Reuters ranking. Located in Belgium, it is dedicated to research, education, and service to society. KU Leuven is a founding member of the League of European Research Universities (LERU) and has a strong European and international orientation. Its scientists conduct basic and applied research in a comprehensive range of disciplines. The university welcomes more than 50,000 students from over 140 countries and the KU Leuven Doctoral Schools train approximately 4,500 PhD students. https://www.kuleuven.be/english/ E3 2018 brought us an incredible number of games, but these are the top 10. The annual E3 video game convention is a gamers paradise. This years model brought 70,000 insiders and fans to the Los Angeles Convention Center for three days of giveaways, tournaments and announcements, blowing minds (and eardrums) with over-the-top presentations of hundreds of cutting-edge games. Though it lacked headline-grabbing hardware news, the the expo was jam-packed with impressive upcoming software for every platform under the sun. But some games show better than others. In no particular order, here are the 10 coolest games we saw at E3 2018: Cyberpunk 2077 (PS4, Xbox One, PC | Release date TBD) Cyberpunk 2077 has the makings of a truly incredible game. Twist our arm and wed name Cyberpunk 2077 best in show. Set in a dense, dystopian, neon-drenched future, this unbelievably cool first-person role-playing game lets players live the rough-and-tumble life of a cybernetically-enhanced mercenary. Cyberpunk 2077 expands upon the blend of tight action, open-world exploration and multiple narrative pathing that powered developer CD Projekt Reds last game, the 2015 blockbuster The Witcher 3, to countless Game of the Year awards (including ours). Its a programming tour de force, cramming its massive spaces with fascinating characters, merchants and mysteries. Its a hi-tech, low-life adventure that could rival the seminal Grand Theft Auto V as a living, breathing simulation. We cant wait. Ghost of Tsushima (PS4 | Release date TBD) Story continues Ghost of Tsushima blew away the crowd at E3 with is cinematic style influenced by classic samurai films. No one knew much about this open-world samurai game prior to Sonys E3 2018 press conference, but now no one can stop talking about it. Heavily informed by the works of legendary Japanese filmmaker Akira Kurosawa and actor Toshiro Mifune, the latest from Sucker Punch Studios tells the tale of a 13th-century ronin desperately fighting a Mongol invasion on the island of Tsushima off the coast of Japan. Capturing the heart-stopping tension, gorgeous aesthetics and focused brutality of films like Yojimbo, Ghost of Tsushima stunned us with its impeccable, cinematic beauty. Super Smash Bros. Ultimate (Switch | December 7) Super Smash Bros. Ultimate brings back all of the series fighters in a game that is sure to bring friendships to the brink. What makes the Nintendo Switchs first Smash Bros. game so impressive isnt its ridiculously huge cast. Yes, every character thats ever appeared in a Smash Bros. is here (thats over 60, including rarities like Metal Gears Solid Snake), but where Ultimate truly shines is in its comprehensive attention to detail. Nintendo has combed over every character, move, stage and animation to ensure Ultimate is the prettiest, craziest and speediest Smash yet. Bursting with life and oozing with Nintendo magic, its shaping up to be a must-play for Switch owners this holiday. Anthem (PS4, Xbox One, PC | Feb. 22, 2019) Put your fears aside, because Anthem is way more than just a Destiny clone. Tempted to write off EA and developer Biowares shared world co-operative shooter as a Destiny rip-off? Try playing it first. Though the studio is best known for crafting deep role-playing games like Mass Effect and Dragon Age, their next effort features incredibly satisfying aerial action that just feels right in your hands. A few button clicks turn you, a freelance hero wrapped in an Iron Man-esque Javelin exosuit, into a flying, hovering and absolutely devastating wrecking ball. According to its developers, Anthem will marry online multiplayer shenanigans with a choice-driven narrative experience, and while there were still quite a few questions left unanswered by our hands-on demo, we can confidently say that Anthem looks like a helluva lot of fun. Spider-Man (PS4 | September 7) Sony and Insomniacs Spider-Man could be the best super hero game youve ever played. Having won a number of Game of Show awards at last years E3, Sony and Insomniacs Spider-Man arrived at E3 beaming with confidence. The Webheads next video game adventure is big, bold, and absolutely packed with things to do, though our favorite activity is still just swinging around over the Manhattan skyline. With a deep, Arkham-like combat system, impressive voice work and ridiculously cinematic battles, its shaping up to be one of the best superhero games weve ever played. Its also wowed a certain comic company: Marvel was so impressed with Insomniacs work, theyre including the video game version of Spidey in their official canon. Tingly! Forza Horizon 4 (Xbox One, PC | October 2) Microsofts Forza Horizon 4 is taking its open-road insanity to England. At some point in the past couple of years, the playful, arcade-inflected Forza Horizon series passed up the hardcore Forza Motorsport simulation line as our favorite racing franchise. The next game puts the pedal to the metal by incorporating changing seasons into its open-world take on England; race in the snow during winter, across rainy puddles in spring, through sunny pastures and fields in summer and over leaf-filled roads in fall. A technical and mechanical showpiece for the Xbox One, it boasts a special gift for Xbox One X owners: an option to race at a blistering 60 fps. Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice (PS4, Xbox One, PC | Early 2019) Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice brings Dark Souls-style gameplay to Japans Sengoku period. It will be hard. Dark Souls meets Tenchu? Thats Sekiro in a nutshell, and its pretty much as rad as it sounds. From Hidetaka Miyazaki, the mind behind the Souls series and Bloodborne, Sekiro lets players guide a ninja through a hellish version of Japans Sengoku period. Emphasizing verticality, the shinobi can leap to rooftops to pounce on unsuspecting enemies or, courtesy his katana and a prosthetic arm that can be equipped with firecrackers, shurikens, shields and more, go toe-to-toe against fierce samurai and epic beasts. Will you die a lot? Absolutely, but come on, its a Miyazaki game. We wouldnt have it any other way. Assassins Creed Odyssey (PS4, Xbox One, PC | October 5) Assassins Creed Odyssey turns the series into a full-blown role-playing game. We cant wait. Fresh off the success of Assassins Creed Origins, Ubisoft decided to just take the leap already and turn the next entry into a full-blown role-playing game. Set during the Peloponnesian War in Greece, Assassins Creed Odyssey lets players choose genders, bulk up tons of stats, collect gear and goodies and even shape the story with new branching dialogue options. And based on a glimpse at what looked like a minotaur in the reveal trailer, it could sidestep into fantastical combat as well. The Last of Us Part II (PS4 | Release date TBD) The Last of Us Part II is the gorgeous, brutal follow-up to Sonys best-selling post-apocalypse title. The sequel to the 2013s brutal, post-apocalyptic survival game, The Last of Us Part II just keeps upping the ante. At E3 2018, Sony and developer Naughty Dog showcased their prodigious talents with jaw-dropping animations and ludicrously cool sequences. Which isnt to say it was all pretty. There was that amazing kiss, of course, but The Last of Us Part II balances its mesmerizing beauty with gritty, gory and unsettling gameplay. Ori and the Will of the Wisps (Xbox One, PC | 2019) Ori and the Will of the Wisps is more beautiful than its fantastic predecessor. Hopefully it holds onto the heart that made it the first one so beloved. The original Ori was a challenging Metroidvania with breathtaking visuals and enormous heart. The follow-up goes bigger just about everywhere. A new combat system grants weapons that significantly alter playstyle, some catering to slow, powerful attacks, others emphasizing nimble swipes and agile dodges. Ori is more maneuverable, gaining a grapple, a burrow, and more. And somehow, its even prettier than the first game. Heres hoping its just as heartfelt. More games news: Amazon, Microsoft and even Uber have joined Google and other tech titans in actively opposing the California Consumer Privacy Act. As The Verge saw in the state's disclosure records, the three giants contributed a significant amount of money to a campaign pushing back against the initiative: Amazon and Microsoft donated $195,000 each, while Uber pitched in a smaller-but-still-noteworthy donation worth $50,000. Google, AT&T, Facebook and Verizon -- four of the first corporations that backed the fight against the initiative -- all plunked down $200,000. Facebook and Verizon eventually withdrew their support, however, with the former doing so after Mark Zuckerberg was hauled in front of Congress to answer questions about the Cambridge Analytica scandal. The California Consumer Privacy Act aims to give California residents the right to know what kind of data companies have on them and to tell those companies not to sell their personal info. Tech companies believe that it could ruin the way they develop their products and do business. A spokesperson for Amazon told The Verge, for instance: "While we share the initiative's overarching goal of protecting consumer privacy, we are concerned by unworkable requirements that would hinder our ability to innovate on behalf of our customers." Committee to Protect California Jobs spokesperson Steven Maviglio echoed that in a statement to Govtech. He said that bill author Alastair Mactaggart didn't consider the "workability" of his proposal and that it's nigh impossible for tech giants to comply with it. "[A]nyone who orders anything from Amazon can request where their information went, and that can not only overwhelm a large company like Amazon but also smaller ones too," the spokesperson explained. Microsoft also released a statement that pretty much said the same thing: "We believe the California measure could have unintended consequences for both businesses and consumers and that there is a better way to give consumers the privacy rights they deserve." So far, the Californians for Consumer Privacy Act has already collected 637,000 signatures. Authorities have to be able to verify 402,468 signatures for the proposal to make it to the November ballot -- we'll know for sure after the California Secretary of State announces the result on June 25th. Even if it does make its way to the ballot, the opposition now has a lot of money to spend on campaigns to fight its approval. The Committee to Protect California Jobs, for one, plans to make sure citizens know about the potential impact it may have on jobs in the state if companies choose to up and leave for another HQ. Cambridge Analytica map of affected users Samantha Lee/Business Insider In April, 87 million Facebook users received notifications saying their data had been compromised in the highly publicized Cambridge Analytica scandal. The scandal involved a data analytics company that used a third-party app to improperly obtain the data of unknowing Facebook users, and tried to sway the 2016 presidential election while being employed by the Trump campaign. Lawmakers around the world called on CEO Mark Zuckerberg to testify about his company's role in the events. Thanks to a document Facebook quietly posted and shared with US lawmakers earlier this week, users can finally get some clarity about the distribution of those users across the country. During Zuckerberg's US testimonies, senators repeatedly asked for a more precise and comprehensive geographical breakdown of the affected parties, 70 million of whom Facebook said were located in the US. It seems Facebook shared this breakdown in an update to an April newsroom post last month, which Business Insider found in the company's responses to lawmakers' questions posted by the US Senate earlier this week. According to the figures, California and Texas are home to more of the users impacted by these events than any other state (in fact, the top 10 states on the most-impacted list were identical to the Census Bureau's most populated states in 2017). But taking a look at the percent of the population affected, tells us a much different story: Only 17% of California's 2017 population was impacted by the Cambridge Analytica scandal, while half of the population of the District of Columbia had its information compromised more than any state on the map, by far. After Washington D.C., the 1o states with the highest percentage of users impacted all voted for a Republican candidate in three or more of the last four elections, making them appropriate targets for the Trump campaign. And the three states with the lowest percentage of users impacted voted for Democratic candidates in at least three or more of the last four elections. Story continues NOW WATCH: Why Siri sucks See Also: CEO Tim Cook is trying to help his employees solve a major health crisis. In an interview with The Carlyle Groups David Rubenstein on Bloomberg this week, Cook, who has said that sitting is the new cancer, thinks standing in the office is important, and at his companys new Apple Park headquarters, which houses 12,000 of the companys employees, Apple has given every worker a standing desk. Cook said that if employees stand for a while when they work, sit down, and go back to standing, its far better for their health than sitting all day in an office. Cooks comments come at a time when the sedentary lifestyle is becoming an increasingly concerning phenomenon in the U.S. workplace. Employees sit all day long, go home, and sit some more. All of that, experts say, can contribute to weight gain and a variety of health problems that could ultimately shorten your life. Several companies are now offering standing desks to get people to sit less and stand more. Even Apple Watch, the companys smartwatch, reminds you to stand up after youve been sitting for too long. The standing desks are just one of many perks employees get at Apple Park. The headquarters in Cupertino, Calif., has walking trails and outdoor seating areas for employees to get some fresh air. It also features a state-of-the-art fitness facility that employees can use whenever they want. Each employee also has a $1,200 desk chair made by Vitra. See original article on Fortune.com More from Fortune.com When you look at the global tobacco industry, Philip Morris International (NYSE: PM) and British American Tobacco (NYSE: BTI) are among the most influential companies in the business. Philip Morris focuses exclusively on the international tobacco market, while British American Tobacco recently acquired U.S. tobacco giant Reynolds American to become a truly global player in tobacco. The pace of change in the tobacco industry is faster than ever, and both Philip Morris and BAT have had to pivot in order to avoid the many potential pitfalls involved in this business. With both stocks having seen weakness lately, some value investors smell opportunity but want to make sure they make the smarter pick between these two companies. With that in mind, here's a closer look at Philip Morris International and British American Tobacco that can shed some light on which one looks more promising. Two hands holding an iQOS device over a white table. Image source: Philip Morris. Valuation and stock performance Both Philip Morris and BAT have posted huge losses for shareholders lately. Since June 2017, Philip Morris stock is down 33%, and BAT's 29% drop is only a little bit less extreme. Comparing the two tobacco stocks based on valuation is a little challenging right now, largely because of one-time elements that have distorted trailing earnings recently. For instance, Philip Morris has a trailing multiple of more than 22 right now, but its forward multiple is more reasonable at 16. Meanwhile, BAT's trailing multiple is ridiculously low at just two times earnings due to a huge one-time earnings boost, but again a forward multiple of 13 is more realistic. Based on slightly better stock performance and a cheaper valuation based on future earnings projections, British American gets the nod here. Dividends Both Philip Morris International and British American Tobacco have been generous with shareholders in making dividend payments. Philip Morris wins on the current yield front with a 5.3% dividend yield, but BAT's 4.7% figure isn't too far behind. Story continues Both of the tobacco giants have also seen some pressure on dividends lately, although shareholders have still benefited to a large extent. For Philip Morris, what had been double-digit percentage dividend growth year after year has suddenly slowed dramatically, with the company making relatively small increases over the past few years. BAT, meanwhile, has adopted a quarterly dividend schedule, which is fairly unusual for U.K.-based companies that typically prefer unequal semi-annual payments. BAT's payments in dollar terms have also dipped in recent years, largely reflecting the Reynolds American purchase as well as the plunge in the British pound due to the Brexit decision. For now, Philip Morris' higher yield and more reliable growth gives it an advantage on the dividend front. Growth prospects and risks Big Tobacco is going through huge shifts, and Philip Morris and BAT have both had to respond aggressively. For Philip Morris, moving beyond traditional cigarettes has become a long-term strategic goal, and the company sees alternative reduced-risk products like its iQOS heated tobacco system to be instrumental to its long-term success. Yet after an extremely promising start, iQOS sales were unexpectedly weak during the first quarter, and that prompted a plunge in the share price following the announcement. Moreover, Philip Morris has hoped to gain approval from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration to sell iQOS in the U.S. through its distribution partner, but thus far, the regulator hasn't been forthcoming in granting its permission. Add to that an ongoing decline in regular cigarette consumption and an increasingly hostile regulatory environment worldwide, and it's easy to see why Philip Morris has faced such difficulties lately. British American has had to deal with challenges of its own. Earlier this year, the company had to recall its Vibe electronic cigarettes, as several users reported battery overheating problems that the company judged could result in the risk of fire. The recall involved 2.6 million units, further harming BAT's competitive status in the e-cigarette arena in the U.S. market as competitors like JUUL Labs have built up a commanding presence domestically. More broadly, BAT has seen growth from its takeover of Reynolds American, but it's also dealing with the challenges of a broader secular decline in cigarette demand throughout many regions of the world market. Giving it a pass At this point, neither Philip Morris nor BAT looks like a sure thing for investors. Philip Morris needs to get iQOS back on track, while BAT would benefit from broader alternative growth trends more generally. That'll take some doing, and until that happens, investors are smarter watching both of these stocks from the sidelines. More From The Motley Fool Dan Caplinger has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy. Dividend investors have simple needs. They want to own stocks that will pay them reliable streams of income through dividends and that have fundamentally strong businesses that will support dividend growth over time. Unfortunately, even the most promising dividend stocks can't always deliver on those two needs. When they fail, companies often end up cutting their dividends. That hurts shareholders both now and later -- now because the stock almost always drops immediately after the announcement of a dividend cut, and later because the investors no longer get as much dividend income going forward. Cleaver on a wood cutting board with chopped cash. Image source: Getty Images. Yet for long-term investors, the more important question is whether companies can recover fully after a dividend cut. Among the highest-profile dividend-cutting stocks last year, the three you'll see below have worked hard to try to bounce back, but the group has managed only mixed success. In many cases, it can take years for a stock to regain all of its lost ground after a dividend cut, and a lot depends on the strategy that the company takes. Stock Dividend Cut Current Dividend Yield General Electric (NYSE: GE) 50%, November 2017 3.4% Mattel (NASDAQ: MAT) Suspended October 2017 N/A Sturm, Ruger (NYSE: RGR) 52%, August 2017 1.7% Data source: Yahoo! Finance. Lights dim at GE General Electric has gone through some tough times recently, with strategic missteps giving the company exposure to the struggling energy and power generation industries at just about the worst possible time. As a result, the industrial conglomerate finally decided last November to reduce its dividend by half, with the intent of paying $0.12 per share on a quarterly basis going forward. That resulted in a big reduction in the stock's yield, although the subsequent share-price drop has since restored GE's dividend yield back above the 3% mark. At the time, proponents of the move argued that it would free up cash for strategic investment, allowing the business to make targeted investments that would emphasize its strongest business areas and sell off some revenue-generating units that had underperformed. Investors had already expected a cut for several months before the move, as poor earnings had already hit the stock hard and sent yields to unsustainably high levels. Story continues Since the cut, though, General Electric has continued to decline. So far in 2018, the stock is down more than 20%, as many investors fear the potential for more problems to arise. For instance, despite the downsizing of the GE Capital unit, some still believe that the financial business could have hidden risk that could hurt its chances to mount a rebound elsewhere. Even though GE's first-quarter financial report highlighted some potential for better times ahead, shareholders remain unconvinced in new CEO John Flannery's strategic vision for the long-term future of the business. That could prevent a full rebound unless General Electric is able to show concrete progress quickly. Losing the dividend game Mattel saw even more pressure on its dividend than GE last year, with the toymaker making two successive moves on the payout front. Last June, Mattel had tried out a 61% reduction in its quarterly dividend from $0.38 to $0.15 per share, hoping that it would result in enough cost savings to support its growth initiatives. Yet after just a short time, it became clear to the company that the move would be insufficient to meet its needs, and Mattel ended up suspending its dividend entirely in October. Since then, Mattel has mounted a recovery, with its stock gaining 17% so far in 2018. But from a business perspective, it's still been hard work for the toymaker. The liquidation of Toys R Us created more headwinds for the company, as a glut of discounted inventory and the elimination of a key retail distribution partner for Mattel combined to force even more cost-cutting measures. Yet bullish investors still think that the fundamental promise of the toy business is interesting, and after such a long slump, even the slightest of upside surprises could lift Mattel shares higher. Moreover, some still believe that toy rival Hasbro could make a bid to buy out Mattel, resulting in a nice one-time boost to the share price that would provide an attractive exit point for those who've been patient enough to wait out the storm. Firing blanks Sturm, Ruger made a big dividend cut last August, reducing its previous quarterly payout of $0.48 per share by more than half to $0.23 per share. But it's also the only one of these three stocks to have made a subsequent upward move in its payout afterward. The reason is that the gunmaker has a variable dividend policy whereby it pays out roughly 40% of its net income rather than keeping a fixed amount. In the second quarter of 2017, Ruger reported a 22% drop in sales, resulting in earnings falling by more than half from previous-year levels. With expectations in 2016 that tougher gun regulations might limit the ability of buyers to obtain firearms, Ruger had seen revenue soar, but the subsequent election of opponents of gun control to the White House and Congress eased those fears and led Ruger customers to buy fewer guns. Those fundamental headwinds haven't let up, but the company has managed to reach a new equilibrium and start growing again. In the most recent quarter, Ruger managed to lift its dividend by nearly 40% to $0.32 per share, pointing to favorable impacts from tax reform in boosting earnings and more favorable conditions in the gun market. High-profile mass shootings are still putting pressure on the gunmaker, though, and so it's uncertain whether gains will continue or start to peter out again. Keep an eye on these stocks When a dividend stock cuts its payout, it's hard to make a rational decision in the moment. Some stocks manage to recover successfully, while others remain mired in the tough conditions that got them into trouble in the first place. Among these stocks, Mattel and Ruger have made dramatic steps that could lead to better times ahead, but General Electric still has more work to do to convince shareholders that it can make a full recovery. More From The Motley Fool Dan Caplinger has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool owns shares of and recommends Hasbro. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy. Its a shame about those kids, but Photo: JIM WATSON/AFP/Getty Images Amid widespread, increasingly loud outrage over the Trump administrations policy of separating children from their parents at the U.S.-Mexico border, President Trump has deployed his time-tested strategies of bald-faced lying and passing the buck. Trump has claimed repeatedly that while it pains him to watch children wrenched from their mothers, its only Democratic intransigence that prevents him from ending a policy he personally put into motion, and could halt at any time. On Sunday, First Lady Melania Trump put out a mealy mouthed statement that echoed her husband, calling for congressional action where none is necessary. NEW: Statement from @FLOTUS spokeswoman @StephGrisham45 to me regarding whats happening to kids at our borders: pic.twitter.com/fpsfHJSOTa Kate Bennett (@KateBennett_DC) June 17, 2018 During an appearance on Meet the Press earlier in the day, White House adviser Kellyanne Conway applied the same tactic. As a mother, as a Catholic, as somebody who has a conscience I will tell you that nobody likes this policy, she said, making it sound like the White House didnt have a choice on the matter. The reality is that, at the urging of anti-immigration diehard Stephen Miller, Trump put into place a system that his predecessors had rejected as inhumane. His clear-eyed strategy is to use the separated children as pawns to extract concessions from Democrats on an immigration package that would include money for Trumps border wall and cuts to legal immigration, among other measures. Conway said that an unnamed aide who had said as much to the Washington Post was sorely mistaken. I want that person to say it to my face, I really do, she said. Ill meet them at the White House today because I think that is a disgrace. But Conway then pivoted to blaming both sides for the crisis. If the Democrats are serious, and if a lot of Republicans are serious, theyll come together, she said. They wont just talk about just this week, just the Dreamers, or just the wall, or just catch and release. Its all of the above. Democrats have introduced legislation to force Trumps hand. A bill authored by Senator Dianne Feinstein has attracted near universal support among the caucus, with several red-state Democrats committing to it on Sunday; only West Virginias Joe Manchin remains on the fence. No Republicans have expressed their support for the bill. Maines Susan Collins, the most moderate member of the Republican caucus, said on Meet the Press that she did not support the family separation policy, but also would not support the Democratic legislation because it was too broad though it has little chance of becoming law. Collins and Republican Senator Jeff Flake sent a letter to the Department of Homeland Security asking questions about the family separation policy, but it focused only on those who are seeking asylum. Meanwhile, disturbing accounts of the trauma wrought by the family-separation policy keep flooding in. Among other stories on Sunday, the New York Times published a heartrending account of a Guatemalan woman who was deported before she could be reunited with her son and the AP toured a facility full in which a 4-year-old was taking care of other children. Nearly 2,000 children had been separated from their parents under the policy as of the end of May, and the Border Patrol chief for the busiest part of the Southwest border has warned that the number of families affected could soon double. Early Sunday evening, Department of Homeland Security Kirstjen Nielsen, who has boldly threatened to quit the Trump administration but not followed through, attempted a different strategy from her superiors: She pretended the policy she (supposedly) dislikes so much doesnt exist at all. We do not have a policy of separating families at the border. Period. Acting Sec. Kevin McAleenan (@DHSMcAleenan) June 17, 2018 A brazen gambit, but given everything thats come before in this administration, it just might work. Would Warren Buffett buy top marijuana stock Canopy Growth Corporation (NYSE: CGC)? Your immediate answer is probably "no." Don't dismiss the idea entirely, though. At least one company owned by Buffett's Berkshire Hathaway (NYSE: BRK-A) (NYSE: BRK-B), Cubic Designs, has targeted marijuana growers as potential customers in the past. Cubic Designs creates custom platforms and mezzanines and thought that its products could help marijuana growers increase their grow space. Of course, that's a much different scenario than Buffett actually investing in a marijuana stock like Canopy Growth. As far as I know, no one has asked him about the idea. But we can make an educated guess as to what Buffett's answer might be. I recently read some of his letters to Berkshire shareholders to see what investing tips he's given over the years. In one of those letters written more than 40 years ago, Buffett spelled out his rules for buying stocks. Here they are -- and whether or not Canopy Growth passes Buffett's criteria. "Fail" written on red note and "pass" written on blue note with both notes clipped to a line Image source: Getty Images. 1. Understand the business We can't read Warren Buffett's mind. However, I think it's fair to say that he would have no problem understanding Canopy Growth's business. The company's business model isn't nearly as complicated as the businesses of some other stocks in the Berkshire Hathaway portfolio. Canopy Growth's business, in a nutshell, is to grow cannabis and distribute it to customers. Sure, that's a simplistic view. But Warren Buffett usually likes to keep things as simple as possible. You might object that Buffett wouldn't be up to speed on the regulations of supplying marijuana in Canada, Germany, or other countries. While that's probably true, Buffett has guided Berkshire in the past to buy pharmaceutical stocks -- but I doubt he's an expert on all the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) regulations. I don't see that as a real issue. Story continues 2. Make sure the business has favorable long-term prospects There are probably two schools of thought on this criterion. Some could look at the potential of a supply glut in the Canadian marijuana market and conclude that Canopy Growth's long-term prospects aren't that great. Others might point to the huge global marijuana potential and think that Canopy should be in fantastic shape over the long run. My view is that both projections are right, but not both conclusions. I think that Canadian demand for marijuana will outstrip supply for a while after recreational marijuana is legalized in the country. Eventually, though, there'll be more supply than is needed to meet demand. That will result in a supply glut -- but only in Canada. I suspect that global demand for marijuana will increase enough that Canopy Growth and its peers shouldn't have huge problems, although there probably could be some temporary unfavorable supply-demand imbalances. But does Canopy enjoy a "moat" like Buffett desires for the companies he buys? Not much of one. Marijuana is a commodity. Customers could easily switch to using marijuana produced by another company. Rivals could grow marijuana just as cheaply as Canopy does. However, there are hurdles to selling marijuana that governments put in place. Canopy, along with some of its larger peers, could enjoy at least a partial moat because of these tight regulations. 3. The company must be run by "honest and competent people" Canopy Growth appears to check this box off. The company's management team has a solid track record of performance. Canopy didn't become the largest marijuana grower on the planet by accident. However, Canopy's management has come under fire in the past. In early 2017, Canopy CEO Bruce Linton apologized to customers after traces of banned pesticides were found in medical marijuana sold by the company. I don't think this incident is a big concern, though. The tainted marijuana was produced by Mettrum, a company that Canopy acquired in February 2017. But the marijuana with traces of pesticides was sold between January and March of 2016 -- well before Canopy took over. Canopy's leadership implemented new quality assurance processes and took ownership of the problems. That's what you'd want from a management team. 4. The price should be attractive -- or at least sensible Over the years, Warren Buffett has changed his tune on valuation a little. Instead of insisting on a bargain price, he now wants to make sure that the price tag of a stock is "sensible." But Canopy Growth has a big problem when it comes to this investing rule. Canopy stock currently trades at 114 times sales. The company hasn't been profitable long enough to use earnings-based valuation metrics. Buffett wouldn't touch the stock with a 100-foot pole. Could Canopy's growth prospects justify its valuation? Maybe so. The company's market cap is a little over $6 billion. Aurora Cannabis Chief Corporate Officer Cam Battley recently stated that the global marijuana market could be as big as $180 billion in the future. Even if that estimate is overly optimistic by a lot, Canopy Growth could have enough opportunities to make the current stock price much less scary than it seems at first glance -- although not likely enough to entice Buffett. The biggest strike against Canopy Even if Canopy Growth satisfied all four of Warren Buffett's investing rules, it's very doubtful that he'd consider buying the stock. The biggest strike against Canopy is that it's in the marijuana business. Back in the late 1980s, Buffett was asked to participate in Salomon Brothers' bid to take over RJR Nabisco. He declined to do so, stating, "I'm wealthy enough where I don't need to own a tobacco company and deal with the consequences of public ownership." Warren Buffett is much wealthier now than he was back then. And marijuana is at least as controversial as tobacco was three decades ago. Buffett almost certainly wouldn't remotely consider buying Canopy Growth stock. Of course, that doesn't mean the stock still can't be a winner. Many stocks that Buffett has snubbed went on to generate huge returns. But if you want to buy Canopy Growth, you'll need some different investing rules. More From The Motley Fool Keith Speights has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool owns shares of and recommends Berkshire Hathaway (B shares). The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy. Pipeline giant ONEOK (NYSE: OKE) is a one-of-a-kind investment opportunity these days. Of the 500 companies in the S&P 500, it's the only one that meets five distinct characteristics of size, financial strength, earnings growth, dividend growth, and yield. That unique combination makes it an excellent choice for investors who want both high growth and a high yield. Drilling down into the numbers ONEOK highlighted the unique opportunity it offers investors in a recent presentation. The company noted that, of the 500 companies in the S&P 500, 372 had an investment-grade credit rating like ONEOK. Of that group, 227 had a large market cap of more than $20 billion, which put them in the same class as ONEOK. About half of those large companies are on pace to grow earnings per share by at least a 10% annual rate through 2020, like ONEOK. However, just a dozen of those fast-growing companies also offered a high yield of more than 3%. Meanwhile, only one of those high-yielding dividend stocks expected to increase its payout by a 10% annual rate through 2020: ONEOK. Rising coin stocks in the dirt with plants growing on top. Image source: Getty Images. The company then pulled back the lens a bit further and compared its forecast to the projections of the average stock in both the S&P 500 and the S&P High Yield Aristocrats, which are those in the broader S&P 1500 universe that have consistently increased their dividends for the past 20 years. Here's how the pipeline giant stacks up: Metric ONEOK Median S&P 500 Median S&P High Yield Aristocrats Approximate current dividend yield 4.6% 2.2% 2.4% Annual EBITDA growth rate: 2018-2020 11% 6.9% 6.1% Annual EPS growth rate: 2018-2020 10% 10% 7.7% Annual dividend growth rate: 2018-2020 10% 6.2% 6.3% Data source: ONEOK Investor Presentation. EPS = earnings per share. As that table shows, ONEOK offers roughly double the current yield and almost twice the dividend growth as the average dividend stock in those indexes. Story continues Why ONEOK stands apart Several factors drive ONEOK's unique blend of yield and growth. First, the company generates very stable cash flow from its vast portfolio of energy infrastructure assets. Overall, 90% of the company's earnings come from predictable sources, like fee-based contracts. Because of that, ONEOK is more comfortable paying out a high percentage of its cash flow in dividends, with the company targeting a payout ratio of around 80%, which is well above the 57% average of stocks in the S&P 500. That high payout ratio leaves ONEOK with less cash flow to reinvest back into its business to grow earnings. However, the company compensates for that by selling more shares and issuing additional debt to fund growth projects. Further, the expansions it has underway generate very high returns. Overall, ONEOK has $4 billion of projects under construction, which will drive earnings growth over the next few years. One of the largest is the Elk Creek Pipeline, which will move natural gas liquids (NGLs) from the Bakken Shale and Powder River Basin to a hub in Kansas. ONEOK expects to invest $1.4 billion in building the pipeline, which should generate $230 million to $350 million in annual EBITDA when it enters service by the end of next year, or an EBITDA multiple of four to six times. Most of its expansion projects carry returns in that range. The company's average return multiple is higher than many rival pipeline companies will earn on their expansions. Kinder Morgan's (NYSE: KMI) aim going forward is to secure $2 billion of growth projects per year, which it believes can generate $300 million of incremental EBITDA. That's an average capital-to-EBITDA multiple of seven times and would only grow Kinder Morgan's EBITDA by 4% per year. Meanwhile, the return multiples for many of the projects under development by Magellan Midstream Partners (NYSE: MMP) are in the six- to eight-times EBITDA range. Because of that, the $1.7 billion of expansion projects Magellan currently has underway only will generate about $250 million in incidental EBITDA. That's partially why Magellan Midstream expects to grow its payout at a slower pace of 8% this year and a 5% to 8% annual rate in 2019 and 2020, even though it plans on paying out the same percentage of its cash flow as ONEOK. These dual fuels make ONEOK unique ONEOK stands apart from most stocks because it pays out a much larger portion of its cash flow in dividends and earns very high returns on its expansion projects. Because of that, it offers the best combination of yield and growth in the S&P 500 these days. That unique blend makes it a compelling stock for both growth and dividend investors to consider buying. More From The Motley Fool Matthew DiLallo owns shares of Kinder Morgan. The Motley Fool owns shares of and recommends Kinder Morgan. The Motley Fool owns shares of ONEOK. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy. latino protesters trump los angeles california Ted Soqui/Reuters A proposal to split California into three states Northern California, California, and Southern California has qualified to appear on the ballot in November's general election. The Cal 3 ballot measure received more than 400,000 valid signatures, thanks to financial backing from Silicon Valley investor Tim Draper. It's still unclear if cutting up California into three states is legal and if Cal 3 could muster enough support from California voters and US Congress. We spoke with some experts about how Cal 3 could work. This November, Californians will head to the polls to vote on a peculiar ballot measure that asks, "Hey, how do you feel about splitting into three states?" This is really happening. A proposal to divide California into three states Northern California, California, and Southern California qualified last week to appear on the ballot in November's general election. It received over 458,000 valid signatures, more than the number required by state law to get on the ballot, thanks to an ambitious campaign called Cal 3 and financial backing from Silicon Valley tycoon Tim Draper, an early investor in Tesla and Skype. If a majority of California voters who cast ballots agree to divvy up the state into three, the plan would then go onto the US Congress for approval. There's bad news for anyone in support of this initiative: Even if the measure gathers enough support at the polls, it would still be incredibly difficult for California to pull off. All states have a special process for amending their state constitution. In some states, two houses of congress need to approve a ballot measure before residents get a chance to weigh in at the polls. California is an oddball. The state's initiative process lets a vote by the people pass a measure into law, without the blessing of the state legislatures. The ballot measure put forth by Draper, a well-known tech investor, establishes new boundaries for three new states within the existing California and provides the "legislative consent" of the people of California. With a few choice words, the initiative argues that it doesn't need state congressional approval before moving onto US Congress. Story continues But there's a catch. The California Constitution says through the initiative you can change the constitution only so much. A small change to part of a constitution is called an amendment, while a holistic and fundamental change to a constitution is considered a revision. State law requires more than a vote by the people to enact a revision. California split map (3) Skye Gould/Business Insider The proposal to slice and dice California into three states bills itself as an amendment. Shaun Bowler, a political science professor at UC Riverside who's studied California's initiative process, says that's wishful thinking. An amendment supposes, "it's just a minor change, it's just cosmetic," Bowler told Business Insider. He's incredulous that Cal 3 fits that definition: "Really? It doesn't seem plausible to me. If you're amending it out of existence that seems pretty fundamental to me." Draper, who's tried twice before to break up his home state, has given $1.2 million to Citizens for Cal 3, the campaign supporting his quest. And the process of gathering signatures could easily have cost Draper an additional $1 million, according to experts on California's initiative process that Business Insider spoke to. Cal 3 racked up nearly half a million signatures in California cities from San Francisco to Fresno to Yuba, with a majority of signees in Los Angeles. Still, the numbers don't look good for Draper. An early poll from Survey USA found 17% of California voters would vote to divide, but the survey only sampled about 900 people. If California decides to split up, here's how it would work Let's suppose that in an unexpected twist, a majority of California's 39 million residents decide to break up the most populous US state and the world's fifth largest economy (bigger than the UK). Opponents might challenge the measure as unconstitutional, on the grounds that it counts as a constitutional revision and not an amendment. The debate eventually moves onto the California Supreme Court, and the measure could die there. Now imagine that Cal 3 makes its way to Washington, in spite of all obstacles. Article IV, Section 3 of the US Constitution says that no new state can be formed out of existing states without the consent of the other states. It means that the US House and US Senate both need to sign off on California splintering into three states. This is where it gets really interesting. California split infographic (2) Skye Gould/Business Insider Under the proposal, each state would have two US senators and a number of congressional representatives based roughly on its population. As a result, the people of today's California would gain several more voices in the Electoral College, who cast votes for the election of the president and vice president. Vikram Amar, a professor and dean of the College of Law at the University of Illinois, says the question of whether or not to partition California gets political here. "California can be relied upon to deliver all 55 electoral votes to the Democratic Party. It's a very solid, predictable blue state," Amar told Business Insider. But the potential state of Southern California, which contains much of the urban sprawl and desert communities of the Inland Empire, could be considered a swing state, according to Amar. Had it been its own state during the 2012 presidential election, Southern California would have gone for Mitt Romney. Five out of 12 counties voted for Donald Trump in the 2016 election (not a commanding lead). Politicians may think twice about carving up a state that has long voted Democrat. "The Dems are never going to risk that," Amar said. On the flipside, the Republican Party may also be wary of three Californias. The proposal would give the people of California six US senators instead of two. Bottom line: 3 Californias is highly unlikely Amar, who's followed Draper's efforts to cut up California since 2014, doesn't like to conjecture about the likelihood of the tech investor's proposal coming to pass. Still, he doesn't give Cal 3 great odds. "I would say it doesn't seem like it has the backing it would need from a wide array of political forces, but it does have the backing of some wealthy individuals, like Mr. Draper," Amar said. "Strange things happen. No one would have predicted that Donald Trump would win Michigan and Wisconsin," he added. "I think we've all learned that you don't get too smug about conventional polling." NOW WATCH: People in California are microdosing on LSD and they say it's making them more productive See Also: SEE ALSO: A legendary Silicon Valley investor wants to split California into 3 states, and his proposal just qualified for the November ballot the onion homepage The Onion Satirical news site The Onion is ruthlessly roasting Facebook and CEO Mark Zuckerberg. Over the last two days its published around a dozen articles, taking aim at everything from tech addiction to the 34-year-old CEO's baby daughter. The Onion's editor-in-chief told Business Insider the attack is because of how Facebook has "betrayed the trust of billions of people" and is cutting off publishers' web traffic. The Onion is in the business of making jokes about pretty much anything in the news. But this week, the satirical news site appears to have trained its fire on one particular target: Facebook and its CEO Mark Zuckerberg. Over the last two days, The Onion has published around a dozen articles ridiculing the social network and its founder, and it says there's more on the way. Why? The Onion's editor-in-chief Chad Nackers told Business Insider that the comedy onslaught is because Zuckerberg has "repeatedly betrayed the trust of billions of people," and because Facebook is choking off traffic to The Onion's website. "We have 6,572,949 followers on Facebook who receive an ever-decreasing amount of the content we publish on the network," Nackers said, calling Facebook an "unwanted interloper" between the publisher and its audience. In other words, The Onion is on a mission. A multi-day lampooning One of the first in the barrage on Thursday poked fun of the 34-year-old CEO: Mark Zuckerberg Insists Anyone With Same Skewed Values And Unrelenting Thirst For Power Could Have Made Same Mistakes. The Onion's parody news article quoted a would-be Zuckergerg: "'I know I screwed up, and I understand why youre all upset, but if you were a morally corrupt megalomaniac hell-bent on manipulating society to your twisted whims, you would have done the exact same thing,' said Zuckerberg, suggesting that people should put themselves in the shoes of a self-absorbed asshole with a warped perception of humanity who justified the exploitation of personal connections as a means of amassing unfettered influence and profits to truly comprehend why he made every completely fucked-up decision." Story continues Another Onion article skewered Facebook's arguably cringey "Here Together" campaign: Facebook Users Ashamed Of Criticizing Company After Seeing Heartwarming Here Together Ad Campaign. After that came a flurry of more jabs at the Facebook CEO. Tweet Embed: //twitter.com/mims/statuses/1007369360619507712?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw Creepy Weirdo Still Stalking You On Facebook https://t.co/uX7KtS1q93 pic.twitter.com/l5W2fzoD30 Tweet Embed: //twitter.com/mims/statuses/1007323029309927425?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw "I was a high-level employee at Facebook for five years, and during that time, I was responsible for burying thousands of news reports about Mark Zuckerbergs human zoo." https://t.co/Ksgv7iPoAJ pic.twitter.com/lbKZZLiN8P A particularly dark op-ed pretended to be Mark Zuckerberg's baby daughter, telling him: "Daddy, I Dont Want To Live In The World Your Website Has Created." Facebook has been a semi-frequent target of The Onion and its sister sites like Clickhole in the past but never so frequently. The Onion's criticism of Facebook could be about two different things: So what's The Onion playing at? Nackers was highly critical of Facebook in his statement, calling it "an unwanted interloper between The Onion and our audience. He cited how the publication's Facebook fans "receive an ever-decreasing amount of the content we publish on the network" That's most likely a reference to Facebook's News Feed, which only shows a publisher's posts to a certain number of that publisher's followers. Companies can pay Facebook to "promote" their posts so that they reach a larger number of their followers. But it's possible that The Onion is also complaining about recent changes to Facebook's algorithm, which have deprioritized news articles in favor of other types of Facebook posts. And given that The Onion's satirical articles are in a sense a form of "fake news," the company's content may be getting penalized more severely than that of other publishers. "We are strong proponents of the First Amendment, and the fuel of a functioning democracy is the free flow of information. Facebook, the world's largest sieve of personal data, has become an unwanted interloper between The Onion and our audience," the editor said. "We have 6,572,949 followers on Facebook who receive an ever-decreasing amount of the content we publish on the network. Mark Zuckerberg has repeatedly betrayed the trust of billions of people. What youve seen over the last 48 hours is only the tip of the iceberg." The Onion's anti-Facebook crusade is also branching out into multi-media. On Twitter it shared audio that purports to be Mark Zuckerberg and his colleagues making fun of a teenager's coming-out message on the social network. Tweet Embed: //twitter.com/mims/statuses/1007720399407341575?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw Leaked Audio: Mark Zuckerberg And Facebook Employees Make Fun Of Teenagers Private Coming Out Message pic.twitter.com/5r3mwRaD9I And it shared a video too: 6-Year-Old Explains How Messed Up It Is That Her Entire Life Has Been Put On Facebook. Facebook, perhaps unsurprisingly, did not respond to a request for comment. Here's the complete list: NOW WATCH: Why Siri sucks See Also: At the meeting Vienna, Opec members will debate whether to lift the 18-month-old production cap to stabilize prices Russian president Vladimir Putin shakes hands with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman on Friday. The two nations played each other in the World Cups opening game. Photograph: POOL/Reuters As the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries (Opec) prepares to meet on June 22, its members are looking at a very different world than just a few years ago. The massive oil supply glut and rock bottom prices is gone. The global economy is stronger, fossil-fuel energy demand is at a record high, and the nuclear deal that allowed Iran, an Opec member, to start selling oil again is in tatters. After falling to sub-$30 a barrel in early 2016 for Brent, the global benchmark, and West Texas Intermediate, the US benchmark, oil prices have risen to about $76 and $67 a barrel respectively. Crude oil demand now outstrips supply, and Opec members will debate whether to lift the 18-month-old production cap to stabilize prices. Its believed Saudi Arabia wants to pump more, as does Russia, a key non-Opec member, but poorer Opec members would rather see prices continue to rise. Agreements are never easy for the oil cartel, but oil-market watchers say even if the cap is lifted, spare global capacity to produce more oil is limited, which means for the first time in many years the oil market may be at the mercy of potential supply shocks or geopolitical tensions rattling prices. After surprising discipline by Opec members to hold to the cap, more oil is coming to the market. Thats why Brent and WTI prices are off their May highs of around $80 and $73, said analyst Scott Roberts of Invesco Fixed Income. Saudi Arabia and Russia said they were already pumping more than before, curbing the recent rally. Those announcements show where Opec may be leaning, Roberts said, but cartel confabs are complex. Opec members may be irritated that it appears that the US and Saudi Arabia have been discussing policy before the meeting. Trump complained at least twice, on 20 April, and then again on 13 June, about oil prices. Looks like OPEC is at it again. With record amounts of Oil all over the place, including the fully loaded ships at sea, Oil prices are artificially Very High! No good and will not be accepted! Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) April 20, 2018 Oil prices are too high, OPEC is at it again. Not good! Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) June 13, 2018 Given the Saudis raised output in May, it may have appeared that the Saudis was responding to Trumps tweet. Story continues Roberts said Opec could boost production by about a million barrels day fairly rapidly, but several Opec countries have problems. Venezuelan production continues to decline; its unknown how much Iranian production might be lost because of sanctions; and in Angola, Libya and Nigeria production is also crimped. And some Opec members want prices to go higher to help them meet their countrys budgets. Thus, there are limits to how much extra oil the cartel can be called on to supply. US shale producers can step up to meet any supply deficit, but Roberts and Phil Flynn, senior energy analyst at the Price Futures Group, said it takes time for them to increase output because of the nature of shale mining. Roberts said production from the Permian Basin, the biggest shale deposit, is being curbed because of infrastructure bottlenecks to get oil delivered to refineries. Rob Thummel, portfolio manager at Tortoise Capital, which focuses on energy markets, said those bottlenecks could last another 18 months, another aspect Opec members will likely take into consideration at the meeting. What Opec doesnt want to do is hurt demand, Thummel said. Significant drops in US and global oil inventories show consumer demand is at record highs, spurred by the lower oil prices and now a stronger global economy, said Roberts and Michael Cohen, analyst at Barclays. Going into the second half of the year, demand will likely to continue to increase with the summer driving season ahead, Thummel said. Roberts said the $4 a gallon on a retail basis is a psychological point people keep in mind. With demand currently outpacing supply, it leaves the market in a situation it hasnt been in for some time: susceptible to price shocks. Although the market probably wont revisit the huge price swings from yesteryear because the US is now such a big producer, Thummel said, its still a possibility. Flynn said the markets really arent ready for the potential impact of geopolitical threats or outright output disruption. If you look at the lack of spare capacity from Opec and you compare it to demand, theres just no room for error. What if we have another hurricane, he said, referring to Hurricane Harvey, which took out refinery capacity in Houston and sent gasoline prices soaring for a while last fall. Cohen said the market has already priced in a slight rise in output say 700,00 to 800,000 barrels per day. If theres a lack of consensus about upping output, that could be a bullish sign and push Brent prices to average around $80 to $85 for the year, above current levels. Theres one other factor to consider, Roberts said, and thats the US dollar. A stronger greenback weighs on oil since its denominated in dollars. That could keep a cap on prices and limit how much money Opec makes at higher production levels. A strong dollar hurts Opec, no doubt about it, Roberts said. FILE PHOTO: An electronic display identifies the post that trades SandRidge Energy stock on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange, New York, NY, U.S., January 11, 2013. REUTERS/Brendan McDermid/File Photo HOUSTON (Reuters) - When SandRidge Energy Inc shareholders on Tuesday cast their votes for directors, the only question is how much sway over the embattled oil and gas producer they will hand to activist investor Carl Icahn. Icahn, whose hedge fund owns 13.6 percent of SandRidge and has said it could make an all-cash offer for the company, is assured of at least two of the seven seats under the formula set by the board and is expected to receive more. He is staking his reputation by pushing for a straight vote on his seven-person slate to manage a sale of the $544 million company after setbacks at Chesapeake Energy Corp. The investor could win three or four seats with the support of many of its largest shareholders, activists or distressed company investors, said David Beard, analyst at Coker Palmer Institutional. Institutions including Icahn's hedge fund hold 88 percent of the company's stock, according to Thomson Reuters data, including Fir Tree Partners, Paulson & Co, Guggenheim Capital and Apollo Capital. Icahn was not available for immediate comment. SandRidge offered itself for sale after Icahn blasted what he called its "nonsensical" deal to acquire Bonanza Creek Energy. That deal collapsed, leading to the ouster of SandRidge's chief executive and finance chief. On Friday, SandRidge said 17 potential bidders including Icahn were preparing to view confidential financial data. The stock, which is off 26 percent this year to date, rose slightly to $15.44 on Friday. It has attacked Icahn's board slate in a series of shareholder letters, arguing his losses from $7 billion in past energy company investments total $540 million. Icahn wants to "gain control of SandRidge without paying an appropriate premium," it said. Story continues Icahn has support for three board seats from proxy advisors Institutional Shareholder Services and Glass Lewis & Co. The larger number would provide the billionaire "with a strong presence on the board, but without granting an outright majority to a shareholder who is admittedly part of an ongoing sale process," wrote ISS on June 6. SandRidge would already have been sold if there was strong demand for its assets, which are largely in high-cost oilfields and in decline, said Coker Palmer's Beard. It could take years to turn around the business no matter who wins the contest, he said. "Whether he wins two seats or all the seats, there is no magic switch that he can flip to drive shareholder value in the short term," said Beard. (Reporting by Gary McWilliams; Editing by Phil Berlowitz) Southern Company SO is among the few stocks that are displaying mixed sentiments. While we remain concerned of the companys cost-overrun issues and elevated leverage, its commitment toward healthy dividend payouts, along with the recent divestment initiatives provide a ray of hope. Notably, the shares of this utility stock have declined around 14% in a year vis-a-vis the stocks in this industry that have collectively lost 9.4%. Lets delve deeper to find out the pros and cons of the stock. Major Deterrents High Debt Raises Red Flag: Per the companys last reported numbers, long-term debt came in at $44.4 billion, representing a debt-to-capital ratio of more than 63%. Apart from a rise in immediate finance costs, the high debt level will also require significant cash flow for repayments. Ballooning Cost of Construction Projects: Southern Company is bearing the brunt of continued delays and cost overruns in two of its large construction projects Vogtle and Kemper that have weighed on Southern Company's fortunes. Though Southern Company won Georgia PSC's nod for the construction of the Vogtle plant, the project is bankrolled with more than $8 billion in federal loans and loan guarantees. This is likely to hurt the utility's already weak financials. On the other hand, the Kemper Project has also been facing continuous criticism owing to its poor execution, escalating costs and multiple delays. The price tag of the project that had been estimated at $3 billion in 2010 has exceeded $7.5 billion. Moreover, with the suspension of all coal gasification operations, the Kemper project will now run as natural gas facility. Can Divestment Strides Keep Hurdles at Bay? Last month, Southern Company inked a $6.5 billion deal to divest stakes in several of its Florida assets to U.S.-based wholesale electricity supplier, NextEra Energy, Inc. NEE. It also signed another agreement to jettison one third stake in its solar portfolio to Global Atlantic Financial Group Ltd., a retirement, life and reinsurance company. Grappling with financial challenges, Southern Company is currently heading toward the retrenchment road. The deal seems to be a prudent decision. Apart from bolstering financials to some extent, the deal will help in streamlining its portfolio. The deal will also help raise cash to repay debts and pay for the new reactors of the Vogtle Project. With limited cash flow and large amounts of investment to make, the deal would surely provide some relief to the company. Investments in Natural Gas Also a Positive While Southern Company is mainly focused on power generation and electricity distribution, serving the attractive Southeast market with a wide customer base, its foray into natural gas also bodes well. The buyout of energy services holding company, AGL Resources Inc., in 2016 has helped Southern Company significantly increase its customer base, while diversifying business by adding gas-distribution assets. Focusing on natural gas is likely to help the utility gain significant operational and commercial synergies in the long run. The company aims to invest around $6 billion in its state-regulated gas portfolio through 2022. Thats Not All With their regulated business models and stability in earnings, utilities are among the most consistent dividend stocks in the market. Southern Companys attractive dividend yield of 5.4% is much higher than the industry's average of 3.7% and also ahead of notable peers like Duke Energy Corporation DUK and Dominion Energy, Inc. D. In April, the company announced a 3.4% hike in its quarterly dividend. Notably, the hike marked the 282nd consecutive quarter of uninterrupted dividend payment by the utility. To Conclude Southern Companys failed attempt to open the way for clean coal project along with construction of expensive nuclear reactors amid high debts dampen investors confidence, as is evident from its share performance. However, we believe that the companys overall business is still strong and is likely to get buoyed up by its recent investments in natural gas. Thus, we think that its strategic strides, steady business model and attractive dividend payouts still hold promise for long-term growth. Southern Company currently carries a Zacks Rank #3 (Hold) and has a long-term EPS growth rate of 4.50%. You can see the complete list of todays Zacks #1 Rank (Strong Buy) stocks here. Wall Streets Next Amazon Zacks EVP Kevin Matras believes this familiar stock has only just begun its climb to become one of the greatest investments of all time. Its a once-in-a-generation opportunity to invest in pure genius. Click for details >> Want the latest recommendations from Zacks Investment Research? Today, you can download 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days. Click to get this free report NextEra Energy, Inc. (NEE) : Free Stock Analysis Report Southern Company (The) (SO) : Free Stock Analysis Report Duke Energy Corporation (DUK) : Free Stock Analysis Report Dominion Energy Inc. (D) : Free Stock Analysis Report To read this article on Zacks.com click here. Stone says he forgot about the meeting. Photo: Joe Raedle/Getty Images Longtime Trump operative Roger Stone has admitted to a May 2016 meeting with a Russian who was offering to sell damaging information about Hillary Clinton, according to the Washington Post. The meeting was with a man named Henry Greenberg, and happened at the request of former Trump campaign communications official Michael Caputo, who met Greenberg through a Russian business partner. Neither Caputo nor Stone disclosed the meeting when they were interviewed by Congressional investigators, but Caputo told the Post that it came up when he was questioned by Special Counsel Robert Muellers investigators last month. The disclosure means that 11 Trump associates have now acknowledged interacting with Russian nationals during the campaign or transition. Stone met Greenberg who was wearing a Make America Great Again hat and T-shirt at a restaurant in Sunny Isles, Florida, in late May 2016. The plan was for Stone to vet the information Greenberg was offering. Whatever that supposed Clinton dirt was, Stone told the Post that Greenberg offered to sell it to Trump for $2 million, but that he dismissed the offer, telling Greenberg that Trump doesnt pay for anything. In a text exchange with Caputo following the meeting, Stone said that Greenberg wants big &$ for the info before calling the meeting a waste of time and telling Caputo that he heard nothing of interest. Stone told the Post that he attended the meeting to practice due diligence on something it would have been political malpractice for the Trump team to ignore. Caputo claims that Greenbergs Russian accent didnt seem important to him at the time, since links to Russia were not yet a major issue for the Trump campaign. Stone and Caputo now claim that Greenberg was working for the FBI as part of a sting to entrap them and the Trump campaign, citing documents that indicate Greenberg once worked as an FBI informant. Caputo has even launched a website including the documents. The allegations are sure to get the attention of President Trump and his allies, who have been repeatedly attempting to discredit the FBI and the Mueller investigation. When contacted by the Post, Greenberg originally denied the meeting. He later confirmed it, but claimed that he had not asked for money. He also said he had been accompanied by a Ukrainian friend who was a disaffected former employee of the Clinton Foundation who wanted to tell Stone his story. There is no evidence such a man exists. The Post also reports that there is no evidence that Greenberg, who has been charged with several crimes in both the U.S. and Russia over the last few decades, was working for the FBI when he met with Stone. The documents provided by Stone and Caputo indicate that Greenberg ceased working with the agency at some point after 2013. The Florida meeting happened two months before federal law enforcement officials say they opened their counterintelligence operation targeting Russias election meddling. It took place between two more famous interactions between Trump campaign officials and Russians offering damaging information on Clinton. Trump campaign foreign policy adviser George Papadopoulos has been approached a few weeks before in London, and Donald Trump Jr. and other members of Trumps inner circle met with dirt-peddling Russians at Trump Tower two weeks after Stones meeting. Roger Stone has previous claimed that he didnt talk to anybody who was identifiably Russian during the two-year run-up to [the Trump] campaign. Both he and Caputo now claim to have forgotten about the meeting with Greenberg. Stone, who has bragged that he communicated with WikiLeaks before their release of hacked Democratic Party emails ahead of the 2016 election, is already thought to be one of the Trump associates who is being targeted by Mueller and his investigators. Last month, Stone said he would not be surprised if he was indicted after several people associated with him were subpoenaed as part of the Mueller probe. Whatever happens, Stone has insisted he will never roll on President Trump. Company to lease a proprietary membrane dehydration module for deployment in project PASO ROBLES, Calif., June 14, 2018 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- GLOBE NEWSWIRE Via OTC PR Wire Greenbelt Resources Corporation (OTC:GRCO) (Greenbelt), the developer of a sustainable ECOsystem model that transforms waste into revenue generating bioproducts, today announced that it has signed a Letter of Intent (LOI) with a waste-to-bioproducts company located in New York. The New York company plans to utilize Greenbelts proprietary patent-pending membrane dehydration technology in its waste-to-bioproducts project through a lease arrangement. Similar to Greenbelts ECOsystem model, the project, located in New York, uses cutting edge technology to convert food production wastes into various biobased products such as bioethanol and high protein animal feed additive. However, the project does not currently include ethanol dehydration capability. Adding a Greenbelt dehydration module will provide the project with the ethanol dehydration capability need to produce biofuel. After extensive research, we found that Greenbelts technology is the most cost-effective on the market for our bioethanol projects, said the companys managing member, Their energy efficient zeolite membrane dehydration module will enable us to remove the water from the ethanol produced by the system in even higher concentrations of water than are feasible with molecular sieves, a unique benefit of Greenbelts technology. We look forward to working with the Greenbelt team. We are pleased that our newest client has selected our technology as their choice to perform the dehydration step for their own waste to bioproducts projects, said Greenbelt CEO Darren Eng. We respect the model they adopted for the unique conversion technology they deploy and the types of projects they will be pursuing. We also welcome the leasing model of payment if it helps our clients to deploy projects more rapidly. We look forward to a long and rewarding relationship. About Greenbelt Resources Greenbelt Resources Corporation is an award-winning provider of sustainable energy production systems focused on delivering modular solutions that enable the localized processing of locally generated waste into locally consumed products. Greenbelt designs, develops and implements technology that makes the production of advanced biofuel reliable, practical and efficient. Controlled by proprietary automated controls, Greenbelts small-scale, end-to-end modular systems convert food, beverage and other cellulosic wastes into commercially viable advanced biofuels (bio-ethanol), animal feed, fertilizer and filtered water. For more information visit www.greenbeltresources.com. Forward-Looking Statements & Safe Harbor This document includes certain statements, predictions and projections that may be considered forward-looking statements under securities law. These statements involve a number of important risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially including, but not limited to, the supply and demand for biofuels, our ability to remain technologically competitive and other economic, competitive and technological factors involving the Company's operations, markets, services, products and prices. Contact: Darren Eng, CEO Greenbelt Resources Corporation 888-995-GRCO (4726 x 101) darren@greenbeltresources.com 780 ( Q50, V47) - Never too old ! [ #permalink 71 Kudos 100 Bookmarks Expert Reply This post is not meant to elaborate my study plan for GMAT or to provide valuable tips and tricks for the test - there are already excellent posts on such matters - but to draw attention to certain aspects not related to studying, yet significantly contributing to my 780. When I first started preparing for the GMAT about half a year ago, I wondered how difficult it could be for a 41 year old professional, out of academics for more than 15 years, to cram once again through the tenses, the modifiers, the time and distance problems and the set theory, devoting almost half a day each day to work and then the other half to family. Trust me, the journey was not unpleasant. Isnt the GMAT test and the associated preparation supposed to be demonic in nature? May be, but here are a few points that I consider will help future test-takers tame the demon, making way for a not so unpleasant GMAT journey: 1. Set fire to your heart and feel the heat in your stomach: Yes, you need to feel the heat almost continuously. Prepare as though your life depends on GMAT (yes, it actually does). Clench your teeth and determine that 7xx is what you are destined for; do not hope, decide. I hope to get 7xx: no, this thought is weak. I decide to get 7xx: yes, this though will take you to 7xx. 2. Stick to your plan: If you have planned your study schedule, stick to the plan. You may have an important meeting to attend at the office or may have to put in extra hours of work to complete a presentation or to meet a tender submission deadline, or you may have to take your wife for weekly shopping or drop your daughter for the dance class come what may, do not deviate from your study plan. Make broader plans, weekly or even monthly plans, plans those are easier to stick to than to daily plans; but once your plan is frozen, you must not deviate. 3. Eat brain food, live healthy: Ban junk food, eat a lot of salt-water fish and a variety of nuts and seeds, and drink a couple of cups of coffee everyday. Exercise vigorously at least 4 days a week and sleep at least seven and a half hour daily. Maintain this routine throughout your preparation stage. 4. Breath right: Conscious breathing helps improve concentration practice paced breathing whenever you become conscious that you are not practicing and continue practicing till you are no longer conscious that you are practicing. Determine a pace suitable for yourself I used to practice on Inhale 4 second Hold 2 second Exhale 6 second Hold 2 second cycle, about 4.3 breaths per minute. I was using an android app by the name paced breathing to help me with the timing: whenever possible I had my earphones on with the paced breathing app running on my phone. 5. Take many, many mock tests: The scoring system in GMAT prep tests and tests seems to correlate more closely with that in the real GMAT than the scoring system in the Manhattan tests does. The Manhattan tests gave me much lower scores, but those tests were very useful in keeping me on my toes. Whenever I became a bit complacent scoring a 750+ in a GMATprep test , a 700 in a Manhattan test tightened me up . My mock test scores are as below: GMAT prep 1 750 50 42 GMAT prep 2 770 50 47 1 720 50 39 Manhattan 1 680 46 37 free 760 97 percentile 97 percentile 2 760 49 46 Manhattan 2 690 45 39 3 750 51 42 Manhattan 3 690 46 38 4 740 49 43 Manhattan 4 720 46 42 5 770 51 45 Manhattan 5 760 51 42 6 800 51 51 7 760 51 43 GMAT prep 3 760 50 40 Manhattan 6 720 48 40 GMAT prep 4 770 51 45 Manhattan 1A 710 47 40 GMAT prep 1R 790 51 51 Manhattan 2A 700 46 40 (A note on Manhattan tests pricing: I do not consider it wise spending $50 for the Manhattan tests; these tests come free with purchase of any of its test prep books. I purchased an IR book for $26 and got all these tests in addition to an online IR question bank. I still do not understand the reason that Manhattan fixed such pricing.) 6. Eat a lot of energy food on the test day: I had 8 Granola bars, 2 bananas and a 500 ml bottle of Gatorade for breakfast. During each break, I had 2 granola bars and half a bottle Gatorade, even though I did not feel hungry. I do not know how caffeine works since I did not have caffeine on the test day. 7. Spend money on quality material: Buy the exam pack 1 (test 3 and 4) and question bank 1 of GMAT prep. Buy the IR prep book from Manhattan, allowing you access to its mock tests. Buy the tests. I also purchased a test prep course. 8. Dont let your nerves take over during the test: Into the 30th question in the quantitative section, my computer screen went blank!!! There was utter darkness, on the screen, and in my mind!!! I realized that I inadvertently touched the power button of the monitor while carrying out calculations on the scratchpad. I lost about 20 seconds, perhaps costing me one additional error in the quant section. However, now I have a valid consolation that I could not break the 51 threshold in quant section because of that 20-second black-out, even though my success rate in reaching Q51 in the mock tests was only 1 to 3. ugimba wrote: 268. During the recession of 1973, home mortgage foreclosures resulted in tens of thousands of Americans being evicted from homes that they can no longer afford monthly payments. (A) that they can (B) that they could (C) on which they can (D) because they can (E) for which they could Can some one explain this for me and why D is wrong as well... was it "can" vs "could" decides the answer? thanks. IMO E). Here we are talking about past and so it requires conditional past (could) and we are referring homes and so it requires which since "that" cannot be used for things. Bunuel wrote: One possible solution to the problem of traffic congestion is to establish special bus routes from the suburbs to the major business and commercial centers of a city. These buses would make limited stops and travel in traffic lanes designated solely for their use and so provide fast and efficient travel options to citizens. Which of the following, if true, would proponents of the plan outlined above most reasonably cite as evidence for the soundness of the plan? A. Many people claim to enjoy the comfort and independence offered by their automobiles. B. Studies show that over half of the automobile traffic on city streets consists of commuters entering the city for work or to shop. C. Many cities lack viable public transportation networks. D. Maintenance and upkeep of streets and roads accounts for a large portion of any citys budget. E. Much of the traffic in any given city results from the influx of tourists and sight-seers. Source: McGraw-Hill's GMAT This goes against the plan it supports the plan by providing further information that people going to business and commercial centres consists of more than 50 % of the traffic congestion It gives a general statement. No effect on the plan Irrelevant to the plan It may be one of the reason but right now the goal is to reduce traffic congestion created by the commuters travelling from suburbs Goal -> solve the problem of traffic congestionPlan -> establish special bus routes from the suburbs to the major business and commercial centers of a city.Premise supporting the plan -> These buses would make limited stops and travel in traffic lanes designated solely for their use and so provide fast and efficient travel options to citizens.So we need to find anything which provides supporting information which is not already given in the passage.A. Many people claim to enjoy the comfort and independence offered by their automobiles.B. Studies show that over half of the automobile traffic on city streets consists of commuters entering the city for work or to shop.C. Many cities lack viable public transportation networks.D. Maintenance and upkeep of streets and roads accounts for a large portion of any citys budget.E. Much of the traffic in any given city results from the influx of tourists and sight-seers._________________ rajiskrish wrote: Hi, Please evaluate my profile. I am female physician from India taking my GMAT in September. I am aiming for a 700+ in GMAT. MD GPA 3.92 PhD GPA 4.0 Experience: 4 years as clinical trial research fellow (2 years in Singapore and 2 years in US) Target schools: INSEAD, LBS, IMD, HEC Paris, IESE Post MBA interest: Consulting mbaMission Senior Admissions Consultant Chicago Booth Alum, 60 5-star reviews on GMAT Club Sign up for a free 30-minute consultation at https://www.mbamission.com/consult/mba-admissions/ Read our Insider's Guides to the top b-schools: http://www.mbamission.com/guides.php?category=insiders Kate RichardsonmbaMission Senior Admissions ConsultantChicago Booth Alum, 60 5-star reviews on GMAT ClubSign up for a free 30-minute consultation at https://www.mbamission.com/consult/mba-admissions/Read our Insider's Guides to the top b-schools: http://www.mbamission.com/guides.php?category=insiders Signature Read More Hi there!First off, I love all the experience you've had studying/working in different countries. That will be a big plus to admissions.You obviously have a less traditional pre-MBA background, but I think overall you can use that to your advantage. You will need to prove that you are serious about getting your MBA, and have compelling reasons for why now, since you already have two advanced degrees. You should also be sure to thoroughly research your post-MBA opportunities in consulting and explain why those are a good fit for your interests and skills. Your research experience and analytical work will be very transferable to consulting.Assuming GMAT goes well, I think those are good target schools for you. IMD is a really small program, so can be a bit competitive there.Good luck!Kate_________________ Re: Proverbial wisdom states that birds of a feather flock together. [ #permalink 1 Bookmarks Analysis to Q1 - Q1 is tricky. A. Finding a suitable PR and advertising person to add skills that the founders lack. - Correct. This homo group simply means that the founder is trying to find someone similar to him/her to work together. Option A clearly states that the founder is trying to find someone who's not similar to him/her (or who has different skills set) to work together. Thus, Option A is kind out of scope since finding people with different skills is not what homo group is about. B. Using Six Sigma tools that the founders are familiar with to exchange information. - Wrong. Finding a similar background is what homo group is about. C. Evolving from concept to product quickly due to flawless execution. - Wrong. It's inferred in the paragraph. Check the following sentence from the paragraph: "When founders share a background, they share a common language that facilitates communication, ensuring that the team begins the work relationship with a mutual understanding and hence can skip over part of the learning curve that would absorb the energies of people with very different backgrounds." It's clear that working in a homo group, people can skip some steps and jump to production very quickly. I understand that "flawless" is a strong word. But remember why GMAT rejects strong words. Strong word is usually not supported by the paragraph explicitly. For example, if the paragraph tells you that it's highly likely for Long Island driver to use Manhattan bridge to travel to NYC, it'll be wrong to say that Long Island use "only" Manhattan bridge for a city trip because "only" is not supported by the paragraph. However, if a paragraph tells you that this rock is formed 100% by element A, it's ok to conclude that "only" element A forms the rock. Simply seeing a strong word is not a good-enough reason to reject an option. If the option that contains strong words is not supported by the paragraph or there is clearly a better option to pick, we should be comfortable to not pick a strong-word option. Back to Option C. Whether or not the execution is flawless is irrelevant and out of scope. The benefit of homo group is about the skipping several earlier stages of a new team, a situation that may exist in both flaw and flawless execution. D. Quickly dividing a complex task into subtasks and assigning them to different teams for execution. -Wrong. Same logic as C. E. Reduce interpersonal conflict while making key decisions. -Wrong. This is close but wrong. The paragraph does state a risk that among executive group, there could be interpersonal conflicts. But such situation is a small sample and Option is too general. If you check again the earlier in paragraph 2, Option E, with its general sense, is actually also supported, for example, "it takes less time to develop working relationships xxx". So the answer, though it has a risk, is a good enough answer. U.S. Border Patrol agents take into custody a father and son from Honduras near the U.S.-Mexico border on June 12, 2018, near Mission, Texas. The asylum seekers were then sent to a processing center for possible separation. Photo: John Moore/Getty Images President Trump is still trying to avoid responsibility for his administrations brutal policy of separating migrant children from their parents at the border, but a new report confirms that Trump and his advisers had been considering the extreme measures for as long as theyve been in power. According to the New York Times, White House senior policy adviser Stephen Miller was instrumental in convincing the president to enact the policy, which applies a zero tolerance approach to prosecuting undocumented immigrants caught entering the U.S. even if that means taking children away from their parents in the process. And while some members of the Trump administration have reportedly been uneasy over the policy and subsequent fallout, Miller is not one of them. It was a simple decision by the administration to have a zero tolerance policy for illegal entry, period, Miller told the Times, The message is that no one is exempt from immigration law. Trump adviser Stephen Miller, seen here walking behind the president, was the primary advocate for dividing immigrant families at the border. Photo: Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images Trump administration officials continue to defend the policy as nothing more than enforcement of the law, but in the minds of Miller and other immigration hardliners in the White House, the heartlessness of the policy, as well as all the publicity that indifference gets, are exactly the point. Thats because their goal is deter other immigrants from attempting to enter the U.S. in the first place, even though the effectiveness of such tactics is often difficult to discern. Despite the fact that Trump had repeatedly demonized and dehumanized immigrants on his way to the presidency, he rejected the policy plan at first, but the true-believing Miller who was also instrumental in pushing the administrations Islamophobic travel ban never gave up. Finally, sometime this spring, Miller convinced the president to endorse the idea. As a result, nearly 2,000 children were taken away from their parents and placed in makeshift government shelters in less than a month and a half under the new policy, and that number has undoubtedly gone up in the weeks since (and separations could soon double in some areas). Aside from the plain cruelty of separating children from their parents, health professionals are warning that the entire experience puts childrens physical and mental health at risk. In particular, the amount of stress the children encounter as a result of being taken from their parents and thrust into a strange new environment like one where the kids are denied physical contact could be toxic, disrupting their developing brains and leading the long term health problems. The situation is especially dangerous for children under 10, and even more so for children under 5. With these risks in mind, about 4,600 mental-health professionals and 90 organizations have called on the Trump administration to end the separation policy. The shelters are managed by the Department of Health and Human Services, but even presuming that workers at the shelters are doing the best they can to care for the children, the system is being pushed to its capacity. More than 11,400 migrant kids are currently in federal custody, including both minors who arrived at the border unaccompanied by an adult and children who have been separated from their parents. More than 2,400 of these children have arrived since the beginning of May. As a result of the rapid influx, HHS has already had to stand up at least one temporary shelter to provide more housing. A new Trump administration policy mandating the fingerprinting of family members in the U.S. who come to take custody of children living in the shelters will undoubtedly lead to more children being left in government custody if their only relatives in America are also undocumented. A 2-year-old Honduran asylum seeker cries as her mother is searched and detained near the U.S.-Mexico border on June 12, 2018, in McAllen, Texas. The asylum seekers had rafted across the Rio Grande from Mexico and were detained by U.S. Border Patrol agents before being sent to a processing center for possible separation. Photo: John Moore/Getty Images As outrage intensifies over the separations, President Trump has insisted hes powerless to change the policy, in an attempt to hide his real agenda. I hate the children being taken away, Trump claimed on Friday, and he has continued to repeat the lie that Democrats are the ones responsible. In fact, as reported by the Washington Post, Trump believes that continuing to enforce the policy amid the uproar provides him with political leverage over Congress and could help him force Democratic lawmakers to meet his demands on border security and restrictions on legal immigration. Put another way, the president of the United States is effectively holding thousands of migrant children hostage and likely causing them irreparable harm in the process in the hope it will better his chances at enacting the nativist political agenda he campaigned on. Trump and Miller are not alone in their support for the separations, either. Some administration officials, like Homeland Security Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen, have reportedly opposed the border separation policy, but whatever internal opposition there has been within Trumpworld, it has only been expressed in private. White House Chief of Staff John Kelly, on the other hand, is a full-fledged supporter of the policy. Kelly infamously showed little regard for what happened to the children after they were taken from their parents during in an NPR interview in May. Attorney General Jeff Sessions, who implemented the new rule, has gone so far as to claim that the administrations lack of compassion for immigrant families is supported by the Bible a notion which was promptly rejected by prominent Christian leaders like like Cardinal Timothy Dolan. Outside the administration, Trumps fellow Republicans have so far done nothing of substance to address the separations, despite rising anxiety that the issue will cost the GOP in this falls midterm elections. Some prominent Republicans have expressed public misgivings about the policy, but even so-called moderates like Senator Susan Collins are now apparently defending it, and no GOP senators are currently supporting a Democratic bill that would block the separations. House GOP leaders, despite their assurances otherwise, have essentially done nothing to address the separations in their proposed immigration legislation. The zero tolerance practice of immediately imprisoning, prosecuting, and deporting immigrants who illegally enter the United States has been around since 2005, but the George W. Bush and Obama administrations were morally and pragmatically opposed to separating immigrant children from their families, even if some adult immigrants were clearly taking advantage of that compassion. Thats not who we are, a team of Obama officials concluded after briefly considering the separations, according to former domestic policy adviser Cecilia Munoz. Another Obama administration veteran, former Homeland Security Secretary Jeh C. Johnson, told the Times that efforts to deter undocumented immigrants from entering the U.S. are ineffective. Whether its family detention, messaging about dangers of the journey, or messaging about separating families and zero tolerance, its always going to have at best a short-term reaction, he explained. But President Trump and his policy makers, having risen to power on the back of Trumps xenophobic campaign rhetoric, employ a darker and more morally flexible pragmatism. The Times reports that Trump officials began discussing the division of immigrant families at the border soon after taking office, and that the Department of Homeland Security even did some trial runs separating children from their parents last summer in Texas. Implementing the border separation policy has always been part of their plan, it just took a little longer than people like Stephen Miller had hoped. After all, the Trump administration has arguably enjoyed no greater success than in its efforts targeting immigrants and all forms of immigration. Zero tolerance, especially toward immigrants, isnt just a policy proposal to this president and his allies it is the ideology that animates the entire Trump phenomenon, and a defining characteristic of the world as they want it to be. A US government-funded initiative, Power Africa Uganda Accelerator, has offered $500,000 (about Shs 1.9 billion) to support the expansion of off-grid solar electricity solutions in the country. The money will be channeled through Uganda Solar Energy Association (USEA), which consists of more than 95 private companies providing solar energy solutions to consumers especially in rural areas. Accelerator and USEA signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) to increase access and public awareness about the solar energy solutions. According to the agreement, USEA will help in ensuring solar energy dealers comply by availing high quality products and services to their customers. Power Africa will financially support USEA in training its staff, dealers and promotion of solar energy solutions to the general public. USEA chairman Emmy Kimbowa (L) and Power Africa Uganda acting Chief of Party Brooke Whitaker exchange papers after signing MOU Speaking after signing the MoU, USEA chairman Emmy Kimbowa said the deal is a timely boost to the sub-sector as the government pushes for increased uptake of solar energy solutions for off-grid rural communities. Currently, USEA has more 95 members, who offer various solar energy related services including the importation, distribution, integration, installation, maintenance and repair of various solar energy solutions. Kimbowa says they have developed a three-year strategic plan (2018-2020) in which the association will focus on recruiting more members to cover every district at the sub-county level. By 2020, Kimbowa is optimistic that 60 per cent of households in Uganda will have a solar energy product or will be receiving solar related services. The government wants off-grid consumers to access clean modern energy services in a bid to improve social services, economic growth and welfare to achieve its ambitious 2030 middle income status. Power Africa Uganda acting Chief of Party Brooke Whitaker says working USEA will help the Accelerators objective of facilitating the increase of clean energy electricity generation and electricity access among rural and urban communities in Uganda. Launched in February this year, USAIDs Power Africa Uganda Electricity Supply Accelerator is expected to add 1,000MW and one million new connections by 2020. mugalu@observer.ug VJ Jjingo In a captivating scene, residents of a village are debating the authenticity of reports that a spade is slapping residents for particular offences. A pastor shows up and attempts to assure them that it is all made up. To make his point, he asks them to kneel down so he can pray for them. Before he can complete the prayer, the spade shows up, slapping the pastor and forcing everyone to scatter. This is a scene from the Ugandan made movie Sitaani Ataamye, but the troubling aspect is that while the actors are speaking Luganda, there is also voice over commentary by VJ Junior in the same language, supposedly to enhance the drama. Jane Nambasa, chief executive officer of the Uganda Federation of Movie Industry, says commentaries by video jockeys (VJs) have become a phenomenon to reckon with. When you go out there, distributors keep telling us that movies dont sell unless they have commentary by a VJ, usually Emma, Jjingo or Junior, she says. So, some of the filmmakers are asking and paying the VJs to voice over these movies. However, while the matter of voice-over commentaries may be common in the local market, several filmmakers are actually upset by them. Michael Wawuyo, an actor, long-standing filmmaker and producer, says voice-over commentaries are killing the industry. They translate movies so crudely, making jokes that are far removed from the main idea that the producers are intent on portraying, he says. The VJs work may be humorous but the viewers end up with an exaggerated view of the movie. Wawuyo is upset that the trend borders on breaking the law. Sadly, this problem is like a virus it has captured everyones imagination, even the television stations just relay these movies wholesale, without any regard for the copyright law, inadvertently promoting piracy. His view is shared by another filmmaker, Robert Nkambo. The aspect of vjaying movies in Uganda is deplorable, but it is popular, with the public left to enjoy these sham products, he says. These people are infringing on our copyright and no one seems to care. They do not approach the producers for permission before they translate these movies. However, when contacted, VJ Junior (real name Marysmarts Matovu Junior) insists he is not in the practice of infringing on copyright. Seated in his Kajjansi Videos office, VJ Junior says he is usually approached by film distributors and some filmmakers to translate the movies into the local language for a fee. I dont wake up and translate a movie into Luganda just for fun; Im paid to do this work, because they know we have made a name and it sells movies, he says. I also dont infringe on anyones copyright; it is the filmmakers who bring their movies here. Wawuyo and Nkambo admit some filmmakers approach the VJs, but most only wake up to translated versions of their movies. Some filmmakers who come up with weak story lines are not confident in themselves and rely on the VJs to sell their films, Nkambo says. They believe if a VJ can sell a Hollywood movie, he can do even better with a local film. When confronted about foreign movies that he has translated, VJ Junior argues: My job is only to translate and the film distributors are more concerned with copyright matters. Nambasa is aware of this trend, in relation to foreign movies. Im aware that some distributors download these movies online and pay the VJs to translate them, since the market favours these kinds of films, she says. On that one, I can say that is also a major issue of copyright infringement. VJS BECOME PRODUCERS Wawuyo argues that VJs have become the filmmakers in their own right. The translators are selling more movies than the producers after convincing distributors that a film cant sell unless it has a VJs signature, he says. He adds that VJs are also affecting the filmmakers budgets, contributing to poor-quality movies. The so-called translators are making a lot of money at the expense of the producer; some VJs make Shs 3m per film compared to an average of Shs 5m for the cost of the film, he says. This leads to poor pay for the actors and other film crew. This, he says, explains the proliferation of poor graphics in many locally made movies. He argues that unless something is done about the VJs forays into film, the entire industry is doomed. The police should take action and arrest those engaging in piracy and the television stations should say no to translated movies, he says. However, Nkambo is more reconciliatory, calling for improvement in a dubbing industry. If you watch some of the movies that come in from South America, you can see that the sector has developed professionally. When a movie is done in Spanish, they are able to translate the actors dialogue properly, without affecting the integrity of the producers work. What we have here in Uganda is a disaster, he argues. There is a need for all those who want to handle our movies to approach the producers before they mess them up. His interesting analogy is: Even if it is true that many viewers love these movies, it should not be that if people love sugar one should break into a shop to get it for them which is what these people are doing. The Uganda Registration Services Bureau (URSB), which is in charge of observing copyright laws, is yet to act on the problem. According to the director for Intellectual Property at the URSB, Mercy Kyomugasho, they are yet to act since no one has registered a complaint. mtalemwa@observer.ug Government is considering electrifying the fence of the newly constructed Entebbe expressway to stop vandalism of road furniture, President Yoweri Museveni has said. While commissioning the Kampala-Entebbe expressway at Mpala toll station in Wakiso district on Friday evening, Museveni said electrifying the fence will help minimise the burden of maintaining vandalised road furniture. The function was also graced by Wang Yang, chairman of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference. Museveni said cameras will also be installed to ease monitoring of activities along the road. The equipment usually vandalised according to the Uganda National Roads Authority (Unra) includes guard rails and road signs. The president also reminded motorists who wish to use the road that; they will have to pay a yet-to-be determined amount of money, because the expressway was built as a toll road under the public-private partnership. He said Ugandans are so used to free things, but this time, they will have to pay if they want to use the road. The tolling section, according to Unra, measures 25km running from Busega through Kajjansi to Abayita Ababiri (Mpala). Gen Edward Katumba Wamala, the state Minister for Works, said the toll fee will be fixed after enactment of the Road Toll Bill. Road tolling is a form of road pricing on either a public or private roadway, typically implemented to help recover the cost of road construction and maintenance. Wang is optimistic that the road will boost industrialisation in Uganda since it would reduce time goods spend in transit from Entebbe to Kampala. Wang said with the expressway, the time from Entebbe airport to Kampala will be reduced from the current two hours to 45 minutes. The 49.56km highway connects Kampala city to Entebbe International Airport was constructed with a loan of up to $476 million (about Shs 1.8 trillion) from the Exim Bank of China constructed by the China Communication Construction Company (CCCC). According to the findings of Committee of Statutory Authorities and State Enterprises (COSASE), the road has cost Uganda $9.2 million per kilometre - over and above the average cost $2 million per kilometre within the East African region in Kenya, Ethiopia and Rwanda. Meanwhile, motorcyclists, cyclists and pedestrians will not be allowed to use the newly constructed road when it is officially opened. Government says it will put up four more expressways including Kampala-Jinja expressway, Kampala-Busunju expressway, Kampala-Busega-Mpigi expressway, Kampala outer belt and Kampala-Bombo expressway. These, government says will enhance efficient passenger and freight operations, improve mobility, reduce travel times, vehicle operating costs and accident rates. As of August 26th, 2021 Yahoo India will no longer be publishing content. Your Yahoo Account Mail and Search experiences will not be affected in any way and will operate as usual. We thank you for your support and readership. For more information on Yahoo India, please visit the FAQ Lawyers of embattled former inspector general of police, Gen Kale Kayihura have been denied access to their client reportedly currently detained at Makindye military barracks. Kayihura, who was sacked in March this year but once the blue-eyed boy of President Yoweri Museveni, was arrested on Wednesday last week by the army from his country home in Kasagama, Lyantonde district. Now, his lawyers Caleb Alaka and Evans Ochieng say they tried to access their client at the Makindye barracks without much success. When army spokesperson Brig Richard Karemire finally confirmed Kayihura's arrest, in a statement, he said his lawyers and immediate family members were free to access him at Makindye. But Alaka says, he, and Ochieng have attempted to talk to Kayihura for the last three days but have been stopped by the security guards manning the gates. Gen Kale Kayihura in a file photo when he was still IGP The lawyers claim that on Friday, they went to the barracks to see him but were blocked by the soldiers at the entrance on grounds that it was a public holiday. Alaka says they went back on Saturday to the barracks but were told that visitors are not allowed on weekends. "We tried on Friday, they said it was a public holiday. They said we come on Saturday, yesterday, we came and they again refused. They refused and that is the truth. Yes, they refused and the whole of yesterday, we had no access to them at all. Those people are still detained illegally and I think it is very wrong." said Alaka. Alaka and his counterpart Ochieng note that Kayihura together with other police officers have been held incommunicado and no one has been allowed access to them which violates their constitutional rights. The law says that no one should be detained for more than 48 hours without being produced in court to show cause for his/her arrest. Ironically, while still serving as IGP, Kayihura severally justified holding suspects beyond the 48-hour rule. On April 11, 2015 while appearing on Capital Gang talkshow, Kayihura said "The British are doing it...police can arrest someone for 90 days before charging him." He cited suspects being released on police bond or bail once in court, and even acquittal [for lack of evidence], which he said have given rise to cases of mob justice. A lawyer himself, Kayihura said Britain, where Uganda borrows the current legal system, has since reformed theirs to conform with the changing times. The British are doing it... police can arrest someone for 90 days before charging him, he said. Kayihura's lawyers resolved that today, Monday, they will petition High court so that Kayihura together with Col Atwooki Ndahura, former director of crime intelligence may be produced in court if at all they have any cases to answer. Kayihura is being accused together with five senior police officers on charges that are not yet known. The officers include; his former personal assistant Jonathan Baroza, former Flying Squad commander Herbert Muhangi, former cyber-crime director Richard Ndaboine, former director of crime intelligence Ndawula Atwooki and former Kampala South Regional police commander Siraje Bakaleke. They are reported to have been arrested by the Chieftaincy Military Intelligence on Tuesday before Kayihura the next day. On Friday, there was a reported search at Kayihura's Muyenga based home by the army and Counter Terrorism forces. Sources say Kayihura has been linked to a spate of criminality in the country including the murder of former police spokesperson Andrew Felix Kaweesi last year. Yoga Guru Baba Ramdev-led Patanjali may soon launch its instant messaging app - also dubbed as a desi version of WhatsApp - Kimbho. In an interview to CNBC-TV18 on Friday, Patanjali Ayurved Managing Director Acharya Balkrishna said that the Kimbho app will be launched around International Yoga Day which falls on June 21. Last month, Patanjali had released Kimbho app on Android's Play Store and iOS' App Store but removed it in just few hours of launch. Patanjali claimed that the instant messaging app was released for one-day trial and would be back on app stores officially very soon after technical development phase was over. Balkrishna explained as to why Patanjali had removed Kimbho from play stores. He said: "In just two hours of launch, over three lakh people downloaded the app and around 37 crore people searched about Kimbho. We had not anticipated such response and our server couldn't support the load." While Patanjali claimed that it was a day-long trial, experts believe that it was the security threat that prompted the company to pull down Kimbho. A French security researcher, who tweets under pseudonym Elliot Alderson, had then said that "when you make a press release and launch your app publicly, it's call an official launch. This is not how trial is done". Interestingly, the removal of Kimbho from stores had come soon after Elliot had called the messaging app a 'security disaster'. Immediately after the launch, the French security researcher had claimed that he can access all the messages of users on Kimbho App. He said: "This KimbhoApp is a joke, next time before making press statements, hire competent developers... If it is not clear, for the moment don't install this app." However, in recent interview, Patanjali MD Balkrishna claimed that Patanjali has hired several hacking firms but none of them has so far raised any security feature issues. Here are some of the features of Kimbho, as Patanjali claims 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... Yeti Air aircraft averts major disaster in Pokhara Airport A Yeti Airlines aircraft (AHU-681) averted a major disaster following Hydraulic systems failure upon landing at Pokhara Airport runway on Sunday. There were 30 passengers and three crew members on board the airplane. Roads were closed to cars in the city center, where some 5,000 police and soldiers from the National Guard have been deployed to protect the marchers. Gay-rights activists have marched through the center of Ukraine's capital, Kyiv, for a pride rally, amid stepped-up security. The June 17 March of Equality took place without serious incident, but police said they had detained 56 members of radical groups who tried to disrupt the event, RFE/RL wrote. Read alsoLGBTI activists gather in central Kyiv for 'March of Equality' media Police said several thousand people attend the march, which started near Taras Shevchenko Park and lasted for more than one hour. Roads were closed to cars in the city center, where some 5,000 police and soldiers from the National Guard have been deployed to protect the marchers. Clashes broke out early in the morning when police in riot gear moved to disperse more than 150 far-right protesters seeking to block the route of the march, police said in a statement. "Several men who resisted and used gas canisters against law enforcement officers were detained," the statement said. In a Facebook post, the ultranationalist group C14 said police officers surrounded its protesters, attacking them with batons and tear gas. Police said they had detained more protesters in an altercation near the Opera House. The organizers of the march, who had received threats from far-right groups ahead of the march, had advised participants not to hold posters, banners, or symbols of the LGBT (lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender) community until they were at the event area. "We want to feel free in our country," said Tymur Levchuk of Kyiv Pride, a nine-day series of events in Kyiv, including conferences, movie screenings, and artistic performances, that are due to close with the Equality March. "Kyiv is a city where there should be no discrimination, violence, or alienation," he said. "This is a city where everyone can be themselves." In June 2017, some 2,500 people gathered for the March of Equality in Kyiv, according to police. An estimated 5,500 officers ensured that the event proceeded without disturbance. However, a counterdemonstration by a few hundred ultranationalists degenerated into scuffles with police. The ambassadors of Britain and Canada attended the march in a sign of support for Ukraine's LGBT community. Kyiv held its first major pride march in 2016 after a pro-Western government that came to power in 2014 sanctioned such events. In 2015, the march was called off when right-wing activists pelted participants with smoke grenades. 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 A woman who claims to be the mother of a militant leader says she does not know if her son is alive or dead. Abubakar Shekau is the head of the Boko Haram militant group. Boko Haram launched its campaign against Nigerias government in 2009. Nigerian officials blame the group for more than 30,000 deaths in the countrys northeast and the Lake Chad area. A woman claming to be his mother recently met with a VOA reporter in Shekau, a village in the Nigerian state of Yobe. Community leaders identified the woman as Falmata Abubakar. They said that Abubakar Shekaus father was a local clergyman who died a few years ago. Falmata Abubakar said she had never spoken to a reporter before VOA made contact with her. She added that she does not know where her son is hiding. "I don't know if he's alive or dead. I don't know. It's only God who knows. For 15 years, I haven't seen him," she said. Townspeople say they often deny being from the hometown of Abubakar Shekau because others may believe they have ties to Boko Haram. Growing up in Shekau Falmata Abubakar says her son left Shekau as a boy to continue his Islamic education in the city of Maiduguri. Maiduguri has been a center of religious studies for hundreds of years. Abubakar Shekau was an almajiri. In the generations-old tradition, almajirai are sent by their parents to study the Quran, Islams holy book, in schools locally known as a tsangaya. In the classroom, a teacher trains the 20 or more, sometimes hundreds of, male students at a time to memorize the complete Quran. Almajirai often go up and down the streets, asking people for food. It is thought that Abubakar Shekau did the same. His mother says that during his studies he met Mohammed Yusuf, the founder of Boko Haram. Yusuf believed that a Western education violates religious law. Falmata says her son was brainwashed. "Since Shekau met with Mohammed Yusuf, I didn't see him again," she told VOA. "Yes, he's my son and every mother loves her son, but we have different characters. He brought a lot of problem to many people. Where can I meet him to tell him that these things he is doing is very bad? He brought many problems to many people, but I am praying for God to show him the good way," she said. In 2009, Nigerian security agents killed Mohammed Yusuf, and Abubakar Shekau became the leader of Boko Haram. Campaign of violence Destroying schools is at the heart of the group's teachings. The United Nations Childrens Fund says Boko Haram forces have attacked more than 1,400 schools. Members of the group attacked the first primary school in northeastern Nigeria in 2010 and 2013. The head of the school and his assistant were killed. In 2014, Boko Haram killed 59 students at a federal school in Buni Yadi, Yobe State. It was one of the most deadly school attacks in Nigerian history. Currently, the school is being rebuilt. In February of 2018, Boko Haram fighters kidnapped more than 100 students from a girls' secondary school in the town of Dapchi. The group returned the students a month later, but kept Leah Sharibu, reportedly because she refused to accept Islam in exchange for her freedom. Her mother, Rebecca, and her brother say they believe that she is still alive. In 2014, Boko Haram fighters seized about 100 girls from their school in the town of Chibok. The kidnapping made news around the world. The Bring Back Our Girls activists are still demanding the freedom for at least 100 Chibok Girls. Falmata Abubakar says she can never condemn her son, but he has become someone she doesn't recognize. "He just took his own character and went away. This is not the character I gave him. I don't know what this type of behavior is. It's only God who knows." I'm Kelly Jean Kelly. VOAs Chika Oduah reported this story. Susan Shand adapted it for Learning English, and George Grow edited it. Write to us in the Comments Section or on our Facebook page. _______________________________________________________________ Words in This Story brainwash v. to cause (someone) to think or believe something by using methods that make a person unable to think normally character n. the way someone thinks, feels, and behaves, someone's personality primary adj. of or related to the simplest things There is no end to demand for Italys white gold. For many people, that white gold is not metal but marble from the town of Carrara in Tuscany. The marble mining work in Carrara is ancient. Workers first began removing stone from the mountains of Tuscany more than 2,000 years ago. The ancient Romans were the first to recognize the beauty of the marble. Millions of people still go to Rome to see famous monuments made with the stone. Two examples are the Pantheon and Trajans Column. And then there are famous statues like the David and the Pieta by the sculptor and painter Michelangelo. So what is happening in Carrara today? A visit to modern day Carrara Sculptors, other artists and designers of buildings have never stopped making trips to the Tuscan town. M.J. Anderson, an American, first visited Carrara 36 years ago, when she started creating sculptures. She loved the look of the beautiful stone. Anderson says she likes to take things apart. The great thing about carving marble is that once that stone is gone, its gone. You cant lament about it and this keeps you moving forward in the creative process," she said. Sculptors like Anderson know they are dealing with something very special. Theres no surprises when you are carving it. The molecules are put together very well and theres so many different kinds of marble here. That's whats so special. That is what is bringing in orders and big money from all over the world. Carraras marble is in great demand in the Arab world and in countries like China, India and Thailand. Buyers want the material to use in the rooms and floors of their homes. Others want art made of the stone. For example, a few years ago, a request came for a huge block of marble to be used in a massive statue of Buddha. An increase in the building of mosques and Islamic centers, especially in the Arab world, has meant even more demand and big business for some marble companies. The Saudi Binladin Group, one of the world's largest builders, got control of 50 percent of Marmi Carrara in recent years. Marmi Carrara owns a third of the marble quarries that are operational in the area today. Just the name Carrara basically says its the worlds best marble. It is the most beautiful. It has a centuries long history of being the best marble in the world and people come here looking for and wanting the very best, Anderson said. Current demand and environmental concerns What is new is that the demand is moving away from the traditional markets. Anderson noted that for a long time, Italys white gold has been shipped to American buyers. Now, she said, the buyers are from the Middle East, and they are the ones taking the marble. Ever since the days of ancient Rome, the stone has been shipped to other areas. The great marble artists have historically been Italian, but now they come from all over world, and some have settled in Carrara. Students like 19-year old Xintong Gao come to learn and take their knowledge home. He said his love of art, painting, and sculpture brought him here from China and he set his sights on studying at the Academy of Fine Arts in Carrara. Working on the marble may be a labor of love, but it is no easy work, Gao noted. Learning to carve the marble is not the only difficulty. Removing the stone from the mountains has been a problem for hundreds of years. Modern technology has made it easier. The marble industry employs thousands of people. For those who labor inside the mountains, it is sometimes dangerous work. The marble mining is also affecting the countryside. Environmentalists have been expressing concerns for years that the industry is destroying the mountains and affecting the appearance of the Apuan Alps. From far away, they appear to be covered in snow. But in reality, it is the bright marble that makes the Apuan Alps white all year round. Its beautiful to see the quarries. Theyre fabulous, the way the light hits these walls of marble, said Anderson. Admittedly, she notes, the environmentalists are right to be concerned. Of course, marble does not re-grow. Its not sustainable. It was made billions of years ago. . Marble is being taken out of here so fast that entire mountain tops are disappearing," she said. Im Dorothy Gundy. Sabrina Castelfranco wrote this story for VOANews.com. George Grow adapted her report for Learning English. Caty Weaver was the editor. _____________________________________________________________ Words in This Story carve v. to cut lament v. to mourn quarry n. places where miners remove from the ground fabulous adj. very good sustainable adj. harvesting something like a crop so that it is not permanently damaged We want to hear from you. Write to us in the Comments Section. The non-governmental environmental group Greenpeace reports that plastic and chemical pollution is often found in snow and seawater collected by researchers in Antarctica. Greenpeace said its scientists gathered water and snow samples from Antarctica during a visit between January to March of this year. Laboratory tests confirmed the effect of humanity on the continent. It was about one microplastic piece at least per liter. When you think of extrapolating that out to the scale or the Antarctic Ocean, its really, really significant, said Greenpeaces Louisa Casson. She noted that, in the past, scientists thought the currents around the Antarctic Ocean might protect it from plastic pollution found in much of the worlds oceans. But now, she said, evidence is increasingly showing that there might be little, if any, protection. Microplastics are extremely small particles of plastic. They come from the breakdown of bottles and other plastic waste in the worlds oceans. In addition to microplastics, the Greenpeace study also confirmed the presence of chemicals known as per- and polyfluorinated alkylated substances. These chemicals are widely used in industrial processes, and have been linked to reproductive and developmental problems for wildlife. This just strengthens the rationale for why we need to be taking action on land to stop that flow of plastic into the ocean, but also creating huge ocean sanctuaries at sea to allow wildlife to recover from these pressures, Casson said. The United Nations estimates that 8 million tons of plastic are dropped into the oceans every year. Plastic has been shown to harm wildlife. An example of this happened several days ago in southern Thailand. That was when a pilot whale died after swallowing 80 pieces of plastic waste. Tests showed the waste weighed about eight kilograms. International concern about plastic pollution is rising. In India, Prime Minister Narendra Modi recently promised to ban all single-use plastic by 2022. In the city of Mumbai, Bollywood movie stars have been taking part in waste clean-up activities at Versova beach. Actress Abigail Pande told reporters she was surprised at the amount of waste she found. I am having fun (cleaning this place). But it is also very sad because once I came here, I got to know that the amount of waste is so high that if you dig the ground four feet, you will still find plastic inside. And it will take years to properly clean the beach, Pande said. Plastic has now been found in every corner of the worlds oceans, from the bottom of the Pacific Mariana Trench to Antarctica. In October, world governments will decide on a European Union proposal to create an Antarctic Ocean sanctuary. At 1.8 million square kilometers, the sanctuary would be the largest protected area on Earth. Im Phil Dierking. Henry Ridgwell wrote this story for VOANews.com Phil Dierking adapted his story for Learning English. George Grow was the editor. How do you think we can prevent plastic in the ocean? Write to us in the Comments Section or on our Facebook page. ______________________________________________________________ QUIZ Quiz - Greenpeace: Plastic, Chemical Pollution Widespread in Antarctica Start the Quiz to find out Start Quiz ______________________________________________________________ Words in This Story extrapolate - v. to form an opinion or to make an estimate about something from known facts rationale - n. the reason or explanation for something sample - n. a small amount of something that gives you information about the thing it was taken from sanctuary - n. a place where someone or something is protected or given shelter significant - adj. large enough to be noticed or have an effect proper - adj. correct according to social or moral rules American Consumer News, LLC dba MarketBeat 2010-2021. All rights reserved. 326 E 8th St #105, Sioux Falls, SD 57103 | U.S. Based Support Team at [email protected] | (844) 978-6257 MarketBeat does not provide personalized financial advice and does not issue recommendations or offers to buy stock or sell any security. Our Accessibility Statement | Terms of Service | Do Not Sell My Information 2021 Market data provided is at least 10-minutes delayed and hosted by Barchart Solutions. Information is provided 'as-is' and solely for informational purposes, not for trading purposes or advice, and is delayed. To see all exchange delays and terms of use please see disclaimer. Fundamental company data provided by Zacks Investment Research. Augusta Gold Corp., a junior exploration company, engages in the acquisition and exploration of mineral properties in the United States. It primarily explores for gold, silver, and other metals. The company holds interests in the Bullfrog gold project located in the north-west of Las Vegas, Nevada. It also owns, controls, or has acquired mineral rights on Federal patented and unpatented mining claims in the state of Nevada for the purpose of exploration and potential development of metals on a total of approximately 7,800 acres of land. The company was formerly known as Bullfrog Gold Corp. and changed its name to Augusta Gold Corp. in January 2021. Augusta Gold Corp. was incorporated in 2007 and is headquartered in Vancouver, Canada. Read More Ormat Technologies, Inc. operates as a holding company. The firm engages in the provision of geothermal and recovered energy power business. It operates through the following segments: Electricity, Product and Energy Storage. The Electricity segment focuses in the sale of electricity from the company's power plants pursuant to PPAs. The Product segment involves in the manufacture, including design and development, of turbines and power units for the supply of electrical energy and in the associated construction of power plants utilizing the power units manufactured by the company to supply energy from geothermal fields and other alternative energy sources. The Energy Storage segment consists of battery energy storage systems as a service and management of curtailable customer loads under contracts with U.S. retail energy providers and directly with large commercial and industrial customers. The company was founded in 1965 and is headquartered in Reno, NV. Read More Daren Miller is back home this weekend, and joined his wife Emmanuelle at the Fine Wine & Good Spirits Store in Lemoyne early Saturday afternoon at the invitation of retail wine specialist Kirt Heintzelman. From noon until 2 they poured a couple of their wines as part of the weekly tastings that Heintzelman and Shane Via hold in the store. What makes this story so good is that Daren grew up in Stewartstown in southern York County and worked for a while at Naylor Wine Cellars. He and Emmanuelle met and, lo and behold, more than two decades later are married with kids and own two Bordeaux wineries: Chateau Haut Beyzac and Chateau des Tourtes. READ MORE: Lemoyne PLCB store welcoming VIPs for both tastings this weekend While talking to customers they were pouring these two wines Saturday: Chateau des Tourtes 2017 'Le Duo' Bordeaux Blanc from Blaye, Cotes de Bordeaux ($16.99), which is a blend of 70% Sauvignon Blanc, 20% Semillon, 10% Muscadelle Chateau des Tourtes 2017 'Cuvee Classique' Rose from Blaye, Cotes de Bordeaux ($17.99), which is equal parts Merlot and Cabernet Sauvignon The couple will spend the rest of the weekend in town and make several other stops before heading back to France. As much as anything, this has been a coast-to-coast business trip to increase the distribution of their wines. One of those states they'd like a bigger imprint is Pennsylvania, and are optimistic they can add more wines to the PLCB list in the coming months. The video, after an admittedly shaky start, covers a lot of ground, from Daren's time at Naylor to meeting "Manu" and to life as a winery owner in Bordeaux. KAZ Minerals PLC, together with its subsidiaries, engages in mining and processing copper and other metals primarily in Kazakhstan, Russia, and Kyrgyzstan. It operates through Bozshakol, Aktogay, East Region and Bozymchak, and Mining Projects segments. The company operates the Aktogay and Bozshakol open pit copper mines in the east region and Pavlodar region of Kazakhstan; three underground mines in the east region of Kazakhstan; and the Bozymchak copper-gold mine in Kyrgyzstan. It also develops greenfield metal deposits; operates Koksay deposit in Kazakhstan, and the Baimskaya licence area in the Chukotka region of Russia; and produces and sells various by-products, such as gold, silver, molybdenum, and zinc. In addition, the company supplies and distributes heat, water, and electricity; and offers construction, project management, financing, management, sales and logistics, and repairs and maintenance services. The company was formerly known as Kazakhmys PLC and changed its name to KAZ Minerals PLC in October 2014. KAZ Minerals PLC was founded in 1930 and is based in London, the United Kingdom. Read More 1 hour ago In quiet debut, Alzheimer's drug finds questions, skepticism The first new Alzheimers treatment in more than 20 years was hailed as a breakthrough when regulators approved it more than four months ago, but its rollout has been slowed by questions about its price and how well it works. Several major medical centers remain undecided on whether to use Biogens Aduhelm, which is recommended for early stages of the disease. Read Article JPMorgan Chase & Co. is a financial holding company. It provides financial and investment banking services. The firm offers a range of investment banking products and services in all capital markets, including advising on corporate strategy and structure, capital raising in equity and debt markets, risk management, market making in cash securities and derivative instruments, and brokerage and research. It operates through the following segments: Consumer and Community Banking, Corporate and Investment Bank, Commercial Banking, and Asset and Wealth Management. The Consumer and Community Banking segment serves consumers and businesses through personal service at bank branches and through automated teller machine, online, mobile, and telephone banking. The Corporate and Investment Bank segment offers a suite of investment banking, market-making, prime brokerage, and treasury and securities products and services to a global client base of corporations, investors, financial institutions, government and municipal entities. The Commercial Banking segment delivers services to U.S. and its multinational clients, including corporations, municipalities, financial institutions, and non profit Read More Wall Street analysts have given Global X MSCI Norway ETF a "N/A" rating, but there may be better buying opportunities in the stock market. Some of MarketBeat's past winning trading ideas have resulted in 5-15% weekly gains. MarketBeat just released five new stock ideas, but Global X MSCI Norway ETF wasn't one of them. MarketBeat thinks these five companies may be even better buys. View MarketBeat's top stock picks here. In this photo taken Tuesday, May 29, 2018, a street trader sells dried fish and smoked monkey meat at the port of Maluku in Kinshasa, Congo. Congo's latest deadly Ebola outbreak is hitting local traders of popular bush meat amid concerns about the virus jumping to humans from animals such as bats and monkeys. (AP Photo/John Bompengo) For 25 years, Patrick Matondo has earned a living buying and selling monkeys, bats and other animals popularly known as bush meat along the Congo River. Standing on the riverbank in Mbandaka, a city affected by the deadly new outbreak of the Ebola virus, the father of five said that for the first time he's worried he won't be able to support his family. "Since Ebola was declared, business has decreased by almost half. It's really, really bad," the 47-year-old said, hanging his head. Congo's latest Ebola outbreak declared in May has 38 confirmed cases, including 14 deaths. The discovery of a handful of Ebola cases among Mbandaka's more than 1 million residents also has hurt the economy, especially among traders of meat from wild animals. The virus, which spreads through bodily fluids of those infected, has been known to jump from animals such as monkeys and bats to humans. In the West Africa outbreak four years ago that killed more than 11,000 people, it was widely suspected that the epidemic began when a 2-year-old boy in Guinea was infected by a bat. Usually the wild animals are highly sought-after as popular sources of protein along with beef and pork, and cargo ships carrying the smoked meat arrive daily in the city, the trade hub for Congo's northwestern Equateur province. Meanwhile, bush meat markets still see locals bartering for the animals, both dead and alive. Prospective buyers pause at tables piled with monkey meat, picking up blackened chunks one by one for a closer look. In this photo taken Thursday, May 31, 2018, traders sit in front of their boat at one of the ports in Mbandaka, Congo. Congo's latest deadly Ebola outbreak is hitting local traders of popular bush meat amid concerns about the virus jumping to humans from animals such as bats and monkeys. (AP Photo/Sam Mednick) "Meat is very important for people here. It's one of the biggest industries in Mbandaka," said Matondo, a leader in the city's bush meat association. Dr. Pierre Rollin, an Ebola expert with the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, said if the meat is cooked, smoked or dried it kills the virus. The people at greatest risk are hunters and butchers who process the meat, he said. The World Health Organization has advised against trade and travel restrictions because of the current outbreak, which is mostly in remote areas. In this photo taken Saturday, June 2, 2018, a monkey sits in a cage outside a bar, whose owner keeps this one as a pet, but who eats other monkeys for their meat, in Mbandaka, Congo. Congo's latest deadly Ebola outbreak is hitting local traders of popular bush meat amid concerns about the virus jumping to humans from animals such as bats and monkeys. (AP Photo/Sam Mednick) Boats with bush meat continue to depart for the capital, Kinshasa, 600 kilometers (323 miles) downstream and for villages tucked deep in the rainforest up and down the river. Disease experts warned, however, that precautions are still necessary as monkeys and bats are sold live throughout the region. Traders said demand has dwindled because of Ebola, with sales for many dropping from about 100 animals a day to about 20. "Kinshasa and Brazzaville told us to stop sending monkeys and bats," said another trader in Mbandaka, Willy Taban, who said his business has been cut in half in recent weeks. He was referring to buyers in the capital of the nearby Republic of Congo, which is across the river from Kinshasa. In this photo taken Tuesday, May 29, 2018, a street trader sells dried fish and smoked monkey meat at the port of Maluku in Kinshasa, Congo. Congo's latest deadly Ebola outbreak is hitting local traders of popular bush meat amid concerns about the virus jumping to humans from animals such as bats and monkeys. (AP Photo/John Bompengo) Congo's health minister, Dr. Oly Ilunga Kalenga, said there are no plans to ban sales of bush meat in the province since bush meat is not the primary way the Ebola virus spreads. Instead, the government is focusing on good hygiene practices such as hand-washing, he said. Health officials are also tracking down anyone who had close contact with anyone infected by the virus, offering an experimental vaccine and promoting safe burials and other practices. Such health efforts can be challenging in communities where many people consider Ebola to be witchcraft. Others are skeptical that the disease exists, even though this is the Central African country's ninth outbreak. One Mbandaka trader, Gamo Louambo, said he's still shipping 100 wild animals to Kinshasa daily and said he won't stop eating them as they're his main source of food. "I don't see Ebola. It isn't here," he said. In this photo taken Saturday, June 2, 2018, a trader transports livestock by canoe on the Congo river near the port in Mbandaka, Congo. Congo's latest deadly Ebola outbreak is hitting local traders of popular bush meat amid concerns about the virus jumping to humans from animals such as bats and monkeys. (AP Photo/Sam Mednick) In West Africa, where there had never been an outbreak before 2014, getting people to accept that Ebola was a real disease was key, said WHO's Jonathan Polonsky. For those in Kinshasa, "Ebola is very far away," said Defede Mbale, immigration chief at the capital's port of Maluku. Pointing to a poster of safe Ebola practices on his desk, he said the government has provided extra resources to patrol the river and take people's temperatures as they arrive by boats, checking for fevers. In this photo taken Saturday, June 2, 2018, a monkey sits in a cage outside a bar, whose owner keeps this one as a pet, but who eats other monkeys for their meat, in Mbandaka, Congo. Congo's latest deadly Ebola outbreak is hitting local traders of popular bush meat amid concerns about the virus jumping to humans from animals such as bats and monkeys. (AP Photo/Sam Mednick) He doesn't doubt the deadly virus exists, but Mbale said there's only so much that he's willing to change. "We have our customs and they won't change because of Ebola," he said. "We'll eat all foods." In this photo taken Tuesday, May 29, 2018, men paddle their canoe on the Congo river near the port in Mbandaka, Congo. Congo's latest deadly Ebola outbreak is hitting local traders of popular bush meat amid concerns about the virus jumping to humans from animals such as bats and monkeys. (AP Photo/Sam Mednick) Explore further Congo says confirmed Ebola cases have reached 30; 8 deaths 2018 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. Eskom and its labor unions have agreed to hold new negotiations over pay, ending protests at power plants that have caused disruptions to power supply, said the government. Public Enterprises Minister Pravin Gordhan called a meeting Friday with Eskom SOC Holdings Ltd., the National Union of Mineworkers, the National Union of Metalworkers of South Africa and the Solidarity union to normalize relationships and normalize operations at the utility, he said in a statement. It was agreed at the talks that Eskoms proposed zero-percent wage increase is off the table, Gordhan said. The government intervention wasnt enough to spare South Africans from power cuts on Saturday night. Stage-two load shedding started at 5 p.m. and may last until 9 p.m., Eskom said in a statement, using a local term for rolling blackouts. The utility had said earlier that the power system would be severely constrained amid cold winter weather. There are four levels of cuts, with the second stage indicating a shortage of as much as 2,000 megawatts. Eskom, which generates almost all of the nations electricity, has been locked in a dispute with workers after wage talks broke down last week over the state-owned utilitys insistence that it cant afford pay increases. The company began cutting power to some areas Thursday night for the first time since 2015, as demonstrators blockaded roads and attacked staff. The protests by employees came at a tough time for Eskom and the South African economy more broadly. While demand for electricity increases over the Southern Hemisphere winter, Eskom has also battled coal shortages, allegations of corruption and mismanagement, and struggled to raise the funding it needed earlier this year. A prolonged repeat of outages from three years ago would undermine signs of recovery in Africas most-industrialized economy. The utility got a court order declaring the protests unlawful and prohibiting the intimidation of other workers and contractors. Employees were also barred from hijacking coal trucks and sabotaging Eskoms electricity infrastructure. Liberty Holdings CEO David Munro has stated that hackers who attacked its IT infrastructure have gained access to the companys mailing service. Munro stated that the data affected by the hack consisted largely of recent emails, according to a report by Fin24. It is also limited to Libertys operations in South Africa. Liberty was still investigating the hack and Munro said they are working with the authorities on the breach. He added that no clients had suffered financial losses as a result of the attack, and the companys policies and transactions remain in place. We will contact our customers if it occurs that they are affected individually, said Munro. Munro stated that the identity of the hackers was being investigated, and that an extortion attempt against the company was made. Its fair to say an event like this is not something one can prepare for specifically, said Munro. This occurred on Thursday evening. It took a couple of days before deciding we should inform customers and ensure that we can safely move into the public domain, as it is a complex matter. Hackers Liberty stated late on Saturday night that it had been hit by an IT systems breach. The company posted a notice to its website which said it had suffered unauthorised access to its IT infrastructure. An external party claims to have seized data from us, has alerted us to potential vulnerabilities in our systems and has requested compensation for this, stated Liberty. According to a report in the Sunday Times on 17 June 2018, the hackers have demanded millions from Liberty. The report stated the hackers have obtained sensitive data about top clients. If Liberty does not pay the millions demanded by the hackers, they will start releasing the information they have to the public, stated the report. The report further stated that Liberty IT personnel are running around like headless chickens in their attempts to figure out how much data is at risk and how they were hacked. Now read: How Twitter will tackle bad actors like Bell Pottinger and the Guptas As more murals and artwork pop up along Napas Vine Trail, so has a new business that celebrates that same art. Napa transplant Kimberly McGinness recently launched Paper Napan Walkabouts, LLC. Inspired by the citys Rail Arts District (RAD), Paper Napan Walkabouts is a new tour company that specializes in guided walking tours in the heart of downtown Napa. Paper Napan Walkabouts launched with a three-hour guided walking tour in and around the semi industrial/residential RAD in downtown Napa that features amazing hidden gems. I live near the vine trail, said McGinness. During walks on the trail with her family, I kept seeing all these cool murals coming up. Established in 2016, the Rail Arts District Napa is a nonprofit organization led by the Napa Valley Vine Trail Coalition, the Napa Valley Wine Train and the local arts and business communities. The 1.7-mile section of the railroad contains a gallery of public artworks from arts around the world. Ultimately, the district will consist of more than 30 murals along the train tracks. Greetings, my friends and welcome to our Corner. Lets talk about some fun things coming up, as well as some important help that is available to us seniors. First, though, we were very pleased to learn that on May 29, the California Senate passed a bipartisan resolution from Senator Bill Dodd, proclaiming the month of June as Elder and Vulnerable Adult Abuse Awareness month. Actually, when Bill Dodd was serving as a Napa County supervisor, he and Supervisor Diane Dillon were very helpful and encouraging when the Commission on Aging and other interested people made it possible, here in Napa County to have an ordinance that requires background checks for caregivers caring for seniors and elders, unlike any other county in California. By the way, our thanks to Supervisor Dillons great suggestion that we peel the onion, at one point when we were trying to get the wording on the ordinance absolutely right. Thank you, Senator Dodd. We seniors are truly grateful to have your interest and support on senior and elderly issues. We sat for a few minutes watching them, and then I heard the distinct slide and pump of a rifle loading from the seat behind me (for our protection, I later learned). My guide, Barry James, swung his legs over the side of the Jeep. I followed, the four of us making our way toward the animals. "If they come at us," James said, "run - and hide behind a tree." I walked swiftly behind him as we broke through the bush, the prickles of the monkey thorns piercing my clothing as if purposely slowing me down. While we approached, the mother rhino looked up. The calf, sensing her unease, moved nearer to her and the two took off into a trot. "We had to keep her horn," Venter explained in a whisper as we followed the pair. "She needs to be able to defend her baby. But when he is grown, we will need to take it." According to data from Save the Rhino, South Africa is home to the densest population of rhinos in the world and has seen a 9,000 percent increase in rhino poaching from 2007 to 2014. Last year, more than 1,000 rhinos were killed. The Land Trust of Napa County and the state of California have preserved another 722 acres along east Lake Berryessa, bringing the total amount of protected land there by this partnership in two years to more than 6,700 acres. A conservation easement will keep the Webber Ranch in private ownership while stripping it of development rights. A state grant of $330,000 is paying for the easement from owner Pete Craig, according to the state Department of Conservation. He gave up a lot of value, Land Trust CEO Doug Parker said. He sold (the easement) for below the appraised value, quite a bit below. Webber Ranch has grasslands, oak woodlands and mixed manzanita chaparral. It extends from a federal strip of land along U.S. Bureau of Reclamations Lake Berryessa reservoir east to the ridge that forms the Napa/Yolo counties line, to Bureau of Land Management land that is part of Berryessa Snow Mountain National Monument. Napa County is famous for grapes, but also has cattle ranches, particularly in the east county. Livestock is listed second in value to fruit-and-nut crops in the 2017 Napa County crop report, though a distant second the fruit-and-nut crops category that includes grapes had a $751 million value and livestock $3.4 million. Myth No. 4: You can prevent Alzheimer's disease by brain training. The idea that exercises and discipline can ward off the worst is understandably seductive. "Brain training can reduce dementia risk," declared a 2017 Cognitive Vitality headline. SeniorLiving.org also proposes that such games can "prevent dementia" and "help avert the onset of cognitive impairments among older adults." But there is no credible scientific evidence indicating that commercially available brain training programs will slow the mind's march toward Alzheimer's. Practice on a specific game might help an older person achieve the performance of a younger person on that game, but this will not reverse brain aging. There is, nevertheless, a fierce debate among cognitive neuroscientists as to whether various forms of brain training result in limited benefits to general memory function or improved performance in everyday life. On balance, an exhaustive review of the evidence by a group of scientists led by Dan Simon at the University of Illinois concluded that for the overall public, the benefits of mass-marketed brain training are nonexistent or small. Myth No. 5: Smelling peanut butter can help diagnose Alzheimer's. The report notes that in the July statement, Comey said no reasonable prosecutor would have gone after Clinton based on the evidence. The report makes it clear that Comey did not consult with the Department of Justice before making his statement. The report further says that Comey should have taken his statement to the attorney general before making it. After all, Comey wasnt then a prosecutorhe was FBI director, which meant he was only in charge of investigations, not prosecutions. The report says this action of Comeys was insubordinate. This infraction might sound minor, because Comey was also a career prosecutor. But it isnt. Its the voice of the Department of Justice saying that all the rules need to be followed, including the one that says the director of the FBI is answerable to the attorney general when it comes to prosecutions. Thats how the rule of law gets justified and normalized. Once Comey had gone on record once, he had to do it again when the Anthony Weiner investigation seemed to reveal more Clinton emails. This, too, was likely an act aimed at avoiding politicization. Comey thought Clinton would win, and didnt want it said that he had withheld the fact of the reopening the investigation after he had publicly said there was nothing worth prosecuting. Will we ever get back to a time and place when its actually acceptable to have a difference of opinion without ones sanity, motives or even personal and professional integrity being called into question? My viewpoints and messages are respectfully delivered, and never as an expert opinion. My voice will never project as the loudest in the room, debate or argument. To assist me in coming to a conclusion to support Napa Oaks, first as an individual and later as the Napa Chamber of Commerce considered the project, I sat in on a countless number of individual and group meetings with elected officials, housing coalitions/organizations, economic development experts, local business members and leaders, developers, hospitality/tourism industry executives, and wine industry members. The topic of housing needs is always the overlying factor, but its often too difficult to get past the argumentative segment of the discussion: what type should be our priority? Workforce? Affordable? Urban? Single-family? At what costs and whose expense? Who is going to build it and where? What mix of housing types do we need so we have a diverse inventory for anyone who wants to live here? Can we get the local government cooperation necessary to make a project possible? Can we get the support of the community? As a member of the Napa Housing Coalition I was originally pleasantly surprised at Travis Stanleys column representing the Chambers position on housing until I read the entire article ("Napa Chamber: Housing, housing and more housing in Napa," June 13). He began by talking about the Napa housing crisis and how it impacts the members of the Chamber. Although he mentions affordable housing, attracting a workforce, and the needs of single family housing, the article quickly becomes an advertisement for the Napa Oaks project, where housing prices start at $1.2 million. If this project is approved it would be similar to the Register Square homes with more than 50 percent sold as second homes and prices starting at $800,000. Napa needs housing that is affordable for hotel employees, restaurant staff, farmworker families, and sales staff to keep open all of the great tasting rooms, restaurant and hotels that we now have. As a major business organization in Napa, the Chamber should become involved with advocating for all levels of housing, instead of promoting a project that most of their members and employees could never afford. Azerbaijan soldiers complete Mountain Commandos training in Turkey Lawyer explains why Armenia police broke into Goris mayor blocs election headquarters Armenia local elections: Voter turnout at 15.97% as of 2pm Armenia police break into mayor Arush Arushanyan bloc headquarters in Goris on local election day Georgia parliament delegation to head for Turkey on official visit Armenia police apprehend "Arush Arushanyan" bloc candidate for Goris city council Russian-Egyptian military exercise to be held in Egypt Hurricane Pamela leaves at least 9,000 victims in Nayarit state of Mexico Bill Clinton expected to be discharged from hospital on Sunday Armenia local elections: Voter turnout in Dilijan at 8.43% as of 11am Armenia local elections: Shirak Province voter turnout unprecedentedly low as of 11am 65 Italy cities holding second round of local elections Iran tanker truck falls into gorge in Armenia, driver get stuck in cabin Armenia local elections: Syunik Province voter turnout as of 11am announced 1,697 new cases of COVID-19 confirmed in Armenia 17 American Christian missionaries, their families kidnapped in Haiti China surprises US intelligence with new hypersonic missile Armenia Iranologist: Iranian propaganda field has put Azerbaijan presidents regime in corner Large number of police forces brought to Armenias Goris on eve of local elections US to release only Afghan in Guantanamo prison Armenia local elections underway Armenia ombudsman: Azerbaijanis opened fire at Yeraskh village (VIDEO) WHO recommends third COVID-19 vaccine UN Secretary General calls on all parties in CAR to support ceasefire Arabian coalition announces elimination of more than 160 Houthis as result of strikes in Yemen Two resistance commanders killed in Afghanistan NATO Special Representative to visit Armenia, Georgia and Azerbaijan Situation with COVID-19 discussed at Pashinyan's Bali earthquake kills 3 people UN court hearings on Armenia against Azerbaijan is over Expert: War and defeat should be a shock shock that will stimulate the formation of a new elite US authorities offer compensation to relatives of those killed in impact of drone in Kabul Erdogan and Merkel quarrel over forms of government Russia, US and Israel agree to hold meeting of heads of Security Councils 65-year-old man killed in Armenias Tavush province Armenia reports 1,863 COVID-19 new cases ISIS claims responsibility for Afghan mosque bombing Quake hits Kuril Islands Japanese PM allows possibility of preemptive strikes on enemy bases Armenia launches case of attack on military posts by Azerbaijani army and attempt to murder 6 Karabakh soldiers Ruben Vardanyan: I'm involved in politics, but I'm not seeking power, I'm ready to lose it all in Russia and Armenia Karabakh Defense Army: News spread on social networks about shelling near Harav village inaccurate Ilham Aliyev blames Iranians and Armenians for alleged collapse of mosques in Nagorno-Karabakh Karabakh Ombudsman: Azerbaijani Armed Forces fired a few gunshots in sector of military posts near Harav village Armenia Deputy PM Suren Papikyan discusses North-South Energy Corridor with Russian counterpart Armenia PM proposes to strengthen trilateral mechanisms to investigate incidents and adhere to ceasefire Russian academician: Erdogan understands that direct confrontation with Russia may be fatal Opposition 'Armenia' alliance issues statement Bill Clinton recovering from infection in hospital US to lift curbs for vaccinated foreign travelers starting November 8 Karabakh President spokesperson: Situation on Artsakh-Azerbaijan line of contact stable, not counting provocation Iran MFA responds to Aliyev's allegations Opposition 'Armenia' faction receives leaders of Karabakh's parliamentary factions Armenia Parliament Deputy Speaker receives leaders of Karabakh legislature's factions Taliban announce creation of Supreme Court in Afghanistan Armenia ex-defense minister Davit Tonoyan to not be released Armenia Justice Ministry: Officials aren't mandated to get COVID-19 vaccine because they can't be relieved of posts Voytolovsky: Any escalation of conflict in Nagorno-Karabakh will require direct involvement of peacekeepers Digest: Latest on Azerbaijani fire near Artsakh border, more on injured soldier's health condition Armenia Ombudsman: Azerbaijanis deliberately set 8,000 ha of grass of Yeraskh villager on fire with gunshots Yerevan Investigation Department of Armenia Investigative Committee has new head Russian academician: Yerevan has never recognized Artsakh and has not addressed Russia for assistance Lavrov: Armenia's leadership is interested in plan to open Russian schools Karabakh FM pays working visit to Russian Federation, holds meetings Voytolovsky describes consequences of deterioration of Russian-Turkish relations for Yerevan and Baku Pashinyan: Armenia ready to hand over minefield maps to Azerbaijan in exchange for captives Artsakh State Minister: Only one of 6 soldiers wounded yesterday is in severe condition (PHOTOS) Ambassador: Russia is, in practice, the only country that stood by Armenia's side last year Lukashenko calls on Armenia, Azerbaijan not to turn CIS into platform for clarifying separate matters Armenia premier: Many not only do not believe in but also do not want peace, stability in region Armenia MOD: Azerbaijan fires at Yeraskh, resident's barn and haystacks burning Karabakh MFA: Azerbaijan policy is terrorism Armenia PM: Yerevan-Baku peace talks must resume under OSCE Minsk Group auspices Artsakh ombudsman: Recorded incident another proof that Azerbaijan theses on peaceful coexistence are false Russian Orthodox Church to establish diocese in Armenia Armenia PM: South Caucasus is on threshold of major transformations Armenia's Pashinyan: Russia and its president played a crucial role in stopping 44-day war in Karabakh Armenian and Belarusian FMs touch upon bilateral cooperation agenda in detail Putin: Russia peacekeepers are guarantors of ceasefire in Karabakh Armenia MFA highlights undertaking necessary steps through mediation of Russian peacekeepers Pashinyan: Armenia ready to start border delimitation, demarcation with Azerbaijan Karabakh prosecutor's office: Provocative actions from Azerbaijan outpost only 400m away had started Wednesday Azerbaijan uses drone yesterday, Artsakhs President spokesperson says Night passes calmly in Harav, Norshen villages of Karabakh after Azerbaijan shooting PAUL Armenia will be located at a historical building in Yerevan: details of the long-awaited project have been released Armenia ombudsman: There were Azerbaijan attacks also at Harav village, some other Artsakh civilian settlements 1,765 new cases of COVID-19 confirmed in Armenia Artsakh MOD: Azerbaijan armed forces opened fire on Defense Army sanitary vehicle Part of downtown Paris is named after Armenia PM: Armenia highly values development, deepening of friendly relations with Austria Monumentwatch.org: Azerbaijani roads, endangered Armenian cultural heritage Newspaper: Imprisoned Armenia community leaders will remain in prison even if re-elected Newspaper: Russia peacekeepers concerned about rate of emigration from Artsakh Karabakh state minister: Wounded soldiers surgeries went successfully FM: There will be no large-scale war as long as Russian peacekeepers are in Artsakh Karabakh defense army: Armenian side has no positional, territorial losses Artsakh State Minister: Situation has stabilized along entire line of contact (PHOTOS) Karabakh Defense Army: Situation along entire length of line of contact relatively stable at this moment The Japanese government has expressed its regret over Russias upcoming military exercise, scheduled as reported on Iturup Island (part of the Southern Kuril Islands challenged by Japan), Japans Yomiuri daily said on Sunday, adding that the Russian Foreign Ministry had been notified via the Japanese Embassy in Moscow, TASS reported. According to this report, the Russian side has dismissed Tokyos statement, stressing that the exercise is held within Russias borders. Tass has failed to get Japanese Foreign Ministrys comments on the issue. The newspaper says the Russian side notified the Japan Coast Guard on June 14 of its upcoming missile-firing exercises on Iturup, due on June 18-21. The agency is said to have warned shipping companies and fishermen of the military drill. On June 11, the Japanese government said it had lodged protest against Russias laying a fiber optic cable to the Southern Kuril Islands, which Tokyo calls its Northern Territories. Russia and Japan have been in talks to sign a peace treaty since the mid-20th century. The main stumbling block to achieving this is the ownership issue over the Southern Kuril Islands. After the end of World War II, the Kuril Islands were incorporated into the Soviet Union. However, the ownership of Iturup, Kunashir, Shikotan Islands and the Habomai Islands is being challenged by Japan. Russias Foreign Ministry has stated many times that Russias sovereignty over the islands is beyond doubt. In 1956, the Soviet Union and Japan signed a joint declaration on ending the state of war, but no peace treaty has been signed so far. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said at a weekly government session on Sunday that he had told Russian President Vladimir Putin and US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo that Israel would be taking action against the military presence of Iran on the whole territory of Syria, TASS reported. "At the end of the week, I spoke with Russian President Vladimir Putin and US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo. I reiterated our main principles towards Syria - first of all, Iran must leave the territory of Syria. Secondly, we will be taking measures and we are already taking action against efforts to establish the military presence of Iran and its satellites close to the border [with Israel] and deep in Syria". "We will act against these efforts in any part of Syria," the prime ministers office quoted him as saying. On Friday, the Kremlin press service said Vladimir Putin and Benjamin Netanyahu discussed over the phone the situation in Syria and joint steps to ensure security on the Syrian-Israeli border, the Kremlin press service said on Friday. "The sides discussed the situation in Syria in the context of joint efforts on ensuring security in the area of the Syrian-Israeli border," the Kremlin press service said in a statement after the phone conversation. The two leaders "expressed readiness to bolster coordination on Syria, including the issues of countering international terrorism." Blockchain The chief executive officer of one of Africas biggest and diversified financial and insurance company, Alexander Forbes, has told CCN that there are benefits in deploying blockchain technology in corporate operations. The companys chief executive officer, Andrew Darfoor, told CCN in Harare on Friday that blockchain is an exciting technological platform that the company is investigating and assessing. Several other African companies, as well as the South African government, have already made advances on blockchain, considered key for its decentralized management nature which experts say helps with transparency. Darfoor said in an interview with CCN in Harare: Blockchain is something that we are investigating and we are assessing it. I think blockchain has benefits but I think its a broader digital strategy. Alexander Forbes is listed in South Africa and has operations in that country as well as in Botswana, Namibia, Kenya, Nigeria and Zambia among others. It has just received regulatory approvals after acquiring a significant stake in an actuarial company in Zimbabwe. South Africa has just completed a blockchain trial for the banking sector which was undertaken by the countrys reserve bank. It determined that about 70,000 transactions processed through the automated settlement system can be completed within two hours at an average of two seconds. The trial of blockchain deployment by the Reserve Bank of South Africa has buoyed other players in the country. For Alexander Forbes, blockchain can be a game changer and it has set up an innovation team to work on technological platforms and possible deployment across its operations and across its South African and rest of Africa markets. The innovation team will investigate blockchain usage and adoption alongside other digital platforms as well as Artificial Intelligence and data interrogation. We have created a group innovation team that looks at all channels, digital, AI, data interrogation. We have created a new team thats assessing this technology and how we need to evolve our business, added Darfoor. Story continues There is growing interest in blockchain and cryptocurrencies in Africa and markets running from Zimbabwe to Kenya and into West Africa are buzzing with advances towards utilizing the platform. According to a report by Global Risk Insights, the most important factors that have influenced the development of Africas cryptocurrency and blockchain markets include its large informal sector. However, companies also dealing with formally employed professionals are also seeing opportunities for usage of blockchain and adoption of cryptocurrencies. Featured image from Shutterstock. The post Blockchain Has Benefits for African Markets, Says Alexander Forbes CEO appeared first on CCN. French Montana has become an official US citizen. The 33-year-old rapper - whose real name is Karim Kharbouch - first applied for naturalisation, a process which grants foreign citizens the right to live, work and access to various benefits in America on a permanent basis, back in February 2017. And, although it's been a long time coming, French took to his Instagram story last night (14.06.18) to confirm that he's now received the completed paperwork. In the video, he held up his right hand and sang his own rendition of the US National Anthem and captioned the clip: "Officially a citizen today. Thank you Allah." And his celebrations didn't stop there as he later ended up in a nightclub. French was born in Morocco and immigrated to the United States when he was 13 with his family. He spent most of his later childhood living in Bronx, New York, but found himself travelling between states the more his rap career excelled. Although he's clearly over the moon that he's now an official US citizen, French has always made it his mission to stay true to his roots through his charity work. He travelled to Uganda back in 2017 to film his 'Unforgettable' video and admitted the sights he saw there really opened his eyes to the extreme poverty abroad. He said: "My life changed forever after my trip to Uganda. And I am excited to continue engaging my fans to use their voices to advocate for universal health coverage and education for those living in extreme poverty." I appreciate her for always visiting these camps and using her star power to always bring awareness to the refugee crisis. <3 Also, I absolutely love the film she had a hand in producing called Breadwinner about a young girl in Afghanistan. (It's on Netflix, everyone should watch it. It's a beautiful film!) Reply Thread Link Bless this actual angel tbh, doing more with her profile than any other A-lister <333 I'm sure Brad will churn out enough trash 'leaked source' PR grab to some tabloid news outlet any minute now. Meanwhil Angie continues saving us all. Reply Thread Link Brad paints and feels sorry for himself and she does this stuff and has for almost 20 years Reply Thread Link listening to the nyt's caliphate podcast has really been eye opening to me with regards to mosul and the degree to which those people have suffered Reply Thread Link Really cool of her to do all this. She's so passionate and thats awesome, how sad for brad Reply Thread Link The shots of her looking distressed while surrounded by rubble gross me out. So do the comments using refugees to prop her up against Brad. Reply Thread Link same Reply Parent Thread Link yup Reply Parent Thread Link theres a housewife (bethenny frankel) who went to PR and now guatemala and idk maybe im an asshole but it made me kinda uncomfy that she was sharing graphic fotos on her insta. im not necessarily shitting on her, but i distrust white people who go to our countries...they even showed another housewife say some really gross shit about haiti, "ah they cant be helped so whats the point" i like angie but i defintiely get what you mean Reply Parent Thread Link I hear you. It's so normalized that it is acceptable. Unfortunately Angelina's white savior complex is beyond criticism for most people. Reply Parent Thread Expand Link Hmmm I followed what Bethany did and I felt she was coming from a good place bc she was flying supplies in as opposed to donating some money and bragging on it *also bc PR is part of the US, I feel like thats what people should have been doing as Americans Edited at 2018-06-17 10:39 pm (UTC) Reply Parent Thread Expand Link This is a really important issue and it's good that she is focusing on it, but it's pretty convenient timing for a photo op right after Brad leaked negative info about their custody battle. I think she really cares about refugees, but let's not pretend that she doesn't use her charity work for her own PR as well. Reply Thread Link She's been doing the work long before Brad. Not everything in her world revolves around some petty battle with her ex. She's not some trashy Kardashian. Edited at 2018-06-17 06:17 pm (UTC) Reply Parent Thread Link she celebrates every year by engaging in un activities and camp visits a bit of google would help disper your doubt. Reply Parent Thread Link also , you dont get to go to iraq in a week ;-) it is not like london or new york Reply Parent Thread Link I really doubt that a trip like this happens on a whim. This has to have been planned for a lot longer than the latest burst of news stories. Reply Parent Thread Link World Refugee Day is coming up and every year she does trips and speeches like that. So I doubt she heard the negative press and planned this entire trip and photos. Reply Parent Thread Link lol, spare me. she's been doing this for decades. Reply Parent Thread Link i love all the work she does for people in need. all hollywood bullshit aside, she's always been constant with that. Reply Thread Link Some of those comments are a mess. Not everything is pr, not when she's been doing this constantly for the past ten years. It's good that she uses her star power for things like this. I admire her for that. Reply Thread Link lmao some of you truly are pathetic. Angelina has been doing this type work for over a decade yet you lazy ass bitches love to claim it's pr when i'm sure the most you ever did is hand a quarter to the homeless dude sitting on the sidewalk of the starbucks you go to. Not everything is PR and just bc pictures are being taken it doesn't mean she's not doing actual work. Quit being a bunch of bitter assholes. Reply Thread Link It's truly pathetic. Because women ALWAYS do things to spite their ex! Reply Parent Thread Link Im not really sure how this has anything to do with taking shots at Brad iirc, this is a big part of what got them together bc he followed her about the world and I remember right before mr and mrs Smith, he was in an African country and he had such joy on his face being surrounded by the children so I wasnt surprised that he ended up having 6 kids with Angelina Also brad has a foundation that builds affordable eco friendly homes for people that he began after Katrina and it has expanded to other cities besides New Orleans Reply Thread Link Ive been an Angelina fan for a while but Im still side eyeing her taking on the role of Mariane Pearl I dont get how anyone sees the whole brad and her thing as her being a saint and him being a devil They both seem like hot messes and need to get it together for the kids Reply Thread Link The 630 migrants whose rescue sparked a major migration row in Europe arrived in the Spanish port of Valencia on Sunday after a turbulent week that saw Italy and Malta turn them away. The Aquarius, which has been at the centre of the crisis, sailed into Valencia harbour about 10:30 am (0830 GMT) with 106 migrants on board to applause from police, health workers and translators waiting on the pier. Under blue skies, migrants danced and sang, their excitement captured in footage released on Twitter by SOS Mediterranee which operates the rescue vessel with Doctors Without Borders (MSF). The remaining migrants arrived on an Italian coastguard ship, the Dattilo, and an Italian navy vessel, the Orione. They had been transferred from the Aquarius to make the voyage safer and more comfortable. Medical staff wearing white overalls, gloves and masks went on board the three ships to carry out initial checks before the migrants disembarked in groups of 20. They were welcomed by a team of more than 2,000 people, including 470 translators and 1,000 Red Cross volunteers who distributed blankets, clothes and hygiene kits. High waves and winds had forced the convoy to take a detour on its 1,500-kilometre (930-mile) voyage to Spain. "It is the end of a far-too-long voyage," said the head of MSF Spain, David Noguera. - 'Lost moral compass' - At the port, a huge banner was hung up saying "Welcome home" in various languages including Arabic. Among the passengers are 450 men and 80 women -- at least seven of them pregnant -- as well as 89 adolescents and 11 children under the age of 13, figures released by the Valencian authorities show. The majority are from Africa. A total of 144 migrants were taken to hospital for treatment -- mainly for scratches and burns -- and only six were expected to stay overnight, the regional government of Valencia said in a statement. The migrants were given three forms to fill out, one to ask to stay in Spain for 45 days, one to ask for asylum in Spain and another to ask for asylum in France, according to Noguera. Carmen Moreno, a doctor and Red Cross volunteer who helped look after the migrants after they disembarked, said they were "very excited and hopeful". "They also look tired," she told AFP. The Aquarius rescued the migrants off Libya's coast last weekend but Italy's new populist government and Malta both refused to let it dock, accusing each other of failing to meet their humanitarian and EU commitments. Spain eventually stepped in and agreed to receive the refugees as a "political gesture" to "oblige Europe to forge a common policy to a common problem," Foreign Minister Josep Borrell said. France said Saturday it would welcome Aquarius migrants who meet the criteria for asylum. "The situation cannot repeat itself. The inaction of Europe is criminal," SOS Mediterranee cofounder Sophie Beau told a news conference in Valencia. MSF emergency coordinator Karline Kleijer said the affair shows "how Europe has lost its moral compass in the Mediterranean." "These men women and children fled poverty and wars," she told the same news conference. - 'Voyages of death' - The plight of the Aquarius has again highlighted the failure of EU member states to work together to deal with the influx of migrants since 2015. After Rome's decision to ban the Aquarius, Macron and Italian premier Giuseppe Conte met Friday and called for the EU to set up asylum processing centres in Africa to prevent "voyages of death". They also demanded "profound" changes to the EU asylum rules which put the migrant burden on their country of entry to Europe -- mainly Italy and Greece. Italy's far-right Interior Minister Matteo Salvini warned Saturday that other NGO operated rescue ships would also be banned from docking. He criticised other EU nations on Sunday for not taking their fair share of refugees, and hoped Spain would "receive 66,000 other (migrants) and that the Portuguese, the Maltese and others could also receive them". However, 42 migrants rescued this week by a US ship off Libya before being transferred to an Italian coastguard vessel already carrying 500 migrants would be allowed to land in Italy, media reported in Rome on Sunday. The USS Trenton also picked up 12 dead bodies during the rescue. Nearly 1,000 migrants arrived Friday and Saturday in the south of Spain, the third busiest gateway for migrants into Europe after Italy and Greece. On Sunday, 60 activists who marched from the French-Italian border town of Ventimiglia -- a bottleneck for migrants travelling north -- arrived in Paris where they joined around 2,000 protestors at a rally calling on Europe to do more to welcome migrants and refugees. RFE/RL Turkmen Service correspondent Soltan Achilova says she was accosted by two men over the weekend and punched in the chest, the latest in a long string of attacks on the 69-year-old journalist. The incident occurred on June 9 in the town of Yoloten on June 9, when she was visiting her relatives, Achilova said. She said she noticed a car following her when she was on her way to the home of her relatives' neighbor. When she left the neighbor's home 30 minutes later, two young men on bicycles blocked her way and demanded to know why she had taken pictures of their homes -- something she said she had not done. One of the men punched her in the chest and she fell down. The same day, local police impounded her relatives' car and said it would not be returned until she leaves Yoloten for the capital, Ashgabat, where she lives. Achilova says her relatives in Yoloten have been under pressure for a long time over her work for RFE/RL. Achilova, who has been reporting on the experiences of ordinary Turkmen residents with her photographs for years, has faced an onslaught of physical assaults by police, thugs, and other unidentified assailants. On May 9, Achilova was detained and threatened by security officers in Ashgabat when she was taking pictures of the flower-laying ceremony at the Eternal Flame near the Memorial Complex to victims of World War II. That incident came two days after Deputy Foreign Minister Vepa Hajiyev said at a hearing of the UN Human Rights Council on Turkmenistan in Geneva on May 7 that "the fact that Radio Liberty correspondents work freely in the country" proves that there is media freedom in Turkmenistan. RFE/RL President Thomas Kent, citing the violent attack on Achilova, condemned Hajiyev's statement on May 10, calling it "outrageous and offensive." Other RFE/RL reporters and contributors in Turkmenistan have faced physical attacks, threats, and prosecution on charges that critics say are groundless. The natural-gas-producing Central Asian country has been ruled with an iron fist by President Gurbanguly Berdymukhammedov since 2006, when he came to power following the death of longtime autocrat Saparmurad Miyazov. Posted Sunday, June 17, 2018 3:00 am The Polk County North Ward Museum will host a great depression-era coffee klatch from 1 to 4 p.m. Saturday, June 23. The event will offer attendees the chance to step back in time via food and exhibits. Come for a taste of treats of the past and tour the museum, North Wards Margaret Vest said. One particular treat will be an exhibit of friendship quilts from the era that will be on display. The quilts typically feature the names of the quilters inside a block or along the border, Vest said. They have Polk County roots and interesting stories of origin. For example, one quilt, which dates from about 1932, made a journey over the decades and eventually landed in a flea market on the Missouri-Iowa border, Vest said. A lady from Texas bought it and began investigating the names embroidered on the quilt. After tracing its origin to the Fair Play area, she donated the quilt to the museum, Vest said. Cost is $3 per person. Children 5 and under are free. For more information about the klatch, call the museum at 326-6850. The museum is at 201 W. Locust St. in Bolivar. Its regular summer hours are 1-4 p.m. Monday through Friday and 1-3 p.m. on the first and third Saturday of each month. Turning the ship before it hits the iceberg Conservative Ivan Duque won Colombia's presidential election Sunday after a campaign that turned into a referendum on a landmark 2016 peace deal with FARC rebels that he pledged to overhaul. Duque, 41, polled 54 percent to his leftist rival Gustavo Petro's 42 percent with almost all the votes counted, electoral authority figures showed. Petro, a leftist former mayor and ex-guerrilla, supports the deal. Tensions over the deal became apparent in the immediate aftermath of Duque's victory, after the president-elect lost no time in pledging "corrections" to the peace deal. "That peace we long for -- that demands corrections -- will have corrections, so that the victims are the center of the process, to guarantee truth, justice and reparation," Duque told supporters in his victory speech at his campaign headquarters. "The time has come to build real change," Duque said, promising a future for Colombians "of lawfulness, freedom of enterprise and equity," after decades of conflict. His vanquished opponent Petro promised to resist any fundamental changes to the deal. "Our role is not to be impotent and watch it being destroyed," he said. FARC, which disarmed and transformed into a political party after the peace deal but did not contest the election, immediately called on Duque to show "good sense" in dealing with the agreement. "What the country demands is an integral peace, which will lead us to the hoped-for reconciliation," the FARC said in a statement after Duque's presidential win. The former rebels also called for an early meeting with Duque. "One of the big questions here is what's going to happen with the peace process," analyst Yann Basset of the University of Rosario told AFP. "He has said he will not end the agreement, but that he will make modifications, and it's not very clear what these changes will be." - Momentous elections - "These are momentous elections," President Juan Manuel Santos, who will step down in August, said as he cast his ballot early in the day. "Let us continue to build a country at peace, a country of democracy, a country which we all hold dear and to which we all contribute." His efforts to end the war with the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) brought him the Nobel Peace Prize, though he is leaving office with record unpopularity in a country of 49 million people. The world's leading producer of cocaine, the Latin American country continues to battle armed groups vying for control of lucrative narco-trafficking routes in areas FARC once dominated. Duque's victory means he will be Colombia's youngest president since 1872. He comfortably won the first round last month, having campaigned on a pledge to rewrite the agreement signed by Santos. As he voted surrounded by his children, Duque said he wanted to make sure that those who commit crimes "pay for them." The former economist and first-term senator says he wants to keep ex-FARC rebels from serving in Congress. The agreement allowed the group to transform itself into a political party. Duque is buoyed by the backing of his popular mentor, former president and now senator Alvaro Uribe, whose two-term presidency from 2002-2010 was marked by all-out war on the FARC. Petro, 58, was the first leftist to reach a presidential runoff in Colombia, and believed his presence showed the South American country had shed its suspicions of the left, tainted by 50 years of conflict. "The need to change things is fundamental," he said after voting. "We are going to build a humane Colombia that is at peace, that is reconciled with itself." A former member of the disbanded M-19 guerrilla group, Petro had promised to implement the agreement with the FARC, whose 7,000 ex-combatants have struggled to return to civilian life. FARC leader Rodrigo Londono, known as Timochenko during the conflict, said: "With either one of the two (candidates), we cannot let down our guard." Highlighting Colombia's glaring inequalities during his campaign, Petro also said he would buy out land owned by the big agro-industrial companies and redistribute it to poor farmers. Polls closed at 4:00 pm (2100 GMT) after a day of peaceful voting. - 'We are in limbo' - "The biggest challenge will be to adopt a clear position on the peace agreement because, for the moment, we are in limbo," Fabian Acuna, professor of political science at Colombia's Javeriana University, told AFP. "It will be very costly to go backwards," Acuna warned. According to Andres Ortega of National University, Duque will "arrive with a very strong coalition in Congress," where the right swept the polls in March legislative elections. The FARC withdrew from the presidential elections, having suffered a drubbing in its first electoral contest as a political party in March, polling less than half a percent. It still gets 10 seats in Congress as a result of the peace agreement -- a clause Duque is intent on scrapping. Eva Ascon, is embraced by a family member as rescue workers search for her rest of her family at the affected by the Fuego volcano at San Miguel Los Lotes in Escuintla, Guatemala June 15, 2018. REUTERS/Carlos Jasso By Sofia Menchu GUATEMALA CITY (Reuters) - Guatemala on Sunday ended its victim search efforts in the zone that suffered most deaths and injuries from the Fuego volcano eruption, its disaster agency said. At least 110 people died and 197 are still missing after violent eruptions that began two weeks ago, according to disaster agency CONRED. "The search efforts are permanently suspended in the towns San Miguel Los Lotes and El Rodeo in the Escuintla municipality... the zone is uninhabitable and high risk," CONRED said in a statement on Sunday. The Fuego volcano, whose name means "Fire" in Spanish, is emitting four or five minor explosions daily and shooting columns of ash up to 15,420 feet (4,700 meters) above sea level, CONRED said. Escuintla is operating 12 shelters for nearly 2,800 people displaced from homes that were swallowed by ash and dirt, while more than 770 people are staying in shelters in nearby areas. Some survivors lost nearly all members of extended families after the volcano sent fast-moving currents of dust, lava and gas down its slopes in its greatest eruption in four decades. (Writing by Daina Beth Solomon; editing by Diane Craft) Migrants are seen after being rescued by MV Aquarius in the central Mediterranean Sea Migrants are seen after being rescued by MV Aquarius, a search and rescue ship run in partnership between SOS Mediterranee and Medecins Sans Frontieres in the central Mediterranean Sea, June 12, 2018. Karpov / SOS Mediterranee/Handout via REUTERS By Philip Pullella ROME (Reuters) - Italy on Saturday demanded that the Netherlands recall two Dutch-flagged migrant rescue ships after one of the non-governmental organisations that operate them called Rome's interior minister a fascist. A heated exchange erupted after interior minister Matteo Salvini told more foreign NGOs operating migrant rescue ships in the Mediterranean they could not dock in Italian ports. Salvini, who is also leader of the right-wing League and deputy prime minister, posted remarks on Facebook and Twitter in an escalating row with NGOs as one ship, the Aquarius, headed to Spain after being banned from Italian ports. Salvini has vowed to continue to block foreign humanitarian boats from Italian ports as Europe wrestles with how to share the responsibility of handling migrants trying to enter the EU from war zones and poor countries, largely across Africa and the Middle East. Salvini, who has emerged as the most outspoken member of Italy's two-week-old government, said on Facebook that two other foreign NGO ships, the Lifeline and the Seefuchs, were off the coast of Libya waiting to pick up migrants abandoned by human traffickers. "They should know that Italy no longer wants to be an accomplice in the business of illegal immigration and therefore they will have to aim for other, non-Italian, ports," Salvini said. Both ships fly Dutch flags. Italy says humanitarian NGOs are being exploited by human traffickers, a charge the NGOs deny. Rome says only migrants rescued by Italian ships can be brought to Italian ports. Following Salvini's Facebook post, one of the NGOs, Mission Lifeline, tweeted in German "When fascists promote us ..." An irritated Salvini tweeted back, saying "insults and threats will not stop us" and that Italians would run their own country. Hours later, Transport Minister Danilo Toninelli said on Twitter that "Holland should make them come home", saying the rescue missions were in violation of codes of conduct because they did not have adequate means or personnel and could endanger lives. Story continues Mission Lifeline tweeted that they are "in full respect" of conduct codes. The Dutch mission in Brussels said the ships were not on the Netherlands' official register. "But it does once again make poignantly clear this is an EU problem asking for an EU solution, the Dutch mission said. The Lifeline, when contacted by Reuters, said it was sailing under a Dutch flag and that it was not on the official Dutch register because it was a smaller ship. The website marinetraffic.com listed both ships as being Dutch and both now off the coast of Libya. The exchange of barbs took place a day after Italy and France tried to bury the hatchet following a diplomatic squabble over Rome's refusal to accept the Aquarius. The ship was off the coast of the Spanish island of Majorca on Saturday morning and was expected to arrive in Valencia on Sunday. It originally carried 629 migrants but some were later moved onto two Italian vessels escorting it to Spain. (Additional reporting by Phil Blenkinsop in Brussels; Editing by Ros Russell and Catherine Evans) The wild deer seen along the BKE following the accident on Sunday (17 June) morning. (PHOTO: Facebook video screengrab / Ruey Jin) An accident involving three vehicles and a wild deer took place along the Bukit Timah Expressway (BKE) early on Sunday (17 June) morning. Police said they were alerted to the incident which occurred after the Mandai Road exit in the direction of the Pan Island Expressway (PIE) at 4.40am. A 46-year-old male taxi driver was conveyed in a conscious state via ambulance to the Ng Teng Fong General Hospital, the police added. Yahoo News Singapore understands that the animal a sambar deer had been spotted along the BKE, which caused a motorcyclist to brake abruptly to avoid hitting it. This led the taxi and car travelling behind the motorcyclist to do the same. Video footage posted on social media showed the animal struggling to stand on the second lane of the BKE following the accident. A team from the Animal Concerns Research & Education Society (ACRES) also responded to the accident and, according to media reports, the injured animal was eventually subdued with the help of Wildlife Reserves Singapore staff members. ACRES deputy chief executive Kalai Vanan told The Straits Times that the deer, which was estimated to weigh about 150kg, was unlikely to survive due to its injuries. Investigations into the accident are ongoing, said the police. In February this year, another sambar deer was killed after it was hit by a vehicle along Mandai Road. 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Editorial of the Week... El Nino/La Nina Update... Toon of the Week... Quote of the Week... Coming Soon on SkS... Climate Feedback Reviews... SkS Week in Review... Poster of the Week... Story of the Week... Uncovering the Mental Health Crisis of Climate Change Source: Pexels The young man believed he only had five years to live. Not because he was sick, said Kate Schapira, not because anything was wrong with him, but because he believed that life on Earth would be impossible for humans. The sign on Schapiras booth read: CLIMATE ANXIETY COUNSELING 5 THE DOCTOR IS IN. Time to earn her pennies. On that muggy June day, she had set up shop in Kennedy Plaza in downtown Providence, Rhode Island. Schapira is not a trained therapist??a fact she makes clear to visitors??but she is happy to chat with anyone suffering from anxiety about climate change. A lot of what I do is listen and ask questions, she said. Over the coming decades, rising temperatures will fuel natural disasters that are more deadly than any seen in human history, destabilizing nations and sending millions to their death. Experts say that we need to prepare for a hotter, less hospitable world by building sea walls, erecting desalination plants and engineering crops that can withstand punishing heat and drought, but few have considered the defenses we need to erect in our minds. Some, like Shapira, have called for more talking, more counseling to process our grief. But will that be enough? Climate change will do untold violence to life on this planet, and we have remarkably few tools to deal with its emotional cost. Uncovering the Mental Health Crisis of Climate Change by Jeremy Deaton, Nexus Media, June 12, 2018 Editorial of the Week... Big Oil CEOs needed a climate change reality check. The pope delivered Good common sense speaks even more loudly when it comes from unexpected corners. Photograph: Andreas Solaro/AFP/Getty Images You kind of expect popes to talk about spiritual stuff, kind of the way you expect chefs to discuss spices or tree surgeons to make small talk about overhanging limbs. Which is why it was so interesting this week to hear Pope Francis break down the climate debate in very practical and very canny terms, displaying far more mathematical insight than your average world leader and far more strategic canniness than your average journalist. In fact, with a few deft sentences, he laid bare the hypocrisy that dominates much of the climate debate. The occasion was the gathering of fossil fuel executives at the Vatican, one of a series of meetings to mark the third anniversary of Laudato Si, his majestic encyclical on global warming. The meetings were closed, but by all accounts big oil put forward its usual anodyne arguments: any energy transition must be slow, moving too fast to renewable energy would hurt the poor by raising prices, and so forth. Big Oil CEOs needed a climate change reality check. The pope delivered, Opinion by Bill Mckibben, Comment is Free, Guardian, June 14, 2018 El Nino/La Nina Update... Well, well, well what have we here? Favorable conditions for El Nino to develop? The June ENSO forecast estimates a 50% chance of El Nino developing during the late summer or early autumn, and an approximately 65% chance of El Nino conditions in the winter, so forecasters have instituted an El Nino Watch. June 2018 ENSO Update: El Nino Watch! by Emily Becker, NOAA's Climate.gov, June 14, 2018 Toon of the Week... Quote of the Week... Graylings Commons speech did not even mention climate change, yet this omission attracted negligible attention until Lucas tweeted her incredulous dismay which, I suggest, tells us that most people now think one more runway will make no difference to climate change, but a massive difference to the UK economy. Might they be right? Lucas addresses her reply to the carpet between our chairs, like a pop star performing an old hit she cant believe anyone could still need to hear again. If you measured impact on climate change by each individual action then youd never be able to talk about the cumulative impact of a set of actions on the climate. We know aviation is one of the fastest growing sources of emissions; we know emissions at altitude are a lot more damaging to the climate than they are at ground level; we know that if Heathrow expands then its almost like an arms race between the different airports across Europe, because theyre all in a fight for passengers. But we keep being told we must not concede a competitive advantage to rival European airports. She counters wearily: If you were talking to campaigners in Charles de Gaulle [airport in Paris], theyd tell you theyre told exactly the same thing: dont concede defeat to London! Were all being pitted against one another in this incredibly dangerous race to the bottom. If we were to follow the logic of those people who think every time we build a runway our economy miraculously benefits, then why would you not just cover the whole country in concrete? Thats the logic of that argument. The bottom lines is that aviation is a very good example of why you cant say: Well have a demand-led approach because the demand will go on. I think there needs to be a mature conversation about limits to growth. I think we need to ask: growth for what? Growth for jobs? Growth for our kids to leave home and afford a mortgage and enjoy the living standards our parents took for granted? Growth that is not tackling inequality, she rejoins. Growth thats destroying the planet we depend on. Growth that we know, by simply measuring prosperity in terms of GDP growth, is an incredibly blunt instrument. GDP simply measures the circulation of money in the economy, not whether or not the outcome of using that money is positive or negative. A major pile up on the M5 is wonderful for growth, because it means people go out and buy more cars. But by any other measure of whats useful or helpful, a pile up on the M5 is bad news. Caroline Lucas on Heathrow and climate change: The apocalypse is happening, Saturday Interview by Decca Aitkenhead, Guardian, June 16, 2018 Coming Soon on SkS... Should we be worried about surging Antarctic ice melt and sea level rise? (Dana) (Dana) Wally Broeker: Father of Global Warming, in a Warning to his Granddaughter (greenman) (greenman) Life after PhD (Climatesight Kate) (Climatesight Kate) Guest Post (John Abraham) (John Abraham) New research this week (Ari) (Ari) 2018 SkS Weekly Climate Change & Global Warming News Roundup #25 (John Hartz) (John Hartz) 2018 SkS Weekly Climate Change & Global Warming Digest #25 (John Hartz) Climate Feedback Reviews... Washington Post article accurately describes latest estimate of accelerating Antarctic ice loss Climate Feedback asked a team of scientists to review the article, Antarctic ice loss has tripled in a decade. If that continues we are in serious trouble. by Chris Mooney, Energy & Environment, Washington Post, June 13, 2018 Four scientists analyzed the article and estimate its overall scientific credibility to be 'high'. A majority of reviewers tagged the article as: Accurate, Insightful Review Summary This article in The Washington Post describes an important study from a project called the Ice sheet Mass Balance Intercomparison Exercise (or IMBIE), which synthesized many existing records of Antarctic ice based on different types of measurements. The resulting estimate shows that Antarctica alone lost enough ice between 1992 and 2017 to raise global sea level by around 7.6 millimetersalmost 10% of the total sea level change over that time period. Scientists who reviewed the article found that it accurately summarized this result, while explaining some of the processes behind this mass loss and the sea level rise it produces. However, they note that future trends depend partly on complex natural variability, which the article could have made clear. Washington Post article accurately describes latest estimate of accelerating Antarctic ice loss, Edited by Scott Johnson, Climate Feedback, June 15, 2018 SkS Week in Review... Poster of the Week... At least five undocumented immigrants were killed Sunday when the sport utility vehicle they were traveling in crashed following a high-speed chase by border patrol agents. The crash took place in a south Texas town that is about 50 miles from the border. The crash happened off Highway 85 in Big Wells at around noon. The driver of the SUV appears to have lost control while it was traveling at more than 100 miles per hour. Border Patrol was chasing the Chevrolet Suburban when a sheriffs deputy took over the chase. The vehicle was traveling around 100 miles per hour and from what we could tell the vehicle ran off the road, caught gravel, then tried to recorrect and that caused the vehicle to turn over several times, Dimmet County Sheriff Marion Boyd told reporters. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement At HWY 85/Big Wells. This SUV carrying fourteen crashes trying to escape border patrol. 12 undocumented immigrants ejected. Four died on scene. Waiting to hear from officials. @News4SA @KABBFOX29 pic.twitter.com/BpAo4TmvPp David Caltabiano (@DavidCaltabiano) June 17, 2018 Several of the 14 people who were inside the SUV were ejected out of the vehicle as can be seen from a graphic video from the scene that a bystander posted to Facebook. Four people died on the highway and several others were flown to a hospital in nearby San Antonio. One of the injured died at the hospital. The driver, who was one of two U.S. citizens in the vehicle, was not ejected from the car and has been taken into custody. Boyd told reporters the driver was known as a human smuggler. The driver of this vehicle, we have handled before. We dealt with him last week, Boyd said. When reporters asked why Border Patrol began the chase in the first place, Boyd said, Its called good police work. Talks with the United States over how to reform the main U.N. rights body have failed to meet Washington's demands, activists and diplomats say, suggesting that the Trump administration will quit the Geneva forum whose session opens on Monday. A U.S. source, speaking on condition of anonymity, told Reuters the withdrawal appeared to be "imminent" but had no details. Diplomatic sources said it was not a question of if but of when the United States retreats from the Human Rights Council, which is holding a three-week session through July 6. A separate U.S. official in Geneva had no information about a looming pull-out during the upcoming talks, saying: "We are still moving ahead with our engagement for the coming session." Nikki Haley, the U.S. ambassador to the United Nations, publicly told the Council a year ago that Washington might leave the body unless a "chronic anti-Israel bias" were removed. The forum, set up in 2006, has a permanent standing agenda item on suspected violations committed by Israel in the occupied Palestinian territories, which Washington wants removed. Washington says the Council is stacked with opponents of Israel and boycotted it for three years under President George W. Bush before rejoining under Barack Obama in 2009. The 47-member forum last month voted to set up a probe into killings in Gaza and accused Israel of excessive use of force. The United States and Australia cast the only "no" votes. Israel's ambassador in Geneva, Aviva Raz Shechter, castigated the Council for "spreading lies against Israel". Lack of consensus Talks held in Geneva and in New York for months could not find consensus around a new agenda, according to activists and diplomats who have taken part. While the Trump administration has yet to announce a decision, any suspension or withdrawal would be the latest U.S. rejection of multilateral engagement after pulling out of the Paris climate agreement and the deal with world powers over Iran's nuclear program. Diplomats said it could also lead to Israel being even more isolated in the Human Rights Council and could bolster countries such as Cuba, Egypt, Pakistan and Russia who resist what they see as U.N. interference in sovereign issues. The European Union failed to find a common position, mainly due to Belgium's wish to keep violations in individual countries firmly on the agenda of each session, they said. The United States also wants to make it easier to kick off member states with egregious rights records. Haley has cited Venezuela, China and Saudi Arabia as violating standards. The Council has ongoing investigations into violations in hotspots including Myanmar, South Sudan, and Syria, with a view to gathering evidence that could lead to future prosecutions. Marc Limon, executive director of the think tank Universal Rights Group, said there were "rumors and mutterings" of a "political decision" having been taken in Washington to disengage. "They could either leave the seat empty, which could happen in June, or if withdrawing, formally notify the (U.N.) General Assembly," he told Reuters. Swiss Ambassador Valentin Zellweger said: "The decision by the Americans will have a profound impact on the Council. If they withdraw, we can expect significant consequences." This piece was originally published on Just Security, an online forum for analysis of U.S. national security law and policy. Can a sitting president be indicted? The public should be skeptical of arguments saying no, which frequently rely on two opinions by the Justice Departments Office of Legal Counsel (OLC). This office, in part through its opinions, provides legal advice to the executive branch. As legal counsel to the executive, OLC is naturally biased in favor of helping its client achieve its goals through legal analysis. Media coverage of this important question concerning presidential immunity, however, has largely failed to question the underlying rationales found in those OLC memos. And when it comes to preserving the rule of law and our constitutional system of checks and balances, OLC does not have the final word, and we should not treat its views as such. Advertisement The plain fact is that OLC, responsive to its own institutional incentives, sometimes gets things wrong. Its opinions legitimizing the CIAs torture program were later withdrawn because of errors. Its opinion that federal courts could not hear appeals from prisoners held at Guantanamo Bay was later rejected by a 2008 Supreme Court decision. Its opinion allowing government agencies to ignore requests for information from individual members of Congress was disavowed by the Trump administration at the urging of Sen. Chuck Grassley. Its opinion supporting warrantless mass surveillance absent any congressional or judicial approval was refuted by a later OLC opinion. And its opinion saying Congress cannot give federal employees whistleblower rights to provide the legislative branch with classified information was found unpersuasive by Congress. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement (We dont know how many OLC opinions would hold up to scrutiny, given the fact that many are kept secret. Right now, we at the Project on Government Oversight are in the process of challenging the OLC for withholding even the titles and dates of several recent unclassified opinions, which were redacted in response to our Freedom of Information Act request last year.) Advertisement There are reasons to believe OLC might be wrong about presidential indictments, too. The offices legal analysis largely relies on the assertion that a criminal indictment is so burdensome that a president subject to one would not be able to fulfill the offices constitutionally assigned dutiesand therefore cannot be indicted. To follow the opinions logic further, one could argue that any legal process that has the potential to substantially distract the president from his duties runs the risk of being unconstitutional. More specifically, as former White House Counsel Bob Bauer recently put it when discussing one of the OLC memos, the mere stigma related to the special counsels investigation would also harm the presidents ability to lead the nation: Advertisement if the special counsel submits to the Deputy Attorney General a damning conclusion about the presidents conduct, and Rosenstein elects to disclose it in the public interest, the public will know that, absent the special immunity crafted by OLC, the president would have been indicted. It is difficult to see how the president will have been spared to any significant degree the stigmatization and distraction that OLC believed would follow from indictment. Advertisement We agree with Bauers prediction that the likely outgrowth from the special counsels report would be a nearly endless series of distractions as indictments, pleas, and trials of related parties ensue, ensnaring the presidents responsibility for the countrys welfare in its crosshairs. Advertisement With this reality in mind, the arguments presented in the OLC memos immunizing the president from indictment would do little to quell the disruption to the office of the president. What would remain, however, is the appearance that the president is the most important constitutional role in our system and therefore must be protected even at the expense of the rule of law. Advertisement To uncritically accept OLC s opinion is to argue that the president can be above the law. The Supreme Court has held that a sitting president can be subject to lawsuits for actions unrelated to their official dutieseven though these can also be time-consuming. In its decision in Clinton v. Jones, the high court held that just because a legal case may significantly burden the time and attention of the Chief Executive is not sufficient to establish a violation of the Constitution if the case is brought. Moreover, one nonpublic OLC opinion notes that presidents have been subpoenaed to testify before grand juries since the days of Thomas Jefferson. Advertisement Regardless of whether the OLC opinions at the heart of this conversation are sound legal interpretation, we firmly reject the notion that the offices interpretation is the final word on the matter. Advertisement There may be countervailing concerns supporting presidential immunity from prosecutionbut is it appropriate for executive branch lawyers to get the last say on the question? To uncritically accept OLCs opinion is to argue that the president can be above the law in certain circumstances, contrary to the principles of our system of government. Should that viewwith its profound implicationsprevail without an independent body, such as a court, publicly weighing in? Our courts operate quite differently from the other two branches of government, with each side presenting legal and factual arguments before an independent tribunal that is beholden to the Constitution and not to a voting constituency or client. Accordingly, the public should remember that the third branch is a far more credible and independent venue for rendering a verdict on the proper balance of the competing legal equities at stake here than an office, headed by a presidential appointee, that has functioned as a legal enabler of the White House, even if in good faith. Because the judicial branch makes great effort to constrain its decision-making by only deciding cases or controversies, the courts have not yet examined the legality of President Trumps claim (or that of any of his predecessors) that he cannot be subpoenaed or indicted while in office. We may be fast approaching a reckoning on the limits of the presidents immunity from prosecution that will appropriately be reserved for the courts to decide, when the time comes. For now, its an open question. But to treat an executive branch memo which does not have the force of law as a final statement on the matter turns our system of checks and balances on its head. More From Just Security: The Department of Defenses Report on Civilian Casualties: A Step Forward in Transparency? The Complicated Truths of the DOJ IG Report Several Democrats decided to use Fathers Day to call attention to the practice of separating children from their families at the border amid growing outrage. A group of Democratic lawmakers from New York and New Jersey went to an immigration detention center on Sunday and talked to immigrants who had been separated from their families. The seven Democrats Reps. Frank Pallone, Albio Sires*, and Bill Pascrell of New Jersey and Reps. Jerrold Nadler, Carolyn Maloney, Hakeem Jeffries, and Adriano Espaillat of New York made the surprise visit to the Elizabeth Contract Detention facility in Elizabeth, N.J., where they had to wait for about an hour before finally being allowed inside. Advertisement Here w/ six other members of Congress including @RepJerryNadler @RepEspaillat at ICE detention facility in Elizabeth, NJ making surprise Fathers Day visit. They are refusing to let us in. We will #Resist #KeepingFamiliesTogether pic.twitter.com/gZ3zzKCDos Hakeem Jeffries (@RepJeffries) June 17, 2018 Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement It was shameful what we heard inside, Jeffries said. There was a father who spoke about his young daughter being ripped away from him at 3 a.m. in the morning. This is the indecency of this administration. This is the child abuse that the Trump administration is perpetrating. Pallone said none of the parents had been told where their children were taken. Advertisement Telling the stories of the detainees I just met with who have been ripped away from their families. @RealDonaldTrump has no shame. pic.twitter.com/JBqprFRLKV Rep. Frank Pallone (@FrankPallone) June 17, 2018 Of the five men the lawmakers met who were arrested on the border with Mexico and are seeking asylum, two had their young children taken away from them and another was separated from his seven-year-old brother. Its pretty heart wrenching what I saw in there, Sires said. I came to this country when I was 11 years old, thats not the country that I can remember thats in there. Advertisement Protests outside the ICE detention center in Elizabeth continue to swell as I and my House colleagues tour the facility. Americans are fed up with the Trump administration's cruelty. #FathersDay #FamiliesBelongTogther pic.twitter.com/ZeKPm6h44D Bill Pascrell, Jr. (@BillPascrell) June 17, 2018 Advertisement The group of lawmakers called on the White house to stop separating families at the border. This must not be must not be who we are as a nation, Nadler said. That is why we have come here today, in the shadow of the Statue of Liberty, to stand with those who merely seek refuge in our country. Advertisement Other Democrats also used the day to speak up against family separation. Former president Bill Clinton was one of the many who took to Twitter to send a different kind of Fathers Day message. On this Fathers Day Im thinking of the thousands of children separated from their parents at the border, Bill Clinton wrote. These children should not be a negotiating tool. Advertisement On this Fathers Day Im thinking of the thousands of children separated from their parents at the border. These children should not be a negotiating tool. And reuniting them with their families would reaffirm Americas belief in & support for all parents who love their children. Bill Clinton (@BillClinton) June 17, 2018 Advertisement The former president got support from Hillary Clinton who retweeted his message with one word: YES! Advertisement Advertisement Chelsea Clinton also joined the family affair and sent her own tweet calling attention to the issue. I also could not imagine being forcibly separated from my children as I sought sanctuary. No parent, no person should support this, she wrote. On #FathersDay & every day, I could not imagine a better dad for Charlotte & Aidan than Marc. I also could not imagine being forcibly separated from my children as I sought sanctuary. No parent, no person should support this: https://t.co/uUNs6yFklD Chelsea Clinton (@ChelseaClinton) June 17, 2018 Advertisement The Clintons were only part of a string of Democrats who used Twitter to call attention to the issue, many using the hashtag #FathersDayofAction. This #FathersDay, the Trump Administration is CHOOSING to forcibly separate children from their parents who are legally seeking asylum. I repeat, there is NO LAW requiring this, Sen. Bob Menendez wrote. Advertisement Advertisement This #FathersDay, the Trump Administration is CHOOSING to forcibly separate children from their parents who are legally seeking asylum. I repeat, there is NO LAW requiring this. #FathersDayofAction #FamilesBelongTogether pic.twitter.com/WVIIhJNXVO Senator Bob Menendez (@SenatorMenendez) June 17, 2018 Advertisement Advertisement This Fathers Day, I cant stop thinking about the children being separated from their parents by the Trump administration, wrote Sen. Chris Murphy. This Father's Day, I can't stop thinking about the children being separated from their parents by the Trump administration. It's time for Congress to pass the #KeepFamiliesTogether Act to put a stop to this inhumane policy. Add your name if you agree: https://t.co/qvSKayrjHh Chris Murphy (@ChrisMurphyCT) June 17, 2018 Longtime Donald Trump associate Roger Stone had vehemently denied it. Ive never been to Russia. I didnt talk to anybody who was identifiably Russian during the two-year run-up to this campaign, he told the Washington Post last year. I very definitely cant think of anybody who might have been a Russian without my knowledge. Its a canard. Stone, an infamous political operator who was key to Trumps decision to run for president, also pushed the same message in testimony before the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence. Advertisement Turns out, those denials werent quite accurate. Stone did in fact meet with a Russian in late May 2016. The man, who went by the name Henry Greenberg, offered Stone damaging information about Hillary Clinton in exchange for $2 million, he told the Washington Post. Stone says he flat out rejected the offer. You dont understand Donald Trump, Stone claims he said. He doesnt pay for anything. The meeting had been arranged by Michael Caputo, an official in Trumps communications team. The two exchanged some text messages after the meeting. How crazy is the Russian? Caputo wrote. Stone wrote that Greenberg wanted big money for information, waste of time, he added. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Both Caputo and Stone claim they simply forgot about the meeting because it was so inconsequential. But it has reemerged as an apparent point of interest in special counsel Robert Muellers investigation into Russian meddling in the 2016 presidential campaign. This latest known contact means at least 11 Trump associates had contact with a Russian during the campaign or transition. Rather than admit any wrongdoing though, both Caputo and Stone now say it is clear to them that Greenberg had been part of an elaborate FBI sting operation by agents who wanted to stop Trump from becoming president. Advertisement In court documents, Greenberg said he worked as an FBI informant for 17 years. But there is no evidence that he was actually working for the FBI at the time of his meeting with Stone and a separate court filing claims he stopped his gigs with the feds after 2013. Greenberg also denied he was working for the FBI at the time of the meeting. Trump allies quickly moved to downplay the story. In an interview Sunday, Rudy Giuliani said he doubts Trump knew about the meeting between Stone and the Russian national. I doubt it. I certainly didnt know about it. Its news to me, Giuliani said on CNN. It seems to me, however, whatever the differing recollections about this, it sort of gets resolved with the fact that Stone did nothing about it. Advertisement President Donald Trump is angry. In a Sunday morning tweetstorm, the commander in chief made it clear he is quite upset that he isnt getting the credit that he thinks he deserves for the deal that he reached with North Korean dictator Kim Jong-un. Pushing back on the narrative that the suspension of joint military exercises with South Korea was a big win for Kim, Trump said it was actually his idea. Holding back the war games during the negotiations was my request because they are VERY EXPENSIVE and set a bad light during a good faith negotiation, Trump wrote. Also, quite provocative. The president emphasized the exercises can start up immediately if talks break down. Advertisement Holding back the war games during the negotiations was my request because they are VERY EXPENSIVE and set a bad light during a good faith negotiation. Also, quite provocative. Can start up immediately if talks break down, which I hope will not happen! Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) June 17, 2018 Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement That was one of a series of tweets in which Trump complained of the lack of credit he is receiving for a deal that is being praised and celebrated all over Asia. But in the United States, some people would rather see this historic deal fail than give Trump a win, even if it does save potentially millions & millions of lives! Advertisement The denuclearization deal with North Korea is being praised and celebrated all over Asia. They are so happy! Over here, in our country, some people would rather see this historic deal fail than give Trump a win, even if it does save potentially millions & millions of lives! Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) June 17, 2018 The president also directed a tweet toward Senate Minority Leader Charles Schumer, who has been critical of the agreement saying that it had no real substance. Are you sure you got that right? No more nuclear testing or rockets flying all over the place, blew up launch sites, the president tweeted. Hostages already back, hero remains coming home & much more! Advertisement Chuck Schumer said the Summit was what the Texans call all cattle and no hat. Thank you Chuck, but are you sure you got that right? No more nuclear testing or rockets flying all over the place, blew up launch sites. Hostages already back, hero remains coming home & much more! Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) June 17, 2018 Advertisement The president sent his tweets amid expectation that South Korea and the United States will be announcing the suspension of large-scale military drills later this week. South Korean news agency Yonhap reported Sunday that the deal would specify that the drills could restart if North Korea fails to keep its promise of moving toward denuclearization. Even if theyre willing to agree to it now, there seems to be a consensus that both South Korea and the Pentagon were thrown off guard by the announcement. Even though Defense Secretary James Mattis has officially said he was not surprised by the move, analysts arent so sure that feeling is shared throughout the Pentagon. Robert Gilpin, R.I.P. - The Washington Post : His greatest book was written in 1981, but the main theory in it is perhaps more trenchant now... American Consumer News, LLC dba MarketBeat 2010-2021. All rights reserved. 326 E 8th St #105, Sioux Falls, SD 57103 | U.S. Based Support Team at contact@marketbeat.com | (844) 978-6257 MarketBeat does not provide personalized financial advice and does not issue recommendations or offers to buy stock or sell any security. Our Accessibility Statement | Terms of Service | Do Not Sell My Information 2021 Market data provided is at least 10-minutes delayed and hosted by Barchart Solutions. Information is provided 'as-is' and solely for informational purposes, not for trading purposes or advice, and is delayed. To see all exchange delays and terms of use please see disclaimer. Fundamental company data provided by Zacks Investment Research. Telstra Corporation Limited provides telecommunications and information services to businesses, governments, and individuals in Australia and internationally. It operates in four segments: Telstra Consumer and Small Business, Telstra Enterprise, Networks and IT, and Telstra InfraCo. The company offers telecommunication products, services, and solutions across mobiles, fixed and mobile broadband, telephony and Pay TV/IPTV, and digital content; and online self-service capabilities, as well as operates inbound and outbound call centers, owned and licensed Telstra shops, and the Telstra dealership network. It also provides sales and contract management; and product management services for data and Internet protocol networks, mobility services, and network applications and services products, such as managed network, unified communications, cloud, industry solutions, and integrated services and monitoring. In addition, the company engages in the development of industry vertical solutions; planning, design, engineering architecture, and construction of Telstra networks, technology, and information technology solutions; and delivering network technologies. Further, it provides telecommunication products and services through its networks and related support systems to other carriers, carriage service providers, and Internet service providers; access to fixed network infrastructure assets; disconnection services; and network services under the Infrastructure Services Agreement and commercial contracts, as well as holds fixed network infrastructure, including data centers, non-mobiles related domestic fiber, copper, HFC cable, international subsea cables, exchanges, poles, ducts, and pipes. The company was formerly known as Australian and Overseas Telecommunications Corporation Limited and changed its name to Telstra Corporation Limited in April 1993. Telstra Corporation Limited was founded in 1901 and is based in Melbourne, Australia. Read More Xcel Energy, Inc. operates as a holding company, which engages in the generation, purchase, transmission, distribution and sale of electricity. It operates through the following three segments: Regulated Electric Utility, Regulated Natural Gas Utility and All Others. The Regulated Electric Utility segment generates, transmits and distributes electricity primarily in portions of generates, transmits and distributes electricity in Minnesota, Wisconsin, Michigan, North Dakota, South Dakota, Colorado, Texas and New Mexico. In addition, this segment includes sales for resale and provides wholesale transmission service to various entities in the United States. It also includes commodity trading operations. The Regulated Natural Gas Utility segment transports, stores, and distributes natural gas primarily in portions of Minnesota, Wisconsin, North Dakota, Michigan and Colorado. The All Others segment engages in steam, appliance repair services, nonutility real estate activities, processing solid waste into refuse-derived fuel and investments in rental housing projects that qualify for low-income housing tax credits. The company was founded in 1909 and is headquartered in Minneapolis, MN. Read More Companhia Energetica de Minas Gerais, through its subsidiaries, engages in the generation, transmission, distribution, and sale of electricity in Brazil. The company generates electricity through renewable energy sources, such as water, wind, sun, and biomass; or non-renewable sources, including fossil and nuclear fuels. As of December 31, 2016, it operated hydroelectric plants, thermoelectric plants, and solar plants with a total installed capacity of approximately 8,000 megawatts in 10 states of Brazil. It is also involved in the telecommunications and energy solutions consulting businesses; exploitation of natural gas; sale and trading of electricity; and acquisition, transport, and distribution of gas and its subproducts and derivatives, as well as provision of technology systems and systems for operational management of public service concessions, including companies operating in electricity, gas, water and sewerage, and other utility companies. The company was founded in 1952 and is headquartered in Belo Horizonte, Brazil. Read More National Australia Bank Limited provides financial services to individuals and businesses in Australia, New Zealand, and internationally. It operates through Business and Private Banking, Personal Banking, Corporate and Institutional Banking, and New Zealand Banking segments. It operates through Business and Private Banking; Personal Banking; Corporate and Institutional Banking; New Zealand Banking; Corporate Functions and Other; and MLC Wealth segments. The company accepts transaction accounts, savings accounts, deposit accounts, and term deposits; and specialized accounts, such as foreign currency, business interest, statutory trust, community free saver, farm management, and project bank accounts, as well as farm management deposits. National Australia Bank Limited also provides home loans; personal loans; business loans; vehicle and equipment finance; and trade and invoice finance, as well as business overdrafts and bank guarantees. In addition, the company offers insurance products consisting of car, home and content, landlord, travel, caravan and trailer, life, and business insurance products; and pension, superannuation, self-managed super funds, cash management, and financial planning and advisory services. Further, it provides investment products; credit, debit, and business cards; payments and merchant services; travel services; online and internet banking services; small business services; international and foreign exchange solutions; and industry specific banking services. National Australia Bank Limited was founded in 1834 and is based in Docklands, Australia. Read More Report: Yemen army achieves great victories over 24 hours [16/June/2018] SANAA, June 16 (Saba) - The Yemen army and popular committees have achieved great victories in the confrontations with Saudi soldiers and mercenaries, which resulted in the deaths and injuries dozens in their ranks during the past 24 hours, according to reports combined by Saba News Agency on Saturday. In Yemens western coast, Toshka ballistic missile was fired toward a large gatherings of Saudi-paid mercenaries and invaders, killing 40 and wounding dozens, including leaders, and the ballistic was fired after careful intelligence monitoring by reconnaissance aircraft. Also in western coast, over 25 cars, loaded with dead and wounded mercenaries, arrived at the Makha hospital Furthermore, engineering unit bombed 2 of mercenaries military vehicles, killing all its crew, as well as 15 Saudi military vehicles were destroyed during the clashes. In additional, 20 military vehicles were damaged, inflicting the enemy heavy losses in dragging and ambushing processes in coastal line, and the aggression launched airstrikes to save its mercenaries in coastal line front. The army and committees besieged and cut off the supply line of the enemy forces, forcing them to transport their dead and wounded through boats. Also in western coast, five military vehicles were destroyed by explosive devices in Faza line, killing all their crews. In Taiz province, a mercenaries military vehicle was damaged in Aynain front of Habshi mount, killing its crew, and another mercenaries vehicle was destroyed in Wazeaia junction, killing the crew. Also in Taiz, the army and committees controlled sites of Karnafat, Sarmain, Arish, Abar and lwazim after an offensive operation on 22 Mika brigade sites. Another mercenaries vehicle was destroyed in front of Aynain area of Habshi mount. Furthermore, the army and committees controlled hills of Taha and Khaded, killing and wounding dozens in Abar front. Also in Taiz, an offensive operation was waged on mercenaries sites in the north of Wazeaia junction, coinciding with the artillery support, killing and wounding dozens of mercenaries. In Najran border province, artillery shelling targeted gatherings and fortification of Saudi army in Shurfa, Qiada and Boqea desert, causing direct casualties. In Jizan border province, three Saudi soldiers shot dead in Bajil site, as well as artillery shells were shelled toward Saudi soldiers in Samnah hill of Qais mount. In Asir Saudi border province, three Sudanese soldiers shot dead in Majaza site. The army and committees controlled sites in the west of Majaza, killing and wounding dozens of mercenaries. Also in Asir, Zilzal-2 missile, katyusha rockets and artillery shells were fired toward mercenaries gatherings in front of Alab border crossing. Three mercenaries were shot dead in Alb crossing, as well as two mercenaries military vehicles were destroyed by explosive devices in Markazi hill of Tewal border crossing, killing all their crews. In Yemens Jawf province the army and committees controlled sites in Qahira area of Ajasher front, while dozens of mercenaries were killed and wounded when they tried to retake sites in Moton front. Also in Jawf, the army and committees carried out an attack on mercenaries sites in Shawaq village and Nawbat-Saber, killing and wounding dozens. Furthermore, an offensive operation was waged on mercenaries sites in Waqz and Sedah areas of Maslub district, coinciding with artillery shelling on mercenaries sites, killing and wounding dozens. In additional, the army and committees controlled sites in Dhuhra of Khub-washaaf district after an unique operation, killing and wounding dozens. In Lahj province, the army and committees waged an offensive operation on mercenaries sites in Hawmara and controlled Ahmar mount and Sawda hill, killing and wounding dozens and seizing military equipment. In Nehm district, the army and committees repelled a mercenaries infiltration attempt in Madfon, killing and wounding dozens, without achieving any progress. In Dhalea province, the army and committees carried out a large-scale offensive on mercenaries sites in Khashaba, burning a military vehicle and killing all its crews. Also in Dhalea, artillery shells targeted Halm camp, destroying a military vehicles, killing and wounding dozens. Written by Sameera Hassn Saba Report: Army kills, injures dozens of Saudi troops, destroys vehicles on 24 hours [17/June/2018] SANAA, June 17 (Saba) The Yemen Army and popular killed and wounded dozens of Saudi soldiers and their mercenaries and destroyed armored and military vehicles in unique military offensive operations during 24 hours, according to military reports combined by Saba News Agency on Sunday. In Yemens western coast, the army and committees cut off the aggression force supply lines from Jah, Faza and Durihimi points. The army and committees air Force carried out a qualitative operation by launching a number of raids on Saudi-paid mercenaries after an intelligence operation and accurate monitoring. Dozens of mercenaries were killed and wounded and a number of armored and military vehicles were destroyed in the targeting of the air force. Also in western coast, more than 13 armored and military vehicles were destroyed in the clashes of Faza, as well as the army and commitees military operations are continuing in Nakhilah, Shujira and Deryhmi , destroying two armored vehicles and four military vehicles. In Jizan border province, artillery and missile shelling targeted Saudi armys artillery fortifications in Qais mount and Siaba camp. Furthermore, Saudi armys gatherings were targeted in Arar center of Qais mount. Also in Jizan, the army and committees waged an offensive on mercenaries sites in Malahidh, killing and wounding dozens, while artillery shells were fired toward Saudi soldiers gathering in Khafagah site. In Taiz province, dozens of mercenaries were killed and injured by artillery shelling hit their sites in Selw front. In additional, Sniper unit of the army and popular committees shot dead 40 Saudi-paid mercenaries in the frontlines. Written by Sameera Hassn Saba SANAA, June 17 (Saba) The Yemen Army and popular killed and wounded dozens of Saudi soldiers and their mercenaries and destroyed armored and military vehicles in unique military offensive operations during 24 hours, according to military reports combined by Saba News Agency on Sunday.In Yemens western coast, the army and committees cut off the aggression force supply lines from Jah, Faza and Durihimi points.The army and committees air Force carried out a qualitative operation by launching a number of raids on Saudi-paid mercenaries after an intelligence operation and accurate monitoring.Dozens of mercenaries were killed and wounded and a number of armored and military vehicles were destroyed in the targeting of the air force.Also in western coast, more than 13 armored and military vehicles were destroyed in the clashes of Faza, as well as the army and commitees military operations are continuing in Nakhilah, Shujira and Deryhmi , destroying two armored vehicles and four military vehicles.Furthermore, Saudi armys gatherings were targeted in Arar center of Qais mount.In Taiz province, dozens of mercenaries were killed and injured by artillery shelling hit their sites in Selw front.In additional, Sniper unit of the army and popular committees shot dead 40 Saudi-paid mercenaries in the frontlines.Written by Sameera HassnSaba The Telegraph, June 17, 2018 The deaths of Shujaat Bukhari and Gauri Lankesh have different local histories and a few all-India similarities. Lankesh and Bukhari were both journalists who had worked for what passes as the national English press before committing themselves to publications principally aimed at readerships in their states. After a career working for The Times of India and later Sunday, Lankesh took over her fathers magazine, Lankesh Patrike, and then went on to edit the Gauri Lankesh Patrike, while Bukhari moved from being a correspondent with The Hindu to founding Rising Kashmir, an English newspaper based in Srinagar. It isnt clear who Gauri Lankeshs killers were. Recent newspaper reports suggest that the police have closed in on a suspect affiliated to a vigilante organization notorious for communal goonery, the Sri Ram Sene, but there has been no trial or conclusive verdict. Similarly, no one has taken responsibility for Bukharis assassination, though online suspicion ranges from jihadi separatists to the deep state. They were both shot by murderers on motorcycles, seemingly the preferred modus operandi for Indian assassins looking to silence dissenting journalists, intellectuals and rationalists. Narendra Dabholkar, Govind Pansare, Malleshappa Kalburgi, Gauri Lankesh are now joined in their violent deaths by Shujaat Bukhari. These killings show that the journalists most at risk in India are those who report from a ground zero that is also their home. Bukhari, like Lankesh, was a journalist who had gone out into the world and then chosen to return, to produce a Kashmiri newspaper that wasnt a partisan mouthpiece, one that produced news about Kashmir which couldnt be dismissed either as jihadi press releases or inspired leaks from a sarkari stool pigeon. This didnt mean that he was a neutral; it would have taken inhuman detachment for a Kashmiri Muslim from the Valley to be even-handed about the violence visited upon his people by the State. What it did mean was that he was committed to keep the news flowing, to keep dialogue going, to supporting any process that would mitigate the violence that had engulfed the place he called home. To stand up for his principles as a journalist in a conflict zone took courage of an order that few of us possess. To continue to do this despite having a young family, despite having been kidnapped before, living under armed guard, suspected of being a traitor both by fanatical militants and the increasingly communalized agencies of the State, was everyday heroism of an order that were either too cynical or too embarrassed to acknowledge. For the social media choruses of the security State and think tank hawks, Bukhari was a soft-separatist or a quasi-Islamist. These hyphenated terms belong to a class of conspiratorial neologisms coined to demonize positions that right-wing Hindu supremacists dislike. Pseudo-secularist is the most famous of these. In the same way as Bukhari was classified as a soft-separatist, Gauri Lankesh was tagged as an urban-Naxal in the unhinged echo-chambers of the Hindu Right, hours after she was murdered. In an article he wrote for the BBC in July 2016, immediately after the killing of Burhan Wani, Bukhari bore witness to the dangers of being an independent journalist in Kashmir. "Thirteen journalists have been killed during the conflict since 1990. Threats to life, intimidation, assault, arrest and censorship have been part of the life of a typical local journalist. Journalists have been targeted by security forces and militants alike. Publications have been denied federal government adverts - a key source of revenue for smaller newspapers. If a local journalist reports an atrocity by the security forces, he risks being dubbed anti-national. Highlighting any wrong doing by the militants or separatists could easily mean that he is anti-tehreek (anti-movement) or a collaborator." For metropolitan journalists, one of the great advantages of working in a subcontinental polity is that they report on an Elsewhere that they dont have to live in. But this is a luxury available to a select few. For the most part journalists live in the places they report from without the connections or visibility that insulate Delhi or Calcutta or Mumbai-based journalists from the brute violence that the State or local notables are capable of inflicting. Santanu Bhowmik was bludgeoned and stabbed to death in Agartala while covering an agitation by the Indigenous Peoples Front of Tripura. Malini Subramaniam had to leave Bastar, Chhattisgarh, because local vigilantes backed up by the inspector general of police thought that her reporting on the Maoist insurgency was inconvenient. A journalist reporting on the Vyapam scandal in Madhya Pradesh died under mysterious circumstances in 2015. So apart from its specifically Kashmiri context, Bukharis murder is important because like Lankeshs, it represents the tip of an iceberg. Not an iceberg made up of dead journalists, but an iceberg of intimidation and censorship, where murder is the visible tip, a way of flagging a cautionary tale. Even as we acknowledge the threat to independent journalism in the deaths of Bukhari and Lankesh, it is important to remind ourselves that these are not simply forms of violent censorship. The killing of Shujaat Bukhari as he left work was not just a way of suppressing inconvenient news or opinion. Bukhari, and Lankesh, Kalburgi, Pansare and Dabholkar before him, were made examples of, not only on account of what they produced but for what they were: sceptical, independent, courageous individuals who refused to be assimilated to their tribe. Bukhari was a Kashmiri Muslim who took his faith seriously. He was outraged by the Charlie Hebdo cartoons and in the aftermath of the violent killing of its staff writers and cartoonists, he tweeted: "While no one can condone a highly condemnable act of killing journos, to draw a line is must when it comes to Faith." Ironically, for the battalions of the majoritarian right, committed to Hindu supremacy and its attendant lynchings, this betokened extremism. Liberals can and should vigorously contest Bukharis position on Charlie Hebdo, but the more relevant yardstick with which to measure his commitment to a pluralist society in Kashmir was his willingness to publicly criticize the purge of Pandits from the Valley. As recently as May this year, Bukhari was tweeting articles on the plight of the community and its neglect by successive governments. Gauri Lankesh died because someone thought that she wasnt Lingayat enough or Hindu enough and decided that her hatred of overlapping orthodoxies made her anti-national. The current focus on the Sri Ram Sene seems to bear this out. In the same way, Shujaat Bukhari died because bigots and supremacists of one variety or another decided that he either wasnt Indian enough or Muslim enough. Radically different though they were, Lankesh and Bukhari died trying to clear a space for conversation where individuals, not identities, could talk to each other. Their deaths diminish us. Issues of concern to people who live in the west: property rights, water rights, endangered species, livestock grazing, energy production, wilderness and western agriculture. Plus a few items on western history, western literature and the sport of rodeo... Frank DuBois served as the NM Secretary of Agriculture from 1988 to 2003. DuBois is a former legislative assistant to a U.S. Senator, a Deputy Assistant Secretary of Interior, and is the founder of the DuBois Rodeo Scholarship. Firma Biznes How to deal with the white screen of death? Zobacz wiecej zdjec If you have a website on WordPress, you will surely meet the so-called white screen of death. You will recognize it after trying to log into your website and having an impression that... the page has disappeared. See what is the most common reason for the white page error and how to fix it. What does the white screen of death mean? This bug is about problems with establishing a database connection. Long story short, if you see a white screen of death trying to visit your website, it means that PHP cannot connect to MySQL. As a result, PHP is not reading data needed to build and display the page properly. What may be causes of a white screen in WordPress? Usually, they are plugins that pose a problem. In the case of plugins, it may happen that one of them has been updated to the new version. At the same time, it could automatically become incompatible with the version of your WordPress. If you remember that you recently updated a plugin, log in to the FTP server and find /wp-content/plugins folder. Change its name, e.g. on /plugins_old. This will disable all plugins and allow you to log in to the administration panel of your website. Go to the Plugins tab and turn on each plugin in turn until one of them causes the white screen of death again. You already know that it is the plugin that causes the vulnerability. If it is not a plugin posing the problem, it can be your theme. The principle of the error is, in this case, the same as for plugins. Probably, the theme you're using is not compatible with the version of WordPress being used. Log in to the FTP server and find /wp-content/themes folder. Change its name, e.g. on /themes_old. This will deactivate your theme, activate the default one, and allows you to log in to your cockpit. Go to the Appearance Themes and choose the theme that will work well with your WordPress. If it is not a matter of plugins either themes, it may be a limited PHP memory causing a white page in WordPress. The white page error can be a simple signal that your memory is being exhausted.To fix it, run FTP manager and look for wp-config.php: under the public_html folder. Open the file using any kind of text editor and place there an extra line: define(WP_MEMORY_LIMIT, 64M); Save changes and close the manager. Now you can check if the change solved the error. If you prefer, you can contact the hosting provider directly and ask for increasing the memory limit. Dont have any clue? If the above tips did not solve the problem of the white screen of death, return to wp-config.php: under the FTP manager and place there the following lines: error_reporting (E_ALL); ini_set ('display_errors', 1); define ('WP_DEBUG', true); Now, you can see the list of errors with the information of their roots. If you use WordPress for your website, you will probably face the white page error at least once. The white screen of death is a signal for you that the site can not be connected to your database. What can be reasons for that? There are actually several issues that may be posing a problem. For most common of them, you dont even have to know how to fix HTML. What to do to make the white screen of death fixed? First, try to deactivate all your plugins it is possible that there is a faulty plugin causing the error. Log in to your page via FTP and find /wp-content/plugins folder. Rename it to /wp-content/plugins_x and then log in to your admin dashboard. Turn on all the plugins one by one to identify the faulty one. If it was not a plugin causing the error, try the same path with WordPress themes. Maybe you are using the theme that is no longer updated? Log in to your page via FTP and find /wp-content/themes folder. Change its name for /wp-content/themes_x. WordPress will not be able to find your theme folder anymore, so it will automatically activate the default one. Now log in to your admin dashboard and change the theme for the one you want, but this time make sure its version is updated and compatible with WordPress you use. If the problem doesn't lie in plugins or themes, it may be the issue of your server memory limit. In this case, you have to know how to fix HTML, but the operation is really easy. Try to increase your memory limit by adding define('WP_MEMORY_LIMIT', '64M'); to wp-config.php: file, or by adding php_value memory_limit 64M to .htaccess file (for both get the access via FTP). If it doesnt help, contact your hosting provider and ask for increasing your server memory limit. Redakcja CentrumPR informuje, ze artykuy, fotografie i komentarze publikowane sa przez uzytkownikow "Serwisow skupionych w Grupie Kafito". Publikowane materiay i wypowiedzi sa ich wasnoscia i ich prywatnymi opiniami. Redakcja CentrumPR nie ponosi odpowiedzialnosci za ich tresc. There are a lot of heavy hearts around the world these days because of the recent passing of Anthony Bourdain the premier global ambassador of food and travel journalism whose love for Vietnam has been well chronicled over the years. >> Sadness at Vietnam noodle shop where Bourdain dined with Obama Vietnam? Thats right Vietnam is in the handful of countries he most visited to film his travel and food shows with eight trips over the years. Only culinary and tourism powerhouses France, Italy, and Spain were slightly more popular for Bourdain. Anthony Bourdain started his No Reservations show in 2005 and jumped on Vietnam in just the 4th episode, then kept coming back for more. At one point he even considered taking residence in picturesque Hoi An with his family for a year to write about the country. I started watching No Reservations that first year and was instantly hooked. Most travel/food shows seemed boring and superficial, without any in-depth look at food and the culture tied so closely to it. Anybody can find a fancy restaurant in an exotic destination and put together a decent clip of a classy meal while tossing in a few shots of the prettiest attractions. But most lovers of gastronomy and travel wanted an in-depth cultural perspective and thats why we gravitated to his show so quickly. It was the real deal. Within weeks Bourdains show reached the coveted drop everything and watch it every week status in my home. He would dig until he found something unique an eatery that with its food and feel would capture the local vibe, often with a charismatic chef and owner with whom Bourdain could relate so well. Often hed use his personal network to come up with collaborators he didnt know beforehand and off they would go into an evening of culinary adventure. Most importantly, hed ask endless questions, not just talk about what he knew or had heard about second-hand. As an executive chef he knew the food game very well but some exotic ingredients and methods were new to him, so hed pop question after question about how dishes were prepared, cooked, and presented. Then he had a knack for capturing food, people, and culture and tying them into a neat package, far beyond food on a plate. I like delicious food, he said. But Im just as interested in whos cooking it and why. This is from his visit to Vietnam in 2008 where he nailed the essence of Madame Gao, owner of the Com Nieu restaurant in Ho Chi Minh City, with one short sentence: Shes a mixture of Yenta, Jewish mother, and 6 cylinder Gambino family hoodlum. Yenta is a slang term used to describe a busybody or gossip, the reference to Jewish mother means intensely fussy and caring, while Gambino refers to an infamous Mafia crime family indicating Madame Gao is a skilled and polished businesswoman with a knack for convincing people. The specialty at Com Nieu is rice baked in clay pots which are smashed apart after cooking, with the crusty brown blob of rice sent flying through the air from one server to the next, then garnished with scallions and fish sauce before serving. When Madame Gao passed away a few years ago Bourdain made a point of visiting her burial shrine together with her son to express his gratitude and respect. Or how about this one? Bourdains description of Bun bo Hue, the quintessential Vietnamese dish beef noodle soup originating from the ancient capital Hue. Its absolutely heavenly round, slurpy rice noodles in a spicy soup with beef shank, oxtail, and congealed blood: The broth that the gods were suckled on. Fast-forward to the now-famous scene in 2016 pictured below: The restaurant Bun Cha Huong Lien in Hanois bustling old quarter. Two guys sitting on plastic chairs enjoying a meal and a beer both men on the tall side, so luckily the place had full-sized stools instead of the kiddie-sized version that we often find in such humble noodle joints in Vietnam. To put this in a personal perspective, I can almost count the people that I consider as heroes in this world on one hand, so its the height of irony to see two of them in the same photo in my beloved Vietnam of all places. The impact on locals was as unforgettable as the scene itself. Bourdain later described the impact of that meal: Hanoians would literally point and say Mr. Bun Cha! Mr. Bun Cha! Theyd sob and burst into tears, in halting English, trying to explain that they couldnt believe the President of the United States didnt choose to eat pho or spring rolls or go to a hot-shot upscale fusion restaurant. And that was textbook Bourdain, not something cooked up as a publicity stunt or photo op with President Obama, as if either one would need the exposure. Indeed, the plan for that evening was a closely-guarded secret for a year. Even the film crew learned of it just a couple of days prior. Bourdain expressed his love for Vietnam this way: Maybe because it was all so new and different to my life before and the world I grew up in. The food, culture, landscape, and smell; theyre all inseparable. It just seemed like another planet, a delicious one that sort of sucked me in and never let me go. Once you love it, you love it forever. From the very first minute I came to this country, I knew my life had changed. My old life was suddenly never going to be good enough. I needed a new one where I could keep coming back here. Although he never did manage to spend that year writing a book about Vietnam he did keep coming back over and over. On only his second trip to Vietnam: As with a love affair, you dont realize youve fallen in love until its too late. The three of us walked out of the airport to get in a car, and as we were heading into Hanoi we all burst into tears. Im Anthony Bourdain. I write, I travel, I eat, and Im hungry for more. Leaders from Vietnam, Laos, Cambodia, and Myanmar have agreed to tighten their cooperation and further boost economic integration and connectivity. Vietnamese Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc attended the 9th Cambodia-Laos-Myanmar-Vietnam Summit (CLMV 9) in Bangkok, Thailand on Saturday, according to the Vietnam News Agency. During the event, themed For Greater Economic Integration and Connectivity, leaders of the four member states affirmed their determination to bolster collaboration to tap economic potential, making contributions to the development of ASEAN and ensuring inclusive and sustainable development in the region. They believed that close cooperation will help CLMV countries overcome formidable challenges and grasp new development opportunities. The summit praised efforts made by the member states in enhancing transport connection, facilitating trade and investment, and developing human resources. Leaders of Cambodia, Laos and Myanmar thanked the Vietnamese government for granting scholarships and practical training courses for their citizens. Leaders shake hands at the 9th Cambodia-Laos-Myanmar-Vietnam Summit in Bangkok. Photo: Vietnam News Agency During the gathering, PM Phuc highlighted three important factors that can help member states to achieve the best outcomes in CLMV cooperation. Collaboration should focus on such fields as infrastructure connection, agriculture, tourism, human resource training, and development of a sound and equal business climate, the Vietnamese head of government elaborated. The CLMV should be creative in mobilizing resources and building joint projects, he said, suggesting that the member countries pay attention to other cooperation mechanisms as well as the role of their partner nations. The four countries should also build mid- and long-term cooperation strategies to serve as a foundation for their joint activities, Phuc stressed. At the end of the summit, the leaders adopted a joint statement of the CLMV 9 and agreed that Laos will host the CLMV 10. Like us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter to get the latest news about Vietnam! Ho Chi Minh City has ambitious plans to develop a network of eight metro lines, stretching a total of 220 kilometers, to combat growing number of personal vehicles on its roads. Construction of the first line, which connects downtown Ho Chi Minh City with District 9 in the citys eastern part, was launched in 2010 with the completion date initially set for 2015. When completed, the 19.7-kilometer line could transport 620,000 passengers per day, taking pressure away from the citys overcrowded public transport system thats overly dependent on buses. However, in 2011 the municipal administration adjusted the projects investment capital from VND17.4 trillion (US$765 million) to VND47.3 trillion ($2 billion) and announced that its completion would be delayed until 2018. Sluggish land clearance and adjustments to the lines original design for better connection with future metro lines were named as reasons for the delay, according to city officials at the time. An aerial view of the under-construction first metro line in Ho Chi Minh City. Photo: Tuoi Tre According to Tran Vinh Tuyen, deputy chairman of the municipal Peoples Committee, the lawmaking National Assembly has yet to approve the capital raise, effectively barring the city from money critically needed to pay contractors. Without payment, some foreign contractors are already slowing down works on the project or even withdrawing experts from Vietnam as a sign of protest, Tuyen said. At some construction sites, vandalism has been spotted as unfinished items are left to gather dust without signs of human activity. An aerial view of the under-construction first metro line in Ho Chi Minh City. Photo: Tuoi Tre As such, city officials have once again announced a delay in completion of the first metro line until 2020, while asking for more autonomy in deciding various important procedures, mechanism, and policies regarding the construction of the line as part of an effort to expedite the project. In 2017, Ho Chi Minh City was forced to spend VND1.67 trillion ($73.5 million) from its own budget to pay contractors while waiting for capital allocation from the government. This year, the city fears it will have to spend another VND1 trillion ($43.95 million) to avoid legal liabilities stemming from the late payment. A comic strip ridiculing the multiple delays of the first metro line project in Ho Chi Minh City. Photo: Tuoi Tre Workers install tracks on the first metro line in Ho Chi Minh City on October 24, 2017. Photo: Tuoi Tre Workers walk inside an underground tunnel located beneath the downtown area of Ho Chi Minh City, where the future metro line will travel. Photo: Tuoi Tre An aerial view of the under-construction first metro line in Ho Chi Minh City. Photo: Tuoi Tre A stretch of the first metro line in Ho Chi Minh City is left unfinished after repeated deadline delays. Photo: Tuoi Tre An aerial view of the under-construction first metro line in Ho Chi Minh City. Photo: Tuoi Tre Graffiti are painted on a supporting column of the first metro line in Ho Chi Minh City. Photo: Tuoi Tre A billboard providing information on Ho Chi Minh Citys metro project is badly damaged after years in the weather. Photo: Tuoi Tre A construction site for the first metro line in Ho Chi Minh City is left abandoned. Photo: Tuoi Tre Graffiti are painted on a supporting column of the first metro line in Ho Chi Minh City. Photo: Tuoi Tre An aerial view of the under-construction first metro line in Ho Chi Minh City. Photo: Tuoi Tre An aerial view of the under-construction first metro line in Ho Chi Minh City. Photo: Tuoi Tre An aerial view of the under-construction first metro line in Ho Chi Minh City. Photo: Tuoi Tre An aerial view of the under-construction first metro line in Ho Chi Minh City. Photo: Tuoi Tre An aerial view of the under-construction first metro line in Ho Chi Minh City. Photo: Tuoi Tre An aerial view of the under-construction first metro line in Ho Chi Minh City. Photo: Tuoi Tre An aerial view of the under-construction first metro line in Ho Chi Minh City. Photo: Tuoi Tre Like us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter to get the latest news about Vietnam! Check out todays leading news stories: Politics -- Vietnamese Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc attended the 9th Cambodia-Laos-Myanmar-Vietnam Summit (CLMV 9) in Bangkok, Thailand on Saturday, addressing measures to tighten cooperation between the four nations. Society -- A recent inspection by the Ho Chi Minh City Department of Construction has revealed that approximately 422 houses in Binh Chanh District had been built without a legitimate permit, a situation that was attributed to the loose management of district authorities. -- Two men in the northern province of Nam Dinh have been summoned by police officers for assaulting two local reporters at a coffee shop on June 8. -- Three people were arrested for disguising themselves as police officers and about 100 others were escorted to police stations for assembling and disturbing public order in downtown Ho Chi Minh City on Saturday. -- Ho Chi Minh City police on Saturday began legal proceedings against a 36-year-old man, who is a worker at a company in Binh Tan District, for throwing a rock weighing over 10 kilograms at officers during an assembly in the neighborhood on the morning of the same day. -- One person was killed and another critically injured after a train collided with a car in the central province of Quang Ngai on Saturday morning. -- Border guard officers in the north-central province of Quang Binh confirmed on Saturday they had broken up a ring that smuggled drugs from Laos into Vietnam and confiscated over 47,700 pills of synthetic drugs. -- A large underground parking lot that can house up to 2,500 automobiles and 5,000 motorcycles is expected to be built in Ba Dinh District, Hanoi, Chairman of the municipal Peoples Committee Nguyen Duc Chung said during a meeting on Saturday. Business -- Bank account holders will have to register their own phone numbers to sign up for Internet banking services at local lenders, the State Bank of Vietnam has said in a requirement meant to prevent bank account-related crimes. Lifestyle -- A fruit festival is scheduled to take place in Cho Lach District in the Mekong Delta province of Ben Tre from June 16 to 19, featuring a variety of fruits, specialties, and exotic poultry. -- Over 100 volunteers joined hands to collect rubbish along beaches in Ha Long Bay, a UNESCO Heritage Site in the northern province of Quang Ninh, on Saturday, as part of a program to turn Ha Long Bay into a green and garbage-free tourist destination. Like us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter to get the latest news about Vietnam! Three people have been arrested for disguising themselves as police officers and disrupting public order in downtown Ho Chi Minh City. Competent agencies spotted Nguyen Hung Thai, 23, dressing up as a policeman and carrying handcuffs at Tao Dan Park in District 1 on Saturday morning. They also captured Tran Quoc Dat and Vu Quoc Huy, both 39, for wearing jackets of police officers and showing signs of disturbing public order on the same morning. Dat and Huy brought along a police certificate with the name of another person. Officers are checking the authenticity of the document. About 100 people were also escorted to police stations for assembling and disrupting public order in the city center as of 3:00 pm on Saturday. Tran Quoc Dat and Vu Quoc Huy are held at a police station in Ho Chi Minh City in this photo provided by officers. They were carrying knives, screwdrivers, tear gas sprayers and several other dangerous weapons, according to officers. At the police stations, Thai refused to disclose how he got the police uniform and handcuffs as well as why he disguised himself as a policeman. A source from the municipal Department of Police stated that the agency has recently identified multiple suspects behind recent riot-like situations in Vietnam. They are members of overseas terrorist groups who colluded with local individuals to carry out their plans to oppose the Vietnamese state and causing social unrest, the source said. Exhibits confiscated by police officers from the suspects. The suspects were trained and instructed on how to manipulate local residents into joining them. Some of the suspects would then dress up as Vietnamese police officers to attack people in street marches, turning even more citizens against local authorities and the state, the source elaborated. Police in Ho Chi Minh City said they had handled a total of 310 people who broke the law while joining the marches last weekend. As of Friday, seven of these people remained in detention, 175 were given administrative penalties, one was hospitalized for compulsory medical treatment, and 38 others were bailed out by their families. Like us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter to get the latest news about Vietnam! Season 8 of American Horror Story will be a crossover between the shows first season, Murder House and the third season, Coven. The first season saw a family move into a haunted mansion in Los Angeles, while the third season followed a girl who is sent to a special academy in New Orleans after discovering she is a witch. Ryan Murphy recently tweeted, The Coven/Murder House AHS crossover season wont be happening next yearbecause its happening THIS YEAR. AHS #8 WITCHES RULE THIS SEPTEMBER. Sarah Paulson, Evan Peters, and Kathy Bates will lead the eighth season of the series -no word on whether the crossover will mean a return by Jessica Lange. Foxtel is yet to screen Season 7 Cult in Australia despite announcing a Showcase Super-channel in March. American Horror Story: Cult is a dark, satirical, horror-infused vision of American politics and society set in modern day Michigan. Based on the 2016 US election, the 11-episodes in Cult are more grounded meaning there are no supernatural elements as there have been in previous seasons. American Horror Story: Cult is a parody of Trump and Clinton supporters alike but there are also killer clowns who start picking off neighbours leaving behind bloody smiley faces and fear that leads to chaos. Starring series alumni Sarah Paulson, Evan Peters and Cheyenne Jackson, alongside Billie Lourd, Alison Pill, Billy Eichner, and Leslie Grossman. Source: Variety Charlotte Caldwell wants to meet with the Home Secretary to discuss the current law, with hopes that it can be reformed in order to help her child along with countless others who suffer from the same, or similar conditions. Billy, who is only 12-years-old, takes the cannabis oil as an anti-seizure medication. The oil contains a substance called Tetrahydrocannabinol (THC). THC is currently illegal in the UK but is available for medicinal purposes in other countries such as US, Canada, Italy, Germany and the Netherlands. Billy and his mother had recently travelled to Toronto, Canada, to retrieve his most recent six-month supply of medicine - enough to treat up to 100 seizures a day. Yet, once they touched down back in Heathrow airport, the oil was impounded. Home Office issues special license This led to Billy suffering from life-threatening seizures, due to not being able to use his supply. However, because of this, Sajid Javid from the Home Office issued a special license that would allow him access to his treatment via the hospital. For the next 20 days, Billy will receive the treatment at the Chelsea and Westminster Hospital in London, as he is not able to take his treatment back to his own home. Charlotte Caldwell has claimed that taking the oil has kept her son seizure-free for more than 300 days. Through being treated with the oil again at the hospital, Billy's health already shows an improvement. The law needs an update Caldwell wants to meet with Javid, to discuss the matter and ensure that Billy will never get his medication taken from him again, as well as calling for a policy overview on the medical cannabis due to the benefits that it could give to users who urgently need it. She continues to say that, she does not want another family in the country to go through what they experienced. Saying that its horrific and cruel. Charlotte's campaigning for the changing in legalisation is clearly causing a wide discussion. Crispin Blunt MP, co-chairman of the all-party parliamentary group on drug policy reform, has since stated that the current law was frankly absurd. This is because Blunt claims that the law was based on an outdated view that cannabis had no medical purpose. He has announced, that we need to seriously think about the actual benefits that using these medicines can have. Dan Poulter, the ex-Tory health minister, has stated that the situation that has occurred is ridiculous, pledging that he will be pushing for a change in the law. Ms Caldwell says Billy only has the 20 days of medication left to suppress his seizures. What happens after that? Another battle? Fleas carry the bubonic plague (Getty) A little boy in Idaho has contracted bubonic plague, the first case in the area for decades, according to health officials. The child, who has not been identified, is now back home after being treated with antibiotics and doing well. The child became ill last month, says Christine Myron, a spokeswoman for the Central District Health Department, in the first case since 1992. Plague is spread to humans through a bite from an infected flea. People can decrease their risk by treating their pets for fleas and avoiding contact with wildlife, said Sarah Correll, Central District Health Department epidemiologist. MOST POPULAR TODAY ON YAHOO Wear insect repellent, long pants and socks when visiting plague affected areas. It is not known whether the child was exposed to plague in Idaho or during a recent trip to Oregon. Plague has historically been found in wildlife in both states: its rare in humans, and person-to-person transmission is extremely rare. Symptoms of plague usually occur within two to six days of exposure to infected wildlife. A plague outbreak in Madagascar killed more than 100 people last year. With the widely reported news this week of Albert Einsteins racist comments against the Chinese, some in the East Asian nation have actually come out in defense of the legendary physicist. Einstein, a Jewish academic who left Nazi Germany to the U.S. prior to the start of World War II, has historically been seen as a staunch critic of racism. In a 1946 presentation at Lincoln University in Pennsylvania, he referred to racism as a disease of white people. However, a new standalone edition of his private diaries from a trip to Asia has revealed a different perspective. Published by Princeton University Press, The Travel Diaries of Albert Einstein: The Far East, Palestine, and Spain, 1922-1923 is the first English printing of the intellectuals writings from his trip to Asia. Trending: ARK Update 1.69 Adds ARKaeology Event & Skins to PS4, Xbox - Patch Notes GettyImages-2669266 Central Press/Getty Images Among other critical comments, Einstein referred to the Chinese as industrious, filthy people. He also said that the Chinese are a peculiar herd-like nation often more like automatons than people. He argued that "it would be a pity if these Chinese supplant all races, saying that such a thought is unspeakably dreary. Einstein took issue with the fact that the Chinese he encountered on his trip dont sit on benches while eating but squat like Europeans do when they relieve themselves out in the leafy woods. He also lamented that even the children are spiritless and look obtuse, and explained that he cant understand how Chinese men find Chinese women attractive. While many around the world expressed shock and criticism of the iconic scientist's words, some Chinese have actually jumped to defend Einstein. According to The Guardian, several users of Chinas popular social media site Weibo voiced their support for the scientist and even gave credence to his views. Story continues Don't miss: Pokemon Go Update: More Alola and Shiny Pokemon to Appear This Summer GettyImages-93434187 AFP/Getty Images Einstein went to China at the wrong time, one user reportedly wrote. Hunger, war, and poverty all pressed on the Chinese [during that time period]. How could Chinese people at the time gain Einsteins respect? Another user wrote that when they see photos of that time period, they also perceive their ancestors as dirty," the South China Morning Post reported. The user said: This is called insulting China? Thats ridiculous Einstein depicted the true state of that era. Some even compared Einsteins writings to those of Lu Xun, who is considered "the father of modern Chinese literature." Xun is best known for his critical satire of Chinese society in the early 1900s. As one user wrote, Chinese praise Xun for pointing out Chinas historic disadvantages. Why should we blame Einstein for this? Most popular: White House Slams Joe Scarborough for Comparing Nazis and Immigration Officials Separating Children from Families Xun was "a savage critic of traditional Chinese culture and revered many European writers who were also social critics," Professor Mary Gallagher, the director of the Lieberthal-Rogel Center for Chinese Studies at the University of Michigan, told Newsweek. Gallager added that the comparison made by Chinese is "interesting and relevant." GettyImages-72238513 China Photos/Getty Images The Chinese "are pointing out the perceived 'defects' of their culture that both Lu Xun and Einstein noticed," she explained. "They are also ... implicitly comparing that dreadful period ... to its current era of ascendancy and success." Gallagher said that "its refreshing to witness Chinese who are confident enough about their own culture and economic progress since then to take Einsteins comments in stride." According to Gallagher, history education in the country also portrays the period when Einstein visited "as Chinas most humiliating period in the modern era." She explained that the Chinese Communist Party "is presented as saving China from this period" and that the establishment of the People's Republic of China in 1949 is "still known as the beginning of the 'new China.'" This article was first written by Newsweek More from Newsweek Luckily for coffee sellers in California, state officials rejected a ruling that coffee shops must warn drinkers about a cancer-causing chemical in their brews. Californias Proposition 65 requires sellers to inform customers about chemicals known to cause cancer, birth defects or reproductive problems. Coffee contains acrylamide, which has been shown to cause cancer in mice when given concentrated doses, so, in March, a court ordered that coffee companies must add a cancer warning label. However, coffee companies fought that decision, and recently California officials decided to reject the rule. Now, California coffee can remain warning-free. Trending: What's In A Name: Macedonia Set to change its name, bringing a 27-year dispute with Greece to an end Coffee HELENE VALENZUELA/AFP/Getty Images The science regarding the health effects of coffee is controversial and inconsistent. While acrylamide, which is created naturally through the brewing process, has demonstrated cancer-causing properties in mice, researchers have not performed these tests on humans, and the small amount in your morning brew may or may not ever hurt you. Furthermore, the studies have gone back and forth countless times regarding the verdict on coffees effect on human health. A study published in 2009 suggested that drinking five or more cups of coffee a day could increase ones risk of ovarian cancer, for instance. Another published in 2008 suggested that three cups a day could reduce ovarian cancer risk. Don't miss: Giuliani: FBI And Prosecutors Investigating Trump Are 'Wackadoodles' Who Belong In Psych Ward Its difficult for scientists to be sure what the overall health effect of coffee is, especially when companies that sell coffee fund studies on coffee that have positive outcomes. Still, California officials decided that warning consumers of carcinogens in coffee was taking Proposition 65 too far, and that people would just start ignoring these warnings if they see them too often. "The proposed regulation is based on extensive scientific evidence that drinking coffee has not been shown to increase the risk of cancer and may reduce the risk of some types of cancer," officials wrote, according to AP. Story continues An attorney for The Council for Education and Research on Toxics, which won the original court case against coffee companies, asking them to include the Proposition 65 warning, was dismayed at the decision to reject the ruling. "The takeaway is that the state is proposing a rule contrary to its own scientific conclusion. That's unprecedented and bad," Raphael Metzger, the attorney, told CBS. "The whole thing stinks to high hell." This article was first written by Newsweek More from Newsweek Scientists in China believe they have found a functional cure to HIV that can control the virus and eliminate infected cells in the bodies of HIV position mice. If the same results translate to humans, it could serve as an effective way to both protect from the virus and treat those already infected. A team of researchers, led by Chen Zhiwei from Hong Kong University, revealed their latest research into HIV treatment in a study published online in the Journal of Clinical Investigation, Reuters reported. The team gave mice a new type of antibody that controlled levels of HIV in their bodies. Although it did not completely eliminate the virus, it kept the levels so low that the mice were considered functionally cured. The antibody works similarly to antiretroviral medications that many HIV positive individuals currently take, in that it keeps viral numbers at a safe low level. However, unlike these medications, which patients must take on a daily basis or risk their viral load increasing to dangerous levels, the antibody would be need to be administered far less frequently. Trending: NXT Takeover Chicago: Match Results and Everything That Happened The antibody was also able to eliminate many HIV infected cells, further fighting the infection inside a patients body. GettyImages-917706268 Sajjad Hussain/AFP/Getty Images A patients viral load measures the amount of HIV in their body and is a good indication of their health. A higher viral count increases an individual's risk of becoming ill due to their infection. For example, going past a certain viral can cause an HIV positive patient to develop AIDs, Healthline reported. Don't miss: White Woman Honors Selena By Singing in Spanish, Faces Backlash For 'Cultural Appropriation' A functional cure refers to a treatment that can keep viral levels in a patient so low that they are virtually undetectable. This also means that the patient's ability to pass on the virus to another individual is significantly decreased. Story continues There have been many attempts to create a functional cure for HIV, but thus far none of these have yet to become available to the public. The researchers predict they'll take the antibody to human trials within three to four years. However, its hard to estimate how long it would take for this drug to become available to the public, even with continuous positive results. "Governments are being very slow to implement programmes here," Andrew Chidgey, chief executive of the charity group AIDS Concern in Hong Kong told Reuters. "So just because a treatment becomes available, doesn't mean that people will get it, or that it will have an impact." This article was first written by Newsweek More from Newsweek Migrants disembarked from the Aquarius at the Port of Valencia on Sunday, June 17, to the sound of applause from onlookers. 630 migrants were rescued off the coast of Libya during the weekend of June 10. The convoy of three boats carrying the migrants set off for Spain on June 12 after Italian authorities refused the migrants entry. In a tweet on June 11, Pedro Sanchez, Spains new prime minister, said the migrants were welcome at the Port of Valencia. The group of migrants includes at least seven pregnant women and over 90 children and teenagers between the ages of five and 17. Credit: SOS Mediterranee via Storyful A crew with the U.S. Coast Guard seized roughly seven tons12,000 poundsof cocaine amid an 80-day period in the Eastern Pacific Ocean. The 100-member Coast Guard Cutter Campbell crew returned to their home base Friday in Kittery, Maine. During their deployment, they halted six narcotic smuggling schemes and detained 24 individuals suspected of participating in the illegal act. The cocaine obtained, however, is valued at an estimated $206 million. They unloaded the narcotics in Port Everglades. "I'm incredibly proud of the hard work of Campbell's law enforcement teams, my entire crew, and their shipmates aboard the cutter Active that made these impressive interdictions over the past few months possible," Cmdr. Mark McDonnell, cutter Campbell commanding officer, said in a statement. "The persistent presence of Coast Guard and partner agencies, along with our foreign nation counter-drug partners, in the highly-trafficked Eastern Pacific drug transit zone is essential to dismantling the crime networks that threaten the U.S. with their illicit activities." Trending: Several Undocumented Immigrants Dead After SUV Flips in Texas Border Patrol Car Chase Added McDonnell, "These collaborative efforts and our ability to seamlessly integrate with partner agencies and nations are the key to the safe and successful execution of these complex interdiction operations." In May, the Coast Guard Cutter Active crewbased Port Angeles, Washingtonhad similar success to the Cutter Campbell crew as they managed to seize more than $78 million worth of cocaine. Weeks before this, the Coast Guard Cutter James crew seized cocaine worth about $179 million in a 20-day patrol. Cocaine was once perceived as a harmless drug, having been used in soda and seen as beneficial to medicine. Public perception of the drug changed, which led to its eventual ban in 1914 through the Harrison Narcotics Tax Act of 1914. Don't miss: Dinosaurs After Jurassic Park: Paleontologists on Whats Changed, 25 Years Later Story continues Nearly 70 percent of drug trafficking offenders were U.S. citizens in 2016, according to data from DrugAbuse.org. At the time, cocaine was associated with 19.8 percent of drug tracking crimes. According to an article published in JAMA in 2017, deaths linked to drug overdose more than doubled from 2000 to 2015. coast guard U.S. Coast Guard This article was first written by Newsweek More from Newsweek Trump Administration Poised to Pull U.S. Out of U.N. Human Rights Council Over Israel Criticism Talks with the United States over how to reform the main U.N. rights body have failed to meet Washingtons demands, activists and diplomats say, suggesting the Donald Trump administration will quit the Geneva forum whose session opens on Monday. A U.S. source, speaking on condition of anonymity, told Reuters the withdrawal appeared to be imminent but had no details. Diplomatic sources said it was not a question of if, but when the United States retreats from the Human Rights Council, which is holding a three-week session through July 6. Trending: NXT Takeover Chicago: Match Results and Everything That Happened A separate U.S. official in Geneva had no information about a looming pull-out during the upcoming talks, saying: We are still moving ahead with our engagement for the coming session. Nikki Haley, the U.S. ambassador to the United Nations, publicly told the Council a year ago that Washington might leave the body unless a chronic anti-Israel bias were removed. The forum, set up in 2006, has a permanent standing agenda item on suspected violations committed by Israel in the occupied Palestinian territories, which Washington wants removed. Washington says the Council is stacked with opponents of Israel and boycotted it for three years under President George W. Bush before rejoining under Barack Obama in 2009. Don't miss: White Woman Honors Selena By Singing in Spanish, Faces Backlash For 'Cultural Appropriation' The 47-member forum last month voted to set up a probe into killings in Gaza and accused Israel of excessive use of force. The United States and Australia cast the only no votes. Israels ambassador in Geneva, Aviva Raz Shechter, castigated the Council for spreading lies against Israel. Talks held in Geneva and in New York for months could not find consensus around a new agenda, according to activists and diplomats who have taken part. While the Trump administration has yet to announce a decision, any suspension or withdrawal would be the latest U.S. rejection of multilateral engagement after pulling out of the Paris climate agreement and the deal with world powers over Irans nuclear program. Story continues Diplomats said it could also lead to Israel being even more isolated in the Human Rights Council and could bolster countries such as Cuba, Egypt, Pakistan and Russia who resist what they see as U.N. interference in sovereign issues. Most popular: Thai King Given $30 Billion for Being Born Into Royal Family The European Union failed to find a common position, mainly due to Belgiums wish to keep violations in individual countries firmly on the agenda of each session, they said. The United States also wants to make it easier to kick off member states with egregious rights records. Haley has cited Venezuela, China and Saudi Arabia as violating standards. The Council has ongoing investigations into violations in hotspots including Myanmar, South Sudan and Syria, with a view to gathering evidence that could lead to future prosecutions. Marc Limon, executive director of the think tank Universal Rights Group, said there were rumors and mutterings of a political decision having been taken in Washington to disengage. They could either leave the seat empty, which could happen in June, or if withdrawing, formally notify the (U.N.) General Assembly, he told Reuters. Swiss Ambassador Valentin Zellweger said: The decision by the Americans will have a profound impact on the Council. If they withdraw, we can expect significant consequences. The United States had long played a leadership role in the Council, Zellweger said, adding: Unfortunately I agree with them that not all members fulfil the (membership) criteria. This article was first written by Newsweek More from Newsweek Justin Trudeau and other Canadian top officials have been supporting U.S. Ambassador Kelly Craft after she received a death threat earlier this week. The incident happened early Thursday morning when a mail supervisor noticed a white powder on an envelope addressed to the American diplomat. The letter was immediately sealed and sent for testing and has been determined not dangerous or harmful. Inside the envelope was a letter that contained a death threat aimed at Craft if she did not resign from her position. Craft wasn't the only target, as threats were also made toward President Donald Trump, and members of Trump's family, sources told Bloomberg. The prime minister's office reported that Trudeau has reached out to Craft to check on her and offer his support, Bloomberg reported. Trending: Several Undocumented Immigrants Dead After SUV Flips in Texas Border Patrol Car Chase 869792366 David Kawai/Getty Images Craft has not publicly commented on the incident and has continued her work. She also tweeted on Friday that "The United States and Canada share two fundamental values: to create the best future for our people, and to be a force for good in the world. Gathering with this group of leaders reinforces my belief that what brings our countries together is stronger than any momentary issue." Trump nominated Craft to be the ambassador to Canada after his election and she was formally sworn in by Vice President Mike Pence in September of 2017, according to her biography on the U.S. Embassy government website. The threat comes after tensions between the U.S. and Canada are at a high after the Trump administration placed trade tariffs on the North American ally. Trudeau has publicly criticized the trade penalties, calling them "totally unacceptable" and threatened that the tariffs represent a turning point in the U.S.-Canada relationship. Story continues Don't miss: Dinosaurs After Jurassic Park: Paleontologists on Whats Changed, 25 Years Later Craft told military officials in Canada earlier this year that Trump isn't "very good at expressing how we're going to achieve those results. I think that would be very helpful if he laid that out for all of us," Huffpost reported. Canadian politicians took to Twitter to show their disapproval of the incident and offer support for Craft. Tony Clement, a member of Canada's parliament, said "let's all agree that death threats are completely unacceptable." Chrystia Freeland agreed with Clement's sentiments, telling her followers that she expressed "support for the Ambassador following the wholly unacceptable threat made against her. She does an essential and difficult job and Canada respects her service." 1/2 Pleased to meet with Ambassador Craft today to discuss the value and strength of the Can-US relationship and the harmful impact of US section 232 tariffs. @USAmbCanada pic.twitter.com/6gGW2Ah8nm Chrystia Freeland (@cafreeland) June 15, 2018 2/2 I also expressed my support for the Ambassador following the wholly unacceptable threat made against her. She does an essential and difficult job and Canada respects her service. @USAmbCanada Chrystia Freeland (@cafreeland) June 15, 2018 The White House has not commented about the incident. This article was first written by Newsweek More from Newsweek The Brown family of Discovery Channels Alaskan Bush People is looking at great things ahead. Matriarch Ami Browns recent visit to the hospital brought some good news that she is doing well. Meanwhile, her son, Bear, almost lost a vision after he was struck by a branch while running around the forest. In a Twitter post, Bam Bam Brown shared the good news about his mothers condition after she went for some testing last week. He said that Ami is still in remission and that he is grateful to her doctors at UCLA for taking care of his mother. We are very blessed, he added. Ami gets stronger every day The news means that Amis cancer has not returned. Earlier this year, it was revealed that Amis cancer has disappeared, but she still needs to go on a regular checkup to monitor her condition. It would take five years before it can be declared that she is totally cancer-free. Ami is still dealing with some of the residual effects of her cancer diagnosis but her recovery is going pretty well, a source told Radar Online. With the love and support of her family, Ami also remains determined to beat the disease. When Alaskan Bush People returns for Season 8, it will feature Amis battle against cancer, the source said. There will be interviews with the doctors and other medical professionals that helped Ami during her stay at the hospital, per The Hollywood Gossip. So thrilled that my mom is still in remission and grateful to all of the doctors at UCLA for caring for her/us so well. We are very blessed. Joshua Bam Bam Brown (@JoshBamBamBrown) June 12, 2018 Bears eye is almost healed Meanwhile, Bear, who turned 31 this week, is recovering well from his eye injury. He was hospitalized last month after an accident that could have caused severe damage to his pupil. Discuss this news on Eunomia Fortunately, there was only a scratch to his cornea, although he had to wear an eyepatch. He is almost fully recovered now, and he even accompanied his mother to her appointment in Los Angeles, California, Radar Online reports. ABP Season 8 Alaskan Bush People is currently filming the new season in Washington state. They moved out of Alaska because of Amis diagnosis last year. There had been some setbacks as the area experienced an extreme weather, and because the location was remote, the roads became difficult to navigate. Furthermore, some of the family members also experienced other health issues. Along with Ami, Billy and the rest of their children are all coming back to the show. There is no official date for airing yet, but there are speculations that ABP Season 8 might premiere in August. Stay tuned for more updates! Chad Michael Murrays wife, Sarah Roemer, took to social media to respond to comments that Sophia Bush recently made to Andy Cohen about her former marriage to Murray. Former "One Tree Hill" star Sophia Bush spoke with Cohen about her previous marriage to Murray, telling him that she "felt pressured" into marrying him, according to Hollywood Life. Life is good for Chad Michael Murray Roemer responded to Bush's remarks via Instagram with a snippy meme that reads... Wait a secondmy producers also made me marry Chad Michael Murray. Sarah Roemer makes jokes about Sophia Bush's comments over marrying Murray Murray also responded to Sophia Bush's interview comments regarding their previous marriage. Murray tweeted that he too is happy with his life now. Murray's tweet revealed that these days he is very content with his wife, his children, and the happy family life they have created. Do u know what I do every morning? Wake in my loving familys embrace, make coffee & breakfast 4 the kiddos with my wife. Read 1-2 chapters in the Bible 2 start the day off right. Then we plan how 2 fill the day with love 4 my family & brethren. Its so simple yet so fulfilling. Chad Michael Murray (@ChadMMurray) June 14, 2018 It has been quite a while since Murray and Bush have worked together on the hit series "One Tree Hill." The series ran from 2003-2012. Chad Michael Murray and Sophia Bush began dating while working on the show, and by 2004 they were engaged. They married less than 12 months later. The relationship took a nasty turn when Sophia Bush said that she wanted to annul the marriage five months later, citing fraud. According to People, Bush's annulment petition was denied and she and Murray were granted a divorce. Sophia Bush was very upset by the divorce and claimed it "devastated" her because she felt like a 'Hollywood statistic-another joke marriage." During Bush's interview with Andy Cohen on "Watch What Happens Live," she said that at the time of the marriage she was 22 and stupid and marrying Murray was not a thing I actually really wanted to do. The drama between Sophia Bush and Murray is hard for some "One Tree Hill" fans to handle. Discuss this news on Eunomia Since the show ended back in 2012, fans have expressed their desire for a reboot. As previously reported by Blasting News, earlier this year, Chad Michael Murray posted photos of himself on the iconic bridge featured in the opening sequence of "One Tree Hill." The photo had fans buzzing once again, and speculation of a reboot surfaced. Former cast members have stated that they would be open to discussing such a project, however, to date, no news has been announced. "One Tree Hill" is still a popular show and was popular among Netflix subscribers, however, the network disappointed fans when it removed the series from the streaming lineup. Hulu was quick to pick up the series, and, for those that love teen dramas, they also carry other shows like "Dawson's Creek," "Party of Five," "90210," and the "O.C.," to name a few If you are currently a print subscriber but don't have an online account, select this option. You will need to use your 7 digit subscriber account number (with leading zeros) and your last name (in UPPERCASE). Paul Manifort has bail revoked ... and has not (yet) gotten rescued from jail by Prez Trump's clemency pen | Main | Focus on fathers behind bars on Father's Day The title of this post is the headline of this interesting commentary authored by Emily Ferkaluk which leans on a historic figure while advocating for the FIRST STEP Act. Here are excerpts: Alexis de Tocqueville, a French aristocrat who toured American penitentiaries at the height of the 19th-century penal debate in order to help guide French penal reform, would commend us for the reform measures contained in the First Step Act. In his report, On the Penitentiary System in the United States and Its Application to France, Tocqueville stressed that any criminal justice reform must moderately balance two goals: preserving the rights of society, and preserving the rights of prisoners. Society, he argued, has a right to promote and protect public safety and order by punishing those who break the lawand to regain at least some of the money it spends in doing so. On the other hand, the prisoner has a right to an education that prepares him to re-enter society as a productive citizen. Both rights are preserved through the right application of corrective justice a balance of proportional retribution and rehabilitation. The First Step Act protects both of these rightsthe rights of society and of the prisoner by proposing a recidivism program that conducts risk assessments of prisoners. These assessments would weigh the likelihood of individual prisoners recommitting a crime.... Furthermore, time credit programs that are joined to a risk assessment system work because they let wardens and prison administrators determine whether a prisoner presents a low risk to the community. Tocqueville would have approved of this kind of localized authority. In fact, during his visit to America, he was pleasantly surprised at the amount of authority the superintendent of prisons wielded over prison discipline. He believed superintendents were best suited to make those decisions, being the closest to prisoners and having observed their behavior and reformation. Tocqueville also identified certain types of incentives that truly rehabilitate prisoners particularly family-oriented incentives. His interviews with prisoners in solitary confinement in the Philadelphia Penitentiary led him to remark that memories of their family have an extreme power over their souls, thus disposing them to rehabilitation. These very incentives are present in the First Step Act. One incentive is to be relocated to a facility closer to home. Another is to enroll prisoners in a program that gives them family relationship building, structured parent-child interaction, and parenting skills. A third option is to allow certain prisoners to go home for pre-release custody. All of these cohere with Tocquevilles findings.... When Tocqueville was first inspecting American penitentiaries, only a handful of states (predominantly New York and Pennsylvania) had begun to implement new prison disciplines such as solitary confinement and prison labor. These penal disciplines proved effective, and despite their relative newness, Tocqueville recommended the French adopt the same disciplines. Tocqueville preferred democratic politics to theory, and action in one direction over endless debate. Commenting on the penal reforms made by the people through their state legislatures, he said, Perhaps this prudent and reserved reform, effected by an entire people, whose entire habits are practical, will be better than the hasty trials that would result from the enthusiasm of ardent minds and the seduction of theories. Tocquevilles words of wisdom should encourage us to pass the proposed recidivism reform measures without fear of killing any future criminal justice reform. This first step toward penal reform is not our last. The beauty contest organized by FLC group is open for Vietnamese young women at home and abroad. The final round will be held in Ha Long City in the northern coastal province of Quang Ninh Winner of the contest will receive an award worth VND2 billion, including VND500 million in cash, and represent Vietnam in Miss Earth 2018. The organization board will also give minor titles, such as Miss Photogenic, Miss Talented, Miss Bikini, Miss Fashion, Miss Beautiful Face, Miss Friendly and Miss Charming to the winners. By MAI AN - Translated by Kim Khanh Varian Medical Systems, Inc. designs, manufactures, sells, and services medical devices and software products for treating cancer and other medical conditions worldwide. It operates through Oncology Systems and Proton Solutions segments. The Oncology Systems segment offers hardware and software products for treating cancer with radiotherapy, fixed field intensity-modulated radiation therapy, image-guided radiation therapy, volumetric modulated arc therapy, stereotactic radiosurgery, stereotactic body radiotherapy, artificial intelligence based adaptive radiotherapy, and brachytherapy, as well as quality assurance equipment. Its products include linear accelerators, brachytherapy afterloaders, treatment accessories, and quality assurance software; and information management, treatment planning, image processing, clinical knowledge exchange, patient care management, decision-making support, and practice management software. This segment serves university research and community hospitals, private and governmental institutions, healthcare agencies, physicians' offices, medical oncology practices, radiotherapy centers, and cancer care clinics. The Proton Solutions segment designs, develops, manufactures, sells, and services products and systems for delivering proton therapy for the treatment of cancer. The company has a strategic agreement with McKesson Corp. to supply treatment delivery systems and planning, services, and radiotherapy information system solutions to its U.S. Oncology Network and Vantage Oncology affiliated sites of care; and a strategic partnership with Siemens AG to represent Siemens diagnostic imaging products to radiation oncology clinics in the United States and other select markets. Varian Medical Systems, Inc. was formerly known as Varian Associates, Inc. and changed its name to Varian Medical Systems, Inc. in April 1999. The company was founded in 1948 and is headquartered in Palo Alto, California. Read More NSU football survives in 36-35 win over Minot State Olson was the powder keg in a series of defensive plays in the final quarter that sealed a tight 36-35 victory over Minot State. NO FILTER NEEDED by Albuquerque Journal on Exposure I was tired of saying I want to go to Cuba, so I did. Early this year, I crossed the Mexican border and flew out of Ciudad Juarez mainly to avoid all the fragile formalities required by the U.S. State Department. From there, I flew to Mexico City and caught a flight to Havana. By 4:30 p.m., a 6-foot-3 major league prospect look-alike called my name as I stepped out of a taxi in a neighborhood just west of Old Havana between the world-famous Malecon and the local university. To save money during my visit, I stayed in a casa particular, Cubas version of Airbnb, and I recommend them, because they cost $15 to $25 per night. When you travel to Cuba, you need to know that the term winging it describes your daily excursions. Take plenty of cash, because credit cards from U.S. banks will not do you any good. I wanted to photograph and hear the symphony of conversations and music reverberating off the narrow-walled streets plastered with stencils of Fidel Castro and Che Guevara. Minimalism rules in Havana; the less you bring, the more you notice. Switch your brain to airplane mode, because this country is all social media without the apps. Walking the streets at 5 mph is what this country requires. The city and streets are photographic eye candy. No filter needed here; otherwise, it would be an insult to your inner adventurer. This country is culturally intoxicating and symphonic. Ask any Cuban about tourists, and they all say, We all love all tourists, but we miss the American. Soon after inhaling all the diesel fumes I could handle, it was time to visit tobacco country, specifically in Vinales, in the southwest area of the island. This town is tucked away between bare cliffs and organic farms. Sprinkle in some conversations with Don Tony, my host, who insisted I try his rum and cigars. The first night, we talked about the eight days of national mourning after Castros death. Talk to any Cuban, and the conversation soon navigates toward politics and history. You might want to brush up on Cuban history if you stay in any casa particular. Politics and history tend to creep up on you like the high tide while sitting on a concrete wall at the Malecon. In between Vinales and Havana, I visited Trinidad, in the countrys central region. Its a spectacular place to see, but if you want to avoid tourists, dont go there. The appealing cobblestone streets draw the masses, but its so remote visitors quickly begin staring at their cellphones in search of a glimpse of the outside world. Many consider Cuba to be one of the safest places on earth. Police officers stand around every corner. I never saw law enforcement officials questioning anyone, let alone a car accident. I grew up in El Salvador until I turned 11. I immigrated to the U.S. due to the civil war in the 80s. So going to Cuba felt as if I were walking through my old neighborhood. The smells, the cars, the architecture they were still there. It called me like my best friend Fausto, but this was Cuba, the country that tricks your mind into believing time travel is possible. Prev 1 of 5 Next New Mexicans can celebrate the states African-American community and enjoy a good hair battle while they are at it. The New Mexico Black Expo is taking place at the end of this week culminating with the Cultural Extravaganza from 2 to 9 p.m. Saturday at the Villa Hispana on the state fairgrounds. The theme of this years Expo, which is put on by the New Mexico Office of African-American Affairs, is child wellness. About 100 people will attend a summit Friday to talk about various aspects that affect the physical and mental health of the states African-American children including poverty, teen pregnancy, drug use, access and enrollment in preschool, proficiency in math and reading, and youth incarceration. The Saturday extravaganza is free and open to the public, but there is a $5 parking fee. The city, state, county and many other organizations sponsor the event. The extravaganza will have food vendors with ethnic foods, information about education, free health screenings, an area for children and a Night at the Apollo talent show. Yvette Kaufman-Bell, executive director of the New Mexico Office of African-American Affairs, said this years expo will also feature vendors who will talk to attendees about home ownership, especially first-time home buyers. A big boost for the event, Kaufman-Bell said, is the national stars they are able to hire. Its a family affair, she said. We draw them (the community) in and then get them to resources. We do this all while celebrating our history and heritage. This years acts are soul and funk artist Niki J. Crawford, comedian Adrian McCovy, saxophonist Phil French and gospel artist Zebulon Ellis. The popular hair battle will return for its third year. Its a unique opportunity to see something like this, Kaufman-Bell said. This whole extravaganza is a birds-eye look at black heritage. The hair battle will feature about a dozen stylists and barbers concocting elaborate hairstyles. The hairdos are then presented via a runway fashion show. Some participants will complete their masterpieces at their shop before coming to the extravaganza. First-place winners in each of the stylist and barber categories will win $2,000. The battle starts at 6 p.m. Participation for the event has grown exponentially since 2011 when 400 people attended. In 2015, the last year for which data was immediately available, 4,200 took part in the expo. Kaufman-Bell said this is due to expanding the offerings, getting more organizations with outreach to the community involved and increased marketing. A few years ago the event began a trade show featuring black-owned businesses, which Kaufman-Bell said draws a large number of people. We invite the entire community, she said. We would like to invite all families in New Mexico to come out and enjoy black New Mexico. Sock It Away showed he did not need an inside post position or to see any pylons in the first lap to capture the $18,000 Doug Harkness Memorial Maritime Breeders final for three-year-old pacing colts Saturday, June 16 at Charlottetown Driving Park. Marc Campbell was at the lines of Sock It Away as he left from post 8 and elected to take the overland route to the front. Race favourite Half Cut laid the early splits of :27.4 and :56.3 with Sock It Away in the outer flow before clearing to the lead past the half. Through three-quarters in 1:26.2, Sock It Away cruised home to a 1:56.1 victory over Dowahs Boy and Woodmere Ideal Art. The winning colt is trained by Kevin MacLean for owner Reg MacPherson of Stratford. Royaltywestho landed in the winners circle in the first three-year-old pacing filly stakes final of the 2018 season as Walter Cheverie guided her to victory in the $22,100 Ken Starratt Maritime Breeders final. R Es Shabla set the tempo on the front with splits of :28.2, :58.2 and 1:28.3 with Royaltywestho stalking in the pocket. Cheverie moved the daughter of Westwardho Hanover down the stretch and she responded with a :28.2 closing panel for a time of 1:57.1. R Es Shabla was second with Woodmere Ceilidh completing the triactor. The champion filly is owned by Gregory Francis and Joseph Baxter of Windsor, N.S., with Baxter also handling the training. Euchred was the winner in the $2,650 Preferred pace in the fastest mile of the 2018 Atlantic Canadian racing season with a time of 1:54.4 for driver Adam Merner, trainer Terry Gallant and owner Kayla Habicht Walker of Inverness, N.S. A hard closing Czar Seelster finished second with the show prize going to Cartoon Daddy. (With files from Red Shores Charlottetown) To view Saturday's harness racing results, click on the following link: Saturday Results - Charlottetown Driving Park. Sergio Bojorquez was 18 and had just graduated from high school when his 16-year-old girlfriend got pregnant. Bojorquez, now 23, said the two werent completely unhappy about the pregnancy but knew as young parents they had a lot of obstacles to overcome. One of those obstacles, Bojorquez said, was that he didnt know much about being a father. I knew I needed guidance, Bojorquez said. I had just graduated from Bernalillo High School. Bojorquezs parents are still together and he wanted to provide the same type of stable home for his daughter Jaylah Bojorquez. He said one of his teachers recommended he connect with the nonprofit group Fathers New Mexico. The organization focuses on teaching mostly young fathers strategies and skills that will lead to a healthy relationship with their children and the mother of their children. Johnny Wilson, executive director of Fathers New Mexico, said society does not necessarily support fathers in the same way it supports mothers when it comes to the family structure. He said its important for a fathers role to be just as active as the mother and for men to have amicable relationships with the moms. He said parenting works best when the two people are collaborative. We advise them that this is hard, Wilson said. You are going to be angry. You are going to be sad. But you need to learn to communicate respectfully. According to the groups website, FathersNM regularly witnesses the low expectations that many have of fathers (particularly young fathers). As segments of our society, mostly unwittingly, reflect pessimistic views of fatherhood they contribute to further father absence. Really our objective is to support a positive concept of fatherhood, Wilson said. We want to make sure dads are valued and actual partners in raising their children. Fathers New Mexico was started in 2009 by Barry McIntosh to replace a similar program that had lost funding. McIntosh said the nonprofit group relies on funding from several sources including grants, the state and private donations. Fathers are a great resource, he said. We focus on the entire family, both parents. The group, Wilson said, also offers a space where young fathers can meet and connect with other men in similar situations, making it safer and easier to discuss their struggles. Wilson said in addition to offering courses, the men involved with the group act as mentors and friends to the men that come to them. They call, text or email to check up on them. They are available to talk when the men are struggling. They even provide help navigating the family court system or the criminal court system if necessary. Bojorquez said its this extra help that has allowed him to a successful father. He said when hes fighting with his girlfriend or feeling frustrated with the responsibility of parenting, he can call one of the Fathers New Mexico men and vent, allowing him to overcome the emotional highs and lows of his situation. Bojorquezs daughter is now 4 years old. His relationship with her mother has been bumpy and he said the two are currently on a break but through it all he has stayed involved with his daughter. With the help of his Fathers New Mexico mentors, he learned techniques to communicate better and practice patience. Ive learned to communicate what I feel and what I need, he said. They taught me to share responsibility. Wilson said from May 2017 to April 2018 they group helped 200 fathers in Santa Fe, Albuquerque and central New Mexico. A father gets the message from a lot of places that hes not as good as a mom when it comes to parenting, Wilson said. Those messages can be discouraging. The group also created the Future Men Project in 2014, which is aimed at middle school boys who are flagged as being at risk because of academic or behavioral problems. The program is a weekly mentoring group offered to boys in grades five to eight. We want to challenge social messages about manhood, he said. Challenge things like not being able to ask for help or not expressing emotions. Today, for Fathers Day, the group is hosting a day at Meow Wolf in Santa Fe. A portion of admission will go to the organization. Chinese immigrants built the railroads, launched thriving businesses and overcame rampant racism to thrive in this high desert home of mountains and mesas. From Invisible to Visible: The Chinese American Experience in Albuquerque explores that heritage in the Keleher Gallery of the Albuquerque Museum. Peppered with photographs of weddings, gourmet grocers and festivals, the exhibit features loaned works from the areas Chinese-American community. An 1886 poster from the Library of Congress depicting Uncle Sam kicking a Chinese immigrant back into the ocean looms above a wedding tea set, a calligraphy set and a martial arts sword, exposing the discrimination many immigrants faced here. You have the symbol of U.S. patriotism kicking the Chinese out, said Rebecca Prinster, the museums associate curator of history. Its for a (laundry) detergent. Chinese immigrants faced claims that they took American jobs, leading to congressional passage of the Chinese Exclusion Act of 1882, a law designed to keep them out of the country. In New Mexico, lawmakers amended the state constitution to prevent Asians from owning property in 1921. This amendment remained intact until 2006. In response, Chinese Americans became civil rights pioneers. The Chinese American Citizens Alliance, founded in San Francisco in 1895, is the oldest Asian American civil rights group in the country. Their activism led to the repeal of the Chinese Exclusion Act in 1943. In the 1880s, Albuquerques railroad-driven population boom drew Chinese-born residents searching for work. By the early 1900s, Albuquerques first Chinese American community had been driven out of existence, but new arrivals re-settled the community. In 1918 Edward Gaw founded Fremonts Fine Foods grocery store, which operated until 2012. During the Great Depression, the Wing Ong family operated grocery stores in the Barelas area, later expanding to downtowns Chung King Cafe. After World War II, they founded the popular New Chinatown Restaurant. Today, about one of every 230 Albuquerque residents is of Chinese ancestry, Prinster said. Many work at the states national laboratories and at the University of New Mexico. Siu Wong came here from California in 1978. A retired optometrist, Wong loaned the tea service used at her wedding. The wedding tea ceremony signifies purity, stability and fertility, she said. In the tea ceremony we honor our parents and our relatives by serving them tea, Wong said. They in exchange will give us gifts of money or jewelry. An American jade necklace loops next to the porcelain. Jade signifies good luck, long life and happiness, Wong said. This year Albuquerques New Mexico Chinese School of Arts and Language is celebrating its 40th anniversary. The institution has helped teach more than 1,800 local residents to speak, read and write Chinese. Exploring new cultures and ancient traditions is the impetus behind Western New Mexico Universitys Fiesta Latina! event, beginning on Friday, June 22, in Silver City. The mostly free event unites people and celebrates Latin culture through traditional activities, childrens workshops, music and dance performances, a tequila tasting and, this year, for the first time, a film and discussion series, designed to give attendees a more in-depth understanding of the artisan process. Fiesta Latina! gives people opportunities to explore new cultures and discover the beauty of ancient handcraft trades, says Faye McCalmont, WNMU assistant to the president for cultural affairs. McCalmont says Darren Cordova y Calor will headline the event. National Heritage Fellow Eva Ybarra, who is known as La Reina del Acordeon (The Queen of the Accordion), will also be part of the festivities. Fiesta Latina! also provides Latino master artisans an opportunity to share their cultures and goods with those of us north of the border. The Artisan Mercado will feature representatives from rural womens cooperatives and artists working to preserve ancient traditions, methods and materials. There will be more than 40 artisans at the event, McCalmont says. Its about building a community, while also learning. We dont get to see a lot of this type of art and actually have the artists here. The event has grown a lot since last year. Also on tap for the festival is Transcending Borders, a five-part documentary film discussion series, featuring the stories behind the art of four world-renowned Mexican folk artists and a photographer-storyteller from Oaxaca. In each session, these master folk artists will show films to illustrate the many aspects of their traditional art forms, then engage their audiences in a discussion period, with an experienced translator to ensure effective communication. The film series adds to what we are trying to accomplish with the festival, she says. The films give an in-depth look at some of the artisans. For decades, environmental and conservation advocacy in New Mexico has been a space predominantly occupied by majority Anglo organizations and D.C.-funders. They set the environmental and conservation agenda and have the financial, political and institutional backing to hire people that think like them, look like them and agree with them on policy issues. But the tide is turning in New Mexico, thanks to visionary Hispanic leaders who are grabbing the reins and setting their own environmental and conservation agenda. In fact, in the 2018 Legislative Session, State Rep. Angelica Rubio, D-Las Cruces, introduced and passed a memorial affirming such. House Memorial 37 recognizes the role that Hispanic New Mexicans have played in protecting and preserving land, water and wildlife in our state. HM 37 was unanimously approved on the House floor after the OK from the Committee on Local Government, Elections, Land Grants and Cultural Affairs. Rubios memorial is a testament to the work that Hispanic communities, organizers and organizations have undertaken for decades to conserve our natural resources and preserve uniquely New Mexican traditions and outdoor values even if these achievements havent been glorified or funded by big, expensive campaigns. The work of our Hispanic communities follows the footsteps of thousands of years of conservation and environmental stewardship by our states first people, from the Jornada Mogollon Puebloan cultures to todays Native American communities. So its critically important that Hispanic organizers and Hispanic-led organizations today continue to stand up for the environmental issues that are important to them and the majority of New Mexicans. Yes, even the issues that matter to those outdoor users who dont camp or hike with a $400 tent or $300 backpack. These environmental issues are not just about wilderness but water. Not just about monuments but access and transportation to them. Not just about a transition to renewable energy but a meaningful jobs plan to replace the livelihoods of the truck drivers and pipefitters who depend on oil and gas. Not just about nuclear waste storage but lead and arsenic contamination in rural water systems. Not just about the Gila River diversion but about the drying of the Rio Grande in southern New Mexico. And not just about the Valle Vidal, but about the border wall. Will those issues take center stage in Santa Fe or D.C. under the current conservation and environmental leadership? With new political leaders set to be elected who will appoint new managers of our states natural resources, public lands, air, water and wildlife, we also ask our elected leaders to invest in New Mexicos youth, people and culture. In particular, we ask that Hispanic and Native American grassroots voices not only be lifted up in environmental policy and advocacy efforts, but that they be appointed and hired to positions in state government that have direct oversight on the impacts to our land, air and water. We ask that they have a seat at the decision-making table, not just a gratuitous speaking opportunity at the ribbon cutting. If a new Outdoor Office of Recreation is indeed in New Mexicos future, we likewise ask that the office be staffed with a representative majority of New Mexicos population, which is 48 percent Hispanic. Within the context of marketing New Mexicos outdoor recreation opportunities and public lands, we also ask that the histories, cultures, knowledge and people of this state are equally and accurately represented. We ask that deliberate steps be taken by this office and New Mexicos Tourism Department to tell a more inclusive and complete story of New Mexico and increase the number of outreach programs dedicated to providing better access for diverse communities right here in New Mexico. We dont just want buzzwords; we want funding. And to the environmental and conservation advocacy organizations carrying on the work to protect and conserve our land and natural resources, we ask that you invest in people as much as you invest in politicians. Its not enough to put up a sign celebrating new monuments you must help engage our diverse communities in conservation by placing priority on a holistic approach that puts people, not politicians, first. Together, we can ensure that all people truly get to enjoy our public lands and waters and that opportunities to identify and conserve other valuable resources of historic, cultural, natural, economic and recreational importance wont be lost for future generations. We must all continue to build on this legacy of protecting our natural resources, ensuring that public land protection is strengthened, stewards of these lands reflect the diversity of our state, and all people feel a sense of ownership and pride in their contribution. Mestizo and Native American communities in New Mexico, who have helped build and conserve this state, are deserving of nothing less. President Donald Trump wrapped up his historic Singapore summit with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, weathering a barrage of criticism for giving away too much to his adversary and gaining nothing. So much for the art of the deal, Connecticut Democratic Sen. Chris Murphy told one news outlet, referencing Trumps 1987 co-authored book touting his business acumen. Many of Trumps Democratic critics, eager to denounce whatever he does which he so often deserves sound more bellicose than hawkish neoconservatives. But a growing number of progressive Democrats are willing to support his diplomatic efforts, hoping to avoid war. Imagine if it werent Donald Trump there, but Barack Obama having that kind of breakthrough, Democratic Rep. Ro Khanna of California said on the Democracy Now! news hour. There would be a reaction from almost every progressive Democrat cheering that on. Who wouldnt cheer avoiding nuclear war? It was only last September when Trump tweeted: Just heard Foreign Minister of North Korea speak at U.N. If he echoes thoughts of Little Rocket Man, they wont be around much longer! In response to threatening comments exchanged between Trump and Little Rocket Man Kim, the Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists advanced their Doomsday Clock to two minutes before midnight, their assessment of the relative danger of nuclear war. Started in 1947, the Doomsday Clock has only been at two minutes to midnight once before: in 1953, the year the Soviet Union first detonated a hydrogen bomb, escalating the arms race with the U.S. Hawks like Republican South Carolina Sen. Lindsey Graham have long encouraged a military assault on North Korea. If diplomacy fails, as a last result, Democrats and Republicans need to put the military option on the table, Graham said last Sunday as Trump was en route to Singapore. More concerning is newly appointed national security adviser John Bolton, who wrote last February, It is perfectly legitimate for the United States to respond to the current necessity posed by North Koreas nuclear weapons by striking first. Bolton was invoking the doctrine of necessity of pre-emptive attack in self-defense, just as he did before the 2003 invasion of Iraq on the false pretense that Saddam Hussein possessed weapons of mass destruction. There isnt any military solution on the Korean Peninsula, University of Chicago history professor Bruce Cumings, one of the worlds leading Korea scholars, said on Democracy Now! For the first time in a long time, theres a thaw between Pyongyang and Washington, and to talk about going to war if this thaw doesnt work is just reprehensible. Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., wrote a letter to the president, co-signed by six other senators, demanding that Trump maintain negotiating positions that most experts agree are simply unachievable. These include the complete, verifiable, irreversible denuclearization (CVID) of North Korea, without comparable concessions from the U.S. to diminish its military presence on the Korean Peninsula. Senator Schumer in that letter is basically parroting the talking points of John Bolton, Khanna said, that we should not engage in any diplomacy or make any concessions without complete denuclearization. Thats just not realistic. Khanna also sent the president a letter co-signed by 14 Democratic members of Congress, rebutting his Senate colleagues. A far more realistic framework, he said on Democracy Now!, is an incremental approach where we need to ask for the cessation of testing, and make concessions on an incremental basis. Thats what I think has begun with this process. Christine Ahn is the founder of Women Cross DMZ the demilitarized zone between North and South Korea a global movement of women mobilizing to end the Korean War. She has organized women-led marches across the DMZ, most recently two weeks ago. On the eve of that march, she said on Democracy Now!: The people of North and South Korea want very much (for) peace to prevail on the Korean Peninsula. I think thats our role as the international community, especially from the United States, to support them in this critical hour. On Tuesday, just after the Singapore summit, she added, Peace is in the air, and we have a lot of work to do, especially as a peace movement in this country. People have been organizing since long before Trump to end the 70-year state of war on the Korean Peninsula. The importance of the election of South Koreas president, Moon Jae-in, cannot be overstated. A mass movement drove his predecessor from office and carried Moon, who openly advocated for peace with North Korea, into power. Famously mercurial, President Trump canceled the U.S.-North Korea summit once, only to reinstate it soon after. He could easily derail the peace process again. In the United States, Democrats and Republicans should unite behind the peace movements that are driving this diplomatic opening. Amy Goodman is the host of Democracy Now!, a daily international TV/radio news hour airing on more than 1,400 stations. She is the co-author, with Denis Moynihan and David Goodman, of Democracy Now!: 20 Years Covering the Movements Changing America. Distributed by King Features Syndicate. Cartel lookouts perched with binoculars on Juarez hilltops keep watch over the U.S. border crossing in El Paso, homing in on the secondary inspection stations. Thats where agents direct suspicious vehicles to search for drugs and other contraband. When those secondary inspection stations are full, the lookouts give the go signal to drivers of drug-hauling vehicles waiting on the Mexican side for an optimal chance to carry their cargo into the United States. The race to U.S. markets is on. Journal investigative reporter Mike Gallagher, who has covered drug smuggling for more than two decades and authored most of the 2017 Journal series The Cartels Next Door, recounted the lookout story in a recent talk to the Albuquerque International Association. The story is a useful reminder that the savvy cartels are still winning this war, as they have for years. And the stakes are more deadly than ever. While we already are awash in cheap, potent Mexican methamphetamine and heroin, Gallagher reported in the Journal on June 5 that seizures of deadly fentanyl have soared in the United States. In April, a tractor-trailer rig in Nebraska was stopped by police with 118 pounds of the drug enough to kill 26 million people. It was headed for the East Coast. In March, narcotics agents in New York City arrested Francisco Quiroz-Zamora, also known as Gordo, after seizing 44 pounds of fentanyl in a raid in the Bronx. Quiroz-Zamora allegedly has direct ties to the Sinaloa Cartel. He is charged with running a Mexico-to-Arizona-to-New York trafficking operation. On Tuesday, U.S. border agents seized 335 pounds of methamphetamine and arrested two Mexican nationals in busts at Santa Teresa and at the Antelope Wells crossing in Hidalgo County. Authorities will try to sort out which cartel operations these busts are tied to: Juarez, Sinaloa or New Generation Jalisco. While the political debate rages over Trumps border wall, Gallagher points out that significant new investment in secondary inspection stations would do a lot more to interrupt the flow of drugs into the United States. Its also true that a real wall would help in some areas. Take the case of three Mexican nationals who were being held hostage in Columbus until smugglers who also dealt in guns and drugs could extort money from the immigrants families to get them to U.S. destinations. The three, working with coyotes, came across the border illegally through the desert near Columbus. On the flip side of the coin, smugglers are making big dollars taking guns and ammunition into Mexico FROM the United States. Mexico, which has strict anti-gun laws, recorded between 29,000 and 32,000 murders last year compared with about 16,000 in the U.S. despite having a much smaller population. Mexicans have a legitimate complaint here. Meanwhile, a U.S. Customs and Border Protection officer was wounded by gunfire near the border in Arizona early Wednesday. The fifth generation cattleman who runs a 50,000-acre ranch where the shooting occurred says we have drug runners coming through our ranch, and this has become a very dangerous situation. An ardent supporter of Trumps wall, the rancher says the border barrier in some parts of the area is a few strands of barbed wire. The cartels also play a significant role in illegal human trafficking into the United States, sometimes directly involved in smuggling like the case of more than 90 illegal immigrants found stuffed in a tractor trailer in Texas, or charging a fee to others crossing illegally. People arent as profitable for the cartels as drugs, but they do constitute another profit center. At the end of the day, we need to be smarter, less political and more diplomatic about this enormous illegal flow of drugs, guns, people and money. On our side of the border, roughly two-thirds of the 60,000-plus overdose deaths in the U.S. last year are attributed to illegal drugs mostly courtesy of the cartels. The murder toll in Mexico is tied to guns from the U.S. At this point, law-abiding citizens of both countries are the big losers. This editorial first appeared in the Albuquerque Journal. It was written by members of the editorial board and is unsigned as it represents the opinion of the newspaper rather than the writers. Copyright 2018 Albuquerque Journal Patricia Smiths father was dying of Alzheimers in 2007 when dementia took hold of her 87-year-old mother. The older woman began driving on the wrong side of the road and was so paranoid she believed her daughter Patricia was exploiting her. And, an ex-convict on parole had ingratiated himself into her mothers life. Smith needed help, she said last year. I realized I could not protect my mother. She wouldnt let me. Like others who have aired their personal stories about the dysfunction of New Mexicos guardianship system, Smith recounted for a Supreme Court commission in April 2017 how she finally went to court to obtain a professional legal guardian/conservator for her mother, only to discover the firm treated her mother as a cash cow. It behooved the whole interest of that company for the guardians to amp up their care to burn off my dads estate as fast as possible. They started charging $19,000 a month, Smith told the commission looking into guardianship reform, but wouldnt pay for her mother to get a replacement for her inch-thin coat. It took eight months and $20,000 in legal fees before Smith and her sister could disengage her mother from the corporate guardian firm and recruit a separate guardian and conservator, with whom they had no complaints. Heeding calls from family members like Smith, district courts in New Mexico come July 1 will operate under a new openness and greater accountability mandated by a new guardianship/conservatorship law approved by the Legislature earlier this year. The state Supreme Court took the reforms a step further last week by requiring enhanced financial and background information from those who are legally appointed by judges to manage the affairs of the incapacitated. For the first time, under the new Supreme Court rules and reporting forms, court-appointed guardians and conservators will have to regularly report the fees they charge the incapacitated persons estate and, in the case of conservators, how the fees were calculated. They must also provide specific bank account information about the incapacitated person, including bank account balances, in a format that will permit an auditor to detect misappropriation or mismanagement of funds. To that end, a pilot project involving the State Auditors Office is in the works, said state District Judge Shannon Bacon of Albuquerque, who has spearheaded the reform effort for the judiciary. In another new disclosure, guardians and conservators must annually advise the court on their own status if they had declared bankruptcy, been arrested or investigated by state Adult Protective Services, for instance. None of the annual reports filed with the court will be available to the public. New law Whether the new measures will fix New Mexicos troubled guardianship system is unclear, Smith told the Journal last week. But its a foot in the door, said Smith, who has spent the last year contacting public officials, including Gov. Susana Martinez, to press for change. In testifying before the now-disbanded commission last year, Smith cited the inadequate reporting forms required of guardians and conservators. Smith, a retired respiratory therapist, also advocated more openness in the system. We could really get more accountability and sunlight into the system so it wouldnt be such a setup for abuse and exploitation of our elders, she told the commission appointed by the Supreme Court. In fact, the new law passed unanimously by the Legislature this year will require that hearings in such cases be open to the public, although filings will remain confidential unless a judge authorizes disclosure. Two other changes give family members greater visitation rights and expand notification to relatives of court proceedings for an incapacitated loved one. Not all critics are satisfied. Lorraine Mendiola, whose adult son has a professional guardian, told the Journal last week, Theres no state agency for family members to voice their concerns if a corporate guardian is negligent or committing criminal actions. She said she has had no luck approaching the judge on her sons case with her grievances. As for the enhanced reporting, Mendiola said, Who is going to provide accountability to make sure that the correct information (on the new forms) is reported? The new law requires professional conservators to post bonds upon appointment, but Mendiola questioned why the cost will be borne by the incapacitated person instead of the conservator. Gaelle McConnell, an Albuquerque attorney who headed the Supreme Court committee that proposed the eight new forms and five new guardianship/conservatorship rules, told the Journal the bond protects the (incapacitated) person so it makes sense to deduct the surety fee from the assets, rather than charge the conservator. She noted that a judge can make an alternative asset protection arrangement under the new law or decide a bond isnt necessary. New forms The new reporting forms are 12 pages long for guardians, and 15 pages for conservators compared to the current forms that ask 17 questions of guardians and a mere 10 questions of conservators every year. Bacon told the Journal the changes will make it easier for judges to get a handle on the details (of a continuing guardianship or conservatorship). In her Albuquerque court, she schedules a hearing if she has questions or sees discrepancies in reports filed by a guardians or conservator. Not all judges ask those questions, Bacon conceded. This (new reporting mandate) forces the information to be put in front of them. She said the state Auditors Office helped design the questions asked of conservators to make sure we have a picture of assets and liabilities and to inform the judge and to be useful to an auditor. We wanted to be very careful that it (the disclosure) works if somebody audits the case. Meanwhile, district judges around the state have undergone training about the new law and rules. McConnell also served on last years Supreme Court commission that spent nine months studying the issue before issuing its own recommendations. Frankly, from hearing the public testimony, it was clear to me that something had to happen, McConnell said. The Supreme Court rules committee, appointed earlier this year, isnt finished with its work, McConnell said. Her group will explore issues the guardianship commission last year recommended for further study such as certification of guardians, and improving the court appointment process for guardians ad litem and court visitors. By law, those two professionals advise the judge on whether a guardianship is needed and whether the guardian proposed is appropriate. But the process has been criticized as lacking objectivity, because judges typically appoint whomever is nominated by the attorney seeking the guardianship or conservatorship. Smith, whose mother died in 2012, said dealing with an incapacitated loved one is always inherently painful but its necessary and its going to become more necessary as baby boomers come down the pike. More of us are going to be facing it either for ourselves or our loved ones. More information The new forms and information about guardianship system changes are available on the Judiciarys website at: adultguardianship.nmcourts.gov. Copyright 2018 Albuquerque Journal By the time she walked into the Metropolitan Detention Center in November 2015, she had been in and out of the county jail 36 times. The transgender woman said the staff knew her well, yet not one of them referred to her as she. Oh, look, its back, she said one male guard would say to another. Then they would bet each other on who was going to have to strip-search me. During her 15 years in and out of jail, Unique (a pseudonym she asked be used for this story) slept among the men, showered with the men and endured verbal abuse from both male inmates and jail staff. Without outside support, she also said, she worked the jail system the same way she worked the street trading sexual favors with inmates for ramen noodles, candy bars or a shot of coffee. While things have changed since 2015, being booked into the MDC still poses issues for transgender inmates and the officials whose responsibility it is to properly screen and house them. Officials say it is an environment in which protocols are still shifting, discrimination training is evolving and progress is stifled in a system with few examples of how to move forward. Im beyond worried, said Nicole Deaderick, MDCs coordinator for the Prison Rape Elimination Act of 2003. The challenge: housing transgender inmates safely in a facility divided by sex while abiding by strict guidelines of privacy and respect set forth in the act. Set in motion by the George W. Bush administration, PREA seeks to minimize sexual assault of inmates in facilities nationwide, with a deadline to come into compliance by 2019. The Prison Policy Initiative, a nonprofit group based in Massachusetts, evaluated the PREA transgender policies of correctional institutions in 21 states in 2017 and found only one was in total compliance: Pennsylvania. Although New Mexico was not included in the survey, Deaderick said she traveled to Washington state and toured two correctional institutions there, one that was compliant and one that was not, to compare with MDC. That helped me understand the bar we have to raise in order to pass this thing and be compliant, she said. Where does New Mexico stand? Deaderick said right in the middle. Were all working to overhaul and make the system better, said Deaderick, who has been at MDC for just under a year. We are in the midst of many changes. Case by case In line with PREA standards, housing for transgender inmates is determined on a case by case basis and inmates are given three opportunities during intake to mention their specific needs or gender status. Last year, the jail identified 30 inmates as either gender nonconforming, transgender or intersex. Its very important that they let us know, Deaderick said. It gets very complicated once you get hormones, or you get surgeries. During her last stay at MDC, which ran close to a year, Unique had already transitioned through surgery and like dozens of times before was housed with men. PREA forbids any efforts to examine an inmate to determine genital status, leaving jail staff to take an inmates word for it and possibly house individuals with male sex organs along with individuals with female sex organs. Communication is so important. We get the inmates perspective, and then we sit down and think whats best for our facility perspective, Deaderick said. Thats as clear of an answer as youre going to get. Thats PREA for you. Although Deaderick said she hasnt had a report of sexual abuse from a transgender inmate, the threat is very real. A study released by the U.S. Bureau of Justice Statistics in 2015 found that around 35 percent of transgender inmates were sexually victimized. Safety is No. 1 priority always, Deaderick said. To address issues with screening incoming inmates, Deaderick said MDC formed a committee so recently that it has yet to meet. It consists of Deaderick and staff from medical, security and classification who are to meet when a transgender inmate or another inmate who expresses concerns is booked to discuss where to house them. If there is a safety concern, a transgender inmate may be placed in a medical cell, for a maximum of 24 hours, until staff can figure out proper housing. If proper housing cannot be determined, the inmate can be segregated and locked down for most of the day, thus missing out on programs other inmates can access. But thats not an option Unique considered. When people are locked down 23 hours a day, youre going to lose your (expletive) mind, she said. Youre going to do what you have to do to fit in general population. Bad system Adrien Lawyer, co-director of the Transgender Resource Center of New Mexico, calls MDCs approach a bad system. Theres a lot of confusion and genuine concerns about where to house trans people in highly sex-segregated facilities, he said, citing the risk of not only sexual assault but also consensual sex, pregnancies and sexually transmitted diseases. It becomes very hard to figure out how you would put someone, who was assigned male at birth and has not had surgeries, in with vaginas and uteruses and ovaries. With Medicaid paying for more and more sexual transition surgeries, Lawyer said jails and prisons will continue to find themselves confronting the issue of proper housing for transgender people. The likelihood of this coming to pass is inevitable, he said. I imagine theyre going to have to come up with a different solution. As for the current standing of MDC in the trans community, Lawyer said the resource center hasnt heard many complaints from those who have been through the system. He said most of the reports the center has heard from MDC revolves around names and pronouns. Names and gender pronouns are huge, urgent things with trans folks, Lawyer said. Its really important to get them right. For that reason, Lawyer has spent the last four years visiting prisons, police departments and probation offices across the state to do training on best practices when interacting with transgender people. Lawyer is quick to admit it can be an uphill battle in a hypermasculine environment and the training doesnt always go over well due to cultural norms. When I train any group, I feel like if I reach anybody, Ive done good youre never going to reach everybody, he said. Anything that creates any kind of a shift in peoples attitudes toward trans people is what were trying to do. We know theres a very high need at MDC. Lawyer said the center has been trying to coordinate training at MDC for a few months and recently heard back from Deaderick. Change is hard While Deaderick said she has borrowed some of Lawyers training slides for her own staff and supervisor training, having Lawyer come in for a group training is really tough since it would require taking staff off their posts for the duration. She said supervisory staff finished individual training by the end of March and the 600-person staff began their training a couple weeks ago. The training takes about three hours and involves looking over slides on a computer before taking a test. Deaderick said staff members take the test until they answer at least 80 percent of the questions correctly. MDC spokeswoman Candace Hopkins said transgender training could also present a learning curve for some of the jails older, more seasoned staff, who may need additional help. Change is hard, she said. Big or small, for some people thats really difficult. As for the lack of specific guidelines on housing transgender inmates, Hopkins said it is a newer issue for correctional facilities with not many examples of how to craft or implement policies. We dont have a ton of case law to fall back on, she said. We are a reflection of whats happening in overall society. As society evolves on these issues, of course we are as well. We are looking for outside help. We are looking to evolve. Copyright 2018 Albuquerque Journal After 17 deaths in a mass shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in February, the school security conversation became much louder. In New Mexico, just weeks after the Florida massacre, legislation was signed into law for millions of dollars to be set aside for school safety measures. But now some are speaking out after learning that districts will have to match a percentage of the money an estimation of up to $1 million in the case of Albuquerque Public Schools. While $40 million was set aside through Senate Bill 239, districts still have to meet some eligibility requirements before they can get the money. In a memo sent to districts earlier this month, the Public School Capital Outlay Council outlined the prerequisites for districts to get access to the funds, including the match. State Sen. George Munoz, D-Gallup, sponsor of the bill that allowed the use of council funding for school security, said money meant to keep kids safe shouldnt rely on how much individual districts can afford. Not all schools have money to match so that disqualifies some of the schools that cant afford it, he said. Munoz said it wasnt his intent nor does he believe it was the Legislatures intent for the match to apply to this funding. If it was, I would have written into the bill that made it clear there was no match, he said. Munoz said the safety of kids should be the No. 1 priority, and the match could hinder that. I dont get the reason for the match at all, he said. But Executive Director Jonathan Chamblin of the New Mexico Public School Facilities Authority noted that state law in place since the early 2000s requires districts to match a certain percentage when getting state funding for school capital improvement projects. Chamblin said each district is expected to match a certain percentage based on a funding formula that takes into account a districts net taxable value and the number of students enrolled during the preceding year. And while it varies by a couple of percentage points year to year, it stays relatively consistent. It boils down to the formula attempts to provide more state funding for poorer districts, he said. Chamblin pointed to language in the bill that says funding will be determined through council methodology and cites state statute that outlines the match process. But there have been instances in which schools have been able to do improvements without using their own money. Possible big bill for APS Sen. Mimi Stewart, D-Albuquerque, a member of the Public School Capital Outlay Oversight Task Force, said the council has the ability to waive some of the requirements in the event of emergencies. At the turn of the century, there was a list of critical problems with some facilities in New Mexico that werent safe or up to code, and those projects were exempt from the match, according to Chamblin. But Stewart said the school security money didnt fall under an emergency exemption since districts have been working on school security for years. Munoz, however, had a different sentiment, saying kids are more focused today on fear than learning. We are talking about something that is real and happening right now, he said. On a district level, Kizito Wijenje, APS executive director of capital master planning, agrees there shouldnt be a match, saying school safety resources shouldnt depend on whether a district can allocate funds, especially when the Legislature already set the money aside. Security money shouldnt be contingent on whether the district can pay for it, he said. Wijenje predicted APS will ask for upward of $2 million to $3 million and have to match 50 percent. He noted that many districts have been working on their budgets for months and may have not planned for the school security obligation. At a recent Capital Outlay, Property, and Technology Committee meeting, Superintendent Raquel Reedy said she may send a letter to the Public School Capital Outlay Council, asking it to reconsider that requirement in this specific case. Surprise in Rio Rancho Las Cruces Public Schools spokesman Damien Willis said the Las Cruces district did anticipate it would have to match some of the money, though the local match will limit the amount LCPS asks for to some degree. But the match is not particularly prohibitive, and we believe well be able to use the funding to improve security at several schools throughout the district, he said, adding that LCPS has to pay 34 percent. In contrast, Rio Rancho Public Schools spokeswoman Beth Pendergrass said the district hadnt anticipated it would need to put its own funding toward the projects. She said Rio Rancho which has a match percentage of 33 is still determining how much it will request but was optimistic the match wouldnt limit the districts request. And Santa Fe Public Schools Superintendent Veronica Garcia said she wasnt sure the Santa Fe district would apply for any money at all, saying officials are still reviewing the requirements. In addition to the match, the districts also have to provide an assessment of a schools security system. Chamblin said the preferred methodology is for districts to work with first responders or law enforcement to conduct the review. He said the applications will be ranked based on need, meaning money will go to the least secure schools first. There are also things the money cant be spent on, including school resource officers and reimbursement for previous expenses. The memo, which was dated June 1, was sent out the same day Attorney General Hector Balderas wrote to the Public Education Department, urging the state agency to take advantage of other funding streams. While the New Mexico Legislature has appropriated critical capital outlay funds for our schools, we know that resources will continue to be a challenge for New Mexican schools, he wrote, suggesting that PED apply for federal grants set aside by Congress for school safety initiatives. The deadline for local districts to apply for the state money is July 27. Scoring will be announced to districts in September with the official review process expected to take until October. The time frame worries Munoz, who notes school will have been in session a couple of months by that time. He said the schedule is another reason the money shouldnt require a match, because schools need to be secured immediately, not after bond elections or when each district comes up with the necessary funding. Common sense tells you a match doesnt work in this short of time frame, he said. Copyright 2018 Albuquerque Journal An active shooter. Students mental health. These are two of the top concerns local districts have about school safety, according to surveys by the New Mexico Public School Facilities Authority. Bullying, unauthorized access and domestic disputes rounded out the top five. The agency aimed to take a snapshot of what school security looks like in the state, asking districts to identify safety barriers and rank various security measures in order of importance. The surveys found the most significant barrier by far for districts was funding, followed by building design and lack of equipment. That finding comes as Attorney General Hector Balderas calls for the state to utilize more federal funding for security measures in schools. It also comes as districts are starting to apply for millions of dollars set aside for school safety by the Legislature. According to the surveys, districts said the most important security features they wanted to implement were better staff crisis training and better access control for campuses. As for what is happening at schools now, cameras were the most popular way schools were implementing security measures. Key card access was also fairly common. Of 712 schools surveyed, about 64 percent were fenced in, approximately 65 percent had their exterior doors locked during school hours and about 78 percent had security cameras. But Balderas letter said the state needs to do better as a whole, even citing the Public School Facilities Authoritys report. His letter says the Office of the Attorney General has been reviewing school safety in the state and has found patchwork safety initiatives. A patchwork system is inherently filled with dangerous gaps, and it is no longer acceptable to leave our schools without a comprehensive safety plan, he wrote. Balderas has proposed a plan to be phased in over the next three years that would standardize safety efforts for all 89 districts, starting with inventorying schools procedures, mapping the schools, and checking for things like signage, lighting and landscaping. FARMINGTON A program designed to promote the purchase of wool and mohair from producers on the Navajo Nation has returned to the reservation, thanks to a project developed through a partnership between Black Mesa Water Coalition and Dine Colleges Land Grant Office. The wool and mohair buy by the Mid-States Wool Growers Cooperative Association made stops at Window Rock, Ariz., Dine College Center in Crownpoint and the Dine Colleges north campus in Shiprock this week, The Daily Times reported. The programs Arizona stops included Tsaile, Kaibeto, Pinon, Tuba City and Dilkon. The wool and mohair will be examined to determine their grade, then weighed before the pricing is finalized, said Stanley Strode, wool manager for the association. The price is also based on market value. The cost for fine grade has increased this year, while coarse grade is experiencing a decline, Strode said, adding that buyers remain committed to offering producers fair pricing. We are here to buy wool for commercial industry, he said. The recent stops marked the Mid-States Wool Growers Cooperative Associations seventh trip to the Navajo Nation. The states environment department has determined the Waste Isolation Pilot Plants request to revise how the volume of radioactive waste it houses is determined should go through a more stringent process than it initially submitted. The underground repository for nuclear waste near Carlsbad submitted a request to modify its permit in January for Clarification of TRU (transuranic) Mixed Waste Disposal Volume Reporting. Drums of waste are arranged inside larger containers called overpacks before they are placed underground. The volume of those overpacks is what is counted toward WIPPs total volume, limited to 6.2 million cubic feet by the federal Land Withdrawal Act. WIPP officials say they believe the volume of the inner containers be counted instead. The new standards would mean the facility is one-third full; by current measure, its considered half full. WIPP originally submitted a Class 2 modification to the permit to NMED. But in a letter to the facilitys leaders sent earlier this month, NMED Secretary Butch Tongate said the request must go through a Class 3 permit modification process used for major changes to permits. I have determined that it is appropriate for NMED to process the Modification as a Class 3 modification as there is significant public concern and the complex nature of the proposed change requires the more extensive procedures of a Class 3 modification, Tongate wrote in a June 1 letter. WIPP spokesman Bill Taylor wrote in an email that the Department of Energy and WIPP operating and managing contractor Nuclear Waste Partnership will continue to work with the State of New Mexico on the required processes for a Class 3 Permit Modification Request. That will mean additional opportunities for public comment, said Don Hancock, the Southwest Research and Information Centers Nuclear Waste Safety program director. Opponents and those skeptical of the proposed changes, including the Southwest Research and Information Center, had urged the NMED take a closer look at the modification request. Hancock argues that WIPP should be focused on safely completing its original mission. They shouldnt be trying to expand their mission, Hancock said. WASHINGTON A top White House adviser on Sunday distanced the Trump administration from responsibility for separating migrant children from their parents at the U.S.-Mexico border, even though the administration put in place and could easily end a policy that has led to a spike in cases of split and distraught families. President Donald Trump has tried to blame Democrats, who hold no levers of power in the government, for a situation that has sparked fury and a national debate over the moral implications of his hard-line approach to immigration enforcement. Nobody likes breaking up families and seeing babies ripped from their mothers arms, said Kellyanne Conway, a counselor to the president. Nearly 2,000 children were separated from their families over a six-week period in April and May after Attorney General Jeff Sessions announced a new zero-tolerance policy that refers all cases of illegal entry for criminal prosecution. U.S. protocol prohibits detaining children with their parents because the children are not charged with a crime and the parents are. The administration wants to send a message, said Maine Sen. Susan Collins, a Republican critic of the policy, that if you cross the border with children, your children are going to be ripped away from you. Thats traumatizing to the children who are innocent victims, and it is contrary to our values in this country. Trump plans to meet with House Republicans on Tuesday to discuss pending immigration legislation amid an election-season debate over an issue that helped vault the New York real estate mogul into the Oval Office in 2016. The House is expected to vote this week on a bill pushed by conservatives that may not have enough support to pass, and a compromise measure that includes key proposals supported by the president. The White House has indicated Trump would sign either of those. Conway rejected the idea that Trump was using the kids as leverage to force Democrats to negotiate on immigration and his long-promised border wall, even after Trump tweeted Saturday: Democrats can fix their forced family breakup at the Border by working with Republicans on new legislation, for a change! She, too, put the onus on Democrats, saying if there are serious about overhauling the system, theyll come together again and try to close these loopholes and get real immigration reform. Asked whether the president was willing to end the policy, she said: The president is ready to get meaningful immigration reform across the board. To Rep. Adam Schiff, D-Calif., the administration is using the grief, the tears, the pain of these kids as mortar to build our wall. And its an effort to extort a bill to their liking in the Congress. Schiff said the practice was deeply unethical and that Republicans refusal to criticize Trump represented a sad degeneration of the GOP, which he said had become the party of lies. There are other ways to negotiate between Republicans and Democrats. Using children, young children, as political foils is abhorrent, said Sen Jack Reed, D-Rhode Island. Rep. Ben Ray Lujon, D-N.M., said Trump could pick up the phone and stop it today. Even first ladies past and present gave their viewpoints. Melania Trump, who has tended to stay out of contentious policy debates, waded into the emotional issue. Her spokeswoman says that Mrs. Trump believes we need to be a country that follows all laws, but also one that governs with heart. Mrs. Trump hates to see children separated from their families and hopes both sides of the aisle can finally come together to achieve successful immigration reform, spokeswoman Stephanie Grisham said. Former first lady Laura Bush wrote in a guest column in The Washington Post Sunday that the policy of separating immigrant parents and children along the nations southern border is cruel, immoral and it breaks my heart. She compared it to the internment of Japanese Americans during World War II, which she called one of the most shameful episodes in U.S. history. The House proposals face broad opposition from Democrats, and even if a bill does pass, the closely divided Senate seems unlikely to go along. Rep. Michael McCaul, who helped write the conservative version with Rep. Bob Goodlatte, said he had spoken to Trump on Saturday and that the president is fully committed to both of these bills. Hes put the full weight of his office behind it. McCaul, R-Texas, said both bills satisfy Trumps main objectives. Without him coming to Capitol Hill on Tuesday, I dont think wed have that sort of maximum pressure, if you will, to get us across the goal line, and I anticipate on Tuesday that hes going to be the leader he is and were going to get something passed out of the House, said McCaul, R-Texas. Trumps former chief strategist said Republicans would face steep consequences for pushing the compromise bill because it provides a path to citizenship for young Dreamer immigrants brought to the country illegally as children. Steve Bannon argued that effort risked alienating Trumps political base and contributing to election losses in November, when Republicans hope to preserve their congressional majorities. I strongly recommend that we just wait until 2019, right, to address this, he said, while defending the administrations practice of separating parents from children as an example of Trump making good on a key campaign promise. We ran on a policy, very simply, stop mass illegal immigration and limit legal immigration, get our sovereignty back, and to help our workers, OK? And so he went to a zero tolerance policy, Bannon said. Zero tolerance, its a crime to come across illegally, and children get separated,. Rep. Beto ORourke, D-Texas, said he was working on legislation that would end the practice of family separation. Speaking from Texas, where he was leading a march to a town where a new tent structure for children recently opened, ORourke said we can do the right thing by this country and for those kids, and not do it at the price of a 2,000-mile, 30-foot-high, $30 billion wall, not doing it at the price of deporting people who are seeking asylum, deporting people in some cases back to certain death, not doing it at the cost of ending family migration, which is the story of this country. The situation now is inhumane and un-American, he said. The blame, he said, rests on all of us, not just the Trump administration. Conway and Schiff appeared on NBCs Meet the Press, Collins was on CBS Face the Nation, Lujan and Bannon spoke on ABCs This Week, ORourke was interviewed on CNNs State of the Union and McCaul was on Foxs Sunday Morning Futures. ___ This version clarifies paragraph 6, noting that the White House has indicated that Trump would sign either proposal under consideration, ANGLETON, Texas The skeletal remains of three people have been found on a Southeast Texas ranch and Texas Department of Public Safety authorities believe they are a man, woman and their 5-year-old son who have been missing for a week. Wharton County sheriffs authorities say a 36-year-old man, Robert Satterfield, is charged with murder for the deaths. Satterfield, who already was in custody in neighboring Fort Bend County, led officials to the site where authorities say someone tried to burn the bodies. Satterfield was discovered Thursday driving the car of missing 24-year-old Maya Rivera. She, her boyfriend, 28-year-old Rayshawn Hudson, and their 5-year-old son, Rayshawn Jr., were reported missing last week. She was last seen June 10. The family lived in Angleton, just south of Houston. ___ Information from: The Facts, http://www.thefacts.com Mike Smith, the Triple Crown winning jockey from New Mexico, will make an appearance at Ruidoso Downs on July 8, and will also be raising money for a charity close to his heart. Smith, who was born in Roswell, and Justify won this years Kentucky Derby, Preakness Stakes and Belmont Stakes to capture the 13th Triple Crown in horse racing history. Smith, at 52, became the oldest jockey to win the Triple Crown. Custom-made posters of Smith winning the Belmont Stakes will be on sale at Ruidoso Downs for $10 beginning at 11 a.m. Smith will be at the east end of the grandstand for a special autograph signing session. There will be 100 posters on sale for $25 each and Smith will sign the posters for the buyers. All proceeds from poster sales benefit the Permanently Disabled Jockey Fund. Smith will also lead the post parade for the seventh race. He mentioned Ruidoso Downs while on Justify, and heading to the Belmont Park winners circle. He left (the gate) like he was going 440 yards in Ruidoso, New Mexico, Smith told NBC after the Belmont win. Smith earned his nickname Big Money Mike, for his success in the premier races. He has two Kentucky Derby wins, two Preakness Stakes wins, three Belmont Stakes wins and a record 27 Breeders Cup wins. Inducted into the National Museum of Racings Hall of Fame in 2003, Smiths mounts have earned $313 million and he has nearly 5,500 wins. He had his best year in 2017 when his horses earned $20,540,871 with an average earnings per start of $74,694. Mike is a global celebrity now and we are honored by his willingness to come to Ruidoso Downs to share his Triple Crown celebration with us, Ruidoso Downs president and general manager Jeff True said. He is a wonderful ambassador of our sport and he never forgets where he came from. He told me his family will fill half the grandstand so were gonna welcome them and all the other racing fans in New Mexico that day to celebrate his amazing accomplishment. Would you like to receive breaking news notifications from The Post and Courier? Sign up to receive news and updates from this site directly to your desktop. Breaking News Columbia Breaking News Greenville Breaking News Myrtle Beach Breaking News Aiken Breaking News N Augusta Breaking News Click on the bell icon to manage your notifications at any time. Success! Please click the 'Allow' button in the 'Show Notifcations' alert in your browser if one is available. Thank you for signing up! Please enable notifications in your browser and reload the page. " , " " " ". : " " . , , " ", . , , , . 27 . , , " ". " ( ) "" - . , , . "" . , , . 25 , . . " , . " ". , , "" , "" - . 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He was arrested on Saturday for attacking another driver with a hatchet. Police said he told them he went into "red mode" after he and the other vehicle stopped at the same red light. He also said he blacked out after getting a tomahawk out of his vehicle and starting toward the other car. Police said they were dispatched at 4:27 p.m. to Highway 153 and Grubb Road on a person shot. Police found Mr. Styles suffering from a gunshot wound to his right arm. He said the person who shot him left going south on Highway 153. At 4:44 p.m., Nick Bullington called police. Police were sent to the Riverpark on Amnicola Highway where he had been detained by a park ranger who overheard the radio traffic. At Erlanger, Mr. Styles said he and Mr. Bullington had gotten into a road rage incident on Highway 27. He said when he reached the intersection of Grubb Road while traveling on Highway 153 south he had to stop at the red light. He said while stopped he noticed Mr. Bullington behind him again. He said it was then he "went into red mode." He said he grabbed his tomahawk from a bag and exited his vehicle walking back to the driver's side of the Bullington vehicle. He said once he reached the door he blacked out, only coming out of it after he was shot. Mr. Bullington, 35, was interviewed at the Police Service Center after being from the Riverpark. He said while traveling on Highway 27 another person was driving aggressively. He said he slowed down to create some distance from the vehicle, but they came back together at Grubb Road. He said while stopped behind the Styles vehicle he saw the driver waving a tomahawk in the air. He said the man then exited his vehicle and approached his driver side door with the tomahawk in his hand. He said once at the door the man swung the tomahawk breaking through his window. He said he was in fear for his life so he grabbed his pistol. He fired one round at the man with the tomahawk. He said he then left to find a safe place to call police. Police said a witness confirmed the Bullington account. The witness said he saw the 57-year-old Styles break through the victim's vehicle window. Kevin West of WGOW said on Saturday, "We were made aware of Jeff's arrest with the rest of the media in a news release from the Chattanooga Police Department. Their investigation continues. We'll have no further comment until the investigation is complete." Auction fun supports LACADA Gayle Coulter and her daughter Sam give auctioneer Brian Rowley encouragement as he prepares to launch the live auction at Thursday nights 28th annual Taste... Officials OK marijuana grow facility LAPEER The former Thicks Glass building on West Genesee Street next to Arnolds Car Wash in Lapeer is expected to be demolished within the... Lapeer to enter contract to remove lead service lines LAPEER News of contaminated drinking water in homes in the southwest Michigan community of Benton Harbor has thrust the issue of lead water service... Passenger trains between Van in eastern Turkey and the Iranian city of Tabriz, which have not run for nearly three years, will resume running June 18, according to Turkey's Transport Minister Ahmet Arslan. This is more good news for Van, a city of half a million about an hour's drive from the Iranian border, which has lately enjoyed the economic benefits of a surge in interest among Iranian tourists. Earlier this month, when Al-Monitor visited, signs in Farsi were ubiquitous throughout Van, while Iranian visitors sat in cafes snacking on fries and sipping orange juice during Ramadan fasting hours, and enjoying cocktails in the city's bars, many of which stayed open during the holy month. The city is popular with visitors on the other side of the border for its more relaxed environment and cheaper shopping alternatives. Local bus companies offered tickets to nearby cities in Iran, while young vendors sold smuggled Iranian cigarettes and tea on the streets. Turkey's robust tourism sector was dealt a harsh blow in 2016, as terror attacks in Istanbul and Ankara and the failed coup attempt of July 15 caused the once seemingly ever-growing industry to freeze up. This caused the number of tourists to Istanbul to decline for the first time since the early 2000s. The sector has since begun to recover, and much of the positive news has centered around a staggering increase in the number of Iranian tourists. According to official figures, the total number of Iranian visitors to Turkey decreased slightly from 1.7 million in 2015 to 1.66 million in 2016, which amounted to a mere 2.2% drop in a year where visitors from most other countries declined sharply. During the same period, the number of American tourists plummeted by 42% and visitors from Germany by 30%. In 2017, diplomatic rows with Germany and the Netherlands likely played an integral role in the declining number of visitors from Western Europe. Iranians, however, have made up for some of the losses Turkey faces. In 2017, 2.5 million Iranian tourists visited Turkey, a walloping 50% increase compared with the previous year. The number of Iranian visitors has continued to be large this year, with 850,000 tourists making the trip across the Iranian border. Turkey has always been a choice destination for Iranians because of visa-free travel and shopping options," said Arya Afshar, a musician originally from Iran who has resided in Istanbul for eight years. I think what has changed is that there are less non-Iranian and non-Arab tourists, so suddenly it is more affordable for Iranians. Lots of tourism agencies offer really cheap deals." Back in Van, a tour operator and a hotel manager were concerned about Iran's decision earlier this year to increase the departure tax threefold a surcharge its citizens pay when leaving the country. They told Al-Monitor that bookings had taken a hit since the new fees went into effect. However, Necdet Takva, board chairman of Van's Chamber of Commerce and Industry, told local media earlier this month that he had expressed his concern regarding the matter to the Iranian ambassador and that he believed the tax would soon be reduced. Local media also reported that throngs of Iranians traveled to Van prior to the Eid-al Fitr holiday, with more than 2,700 crossing through the Kapikoy border gate (56 miles from Van) in just a single day last week. For sure [Turkey] has more freedoms than Iran. Just being able to drink and not wear the hijab are pluses, Afshar said. Maj. Ahsan Rasem recognizes members of the Islamic State (IS) by their clothes and explosives belts. Rasem is the team leader of the Civil Defense unit that is recovering bodies in the Meydan neighborhood of Mosul. A year after the liberation of Iraqs second-largest city, Rasem and his men have been sent to free this last, largely destroyed neighborhood from the sickening stench of death so civilians can return and rebuild their houses. These are the bodies that no family members have come forward to claim, Rasem said during a break from his gruesome task. White body bags are waiting to be collected, and the remains of explosives belts, clothes and blankets are scattered around in the dust. Rasems team members have removed their nose coverings to take a breath of fresh air beside the Tigris River. This is where they started last month, at the river, removing the floating corpses of dozens of IS fighters who were shot here last year while trying to escape the carnage by crossing the river. After that, they started working on the rubble. In just three weeks, some 1,300 bodies that had lain here for almost a year have been recovered. Most of them are not Arabs. They are from Holland, Georgia, Chechnya and other countries, Rasem said. Some identity papers have been found, some with the bodies, some just lying around. Rasem delivers the bodies to the morgue in Mosul. He does not take pictures either of the place where they were found or of their faces for possible identification. Usually, there is hardly anything left, he said According to Iraqi media citing government sources, some 9,000 civilian corpses have been recovered since the liberation. Much of the work has been done in response to pleas from family members. Because nobody asked for the bodies of the IS fighters, most of them remained under the rubble. They were only recovered after Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi told the Civil Defense to clean up the last remaining areas of Mosul, the neighborhoods that were IS last strongholds in the city. Some civilians have been found who were probably members of IS families, but most of the recently recovered bodies belong to IS fighters, said Rasems boss and the head of the Ninevah Civil Defense force, Col. Husam Ghalil. He said Russia and Georgia are countries where a lot of the fighters originated. Ghalil said he is not aware of anyone from the Netherlands (Holland) being found and does not know why Rasem mentioned the find. Every country is looking for its own people. But thats not our responsibility. It is a phrase he repeats a couple more times when asked about the IS bodies. They are taken to the morgue and what happens there is not his business, nor where they are buried. Any identity papers found are delivered to military intelligence. But does he warn embassies? Is DNA taken and stored? That is not our business, he said. Ghalil refers to the military authorities in Mosul, but Col. Firas Bashar, a spokesman for the Ninevah operations, said he can neither confirm the nationalities of IS bodies found nor that anything is being done to identify them. A well-informed policeman in Mosul, who asked to remain anonymous for fear of reprisals, said that IS bodies are simply taken from the morgue to a special mass grave where they are buried. The morgue is overwhelmed with all of the bodies that are still being recovered. According to the policeman, the fighters original passports have only come to light by chance, because IS exchanged them for caliphate identity cards. This makes it harder to know the nationality of those found. As a result, Western family members of IS members who were in Iraq will probably never know if they are still alive, and neither will Western security services who are trying to prevent fighters from returning home. For most Iraqis, this is of no significance, as these foreigners came to fight in a country that was not theirs and destroyed it in the process. They are deeply hated because of this. Yet international agreements stipulate that countries should work to make identification possible. Both the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) and the International Commission for Missing Persons (ICMP) have trained Iraqis to do just this. The ICMP even signed an agreement with four Iraqi ministries in 2012 that stated that the authorities acknowledge a familys right to know the fate and whereabouts of their missing relatives, that the government is directly responsible for efforts to locate and identify the missing persons and that an identification process based on DNA and complemented by other forensic methods is most appropriate. Even though Hayman Awrahim, the ICMPs Iraq program's communications officer, confirmed to Al-Monitor that there have been meetings with the Medical Legal Directorate in Mosul and that the ICMP has urged it to ensure the appropriate recovery, collection and documentation of the remains in order to enable scientific identifications in the future, he said nothing is happening. It is not yet clear that the necessary political will exists that will make it possible to marshal administrative and other resources to undertake this task. The ICMP cannot work by itself and intends to undertake additional research to have a better understanding of the situation on the ground. The frustration is evident in his diplomatic reply when Awrahim stressed that an effective strategy for identifying missing people requires much more than simply exhuming human remains. The location of graves, exhumation and identification must be done using robust chain-of-custody procedures that are embedded in the domestic judicial system. Location, exhumation and identification must be documented to the highest possible standard, so that evidence gathered in the process can be used in court if perpetrators are brought to justice. Like the ICMP, the ICRC is in contact with the Iraqi authorities about the missing people, but its privacy rules only allow it to share information about those known to have been found with their families. States should be informed when their nationals are found. But even though Germans are known to have been fighting with IS, the German Foreign Office in Berlin told Al-Monitor, We have not been contacted about any bodies of German nationals, but expect and believe the Iraqi authorities will do so if they are found. Whether Rasems mention of a Dutch body found in Mosul was a slip of the tongue or not, the Dutch Foreign Ministry said it has not been notified about the bodies of any Dutch IS members found in Iraq. The Netherlands asked Iraq at an earlier stage to be kept in the loop about these cases, ministry spokeswoman Willemien Veldman said in The Hague. But she added, In practice, it will not be simple to make a well-founded assumption of nationality in relation to the remains now being found in Mosul. Ambiguity surrounds the financial mechanisms adopted by Saudi Arabia, Kuwait and the United Arab Emirates at a June 11 summit in Mecca to help Jordan navigate through a crippling economic crisis. The kingdom's debt has risen to record highs this year, totaling 96% of the gross domestic product, or $39 billion, while the unemployment rate rose to 18.5%. The five-year, $2.5 billion package includes a deposit at the Central Bank of Jordan along with guarantees from the World Bank for Jordan to borrow funds and finance development projects. Jordanian authorities have not, however, made public the amount of the deposit, the terms of the guarantees or the share of the package allocated to development projects. The offer of aid follows on the heels of protests that began May 30 opposing the governments economic austerity policies and a draft income tax law. The demonstrators called for changes to the government's economic approach and a halt to borrowing from international financial institutions, including the International Monetary Fund (IMF). The protests ended June 6, after Prime Minister Hani al-Mulki's government resigned, and Mulki's designated successor, Omar al-Razzaz, promised to withdraw the income tax legislation. Given the timing of the Mecca summit, political analysts have been speculating why Saudi Arabia, which chose not to provide aid to Jordan in 2017, has decided to resume financial support to Amman at this particular time. Bassam Badarin, a political analyst and director of Al-Quds al-Arabi in Amman, told Al-Monitor that the resumption of Gulf aid to Jordan is linked to concerns over possible instability. Saudi [Arabia has] concerns about Jordans peaceful protests spilling over into Gulf countries, as happened with the Tunisian revolution, which later turned into the Arab Spring in 2011, Badarin said. In 2012, during the Arab Spring, the Gulf Cooperation Council provided financial support to Jordan that included a $5 billion package over five years to bolster the economy's performance. Additional funding was not forthcoming after the expiration of that package in 2017, a decision that unidentified Jordanian officials say was punishment for Jordan taking positions inconsistent with those of Saudi Arabia on regional matters. The Saudis did not issue an official statement on why it cut the flow of aid to the kingdom. Amer al-Sabaileh, a strategic analyst and director of the Middle East Media and Policy Studies Institute, told Al-Monitor, Saudi Arabia is dealing with Jordan differently than it deals with Egypt, which has received a larger amount of aid. This is because of the estrangement between Jordan and Saudi Arabia driven by several issues, namely the Jerusalem issue and the Hashemites' guardianship over the city's holy sites, Jordan's failure to ban the Muslim Brotherhood and Amman's position on the blockade against Qatar, as Jordan only downgraded its diplomatic representation in 2017 [by withdrawing its ambassador in Doha]. Jerusalem is a top priority for Jordan's ruling Hashemite family, as the kingdom has administered all Muslim and Christian religious sites in Jerusalems Old City since the 1950s. Meanwhile, Saudi Arabias growing ties with Washington and Riyadh's muted reaction to the US Embassy being moved from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem have led many in Palestine and Jordan to view Riyadh as placing Palestine, and the issue of Jerusalem in particular, on the back burner. Sabaileh added, [The aid] comes against the backdrop of Jordanian popular protests in order to help Jordan through its economic crisis, as [the Gulf] considers the kingdom a friendly country and not an enemy. At the same time, it is obvious that Jordan is no ally of the Saudis, given the minimal efforts made in this regard and the underwhelming amount of the aid. During a Jan. 31 meeting with students of the Prince Al Hussein Bin Abdullah II School for International Studies, King Abdullah II had said that the financial situation and economic pressure on Jordan persists because of its political positions, especially on Jerusalem, the idea being that a change in Amman's stance could lead to offers to help ease the country's economic problems. Sabaileh ruled out the possibility of the Gulf aid being linked to Jordan ultimately accepting the so-called deal of the century for Israeli-Palestinian peace supposedly being finalized by Donald Trump's administration. He reasoned, Jordan is granting Palestinian refugees Jordanian nationality. Pressuring Jordan to either accept or reject [the deal] will not change a thing [in terms of aid]. The more than 2 million Palestinian refugees in Jordan constitute the highest percentage, 40%, of those registered in the five areas of operation of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East, according to the kingdom's Department of Palestinian Affairs. Jordan has reservations about Trumps forthcoming peace plan based on fears that it might revoke the Palestinians right of return or pressure Amman into accepting a confederation with the West Bank excluding Jerusalem that is, Jordan becoming an alternative country for Palestinians at the kingdom's expense. Such a proposal would be met with great anger by indigenous Jordanians. Labib Kamhawi, a political affairs expert and writer for the London-based Al-Rai Al-Youm, takes a different position on the resumption of Gulf assistance. Some Arab countries felt bad about their financial blockade of Jordan in terms of causing instability there, and thus in the region as a whole, which could adversely affect future plans contained in the so-called deal of the century, which requires a high degree of stability in both Palestine and Jordan, he told Al-Monitor. Kamhawi was referring to Jordans traditional backers including Saudi Arabia, the United States and the UAE reducing aid allowances to the kingdom in recent years, including US threats to cut aid to countries that voted in favor of the resolution condemning the Jerusalem move at the United Nations. He said, Stability is a prerequisite for the success of the so-called deal of the century, since so far it is only a set of ideas going back and forth between parties. Zaki Bani Irsheid, deputy general controller of the Muslim Brotherhood in Jordan, also ruled out any link between Gulf aid and Jordans acceptance of a peace plan. He told Al-Monitor that the aid was, however, linked to the popular protests in the country. All solutions, disputes, grants, aid and internal and external borrowing are mere temporary efforts to ease the pressure of the present crises without considering what the future might hold for Jordan, Irsheid noted. Khalid al-Zubaidi, a Jordanian writer and economist, told Al-Monitor that he does not believe the Gulf aid package will boost the economy, because it is rather insignificant. He called the distribution of aid between deposits and guarantees vague. Zubaidi said, The amount offered is modest compared to Jordan's $11 billion budget, and the Gulf support was expected to be even greater, so the Mecca summits gesture was more one of moral support than financial. Many Shiite armed factions in Iraq haven't been threatening the United States of late, especially since they fared so well in the May 12 elections, receiving the second-most number of parliament seats. The shift indicates a possible rapprochement between the two sides, albeit undeclared. Some militias of the Iran-backed, mostly Shiite, Popular Mobilization Units (PMU) in Iraq seem to be working to end the hostility toward Washington. Some indication of this was seen during the recent International Quds Day protests, which were organized by armed Shiite factions close to Iran in the Iraqi capital of Baghdad. The rallies were held June 8, marking the last Friday in the holy month of Ramadan, to show support for the Palestinian struggle against the Israeli occupation. The Quds Day protests are an annual tradition that started in 1979 by Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini, the late leader of the Islamic Revolution. It has been the custom for protesters every year on Quds Day and other occasions to trample and burn the Israeli and American flags. This year, however, no American flags were destroyed or burned, and the protests did not include any slogans or threats against the United States. On June 4, the Fatah Alliance invited several foreign ambassadors for iftar, the nightly fast-breaking meal during Ramadan. Photos from inside the alliance headquarters showed a meeting between alliance leader Hadi al-Amiri and US Ambassador to Iraq Douglas Silliman. Other ambassadors also were present. It seems Amiri and some other PMU leaders are serious about rapprochement with the United States. This, however, has earned Amiri some criticism. Aws al-Khafaji, the head of the Abu al-Fadl al-Abbas Brigades, made scathing comments against Amiri, saying, Protesting [against the US Embassy move to] Jerusalem does not go hand in hand with a meeting with the American ambassador. Karim al-Nouri, a close Amiri associate, hinted that the PMU's influential Badr Organization hasn't ruled out any rapprochement or dialogue with the United States. There is no conflict between the PMU or any foreign state. The Jerusalem [Quds] Day is a public celebration, where people are free to express themselves the way they want to, Nouri told Al-Monitor. Not destroying the American flag doesn't suggest good relations. Burning flags during protests doesn't mean that [Iraq] is on the outs with [the United States]. We only have reservations about Israel. On the same day Silliman visited Amiri, he also met with the leader of the State of Law Coalition, Iraqi Vice President Nouri al-Maliki, who more than once has attacked the United States. Maliki is a PMU leader and claims to be its founder. Sillimans keenness to meet two PMU leaders in a single day is further evidence that the United States has been looking at some PMU principals as possible partners. The United States doesn't deal with the PMU as a whole institution, but rather with each faction separately. The United States is closest to Amiri, who in addition to leading the Fatah Alliance also heads the Badr Organization. Amiri has been in contact with the United States via ongoing meetings in Baghdad, said Rahman Aljebouri, a senior researcher at the National Endowment for Democracy. Both the United States and the factions that seek rapprochement will benefit from such a step. Washington, however, views the factions that have joined the political process and have a long political history to be the closest to it, Aljebouri told Al-Monitor. "The relations between the Badr Organization and the Americans have evolved through the ministries of Transport and Interior, which were [part of] Amiris party," he added. Aljebouris suggestion that the United States deals with PMU factions separately is backed up by the US Congress stance on the League of the Righteous (Asaib Ahl al-Haq). Though Asaib Ahl al-Haq is part of the PMU, the United States has talked about placing Asaib Ahl al-Haq on its terrorism list. The Fatah Alliance issued a calm and unprovocative statement June 2 calling on Washington to reconsider the political map that will give it an appropriate opportunity to establish balanced relations with Iraq. Yehya al-Kubaisi, an adviser to the Iraqi Center for Strategic Studies, told Al-Monitor, The United States cannot deal with the PMU as a single unit. They [Americans] have always distinguished between what they call good and bad militias. The Badr Organization is under the good category, while the League of the Righteous and Harakat Hezbollah al-Nujaba are categorized as bad. As for Iran, it believes that dealing with the former group of factions better serves its interests. He added, The meeting between the US ambassador and Amiri happened at the same time the United States said it would classify the League of the Righteous and Harakat Hezbollah al-Nujaba as terrorist organizations. This means that Iran and the United States are sending each other messages, using the PMU as a tool to do so. As things stand, rapprochement between some PMU leaders and the United States stands to benefit both parties. The United States needs to neutralize Iran's role in these factions. The PMU, meanwhile, seeks to get rid of elements that might cause it to be categorized as a terrorist group or of having committed human rights violations. On June 14, the meeting of Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman and Russian President Vladimir Putin as well as the talks between their energy ministers, Khalid al-Falih and Alexander Novak, brought important results. On the one hand, Moscow and Riyadh seemed to finalize their joint position regarding the future of the Vienna agreement, in which OPEC countries agreed to reduce their production of oil. On the other hand, Russia and Saudi Arabia declared their readiness to form a coalition that would be determining the future of the global oil and gas market. This is a serious declaration, as the two countries still have a lot of differences they need to overcome. Recent Russian-Saudi negotiations left no doubts that there will definitely be an increase in the oil output of OPEC plus (a group of OPEC and non-OPEC members that in 2016 agreed to limit their oil production in order to stabilize the global oil market). Moscow and Riyadh agreed on this and see the revision of oil production quotas as inevitable. However, it is not clear whether Novak and Falih agreed on the exact volume of production increase they will be offering to other members of OPEC plus at their meeting in late June. Yet it seems that the Saudis gave the green light to Moscow to suggest a higher increase volume than was initially expected. After his consultations with Falih, Novak said Russia might go for an increase of 1.5 million barrels per day (bpd) instead of the initially suggested 1 million bpd. This move is completely in Russian interests. On the one hand, the increase of 1.5 million bpd might be enough to compensate for the drop in Venezuelas and Irans oil output as well as the volatility of oil production in Libya, Nigeria and Iraq. Russia and Saudi Arabia are extremely concerned that the fall of oil output in these countries, as well as unexpected oil production disruption in other parts of the world, might skyrocket prices and destabilize the market. Thus, in June, Igor Sechin, the head of Russian energy company Rosneft, predicted new oil price hikes caused by US sanctions on Iran. As opposed to the mid-2000s, when Russian energy corporations were blindly pushing for higher oil prices, now Moscow is much more concerned about the stability of reasonably high oil prices rather than their constant growth that might encourage growth of oil output by rivals, boost development of alternative energy resources and, in the end, shrink demand. On the other hand, Russias intention to increase the oil output of the OPEC-plus group to 1.5 million bpd is in line with the statements by some Russian market analysts interviewed by Al-Monitor. They said that to keep oil prices in the corridor of $65-$75 per barrel, which is most desired by Russia, the increase in oil production by 1 million bpd might not be enough. The biggest question here is why the Saudis gave the green light to Moscow, as they were not keen on decreasing oil prices, but rather keeping them at the current level or a bit higher. Supposedly, the Saudis do not expect that this increase in OPEC-plus output will cause a substantial downward price trend. Another factor that could affect the Saudi decision is the kingdoms concerns regarding the growth of shale oil production in the United States. At least, the gradual increase in OPEC-plus output and the subsequent decrease of oil prices will boost demand. As a result, the growth of the shale oil production in the United States will not lead to the substantial shrinking of the OPEC-plus share of the oil market. Novak and Falih also agreed on the necessity to develop further cooperation aimed at ensuring sustainable development of the global oil market and industry. This is expected to be achieved in several ways. First, the two sides will try to preserve OPEC plus as a discussion ground to regulate the oil market beyond 2018. In other words, Russia and Saudi Arabia will preserve the Vienna agreement with new production quotas until the end of 2018. They will also try to persuade the participants to remain as OPEC-plus members beyond this date, although the format of this structure will become different. It seems likely that during the forthcoming meeting the members of OPEC plus will discuss mechanisms that would allow them to immediately react to the problems of the oil market and, if necessary, to interfere in it on a rolling basis. Thus, OPEC plus might become a forum-like structure that will act on a permanent basis and have practical mechanisms to regulate the oil market. Novak and Falih voiced another important initiative: They intend to bring non-OPEC-plus members into the discussion on control of the oil market. It had been strongly rumored that Russia and Saudi Arabia were interested in this; now this speculation has been confirmed. The question is who the two sides are thinking of bringing into the mix. Might this include US shale oil producers? Their intentions and production potential are not clear either for Moscow or Riyadh. The US industry is extremely flexible and can adjust to different market conditions. As a result, it would be reasonable for Moscow and OPEC plus to establish dialogue with them. Finally, Russia and Saudi Arabia declared that they are currently working on a bilateral agreement that will oblige them to cooperate to ensure the stability of the global hydrocarbon market and an adequate level of investments in the development of the oil and gas industry. Interestingly, Moscow and Riyadh are not interested in concentrating their attention solely on oil. They will also pay a lot of attention to cooperation in the gas sphere. All in all, Putins meeting with Mohammed clearly demonstrated that Moscow and Riyadh intend to work together and that recent rumors about the beginning of the rift in their relations are premature. Both politicians were satisfied by the outcome of the talks. During his meeting with Putin, Mohammed even promised to organize the first summit of OPEC-plus leaders in Riyadh to honor Putin. At the same time, the meeting of Novak and Falih helped advance the development of Russian-Saudi relations in the energy field. The vague formula expressed by the two ministers that their countries will support investments in the oil-and-gas sector hints that the next step in Russian-Saudi relations might be cooperation on joint gas projects in Russia or the kingdom. Today is Father's Day and it's the perfect time to treat your dad. Here's a look at the best deals, discounts and freebies to celebrate fathers. Not all locations are participating in the discounts, so be sure to check ahead: Get a $10 gift card when you purchase $50 or more in gift cards. Offer good through July 1. Use code DADS and save $3 on custom-ordered ice cream cakes. Get free shipping on all orders of $50 or more. Bonefish Grill has a special Father's Day meal through June 17 with a ribeye topped with fried mushrooms and served with a king crab leg or lobster tail. Get a free medium sum when you purchase an additional medium or large sub, side or drink on Father's Day with coupon. Buy any 10 wings and a beverage and get 10 boneless wings free. Spend $50 and receive $10 in JC Penney Bonus Bucks that can be used the same day. Get $10 off when you spend $50 or more on Father's Day gifts with cods TREATDAD10. Offer good through June 17. You can also get $10 Kohl's cash for every $50 spent. Get $10 gift card when you purchase $50 in gift cards. Buy one chicken or fish meal and get another free at Long John Silver's. Offer good through June 17. Get $10 gift card when you purchase $50 in gift cards. Dads get a free 6-ounce cup or cone of yogurt on Father's Day. Texas de Brazil is opening early on Father's Day (11 a.m.) All dads will receive a $20 gift certificate that can be used at Texas de Brazil at a later date. Ask Alabamians to talk about their proudest accomplishments, biggest influences, and best decisions they have made in their lives, and many will reflect on fatherhood. Take Vinemont's Jose Perales for example. He said the things that mean the most to him are things his father told him when he was little. "He made me feel like things are worth something, that my life has an impact on someone else's life. He showed me what it is to have nothing and really appreciate everything." When Meridianville's Andrea-don Griffin was born, she looked so much like her father that her parents named her after him. "It was a little challenging growing up, everybody got it wrong, but it makes you flexible," she said. "I have always kept it because I felt like it was just a part of who I was. He taught me the essence of really hard work. It translates well into what I do every day." The absence of Sha'Diamond Mayfield's father during her childhood contributed to making her the successful young woman she is today. "Everything that drove me, it was kind of based off of him not being there." Read more about their stories and others in the gallery. We are creating a photographic portrait of Alabama by sharing the faces and stories of Alabamians in their own words. People of Alabama is a statewide portrait series of people from all walks of life who call Alabama home in honor of our state's 200th birthday. We partnered with the Alabama Bicentennial Commission to share these stories. Join the bicentennial celebration by sharing your own photos and stories of people of Alabama with the hashtag #peopleofalabama on social media. Follow People of Alabama on Instagram at @peopleofAL, on Facebook at Facebook.com/peopleofAL, on the project's website, www.peopleofalabama.com, and in your Sunday paper. Man of the Year Frank Byers This is an opinion column. When my son obtained his college degree last spring, it was an obvious moment of pride and achievement--not just for him, me and those who know and love him. For others, as well, particularly African Americans, many of whom often told me: "You know, he's a unicorn, right?" What they meant was this: he's a young black male with a college degree, no criminal record, and no children. Sadly, I couldn't really disagree, but only shake my head at the disheartening place we've found ourselves. When I graduated from college--okay, it was not long after the Paleolithic Era--that trifecta was not considered an anomaly. Indeed, in the immediate wake of the civil-rights movement, when new education and career opportunities were emerging (though not to the extent we thought), young black boys were expected to obtain a college degree, stay out of jail and postpone fatherhood until we were ready. Or at least reasonably so. Of course, not everyone got there. But enough of us did such that we were not considered anomalies. Unicorns. Today, however, in the wake of various systemic evils--like the so-called war on black people, uh, I mean drugs; redlining and the unintended consequences of integration, which drained invaluable resources (and hope) from once-thriving predominantly black communities nationwide--the data speaks otherwise: Today, only 17% of black men obtain a four-year college degree. Today, one in nine African-American males between the ages of 20 to 34 are in prison. (Though, no, there are not more black men in prison than in college, a now-misnomer that may--or may not--have been fact almost two decades ago.) Today, too many young black boys are growing up not just without their fathers in the home (which many black men now in their 30s and 40s also experienced) but in neighborhoods all-but void of the successful, every-day hard-working black men who used to live next door or down the street. Unless, real talk, now, they're the neighborhood drug dealer. "They only see the dope boys," says Jermaine Johnson of C4 Mentoring, one of several programs in the Birmingham area that are striving to fill the male void in the lives of our young men. Now a fireman, Johnson says he "stumbled" into the career after floundering out of high school and through college as an athlete. "I had a mom and dad, but never had a mentor. If I had someone who could have interceded, I could have gotten here a lot quicker." Now, his program feeds young men in that critical 11-to-13 age group with four principals: heritage, education, leadership, and manhood. Mixed often with the kind of tough love they're not receiving at home. "We tell them, 'You don't have to be the solution every day, just don't be the problem.'" "You've won," friends often tell me when speaking of my son. Not really. First and vitally foremost, a father is a father forever, and while my son achieved a notable milestone, his journey has barely begun. My prayer is that I've given him--and will do so as long as God gives me the opportunity--the guidance and tools needed to navigate the myriad challenges and opportunities awaiting him. But, also this: a father is not just a father to his own, but to any young person with a gap that needs filling. Particularly, young black boys. Particularly, in Alabama. Particularly, now. Early Saturday morning, nearly 100 African American men gathered at the Birmingham Crossplex for city councilman Stephen Hoyt's 7th annual District 8 Man Up Breakfast. Men of various generations attended, as did a group of boys who are participating in the Alabama STEM Education Boot Camp, led by executive director Juanita Graham. The event was created to "change the rhetoric" about black men in the city by bringing together fathers and father figures and honoring black men and women who are reaching, teaching and filling the void in their own way. Recognized as Man of the Year was Frank Byers, a 27-year employee in the city's public works department and deacon at Pleasant Hill Missionary Baptist Church, whose legacy of sacrifice and service has lifted many in his family and beyond. He laughingly spoke of the "rod of correction" his mother used when he strayed into the wrong path and encouraged the young men there to heed the advice of their parents, a family member or anyone like the men who were in the room when they say to stay away from certain neighborhood influences. "When we tell you not to hang out with Pookie and Ray Ray, it's because we know what's going to happen," he said, prompting laughter. Keynote speaker Kelvin Datcher Kelvin Datcher, mayor Randall Woodfin's chief of intergovernmental affairs, offered the keynote address. The father of three was there with his wife and two youngest; he was even a bit late to the podium because he had to run his seven-year-old son to the bathroom. He shared his experiences growing up in a single-parent-led home in Harpersville, AL. He talked about his mom sending him to mow the lawns of elderly neighbors. "And we'd better not ask for any money," he said with a smile. Datcher didn't meet his father for the first time until he was six years old when someone took the young boy to visit him--in prison. He then didn't see him again for several years. Then not again for several more years. (Since then, the father has worked hard to rebuild the relationship with his son.) Datcher challenged the men in the room to do five things: work, serve, learn, listen and love. The latter is not often encouraged among black men, he said, but we must be able to share it with each other before we can tell our young men we love and care about them. Also, he told the men in the room: "Be there. Be present--in the moment" with our young men, whether they are ours by blood or as part of the village we must revive and rebuild. Be there--and care. It's the only way we'll win. For real. Beyond C4, there are several other successful programs mentoring black youth in Birmingham, including Growing Kings, The Man Project and the Aspire Movement. If there's one in your Alabama city you'd like highlighted her, let me know at rjohnson@al.com and I'll add your link to this list. UPDATE: Courtnee Austin was recaptured Sunday afternoon in north Birmingham: Earlier: A convicted felon awaiting trial for the rape, robbery and attempted murder of a woman in Birmingham has escaped. Jefferson County sheriff's officials on Saturday night said 39-year-old Courtnee Austin escaped while awaiting treatment at UAB Hospital. Authorities said Austin had been taken to the hospital for emergency medical treatment. While waiting to see the doctor he escaped the treatment room. Deputies, along with UAB and Birmingham police, are conducting the search. After leaving the hospital, Austin stole a gold Honda Accord by force and fled the area. Austin was arrested on May 24. The 39-year-old east Birmingham man is charged with first-degree rape, first-degree sodomy, first-degree robbery and attempted murder. Birmingham police said the attack happened on Wednesday, May 23, at an unknown location in north Birmingham. The victim was stabbed multiple times and her injuries at the time were considered life-threatening. According to court records, Austin tried to steal the young woman's vehicle at knife-point. At some point she was raped, sodomized and stabbed but no additional details were made public through court records or police. The victim and the suspect were acquaintances but were not in a relationship. Austin's bond on the charges is $420,000 but he is being held without bond because of a parole violation. He was convicted in 2008 of felony burglary and sentenced to 15 years in prison. Austin is described as a black male, 6-feet, 2-inches tall weighing 190 pounds. He was last seen wearing gray shorts and a white t-shirt. A Jefferson County inmate who escaped custody by climbing through a ceiling in a UAB Hospital treatment room was recaptured Sunday afternoon. Courtnee Austin, 39, was taken into custody by Birmingham police Sunday afternoon in the 3400 block of 29th Avenue North. North Precinct officers and the department's tracking dogs caught him, said Birmingham police Sgt. Bryan Shelton. Officers said he was found in what they described as a crack house, and Austin refused to exit the home. A tracking dog went into the house, and Austin was bitten. He was taken back to a hospital where he received stitches, and then released into the custody of deputies. The escape happened Saturday night. Chief Deputy Randy Christian said Austin was taken to the hospital on June 11 after he claimed to have swallowed a razor blade. An X-ray at the hospital did show an object in his system. He was guarded and restrained with leg irons and handcuffs while hospitalized, Christian said, but a hospital staff member asked that the restraints be removed for Austin to shower. A deputy was stationed outside the shower door, heard a bump and looked in to see Austin ascending through the ceiling. Austin then navigated his way out of the hospital where he carjacked someone outside the hospital - which sources say was a hospital employee - and fled the area in the stolen gold Honda Accord. He remained at large overnight until his arrest Sunday afternoon. Austin was arrested on May 24. The east Birmingham man is charged with first-degree rape, first-degree sodomy, first-degree robbery and attempted murder. Birmingham police said the attack happened on Wednesday, May 23, at an unknown location in north Birmingham. The victim was stabbed multiple times and her injuries at the time were considered life-threatening. According to court records, Austin tried to steal the young woman's vehicle at knife-point. At some point she was raped, sodomized and stabbed but no additional details were made public through court records or police. The victim and the suspect were acquaintances but were not in a relationship. Austin's bond on the charges was $420,000 but he was being held without bond because of a parole violation. He was convicted in 2008 of felony burglary and sentenced to 15 years in prison. Christian said teams of sheriff's deputies, Birmingham police and U.S. Marshals searched for Austin virtually around the clock before he was taken back into custody Sunday. He now faces additional charges of escape and theft of a motor vehicle. "I want to thank all agencies involved that participated in his capture. There was a lot of great teamwork done,'' Christian said. "He caused us a night of aggravation, but if he passes the razor blade, we will call it even." Alabama thrust itself into an intense partisan confrontation last month when it filed a lawsuit opposing the counting of undocumented immigrants for congressional reapportionment purposes in the 2020 U.S. Census. Critics believe Alabama, much like the federal government through its decision to back a citizenship question on the 2020 forms, is aiming to "weaponize" the program for political gain. But backers of the lawsuit filed by Alabama Attorney General Steve Marshall and U.S. Rep. Mo Brooks, argue that the state is testing legal waters in an attempt to salvage one of the state's seven congressional seats and one of its nine electoral votes. Alabama is at-risk of losing one seat in the U.S. House, as well as an electoral vote during presidential elections, because the state has experienced slower growth compared to other states since 2010, when the last decennial Census took place. A constitutional showdown could come fast and furious, as other legal and legislative maneuvering around the Census is expected to be resolved with only 18 months before the counting begins. Conservatives and civil rights groups are already staking their turf over the traditionally nonpartisan Census, which has become the focal point of the battles over immigration reform. That's because the Census count determines the number of seats each state has in Washington, which determines the number of electoral votes, which ultimately decides the presidency. Some states, like California and Florida, have a lot of undocumented residents. Others, like Alabama, have relatively few. And the current battle boils down to a single question: When it comes to representative democracy, who should be counted? "Americans should be electing American leaders and allocating American political power," said J. Christian Adams, conservative activist and attorney with the Election Law Center who served on President Donald Trump's now-defunct advisory commission on election integrity. "It's unfortunate that isn't happening right now." Said Terri Ann Lowenthal, a former staff director of a House oversight subcommittee on the Census: "I think the re-emergence of proposals to exclude undocumented immigrants mirrors the times of national focus on immigration policy. Today, we have an administration that has made immigrant control a centerpiece of its agenda. It's not a surprise." Constitutional challenge On the national front, the biggest Census battle is shaping up over an announcement in March that the U.S. Department of Commerce plans to add a question about citizenship on Census documents. The decision came three months after the Justice Department, under Jeff Sessions - a hardline conservative on immigrant issues while he served in the U.S. Senate - recommended the questions inclusion to better enforce the Voting Rights Act's provisions against racial discrimination. Civil rights organizations, Democratic state attorney generals, and other advocacy groups have filed lawsuits to block the decision. The citizenship question was last asked of all households in 1950, and critics contend that adding the question will suppress the overall counting of non-citizens. Alabama's lawsuit, filed on May 21, is more narrowly focused. It questions the need to include undocumented immigrants for determining apportionment and electoral college determinations. The lawsuit takes aim at the 14th Amendment's "Residence Rule," which gives the Census Bureau authority to count undocumented immigrants when determining congressional seats in the locations where they reside. According to the Alabama lawsuit, the rule doesn't exclude people not eligible to vote, or those who are not part of a "political community." Marshall said he's not trying to block undocumented immigrants from being counted as part of the Census. Instead, the lawsuit, he says, is aimed at excluding them when assessing whether Alabama is governed by six or seven House members. Marshall said it's unfair to reward states with a higher concentration of undocumented immigrants. "We believe the Constitution does not permit the dilution of our legal residents' right to equal representation," said Marshall. The lawsuit provides some examples, citing past Census counts, where states with lower concentrations of undocumented immigrants lost congressional representation (Louisiana, Missouri and Ohio in 2010), while others saw representative gains (California, Florida and Texas that same year). The Alabama lawsuit estimates that Ohio could also lose a congressional seat because of the inclusion of undocumented immigrants in the next count. Money is also at stake. The Census figures are used to determine allocations of $700 billion in federal dollars throughout the country. Alabama, according to the latest estimates in 2015, gets $7.6 billion annually in federal funds. The money supports services like Medicaid and Medicare, housing assistance, highways and transportation, among other things. Brooks, who represents Alabama's 5th congressional district in the northern part of the state, said the loss of a congressional seat will affect federal clout and the ability to promote the region's space and defense industry. "The defense and space community in our region rely heavily on the clout that Alabama's congressional delegation has established on the House Armed Services Committee; Science, Space and Technology Committee; and Appropriations Committee," said Brooks. "I urge Alabama residents to consider the impact of losing a seat in the House, a body where strength of numbers often determines which communities receive federal jobs and funding." Historical precedence Critics of Alabama's approach contend that it won't pass constitutional muster, and are citing past examples as proof. They point to the 14th Amendment's history, which was enacted in 1868 during Reconstruction in part to undo a provision to count slaves as three-fifth of a person. "It's been undisputed that the Constitution requires a count of all persons living in the United States for purposes of congressional apportionment," said Lowenthal, the Census expert. "Republican and Democratic administrations have confirmed that interpretation. The Alabama lawsuit is not grounded in strong constitutional or operational arguments, in my opinion." Gerald Webster, a professor of political geography at the University of Wyoming and a former geography professor at the University of Alabama, said he doesn't see the Alabama lawsuit going far. "The Constitution does not say to count only the citizens, but rather an actual enumeration of the number of persons in each state," he said. Lowenthal said the U.S. Supreme Court, as recently as two years ago, weighed in on the matter when it voted unanimously in the Texas lawsuit, Evenwel v. Abbott, that total population counts may be used in state redistricting issues. Vanita Gupta, president and CEO of the Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights and former head of the Civil Rights Division of the Justice Department under President Barack Obama, said that the 2016 decision in Evenwel "reaffirmed the proposition that elected officials must represent everyone in their jurisdiction." Marshall believes the Evenwel decision "does not address the issue of Alabama's challenge," and a is a "completely separate matter." Said Gupta: "To me, this reads as the Alabama AG (is preparing) for a challenge to the Evenwel decision." Political issue A partisan back-and-forth has occurred over the lawsuit, and the bickering has moved its way into the upcoming November political races. Both Marshall and Brooks face Democratic challengers during the Nov. 6 general election. Joseph Siegelman, the Democratic hopeful for Alabama Attorney General, said he believes the lawsuit will fail on constitutional grounds, citing a similar explanation as Lowenthal and Gupta. Siegelemann will face the winner of the July 17 GOP runoff election between Marshall and Troy King. The lawsuit is not a point of debate in the GOP runoff. Said King about the lawsuit: "It is outrageous, but not surprising, that those states that harbor illegal immigrants also seek to gain political advantage for doing so by skewing the electoral college against law abiding states like ours. That we even have a debate over whether to count illegal, fugitive immigrants in the Census shows how lawless liberals have become." Marshall, in a statement, noted that Siegeleman's father - Don Siegeleman, who served as Alabama governor from 1999-2003, and as Alabama Attorney General from 1987-1991 - joined in a similar lawsuit in 1989, which also opposed counting undocumented immigrants for apportionment purposes. A federal judge in Pennsylvania ruled that none of the plaintiffs in that case had legal standing to pursue it through the federal court system. Lowenthal, the Census expert, said the 1989 case - Ridge v. Verity - could be used as an example to toss out the Alabama lawsuit. She said, "The federal courts said the plaintiffs could not establish standing because it was unclear how the apportionment might turn out and the numbers used for apportionment would be based on many factors. The plaintiffs could not show ahead of the Census that the numbers would come out in a way to lose a congressional seat." Brooks will square off on Nov. 6 with Democrat Peter Joffrion, a former Huntsville city attorney. Joffrion classified Brooks's involvement in the lawsuit as a divisive political stunt, and said that only once in before in American history - during the era of slavery - did Americans support an intentional undercount of particular residents. "I am unwilling to repeat the mistakes of the past," he said. "Our founders created the national Census to count every resident living within our borders. From my experience as Huntsville's City Attorney, I understand that Census data is vitally important for accurate infrastructure planning, economic development and disaster planning. We should preserve our founder's intent for the Census. Brooks said that Democrats are "shamelessly" putting the interest of "illegal aliens" ahead of American citizens. "Worse yet, Democrats often even openly urge giving the right to vote to illegal aliens and lawful immigrants, thereby undercutting the ability of American citizens to control their American government," he said. "I am also dismayed by open borders advocates who think America should reward illegal conduct and illegal sanctuary states and cities with additional political power in Washington." He added, "Lawbreakers should be punished, not rewarded." 'Dangerous place' The Alabama lawsuit, critics like Gupta and Lowenthal believe, could add to what they believe is already shaping up to be a chilling effect of undocumented immigrants fearful over participating in the Census count. Gupta and other critics are seizing on the recent release of 1,320 pages of internal memos, emails and other documents related to the Commerce Department's decision to add the citizenship question. Within that release was communication between Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross's staff and Kansas Secretary of State Kris Kobach and former White House strategist Steve Bannon urging the citizenship question. "Both Bannon and Kobach have a deeply anti-immigration agenda, to say the very least," said Gupta. "This litigation in Alabama that (Marshall) filed seems to be aligned to this agenda." But supporters of the Alabama lawsuit, including the Center for Immigration Studies - a group sometimes criticized for tough views on American immigration policy - believe the Alabama lawsuit along with the Commerce Department's citizenship question will not spark an uptick of those who avoid participating in the Census. "At present, there is no evidence (to support that)," said Steven Camarota, director of research at the Center for Immigration Studies. He said that the citizenship question already appears on the bureau's American Community Survey, an annual count that reaches fewer households. That question, though, doesn't ask participants about legal or illegal immigration status. Said Gupta: "I worry that the Census, which is supposed to be a nonpartisan program of the government and the only one written into the Constitution, being weaponized for political purposes." "When that happens, it's a dangerous place for this country to be in." A father-and-son boating trip on the Tombigee River in Alabama turned tragic this week, with an elderly man being thrown from a boat into the water and lost for several days before his body was found. The Mississippi man's body was found late Saturday evening and the Washington County coroner identified him Sunday as Odie Davis, 83, of Lucedale, Miss. "It's just a very tragic incident," Washington County Coroner Larry Daugherty told AL.com today. Davis was in a boat late Thursday night with his son, who is in his fifties, when the boat hit a large log, throwing the father overboard, Daugherty said. The boat hit with such force that the son suffered a broken leg, he said. The incident happened during rainy conditions. Several agencies, including the McIntosh and Mount Vernon Volunteer Fire Departments, dragged and searched the river on Thursday, Friday and Saturday. The McIntosh Fire Department found and recovered the body about 11 p.m. Saturday night near the shore. "They stayed out there late," Daugherty said. The incident happened close to the McIntosh boat landing near the Olin Chemical Plant off Highway 43 near McIntosh, Daugherty said. Two Huntsville apartment complexes have been sold to a partnership of Florida and New York investors for $14.5 million and will be re-branded, the buyers announced. The properties include the 223-unit Hillside Village, 4515 Bonnell Drive, and the 152-unit former Twickenham Village, 5001 Galaxy Way NW. The partnership includes an affiliate of Tampa-based Blue Magma Residential LLC and New York-based Auerbach Funds as general partner of Auerbach Opportunity Fund, I LP, in a transaction brokered by Cushman & Wakefield. Blue Magma Residential is a privately-held commercial real estate management company which through its affiliates co-owns or manages over 10,000 apartment units in Alabama, Florida, Georgia and Mississippi. Auerbach Funds is a real estate private equity fund manager with over 1.7 million square feet under management in seven states. The purchase prices of the recently closed transactions were $8.75 million and $5.78 million, respectively, equaling $39,238 per unit and $38,026 per unit. The partnership will also invest approximately $1.8 million in interior and exterior upgrades at Hillside Village which will be re-branded and marketed as The Park at Summerhill. In addition, the partnership will invest approximately $1.3 million at Twickenham Village which will be marketed as The Park at Bellingham. Financing was arranged by Eyzenberg and Company through a division of Suntrust Bank. Blue Magma Residential also has four other apartment communities in Alabama including two in Birmingham and one each in Dothan and Prattville. Auerbach Funds is the co-owner of the Dothan property. Executives for the investors released statements about the purchase. "Blue Magma Residential is continuing in its deliberate strategy of acquiring Value Add properties in the Southeastern U.S. market where demographic growth, job growth, household expansion and corporate relocations are all solid and trending upward," said Reuven Oded, Managing Partner of Blue Magma Residential. "We are confident that the value-add initiatives planned for the communities, as well as the excellence of our partner, Blue Magma will capitalize on the growth within the Huntsville market. What we like most about this transaction is that we are not reliant on said market growth in order to generate our expected returns," said Peter Auerbach, founder and CEO of Auerbach Funds. "That said, we are big believers in the community at large." Oded said the buyers are excited about investing in Huntsville. "As evidenced by this transaction, Blue Magma Residential is now expanding into the promising Huntsville market, the Epicenter of the Rocket Propulsion and Missile Industry of the U.S.," Oded said. "In addition, there has also been the announcement of Facebook's $750 million, 970,000 square foot data center expected to open in 2020, Mazda Toyota's $1.6 billion auto plant bringing as many as 4,000 jobs, as well as the new FBI Campus on the Redstone Arsenal grounds that is slated to fill over 1,500 jobs. We feel there is a growing opportunity, and frankly a void, in this under-serviced and under-appreciated real estate market for companies like Blue Magma Residential, where customer service and focus on excellence is a core value of our business model." The rain has added up from summer storms across Alabama on Sunday. A flash flood warning will be in effect until 6 p.m. for parts of the Birmingham metro area. Flash Flood Warning for Jefferson Co, including #Bham metro until 6 PM. TURN AROUND, DON'T DROWN!! #ALWX pic.twitter.com/NYg9rKW9FT NWS Birmingham (@NWSBirmingham) June 17, 2018 The water is piling up in some of the suburbs. The National Weather Service in Birmingham got a report of a water rescue from a car in Homewood as strong, slow moving storms tracked through the city. The Birmingham storms have dropped at least 2 inches of rain over a short time. But that's nothing compared with rain totals from earlier today in southeast Alabama. The weather service said between 6 and 8 inches of rain fell earlier today in parts of Russell and Lee counties. Radar estimates over the last 8 hrs show 6-8" of rain fell between Uchee and Marvin (Russell/Lee co) with locally higher amounts of 8-10". #alwx pic.twitter.com/UIrIif3jYD NWS Birmingham (@NWSBirmingham) June 17, 2018 Isolated areas may have gotten up to 10 inches, according to the weather service. So far on Sunday afternoon the storms have stayed below severe limits, although the Birmingham International Airport reported a 45 mph wind gust. The weather service said the storms are expected to continue through midnight. The name Helen Keller is still world-famous 50 years after her death. The story of the little blind and deaf girl from Tuscumbia, Alabama, who learned to communicate when her teacher, Annie Sullivan, spelled out 'w-a-t-e-r' on her hand while holding it under the pump at her home, Ivy Green, is told in history books and on stages. The play 'The Miracle Worker,' draws thousands each year to Ivy Green, one of state's major tourist attractions, and Keller remains one of Alabama's most famous natives. On Monday, a Florence photographer and an Alabama poet will debut a new celebration of Keller's life in photography and verse. Wayne Sides, a recently retired art and photography professor at the University of North Alabama, and Jeanie Thompson, executive director of the Alabama Writers' forum who is formerly of Decatur, will appear at the Helen Keller Public Library in Tuscumbia to display and discuss separate, but cross-inspirational works based on Keller's story. Sides' will debut his book of photography and collage, "I Wake from a Dream,' was inspired by Thompson's "The Myth of Water: Poems from the Life of Helen Keller." Thompson, who directs the Alabama Writer's Forum, will spend this week in Tuscumbia as the library's Poet in Residence during the annual Helen Keller Festival. Thompson will deliver the library's annual lecture on Keller, and Sides' photography will be on display as well. "We are excited to share this unique collaboration during the Helen Keller Festival, when so many travel to Tuscumbia to celebrate a famous Alabamians' life," said Tammie Collins, director of the Helen Keller Public Library. Though Keller is recognized annually during Tuscumbia's summer festival bearing her name, her legacy is even more important to share as Alabama, which achieved statehood in 1819, celebrates its bicentennial, said Jay Lamar, director of the state's bicentennial commission. "Most people know Helen Keller as the phanton child Annie Sullivan led into language and self-awareness in a miraculous moment at the Ivy Green water pump," Lamar said. "In 'The Myth of Water,' and now through Sides' (photography), people will have a deeper understanding of Keller's contribution to Alabama's presence on the world stage and also the depth of her heart and mind." Keller, Lamar said, published at least 14 books, gave countless speeches and wrote letters to government officials and world leaders on behalf of the deaf and blind. "Her influence can't be fully measured, but it is depicted in these poems and images by two Alabama artists, and very appropriate for the Alabama 200 continuing celebration." Want to go? The opening reception for Thompson and Sides' works will be from 6-8 p.m. Monday at the Helen Keller Public Library, 511 N. Main St., Tuscumbia. Haskins writes about points of pride statewide. Email your suggestions to shaskins@al.com, or tweet them to @Shelly_Haskins using #AlabamaProud Accra, Ghana In 1957, Andrew Foster, an African American missionary, arrived in Ghana to establish a school for the deaf. He had been deaf since the age of 11 and knew the struggles of communicating as a child. In Ghana, he convinced regular schools to let him use their classrooms after hours to teach deaf children. Word spread and it wasnt long until there were 300 children wishing to attend the lessons on a waiting list. But more than 60 years later, while education has improved, Ghanas deaf remain isolated from society. Deaf Ghanaians are often unable to communicate with their neighbours and, worse, fathers and mothers are unable to understand their deaf childrens hopes and fears. Led by headteacher Isaac Atah, the State School for the Deaf (JHS), located in a peaceful neighbourhood of eastern Accra, provides education and housing for 270 students. Atah lauded the governments support, but said parents have unreasonable expectations. Parents and relatives expect the school to freely provide all services and goods, even when the children are at home during holiday breaks, he told Al Jazeera. They want us to take full responsibility for their children, both financially and in their education, while instead, they should proactively try to learn sign language and guide their children into the working society. The school organises parent-teacher meetings, but they have little effect. Unfortunately, the level of attendance is low as parents are not willing to put effort into it, claimed Atah. I feel lonely At home, I generally feel lonely, says Obed Dekyi, a student. There is no one able to communicate with me. Besides, there are no other deaf children to reach out to for a conversation or a game. The 23-year-old started at the school at a late age. My father and mother dont understand sign language, which constantly results in miscommunication. When I try to express myself, they frequently call me stubborn and punish me for my behaviour. As a result, sharing my adventures with them is rather difficult. Like his fellow students, Dekyi prefers to be around other deaf children. The historical stigma of deaf people that are seen as dumb is rapidly decreasing, but due to the communication gap, they are still treated as dumb. Isaac Atah, headteacher of the State School for the Deaf Atah said that as part of their isolation from the rest of society, the students tend to look out for other deaf people during holiday breaks. The Ghana National Association of the Deaf is concerned by a lack of schools for older students and limited availability of technical resources for the deaf. None of the 14 schools for the deaf in Ghana provides listening devices, such as hearing aids, or speech therapy. This makes people more reliant on sign language, which is rarely used outside of specialist schools. In order to treat people with hearing disabilities as equal citizens, we need to make access to justice free from all obstacles, whether these are laws, practices or infrastructure, said Josephine Nkrumah, chair of the governments National Commission for Civic Education. She fiercely advocates for the protection of deaf Ghanaians against exploitation and discrimination. For instance, if a deaf citizen goes to court, but no interpreter of sign language is provided during the process, the citizen has been denied access to justice due to the absence of effective communication or information, she said, and similar obstacles are seen in public offices, police stations and hospitals. There are at least 111,000 deaf people in Ghana, a country of 28 million. The historical stigma of deaf people that are seen as dumb is rapidly decreasing, but due to the communication gap, they are still treated as dumb, said headteacher Atah. Countering isolation As many deaf children are not taught how to integrate into the hearing world, their plight is further exacerbated in some parts of society which consider deafness to be a curse and punishment for earlier sins. I dont feel appreciated in my community, as my parents, siblings and friends dont feel the urge to learn sign language, while Im unable to learn how to hear, said 20-year-old student Wisdom Mauil, who types on his phone to explain his frustrations. He said he picked up most of his values and social behaviour by watching television and at school. When I was young, I joined my family at church, but as Im not able to understand whats being said, I dont feel connected to religion and left the Christian community, he said. Mauil seemed inseparable from his smartphone and used Facebook regularly to share his excitement of returning to school. Shortly after this interview, he updated his status to share his concerns about finding a job after he graduates in 2019. Nearly 80 percent of deaf and hearing-impaired people live in low-income communities and are not able to sustain themselves. In order to counter isolation and advocate for equal rights for the deaf, the government should provide basic education on sign language at regular schools around the country, said headteacher Atah. Additionally, interpreters should be available at public offices and government institutions at all times. Only by those means, the lacking communication and isolated lives of deaf people can be countered. The EU has to recognise that its war adventures caused the refugee crisis and start working on a real solution. On June 11, Italys new Interior Minister Matteo Salvini blocked the Aquarius rescue ship carrying 629 refugees and migrants from docking at its ports. The boat is operated by the European charity SOS Mediterranee. Doctors Without Borders (MSF) have stated that the boat was also carrying 123 unaccompanied minors and seven pregnant women. From today, Italy will start to say no to human trafficking, no to the business of illegal immigration, said Salvini, who also heads the far-right League party. Italys new government a coalition of the anti-establishment Five Star Movement and the far-right League party seems intent on stopping the flow of refugees into the country, as promised on the campaign trail under the slogan Italians first. In fact, anti-immigrant sentiment was perhaps the most unifying rally cry for Salvinis League party supporters. Salvinis decision does indeed constitute a drastic change of course, which set off days of diplomatic confrontation and provoked a wave of public indignation in some sectors of Italian society. However, it is also true that condemning Italy without placing this story in a broader context would serve no purpose in addressing growing populism in the European Union (EU). Europe is facing the most significant displacement crisis since World War II. All attempts at dealing with the issue have fallen short, mostly because they have ignored the root causes of the problem. Taking responsibility for European military adventures and political meddling could be a good first step towards developing a holistic strategy based on joint regional and international efforts to address the crisis. Actions without solutions Two seemingly contradicting approaches have thus far occupied the political space concerning the issue of refugees and immigrants in the EU. The first approach views the problem as entirely humanitarian, without addressing political issues that lead to its creation in the first place. The second a view that champions anti-immigration policies, led by populist right-wing parties insists on devising provisional solutions with little or no humanitarian considerations whatsoever. This also fails to provide a structural and multi-dimensional solution to the crisis. Legal frameworks which were established in Italy and the EU in the early 2000s reflected both approaches. Ironically, between 2001 and 2005, Salvinis party was actually a member of a coalition government along with the National Alliance, the Union of Christian and Centre Democrats and Silvio Berlusconis Forza Italia which forged crucial immigration legislation. In 2002, for example, it passed the Bossi-Fini law, which restricted entry to asylum seekers and criminalised illegal immigration. It failed to curb the flow of immigrants. In 2003, the so-called EU Dublin Regulation established a Europe-wide fingerprinting database through what became known as Eurodac. The new regulations dictated that entrants to the EU must be deported to the first EU country from which they entered to apply for asylum. Once more this placed more pressure on front-line countries, since most applicants arrived in Europe through Spain, Italy or Greece. In 2004, the same Italian government ratified two amendments to the International Convention on Maritime Search and Rescue (SAR) and the International Convention for the Safety of Life at Sea (SOLAS) conventions. According to the amendments, those retrieved at sea must be taken to a port belonging to the country in which they were rescued. While Malta refused to sign the amendments, Italy did, leaving two countries with close proximity operating based on two different laws. This particular contradiction represents part of the current dilemma concerning the Aquarius rescue ship, resulting in the diplomatic crisis between Italy and other EU countries. Over the years, Italy and other front-line countries complained about the unequal burden they have to bear in receiving migrants and refugees trying to make it to Europe. In an attempt to reverse this tendency, the EU establisheda mandatory quota system in 2015 to help with the relocation of many refugees. Hungary, Slovakia, Romania and the Czech Republic voted against the move. The new system, however, was enacted through a majority vote, yet it remained controversial and was recognised later as ineffective. The mismanagement of the refugee and migration crisis has fed a growing feeling of discontent especially in front-line countries, such as Italy. That discontent is fuelled by severe economic crises and political turmoil, both leading to the rise of right-wing, populist movements across the EU. It is under these conditions that Salvinis party offered immediate action in Italy. Although the solution catered to the populist mantra that something must be done regardless of the consequences, the approach is striking a chord with many Italians, who feel beleaguered by harsh economic realities, frustrated by the failure of the EU and their own stifling status quo politics. Refugees and war Provisional solutions can only yield temporary outcomes. Italys immigration and refugee problem has been a direct outcome of the war in Libya, which it orchestrated along with other EU and Western powers. Italy and Libya signed a friendship agreement in 2008, which resulted in significant reduction of human smuggling. Although reluctant at the start, Italy played a role in the toppling of the government of Muammar Gaddafi in 2011. France, which was keen on helping Libya to break out of its international isolation after the lifting of UN sanctions on Tripoli in 2003 by working closely with Gaddafi (signing various agreements and selling Tripoli hundreds of millions of dollars worth of weapons), also enthusiastically engineered the overthrow of the Libyan government. In fact, France and the UK were the two main partners in the war on Libya. Interestingly, they are also the least hospitable towards war refugees. The chaos that ensued, as a result, turned Libya into a failed state. In 2016 alone, over 170,000 refugees and migrants crossed over from Libya into Italy. Despite the obvious correlation between Western-sustained wars and the EUs refugee crisis, no moral awakening has taken place neither for Italy or France, nor the UK or any of the other loud war cheerleaders. Worse, France and Italy are now involved in exploiting the current warring factions in Libya for their own interests. Europe still expects Libya suffering the outcomes of war without a strong central government to tackle the refugee and immigrant crisis alone. Syria is not an entirely different story. While there is much blame to go around in Syria, the EU is hardly innocent in all of this. The Syria war has resulted in a massive influx of refugees, most of whom are hosted by neighbouring Middle Eastern countries, many sailed the sea, through Turkey, to seek safety in Europe. No matter what Italys new right-wing government coalition does to stem the flow of refugees and immigrants, the refugees, desperate to find a lifeline and peace, will always find new ways to be smuggled to the most unwelcoming continent. The EU must accept that the refugee crisis will continue until the wars in Libya and Syria end, leading to sustainable political settlements and stable governments. If wars continue to rage on, thanks to Western weapons and support of various factions, refugees will continue to flee for safety. For a paradigm shift to occur, the EUs foreign policy must fundamentally change. Failure to do so cannot be blamed on one single country, for the whole of Europe is culpable. The views expressed in this article are the authors own and do not necessarily reflect Al Jazeeras editorial stance. Gazas economy has collapsed but its residents cannot do anything about it. Roberto Valent is the Special Representative of the UNDP Administrator in Palestine. Humanitarian, socioeconomic, political and security conditions in Gaza are inexorably worsening. The great majority of Gazas two million inhabitants are trapped in a cycle of violence, poverty and pervasive vulnerability created by policies and political decisions. Breaking this vicious cycle is a human rights imperative and a global responsibility. As result of the ongoing blockade, three devastating military operations, and an intra-Palestinian divide, the development trajectory of Gaza has been significantly halted in recent years. This caused the already beleaguered coastal strips economy to collapse and brought about even more vulnerability and human anguish. The myriad of problems and complications currently affecting Gaza are overwhelming and disorienting even for people most adept at dealing with countries in crisis. Today, women, men, children and the elderly of Gaza are all forced to survive on a water supply that is 95 percent contaminated. They are also forced to live without electricity for 20 hours a day. And the world, seemingly accustomed to the suffering of the marginalised, turns a blind eye. Gaza residents are living in a wide web of mutually reinforcing adversities. Gazas economic growth dropped from eight percent in 2016 to a mere 0.5 percent in 2017, with almost half of the labour force unemployed. This ranks Gaza, if extrapolated as a country, as experiencing the second-greatest decrease of gross domestic product (GDP) in 2017 compared with the previous year, worldwide, second only to Venezuela. Gazas agriculture, manufacturing, trade and construction sectors shrank to unprecedented levels. Today Gazas economy is much more reliant on consumer spending and international financial assistance than ever before. The liquidity squeeze and the increases in credit spending and debt also add to Gazas economic blues. This is a deeply flawed economic model not created by Palestinians in Gaza themselves, but enforced by Israels blockade. The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) in the State of Palestine recently conducted a household-level public perception survey in Gaza. As much as 92 percent of respondents expressed that they have personal anxiety related to the overall economic conditions and 87 percent said the ongoing political and civil unrest is likely owing to the poor economic climate. The fragility of Gazas household economy is illustrated in the rising unemployment rates and a sharp increase in poverty rates from 39 percent in 2011 to 53 percent in 2017 as well as a significant increase in deep poverty. Full-time work is rare in Gaza. Only one-fifth of our surveys respondents said they are holding full-time jobs. A few more said they are working part-time. Nearly 40 percent of the respondents that are currently unemployed said their unemployment has lasted for more than five years. Only 11 percent of the surveyed women and 58 percent of men were employed. Only 18 percent of respondents aged 18-24 were employed. In other words, almost every second person in Gaza is unemployed and most women and young people are jobless. Businesses in Gaza are cutting back production as a result of falling consumer demand, the prevailing financial sanctions, restricted access to goods and materials, and lack of freedom of movement. The sharp reduction in UNRWAs funding is another major contributor to this grim scenario. Businesses are trying to keep staff on the payroll, albeit on lower wages and reduced hours. Because of the blockade, facilitating economic growth through consumer spending is not possible in Gaza. Also, in their current situation, Gaza residents cannot address their dire socioeconomic needs on their own. Israel, the Palestinian Authority and the international community will have to assume responsibility for rebuilding Gazas production base and developing its trade capabilities. While humanitarian assistance remains a vital need, long-term thinking is required to make real progress. {articleGUID} The international community and the Palestinian government needs to take constructive action to end the blockade of Gaza, while preparing Gazas people and economy for post-blockade recovery. This entails focusing on Gazas future potential rather than condemning the strip to a state of permanent humanitarian crisis through short-sighted policies. Considering the rising unemployment and poverty rates, it is of critical importance to facilitate investment and boost household incomes. UNDP has been working in the occupied Palestinian territories for four decades. We have made countless interventions that had a positive effect on the living conditions of Palestinians. Many other national and international organisations are also working tirelessly to help the people of Palestine. Together we are trying to promote sustainable human development, protect human rights and help Palestinians live dignified lives. Yet the occupation, the blockade and intra-Palestinian divisions continue to halt the Palestinian development trajectory. The views expressed in this article are the authors own and do not necessarily reflect Al Jazeeras editorial stance. Bogota, Colombia Colombians are heading to the polls to choose their first new president since the landmark 2016 peace deal that brought an end to more than 50 years of conflict. Ivan Duque, of the conservative Democratic Center party, won Mays first round with nearly 40 percent of the vote. He faces leftist Gustavo Petro, the former mayor of Bogota and one-time rebel with the now defunct M-19. Petro received 25 percent of the vote in the first round. The election has been touted by some as a referendum on the 2016 peace deal with the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC), with Duque wanting an overhaul and Petro supporting the fragile peace process. The latest opinion polls showed Duque in the lead by as many as 15 points. Polls opened at 13:00 GMT on Sunday and closed at 21:00 GMT, with results expected a few hours later. The candidates distinct political visions will mark a departure from the current trajectory of the Andean country as it moves into the post-peace accord era and will dictate how Colombia responds to a peace agreement under strain, a concerning boom in coca production and a struggling economy. Peace process Duque has campaigned on a promise to roll back parts of the 2016 peace agreement that was signed by outgoing President Juan Manuel Santos and the FARC, formally ending 52 years of conflict that left at least 220,000 people dead and more than seven million displaced. {articleGUID} Sundays elections will decide if Colombia returns to violence or it will build a new era of peace, said Petro, a defendant of the peace agreement whose supporters fear rival candidate Duque will jeopardise the peace process. Duque is supported by former-president, Alvaro Uribe, one of the peace accords fiercest critics for its perceived soft judicial treatment of FARC terrorists. Duque says his party does not want to tear the agreement to shreds but rather make it clear that a Colombia at peace is a Colombia where peace meets justice. Observers and some voters fear, however, that Duque could imperil the peace accords implementation as a number of its provisions must still be finalised. A vote for Duque is a vote for Uribe: a return to war with the guerrillas and the death of thousands more young people, said Elizabet, a local business manager who wished not to use her surname. That is not the country I want, she added. Duque has proposed a tougher stance on FARC leaders who are involved in drug trafficking, and revoking the 10 congressional seats guaranteed for the FARC by the deal until they have been tried. Jorge Restrepo, director of the Conflict Analysis Research Centre (CERAC) in Bogota, told Al Jazeera that revoking the FARCs guaranteed congressional seats is a threat for a fundamental element of the agreement which is political participation for ex-combatants. According to Restrepo, although Duque may not be able to pull off major changes, it is a matter of guarantees for the FARC and he is a candidate that offers less guarantees. Analysts like Restrepo fear that threatening the FARC will push more former rebels to abandon the peace process and join dissident groups that refuse to disarm. It could also endanger the latest on-off peace process with Colombias second-largest rebel group, the ELN should Duque wish for it to continue. Another concern is that Duque could marginalise the peace process altogether. Duque is not going to do something so stupid to the peace accord that it convinces a large percentage of FARC members to re-arm, says Adam Isacson, an expert on Colombian security at the Washington Office on Latin America. Instead, Duque would submit the accords to death by a thousand cuts, doing the absolute bare minimum to implement the reforms that the Santos government agreed to in Havana. War on drugs The two candidates also offer radically different approaches to tackling Colombias boom in coca production, which according to the UN surged from 96,000 hectares to 146,000 in 2016. {articleGUID} Duque says he will return to the controversial practice of fumigation, while Petro has strongly criticised the failings of the war on drugs and would put more emphasis on substitution and targeting its root causes. The election result is likely to be a sharp fork in the road for Colombias drug policy, Isacson told Al Jazeera. Duque would go back to the past, using harshly punitive strategies that dont address underlying causes but, for a while at least, keep production and trafficking at manageable levels, he said. Petro says he wants to get off that stationary bicycle and go after the reasons that farmers grow coca and the drug trade thrives in Colombia. Economy Having to foot the bill for the peace process just after the price of oil crashed in 2014 means Colombias economy has faced a rough ride in recent years. But it does finally appear to be showing some positive signs of growth. Internationally, investors and rating agencies are content with Colombias debt payment, international commitment, remained in balance, Sergio Guzman, Principal Colombia Analyst at Control Risks, told Al Jazeera. Duque would definitely maintain the countrys economic trajectory as it has been, Guzman added. Petro, however, plans to move Colombias export model away from oil, gas and mining, and towards the more environmentally friendly and sustainable industries of agriculture and services. This plan is not only aggressive, but very vague and unrealistic, Guzman said, as oil and extractive exports represent over 50 percent of Colombias exports and 26 percent of government revenue. Petro would make markets very fearful for the future of Colombia, the analyst says. The leftist candidate also plans to address the countrys inequality by buying out land from big agro-industrial companies and redistributing it to poorer families. But not everyone is convinced by such policies. I dont want a guerrilla running the country, Yeimi, a barista and mother of three, told Al Jazeera. I see desperate Venezuelans in this cafe every day because [Hugo] Chavez started giving everything away for free like Petro wants to, she said, referring to the one million Venezuelans who have fled to Colombia over the 15 months. Thats not what I want for my children, she added. The Venezuela crisis is one of several other prominent issues, including rampant political corruption, that the selected candidate will have to wrangle with in a highly divided nation. Any president is going to have a hard time governing, its not going to be easy for anybody, Guzman concluded. Right-wing candidate, 41, has pledged to roll back parts of the landmark 2016 peace accord with the FARC group. Conservative Ivan Duque has won Colombias presidential election, putting the landmark 2016 peace deal with the FARC at risk. Duque secured 54 percent on Sunday, more than 12 points ahead of his leftist rival, Gustavo Petro. He is first to be elected since outgoing President Juan Manuel Santos signed the peace accord with the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC), formally ending more than 50 years of conflict. This is the opportunity that we have been waiting for to turn the page on the politics of polarisation, insults and venom, Duque told jubilant supporters Sunday night, joined by his young family. In the capital, Bogota, enthusiastic Duque supporters honked car horns even before final results were announced. Im euphoric because Duque won, said Julio Palacios, who works in real estate in Duquista. Im happy because of his economic policy, he is going to incentivise business and generate more employment, he told Al Jazeera. Those who supported Petro, however, fear Duques win will mean more of the same. I am not surprised, but I am disappointed, Linda Lopez, a university student, said. It worries me that Duque could go back on the peace process, she told Al Jazeera. The next four years will be difficult. In Mays first round, Duque came first with nearly 40 percent of the vote, while Petro received 25 percent. Fragile peace deal The second round of voting was seen by some as a referendum on the controversial peace deal, which brought an end to 52 years of conflict that left at least 220,000 people dead and more than seven million displaced. Most of the more than 7,000 rebels who have surrendered their weapons have started new lives as farmers, community leaders and journalists. Duque is supported by former-president, Alvaro Uribe, one of the peace accords fiercest critics for its perceived soft judicial treatment of FARC terrorists. Duque says his party does not want to tear the agreement to shreds but rather make it clear that a Colombia at peace is a Colombia where peace meets justice. The current agreement allows most rebels to avoid jail, a sore point for many. I am in agreement with peace, but not with the peace accord, Palacios said. It has to be revised. The FARC have to pay for the crimes they committed in some way. Crticis, however, are unsure what Duques win will mean for the accord and the peace process itself. Im upset for the victims of the conflict, Isabel Montenegro, who works in social communications, told Al Jazeera. The future is uncertain for the victims if the FARC return to war because the peace process fails, we will go back to the past, she added. FARC, which disarmed and transformed into a political party after the peace deal but did not contest the election, immediately called on Duque to show good sense in dealing with the agreement. What the country demands is an integral peace, which will lead us to the hoped-for reconciliation, the FARC said in a statement after Duques presidential win. The former rebels also called for an early meeting with the president-elect. In a concession speech that at times sounded celebratory, Petro challenged Duque to break with his hardline allies and Uribe, in particular. He also promised to mobilise his considerable following into a combative opposition that will fight for social reforms and defend the peace accord. Those eight million Colombians are not going to let Colombia return to war, Petro said to a thunderous applause from supporters chanting Resistance! Challenges ahead Duque will face significant challenges when he takes office in August. The economy remains weak; drug trafficking gangs have moved into areas once controlled by the FARC and more than half a million Venezuelans have crossed into Colombia, looking for food and work. A one-term senator, Duque worked at the Inter-American Development Bank in Washington until 2014, when Uribe asked him to return to Colombia and take a seat in Congress. Duques running mate, Marta Lucia Ramirez, will be Colombias first female vice president. Duque has also promised to bolster the $324bn economy, keep investors happy by cutting business taxes, support the oil and coal sectors top exports and help manufacturing. {articleGUID} For his part, Petro a former Bogota mayor pledged to take on political elites, redistribute land to the poor and gradually eliminate the need for oil and coal in Duques victory means he will be Colombias youngest president since 1872. His swearing-in ceremony will take place in August. With additional reporting by Luke Taylor in Bogota. Roofs shooting spree in a Charleston, South Carolina church set off protests and a debate that continue today. Three years ago, Dylann Roof entered the Emanuel African Methodist Episcopal Church in Charleston, South Carolina and shot dead nine black worshippers. In a rambling 2,444-word manifesto posted online, Roof, who was 21 at the time, railed against African Americans, Jews and people of colour in general. I have no choice. I am not in the position to, alone, go into the ghetto and fight, he declared, explaining that he chose Charleston owing to its demographic makeup. We have no skinheads, no real KKK, no one doing anything but talking on the internet, Roof wrote. Well someone has to have the bravery to take it to the real world, and I guess that has to be me. The murders set off rallies and protests throughout the country with many demanding the removal of Confederate monuments and flags from public spaces, including government buildings. Just weeks after Roof stormed the church, activist Brittany Bree Newsome scaled the 9.2-metre tall flagpole outside South Carolinas statehouse and removed the Confederate flag. Footage of the incident was broadcast on news programmes across the country. Since then, the debate has manifested in a slew of legislation from legislators on both sides, demonstrations and counterrallies, and the toppling of monuments and erection of new ones, mostly on private land. Dylann Roof, a self-avowed white supremacist was sentenced to death last year [Handout via Reuters] Advocates of abolishing the symbols argue that they glorify slavery and white supremacy. For them, monuments of Confederate military leaders and politicians harken back to the southern secessionist states efforts to preserve the enslavement of black people during the US Civil War (1861-1865). Those who support preserving the monuments include both people who claim they should be kept intact on historical grounds to neo-Confederates and far-right groups who openly praise white supremacy and slavery. Activists, politicians and others who advocate removing these monuments from public spaces continue to face stubborn opposition from politicians and far-right activists. People who vote are changing In Denton, Texas, for example, a monument dedicated to Confederate soldiers who died during the war has survived two decades of local protests. In February 2018, Denton County commissioners unanimously voted to preserve the monument, which is in the town square in front of an historic courthouse. Seventy-two-year-old Willie Hudspeth, who was born and raised in Denton, started holding one-man rallies calling for the monument to be moved to a museum nearly 20 years ago. Willie Hudspeth has protested the Confederate monument in Denton, Texas, since 1999 [File: Patrick Strickland/Al Jazeera] The commissioners are in their fifties and sixties, and they are hanging onto their values, he told Al Jazeera, but the people who vote for them are changing. Theyll feel it in the polls [in the future]. Vowing to continue his efforts to have the monument moved, he added: I dont have the power to deal with the rest of the monuments [across the country], but I know Denton County, and I will do what I can to have this one moved. History and mythology Although the debate about the morality of glorifying the Confederacy wasnt new, it became a centrepiece in media across the country after the Charleston massacre. The Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC), an Alabama-based hate monitor, said in a new report that 110 monuments and symbols were scrapped in 22 states and the District of Columbia since Roofs killing spree. Several conservative and right-wing pundits maintain that the campaign against Confederate symbols is part of an insidious campaign to rewrite American history. Last year, Fox News programme host Tucker Carlson summed up the sentiment: After sending all the statues to the landfill, it will be time to rip up our founding documents. He continued, They want to hit the reset button, they want to declare everything before themselves null and void, so they can restart society from the ground up. Carlsons line of reasoning was reminiscent of comments made by several conservative talking heads in recent years, among them fellow Fox News host Bill OReilly and many others. But Todd Moye, a history professor at the University of North Texas, dismissed arguments rooted in concern for historical preservation. In Denton, Texas, a Confederate monument has survived decades of protests [File: Patrick Strickland/Al Jazeera] They engaged in bad history when they erected the statues and wrote the text on the plaques about the great principles those men fought for, he told Al Jazeera, arguing that the Confederates memorialised in such fought to keep people enslaved. There is nothing more political than the ways Americans choose to remember the Civil War and with it, slavery and emancipation, he added. The Confederate fetishists arent interested in history, theyre interested in perpetuating mythology, and a corrosive one at that. Somewhat apolitical Shane Burley, author of Fascism Today, explained that the debate over Confederate symbols has evolved since the Charleston murders. One thing people should remember is that there was a period of time in which the Confederate flag was thought to be somewhat apolitical, he told Al Jazeera. It never would have been politicised [in the mainstream public] if it wasnt for [Dylan Roofs] murders, he said, stressing that Confederate monuments, although symbols of white supremacy, were largely not perceived as such. During the summer of 2017, a more complicated facet of the debate emerged around the involvement of resurgent far-right groups joining protests against removing Confederate statutes. The alt-right a loosely knit coalition of white nationalists, white supremacists and neo-Nazis breathed a breath of fresh air into the protests. Although the term was coined by Richard Spencer in 2008, the alt-right became increasingly visible after pledging its support for Donald Trumps presidential campaign and celebrating his victory in November 2016. One Shane murders.] By the early summer of 2017, however, the alt-right was facing a growing mound of problems. Trump had distanced himself from the more overtly nativist camps of the far right in favour of aligning with neo-conservative politicians, anti-fascists were confronting alt-right events across the country and deepening internal divisions simmered below the alt-rights surface. While neo-Confederate segments had always been present in the alt-right, the movements focus was on white identity and the creation of a white ethnostate in North America. Yet, the debate of the Confederacys legacy offered an opportunity, partially strategic and partially marketing. The issue of the Confederate statues was definitely up for debate in the public, so their attachment to that is really an attachment to a way back into the public conversation, Burley said. Attempting to revive its dwindling relevance and broaden its appeal beyond the hardline political fringes, the alt-right first meaningfully inserted itself into protests against the removal of Confederate monuments in May 2017. That month, Richard Spencer led a torchlit rally in Charlottesville, Virginia that was called for to voice dissent to the citys decision to remove a statue of Robert E Lee, the Souths foremost military leader during the Civil War. You will not replace us, the protesters chanted. Blood and soil. They were outnumbered by anti-racist and anti-fascist protesters, and city officials, including Mayor Mike Signer and Vice Mayor Wes Bellamy, subsequently decried the event. Signer, who is Jewish, and Bellamy, who is African American, were, in turn, targeted by a flurry of hate mail and threats of violence. In July 2017, the Ku Klux Klan (KKK) descended on Charlottesville. Some 50 Klan members, wearing white robes and waving Confederate flags, were again outnumbered by hundreds of counterdemonstrators. Just weeks later, in August, the far rights new rallying cry backfired when people from across the country travelled to Charlottesville for a third time. During that rally, dubbed Unite the Right, the far-right participants engaged anti-racists and anti-fascists in street brawls throughout the city. Many of them came armed with weapons. Unite the Right boiled over into bloodshed when James Alex Fields, Jr, a 20-year-old far-right rallygoer, allegedly rammed his car into a crowd and killed 32-year-old counterprotester Heather Heyer. Another shift The far right immediately found itself facing an immense wave of public backlash. With cities pulling protest permits and prominent figures, including Spencer, banned from speaking on several university campuses, the movement was more isolated than ever. {articleGUID} Rallies against the alt-right and Confederate monuments once again erupted across the country. Two days after Unite the Right, angry protesters took matters into their own hands when they toppled a statue dedicated to Confederate soldiers in Durham, North Carolina. In Dallas, Texas, a Robert E Lee monument was quietly removed on September 14, 2017. In Daytona Beach, Florida, three more were brought down earlier this year. In Louisville, Kentucky, a statue dedicated to Confederate soldiers was relocated after a long legal battle. All in all, 110 have been taken down since June 2015. Yet, at least 1,728 pro-Confederate symbols, including 772 monuments and statues, are still intact, according to the recent SPLC report. Activist Willie Hudspeth plans to continue rallying against Dentons monument [File: Patrick Strickland/Al Jazeera] Those symbols also include 100 public schools, 80 counties and cities and 10 military bases named after Confederate icons. Additionally, a total of nine paid holidays for state employees in five states are marked annually for events, such as the birthday of Confederate President Jefferson Davis. And while monuments were removed from many public spaces, a spate of them were built on privately owned land in recent years. Its important to remember there are bills going through legislatures seeking to make it illegal to remove them, Keegan Hankes, a senior research analyst at the SPLC, told Al Jazeera. Explaining that many monuments were built during the early 20th century during segregation and again through the civil rights era of the 1950s and 1960s, Hankes said: They were literally intended to be tangible reminders that white men are still in charge. For his part, Hankes expects that Confederate symbols will continue to be a lightning rod for racists. Back in Denton, Texas, Willie Hudspeth is optimistic. It takes time, but I think were moving in the right direction, and they will be removed, he concluded. Foreign ministers sign deal in Greek village that would see Macedonia change its name to Republic of Northern Macedonia. Greece and Macedonia have taken a major step towards resolving a 27-year-old dispute over the latters name by signing an agreement that would see Macedonia change its name to the Republic of Northern Macedonia. Greek Foreign Minister Nikos Kotzias and Nikola Dimitrov of Macedonia signed the historic accord on Sunday in the small fishing village of Psarades. Prime Ministers Alexis Tsipras and Zoran Zaev were in attendance, joined by officials from the United Nations and the European Union (EU), who have welcomed the move The signing comes a day after Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras survived a no-confidence vote over his handling of the dispute. Opposition MPs, who accuse Tsipras of excessive compromise on the issue, failed to pass the no-confidence motion by 153 votes to 127 on Saturday. That attempt came a day after an MP from the far-right Golden Dawn party delivered a fierce rant urging the army to overthrow Tsipras. Security was tight at Sundays venue, with police cordons in place many miles from the village. Anybody seeking to approach had to pass through successive identity checks. Many Greeks are angry at the Tsipras government over what they consider excessive compromise on the issue [Costas Baltas/Reuters] Once ratified by the respective parliaments in each country and confirmed by a referendum in Macedonia by the end of the year, the agreement will also enable the landlocked state to start proceedings and eventually join the EU and NATO. Reporting from the signing ceremony, Al Jazeeras Sonia Gallego described the event as a symbolic, first step to end the 27-year dispute. Many Greeks are opposed to Skopjes use of the name Macedonia, as they say, it appropriates Greek history and fails to distinguish itself from the Greek region with the same name. The Greeks are largely on the defensive on account of this agreement, said Al Jazeeras John Psaropoulos, reporting from the Greek capital of Athens. It recognises a Macedonian nationality; opponents say this comes awfully close to recognising a Macedonian ethnicity which Greece has spent the last quarter of the century denying it exists, he explained. The Greeks say there is no separate Macedonian race, which implies it hails from the ancient Macedonians and the kingdom of Alexander the Great that, they say, is a part of the Greek heritage, Psaropoulos added. Tsipras has defended the new name because it includes the geographic qualifier northern. The historic region of Macedonia, includes the modern Greek region and some territory within what is now the sovereign state of Macedonia. The region was the birthplace of Alexander the Great born in Pella 356BC, northwest of Greeces second-biggest city of Thessaloniki whose empire stretched from Greece to India. Alarming study finds about 600 million Indians are facing high to extreme stress over clean water access. India is facing its worst-ever water crisis, a new report by a government advisory body has warned. About 600 million Indians are facing high to extreme stress over water, according to the Composite Water Resources Management report by the governments policy think-tank Niti Aayog this week. The comprehensive study on the state of Indias water warned of conflict and other related threats, including food security risks, unless actions are taken to restore water bodies. Critical groundwater resources, which account for 40 percent of our water supply, are being depleted at unsustainable rates, the report said. Mridula Ramesh, author of an upcoming book on climate change, told Al Jazeera that groundwater can be used and abused at a very low cost. There are few or no restrictions on groundwater extraction, leading to wasteful water consumption. In agriculture, crop choice that is unsuitable for a given region is one example of this, Ramesh noted. We are all going to pay a heavy price when the water runs out. Why not pay a reasonable cost for its proper management to avoid that situation? Mridula Ramesh, author She advocates a notional price for water. After all, we are all going to pay a heavy price when the water runs out. Why not pay a reasonable cost for its proper management to avoid that situation? she argued. Many parched cities and villages in India are pushing back their Day Zero (when water taps run dry), but barely, warned the new report. About 40 percent of the population will have no access to clean drinking water by 2030. More than 20 cities, including New Delhi, Bengaluru and Chennai, will run out of groundwater by 2020, affecting 100 million people, according to the report. Agricultural baskets, states that are home to 50 percent of the population, are the low performers in the government policy bodys Water Index, that could pose a significant food security risk for India. What this report says was true 15 years ago, now the situation has worsened. Ninety cities in India do not have enough clean drinking water now to sustain its populace, Rajendra Singh, a water conservation activist known as Indias Waterman, told Al Jazeera. S ustainable conservation Singh, winner of the 2015 Stockholm Water Prize and who works with local communities in the desert state of Rajasthan, said commercial solutions, such as increasing water cess, are not the answer. The rich will still waste water if you increase prices, while the poor wont be able to afford it. We cannot move towards corporate control of water. The answer lies in sustainable ways of conserving water, Singh claimed. Singh successfully revived an ancient water conservation technique by restoring underground reservoirs as water reserve banks. Depleting groundwater reserves, paired with climatic changes such as rising temperatures, could further exacerbate water scarcity, experts have warned. Some of the blame lies in uninformed choices. Part of this is because of the rising temperature, and the changing rainfall patterns that come with the changing climate, author Ramesh said. Part of it is because of unwise choices we have made in managing our waste and water dumping our waste in canals, or streets blocking the drains and reducing the canals for instance. Or building over water bodies, she added. Earlier last week, women in Morbi, in the state of Gujarat, smashed and broke water pots to protest against worsening water shortages. Gujarat, the home state of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, has witnessed tensions over the water allocations for two reservoirs connected by the Narmada river. In March, the Gujarat state government halted irrigation water from the river and appealed to farmers not to sow crops. The water crisis could also aggravate political tensions in the region. Eleven Indian states are locked in seven major disputes over river water-sharing. Scores of people have died in violent protests over the Cauvery river water dispute between southern Indian states Karnataka and Tamil Nadu. India is also caught up in long-standing disputes with neighbours China, Pakistan and Bangladesh over the sharing of water from rivers that cross national boundaries. Rescuers say the stance by Italys new populist government risks costing more lives in the future. After several exhausting days at sea, more than 600 people have arrived safely in Spain following Italys refusal to allow a rescue ship to dock at its ports. But while the sea ordeal of those on board the MV Aquarius charity rescue vessel might be over, more problems might lie ahead for others attempting to help those crossing the Mediterraneans rough waters. Over the past few years, a fleet of mostly volunteer ships has been rescuing people undertaking dangerous journeys daily in their bid to reach Europe from North Africas shores. But the rescuers mission to bring to safety those at risk has become even more difficult in recent days. About a week after saying he would not let Aquarius dock, Matteo Salvin, Italys new interior minister and head of the far-right League party, barred two more ships the Lifeline and the Seefuch from entering the countrys ports. Salvini accused the two rescue missions, both of which are run by German organisations, of being complicit in the illegal immigration business. {articleGUID} Speaking to Al Jazeera, Alex Steier, one of the cofounders of the Mission Lifeline rescue operation, rejected Salvinis allegations. We deny being involved in some kind of illegal immigration business, said Steier, adding that the Lifeline rescue mission has always adhered to international laws. Its a populist thing to make these claims. We are doing the job the countries should be doing. Twitter spat The Lifeline has been operating in the Mediterranean since September 2017. At 32 metres long, it can host up to 800 people. According to Steier, the Lifeline is too small to make the trip from the Libyan coast to Italy with so many people on board. Therefore, those rescued are usually handed over to larger ships heading towards the coast. We have rescue equipment to conduct rescue missions. We also have a hospital on board for small surgeries, said Steier. And we have a lawyer on board to make sure we adhere to all laws. Following Salvinis allegations on Twitter, Lifeline responded in a now-deleted tweet saying, When fascists are advertising us. We have since deleted that tweet and sent out another one in which we stated that Salvini is not a fascist, Steier said. La nave Ong Lifeline commenta: Quando i fascisti ci fanno pubblicita. Roba da matti. A casa nostra comandiamo noi, la pacchia e STRA-FINITA, chiaro? Insulti e minacce non ci fermano. Se voi mi aiutate, io non mollo! #chiudiamoiporti pic.twitter.com/w5ZI1H5nYa Matteo Salvini (@matteosalvinimi) June 16, 2018 Still, Lifelines original tweet led to Salvini calling on the Netherlands to recall the ships, since they both sail under the Dutch flag. Salvinis latest decision to bar the two ships might not affect the Lifeline, as it never sails to Italian ports. Yet, its a clear indication of the interior ministers intentions regarding refugees and migrants. Shortly after the Aquarius reached Valencia, Salvini wrote on Twitter: For the first time a ship from Libya destined for Italy moors in a different country: a sign that something is changing, we are no longer the doormats of Europe. Italy has been the main point of entry for a large number of the hundreds of thousands people attempting to reach Europe via the central Mediterranean route. Those crossings have resulted in nearly 14,000 deaths over the past four years, according to the Missing Migrant Project. But closing ports will not deter people from making the perilous crossing, said Ruben Neugebauer, of rescue mission Sea Watch. We had more than 900 crossings to Spain just yesterday, Neugebauer told Al Jazeera on Sunday. What we can see now is a shifting of routes as migration is a fact and can not be stopped by fences and walls, he added. People were taken hostage for a political stunt and while the Aquarius was absent people have drowned. Neugebauer warned Italys stance will have a devastating impact. The lack of rescue capacities we face now on the central Mediterranean route will make the journey more dangerous and increase mortality, he said. For his part, Steier says the Lifeline ship will continue its mission regardless Salvinis comments. We are saving peoples lives and to say something negative about that says a lot about a person. Al Jazeera has reached out to the Italian and Dutch governments for comment but did not get an answer at the time of publication. Can leftist Gustavo Petro become Colombias first president? Petros stance on tackling inequality, reducing reliance on carbon fuels and ending the status quo of right-wing politics, has appealed to a new generation eager for change. Valencia, Spain After a gruelling journey at sea, more than 600 migrants and refugees who have become the centre of a political storm about Europes migration policy have set foot on dry land in Spain. The first batch of migrants made their way slowly down the gangplank of the Italian coastguard ship Datillo in the port of Valencia early on Sunday, more than a week after they were rescued in several operations off the coast of Libya. The MV Aquarius charity rescue docked around two hours after the Datillo and the Orione, another coast guard ship, shortly after. It marked the close of an exhausting 1,300km ordeal that began when the MV Aquarius charity rescue boat was barred from entering ports in Italy and Malta, leaving the 630 on board, including 100 children and seven pregnant women, stranded at sea. The refugees arrived in three stages because the two Italian ships had taken on board 400 people from the overburdened rescue boat. Since newly appointed Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez offered a safe harbour to the migrants on Monday, Valencia has rapidly deployed its emergency plans to cater for the refugees. Everyone is exhausted and the team is completely stressed, said Til Rummenhohl, Vice President of SOS Mediterranee, which operates the Aquarius alongside Doctors Without Borders (MSF). They have been working 24/7 for a week and [the migrants] are confused. Theyve already passed close to land so many times at Sardinia and Majorca and they are wondering why they were still not on land the mood is not that nice. Aloys Vimard, an MSF coordinator who was on board, said that the Aquarius is not a cruise ship. The boat is not made accommodate people for more than four days, he said, recalling the image of a woman breastfeeding while seasick. Welcome home More than 2,300 people have rallied together to help the exhausted arrivals, including 1,000 Red Cross volunteers, 400 translators and around 450 national police and civil guards. Welcome home read a large banner unfurled at the harbour, translated into five languages for the migrants, who hail from more than 20 countries. The majority are from sub-Saharan Africa and it is unclear how many will qualify for refugee status, as many are from countries which do not have high asylum approval rates within the European Union (EU). Those onboard will receive immediate medical attention and psychological assistance from the Red Cross, after which they will be registered by Spanish authorities and transferred to reception centres. Of the 130 people examined so far, health officials said there were no serious illnesses, but a significant number had suffered mild conditions caused by overcrowding and high temperatures. Valencias authorities have promised that each individual will retain the same translator throughout the registration process, which may last several weeks. France will also accept a number of the migrants, Spains deputy prime minister Carmen Calvo said on Saturday. France will accept migrants who express the wish to go there, said Calvo. Shameful dispute Mathilde Auvillain of SOS Mediteranee, who has volunteered on previous rescue missions aboard the Aquarius, criticised the shameful dispute between European leaders this week. What these people need is safety, Auvillain added. They need protection and what are we talking about? Delaying protection? Whats the point. Italys far-right interior minister Matteo Salvini, who banned the Aquarius from entry to Italian ports, sparking a diplomatic row with France, has pledged to reject two further Dutch NGO rescue boats who are beginning rescue operations off the coast of Libya. Two other ships with the flag of Netherlands, Lifeline and Seefuchs, have arrived off the coast of Libya, waiting for their load of human beings abandoned by the smugglers, Matteo Salvini, wrote on his Facebook page. These gentlemen know that Italy no longer wants to be complicit in the business of illegal immigration, and therefore will have to look for other ports [not Italian] where to go. Spains maritine rescue service said it saved 933 people in the Mediterranean on Friday and Saturday. It also recovered four bodies. Air strikes hit international airport near the port of Hudaida, a major gateway for aid to the famine-stricken country. The Saudi and Emirati-led coalition has conducted air strikes on Yemens Hudaida airport to support forces attempting to seize control from Houthi fighters inside, according to Saudi and Houthi media. The coalition warplanes carried out five strikes on the port city of Hudaida a lifeline to millions of Yemenis on Sunday in a continuation of the biggest battle of the war in three years, the Houthis official SABA news agency said. Saudi-owned broadcaster Al Arabiya also reported strikes on the airport. The coalition launched a major offensive five days ago that could cut off supply lines to the capital Sanaa, which is controlled by the Houthis. Each side holds various parts of the airport. UN envoy in Sanaa The UN envoy for Yemen arrived in Sanaa on Saturday for crisis talks amid growing fears that fighting between the two sides could exacerbate a humanitarian crisis. Martin Griffiths has not made any statement since his arrival in Yemen. He is expected to propose to rebel leaders that they halt fighting and cede control of Hudaidas vital port to a UN-supervised committee. Griffiths arrival came as fighting intensified around Hudaidas airport amid conflicting claims over its fate. UN envoy to Yemen Martin Griffiths was escorted by bodyguards as he arrived at Sanaa airport on June 16 [Khaled Abdullah/Reuters] In a post on Twitter on Saturday, an account associated with the Saudi-aligned Yemeni army said the airport had been freed from the grip of the Houthi militia and that de-mining operations were ongoing. But later on Saturday, Houthi-linked civil aviation authorities denied the rebels had lost control over the airport. The Houthis official news agency SABA quoted Mohammed al-Sharif, deputy head of civil aviation, as saying that images circulated online about the airport were taken in 2016 and that a fence shown as the airport fence was in fact situated on a piece of land belonging to a lawmaker. Lifeline for aid The recent escalation in fighting has raised fears the clashes could trigger a famine imperiling millions of lives. More than 22 million people in Yemen are in need of aid, including 8.4 million who are at risk of starvation, according to the UN, which considers Yemen to be the worlds worst humanitarian crisis. The UN Security Council has expressed its deep concern over the fighting and UN officials have warned of a risk of famine. The Yemeni port (of Hudaida) is a lifeline for the delivery of aid and the Coalitions air attacks can kill many more people over time through famine and hunger when damaging such civilian infrastructure, Adana Dieng, UN special adviser on the Prevention of Genocide, said in a statement. The war between the Houthi rebels and the backers of Yemens government has raged for more than three years. More than 10,000 Yemenis have been killed by the fighting and millions have been displaced. At least 18 people die in Jalalabad, a day after suicide bomber kills 36 at an Eid gathering in Nangarhar province. An explosion in the eastern Afghan province of Nangarhar has killed at least 18 people and wounded dozens, according to officials. The blast on Sunday outside the regional governors office in Jalalabad city came just a day after a suicide bomber killed at least 36 people, including civilians, government forces and Taliban fighters, at an Eid gathering in the same province. No group has claimed responsibility for Sundays attack but the one on Saturday was claimed by the local affiliate of the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL, also known as ISIS) group. Najibullah Kamawal, Nangarhar provincial health director, put the death toll from Sundays blast at 18 with 49 wounded. Some of the wounded are in a serious condition, Kamawal added, suggesting the death toll could rise. Separately on Sunday, the Taliban ruled out an extension of a ceasefire agreement with Afghanistans government that was due to end in the evening. The two sides had agreed to stop operations against one another for the Muslim holiday of Eid, which started on Friday. On Saturday, Afghanistans President Ashraf Ghani announced the extension of the truce without specifying an end date and called on the Taliban to do the same. Ghani also said that in the spirit of Eid and the ceasefire, the attorney generals office had released 46 Taliban prisoners. ISIL foothold The possibility of a peace deal between the Afghan government and the Taliban comes as ISIL establishes its presence in the country. Omar Samad, a former adviser to the chief executive of Afghanistan, told Al Jazeera that the suicide bombing on Saturday was a reminder to everyone in the country, including the Taliban, of the existentialist threat on our doorstep. What we saw today is a reminder that ISK (the ISIL branch in Afghanistan) is a potent threat, that something needs to be done about it, Samad said, speaking from Washington, DC. Maybe the Taliban and the Afghan government can come to terms on how to deal with the Islamic State, he added. That could be an historic point for maybe a dialogue between the two sides. If that happens then I think that Afghanistan has better days ahead. The Talibans decision to hold a ceasefire with the government was the first time it had reached such an agreement since the 2001 invasion of the country by a US-led coalition. US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, echoing Ghanis announcement on Saturday, said peace talks would have to include a discussion on the role of international actors and forces. Thailands royal family has formally turned over its multi-billion dollar fortune to King Maha Vajiralongkorn, who assumed the throne after the death of his father in 2016. An undated announcement seen on Saturday on the website of the Crown Property Bureau (CPB), the financial arm of the monarchy, said that full ownership of the palaces multi-billion dollar assets were handed over to King Vajiralongkorn under a law passed last year. All Crown Property Assets are to be transferred and revert to the ownership of His Majesty, so that they may be administered and managed at His Majestys discretion, said the note which featured prominently on the front page of the CPBs website. The announcement also said that while CPB had been exempt from taxes and duties, the personal assets of the king and the holdings previously belonging to CPB to be treated together as Crown Property Assets would be subject to the same duties and taxation as would assets belonging to any other citizen. King Vajiralongkorn inherited one of the worlds great fortunes, which according to analysts varies between $30bn to $60bn, although the monarchy does not publicly declare its wealth and is shielded from scrutiny by a draconian lese majeste law. Most of the money is controlled by the opaque CPB, a vast portfolio that includes massive property ownership and investments in major companies. {articleGUID} Last year the Thai military government amended a royal property law for the first time in 69 years to give Vajiralongkorn full control over the CPB. The CPBs most notable assets are real estate in Thailands capital, Bangkok, including the Siam Commercial Bank and a major building materials conglomerate, Siam Cement Group. It was one of several steps taken by Vajiralongkorn to increase his personal control over the palace bureaucracy, which during his fathers reign was managed by professional managers administering the palaces business interests. In a move to replace palace officials with his own appointments, Vajiralongkorn appointed in March his close aide Air Chief Marshal Satitpong Sukvimol in place of Chirayu Israngkun Na Ayuthaya, who had been director general of the CPB since 1987. Public discussion of the monarchys actions remains taboo due to Thailands lese majeste law, which can punish perceived criticism with up to 15 years. To Future Women: US art exhibit of dreams for women to come The Hirshhorn Museum in Washington, DC, is exhibiting letters written to the next generation of women, inspired by the global womens march last year. Afghanistan Eid car bomb, claimed by Islamic State, kills 26 Reuters : A car bomb killed at least 26 people at a gathering of Taliban and Afghan armed forces in the eastern city of Nangarhar on Saturday, an official said, as soldiers and militants celebrated an unprecedented Eid ceasefire. Islamic State claimed responsibility. The group's Amaq news agency said the target was "a gathering of Afghan forces" but gave no details. The Taliban had already denied involvement. Dozens of unarmed Taliban militants had earlier entered the Afghan capital and other cities to celebrate the end of the Ramadan fasting season. Soldiers and militants exchanged hugs and took selfies on their smartphones. Attaullah Khogyani, spokesman for the provincial governor of Nangarhar, confirmed a car bomb was responsible for the blast in the town of Ghazi Aminullah Khan, on the main Torkham-Jalalabad road, and said that dozens were wounded. He had earlier said a rocket-propelled grenade was to blame. The Taliban announced a surprise three-day ceasefire over the Eid holiday, which began on Friday, except against foreign forces. It overlaps with an Afghan government ceasefire which lasts until Wednesday. President Ashraf Ghani said in an address to the nation that he would extend the ceasefire with the Taliban but did not give a time-frame. He also asked the Taliban to extend their three-day ceasefire, which is due to end on Sunday, and begin peace talks. It was not clear if Ghani knew about the bomb in the east when he made his address. US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo echoed Ghani's address, saying peace talks would have to include a discussion on the role of "international actors and forces". "The United States is prepared to support, facilitate, and participate in these discussions," Pompeo said in a statement. "... The United States stands ready to work with the Afghan government, the Taliban, and all the people of Afghanistan to reach a peace agreement and political settlement that brings a permanent end to this war." The Taliban are fighting US-led NATO forces, combined under the Resolute Support mission, and the US-backed government to restore sharia, or Islamic law, after their ouster by US-led forces in 2001. Taliban wearing traditional headgear entered Kabul through gates in the south and southeast. Traffic jams formed where people stopped to take pictures of the fighters with their flags. The Taliban urged people to come forward and take selfies. "They are unarmed, as they handed over their weapons at the entrances," Kabul police spokesman Hashmat Stanekzai told Reuters. Their weapons would be returned when they leave, he said. Interior Minister Wais Ahmad Barmak met Taliban fighters in Kabul, Tolo news said, an unthinkable prospect just two weeks ago. Video and pictures on news websites showed cheerful soldiers and Taliban hugging one another and exchanging Eid greetings in Logar province, south of Kabul, in Zabul in the south and in central Maidan Wardak. Some people were dancing and clapping as onlookers took photos. Opposition coalition wants constitutional reforms and introduction of presidential term limits of a maximum of 10 years. Opposition parties in Togo have called on supporters to observe a sit-at-home protest on Monday amid growing political tensions. Mass anti-government rallies have repeatedly been held across the country in recent months, with protesters demanding an end to the 50-year rule by the Gnassingbe family and constitutional reforms, including a two-term limit for presidents. Ghost Monday aims to protest the stubbornness of the military regime to hold local and legislative elections amid the crisis the country is facing, human rights activist Farida Nabourema said in a message on Twitter on Friday, referring to polls expected to take place until the end of next month. For its part, the government has reportedly called on people to boycott the protests and resist opposition intimidation in advance of the general strike. Previous nationwide demonstrations have led to clashes between security forces and protesters, resulting in the deaths of several people. Social contract broken Togos political crisis started in August, when large numbers of people rallied against the administration of President Faure Gnassingbe. Apart from the reintroduction of presidential term limits, calls for institutional reforms included reinstating a two-round voting system and allowing the diaspora to cast ballots in elections. Speaking to Al Jazeera earlier this year, Nabourema said the protesters demands changed as the demonstrations intensified in the months since August. They have shifted from the return of the 1992 constitution to Faure Must Go, meaning people are no longer just protesting for constitutional reforms or term limits, said Nabourema They want the end of the Gnassingbe dynasty and they clearly stated that. Nancy Muigei, a political analyst at Kenya-based Maendeleo Group told Al Jazeera on Saturday that scenarios like this emerge when the social contract between the government and citizens breaks down amid challenging economic conditions and poor service delivery. These conditions make it difficult for citizens to have a decent and dignified life, she said. This is the reason why many young people are risking their lives to cross borders and die in seas, added Muigei, referring to the Togolese who are willing to undertake dangerous journeys across the Mediterranean in hopes for a better future. Family dynasty More than half of Togos 7.5 million population is under 25. These people have only known life under the rule of Faure Gnassingbe and his father, Gnassingbe Eyadema. The ruling familys dynasty started in 1967 when Eyadema seized power in a coup. In response to demonstrations, he introduced the Constitution of 1992 that brought in notional multiparty democracy and limited presidential terms to two. Ten years later, legislators scrapped the term limit so that Eyadema could serve for additional terms. He stayed in office until his death in 2005, when he was succeeded by his son. In September, the government did try to give in to some demands by releasing prisoners and proposing a draft bill to reform the Constitution and reintroduce a two-term limit. However, the opposition pushed for the term limits to be applied retroactively, instead of allowing Gnassingbe to run for two new terms and potentially rule until 2030, and refused to support the bill when their demands were not met. Without opposition support, the bill did not gather enough support in parliament to pass. With reporting by Fidelis Mbah Residents fear more violence to ensue after end of month-long Ramadan truce dismissed by critics as mere eye-wash. Srinagar, Indian-administered Kashmir The Indian government is resuming military operations against rebels in Indian-administered Kashmir after the end of a 30-day unilateral ceasefire announced at the beginning of the Muslim holy month of Ramadan. Separatist leaders who support the merger of Himalayan region with Pakistan and rebel groups fighting Indian rule had rejected the temporary measure as cosmetic. Operations against terrorists to resume, Indian Home Minister Rajnath Singh wrote on Twitter on Sunday, a month after directing security forces to halt anti-rebel operations during Ramadan. While the security forces displayed exemplary restraint, the terrorists have continued with their attacks on civilians and security forces, resulting in deaths and injuries. According to police records, dozens of people were killed during the past 30 days, including six civilians, nine security personnel and more than 20 fighters most of whom died near the Line of Control, a demarcation line that divides the Indian- and Pakistan-administered parts of the disputed territory. Amid the violence, prominent journalist Shujaat Bukhari was also mysteriously assassinated in the regions capital city of Srinagar. No positive reaction Speaking to Al Jazeera, Sunil Sethi, state chief spokesperson of the ruling Bharatiya Janta Party (BJP), echoed Singhs statement. We expected that there will be a positive reaction from militants and Pakistan. Our guns were silent but the militants continued to attack every day, he said. The ceasefire became meaningless. It became difficult for the government to continue. We could not continue at the cost of so much blood on the streets, added Sethi. Waheed Ur Rehman Para, the youth president of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), which rules the state in a coalition with the right-wing BJP, said that the efforts of the government to give peace a chance were sabotaged. Ceasefire was a two-way process. We tried to take steps but unfortunately, there was no response from the other side, said Para. We want to avoid and delay violence because with every death it raises anger among youth and alienates them. The militants continued to attack. Fear of more violence The effect of the governments announcement on Sunday was palpable in southern Kashmirs Shopian district, where most of this years military operations have taken place. The ceasefire might have delayed the killings but we fear more violence now, Azra Shafi, a 24-year-old college student from Shopian, told Al Jazeera. We wanted to breathe freely but that is not going to happen now. This year we witnessed most of the gunfights we had a little relief for the month but that was very short-lived. We dont expect the bloodshed to stop, she said. There were not many gun battles in past three weeks, but now we fear that the times will be more violent, said another resident, Shabir Ahmad. We are fed up. Young boys lose their eyes due to pellets whenever there are protests. We also long for the peace, he added. On Saturday, just a day after Ramadan and at the beginning of the Eid al-Fitr holiday, violent demonstrations rocked southern Kashmirs Anantnag district. A young protester was killed while 20 others suffered pellet wounds. The police said the youth died due to a grenade blast but doctors told Al Jazeera that the boy had suffered multiple pellet injuries. A mere eye-wash While pro-India political parties in the region had welcomed the unilateral cessation of operations against rebels, critics dismissed it as a mere eye-wash. The ceasefire did not change anything, said Shiekh Showkat Hussain, a political analyst in the region. The killings continued in Ramadan and even on Eid. The ceasefire was a formality and its revocation is also a formality, he added. Even the prospects of any dialogue are all bleak now. Siddiq Wahid, a Kashmir-based academic and activist, agreed. The condition under which the ceasefire was started was ambiguous [and] I did not have many hopes from it, he said, adding that there was no real seriousness in it. The road to hold any dialogue is long. The question is, are they ready to negotiate for the future of Kashmir? The UN human rights chief on Thursday called for an international investigation into abuses in Kashmir committed by both India and Pakistan. The report also recommended a commission of inquiry into the excessive use of force by Indian security forces. Though the report was dismissed by India as fallacious, the Human Rights Watch (HRW) rights group urged the Indian government to commit to act on the reports findings, including providing access to the UN human rights office. It should order an investigation into alleged violations by the security forces and prosecute those found responsible, instead of rewarding abusive soldiers, Meenakshi Ganguly, South Asia Director of Human Rights Watch, said in a statement. India and Pakistan continue to claim Kashmir in its entirety as both the countries have fought three wars over the region. The Himalayan valley continues to be one of the most enduring conflicts in the world, where India has stationed more than 500,000 troops. Thousands of people have so far died in the violence where armed rebellion began against Indian rule in 1989, demanding either independence from India or a merger with Pakistan. In Search of Justice There is an optimistic forecast there'll be a change in the weather, a change in the sea of justice, in Britain and in the international community. The rising temperature may drain the swamp of anti-Semitism and calls for the liquidation of the State of Israel. Britain is not deluged, but on June 14, 2018, more than a trickle if not a flood of partial justice was rendered in London when Alison Chabloz, who had been convicted on May 25, 2018 of three charges of sending by public communications network an offensive, indecent, or menacing message or material was sentenced to a 20-week prison term, but suspended for two years, banned from using social media for a year, and ordered to perform 180 hours of unpaid work. By this sentence she avoided jail. The 54-year-old Chabloz, self-confessed Holocaust "revisionist," had written and sung lyrics that referred to the Holocaust as a hoax, a bunch of lies, and to Auschwitz as a "theme park for fools." She had mocked well-known Jewish individuals, including Elie Wiesel. At her trial, the District Judge at Westminster Magistrates' Court, John Zani, said she was guilty of disseminating "grossly offensive" material, and showed no proper remorse about it, her lyrics were offensive, intended to insult. Zani made clear that the right to freedom of speech is fundamental in a democratic society, but it is a "qualified right." Though her statement is inaccurate, Chabloz complained, "I am the only artist in modern British history to have been jailed for the heinous crime of composing and singing satirical songs which I uploaded to the Internet." Three comments are fitting. In view of her behavior and defiant lack of remorse, the penalty can be deemed inadequate in the lack of a prison term when compared to the case of Tommy Robinson. A second is that the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS), was slow to join in the prosecution. The lesson learned is that the CPS should be more active in prosecuting offences of anti-Semitism and Holocaust denial. The official body should be more active in prosecuting anti-Semitism and Holocaust denial, and not leave it to a private organization. The wider and disconcerting issue is that the gallery in the courtroom when Chabloz was sentenced shouted support for her, "three cheers for Alison." Her supporters argued her lyrics were not "grossly offensive," as Judge Zani had stated, and more important there is no law in England against "so-called Holocaust denial." Coincidentally, on the same day as Chabloz was convicted, the journalist broadcaster whose pseudonym is Tommy Robinson was sentenced on May 25, 2018 to 10 months prison for contempt of court, to which another three months suspended sentence was added, after publishing on Facebook a video of defendants entering a law court, despite a court order preventing reporting on trials while they were proceeding. Robinson is a 34-year-old man with a rather unsavory record, founder and former leader of the far-right English Defense League from which he resigned in 2013. In recent years he has been active in criticism of Islamic activities in Britain. He voiced opposition to Muslim immigration and spoke of the threat of Islamist terrorists posing as refugees. He has described the Koran as a violent and cursed book. In particular, he denounced Muslim grooming gangs preying on young girls throughout the UK. Yet Robinson was not arrested or convicted for his views of Islam or Muslims, but twice for the offence of reporting on a trial before proceedings had finished. On May 8, 2017, Robinson was arrested for contempt of court when trying to video four Muslim paedophiles suspected of raping a 16-year-old girl. He used a camera on the steps of the Canterbury Crown Court, thus breaking the law which forbade this, and he was convicted and got a suspended sentence. The judge, Heather Norton, said she was not supressing free speech or free press, but ensuring a trial can be carried out justly and fairly. Nevertheless, contrary to her decision, Robinson was not engaging in "irresponsible and inaccurate reporting." The second charge was for breach of peace and contempt of court outside the Leeds Crown Court. At this time, 27 Muslim men and three Muslim women were accused of drugging, raping, and sexually exploiting more than 100 girls, some as young as 11. Robinson's offence is that he had spoken about the trial before it ended. He had published on Facebook a video of the defendants entering the court despite a court order preventing reporting on the trial. It is arguable that the prison sentence imposed on Robinson, was excessive when compared to the leniency given Chabloz. Though he was not punished for them, Robinson's declarations about Muslims in Britain have to be seen in the context of the widespread allegations that Muslims, mostly Pakistanis, have been responsible for brutality, rape, and trafficking regarding more than 1,300 girls. Many others besides Robinson have been concerned that social workers and police in Britain have deliberately ignored these crimes for fear of being called racist or Islamophobic. The swamp in the United Nations organization still pollutes their activities, though some drainage has occurred. The UN General Assembly UNGA on December 21, 2017 had condemned, 128-9-35, the U.S. decision to move its embassy to Jerusalem. The act would be "null and void." Almost simultaneously with the Chabloz and Robinson cases, the UNGA met at an "emergency meeting on the Gaza Strip" on June 13, 2018. A resolution, introduced by Algeria, Turkey, and the Palestinians that the Israeli IDF had used "excessive, disproportionate, indiscriminate" force, as a result of the Israeli response to the protests that began on March 30, 2018 along the Gaza line, passed 120-8-45. The resolution also called for an "international protection mechanism for occupied Palestinian territory." No mention was made of the violence by Hamas. on attacks on Israel. The U.S. by an amendment, attempted to do this by having Hamas, which routinely initiates violence, condemned, but it was not officially passed. In view of criticisms of U.S. policy, it is relevant to look at the roll call on the resolution that passed. The eight countries that voted against the Resolution were the U.S., Israel, Australia, Micronesia, Nauru, Togo, Solomon Islands, Marshall Islands. Those voting in favor of the resolution included most of the African countries, including Kenya and Uganda, both visited by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. Only Togo voted against and seven other Africans abstained. Of the EU countries, 12 voted for the resolution, including France, Belgium, Spain, Switzerland, Sweden, and Norway, and 16 abstained. At the June 13, 2018 session, U.S. Ambassador Nikki Haley proposed the amendment to the Arab-backed resolution. It would condemn Hamas for its violent activity, its firing of rockets -- 180 in one day -- and provocative actions, including the construction of military infrastructure intended to infiltrate Israel. Three factors may be a sign of changing times. One is that a motion by Algeria to quash the U.S. amendment passed by only a relatively narrow majority, 78-59-26. The second is that the U.S. amendment passed 62-58-42, but failed because of the procedural requirement for a two-thirds majority to pass. The third is that all 28 EU countries voted for the U.S. amendment. The U.S. is proposing a peace plan for the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, and White House Special Adviser Jared Kushner and Middle East Envoy Jason Greenblatt will be travelling to Israel and other Middle Eastern countries to present it. Perhaps they will be able to persuade the well-educated Palestinian leaders that the fall in the standard of living in Gaza and its socioeconomic despair is due to the activities of Hamas, and that all will benefit from peace and the end of terrorism. Then justice will be done, and the sun will come out tomorrow. The 800-Year March of Freedom On June 15, 1215, King John II of England met with several nobles at Runnymede to sign a document that would forever alter the relationship between government and the governed. While only a select few individuals received any rights directly from Magna Carta, the symbolism behind this agreement was profound enough to transform the course of history for the English-speaking world over the next eight centuries. Prior to the signing of Magna Carta, an English king's rule was absolute and was not subject to any limitations whatsoever. However, King John created a crisis in the fall of 1214 when the king attempted to invade France and suffered a spectacular defeat. Furious at the defeat and the destruction of England's armies, the nobles enlisted the help of the archbishop of Canterbury to force the king into an agreement by which his power would be limited[1]: Although in the final scene of the struggle the Archbishop showed himself unwilling to go to the extreme of civil war, it was he who persuaded the barons to base their demands upon respect for ancient custom and law, and who gave them some principle to fight for besides class interests. ... In place of the King's arbitrary despotism they proposed, not the withering anarchy of feudal separatism, but a system of checks and balances which would accord the monarchy its necessary strength, but would prevent its perversion by a tyrant or fool. From this proposal sprang the first ever written document placing specific limits on the power of a monarch, and thus the foundation was laid for all future advances in freedom. More than any specific right, the Magna Carta retains its significance because it is the first articulation of the concept that a ruler is in some way accountable to those he ruled. While the Magna Carta represented a great advance in human freedom, it was far from the last innovation to come out of thirteenth-century England. Fifty years after Magna Carta, King Henry III accepted the crown of Sicily for his son in exchange for the assumption of a large amount of papal debt as well as the requirement to raise and maintain an army for the new territory.[2] These events led to the formation of the Provisions of Westminster and the Provisions of Oxford, which dealt with "the overriding question of by whose advice and through what officials royal government should be carried on."[3] However, soon after these additional checks on the monarchy, questions began to arise about the need to also curtail the nobility's power for the benefit of the middle classes. This sentiment led to the rise of "The Community of the Bachelors of England," which sought to counter the power of the great barons.[4] In 1265, in response to these events, Simon de Montfort brought about the next great innovation in representative government: Parliament. While the word "parliament" had existed prior to 1265, it was in this year that the first representative parliament was formed.[5] Following in the tradition established half a century prior, rights were now extended not only to those of noble birth, but also to certain individuals without a bloodline claim to power. Many people were still without representation; however, in these developments, one can begin to see the cause of freedom moving forward to encompass ever greater segments of society. By the time the American colonies declared independence, the ideas of Magna Carta had been enshrined in English law for nearly 500 years; however, it took a bloody revolution to bring forth the idea that not only should rulers have to listen to the ruled, but the ruled should have the ability to choose their rulers. Once this realization was made, the last few vestiges of non-representative government were racing against the hourglass. Within 125 years of our independence, America had granted legal protection and the franchise to minorities through the 13th, 14th, and 15th Amendments, and to women through the 19th Amendment. While there were still many problems (which are beyond the scope of this piece) to be resolved after these amendments were passed, Americans at least had the legal basis through which true equality would eventually come. The final great battle in the struggle for representative government, the Civil Rights movement of the 1960s, can be seen as yet one more attempt to realize the fundamental principle embodied by Magna Carta: that the governed have a right to protect themselves from injustice on behalf of a government that is not answerable to them. When thinking about the freedoms we all enjoy as Americans, one must recognize the incredible contribution of those nobles who stood in a meadow at Runnymede and challenged the absolute power of a king. For 803 years, the events set in motion that day have continued to push people to question the status quo and to ensure they receive fair and equitable treatment at the hands of their government. Far more than any actual rights granted, the Magna Carta's importance stands the test of time as the first step in the evolution of representative government and human freedom. John Vernon is an amateur historian, writer, and lifelong Michigan resident. He holds degrees from the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor and Wayne State University in Detroit. [1] Churchill, A History of the English Speaking Peoples, Vol. 1, P..253 [2] Churchill, A History of the English Speaking Peoples Vol. 1, P.271 [3] Churchill, A History of the English Speaking Peoples Vol. 1, P. 273 [4] Churchill, A History of the English Speaking Peoples Vol. 1, P.276 [5] Churchill, A History of the English Speaking Peoples Vol.1, P. 281 The Jesus Fallacy As President Trump was beating swords into plowshares in Singapore, it must have been exasperating for his reactionary critics who mocked him for canceling the summit when he successfully completed the meeting, opening doors to peace. The signs of desperation were apparent when his critics began to invoke the Bible as the political standard for judgment something that must have given some sense of hope to the president's evangelical supporters. The essence of their fallacious argument is this: the Bible would not allow the government to separate children from parents, as is presently being done in U.S. immigration policy. As a matter of theological reductionism: Jesus would not do such a thing, and all of his Christian supporters should be ashamed of themselves for refusing to denounce the policy forthrightly. The President's critics have no shortage of self righteous representations, so the argument is not entirely surprising despite all the apparent ironies of a crowd that typically delights in the separation of church and state. Despite this "come to Jesus" moment for his critics, this biblical appeal remains fallacious. The desire to invoke Jesus on our side and against their side is as old as Jesus himself. The president's critics see themselves representing Jesus's infinite grace and mercy. In his ministry, Jesus was continually played by the local interpreters of the law into precisely the kind of politics we are witnessing now. The Pharisees of the first century A.D. tried to drag Jesus into the role of kingly pretender. But Jesus regularly refused to substitute himself as King Jesus: "So Jesus, perceiving that they were intending to come and take Him by force to make Him king, withdrew again to the mountain by Himself alone" (John 6:15). This incident took place after the public imagined that Jesus could make food infinitely available to them after he fed 5,000. Jesus would not allow himself to be the new king. The elite of his time also tried to railroad Jesus into statements against the Roman government. The enforcers of the law were certainly the Romans and their oppressive occupying military force. Roman soldiers make ICE officers look benign. Jesus surely enraged everyone in the region when he not only refused to denounce the Roman soldiers executing these laws, but in fact affirmed them: 5 And when Jesus entered Capernaum, a centurion came to Him, imploring Him, 6 and saying, "Lord, my servant is lying paralyzed at home, fearfully tormented." 7 Jesus *said to him, "I will come and heal him." 8 But the centurion said, "Lord, I am not worthy for You to come under my roof, but just say the word, and my servant will be healed. 9 For I also am a man under authority, with soldiers under me; and I say to this one, 'Go!' and he goes, and to another, 'Come!' and he comes, and to my slave, 'Do this!' and he does it." 10 Now when Jesus heard this, He marveled and said to those who were following, "Truly I say to you, I have not found such great faith with anyone in Israel. 11 I say to you that many will come from east and west, and recline at the table with Abraham, Isaac and Jacob in the kingdom of heaven; 12 but the sons of the kingdom will be cast out into the outer darkness; in that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth." 13 And Jesus said to the centurion, "Go; it shall be done for you as you have believed." And the servant was healed that very moment. (Matthew 8) By affirming the Roman soldier as having the greatest faith in all of Israel and suggesting that perhaps the sons of the kingdom would be cast out in his favor, Jesus turned the self-righteous politics of the day on its head. Jesus never denounced the severe Roman enforcement of laws as cruel, unusual, or worthy of God's rejection. The Jacobin reactionaries who are sure that Trump's supporters deserve God's repudiation ought to see themselves in the angry reactions that arise from Jesus's endorsement of the Roman military commander. Those who enforce the law are not evil or worthy of our contempt and derision. Even during Jesus's brutal crucifixion by Roman soldiers, he never delivered a homily on the abuses of government power or even a plain statement against capital punishment. Jesus paid the temple tax required by the government with a coin collected from the mouth of a fish. Jesus rebuked Peter for striking a government servant with a sword he told Peter to fetch. He told Peter and others that "his kingdom would not come with a sword." We all understandably see Jesus coming to our side of politics. Jesus's life, death, and resurrection are indeed the supreme political statement about the state's power to ruin our lives to the point of a humiliating death. Jesus's cry of "Father, why have you forsaken me" as he died is the cry of every profoundly marginalized person. His gentle call of a prostitute's name signaling his resurrection is the end of history in politics, because the public killing of the innocent is no longer the last word in "justice." But Jesus is too great to be our earthly king in politics. He told us in the Sermon on the Mount that we should "let your light shine before men that in seeing your good works they glorify your Father who is in heaven" (Matthew 5:16). He did not say "God's lights" or "God's works." Jesus is good for lordship of our individual convictions and conscience. We must make the decision to love one another and lay aside the expectations of an earthly political kingdom to substitute for that personal demand. The soldier, the tax-collector, or any other agent of government is not our enemy. These people are as worthy of God's grace as we are. Ben Voth is an associate professor of corporate communication and public affairs and director of debate at Southern Methodist University. He is the author of three books on American and global politics: The Rhetoric of Genocide (2014), Social Fragmentation and the Decline of American Democracy (2017), and James Farmer Jr.: The Great Debater (2017). North Korea has agreed to completely denuclearize and has begun the process, according to reports of satellite imagery , and has agreed to return the remains of U.S. military who perished in North Korea. By any reasonable account, the historic meeting between President Trump and Kim Jong-un, resulting in an agreement pledging to work toward a stable and enduring peace (over six decades after the Korean armistice was signed at Panmunjom) was an incredible achievement. In fact, had Obama or Clinton achieved as much, we would expect a ticker-tape parade down Fifth Avenue. China, long rightfully considered the muscle behind North Korea, seems to endorse the move, indicating that the summit creates new history: and urging full denuclearization. Of course, given the past agreements with North Korea where we delivered on our promises and they did not, theres always room for Reagans trust but verify admonition, and yet there is every reason to believe this president gets that, and is not simply bribing Kim for yet another repeat performance of no tit for tat, relying on a supine press to ignore deals that really werent. In fact, the usual press fluffers which hailed Obamas deals with Cuba and Iran, to name two recent Democratic foreign policy disasters, were bilious about it. Ed Driscoll at Instapundit scrolled through NewsBusters for a decent example of the media backflips: The President acknowledged, too, the hypocrisy of the press: Donald J. Trump Verified account @realDonaldTrump A year ago the pundits & talking heads, people that couldnt do the job before, were begging for conciliation and peace -- please meet, dont go to war. Now that we meet and have a great relationship with Kim Jong Un, the same haters shout out, you shouldnt meet, do not meet! At the tail end of his 25-hour-long day at the summit, Trump held an utterly unscripted hour-long presser and then began the long journey home (Im only a few years older, but Ive no idea how he manages to accomplish so much with so little sleep). Of course, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo had done a fabulous job of preparation job for the meeting, but contrast, if you will, the personal aspect of this and the vast amount of preparation that went into this meeting with Madeline Albrights failed mission for Bill Clinton. The preparation this time included listening to Kims friend, Dennis Rodman, who to no end had begged Obama to meet with Kim. In an emotional and sometimes hard-to-follow interview with CNNs Chris Cuomo, Rodman, wearing sunglasses and a Make America Great Again hat, said he had received a call from the White House ahead of Trumps historic meeting with Kim -- the first between a sitting president and North Korean leader. Rodman later told the AP in a phone interview that the call had come from White House press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders. She sent her best wishes and said that Donald Trump is really proud of you. Hes happy youre having some type of part of this whole situation, Rodman recalled her saying. Hes very happy to carry out the things Ive been saying. [Snip] He also said he thought hed meet with Trump soon. Im pretty sure that Ill be going somewhere, like the White House to meet him, he said. In his CNN interview, Rodman grew emotional as he recalled former President Barack Obama failing to take him seriously when he returned from Pyongyang with a message from Kim after one of his trips. Rodman said that Obama brushed him off and that hed received death threats and had to go into hiding as a result. Why would a negotiator not want to hear out Kims closest American friend to learn more about his personality and wishes? A skillful negotiator always wants to glean the priorities and temperament of the man on the other side of the table. And why would anyone ignore the aspect of face, which is so important to Asians, as to send someone else (like Albright) in his stead to deal with the leader of the other country? (Of course, if youve not prepared and have no idea what to expect beforehand, you may want to wing it by sending Albright and some champagne rather than just falling on your face so publicly.) The capper of the summit was a trailer of a film listed as a Destiny Productions clip, which highlighted Kim and Trump as leaders for a new world of peace and prosperity instead of war and destruction, To Blast it was a cringe worthy production (An outfit named Destiny Productions denied having anything to do with its creation, so we dont know who did it.) Contra Blast and Slate, which said it is full of inspirational nonsense," Dilbert creator Scott Adams said: Scott Adams Verified account @ScottAdamsSays This is how the people who don't understand the tools of persuasion see the video Trump shared with Kim. I'm glad I'm not in that reality! He broke down the aspects of the film clip and why they would work in a video presentation, which I find instructive on the psychology of the deal making. My friend Rich Markey agrees with Adams: Brilliant. Four minutes offering to share the world's prosperity, using resonating emotional images on video. Trump used 21st century technology and persuasion technique instead of the usual 18th century methods of conventional diplomacy. Over at PJ Media, Roger L. Simon offers more insights on how Trump negotiations worked: Some people see the glass as half full, others half empty. Trump is a half full type if there ever was one and his generally optimistic approach to life is what many can't abide, especially because it has made him a success. Among those who tilt to the pessimistic side are those known as "experts." You see them all over now, mouthing the conventional wisdom that Trump hasn't really done anything with Kim, that there are no guarantees, no details, etc. Never mind the all-too-apparent subtext that if Trump does succeed, they look like fakes and could be out of a job. Part of the problem for these people is that Trump is evolving an entirely new approach to foreign policy that is about as far out of their purview as you could get, something only a real estate magnate could actually pull off. Call it The Cooptation Doctrine. Sanction the hell out of the leader of a despotic Third World country, then go meet him and promise, if he mends his ways, to make his country rich and him even richer. Thus we have Kim shown an iPad rendering of the Cote de North Korea and Trump explaining on Hannity that North Korea, located between booming South Korea and China, is prime real estate replete with scenic landscapes and pristine beaches ready to be developed with resorts and hotels, a veritable Park Place and Boardwalk in the making. Trump realizes instinctually what we all know from history. Ideology be damned --- being a communist dictator is all about making a fortune off the backs of "the people." (Castro died a billionaire). Of course, it helps that you place the despot's regime under those extreme sanctions before you offer him paradise and not let up with those sanctions until he relents and signs. As we all know, Obama took the opposite approach with Iran and ended up funding Middle East war. I expect that this is far from the end of the Presidents peacemaking endeavors. Don Surber thinks he has a larger game plan He notes the G7 is irrelevant -- Rumsfelds Old Europe China is the enemy as it paid off American politicians to get trade deals that have funded its military growth. That's the real problem in the world. The Canadian tariffs on cheese and butter are not killing the economy, but President Trump went after them to make a point to China. Peeling North Korea from the Chinese sphere of influence reverses nearly 1,500 years of history, where Korea was an independent protectorate of China. It ended in 1905 with a Japanese invasion but resumed after World War II. [snip] President Trump has left Iran to Saudi Arabia and Israel to take care of. It's their table, not his. North Korea is just one piece in the peace puzzle that President Trump is assembling. He is an advocate of peace through strength. This is why he discarded the weak sister four in the G7, and why he wants to cut a deal with Rocket Man. The Dotard knows what he is doing. So while the experts who have kept the world aboil toasting dictators with champagne, enriching them with pallets of cash and concessions, besetting the innocent with their ineffectual -- indeed counterproductive -- moves the real estate mogul who believes in peace through strength is making the world safer by wisely ignoring them and sticking to the techniques which he has mastered. And they are left to drink the wine of sour grapes. Why Do They Hate Us? A new study by the Washington Times shows that 90% of the broadcast coverage of President Trump remains negative, even after the accomplishments of his first 500 days. Certainly, the so-called intelligentsia hate Donald Trump, but they hate Trump not just as an individual they hate him because he sides with us. They've hated us those heartland Americans clinging to our guns and religion long before Trump came along and will do so long after he is gone. The Justice Department's I.G. report has confirmed widespread prejudice among top Justice and FBI officials, but it's a mistake to think this bias is directed against Trump per se. Officials like Peter Strzok were intent on "stopping" Trump, but stopping him from doing what? Stopping him from restoring the right of ordinary Americans to govern their country? There exists among progressives a widespread culture of intolerance and hatred directed at the middle class. I'm not the only one, I'm sure, who finds the behavior of Robert De Niro, Jimmy Kimmell, Joy Behar, and the rest of them repellant. With the Trump presidency, everyday citizens have gained a voice in Washington. At exactly the same time, media attacks on these Americans have exploded. The inference is clear: Hollywood, the mainstream media, and academe believe that ordinary Americans must be silenced. Only the "smart" ones, as leftists consider themselves, have a right to be heard. The left is attempting to silence the opposition and has been doing so for a long time. The problem is that, in the end, silencing the opposition involves the use of force. It's bad enough to "censor" one's opponent, as the fake news does every minute with lies and omissions and outrageous claims. The media were hoping Trump would fail at the Singapore summit. Now that he has succeeded, that success is not being reported. All that CNN could say of the historic success is that Trump's achievement "appeared to upend decades of US policy in Asia." The suggestion that the U.S. may "eventually" remove troops from the DMZ "will likely spark concern in Tokyo and Seoul," CNN opined. That's it? It's better to stick with the status quo and allow North Korea to assemble a large nuclear arsenal and the ICBMs to deliver it than to change U.S. policy? (This wisdom, by the way, was the work of Joshua Berlinger, a 2012 graduate of Tufts University and "video editor," among other titles, at CNN. Not exactly Walter Cronkite.) There are many ways of silencing the opposition, including the covert activities of the FBI and DOJ. If they hate us that much, they feel justified in using any means necessary, no matter how improper or illegal. All of this is driven by the contempt progressives feel for "lesser" Americans. It's ironic that progressives think they are smarter because the progressive agenda has a nasty track record. In every case as in Venezuela today or under Obama in the U.S. it has led to impoverishment and repression. If progressives are so smart, why do their policies fail when those of conservatives succeed, as they have been doing under President Trump? And why don't progressives seem to care whether they succeed or fail? The success of free-market policies has been documented time and again. The contrast between Carter's liberal policies and Reagan's pro-business stance was obvious in the 1980s. Now that scenario is being played out again. The Atlanta Fed has just projected 4.8% growth for the second quarter, better than anything achieved over the entire eight years of Obama's presidency. The Heritage Foundation's Index of Economic Freedom for 2018 shows a "significant improvement in financial freedom" following a decade-long decline, most of it under Obama. According to the report, "There are signs of renewed labor market dynamism and increased growth, and major regulatory and tax reforms are spurring business confidence and investment." Americans feel freer under President Trump. The latest Cato Institute's Human Freedom Index (2017) showed the U.S. with a score of 8.39 out of 10 (17th in the world). In 2016 the U.S. was 27th with a score of 8.27, so there has been a significant improvement in just one year under President Trump. It will be fascinating to see the 2018 report, which comes out in January. By every objective measure, the U.S. is becoming freer and more prosperous, and liberals hate it. They are rooting for a recession in advance of the 2020 presidential election, even if ordinary Americans are harmed. They care about their own power, not about us not about our freedom, our happiness, even our lives. It's important for conservatives to understand just how extreme the left's position has become. Americans have always lived under the fiction that "it can't happen here." Our constitution and democratic traditions are supposed to protect us from totalitarianism. But progressives don't care about democracy. In 2012, Ruth Bader Ginsburg famously told Egyptian revolutionaries she "would not look to the U. S. Constitution, if I were drafting a constitution in the year 2012." "I might look at the constitution of South Africa," she added. The year after she spoke, there were 17,068 murders in South Africa. For the same year, there were 12,253 murders in the entire U.S. a country more than six times as populous as South Africa. The most fundamental responsibility of a constitution is to protect the security and freedom of a people. Which is doing the better job: the U.S. or South Africa? And why don't progressives like Justice Ginsburg seem to understand that freedom matters? It is, I believe, because to the extent that they think about ordinary people at all, they don't care if they are harmed. For a long time, the conservative response to liberal hate has been something akin to Reagan's "there you go again." Reagan was the greatest president of the 20th century, perhaps of all time, but he was too nice. He made it sound as if progressives were little children being naughty again. Even in his day, they were a lot worse than that, and today the left has hardened into something closer to the Baader Meinhof Gang. Leftists have no intention of just "disagreeing" with conservatives over the course of Trump's two terms. They are trying everything that might lead to his impeachment, and they are attacking and intimidating conservatives everywhere from Trump on down. The goal is to restore Obama's small circle of academics and intellectuals to power. In the long run, there is only one way to impose the will of a political elite on the masses: through force and violence. Fortunately, conservatives have not succumbed to this sort of extremism. No matter how much we disagree with the left, we still believe that all Americans are entitled to the same protections under the Constitution, chief among them freedom of speech. While he may have strong disagreements, a true conservative does not respond by denying his adversary's right to speak. I fear that if they ever gain full control, progressives will go much farther than Obama did. It won't just be the use of powerful government agencies to attempt to steal a presidential election, as appears to have happened in 2016. It will be a much broader theft of our freedom, including our personal freedoms and our right to own property. Conservatives must resist, but even then, we will not descend into the level of hatred that denies the humanity of our opponents. Jeffrey Folks is the author of many books and articles on American culture including Heartland of the Imagination (2011). Thomas Seitz of AfD (Alternative for Germany) attempted to remember the brutal death of this young girl by a Muslim migrant who boasted how he murdered a Jewish girl. But the contemptuous and antisemitic leftists made a mockery of this moment of silence. In death, a young Jewish girl, Susanna Maria Feldmann, is dishonored by German leftists in the Bundestag. This You Tube video showing Claudia Roth of the German Green party making a mockery of the murder of a young German Jewish teen reminds one of the thunderous applause that Hitler received when he stated during his Reichstag speech that Germany would soon be Judenrein or free of all Jews. The "leftist German Parliament members started to make noise and applauded for Claudia Roth's intervention." . . . a 20-year-old Iraqi man had admitted to the rape and murder of 14-year-old Susanna Feldman in Germany, where the case has stoked the immigration debate. The Jewish teenager from Mainz near Frankfurt was found dead on Wednesday in a wooded area in Wiesbaden, near a refugee center where the alleged attacker had lived [.] In fact, "Ali Bashar, . . . had come to Germany through Turkey and Greece. He had arrived in Germany in the fall of 2015 at the height of Merkels migration crisis. Since then, he had been accused of raping an 11-year-old girl in a refugee shelter, attacking a policewoman and robbing a man at knifepoint. His asylum application had been rejected at the end of 2016. Bashar claimed to have been threatened by the PKK, a Kurdish group fighting against ISIS and Turkey. But he appealed, and was allowed to stay on in Germany until he finally killed." Of course, The Green Party's Annalena Baerbock declared that nobody should, "presume to abuse the death of this girl to sow hatred." Yet, A German poll of refugees last year found that more than half hold anti-Semitic views. Even before the migrant flood, German police had noted the rising number of Muslims arrested for anti-Semitic acts. In one Berlin school, Muslim students openly boasted, 'If a Jew enters our school, he'll get beaten up - I'd beat him up too.' In German cities, Muslim mobs have chanted, 'Hamas Hamas Jews to the gas!' German courts ruled that firebombing a synagogue previously torched by the Nazis was anti-Zionist rather than anti-Semitic. A distinction without a difference. In Judaism, the prayer for a deceased individual is called the kaddish. The prayer is written in Aramaic, and is "traditionally recited in memory of the dead, although it makes no mention of death." While there are many who would desecrate the memory of Susanna Maria Feldmann, we should pray for her soul and remember her. Eileen can be reached at middlemarch18@gmail.com In their diabolical way, the Nazis fooled the world concerning the ghastly concentration and extermination camps. During World War II, "small bits of information about the extreme and horrific episodes perpetrated under the Third Reich reached an unbelieving world. The Nazis needed to answer the world's growing concern, yet they wanted to continue implementing their final solution" of exterminating the Jewish people. So the "Nazis decided to use Theresienstadt to solve the growing outside pressure. Through deceit and subterfuge, the Nazis transformed Theresienstadt into a model ghetto." Having recently visited the Jewish Museum in New York City, I learned of a series of paper engravings titled "In the Eruv of Theresienstadt." Those who survived the horrors of the Holocaust remembered. Fritz Lederer (1878-1949), who was trained at the Weimar Academy of Fine Arts, "designed sets for theater productions in Theresienstadt" yet another incongruity. After the war, though, he created "oppressive scenes of the camp, including the 'The Eastern Fortress,' 'The Only Exit from Eruv,' and the 'Little Fortress' depicting the prison where many inmates were tortured and murdered." The term eruv refers to the symbolic boundary established in some Jewish communities, demarcating a space considered the shared private property of all members, within which certain practices normally forbidden on the Sabbath may be performed. Lederer's use of the term eruv in the context of Theresienstadt is laced with irony. The only way out of this eruv was by death or deportation to an extermination camp. The pictures seen here are stark and vivid reminders of the anti-Semitism that never goes away. The stench of anti-Semitism remains. Consequently, even in death, a young Jewish girl is dishonored. This YouTube video showing Claudia Roth of the German Green party making a mockery of the murder of a young German Jewish teen reminds one of the thunderous applause that Hitler received when he stated during his Reichstag speech that Germany would soon be Judenrein, or free of all Jews. Thomas Seitz of AfD (Alternative for Germany) attempted to remember the brutal death of this young girl by a Muslim migrant who boasted how he had murdered a Jewish girl. But the contemptuous and anti-Semitic leftists made a mockery of this moment of silence. The "leftist German Parliament members started to make noise and applauded for Claudia Roth's intervention." [A] 20-year-old Iraqi man had admitted to the rape and murder of 14-year-old Susanna Feldman in Germany, where the case has stoked the immigration debate. The Jewish teenager from Mainz near Frankfurt was found dead on Wednesday in a wooded area in Wiesbaden, near a refugee center where the alleged attacker had lived[.] In fact, "Ali Bashar ... had come to Germany through Turkey and Greece. He had arrived in Germany in the fall of 2015 at the height of Merkel's migration crisis. Since then, he had been accused of raping an 11-year-old girl in a refugee shelter, attacking a policewoman and robbing a man at knifepoint. His asylum application had been rejected at the end of 2016. Bashar claimed to have been threatened by the PKK, a Kurdish group fighting against ISIS and Turkey. But he appealed, and was allowed to stay on in Germany until he finally killed." The Green Party's Annalena Baerbock declared that nobody should, "presume to abuse the death of this girl to sow hatred." Yet: A German poll of refugees last year found that more than half hold anti-Semitic views. Even before the migrant flood, German police had noted the rising number of Muslims arrested for anti-Semitic acts. In one Berlin school, Muslim students openly boasted, 'If a Jew enters our school, he'll get beaten up I'd beat him up too.' In German cities, Muslim mobs have chanted, 'Hamas Hamas Jews to the gas!' German courts ruled that firebombing a synagogue previously torched by the Nazis was anti-Zionist rather than anti-Semitic. A distinction without a difference. In Judaism, the prayer for a deceased individual is called the kaddish. The prayer is written in Aramaic, and is "traditionally recited in memory of the dead, although it makes no mention of death." While there are many who would desecrate the memory of Susanna Maria Feldmann, we should pray for her soul and remember her. Eileen can be reached at middlemarch18@gmail.com. The problem cried out for a solution. So she moved several portraits of prominent white doctors in order to be more diverse and inclusive. The president of Harvard's teaching hospital got to thinking one day and decided there were too many portraits of white male doctors hung in a popular amphitheater. She bemoaned the horrible situation that people walking into the amphitheater didn't feel like they "belonged." Problem solved? Campus Reform: The hospitals president, Dr. Betsy Nabel, told the Globe that moving the portraits is the right decision: I have watched the faces of individuals as they have come into Bornstein. I have watched them look at the walls. I read on their faces Interesting, but I am not represented here. That got me thinking maybe its time that we think about respecting our past in a different way. Sorry, Betsy, but you're not "respecting" the past at all. In fact, you're trying to scrub it clean by disrespecting those who came before you and made Harvard med school the place it is today. Of the 31 various doctors and department heads that have their paintings hung in the Louis Bornstein Family Amphitheater at Brigham and Womens Hospital, all are men, 30 are white, and one is Chinese. Theyve been described as pioneers of medicine, and getting a portrait hung there is something great to aspire to, according to the white male doctor who most recently had his image installed, Dr. Ron Walls, founding chair of the Department of Emergency Medicine. But apparently having a cluster of white male doctors portraits great as they may be sends a message to employees and students that white men are in charge, Dr. Jeroan Allison, a professor at the University of Massachusetts Medical School who researches health disparities, told the Boston Globe, which first reported the news. A hospital official told the Globe removing the portraits will create a sense of belonging for women and minority employees and students. If you stop and think about it - something that SJW's are incapable of doing - it is a racist act to remove a portrait based almost entirely and completely on the color of someone's skin. That there are no women represented is more a matter of former customs and the admittedly sexist attitudes toward female doctors, which prevented women from achieving the same level of prominence. But are there any women or minorities who deserve to have their portraits hung alongside the portraits of these white men? Dr. Harvey Cushing, the father of neurosurgery, who studied at Harvard and Yale and became surgeon-in-chief at Peter Bent Brigham Hospital in 1913. Cushing operated on hundreds of patients each year with remarkable results, and his meticulous notes and case studies provided the history of neurological medicine from its beginning. Another prominent portrait to be moved is Dr. William Councilman, the first chief pathologist at Brigham Hospital. Cushing described Councilman as a man of ardent and generous enthusiasms and an inspiring teacher for the young and such a delightful companion both for young and old. The portraits of Cushing, Councilman, and Dr. Henry Christian, Brighams first chief of medicine, will be moved to the entrance of the Hale Building for Transformative Medicine. The Hale Building is named after Robert Hale Jr., a white male and CEO of Granite Telecommunications, who, along with his wife, donated $100 million to Brigham, the largest donation the hospital has ever received. Is merit and achievement to be discarded in favor of the racial and gender numbers game? That minorities and women were denied opportunities to excel in the past is our great loss. We would be a better country if the same opportunities available to women and minorities today had been offered over the last 300 years. But they weren't available. Is the answer to punish white males and ignore historical reality that made white males the beneficiary of a society where these opportunities were denied certain people? You aren't going to "fix" America by denying our past. The lot of women and minorities will not improve by embracing the destruction of history. You're not going to get rid of racism by tearing down confederate monuments and statues, nor are you going to wipe out past injustices by scrubbing the past clean of white males. It is simple minded to believe that you can cover your eyes and make racism and injustice disappear. The term "Native Americans" is also ridiculous in that ancestors of these individuals were present before America was formed. "Native American" is an offensive term, not to the people who it is used to describe, but everyone else born in the United States. The term "Native American" implies the rest of us aren't Native American. Most Americans are in fact native, meaning we were born here or to American parents. Having a group of Americans called "Native Americans" seems to delegitimize the rest of us, putting us on a lower moral grounds than the "Natives". Of course, American Indians (as they used to be called) never referred to themselves as "Native Americans" in the 17th, 18th or 19th century. They referred to themselves by the names of their tribes. They never saw themselves as one people. So the name liberals have given them refer to a group that never considered itself to be a group.. That's why I think the so-called "Native Americans" should be given a new name, one that isn't so offensive to the rest of us. Here are some possibilities) 1) Tribal Americans. That's what they were/are; tribes. 2) Asian Americans. American Indians originally are thought to have come over from Asia via the land bridge that used to exist between Alaska and Russia. So really, American Indians are Asians. But maybe they might not like being called that because it will make it harder for them to get into places like Harvard. 3) Non-Asian Indian Americans. This would be perfect, to eliminate the confusion with the other kind of Indian Americans, as long as you ignore the facts of #4 above. 4) Americans. How about dissolving the corrupt reservation system, treating these people like everyone else, and simply calling them Americans? No, that would never work, right? Thomas Lifson adds: 5) Following the practice in Canada, "First Americans," althogh Ed points out they pre-date America. On the other hand, so do colonists pre-1776, and we do call them Americans from time to time. 6) Indigenous Americans, although this is only slightly less objectionable than Native Americans, but does have the advantage of being anthropological in connotation. A president must be "native born" not "indigenous." 7) Following the practice of Australia, the most accurate term would be aboriginal Americans, for that term refers to a group present before immigration. What do you think we should call Native Americans? Also, if you were run over by a pickup truck, could you sit up and film it leaving less than three seconds later? Ed Straker is the senior writer at Newsmachete.com. Fresh from his spanking by the Justice department's Inspector General, with its report last week, James Comey has a bright new idea to take the sting off: Running for president of the United States in 2020. This Mediaite story says he had this sudden, irrepressible, uncontrollable, urge to go to ... Iowa, supposedly to look at the cornfields. Hey, don't we all? Comey tweeted his findings here: So good to see new growth in Iowa and across the country. pic.twitter.com/3UeDofNVaC James Comey (@Comey) June 16, 2018 On first gander, one has to ask: Is he serious? Could he not be just trolling President Trump? Maybe even mirroring Trump, who supposedly decided to run for president after President Obama skewered him at this stupid press club dinner, much to the laughter of its mainstream media attendees? Comey was criticized harshly in the IG report, for insubordination, breaking precedent, and raising questions under his leadership about the impartiality and professionalism of his organization. He brought discredit on the Federal Bureau of Investigation, turning it into a political arm of the Democratic Party, in a way quite unlike any past director, right or left. Now he wants to run for president? He must be joking. For starters, he's incredibly unpopular with both the right and left, as this poll and likely others, shows. The left blames him for Hillary Clinton's loss of the 2016 election. How did that happen? It came when he backfootedly reacted to the New York Police Department's discovery of Anthony Weiner computer, which not only contained the perversion they were looking for, but Hillary Clinton's classified emails (by some accounts it was labeled "life insurance") following the FBI's closure of its Clinton email case, which Comey declared "extremely careless," but claimed no prosecutor would take. The re-opening was to avoid embarassment. For that, the left blames Comey for the voters' choice to elect Donald Trump. (Rather than her failure to go to Wisconsin). Meanwhile, the right has more than adequate reason to loathe Comey, too. He was the man who politicized the bureau in a leftist direction, including the promotion of Trump-haters such as Andrew McCabe, Peter Strzok, Lisa Page, and all the other unnamed anti-Trump cavalcade, who got their text-messaging exposed in the IG report. That was some shop he was running, so now conservatives are supposed to elect him president? He's had a book tour, too, which by some counts was successful and some accounts was not successful, so maybe that's it - he thinks he's successful, he likes the ego boost, and concludes the American people must be itching to elect him. He's always been a little off - as this posted picture, commented upon by a disgusted Twitter shows: But now he's in Iowa, obviously laying the groundwork for a presidential run. If so, he's a boob. There is still considerable steam and power left in the forces that elected President Trump, and this month's primaries showed it. If he thinks running for president is a good idea, then he's even more out of touch with reality than anyone suspected. It's nonsense. Whatever President Trump's voiced beefs with the mainstream media, rest assured, he had nothing to do with this. And it actually happens all the time, and on both sides of the political spectrum. The press has had a field day pumping the news that a publisher's firing of a political cartoonist in Pittsburgh is a sign of President Trump's war on freedom of the press. Here's the story, as described by the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette itself: Rob Rogers, the Pittsburgh Post-Gazettes editorial cartoonist, was fired Thursday. The award-winning cartoonist and Pulitzer Prize finalist whose work was often reprinted in national publications had been with the newspaper since 1993. In a statement, Stephen Spolar, the Post-Gazettes chief human resources officer, said: The Post-Gazette does not provide details about employment matters, but in light of Mr. Rogers public comments today, we do want to acknowledge his long service to the newspaper and our community. Any further discussions will be conducted with Mr. Rogers as a private matter. In recent weeks, a number of his cartoons, including some on President Donald Trump, were killed by the papers editorial director, Keith Burris. The story made a clear attempt to be fair to both sides. But the response, from much grander news organs, the ones that claim to be unbiased, yet which in reality are monolithically leftist, was screeching hysteria. The concocted "narrative" was that Trump was a threat to freedom of the press. Here are some headlines: Silenced? Angry? Shifts right? (horrors!) Free press? Won't be the last???? This is what we mean by fake news. Actually, the freedom of the press has always been limited to those who own the printing presses, as Victor Hugo once observed with distaste. Everybody wants to be free to put their opinion in, but the reality is, every newspaper has an editorial line, and whatever that line is is what the publisher is willing to promote or defend, whether from lawsuits, or lost or gained sales, as the free market permits. The guy who takes the capital risk is the one who sets the line. This happens at every paper, and having been an editorial writer myself for 12 years at Investor's Business Daily, I know all about it. So the press howls about this are disingenuous. The press knows this, too, since they work in this industry. What's more, their outrage is hypocritical, infused with leftwing double standards. Where were they when cartoonist Steve Kelley was fired from the San Diego Union-Tribune in 2001 over what was clearly his conservative political orientation? No threat to freedom of the press there, was there? We heard no such talk back then. Where was the doomsday talk about 'won't be the last?' Rogers himself has written a wishful-thinking piece about what he thinks his role should have been, errantly claiming "a tradition" based on what sounds like water-cooler conversations with some of his work buddies, instead of the actual terms of his employer, arguing: I was trained in a tradition in which editorial cartoonists are the live wires of a publication as one former colleague put it, the constant irritant. Our job is to provoke readers in a way words alone cant. Cartoonists are not illustrators for a publishers politics. Well, no, Rob. Unfortunately, and this goes for every paper, the reality is that if your work isn't what the editors want, they get rid of you. You don't get to set the terms of what earns you your paycheck and cubicle space. Kelley himself has said his politics were the problem with his editors, too, and based on this interview here, it's obvious he recognizes that that is the way things are. We all do. When Investor's Business Daily laid off the truly brilliant Michael Ramirez, the two-time Pulitzer Prize-winning cartoonist in 2016 (along with most of the editorial board, including me), nobody howled about freedom of the press based on the publisher's bid to take the paper in a different direction, toning down the editorial output to focus on stocks, which was where they wanted to go, and we understood this. We didn't like it, but we understood, and in the aftermath they treated us well. It's just the way newspapers work. And this is not to say it sits well with everyone on the readers' end, either. It was such a shame when Kelley was fired, we all adored his work, and it may well be the same case with Rogers in Pittsburgh, whose work, while not my cup of tea, clearly shows genuine talent and appeals to Democrats. But there's a need for objectivity here, given how the free press in the free market operates. The editorial page is for the editorial line. Anything else is for the nominally unedited Internet free-for-all. It's not terrible for freedom of press, either. In the free market, those who are excellent at what they do get an audience. Ramirez and Rogers and Kelley now syndicate their work (most or all through Creators Syndicate) allowing subscribers who want to buy their work buy it and publish it. That means many more newspapers can buy it, and even more Internet subscribers. The Rogers and Ramirez and Kelley cartoons won't now be confined to just one newspaper, quite a few more people will see it. So nothing in the free press gets halted by this firing unless the Internet itself and all print journalism somehow get shut down. It means the press hysteria about this is out of line. Let's see one of their papers hire a rightwing political cartoonist -- say, Michael Ramirez -- and deal with whatever it is he would like to draw and say. Free press, right? Since the August 2004 discovery of the Muslim Brotherhood's 1991 Explanatory Memorandum and The Investigative Project's 2012 film, Grand Deception , these documentaries have further revealed the extent of societal penetration sought or achieved by a large and growing, but secret, Islamic soft jihad army that seeks to subvert the U.S. and enfold it within a global Islamic empire. "False Identity" the second and more explosive of two documentaries. ( first part here ) unmasks soft Jihad in America. In it, Arabic-speaking Israeli Channel 10 journalist, Zvi Yehezkeli courageously concealed his identity to expose Islam's somewhat shocking quiet conquest of the U.S. The success of supremacist Muslims has gone unchallenged primarily since U.S. political decision-makers and media outlets refuse to publicly discuss this immense threat, let alone stop this terrifying reality. Dawa is the Number 1 Weapon! asserts an American Muslim in Belle Glade, Florida a convert renamed Abu Bakar, and author of the book, 2064 Islamic America. Formerly a successful U.S. corporate strategic consultant, he now levers his profession to propagate Islam. Why wouldn't I take the knowledge and experience that Allah has blessed me with to advance Islam in America, asks Abu Bakar, rhetorically. He labors together with Belle Glade Muslim Yusuf al-Muslet to transform that locale into a model Islamic town for the rest of America to follow. In this new documentary, al-Muslet expounds on the Jihad stages that also coincide with the classic Ikhwan (Muslim Brotherhood) scheme. The first Jihad is an internal [political] Jihad, and then comes Jihad of war (sword). Abu Bakar and al-Muslet shared their objective with Yehezkeli whom they believe to share their goals. Our mission is to inculcate Islamic values in the heart of every American. Its all in this book 2064. This is our vision for the next 50 years America a place united under its banner; There is no god but Allah. Short-term, they plan to buy a closed Belle Glade public school and make it the town's first Islamic school for children aged only six weeks through high school. They trust that when parents will bring their kids to Islamic schools, their kids will convert, and the entire family will convert as well, and thus guarantee the fulfillment of their plan in Belle Dale and the ability to scale it up to the rest of the country. They argue, there is nothing more beautiful than Sharia. As regards the nation, Abu Bakar plans first to run for Belle Glade town commissioner, because the Ikhwan need more Muslims; commissioners, senators, congressmen, whatever political position; in cities, in big and small administrations. Clearly, they observe, the plan is well on its way. In Dearborn they already have control. Just consider the numbers. This year, over 90 (mostly Democrats) U.S Muslims are running for public office. Zvi then notes that all Muslim Brotherhood insurgences to date started precisely this way, as seemingly inconsequential individuals perused their course with tremendous Eastern-style patience. Skeptics argue that Islam won't threaten the U.S., Zvi explains. Muslims participate in the American dream, and are free to build mosques and engage in Dawa and spread Islam. But they do not understand: as Muslims like Abu Bakar and Muslet spread their Sharia ideology specifically to transform America, widespread developments within the Muslim community will inevitably, and relatively soon, present the kind of great challenge they cannot now imagine, much less foresee. Says Zvi, while generally a very few people recognize soft Jihad for what it is; it continues to progress in almost every location, both in America and abroad. The engines of political Islam operate worldwide at full speed, especially outside the Middle East. In each nation, this ideological threat advances apace, based on appeals craftily adjusted to local needs and tastes. Molded in the 1970s in Egypt, the Dawa system focuses first on the disadvantaged, and represents Islam as a solution for all problems. This program has since been severely damaged in the Middle East admits Hasan Shibly head of the Florida chapter of the Council on American Islamic Relations, (CAIR) and an expert in double talk. The freedom we enjoy in the U.S. to practice our religion, is much greater than the freedoms granted in most Muslim countries, says Shibly. Islam will be victorious and spread in this country. Its for the benefit of this country Zvi laments that without concerted free world effort to apply the brakes, the system's growth and global reach will shortly enter a place of no return. First, however, the West must realize that soft Jihad is far more dangerous even than open Jihad warfare. Yehezkeli in his documentaries warns the U.S., you cannot successfully fight terror unless you also understand its fundamental ideological base. Sharia has no place at all for freedom of speech. Its values and those of the dream for the Caliphate do not allow it. In modern Turkey, Islamization evolved quietly until the Muslim Brotherhoods final triumph. Recep Erdogan and his regime now control everything, as secularism disappeared. (Turkey / Germany episode here). In Germany, within 20 years, the Brotherhood plans to establish universal Sharia law there. In France, the Muslim Brotherhood has already laid the foundations for an established Islamic society, as demonstrated in Yehezkelis chilling episode on France.) Laments Ayan Hisi Ali, the Western obsession with terror makes it blind to the longer-term effects of Dawa outreach. Even Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman in his recent Time magazine interview stated that the biggest current danger of political Islam is not in the Middle East, but in the West. "False Identity" presents a series of extremely sobering documentaries. However, this superb series does not cover MB infiltration into institutions like law enforcement, education, interfaith centers, media agencies and even economic institutions. The film's monumental message: this is America's 11th-hour wake-up call. We must protect our community, families, children and grandchildren and destroy Islamic ideology. We should not let Muslims dictate the rules for public or private discourse. The media, political leaders and educational institutions must cease political correctness in its tracks. We must publicly and proudly redefine the false Islamophobe label to a true moniker: legitimately Islamo-scared. Calmly explain the ideological dangers to all who will listen. Join and support individuals and organizations that fight this menace. Counter the threat with zeal equal to that used by supremacist Muslims (and their Leftist enablers) to implement Sharia. Otherwise, subversive Muslim Brotherhood activities will eventually destroy everything dear to us; as the notorious Yusuf al Qaradawi indicated We will conquer Europe, we will conquer America! Not through sword, but through Da'wa. The Strange Death of Europe is already a reality. What will it take to prevent such a disastrous outcome here in America? Itu Laze is a pen name. Sunday Schadenfreude: media mockery of Trump when he announced his candidacy three years ago Yesterday, it turns out, was the three year anniversary of Donald Trump descending the escalator in Trump Tower to announce his candidacy for President of the United States. I missed marking the date yesterday, but two of my favorite bloggers, Don Surber and Jim Hoft, did not. The occasion is worth noting because of the scorn it engendered, and the deep contrast of that scorn with the results to date of the Trump presidency, which for any sane person are impressive. Start with Its the economy, stupid, the immortal expression of James Carville. We are in near-boom times, and the results are being felt in paychecks as well as stock portfolios. Given the propaganda we heard about the new normal during the eight years of the Obama presidency, as if low economic growth were somehow inevitable, a force of nature caused by unspecified but pervasive factors understood only by the The One We Have Been Waiting For, Trumps results are shockingly impressive. In the national security area of presidential responsibility, Trump has already helped push Iran out of Syria (a process still underway), has helped ignite a world-historic transformation of Saudi Arabia from petrodollar funder of fundamentalist jihad to a force for modernizing Islam (and containing Iranian aggression), and now has obtained a denuclearization agreement with North Korea absent first-move shipments of cash or suspension of sanctions, and subject to verification, or else the benefits to NoKO will be withdrawn (reinstatement of the war games exercises and tightening of the already tight sanctions.) Then, there is the Supreme Court. Liberals hate what it has become, but putative conservatives in the Never Trump camp ought to, in justice celebrate the new court. So lets take a look at the people with egg on their faces, as they sneered. I have to start with Kevin Williamson, then of the National Review. The words he wrote in his piece titled, Witless ape rides escalator, will haunt him for the rest of his career. Luckily for him, Donald Trump has no African ancestry that we know of. If Trump did, then the fate of Roseanne Barr would be his. I admire Williamsons prose writing abilities, but the level to which he sank requires deep reflection on his part, something of which I see no sign. The publication in which he wrote those immortal words also lost big as the spearhead of the NeverTrump movement. What Buckley built has been diminished. Other Never Trumps continue to disgrace themselves with their fanaticism, sometimes even criticizing Trump for policies they endorsed prior to his candidacy. This video compilation by the Media Research Center is a nonstop celebration of hubris: I could go on and on, and probably so could most readers. Donald Trump has functioned as a Rorschach test for elitism. We expect it on the left, but on the right, to me, it is more unforgivable, for conservatives are supposed to focus on results. Don Surber quotes Tucker Carlson on the disappointments we have experienced with those who once ruled the prestige roost of the right: "Consider the conservative nonprofit establishment, which seems to employ most right-of-center adults in Washington. Over the past 40 years, how much donated money have all those think tanks and foundations consumed? Billions, certainly. (Someone better at math and less prone to melancholy should probably figure out the precise number.) Has America become more conservative over that same period? Come on. Most of that cash went to self-perpetuation: Salaries, bonuses, retirement funds, medical, dental, lunches, car services, leases on high-end office space, retreats in Mexico, more fundraising. Unless you were the direct beneficiary of any of that, youd have to consider it wasted," Carlson wrote "Pretty embarrassing. And yet theyre not embarrassed. Many of those same overpaid, underperforming tax-exempt sinecure-holders are now demanding that Trump be stopped. Why? Because, as his critics have noted in a rising chorus of hysteria, Trump represents 'an existential threat to conservatism.'" In a democratic republic, freedom of expression and enlightened, open-ended debate are paramount. Yet in America in 2018, First Amendment rights are vanishing for conservatives. There's a reason: Powerful entities such as online and televised media, many of whom are left-oriented, have gradually shape-shifted our nation's speech to match their political flavor. For progressives, this uneven playing field is a seismic boon. For conservatives, not so much, nor is it good for even moderate left-wing thinkers. Under such a regimen, though, a land and people once revered as freedom-loving now creep closer toward socialism. Yet there they stand: the venomous resistance and never-Trumper,s alone atop a shrewdly crafted ideological mountain. Seated beneath, weary deplorables take it, having insults and mockery heaped upon their heads. Because what they see, in real time, is leftist Twitter, Facebook, and YouTube flaunting their platforms by silencing all who oppose their agenda. That leaves, on countless computer screens worldwide, carte blanche for tirades from David Hogg, George Soros, Robert DeNiro, and a gaggle of egocentric, ill-tempered progressive talking heads. Yes, Soros and his gun-grabbing poster boy, Hogg, for example, can defame the National Rifle Association as well as gun-owners, for example, with unprecedented impunity. Yet, de facto McCarthyite censorship awaits any person brave enough to cry foul amid this madness, because these media outlets, with so much power, shut conservatives up. It amounts to a noxious culture of undermining the First Amendment to ultimately dismantle our Bill of Rights and it is so obvious, it's insulting. Yet, even though we can clearly perceive the left's dirty tricks, our precious liberties such as freedom of speech, religion, and the right to bear arms, nonetheless, lay beneath this liberalist Sword of Damocles. And with each Twitter-purge, antifa rally, and CNN town hall, these forces come another step closer toward achieving their lofty goal of progressive rule. That harsh reality stated, the only way to slow these attacks and preserve our imperiled freedoms is by remaining steadfast amid the media's blitz. Make no mistake, this is the fight of our lives. And we cannot be coerced into surrendering our most powerful resource: our freedom of speech. Google is still buying loads of land in Europe, having continued its real estate push with a purchase of a 70-hectare (173-acre) plot in Noord-Holland, Netherlands. The move is meant to support Googles efforts to build more data centers on the Old Continent, though the latest piece of land acquired by the firm may not necessarily end up hosting such facilities anytime soon. In a statement provided to Bloomberg, a Google spokesperson explained the tech giant wants to keep its options open, which is why it has been amassing land properties in recent times. Alphabets subsidiary already acquired plots in Luxembourg, Sweden, and Denmark, with more purchases being expected in the second half of the year. Googles Dutch investment isnt unprecedented even though the company still isnt committing to building a data center on the Noord-Holland plot; the firm previously established one such facility in Eemshaven, a town in the northeastern Netherlands. That center set it back some 600 million, with the firm recently saying it will commit another 500 million ($582 million) to expand it, though it has yet to share many details about its plans to do so. Another one of Googles data centers in Belgium will also be expanded in the near future, the company confirmed. The value of its latest Dutch acquisition hasnt been disclosed, with Google rarely detailing its individual land acquisitions. The tech juggernauts data center push coincides with its growing cloud computing ambitions that are following the global demand for such services. Alphabets consolidated financial report for the first quarter of 2018 revealed that the majority of Googles $7.7 billion worth of capital expenditures amounted to data infrastructure and artificial intelligence investments, with the former also being crucial to the later as solutions such as Google Assistant largely rely on cloud computing. The Mountain View, California-based Internet firm is likely to double down on its infrastructure bet moving forward as the majority of its business model transitions to the cloud. A new Motorola Mobility patent filed with the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) suggests that heat could be the solution to permanent screen damage from folding. The patent, first filed in 2016 and published June 14 of this year, is filed with WIPO under publication number 20180164854 and appears to cover several separate processes to the proposed solution. Namely, that includes a way to measure screen folding, duration of that fold, and the temperature of the display. Moreover, it describes a means to determine how much damage might be caused and the appropriate amount of heat to apply to a portion of the display. The portion would, of course, apply to whichever section is held at an angle since the patent images show this could be used with a handset featuring multiple fold points. The idea seems to center around the concept that heating a portion of the display will make it more malleable and less susceptible to long-term damage from folding. The technology would contain a method for tracking the degree to which the fold is occurring and another for working out exactly how long the materials should be able to handle that fold without deforming. After a period of time has passed, presumably worked out by that algorithm, the device would automatically release a preset amount of heat to that portion of the display in order to prevent semi-permanent damage. The temperature and other factors associated with that heating would also be determined by the system itself. Moreover, the patent describes the problem as being useful for displays built from plastics, citing the higher levels of strain that displays of that type can handle. So it doesnt appear that the displays utilizing this alongside metal or glass of any type. The concept is a novel idea that, at least on paper, seems like it could work. Theres no way to know for sure whether or not its something that Motorola Mobility will implement with any upcoming devices. Theres a chance that the processes and methods outlined in the patent have since hit a dead-end or that Motorola has simply found something better. Having said that, if the idea does work, it might garner a better response than the technologies used in some competing screens in the folding phone category. Thats not just because plastics should be substantially less expensive than some of the upcoming folding smartphones are expected to be, either. As of this writing, none of the Android devices falling into that category have been very well received. At very least, the Motorola patent seems to outline something much closer to what consumers have been demanding from that type of handset. Yes, the decision belongs on the local level No, no one should be able to dictate whether people wear masks Vote View Results 10 Traits of a Great Father Traits That Separate a Great Dad from a Good One A good father makes all the difference in a child's life. He's a pillar of strength, support, and joy. His work is endless and, sometimes, thankless. But in the end, it shows in the sound, well-adjusted children he raises. A good father loves his children, but he doesn't let them get away with everything. He might disapprove of his children's misdeeds, using tough love to prove a point, but he does so through the power of his words. RELATED: Best TV Dads, According to the Experts A good father realizes that his children are human, and that making mistakes is part of growing up. Spending money recklessly, getting into minor car accidents, getting drunk for the first time, even dating questionable people are rites of passage, and a good father recognizes this. However, he makes it clear that repeated irresponsibility won't be tolerated. 1. He Teaches His Children to Appreciate Things A good father never lets his children take what they have for granted. From the food on the table to the good education he's paying for, a good father will make his children see the value in everything they have. He will ask his child to get a job to help pay for a part of his first car, and take the time to illustrate how important a good education is. He doesn't let his kids treat him like an ATM. Instead, he teaches his kids to appreciate important purchases. 2. He's Open-Minded A good father understands that times, people, and tastes change over the years, and doesn't try to maintain some gold standard of his own time. For instance, he realizes that body piercings are more commonplace than before and that people talk more candidly about personal issues. In other words, he allows his children to be citizens of their day and age. 3. He Accepts That His Kids Aren't Exactly Like Him Everyone is different and a father knows this well. He won't expect his kids to live the same kind of life he does, and do the same kind of work. He also respects their values and opinions, as long as they don't harm the family or anyone else. RELATED: How to Nail Being a Modern Working Dad 4. He Spends Quality Time With His Children A dad knows how to have fun with his kids, too, taking them out to games, movies, and supporting their sports, hobbies, or activities by showing up and taking an interest. He takes the time to listen to his kids and have a good, easy chat with them. He also makes time to help them with their homework, every night if necessary. 5. He Leads by Example A good father is above the old "do as I say, not as I do" credo. He will not smoke if he doesn't want his kids to, and definitely won't drink heavily. He teaches them to deal with conflict with a family member and with others by being firm but reasonable at the same time. A good father also illustrates the importance of affection by professing his love for their mother in front of them. And he won't fight with her in their presence. In all, he adheres to the values he'd like his children to follow. 6. He's Supportive and Loyal Although he may be a football fanatic, if his child doesn't share his love for the game, he accepts it. He may be loyal to his alma mater and dream of having his kid follow his legacy, but if his son prefers to study abroad, he'll support his decision to take a different path. A good father is also his children's public defender, standing up for them when needed. He waits for privacy to administer discipline. A safety net, a good father is also the person his kids turn to when things go wrong. 7. He Challenges His Kids A father wants his children to be the best they can be, and gives them challenges that help them grow as human beings. This means giving them some liberty to face setbacks and resolve conflicts on their own. Or it could be a task, such as building something for the house. If a father wants his children to take over the family business, he teaches them how to keep it flourishing provided that's the path they want to take. 8. He Teaches His Kids Lessons From teaching how to shave to encouraging them to be thoughtful and considerate, a father molds his kids into well-rounded members of society. He especially instructs them in proper etiquette, on being honest, and on being thankful. RELATED: Here's How to Have the Sex Talk With Your Kids 9. He Protects His Family, No Matter What A father will do whatever he can for his family. He'll take a second job to help support the family when necessary, and he'll do what he can to keep his family out of harm's way. 10. He Shows Unconditional Love This is the greatest quality of a good father. Even though he gets upset at his children's faults and may lament that they did not attain what he hoped for them, a father loves his children no less for it. There are few things as valuable as a father who will do everything he can, and provide all the tools he has so that his children can become better than him. You Might Also Dig: Hi, I just graduated last year Nov, and i'm still on a student visa, but its going to expire on August 2018. I applied for a 485 but it got refused because I did not apply for a complete disclosure AFP certificate, instead i gave them the standard disclosure AFP cert.A very big mistake of not reading it carefully. I really need helpWhat should I do? And if we take this potential status of the Zuffenhausen machine into account, the kind of practicality it delivers is stunning - when the one behind the wheel decides to take things slow, the 2RS is surprisingly friendly.Well, the rendering we've brought along for today, which shows a 911 GT2 RS with a roof box, is more than just pixel play. For one thing, this can be considered a metaphor for the said usability aura of the machine.Oh, and let's not forget that such hauling accessories are becoming more and more popular among go-fast machines owners, as even Ferraris receive such goodies these days.The render comes from Jonsibal, a digital artist whose work we've featured on multiple occasions. Keep in mind that the aficionado is also a Porsche owner, as he spends time behind the wheel of a Rauh-Welt Begriff Neunelfer.A set of custom wheels is also included in the image, with these standing out from the distance.Returning to the hypercar-challenging status of the 2018 Porsche 911 GT2 RS, we'll remind you that a barely touched example of the car recently set a splendid Spa-Francorchamps lap time.To be more precise, the Poracha managed to blitz the Belgian circuit in 2:31, which allowed it to one-up the Koenigsegg One:1, for instance.As for the status of the car, this had been massaged by Manthey Racing, a Porsche-owned team, but the mods fitted to the vehicle were limited. Created in collaboration with Ford Performance and RTR Vehicles , the vehicle features camouflage livery and aeronautic influences. The fighter aircraft theme is a salute to American pilots who served in the Royal Air Force during World War II.Honoring Americas air heroes and keeping the spirit of aviation alive for the next generation of pilots arent the only motifs of the Eagle Squadron. This pony-turned-muscle-car features 700 horsepower thanks to a Ford Performance-developed supercharger, making it one hell of a ride. Adding to the drama, the carbon fiber body kit comes courtesy of Gittins company.In addition to the keys of the car and the Stang, the winning bidder will be treated to an all-inclusive 2018 Woodward Dream Cruise package for two. And as you would expect from a Vaughn Gittin Jr.-influenced muscle car, the one-of-a-kind Mustang features an autographed plaque signed by him and the Ford Design team.Supporting young pilots through the EAA Young Eagles charity auction reflects Fords aviation history, tracing back to the companys early days and the Arsenal of Democracy during WWII, declared Darrell Behmer, design chief of the Mustang.The 2018 edition of the charity marks two decades of Ford Motor Company support for the EAA AirVenture . No less than 11 customed-designed vehicles have been donated by the automaker in this period, raising more than $3 million at auction.In related news, Ford is working around the clock to bring the Shelby GT500 from wishful thinking to reality. The newcomer will feature more than 700 horsepower from a 5.2-liter engine codenamed Predator. The Predator V8 comes with a cross-plane setup as opposed to the flat-plane crank in the Voodoo V8 of the GT350 Aviation has never lacked for dumb ideas. Its what drives innovation. Hey, Orville, wanna jump off a sand dune strapped to these really cool wings I made in the bike shop? What seemed stupid in 1903 is recognized as pioneering genius today. Likewise, countless other notions such as flying inside clouds without reference to the ground seemed impossible at first. But, in 1929, aviation hero and guy whos smarter than anyone writing this piece, Jimmy Doolittle, proved that humans could survive flight solely on the gauges. Implicit was that its really stupid to try IMC without instrument flight savvy. VFR humans, though, routinely test this concept with predictable results. In 1965, when my father took me to see Those Magnificent Men In Their Flying Machines, I laughed at the newsreel footage of ridiculous early aircraft crashing in time to vaudevillian music stings. Great stuff. I knew I had to become a pilot, preferably in something that didnt crash. And, mostly, Ive succeeded, thanks to better aircraft design and buckets of dumb luck. After 45 years of exploring the frontiers of my personal idiocy in flight, Ive earned the position of airport old guy, certificated to grouse about the failings of others. For instance: Twenty years ago, I was an air traffic controller. Sweet gig, that. The FAA paid me to sit inside an air-conditioned glass box watching airplanes fly and witness more than a few crashes, usually with non-fatal, head-scratching results. Chief among the inevitable prangs were the pilots with the focus of suicide bombers and little grasp of the gentle art of the flare on landing. These pioneers of failure were determined to prove that Cherokee 140s can land safely after twice bouncing. Only, they cant. You get two free tries, but on the third attempt to plant the accident arrival unit (AAU), something will break. Seen it too many times and not just by Cherokee riders. Remedial training might limit recidivism, but I doubt it. In close competition is loss of directional controlmeaning feetless pilots have no idea how to handle crosswindswhich keeps repair shops in business, and theres no cure for this malady, either. Sorry, Im jaded. Theres another realm of aviation silliness that first came to my attention as an air traffic controller, and thats the weird things we say on frequency. Most instrument pilotsat least the ones who read IFR magazinesound cool on the air. They know that key to good communications is to not key the microphone. What you dont say is more valuable than what could be said before the brains engaged. The yakkitive pilot who tries to dominate an ATC frequency with ahs and ums or the stinky transmission starter, And, as in And Cirrus Eight Niner Blah Blah is with you at No, youre not with the controller. Shes miles away flipping off your target on the radar display, because youre clogging the frequency. Experienced controllers know how to nip excessive verbiage in the larval stage, but theres no sheriff to clean up CTAF. CTAF means Common Traffic Advisory Frequency or Clown Talking Aviation Fest. The tonnage of verbal hijinks on these community chat frequencies is immensely annoying. Recently, I was in the pattern with a tailwheel student, while 30 miles away, two chuckleheads on 122.8 discussed their various positions like pre-teens on one of those, you know, cellphone things: Im, like, over the freeway, where are you? Like, over the lake. OMG! And it devolved from there. There really should be an app that automatically silences anyone making more than two transmissions inside of 30 seconds. Granted, I dont completely understand apps but am told they can do anything. The mouthful of uselessness phrase, Traffic in the area, please advise, lingers in the aerial lexicon with the tenacity of Army-issue VD.* Cant be killed, despite the FAA itself stating years ago in AIM 4-1-9(g) thatand Im paraphrasing, Its thoroughly stupid! Dont say it ever! And yet, it slips into the CTAF conversation, much like your Uncle Jake who brings up his colonoscopy at family reunions. Heres the latest entry into the Creative Earsore category and it may be new to some of you. Last call. As in the Twin Cessna pilot who announced his every intention from, Taxiing from the ramp to runway one-five to Taking runway one-five then, Taking off runway one-five (and, of course adding, Traffic in the area, please advise). The play-by-play continued with several updates on his altitude, headings and SAT scores. Closing this CTAF-blocking podcast was the phrase, Clear to the north. Last call. Full disclosure: I used to be a bartendera really bad oneand last call meant, Hey, rummies, its 2 a.m., lift your faces off the bar and order one for the road. Sorry if that toys with your sitcom image of Cheers-like bartenders. Who cares if this is your last call? Unless, of, course, youre announcing that youll never speak on CTAF again. In which case, youre welcome back anytime. Thinking I was alone in my pique from this newfound phraseology, I was surprised when a designated pilot examiner contacted me to ask, Have you been hearing last call reports on CTAF? And, like two old granddads who cant understand why kids nowadays listen to rap, we vowed to give these last call offenders stern looks whenever we heard it. Yeah, that might be a dumb idea, but theres a linguistic moral imperative in play here best expressed in the cinema classic, Animal House: This situation absolutely requires a really futile and stupid gesture on somebodys part, and we who are without fault are just the ones to do it. So, wherever theres a pilot beatin up a CTAF or confusing hanger with hangar, Ill be there, muttering to myself in righteous superiority while refusing to advise when requested to do so. Whos with me? Anyone? No ? Last call . *Long-time reader Mike Palmer writes to say that in the latest version of AC-90-66B, the FAA actually officially recommends against trolling for traffic on CTAF in section 10-3.1 Note: Pilots are reminded that the use of the phrase, ANY TRAFFIC IN THE AREA, PLEASE ADVISE, is not a recognized self-announce position and/or intention phrase and should not be used under any condition. Any traffic that is present at the time of your self-announcement that is capable of radio communications should reply without being prompted to do so. Not that anyone would possibly pay attention to it. The culture of consumerism tracks back to 18th century Europe. Back then, it was all about fun and acquiring novelties from faraway places. Now, it's China's turn, but in its case, Beijing has woven consumerism into state policy it's how President Xi Jinping has plotted to take the country to the next stage economically and geopolitically. What's going on: Big Chinese tech companies are expected to play a larger role in society than the U.S. champions Apple, Amazon, Google, Facebook and Microsoft, which carry American technology globally but are purely private. If they want to keep operating, especially at their scale, Alibaba, Baidu and Tencent known as BAT must conform to effective political regulation. The big picture: Xi needs the big companies. If China is to reach Xi's goal and capture the commanding heights of global technology in the 2020s in AI, electric cars, robotics, aerospace it's the BAT companies that will carry it there. Xi needs the big companies. If China is to reach Xi's goal and capture the commanding heights of global technology in the 2020s in AI, electric cars, robotics, aerospace it's the BAT companies that will carry it there. The essential players: Along with their current dominance of Chinese commerce, that fact makes BAT no less important than the government in fundamentally reshaping Chinese society. But, but, but: When Alibaba founder Jack Ma speaks of wanting to help expand China's middle class, as he often does, including in this 2015 speech at Stanford, they are not mere words, says Shanghai-based Jonathan Woetzel of McKinsey. That is Xi's policy, so it has to be Ma's, too. Driving it home: One message none of the tech tycoons missed was the 18-year prison sentence meted out in March to Wu Xiaohui, founder of Anbang Insurance. President Trump stunned his staff back on March 29 when he said spontaneously during an infrastructure event in Ohio: Well be coming out of Syria, like, very soon. That was big (but short-lived) news within five days, Trump had backed off any insistence on an immediate withdrawal. What we're hearing: It turns out theres an incredible backstory to that moment that took place a few hundred miles away in the White House. Were told by someone who heard the remarks directly that just before Trump took the podium at 2 p.m. at a union training site in Richfield, Ohio, there was this fascinating exchange back in the West Wing: White House chief of staff John Kelly was watching walk-up TV coverage in the outer office of his suite. John Kelly was watching walk-up TV coverage in the outer office of his suite. Deputy Chief of Staff Joe Hagin sidled across the hall and stood in the doorway. Joe Hagin sidled across the hall and stood in the doorway. Indicating the president, Kelly said: He swore to me that he wouldnt announce anything on Syria. Kelly said: He swore to me that he wouldnt announce anything on Syria. Hagin replied: Well, weve heard promises like that before. We really wont know till hes done talking. Well, weve heard promises like that before. We really wont know till hes done talking. Kelly, a retired four-star Marine general, said: I think he knows he cant fuck us on this. a retired four-star Marine general, said: I think he knows he cant fuck us on this. Hagin cocked his head he'd heard that before. Why it matters: The exchange (which Kelly and Hagin denied through a White House aide, but which was recounted for us by an impeccable source) illustrates the challenges for the staff of a president who relishes going off-script. One source close to the White House explains the dynamic: "The people who thrive in Trumpworld are the ones who commit to following his lead, even if that means turning on a dime." who thrive in Trumpworld are the ones who commit to following his lead, even if that means turning on a dime." "All any adviser can do is give their recommendation, then let the boss call the play." can do is give their recommendation, then let the boss call the play." "Trump recoils from overly structured decision-making on someone else's timeline. He relies heavily on his gut and sometimes makes snap decisions in the moment, when everything suddenly clicks for him. That can even take place while he's giving remarks and feeling the energy of the crowd." from overly structured decision-making on someone else's timeline. He relies heavily on his gut and sometimes makes snap decisions in the moment, when everything suddenly clicks for him. That can even take place while he's giving remarks and feeling the energy of the crowd." "It's part of the reason he's so dialed into [his base's] mood, ... when everyone else seems to miss it until after the fact." The White House aide, denying such a conversation, said Trump's remarks that day were consistent with his previous statements about defeating ISIS and that his non-traditional approach is part of his strength. An infrastructure bill to invest in America's poorest communities introduced in the House last week could be a template for bridging the gap between the extremes of the two parties. Why it matters: The bill's co-sponsors are a coalition of members from the Freedom Caucus and Congressional Black Caucus who rarely work together. And it can be a roadmap to expand cooperation to other areas, like pharmaceuticals, telecom, health care and climate change, said the lobbying firm behind the bill. "This is transferable to a whole host of issues to the extent that the baseline of economic development is there," said Michael Williams of United by Interest (UBI), a majority-minority-owned bipartisan lobbying firm that's backing the legislation. The group's plan is to start off with the "extremes" members who feel disrespected by their party's establishment and leadership and then try to get support from more moderate members. The details: UBI has been working for a year on this infrastructure bill, called the Generating American Infrastructure and Income Now (GAIIN) Act, which will require the Department of Agriculture to sell its distressed debt assets, worth over $50 billion. Half of that would go to reducing the national debt and half would support infrastructure programs in some of the nation's poorest communities. The infrastructure bill's co-sponsors are Republican Rep. Mike Kelly (a member of the House Ways and Means Committee), Democratic Rep. William Lacy Clay Jr. (a member of the CBC) and Republican Rep. Tedd Budd (a member of the House Freedom Caucus). A study by UBI has found that the members representing the 100 poorest Congressional districts are not vulnerable and they serve approximately 22% longer than the average congressman. What to watch: The House may hold hearings on the bill before the July 4 recess and backers hope to draw attention to it from President Trump. "Biotech billionaire Dr. Patrick Soon-Shiong [tomorrow] will take control of the Los Angeles Times," the L.A. Times' Meg James writes. "Soon-Shiong is spending $500 million to acquire [The Times and the San Diego Union-Tribune] from Chicago-based Tronc." Why it matters: "The deal, which was announced Feb. 7, returns The Times to local ownership after 18 turbulent years under Chicago control." A humbling new home: "Soon-Shiong ... plans to relocate most of the 800 employees to El Segundo [in a building he owns near LAX] by the end of July, vacating the papers iconic Art Deco headquarters in downtown Los Angeles The Times home since 1935." Macedonian Prime Minister Zoran Zaev on Sunday signed a landmark pact to change the country's name to the Republic of Northern Macedonia in a move to resolve a decades-old dispute with Greece, the Guardian reports. Why it matters: While the accord still has to be accepted by Macedonians in a referendum and ratified by both countries' parliaments, the deal would allow Macedonia to potentially join NATO and the European Union as it has been blocked in the past by Greece. The backdrop: For decades, Greece has been outraged over the former Yugoslav republics use of the name Macedonia, claiming it implies that it's coveting Greek territory and heritage. Macedonia was already the name of a northern region of Greece before the new Slavic nation adopted it. What's happening: The deal has provoked protests over the weekend and political opposition on both sides of the border. The New York Times reports that seven out of 10 Greeks oppose the agreement, citing a weekend opinion poll published by the Proto Thema newspaper. The Palestinian presidency slammed the upcoming trip to the region by the White House Middle East peace team Jared Kushner and Jason Greenblatt on Saturday, further illustrating the deep crisis between the Trump administration and the Palestinian Authority. Why it matters: For the last 17 months, the Trump administration has been working on an Israeli-Palestinian peace plan. What's next: The drafting of the plan is mostly over and the White House is discussing when and how to launch it. Kushner and Greenblatt will travel to the region this week and discuss the plan with officials in Jerusalem, Cairo, Amman. Doha and Riyadh. They will not travel to Ramallah to meet Palestinian president Abbas due to the fact that the Palestinian leadership is boycotting the White House over Trump's Jerusalem embassy move and is not willing to accept peace talks moderated by the U.S. What they're saying: President Abbas's spokesman Nabil Abu Rudeineh issued a statement today stressing that Kushner and Greenblatt's upcoming trip is "a waste of time and is bound to fail," and warning against any U.S. attempts to bypass the Palestinian leadership. He also attacked the U.S. for what he said were attempts to "divide the Gaza strip from the West Bank under humanitarian pretexts." President Trump's tweet that "oil prices are too high" and "OPEC is at it again" is timed to message the cartel to boost their production and to divert attention from a Democratic offensive on pump prices, experts tell Axios. Why it matters now: The tweet, which follows a similar April 20 tweet when Trump accused the cartel of "artificially high" prices, comes ahead of next week's critical OPEC meeting in Vienna, where oil ministers will discuss their production-cutting agreement with Russia. Be smart: The U.S. isn't the only country putting pressure on OPEC Bloomberg reports that China and India are discussing ways to boost imports of U.S. crude and lessen those from OPEC "to put pressure on OPEC producers to keep prices under control." Between the lines: I emailed with two veteran energy consultants to get their perspectives on Trump's tweet... "I suspect that with Brent three dollars higher than his first tweet on April 20, average retail pump prices within whiskers of $3, and given recent pushback from Iran on increasing supply, President Trump wants to keep the pressure up on Riyadh to swat oil prices back this summer by signaling and delivering more barrels next week in Vienna." Bob McNally, president, Rapidan Energy Group "My reading of it is that with summer here and gasoline prices still relatively high President Trump is looking to shift the blame from government and 'big oil' companies to everyone's favorite villain OPEC." Ellen Wald, president, Transversal Consulting "It also has the added benefit of taking the narrative on gas prices back from the Democrats," adds Wald, referring to how Democrats have recently been attacking Trump over pump prices. Our thought bubble: Given the strong signals that OPEC and Russia will agree to higher output next week, it's possible that Trump's comment is a Twitter-age example of an age-old Washington tactic taking political credit for something that's going to happen anyway. Argentina took a step towards legalizing abortions last week after the lower house of its legislature sent a bill to the Senate that would allow the procedure in the first 14 weeks of pregnancy, the BBC reports. The big picture: Women in countries around the world are fighting for abortion rights, but the Guttmacher Institute reported that 42% of women of reproductive age worldwide still live in countries where abortion is "highly restricted," meaning it's entirely illegal or only allowed to "save a woman's life or protect her health." What to know: Countries with the most restrictive rules towards abortions often have the least safe procedures, meaning they are not "performed using a safe method and with an appropriately trained provider," per the Guttmacher Institute. A key part of reform to abortion laws is evidence "that unsafe abortion is a pressing public health concern and a preventable cause of ill-health and death." is evidence "that unsafe abortion is a pressing public health concern and a preventable cause of ill-health and death." 6% of the world's 1.64 billion women of reproductive age live in a country where abortion is illegal, with no exceptions. Where to watch: After Irish voters legalized abortion, which had been banned for 35 years, last month, Latin America looks to be the next battleground for the issue. Argentina: The Senate is expected to vote on the legalization bill in September, per the BBC. Currently, abortion is illegal, with exception of rape and health risks of the woman. Women also have to request permission from a judge. The Senate is expected to vote on the legalization bill in September, per the BBC. Currently, abortion is illegal, with exception of rape and health risks of the woman. Women also have to request permission from a judge. El Salvador: There was a recent push to legalize abortion in April, before a conservative majority took office in May. Abortion is illegal, with no exception, in El Salvador where women accused of having one can receive up to 50 years in jail for "aggravated homicide," per the Guardian. There was a recent push to legalize abortion in April, before a conservative majority took office in May. Abortion is illegal, with no exception, in El Salvador where women accused of having one can receive up to 50 years in jail for "aggravated homicide," per the Guardian. Dominican Republic: Last year, the country's Congress decided against upholding the country's total ban on abortion, which could pave the way for some easing of its restrictions at in the future, per Reuters. However, it has yet to return to the politically-sensitive issue. The state of play: Abortion remains illegal, though often with exceptions, in the vast majority of countries. Illegal with no exceptions 26 countries. 26 countries. Illegal with varying exceptions 112 countries. 112 countries. Legal with no restriction on reasoning 61 countries. Go deeper here at home: The states where abortion clinics are in short supply. By Trend Maria Zakharova, Russian Foreign Ministry Spokeswoman, made groundless accusations against Azerbaijan-based Trend news agency during a briefing held June 15. Trend news agency voices protest against such a statementby Zakharova. It should be noted that earlier, Deputy Director of the Information and Press Department of the Russian Foreign Ministry Artem Kozhin, responding to a question of Trend, said that the statements of Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan on the settlement of the Armenia-Azerbaijan Nagorno-Karabakh conflict are nonconstructive. "In general, loud statements that do not fit onto the appropriate rails, in particular laid by the OSCE, are probably not constructive," he said. This situation caused unambiguous assessments in Russian and Armenian media outlets. Trend published its official statement June 4 over the accusations against the news agency. Heads of over 20 Azerbaijani media outlets sent an appeal to the Director of the Information and Press Department of the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs Maria Zakharova. Regarding yesterday's remarks by Zakharova, Trend considers it necessary to remind her that after a briefing on June 1, several phone conversations took place between the staff of the Information and Press Department of the Russian Foreign Ministry and Trend reporter to find out the reason of distorting Kozhins response in the transcript, published on the website of the Russian Foreign Ministry on June 1. Trend was extremely surprised by Zakharova's unawareness of what was happening in the department she leads. Given that the reason of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict is the Armenian aggression, it looks extremely strange and outrageous that Zakharova called Trend correspondents question a statement. The wording used by the correspondent completely reflects the essence of the conflict. It turns out that Zakharova does not agree with the wording "illegal regime" and "occupied territories" in the correspondents question. How can Russia act as a mediator in the settlement of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict if the spokesperson of its Foreign Ministry doesnt recognize occupants as occupants and doesnt consider the separatist regime as illegal? Trend believes that such a position and such statements of some Russian Foreign Ministry representatives do not contribute to the conflicts settlement and add fuel to the flames, thereby in fact supporting the occupation policy of Armenia. Trend expresses regret that the Information and Press Department of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Russia, the OSCE Minsk Group co-chair country, refuses to answer to the question of the journalist of the country that was subjected to aggression. It is outrageous that Zakharova has accused Trend correspondent of incompetence. It is especially outrageous to hear that from department head of the Foreign Ministry, which openly distorts the official transcript. Gal Gadot has given fans a better look at her return as Wonder Woman when the superhero returns for the highly anticipated sequel. The Israeli actress will reprise the role for Wonder Woman 1984, which will also see the return of Chris Pine as Steve Trevor. Gadot shared a photograph on Twitter of herself in full costume, complete with gold headband, captioned: Shes back #WW84. Earlier this week, first look images from the film showed Wonder Woman from behind, standing in front of a bank of screens showing images from the 1980s, such as Tron and Dallas. Another shot showed Pine as Trevor, looking confused in a shopping mall while dressed in a tracksuit. The film will star Kristen Wiig as villain The Cheetah, while Pedro Pascal will also join the cast in an undisclosed role. Patty Jenkins, who directed the first time, will return to helm the movie. Wonder Woman 1984 is due to be released in UK cinemas in November 2019. The health service in Northern Ireland is set to benefit from around 600m extra funding a year in real terms by 2023. It comes after an announcement from Theresa May that the NHS is set to get an extra 20bn a year leading up to that date. Northern Ireland's funding is based on its population share of just over 3%. The DUP's Simon Hamilton said the announcement was a "hugely welcome boost for our National Health Service". "With this extra spending power, Northern Ireland now has the opportunity to improve health outcomes for our people and create the NHS that they deserve. Achieving that aim will be best achieved by having a locally elected, locally accountable Health Minister working alongside Executive colleagues at Stormont," he said. Read More It is expected tax and borrowing will rise to pay for the increase in funding. Writing in the Mail on Sunday, Mrs May also said funding would come available from money which will no longer be sent to the European Union, referring to a "Brexit dividend". Ahead of a major speech on the issue on Monday, Mrs May added: As a country, we need to contribute a bit more in a fair and balanced way. We will listen to views about how we do this and the Chancellor will set out the detail in due course. To deliver, this plan must be about more than money. The figure tops the controversial 350 million a week increase promised by the Leave campaign during the referendum. The move comes as Mrs May faces another turbulent week in Parliament on the Brexit front with Tory rebels again threatening to defy her over how much influence MPs will have over any withdrawal deal. Health Secretary Jeremy Hunt, who backed Remain in the referendum, wrote in the Sunday Telegraph that the extra NHS funding can now unite us all. Labours shadow health secretary Jonathan Ashworth said: The NHS is in crisis after eight years of Tory cuts and privatisation. Todays announcement confirms that Theresa May has failed to give the NHS the funding it needs, and much of the funding announced today is based on wishful thinking. Labour would have invested nearly 9 billion extra this year in the NHS and social care, while asking the wealthiest and big corporations to pay their fair share of tax. Theresa May could have announced this but chose not to. She wont stand up to vested interests and is instead asking patients to rely on a hypothetical Brexit dividend. Jason Felce, 20, spoke of how he was inspired by Stephen Hawking (Aaron Chown/PA) A young disabled man has met one of his heroes and been presented with a badge from outer space. Jason Felce, 20, met British astronaut Tim Peake at the memorial service for Professor Stephen Hawking in London last week. The astronaut gave Mr Felce a badge that he took into space when he spent six months on board the International Space Station. Expand Close Stephen Hawkings ashes were interred at Westminster Abbey (Westminster Abbey/PA) Press Association Images / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp Stephen Hawkings ashes were interred at Westminster Abbey (Westminster Abbey/PA) Mr Felce, who attends the National Star College in Cheltenham, Gloucestershire, uses an electronic communication device to speak, just as Prof Hawking did. He was invited with two other college students to the memorial service at Westminster Abbey where the ashes of Prof Hawking were interred between the graves of Sir Isaac Newton and Charles Darwin. Expand Close Astronaut Tim Peake speaking at the memorial service for Professor Stephen Hawking, at Westminster Abbey (Ben Stansall/PA) PA Wire/PA Images / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp Astronaut Tim Peake speaking at the memorial service for Professor Stephen Hawking, at Westminster Abbey (Ben Stansall/PA) The world-renowned cosmologist who was diagnosed with motor neurone disease in his 20s died at the age of 76 in March. Prof Hawking was the first person I ever saw using an electronic communication device, said Mr Felce, who controls his communication device with eye movement. Expand Close The late professor Stephen Hawking (Joe Giddens/PA) PA Wire/PA Images / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp The late professor Stephen Hawking (Joe Giddens/PA) He has inspired me to be the best that I can be and not let anything, including my disability, hold me back. Mr Felce was born with cerebral palsy and his family were told that, if he survived, he would not be likely to do anything in life. He is in his first year of college at National Star and hopes to be a DJ. Alexis Tsipras, right and Zoran Zaev signed a deal which launches a long process that will last several months (Yorgos Karahalis/AP) Greece and Macedonia have signed a deal that, if ratified, will resolve a decades-old dispute concerning Macedonias name. Under the agreement, Greeces northern neighbour will be renamed North Macedonia, a move the two countries leaders said would be the beginning of closer, friendly relations and an example to all Balkan nations. The deal will also allow Macedonia to try to join Nato and the European Union. Expand Close There were protests against the deal in the village of Pisoderi (Giannis Papanikos/AP) AP/PA Images / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp There were protests against the deal in the village of Pisoderi (Giannis Papanikos/AP) The two countries prime ministers, Greeces Alexis Tsipras and Macedonias Zoran Zaev, attended the signing of the deal on Sunday by the two countries foreign ministers, Nikos Kotzias and Nikola Dimitrov. Also at the ceremony were UN under-secretary for political affairs Rosemary DiCarlo, the UN mediator for the name dispute, Matthew Nimetz, EU foreign affairs chief Federica Mogherini and EU enlargement commissioner Johannes Hahn. At the signing of a historic agreement, with @tsipras_eu @Zoran_Zaev @NikosKotzias @Dimitrov_Nikola @JHahnEU Its a good day - for the two countries, for the #Balkans, for Europe, making it more peaceful and united. A source of inspiration to all of us #NorthMacedonia pic.twitter.com/S2L0DHQMCq Federica Mogherini (@FedericaMog) June 17, 2018 The village of Psarades, on the shores of Greater Prespa Lake, was chosen as a symbolic site, since it is near where the borders of the two countries, as well as Albania, meet. Zaev and Dimitrov arrived by a small speedboat from across the lake and were greeted by Tsipras and Kotzias. This is our own appointment with history, Tsipras said, adding that the Balkan people have long suffered from the poison of chauvinism and the divisions of nationalist hatred. We cannot change our geography or our history. But we can shape our future. And it will be a common European future of mutual respect, understanding and friendship! https://t.co/rHQ5fiG9bE Nikola Dimitrov (@Dimitrov_Nikola) June 17, 2018 Recalling his first meeting with Zaev earlier this year at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, Tsipras told Zaev that very few believed we would succeed in ending what he called 26 years of sterile dispute between our countries. Zaev, on his part, hailed an end to decades of uncertainty and said Greece and Macedonia would henceforth be partners and allies setting an example for the whole Balkan region. We are proud of todays agreement, may we stay as united forever as we are on this day, Zaev said. Following the signing, the officials left by boat for the Macedonian lake resort of Oteshevo for a celebratory lunch. Police had cordoned off all approaches to Psarades to prevent protesters from reaching the site, so more than 4,000 Greek nationalists gathered near Pisoderi, a village 25 miles away. Several hundred marched to a nearby police blockade and began throwing rocks. Police responded with tear gas and stun grenades. Macedonian nationalists who also object to the agreement planned a rally in the city of Bitola, near the Greek border, on Sunday. Since Macedonia seceded from the former Yugoslavia in 1991, Greece had objected to its use of the name Macedonia because it claimed that implied territorial designs on its own northern province of Macedonia. Greek objections delayed UN recognition of Macedonia until April 1993 and then only as The Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia (FYROM). In 1995, the two countries signed an interim agreement after Macedonia agreed to modify its flag. In April, First Tennessee Bank and the National Community Reinvestment Coalition announced an agreement on a $3.9 billion reinvestment plan for economic development in low to moderate income communities under the 1977 Community Reinvestment Act. The Chattanooga Times Free Press soon followed with an article reviewing the plan in depth. The plan presented Chattanooga, as well as other communities in First Tennessees region, with a rare opportunity to stem or even reverse the decline of areas blighted by 50 years of disinvestment. Like many cities, Chattanooga still has its share of long declining inner city market areas. Unlike most, Chattanooga has a history of missing major opportunities to reinvest in those areas without wholesale displacement and gentrification of the surrounding neighborhoods. In 1993, the Clinton administration rolled out its Community Empowerment Initiative creating the New Markets Tax Credit, Brownfields, and Empowerment Zone programs with coordinated planning and preferences in related existing programs like CRA. Empowerment Zone and Enterprise Community designations were awarded to applicants presenting the best community-based strategic plans, not just for how more than a $100 million in tax incentives and block grant funds would be used, but first and foremost, for how the community would make the best use of its own resources. The city of Chattanooga mounted a meager attempt to win a first round Empowerment Zone or Enterprise Community designation. Planning and community development staff held some under-attended community meetings and repackaged existing Southside plans, but failed to meet the criteria for bottom up community-based strategic planning as required by the legislation and specified in the program guidelines. The irony, program guidelines described a process quite similar to Chattanoogas own Vision 2000 conducted by Chattanooga Venture less than a decade earlier. Indeed, with Al Gore as chairman of the federal Community Empowerment Board directing the initiative, Empowerment Zone criteria for strategic visioning were very much influenced by the success of Vision 2000. In 1998, when a second round of Empowerment Zone program designations was offered, an effort was made to involve Chattanooga Venture in facilitating a more competitive community-based planning process, but then Mayor Kinsey did not agree to endorse it. No application was submitted, and Chattanooga Venture soon folded. In 2001, Empowerment Zone round three, then Mayor Corker took the easy route to garner one of the Bush administrations new Renewal Community designations providing limited tax incentives for mostly outside investment, but without funding to help communities implement their own strategies bottom up. The Empowerment Zone program dovetailed with the 1977 Community Reinvestment Act. By supporting Empowerment Zone strategic planning processes, banking institutions more readily achieved CRA compliance. The Community Empowerment Initiative gave communities leverage to ensure financial institutions would indeed reinvest in low income areas as the CRA legislation intended. The current First Tennessee Bank-NCRC community reinvestment plan agreement was reached in order to improve First Tennessees CRA compliance rating. Over the 25 years that preceded it, community-based solutions worked their way bottom up into the First Tennessee-NCRC plan. Many of those solutions stemmed from the Clinton Community Empowerment Initiative with which Chattanooga had little experience of its own. The First Tennessee-NCRC community reinvestment plan is the first in the history of CRA to include Chattanooga, yet Chattanoogas civic leaders appear to be going about business as usual. With so little related experience, Chattanooga may fail to grasp the enormity of the opportunity and the need to engage the community to make the most of it. Given the deafening silence since the First Tennessee plan was first reported, it is fair to ask if Chattanooga will miss another opportunity to reinvest in its own people and communities. The city fails to leverage lesser resources for related purposes routinely, in part because local redevelopment priorities have been incompatible with the strategies written into the criteria for federal programs, as well as for any number of private nonprofit funding sources. Whether the sources are government agency, nonprofit organizations, or the new First Tennessee community reinvestment plan, they all seek to leverage other investments in the purposes they fund. They do not tend to fund projects toward which the recipients are not willing to commit their own resources. City government and other organizations involved in economic development need to commit their own resources, including technical assistance and neutral facilitation, to help the community leverage First Tennessee reinvestments to expand emerging community-based solutions on a strategic scale. If Chattanoogas civic and community leaders can come together on an implementation strategy, the community can leverage First Tennessee reinvestments to stop the ongoing gentrification of working class neighborhoods. With a community action plan for housing security, Chattanooga can leverage reinvestments to promote home ownership, stabilize rents, and achieve measurable outcomes for homefullness instead of forever throwing money at the problem of homelessness. With a substantial investment under the First Tennessee-NCRC plan, a community-based residential capital trust can protect and grow homeowner equity, keeping the wealth of the community in the community. By redirecting tax incentives and public improvements for economic development from North Shore, Downtown, and Southside development to longsuffering industrial, commercial, and community market areas, Chattanooga can leverage more impactful economic reinvestments from First Tennessee. Instead of displacing poor people, Chattanooga can set criteria for tax incentives, public improvements, and First Tennessee reinvestments to build the wealth of the community from within. By leveraging its own redevelopment resources more effectively, Chattanooga can secure reinvestments in the strengths of people through access to capital lending and investment, technical assistance, micro-lending, working capital, and professional services. Finally, and perhaps most importantly, by seeding the formation of a strong, sustainable nonprofit economic development corporation to carry out the implementation strategy, the city of Chattanooga and other organizations involved in economic development can leverage First Tennessee investment in the startup. Under the First Tennessee-NCRC plan, the community development corporation can use reinvestment funds to develop new tools, partnerships, and financial resources for economic development. Isnt it time Chattanoogas blighted inner city market areas finally have a RiverCity Company of their own? Chattanoogas civic leadership cannot ensure that the community benefits fully from this opportunity by going about business as usual. Memphis, Atlanta, and other progressive cities in the First Tennessee region are already prepared to leverage more than their share of the $3.9 billion. Without local leadership commits to community action, transparency, accountability, and community empowerment in the disbursement of First Tennessee community investments here, Chattanooga will certainly miss another major opportunity to reinvest in its own people and communities. Frank Wrinn The world's leading vertical dancers gathered in Limerick over the weekend to explore new places to create work and train a new generation of dancers on the iconic landscapes of the city. Limerick based Fidget Feet Aerial Dance Theatre hosted Blank Canvas, a 5-day eventwhere Irish and international dancers, creators, directors and choreographers carried out training, research, workshops, and exploration of new ideas and areas to make site specific work, involving vertical dance. This is the first meeting and training of its kind in Ireland and is part of the Vertical Dance Forum project, an international network of 7 vertical dance companies whohost 6 meetings in Europe and Canada, gathering dancers and professionals worldwide to train and explore collaborative approaches in making new work. This project is co-funded by Creative Europe programme of the European Union. The Vertical Dance Forum are Fidget Feet Aerial Dance Theatre (Ireland), Il PostoDanza Verticale (Italy), Gravity & Levity (UK), Histeria Nova Vertical Dance(Croatia), Aeriosa (Canada), Retouramont (France) and Vertical Dance Kate Lawrence (Wales). The forum made history on Limericks most historic and iconic buildings by taking to the walls of King Johns Castle and the Strand Hotel, training in vertical dance andbringing it to new outdoor performance spaces accessible for all to watch. The group also travelled to the Burren in Co Clare to explore how a vertical dance piece could be created and performed in a natural landscape. Executive Artistic Director of Fidget Feet Aerial Dance Theatre and Professional Development Manager of the Irish Aerial Creation Centre Chantal McCormick is one of the members of the forum and hosted the event in Ireland. The exciting thing about being an aerialist is that we can work outdoors and bring artto the people. They can watch as we are creating and making new work. The idea behind the Vertical Dance Forum in Ireland is to change a public space into a stage to create a performance. When we perform on these buildings, we add something new, we tell a story about that building or site and then it changes that space for the audience. French vertical dance company Retouramont created the network in 2014, and lead the project. The companys lead choreographer Fabrice Guillot is excited about the outcomes of the project. Each country hosts a meeting to research, workshops, and exploration methods and ideas. For me it is amazing to work on a site like King Johns Castle that is so historic and then in contrast on a glass building wall at the Strand Hotel. Over 3 years, the project will involve 6 international meetings with 300 vertical dancers, and 2,000 contributors including dance professionals, artistic directors, choreographers, academics and university researchers. The next meeting will take place in September in Croatia with the final two events happening in England and France in 2019. As part of Ireland's effort to gain a non-permanent seat on the UN Security Council, the Government has invited ambassadors from every country in the world to attend a U2 concert in New York in July. The band are believed to be footing the cost for all invitees - Ireland is competing against Norway and Canada. An event with a difference is taking place in Castletroy in Co Limerick today to help people with autism to do their shopping worry-free. Parkway Retail Park is holding Ireland's first autism and sensory-friendly retail park, which opens at midday today. Over 61% of Irish girls are embarrassed by their period and 50% struggle to afford sanitary products. Over 1100 Irish girls, aged 12-19 were surveyed on period stigma and affordability by Plan International Ireland a child rights, especially girls rights organisation. Half of respondents of the survey said they had experienced issues around affordability of sanitary products. 109 girls who took part in the research, which asked questions on Irish girls experiences of their period, said they have had to change to a less suitable sanitary product due to cost. Startlingly, 59% of the girls surveyed felt lessons on their period from school were not helpful, with 110 respondents stating they did not receive any lesson in school on their period at all. The research shows that there is a large amount of shame and embarrassment with girls in Ireland and their period, with more than 61% stating they often feel embarrassed by their period and do not feel comfortable disclosing they are on their period with their male family members, with only 1 in 5 revealing the information to their father. Caoimhe Dowling, 19 years old from Dublin, who took part in the survey said: When I was younger, I felt the need to hide my period from both my family and my friends. I was made to feel shame for this biological fact of life. No person should feel shame for having a period. Now, being a student means a lot of saving and scrimping to get by with the little money I get from my job. I am reminded monthly of the large chunk of money that I am forced to spend on the necessities for my period. Im still not used to looking at the receipt after buying pads and seeing this huge sum that I need to fork over. Pads and tampons are necessities but are still seen as luxury. It was also revealed if a girl was feeling unwell as a result of her period, she would not feel comfortable discussing this with school teachers despite the fact that 61% have missed school as a direct result of their period and a staggering 88% feel less able to pay attention. Shockingly 84 respondents believed it wasnt possible to get pregnant while on their period and 79 believed they could lose their virginity to a tampon. Plan International Ireland CEO, Paul O Brien said: From our research we know girls feel uncomfortable talking about their periods with family members and teachers. Through this survey we hope to start a conversation and end the taboos on menstruation. "We want girls to know it is ok to talk about their period- especially if half of the girls Plan International Ireland spoke to nationwide cannot afford products for their periods." In many parts of sub-Saharan Africa, girls can miss up to five days from school a month or drop out entirely, due to insufficient access to water, sanitation and hygiene facilities and sanitary supplies. -Digital Desk Property investors seeking to borrow many times their income are tipped to come under increased scrutiny, as banks respond to regulatory pressure to restrict higher-risk mortgage lending. Following a direction from the Australian Prudential and Regulation Authority (APRA) in April, banks are grappling with how to set what the regulator calls "internal risk appetite limits" on new lending to customers borrowing more than six times their income. APRA told banks in April to develop limits on lending where the debt is more than six times the borrower's income. Credit:Rob Homer APRA told banks to develop such policies a month and a half ago, and gave them an incentive to do so. It will only lift a 10 per cent limit on housing investor credit growth when banks have limits in this area, as well as other "sound" lending policies and practices. Commonwealth Bank has in recent weeks told mortgage brokers it will monitor loan applications with a debt-to-income ratio above 4.5 times, while those with ratios of seven times or higher will have to be approved manually by credit departments. No one realised it at the time, but in 2004 a poison was created that is now spreading through and threatening the stability of democratic countries around the world. The poison isnt attacking governments directly. Instead it infects the information flowing through society to the point that citizens are confused and misled away from making proper decisions. At its worst, this poison, this disinformation, prompts people to hunt down and hurt perceived enemies. Disinformation is spread by social media, and in particular, three companies; Facebook, Google (Alphabet), and Twitter. Landing an airline contract meant the world to the owners of Charlies Cookies. The boutique Melbourne cookie company had its hopes pinned on a deal, but constant knock-backs were starting to take its toll on company owner Jacky Magid and her husband Ken Mahlab. Ken purchased the struggling cookie business 12 years ago for under $100,000. Three years later the business was tracking better but hadnt found its growth strategy, prompting Ken to ask Jacky to step in and assist. Charlie's Cookies owners Jacky Magid and Ken Mahlab He hoped that a fresh set of eyes and her skills as a lawyer would help get the business to a more financially sustainable standpoint. She admits the decision to chase an airline contract was ambitious at the time, but still feasible. Our defining moment of growth was pitching to Qantas. I felt like if I could get my foot in the door there, it opened my eyes to what could be for our business, Magid says. The 58th annual Monte Carlo Television Festival kicks off this week, with the Australian miniseries Sunshine, actor Anthony LaPaglia and the documentary series The Queen & Zak Grieve all in line for awards. The star of the ABC drama Harrow, Ioan Gruffudd, is among the A-listers attending the festival, along with SVU star Mariska Hargitay, Eleanor Tomlinson from Poldark, and Darren Criss, from American Horror Story. A total of 38 nominated programs are up for awards at this year's festival, representing work from filmmakers and journalists in 18 countries. Material from more than 50 countries was submitted to the festival. The festival was launched in 1961. It has been held annually in Monaco since. Felix Mallard stars in CBS Studios' Happy Together. Credit:Andy Kropa Series piques buyers' interest Australian actor Felix Mallard has become one of the breakout stars of the travelling "screenings" roadshow, in which US studios unfurl new content for program buyers. Mallard stars in CBS Studios' Happy Together, about an out-of-control pop star who seeks refuge from the world's press in his accountant's home. The series was screened this week in Europe, following the Los Angeles screenings in May, and drew the keen interest of buyers. The series stars Damon Wayans Jnr as the hapless accountant who suddenly finds himself with a superstar living under his roof. The series was created by Late Late Show with James Corden producer Ben Winston, and is based on Winston's own life, as the former flatmate of One Direction's Harry Styles. Berlanti deal done In a deal worth almost half a billion dollars, television producer Greg Berlanti has signed to a long-term arrangement with Warner Bros. Berlanti, one of the most prolific producers working in television, has a total of 14 series currently on air. The deal locks Berlanti into a relationship with Warner Bros until 2024. While such mega-deals have become the norm in the last few years think Shonda Rhimes and Ryan Murphy's similar paydays the Berlanti deal is unusual in that it is one of the few which stems the tide of talent flowing to Netflix. The deal covers television only; Berlanti has a separate film deal with 20th Century Fox, which produced the film Love, Simon earlier this year. "And that can actually be an indication that the pelvic floor muscles might be working a bit too hard or holding onto some increased tension, so they might need to be trained to let it go." Loading If left untreated, a weak pelvic floor can lead to pelvic organ prolapse, where the pelvic organs such as the bladder, bowel or uterus fall through the vagina. While most women know that they should be doing pelvic floor exercises (also known as "Kegels", after US gynaecologist Arnold Kegel), much of Citroen's work is in correcting poor technique. Despite being in tune with her body as an elite athlete, McMahon recalls learning in a physio session earlier in her career that, while she thought she had been doing pelvic floor exercises, she was not doing them properly. "I am someone who lived a life where this sort of stuff has been spoken about to me for along time, but I've had challenges." Pelvic floor issues can present themselves at any age, from childhood right up to the elderly, although they are more common in pregnant women, women who have given birth, and seniors. "From a statistical point of view, about 80 per cent of women will be affected by incontinence, either bladder or bowel, and over half of them are younger than 50," Citroen says. While incontinence is normal, Citroen says it should not be something women are complacent about, or they will risk more serious problems later in life. "If women start to see those 'once offs' like a leak when they laugh, or needing to rush off to go to the toilet as a bit of a sign there being some poor pelvic health issues, it may be that they don't need to go down the path of more invasive measures." Those more invasive measures have been in the headlines recently, after the Senate released its report into pelvic mesh implants, which can be used during pelvic floor surgery for severe incontinence or prolapse to reinforce the tissue. Loading The report, released in July, recommended the mesh implants "only be used as a last resort". The Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA) banned the sale of mesh for use in patients with pelvic organ prolapse in November, and a class action involving more than 700 women who say they have suffered debilitating pain after undergoing pelvic floor surgery for prolapse using the mesh implants is currently before the courts. However, Dr Jenny King, chair of the Urogynaecological Society of Australasia (UGSA), is concerned women suffering from severe incontinence are now shying away from surgery, even when it could be "life-changing", stressing that mesh implants are not "intrinsically evil". The implant used in surgery for incontinence is known as the "mid-urethral sling". In use for 20 years, it is recommended by the Royal Australian and New Zealand College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists, among other international medical organisations, as having an 80 to 90 per cent rate of complete cure or significant improvement when used in women suffering from incontinence. Despite the evidence, UGSA figures show a 32 per cent decline in stress incontinence surgery in women aged 25-54 since peak rates in 2009. Dr King, who is based at Sydney's Westmead Hospital, explains that mesh implants are sometimes necessary in pelvic floor surgery, particularly in older women, or in women who have already had the surgery. "The problem with ladies with pelvic floor weakness, be it incontinence or prolapse, is they probably have poor connective tissue," she says. "We are holding up tissues against gravity; these are tissues that were never strong, and they are past their use-by date." Anecdotally, Dr King says she has patients who are "frightened" by what they have heard about vaginal mesh and, as a result, they are receiving sub-standard operations. "People are coming back [with failed surgery] because I've been too anxious to push them into mesh," she says, adding that surgery should only ever be recommended for women who genuinely require it, in circumstances where the muscles are beyond repair through physiotherapy. The moral of the story? Do your Kegels. How to work on your pelvic floor It is estimated that only one in three women can activate their pelvic floor correctly. Citroen says one of the most common mistakes is using the wrong muscle. Loading "Quite often we'll see a lot of effort in the glute, your external buttocks muscle, a lot of effort in the inner thigh muscle, or being driven from the abdominals," she says. While "a little bit" of external movement is okay, if those muscles seem to be moving too much, you are probably using them instead of your pelvic floor. You should also avoid sucking in your belly, or holding your breath (although you may be concentrating, Citroen says you can't do too much with the muscle before you're out of breath). I fully intend to live to 100 and with one grandmother aged 89 and the other about to turn 94, the odds are on my side. But with death its a case of planning for the worst and hoping for the best. While I dont like thinking about death and how my loved ones would cope without me, for their sake Ive done the basic preparation any responsible adult should do. What would your digital life look like in the physical world? Credit:Dave Hancock My husband and I have simple matching wills, death nominations in our super, and sufficient life insurance to allow the surviving partner to pay off our mortgage were the unthinkable to happen. Yet Ive never given much thought to the tangle of digital assets and rights I would leave behind the plethora of social media accounts, my email, my websites, my photos and files backed up to the cloud, the music collection that Ive paid for but might not technically own, and so on. Frankly, its a mess. Contamination from toxic chemicals was discovered at the former Charnwood fire station before the ACT government netted $2 million by re-zoning the land and selling it to become a child care centre. Planning documents provided to Fairfax Media showed the Health Directorate raised concerns in 2017 about building a child care centre on the contaminated site at 35 Lhotsky Street. PFAS contamination has been confirmed at the old Charnwood fire station, which is slated to become a child care centre. [Health Protection Services] has advised that the results obtained through [the Land Development Agency] has provided evidence that PFOS contamination levels on-site is considered unacceptable due to its potential health impact on children, planning documents read. [Health Protection Services] has raised concerns in relation to the suitability of the site for the proposed childcare centre. It is an interesting coincidence that the newly declared ACT Reconciliation Day public holiday falls between two significant anniversaries relevant to Aboriginal demands for sovereignty and self-determination without which reconciliation is illusory. It was held the day after the first anniversary of the presentation of the Uluru Statement and two weeks before the thirtieth anniversary of the Barunga Statement. The Barunga Statement, despite having been effectively ignored for the last 30 years, has been given life by the Northern Territory government which has announced that it will, consistent with the demands incorporated in the statement, begin negotiations with the Aboriginal people of the Northern Territory for a treaty. In committing to negotiations for a treaty, the Northern Territory has followed the example of the governments of South Australia and Victoria where the path to a treaty has been the subject of detailed consideration. Regrettably, the incoming Liberal government in South Australia has terminated the process for a treaty in that state. However Luke Foley, the Opposition Leader in New South Wales, the jurisdiction with the largest Indigenous population in Australia, has accelerated the momentum for state-based treaties by committing a Labor government in NSW to a treaty with that state's Aboriginal people. While differing in content and structure, the Barunga and Uluru Statements are in essence concerned with the same issues, namely self-determination, self-management, sovereignty, land rights, truth telling, an historical reckoning and justice. The Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people of Australia are calling for these rights to be recognised and guaranteed through a treaty or a makarrata. The response of successive national governments, of both persuasion, over the last 30 years to the widespread aspiration of Indigenous Australians for a treaty has been disappointing, to say the least. Canberrans caught their first glimpse of the territory's new major health infrastructure on Saturday, with the opening of the University of Canberra Hospital. Local Ngunnawal elders named the hospital Yurwang Mura, or strong pathway. The centre will provide specialised care for people recovering from surgery, illness or injury, or experiencing mental illness. Dannika Dickson, six, attended the University of Canberra Hospital opening. She's using a Saebo REJOYCE machine. Credit:Dion Georgopoulos Hospital commissioning executive director Linda Kohlhagen said the new facility would bring services from seven different locations around Canberra under the one roof. "[It's] to enable all those clinicians to work more collaboratively," Ms Kohlhagen said. While high teas are usually a fancy affair, this one in Canberra has gone to the dogs. Humans, along with their four-legged friends, were able to take part in a high tea on Saturday, with special dog treats and "puppacinos" served alongside the traditional tea, sandwiches and scones. Maddison Landon with her dog Hunter. Credit:Dion Georgopoulos The event was just one of many activities taking place as part of A Pooch Affair, a day out for dogs and their owners at Exhibition Park in Mitchell. Now in its fourth year, this year's event was its largest, with an estimated 3000 people and 1000 dogs. ACT government could not provide current numbers when asked. Advocates say the system has not caught up with the changing nature of disability in Australia, and nursing homes cannot provide the level of care necessary. Angelina's sister-in-law and legal guardian Tania Giorgio said she was frustrated after begging government for years to help find appropriate accommodation. She said every time the family approached the ACT government, the buck was passed to the National Disability Insurance Scheme, while the National Disability Insurance Agency maintained it was the territory's job to provide accommodation. "Angie has suffered a lot in her life," she said "I want to find a place where she can live out her days in dignity and honour and enjoy some of her life rather than being closed in a room and just staring at four walls and doing nothing with her life. Fifty-seven-year-old Angelina Giorgio Credit:Sitthixay Ditthavong "I don't believe the aged care facility is the right place. They can't cater to her mental health, there aren't enough carers to care, they don't feed her, bathe her properly. "At the age of 57 why would you want to be in this situation? "She is of sound mind but her body is letting her down. "She has schizophrenia, not dementia, she knows what is happening around her completely. This is just not the right place for her." The ACT government has not acknowledged there is a shortage of appropriate accommodation or supports for patients with complex needs. Angelina was diagnosed with catatonic schizophrenia as a young woman. Until 2012 she was living happily at Brian Hennessy House, a residential rehabilitation centre, however a suspected stroke led to physical disabilities that meant the level of care at the centre was no longer high enough. Now physically disabled, Angelina moved to a nursing home, and while not ideal, her family was relatively happy. However in 2017, due to her mental health issues she was deemed too disruptive to other residents and told she had to move to the dementia ward if she was to stay. Her doctors and workers say her condition has deteriorated rapidly since being moved to the ward, which has low staff ratios. She can only leave her bed briefly every second day and relies on NDIS carers to visit for basic care. Otherwise, she is left lying in her bed all day. The highlight of her week is when she gets to leave the ward for a cup of tea. Young People in Nursing Homes Alliance director Bronwyn Morkham said the disability sector was antiquated and struggling to care for people with complex needs. She said because Australia did not yet have have adequate accessible housing and lacked community based services to support people with complex needs, nursing homes would be relied on for some time yet. She said occupants were entitled to much less funding under the NDIS than if they were living in the community or a group home, with funding in nursing homes capped at $78,000, leading to even greater disadvantage. "With the technologies and healthcare we have now people are surviving but being left with profound disabilities," Dr Morkham said. What we havent done is actually lift out disability support system to cope with this increasing demand. We havent invested in the supports needed and have an antiquated human services system struggling to support people. Many of the young people coming into the system have quite complex health needs. They require interventions the disability system just cant meet and nursing homes cannot provide. Nursing home providers have by and large been supportive, but the system was never meant to handle the intense needs these people have. They cant provide customised wheelchairs, rehabilitation nor can they provide community access." Tania and her husband are now Angelina's legal guardians and feel a deep responsibility to find her appropriate care and accommodation. They know Angelina's case is not isolated but part of a broader problem of lack of care for people who don't fall neatly into a box. They have considered sending her to homes available interstate, but everyone she knows and loves is in the ACT. "It's put a lot of pressure on us and we feel responsible as legal guardians and we feel we failed her," Tania said. "[Since moving to the dementia ward] her mental health has suffered even more, her body has suffered, she's gone cross-eyed in one eye. "She feels neglected and unwanted. "We felt we had no other option but to move her to the dementia ward for Canberra still had no other placements for people like Angelina with her high care and mental disability. "The NDIS support co-ordinator has been great, but all government agencies and politicians have just ping-ponged her case back and forth. "We've never even managed to have a face-to-face meeting. "When we were told we were putting her in a nursing home I thought at least she would be cared for. "But the level of care is low, they don't care, they have hardly any staff on, they just leave them there to die." Angelina's medical reports tell a sorry tale of inadequate physical, medical and mental health care. They show her episodes often coincided with intrusive and at times aggressive dementia patients coming into her room and her feeling fear. "Angelina has mental health problems, not dementia," a psychiatrist report read. "She probably has a reduced processing speed due to her stroke but is well aware of her surroundings, takes an interest in other people's lives and shows strong emotional responses to external triggers. "She does not fit into a dementia ward and I don't think this meets her needs. "She should have more intensive physio while trying to mobilise her out of bed more frequently, adequate pain relief and an incentive to leave her room, which requires a positive environment she feels safe in." A spokesman for the NDIS said the NDIS funds carers where it was identified as reasonable and necessary support. However the supply of community or social housing continues to be the responsibility of the state or territory. The spokesman said that as of March 31 there were 2082 NDIS participants under 65 living in nursing homes across the country. "At full scheme, an estimated six percent of NDIS participants will be eligible for funding for specialist disability accommodation," he said. The ACT government did not respond to questions about the number of younger people in aged care in the ACT. It also did not acknowledge there was any shortage in housing or appropriate care in the ACT for young people with complex needs. A spokeswoman said the government was working to deliver better outcomes through a number of initiatives and programs. "The ACT Government acknowledges that it is important to ensure that people with disability can make a decision about what model of accommodation and support arrangements are right for them," an ACT government spokeswoman said. "We know that people with high and complex care needs can experience difficulty in finding appropriate housing to support their needs. A shortage of maths and science teachers in NSW public schools will see the state government employ 900 extra full-time teachers for the Sydney suburbs under most pressure from population growth. The new teachers would be for areas such as north-west and south-west Sydney, the government says. A lack of STEM-qualified teachers in high schools and anxiety about teaching STEM subjects among primary teachers has been blamed as a reason for a fall in enrolments in high-level maths and science subjects. NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian is seen with students from the Taverners Hill Infants School during a visit earlier this year. Credit:AAP It is also seen as contributing to Australia's overall declining performance in international tests. Concerns about road congestion and public transport links have easily overtaken aircraft noise as the biggest public issues confronting Sydney Airport. And with only one bus route, Australia's busiest airport is pressing the state government to improve bus links, especially to Sydney's south west where thousands of airport workers live. Weeks ahead of the release of a 20-year blueprint for Kingsford Smith, Sydney Airport government and community relations chief Ted Plummer said improving ground transport access such as bus and road links was one of the airports top priorities. Ground transport is far and away the biggest issue for us, but aircraft noise comes second, he said. [Aircraft noise has] always been an issue of significance for Sydney ironically it's not the biggest issue now. Police have charged a man after he was caught allegedly filming up women's skirts inside Westfield Sydney on Saturday afternoon. Security guards detained the man, 27, after he was seen allegedly using a shopping bag fitted with a camera to film up a woman's skirt. Police were called just after 5.30pm and they seized the man's mobile phone. They found more than 2000 photos and videos allegedly depicting women being filmed without consent at multiple Sydney shopping centres and railway stations. Police then raided the man's home in Mortdale, where they seized several computers. Two men have been charged after two men were hospitalised, following a suspected overdose of a mysterious drug at the SEXPO exhibition in Sydney. A 21-year-old was taken to Liverpool Hospital after he and another man, aged 24, were treated at the Darling Harbour event on Saturday. The younger man was sedated and in a critical condition, while the older man was taken to Bankstown Hospital in a stable condition. Both men had been discharged by Sunday afternoon. Coolangatta residents had to get out of bed on Monday to face the coldest June morning ever recorded in the coastal suburb. Temperatures dropped to 0.6 degrees in the Gold Coast suburb as south-east Queenslanders donned their winter woollies to brace themselves for the cold. A cold start to winter has Brisbane residents reaching for the winter woollens. Credit:File BOM meteorologist Jim Richardson said Brisbane shivered through 9.9 degrees overnight, a slight improvement from the weekend when temperatures dropped below 7 degrees. Brisbane averages 12 degrees (for June), so even that minimum temperature we saw this morning is cooler than average by a couple of degrees, he said. A car that had been driven onto Gold Coast tram tracks has been moved, and normal service has resumed. The trams were suspended earlier on Sunday morning after the car was driven onto the tracks before becoming wedged on a bridge, blocking the light rail network. Police were called at about 6.15am after the male driver, aged in his 60s, began driving on the tracks near the G-Link depot at Southport before becoming wedged on a bridge over Smith Street. A Translink spokesman said passengers were ferried between Queen Street and the Gold Coast University Hospital by bus and staff were on site keeping customers updated. Tow trucks worked to clear the car at about 9am, and once it had been moved, inspectors examined the tracks and found there was no damage done. Urbnsurf know that the wave park will be loud and they have skirted around the issue with respect to this location, Mr Chambers said. The environmental report Urbnsurf submitted to the EPA said the sound of breaking waves would not be much above current background noise levels when heard from the shoreline of the surf lagoon and it was highly unlikely the noise would impact residents. Mr Chambers said their own modelling for Sydney showed that this was untrue and was up to 20 decibels one hundred times more. The report said this was modelled on other similar projects but did not specify methods or provide the data. They said this data would be provided after environmental approval was gained and the process moved to planning applications. Mr Chambers said it appeared Urbnsurf was using noise measurements collected from a demo park in Spain to model noise for its proposed parks in Melbourne, then Sydney, now Perth. But Urbnsurf did not provide the original data or eastern states models to WAs EPA when addressing environmental noise. Another concerned scientist supplied Mr Chambers with the modelling. When you overlay the noise fields modelled for Sydney on to the Melville proposal it clearly shows there will be a significant impact, he said. This is without considering that this Sydney study likely underestimates the noise field. He said the modelling contained fundamental errors and may have underestimated the noise by as much as 10 decibels, meaning the level of noise could be 10 times what Urbnsurf had predicted at residents' homes. This meant some neighbours could experience up to 60 decibels, well over the 42 specified in WA law. Melbourne's Tullamarine Airport site is largely industrial with a small number of homes nearby. The design has been extensively modified since initial proposals to minimise impact on these homes. Credit:Google He also estimated likely noise levels on the most ecologically sensitive side of Alfred Cove Nature Reserve to be above 50 decibels, which he said would be damaging to wildlife. Urbnsurf executive chairman Andrew Ross said Mr Chambers had rung Urbnsurfs environmental consultants on January and 15 demanding that they hand over to him confidential information and reports on our project. We of course did not respond to his demands, and have no obligation to do so given he is simply a member of the community, Mr Ross said. The simple fact is traffic on Canning Highway currently produces more noise than is forecast by our experts to be produced by the surf park. The existing Melville Bowling Club is licensed for 260 patrons, and we are told that it is constantly filled with events and the like, all of which emit social noise; and our facility will be no different to this. Sydney's Olympic Park site is surrounded by wetlands, industrial areas and showgrounds areas. Credit:Google The process Urbnsurf was required to address noise in its EPA referral in regard to its effects on fauna and social surroundings, as noise limits are set by state environmental law. But in both categories Urbnsurf indicated it would provide acoustic assessment and worst-case scenario 3D modelling with planning applications. Mr Chambers said the planning bodies involved did not possess the skills and expertise to assess noise for a unique proposal such as this, which required specialised expert analysis. He said proponents could cherry pick environmental consultants to prepare noise management plans. Planning bodies could then just rubber-stamp these, assuming that a proposal getting through the gatekeeper at the EPA meant due diligence had been done at a higher level. A public environmental review on the social surroundings factor would force Urbnsurf to do their homework. Its public, transparent and allows for peer review. As soon as the EPA say you dont need it, its buried forever and those studies wont see the light of day," Mr Chambers said. He said part of the problem might be that public environmental reviews were time-consuming and costly, but without one, the only avenue for the public to critique the science would be the Supreme Court. This would put the onus on the concerned objectors to provide the complex studies to prove the point, on the guiding legal principle he who asserts must prove, which is incredibly expensive, overkill and often unfair, he said. What piqued my curiosity ... is that the people against it are being typecast as NIMBYs. Residents have a right to be concerned. That area is a bunch of retirees with a personal connection to the place. They asked me ... I said, you have a problem. Scientifically this hasnt been assessed. And you should put this in your submissions to the Environmental Protection Authority. My advice to them was that it is going to be loud. Its going to be very, very loud and there is almost no way to stop the noise apart from a dome over the complex. Urbnsurf defended the environmental report provided in its EPA referral. Urbnsurf's Andrew Ross said the EPA had spent more than five months considering all of these matters in great detail and found no evidence that the project would pose any form of significant environmental impact, which included the possible impact of noise on birds, local residents, or the environment more generally. He stood by the characterisation of noise as a planning matter. If there are issues with noise, there is a very robust framework that deals with these issues. We are not going to invest $25 million in building a surf park if it is going to be prevented from operating for breaching the noise regulations, he said. Noise is governed by environmental law and must be addressed in an EPA referral. Credit:EPA EPA Chairman Tom Hatton said while the EPA could have decided to put just one key environmental factor, such as potential impact on social surroundings, to a public environmental review, in this case the proponent's proposed level of impact was not considered significant. The EPA's decision had taken into account the promise to submit the acoustic assessment, and worst case scenario modelling, with future planning applications. Dr Hatton said the WA Planning Commission or a joint Development Assessment Panel JDAP would make the final decision, and the EPA would expect this authority to require those documents and to consult with the Department of Water and Environmental Regulation. "In addition, the construction and operational noise will need to demonstrate compliance with the Environmental Protection (Noise) Regulations 1997," Dr Hatton said. He said while the EPA was not aware of the cost of a public environmental review as this was borne by the proponent, it would likely take six to eighteen months depending on availability of information, proponents response to public submissions, and the complexity of the proposal. This did not include the time necessary for the subsequent appeals process and the Ministers final determination. The science Mr Chambers said the modelling was problematic for several reasons. Firstly, it represented breaking waves in the same way as standard traffic noise modelling. Mechanisms of wave noise generation cannot be approximated as simple line sources, they are complex, contain harmonics and contain modulating bands, and contain impulsive low-frequency noise components, he said. Noise contours from proposal at Sydney laid over proposed location in Melville showing incorrect/correct decibel levels. The regulated limit for amenity within this location is 42 decibels. Source - Mr Chambers Credit:Shane Chambers This is a very simple approximation ... normal laissez-faire for a less experienced acoustic engineer or a more experienced one who is under time and cost constraints. It also assumed one breaking wave on either side of the pier, whereas there would be more than one wave rolling simultaneously on either side of the pier at a rate of 17 waves per minute, equalling one per 3.5 seconds. The sound intensity from this area is not confined to just two lines but is being emitted from a large area much larger than two lines, and therefore the noise contribution has been critically underestimated, he said. This noise source was white noise, from imploding bubbles being created by the splashing of water. This type went in all directions. But there was another noise source, the barrelling mechanism of the wave. You can imagine this as a big woodwind instrument that constantly moves over the area and shoots out sound like a cannon from the open end, away from the centre, he said. Low-frequency sound is caused by the resonance of the air in the barrel of the wave. When this collapses it makes that thunder woof sound when you hear a wave break. At any one time this will be happening at least in two to three sections on both sides. The demonstration park in Spain. Credit:Urbnsurf He said the measurements taken in Spain were also potentially invalid in an Australian context, mainly due to how waves peeled at the Spain facility and where they had taken the measurements. He said Urbnsurf should have employed an acoustics expert to fly to an appropriate other example of a wave park for a few weeks, measure noise levels, map those results on to the proposed Australian locations, then got another scientist to peer-review it. This would all likely take six months and $150,000. The trillions of dollars tucked away in superannuation funds should be invested in affordable housing in Australia, a Canberra-based advocacy group says. ACT Shelter executive officer Travis Gilbert said he was disappointed the Barr government's recent budget did not address the systemic problems driving homelessness in Canberra. A homeless person sleeps rough outside the ACT Legislative Assembly. Credit:Karleen Minney The budget allocated an extra $1.23 million this year for frontline homelessness services, $200,000 for supported accommodation for people with mental illness and $250,000 to design a second Common Ground in Dickson. However Mr Gilbert said there was little in the budget to provide permanent housing for people, and expressed concern the government's new housing strategy has not been released. Unions say calls to reform the ACT's lease variation charge are an attempt to grab more "free money" from the ACT government. Unions ACT secretary Alex White came out swinging, after the construction and property sector said the current change of land use charge lacked "transparency and certainty". Unions say calls to reform the lease variation charge are a cash grab. Credit:Glen McCurtayne The territory government raised the charge to change the use of land from a house block to a strata title from $7500 a unit for the first three units and $5000 a unit after that to $30,000 in last year's budget. But despite the hike, the tax raised $14.7 million less than predicted last year. Another dispute on energy policy is brewing as federal parliament resumes and Liberals and Nationals meet for the final two weeks before the winter break. One of the most outspoken Liberals on energy and climate, backbencher Craig Kelly, says he expects the Coalition party room to discuss the issue on Tuesday to hear the latest on plans for the National Energy Guarantee. Federal environment and energy minister Josh Frydenberg is facing renewed internal pressure over the NEG. Credit:Janie Barrett An update on the NEG last Friday offered new details to keep MPs on edge, setting up another chance for conservatives to push back against Energy Minister Josh Frydenberg on the ambition to reduce carbon emissions. Frydenberg also faces demands from the left that the NEG be amended or replaced to set a bigger ambition to cut emissions and help renewables. "The marriage survey was directed to us pretty much a year on from the census," Ms Fallace said. Ms Fallace said "agile" is a working style used mainly by software development companies, but the ABS used it for the taskforce of about 100 staff to create and run the postal survey. The census headache was still fresh in the corporate memory when the agency first found out about its new major public task. Chief statistician David Kalisch of the Australian Bureau of Statistics announces the result of the Same-Sex Marriage postal survey at the ABS in November 2017. Credit:Lukas Coch There was doubt about whether the agency could pull it off, but today the agency's agile capability lead, Juliet Fallace, will reveal how some trendy management tricks helped the postal survey get off the ground. In August 2017, just a year after the 2016 census debacle, which left the Australian Bureau of Statistics bruised and humbled, the agency was tasked with running a postal survey on marriage equality in just 100 days. One of the major issues picked up in the MacGibbon review of what went wrong with the census was the agency's ability to make rapid decisions and mitigate issues early on. Agile techniques were already being adopted in other parts of the agency, leading to the decision to use them in the survey. "For that very reason the executive team thought 'Well 99 days is tight, we're not going to be able to project-manage this and keep abreast of all the issues and risks that come with running this across the country' and with that they made the decision to adopt agile," Ms Fallace said. The management style involves "stand up" meetings, which the ABS held twice a day in the lead up to the survey, and removing hierarchies so ideas from more junior staff members could be heard. Ms Fallace will tell the AgileAus conference in Melbourne on Monday that the working style would allow government agencies to respond to tightening budgets. "There is a reality here now that government is reducing funding across agencies, but we're still expected to do the same with less. On top of that we're also pressured on the public expectations on what services and products that we are to provide to our end user that is the average public Joe out there," Ms Fallace said. An internal review of the Greens crushing byelection loss in the inner-city federal seat of Batman has been delivered to dozens of party members, but not shown to the candidate herself. Alex Bhathal, who contested the seat for the sixth time in March, remains the preselected candidate but it is unclear whether she will choose to stay on and contest another election. In the lead-up to the byelection Ms Bhathal became the subject of a contentious bullying complaint, which her supporters asserted was designed to undermine her campaign. Greens Candidate for Batman Alex Bhathal Credit:AAP Hard copies of the review examining the disastrous Batman byelection defeat were distributed to delegates at a Greens state council meeting on Saturday. But attendees were ordered to give the reviews back to prevent leaking to the media. Jalalabad: A remarkable thing happened in Afghanistan's war. There were nearly two days of peace. As ceasefires by the government and the Taliban took hold, security forces and insurgents celebrated and took pictures together for the Muslim festival of Eid al-Fitr, marking the end of the holy fasting month of Ramadan. But at one of those celebrations in the eastern province of Nangarhar, an explosion went off Saturday afternoon, killing at least 26 people and wounding more than 50, among them civilians and members of both the Taliban and the Afghan security forces. Officials said it was either a suicide bomber or a car bomb. Dozens of Afghan troops were being killed every day in the run-up to the ceasefires, raising doubts about whether a sudden cessation of fighting would take hold. But for much of Friday and Saturday, Afghans were happily surprised, stunned even, by how widely the truces had been embraced. Valencia: An Italian coast guard ship has arrived in the Spanish port of Valencia, carrying migrants rescued by the Aquarius charity-run vessel, which Rome refused to allow to dock a week ago. The coast guard ship is one of two Italian vessels that took on some of the Aquarius's 629 passengers before escorting it to Spain, at the invitation of Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez. Migrants on the Aquarius ship after being rescued in the Mediterranean Sea. Italy refused the Aquarius and its 600 passengers entry then Spain offered to take it. Credit:AP The ship's arrival ends the migrants' gruelling nine days at sea but leaves wide open a fierce debate in Europe over how to handle immigration. Spain swooped to help the group of mainly sub-Saharan Africans on board the Aquarius last week, offering the charity-run ship a berth 700 nautical miles away after Italy and Malta refused to let it dock. The Great Revolt: Inside the Populist Coalition Reshaping American Politics By Salena Zito and Brad Todd Crown Forum 309 pp; $28 Long before he decided to vote for Donald Trump, Jonathan Kochie, a bar owner in Luzerne County, Pa., worried about his country turning from the American traditions of hard work and diversity. Well, we got away from that and moved toward only some peoples traditions and cultures matter, and the other people just need to go away, he tells the authors of The Great Revolt. This sympathetic, frustrating book is part of the ... Dear Reader, Business Standard has always strived hard to provide up-to-date information and commentary on developments that are of interest to you and have wider political and economic implications for the country and the world. Your encouragement and constant feedback on how to improve our offering have only made our resolve and commitment to these ideals stronger. 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Digital Editor ICICI Prudential Lifes (ICICI Prus) revenue from premiums declined for two straight months in the current financial year, from Rs 13.05 billion in the first two months of FY17 to Rs 10.12 billion at the end of May FY18. For its new business, premium revenue also went down 22.4 per cent year-on-year for the month of April and May, compared to the same period in the previous year. Even market share fell from 6.9 per cent at the end of May 2017 to five per cent in May 2018, according to data from the Insurance Regulatory and Developmental Authority of India ... At first glance, it is easy to call the meeting between US president, Donald Trump, and his North Korean counterpart, Kim Jong-un, historic and unprecedented. It was the first meeting between sitting leaders of the two countries, which are still technically in a state of war. You could also call it a success preparations and schedules were respected, the media had ample opportunity to take shots of the two men shaking hands in front of the colourful display of 12 intermingled American and North Korean flags and they were also privy to ... Austria has sought for clarification from neighbouring Germany on allegations that German intelligence agents snooped on nearly 2,000 targets for several years in the Alpine nation, including embassies and ministries. According to several media reports, German Federal Intelligence Service (BND) conducted surveillance on around 2,000 targets at political institutions, international organizations, banks; companies and weapons producers allege Austria's daily Der Standard and weekly Profil. The two media outlets said the information was provided to them by a German source. "The scale of the surveillance was enormous. We want to have certainty that (the surveillance) ended, and if data were saved, our request is of course for it to be deleted," Deutsche Welle quoted Austrian Chancellor Sebastian Kurz, as saying. "Our wish is, of course, to know who was monitored when the surveillance was ended, and of course we want to have certainty that it was stopped," he added. Top Austrian institutions, including the office of Austrian Federal Chancellor, its Defense and Foreign Ministries, and the Austrian Chamber of Economics were reportedly among the targets of the German surveillance. BND also targeted at least 75 foreign embassies, as well as other diplomatic missions, the report claims. "We are confident that Germany is willing to clarify the allegations and create transparency," Kurz stated. On Saturday, Austrian President Alexander Van der Bellen underscored, "spying among friendly states is not just unusual and unwanted, and it's unacceptable.. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) Secretary General Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir on Sunday once again urged the government to immediately transfer the party's ailing imprisoned chief, Khaleda Zia, to Dhaka's United Hospital for her better treatment. As per a report in the Daily Star, Alamgir said in a press conference that Zia, jailed on 8 February on charges of embezzling a mere $252,000 via the Zia Orphanage Trust, was initially able to walk on her own, but now she was critically ill. He further noted that Khaleda, who had confidence in United Hospital, would not take treatment from anywhere else. Meanwhile, Commerce Minister Tofail Ahmed of the ruling party Awami League alleged that BNP was hatching a conspiracy to send Khaleda to abroad. "Khaleda Zia is not ill. She is completely fine. Why does not she get admitted to Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujib Medical University or CMH (Combined Military Hospital) if she is ill?" asked Ahmed, reported the Dhaka Tribune. Earlier on June 14, her lawyer Khandker Mahbub Hossain had urged the government to release her from jail on parole on the humanitarian ground for her better treatment. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) There will be no extension of ceasefire in Jammu and Kashmir, the Ministry of Home Affairs announced on Sunday. The Home Ministry has directed security forces to take all necessary actions as earlier to prevent terrorists from launching attacks and indulging in violence and killings. "Government will continue with its endeavour to create an environment free of terror and violence in Jammu and Kashmir," a release by the Home Ministry read. "It is important that all sections of peace loving people come together to isolate the terrorists and motivate those who have been misguided to return to the path of peace," it added. On May 17, the Central Government took the decision that security forces will not conduct offensive operations in the state during the holy month of Ramzan. This decision was taken in the interests of the people, in order to provide them a conducive atmosphere to observe Ramzan. The ministry, in the statement, further hailed the security forces for displaying exemplary restraint during the period. "It was expected that everyone will cooperate in ensuring the success of this initiative. While the Security Forces have displayed exemplary restraint during this period, the terrorists have continued with their attacks, on civilians and Security Forces, resulting in deaths and injuries," the ministry said. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday said the schemes of the Union Government were reaching the masses without discrimination and in a balanced way. Elaborating on the Union Government's guiding principle of 'Sabka Saath Sabka Vikas,' the Prime Minister said, "All villages of the country are now electrified, and under Saubhagya Yojana four crore houses are now being provided with electricity connections. Rural sanitation coverage has increased from less than 40 percent to about 85 percent in four years." After the implementation of the 'Jan Dhan Yojana,' Prime Minister Modi said the entire population of the country would be connected to the banking system. "Similarly, the 'Ujjwala Yojana' is providing access to cooking gas, and 'Mission Indradhanush' is working towards universal immunisation. The Union Government is working towards providing housing for all by 2022," he added. The Prime Minister called upon all chief ministers to contribute their efforts towards this objective of 100 percent implementation of schemes for the welfare of the poor. Prime Minister Modi said the implementation of these welfare schemes was also bringing about a behavioural change in the lives of people. He stated that the 'Swachh Bharat Mission' was being discussed around the world, adding that in the last four years, 7.70 crore toilets were constructed. He also called upon all chief ministers to work towards 100 percent sanitation coverage by October 2, 2019, the 150th birth anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi. The Prime Minister called for efforts towards water conservation and water management on a war footing. Further, he said since corporate investment in the agriculture sector is very low in India, states needed to formulate policies that promote the same in areas such as warehousing, transportation, value addition, food processing and so on. Prime Minister Modi noted that mining blocks that were successfully auctioned needed to start production at the earliest and urged all states to take steps in this regard. He also said that the District Mineral Foundations would help the poor and the tribals in a big way. In addition, the Prime Minister called for widespread debate and consultations on simultaneous elections for Lok Sabha and Vidhan Sabhas, keeping in view various aspects such as the resulting financial savings and consequent better utilisation of resources. In conclusion, the Prime Minister thanked the chief ministers for their suggestions. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Amal Clooney has planned a surprise for her husband George Clooney's second Father's Day a week after their twins - Ella and Alexander - had their first birthday party. The duo was seen at AFI Life Achievement Award Tribute special, which was held to celebrate the 57-year-old actor. While Amal remained quiet about the surprise, the 'Batman and Robin' star said he was quite excited, People Magazine reported. He told the reporters, "The kids are making me a cake already and they're working on a card already. It's gonna be fun, I'm excited." Amal said, "It is a surprise." The celebrity couple has kept their children away from media. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Prime Minister said the world expects India to become a five trillion-dollar economy soon. "The world expects India to become a five trillion dollar economy soon," he said while delivering the closing remarks at a meeting of the NITI Aayog's governing council here on Sunday. The Prime Minister also encouraged states to give fresh ideas to the Finance Commission for incentivising outcome-based allocations, and expenditure correction. Welcoming the constructive discussion and suggestions made by various chief ministers of the states, the Prime Minister assured the gathering that these suggestions would be seriously considered in the course of decision-making. He also directed the government's think tank to follow up with the states on the actionable points made by them within three months. "On the lines of the 115 aspirational districts identified by NITI Aayog, states can define their own parameters to identify 20 per cent of the total blocks in the state as aspirational blocks," he said. Expressing happiness that the states were organising investor summits, he further suggested that they should focus on exports. He also encouraged the states to boost ease of doing business, saying NITI Aayog should call a meeting with all the states for the same. He said "ease of living" for the common man was also the need of the hour, and states should take initiatives in this regard. Speaking on the issue of environment raised by chief ministers in the meet, Prime Minister Modi urged all states to use LED bulbs in their government buildings, official residences and streetlights. He suggested that this could be implemented within a definite timeframe. He called upon the Chief Ministers of Madhya Pradesh, Bihar, Sikkim, Gujarat, Uttar Pradesh, West Bengal and Andhra Pradesh, to work together to make recommendations on a coordinated policy approach to the two subjects of "agriculture and MNREGA," including both pre-sowing, and post-harvest phases. The Prime Minister stated that it was vital to identify the "last people in the line" so that benefits of governance could reach them. He also said social justice was an important governmental objective and those noble causes required close coordination and constant monitoring. Prime Minister Modi reiterated the Union Government's commitment to providing universal coverage of seven key schemes to 45,000 additional villages in 115 Aspirational Districts, by August 15 this year. Amid an intensifying tussle between the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) and Lieutenant Governor (L-G) Anil Baijal, Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on Sunday assured the Indian Administrative Association (IAS) officers their security and safety, and appealed to them to end their "strike." "The press conference held by IAS officers serving under the Delhi government was riddled with lies, inconsistencies, and falsehoods. The most important question about whether or not the officers attended meetings with, responded to phone calls, text messages of Ministers and the Chief Ministers over the last four months was completely side-stepped. A bureaucracy that does not function under the direction of elected Government cannot claim to be working as per will of the people," read a statement by Kejriwal. Kejriwal alleged that the important meetings called by Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia about mid-day meals had to be rescheduled several times due to the officers' no-show. "Important meetings called by Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia about Mid Day Meals had to be rescheduled several times due to the no-show by IAS officers. The meeting was first called on 22 February, 2018. Due to a request to reschedule, it was postponed to 5 March, 2018. Despite accommodating the officer's requests for a later date, the meeting was not attended by them," he said. He further claimed that the meetings related to pollution control, Mohalla clinics and others suffered or was pending due to the absence of officers at the time of need. He added, "The people of Delhi are keenly awaiting the return of officers back to work, so that the public works which have suffered in the last four months, may resume. In the interest of the people of Delhi, the IAS officers must end the illegal strike immediately and work with the elected government to fulfill their duties toward the people they are lawfully bound to serve." This came after the IAS Association called the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) government's allegations "false and baseless." Addressing a press conference here on Sunday, IAS Association member Manisha Saxena said, "I would like to inform that we are not on strike. The information that IAS officers in Delhi are on strike is completely false and baseless. We are attending meetings and all departments are doing their work. We are sometimes also working on holidays." Kejriwal and some of his Cabinet ministers like Manish Sisodia, Satyendra Jain, and Gopal Rai are on a sit-in strike at Raj Niwas, the official residence of Lieutenant Governor Anil Baijal, since June 11, demanding a direction to the Indian Administrative Service (IAS) officers working under the Delhi administration to end their "undeclared strike." The Delhi Chief Minister claimed that the IAS officers working for the Government of Capital Territory of Delhi (GNCTD) were "only working on important files" and "not responding to Ministers' calls and messages, and not attending meetings. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Prime Minister Narendra Modi chaired the fourth meeting of the Governing Council of NITI Aayog at Rashtrapati Bhawan earlier in the day. The meeting was attended by the Chief Ministers of 23 states, barring those from Odisha, Goa, Jammu and Kashmir, Delhi, Sikkim, Mizoram, Manipur, and Tripura. The following are the key issues that were discussed at the meeting: -The Prime Minister assured help with the norms and provisions to the bifurcated states of Bihar and Jharkhand, and Telangana and Andhra Pradesh. -A seven-member committee headed by Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan, along with the Chief Ministers of Bihar, Gujarat, Sikkim, West Bengal, Uttar Pradesh, West Bengal, and Andhra Pradesh will be formed under MNREGA scheme for development of irrigation and post-harvest. -The Prime Minister spoke about Aspirational Blocks and the development of villages to implement welfare schemes in 45,000 villages by August 15. A total of 65,000 villages have to be covered. -Open Defecation Free India under Swachh Bharat Abhiyaan by 2019, as a tribute to Mahatma Gandhi. -Uniform Voter List was also an important issue addressed by the Prime Minister, as with current technology it could save time, money, and resources. -Prime Minister Modi also asked the states to focus on exports and attract nations via the same. -States were directed to utilise their hydro-potential, especially Arunachal Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, and Uttarakhand. -The Prime Minister directed the focus to ease of living by making self-attestation, license and so on easy for the public to access. -The states were asked to set a target at their level to help transform India into a five trillion dollar economy. -The states were directed to focus on an outcome-based revolution. -The Prime Minister asked states to encourage mineral extraction, and employment through mining. -The states were asked to send their suggestions, if any, through a written document. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Chief Executive Officer of NITI Aayog Amitabh Kant rubbished Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal's claim of Lieutenant General Anil Baijal attending fourth meeting of the Governing Council of NITI Aayog on his behest. Taking to his Twitter handle, Kant clarified that LG Baijal is not present in the ongoing meeting to represent the Capital Territory. "This is totally incorrect. Lt. Governor of Delhi is not present at the Fourth Meeting of the Governing Council of NITI Aayog," Kant Tweeted. The NITI Aayog CEO's clarification came after the Delhi Chief Minister took to his Twitter handle and questioned LG Baijal's attendance in the meeting. "Under which provision of the Constitution does LG have powers to replace the Chief Minister? I have not authorised him to go in my place," Kejriwal Tweeted. Kejriwal did not attend the NITI Aayog meeting as he is on sit-in strike at Raj Niwas, the official residence of the Lieutenant Governor, since June 11 demanding a direction to the Indian Administrative Service (IAS) officers working under the Delhi administration to end their 'undeclared strike', among other demands. The Delhi chief minister claimed that the IAS officers working for Government of Capital Territory of Delhi (GNCTD) were "only working on important files" and "not responding to Ministers' calls and messages, and not attending meetings". Therefore, Kejriwal asked Baijal to direct the IAS officers to end their strike and take action against officers who have allegedly struck work for four months. Chief Ministers of West Bengal, Andhra Pradesh, Kerala, and Karnataka also arrived at Lieutenant Governor Baijal's office on Saturday to meet and extend support to the Delhi Chief Minister on the issue. The four chief ministers in a joint press conference outside Baijal's office sought Prime Minister Narendra Modi's intervention to end the ongoing fight between the Delhi Lt. Governor and the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) government. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Pakistan's former prime minister Nawaz Sharif and his daughter Maryam have delayed their return to the country at the moment citing the prevailing illness of Begum Kulsoom Nawaz's as the reason. The father-daughter duo, who were earlier scheduled to return to Pakistan on Sunday, were advised by the doctors to delay the return, reported Geo TV. With this, the counsels for Nawaz and Maryam will submit an exemption from appearance request in the accountability court of Islamabad. It is pertinent to mention here that the former premier along with his family, is facing three corruption cases filed by the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) following his disqualification in July last year. Earlier on Thursday, Nawaz Sharif and his daughter left for London to visit Kulsoom. Begum Kulsoom was shifted to the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) of the Harley Street Clinic in London after she suffered a cardiac arrest late on Thursday, Geo TV reported. She has been kept on life support since then but is now said to be stable. Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) President Shehbaz Sharif on Saturday arrived in London to see his ailing sister-in-law. Begum Kulsoom Nawaz underwent multiple surgeries from August 2017, after she was diagnosed with throat cancer (lymphoma). Her condition began to deteriorate in April this year, after which she was moved to London for treatment. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) While it's not 'on her mind' right now, reality TV star Kim Kardashian says she isn't ruling out plans to run for the President of the United States. "I don't really think that's even on my mind," Kim said when asked whether she would consider running for President in an interview with CNN. However, when she was reminded that US President Donald Trump's presidency makes it more likely for a celebrity to entertain the idea of a presidential run, Kim responded: "I know, that's why Kanye (West) loves him. It's the idea that anything could happen." While Kim admitted she should "never say never," she explained her statement shouldn't be misread as a declaration of her intent to run for office. "That's not what I'm going for. I just want to help, starting with one person at a time. I think sometimes if more people would just put their personal feelings aside and talk about really important issues that have to be discussed, then so much more can get done," she said. Earlier Kim helped Alice Johnson receive a presidential pardon after spending 21 years in prison. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar put forth the demand for granting Special Status to his state. Addressing the fourth meeting of the NITI Aayog's governing council; Kumar suggested replacing cooking food under the mid-day scheme with a direct benefit transfer. Regarding the special status issue, Nitish claimed that this was necessary, as Bihar lagged behind on several key areas of human development like per capita income, education, health, electricity, institutional finance and others. Nitish also labelled the increase in a states' share in tax revenue from 32 to 42 per cent as being "merely a compositional shift." "The increase in tax transfers was negated to a large extent by the reduction in allocations by the centre for the central plan schemes and the centrally sponsored schemes to the States. Furthermore, the state-wise distribution pattern also led to a decrease in Bihar's share from 10.917 per cent (XIII FC) and to 9.665 percent (XV FC)," he said in his address. He also stated that Rs 2600 crore as Backward Region Grant Fund were due to be released to his state. Earlier, Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu's Telugu Desam Party withdrew support from the Bharatiya Janata Party-led Democratic Alliance over the latter's failure to grant special status to his state. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Delhi will not get any respite from the soaring temperatures till next week, India Meteorological Department has forecasted. "There's no chance of revival of monsoon in next five to six days. Rainfall will be less than normal. We'll have to wait for a week for further advancement of monsoon. There has been thunderstorm activity in North-West India, it'll continue for 1-2 days," an IMD official, Charan Singh, told ANI. Delhi and adjoining areas may experience sparse rainfall in the next 24 hours. However, IMD said rainfall is likely in Jammu and Kashmir, Uttarakhand, Himachal Pradesh, and northern parts of Punjab and Haryana. "Delhi NCR will not experience much activity. In next 24 hours, there can be only sparse rainfall. North Punjab, north Haryana, Jammu and Kashmir, Himachal, Uttarakhand will experience rainfall for next two days," Singh added. On Saturday, the IMD issued a warning of thunderstorm accompanied with rain and squally winds in parts of Punjab, Haryana, and Delhi. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Members of the Helmand peace convoy have called on the Afghanistan government and the Taliban to work on a long-term ceasefire agreement. On Saturday, they were warmly welcomed in Wardak province. The convoy is expected to arrive in Kabul later in the week. It started its journey 34 days ago from Helmand. The members of this peace convoy walked across the country with the aim of spreading messages of peace. The convoy includes people ranging from 17 to 65 years of age. These are laborers, farmers, retired army officers, a polio victim on crutches and many more, as per Tolo News. The convoy has travelled through war-weary Kandahar, Zabul and Ghazni provinces and they have covered about 500km. Afghan President Ashraf Ghani on Saturday announced an extension of the government's week-long ceasefire with the Taliban which was otherwise due to end on June 19. He also urged the Taliban to extend their three-day ceasefire which is due to end Sunday. This comes in the backdrop of an initial truce which was observed by both sides over the Eid festival period. The Taliban on June 9 announced a three-day ceasefire over the Eid holiday, two days after Ghani announced the ceasefire from the 27th of Ramzan (June 12) to the fifth day of Eid-ul-Fitr (June 19). It is the first time the Taliban has agreed to a ceasefire for Eid since the US invasion in 2001. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Prime Minister Narendra Modi will chair the fourth meeting of the Governing Council of NITI Aayog at Rashtrapati Bhawan today. The Council is likely to discuss important issues such as measures taken to double farmers' income; progress of flagship schemes such as Ayushman Bharat, Nutrition Mission, and Mission Indradhanush; development of aspirational districts and celebration of the 150th birth anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi. The Governing Council will also review the work done during the previous year and deliberates upon the future developmental priorities. The day-long meeting will be attended by Union Ministers, Chief Ministers from the States, Lieutenant Governors of Union Territories and senior officials from the Government of India. The Governing Council of NITI Aayog is the premier body tasked with evolving a shared vision of development priorities, sectors, and strategies with the active involvement of States in shaping the development narrative. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) President Ram Nath Kovind, while addressing the Indian diaspora residing in Greece on Sunday, called them the "cultural ambassadors of the country." President Kovind said that the Indian Diaspora played a greater role in strengthening economic and cultural relations between the two countries. "We have an ambassador in Greece. But you are India's cultural ambassador. You play a greater role in establishing relations with India, to strengthen economic relations with India," he said. He underlined a range of facilities launched by the Indian government for the benefit of the non-resident Indians, including the introduction of Overseas Citizens of India or Persons of Indian Origin cards for them, adding that a "large number of people must avail its services." President Kovind then talked about facilities given to the NRIs, saying, "We have launched a 24-hour helpline in the embassies for the diaspora." The President further said, "Social media has been utilised to reach out to people. Today, you all have gained the faith you might be in any problem in any part of the will be given our support." He then highlighted India's initiatives to help evacuate the people stuck in accidents or national calamities, including the Yemeni crisis. He talked about various other initiatives including resource centres, and 'Know India Programme.' "We have inaugurated Pravasi Bhartiya Kendra which acts as a resource center for diaspora whenever they visit India. We have now opened Know India program for you (Indian Diaspora) to gain more information about our country," President Kovind added. He invited the audience to attend the 2019 Pravasi Bhartiya Diwas, scheduled to be held in Varanasi, and the Republic Day parade. Talking about his scheduled meetings during the visit, President Kovind said that he would call on his Greece counterpart and Prime Minister. They would discuss bilateral issues including "economy, politics, culture, and people-to-people relations." On Monday, a business-level meeting would be held in his presence, where they would discuss infrastructure, energy, and supply chain. "Greece has worked in fields of processing, shipping, food, and tech, in India which has created employment opportunities in the country," President Kovind added. He further highlighted the major developments undertaken by India as it became the world's fastest-growing economy, and the third largest market, while the Economic Forum 2017 declared the Indian economy as the third most trusted in the President Kovind mentioned the Goods and Services tax, and Mudra scheme, aimed at banking the unbanked, and digitisation. He also mentioned the International Solar Alliance (ISA), an initiative by India to highlight the importance of solar energy. The ISA's founding conference was held in March in New Delhi. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) An Indonesian villager, Wa Tiba (54) was swallowed by a python on June 15. This is the second time in barely a year's time that a villager became prey to a python here. Muna Police chief Adj. Sr. Comr. Agung Ramos Paretongan Sinaga said Wa Tiba, who was a housewife disappeared on Thursday night after she went to inspect her corn plantation, about a half mile from her house, as per The Jakarta Post. The field is surrounded by cliffs, caves and a certain number of reticulated pythons. Wa Tiba wanted to check the plantation as wild boars often destroyed the crops. When by 6 am the next day she had not returned home, her sister went to look out for her at the plantation. She found Tiba's footprints, a torch, her machete and slippers. She then immediately sought assistance from the locals. At around 9:30 am, residents found a 23 feet long python near the plantation. It was so bloated that it could barely move. The locals killed the snake. On dissecting its stomach, they found Wa Tiba's body. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Senior political leaders visited the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) where former prime minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee is undergoing treatment for Urinary Tract Infection. Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Raman Singh, Jharkhand Chief Minister Raghubar Das, and Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar were among the senior leaders to visit the hospital on Saturday. Vajpayee was admitted at Delhi's AIIMS on June 11; he was diagnosed with urinary tract infection, chest congestion, and low urine output. However, according to a statement issued by AIIMS, the former Prime Minister is showing improvement. "Former prime minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee is stable. He continues to show improvement and is being monitored by a team of doctors," read the statement. Earlier, Prime Minister Narendra Modi, veteran BJP leader L.K. Advani, Home Minister Rajnath Singh, BJP Chief Amit Shah, Congress president Rahul Gandhi, former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and others visited Vajpayee at the hospital. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Fitness enthusiast and Bollywood actor Shilpa Shetty, whose picture hit the internet after she was spotted coming out of a diagnostic lab with reports in her hand, finally clarified about the pregnancy rumours. Ever since the photo of the actress coming out of a pathology lab went online, her fans are questioning #ShilpaKoKyaHua. Seeing this buzz, Shilpa took to Twitter to respond and calm down all her fans and social media users. Clarifying that she is not pregnant, Shilpa said that she had gone for a regular health checkup. She said, on Twitter, #ShilpaKoKyaHua KUCH NAHI! Hey Bhagwan I get a preventive health check done at SRL regularly to know that my body is as healthy on the inside as the outside. Something we all must do. What's all the fuss about !! And NO not pregnant?? #healthcheck #preventionisbetterthancure" Recently, the 'Dhadkan' star's son turned six. The 43-year-old actress shared a video on her Insta page where she, along with her businessman husband Raj Kundra and son Viaan, was seen distributing sweets in an old age home. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Sri Lankan Navy will release ten Indian fishermen's boats that were taken into custody in 2015 and 2016. As per media reports, the Sri Lankan government had, on June 13 sent a letter to the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) stating that they are ready to release ten boats. In 2017, out of the 216 boats, Sri Lanka released around 42 boats. However, the fishermen were only able to retrieve 32 boats as remaining ten were damaged beyond repair. Now, the Sri Lankan government is releasing another 10 boats instead of the ones that were not retrieved in 2017, Colombo Page reported. A team headed by a fisheries official, including fishermen and salvage personnel will be leaving for Sri Lanka in two days to retrieve the boats. As per the demands of fishermen in the region, remaining 174 boats in the Sri Lankan custody must be released. Each boat costs Rs 8 to 10 lakh, they added. "We will go and check the boats in Sri Lanka but we demand that all our boats in the Sri Lankan custody be released," Colombo Page quoted Jesuraj, a Tamilian fishermen leader as saying. The Sri Lankan fishermen also suggested that the boats in Sri Lankan custody either be disposed off or returned to Indian fishermen. "These seized boats are docked in our shore and it is so difficult for us to go to the sea for fishing. The tied boats tend to move astray and hit with the neighboring damaging the docked boats as well as ours," a Sri Lankan fisherman was quoted by Colombo Page. The Indo-Sri Lankan officials are scheduled to meet in Delhi to discuss the problems of the Tamil fishermen on July 4. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj arrived in Italy on Sunday as part of her first official visit to the country. Swaraj was received by Indian ambassador to Italy Reenat Sandhu at the airport. During her visit, Swaraj will call on Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte, and will meet her Italian counterpart Enzo Moavero Milanesi, Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, according to the External Affairs Ministry. Both leaders are expected to review bilateral relations between the two countries. From Italy, Swaraj will depart for France, where she is expected to meet Minister for Europe and Foreign Affairs, Jean-Yves Le Drian. Her visit comes at a time when both nations are celebrating the 20th anniversary of their strategic partnership. While in Paris, Swaraj will be the Chief Guest at the naming ceremony of the Indian Culture Centre and also interact with the Indian community. Later on, Swaraj will be visiting Luxembourg from June 19-20, marking the 70th year of establishment of Diplomatic Relations between the two countries. This will be followed by a two-day visit to Belgium where she is scheduled to meet Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs of Belgium, Didier Reynders, President of the European Commission Jean-Claude Juncker, and President of the European Parliament Antonio Tajani. The week-long visit is aimed at providing an opportunity to hold in-depth discussions with the political leadership on a wide range of global, regional and bilateral issues, and advance India's growing strategic engagement with the European Union. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj on Sunday embarked on a four-nation visit to Italy, France, Luxembourg and Belgium. Today, Swaraj will visit Italy. This will be the first major political exchange between India and Italy following the swearing-in of Giuseppe Conte as the country's new Prime Minister. In Rome, Swaraj will call on Prime Minister Conte and also meet her counterpart, Enzo Moavero Milanesi, Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, and review the bilateral relations between the two countries. Meanwhile, the visit to France (June 18-19) will see Swaraj meeting her counterpart, Jean-Yves Le Drian, Minister for Europe and Foreign Affairs to review the bilateral relations between the two nations. This will be the first major visit to France since the visit of the French President Macron to India in March this year. India and France are celebrating the 20th anniversary of their strategic partnership. While in Paris, Swaraj will be the Chief Guest at the naming ceremony of the Indian Culture Centre and also interact with the Indian community. Later on, Swaraj will be visiting Luxembourg from June 19-20, marking the 70th year of establishment of Diplomatic Relations between the two countries. During her visit, the External Affairs Minister will be calling on the Grand Duke of Luxembourg His Royal Highness Henri Albert Gabriel Felix Marie Guillaume and Xavier Bettel, the Prime Minister of Luxembourg. Swaraj will also have meetings with Jean Asselborn, Minister of Foreign and European Affairs and Pierre Gramegna, the Minister of Finance. In Luxembourg, she will also interact with the Indian community. The Minister will be visiting Belgium from June 20-23. Swaraj will be meeting the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs of Belgium, Didier Reynders. In Brussels, Swaraj will call on the President of the European Commission Jean-Claude Juncker and the President of the European Parliament Antonio Tajani. Swaraj will also be meeting with her counterpart, Federica Mogherini, the High Representative of the European Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy / Vice President of the European Commission to review the entire gamut of India-EU relations. While in Brussels, Swaraj will deliver a keynote speech at the high-level event 'Climate, Peace and Security: Time for Action', lead the International Yoga Day celebrations at the European Parliament and also interact with the Indian community. The visit to the four European nations is aimed at providing an opportunity to hold in-depth discussions with the political leadership on a wide range of global, regional and bilateral issues, and advance India's growing strategic engagement with the European Union. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres and the Bank Group President Jim Yong Kim are likely to visit Rohingya refugee camps in Cox's Bazar, Bangladesh on July 1 as a part of their two-day official trip. "A visit to Bangladesh by Bank Group President Jim Yong Kim is currently under consideration. Details on the visit will be shared when they become available," The Daily Star quoted Qimiao Fan, Bank country director for Bangladesh, Bhutan and Nepal as saying. Guterres and Jim will then hold meetings with Bangladeshi Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina and Finance Minister AMA Muhith, the government's Economic Relations Division (ERD) sources said. The World Bank may offer a grant worth $200 million to help tackle the ongoing Rohingya crisis in Bangladesh. Rohingyas are a Muslim minority ethnic group in Myanmar and are considered to be illegal immigrants. More than 700,000 Rohingya refugees are languishing in Bangladeshi refugee camps, after fleeing a brutal Myanmar army campaign launched in August last year. The United Nations had earlier said the scorched-earth operation, which had left hundreds of villages burned to ash in Myanmar's Rakhine state, amounted to 'ethnic cleansing'. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) A man allegedly sneaked in former Pakistan Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif's wife, Kulsoom Nawaz's hospital room without permission at London's Harley Street Clinic on June 16. This sparked alarm among members of the Sharif family, Dawn reported. On June 15, Kulsoom suffered a cardiac arrest in the intensive care unit of a London hospital. She was later sedated and put on life support. Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) President Shehbaz Sharif on Saturday arrived in London to see his ailing sister-in-law. "This man fooled security and managed to reach Begum Kulsoom's room," Geo News quoted Hussain Nawaz, the son of Nawaz Sharif, as saying. In a video shared on Twitter, the man identified himself as Naveed. According to Dawn, he is a doctor with a medical practitioner's ID card. "Even if he is a doctor, it does not mean that he can enter a place he has no concern with," Hussain added. The man who entered into the clinic was then inquired by the police. He was let off with a warning after his medical practitioners' ID card was scrutinised and he wasn't found guilty of any criminal offence. Naveed said he was a former member of the Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) and had come to support the Sharif family, in his capacity as a Pakistani. Begum Kulsoom Nawaz underwent multiple surgeries from August 2017, after she was diagnosed with throat cancer (lymphoma). Her condition began to deteriorate in April this year, after which she was moved to London for treatment. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Fifteen civilians were injured on Sunday in an explosion at the Manasbal park in Jammu and Kashmir's Ganderbal district. Police said a low intensity explosion occurred in a dustbin. They said firecrackers placed in the dustbin may have caused the blast. "Fifteen civilians sustained minor injuries and all of them are stable," a police officer said. --IANS sq/mr (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) At least 15 people were killed and 45 others wounded as an explosion rocked a provincial governor's office after a meeting between Afghan officials and Taliban members here on Sunday, a security official said. "The initial information found a terrorist blew his explosive jacket up at the gate of the building roughly at 3.15 p.m. local time when people were leaving the building when the meeting ended," a security source told Xinhua news agency. The death toll was likely to go up as many of the injured were in critical condition, the source added. The government announced a seven-day ceasefire from June 12 to encourage the Taliban to support the national reconciliation process. Reciprocating the step, the armed group announced a three-day truce from the first day of Eid-ul-Fitr, Friday, to the end of Sunday. Provincial Governor's spokesman Attahullah Khogyani confirmed the incident to Xinhua. He said a probe was on and information about the identity of the victims would be shared with media later in the day. On Saturday, 25 people were killed and 54 others wounded in another similar incident on the outskirts of Jalalabad, capital of Afghanistan's eastern Nangarhar province, for which the Islamic State militants claimed responsibility. Afghan President Ashraf Ghani on Saturday extended the ceasefire for an unknown period of time. --IANS him/vd (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) At least 22 people were injured early on Sunday when some gunmen opened fire at a crowd at a 24-hour art festival in Trenton, New Jersey, authorities said, ruling out a terror angle. Among the injured is a 13-year-old, who is in extremely critical condition, while four others are critical, CNN reported quoting the Mercer County Prosecutor's Office. Police are believed to have killed one suspect, a 33-year-old man, while another was taken into custody, prosecutor Angelo Onofri said, adding multiple weapons were recovered. "It absolutely could have been worse given the confined space and the number of shots that appear to have been fired." The shooting, which appears to be the result of a "neighbourhood beef", took place around 2.45 a.m. at the Art All Night-Trenton festival at the Roebling Wire Works Building. Police are investigating to determine if there were more suspects. --IANS him/ (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) At least six Islamic State (IS) militants were killed on Sunday in an airstrike in Iraq's central province of Salahudin. The incident took place early in the morning when the Iraqi aircraft bombarded an IS hideout in Farhatiyah area near Balad, some 80 km north of the Iraqi capital, destroying the hideout and killing six IS militants inside, Sheikh Safaa al-Timimi, a leader of a brigade in Saraya al-Salam militia, told Xinhua news agency. The airstrike was based on intelligence reports by Saraya al-Salam, or Peace Companies, affiliated with the prominent Shia cleric Moqtada al-Sadr, Timimi said. Sadr's militia is a reformation of the previous Mahdi Army, which he led during the US occupation of Iraq and the subsequent sectarian strife in the years after 2003. Later in 2014, Sadr announced the formation of Peace Companies to protect Shia shrines from the IS following the June 10, 2014 blitzkrieg when the group seized large swathes of territories in predominantly Sunni provinces in northern and western Iraq. Key cities of Salahudin province, including the provincial capital Tikrit, some 170 km north of Baghdad, were captured by IS militants in June 2014, but the Iraqi security forces freed the province during major anti-IS offensives. --IANS him/ (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Delhi's ruling AAP on Sunday held a march to support Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal and three of his cabinet colleagues, who have been holding a sit-in at the LG office for the last one week, even as the four non-BJP Chief Ministers met Prime Minister Narendra Modi and urged him to immediately resolve the crisis. Kejriwal and his colleagues have been demanding that Lt. Governor Anil Baijal direct IAS officers to end their "strike" but the Delhi IAS Association denied the allegations of not working, though saying they need a "culture of trust". The four Chief Ministers - West Bengal's Mamata Banerjee, Kerala's Pinarayi Vijayan, Karnataka's H.D. Kumaraswamy and Andhra Pradesh's N. Chandrababu Naidu - met on Saturday to discuss a strategy to support to the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leader. They had also visited Kejriwal's residence and met his family. "I along with the Chief Ministers of Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka and Kerala have requested the Prime Minister to resolve the problems of the Delhi government immediately," tweeted Banerjee, who was here to attend the meeting of NITI Aayog's Governor Council. The meeting, chaired by Modi, was not attended by Kejriwal among others. Meanwhile, Communist Party of India-Marxist General Secretary Sitaram Yechury, who participated in the AAP's march to Prime Minister's residence, accused the Modi government of using the Governor's office to destabilise the non-BJP state governments as well as to install BJP governments despite the saffron party not winning the mandate. "Joining the protest rally to the Prime Minister's residence today to express serious condemnation over the manner in which federalism, a fundamental feature of our Constitution, is being undermined by this BJP Central government," he said in a statement. Kejriwal, along with Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia and Cabinet ministers Satyendar Jain and Gopal Rai, is camping at Raj Niwas since Monday demanding a direction to the IAS officers working in the Delhi administration to end their undeclared strike. He also wants the Central government to approve his government's proposal to deliver ration to the poor at their houses. Meanwhile, the Delhi IAS Association said they are totally neutral towards all political parties but need assurances on their safety. "Cameras and recording cannot ensure my security. No one has assured us of our security and safety. There has been no attempt from the government to reach out to us so that we can feel safe," IAS Association Secretary Manisha Saxena told the media here. "We all had various experiences of assault. We will not attend a meeting if we are not feeling safe. We have gone out of the way to ensure that public do not suffer, their work does not suffer, but we will not work at the cost of our life. "We don't go to places where we don't feel safe. We need a culture of trust to work," she added. The officers said they are feeling unsafe after the alleged assault on Chief Secretary Anshu Prakash. The IAS Officers' Association of AGMUT cadre, in a statement, also termed as "misinformation" the claim that they were on strike, saying "we reiterate that all our officers and officials, all IAS officers, are working with full vigour and dedication". Kejriwal later on Sunday assured the IAS officers of their safety and security and urged them to "return to work" and attend ministers' meetings. "I wish to assure them that I will ensure their safety and security with all my powers and resources available at my command. I have given similar assurances earlier also to many officers who have been meeting me privately. I reiterate it today," he said in a letter posted on his Twitter account. However, the BJP slammed Kejriwal for "creating drama to further his political ambitions" with his sit-in protest. In a letter addressed to Kejriwal, Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) Delhi unit leaders and rebel AAP MLA Kapil Mishra said: "You have done everything in your power to shrug off any responsibility that comes with the position you hold, we are writing to you with a hope that you would have your conscience awakened to your moral responsibility... "After the incidence of beating up the Chief Secretary, officers have refused to meet you at your residence, while you have been absent from your office." --IANS bns/vd/him/ (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) It is a wonderful Eid for Ali Fazal. The young actor is currently shooting for Tigmanshu Dhulia's "Milan Talkies" in his hometown Lucknow. And the timing couldn't have been better. "It is Eid and my mother is thrilled to have me home. I've been shooting here for some time now and I'll be here till July. So my family is very happy. In fact I was shooting on the day of Eid. But the team was kind enough to wrap up the shooting quickly so I could go home to my 'sewaiyaan' and 'kabaabs'," Ali could barely contain his joy, as he's shooting with a Bollywood debutante from the South. "She is Shraddha Sreenath. She recently did 'Vikram Vedha' in Tamil with Madhavan. She is a fabulous actress. It's a joy to be working around someone so gifted," says Ali whose cup of joy runneth over as he is also shooting with one of his favourite actresses in another project. "I can't believe I am shooting with Manisha Koirala. She plays my mother in the remake of the 2010 Telugu hit 'Prasthanam'. I'm her biggest fan. Every time we are shooting together I just keep staring at her. I wonder what she thinks of me! Sadly, I am not paired with her in the film. But just shooting with her is a joy." Ali's association with beautiful talented actresses of every generation goes back to the legendary Judi Dench with whom he had the singular honour of being paired in the 2017 British trans-cultural drama "Victoria & Abdul". Ali is still in touch with his mythical British co-star. He sent her some mangoes this summer season, and guess what the irrepressible Judi Dench replied? "She thanked me saying, 'I wish it was you in that box instead of the mangoes'. I'd love to meet with Judi again as soon as I can." Ali added. (Subhash K. Jha can be contacted at jhasubh@gmail.com) --IANS skj/ksk (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) I saw your article online talking about American Lava/3M in Chattanooga. I am interested in learning what I can about that company and the AIW local 222 that was present there. I would love to know of any resources or individuals who can give first-hand accounts of my grandfather E.B. Russell who was heavily involved with the union. I look forward to hearing from you. Kevin Russell krussell791@gmail.com Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday assured states like Andhra Pradesh and Bihar, which have been demanding special status category, that the Centre is committed in "letter and spirit" to adhere to statutory provisions in place at the time of the bifurcation of states. Briefing reporters here following the fourth meeting of the Governing Council of the NITI Aayog, its Vice Chairman Rajiv Kumar said that the Prime Minister, who addressed the Chief Ministers, clarified the Central government's position on the claims of some states for special status. His assurance came after Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Chandrababu Naidu raised his long-pending demand of special category status which was supported by Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar. "Some states did raise the issue of special status. The discussions were more focused on the statutory provisions that were in place at the time of the bifurcation of states and the Prime Minister said that the central government is committed in letter and spirit to adhere to those provisions," Rajiv Kumar said. Earlier, Naidu raised issues related to bifurcation, agenda and other pressing needs of the state. "Received overwhelming support from Chief Ministers, officials and dignitaries at the 4th Governing Council meeting at @NITIAayog, where we discussed issues relating to the AP Reorganization Act, 2014," Naidu said in a tweet. During his 20-minute speech, he also demanded the special category status for Andhra Pradesh. Nitish Kumar also raised the demand for special status and supported Naidu's move. On the issue of the minimum support price (MSP) for crops raised in Budget 2018-19 towards doubling farmers' incomes, the Vice Chairman described the MSP issue as "work-in progress". "The details are being worked out and a bouquet of options will be offered to the states for them to meet the Prime Minister's promise of an increase of 1.5 times in the MSP," he said. Rajiv Kumar said that the Prime Minister, who is also the Chairperson of the Niti Aayog - the think-tank that replaced the erstwhile Planning Commission - also directed that a committee be formed to look into farmers' issues. It was also suggested at the discussions that states should also set up their own GDP targets which all add up to compose the national gross domestic product (GDP), he added. --IANS bns-mak/vd (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Hollywood star Brad Pitt spent Father's Day here with his children amid an ongoing custody dispute. Last week, a judge presiding over Pitt and Angelina Jolie's divorce proceedings established a schedule for the actor to spend time with Pax, 14, Zahara, 13, Shiloh, 12, and 9-year-old twins Vivienne and Knox, who live with Jolie as she is shooting "Maleficent 2" here, reported people.com. The court papers obtained by the news platform said "the children not having a relationship with their father is harmful to them", and that Jolie, 43, could lose full custody of the children if she doesn't allow them to grow their relationships with Pitt. Maddox, 16, the oldest son, isn't included in the timetable because he is old enough to decide for himself how much time he wants to spend with his father. Pitt has been in the UK since last week. When shooting of his next movie, Quentin Tarantino's "Once Upon A Time In Hollywood", starts Pitt will balance his time between London and Los Angeles. --IANS rb/him/ (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday called upon Chief Ministers to contribute their efforts towards 100 per cent implementation of Central schemes for the poor people's welfare as he said these were no longer limited to certain people and reaching everyone without discrimination. He encouraged states to give fresh ideas to the Finance Commission on outcome-based allocations and expenditure correction, while calling for a widespread debate and consultations on simultaneous parliamentary and assembly elections, "keeping in view various aspects such as the resulting financial savings and consequent better utilisation of resources". In his closing remarks at fourth meeting of the NITI Aayog's Governing Council, Modi, welcoming the constructive discussion and suggestions made by various Chief Ministers, assured them that these would be seriously considered during decision-making, an official statement said. He asked the NITI Aayog to follow up, within three months, on the actionable points suggested by states. Modi termed it "vital to identify the 'last people in the line' so that benefits of governance can reach them". "Similarly social justice is an important governance objective. These noble causes require close coordination and constant monitoring," he said. On his government's guiding principle of "Sabka Saath, Sabka Vikas", the Prime Minister said: "The schemes of the Union government are no longer limited to certain people, or to certain regions and are reaching everyone without discrimination, in a balanced way." Noting that all villages of the country are now electrified, he said that, under Saubhagya Yojana, four crore houses are now being provided with electricity connections. "Rural sanitation coverage has increased from less than 40 per cent to about 85 per cent in four years. After implementation of the Jan Dhan Yojana, the entire population will be connected to the banking system. "The Ujjwala Yojana is providing access to cooking gas, and Mission Indradhanush is working towards universal immunization," he said adding that his government is working towards providing housing for all by 2022. "The implementation of these welfare schemes is also bringing about a behavioural change in the lives of people," he said, holding that the neem coating of urea, Ujjwala Yojana, Jan Dhan Accounts and RuPay debit cards are improving the lives of the people, while the Swachh Bharat Mission is being discussed around the world. "In the last four years, 7.70 crore toilets have been constructed," he said calling upon the Chief Ministers to work towards 100 per cent sanitation coverage by October 2, 2019, the 150th birth anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi. He reiterated the his commitment to provide universal coverage of seven key schemes to 45,000 additional villages in 115 Aspirational Districts, by August 15. On the issue of environment, raised by some Chief Ministers, the Prime Minister urged them to use LED bulbs in government buildings, official residences and streetlights "within a definite timeframe". Modi appreciated several other suggestions made by various Chief Ministers, on matters such as water conservation, agriculture, rural job scheme etc. He also called upon Chief Ministers of Madhya Pradesh, Bihar, Sikkim, Gujarat, Uttar Pradesh, West Bengal and Andhra Pradesh, to work together to make recommendations on a coordinated policy approach on the subjects of agriculture and the rural job scheme, including both pre-sowing, and post-harvest phases. He urged for efforts towards water conservation and water management on a war footing. Encouraging the states to give fresh ideas to the Finance Commission for incentivizing outcome-based allocations, and expenditure correction, he said, "The world expects India to become a five trillion dollar economy soon." Asking states to focus on exports, he encouraged them to boost "Ease of Doing Business." "NITI Aayog should call a meeting with all states to provide a further impetus to ease of doing business. 'Ease of living' for the common man is also the need of the hour, and states should now take initiatives in this regard," he said. Expressing concern over low corporate investment in agriculture sector, he said states should formulate policies that promote corporate investment in areas such as warehousing, transportation, value addition and food processing etc. The Prime Minister said that mining blocks which have been successfully auctioned, should start production at the earliest and urged the states to take steps in this regard. --IANS bns/vd (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) CPI-M General Secretary Sitaram Yechury on Sunday accused the Modi government of using the Governors office to destabilise the non-BJP state governments as well as to install BJP governments despite the saffron party not winning the mandate. Yechury's statement came ahead of his joining a protest march to the Prime Minister's residence organised by the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) on Sunday against the alleged high-handedness of the central government and direct interference in Delhi administration. "Joining the protest rally to the Prime Minister's residence today to express serious condemnation over the manner in which federalism, a fundamental feature of our Constitution, is being undermined by this BJP central government," Yechury said in a statement. "Utilising the office of the Governors and Lt. Governors, the BJP central government is seeking to destabilise non-BJP democratically elected state governments. This is happening with the democratically elected governments in Delhi and in Puducherry," he said. Yechury said the office of the Governor was sought to be utilized "to hijack people's mandate in Karnataka" which was thwarted. He pointed out that the Governor's office was used to "install BJP governments" even after they have "lost the elections", like in Goa, Manipur and Meghalaya. "The Governor's office has been misused in Bihar to allow the BJP to enter the government through the backdoor after losing the Assembly elections comprehensively," said the leader of the Communist Party of India-Marxist. Yechury said such efforts were "destroying the already fragile Centre-state relations", which is the backbone of the federal content of the Indian Constitution. "This must not be permitted." He said the Communists in India were the "first victims of such central authoritarian misuse of constitutional provisions" when the elected government in Kerala was "undemocratically" dismissed in 1959. "This has happened with Left-led governments repeatedly in Kerala and West Bengal subsequently," he said. --IANS mak/mr (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Noting that US trade officials are expected to visit India soon in an attempt to address the trade and economic irritants between the two countries, industry chamber CII on Sunday lauded Commerce Minister Suresh Prabhu's visit to the US for setting "a roadmap to resolve bilateral trade issues expeditiously". India and the US have agreed to hold official talks soon to address the bilateral trade issues in a decision that was taken during a series of meetings Prabhu had with US Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross and United States Trade Representative (USTR) Robert Lighthizer in Washington during the Indian Minister's visit from June 10 to 12. "The Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) understands that officials of USTR may travel to India very soon. CII hopes the trade package to be negotiated would include the renewal of Generalized System of Preferences benefits for India which accounts for nearly $6 billion of Indian exports to the US," CII said in a release. "During the (Prabhu) visit, it was stressed that India's recent purchases of US-made civilian aircraft and procurement of petroleum and LNG from the US have helped balance India-US trade. Bilateral trade has increased by more than 15 per cent to $74.5 billion in 2017-18," it added. In March, US President Donald Trump slapped import tariffs of 25 per cent on steel and 10 per cent on aluminium, unfolding the prospect of an all-out global trade war as China retaliated to this and a subsequent US tariff imposition. India has sought an exemption from the US tariffs along the lines the US has allowed to the European Union, Argentina, Australia, Brazil, Canada, Mexico and South Korea. Prabhu had earlier said that India would bilaterally take up the issue of recent trade protectionism measures with the US. During his visit, he also addressed business and industry leaders in meetings organised by the US-India Business Council (USIBC) and US-India Strategic Partnership Forum (USISPF) and met other stakeholders. "It's a great time to join hands with each other and that is the realisation within the (US) administration as well. As you know, we always hear about trade disputes between the US and India, but when I had a meeting with the USTR, the Commerce Secretary, Agriculture Secretary, Senators, it is very clear that we must move on, keeping the issues behind," Prabhu told industry leaders at a reception hosted by USIBC. His industry meetings included senior officials from major American companies such as Boston Scientific, FedEx, Walmart, Abbott, UTC, Honeywell, PhRMA, MoneyGram, Lockheed Martin, Koch Industries, Amway, Uber and 21st Century Fox. --IANS bc/mag/vd (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The central government's decision on Sunday not to extend the Ramadan ceasefire in Jammu and Kashmir evoked mixed reactions, with the ruling PDP expressing its unhappiness. Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) spokesman Rafi Ahmad Mir said the party was not happy with the decision announced by the Union Home Ministry in view of the unending violence during Ramadan, blamed mostly on militants. Former Chief Minister Omar Abdullah said: "The ceasefire was the Centre's initiative ... Its failure is the failure of everyone who wanted to give peace a chance." Refuting that the end of ceasefire indicated a failure of peace efforts, Deputy Chief Minister and BJP leader Kavinder Gupta said: "This was just suspension of operations. A befitting reply will be given to everyone who indulged in such activities." The Minister of State in the Prime Minister's Office, Jitendra Singh, said the priority for the government was to conduct the upcoming Amarnath Yatra and the decision not to extend the truce followed inputs from security forces and intelligence agencies. CPI-M leader Muhammad Yusuf Tarigami said: "Whatever the compulsions and the provocation, the decision not to extend the ceasefire is unfortunate. The common Kashmiri had heaved a sigh of relief and that hope has now vanished." The ceasefire was announced on May 16 to provide a conducive atmosphere during the Muslim holy month of Ramadan. But the separatists had not favourably responded to it from the very beginning. "It was nothing more than temporary suspension of the killing spree of Kashmiris by Indian armed forces," said an activist of the separatists who did not want to be identified by name. Some Kashmiris argued that the resumption of offensive operations against militants only proved that there had been no serious application of mind when the ceasefire was announced. "The ceasefire had given a ray of hope to us that the common man would be allowed to live without fear," said a Srinagar resident, Javaid Ahmad, 48. "Its withdrawal only proves that we are back to square one," he added. --IANS sq/mr/rak (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Four non-BJP Chief Ministers met Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday at the meeting of the NITI Aayog's fourth general council meeting here and urged him to immediately resolve the problems of the Delhi government. The four Chief Ministers - West Bengal's Mamata Banerjee, Kerala's Pinarayi Vijayan, Karnataka's H.D. Kumaraswamy and Andhra Pradesh's N. Chandrababu Naidu - have extended their support to Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal's sit-in protest at the Lt. Governor's office. "I along with the Chief Ministers of Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka and Kerala have requested the Prime Minister to resolve the problems of Delhi government immediately," Banerjee tweeted. She is in Delhi to attend the NITI Aayog meeting. The meeting, chaired by Modi, was not attended by Delhi's Arvind Kejriwal among others. In a bid to show their solidarity with Kejriwal, the four Chief Ministers on Saturday met and discussed a strategy to provide support to the AAP leader who wants IAS officers to end their non-cooperation with his government. The four Chief Ministers visited Kejriwal's residence and met his family. They also wrote to Delhi's Lt. Governor Anil Baijal seeking to meet Kejriwal, who is on a protest at Baijal's office-cum-residence, Raj Niwas. They said the permission was denied and wondered if this was possible in a "democracy". At a joint press conference, they accused the Central government of "restricting the federal system" and termed it a threat to the nation. "We will tell the Prime Minister to intervene in this matter and solve it. Had the President been here, we would have told him too. This is a democracy and that is not how a democracy functions. They (Centre and Lt Governor) are not allowing the government to function. They (Kejriwal government) say they are not able to work. What will they do? Their work has been obstructed and restricted," Banerjee had said on Saturday. Kejriwal, along with Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia and Cabinet ministers Satyendar Jain and Gopal Rai, is camping at Raj Niwas since Monday demanding a direction to the IAS officers working in the Delhi administration to end their undeclared strike. He also wants the central government to approve his government's proposal to deliver ration to the poor at their houses. --IANS gt/mr (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) As terrorist activities continued even after a month-long Ramadan ceasefire announcement in Jammu and Kashmir, the Centre on Sunday decided not to extend its unilateral initiative, declared on May 16 to coincide with the holy month, evoking dismay among people in the state. The Home Ministry announcement, a day after Eid festivities, said that operations against the militants will resume. "The Government of India decides not to extend the suspension of operations in Jammu and Kashmir announced in the beginning of Ramadan," a Ministry statement said. It said the "security forces are being directed to take all necessary actions as earlier to prevent the militants from launching attacks and indulging in violence and killings". "The government is committed to working for creating an environment free of terror and violence in Jammu and Kashmir. It is important that all those who have interests of people of the state and especially the youth in mind to isolate the terrorists and work towards bringing back misguided youth to the right path," the statement said. The Home Ministry appreciated the security forces in Jammu and Kashmir for showing "exemplary restraint" during Ramadan despite grave provocation by the terrorists. When the conditional Ramadan ceasefire began, it was assumed that it would be extended to cover the upcoming Amarnath Yatra. But unending violence by militants, who continued to target and kill security personnel, forced the government's hands. Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh in a series of tweets said that the decision to not conduct counter insurgency operations in the state had been taken "in the interests of the peace loving people of Jammu and Kashmir, in order to provide them a conducive atmosphere to observe Ramzan". He said though the security forces had "displayed exemplary restraint" during the ceasefire which has been "widely appreciated all over the country including Jammu and Kashmir in bringing relief to the common citizens, the terrorists have continued with their attacks on civilians and (security forces), resulting in deaths and injuries". "The operations against the terrorists (are) to resume," he said. Jammu and Kashmir ruling Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) spokesman Rafi Ahmad Mir expressed unhappiness over the Central government's decision not to extend the ceasefire. Mir said: "The party was not happy with the decision announced by the Union Home Ministry in view of the unending violence during Ramadan, blamed mostly on militants." Former Chief Minister Omar Abdullah said: "The ceasefire was the Centre's initiative... Its failure is the failure of everyone who wanted to give peace a chance." Refuting that the end of ceasefire indicated a failure of peace efforts, Deputy Chief Minister and BJP leader Kavinder Gupta said: "This was just suspension of operations. A befitting reply will be given to everyone who indulged in such activities." Minister of State in the Prime Minister's Office, Jitendra Singh, said the priority for the government was to conduct the upcoming Amarnath Yatra and the decision not to extend the truce followed inputs from security forces and intelligence agencies. CPI-M leader Muhammad Yusuf Tarigami said: "Whatever the compulsions and the provocation, the decision not to extend the ceasefire is unfortunate. The common Kashmiri had heaved a sigh of relief and that hope has now vanished." The ceasefire was announced on May 16 to provide a conducive atmosphere during the Muslim holy month of Ramadan. But the separatists had not favourably responded to it from the very beginning. "It was nothing more than temporary suspension of the killing spree of Kashmiris by Indian armed forces," said an activist of the separatists who did not want to be identified by name. Some Kashmiris argued that the resumption of offensive operations against militants only proved that there had been no serious application of mind when the ceasefire was announced. "The ceasefire had given a ray of hope to us that the common man would be allowed to live without fear," said 48-year-old Srinagar resident Javaid Ahmad. --IANS rak/him/ (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Houthi rebels on Sunday recaptured the airport in Yemen's port city of Hudaydah, hours after government forces backed by a Saudi-led coalition had it under their control. Hundreds of Houthi militias forced the government troops to withdraw after intense clashes on Saturday night, reports Efe news. The trrops withdrew to the south and east of the airport. The development took place on the fifth day of a government offensive to seize the strategic city, whose port is one of the main entry points for essential supplies to the country. --IANS ksk/mr (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) After a four-year crusade by an Indian-American mother seeking justice for her murdered son, the assailant has finally been convicted. A jury on Thursday found Gaege Bethune guilty of Pravin Varughese's murder in Carbondale in 2014, according to media reports. After the verdict, Pravin's mother Lovely Varughese told the Chicago Tribune: "Pravin's day finally came. He can rest in peace now." After authorities had dismissed Pravin's death as an accident, his mother waged the relentless crusade mobilising politicians, media and the public. Under pressure, authorities ordered a fresh investigation and appointed a special prosecutor. Carbondale Police Chief Jody O'Guinn was also dismissed. Bethune now faces a sentence of 20 years to 60 years. The 19-year-old Pravin's body was found in a forested area in a frozen condition in February 2014, four days after the Southern Illinois University student went missing. The local coroner declared his death an accident caused by exposure to extreme cold. But his family commissioned an independent post-mortem which found that he had died from a severe blow to his head and had other injuries. Lovely Varughese held several news conferences and addressed vigils to draw attention to the finding. Volunteers from Archangels of Justice, a retired law enforcement officials' organisation, researched the case and wrote a report that pointed to Bethune. The family's campaign rallied the support of community, with over 500 people attending his death anniversary observance. Congressman Danny K. Davis took up the issue with the Justice Department and Congresswoman Jan Schakowsky, then-Congressman Bob Dold and former Illinois Lieutenant Governor Sheila Simon joined the demand for a proper investigation. Lovely Varughese also filed a case against Carbondale, its police department and O'Guin alleging negligence and seeking $5 million in damages. The local prosecutor, Michael Carr, who initially took up the case removed himself from it after failing to get a grand jury to charge Bethune. Special Prosecutor David Robinson, who was appointed to take it up, tried the case and got Bethune convicted. The charge against Bethune said that even though Pravin might have frozen to death it "was a natural and foreseeable consequence of that independent felonious conduct" of the aggravated assault by Bethune. The prosecution said that Bethune had given Pravin a lift and allegedly went looking for cocaine, according to the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. A dispute ensued over money when Pravin made him stop the vehicle and got out. Bethune then attacked him and took the money, leaving Pravin injured and in early stages of hypothermia, the newspaper said quoting the special prosecutor. A state police trooper who passed by questioned Bethune but let him off after he told him that he had picked up a hitch-hiker who tried to rob him and that he had chased him into the woods. (Arul Louis can be reached at arul.l@ians.in) --IANS al/ksk (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The best bang for your buck! This option enables you to purchase online 24/7 access and receive the Sunday, Tuesday & Thursday print edition at no additional cost * Print edition only available in our carrier delivery area. Allow up to 72 hours for delivery of your print edition to begin. Print edition not available for Day Pass option. A four-year-old boy was kidnapped by a man, who was persistently after his mother to marry him, in a bid to mount more pressure on her but the child was safely rescued within hours, police said on Sunday. According to police, the woman lives separated from her husband. Accused, Shiv Kumar, a labourer working in Kolkata, went to her house in Madhu Vihar area of east Delhi to wish Eid to the family, and ran away with the child to board a train to Kolkata, said Deputy Commissioner of Police, East, Pankaj Kumar Singh. However, police, who were alerted, traced and arrested Shiv Kumar from Connaught Place here and rescued the baby, within six hours, the officer said. The accused told police that he wanted to marry the child's mother, who was not agreeing to it. "Therefore to mount pressure, he kidnapped her child," the DCP added. --IANS mg/vd (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Hitting out at Rajasthan's Vasundhara Raje government for only being engaged in accepting the fitness challenge passed on by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, state Congress chief Sachin Pilot said that if the Chief Minister is serious on accepting any challenge, it should be of putting a complete check on farmers' suicide. He termed it as a sad situation that right from the Prime Minister to Central Ministers to state ministers, everybody seems engaged in passing the fitness challenge, just to garner publicity, while the critical issues of the nation are being put aside. Pilot also slammed the "insensitivity" of the state government, holding it responsible for the recent suicide committed by two farmers in Hadoti region. "In the election year, the government has promised to waive off farmers' loan worth Rs 50,000 which in general is too less an amount as they (farmers) have huge loans on their shoulders. The government has failed to arrange the promised funds of Rs 8,000 crore to waive off the loans and hence now loans worth Rs 200 crore can only be waived off with the limited funds," he added. Pilot said that this "double-faced" attitude of the state government is triggering more suicides in the state, and also the government has failed to provide fair price to farmers' garlic yield which is yet another factor for the farmers committing suicide in big numbers. Claiming that in the last one month, nine farmers have committed suicide in Hadoti region, which is the Chief Minister's constituency, he said that these have revealed the reality of tall claims made by the ruling government. --IANS arc/vd/him/ (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Over a thousand Indians on Sunday called upon Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh and Manipur Chief Minister N Biren Singh to end harassment and attacks on activists and human right defenders who highlighted alleged extrajudicial executions in the state, rights watchdog Amnesty International India said. On June 11, a petition was launched by Extrajudicial Execution Victim Families Association Manipur (EEVFAM), which also commenced the global "BRAVE" campaign" demanding that there must be no attacks on human rights activists, said an Amnesty International India release. It also sought that the government ensure all complaints of intimidation and attacks against these activists are investigated in a timely, independent and impartial manner, it added. With the Supreme Court in July 2017 ordering the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) to investigate over 90 alleged extrajudicial executions in Manipur, EEVFAM President Renu Takhellambam said: "The campaign assumes crucial importance now that the Supreme Court ordered CBI investigation is underway." "The heat is being turned up against officials who have allegedly been involved in extrajudicial executions in Manipur. Due to this, we believe, human rights defenders are being harassed, attacked, threatened and intimidated," she added. Over the last one week, Amnesty International India, EEVFAM and local NGO Human Rights Alert have been spreading awareness and mobilising support at the community level for human rights activists under attack. To rally support, of numbers of extrajudicial killings, the campaign had been conducted community-level meetings in Imphal East, Imphal West, Bishnupur and Thoubal districts. On June 16, women from the local Ima market formed a human chain in the heart of the city, which stretched from the market to the pharmacy where the alleged extrajudicial execution of Sanjit Meitei took place on July 23, 2009. "Despite the rain and the ongoing flood alert, people have come out in large numbers... This outpouring of support for EEVFAM members who are seeking justice for the loss of their loved ones in alleged extrajudicial executions highlights the profound connect of the campaign with the people of Manipur," said Arijit Sen, Programme Manager, Amnesty International India. He added that violence has dominated the lives of the people of Manipur for years and the aim of campaign is to turn the spotlight on the shrinking space for civil liberties and ensure human rights defenders have a safe and enabling environment for their work. --IANS kd/vd (Only the headline and picture of this report may have been reworked by the Business Standard staff; the rest of the content is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Delhi's ruling AAP on Sunday took out a massive protest amid its standoff with the Lt Governor and IAS officers, even as Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal completed a week of his sit-in at LG office. Waving national and party flags and shouting slogans against Prime Minister Narendra Modi's "autocratic behaviour", Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) members, along with Communist Party of India-Marxist activists, marched from Mandi House metro station at 4 p.m. towards the Prime Minister's residence, but were stopped by police at the Parliament Street police station. The protest was held over several issues including the on-going standoff with Lt Governor Anil Baijal, no-cooperation of the bureaucracy and demand of full statehood for Delhi. According to the Delhi government, IAS officers had not been working since several months, due to which it could not function properly. CPI-M leader Sitaram Yechury joined the protest to express solidarity with AAP and Kejriwal. Senior AAP leaders, including Rajya Sabha MP Sanjay Singh, Raghav Chadha, Atishi Marlena, Delhi Ministers Kailash Gahlot and Rajendra Pal Gautam, Dilip Pandey, several party MLAs and a large number of party volunteers participated in the march that lasted for over two hours. Claiming that over 4,500 people joined the protest, AAP spokesperson Saurabh Bhardwaj said that people turned up in large number despite police's attempts to ensured that the protesters could not reach Mandi House. "In spite of similar efforts by Delhi Police,closing Metro stations,seizing buses, heavy barricading, 538 buses could reach the spot. A crowd of over 4,500 people reminds me of 2011-12 movement in Delhi," je said. Earlier the police said that no permission was sought for the protest and warned to detain the agitators. A large number of police personnel were deployed near Prime Minister's house as a precautionary measure. "Protesters have been told not to move ahead. They are listening to us," said DCP, New Delhi, Madhur Verma. Around 6 p.m. the AAP workers and Left groups peacefully stopped their protest after reaching the Parliament Street police station. Demonstrators said they will start a signature petition aiming to reach out to at least 10 lakh people, get their petition signed and send it to Modi. As the protesters rallied in mass at the metro stations and streets, it also caused traffic snarls in central Delhi. Later Kejriwal, in a tweet said that people of Delhi were feeling "hurt and humiliated" and asked Modi to allow Delhi government to work. --IANS kd-sd-sm/vd (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) German Chancellor Angela Merkel is planning a special summit with the European Union (EU) member states, particularly those affected by the refugee crisis, the German newspaper "Bild" reported on Saturday. The special summit will most likely take place before the summer EU summit set to start on June 28, Xinhua said quoting the report. The German Chancellor is struggling to avert a crisis within her coalition on migrant policy. Earlier, BBC reported that a rift has opened between Merkel and her Interior Minister Horst Seehofer of the Christian Social Union (CSU) over the migrant policy, as the latter has sought powers for the police to turn away undocumented migrants at the border. She was criticised for letting in about one million in 2015. Seehofer has been a long-standing critic of the so-called "open-door policy". --IANS nir (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Global disorder appears to be the leitmotif of mid-2018, with the US and China embarking upon a trade-tariff war and the US-led Western alliance in considerable turmoil over the unseemly outcome of the just-concluded G-7 summit in Canada. The "historic" meeting in Singapore (June 12) between President Donald Trump and the North Korean leader Kim Jong-un has the potential to lead to a completely unexpected rearrangement of the strategic framework in East Asia. Disruption is the flavor of the times. Against this backdrop, the manner in which India relates to the major powers and the strategic orientation it aspires towards has been outlined in some detail by Prime Minister in the course of the Shangri-la Dialogue held in Singapore on June 1. This annual inter-governmental conclave, launched in 2001 by a London-based think-tank, brings together the Asia-Pacific political leadership and the regional military/diplomatic/academic/analyst community. The Modi address was expansive and underpinned by the Indian commitment to normative values in inter-state conduct and contrasted the ethical power of principles as opposed to being trapped in competitive power This is a familiar theme in Indi''s global outlook and harks back to the early Nehru years, when a relatively weak India sought to stay away from the prevailing Cold War compulsion and chose to identify itself as a "non-aligned" nation. The reality was that after the US-China rapprochement in the 1970s, India was drawn closer to the USSR and a very robust military supplier relationship was established with Moscow. However, the global strategic framework changed considerably after the December 1991 collapse of the Soviet Union and, in 1992, India embarked upon its economic liberalisation and the related re-arranging of its estranged relationship with the US. Begun by Prime Minister P.V. Narasimha Rao, this was carried forward by his successors Atal Bihari Vajpayee and Manmohan Singh, and the baton has now passed to Modi. In the last few years there was a perception that India had drawn closer to the US due to the anxiety induced by an overbearing China (again, this is a recurring pattern and it merits recall that Delhi turned to Washington for assistance in October 1962 and support in May 1998) and that the India-Russia bilateral was also fraying. Modi in his address indicated that India seeks a robust engagement with all major powers -- viz US, China, Russia and Japan, and added that the ASEAN bloc was the critical entity for Indi''s "Act East" policy. The change in semantic to the Indo-Pacific is an acknowledgement of India's own relevance in the extended maritime region. This has been further endorsed by the US which has changed the name of its Pacific Command in Hawaii to Indo-Pacific Command. The bilateral with Japan was described as a""partnership of great substance and purpose that is a cornerstone of India's Act East Policy. In relation to the Delhi-Moscow relationship, Modi asserted:""It is a measure of our strategic autonomy that India's Strategic Partnership with Russia has matured to be special and privileged"" The informal meeting at Sochi (late May) with Russian President Vladimir Putin was referred to, and the aspiration of both towards forging" a strong multi-polar world order for dealing with the challenges of our times". India's most complex bilaterals are with the US and China, and Modi has sought to evolve a framework wherein Delhi does not have to be deferential to either Washington or Beijing, or adopt a posture of prickly defiance or extended politico-military dissonance. The bilateral with the US has been described by Modi as one which has overcome the hesitations of history"" and that" has assumed new significance in the changing world. Respect for international law and a rule-based maritime order was reiterated and the sub-text was China -- though not stated explicitly. Notwithstanding the wrinkles and disagreements with China over Doklam, the Belt Road Initiative (BRI), support to Pakistan over terrorism et al, Modi came up with a very persuasive formulation when he noted:"No other relationship of India has as many layers as our relations with China While India's preference for strategic autonomy and a multi-polar global order is earnest and desirable, it cannot be ignored that Delhi remains an anomalous power despite its nuclear-weapon status. Two stark indicators illustrate this anomaly. As regards human security, the ultimate political objective for any democratic dispensation, India is unable to reach a credible open-defecation-free (ODF) index and provide appropriate education for its children, who number in the hundreds of millions. And while Delhi strives for "autonomy" and the Modi government has venerated "Make in India", the truth is that India is still dependent on imports for most of its major military inventory. The indigenous defence manufacturing eco-system remains eloquently imagined and more rhetorical than real. Four Defence Ministers in as many years is a poor indicator of governance and political determination. These are glaring voids that hobble Indian aspiration and need to be effectively redressed if the Modi vision is to be realised. Nepal Prime Minister K.P. Sharma Oli's upcoming visit to China will deepen bilateral ties and cooperation between the two countries, a Communist Party of Nepal (NCP) official said on Sunday. NCP spokesman Narayan Kaji Shrestha told Xinhua news agency that a Standing Committee meeting of the party held here on Saturday discussed Oli's five-day official visit slated to begin from June 19. "We hope that the visit will be significant to deepen bilateral cooperation between Nepal and China," he said. On the occasion, Prime Minister Oli, who is also NCP's Chairman, told party leaders that his visit to China will be historic. Foreign Minister Pradeep Kumar Gyawali said the visit will "promote our national interests". Oli's visit comes on the invitation of his Chinese counterpart Li Keqiang. This is going to be the first visit to China since he came to power in February. --IANS ksk/mr (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The fourth meeting of the NITI Aayog's governing council began here on Sunday to discuss issues including measures taken to double farmers' income, progress of flagship schemes like Ayushman Bharat, National Nutrition Mission and Mission Indradhanush. The meeting was chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi. All state Chief Ministers except Delhi's Arvind Kejriwal and Odisha's Naveen Patnaik, were present in the meeting. Kejriwal was absent from the meet as he, along with Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia and Cabinet ministers Satyendar Jain and Gopal Rai, is camping at Raj Niwas since last week demanding a direction to the IAS officers working in the Delhi administration to end their undeclared strike. The governing council of NITI Aayog is the premier body tasked with evolving a shared vision of national development priorities, sectors and strategies with the active involvement of states in shaping the development narrative. The council reviews the work done during the previous year and deliberates upon the future developmental priorities. The council will also discuss measures taken for development of aspirational districts and the celebration of 150th birth anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi. --IANS bns-mg/pgh/ksk (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Consumed by the pain of losing his cat, a college professor has put up hundreds of posters across south Kolkata streets and started social media campaigns in the hope of getting his pet back. Kallol Roy, a professor of English language in a Kolkata college, has not been able to find his 10-year-old cat 'Bombom' since June 2. He has taken up unique ways to find the feline like putting up pictorial posters across Ballygunge area, describing the pet as a "10-year-old pampered child" who has gone missing. The professor has distributed fliers with the newspapers in the neighbourhood urging people to immediately inform him if they locate Bombom and also offered prize money. "Our lives revolve around Bombom. My mother has fallen sick since he has gone missing. I have also been upset and have lost interest in work," said Roy, a Ballygunge Phari resident. Roy said his cat can be identified by its spotted face and dark eyes. He said he is banking on the locals' initiative to locate the animal as the social media campaign #Bombomgonemissing has been poured with comments and responses by the netizens. "I will lodge a police complaint if required," he said. --IANS mgr/him/mr (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Rajasthan Chief Minister Vasundhara Raje on Sunday asked the Central government to consider special additional budgetary support challenge to the state to meet the challenge of safe drinking water availability, while seeking national project status for the Eastern Rajasthan Canal Project (ERCP). In her address at the 4th NITI Aayog Governing Council meeting in New Delhi, she said that the Central Water Commission has already given in-principle approval to the feasibility report of the ERCP, intended to make drinking and irrigation water available in 13 districts of the state and with national project status, its implementation would speed up. Raje added that along with water scarcity, the quality of available water comes up as a big challenge for Rajasthan, according to an official statement released in Jaipur. Noting that of all fluoride-affected habitations in the country, 53 per cent are in Rajasthan, she said that in view of the state's financial constraints, the Central government should share the cost of surface drinking water projects in fluoride-affected areas on 50-50 basis. She also requested that land-holding limit of 2 hectares for agriculture input subsidy under the SDRF norms should be relaxed for Rajasthan because in several districts, crop production was low, even if the land holdings were big and also large tracts of agricultural lands were infertile. She therefore sought that the SDRF norms should be suitably amended to raise the limit of land-holding to 5 hectares for agriculture input subsidy, considering these special geographical conditions. Raje also said that 8 to 10 districts in Rajasthan were perpetually facing drought conditions, and the Central government-decided amount of agriculture input subsidy on the basis of the number of farmers, as per was 2010 records, was not adequate and amount should be given on the basis of actual number of farmers in the affected areas. On addressing issues in implementation of the GST regime, she proposed to form a sub-group of states in the GST Council and also sought removal of certain difficulties being faced by the traders in getting GST refunds. Raje said that despite challenging geographical circumstances in Rajasthan, the state government launched several reforms in agriculture sector, which led to NITI Aayog ranking the state as number 3 in the Agriculture Reforms category. --IANS arc/vd/him/ (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Tata Trusts Chairman Ratan Tata and Assam's Finance Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma on Sunday launched the first 28 branches of the North East Small Finance Bank (NESFB), the region's first small bank. "If India has to grow as a prosperous place, we need to create opportunities and entrepreneurship," Tata said at the function here. The Tata Trusts Chairman, through the investment arm RNT Associates, has invested Rs 40 crore in the bank. "Most of us who have seen the growth and prosperity in India have to admit that it has been easy for borrowers to find funds to grow. However, there is a vast number of people in India who have been either under served or not served at all and finance is not available. "I wish the bank every success and the Tata Trusts has been very happy to participate and play a role in spreading prosperity to millions of people who do not have access to funds and the opportunity," said Tata. RGVN (North East) Microfinance Ltd got the Reserve Bank of India's Small Finance Bank license on March 31, 2017 mandating it to carry out banking services in remote and "unbanked" areas of the eight states of northeast India, as well as in West Bengal and registered a public limited company by the name of North East Small Finance Bank Ltd. "We are starting with 28 branches and will soon add another 80 branches. After that (we plan to) have branches in all the northeastern states," the bank's Managing Director Rupali Kalita said at a press conference earlier in the day. The North East Small Finance Bank Ltd which has a net worth of Rs 300 crore is supported by infusion of funds from domestic and overseas investors. "During the years of operation RGVN (NE) MFL got equity investment and able support from Small Industries Development Bank of India (SIDBI), the North Eastern Development Finance Corporation Ltd, Opportunity International, Australia (through DiaVikas Capital Pvt Ltd (India), Brahmaputra Community Development Trust, Norways's Nordic Microfinance Initiative, and Oiko Credit Netherlands," a bank official said. Fresh equity for strengthening the capital base to promote the banking company was received from the SIDBI as well as SIDBI Venture Capital, RNT Associates Pvt Ltd, Pi Ventures LLP, Bajaj Allianz Life Insurance Company, Nordic Microfinance Initiative, and DiaVikas Capital. --IANS ah/him/ (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has welcomed the Afghan government's announcement of a unilateral extension of the ceasefire with the Taliban. Guterres on Saturday urged the Taliban to heed the call for peace from the Afghan people and reciprocate the gesture, Xinhua news agency reported. The UN chief said he believes that the only solution to the conflict in Afghanistan is through an inclusive political process and urged both sides not to let those trying to derail the peace efforts to prevail. He also condemned Saturday's attack targeting Eid celebrations in Nangarhar province in which 26 people were killed. The government had announced a seven-day ceasefire from June 12 to encourage the Taliban to support the national reconciliation process. Reciprocating the step, the armed group announced a three-day truce from the first day of Eid-ul-Fitr till Sunday. The ceasefire was extended on Saturday unilaterally by the Afghan government despite the bombing, through a rare televised address by President Mohammad Ashraf Ghani. He asked the Taliban to extend their three-day ceasefire too but the group has not responded so far. --IANS mag/ksk/mr (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) US First Lady Melania Trump has called for an end to the policy of separating parents and children illegally entering the country from Mexico. "Mrs Trump believes we need to be a country that follows all laws, but also a country that governs with heart," her spokeswoman said. Her comments follow growing controversy over President Donald Trump's "zero-tolerance" policy, a BBC report said. In a recent six-week period there were nearly 2,000 family separations. Adults who try to cross the border, many planning to seek asylum, are placed in custody and face criminal prosecution for illegal entry. As a result, hundreds of minors are now being housed in detention centres, and kept away from their parents - a policy which rights groups have criticised as unprecedented. In her rare intervention, Melania Trump said she "hates to see children separated from their families and hopes both sides of the aisle [Republicans and Democrats in Congress] can finally come together to achieve successful immigration reform". The President has blamed a law "Democrats gave us" for the policy, but it is unclear what law he is referring to. In a tweet on Saturday, Trump urged Democrats to work with Republicans to create new laws: "Democrats can fix their forced family breakup at the Border by working with Republicans on new legislation, for a change! This is why we need more Republicans elected in November. Democrats are good at only three things, High Taxes, High Crime and Obstruction. Sad!" However, critics have pointed out that detaining children apart from their parents was a policy announced by US Attorney General Jeff Sessions last month and does not require congressional action to stop. The policy has divided Republicans, with its defenders pointing out that children are routinely taken from parents accused of crimes. The additional child detentions - reportedly including babies and toddlers - have resulted in some shelters and foster homes reporting that they are running out of space. On Sunday, Democratic members of Congress paid a "surprise Father's Day visit" to an Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) detention centre in New Jersey, demanding to see detainees separated from their children. --IANS nir (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Frizzy hair as well as sticky and grimy skin are common complaints in the rainy season. Battle these problems with natural oils, regular cleansing and tie your hair up to trap in the moisture and prevent frizz. Agnes Chen, Technical Head of Streax Professional, and Shubhika Jain and Sangeeta Jain, co-founders of RAS Luxury Oils, suggest: * Shampoo your hair regularly to cleanse and purify, depending on your hair type. * To prevent frizz, apply a few drops of hair potion on the mid-lengths and ends. * Make sure to dry your hair thoroughly if it gets wet in the rain. * Invest in good natural oils and catch up with the trend today. These oils not just have anti-bacterial and antioxidant properties that help treat skin and hair really well, they can also help restore the lost moisture. Mineral oils tend to form a layer on your skin instead of getting absorbed which becomes even worse during the monsoon weather. Use plant-based pure cold-pressed oils that are absorbent and suited to your skin. When using natural oils, do not use pure essential oils directly on skin. Blend a few drops of the essential oil with a carrier oil, lotion or cream for safe and effective usage. Here is a list of some natural oils with different purposes: Pomegranate oil is known for its amazing antioxidant and hyper-absorbent properties. It replenishes lost moisture and boosts collagen production. The fruit is excellent for dull, dry hair and brings back that lost shine. Argan oil is enriched with vitamin E, minerals and antioxidants. It helps in clearing out acne, reducing stretch marks, does not leave residues on the skin and is great to tame frizzy hair. Applying argan oil to UV damaged skin can actually fade sun spots and heal the dry, leathery, skin that results from overexposure to UV by enhancing the regeneration of healthy cells. Rosemary essential oil emanates a wood-like but sweet aroma that stimulates focus, memory retention and alertness. It can also help prevent and get rid of dandruff and get a healthy scalp. * Conditioning of the mid lengths and ends with a masque is mandatory. * Tie your hair up to trap in the moisture and prevent frizz. * Go for a hair spa at salon to pamper your tresses. --IANS ks/rb (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Global shipments of smartphones are expected to reach a little over 1.49 billion units this year, up from 1.47 billion in 2017 -- a growth of 1.4 per cent, a report showed on Sunday. The smartphone shipment numbers are likely to rise at a faster clip from 2019 onwards once the real-world 5G network is introduced, according to an industry consulting firm Strategy Analytics (SA), Yonhap news agency reported. The poor showing is a repeat of numbers for 2016 and 2017 when annual growth was tallied at 1.8 per cent and 1.2 per cent, respectively. This is in stark contrast to double digit growth posted in the years after 2007, when Apple first launched its iPhone. The global research and consulting firm said the drop in shipments and sales is mainly due to overall improvements in the capabilities of the latest handsets and a longer replacement cycle for recent phones. Greater smartphone penetration across the globe and higher unit cost also may be having effect on consumer demand, it said. SA, however, predicted that, starting in 2019, there may be an upshift in demand for smartphones as the much quicker and more stable 5G networks come online, requiring new mobile devices to fully take advantage of the new developments. It said that in 2019, the worldwide market for smartphones may expand 3.5 per cent on-year followed by 4.4 per cent growth in 2020 and 4.9 per cent in 2021. By 2023, it said growth will be around 4.1 per cent, with companies churning out 1.86 billion phones per year. --IANS gb/pgh/ (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Artificial Intelligence (AI) has ceased to be that fantastic big idea of the future. AI is now more science and less fiction, with computers and robots replacing humans. AI, simply put, is the capability of a machine to imitate intelligent human behaviour. With the advent of new technologies, the permeation of AI in our day-to-day lives has become more pronounced. However, a question that has still not been answered is: How do we address the possibility of an AI causing harm or damage in some form to human society? The more pertinent question is who do we hold responsible for ... Five people were injured today when the gunpowder they were filling in a cannon during a religious ceremony in Rajasthan's Bharatpur district exploded, a police official said. Four of the injured were critical and rushed to a Jaipur hospital, the official said. The incident happened in a village in Bayana town. The gunpowder caught fire and exploded, he said. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Five prime metro stations in the heart of Delhi were today closed in view of aprotest march by AAP workers from Mandi House to the Prime Minister's residence. The march which began around 5 pm is in support of Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal and three of his cabinet colleagues, who have been holding a sit-in at the LG office for the last one week, demanding that Lt Governor Anil Baijal direct IAS officers to end their "strike". They also demand that the Lt Governor approve the proposal for doorstep delivery of ration. Kejriwal had on Friday said that the march was planned after his letters to the prime minister, seeking his intervention in the matter, drew no response. Lok Kalyan Marg metro station, which falls in the vicinity of Prime Minister Narendra Modi's residence at 7, Lok Kalyan Marg was the first to have been shut ahead of the march. "As advised by Delhi Police, no entry or exit will be available at Lok Kalyan Marg station from 12 noon onwards till further directions," a senior DMRC official said earlier. He later said four more stations were closed, but interchange facilities at Central Secretariat station would be available. "As advised by the police, entry and exit at four more metro stations will be closed from 2 pm onwards till further directions. The stations are -- Patel Chowk, Central Secretariat, Udyog Bhawan and Janpath," the official said. "However, interchange between Yellow and Violet Lines at Central Secretariat will remain available," he added. A huge number of people gathered at the Mandi House station roundabout by 4 pm. The crowd is marching through the streets of Lutyens' Delhi amid security deployment in the area. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Swiss power major ABB has said it is looking at bringing to India its flash charging product which can top up electric bus battery in 17 seconds at stops while on the go. Although it did not provide any timeline for launching the product, the company said it is keen to do so in line with India's push for electric mobility. ABB Group CEO and President Ulrich Spiesshofer said at a recent interactive event that the company is bringing its wide range of e-mobility charging solutions, including flash chargers for buses as also the world's leading fast chargers for cars which can charge electric automobiles for 200 km in 8 minutes. He told PTI that the ABB will look at bringing the technology to India and localise it, like in other markets, to make it cost effective. Early this year, ABB placed a fast charging station at NITI Aayog and on his recent visit to Delhi last month Spiesshofer discussed advanced manufacturing and e-mobility with the NITI Aayog CEO Amitabh Kant. On using demand aggregation method in India by procurers to bring down the costs further, he said this could be one of the ways to help the country further bring down the cost of e-mobility charging solutions. ABB President, Europe and Member of the Group Executive Committee, Frank Duggan said, "There are lots of opportunities in India...in transmission of power, renewables, distribution network, industry and e-mobility." On localisation of expensive charing solutions, Duggan said: "Yeah, that is why we were so successful in solar, when we were one of the first to localise in India in solar invertor. "That is why we have such a strong position. There is no doubt in India that (if) we will to be successful in India, (then) we will localise the chargers in India." He said that ABB has "very big investment programme every year in India..investment in assets, people and developing technology. More than 30 per cent of our turnover in India is exports."The localisation helps to reduce the cost of products because domestic vendors supply the same equipment at a much lower cost than imports. ABB has a full range of flash-charging as well as terminus and depot feeding stations. Its 50kW fast charging station can provide a full charge to an electric vehicle in only 30 minutes. ABB said it has demonstrated the technology in Geneva. The flash-charging stations at selected bus stops, provide a short high-power boost charge while passengers are getting on and off the bus. The terminus feeding stations deliver longer charges during the waiting times. The depot feeding stations deliver a longer, lower-power charge to compensate the energy required between the operating line and depot location. The charging infrastructure is complemented by network management systems, bus route system studies - to ensure optimal deployment of infrastructure. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) John Abraham believes action heroes are the biggest movie stars and the actor says Bollywood needs to come up with more such icons. The 45-year-old actor, who was last seen in action thriller "Parmanu: The Story of Pokhran", also praised Tiger Shroff for his dedication to the genre. "I think the biggest stars are action heroes. Look at Bruce Willis, Arnold Schwarzenegger and Dwayne Johnson. Action stars will always be evergreen. "In our country, apart from me, there is Tiger Shroff who is doing great action. At the moment, two of us are doing action films. We both have different styles. There is a place for more action heroes but there are only two of us," John told PTI. The actor has action films such as "Dhoom", "Force" and "Dishoom" to his credit. He is grateful to the audience for accepting him in this avatar. "The expectations excite me and I seek to do crazy action sequences. It is a positive responsibility on me. I wanted to be an action hero. There are some heroes who like dancing and I like fighting, lifting people and breaking bones. I enjoy it." John has a string of action films lined up for release, starting with "Satyameva Jayate". The film is scheduled to release on August 15. Next up are "Romeo Akbar Walter" and "Batla House". But the actor says doing films in the genre is not a "conscious decision". "It is just that all these films are coming at the same time. What I am missing right now in my life is doing a comedy and I love doing it. I am a big fan of Anees Bazmee, I like David Dhawan also... I loved working with Rohit Dhawan," he adds. Talking about his Independence Day release, John says it is great to reteam with his "Shootout in Wadala" co-star Manoj Bajpayee. "In 'Shootout at Wadala', our characters came from a criminal background. But in 'Satyameva Jayate', the film is about a cop and a killer... Whatever the audience has yearned for they will get to see it all now," he says. The actor says he recently started shooting for director Robbie Grewal's "Romeo Akbar Walter" and the filming is expected to be completed by August end. "It is one of the most intriguing subjects I have heard. It is the most challenging film I have done in the recent past," he says. John will then start work on "Batla House", loosely based on the fierce encounter that took place in September 2008 between a group of terrorists and the police in a flat in Batla House, a locality in Delhi's Jamia Nagar. In "Batla House", John will play the role of police officer Sanjeev Kumar Yadav. He says he will meet Yadav to prepare for his role. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Despite having difference of opinion on the Delhi government's standoff with the LG, senior Congress leader Ahmed Patel today met TMC chief Mamata Banerjee, indicating that the Congress would be interested in being a part of the opposition coalition against the ruling BJP. Patel, who had come to meet Banerjee with flowers and a big fruit basket, was warmly invited inside the Bangla Bhavan in Chanakyapuri by the West Bengal chief minister. According to Trinamool Congress sources, Patel's visit indicates the interest of the Congress and the importance of Banerjee in cobbling together a coalition of opposition parties. "Ahmed Patel meeting Banerjee is politically significant as it is likely that he has been directed by Congress leader Sonia Gandhi to meet the chief minister. Banerjee today is in the leading role of uniting all opposition parties aganst BJP. And Congress obviously wants to be a part of it," a TMC source said. The meet took place in the backdrop of difference of opinion between the Congress and other opposition parties on supporting Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal against the Centre and Delhi LG Anil Baijal. While several regional parties, including the TMC, the Telugu Desam Party, the Janata Dal (Secular) and the Left have extended support to the Aam Aadmi Party leader, Congress has crticised Kejriwal for his "theatrics". Kejriwal's campaign against the LG, a central government appointee, over his alleged attempts to stall his government's functioning has become a rallying point for many opposition parties against the BJP. Banerjee, Kerala's Pinarayi Vijayan, Andhra Pradesh's N Chandrababu Naidu and Karnataka's H D Kumaraswamy had a meeting with Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Home Minister Rajnath Singh on the sidelines of the NITI Aayog Governing Council meeting and urged the Centre to resolve the standoff. Kejriwal and his three cabinet colleagues have been staying put at the waiting room at Raj Niwas, protesting against what they call a strike by Delhi government IAS officers. The IAS officers have denied they are on strike. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Bullets with steel core -- It's a new addition into the ammunition of terror groups especially Pakistan-based Jaish-e-Mohammed that has triggered an alarm within the security establishment as it has the capability to pierce a static bullet proof bunker used during counter-terrorism operations, officials said. The first such incident noticed had happened on the new year eve when terrorists of Jaish-e-Mohammed had carried out a suicide attack on CRPF camp at Lethpora in South Kashmir when one of the five personnel of para-military force was hit by a bullet fatally despite carrying out a static bullet-proof shield provided by the Army, officials said. Five CRPF personnel were killed in the attack. A thorough enquiry showed that the bullet fired by the terrorist from the assault AK rifle was of steel core which has the capability of piercing through the static bunkers used by security personnel during encounters with terrorists. The findings showed that the bullet, which is mainly termed as Armour Piercing (AP), is built of hardened steel or tungsten carbide. "Precautionary measures have already been taken after the findings," said a senior official engaged in counter-terrorism in the Kashmir Valley. Generally, the AK bullets used in the armoury have a lead core covered with mild steel which cannot penetrate a bullet proof shield but after the December 31, 2017 encounter and subsequent findings, the rules of the proxy-war changed, the officials said. A detailed analysis of the previous suicide attacks was carried out during which ballistic analysis of the terror attack on district police lines of Pulwama in South Kashmir in last August showed that 'steel core' bullets had been used in that encounter by the terrorists on security personnel. Eight security personnel had lost their lives in the terror strike. The ammunition, according to the officials, is being modified from across the border with the help of Chinese technology of encasing the bullet with hard steel core. There have been instances when these bullets, though very small in numbers, have been recovered from hideouts mainly belonging to the Jaish-e-Mohammed terror group. "Every ammunition round seized during recovery is scrutinized minutely to look for such bullets. In the meantime, direct exposure of security personnel using static bulletproof shield was being avoided," another official said. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) A musical band formed by a group of Dalit women is breaking social stereotypes in a tiny hamlet on the outskirts of the state capital. The "Sargam Band", which performs at weddings and other public functions, comprises 10 women in their 30s - all from Dhibra village in Danapur sub-division of Patna. The women have been raking in moolah while carving out a "distinct identity" for themselves, said Sudha Varghese, the owner of NGO 'Nari Gunjan' that helmed the formation of the band. "The idea struck me in 2016, when I was working with women of Ravidas community, mostly agricultural labourers. I wanted to think of ways to bring about their social and economic emancipation," Varghese told PTI. Fondly called "Sudha didi" by villagers, Kerala-born Varghese had come to Bihar five decades ago to work as a school teacher. However, the social and economic inequality that she witnessed here moved her immensely and she became a full-time social worker. On course of her journey in Bihar, Varghese has been involved in imparting skills like reading, writing, sewing and embroidery to women hailing from the lowest social strata. She also provides legal help to victims of sexual abuse and other forms of violence. "When I shared the idea with the Dhibri women, their initial reaction was that of incredulity. It was not unnatural. Nobody had heard of an all-women musical band here. The job that I was asking them to take up was hitherto considered an all-male vocation," she said. The women were, however, courageous and willing to experiment, Varghese noted. "It did not take much persuasion on my part to make them come out of their shells. Soon, we had to arrange for instruments and a teacher who could train these women, braving social derision. We found someone in Patna and the women began practicing with earnestness," Varghese said. Patna-based teacher Aditya Gunjan Kumar likes to stay away from media glare, but Savita, who heads the troupe, was effusive in her praise for him. "Sudha and Aditya have transformed our lives. Aditya worked hard on us for about six months, without charging any money and only accepting food prepared at our kitchens by way of Guru Dakshina," she said. The journey wasn't an easy one though, Savita explained. "We were mocked by our husbands, our male relatives and neighbours. Even some women looked down upon us as if we were doing something outrageous. But we persevered and, gradually, the disdain gave way to admiration," she added. Finding clients for the new band was not too difficult for the band, Varghese noted. "The charges were initially low - Rs 250 per performance for each performer. Of course, the first to call these women to perform at functions were from Danapur. Soon, people became curious and the about the band spread like wildfire. We started receiving bookings from Patna," she said. During last year's wedding season, a professional based in Gurgaon read about Sargam band on the Internet and approached the women. "The man contacted the band, days before his marriage. His parents asked for a performance, on trial basis, at Delhi. We agreed and they were hugely satisfied with the presentation and immediately booked the band for a wedding that took place in Nalanda district," she added. Travelling to far-off places made the women initially nervous, Savita said. "Now, we have become used to it. We have travelled to Delhi and far-off districts in Bihar a number of times. No male relative accompanies any of us as we do not feel the need to be protected," she asserted. Varghese said the success of 'Sargam' band inspires her to embark on a similar endeavour for women of the "Mushahar" community in Punpun, a satellite town of Patna, close to Danapur. "I feel proud to see the women making a success out of this venture. Now each of them charges Rs 1000 for every performance. Nowadays, clients get in touch with the women directly instead of calling up Nari Gunjan," Varghese remarked. Savita, along with her colleagues, is bracing for a hectic wedding season. "We will ask Aditya to teach us how to play flutes and clarinets. So far, we have been beating drums of various sizes and shaking jhunjhunas (rattles). We wish to learn to play new instruments, it would add variety to our performance," she added. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) A two-day visit by Army chief General Bipin Rawat to the AEC Training College and Centre at Pachmarhi ended today, a defence release said here. He was accompanied by Lt Gen Rajesh Rana, General Officer Commanding, Madhya Bharat Area, and Maj Gen Arun Kumar Vyas, Additional Director General of Military Training (Army Education), among others. The AEC Training College and Center imparts training in foreign languages. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) : Amid a raging row over the alleged maltreatment to the Kerala police menial staffers like cooks, sweepers, barbers etc deployed with senior officials, the Home Department has begun collecting their details to rectify the situation. DGP Loknath Behera issued an order today seeking various details of the menial workers, generally known as camp followers and deployed on orderly duties with IAS and IPS officers and judges etc in Kerala. The details included the camp followers' sanctioned strength, present headcount, their status as permanent or temporary worker besides their current status of deployment with senior officials. The move came a day after Additional Director General of Police (ADGP) Sudesh Kumar was transferred after a junior policeman had complained of alleged manhandling by his daughter and ill-treatment by his family while on duty. ADGP (Headquarters), Anandakrishnan, on behalf of the DGP, asked respective district police chiefs, commandants and unit heads to collect and submit details of the camp followers and the PSOs by today. The top brass including superintendent of police (SPs) and above have been asked to provide details of the police personnel, who are assigned as camp followers and PSOs with them. The details of staff assigned for orderly duty with IAS, IFS and other government officials, judges, legal advisors and prosecutors should also be furnished, the order said. The DGP also asked to collect details of the ministers and other leaders who were given personal security officers due to the perceived threat to their lives. The row over ill-treatment faced by the camp followers was triggered after ADGP Sudesh Kumar's driver Gavaskar lodged a complaint with police against ADGP's 28-year old daughter, Snigdha on Thursday. In his complaint, the policeman alleged that she had verbally abused him and hit him on his neck and shoulder with her mobile phone for delay in bringing the vehicle to pick her up after her morning walk. A case had been registered against Snigdha under various sections of the IPC based on Gavaskar's complaint while he too was booked over her counter complaint. The following day, Gavaskar's family members had met Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan who assured them of stern action on the issue. The Kerala Police Association also came out against the alleged ill-treatment meted out to junior policemen by senior officers. Sudesh Kumar, who was serving as the head of the Armed Police Battalion, has not been given any new posting after being removed from the post. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The Maharashtra government's mega loan waiver scheme has benefited even imprisoned farmers, said an official. Eighty-eight prisoners, who are farmers by profession and lodged in Nagpur and Nashik central jails, were encouraged to apply for loan waiver under the scheme announced in June last year by the government. Of these, 56 have received its benefits, former Nagpur collector Sachin Kurve told PTI. Kurve served as collector of Nagpur district from May 2015 to April 2018. Kurve, currently Mumbai suburban district collector, said the applications of other farmer-prisoners, apart from 88, were rejected as they had provided insufficient documents or their names did not match with that on their Aadhaar cards. He said prisoners were encouraged to apply for the scheme. They were provided the necessary guidance and support by the Collector's office and the welfare committees formed for jail inmates. The collectorate staff and the welfare committees are in regular touch with prisoners. They provide facilities for them like making their meetings with relatives easier, arranging for video conferencing for court appearances and better toilets, among others, the officer said. "While we were providing these facilities, we noticed some of these prisoners, who were farmers by profession, had taken loans (for agriculture purposes). "Thus, we started campaigns and organised special camps inside jails to provide them with Aadhaar cards so that they become eligible for the scheme," Kurve said. He said the initiative was taken on instructions from Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, who said no eligible farmer should be left out of the scheme. An official from the home department said of the 88 jailed farmers, a few have been convicted by courts, while the others are undertrials. Most of the convicts were booked for crimes like cheating, rioting and theft, he said but declined to disclose the nature of cases in which the other farmers were arrested. Minister for Cooperative Subhash Deshmukh said no eligible farmer will be deprived of the scheme. "We will try to give the benefits to other prisoners (who are also farmers) as well," said Deshmukh. Welcoming the government's initiative, noted farm activist Kishor Tiwari said those prisoner-cultivators, whose claims have been rejected, should be provided help so that they, too, benefit from the scheme. "We welcome the initiative. Though farmers are behind bars, their families should get some relief through the scheme. The government should help with the documentation process for those whose claims have been rejected," he said. The state cabinet on Tuesday gave its approval to extend the loan waiver scheme to farmers who have defaulted on loans since 2001. The previous cut-off was 2009. According to official figures, a sum of Rs 15,700 crore has been disbursed to more than 35 lakh farmers till now. A total of 46.52 lakh farmers have been found to be eligible for benefits. Of these, 30.38 lakh have applied for full loan waiver, while the rest have sought relief under the incentive component (for repaying loans on time) of the Rs 34,000-crore scheme. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Dr Kafeel Khan, an accused in the Gorakhpur's BRD Medical College negligence case involving death of scores of children and infants, today alleged that BJP MP from Bansgaon Kamlesh Paswan was behind a recent attack on his brother Kashif Jamal. Speaking to reporters here today, Dr Kafeel said, "The attack on Kashif was carried out at the behest of BJP MP from Basgaon Kamlesh Paswan in collusion with Satish Nanglia (the owner of a plaza in Gorakhpur)." Maintaining that there was no direct enmity between the BJP MP and his brother, Kafeel alleged both Kamlesh Paswan and Satish wanted to occupy a plot of land belonging to his maternal uncle for which even an FIR had been registered earlier. Kafeel also demanded security cover for himself and his family members from the UP government adding that they all are facing threat to their lives. BJP MP Paswan, however, termed the allegation against him as "baseless," saying Dr Kafeel was trying to gain political mileage out of the attack. "These are all baseless allegations which have been levelled on me. I have got nothing to do with the case (attack on Kashif). And, I am ready for any sort of probe," Paswan told PTI. "Through these acts, Dr Kafeel is trying to gain a soft corner and attempting to establish himself politically," he added. According to police, Kashif Jameel, 34, was allegedly shot at by some unidentified bike-borne miscreants near JP Hospital in Gorakhpur on June 10 after which he was rushed to a private nursing home from where he was referred to the trauma centre of King George Medical University in Lucknow. Kashif had sustained bullet wounds on his right upper arm, neck and chin. A day after the attack, Kafeel had said on twitter, "Allah rahem kare. I'm not going to bend." Gorakhpur's Senior Superintendent of Police Shalabh Mathur had on June 11 said, "A case has been registered against unidentified persons. Police is investigating all possible aspects."Dr Kafeel Khan was the nodal officer of the 100-bed AES ward at the Baba Raghav Das Medical College, Gorakhpur, when a total of 30 children had died in the hospital on August 10 and 11. He was removed following the deaths of the children and was later arrested by the UP Police in September 2017 for his alleged criminal negligence and liability in the case. He is was granted bail by the Allahabad High Court in April this year. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The Gauhati Medical College and Hospital (GMCH) was today linked with cancer hospitals of the Tatas in Mumbai and Kolkata, enabling doctors here to consult their counterparts in the two cities. Tata Trusts Chairman Ratan Tata and Assam Health Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma today rolled out a platform, 'Digital Nerve Centre (DiNC)', to connect cancer care unit of the GMCH with with the two other hospitals. The two hospitals are Tata Memorial Centre in Mumbai and Tata Medical Centre, Kolkata. "With launching of this platform, our doctors will be able to discuss cases of patients with those from the Tata hospitals in Mumbai and Kolkata. In many cases, patients will no longer require to travel outside Assam," Sarma told a press conference after launching the project here. The state government and Tata Trusts have proposed to develop 19 cancer care centres across the state and those centres would also be connected to this platform, he added. "Patients' record keeping and consultation will be a seamless affair with this technology. It is developed by the TCS and the Tata Trusts has given it to us free of cost. Assam is the first greenfield project for DiNC," Sarma said. The platform has the potential to connect all the 143 cancer care hospitals under National Cancer Grid in future, the minister said. The Assam government is setting up a 500-bed cancer hospital under the GMCH and it will be the apex centre for cancer treatment, he said. For this, the government is investing Rs 200 crore, of which Rs 180 crore would be given by the Centre, he said adding that this hospital will be known as South East Asian Cancer Research Centre. Assam government yesterday announced 19 cancer care centres, to be set up across the state in partnership with Tata Trusts at an investment of Rs 1,910 crore by mid-2020. The government will lay the foundation stone of the proposed centres at a function tomorrow. The Assam government and Tata Trusts have formed a non- profitable entity -- Assam Cancer Care Foundation (ACCF) -- with equal partnership to implement the project and manage the centres, Sarma had said yesterday. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) An examination of a group of 1,100-year-old stone tablets has been launched in China's northwestern Shaanxi Province to identify any damages to them. The 114 tablets, which have a collection of Confucian works carved on them, are national-level cultural relics and are housed in Xi'an Beilin Museum in the provincial capital. A total of 650,000 characters are engraved on the tablets. The tablets were completed in 837 during the Tang Dynasty (618-907), and were important reference documents for academics in ancient times, Zhang Anxing from the museum was quoted by state-run Xinhua agency as saying today. The museum said the tablets will be examined and repaired before they are moved to a new exhibition hall. An in-depth examination including 3D, X-ray and ultrasound scans will be carried out to collect data required to repair any damaged tablets. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Puducherry Chief Minister V Narayanasamy today urged the Centre to ensure the Union Territory is granted "statehood with special status." Participating in the fourthgoverning council meeting of the NITI Aayog in Delhi, the Chief Minister placed before the Council "some of the important and long-pending issues of the Union Territory of Puducherry" which required special attention and immediate resolution by the Aayog and the centre. A copy of his address at the meeting was released to the media by his office here. After highlighting the performance of the Puducherry government in various sectors including agriculture and health, the Chief Minister appealed for grant of statehood with special status for the union territory. He also reiterated the demand that Puducherry be brought under the ambit of the Central Finance Commission "for devolution of funds similar to other States." Making out a case for "at least ten per cent hike every year in the Central grants to Puducherry," the Chief Minister stressed the funding pattern for all centrally- sponsored schemes in the union territory be in the ratio of 90:10 in place of the 60:40 adopted now. The territorial government should also be permitted to go in for market borrowing, he said. Narayanasamy also sought special package for industrial development of Puducherry, disposal of land belonging to government-owned AFT mills to clear statutory dues of the workers and banks and development and expansion of the sea port and the airport here. He said "federal polity of our country demands the active participation of states in development process. Factoring the rich and varied experiences of states will pave the way for better policy implementation and equitable growth of the country." During the last five years (up to May this year), the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme (MGNREGS) had been implemented in Puducherry with an investment of Rs 42.66 crore and 22.3 lakh mandays were generated. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The Indian Medical Association (IMA) has demanded a review of the Centre's ambitious National Health Protection Scheme, saying it has "conceptual deficits and operational flaws". The doctors body said the rates quoted by the government for various procedures are abysmal and impractical and most of them do not cover even 30 per cent of the cost of the procedure. "No hospital can work on these rates without seriously compromising patient safety. In the garb of cost cutting the government is exposing the people to danger in the hospitals. "Caesarean sections underwritten for Rs 9,000 cannot ensure safety of the mother and the child," IMA national president Dr Ravi Wankhedkar said. The IMA demanded that the costing undertaken be transparent and be in public domain. The doctors body said the money allotted for the Ayushman Bharat- National Health Protection Scheme (AB-NHPS) would have better served the country if every district hospital is strengthened with an infrastructure of Rs 2 crores each. "The highly optic NHPS fails to create any new national asset. The same money invested in our public hospitals would have brought secondary and tertiary care closer to poor in our government hospitals. "In addition to non-creation of new public sector hospitals, the government will lose around Rs 400 crore to private health insurance companies which will manage the scheme. The insurance driven healthcare is a failed experiment," Wankhedkar said. IMA members said apart from such conceptual deficits the operational flaws of the scheme will ensure it as a non starter. While lauding that the scheme has brought health as an important issue in an election year, the doctors body expressed concern that only a fraction of Rs 1.5 lakh crore required has been allotted. The IMA said the way forward for the country is to invest in our government hospitals for better health infrastructure and manpower. The current policy change in India will only end up strengthening the insurance business. "IMA has suggested to the Union government that NHPS should be modelled as healthcare purchase directly from the provider hospitals removing the insurance companies and third party administrators. "These intermediaries siphon off 40 per cent of the budgeted money and are breeders of corruption and unethical practices," IMA Secretary General Dr R N Tandon said. Twenty states, so far, have signed MoUs with the Union health ministry to implement the government's ambitious national health protection mission, aiming to provide a cover of Rs 5 lakh per family annually to ten crore vulnerable families. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The CPI(M) said today that it will join the march by AAP workers to Prime Minister's residence, signalling that the opposition parties were closing ranks with Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal in his confrontation with the Centre. CPI(M) general-secretary Sitaram Yechury said his party condemns the manner in which the federal feature of the Constitution was being "undermined" by the BJP government at the Centre. "Joining the protest rally to the prime minister's residence today to express serious condemnation over the manner in which the federalism, a fundamental feature of our Constitution, is being undermined by this BJP central government," Yechury said in a statement. "Utilising the office of governors and Lt governors, the BJP central government is seeking to destabilise non-BJP democratically-elected state governments," he said. He said the governor's office was sought to be utilised to "hijack people's mandate" in Karnataka, which was thwarted. His reference was to Karnataka governor inviting the BJP to form the government in the state. The Congress-JD(S) post-poll alliance, however, formed the government in Karnataka. "Such efforts are destroying the already fragile centre-state relations which is the backbone of the federal content of the Indian Constitution," Yechury said. By stating that the communists in India were the first victims of central "authoritarian misuse" of constitutional provisions when the democratically-elected government in Kerala was "undemocratically dismissed" in 1957, he pointed out that this often happened with Left-led governments in Kerala and West Bengal subsequently. Interestingly, Congress, the biggest opposition party, has come out openly against the Delhi chief minister, saying Kejriwal should concentrate on governance rather than theatrics, creating a rift within the opposition unity. The CPI(M)'s support to Kejriwal came as the TDP, the TMC, the JD(S) also appeared to supporting him in the confrontation with the Delhi Lt. Governor and the Centre. TMC chief and West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, Kerala's Pinarayi Vijayan, Andhra Pradesh's N Chandrababu Naidu and Karnataka's H D Kumaraswamy had a meeting with Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Home Minister Rajnath Singh on the sidelines of the NITI Aayog Governing Council meeting and urged the Centre to resolve the issue. Kejriwal and his three cabinet colleagues have been staying put at the waiting room at Raj Niwas, protesting against what they call a strike by Delhi government IAS officers. The IAS officers have denied they are on strike. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Opposing the concept of "grihasth sant", or householder saints, the Akhil Bharatiya Akhada Parishad has said that they do not accord "saint" status to married persons. The ABAP is an apex body of 13 major "akhadas", or religious orders, of Hindu saints and seers. The statement from the ABAP comes amidst a debate on saints following the alleged suicide of spiritual leader Bhaiyyu Maharaj on June 12. Bhaiyyu Maharaj, who was reverentially called "rashtra sant" by his followers, committed suicide allegedly due to stress from a family dispute, a preliminary probe has revealed. Mahant Narendra Giri, Akhada Parishad president, told PTI that it did not recognise the concept of "grihasth sant", adding that such people were not considered seers till about 50 years ago. "We are grieved at the death of Bhaiyyu Maharaj. He was a respected person. But we clearly believe that, in religious and spiritual fields, married persons should not be called saints. We do not give any recognition to the concept of grihasth sant," he said. "Personalities from religious and spiritual fields should decide whether they want sainthood or they want to be part of a family. They should not ride on two boats at the same time, otherwise they will naturally be affected by family discord," Giri said. "Now the media as well as people address preachers and persons delivering sermons as saints. According to us, it is not appropriate to use the term saint for everybody," Giri said. He claimed that those enjoying "sainthood" as well as family life at the same time would eventually "fail". The ABAP chief also said that Bhaiyyu Maharaj's family should not fight among themselves as it would upset the late spiritual leader's followers. Bhaiyyu Maharaj (50) had allegedly committed suicide by shooting himself on June 12 in a room of his bungalow located on Bypass Road here. Bhaiyyu Maharaj, whose original name is Uday Singh Deshmukh, hailed from a family of landlords in Madhya Pradesh's Shujalpur. His first wife Madhvi, with whom he has a 17-year-old daughter Kuhu, died in November 2015. He married Dr Ayushi Sharma (49) of Shivpuri last year and has a two-month-old daughter from the marriage. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Punjab Local Bodies and Tourism Minister Navjot Singh Sidhu today reiterated that the drive against illegal colonies and buildings in the state would continue despite resistance by some people, including from his own party. The government would take a tough stand against the illegal colonisers and builders who would obstruct the ongoing drive in the state, Sidhu said while talking to media persons here after inspecting the ongoing repair of heritage buildings in Kapurthala. Replying to a question regarding complaints by some Congress MLAs against him to Chief Minister Amarinder Singh, he said he was not bothered about "such complaints and his department would continue the drive". Notably, Congress MLA of Jalandhar (West) constituency, Sushil Rinku, had staged a protest for nearly two hours on Friday and allegedly did not let a team of the municipal corporation demolish an illegal structure in his constituency. Rinku had said that the "state government should make some policy for these poor people whose structures would be demolished". Sidhu, during a visit to Amritsar, said, "I am with Punjab and I will not spare anyone who tries to grab the land of Punjab." "I cannot allow violations and not take action against those not taking permissions. I am firm on my stand," he added. "Punjab Government cannot surrender and just allow people to do violations and grab the land of Punjab," Sidhu said. In Kapurthala, the minister inspected the ongoing maintenance work of the Darbar Hall and the Moorish Mosque. He said the government would take a stand on the dilapidated condition of the Jagatjit Palace housing Sainik school, Kapurthala and asked the school authorities to shift the school to adjoining more than 100 acres of land lying vacant in Sainik school. Sidhu said the state government would allot 100 acres of land and bear the cost of construction of new school building. He said the government had already announced Rs 10 crore for this purpose. The minister said the Jagatjit Palace and the Darbar Hall would become a place of attraction for the tourists and Kapurthala would become a sought after tourist destination. Sidhu said the Tourism department has enough funds amounting to Rs 590 crore to promote tourism industry in the state. He disclosed that Harike would be developed soon and tented accommodation would be provided to the tourists to enjoy the site of migratory birds. Meanwhile, during his visit to Amritsar today, Sidhu announced that holy city will be made the tourism capital of northern India. Sidhu said that all measures were being taken to unlock the potential of Amritsar and give visitors a programmed visit to this place and tourism spots of surrounding areas. He visited various tourist destinations in Amritsar along with a team of consultants, media persons and officials from the Tourism department. "We will make Amritsar the tourism capital of north India. This is not a hollow boast but a dream that will be fulfilled in totality," he said. Giving details on the plans to boost tourism in Amritsar, Sidhu said, "Town Hall will be a complete food street on the lines of Lahore. As Amritsar is known for its food, we will have 146 delicacies in that food street." The Punjab Tourism minister announced that an Aero city would be developed in Amritsar. "We will be developing an Aero city. It can be in the heart of city or close to the airport with around 20 hotels. Apart from the top end hotels, we also intend to have hotels which are affordable for all and not very expensive," he said. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Thousands of South Africans gathered at four different venues across the country over the weekend for an early start to the International Day of Yoga (IDY) on June 21. In Johannesburg on Saturday, more than 1,000 people from different communities gathered on the pitch at the Wanderers Stadium for a yoga session on a crisp winter morning before spending the rest of the day in workshops showcasing the various types of yoga. "This is quite a historic day for us, as the Wanderers, where the IPL was played a few years ago, has never been used for an exercise of this nature, said Consul General for India K J Srinivasa. "Besides using a weekend to make it convenient for everyone to celebrate IDY when it falls on a weekday, today also marks the public holiday of Youth Day in South Africa, commemorating the young students who made a huge sacrifice in 1976 to fight against the imposition of unequal education in Black schools. It ties in very well with our objective of encouraging youth to take up yoga for the multiple benefits that it brings," he said. Hundreds of youth are expected to join more than 2,000 people, including senior citizens, educationists and members of the South African Police Services who were thrilled to join in last year and have roped in many more colleagues in Soweto on June 21, when an IDY programme takes place there, jointly hosted by the Art of Living Foundation, Srinivasa added. The call on the youth to take up yoga was echoed by the Premier of KwaZulu-Natal province in an address read out on his behalf when over 2,000 yoga enthusiasts gathered on the Durban beachfront on Sunday. They joined local civic and political leaders for a yoga session hosted by the Consulate General of India in the city and the Sivananda World Peace Foundation. Veteran politician and leader of the Inkatha Freedom Party, Chief Mangosuthu Buthelezi, 90, again joined the crowd there, as he has since the inception of IDY four years ago. We also had the pleasure of Acting Chief Justice Geeta Mittal from the Delhi High Court joining us as we handed out prizes to ten winners in an essay competition for various school grades that we ran in relation to IDY, said Consul General in Durban, Shashank Vikram. IDY sessions were also hosted on the beachfront in Stanger (about 80 km from Durban) and in Pietermaritzburg, the city where Gandhiji started his path to Satyagraha 125 years ago. Two more session will be held next week, culminating next Saturday with an IDY programme at the Phoenix Settlement started by Gandhiji, Vikram added. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) A former AIADMK MLA disqualified along with 17 others for rebelling against Chief Minister K Palaniswami last year, has decided to withdraw his plea from the high court against his disqualification. Announcing his decision to withdraw the plea, Thanga Tamilselvan said he now prefers to face bypoll to his Andipatti constituency. The VK Sasikala's loyalist announced his decision following a recent split verdict of the Madras High court on disqualifications, with the matter now being referred to a third judge. The former legislator said his decision was prompted by the fact that his constituency has been left with no representative for nearly past 10 months. "We (18 MLAs) lost our post for no mistake of ours... I am not able to go to the constituency. There are a lot of people's issues to be highlighted in the Assembly. I am ready to perform the democratic duties in the House. And I am ready to face bypoll," he said. Tamilselvan, a TTV Dhinakaran's supporter, is one of the 18 MLAs, who was disqualified by Assembly Speaker P Dhanapal last year following their revolt against the chief minister. A day after the factions led by Palaniswami and erstwhile rebel leader but now Deputy Chief Minister O Panneerselvam merged on August 21, MLAs owing allegiance to Dhinakaran met the then Governor Ch Vidyasagar Rao, seeking the chief minister's ouster. They had then said they lost confidence in Palaniswami as chief minister. Dhanapal later disqualified them under anti-defection and disqualification rules of 1986 framed in accordance with the Tenth Schedule of the Constitution. Responding to Tamilselvan's announcement, senior AIADMK leader and Fisheries Minister D Jayakumar resorted to two different Tamil sayings and sought to know whether the opposition camp was testing the waters or was it a signal of problems in the Dhinakaran camp. However, AMMK founder Dhinakaran insisted all was well between him and his supporters. He said Tamilselvan had consulted him on the matter. "He is free to take a decision as they (all disqualified MLAs) became legislators because of Amma (the late J Jayalalithaa). The others want to fight the case legally. All of them are with us (in his camp) and even he never said he was walking away," Dhinakaran said. He said there was nothing wrong with his supporter's proposal and added that politically it would give them an opportunity to once again challenge the AIADMK. Hinting that Tamilselvan could be fielded as an AMMK candidate if at all there was a by-poll, Dhinakaran said, "We can once again fight those who betrayed us." "We can prove we are Amma's true supporters and heirs for the party's Two-Leaves symbol," he said, apparently referring to his own thumping win in the RK Nagar bypoll here in December 2017 where he defeated the ruling party candidate. "There is no need for reading in between the lines," he said on Tamilselvan's announcement which was widely being debated in political circles. On June 14, the Madras High Court delivered a split verdict on the petitions challenging disqualification of 18 AIADMK legislators loyal to Dhinakaran. In the keenly-awaited judgement, Chief Justice Indira Banerjee upheld the September 18 order of Speaker Dhanapal disqualifying the MLAs, while Justice M Sundar disagreed with her and struck it down. The senior-most judge after her will decide the third judge who would hear the matter afresh, Justice Banerjee had said. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Facebook has prohibited advertisements for weapon accessories to users under the age of 18 amid a raging debate in the US over gun control after a number of mass shootings, according to media reports. The social network currently bans advertisements for the sale of weapons and modifications, like magazines. But Facebook took an additional step of adding an age requirement for ads selling things like holsters, belt accessories or mounted flashlights, CNET reported. For example, advertisements for gun cases, slings and gun paint are allowed, but only with the new age restriction. But those for firearms, ammunition, paintball guns or BB guns are not allowed, it said. The new policy is set to go into effect from June 21, it said. The announcement comes as the US has been embroiled in a nationwide debate over gun reform. Mass shootings, including school attacks in Parkland, Florida, and Santa Fe, Texas, have intensified the discussion. Facebook is not the only Silicon Valley company that's waded into the gun debate by restricting the content on its platforms. In March, YouTube, owned by Google, said it will ban videos that promote or link to websites that sell firearms and accessories. The company had already banned videos that attempted to sell firearms. Facebook's advertising and data collection policies have more broadly been under scrutiny as the company deals with the toughest crises in its 14-year history. In March, the social network was criticised for a scandal involving Cambridge Analytica, the British political consulting firm, which improperly accessed personal information on up to 87 million Facebook users. Facebook's updated advertisements policy could ruffle conservatives and Second Amendment advocates. Some conservatives are already suspicious of Facebook, accusing the social network of liberal bias and suppression of conservative voices. On Friday, Facebook updated its advertising policy page with examples of what kinds of firearm ads are and are not allowed on the platform. Facebook said that in the weeks ahead it will work with businesses and organisations that may be affected by the new age restriction policy. Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar today said farm income is showing no signs of improvement even as he criticised farm loan waiver as a "regressive step" and found fault with the central government's crop insurance scheme. Speaking at the fourth meeting of the Niti Aayog's governing council, he sought replacing the practice of cooking foods under the Mid Day Meal scheme with direct benefit transfer. Kumar said farmers were not getting remunerative price for their produce and "farm income is showing no signs of improvement" which was a "major challenge" for the government. His comments came amid talks of farm distress in various quarters, an issue which the Opposition has often used to target the BJP-led NDA government at the Centre. The Bihar chief minister described the rise in the share of states in pool of taxes to 42 per cent from 32 per cent merely a "compositional shift", saying the increase in revenue was negated to a large extent by reduction in Centre's allocation for centrally-planned and sponsored schemes. The Modi government has often cited its decision to raise the share of a state's revenue as recommended by the 14th finance commission as an evidence of its commitment to strengthening power of states. Kumar also batted strongly for the grant of special category status to Bihar, saying the state is far below the national average on multiple parameters of development. The special status will increase its resources, improve access to external resources and act as a catalyst for private investment, he said. Granting Bihar the special category status has been a longstanding demand of the JD(U) president which he has of late begun raising it vociferously after joining the ruling NDA last year. The main agenda of the Niti Aayog's governing council meeting was to deliberate on measures taken to double farmers' income and the progress of government's flagship schemes. Kumar, however, warned against farm loan waiver, which he said is being adopted as a measure to overcome this agriculture crisis, and asserted that experience indicates that it is a regressive step from a long-term perspective. Several states, including many run by the BJP, have waived farm loans to placate distressed farmers and opposition parties have demanded the Centre do it across the country. "This benefit is only limited to those farmers who have taken loan. Non-loanee and non-raiyat farmers, who are in a large number, do not benefit from the scheme... I firmly believe that farmers should be given assistance through input subsidy. By doing so, we can reduce the total input cost of farmers and ensure higher actual returns," he said. The Bihar government has recently launched this scheme, Kumar said, and asked the Centre to provide it financial assistance. Kumar had held the portfolio of agriculture ministry in the Atal Bihari Vajpayee government. Sharing his views on 'Pradhan Mantri Fasal Bima Yojna', a key initiative of the government in the farm sector, Kumar said substantial numbers of farmers are not getting its benefits. Insurance companies quoted excessive rates of premiums, he said, adding that it resulted in average rate of premium for Bihar rising to 15 per cent for 'Kharif' produce in 2015-16 as against the scheme's provision of only 2.5 per cent. The total amount of premium, including shares of the state, the Centre and farmers, was Rs 1122.50 crore but insurance companies paid only Rs 289.36 crore of compensation to farmers, he said. "It is evident from the experience of implementing this scheme that non-loanee farmers and non-raiyat, whose number is substantial, are not getting the benefits of the scheme," he said. The Bihar government has launched its own scheme considering these factors, he said, seeking 50 per cent central assistance under it. The chief minister also spoke against the involvement of 'Anganwadi Centres' (AWC) in cooking food under the mid-day meal (MDA) scheme, saying its real objectives of enhancing the nutrition of pregnant and lactating mothers have been lost due to this. On the other hand, the MDA has diverted the focus of teachers away from teaching, leading to poor learning outcomes, he said. "Instead of centre of learning, students see school as a centre of food. Inadequate infrastructure in school results in poor storage and untrained lowly paid cooks results in unhygienic management of food grains. This in turn contributes to poor quality of cooked meals," he said. Unpleasant incidents keep happening when the cooked meal prepared in schools have led to children sometimes becoming sick for one reason or the other, leading to law and order situations, Kumar said, adding this was not good for the teaching environment in schools. Time has come to begin experimenting with direct cash transfer and put trust and faith in beneficiaries' wisdom in spending the resources made available to them and for the purpose it is given to them, he said. He also shared his government's preparation for the celebration of the 150th birth anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi and suggested amnesty for those accused of petty crimes. "Woman prisoners or prisoners above 60 years of age may be given the priority. lf suitable changes are required in the law, it may be considered," he said, stressing that India has a tradition of amnesty on special occasions. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The Supreme Court has taken a serious note of 150 medical students in Bhopal being left in the lurch after permission of a college for admission in the academic session 2017-18 was denied by the Medical Council of India (MCI). The top court has asked the MCI to suggest a solution to thwart the crisis and place on record the details of vacant seats in Madhya Pradesh and adjoining states for the academic session 2017-18. A vacation bench of justices U U Lalit and Deepak Gupta expressed concern of the situation and wondered as what should be the approach to deal with the matter where the students were allocated seat by the central counselling agency to a particular college, which had later ran into difficulties. "It is not as if the admissions in question were not in fair and transparent manner. On the other hand, the state authorities sent or directed the students to this college. Can the students be now left in the lurch," the bench asked. During the hearing, advocate Arjun Garg, appearing for the Madhya Pradesh government, said not a single seat was available in any of the medical colleges in the state for the academic session 2017-18. The bench asked Garg on whose instructions he has been making such a statement and warned that if at a later stage, the submission was found to be wrong, it would haul up the official concerned. Garg said he has instructions from additional chief secretary for medical in the state and named the official as R S Julani. "The correctness of that statement will certainly be considered but at this stage it must be stated that the status report on record filed on behalf of the state of Madhya Pradesh on May 2, 2018 does not indicate the stand which is now projected on behalf of the state of Madhya Pradesh," it said. It said that the MCI should place its view in the matter and suggest a solution, if any. "We also direct the MCI to place before us the details as to vacant seats available in colleges in state of Madhya Pradesh and adjoining states for the academic session 2017-2018. The MCI shall file appropriate affidavit within two weeks giving complete details of vacancy situation as indicated above," the bench said. It listed the matter immediately on reopening before the appropriate bench and sought response from Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS). The top court was hearing a matter related to RKDF Medical College Hospital and Research Centre which was initially accorded approval by the MCI and the Centre to take admissions for MBBS course for academic session 2014-15. However, after the inspection was undertaken by the MCI for the next academic session (2015-2016), no renewal permission was granted and the college was debarred from making any admissions. The college again was allowed to admit students for academic session 2016-17 but denied permission for academic session 2017-18. However, through an interim order, the apex court granted permission to take admission of 150 students for academic session 2017-18. The entire batch of 150 students was admitted and all admissions were made pursuant to the allocations of seats made by the state authorities through the central counselling agency. "The facts on record indicate that the renewal permission for the academic session 2017-2018 was finally not granted, which has, therefore, left the question to be considered as to the status and the rights of those students who were admitted pursuant to the interim order and who were allocated by the central counselling agency," the bench said. The top court said that one of the terms of essentiality certificate under which a college is allowed to be set up and make admissions is that in case the college runs into any difficulty, the state shall take care of those students who were admitted in such college. The bench said that the top court had expressed its concern over the fate of students through its interim order passed from time to time and said that the students in question must be accommodated in other colleges firstly in Madhya Pradesh and if not, then in the adjoining states. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Five members of a family, including three children, were today killed when a truck collided with their car near Aliganj village in Madhya Pradesh's Raisen district, police said. "The family members of Ashiq Mansoori, a resident of Pipariya in Hoshangabad district, were returning today afternoon from their native Udaipura town after celebrating Eid when the accident occurred," said Bareli Police Station in charge S S Mukati. He said that six persons were travelling in the car and only one woman survived, but with grievous injuries. The driver of the car died on the spot and three children and one woman died while being moved to hospital, Mukati said. A case has been registered and efforts were on to nab the truck driver who fled the scene, he said. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Punjab Chief Minister Amarinder Singh today urged Prime Minister Narendra Modi to constitute a committee with representatives of the Centre and states to formulate a blueprint of a national debt waiver scheme for farmers. Underlining the importance of the Swaminathan Committee report being accepted in totality, the chief minister, while addressing a meeting of the NITI Aayog here, said the Governing Council should consider the issue of agricultural loan waiver at the national level, on priority. Stressing the need for greater empowerment of the states by the central government, in the spirit of cooperative federalism, he reiterated his government's request for central assistance to celebrate the 550th birth anniversary of Sri Guru Nanak Dev and the centenary of the Jallianwala Bagh massacre in Amritsar next year in a befitting manner. Noting that the nation was also observing the 150th birth anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi, Singh said 2019 was a historic year for the entire nation, and called for collective efforts to ensure that the various commemorative events were celebrated in the spirit they deserve. The chief minister pushed for a special one-time infrastructure development package for border areas of Punjab. Lamenting that the criteria for allocation of funds under the Border Areas Development Programme remained unfavourable to Punjab, he also called for acquisition of lands that lie beyond the border fence by the Government of India, along with incentives for industry in the border area. Describing the meeting of the NITI Aayog as the ideal platform for allowing states to articulate their areas of concern in a joint forum before the Union Government to ensure that these do not impede the larger process of development and nation-building, Singh also sought tax incentives and promotional schemes to 30 kms border belt as is given to the hilly and north-eastern region. He also called for special development and maintenance of border roads in Punjab. Referring to the serious water crisis towards which Punjab was slowly moving, he urged the Centre to include the rivers of Punjab for capital assistance on the lines of the Ganga Action Plan. The chief minister also sought approval for the state's projects for upgradation of irrigation system and expeditious approval to Shahpur Kandi Dam project on the river Ravi. Underlining Punjab's important role in the defence and food security of the nation, the chief minister made a strong case for debt relief for the farmers, pointing out that his government had already announced a scheme for institutional crop loan waiver in the state to all marginal and small farmers having outstanding crop loans up to Rs 2 lakh, thus providing relief to 10.25 lakh farmers. He also sought procurement of crops such as maize, oilseeds and pulses by central agencies, besides urging the central government to incentivise farmers through a conditional cash transfer by way of non-burning bonus of Rs 100 per quintal quintal on paddy, in order to check the problem of burning of paddy straw. The chief minister, in his concluding remarks, called for a re-commitment by the states and the central government to building our nation together and dedicate ourselves in the service of the poorest and the weakest person, as a tribute to the Father of the Nation. He expressed the hope that the Centre would strengthen the states in the true spirit of cooperative federalism. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) and today signed a historic preliminary agreement to rename the country the Republic of North Macedonia, ending a row that has poisoned relations between the two neighbours since 1991. "This is a brave, historic and necessary step for our peoples," said Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras. "We are here to heal the wounds of time, to open a path for peace, fraternisation and growth for our countries, the Balkans and Europe," he said. "Our two countries should step out of the past and look to the future," said Prime Minister Zoran Zaev. "Our peoples want peace... we will be partners and allies," he said. The accord begins to unravel one of the world's longest -- and arguably most arcane -- diplomatic disputes, which began 27 years ago with Macedonia's declaration of independence but whose roots date back centuries. "The time has come again to sing happy songs in the Balkans," Tsipras said, moments before the document was signed by the two countries' foreign ministers. Zaev and several of his ministers arrived by speedboat at the picturesque fishing village of Psarades under a sunny sky, on the southern bank of Lake Prespa that is one of the natural boundaries between the two countries. Tsipras and Zaev embraced on the village dock and entered the large tent where the deal was signed to a standing ovation from gathered dignataries and officials. UN under-secretary-general for political affairs Rosemary DiCarlo, longterm UN negotiator Matthew Nimetz, EU diplomatic chief Federica Mogherini and EU enlargement commissioner Johannes Hahn were at hand. Nimetz, who turned 79 on Sunday and also signed Sunday's agreement, had been trying to broker a solution since 1994, first as a US envoy and subsequently on behalf of the But it was the election of Zaev in 2017, replacing nationalist PM Nikola Gruevski, that proved crucial. An economist and former mayor of Strumica, Zaev made rapprochement with a priority to secure his country's membership of the European Union and NATO, blocked by for years. After the signature, Tsipras will cross over to the Macedonian side of Lake Prespa for lunch, becoming the first Greek prime minister to visit the neighbouring state. Since 1991, has objected to its neighbour being called because it has its own northern province of the same name, which in ancient times was the cradle of Alexander the Great's empire -- a source of intense pride for modern-day Greeks. The two premiers, born just months apart in 1974, have bucked strong hostile reactions at home to push ahead with the agreement. With a massive haze of dust enveloping Delhi and the pollution levels dropping to "severe" category, a green body has urged the Ministry to speed up rolling out its National Clean Air Programme, which proposes multiple strategies to combat air pollution. Greenpeace India said air pollution is a "silent and invisible killer" and a national health emergency, asserting that big polluters must be held accountable for the menace. The air pollution situation in Delhi remained "severe" for the fifth day on Saturday, but authorities expressed hope that the air quality would improve after pollutants begin to disperse. The pollution level had dipped to "severe plus" category at on one point on Saturday but the situation was gradually improving, the Centre-run System of Air Quality and Weather Forecasting and Research institute (SAFAR) said. "Air pollution is prevalent all year round and throughout the country and not just limited to Delhi. The ministry must speed up its pace on rolling out the National Clean Air Programme," Sunil Dahiya, senior campaigner, climate and energy, Greenpeace India, told PTI. "Air pollution is a national public health emergency and the big polluters must be held accountable for the menace," he said. The ministry has prepared the draft NCAP with an overall objective of a comprehensive management plan for prevention, control and abatement of air pollution, and augment the air quality monitoring network across the country. Various green groups have submitted their recommendations to the ministry on the draft. Although under the Graded-Response Action Plan, all construction activities have been stopped in the capital and authorities plan to strictly enforce prohibition on open burning of garbage and plastics, Dahiya said the measures are not enough. He rued that any serious conversation about pollution begins only after people experience hazy days. "The haze in north India has become visible now because of dust-laden winds blowing from areas in Rajasthan. But air pollution in north India is omnipresent," he stressed. He said pollution sources emitting toxic gases through the year push the air pollution to hazardous levels and dust storms and other such meteorological factors contribute to the crisis. He dismissed the notion that air pollution happens because of meteorological factors only but said they exacerbate the situation. He said a study by Lousiana State University has recommended 13 measures that can reduce pollution-related premature deaths, which stand at nine lakh a year. Dahiya said policy measures - with the largest potential for air quality improvement - have helped improve the situation. The PM10 level (presence of particles with diameter less than 10 mm) had climbed to 778 in Delhi-NCR and 824 in Delhi on Wednesday, demonstrating that severe air pollution is a "summer-time problem" too. Delhi L-G Anil Baijal has ordered stoppage of all civil construction activities till Sunday. Union Environment Minister Harsh Vardhan has ordered civic agencies to be on "maximum" alert and ensure necessary measures are taken to contain the spread of dust particles. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The wedding procession of a Dalit man was held up for a few hours allegedly by some upper caste men who were objecting to the groom riding a horse, police said. The incident happened today in Parsa village in Mansa taluka of Gandhinagar, an official said. "Some 4-5 people were not allowing the groom, a Dalit man, to ride a horse as part of the wedding procession. A team led by the deputy superintendent of police, comprising local police as well as Special Operations Group and Crime Branch personnel, reached the spot and controlled the situation," said Inspector P G Patel, Mansa Police Station. He added that the group of 4-5 men, who were stalling the procession, ran away when the police team arrived. "The procession finally proceeded under police protection. There was no clash or any untoward incident. The marriage was conducted peacefully," Patel added. He said that no FIR had been registered as yet in connection with the incident. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Solar glass manufacturer Gujarat Borosil plans to invest around Rs 435 crore to more than double its manufacturing capacity of tempered solar glass facility by fiscal 2020. The company, which has a facility in Bharuch in Gujarat, currently manufactures 180 tonne per day of 2 mm tempered solar glass, which is used on existing glass modules to improve efficiency. "Our 2 mm solar glass is not only lighter than the current world standard of 3.2 mm, but also absorbs less solar energy while allowing higher irradiance to reach the solar cell. It also helps boost output by as much as 30 per cent," vice-chairman Pradeep Kheruka told reporters here over the weekend. He said the company plans to increase the capacity to up to 400 tonne per day by 2020. "Many domestic modules manufacturers are our clients and we are also exporting nearly 25 per cent of our production. As our product is accepted both by domestic as well as international consumers, we want to increase the capacity significantly," Kheruka said. The company plans to invest around Rs 235 crore to set up a new manufacturing line with a daily capacity of 210 tonne. The new facility will be operational in 2019. "Once this facility is operational, we will rebuild the existing facility and we hope to increase the capacity to up to 200 tonne per day from 180 tonne at present," he added. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) About Atheist Republic Follow Atheist Republic on Twitter @AtheistRepublic For quite a large part of our secularist friends of the Anglo-Saxon world, we French are regularly seen as awful oppressors of religions, mainly Islam.Well, nothing can be more false.In fact, this perception is largely due to presupposed views of our critics but also and mainly to a misunderstanding and misknowledge of historical and social specificities which gave the laicite a la francaise (secularism of the French) its specific form.If freedom of conscience and belief were originally part of the American constitution of 1787, that was not the case in France. The USA has been, since the origin, mainly a reunion of religious communities. Because of their diverging views about the interpretations of the holy texts, conflicts were inevitable. The founding fathers took the precaution to include freedom of cult and practice (or not) in the first law text of the USA in order to guarantee that no particular group could impose its divine law to others.The French situation is very different and to fully understand the spirit of the 1905 law of separation of church and state, you must to put it back in its historical context. Frances social structure has been shaped by 1500 years of royalty, whose temporal legitimacy is consubstantial to spirit of authority since 496, the date on which king Clovis chose to be baptised Christian.From that moment, wars for conquests and power chased one another, but there is religious unicity : apart from the Jews, everybody is Christian, and Catholic. France is called fille ainee de leglise (elder daughter of the church). Between 1309 and 1418 the popes were settled in Avignon. The Vatican ordered the slaughtering of some sectorian community or to burn a handful of heretics as a warning from time to time, but there has been, properly speaking, no religious war in the realm of France during almost a thousand years, that is, until the Lutheran Reform.Luther was excommunicated in 1521. From then on, things started to go wrong, mainly for the huguenots. They were persecuted by royal power, under the cheers of Rome. After 1562, religious wars ravaged France; they would go on until April 1598, when the Nantes Edict was promulgated by Henry IV. (Historical estimations of direct casualties are difficult but 150,000 is an accepted figure generally. Notice though that during that period, the kingdom lost around 8% of its population, so, one million casualties.) Unfortunately, the edict was revoked by Louis XIV in October 1685, provoking a massive exodus of 300,000 protestants, initiating a financial crisis that would be the 1789 revolutions prelude.In this picture, one must not forget the Jews, who, during the entire Middle-age and Renaissance period, underwent pogroms and persecutions of all sorts along with day-to-day vexations fueled by popular and cultural anti-semitism justified by the accusation of being the chosen people thrown out by the catholic church.As for Muslims, they are, since Charles Martel defeated them in Poitiers in 732, designated as enemy of Christianity and thus enemies of France. Crusades would only confirm this reputation. To make it short, its not a good thing to be a religious minority in the realm of doulce France (old french expression for sweet france).Then, the Revolution happened, causing a before and after 1789 situation.First came the Declaration of Human and Citizen Rights of the 26 of August 1789, in which the first Article states that men are born free and stay equals in right then proclaims in Article number ten freedom of conscience : no one can be bothered for his opinions, even religious, provided that they dont trouble public order. Nevertheless, revolutionary France, despite the reforms imposed, remains profoundly Catholic. The civil constitution of the clergy, then the separation attempts, led to a creeping tension of beliefs so intense that Napoleon had to implement an authoritarian solution. This would be the objective and the partial result found with the Concordat regime. The papacy concede that Catholicism is no longer a state religion, but only the religion of the majority of French people. Cults become public services. In a conciliation spirit, concessions were granted; for example, bishops are authorised to monitor religious teaching in schools.One has to keep in mind that the secularist revendication grew mainly because Roman Catholic Church imposed and tried, at any cost, to preserve a power that was regulating all aspects of civil society, political, economical and mostly intellectual life. One must never forget that the church fiercely fought against any emancipation attempt from its magisterium, in the science field for example. Another example is going from the heliocentric system model to the impression of the Bible in common (vulgate) language. About Galileos trial: its only in 1992, by the voice of Jean-Paul II, that the church recognised and stated that it was unfair. In fact, the church was a totalitarian power. In France this power imposed itself during more than a thousand years, except during the French Revolution period.The alliance between the throne and the altar made religious contestation inevitable as long as the political one grew along and conversely. Thats why 18th century philosophers, moved by the spirit of les lumieres (the lights) fought against the two forms, royal and religious, of absolutism. The claim for freedom of thought and the appeal to reason had radicalised the movement. It will meet its goal with the writing of the Human and Citizen Rights Declaration on the 26 of August 1789, mainly through its tenth article. During the 19th century, the progressive formation of the republican idea, anchored on revolutionary liberties, social progress and freeing of the minds from all forms of obscurantism pedestal, brought the last touch to this evolution. Separation of church and state could have become the symbol of an essential step, if it hadnt been, since, put in question and constantly attacked from all those who remains convinced that humanity is incapable to take responsibility for all the consequences of freedom of thought.If, in the history of our country, all of the great battles for liberty and justice were carrying the requirements of secularism, all the reaction periods have seen, by opposition, the comeback of religious domination. The Vichy dictatorship during Second World War was the last example of it.This explains why the French are so attached to the neutrality of civil servants: the function surpasses the individual. The republican law prevails over the divine one. The person in uniform is primarily a citizen, who must put away his personal philosophical or spiritual convictions, to serve everybody thru the laws of the Republic. Thats precisely why hes not allowed, in the performance of his duty, to sport any symbol of his convictions. But this is also true for people who take benefit of some public services, such as school. This neutrality is also asked to the students who are required to put away their beliefs in order to benefit from public instruction, whose original mission is the emancipation of the individual through knowledge and the use of reason.In this context, one can understand the problems that arises when religious claims try to subtract the student from teachings that contradicts dogmas or beliefs, such as creationism. The laicite a la Francaise before anything else, protects the freedom of conscience of the individual and refuses to acknowledge any special right to any community, even if only to allow the person to extract oneself from their socio-cultural environment of birth if they wish to do so. In fact, for most French people, religious affiliation is not, by far, the main defining trait of a persons character. Its a private subject and so, as you wouldnt ask what is its favourite sexual practice to a person that you just met, it is considered rude to ask anyone about his religion. That is, because the usual response would be : I dont believe in god and the end of the conversation, probably.Unless youre in a proselytising dynamic and you persist in your questioning, behaviour that would surely move you from the rude box, to the pain in the ass one. This is also why, in public life, ostentatious signs or claims of religiosity, such as the Islamic veil, (but not only) are generally perceived negatively.Renaissance, Reformation, Revolution, Republic: those different steps in the formation of the secularist ideal contributed to give a special place to the French citizen of the XX the century, within Europe but also throughout the world, and the conviction of a responsibility : to protect this very particular model founded on the absolute respect of freedom of conscience of the individual. Deepak Gupta left behind the comforts of his promising international career in Singapore to pursue his dream back home. He says he is a happy man now. Gupta, who spent nearly 30 years in Singapore working at a global company connecting the food chain system after completing studies at DAV College in Chandigarh, wanted to set up a technology-enabled modern dairy farm in Punjab. Two years after his return from Singapore, he has achieved his objective by setting up the Himalayan Creamery in Nabha, a historic city in Patiala district about a two-hour drive from Chandigarh. Gupta, 54, says he does not regret taking the plunge into entrepreneurship. Why would he? He has set up the dairy farm over a 20-acre plot and it now has 350 Holstein Friesian and Jersey cows. Nearly 200 cows are milked in a herringbone parlour at the farm. The milk is not touched by hand, is pasteurised and packed on the farm under the brand name "Himalayan Creamery". "I had a strong desire of providing pure un-adulterated milk to consumers. It's nothing new and quite common to see 'farm to table' dairy businesses around the world which customers love," Gupta said. "The idea first took root on my visits to India while I was still working (in Singapore). I would read stories about adulteration and contamination of milk and would see my friends and family making a lot of effort to secure a reliable supply of fresh milk, sometimes relying on a local milk vendor," he said. Having gained understanding of the agriculture sector because of his years spent at the food chain system firm in Singapore, Gupta said: "I began to consider my dream of setting up a dairy farm in India to be able to market fresh milk to customers directly from our farm." "It's never touched by hands and is stored in a cold room before being loaded on the refrigerated trucks to be delivered fresh to customers," he said. Green fodder, wheat and vegetables are also grown at his farm using organic farming methods. It uses the cow manure to produce biogas for electricity generation and as fertiliser. "I feel social entrepreneurship is a great way to drive change in agriculture. We share best practices in dairy farming with local farmers, educate them about animal health, feeding and hygiene, create employment opportunities for the rural youth and elders," Gupta said. At the farm, attention is given to animal comfort. The cows are kept in sheds with water showers and fans, while brushes rotate on demand to keep them clean. The cattle are fed corn silage, soybean meal, wheat bran, minerals, dry and green fodder grown at the farm. Gupta said an animal monitoring system from an Israeli dairy tech firm has been installed at the farm, which helps in seeing each individual cow's behaviour and health in realtime. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The police have seized over 230 grams of heroin at Berawtlang area in Aizawl and arrested a Myanmarese national in this connection, Police said. Police said that the contraband worth around Rs 9 lakh was allegedly seized from the possession of the man, identified as Lalchhungi of Leisen in Myanmar, last evening. A criminal case under the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances Act, 1985 was registered against the accused. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Hundreds of yoga enthusiasts today thronged Nepal's iconic Muktinath temple and performed various asanas at the height of over 12,000 feet. The temple, located in Muktinath Valley, is regarded as a sacred place for both Hindus and Buddhists. It is situated at an altitude of 3,710 metres (12,171 feet) at the foot of the Thorong La pass in mountainous Mustang district. More than 100 people including monks, tourists and locals attended the camp organised at the temple to celebrate the Yoga Day which in on June 21. This was for the first time that Yoga Day was celebrated at the temple in modern times. The fourth International Yoga Day was organised by India's Embassy in Kathmandu. Tourism to Muktinath has increased by over 50 per cent after Prime Minister Narendra Modi offered prayers at the temple last month, according to officials. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) "Star Wars" star Mark Hamill left fans shocked when he revealed he never met his on-screen mother Natalie Portman and now the Hollywood star has replied to the veteran actor, saying she would love to see him. Portman played Luke Skywalker's (Hamill) mom, Padme Amidala, in the prequels -- "The Phantom Menace", "Attack of the Clones" and "Revenge of the Sith". During an appearance on "The Late Show", host Stephen Colbert asked the Oscar-winning actor about Hamill's tweet, in which he had wished Portman 'Happy Birthday' and shared a fact that he has "never met this woman." Replying to the tweet, Portman said, "It's such a shame, I would love to meet him. Mark, I would love to meet you, come over. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The tug of war between the AAP dispensation and the Lieutenant Governor refused to die down with IAS officers coming out in public alleging that they have been "targeted and victimised" for political gains, even as Delhi minister Satyendar Jain was rushed to hospital tonight. As the sit-in by Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal continued on the seventh day today, chief ministers of four-non-BJP ruled states urged Prime Minister Narendra Modi to intervene and solve the crisis. Later in the day, Kejriwal tried to salvage the situation by sending out an "assurance of safety" to the officers whom he called part of his families. Jain was tonight rushed to the LNJP Hospital as his health deteriorated nearly a week after he had gone on an indefinite hunger strike at the Lieutenant Governor office, Kejriwal said. The health minister was taken to the LNJP Hospital, officials said. "Satyender Jain shifted to hospital due to his deteriorating health (sic)," Kejriwal tweeted. The political slugfest between parties continued with the AAP upping the ante and organising a massive march to the prime minister's residence. The march was, however, stopped by the police midway. Kejriwal, his deputy Manish Sisodia and Jain, have stayed put at the L-G office demanding that Lieutenant Governor Anil Baijal direct IAS officers to end what the AAP described as their "strike" and approve doorstep ration delivery scheme. While the Congress defended its decision to not join other opposition parties in supporting Kejriwal over his standoff with the Delhi L-G, calling the AAP leader's "dharna in an air-conditioned room" a "drama", the BJP, the major opposition party in the Delhi Assembly, continued its bashing of AAP and Kejriwal, saying he resorted to a "political stunt" in a bid to form an "anti-BJP, anti-Narendra Modi" front in the run-up to the 2019 Lok Sabha election. The Delhi IAS association asked the Delhi government not to use its officers for "political gains" and rebutted its claim that they were on strike. It had also said that the AAP dispensation needed to "change its attitude" amid Kejriwal's standoff with Baijal. Revenue Secretary Manisha Saxena, along with Transport Commissioner Varsha Joshi, South Delhi District Magistrate Amjad Tak and Directorate of Information and Publicity Secretary Jaydev Sarangi held a press conference and said that the IAS officers in Delhi were "working with utmost sincerity and dedication". Countering Kejriwal's allegations, Saxena, a senior member of IAS AGMUT (Arunachal Pradesh, Goa, Mizoram and Union Territories) Association, said that officers were not working at the behest of anyone. "We are answerable only to the law and the Constitution," Saxena said, adding that they had been targeted and victimised. "We would like to inform that we are not on strike," she said. In response to the IAS association, Kejriwal later in the night assured them that he would ensure their safety saying they were part of his family, and sought to break the four- month-long impasse between the AAP dispensation and the officers over an alleged assault on Chief Secretary Anshu Prakash. "The officers are part of my family. I would urge them to stop their boycott of elected government, return to work now and start attending all meetings of Ministers, respond to their calls and messages and join them for field inspections," Kejriwal wrote on Twitter. Spurred by the participation of CPI(M) general secretary Sitaram Yechury and several Left workers, the AAP had managed to stage a notable protest march but failed to reach its avowed destination -- 7 Lok Kalyan Marg, the prime minister's residence. Amid the ongoing sit-in by party supremo and Kejriwal and his two cabinet colleagues at the lieutenant governor's office, the AAP leaders and workers began the march from Mandi House. Five prime metro stations --Patel Chowk, Central Secretariat, Udyog Bhawan and Janpath-- in the heart of Delhi were closed in view of the march. Earlier in the day, chief ministers of West Bengal, Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka and Kerala met Prime Minister Narendra Modi and urged him to intervene for solving the tussle between the L-G and the AAP government in Delhi, terming it a "constitutional crisis. On the sidelines of the NITI Aayog governing council meeting, West Bengal's Mamata Banerjee, Andhra Pradesh's N Chandrababu Naidu, Kerala's Pinarayi Vijayan, and Karnataka's H D Kumaraswamy requested Modi to resolve the crisis so the "federal structure of the Constitution is maintained". "I along with the Hon'ble CMs of Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka and Kerala have requested Hon'ble PM today to resolve the problems of Delhi government immediately (sic)," Banerjee tweeted after meeting Modi. Delhi BJP chief Manoj Tiwari had said that it was "unfortunate" that the chief ministers of four states allowed themselves to be a part of the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) supremo's "drama". Leader of Opposition in the Delhi Assembly Vijender Gupta, who is sitting on an indefinite hunger strike at the chief minister's office at the Delhi Secretariat, wrote an "open letter" to Kejriwal, asking him to look beyond "political interests" and resume work, along with his ministers. "The (press) conference held by the chief ministers of four states in your favour ends all doubts of your dharna being nothing more than a political stunt to rally together an anti-BJP, anti-Modi front before the elections next year," Gupta wrote in the letter. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The MS-13 gang made Jose Osmin Aparicio's life so miserable in his native El Salvador that he had no choice but to flee in the dead of night with his wife and four children, leaving behind all their belongings and paying a smuggler $8,000. Aparicio is undeterred by a new directive from Attorney General Jeff Sessions declaring that gang and domestic violence will generally cease to be grounds for asylum. To him, it's better to take his chances with the American asylum system and stay in Mexico if his bid is denied. "Imagine what would happen if I was deported to El Salvador," he said Wednesday as he waited at the border to enter the US. The directive announced Monday could have far-reaching consequences because of the sheer volume of people like Aparicio fleeing gang violence, which is so pervasive in Central America that merely stepping foot in the wrong neighborhood can lead to death. The Associated Press interviewed several asylum-seekers this past week at a plaza on the border, and each of them cited gang violence as the main factor in fleeing their homelands. They planned to press on with their asylum requests in spite of the new rule. The decision by Sessions came as the administration faced a growing backlash over immigration policies and practices that human-rights advocates view as inhumane, including separating children from immigrant parents. They leveled similar criticism over the asylum changes, which the White House says are necessary to deter illegal immigration. "The mere fact that a country may have problems effectively policing certain crimes such as domestic violence or gang violence or that certain populations are more likely to be victims of crime, cannot itself establish an asylum claim," the attorney general wrote Monday, overruling a Board of Immigration Appeals decision granting asylum to a Salvadoran woman fleeing her husband. US officials do not say how many asylum claims are for domestic or gang violence, but advocates for asylum seekers said there could be tens of thousands of such cases in the immigration court backlog alone. Many Central Americans seeking asylum say they are fleeing from gangs known as "maras," primarily the Mara Salvatrucha (or MS-13) and Barrio 18 groups. President Donald Trump has condemned those groups and the violence they commit in the US, referring to members as "animals." The gangs were formed by young Central Americans mostly in Los Angeles decades ago and spread to the so-called Northern Triangle countries of Guatemala, El Salvador and Honduras when members were deported. Today, Honduras and El Salvador in particular routinely post some of the world's highest homicide rates. In Central America, maras stake out and battle over turf, attacking anyone who unwittingly crosses through their area on the way to school or work as a possible rival. Gangsters sometimes forcibly take over people's homes. They extort bus drivers and small business owners, killing those unable or unwilling to pay. They threaten teens and young men in attempts to recruit them, and force girls and young women to be their girlfriends. Maureen Meyer, director for Mexico and migrant rights at the Washington Office on Latin America advocacy group, said the ruling would "make it very difficult for a lot of the people seeking asylum in the United States." Meyer said Central Americans commonly request asylum for extortion, forced recruitment and violence against women. Where the gangs are prevalent, moving elsewhere is not an option, she said. "People feel very insecure in their homes and continue to see the US as a safe haven in spite of Trump's anti-immigrant rhetoric," Meyer said of the steady northbound flow of Central Americans that began in 2014. More than 100 asylum seekers gathered Wednesday near the entrance to San Diego, the largest crossing on the US-Mexico border. Some Mexicans in the crowd said they were fleeing criminal groups. Holding her 7-month-old daughter and trailed closely by her 5-year-old son, who was on crutches because of a gunshot wound, Maria Rafaela Plancarte said she abandoned their town near the western Mexican city of Zamora after her husband was shot and killed behind the wheel of the family car as they fled a party stormed by gunmen. Her son was wounded in the attack. Plancarte, 34, said she has not considered moving elsewhere in Mexico and hopes to live with an aunt in California. "I will feel more comfortable with a family that I know," she said. Alejandro Arroyo said he fled Apatzingan in western Mexico with his wife and their 14-year-old son, hoping asylum would bring them to his wife's family in Gilroy, California. The 48-year-old said criminal gangs killed his nephew and brother-in-law, and he feared he and his son would be next. They initially sought refuge in Tijuana, but requested US asylum after being robbed by local police. "I do not feel safe" in Apatzingan, Arroyo said, "and I do not feel safe here." Aparicio, from El Salvador, is caught in the middle of the change in asylum policies. His wife requested asylum about a month ago with three of their children - ages 2, 10 and 12 - and they were released to a family in Maryland while their cases wind through immigration court. Aparicio stayed in Tijuana to seek asylum with his 17-year-old son, hoping to reunite with the family later. Sessions subsequently made his ruling on gang violence, but Aparicio is still pursuing asylum and hoping to get into the US. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Hollywood star Angelina Jolie called today for a larger focus on conflict prevention rather than responding to its repercussions, during a visit to Iraq with the UN refugee agency. "I hope that we can find the strength to find a better way forward together: so that we move into a new era of preventing conflict and reducing instability, rather than simply struggling to deal with its consequences," Jolie told a conference at the Domiz refugee camp in Iraq's autonomous Kurdistan region. It was Jolie's third visit to the camp as UNHCR special envoy, after previous visits in 2012 and 2016. The Domiz camp opened in 2011 and is home to 40,000 Syrian refugees who fled the seven-year civil war across the border. "When UNHCR's Syria response was only 50 percent funded last year, and this year it is only 17 percent funded, there are terrible human consequences," Jolie said. "We should be under no illusion about this," she added. Late last month, the UN made an "urgent and critical" appeal for donations to its main budget for Syrian refugees after contributions pledged in April failed to trickle in. "When there is not even the bare minimum of aid, refugee families cannot receive adequate medical treatment, women and girls are left vulnerable to sexual violence, many children cannot go to school, and we squander the opportunity of being able to invest in refugees so that they can acquire new skills and support their families," she said. Her visit coincided with the third day of Eid al-Fitr celebrations marking the end of the Muslim holy month of Ramadan. On Saturday, Jolie visited western Mosul, held by Islamic State jihadists for nearly three years until they were pushed out by Iraqi forces last summer. During her visit, she walked through Mosul's destroyed Old City, met with displaced families and spoke about reconstruction. "This is the worst devastation I have seen in all my years with UNHCR," Jolie said. "It is deeply upsetting that people who have endured unparallelled brutality have so little as they try, somehow, to rebuild the lives they once had." The visit marked Jolie's 61st mission -- and fifth to Iraq -- with the UN refugee agency since 2001. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) India today welcomed Afghan President Ashraf Ghani's announcement extending the unilateral ceasefire with militant groups, and hoped that the gesture would be reciprocated by them as well as their supporters. Last week, the Afghan government announced a seven-day ceasefire with an aim to encourage the Taliban to join the reconciliation process. Subsequently, the Taliban also announced a three-day ceasefire till today. External Affairs Ministry Spokesperson Raveesh Kumar said India supports a "truely" Afghan-led, Afghan-owned and Afghan-controlled peace and reconciliation process in an atmosphere free of terror and violence. "We welcome the decision of President Ghani to announce ceasefire and its extension. We hope this gesture would be reciprocated by armed groups and their supporters with complete cessation of terrorist violence," Kumar said, responding to a question on Ghani's announcement. He said India supports all efforts that can bring lasting peace to the war-torn country. "We support all efforts that can bring relief to the long suffering of the friendly people of Afghanistan; pave the way for a truely Afghan-led, Afghan-owned and Afghan-controlled peace and reconciliation process in an atmosphere free from terror and violence; and help build a peaceful, secure, inclusive, prosperous, united and pluralistic Afghan nation," Kumar said. In a tweet, Ghani requested the Afghan Taliban to extend their ceasefire. "We also request the Afghan Taliban to extend their ceasefire. During the ceasefire, we will provide medical assistance to the wounded Taliban, and will provide them any humanitarian assistance if needed. Taliban prisoners will also be allowed to contact and see their families," Ghani tweeted. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Britain's leading Indian-origin hotelier, Surinder Arora, is locked in a legal battle with Heathrow Airport for his right to build a multi-storey car park at one of the world's biggest airport hubs. According to 'The Sunday Times', Arora has issued a UK High Court claim against the west London airport over his plans to build a 2,077-space nine-storey car park on a land he owns at Heathrow. While Heathrow Airport Limited claims it alone is entitled to build these spaces, Arora has challenged that claim. Under local planning rules, a maximum of 42,000 car parking spaces are allowed at the airport. Arora believes the 42,000 cap refers to the airport site as a whole, of which his land is a part and therefore should allow him the right to build car-park spaces too. A planning application has been pending with Hillingdon Council since 2015. Unable to secure approval for his multi-storey car park, Arora was allowed to build a smaller version with 1,000 spaces and five storeys on the site, which opened last year. However, the Punjab-born entrepreneur behind a chain of hotels in the UK wants to add another four floors and undercut parking charges at Heathrow which are among the most expensive in the world. But the newspaper notes that Heathrow guards its car parking rights "jealously". As well as earning money from drivers, they allow it to reap returns from airline passengers by adding the value of the car parks to its asset base, currently worth 15.8 billion pounds. The newspaper also claims that the current row is about more than just car parking. It is a proxy for Arora's broader battle with the airport on whether competition should be allowed. The businessman wants the right to build a third runway at the airport, and has backing from airlines including British Airways for his cut-price plan. Heathrow, however, claims the right to develop the runway is its alone. Arora, with an estimated fortune of 349 million pounds in the latest 2018 edition of The Sunday Times Rich List', is understood to have hired two top barristers to fight his parking case. Heathrow thinks Arora should exhaust the planning process before going to court. We believe this is entirely without merit and will respond accordingly, the airport said in reference to the High Court claim filed by Arora. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Limited is in the process of expanding its campus by nearly 4,000 seats to 35,000 and the IT bellwether sought necessary environment clearances from the Ministry of Environment. A expert appraisal committee (EAC) under the Ministry in a meeting held last month accorded Environmental Clearance for the Rs 6.90 billion expansion plan for its Rajiv Gandhi InfoTech Park Phase II Hinjawadi, campus. "The EAC, on being satisfied with the submissions of the project proponent, recommended the project for grant of environmental clearance and stipulated the following specific conditions along with other environmental conditions while considering for accord of environmental clearance..." the EAC said. "There will be an increase in number of employees in the campus. The existing are 31288, and for proposed (expansion), it will be additional 3712, so the total at campus will be 35,000 after expansion," the Committee had mentioned in the minutes of the meeting held earlier. When contacted spokesperson refused to comment on the expansion saying they were in "silent period." A minimum of one tree for every 80 sqm of land should be planted and maintained that the existing trees will be counted for this purpose, the EAC asked the company while granting the EC. The EAC also put up a condition that Rs 34.5 million shall be earmarked under Corporate Environment Responsibility (CER) for the activities such as Skill and Economic Development activities, Education facilities, Health and Medical facilities, Drainage and sanitation facilities. The IT firm recently said its campus became the largest one in the world to earn LEED Platinum Certification from the US GreenBuilding Council. Hundreds of yoga enthusiasts gathered to flex their body at historic monuments of the US, including the Capitol Hill, kick-starting a host of events planned this week to mark the fourth anniversary of the International Day of Yoga. In New York, people gathered at the Governors Island in the backdrop of the iconic Statue of Liberty and the Manhattan skyline to participate in the Yoga Day commemoration organised by the Consulate General of India. The two-hour event 'Let Yoga Govern Your Life' organised yesterday by the Consulate General of India in New York, included meditation and a guided yoga session based on 'Common Yoga Protocol' conducted with the help of yoga demonstrators and teachers. People from various backgrounds, accompanied with their families, participated in the yoga sessions, performing the Surya Namaskar, Pranayama, various yoga asanas and breathing exercises. Among the highlights of the event was an impressive Mallakhambh performance by children. Specially designed yoga kits and T-shirts were distributed to those in attendance. Addressing the gathering, Congresswoman Carolyn Maloney, the Chief Guest for the event, said yoga is a "unique way to approach an individual's health and well-being. A yoga practitioner herself, Maloney said she considers the ancient practice one of the best ways to exercise and relax at the same time. "Practicing yoga has been shown to decrease stress, fatigue, and alleviate chronic pains, as well as improving physical fitness. I know first-hand the benefits of practicing yoga. It is an essential part of my life, I practice it as often as I can, and it helps me to find balance and peace," she added. She said about 15 per cent Americans, over 36 million people, practice the ancient Indian science today, a testament to both the immense benefits of practicing yoga as well as the convenience and accessibility of the discipline to people of all ages and abilities. She added that the long and productive friendship between India and the US has benefited both countries, lauding the Indian-American community for being a vital part of New York City. India's Consul General in New York Ambassador Sandeep Chakravorty highlighted yoga's universal appeal and the role of the ancient Indian practice in bringing together the cultures and people of America and India. "Nothing better connects the two countries than yoga because it epitomizes and is a good example of our relationship, that something which originated in India is so popular here. Celebrating the 4th International Yoga Day sends out a big message of the importance of yoga in our daily lives in both the US and India and across the world, Chakravorty told PTI. Chakravorty, who joined those present in performing various yoga and meditation exercises, said the extent to which yoga now permeates people's lives is tremendous. Referring to hour-long yoga sessions organized daily at the World Trade Centre buildings, he said yoga has now become part of the corporate culture. Yoga is a rapidly growing trend in the U.S. with an 80% increase in practitioners between 2012 and 2015, according to estimates. In Washington, hundreds of health enthusiasts gathered at the iconic US Capitol Saturday morning to flex their body under the guidance of a trained Indian yoga teacher. This venue at the Capitol Hill where presidential swearing in ceremonies are held every four years, this morning experienced one of the largest gatherings of yoga exercises in Washington DC. "It shows that huge enthusiasm that yoga has gathered amongst all of us and all over the world," Indian Ambassador to the US Navtej Singh Sarna said in his brief remarks to the participants of the fourth International Day of Yoga who had gathered since early morning with their yoga mats at the Capitol overlooking the National Mall. "I think, the day is not far that you will have the whole space between the monument and the Capitol filled up," Sarna told reporters thereafter. Yoga was always a popular discipline, but "qualitative and quantitative change" has come since 2014 when under the guidance and inspiration of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the United Nations recognized June 21 as the International Day of Yoga, he said. "It recognised it through a resolution which had a record co-sponsorship of 177 countries. This is an endorsement like no other, that the world has accepted as the Prime Minister called it one of the ancient gifts of Indian sages to humanity," Sarna said. Welcoming the participants, Sarna noted that Yoga is widely embraced by the American people as a survey conducted in 2016 showed that there were 36.7 million Yoga practitioners in the US. In his special message on the occasion, Senator Tim Kaine said that while the idea of International Yoga day is new, the art is built upon ancient Indian principles born of a desire to maintain inner well-being. "Yoga symbolizes unity of mind, body and spirit," Kaine said. Congressman Gerald E Connolly said that this celebration is a "testament to the transformative nature of yoga" and the Indian-American community's indelible mark on the cultural fabric of the United States. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The ISRO has cleared for launch GSAT-11, the satellite which was recalled from Kourou in French Guinea for thorough checks, after losing contact with its another satellite that was launched from Sriharikota in Andhra Pradesh.in March this year, an official said. The 5,700-kg GSAT-11 satellite was slated for launch on May 26 from Kourou, a site in South America which India uses to launch its heavy-weight satellite. In a setback to the ISRO, the space agency lost contact with GSAT-6A after it was launched in March this year. Although the ISRO has been trying to establish with GSAT-6A, a satellite meant for military communication, it has found little success. This also led to the ISRO recalling GSAT-11 for conducting thorough checks. After a thorough check and additional tests, itwas found fitfor launch, the official said. The space agency is now waiting for a slot from Arianespace, the company which will launch the satellite, the official added. PTI PR http://ptinews.com/images/pti.jpg We bring the World to you"Disclaimer : This e-mail message may contain proprietary, confidential or legally privileged information for the sole use of the person or entity to whom this message was originally addressed. Please delete this e-mail, if it is not meant for you. http://ptinews.com/images/pti.jpg We bring the World to you" Disclaimer : This e-mail message may contain proprietary, confidential or legally privileged information for the sole use of the person or entity to whom this message was originally addressed. Please delete this e-mail, if it is not meant for you. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Political parties in Jammu and Kashmir today described as "disappointing" the Centre's announcement of not extending the ceasefire in the state and blamed the Centre and the state government for not making it effective. It is disappointing but not entirely (an) unexpected development, the state's main opposition National Conference (NC)'s spokesperson Junaid Mattu told PTI. Mattu said the Central government should have done some necessary back channel work for the ceasefire to be effective. The decision to announce the ceasefire was welcomed by us and we had expected that the decision would have been taken after due application of mind and with the necessary back channel work. "That turned out not to be the case and the recent developments including the tragic assassination of (veteran journalist and editor 'Rising Kashmir') Shujaat Bukhari made this decision inevitable, he said. The NC spokesperson said the failure of the Centre's unilateral ceasefire was the collective failure of the state and the central government and a loss for all those who believe in peaceful resolution to "Kashmir's political issue". The ruling PDP said while the party was also disappointed, there was very little it could do as peace is a two-way traffic. Peace is a two-way traffic, it is not one way. We tried everything from our side. Is there any CBM (confidence building measure) which we or Mehbooba did not work on? Stone-pelters were given amnesty, their cases, in thousands, were revoked, even those who were booked in 2010 by the then NC government. "There was a dialogue process. Even Union Home Minister mentioned talks with Hurriyat by taking their name. What else could we have done? PDP general secretary Peerzada Mansoor told PTI. "You can lead a horse to the water, but you cannot make it drink. Ceasefire happened after many years. Last time it happened, the government was opposed to that. We called for an all-party meet this time where there was a consensus. Then Mehbooba initiated it, we are grateful that the Prime Minister (Narendra Modi) honoured it. Then (Union) Home Minister announced it. You saw how death and destruction stopped in the Ramadhan except for one boy who came under a forces vehicle. People had a sigh of relief. You travel to Pulwama or Shopian and see. But, see the situation in the last few days. What happened to Bukhari. How he was mercilessly killed. What can we do? he said. Mansoor said the situation in the valley had left the ruling party with no choice. Criticising the separatists for setting pre-conditions for talks, the PDP leader said engagement is in the interest of Kashmir and its people. ... They (separatists) could also have constituted a team. If the Centre has constituted a team (special representative Dineshwar Sharma), let them (separatists) also form a team, but there should be engagement so that people are saved from death and destruction. What can we do, where will we go. Kashmir is burning because of these things, he said. Mansoor said while the party was disappointed by the Centre's decision, the situation was such that ceasefire could not have been extended. However, he said the party has not lost hope. We have not lost all hope. We are hopeful that a better sense will prevail. Let them tell us what Mehbooba should do, we are ready to do that, he said. Jammu and Kashmir Pradesh Congress Committee (JKPCC) president G A Mir said the BJP-led government at the centre did not have any clear policy or roadmap on Kashmir. He said the while all the mainstream political parties in Jammu and Kashmir pitched for a ceasefire in Kashmir in the holy month of Ramadhan, the Centre's decision to revoke it has been taken unilaterally. They have never tried to take on-board mainstream parties for a national consensus. So, even today's decision is a unilateral one. They have not kept in mind that J-K is a sensitive issue where the situation is sensitive and for which a consensus needed to be built at the country or the Parliamentary level where some other opinion could have come up or a direction could have been taken where other people would have contributed. Therefore, this decision has been taken unilaterally, Mir told PTI. He said there was some effect of the ceasefire on the ground in the valley which his party also appreciated. Especially, in the month of Ramadhan, people got respite from sudden crackdowns and search operations which (otherwise) disturbed the situation. There was definitely a difference (in the situation). Now, have they assessed that angle or not, we do not know. Whether they asked the state government for their opinion or not as they were also monitoring it and did they take their coalition partner (PDP) on board or not, nobody knows, he said. The JKPCC president asked chief minister Mehbooba Mufti to come clean on the decision. Mir said the effect of the Centre's direction to the security forces to resume operations against the militants, will show in a few days' time as to which level the situation will head to. How the situation plays now, the responsibility of that will lie on the Central government as well as Mehbooba, the Congress leader said. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Delhi Minister Satyendar Jain was tonight rushed to a city hospital as his health deteriorated nearly a week after he had gone on an indefinite hunger strike at the Lieutenant Governor office, Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal said. The health minister was taken to the LNJP Hospital, officials said. Kejriwal confirmed that his colleague has been hospitalised even as the tug-of-war between the AAP government and the LG refused to die down on the seventh day today. "Satyender Jain shifted to hospital due to his deteriorating health (sic)," he tweeted. His health summary this morning showed that his sugar level was 64 units (mg/dL) and ketone level in urine was "large". The blood pressure level was 96/68 and he weighed 78.5 kg, sources said. Kejriwal, his deputy Manish Sisodia, Jain and Gopal Rai, have stayed put at the L-G office demanding that Lieutenant Governor Anil Baijal direct IAS officers to end what the AAP described as their "strike" and approve doorstep ration delivery scheme. Jain had gone on strike on Tuesday, and his sugar level had further dipped yesterday, even as he asserted that the AAP government will continue to fight for people of the city. In a tweet, the minister had shared a copy of his health summary, which said, the ketone level in urine had increased to a "large amount". "My reports. Ketones are increasing and blood sugar is constantly low. Lost 3.7 kg wt in 4 days. We will continue fighting for ppl of Delhi (sic)," he had tweeted. Yesterday, a team of medical specialists had examined Jain and Sisodia, who is also on indefinite fast at the LG office since Wednesday. According to the health summary, Jain's weight on June 12 was 82.7 kg while he weighed 79 kg on June 16. Yesterday, the sugar level had dipped again to 40 units. His blood pressure reading was 110/70. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The Jharkhand Disom Party (JDP), along with a tribal organization, has called for a statewide dawn-to-dusk bandh tomorrow amid reports that President Ram Nath Kovind has given his assent to the state's Land Acquisition Bill. The bill, which was passed last year by the Assembly, is a "death warrant for adivasis and moolvasis" of the state, JDP president Salkhan Murmu said at a press meet today. "The that the President has given his assent to the Jharkhand Land Acquisition Bill, 2017 has been widely circulated in the media and the Jharkhand government has not denied it," Murmu said. Based on the reports, the party has given a call for a bandh tomorrow "since we consider it to be anti-people," he said. There is no clarity from the state government if the President has cleared the Right to Fair Compensation and Transparency in the bill, Murmu said. The new bill pertains to enabling the government to eliminate the step of conducting a social impact assessment (SIA) for land acquisition. It also mandates that compensation has to be given out within six months. "We have appealed to the Jharkhand Multi Morcha (JMM), the main opposition party in the state assembly to support the shutdown called by the JDP and Adivasi Sengel Abhiyan (ASA), a tribal organization that spearheads movements to empower the community," he stated. Murmu also clarified that essential services, including railways, would be exempted from the purview of the bandh. Seeking clarification over the status of the bill yesterday, JMM's working president and Leader of Opposition Hemant Soren had threatened to launch a massive agitation in protest against the reported presidential assent to the bill. A former parliamentarian, Murmu, however, said even if the bill was not cleared, it was in the pipeline for the President's signature as the state government has forwarded it. "It was the JDP and the ASA, who along with various tribal organizations, had organized a series of agitation against the Jharkhand government's proposed amendment in the century-old Chhotanagpur and Santal Paragana Tenancy Act (CNT and SPT). The agitations forced the then President to return the bill without approving it last year," he claimed. Urging the opposition parties to join hands against the bill, Murmu said the JMM, as the main opposition party of the state, should take up the issue seriously to find out a solution in the interest of adivasi. Murmu also drew a parallel with the Singur and Nandigram movements in West Bengal "Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee successfully fought for the people of Singur and Nandigram and was voted to power. The JMM should also act immediately instead of waiting for the aassembly polls in 2019," he said. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Jharkhand government has earmarked Rs 300 crore every year for six "aspirational districts" for the next three years to end regional imbalance, according to Chief Minister Raghubar Das. Nineteen Jharkhand districts that fall under Transformation of Aspirational Districts (TAD) of the NITI Aayog are among the 115 Indian districts that face challenges in development parameters such as health, nutrition, education, financial inclusion, among others. "To end regional imbalance, six aspirational tribal populated districts will get Rs 50 crore each, a total Rs 300 crore, as assistance from 2018/19, the chief minister said while addressing the Niti Ayogs meeting in New Delhi today. An official said that the six aspirational districts are among the 19 Jharkhand districts that fall under TAD of the NITI Aayog. Das expressed gratitude to Prime Minister Narendra Modi for talking to the deputy commissioners of the aspirational districts in the state recently which boosted the morale for development, an official release said quoting him. The state, Das said, is also making efforts to double the income of farmers. He said that Jharkhand had introduced Mrida (soil) Health Card Scheme in 2015 and so far 3.7 lakh soil samples were tested while 9.22 lakh Mrida Health Cards were distributed. The goal under the scheme was to benefit 25 lakh farmers in 2018/19, the chief minister said. Das said that there are 950 grameen haats, which are being developed. Apart from this, he said approximately 1.3 lakh Sakhi Mandals have been constituted. To ensure participation and execution of works in villages, a total 15,327 Adivasi Vikas Samiti and 10,212 Gram Vikas Samiti were set up. These samitis could approve schemes worth up to five lakh rupees, the chief minister said. Das said the state welcomed the National Health Security Scheme which would cover 25 lakh families of Jharkhand. With its own resources, the state government would bring an additional 30 lakh families under the health insurance, giving Rs 5 lakh benefit to the beneficiaries, Das said. A total 711 health centres, 33 primary health centres and 32 urban health centres would be upgraded as wellness centres this year under the Ayushman Bharat scheme, he said, adding by 2022, all health centres/sub-health centres would be upgraded into wellness centres. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Hollywood star Johnny Depp has revealed he suffers from "depression" for a short period of time after filming every project. The "Pirates of the Caribbean" actor said he does not take acting "seriously" but he enjoys being in character because as a "shy person" he feels more comfortable to hide behind a different identity. "The concept of being a 'serious actor' is the biggest oxymoron... I still can't take acting seriously, but a bit of method is a useful thing. I'll never be the guy who plays Henry VIII and grabs a giant turkey leg while ignoring the packet of Doritos on the table, but I do jump in and out of character. "At the end of a production, there is always a period of depression, because I'm a shy person in life and in character I can be anything," Depp told The Times. The 55-year-old actor, who is currently touring with his band, The Hollywood Vampires, which also features Alice Cooper and Joe Perry, said success in films is still a ''mystery'' to him as he always wanted to be a musician. ''I never left music. I never stopped playing. But I gained a certain amount of success in another field, which is still a mystery to me. When I first went to Los Angeles with my band we drove across country in a rented van, breaking down along the way, searching for the almighty record deal. It was my life. ''Then the acting thing started to happen, the band broke up, and I got a job (on '21 Jump Street') where they were going to pay me USD 1,200 a week. The first thing I did was call my mom and say, 'Hey, you can quit your job.'" he said. Depp added that his movie career makes it difficult for him to have a normal life. "I don't want to be one of those whiny, complaining actors... S**t, I don't even know if I am an actor, I never made that decision ... But the acting life makes the normal life harder. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Hours after Dr Kafeel Khan, an accused in the BRD Medical College negligence case, alleged that BJP MP Kamlesh Paswan was behind a recent attack on his brother Kashif Jameel, the parliamentarian dismissed the allegations him as "baseless" and an attempt "to hog limelight". Speaking to reporters in Gorakhpur, the MP from Bansgaon said he was mulling a defamation case in this regard. "After getting Congress president Rahul Gandhi's letter in his support, Dr Khan is trying to hog limelight by levelling false allegations against a BJP MP. He is making absurd statements like Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath was in town when the incident took place. "He has also said Yogiji and I are not on good terms. This is absolutely absurd. He himself had gone to the hospital after getting injured but had not taken my name before the police then. After five days, he is taking my name, which is ridiculous," Paswan said, adding that he was ready for any probe, "by the CBI or any other agency". Asserting that the allegations levelled against him by Khan, who spent nearly seven months in jail in connection with the BRD Medical College case, in which a number of children and infants died, he alleged that "Kashif and his brothers are accused in over a dozen cases of land-grabbing". "In the past, Kashif had himself shot at his leg and tried to frame a 55-year-old man and a 60-year-old woman in a case. He is in the land business and is an accused in many cases. He had fraudulently taken a huge loan from the Punjab National Bank in the name of two persons -- Shadab and Yusuf -- and did not repay it. The bank has served a notice," Paswan said. Taking a jibe at Dr Khan, the MP wondered how could he address a press meet in Lucknow "suited, booted", when his brother was undergoing treatment in a hospital. Earlier, speaking to reporters here, Khan said, "The attack on Kashif was carried out at the behest of BJP MP from Bansgaon Kamlesh Paswan, in collusion with Satish Nanglia (the owner of a plaza in Gorakhpur)." Maintaining that there was no direct enmity between the MP and his brother, he alleged that both Paswan and Nanglia wanted to occupy a plot of land that belonged to his maternal uncle, for which even an FIR was registered earlier. Khan also demanded a security cover from the Uttar Pradesh government for himself and his family members, claiming that all of them were facing threats to their lives. According to the police, Kashif Jameel (34) was allegedly shot at by unidentified, bike-borne miscreants near the JP Hospital in Gorakhpur on June 10, after which he was rushed to a private nursing home, from where he was referred to the trauma centre of King George Medical University here. Kashif had received bullet injuries on his right upper-arm, neck and chin. A day after the attack, Khan had written on Twitter, "Allah rahem kare. I'm not going to bend." Gorakhpur's Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Shalabh Mathur had, on June 11, said, "A case has been registered against unidentified persons. The police are investigating all the possible aspects."Khan was the nodal officer of the 100-bed AES ward at the Baba Raghav Das Medical College, Gorakhpur, when 30 children had died in the hospital on August 10 and 11 last year. He was removed after the incident and was later arrested by the Uttar Pradesh police in September, 2017 for alleged criminal negligence. Khan was granted bail by the Allahabad High Court in April. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Amid an intensifying tussle between the Arvind Kejriwal-led Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) and Lieutenant Governor Anil Baijal, the Congress today accused the Delhi chief minister of making the people of the national capital suffer due to his "inflated ego". Delhi Congress chief Ajay Maken said Kejriwal should put an end to the crisis by expressing "regrets" to Chief Secretary Anshu Prakash, who was allegedly manhandled by AAP legislators at the chief minister's residence during a late night meeting on February 19. "Still remember the unabashed 'apology' radio ads by Kejriwal after his 49 days gov in 2014. Now-apology from Majithia,Jaitley,Sibbal...Why can't he just offer regrets to the CS and govern Delhi the way he is Constitutionally supposed to? Why should Delhi suffer his inflated ego (sic)?" Maken tweeted. Former Delhi chief minister and Congress leader Sheila Dikshit said nobody could help Kejriwal if he did not understand the constitutional provisions regarding Delhi. "If you do not understand the Constitution, what can anyone do? That is the bottom line. Delhi cannot become Kerala or Goa or Puducherry, which have different powers as per the Constitution," she told PTI. Dikshit said there was no harm in fighting for more power, but added that it could only be done through Parliament. "If a chief minister does not understand the basics about his state, then I have nothing to say. Everybody has the right to ask for more power, but it has to be by changing the Constitution through Parliament. He can have the powers he is seeking only through Parliament," she added. Dikshit dismissed the AAP allegation that the Congress was siding with the BJP, while several political parties were standing by Kejriwal in the ongoing tussle. "What they are saying is totally irrelevant. We have got our own identity," she said. Kejriwal, along with some of his cabinet colleagues, is sitting on an indefinite dharna at LG Anil Baijal's office since Monday last, demanding the latter to direct the IAS officers to call off their "strike" and clear his government's doorstep ration delivery scheme. The IAS officers of the Delhi government are boycotting their meetings with the AAP ministers in protest against an alleged attack on the chief secretary by the ruling party legislators. Delhi Congress chief spokesperson Sharmistha Mukherjee accused Kejriwal of trying to convert the venue of his dharna at the Raj Bhavan into a place for "political hobnobbing". "Had the venue been different, perhaps there wud be no need for 'permission'. Rajbhavan is not the place for political hobnobbing. BJP does it all the time & @ArvindKejriwal tried to do it in a convoluted manner. One wrong doesn't make another wrong right (sic)," she tweeted. Yesterday, the chief ministers of four states ruled by non-BJP parties, including Mamata Banerjee of West Bengal, had tried to meet Kejriwal, but were denied permission. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The Delhi BJP today accused Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal of resorting to a "political stunt" in a bid to form an "anti-BJP, anti-Narendra Modi" front in the run-up to the 2019 Lok Sabha election. Delhi BJP chief Manoj Tiwari also said it was "unfortunate" that the chief ministers of four states allowed themselves to be a part of the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) supremo's "drama". Leader of Opposition in the Delhi Assembly Vijender Gupta, who is sitting on an indefinite hunger strike at the chief minister's office in the Delhi Secretariat, wrote an "open letter" to Kejriwal, asking him to look beyond "political interests" and resume work, along with his ministers. "The (press) conference held by the chief ministers of four states in your favour ends all doubts of your dharna being nothing more than a political stunt to rally together an anti-BJP, anti-Modi front before the elections next year," Gupta wrote in the letter. West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, her Kerala counterpart Pinarayi Vijayan, Karnataka Chief Minister H D Kumaraswamy and Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu tried to meet Kejriwal at the LG office here, where he is sitting on an indefinite dharna, along with some his cabinet colleagues, but were denied permission. Tiwari accused Banerjee of first trying to delay the NITI Aayog meeting on the "pretext" of Eid celebrations in her state and then being a part of Kejriwal's "tamasha". "First @MamataOfficial asks Niti Ayog to delay its meeting by a day on the pretext of Eid celebrations in Bengal but lo and behold she is now participating in petty of #DharnaTamasha In Delhi (sic)," he tweeted. Earlier, Tiwari had asked the four chief ministers, who are here for the NITI Aayog governing council meeting today, to advise Kejriwal to focus on the problems being faced by the people of Delhi. "This is so unfortunate that the 4CMs have allowed themselves to be part of this #DharnaTamasha. Infact they should advise CM Delhi @ArvindKejriwal to focus on resolving severe Drinking Water Crisis which the people of Delhi are now facing, earn the confidence of Delhi officers (sic)," he had tweeted. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Karnataka Chief Minister H D Kumaraswamy today requested the Central government for 50 per cent support to his government's farm loan waiver scheme. "Debt of farmers is staring us in the face. My government is ready to address this problem and I request the Government of India to support us," he said. In his address at the 4th meeting of the NITI Ayog governing council in New Delhi, a copy of which was shared with the media here, the chief minister said in Karnataka about 85 lakh farmers have outstanding debts on account of agricultural loans from banks. He said, "Due to recurring droughts, the distress of the farmers is even more severe. I request the Government of India to provide 50 per cent support for our loan waiver initiative." Kumaraswamy is under intense pressure to announce the farm loan waiver that his party, the JD(S) had promised in the run-up to the assembly elections in Karnataka. After initially citing coalition compulsions for the delay, the chief minister on May 30 amid the opposition and farmers' bodies stepped up pressure on him to fulfill his pre-poll promise, had said his government would arrive at a decision to implement a two-phase scheme for farm loan waiver within 15 days. With the 15-day deadline coming to an end on June 15, Kumaraswamy reiterated that he was committed to waiving the farm loan and would announce it shortly. "Dear farmers, let there be no confusion on the farm loan waiver. I am fully committed to the loan waiver. I want to ensure it is done scientifically benefiting maximum number of farmers. I am working on the the modalities and will announce it shortly," he had said in a tweet on Friday. Addressing the NITI Aayog governing council meeting for the first time, Chief Minister Kumaraswamy said the new government has to fulfill several aspirations of the people of Karnataka, and "we need full support of the Government of India for this." "While we represent various political ideologies, when it comes to development we should work together," he said. Stressing the need for gearing up to climate resilient agriculture, Kumaraswamy said, the climate change is a reality, especially so in the agriculture sector. "I call upon the Government of India to harness national and international expertise to develop a comprehensive framework, strategies and practices for ushering a climate resilient agriculture revolution in the country," he added. Noting that water is becoming a scarce resource and is going to be a limiting factor for growth, both in agriculture as well as other sectors, he also suggested dedicating a full decade for "extensive and intensive" water conservation efforts. Highlighting that allocation to Karnataka for the period 2015-20 under SDRF (State Disaster Response Fund) is only Rs 1,375 crore, which is much less than the allocation to other states, the chief minister said the state's unmet needs are huge but has not been addressed either in the Finance Commission award or under the NDRF. "A comprehensive discussion is needed on this issue," he added. Kumaraswamy further said he is sure the NITI Aayog will prove its federal character given the developmental disparities in India and added the Aayog and the Union government must re-emphasise federal and participative medium-term planning with concrete goals and inclusive development programmes. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) As the world celebrates 'Pride Month' this June, the LGBTQ community in India continues to lead a life fraught with dangers and neglect. From abuse, constant fear of being persecuted, hiding of one's sexual preference and humiliation in public sphere, the community sees it all--every day. LGBT stands for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender. A popular variant added the letter Q for those who identify as 'queer' or are questioning their sexual identity. June is celebrated worldwide as the Pride Month, but the community members and activists feel that the month's significance is limited to marches and panel discussions without any concrete steps on the ground. LGBTQ activist Mohnish Malhotra, who has been organising Pride Parade in the city, said violent incidents against the community members have become a common sight. On May 22, a 22-year-old cross dressing orphan was reportedly killed by seven persons, including three juveniles. He was stabbed multiple times in the chest, face and head with a Swiss knife. On June 6, a woman alleged on Twitter that her gay friend was physically assaulted and verbally abused by police personnel in south Delhi's Hauz Khas village. The police, however, termed the incident a "misunderstanding". These incidents have happened time and again. The situation is such that the daily routine of the people of the community has become a struggle. We are equally as much the citizens of this nation, and must be treated same under the Constitution. What we ask for is the right to exist without the constant fear of being persecuted," Malhotra said. Activists feel that the community has to face homophobia on a daily basis, with people refusing accommodation and other basic needs to the LGBTQ members. The LGBTQ members have to keep their sexual preferences hidden so that they are able to live a normal life," said lawyer-activist Anand Grover, who is a founder-member of Lawyers Collective. "The mindset of the people can only be changed through interaction with the community. The only way we can move forward is when we remove the tag of 'criminals' by curbing section 377 of IPC, he said. The section refers to "unnatural offences" and says whoever voluntarily has carnal intercourse against the order of nature with any man, woman or animal, shall be punished with imprisonment for life, or with imprisonment of either description for a term which may extend to 10 years, and shall also be liable to pay a fine. The Supreme Court had earlier this year decided to reconsider its 2013 verdict which criminalised gay sex between two consenting adults. Anjali Gopalan, executive director, May India Foundation, said the community is often subjected to name-calling, and in some instances, has even driven some to take their own lives. She, however, said social change was coming, slowly but surely, and that they must be aided with legal measures. The Indian Psychiatric Society (IPS) had recently said that homosexuality was still viewed as a mental illness. "We founded a taskforce last year for dealing with queer issues. We had said that homosexuality is not a mental illness," IPS president Ajit V Bhide said, adding that section 377 needed to be amended. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Police in the UK have arrested a man for allegedly trying to barge into the London hospital room of Kulsoom Nawaz, the wife of Pakistan's ousted prime minister Nawaz Sharif. Naveed Farooq's attempt to enter her room was foiled by security personnel who then handed him over to the police for further interrogation, The Express Tribune reported. Kulsoom, 68, underwent multiple surgeries last year to remove lymph nodes after she was diagnosed with throat cancer. She recently suffered a cardiac arrest and was put on ventilator as her health deteriorated. Sharif's son Hussain said that the person tried to enter his mother's room after duping the security guards. "Family is quite disturbed and such people are contributing to the stress. A suspicious person tried entering Kulsoom Nawaz's room without permission. Security pulled out the person from her room," he said yesterday. In April, Kulsoom's medical reports indicated that her health had worsened after her throat cancer began to spread to the rest of her body. Late on Thursday, she was shifted to the intensive care unit (ICU) of the London hospital after her condition deteriorated further, Maryam Nawaz, her daughter said. Maryam, who flew to London along with her father, requested well-wishers to pray for her mother's health. Kulsoom was readmitted to the hospital on Wednesday, where her health deteriorated and she was immediately taken to the emergency unit in the night and has not regained consciousness since. Hussain also appealed to the nation to pray for his mother's wellness. Sharif, 68, is currently in London along with Maryam to see Kulsoom, despite the anti-graft body's request to put their names on the Exit Control List fearing they may not return to face corruption cases in court. Sharif could not travel to London in recent weeks as he has been facing trial since July, when the Supreme Court disqualified the thrice-elected premier from office over undisclosed assets. Sharif denies any wrongdoing and has blamed "hidden hands" for his dismissal. His case has been adjourned until June 19. On June 7, Sharif and Maryam had sought a five-day exemption from their appearance before the accountability court in the corruption cases against the Sharif family. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Drug maker Lupin expects single digit sales growth this fiscal with sluggish US business likely to impact overall global business of the company. The Mumbai-based company, however, is anticipating double digit growth in Latin America, South Africa and India. "We expect to grow at a single digit growth rate for the current year and then expect to get back on a stronger growth path next year on," Lupin Managing Director Nilesh Gupta told PTI. While the company has pressures in the US, it expects to see good growth in most emerging markets, he added. "Latin America will grow around mid-to-late 20s in percentage terms, South Africa around 20 per cent and India around 15 per cent," Gupta said. The drug maker reported negative growth in 2017-18 for the first time in a decade, with net sales dropping to Rs 15,560 crore, a decline of 9 per cent from 2016-17. During the last fiscal, company's North America sales declined by 28.7 per cent to Rs 5,893.9 crore, accounting for 38 per cent of its total global sales. On the other hand, India sales increased by 10.7 per cent to Rs 4,125.3 crore. Similarly, Latin America business grew by 28.1 per cent, Europe, Middle-East and Africa (EMEA) by 11.2 per cent, Asia Pacific by 13.5 per cent. The drug maker had also reported a growth of 1.6 per cent in its active pharmaceuticals business (API) business in last fiscal. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) In more trouble for liquor baron Vijay Mallya, the Enforcement Directorate (ED) is set to soon file a fresh charge sheet against him and his companies on charges of money laundering and allegedly creating a consortium of nationalised banks to the tune of Rs 60.27 billion, officials said on Sunday. With this charge sheet (also known as the prosecution complaint), official sources told PTI, the central probe agency will immediately seek from a court permission to "confiscate" more than Rs 90 billion worth assets of the beleaguered businessman and his firms under the recently promulgated Fugitive Economic Offenders Ordinance. The ED last year had filed its first charge sheet against Mallya, now in London, in the about Rs 9 billion IDBI bank-Kingfisher Airlines (KFA) alleged bank loan fraud case. It has attached assets worth Rs 98.90 billion in this case till now. The forthcoming charge sheet will revolve around the complaint received from the (SBI) on behalf of the consortium of banks for causing loss of Rs 60.27 billion to them by not keeping repayment commitments of his loan (by Mallya firms) taken during 2005-10, they said. The ED has based its investigation in this instance after taking cognisance of a FIR and the charge sheet will be filed before a special court in Mumbai under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA). It was alleged that SBI and its consortium banks had advanced various credit facilities to KFALimited during the period between 2005 and 2010. During 2009-10, the company failed to meet its repayment commitments to the bank from whom it had availed credit facilities and the airlines did not keep its account with the consortium banks regular which became NPA (non performing asset), the FIR had stated. The consortium banks, therefore, recalled credit facilities and also invoked corporate guarantee of UBHL (united breweries holdings limited) and personal guarantee of Mallya, it had alleged. It was alleged that there was a conspiracy among group companies promoter and unknown others to cheat the lenders, the had said. The ED, officials said, had found that a maze of shell or dummy firms were used to allegedly siphon off these funds and this is expected to be stated in the upcoming charge sheet. The agency, empowered by the Union government to enact the new fugitive ordinance in the country, will seek an official declaration to categorise Mallya as a "fugitive" on the basis of the cognisance of this prosecution complaint (charge sheet). Mallya is contesting these charges in London as part of India's efforts to extradite him from there and face the legal system here in connection with these charges. The central probe agency had recently begun the work to bring together the existing cases of high-value bank loan defaulters for getting them notified under the new legislation. As per the existing process of law under the PMLA, the ED can confiscate assets only after trial in a case finishes which usually takes many years. The Modi government brought the ordinance as "there have been instances of economic offenders fleeing the jurisdiction of Indian courts, anticipating the commencement, or during the pendency, of criminal proceedings," the government said. The Fugitive Economic Offenders Bill, 2018 was introduced in the Lok Sabha on March 12 but couldnt be taken up due to logjam in Parliament over different issues. With Parliament being adjourned sine die, an ordinance was proposed. The Union Cabinet on April 21 approved the ordinance and the President gave his assent to promulgation of the same a day later. The ordinance makes provisions for special courts under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act, 2002 to declare a person as a fugitive economic offender and order immediate confiscation of assets. "A Fugitive Economic Offender is a person against whom an arrest warrant has been issued in respect of a scheduled offence and who has left India so as to avoid criminal prosecution, or being abroad, refuses to return to India to face criminal prosecution," the government said. Cases of frauds, cheque dishonour or loan default of over Rs 1 billon would come under the ambit of this ordinance. The ordinance offers necessary constitutional safeguards in terms of providing hearing to the person through counsel, allowing him time to file a reply, serving notice of summons to him, whether in India or abroad and appeal before the high court. A man has been arrested here after his friend's wife accused him of rape and intimidation, a police officer said today. The accused, a 28-year-old resident of Hasanpur village of the district, was apprehended on Friday night after the 24-year-old woman, along with her husband, filed a police complaint against him, PK Mallha, Sub Divisional Police Officer (SDPO) of Jajpur, said. The couple, who hailed from Bihar's Darbhanga district, lived in a rented apartment here. "The accused had befriended the Bihari man, who sold fast food at the village. The wife was also known to him," the officer said. In her complaint, the woman said the accused had visited her last Thursday, when her husband was away at work. "He (accused) told her that her husband had to be hospitalized as he was severely ill. The woman immediately left with him on his two-wheeler. The man then took her to an isolated place, raped her and threatened her with dire consequences if she discloses the matter," Mallha said quoting the FIR. The woman returned home the same night and narrated her "ordeal" to her husband, following which the couple approached the police, the SDPO said, adding that a medical test has been conducted on the complainant and the accused yesterday. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) A man in the US has been convicted of the first-degree murder of an Indian-origin student after four years of untiring efforts by his family to seek justice, according to a media report. When Southern Illinois University student Pravin Varughese was found dead in 2014 after being missing for five days, authorities in Carbondale initially declared it as a tragic accident. Varughese's cause of death at that time was reported as environmental hypothermia, Chicago Tribune reported. The family of the 19-year-old student from Morton Grove was simply unwilling to accept that. His relatives pushed for further investigation, had an independent autopsy performed that conflicted with the local coroner's findings and filed suit against Carbondale and its police chief, who was fired soon after. A 12-person jury on Thursday found Gaege Bethune, a southern Illinois man, guilty of the first-degree murder of Varughese. "Pravin's day finally came. He can rest in peace now," Pravin's mother, Lovely Varughese said. During investigations, Bethune, who was 19 at the time, told police that he gave Varughese a ride on the night of February 12, 2014 after a party, and the two drove around while Varughese was allegedly looking to buy cocaine. Bethune said that at some point he got into a fight with Varughese. The prosecution said the two had been fighting over money, and alleged Bethune landed several punches to Varughese's head and face that led to Varughese running into the woods, where he later died. Jurors deliberated for seven hours before returning a verdict, according to WSIL. They found Bethune guilty of one count of murder that hinged on the state arguing Bethune caused great bodily harm to Varughese and that his death was "a direct and foreseeable consequence," The Southern Illinosian reported. He was found not guilty on a second murder charge that accused Bethune of robbing the victim, according to the newspaper. Bethune now faces 20 to 60 years in prison. A sentencing has not yet been scheduled. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) A four-year-old boy was allegedly kidnapped by a man, who wanted to marry his mother and had hatched the plan to build pressure on her, in east Delhi's Madhu Vihar, the police said today. On June 16, the police were informed about the kidnapping of a boy by his mother. She had accused Shiv Kumar of kidnapping her son. During the course of investigation, the police learnt that the accused and the child were in Connaught Place. Kumar was nabbed and the child was recovered the same day. During interrogation, accused Shiv Kumar revealed that he wanted to marry the complainant but she was not ready to marry him and therefore to mount pressure, he kidnapped her child, said Pankaj Singh, Deputy Commissioner of Police (East). The accused went to the complainant's house on the pretext of wishing Eid and when the complainant went out of the room, he kidnapped her son and ran away from there, he added. He had plans to board a train to Kolkata. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Four people, including two Indians, who had gone missing after a huge mass of earth caved in at a tunnel site of the Arun III hydro power project in eastern Nepal, have been rescued after nearly 40 hours. Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his Nepalese counterpart K P Sharma Oli had last month jointly laid the foundation stone of the 900-megawatt plant in Tumlingtar area. The mud mound at Numko Fyaisando tunnel had caved in and swept away the workers along with a dozer on Friday night. Those swept away were identified as dozer operator Budhan Munda, 55, of Jharkhand, and pump helper Nanda Kishor, 45, of Bihar besides locals Pradip Shahi, 32 and Prem Pariyar, 44, my Republica quoted a police official as saying. The four were rescued after 39 hours and are undergoing treatment at a hospital, the police official said. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Andy Murray will make his long awaited return from hip surgery at Queen's Club next week, while his old rival Novak Djokovic arrives at the Wimbledon warm-up hoping to end his wretched run. Murray has not played a competitive match since he was knocked out of the Wimbledon quarter-finals last July as a hip injury brought a painful end to his season. The former world number one underwent surgery in January after pulling out of the 2017 US Open and this year's Australian Open. Murray made a tentative commitment to appear in the grass-court tournament in Rosmalen this week, before again pulling out at the last minute to spark fresh fears that he wouldn't make it back in time for Wimbledon. But the two-time Wimbledon champion has been practising regularly for the past fortnight and a final workout on Friday at Queen's Club with fellow Briton Cameron Norrie convinced him to return. "I've been practising the last couple of weeks and obviously building up each day. I started playing sets about a week ago," Murray said on Saturday. "So, I played probably seven or eight sets, and I wanted to feel how I felt the following day after playing a couple of sets with Cam Norrie. "I got tested by my physios this morning to make sure I hadn't stiffened up and lost any range of motion in my hip which can happen when you're tired and the hip's a bit angry. "That wasn't the case. That was all positive and I pulled up pretty well from that, so then I decided to go for it." Murray faces temperamental but talented Australian Nick Kyrgios in the Queen's first round as he builds up to the start of Wimbledon on July 2. Murray, a five-time Queen's winner, had only been seen on court during a charity match against Roger Federer last November and one exhibition set against Roberto Bautista Agut in December. And, after such a long and frustrating rehabilitation period, the world number 157 admits it will be a tense moment when he gets back on the court to face Kyrgios. "Well it's obviously eleven months since I last competed. So obviously I'm looking forward to it. There are a lot of doubts though as well when you've not played for a long time," Murray said. "Coming back from injury you're always kind of second guessing yourself. "You never know exactly when you're going to be ready, but I'm looking forward to getting back out there and competing, and hopefully playing well." - Embarrassing - ================ Like Murray, Djokovic has endured a frustrating period. Djokovic is a lowly 21st in the rankings after an embarrassing French Open quarter-final defeat against Italian journeyman Marco Cecchinato. The struggling Serb hasn't earned a major title since competing his career Grand Slam by winning the 2016 French Open. Djokovic has failed to reach the semi-finals in any of his last five Grand Slam appearances. A 12-time Grand Slam winner, Djokovic traditionally opts against playing a pre-Wimbledon event. But, dogged by rumours that he no longer has the motivation and desire to return to the top, he has decided to start his bid for a fourth Wimbledon crown earlier than usual by accepting a Queen's wild card. "Grass is very special, it is the rarest of surfaces so I'm happy I'll have the opportunity to compete at this strong tournament, which will also be a great preparation for Wimbledon," Djokovic said. Djokovic, who plays a qualifier in the first round, is one of 14 of the world's top 30 in the strongest draw the west London event has even seen. Marin Cilic, Grigor Dimitrov and Stan Wawrinka are among the other stars in action. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) St Georges University (SGU), the international medical school on the Caribbean island of Grenada, has signed a cooperation agreement with the Government of Fujairah, UAE to explore collaboration in medical related studies. As part of the memorandum of understanding (MoU), SGU will be listed on the Government of Fujairahs website as a recognized education provider, meaning SGU can now accept students from the Emirate of Fujairah. The agreement, which is now in effect, expresses the commitment of both parties to increase access for the Government of Fujairahs students to a US postsecondary education through SGU. The MoU further strengthens SGUs relationship with the UAE, following last years announcement that the Ministry of Education had recognized the universitys MD degree programme. I am pleased that students in Fujairah will now have the option of studying at St Georges University in Grenada where they will receive a top international medical education, said Dr G Richard Olds, president of SGU. The University will also benefit, increasing the diversity and breadth of experience of our student body. Mohamed Khalifa Alzyoudi, employee affairs director, Government of Fujairah, said: SGU is a world-leading institution, and I am very happy that our students will now have the opportunity to study medicine at their campus in Grenada. This MOU marks the beginning of a fruitful relationship, and I look forward to working with SGU to further our collaboration in the near future. St Georges University School of Medicine is one of the largest in the world, drawing students and faculty from 140 countries. Key to the universitys success has been developing enthusiasm in students to practice medicine in their home countries, often in areas where physician numbers are low. Approximately 1 per cent of all practicing doctors in the USA are graduates of St Georges University, with that figure rising to around 15 per cent in Trinidad and Tobago, and 20 per cent in Botswana. TradeArabia News Service Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath today gave a virtual report card of his 15-month-old government at a Niti Aayog meet, saying his administration was working for development for all. He also said new technologies would have to be used to achieve the target of doubling farmers' income by 2022. Several new initiatives have been launched by the UP government for the overall development of the state with focus on the poor, the marginalised, farmers and women, he said in his address to the Niti Aayog Governing Council meeting here. He gave out statistics to show how his government was working to improve infrastructure, including roads and airports. Adityanath also used the opportunity to invite Prime Minister Narendra Modi and chief ministers to attend the Kumbh Mela in Allahabad next year. "Development is for all...all sections...we are working on the principle of 'sabka saath, sabka vikas'," he told the meeting, which was addressed by Modi. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The government should drive cross-border collaboration on artificial intelligence research with countries like Japan, UK, Germany, Singapore, Israel and China to develop solutions that tackle social and economic challenges, a report said today. The Ministry of External Affairs and Department of Science and Technology (DST) may take the lead in developing such relationships, suggested the Assocham-PwC joint study. It observed that forming cooperative relationships with some of the front-runners such as Japan, the UK, Germany, Singapore, Israel and China to develop solutions that tackle social and economic challenges can aid and accelerate strategy formulation in artificial intelligence, machine learning and other new-age technologies in India. "Exchanging best practices and learning from prior initiatives is one way of strengthening cooperation," noted the study. The study also suggested that policy planning in artificial intelligence (AI) must be aimed at creating an ecosystem that is supportive of research, innovation and commercialisation of applications. "... The public sector, with its various schemes (Digital India, Make in India, Skill India, etc.), could identify areas where specific applications of AI and robotics can be utilised to increase reach, effectiveness and efficiency, thus giving direction to existing innovation across different fields," the study recommended. It suggested setting up digital data banks and exchanges to stream information from various industries along with revision of secondary school and university curricula to inculcate interest in AI. Another enabling factor for AI growth would be setting up centres of excellence supporting inter-disciplinary research across law, medicine, engineering, management and the social sciences, said the study. "Government could act as a catalyst in furthering growth by opening training centres focused on equipping young individuals with high-end skills in the field of analytics and ML, which, in turn, could be tied in with inviting data-driven global enterprises to set up their centres of excellence in India," it pointed out. The report added that this could be an extension of the Digital India and National Skill Development initiatives to meet the growing demand of analytical and AI competency, which would be beneficial for country's human capital. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Nepal Prime Minister K P Sharma Oli's upcoming five-day visit to China, his first after re-election, will see the two countries sign a number of agreements including one on energy cooperation and construction of a railway line connecting Kerung in Tibet to capital Kathmandu, a senior NCP leader said today. Oli will be in China from June 19 to 24. During his visit, a host of projects under the Belt and Road Initiative as well as China's plans for an India-Nepal-China economic corridor are expected to be discussed. The visit will further strengthen bilateral ties and promote cooperation between Nepal and China, said Ganesh Shah, member of Communist Party of Nepal (NCP) Standing Committee. Half a dozen MoUs will be signed between Nepal and China during the official visit to China by Prime Minister Oli, he said. Nepal will sign an MoU on constructing a railway line connecting Kerung of Tibet to Kathmandu. A feasibility study will be conducted for the railway line, which is expected to complete within four years. An agreement will be signed for energy cooperation between the two countries, Shah said. An agreement will be made to form a permanent government to government mechanism between Nepal and China to look after different projects being constructed under Chinese assistance. Oli, during his earlier brief tenure as premier in 2016, had widened China-Nepal ties by signing the transit trade treaty with China to reduce the dependence of his landlocked country on India at the height of the Madhesi agitation and had sought expansion of road links through Tibet besides extension of China's railway network to Nepal through the Himalayas. However, since his re-election, he made his first foreign visit to India promising to follow a more balanced policy between India and China. His visit was also followed by a high-profile visit by Prime Minister Narendra Modi to Nepal highlighting steady development in relations between the two countries. China will also extend assistance to the Nepal government for post-earthquake reconstruction, Shah said. Only one third assistance has so far been materialised and Beijing will extend the remaining assistance during the visit, he said. Agreements will be signed between six Nepalese and six Chinese private companies for promoting collaborations in different sectors, Shah said. Oli, who is also NCP's Chairman, told party Standing Committee that his official visit to China will be historic. Oli's visit comes at the invitation of his Chinese counterpart Li Keqing. This will be the first visit to China by the Prime Minister since he assumed power in February. Ahead of his visit, China has aired concerns over reports of cancellation of Chinese companies' agreement to build the West Seti hydropower project in Nepal. China has been investing heavily in Nepal in the last few years to enhance connectivity and infrastructure. It has suggested to the Nepal government to build an India-Nepal-China economic corridor through the Himalayas. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Reality TV star Kim Kardashian said she is not actively considering a career in politics but she would not rule out the possibility of running for office. The 37-year-old entrepreneur recently met US President Donald Trump to discuss prison reforms after she spent months working with her legal team in a bid to get Alice Johnson parole. Following her meeting with the president, Alice, who was sentenced to life in prison without parole in 1997 on money laundering and drug conspiracy charges, was released from Aliceville Correctional Facility in Alabama. When asked if she would ever run for office, Kardashian told CNN, "I guess never say never. But that's not going to be like, 'Kim's running.' That's not where I am." The "Keeping Up With the Kardashians" star added she wants to use her celebrity status for the welfare of people. "I honestly saw that if I could use my platform just to do something for one person, that it opens the conversation for so much more and for other people to want to do the same thing. "If more people would just put their personal feelings aside and talk about really important issues that have to be discussed, then so much more can get done," she said. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The fourth meeting of Niti Aayog's Governing Council began here today with main agenda of deliberating upon measures taken to double farmers' income and the progress of government's flagship schemes. Prime Minister Narendra Modi is chairing the meeting, which is being held at Rashtrapati Bhawan. "Chaired by PM @narendramodi & consisting of Chief Ministers, Lt. Governors, Union Ministers and Special Invitees, the Fourth Meeting of the Governing Council of #NITIAayog begins. #FourthGCM," the government think tank said in a tweet. The Governing Council is expected to take up issues such as measures taken to double farmers' income, progress made by flagship schemes such as Ayushman Bharat, National Nutrition Mission, and Mission Indradhanush and development of aspirational districts. It will also take stock of the work done during the previous year and deliberate upon development agenda for 'New India 2022'. The council, apex body of Niti Aayog, includes all chief ministers, lieutenant governors of union territories, several union ministers and senior government officials. West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerejee, Andhra Pradesh CM Chandrababu Naidu, Kerala CM Pinarayi Vijayan, Karnataka CM H D Kumaraswamy, Rajasthan CM Vasundhara Raje and Uttar Pradesh CM Yogi Aditya Nath are among the chief ministers attending the NITI Aayog meet. Among others attending the meet are Union ministers J P Nadda and Nitin Gadkari. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The Coast Guard today said there has been no oil spillage so far from a blazing container ship, which caught fire on June 13 and was abandoned by its crew in the Bay of Bengal. MV SSL Kolkata, whose 22-member crew including the Master, were rescued by the Coast Guard on June 14, is "upright and stationary", eight nautical miles off the Sunderbans, the world's largest mangrove forest, Coast Guard Commander (North East) Inspector General K S Sheoran said. "Two advanced offshore patrol vessels with fire fighting and pollution response capability are maintaining a round-the-clock vigil and monitoring SSL Kolkata amidst severe sea and challenging weather conditions," he said in a statement. Noting that there has been no oil spillage from the container ship so far, he said three other Coast Guard ships and pollution control equipment have been kept ready at Haldia port for immediate mobilisation in case there is any spillage of oil. A marine commando of the Navy and three members of the crew dropped the starboard anchor of the vessel yesterday in a daring operation after they were winched down on the blazing ship from a Seaking 42C helicopter to arrest its drift towards the International Maritime Border Line with Bangladesh. Sheoran said the latest report from a salvage team, which was airlifted by the Coast Guard in a Dornier aircraft for a close survey, has indicated that there was reduction in the fire and smoke from the vessel. "Four Coast Guard hovercraft are also on standby at the forward operating base at Frazerganj for immediate support," the IG said. MV SSL Kolkata was abandoned by its captain and 21 other crew members after 70 per cent of the ship carrying containerised cargo was on fire in the Bay of Bengal, about 55 nautical miles from Sagar Island in West Bengal. The 148-metre-long ship was carrying 464 containers and 211 metric tonnes of heavy fuel on board and caught fire while sailing from Krishnapatnam in Andhra Pradesh to Haldia port, according to the Coast Guard. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The National Stock Exchange (NSE) is hopeful of consolidating trading volume at its subsidiary NSE IFSC Exchange in Gujarat's GIFT City in the long term even as it awaits the outcome of offshore derivative tussle with the Singapore Exchange, a top official has said. However, NSE received a temporary setback in the case this weekend after a court-appointed arbitrator had allowed the SGX (Singapore Exchange) to continue listing and trading of SGX Nifty contracts beyond August 2018 for at least two successive contract month maturations beyond the arbitration's completion date. "Let's wait for the outcome of SGX case as they hold lot of offshore funds," NSE managing director & CEO Vikram Limaye told PTI. On consolidation of offshore derivative volumes for Nifty futures in the ujarat International Finance Tec-City (GIFT City), he said, "We have received Commodities Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) nod for NSE and in few months we will get nod for NSE IFSC in GIFT City." Though, CFTC nod is believed to encourage overseas investors, but Limaye said it should not come in the way of people being able to trade in the GIFT City. Limaye said it takes time to build liquidity but the bourse is actively working with investors to encourage them to trade in GIFT City -- a financial special economic zone. In a move to curb shifting of volumes to overseas markets after the imposition of long-term capital gains tax (LTCG), both NSE and BSE have decided to stop giving data to bourses in Singapore and Dubai. In the offshore markets, NSE's Nifty is traded in Singapore bourse and BSEs Sensex is traded on the Dubai Gold and Commodity Exchange (DGCX). The Nifty is the worlds largest traded derivative index in the off-shore market and a top volume generator on the Singapore Exchange (SGX) and reportedly generates 10 per cent of its volume. In this backdrop, the Singapore bourse was planning to start its own derivative products based on publicly available settlement prices of Nifty futures contracts. It was to migrate all existing client contracts on the SGX Nifty Futures to the new SGX India Futures from June. However, after NSE got an injunction from court, SGX got a breather in the legal fight to continue with trading otherwise it had to stop and was supposed to terminate NSE-licensed Nifty contracts latest by August 2018, when agreement between the two bourses comes to end. "Nifty is also available at NSE IFSC and offers all benefits required for overseas investors, be it dollar denominated contracts, taxation benefits and compliance, are similar to any offshore trading destination available at GIFT City," Limaye said. NSE is waiting for the outcome of the tussle with SGX before it takes further steps to lure overseas investors to keep offshore trading basket vibrant. BSE also proposes to seek approval from Commodities Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) of the US to attract American investors to the GIFT City. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) State-owned Oil and Natural Gas Corp (ONGC) has sold natural gas from three coal-bed methane (CBM) blocks in Jharkhand for a price ranging between USD 5.77 per million British thermal unit to USD 6.12 per MMBtu. ONGC sold gas from its Bokaro CBM block to a private industry, H N Roy, for USD 5.77 per MMBtu on a gross calorific value basis, sources with direct knowledge of the development said. State gas utility GAIL India Ltd will buy gas found below coal-seams in the North Karanpura block at USD 5.56 per MMBtu while private sector Positron Energy Pvt Ltd would offtake gas from Jharia CBM block at USD 6.12 per MMBtu. ONGC is to start production from the three blocks by next month with the peak volumes touching 3 million standard cubic meters per day. Sources said the company has already drilled six wells on Bokaro block and the 7th well was in progress. A total of 30 wells are planned to be drilled during 2018-19. Drilling in North Karanpur started this month and 30 wells are planned on the block before March 31, 2019, they said. The price realised by ONGC is less than the rate at which Essar Oil has sold its entire production of coal-seam gas or CBM from a West Bengal block to state-owned GAIL India Ltd. GAIL in February bought 2.3 million standard cubic metres per day of coal-bed methane (CBM) that Essar Oil and Gas Exploration and Production (EOGEPL) will produce from its Raniganj block in West Bengal for USD 7.1 per million British thermal unit. The rate is more than double of the USD 3.06 per MMBtu price set by the government for most of the domestically produced conventional natural gas. Essar had used the same formula which Reliance Industries had first used in 2012 to seek bids for its CBM gas from its Sohgpur block in Madhya Pradesh, and then again last year for selling the CBM. In the first instance, the oil ministry had not approved the price. RIL's Sohagpur gas at today's oil price comes to USD 7.15 per MMBtu on GCV basis. The formula used by RIL and Essar is the same at which Petronet LNG, a joint venture of public oil companies, whose chairman is the oil secretary, used to import long-term liquefied natural gas (LNG) from Qatar. Sources said gas from North Karanpura is due to flow from July but GAIL has sought an extension of gas offtake up to December to complete pipelines for evacuation. ONGC is, however, insisting that GAIL honour its commitment to lift gas from July by using truck-mounted cascades. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The Centre on Sunday decided not to extend the suspension of operations against terrorists in announced in the beginning of Ramazan. "The operations against the terrorists to resume," the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) said in a statement. The government commends the security forces for having shown exemplary restraint during Ramazan despite grave provocations, it said. Home Minister Rajnath Singh said the government is committed to working for creating an environment free of terror and violence in "The Government of India decides not to extend the suspension of operations in J&K announced in the beginning of Ramazan," the MHA said. The announcement comes days after senior journalist Shujaat Bukhari was shot dead in Srinagar. The Niti Aayog meet today witnessed Opposition unity, with Chief Ministers of non-BJP ruled states firmly saying the Centre should follow cooperative federalism and not 'unnecessarily interfere' in state affairs. Geared up to confront the Modi government on various issues like 15th Finance Commission report and distribution of central funding, the opposition chief ministers today attacked the NDA government for what they termed weakening the federal structure of the constitution. "Has the Centre ever tried to know about states' problems ?. Every state has its own problems? Centre decides on policies but it is the states which are the implementing authorities, it is we who have to do the job. "I think the Centre should follow cooperative federalism and not unnecessarily interfere into state affairs. The centre should strengthen cooperative federal structure," West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee said after the meet. Chief ministers of states like Andhra Pradesh, Kerala and Karnataka were among those who raised the issue of loan waver scheme for farmers. Karnataka chief minister H D Kumaraswamy, in his address, sought 50 per cent support from the Centre to implement the scheme. "In Karnataka about 85 lakh farmers have outstanding debts on account of agricultural loans from the banks. Due to recurring droughts, the distress of the farmers is even more acute. "The State Government intends to alleviate the plight of the farmers through a loan waiver scheme in the interest of the farmers. I request Government of India to provide 50 per cent support for our loan waiver initiative," Kumaraswamy had said. On the issue of 15th Finance Commission, the opposition chief ministers voiced their apprehensions and urged the Centre to reframe its terms. "I urge the Union government to reframe these terms of reference in such a way as to ensure real fairness and equity in the matter of devolution of resources to the states," Kerala chief minister Pinarayi Vijayan said in his speech. Meanwhile, Banerjee who was vocal against the Niti Aayog, alleged it does not do anything for the states. "They are saying after Niti Aayog, restructuring has been done. But we do not think so. We feel Niti Aayog is doing nothing for the states," Banerjee said. The concerted effort by the opposition leaders is seen as another attempt to unite various parties against the BJP in the run up to 2019 Lok Sabha elections. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Bret Michaels, who is not only a rock star but also a reality star, spokesperson, businessman and philanthropist, closed out the annual Riverbend Festival on the Coke Stage on a warm Saturday night. The large crowd at Ross's Landing was also treated to the fireworks finale. Bret Michaels is also a cultural icon, an entrepreneur, a TV star, a father, the face of the American Diabetes Association, a supercross enthusiast, solo artist, Poison frontman, and a generous donor to a myriad of charitable causes. This is an overview provided by Bret's staff. reluctantly shutdown Riverbend, but not before almost two hours of rock n roll and a special honor to the military and our country. This was unprecedented by most artists who have entertained on the Coke Stage. On Saturday night, heshutdown Riverbend, but not before almost two hours of rock n roll and a special honor to the military and our country. This was unprecedented by most artists who have entertained on the Coke Stage. The crowd excitement, and Bret's sincere desire to be in Chattanooga never ceased. I am sure the Chattanooga Live Music scene will see a return of Bret Michaels with or without his iconic band Poison soon. By Daisy Katta, TwoCircles.net In a terrible jolt to the Ambedkarite movement in Maharashtra, Shahir Shantanu Kamble, a 39-year-old poet on whose life the movie Court was based, died in Nashik. Shahir Shantanu Kamble belonged to the fierce tradition or Vidrohi Shahiri (Resistance poetry performance) in Maharashtras anti-caste movement. Kamble, who originally belonged to Atpadi Taluka in Sangli, was a son of a labourer Napha Kamble and came to Mumbai in early 2000 to work in an NGO. He spent many years staying at the Barkat Ali Chawl in Wadala area of Mumbai. Kamble is survived by his wife Deepali. According to people close to the family, Kamble had been ill for some time and died of a stomach ailment. Support TwoCircles Growing up in Atpadi, Shantanu Kamble witnessed oppression of castes first hand. He grew up in a culture which was enriched by various forms of art and performances like lok geet and jalsas related to the anti-caste movement. Speaking about Shantanu Kamble, actor and activist Vira Sathidar recalls, It was when he came to Mumbai that his poetry was sharpened ideologically. I remember that whenever he would preside over any meeting in Mumbai, he would first start by telling the people about the history of poetry and music, why and how it was created and how it came into being, and what is the connection between poetry and the shramik (Labourers). where firsts raise against injustice where small birds fight against eagles from this battleground, you come muffled in blood-sandal you come, you come, you come breaking shackles, you come. ( Shantanu Kamble performing Samtechya Vatene) Kambles poetry and songs not only encompassed the realities of caste oppression, exploitation and inequality but also that of humanity and human relations. He penned one of his most popular songs Dalitare halla bol naShramika re halla bol na (Dalits raise your voice..labourers raise your voice!) after the gruesome Khairlanji Caste Atrocity which took place in 2006 in Maharashtra. He was one of the founding members of the Kabir Kala Manch but left it soon after its inception to work with Republic Panthers. ( Shantanu Kamble performing Dalita re halla bol na) In 2005, he was accused by the Nagpur police of having Naxalite connections, however, he was later acquitted after spending around 100 days in jail. The 2014 National award-winning Marathi movie Court was based on his life where is friend Vira Sathidar played the lead character of Narayan Kamble. Sahiri has been a long tradition of rebellious songs in Maharashtras anti-caste movement. The tradition of Shahiri was popularised by Mahatma Jyotiba Phule in 1873 in his Satyashodhaks Jalsas to bring people together and to protests against the upper castes oppression the medium of songs and theatre. These traditions were taken forward during the beginning of anti-caste movement in the 1920s with the rise of Babasaheb Ambedkar. This era saw a resurgence of Shahiri in form of Ambedkari Jalsas which took the message of anti-caste oppression and liberation to the masses. Unlike the upper caste poetry and performances practised by Brahmins, Shahiri was a form of a mass folk art of songs and performance which was in the language of the masses. The tradition of Shahiri was taken forward by a host of people like Shahir Bhimrao Kardak, Wamandada Kardak, Lokshahir Annabhau Sathe, Lokshahir Vithhal Umap, Shahir Vilas Ghogare and Shahir Sambhaji Bhagat to name a few. Songs like Jaltoy Marathwada (Marathwada is burning) by Sahir Vilas Ghogare become the song of the Namantar Movement in Maharashtra. Throughout his short life but fruitful life, Shantanu Kamble was part of many organisations like BHARIP of which he was the head of Nashik Division. But he spent a majority of his time dedicated to Republican Panthers, a cultural revolutionary organisation which came into existence after the 1997 Ramabai Nagar Atrocity in Mumbai. Vira Sathidar met his old friend Shantanu Kamble in May. Recalling the incident, Sathidar told TwoCircles.net When I asked him What has happened to you Shantanu Kamble replied, This is all a part of a journey to become Ghalib. Opposition BJP and Congress today stepped up attack on Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik for skipping today's NITI Aayog meeting in Delhi and rejecting the Centre's flagship health scheme. "Naveen Patnaik's decision to stay away from the meeting of NITI Aayog's governing council in Delhi goes against the letter and spirit of the Constitution," BJP leader and Union Tribal Affairs Minister Jual Oram told reporters. Patnaik is ignoring his constitutional responsibility while concentrating on the affairs of his party, he alleged. Besides boycotting the NITI Aayog meeting, the chief minister has also refused to implement the Centre's Ayushman Bharat National Health Protection Mission, he said. Patnaik's decisions are guided by political considerations and are not good for Odisha and its people, said Oram, the MP of Sundargarh in Odisha. He asked Patnaik to clarify his intentions as his decisions are guided by political considerations. Another senior BJP leader and Union Petroleum Minister Dharmendra Pradhan also came down heavily on Patnaik for rejecting the Ayushman Bharat programme. The programme, billed as a major healthcare scheme to benefit a large number of poor people, is being opposed by the BJD government in Odisha only for political purpose, he said. Claiming that poor people would lose a lot because of state government's decision, Pradhan asked the chief minister to refrain from resorting to such moves. Pradhan also denounced Patnaik's decision not to attend the NITI Aayog meeting. "The chief minister should raise the state's issues at the national level. There should be no reason not to attend such an important meeting," he said. The Congress also sharpened its attack on Patnaik on these issues. Odisha Pradesh Congress Committee president Niranjan Patnaik said the chief minister had attended the NITI Aayog meeting last year and sought to know as to what prompted him to skip it this time. Stating that the decision was not proper in a federal and democratic set up, Patnaik wanted to know in which forum the chief minister will raise the issues concerning Odisha. The PCC chief also asked the chief minister whether he would tell his party MPs not to attend Parliament. The state governments principles and policies appear to be unclear, he said. Ruling BJD spokesperson Pratap Deb, however, said the chief minister could not attend the NITI Aayog meeting as he had prior engagements in the state. Patnaik had informed the Prime Minister about this, he said. On the Ayushman Bharat programme, Deb said Odisha's Biju Swasthya Kalyan Yojana is better than the Centre's programme with more beneficiaries. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee said today that the prime minister did not give any assurance when she, along with three other chief ministers, raised the political crisis in Delhi with him. Banerjee, Kerala's Pinarayi Vijayan, Andhra Pradesh's N Chandrababu Naidu and Karnataka's H D Kumaraswamy had a meeting with Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Home Minister Rajnath Singh on the sidelines of the NITI Aayog Governing Council meeting and urged the Centre to resolve the issue. "We have raised the issue with the prime minister as well as the home minister. We told them that the deadlock should be resolved for the sake of the people. The prime minister did not say anything, but Rajnath Singh said that he would look into the matter. We said what we had to, now they have to sort it out. It is their matter now," Banerjee said after the meeting. The chief ministers belonging to the Trinamool Congress, CPI(M), TDP and JD(S) had expressed solidarity with their Delhi counterpart Arvind Kejriwal, visiting his home yesterday and seeking Modi's intervention on issues over which he has been on a sit-in at the Lieutenant Governor's office. Terming the deadlock as "political crisis", the opposition leaders had said that people should not suffer due to any political crisis brought about by any political party. Kejriwal and his three cabinet colleagues have been staying put in a waiting room at Raj Niwas, protesting against what they call a strike by the bureaucrats in the national capital. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Police not only have to fight crime in the real world but now have the job of quelling rumours in the virtual space to prevent or tackle violence. Police units across states and union territories have put in place various mechanisms to curb rumour mongering through messaging platforms. Sample this: Haryana was witness to incidents of large-scale violence during the Jat agitation in 2016 and during 2017 when Dera Sacha Sauda chief Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh was jailed in a rape case. During both these instances, the authorities not only had to ensure that the incidents of violence were controlled, but also had to monitor the social media for any rumours being spread by anti-social elements. Recently the Facebook and Twitter accounts of the Punjab Police went live along with the Twitter account of the director general of police and the state police's You Tube page. The objective is to counter misinformation campaign and false propaganda unleashed by radicals or gangsters and other anti-social elements to influence people, especially youth. Punjab DGP Suresh Arora said the police would use the three social media platforms (Facebook, Twitter and YouTube) to come closer to the people. In neighbouring Haryana, the state police had earlier set up the centre for digital investigation and training in Gurgaon, in a bid to enhance cyber policing and monitor social media content. The Digital Investigation Training and Analysis Centre (DITAC), which has been set up in the satellite city, comprises a Cyber Forensic Lab equipped with high-end tools. The centre also keeps a tab on sensitive and provocative content on social media besides imparting short-term and long-term training to selected police officials. Officials said those spreading rumours, posting fake news, hatred or any kind of false information etc, which can endanger peace or pose threat to public order, can be booked under relevant provisions of the Indian Penal Code. Last year, western Rajasthan and some parts of the national capital witnessed incidents of womens' hair being cut mysteriously. Social media was flooded with rumours that these were the handiwork of some "evil people"who enter houses at night and cut hair of women after which the victim dies. Such cases were reported from Jodhpur, Jalore, Pali, Jaisalmer, Barmer, Bikaner in Rajasthan and from outer and southwest areas of Delhi. We countered the rumours though social media. It was countered with factual report in every single WhatsApp group where we were associated. Special messages were circulated among public groups and also on our official Facebook page,Dr Ravi, who was the then SP of Jodhpur, said. ADG Law and Order NRK Reddy, Rajasthanalso said that when such messages started circulating, police proactively countered them on the social media platforms. We have small units at every district comprising two-three policemen whose job is to only find out and collect information about what is going on in social media in the district. It is a kind of intelligence gathering which has proved helpful, he told PTI. The unit works under the supervision of the SP and they have their own methods and equipments to collect information. The officer informed that SHOs and circle officers have been asked to hold dialogues with public in their areas on a regular basis under 'Sahbhagita programme' which is also being used to create awareness against the misuse of social media. In situation of tension, mobile internet is banned so that rumours are not spread. Misinformation through the social media also led to mob attacks in Andhra Pradesh with at least 30 incidents reported in different districts of the state last month with the police arresting more than 100 persons. It began somewhere early last month in Kurnool in the state. Three minors, who were class X dropouts, downloaded a horrific video from the Internet and circulated it via a social media platform with a message that some dacoit gangs were roaming around villages, often kidnapping children. The chain of messages thus began and also led to the killing of three innocent persons. "We have conducted awareness campaigns in villages after these incidents and also carried out this on social media platforms," Additional Director General of Police (Law and Order) Harish Kumar Gupta told PTI. Hyderabad Police Commissioner Anjani Kumar said: "We have a 'social media monitoring cell' which is working 247 and keeps a watch on any such fake messages/ rumours spread on social media." Delhi Police's Intelligence unit keeps an eye on social media and preventive steps are taken in such cases, said Dependra Pathak, chief spokesperson, Delhi Police. "We counter it with a strategy. If the need arises, we post on social media with facts, " he added. The Uttar Pradesh Police, which is quite active on social media, however does not have a dedicated wing to handle such cases. "Whenever any such incident comes to light, it is referred to theappropriate wing like the ATS, STF, local intelligence unit, etc., ona case to case basis," an official said. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Prime Minister Narendra Modi today asked state governments to provide "fresh ideas" to the 15th Finance Commission for incentivising outcome-based allocations even as some southern states have expressed concerns about its Terms of Reference (ToR). He made the suggestion at the fourth meeting of the Niti Aayog's Governing Council attended by 23 chief ministers and one Lt Governor, besides several union ministers. "He (Prime Minister) encouraged states to give fresh ideas to the Finance Commission, for incentivising outcome-based allocations, and expenditure correction," said a release of the Prime Minister's Office. Some southern states, including Andhra Pradesh and Kerala, have been protesting against the ToR of the Finance Commission saying it would adversely affect the performing states in terms of devolution of funds from the central government. Raising the issue at the meet, Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu said the reference in the Finance Commission to adopt 2011 census population instead of 1971 data would have far reaching adverse consequences for the democratic and federal setup of the country. He expressed apprehension that it would penalise the performing states which have successfully controlled the population. Later, briefing reporters on the meeting, Niti Aayog Vice-Chairman Rajiv Kumar said Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chauhan was of the view that children already born should not be denied their rights, and the Prime Minister endorsed the opinion. "The overwhelming sentiment was that those who are already now with us, those who are already born, they have to be taken care of, so current population parameter must be used for allocating funds by the Finance Commission," Kumar said. Last month, the Commission set up an expert committee to advise it on matters related to the ToR that have come under attack from some non-BJP ruled states. In April, Kerala had hosted a conference of finance ministers of various states to discuss issues of common concern with respect to the commission. Responding to the concerns, the Centre had said on April 10 that there is no inherent bias or mandate in the ToR which could be construed as discriminatory against the states which have made good progress in population control. Meanwhile, Kumar said a committee under chairmanship of Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister has been set up to dovetail agriculture with employment guarantee scheme MNREGA. ToR of the panel is expected soon, he added. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) With the arrest of four people, including a Canadian national, the Punjab police today busted an international drug syndicate, an official said. He said these arrests have exposed a module that was involved in smuggling opium and the potent date-rape drug ketamine. The accused were allegedly using the courier services route to smuggle drugs abroad, said Assistant Inspector General of Counter Intelligence, Punjab Police, H P S Khakh. The racket was allegedly found to be masterminded by Canadian citizen, Kamaljit Singh Chauhan, residing in Toronto in Canada, who originally hails from Phillaur district in Jalandhar and Davinder alias Dev of Ganganagar in Rajasthan, and currently residing at Khanna in Ludhiana, he said. While Dev is among the four arrested, Chauhan is yet to be apprehended, he said. "Dev, a big name in the drug smuggling world, had been under close watch by the Enforcement Directorate and the Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB)," Khakh said in an official statement issued here. The police also seized 4.75 kg of ketamine and 6 kg of opium, neatly packed in double layered seven big cooking bowls, the official said. "Apart from Dev (68), the other arrested accused have been identified as Ajit Singh (45) of Jaitewali village in Jalandhar, Tarlochan Singh (42) of Jaitewali village and Gurbax Singh (50) of Katthe village in Hoshiarpur," he said. Acting on a tip-off, the police carried out a special operation on Haripur T-Point near Jandu Singhaand in Jalandhar and arrested the four people who were travelling in two cars. They were carrying seven big cooking bowls containing drugs which was meant for transporting to Canada through a courier company, Khakh said. "The use of private couriers or postal services is a new modus operandi used by global drug smugglers to avoid police and other agencies. Preliminary investigations have revealed that the consignment was prepared by Kamaljit Chauhan, who visited India last winter and fixed a deal with the accused persons for smuggling ketamine and opium to Canada," he said. As per the agreement, Dev and Ajit Singh alias Jeet were to arrange drugs from their sources and pack them properly while Chauhan had taken the responsibility to further take the drugs to Canada, Khakh said. "On a trial basis, they sent two consignments of opium, weighing 6 kg and 14 kg respectively, packed nicely in sweet boxes, to Chauhan, who took this delivery near Jalandhar bus stand through his men," he said. "After successfully taking two deliveries, Chauhan asked Dev and Jeet to now deliver ketamine along with opium," he said. "On Chauhan's direction, Jeet purchased 14 big cooking bowls from Malerkotla, and, after hiding the drugs in between two layers, he got the upper brims of two bowls soldiered to make them appear as one bowl," the official said giving details of the modus operandi adopted by the accused. Seven such bowls were prepared by Jeet, who was specially trained in welding and had bought opium from Madhya Pradesh and ketamine from Rampur in Uttar Pradesh, he said, adding that Jeet also involved his brother Tarlochan Singh, a truck driver, and his cousin Gurbax Singh. Besides, the four arrested accused, Chauhan too was booked and an FIR was registered today under various provisions of the IPC and Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances Act, he said. All payments were being made through hawala channels, which are also under investigation, he said. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Andy Murray insists he can still win Grand Slams after almost a year on the sidelines with a hip injury, but the Scot doesn't expect to add another Wimbledon title to his collection this season. Murray will play his first competitive match since Wimbledon last year when he faces Australia's Nick Kyrgios in the Queen's Club first round next week. The former world number one is finally ready to return to action after hip surgery in January. Murray's ranking has dipped to 157 during his enforced lay-off and the three-time major winner concedes it will be hard to make a flying start to his comeback. For starters, Murray will be unseeded as he makes his way back up the rankings. "I don't think you miss a year of playing and then come back and start winning Grand Slams. That isn't how this works," Murray told the BBC. "It's maybe different if you've had four months of hard training and preparation to get ready for that. But with the situation I'm in, that hasn't been the case. "It's been stop-start quite a lot of the time through the whole process. Obviously, I didn't have surgery at the beginning, had surgery half way through. I had the groin operation as well. "So, the expectations for me are very, very low right now and I'll reassess what my goals are when I'm back out there competing and feeling good again." With Wimbledon starting on July 2, Murray has only limited time to get back in the groove on grass. The 31-year-old hasn't reached a Grand Slam final since winning his second Wimbledon title in 2016. In his absence, Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal have shared out the sport's top prizes, the two old stagers looking as good as ever this year. But, asked if he can eventually win a major again, Murray refused to write off his chances. "I think it's still possible, but I'm not expecting that to be the case in the next two weeks," he said. - 'Good to be back' - =====================Murray has won the Wimbledon warm-up at Queen's a record five times, making the west London event the ideal venue for his return from months of gruelling rehabilitation. "Obviously, I'd love to win Queen's, but I'm more concerned about how I feel on the court," he said. "I want to learn exactly where I'm at from this week rather than putting lots of pressure on myself to win." Murray was forced to miss the last three Grand Slams after several false starts in his attempted comeback. "It's good to be back. Through this last period there have been times when I've been on court practising and not quite managed to get to the start line," he said. "It's been a really frustrating period and it's been a boring period for me. "There's been so much rehab that I've done in the last nine months or so. "A lot of the days have looked quite similar. That's not much fun, I obviously want to be out competing." If Murray makes it to the Queen's final, he may find Bulgaria's Grigor Dimitrov lying in wait. Dimitrov is a former Queen's champion who thrives on grass and is especially at home in London, where he won the prestigious ATP Finals last year. Despite a mediocre year so far, Dimitrov is energised by the sight of the Queen's grass. "The clay court season didn't go the way I expected or wanted. But Queen's has been a tremendous success for me over the years," he said. "I guess I have a special relationship with grass. I always wanted to do well on it. "This tournament can really build you up coming into Wimbledon. It's a spectacular time of year for me. "I don't want to favour myself. The field is hard but at the same time I like my chances. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) US President Donald Trump today termed as "phony" the claims of a 'Russian collusion' in the 2016 presidential election, asserting that it was a "made-up hoax" as he slammed his opponents. Trump's remarks came days after he claimed that a Justice Department watchdog report related to the 2016 election "totally discredited" the probe by Special Counsel Robert Mueller into possible Trump campaign collusion with the Russians. "Witch Hunt! There was no Russian Collusion. Oh, I see, there was no Russian Collusion, so now they look for obstruction on the no Russian Collusion," Trump tweeted. "The phony Russian Collusion was a made-up Hoax. Too bad they didn't look at Crooked Hillary like this. Double Standard!" he said. The US Justice Department last month agreed to expand its investigation into alleged Russia collusion in the 2016 election to include "any irregularities" involving FBI tactics on Trump's presidential campaign. Trump has not yet spoken to special counsel Robert Mueller as part of the probe. Last month, Trump termed Mueller's probe into the allegations of Russian interference in the 2016 US elections as "the world's most expensive witch hunt" as he trashed a media report that said an emissary representing the governments of Saudi Arabia and the UAE offered help to his campaign. Trump has repeatedly attacked the Mueller's investigation as a witch hunt and claims that the probe is biased against him. Mueller is trying to determine if Trump's campaign advisers colluded with the Russian government to influence the election. The investigation also reportedly involves a probe into whether the President obstructed justice when he allegedly asked ex-FBI director James Comey to drop an inquiry into former National Security Adviser Michael Flynn. Flynn pleaded guilty in December to lying to the FBI about his conversations with the Russian ambassador, becoming the first senior White House official to cut a cooperation deal in Mueller's inquiry. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Thimpu-based SAARC Development Fund will soon be launching a social enterprise development programme (SEDP) to fund 80 entities annually across the 8-member states including India, said SDF CEO Sunil Motiwal. SDF was established by the Heads of the eight SAARC member states in April 2010 and its Governing Council comprises finance ministers of these eight countries. SDF is in the process of launching the SEDP as part of its social window, Motiwal said in an interview to PTI. "The programme will be implemented in all the SAARC member states with the objective of identifying and building social enterprises by using a mix of grants and concessional returnable capital. The programme intends to fund around 80 enterprises across the 8 SAARC member states annually, he said. SDF has already committed USD 73.74 million for social window projects as of date out of which it has disbursed USD 47 million to the member states for social window projects. "Recently we have in-principle approved two energy infrastructure projects in the region with a loan commitment of USD 30 million under our infrastructure window. Other potential regional connectivity projects are under our active consideration to co-finance in SAARC member states," Motiwal said. SDF is currently implementing 12 regional projects with more than 70 implementing and lead implementing agencies covering all the member countries under the social window funding. Stating that MSMEs are important constituent of any economy, he said the SDF will soon be come out with a programme to provide line of credit to the sector across the member states. He said the SDF would create access to financial services which can in-turn boost job creation, raise income, reduce vulnerability and increase investments in human capital in -- Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan and Sri Lanka (SAARC members). SDF recently gave in-principle approval of two infrastructure projects in energy sector. These include waste to energy project in Sri Lanka with participation of India and hydropower project in Nepal with participation of Bangladesh and India. The total loan commitment would be USD 30 million. The fund is organising a two-day SDF partnership conclave in New Delhi from July 2. Niti Aayog CEO Amitabh Kant would deliver the key note address. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) A group of people has staged a protest demanding action against miscreants for allegedly trying to extort money from a 'sadhvi' at Shukratal area here. An FIR was registered on Friday against unidentified persons for allegedly trying to extort Rs 50 lakh from 'sadhvi' Rajandeshwari of Balaji Yog Dham research centre, police said. According to her complaint, she received a threat letter on Thursday demanding Rs 50 lakh and land. A group of 'sadhus' last evening staged the protest demanding action against miscreants. Bhopa Circle Officer Rajiv Gautam said police security has been provided to the Rajandeshwari and an investigation is underway to nab the accused. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) A school reunion turned tragic for a group of friends who had gone to Mutyalammapalem beachhere today as three of them drowned in the sea and one went missing. Police said around 15 students of the 2005-06 batch of ParawadaHigh Schoolmet at the Beachto celebrate the reunion. While some students left at around4.30 PM,five of them venturedinto the sea, despite police warning, they said. Assistant Commissoner of Police (South Zone),Rammohan Rao said police at the beachadvised them not to venture into the waters as the beach has turned a death trap for many visitors. "But when our team left for routine beat inspection of the village, they entered the waters for a swim. All the five were caught instrong currents and dragged deep into the sea," he added. The team returned immediately and seeing them being dragged away, rescued one of them, he said. The bodies of three other students were later retrieved with the support of fishermen, the ACP said, adding a search operation was on to trace the missing student. All of them were from Vennalapalem village in Parawada mandal and were about 26 years of age, he said. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Former Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah arrived at a yoga and nature cure hospital here for a two-week treatment. Siddaramaiah was welcomed by Shantivana trustee Seetharama Tholpadittaya and Chief Health Officer Prashath Shetty of the Shree Dharmasthala Manjunatheshwara (SDM) Yoga and Nature Cure Hospital on his arrival in Belthangady last night. Congress chief whip of the state Legislative Council Ivan D'souza, former Minister Abhayachandra Jain, former MLA Vasanth Bangera and party leaders were also present. Siddaramaiah would be under treatment at the rejuvenation centre two weeks, hospital sources said. Siddaramaiah would undergo nature cure treatment, yoga and physiotherapy. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) A suicide attack in restive eastern Afghanistan today killed at least 14 people and wounded 45, an official said, the second attack in as many days to mar an unprecedented ceasefire. The explosion happened outside the Nangarhar provincial governor's office in the capital Jalalabad, his spokesman Attaullah Khogyani told AFP. It was also close to the Indian consulate. Khogyani said 14 people had been killed and 45 wounded. An Afghan security source confirmed the suicide attack but gave a lower death toll of at least 10. There was no immediate claim of responsibility for the blast. Khogyani said a suicide bomber on foot had targeted Taliban, local elders and civilians as they left the governor's compound where they had attended a special event for the Eid holiday. Yesterday, a suicide attack on a gathering of Taliban, security forces and civilians in a district of the same eastern province of Nangarhar killed at least 36 people and wounded 65 others, provincial health director Najibullah Kamawal told AFP. The Islamic State group's Afghanistan franchise claimed responsibility for that attack. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Suspected militants tonight shot and killed a man in Kulgam district of Jammu and Kashmir, a police official said. The police official said the man was shot in Kelam area and was rushed to a hospital, where he succumbed. Security forces have launched a manhunt to nab the attackers, the official said. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj today left for a seven-day tour of Italy, France, Luxembourg and Belgium, which is aimed at deepening India's strategic engagement and trade ties with the four European countries. In Brussels, Swaraj will meet the top leadership of the European Union during which both sides are likely to deliberate on removing hurdles for resumption of negotiations on the long-pending EU-India free trade pact. The visit from June 17-23 will provide an opportunity to hold in-depth discussions with the political leadership on a wide range of global, regional and bilateral issues and advance India's growing strategic engagement with the European Union, the Ministry of External Affairs said. In the first leg of her visit, Swaraj will travel to Italy for the first major political exchange between the two countries after Giuseppe Conte assumed charge as the Italian prime minister. Swaraj will call on Conte and also meet her counterpart, Enzo Moavero Milanesi. The external affairs minister will then travel on June 18 to France where she will spend two days. In Paris, Swaraj will meet her counterpart, Jean-Yves Le Drian and the two sides will review the bilateral relations. India and France are celebrating the 20th anniversary of their Strategic Partnership. Swaraj will be in Luxembourg from June 19-20 and it will be the first-ever visit there by an Indian external affairs minister, the MEA said. During her stay, Swaraj will be calling on Grand Duke of Luxembourg Henri Albert Gabriel Flix Marie Guillaume and Prime Minister Xavier Bettel. "Swaraj will also have meetings with Jean Asselborn, Minister of Foreign and European Affairs and Pierre Gramegna, the Minister of Finance. In Luxembourg, she will also interact with the Indian community," the MEA said. On the last leg of her tour, Swraj will visit Belgium from June 20-23. In Brussels, she will meet Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs of Belgium Didier Reynders. She will also meet President of the European Commission Jean-Claude Juncker and President of the European Parliament Antonio Tajani. The MEA said Swaraj will also meet her counterpart, Federica Mogherini, the High Representative of the European Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, to review the entire gamut of India-EU relations. She will also deliver a keynote speech at the high-level event -- 'Climate, Peace and Security: Time for Action', lead the International Yoga Day celebrations at the European Parliament and also interact with the Indian community, the MEA said. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) A suicide attack in restive eastern Afghanistan today killed at least 18 people in a crowd celebrating the Eid holiday, the second assault in as many days to mar an unprecedented ceasefire. There was no immediate claim of responsibility for the suicide attack in Jalalabad city, outside the office of the Nangarhar provincial governor. The Islamic State group, which was not part of the truce, had claimed an even deadlier blast near the city a day earlier. Further dampening hopes for peace after jubilant scenes during the ceasefire over the Muslim holiday, the Taliban announced they would not be extending the truce beyond tonight. Nangarhar provincial health director Najibullah Kamawal put the death toll from today's blast at 18 with 49 wounded. "Some of the wounded are in a serious condition," Kamawal added, suggesting the death toll could rise. Governor's spokesman Attaullah Khogyani said 14 people had been killed and 45 wounded when the bomber on foot blew himself up among a crowd of Taliban fighters, local elders and civilians leaving the governor's compound after attending a special event for Eid. Yesterday a suicide assault on a gathering of Taliban, security forces and civilians in the province killed at least 36 people and wounded 65, Kamawal told AFP. The Islamic State group's Afghanistan franchise claimed responsibility for that attack. Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid announced the decision to resume fighting after President Ashraf Ghani said Saturday a government truce with the militants would be extended. He asked the group to reciprocate. "The ceasefire ends tonight and our operations will begin, inshallah (God willing). We have no intention to extend the ceasefire," Mujahid told AFP in a WhatsApp message. Mujahid made no reference to Ghani's announcement. The first formal nationwide ceasefire since the 2001 US invasion had been widely welcomed across the country as Afghans - Taliban, security forces and civilians - celebrated Eid, the holiday that caps the fasting month of Ramadan. Taliban fighters and security forces embraced and took selfies with each other over the first two days of the Muslim holiday. Civilians also flocked to greet the militants, who had left their posts or areas under their control to celebrate the halt in hostilities, fuelling hopes among war-weary Afghans that peace was possible. Ghani's extension of the government's eight-day ceasefire, which had been due to expire Tuesday night, drew immediate international support and calls for the Taliban to follow suit. The Taliban had agreed to a truce but only for the first three days of Eid, which started Friday, promising not to attack Afghan soldiers or police. They would, however, continue attacking US-led NATO troops. With the ceasefire due to end tonight, fighting is likely to resume on Monday. Further unnerving some ordinary Afghans, who have borne the brunt of the war, is the number of Taliban fighters now inside cities around the country. Before the Taliban's ceasefire had even started, analysts had expressed cautious optimism that the truces, if successful, could help build trust between the government and the Taliban and lay the groundwork for peace talks. But it was clear today that not everyone in the Taliban approved of the bonhomie between their fighters and security forces. The Taliban ordered their fighters to avoid gatherings of security forces and civilians, ostensibly to avoid further civilian casualties, following Saturday's attack. "The enemy has misused the ceasefire issue and there is a chance of more such bad incidents happening," Mujahid said in an earlier message. But some Taliban commanders also told AFP they disapproved of their fighters visiting government-controlled areas and celebrating with police and troops. The Taliban's decision to resume fighting came as no surprise to several Western diplomats in Kabul. "If they extend the ceasefire they will be compelled to talk, which I think the Taliban isn't interested in. They're looking for an outright victory," one diplomat told AFP on condition of anonymity. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) : Telangana Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao today pitched for tax incentives to fast-growing states and stressed on transfer of various subjects from the Centre to the states. In his remarks at the fourth meeting of the Niti Aayog Governing Council in New Delhi, Rao, also sought "removal of rigidness" of certain centrally-sponsored schemes that curtail the initiatives of the state government. According to an official release here, Rao, who shared at the meeting some of the initiatives taken up by his government said, "I would like to mention that the growth of India lies in the growth of its states. Therefore the fast-growing states must be encouraged by tax incentives, if not by additional transfers from central funds." "Further, we need to focus on agriculture and allied activities as an integrated sector and dairy, poultry, goat and sheep rearing, and fisheries should also be exempted from income tax," he said. As a part of the initiatives for doubling the income of farmers, MGNREGA funds should be tagged to agriculture with 50 per cent contribution from farmers to reduce the cost of their investment, Rao said. "I would like to say that the country is facing lots of challenges in the areas of external affairs, defence and macro-economic and global issues," he said. Therefore in the changing global scenario, it should continue to give due attention to those issues, he added. At the same time, it should leave more space to the states in doing work in such sectors as health, education, urban development, agriculture and rural development and remove the rigidness of certain centrally-sponsored schemes that curtail initiatives of the state government, the release quoted Rao as saying. The TRS chief, who has proposed forging a non-Congress, non-BJP coalition in national politics, 'Federal Front' comprising various regional parties, had earlier favoured transfer of various subjects from the Centre to the states as against centralisation of powers. The chief minister wanted to know why departments like health, agriculture, rural development, urban development should remain with the Centre as he had said that the "Centre is involving in matters that can be taken care of by the state." At the meeting today, Rao mentioned the launch of some schemes including "Rythu Bandhu" scheme (friends of farmers) initiative providing investment support of Rs 4,000 per acre per crop to farmers and "pattadar" (land ownership) passbooks aimed at providing clear title over farmland among others. He also spoke about the Rs five lakh life insurance scheme for the benefit of farmers (in age group of 18 to 60), which is to be formally launched on August 15 covering about 50 lakh farmers, massive investments on irrigation projects likeKaleshwaram and Palamoor Ranga Reddy. The government has taken up construction of 356 agricultural godowns in the past three years with a storage capacity of 18.30 lakh MTs at a cost of Rs 1,050 crore, the Telangana CM said. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The Tamil Nadu government today told the Centre that states' flexibility to augment their own resources was "very limited"in the post-GST era, thus the revenue from all indirect taxes should be given to them. In his address at the Niti Aayog meeting chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in New Delhi, Tamil Nadu Chief Minister K Palaniswami said his suggestion was in practice in developed countries. "In the post-GST era, flexibility of states to augment their own resources and mobilise more is very limited. It is time we think of a new model of resource sharing to effectively deal with the present development challenges," he said. "As is the practice in developed countries, one suggestion is to levy and appropriate all indirect taxes which can be given to the states and the Union government can retain the direct tax revenues," Palaniswami said. A copy of Palaniswami's speech made at the fourth meeting of the Niti Aayog Governing Council in the national capital was released by the state government here. He further said, "alternatively, the power of collection and appropriation of personal income tax can be vested with the states as this would take care of growing needs of the states to implement development programmes." "In this way, the present complicated process of devolution of resources can be simplified," he added. Palaniswami said that unlike the Central government, states in general and Tamil Nadu in particular, had limited powers to mobilise resources. "No one in the Government of India other than the Prime Minister would perhaps understand this better," he said, in an apparent reference to Modi's earlier stints as chief minister of Gujarat. On devolution of taxes, Palaniswami sought to draw Modi's attention to the "unfair treatment meted out to Tamil Nadu by successive Finance Commissions." While the 14th Finance Commission increased overall devolution of taxes to states from 32 per cent to 42 per cent, "it reduced inter-se share of Tamil Nadu in the divisible pool from 4.969 per cent to 4.023 per cent." "As a result, Tamil Nadu suffered an annual resource loss of Rs 6,000 crore," he said. The Chief Minister also reiterated the state's demand on revising certain Terms of Reference (Tor) in the 15th Finance Commission, saying "some of them are not in line with the principles of federalism enshrined in our Constitution and have to be reconsidered." Tamil Nadu is opposed to certain ToR of the 15th Finance Commission, such as using the 2011 census to calculate population for allocation of union tax revenue in place of the 1976 census. The state insists the move would affect it as Tamil Nadu has effectively implemented population control measures. Speaking on the Cauvery issue at the Niti Aayog meeting, Palaniswami sought "immediate operationalisation of the Cauvery Water Management Authority and the Cauvery Water Regulation Committee for effective implementation of the Final Order of the Cauvery Water Disputes Tribunal as modified" by the Supreme Court. Further, Centre should take the lead in inter-linking of rivers by nationalisation of all inter-state rivers, "which alone offers the promise of creating a framework that would allow optimal utilisation of water resources amongst states," he said. He recalled that late chief minister J Jayalalithaa had "repeatedly" urged the Centre to implement interlinking of the Mahanadhi-Godavari-Krishna-Pennar-Palar-Cauvery-Vaigai-Gundar Rivers and also to divert the surplus waters of the west flowing Pamba and Achankovil rivers to Vaippar in Tamil Nadu. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The Tamil Nadu government today announced solatium to the families of nine persons hailing from the state, who were killed in an accident at Kuppam in neighbouring Andhra Pradesh. Of the nine victims, six were killed on the spot and the rest succumbed to injuries at a hospital, Chief Minister K Palaniswami said. "I extend my condolences and sympathies to families of the nine persons killed in the mishap," he said. The chief minister announced Rs one lakh each to the families of the deceased, Rs 50,000 for persons who had sustained severe injuries and Rs 25,000 for those with minor injuries. A total of 22 persons were injured in the incident, he said. The relief amount will be given from the Chief Minister's Public Relief Fund (CPMRF), he added. A team of state revenue and police officials had brought back the bodies to Tamil Nadu. All the victims hailed from Vellore district. He said he has appointed two ministers to ensure the injured received best medical care. The accident took place after the lorry carrying them rolled down into a gorge at Peddavanka forest near Kuppam, 150 km from Tirupati, yesterday. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) A top Chinese official of the state-run shipbuilder, which developed China's first home-grown aircraft carrier, has been detained on the suspicion of corruption, the country's anti-graft body said today. Sun Bo, General Manager of China Shipbuilding Industry Corporation, was investigated for "suspected serious violation of Party disciplinary rules and law", the ruling Communist Party of China's (CPC) Central Commission for Discipline Inspection (CCDI) and National Supervisory Commission said in a statement. The serious violations of party discipline is a euphemism for corruption. Sun, also deputy chief of the company's leading CPC members' group, is under investigation, state-run Xinhua agency reported. It is significant that investigation against Sun was coincided with the launch of the first indigenously developed aircraft carrier by his company China Shipbuilding Industry Corporation (CSIC). Over a million CPC officials were jailed or faced anti-graft investigations since Chinese President Xi Jinping launched a massive anti-corruption campaign after he came to power in 2013. Over 50 top military officials including two Vice Chairmen of the power Central Military Commission (CMC), the overall high command of the Chinese military, were punished in the sweeping anti-graft campaign. One of the country's two major shipbuilders, CSIC plays a lead role in the development and construction of naval vessels, including nuclear and conventional submarines, and aircraft carriers. CSIC has constructed China's second aircraft carrier, which in May had completed the sea trials and returned to its port in Dalian where it was built. The first aircraft carrier Liaoning, which was launched in 2012, was a refit of the former Soviet vessel bought from Ukraine. The People's Liberation Army Navy said that the second aircraft carrier underwent five-day sea testing multiple facilities and attained the anticipated objectives. The completely home-grown aircraft carrier weighs 50,000-metric tonnes. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) A wanted terrorist of Pakistani Taliban was nabbed tonight at the airport here by Federal Investigation authorities while he was boarding a flight to Dubai. Maulvi Bahadar Jan, commander of Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), was taken into custody by FIA Immigration personnel from Bacha Khan International Airport during the checking of his documents, officials said. The Taliban Commander, whose name was included in the stop list by the Interior Ministry, had changed his getup to dodge the FIA immigration team. He was arrested while verification of his travel documents. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) US President Donald Trump today defended his decision to stop military exercises with South Korea, saying such "war games" were "provocative and expensive" but threatened to re-start them if talks with North Korea break down. Trump in a series of tweets claimed that it was his idea to stop the "war games" during the summit with North Korea's Kim Jong Un. "Holding back the war games during the negotiations was my request because they are VERY EXPENSIVE and set a bad light during a good faith negotiation. Also, quite provocative, he said. "Can start up immediately if talks break down, which I hope will not happen!" Trump tweeted. In a series of tweets, Trump slammed the "Fake News" for claiming he gave so much to North Korea just by meeting with the country's leader last week in Singapore. Funny how the Fake News, in a coordinated effort with each other, likes to say I gave sooo much to North Korea because I met. That's because that's all they have to disparage! he tweeted. Trump claimed that the meeting brought in peace to the world. We got so much for peace in the world, & more is being added in finals. Even got our hostages/remains!" he said. "The denuclearisation deal with North Korea is being praised and celebrated all over Asia, said the US president. "They are so happy! Over here, in our country, some people would rather see this historic deal fail than give Trump a win, even if it does save potentially millions & millions of lives! Trump tweeted. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Robert Pattinson says his role of Edward Cullen in the "Twilight" series was a huge "turning point" in his life. The British actor, who became an overnight sensation alongside Kristen Stewart after the vampire love story hit theatres, says the movie also made him consider acting as a full-time profession. "It was really, really fun. It was a massive turning point in my life. I had an entirely different life after. "I wasn't entirely sure I was going to be an actor until after that movie so I'll always appreciate it," Pattinson told E! The 32-year-old actor was speaking on the sidelines of a promotional event of his latest film "Damsel". "Damsel" is set to be released on June 22. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Britain's Home Secretary Sajid Javid today revealed that he was mugged on the streets of London for his mobile phone. In an interview with the Sun on Sunday' newspaper, the Pakistani-origin Cabinet member said he is looking into giving police more power to pursue so-called moped gangs of thieves, notorious for grabbing mobile phones in London and other cities of Britain. Speaking of the incident, which happened a couple of years ago, he said: "I was angry and upset but thought myself lucky not to have been stabbed or beaten up like many other victims who fall prey to these vicious criminals." As part of their modus operandi, these typically two-member gangs ride up on to pavements and grab unsuspecting people's phones from their hands and speed off. Javid relived a similar episode he encountered outside Euston station in central London as he reached for his phone to call a taxi when the thieves rode on to the pavement and grabbed his phone and zoomed off. "It happened in a flash Before I knew what was happening, it (the phone) had gone. They just rode up, grabbed it and zoomed off," said Javid, who took charge of the UK Home Office in April and is in charge of policing and security in his ministerial role. Among Home Office proposals announced last month, police drivers are being given more legal protection to smash the "myth" that officers cannot pursue riders who are not wearing helmets. It followed concerns among officers that they risk prosecution for careless or dangerous driving if they chase criminals at high speed, particularly those on mopeds and motorcycles. Javid told the newspaper: "It's ridiculous. Police should be allowed to get on with the job. If someone commits a crime and police want to pursue them, they should have much more freedom to." In June, it was reported that more than 60 crimes using mopeds or motorbikes were carried out every day in London on average over the past year a 50 per cent increase on the previous 12 months. Earlier this month, British Prime Minister Theresa May was challenged about the government's response to criminals using mopeds to carry crimes. She said talks with police had taken place to make sure they had the powers they needed to be able to chase moped-riding criminals. "This issue of moped crime is one that is of concern for people," May admitted. Popular British comedian Michael McIntyre was robbed for his watch by scooter-riding thieves while he was dropping off his kids to school in his Range Rover in north London. The windows of his car were smashed as the thieves demanded his Rolex. There has been growing concern about violent crime in some parts of the UK, particularly in London and other big cities. Figures show that fewer than 5 per cent of burglary and robbery cases across the UK are being solved. Scotland Yard said they were doing all they could to bring thieves to justice and putting a huge amount of effort into tackling a rise in moped-related crime, which the force said it has reduced. The Metropolitan Police said a number of robbery offences can be attributed to scooter-related crime. The Met has been putting a huge amount of effort into stemming the rise in these offences and bringing offenders to justice. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) A furious online backlash has erupted against a chic Baghdad shopping centre after volunteers said their party of 25 Iraqi war orphans was denied entry. Volunteers from the Ruhmaa Benahm orphan association had hoped to give the orphans a rare treat for the Eid al-Fitr holiday by taking them to a restaurant and playground at the mall, group spokesman Ibrahim Taha said. The restaurant was "reserved and paid for" but the party was denied entry, Taha said. The children, aged between seven and 15, had likely been barred because staff had seen the name of the orphan association on the reservation, Taha said. "When I showed up with the children, the manager refused to let us in saying they would disturb the playground and the restaurant," he said. The volunteers filmed themselves at the entrance to Mansour mall -- which is Baghdad's largest and was built in 2013 at a cost of USD 35 million (30 million euros). The video was shared nearly 5,000 times on social media. The mall's management issued a statement on Sunday saying security guards had only asked the group to wait outside until space was freed. "It is a totally normal procedure and we are astonished by this video," the statement said. But outraged Twitter and Facebook users pointed to temperatures of more than 40 degrees Celsius (100 degrees Fahrenheit) outside. The hashtag "Boycott Mansour mall" was used 15,000 times and the mall's rating on its Facebook page plunged from five stars to one star in the space of a few hours. "All the world's countries respect martyrs and their families -- this mall deserves nothing better than a boycott," Ismail al-Khazali wrote on the orphan association's page. "Shame on anyone who enters this mall before the management apologises for insulting the orphans," posted another user, Hakib al-Shebli. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) A 71-year-old Conservative MP who blocked a bill that would have made "upskirting" a criminal offence in the UK today took a U-turn, asserting that he was not a "pervert" and "wholeheartedly" supports such a law. Had the law passed last week, someone secretly taking a photo up a woman's skirt in the country could have faced up to two years in prison. Sir Christopher Chope, who faced criticism, including from Prime Minister Theresa May for blocking the law, said he was objecting to parliamentary procedure rather than the law itself. The Christchurch MP told his local paper, the Bournemouth Echo that he was not "a dinosaur" and was being "scapegoated". Prime Minister May said she was "disappointed" that one of her own MPs had prevented the bill from progressing. She added that she wanted to see the measures passed soon. Sir Christopher said upskirting was "vulgar, humiliating and unacceptable" and said accusations he was "some kind of pervert" were "a complete travesty of the truth". "It's defamatory of my character and it's very depressing some of my colleagues have been perpetuating that in the past 48 hours," he added. He explained that he stopped the bill from progressing because he disapproved of how the legislation was being brought in. "The government has been hijacking time that is rightfully that of backbenchers," he said. "This is about who controls the House of Commons on Fridays and that's where I am coming from." He accused the government of trying to "bring in what it wants on the nod", adding: "We don't quite live in the Putin era yet." The bill was expected to sail through the Commons last Friday, but parliamentary rules mean it only required one MP to shout "object" to block its progress. Sir Christopher's intervention was met with shouts of "shame" from other MPs. His actions were attacked by MPs - many from his own party. Scottish Conservative MP Paul Masterton said the intervention did "damage" to the public's view of the party. Victims said a specific law prohibiting the craze was necessary as current legislation was often insufficient to prosecute an offender. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Higher levels of vitamin D may lower the risk of developing breast cancer, a study has found. Researchers from the University of California San Diego in the US pooled data from two clinical trials with 3,325 combined participants and a prospective study involving 1,713 participants to examine the association between risk of female breast cancer and a broad range of serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D (25(OH)D) concentrations, which was chosen as the marker because it is the main form of vitamin D in blood. All women were age 55 or older. The average age was 63. Data were collected between 2002 and 2017. Participants were free of cancer at enrollment and were followed for a mean period of four years. Vitamin D levels in blood were measured during study visits. Over the course of the combined studies, 77 new cases of breast cancer were diagnosed for an age-adjusted incidence rate of 512 cases per 100,000 person-years. Researchers identified the minimum healthy level of 25(OH)D in blood plasma to be 60 nanograms per millilitre (ng/ml), substantially higher than the 20 ng/ml recommended in 2010 by the National Academy of Medicine, a US health advisory group. "We found that participants with blood levels of 25(OH)D that were above 60 ng/ml had one-fifth the risk of breast cancer compared to those with less than 20 ng/ml," said Cedric F Garland, a professor at the UC San Diego. Risk of cancer appeared to decline with greater levels of serum vitamin D. Garland, who has previously studied connections between serum vitamin D levels and several types of cancer, said the study builds upon previous research linking vitamin D deficiency to a higher risk of breast cancer. "This study was limited to postmenopausal breast cancer. Further research is needed on whether high 25(OH)D levels might prevent premenopausal breast cancer," Garland said. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Ponds, ambulances, solar street lights and doctors are some of the demands villagers in Maharashtra's Palghar district want met before they give their nod to the government's ambitious project, say officials. Hoping to overcome the villagers' resistance, the National High Speed Rail Corporation Limited (NHRCL), the nodal body to implement the project, has tweaked its strategy to ensure that the Mumbai-Ahmedabad is on track for a 2022 launch and is agreeing to many of the conditions. Failing to make much headway through mass contact programmes in the 23 villages where it faced extreme resistance, the NHRCL, in a major change in stand, is approaching individual landowners for their demands in addition to the compensation they are due. "We have changed our stance. Earlier, we would gather villagers at village chowks to convince them of the good that the project would do. That did not work, so we have decided that we will now target landowners only and ask village heads to give in writing what they want in addition to the compensation for their land," said NHRCL spokesperson Dhananjay Kumar. About 110 km of the 508 km train corridor passes through Palghar. The project requires an estimated 300 hectares across 73 villages, affecting about 3,000 people, in the stretch. Land acquisition for the Japan-backed USD 17 billion -- that will cut down the distance from to Ahmedabad to under three hours from the usual seven -- is being bitterly opposed by tribals and fruit growers in Palghar district. Slowly, however, the NHRCL crew seems to be turning the tide in its favour by targeting specific demands of villagers, most of which are related not to their personal needs but to basic necessities such as street lights and ambulances for the entire community. Mankundsar village in the district, for instance, had a leaking pond. Their demand? A boundary wall for the five hectare pond. Similarly, Khurd and Vikramgar villages demanded deployment of regular doctors. Bete village asked for an ambulance and solar street lights while another asked for a bullet train station. Yet another, Kelwa, asked for regular delivery of medicines. All these demands have been made on the letterhead of the village sarpanches on behalf of the landowners in the villages, a move to ensure probity from both sides. "We will comply to their demands if they give it to us in writing. The project is going to bring employment and development to the region and we are happy to help them," said Kumar. Among those opposing land acquisition in the corridor are sapota (chiku) and mango growers. Like 62-year-old Dashrath Purav, a farmer in Palghar, who said authorities have asked him to hand over the land on which he has toiled for over three decades to develop a sapota plantation. "The should ensure that at least one of my two jobless sons gets a job before I hand over the land," he said. Tribals from Palghar's Hanuman Nagar and Chandra Nagar villages, who were displaced to construct the Surya dam project in their area in 1990, are also opposing the The villagers allege that they still do not have clarity and were given no time to respond to the notices. In Gujarat, the project is facing resistance though not as stiff. Officials do not seem too worried about the fate of the project in the state as NHRCL has already served notices to 185 of 195 villages in Gujarat to give up their land under the state government's Land Acquisition Act. However, some affected landowners are continuing their protest against the acquisition, raising objections in a memorandum given to collectors of the districts involved, said farmer activist Sagar Rabari. According to Krishnakant, an activist with NGO Paryavaran Suraksha Samiti, it is a two-state project and the acquisition process should be handled by the central as the appropriate authority, not the state government. "It cannot be done under the provisions of Gujarat's amended Land Acquisition Act. Farmers are likely to challenge the land acquisition process in the court of law," he said. Kumar, however, pointed out that land is a state subject. "This is why we are following the 2013 Act in and the 2016 Act in Gujarat," he said. Villagers also alleged that they have been getting notices late as they are not being sent through registered post but through local officials who delay in serving them. "This gives us very little time to respond, sometimes only one or two days against the 60 days under the provisions of the Act," said Bhagubhai Patel, an affected farmer from Saron village in Valsad district In Gujarat, around 850 hectares is required to be acquired for the project from around 5,000 families across eight districts -- Ahmedabad, Kheda, Anand, Vadodara, Bharuch, Surat, Navsari and Valsad. Besides and Gujarat, the proposed high speed rail corridor will pass through the union territory of Dadra and Nagar Haveli. For NHRCL, the promises made to villagers in the two states are key to meeting their deadline flag off the project on Independence Day four years later, on August 15, 2022. Marathi writer and activist Vinay Hardikar has decided not to accept the pension offered by the BJP-led Maharashtra government to those who were imprisoned during Emergency. Hardikar, whose 1978 book 'Janancha Pravaho Chalila' is considered an authoritative commentary on Emergency, said the government's decision was "unethical" for various reasons. Saying that the BJP could have political motives for announcing the scheme, Hardikar also pointed out that Shiv Sena, a partner in the government, had supported Emergency. Hardikar was lodged in Yerwada jail near Pune after offering 'Satyagraha' and courting arrest in January 1976. "I have decided not to accept the pension," he told PTI. "There is a political side, I believe, to this announcement, which seems to be a part of the BJP president's Sampark For Samarthan drive. I do not want to fall for that," he said, referring to the party's recent outreach campaign. The Shiv Sena, which had supported Indira Gandhi's decision to impose Emergency, is now a partner in the state government, so this offer of pension is "unethical", he said. "The government should also clarify certain issues. One, why discriminate between the jailed persons according to the time spent in jail? "There were two types among those jailed. Those who offered Satyagraha (and courted arrest), and those who were held otherwise (even before they staged any protest). There were also workers of communal organisations like Muslim League and Anand Marg. Some Naxalites were also detained. Are they also entitled to this generous pension?" he asked. "RSS workers outnumbered others who were jailed during Emergency. May be the government wants to 'reward' them in cash. Is this ethical, since the RSS claims to be a non-political organisation?" he asked. "I wanted Emergency to be quashed and democracy restored. I wanted the late Indira Gandhi to be politically punished for the excesses she committed on the Indian Democracy," he said. "Both my aims were achieved in the Lok Sabha election of March 1977 (when the Indira Gandhi government was ousted). "For me, this shameful chapter was over then. There is no need for any compensation after 40 years," he said. "Also, I am still very much active and need no 'pension'," said Hardikar, a former journalist who has long been associated with Sharad Joshi's Shetkari Sanghatana. Hardikar's book, which records his experiences and observations during Emergency and its aftermath, was well received and selected for a state award. However, the decision to give award was later reversed by the government, creating a controversy. Earlier this week, the government announced that those who were incarcerated for more than a month during Emergency (for political reasons) would receive a monthly pension of Rs 10,000. Those who were behind bars for less than a month would receive Rs 5,000. Detailed criteria for eligibility are yet to be announced. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Amid pro-India and anti-Pakistan slogans, Rifleman Aurangzeb, killed by terrorists after abduction from south Kashmir's Shopian district last Wednesday, was laid to rest in native Salani hamlet in the border district of Poonch. Salani is a hamlet mainly comprising of soldiers serving or who have served in Indian armed forces. The coffin, in which Aurangzeb's body lay, was wrapped in Tricolour and was carried by Army jawans and officers on their shoulders who trekked a serpentine path in the mountainous belt for over half an hour to reach his native village from a nearby road last evening. Earlier, the body was flown in a helicopter to Sagra helipad. As the valiant soldier's last journey continued, thousands joined along on the route while several thousand more thronged the hamlet to pay tributes. A pall of gloom descended on the remote hamlet, where people demanded that Army avenge the killing. Amid anger and tears, Aurangzeb's body was laid to rest on Eid. "We want the government and the Army to take revenge from militants. Those involved in his killing should be eliminated with 72 hours. I urge PM Narendra Modi to take stern action and not show weakness with regard to Kashmir and cleanup all those bad people," Aurangzeb's father Mohmmad Hanief said. They abducted my son unarmed when he was coming home to celebrate Eid, the grief-stricken father said. "I regret only one thing that he was unarmed. They are cowards. Had they fought him when he would have been armed, they should have known the difference between cowardice and valour," he said. Calling for raising tricolours in every nook and corner of Kashmir by undertaking an operation to eliminate all terrorists, Hanief said he and his son were ready to sacrifice their lives for the nation. He blamed political leaders of Kashmir for the present situation in valley and said they were responsible for the deaths of soldiers to "reap political benefits". He blamed Pakistan for the killing of his son and said the neighbouring country was inflicting serious damage on India, which needed to be repulsed. Rifleman Aurangzeb of 44, Rashtriya Rifles, was abducted and killed by terrorists in Pulwama district when he was on his way home to celebrate Eid on June 14. He was part of Major Rohit Shukla's team, which eliminated Hizbul Mujahideen terrorist Sameer Tiger. Aurangzeb had boarded a private vehicle for Shopian, from where he was supposed to go to Rajouri district. The terrorists intercepted the vehicle as it approached Kalampora and abducted the jawan. His bullet-riddled body was found by at Gussu village, about 10 km from Kalampora, in Pulwama district. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Microsoft has released Office 2019 for Windows and Mac. This is the first big update to Microsoft Office since the 2016 version, and it brings lots of big changes for those who prefer downloaded software. Sure, the cloud-based Microsoft Office 365 subscribers have enjoyed app and feature updates throughout the last several years, but Office has always been the company's flagship business software. [Read related article: https://www.businessnewsdaily.com] Office 2019 is a perpetual offering. That means businesses pay a one-time fee and have access to the new features and updates as they are released. Microsoft said in a press release that this model, while a departure from the subscription-based Office 365 plans it's been pushing, is designed for businesses that aren't yet ready for the cloud. "Office 2019 will be a valuable upgrade for customers who feel that they need to keep some or all of their apps on servers on-premises," the company said in a press release. While Office 2019 is the official, perpetual rollout of the software, Office 365 subscribers will also have access to these features as they're introduced. Previewers can enjoy new https://www.businessnewsdaily.com for Windows 10, and other IT and security features. New features Microsoft is pushing improved inking features across apps, including roaming pencil case capabilities to PowerPoint. This allows users to move objects using their pen or write directly on slides. Microsoft Credit: Microsoft There's also a host of IT and deployment updates, such as enhanced Click-to-Run technology, monthly security updates and reduced network consumption. Here's a full list of features by program. Excel: Businesses can take advantage of new Excel functions, Power Pivot and Power Query enhancements, and 2D maps. Users can also publish from Excel to Power BI in the Office 2019 version. Businesses can take advantage of new Excel functions, Power Pivot and Power Query enhancements, and 2D maps. Users can also publish from Excel to Power BI in the Office 2019 version. Outlook: Microsoft has updated contact cards, support @ mentions within Outlook and introduce focused inbox features. Microsoft has updated contact cards, support @ mentions within Outlook and introduce focused inbox features. Word: Word have a new black theme, sounds integrated into Office 2019, learning tools and text-to-speech features. There are various accessibility and usability improvements. Word have a new black theme, sounds integrated into Office 2019, learning tools and text-to-speech features. There are various accessibility and usability improvements. PowerPoint: Microsoft added enhanced zoom capabilities, the ability to manage 3D images within the program and enhanced roaming pencil case features. Microsoft added enhanced zoom capabilities, the ability to manage 3D images within the program and enhanced roaming pencil case features. OneNote: OneNote is arguably got the biggest update. Microsoft said in a separate release that it combines OneNote 2016's best features with Windows 10 usability. These features include ink-to-text, improved syncing and an enhanced user experience. Microsoft Credit: Microsoft Bottom line If you're running a business on an Office 365 subscription, your apps are updated with the new features as they're released, so you don't have to worry about the official rollout. The update is designed for businesses and consumers that haven't opted into Microsoft Office 365 service with monthly feature updates. The first companies to get access to Office 2019 are those that pay for commercial volume licenses, followed by consumer and other business customers. Niti Aayog's Governing Council on Sunday met for the fourth time at Rashtrapati Bhawan. The Governing Council is the premier body tasked with evolving a shared vision of national development priorities, sectors and strategies with the active involvement of States in shaping the development narrative. It reviews the work done during the previous year and deliberates upon the future developmental priorities. The Council today discussed important subjects including measures taken to double farmers' income; progress of flagship schemes such as Ayushman Bharat, National Nutrition Mission and Mission Indradhanush and development of aspirational districts. The council includes all chief ministers, lieutenant governors of union territories, several union ministers and senior government officials. Informing about the meet, Niti Aayog in a tweet said: "Chaired by PM Narendra Modi and consisting of Chief Ministers, Lt. Governors, Union Ministers and Special Invitees, the Fourth Meeting of the Governing Council of Niti Aayog begins." Among the chief ministers who attended the NITI Aayog meet were West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerejee, Andhra Pradesh CM Chandrababu Naidu, Kerala CM Pinarayi Vijayan, Karnataka CM H D Kumaraswamy, Rajasthan CM Vasundhara Raje, Bihar CM Nitish Kumar, Chhattisgarh CM Raman Singh and Uttar Pradesh CM Yogi Aditya Nath. Union ministers J P Nadda and Nitin Gadkari were also among the participants. Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal was not present in the meeting. Earlier in the day, the Delhi Chief Minister in a tweet said: "Under which provision of the Constitution does LG have powers to replace the Chief Minister? I have not authorised him to go in my place." However, Niti Aayog CEO Amitabh Kant in a tweet said that "this is totally incorrect. Lt. Governor of Delhi is not present at the Fourth Meeting of the Govening Council of NITI Aayog." Prime Minister Narendra Modi delivered the opening remarks at the fourth meeting of the Governing Council. Welcoming the Chief Ministers and other delegates, PM Modi reiterated that the Council is a platform that can bring about "historic change." He assured all the chief ministers from flood-affected states that the central government would provide all assistance to deal with the flood situation currently affecting parts of the country. Speaking on the economic growth of the country, the Prime Minister said that the economy has grown at a healthy rate of 7.7 per cent but the challenge now is to take this growth rate to double digits, for which many more important steps have to be taken. He further said that 1.5 lakh Health and Wellness Centres are being constructed under Ayushman Bharat. Under this scheme, about 10 crore families will be provided health assurance worth Rs. 5 lakhs every year. The Prime Minister pointed that the government's target is to provide universal coverage in seven important welfare schemes: Ujjwala, Saubhagya, Ujala, Jan Dhan, Jeevan Jyoti Yojana, Suraksha Bima Yojana, and Mission Indradhanush. He further said that India has no shortage of capabilities, capacities and resources. "In the current financial year, States are receiving over 11 lakh crore rupees from the Centre, which is an increase of about 6 lakh crore rupees, from the last year of the previous government," the prime minister added. During the day-long meet, several chief ministers expressed their views and what needs to be done. Bihar CM Nitish Kumar said that there is a need to make special efforts to bring backward states like Bihar up to the level of the rest of the country. "Niti Aayog should assess how schemes can be implemented depending on needs of specific states," the Bihar Chief Minister said. Uttar Pradesh CM Yogi Adityanath said: "We are taking active measures for doubling farmers' income in the state through various initiatives like Soil Health Card, Irrigation facilities & e-NAM schemes." news, latest-news A much-loved Canberra heritage building - home to a national institution - will receive a facelift after years of funding and staff cuts. The National Film and Sound Archive of Australia last week published a tender for proposals to complete sandstone, waterproofing and conservation works at its Acton headquarters. In February, Fairfax Media reported a desire to re-locate the institution to attract more visitors. However, NFSA chief executive Jan Muller said plans to construct a purpose-built building in Canberra were in progress, but it was a long-term vision, and the tender would ensure the protection of the current home. In the meantime, we will continue to protect this important Canberra heritage site, he said. "Since its creation in 1984, the NFSA has been the custodian of a beautiful 1930 art deco building and we follow the highest standards in order to preserve this heritage site." Offices inside the heritage-listed building had been plagued by leaks due a faulty waterproof membrane on the roof, tender documents reveal. Concerns about water penetration and subsequent damage in the courtyard cloisters were also mentioned in the tender. The Stripped Classical building was constructed in 1931 to house the Australian Institute of Anatomy and Canberra's first morgue. The building's facade is grey-white sandstone from the Hawkesbury River District, and has a number of nationalistic decorative details, including carvings of goannas, frill-necked lizards, Aboriginal art, and frieze panels. The archive has called the building home since 1984. Tender documents said the works would "maintain and conserve the sandstone facade elements and the buildings heritage, replace the roof waterproofing membrane and eliminate the ongoing water penetration issues affecting the office area below, and restore the courtyard cloisters roof membrane to prevent water penetration and gradual degradation". "The works are separated into five parts: 1. Sandstone facade works; 2. Main roof waterproofing; 3. Cloister waterproofing 4. Rendered wall repairs; and 5. HVAC works." A list of work to be completed on the stonework included resetting and replacement of stone blocks, repointing of joints, the replacement of two cracked glass panels, repainting courtyard windows, cleaning and hydrophobic coating of 1800 square metres of sandstone. Tenders close on July 5. While the future of the building now appears to have been secured, the National Film and Sound Archive itself could soon be on the move. In January, the archive's incoming chief executive Jan Muller announced plans to move the institution as part of his "First 90 days" presentation to staff. The archive has had to battle funding and staff cuts, with exhibition and film screening programs axed and the courtyard cafe closed in the past four years. Mr Muller said the institution needed to improve its public profile, as visitor engagement and numbers dwindled. A new location and purpose built building would make the archive relevant and achieve its purpose as the country's repository of audio-visual heritage, he said. Mr Muller said a move to a vacant site on the Acton peninsula - near the National Museum of Australia and the Australian Institute of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Island Studies - would put the archive in a precinct frequented by visitors. He said such a building could be at least partly funded by selling the current premises, owned by the archive. One of the priorities in the NFSA's Strategic Vision for a Digital Archive is to redefine our physical presence," Mr Muller said. Pursuing the construction of a new facility is part of the plan, but this is a major project that will take time and resources. In the meantime the NFSA will continue its ongoing work in Acton, including the development of our public spaces and programs, and maintenance of the building." /images/transform/v1/crop/frm/silverstone-ct-migration/c5793575-850d-4698-9258-7de137d048f6/r0_131_2400_1487_w1200_h678_fmax.jpg news, act-politics Labor Senator Penny Wong has unequivocally endorsed David Smith's rival Katy Gallagher one day before the former union official will be sworn into the Senate. Senator Wong will flank Mr Smith when he walks into the upper house to become the ACT's newest senator on Monday morning. But on the ABC's Insiders program on Sunday morning, Senator Wong told presenter Annabel Crabb senior figures within the party, including leader Bill Shorten, wanted Ms Gallagher to return to the Senate. "Obviously a big day tomorrow for David Smith, being sworn into the Senate. That is a big occasion for him and his family," Senator Wong said. "In terms of preselection for the next election, Bill Shorten has made clear, I have made clear, as have other senior leaders and senior members of the Labor Party both at the territory level and federally, that we want Katy back in the Senate. "She is a very important part of our Senate leadership team. As Senate leader, I want her back and I know Bill and others do as well." However Mr Smith said there was "nothing on the public record" to indicate Mr Shorten did not want him in the Senate. "Ultimately it's up to the party members to make that decision," he said. Former right faction convenor Mr Smith was second on the ticket when Ms Gallagher was elected to the Senate in 2016. Ms Gallagher, who is from the left faction, first entered the Senate to fill a casual vacancy in 2015, but the High Court found she was still a British citizen when she nominated, rendering her ineligible to serve in parliament. After weeks of speculation, Ms Gallagher revealed she would try and seek pre-selection to run again in the Senate next federal election. The announcement was welcomed by senior figures in the party, including ACT Chief Minister Andrew Barr who said her decision was "what's best for the ACT Labor Party". At the time, Senator Wong said: "Katy is, quite simply, too good to lose". However Mr Smith said he had no plans to stand aside, and would also vie for pre-selection, setting the scene for a showdown between the former running mates and their factional allies. It comes as the decision of another Labor right member to put his hand up for the lower house seat of Canberra also ruffles feathers. Long-time Labor Party member and lobbyist for the greyhound industry Kel Watt announced he would run for pre-selection minutes after Ms Gallagher said she seek to return to the Senate. Mr Watt and Mr Smith were among those who rallied outside the ACT Legislative Assembly last year calling for a ban on greyhound racing in Canberra to be scrapped. However if Mr Smith loses pre-selection to Ms Gallagher, he could take on Mr Watt for pre-selection for a spot in the House of Representatives. /images/transform/v1/crop/frm/silverstone-ct-migration/9c21da66-596c-4215-97bb-2f9497666551/r0_189_3610_2229_w1200_h678_fmax.jpg Our Promise: Welcome to Care2, the world's largest community for good. Here, you'll find over 45 million like-minded people working towards progress, kindness, and lasting impact. Care2 Stands Against: bigots, racists, bullies, science deniers, misogynists, gun lobbyists, xenophobes, the willfully ignorant, animal abusers, frackers, and other mean people. If you find yourself aligning with any of those folks, you can move along, nothing to see here. Care2 Stands With: humanitarians, animal lovers, feminists, rabble-rousers, nature-buffs, creatives, the naturally curious, and people who really love to do the right thing. You are our people. You Care. We Care2. Photo: The Canadian Press In this photo provided by Cambodia National Police, Cambodia's Prince Norodom Ranariddh's mangled car sits on the side of a road after a collision with another vehicle outside Sihanoukville, Cambodia, Sunday, June 17, 2018. (Cambodia National Police via AP) Former Cambodian Prime Minister Prince Norodom Ranariddh was seriously injured Sunday in a road crash that killed his wife and injured at least seven other people, officials said. The 74-year-old Ranariddh was in a convoy along with senior figures of his FUNCINPEC party heading toward Sihanoukville in southwest Cambodia when a taxi travelling in the opposite direction slammed into his SUV, said a senior party member in the group. Cambodia will hold a general election next month in which both Ranariddh and his wife were standing as candidates. Sihanoukville police chief Gen. Chuon Narin said Ranariddh a son of the late King Norodom Sihanouk suffered head injuries. He was sent to Phnom Penh for urgent treatment. Chuon Narin said Ranariddh's wife, Ouk Phalla, died in a hospital. Ranariddh was Cambodia's co-prime minister for four years in an uneasy power-sharing arrangement with current Prime Minister Hun Sen after his party won a United Nations-organized election in 1993. His party's popularity was largely due to its royalist credentials, although Ranariddh's personal relations with his popular father were often strained. He was ousted in July 1997 and then fled abroad when long-simmering tensions between him and Hun Sen exploded into two days of bitter fighting in Phnom Penh between his forces and those loyal to Hun Sen. Ranariddh was allowed to return to contest elections the following year but failed to repeat his success at the ballot. He slid into political irrelevancy, as FUNCINPEC became co-opted by Hun Sen, a much more savvy and tougher politician than Ranariddh. Ranariddh is currently president of FUNCINPEC. The party holds 41 seats in the National Assembly, but only because seats held by the opposition Cambodia National Rescue Party were distributed to other parties after CNRP was dissolved. The dissolution was widely seen as a manoeuvr to ensure an easy victory for Hun Sen in next month's general election, with parties contesting the polls generally seen as hopelessly weak or fronting for the ruling Cambodian People's Party so it can claim it ran a fair race by allowing opposition candidates. Ranariddh is also president of the Supreme Privy Advisory Council to King Norodom Sihamoni, his half-brother. Ouk Phalla, a classical Cambodian dancer reported to be descended from a separate royal family branch, was Ranariddh's second wife. Photo: The Canadian Press FILE - In this June 11, 2018 file photo, Billy Caldwell sits with his mother Charlotte. (Stefan Rousseau/PA via AP, File) The mother of an epileptic boy at the centre of a debate over medical marijuana in the U.K. is calling for an urgent meeting with ministers to discuss liberalizing British policy. Charlotte Caldwell said Sunday she also wants assurances from the government that her 12-year-old son Billy will be able to keep receiving cannabis oil once a 20-day emergency supply approved by the government runs out. Caldwell wants to make sure there isn't "another battle" over the medicine that she believes has warded off potentially life-threatening seizures for her son. Billy remains hospitalized in London for severe seizures after border agents at Heathrow Airport confiscated the cannabis oil his mother was bringing in from Canada. Former drugs minister Norman Baker has backed her call for an overhaul of laws prohibiting marijuana for medicinal purposes. Photo: Google Maps A 61-year-old Illinois man is dead after he lost control of his race car and crashed during a race at a track east of Toronto on Saturday afternoon. Durham Regional Police say the crash happened during a Formula 5000 race at the Canadian Tire Motorsport Park in Bowmanville, Ont., at about 4:30 p.m. Police say the 1972 Lola T300 race car passed a safety inspection before being permitted on the track, but the driver lost control as he was turning a corner and smashed into a wall. They say the driver was extricated from the car, but he was pronounced dead once he arrived at a local hospital. Investigators did not release the name of the deceased, but racetrack officials identified him as Jeffrey Green of Peoria, Ill. Police say the track was closed for the remainder of the day. Photo: The Canadian Press Children in the Montreal and Laval areas can head back to daycare tomorrow now that a 10-day strike affecting about 60 daycare centres has ended. The union representing the workers says it lifted the strike after receiving a proposal submitted by mediators from Quebec's labour department. Workers will vote on the new deal next weekend but will head back to work in the meantime. The main sticking points in the dispute included working conditions, scheduling work hours, call-back lists and seniority. The union says it will present the deal favourably to its members. Photo: Contributed A man charged in the death of a 28-year-old Toronto woman had just met and moved in with her three weeks before she was found suffering from obvious signs of trauma inside their fifth-floor apartment, Toronto police said. They said Sunday that officers arrested and charged Richard Isaac, 41, of Brampton, Ont., with second-degree murder in connection with the death of Victoria Selby-Readman on Tuesday afternoon. Det. Paul Worden said text messages and conversations Selby-Readman had with her friends have lead him to believe that the pair met through social media, where she had recently posted advertisements on Instagram and Facebook seeking a roommate. Once Isaac moved into the apartment, Worden said police hadn't been alerted to any disturbances at the location or incidents involving the pair, who he said had no romantic relationship. "It was a roommate-type relationship, but due to the brief time he was there and the level of violence that occurred within a few weeks, (the death) is unusual," said Worden, who also said it is becoming more common for abusive relations to start on social media, but it is still "rare" for the platforms to trigger a death like Selby-Readman's. By the time he moved in with Selby-Readman, Worden said Isaac was already known to police because he had domestic-related incidents with other women, including one related to some outstanding warrants in Durham Region. "Selby-Readman knew a bit (about his past brush), but only after he moved in," said Worden. "She did not know the whole extent." Police have spoken with the female victim in the Durham Region incident, but, with Isaac charged and arrested, Worden said he was hopeful that people who might have stayed quiet about the accused's previous behaviour will come forward. "It seemed a common thing that he did communicate with various women on social media platforms and based on his history with women, we believe there could be some people out there who could have been in an abusive relationship with him or could offer some insight to what may have happened in this case," he said. Phillippines President Rodrigo Duterte is known for encouraging countless extrajudicial killings and even proudly murdering three men himself. Donald Trump has publicly stated his admiration for the authoritarian leader. Though, with his support of men like Vladimir Putin and Recep Tayyip Erdogan, were not surprised. Read on for a closer look at why Trump is so in favor of Duterte. 1. His brash nature Duterte had to apologize to Kuwait recently for some harsh words he spoke during an ongoing diplomatic disagreement concerning the treatment of domestic workers. This was not an isolated incident. Is there something wrong with your culture? Is there something wrong with your values? asked the Philippine leader. Tensions eased when the two nations came to an agreement on workplace safety guarantees for Filipinos working in Kuwait, and an understanding that Duterte would lift the employment ban, according to Yahoo. Next: He may not grab them by the p- like Trump, but Duterte takes other liberties with women. 2. He kisses his fans just for fun On an official visit to South Korea, Duterte called up an audience member at an event where he was passing out books. He told her hed give her a book in exchange for a kiss. She agreed, after telling him she was married. They kissed, the crowd erupted in cheers, and Duterte said Dont take it seriously. Its just for fun, a gimmick. The incident provoked some negative feedback from activists and news outlets, saying the kiss was inappropriate and a grave abuse of authority. Next: Its an ongoing problem Duterte and Trump share 3. Hes a known misogynist This wasnt Dutertes first sexist misstep. He jokes about rape and makes frequent controversial remarks about women in general. His view of women has inspired several womens rights activist groups to pop up in the Philippines. Most recently the #BabaeAko (I Am A Woman) campaign came about in an effort to demonstrate to Duterte how many women arent ok with his misogynistic remarks. Next: Business partners 4. Trump has business in the Philippines Trumps relationship with Duterte is affected by the fact that he does some business in the Philippines. Trump Tower Manila, for example, has been under construction for the last five years and has recently begun to near completion. Trump has a vested financial stake in the buildings success, as such deals often involve the licensor taking a cut of the annual revenues, says The Atlantic. Next: They both dont like the press. 5. They have a similar view of the press Dutertes view of the press is scary. He calls the media spies, and thinks that just because youre a journalist, you are not exempted from assassination if youre a son of a bitch. In meetings with Trump, hes asked the media to leave the room for fear of being spied on. In this particular instance, Trump laughed at the statement and agreed to the press leaving. Dutertes cynicism toward the press appears to be catching on among his supporters. Journalists who criticize the presidents policies or cover sensitive topics like drug trafficking or corruption face defamation suits and an online backlash. Dutertes supporters attack them outright or report their online accounts to social media platforms, demanding the takedown of inappropriate content,' says the International Press Institute. Next: Trump likes Dutertes approach to drugs. 6. They both want to execute drug dealers In February 2018, Axios reported that Trump likes the way Duterte has been handling the Philippines drug war. Meaning: he likes the idea of executing drug dealers. The report suggests that Trump thinks drug dealers are as bad as serial killers, and believes that more lenient drug policies will never work,' says Fortune. According to Human Rights Watch, the drug war in the Philippines has caused over 12,000 deaths. Next: These groups dont like that the two are working together so closely. 7. A lot of people are unhappy about their relationship Trump recently invited Duterte to the White House to discuss their countries policies toward North Korea. Several groups have spoken out about how the meeting is inappropriate, given Dutertes blatant disregard for human rights. He and his government are known for offering tacit (and sometimes even explicit) support for vigilante justice, including outright murder. Its no wonder why groups likeHuman Rights Watch and the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees are concerned with the meeting. Check out The Cheat Sheet on Facebook! A U.S. president might be one of the most powerful people in the world, but at home hes just a parent. All U.S. presidents to date have been fathers and out of the 43 men who have served the country, 38 had biological and five had adopted children. Take a look into what might be the worst presidential fathers ever and learn about Donald Trumps parenting style (page 5) then, decide if you agree. 1. John Adams According to the Los Angeles Times, the nations second president, John Adams, alienated his four kids with his unreasonable and insistent demands. In short, he expected them all to be blessings both to their parents and to mankind. And if any one of them disappointed him, he ripped them to shreds. Its no surprise that his son, John Quincy Adams, the nations sixth president, parented his children similarly. If one of his sons fell behind in his studies at Harvard, Adams would threaten eternal damnation. Next: Hands-off parenting 2. Ulysses S. Grant Republican Ulysses S. Grant adopted the laissez-faire style of raising children, according to the Los Angeles Times. Apparently, he didnt set any limits with his four kids. When his 13-year-old son wasnt happy at prep school, Grant sent a telegram, Come home at once. Grants wife, Julia, said, The General had no idea of the government of children. He allowed them to do pretty much as they pleased. This type parenting might even be worse than a disciplinarian or uninvolved style. Next: An absentee dad 3. Franklin D. Roosevelt Franklin Roosevelt worked so much that his sons had to make appointments to see him, according to The Guardian. But when Roosevelt lost the use of his legs, he leaned on his sons during his speeches. They were parentalised, said Joshua Kendall, author of the book First Dads: Parenting and Politics from George Washington to Barack Obama. To the nation he was a nurturing father but to his own sons he was the opposite. Next: More devoted to office than children 4. Lyndon Johnson Lyndon Johnson once said, I never think about politics more than 18 hours a day, according to The Guardian. Unfortunately, that left little time for him to devote to his daughters Lynda and Luci. In fact, to get Johnson to notice her, Lynda used to read issues of the Congressional Record. During his tenure as a Senate majority leader, Johnson rarely even saw his young daughters. Luckily, that changed when he suffered a heart attack in 1955 and began to realize his life was so lopsided as to be ridiculous [and that] there was something else besides my job. Next: Kids came second 5. Ronald Reagan Ronald Reagan had four children: two from his first wife, Jane Wyman Reagan, and two from his second wife, Nancy Davis Reagan. You might remember him as a champion of family values who was beloved by conservatives. But his relationships with his children were troubled, according to People. Larry King, Nancys close friend, said, Their love affair was probably more important than their love for their children. The children were secondary to them. Next: And now, for Donald Trump. 6. Donald Trump Donald Trump clearly likes to play the dad card, evidenced by the fact he paraded his children during his campaign. When Kendall interviewed Eric Trump, he said the only way he connected with his father was through work. Donald Trump is clearly his kids boss Donald Jr., Eric, and Ivanka all work for him in the Trump Organization so hes used to giving them orders. But all of them are quite loyal. Eric Trump told Kendall during an interview that he would take a bullet for my father. Perhaps his autocratic leadership style is inspiring after all. Next: This one might shock you. 7. Jimmy Carter Jimmy Carters military background influenced his parenting, according to the Los Angeles Times. I gave my three boys orders, said Carter in 1996. If they didnt carry my orders out, they were punished. Although Carter did occasionally play with his youngest child, Amy, but he was an absentee dad to his three older sons, Jack, Chip, and Jeff. [Dad] had his own thing to do, said Jack in 2003, and I dont think you get to be president unless youre driven. Read more: These Are the Presidents With the Most Stepchildren, Including Donald Trump Check out The Cheat Sheet on Facebook! Pueblo's 9 most haunted hangouts Pueblo is home to a diverse and complex history. It is also home to these 9 haunted houses and hangouts. Email Whatsapp Menu Whatsapp Google Reddit Digg Stumbleupon Linkedin Comment I believe the very first revival message God ever gave me to preach was from 2nd Chronicles 7:14 (KJV), "If my people which are called by my name, shall humble themselves and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then I will hear from Heaven, and will forgive their sin, and heal their land." You see, revival has a very big IF! Revival also has more to do with his people than with the world. Through the years God in prayer and study has taught me a lot about revival. One great misnomer which I always debunk the mistaken belief that all revivals are just "sovereign moves of God." People, imagine that one day Father was just hovering over Los Angeles, California, in the early 1900s, and said to the Holy Spirit, "Hey, wonder what the boys down at the Azusa Street Mission are doing. Let's drop down there for a few years and pay them a visit. Thousands of people will be saved!" I know that sounds sarcastic, but think about this. The greatest revivals in world history experienced outpourings in which thousands were saved as a result of His overwhelming, convicting presence. If these were just acts of His sovereign will and His will alone, then how has He been fair and just to the untold millions of peoples in other parts of the world throughout history upon whom He did not pour out revival? However, IF WE are our brothers' keeper according to Genesis 4:9, then the responsibility falls on us of the saving of souls from eternal damnation, not God. Further evidence of this responsibility is recorded according to the Great Commission found in Matthew 28:19 (KJV). "Go YE therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Ghost: Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you; and, lo, I am with you always even unto the end of the world." IF the responsibility falls on us for the souls of men and women to be born again and not be lost, then God is still as fair and just as He ever was. The question then becomes, what should we do to usher in the outpouring? Crucially, we need to stop ignoring the fact that every great true outpouring in history, of His Holy Spirit, in true God-sent revivals were preceded by intense corporate prayer. In almost every case, prayer intercession started with a faithful few. In some cases, it was started by a few youth who gathered to pray. Eventually many came. Then the prayer went to more nights of the week, before the revival hit, often prayer spread to seven nights a week. What were they praying for in every situation? They were praying for a great visitation from God on their area! God by His Holy Spirit loves to go where He is invited. He loves to come a little where invited a little. He loves to come some where He is invited some. Most of all, He loves to come a lot, where He is wholeheartedly invited a lot. You see "IF my people which are called by my name would humble themselves and pray and seek my face...." IF IF IF, that's the big question. Did you know that our human nature, our flesh, if you will, does not like to pray? In my preaching I point out the fact that many church going Christians will fight revival the way a sinner will resist coming to Christ in the first place. Why? It is really the very same reason that sinners resist. We are rebellious at heart, and we want to do our own thing, and we want to do it when we want to. We resist the crucified life and rebel against the tug of the Holy Spirit on our hearts. "If MY people which are called by MY name will humble themselves and pray..." Any preacher will get a lot of "amen's" if he wants to stand behind a pulpit and talk about the sins of the world. Revivals will eventually touch the sinner like nothing else but God-sent revivals always start with the lukewarm saints in the pews. Praying requires humility. We must "humble ourselves and pray." We are so independent and rebellious we don't like to get on our knees, let alone on our faces, before God. We will gladly go to almost anything at the church except for prayer meetings. However, God still says "If my people will humble themselves and pray...." The verse goes on to specify, "...And seek my face." Quite simply, to seek the face of God quite simply is to want to look upon it, speaking metaphorically, in the Spirit realm, to see what he is saying. Is He pleased? Is He angry? Does He have a concerned look on his face? I am convinced one of the greatest sins in the modern American Church is that we do not truly pray enough. That we do not seek His face about our every decision, especially as it concerns the building of His Kingdom in this last days' hour of the church. There is another condition. The verse goes on to say, "...and turn from their wicked ways". I'm just going to use one word here. "SELF!" All of our sins have always been and always will be for the serving of self. "THEN I will hear from heaven, and forgive their sin, and heal their land! THEN God can pour out His Holy Spirit in our churches and communities. THEN God is not held back by our traditions and religiosity. THEN Jesus the true King of Kings and Lord of Lord can have a place of rightful leadership in all our hearts. THEN the true revivals can be poured out which historically have transformed towns and villages, bringing crime rates to zero and healing marriages and families. If my people..... Rev Nolan J Harkness is the President and CEO of Nolan Harkness Evangelistic Ministries Inc. since 1985. He spent most of his adult life working in youth ministry. He also felt the calling of Evangelist/Revivalist and traveled as the door was open holding evangelistic meetings in churches throughout the Northeast. His website is www.verticalsound.org. Email Whatsapp Menu Whatsapp Google Reddit Digg Stumbleupon Linkedin Comment "Throughout your entire journey until you reached this very place, the Lord your God has carried you just as a father carries a child" (Deut. 1:31). Moses preached these words in the wilderness to the Hebrews who were afraid to journey onward. In many ways, Moses was like a father to the Hebrew people. They were slaves in the land of Egypt when God chose Moses to guide them to safety but, at this moment, they were in the eleventh month of the fortieth year of travel to the promised land. They were tired and questioned Moses. The Hebrew people did not in that moment have the faith to see how God was carrying them and would carry them further. They did not have the faith a child has in a parent to see them through. Every day in this nation, however, children do look to parents for that safety and security; the feeling of being carried in the arms of someone stronger and surer of the way. That role, whether carried out by a father or by those who fulfill that call, provides the security a child needs to develop, learn, and thrive. So, out of love, parents strive to make a home that offers stability and security. Many families are not willing to let geography and nationality keep them from realizing this goal. As God carried the Hebrews to a place of freedom, so do parents carry their children to new places to give them a chance to fulfill all that God has promised in their lives. Fatherhood that shows signs of the love like that of our Heavenly Creator is something to be lauded. It is becoming increasingly difficult to be a father, however, for certain men in our communities. Immigrant fathers, those who are arriving and those who have made a home here, are too often deprived of their ability to care for and provide for their families. On this Father's Day, we cannot forget the many fathers that make the decision to leave behind a home that will not provide for his children in a way that will allow them to be full participants in the world around them. Fathers, not willing to let their children suffer, make a perilous journey to seek safety. Along the way, they in fact, carry their children as they walk through rivers, deserts, and hop trains. They keep them close to keep them from harm. It is a journey for hope sustained by unwavering faith. Men also become fathers, first time or again, in new lands. They hopefully bring life to the world as they seek a full life for their children. Wherever their child is born, they love them, they teach them, they advocate for them, they protect them. What happens to a child when the one who carries them is taken away? The trauma and stress of such events is lasting. Today at the border, children are being stripped from their parents' arms. The Association of American Pediatrics, in a statement about border separation, said the separation of families causes "toxic stress" that can cause irreparable harm to developing children. In the interior, men are ripped away from families through immigration arrests, detention, and deportation. Children in the United States are left to fend for their younger siblings, often needing to take the role of advocate and protector. We have seen how families struggle for generations following the systematic forced absence of fathers. In moments in U.S. history, through enslavement and forced migration, ancestral fathers were torn from both Native American and African American families. The trauma and disparities from the disappearance of fathers in these communities is still experienced today. As the highest elected ecclesial officer of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.), I am called upon to provide pastoral care when members are suffering. Like one member of a Presbyterian church in New Jersey. Originally from Indonesia, he has made the U.S. home for more than twenty years. He has two U.S. citizen daughters and was compliant with immigration authorities but changes in policy lead to his arrest and detention. Four months later, he continues to be detained. He will be alone on Father's Day instead of celebrating with his family. As he waits and days tick away, his family struggles to stay afloat. This story, sadly, is not unique. Our congregations are reaching out to families left hurting in communities all over the U.S., like in Mt. Pleasant, Iowa, after an immigration raid at a concrete facility. The majority of the thirty-two men detained are fathers. They were working. They were providing. Now many remain detained and others are fighting to stay with the families and communities they know and love. We weep as we know that they must try to protect their family from a disastrous outcome. They weep in jail cells as their families struggle to post bail. Father's Day will not be a celebration for many of them this year. God carried us across deserts to the promised land. We were set free. As God has carried us all, as children, to this place, what does God want for us now? Our Loving Creator desires that we all be able to fully realize God's vision of abundant life. God's love is a love that knows no bounds and will not be stopped by any border. As the children of a benevolent and powerful Creator, we can help fathers be present and able to lovingly care for their children. We can be a voice grounded in radical love and mercy. We can advocate that fathers be present in the everyday life events of their childrenreading bedtime stories, helping with homework, cooking the favorite meal, teaching the teenager to drive, and helping guide them through life's hard decisions. Our society understands the value of male role models for children. We want to celebrate the fathers who have accepted that call with open arms and open hearts. They should be embracing their families on Father's Day. Let us not choose to rob children of their childhoods. Let us not rob fathers of their ability to care for their children. Let us instead think about how we can allow fathers to be the creation God has intended. As they have journeyed to bring a better life for their children, let us be the neighbors that advocate for their own safety and security. The Reverend Dr. J. Herbert Nelson, II, is the Stated Clerk of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) Angelina Jolie says ISIS-ravaged Mosul is the 'worst devastation' she has ever seen U.N. refugee agency special envoy Angelina Jolie on Sunday visited a camp for Syrian refugees in northern Iraq to drum up support for those displaced by years of civil war. The Hollywood actress toured the Domiz camp, home to 33,000 refugees from Syria's seven-year conflict. Jolie arrived in the morning and met families in the camp, a United Nations official said. A day earlier she visited Mosul, Iraq's major northern city which Iraqi forces took back last year from Islamic State militants. The militants had occupied the city for three years and turned it into a stronghold of a "caliphate" in a military campaign that saw 900,000 residents flee. Jolie met families from western Mosul and walked through bombed out streets, video footage and photos provided by the U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) showed. Normality has returned to many parts of Mosul, with displaced residents leaving camps nearby to return home. But the Old City in West Mosul was largely destroyed during a campaign by a 100,000-strong alliance of Iraqi government units, Kurdish Peshmerga fighters and Shi'ite militias backed by air support from a U.S.-led coalition. Reconstruction has been slow. "This is the worst devastation I have seen in all my years working with UNHCR. People here have lost everything," Jolie said in a U.N. statement. "They are destitute. They have no medicine for their children, and many have no running water or basic services," she said. "I hope there will be a continued commitment to rebuilding and stabilising the whole of the city. And I call on the international community not to forget Mosul." Jolie has worked for UNHCR since 2001, visiting uprooted civilians from Iraq to Cambodia and Kenya. This is her fifth visit to Iraq, UNHCR said. Prime Minister Theresa May voices disappointment after 'upskirting' bill is blocked by Conservative MP Prime Minister Theresa May said on Friday she was disappointed an MP from her Conservative party had blocked a bill to make "upskirting" - surreptitiously taking photographs up women's skirts - a criminal offence. Christopher Chope, 71, a veteran politician who was knighted this year, blocked the bill proposed by Liberal Dem parliamentarian Wera Hobhouse that was widely supported in the House of Commons. Chope did not explain his reasoning publicly and was not immediately available for comment. Commenting on Twitter, May said: "Upskirting is an invasion of privacy which leaves victims feeling degraded and distressed. "I am disappointed the Bill didn't make progress in the Commons today, and I want to see these measures pass through Parliament - with government support - soon." The bill would make the crime punishable by up to two years in prison. Dawn Butler, the Labour party spokeswoman for women and equalities, said: "What possible reason could there be to block a law that supports women and girls?" Conservative MP Nick Boles tweeted: "In every party, there are one or two MPs whose knuckles drag along the ground. Today, unfortunately, a sensible reform to protect women was blocked by one of ours." Fathers have a significant impact on their childrens well-being an impact that begins even before the child is born. In fact, studies have shown that fathers who are involved during pregnancy have healthier children. During the early years of life, emotionally nourishing father-child relationships lay the foundation for lifelong health and well-being for children. Fathers who are involved during pregnancy also tend to stay involved over the long term. Indeed, the positive influence of father involvement can be felt throughout adolescence and young adulthood. Our research lab studies father-child relationships, and we recently looked at the question: What early parent education programs are out there to support fathers during the prenatal and postnatal periods? Our study, published on June 14 in the journal Pediatrics, suggested that there are not that many. Not many programs Specifically, our systematic review examined U.S.-based parent programs for men during the perinatal period, i.e., pregnancy through the first year of life. We could identify only 19 programs (out of a total of 1,353 studies reviewed) that were considered father-friendly. Father-friendly was defined as involving or targeting fathers and including outcomes related to fathering, such as father involvement, father-infant interaction and fathers parenting knowledge. Most programs were offered in clinic or hospital settings. Programs ranged from general education programs (on childbirth, infant care and infant development) to relationship and co-parenting programs to clinical and case management programs. In addition to the small number of existing programs for fathers, most programs reviewed in the systematic review lacked evidence of improving key fathering outcomes. Relatedly, only three studies were considered high quality. These findings demonstrate the dearth of father-inclusive programs that yield promising outcomes. Overall, when it comes to education and support during the perinatal period, research shows that there are few parenting programs to prepare men for the magic moment when they welcome their new baby, even though this time has been identified as a critical window of opportunity to intervene to support fathers during their transition to fatherhood. Most existing programs are designed primarily for mothers. This is a missed opportunity, because fathers in the U.S. are increasingly involved in their childrens lives. And fathers today want to be involved not just as breadwinners, but also as caregivers who provide nurturing and responsive parenting. Father-friendly practices In obstetrics and pediatrics settings, fathers participating in research have reported feeling neglected. They are often viewed as playing a secondary role to mothers. This may entail the father seeing himself as a helper of the mother instead of a co-parent alongside the mother. This neglect persists for several reasons. For instance, health care professionals may be unwilling or inadequately trained to work with fathers. Clinical services may not be sensitive to mens parenting needs. Further, mothers might limit men from being engaged in prenatal and postnatal services. Yet, men have a vital role to play during infancy. To help address the above barriers, Michael Yogman and Craig Garfield, pediatric faculty at the Harvard Medical School and Northwestern Feinberg School of Medicine respectively, recommended that health care professionals engage in father-friendly practices. These include acknowledging fathers presence at health care visits, welcoming fathers directly, educating fathers about parenting, and encouraging fathers to assume childcare roles early on. Innovative programs Although there arent many yet, innovative parent education programs targeting men during the perinatal period are emerging. One example is Dads Matter, a father-friendly home visitation program that may improve fathers engagement with their babies among socioeconomically disadvantaged families. Another emerging program is Baby Elmo. This is an interactive program that helps fathers understand their babies emotional needs to support positive fatherchild interactions. Baby Elmo is currently being tested for its effectiveness within low-income communities. Our research lab is implementing a father engagement program for low-income fathers, in collaboration with Healthy Start home visitation programs in Michigan. Yet another promising program is Supporting Father Involvement by Philip Cowan, emeritus professor of psychology at the University of California, Berkeley. Supporting Father Involvement is a group-based relationship program that has been successful in promoting father involvement with young children. On the whole, these programs help ensure that American children especially those at the highest risk of living apart from their fathers grow up in households where their fathers or father figures are positively involved from the very beginning. Fathers play a key role in childrens lives, starting from the very beginning of life. Their involvement in pregnancy is just as important as the involvement of mothers. We celebrate mothers on Mothers Day and offer multiple programs and resources for helping women navigate motherhood. We also celebrate our fathers on Fathers Day. However, we leave them with almost no resources for navigating the transition to fatherhood. This disparity in services is inevitably hurting not only fathers, but also their children. Its time to change this narrative. *** Joyce Y. Lee is a PhD Student in Social Work and Psychology at the University of Michigan and Shawna J. Lee, an Associate Professor of Social Work at the same university. This article was originally published on The Conversation. For comments, tips, or to pitch for this blog, write to Olivia P. Tallet TORONTO For the first time in decades, one of the worlds most durable and amicable alliances faces serious strain as Canadians widely considered some of the nicest, politest people on Earth absorb Donald Trumps insults against their prime minister and attacks on their countrys trade policies. Some Canadians are urging Prime Minister Justin Trudeau to seek peace with the U.S. president. Many others want him to hang tough even as Trump seeks to make political hay with his anti-Canada rhetoric. But theres broad agreement with this assessment by the Globe and Mail, a leading Canadian newspaper: Relations between two of the worlds closest allies are now at a perilous low. The spark for the confrontation: Not only did Trump suggest new tariffs against Canada are justified on grounds of national security, but he and top aides assailed Trudeau as a dishonest and weak back-stabber who deserves a place in hell. For Canadians who dont totally reject their stereotyped image as self-effacing and nice the eruption seemed completely at odds with their own national temperament. Anne Marie Goetz, a Canadian who teaches global affairs at New York University, said she hopes her compatriots will show maturity and forbearance amid the tensions. But as these kinds of absurd statements and rude outbursts pile up, antagonism and resentment might too, which would be terribly unfortunate and even surreal for two of the best neighbors on the planet, Goetz said. Resentment already is palpable. A popular Alberta-based travel and culture blogger, Mike Morrison, said he and his wife have canceled a trip to the U.S. next month. In Halton Hills, a Toronto suburb, the City Council unanimously passed a motion Monday encouraging its residents and businesses, with typical Canadian politesse, to consider avoiding U.S. goods where Canadian substitutes are reasonably available. Trump is like a bad houseguest. He showed up late, left early and insulted the host, said Mayor Rick Bonnette. When you have a bully like Trump, you cant just keep taking it and taking it. The ties between the two countries are without parallel anywhere in the world. Trade between the U.S. and Canada totaled an estimated $673.9 billion in 2017, with a surplus of $8.4 billion for the United States. Each day, about 400,000 people cross the worlds longest international border. There is close cooperation on defense, border security and law enforcement, and a vast overlap in culture, traditions and pastimes. As with most intimate relationships, there have been rough spots. Limited trade wars over lumber, pulp and paper, and other products have flared on and off for decades. In the early 1960s, there was a bitter rift because of personal enmity between President John F. Kennedy and Prime Minister John Diefenbaker, who balked at U.S. pressure to be more aggressive in Cold War maneuverings. Later, the Vietnam War caused some divisions, as Canadians including Justin Trudeaus father, then-Prime Minister Pierre Elliot Trudeau welcomed American draft evaders who crossed the border. And some Canadians, notably the Ontario intelligentsia, tend to regard Americans as more crass and gun-happy than people north of the border. In general, Canadians have looked at us as a large, powerful, unruly but basically good child a big animal that they dont have to worry about but does stupid things now and then, said Stephen Blank, an American academic who has taught at universities on both sides of the border. The flare-up came as the recent G-7 summit in Quebec concluded. While Trump headed to his meeting with North Koreas leader, Trudeau told reporters that Canada would retaliate against new U.S. tariffs it viewed as unfair. Trump was furious, pulling the U.S. out of the G-7 joint communique. 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, said Trump trade adviser Peter Navarro, though he later apologized. Across their political spectrum, Canadians were outraged. Trudeau, who has embraced many left-of-center policies on behalf of his Liberal Party, has received strong support from his normally hostile conservative rivals. Jason Kenney, leader of Albertas United Conservative Party, said he was stunned that Trump would attack the prime minister while getting chummy with North Koreas Kim Jong Un. It is increasingly bizarre to see an administration heaping praise on a totalitarian dictator while using unprecedented language to condemn the elected head of government of the United States closest ally, Kenney said. David Frum, a Canadian-American political commentator, said the tiff would only boost Trudeaus stature among Canadians. Trumps revenge-tweets from Air Force One back at his Canadian hosts probably did not lose him any friends in Canada, for the basic arithmetic reasons that a few alt-right YouTubers aside, he had no friends in Canada left to lose, Frum wrote in the Atlantic. However, Lawrence Martin, a columnist with the Globe and Mail, suggested Trudeaus defiance might be harmful to Canada and advised him to seek conciliatory talks with Trump rather than risk further trade reprisals. The big dog has all the advantages, Martin wrote. While only 16 percent of U.S. exports go to Canada, 72 percent of Canadas go south. Bruce Heyman, former U.S. ambassador to Canada, said he believes the Trump administration is determined to withdraw from the North American Free Trade Agreement and has created an anti-Canadian narrative that will help him when he pulls the plug. An ensuing trade war will be painful to Canada, but ultimately beneficial, Heyman said: It will force Canada to diversify. Canadas foreign minister, Chrystia Freeland, met in Washington on Wednesday with some U.S. senators to discuss the strained relations, then gave a speech with a clear warning to the Trump administration. You may feel today that your size allows you to go mano-a-mano with your traditional adversaries and be guaranteed to win, she said. But if history tells us one thing, it is that no one nations pre-eminence is eternal. Q: If past summers are any indication, I know Ill have some slow times to look forward to during the next few months. I guess customers are on vacation or just taking it easy instead of spending money at my shop. Any ideas for staying productive during the down times? A: Nows a good time to get to all those tasks youve had to put aside because youve been too busy to do them. Spend some time thinking about what those tasks might be, make a list, and then start checking them off. A few suggestions include reviewing your finances, getting organized or reorganized, pumping up your online presence, getting creative with your marketing, and learning something new. In terms of finances, if you know you wont have as much money coming in these next few months as you usually do, take a hard look at your budget and see where you can cut expenses. For instance, you might offer shorter summer hours at your shop, or even close for a week or two of vacation, saving on utilities and staffing expenses. And while youre looking at your budget, you might revise it to spread expenses out over the course of the next year so that next years slow period is covered. Spending time on organizational tasks can make your job easier once things get busy again. This might mean organizing your computer data, hard copy files, merchandise, supplies, etc. If, for example, customers are always asking for particular merchandise that you currently have on a shelf in a back corner of your store, spend time now moving things around so that its more prominently featured. Or if youre usually too busy with customers to keep on top of email, you can sort, create folders, unsubscribe, delete, and answer anything you might have missed. Set up a customer email list if you dont already have one for sending newsletters or sale notices. Time spent on marketing is never wasted, and downtime means time to give your creativity free rein. This can go hand in hand with pumping up your online presence. How does your website look? Is it mobile? Is the content fresh and keywords accurate? If you need to hire someone to build or improve your presence, you might be able to find a student whos off for the summer and willing to work at a low cost. Are your social media accounts integrated with your website? Update your profiles and get active. Write blog posts, post news and tips, boost ads. Also reach out to local media; they may have time on their calendars now too. Is there something youve always wanted to learn? Perhaps a new skill related to your business would be helpful, or just knowledge for its own sake and your personal satisfaction. Even if you cant leave your shop to attend a class during the slow times, you can always read a book, watch a video or take a webinar. Jacqueline Taylor is deputy director of the Texas Gulf Coast Small Business Development Center Network, a partnership of the U.S. Small Business Administration and the University of Houston C.T. Bauer College of Business. Information is intended to provide general guidance only. Send questions to jtaylor@uh.edu. An early morning fire wreaked major damage on a Houston hookah bar, according to authorities. Firefighters arrived at the Bon Bon of Houston hookah bar just after 5 a.m. and found heavy smoke and flames pouring from the side of the building at Tierwester and Rosewood. NW HOUSTON: Gunman on the loose after one shot outside apartments The blaze may have started outside on the wooden patio and spread to the main structure, authorities said. The damage was extensive but the business was closed and no one was injured in the fire. Arson was called in to investigate. Law enforcement leaders in Houston and elsewhere joined in Sunday on condemning President Donald Trump's 'zero-tolerance' immigration policy, which is leading to the separation of thousands of young children from their parents in recent weeks. Harris County Sheriff Ed Gonzalez said Sunday that children should not be kept in immigration detention centers and said the current situation highlights Congress' failure to pass comprehensive immigration reform. "Separating families harms children," Gonzalez said. "To me, it's an affront to our American values." U.S. Attorney Jeff Sessions has defended Trump's decision to prosecute unlawful immigrants as criminals by arguing the separations deter illegal immigration. PLANNED: Details of immigrant childrens shelter considered for downtown Houston emerge on HoustonChronicle.com The policy has drawn increased attention as the Trump administration has announced plans to house children in a tent city in West Texas and as stories have circulated of breastfeeding children being taken from their mothers, social workers being barred by policy from hugging or comforting distraught children, or of parents being deported back to their home countries without their children. As criticism of the practice has mounted, Trump has falsely blamed Democrats for the separation of families. "Democrats can fix their forced family breakup at the Border by working with Republicans on new legislation, for a change!" Trump tweeted Saturday. Police Chief Art Acevedo posted several tweets over the weekend excoriating the separations and calling for Trump and other elected officials to end the practice. "History & God will be unkind to those who are silent or support this oppressive, inhumane, unGodly policy," Acevedo wrote in a post Sunday. "God is watching us, we can't hide from him." Chris Magnus, police chief in Tucson, Arizona, wrote that the practice raised "troubling questions" for police chiefs who cooperate with immigration enforcement that separates parents from children. "Is this consistent with the oath you took to serve & protect?," he wrote Saturday afternoon. "Is this humane or moral? Does this make your community safer?" And Lupe Valdez, the former sheriff of Dallas County who is now running as the Democratic candidate for governor against incumbent Greg Abbott, announced she would be marching in protest with other elected officials outside of a detention center in Tornillo in West Texas. "Many parents and children have been torn apart," she wrote in a tweet Sunday morning. "March, call your elected officials or donate to an organization doing work on the ground. This inhumanity is already a dark chapter in our history. We must take action to end it." ON HOUSTONCHRONICLE.COM: Texas GOP congressman blasts Trump policy for separating immigrant families Rick Myers, executive director of the Major Cities Chiefs Association, said the organization hadn't taken a position on the separations, but said many individual members "have pretty strong feelings" on them. "The activities cited that are emotional to watch don't involve local police," he said. "I would urge if anyone has concerns is to call local police department --- will learn more than likely not involved in those activities." Chuck Wexler, of the Police Executive Research Forum, a national law enforcement research organization, said police chiefs have traditionally been reluctant to get involved in immigration enforcement activities over concerns about immigrant communities losing trust in their local police. "Federal immigration practices that separate children from their parents are inhumane and extremely damaging to trust in law enforcement agencies at all levels," he said. St. John Barned-Smith covers public safety and major breaking news for the Houston Chronicle. Follow him on Twitter and Facebook. Send tips to st.john.smith@chron.com. One person died early Saturday after crashing his car into a light pole during a chase with police, officials said. The deceased driver, whose name has not been released, was traveling around 100 mph about 3:50 a.m. when he lost control of his car and slammed into a pole on the West Sam Houston Parkway North feeder road, authorities said. Croatian manufacturers of agricultural products are looking forward to exporting their best to China. Croatia's agriculture ministry expects the Chinese inspectors to visit the largest Croatian producers of milk and dairy products in order to be convinced of the quality of the products, an official with the ministry said Saturday. Croatian manufacturers of agricultural products are looking forward to exporting their best to China.[File Photo: VCG] China has simplified the procedure for obtaining a license for the import of food products since March, which makes it easier for Croatian exporters to place their goods on the Chinese market. The export license, among others, is expected by Paska Sirana, the cheese producer based on the island of Pag in northern Adriatic, whose "Pag cheese" is one of the most famous Croatian agricultural products. "We have already sent samples to China and the reactions are very positive. The Chinese market can only be won with the top quality products, but there should be also a greater amount of export goods," Ante Ostaric, Managing Director of Pasko Sirana, told local media. The interest of the Croatian olive oil producers for exporting to China is also growing. The Sardina company from the Island of Brac, which already exports canned fish, is planning to export tuna. According to Croatian Bureau of Statistics, in the first three months of this year, the commodity exports from Croatia to China were worth 220 million Croatian kuna (34.6 million U.S. dollars), which is 15.7 percent more than the same period in 2017, while imports from China increased 30.4 percent to 1.58 billion kuna. A 345-pound baby elephant named Tilly made her debut at the Houston Zoo at 2:38 a.m. Sunday. She is the third calf for Tess, a 35-year-old Asian elephant. Her pregnancy lasted almost two years. "Our animal team is thrilled that the birth has gone smoothly," Lisa Marie Avendano, vice president of animal operations at the Houston Zoo, said in a prepared statement. "We look forward to continuing to watch Tilly and Tess bond, and introducing her to Houston." Tess gave birth in the McNair Asian Elephant Habitat cow barn under the supervision of her keepers and veterinary staff. She and Tilly will receive medical attention until they are ready to make their public debut. CREEPY CRAWLIES: Big bugs come back to the Houston Zoo Baby Tilly will wear a harness for a few days so the zoo's elephant team can help her stand steady while she nurses, according to the zoo. She joins a group that now totals 10 elephants, including siblings 13-year-old Tucker and 7-year-old Tupelo. The Houston Zoo has worked in recent years to control and treat the elephant endotheliotropic herpesvirus, the leading cause of death for elephants in North America zoos, through a partnership with the Baylor College of Medicine. Previously, the zoo lost several elephants to the virus, including 2-year-old Mac in 2008. In 2014, both Tupelo and Baylor successfully battled the virus with help of the program, championed by Paul Ling, an associate professor in Baylor's department of molecular virology and microbiology. The program includes weekly blood tests with same-day results for all the elephants. Two years ago, nobody wanted to talk about The Donald, even as he was winning his takeover bid of the Republican Party. At this year's Republican state convention billed as "the largest state political convention in the world," with more nearly 10,000 delegates and alternates in attendance GOP leaders can't applaud now-President Trump enough. MAYFIELD, Ohio - Jane Shaw wasn't sure whether she could stomach the west-to-east-side commute when she signed on as a contractor at Progressive Corp. in 1999. Nineteen years later, she's still working for the insurance giant, as a full-time manager in the IT department. "I would have driven from Toledo every day to work here," Shaw said. On the eve of her 62nd birthday, she's thought about retirement. After all, she just got married. She's returning to Cleveland's western suburbs, and a commute, after years of living near her Mayfield office. But she's enjoying her work - the ability to progress, to learn, to work from home on occasion and to oversee an intern program and hiring - too much to step away. "There's just an energy here every day that is inspiring," Shaw said. Progressive grabbed top honors among Northeast Ohio workplaces this year, ranking first among businesses with 500 or more employees. The publicly traded company has almost 34,000 employees across the country, 10,000 of them in Northeast Ohio. Like Shaw, Progressive employees in the Top Workplaces survey highlighted constant opportunities for growth. They described a company that understands work-life balance, with leadership that is accessible, authentic, practical and warm. Workers particularly lauded - and identified with - Tricia Griffith, the chief executive officer who joined the company as a claims representative in 1988 and ascended to the top job in 2016. "She has been where most of us began," one employee wrote. "Her humility is an asset because it allows her to connect with and relate to employees at all levels," another said. "She has a busy home life with being a mother and wife," a third survey-taker pointed out. Griffith, who has six children, is one of only a few dozen female chief executives in the Fortune 500. Progressive is the only publicly traded Fortune 500 company with women in both the chief executive's and board chairperson's job. That's not lost on employees like Shaw, who is proud to be part of a workplace where gender and background aren't barriers to advancement and exploration. She and her colleagues portrayed a workplace that's far from static, with employee resource groups, inter-departmental learning opportunities and a formidable corporate art collection that all provoke discussion and thought. During a 28-year career at Progressive, Neil Lenane has worked in 11 different jobs, at 10 locations. He started in claims and now serves as business leader of talent acquisition. "That thread of choice is important - as a business, for employees, for consumers," he said. "Everything is culturally built into this idea of choice." When it comes to scheduling, the company tries to work with employees to understand and accommodate their definitions of "flexibility." Some people might split time between the office and home. Others might massage their calendars to flex around a spouse's more rigid schedule or a child's needs. Still others equate flexibility and autonomy. They're less concerned about hours and more thankful for being trusted to make decisions and solve problems without micromanagement. A Northeast Ohio native, Jessyka Thomas wrote a research paper on Progressive and its culture while studying human resources at a college in Florida. She landed a job at the company in late 2016, after she and her family moved back to the area. A licensed insurance agent, she's recently been on loan to the human resources department, where she eventually hopes to work in recruiting. "With Progressive, it really is like an open-door networking opportunity," said Thomas, who is 30. "They give you a lot of different resources, depending on what you're passionate in. I've used those resources to help create a path for myself for my passion." A married mother of two, Thomas is the primary caregiver for her 10-year-old son, who was born prematurely and who has special medical and developmental needs. At Progressive, she's not torn between her career and her family. And she's found camaraderie through employee resource groups focused on parenting and raising awareness of disabilities. "I don't feel like I need to sacrifice my goals and what I want to achieve as a person," she said, "because I have a company that is supportive of people." By the end of this year, Progressive expects to add another 900 workers to its local ranks. To accommodate some of that growth, the company recently broke ground for a new building in Highland Heights, at its existing campus on Alpha Drive. That project is scheduled to wrap up in fall 2019. Progressive receives hundreds of thousands of applications annually - far more would-be employees than the company can take on, even after ramping up hiring from 3,500 positions in 2014 to a projected 7,500 this year. But the business still aggressively scouts talent, keeping tabs on job boards, sending representatives to colleges and seeking both experienced professionals and mid-career workers who want to shake things up. "It's a pretty healthy job market right now," said Erin Hendrick, manager of candidate development and recruiting marketing. "That's competition, and we're in good company here in Northeast Ohio, too. There are other really strong employers in the area. That's not lost on us. We look at that as a good thing. We want to have a strong network of good employers to anchor people here." Hendrick has a communications background and started working at Progressive six years ago, in public relations. Her transition into human resources isn't unusual at a company where more than 5,000 employees changed jobs last year. Hendrick characterized Progressive as a company that values personal drive and recognizes translatable skills - communication, collaboration, analysis and problem-solving. "The company's more than just insurance," Lenane said. "It needs every different skill set to make it work. That's what kind of jives here. What you do, how it fits into the big picture, is just constantly stressed." CLEVELAND, Ohio -- President Trump's former campaign manager Paul Manafort's bail was revoked and he was sent to jail over witness tampering allegations. In response, Trump lawyer Rudy Giuliani said "when the whole thing is over, things might get cleaned up with some presidential pardons." Giuliani tried to clean up his comments when it was suggested they were a form of witness tampering intended to send a message to Manafort that if he keeps his mouth shut he will receive a pardon. Giuliani clarified he wouldn't recommend a pardon before any conviction, and that the president agrees with him, but that Trump would consider pardons where people were unfairly prosecuted. Manafort had been out on $10 million bail and under house arrest after being indicted on 25 charges. After being warned by the judge not violate the terms of his house arrest, Manafort was found to have been sending encrypted phone messages to two witnesses in the cases against him. This led to Robert Mueller bringing more charges against him for witness tampering, and calling for him to be remanded to jail until his two upcoming trials in July and September. Trump called Manafort being sent directly to jail "Very unfair," in tweet. "Wow, what a tough sentence for Paul Manafort, who has represented Ronald Reagan, Bob Dole and many other top political people and campaigns. Did't know Manafort was the head of the Mob. What about Comey and Crooked Hillary and all the others? Very Unfair!" The same time Trump had Rudy dangling pardons, and he defended Manafort on twitter, he continued to downplay the significant role Manafort played in his campaign. "He worked for me, what, for 49 days or something?" Trump said of Manafort. I feel badly about some people because they have gone back 12 years to find things." Manafort actually worked on the Trump campaign for 144 days, not 49, from March to August 2016. Significantly, Manafort was running the campaign during the Republican National Convention in Cleveland. During the convention, the Republican platform position on Ukraine was significantly changed to mirror Russia's position on Ukraine, allegedly at the direction of the Trump campaign, which Manafort was in charge of. Manafort was also present in the infamous meeting Donald Trump Jr. arranged with Russian operatives and Trump Tower. It has come out in the Mueller investigation that the entire time Manafort was working on the Trump campaign he was in regular contact with a former Russian spy. Manafort's early taste of hard time will certainly increase the stress on him and pressure to cooperate with prosecutors. Manafort had developed a desire for fine living over the years. It was that desire, and a $17 million debt to a Russian oligarch which is said to have pushed him to work on the Trump campaign. The idea was that he could leverage his access to Trump and the Republican party apparatus. How will the natty Paul Manafort who favors fine wine, fancy custom suits and ties, bear up in the rough Washington D.C. jail he now finds himself in? Unless he cooperates, Manafort may not get out of jail until he dies. But he may not be cooperating because he fears for his life if he does. Speculation that Manafort isn't cooperating either because he expects to be pardoned or he fears physical retribution from his Russian and Ukraine associates, isn't a stretch. Trump tweeted, "Didn't know he was the head of the Mob." Manafort isn't the head of the Mob, but the head of Russian Mob may want his head if he talks. As Judge Amy Berman Jackson reminded everyone involved when she sent Manafort to jail, "This is not middle school." EAST CLEVELAND, Ohio - Two East Cleveland police officers and a possible suspect were injured Sunday in an officer-involved shooting. At least one shot was fired by an East Cleveland police officer, Ohio Bureau of Criminal Investigation (BCI) spokeswoman Jill Del Greco confirmed to cleveland.com. Fox 8 reports that two shots were fired. East Cleveland police officers initially responded about 1:30 p.m. to a report of "an altercation" in the street between a man and a woman, Del Greco said. Officers found two people fighting in the street when they arrived, and BCI is now working to determine exactly what happened between the man and police. BCI has learned that the man was shot by police, Del Greco said. Both officers were hurt in a struggle with the man and were taken to University Hospitals. The officers' current conditions are not known, though Del Greco said their injuries do not appear to be life-threatening. East Cleveland police requested that BCI be the lead investigators into the police-involved shooting, Del Greco said. Agents are still processing the scene as of 4:40 p.m. Sunday, and one firearm was recovered. East Cleveland Police Chief Michael Cardilli told cleveland.com that he could not yet comment on the situation as of about 4 p.m., and a police spokesman could not immediately be reached. This post will be updated when more details become available. If you'd like to comment on this post, please visit the cleveland.com crime and courts comments section. CLEVELAND, Ohio - Last week, the city informed Thelma Taylor, a 79-year-old, great grandmother of three, that she had 14 days to pack up and leave her house on Cleveland's East Side. A man and a woman slapped an "ORDER TO VACATE" sign on her property. "Dear Resident," the letter they handed her read. "The place you are living . . . was found to have unsafe levels of lead that contributed to the lead poisoning of a child." More than one child in fact, something Thelma knew only too well. In June 2017, her home, where she's lived since the early 1970s, was flagged as a lead hazard after tests showed her twin, 2-year-old great grandbabies had elevated levels of lead in their blood. That's why she got a federal grant through the city to fix up her house. As lead-based paint ages, it flakes and produces chips and a fine dust that settles everywhere. You know how kids like to put their hands in their mouths, she says. But now the same city government that had helped her make her property safe was telling her she hadn't done the necessary repairs - so she had to go. "You will need to look for a different home to live in (a property built after 1978 if possible, since there is less of a chance that it will have lead problems too)," the letter continued. Thelma owns one of 340 properties the city says it plans to paper with "orders to vacate" signs by June 23. Warning people that a house is unsafe after exhaustive attempts to get the landlord or homeowner to clean it up is a righteous act. But instead of dealing with lead-tainted houses over the years, Mayor Frank Jackson and his public health director, Merle Gordon, waited until they were forced by intense media attention - and a looming court order - to act. Now, because of a logjam of their own making, they are stuck with having to post hundreds of placards at a time. What could possibly go wrong? Ask Thelma Taylor. When she tried to tell the city emissaries they'd made a mistake, that the sign they'd brought didn't belong on her house, "they didn't wanna hear about it," she says. "I guess they were in a hurry to put somebody else out." In the fall of 2017, thanks to a grant of almost $18,000 from the U.S Department of Housing and Urban Development managed by the city, a contractor set to work removing the lead from Thelma's house. The list of fixes spanned two pages. "They did everything," she says. They scraped and repainted. They replaced almost all the windows - "from the basement to the attic." They gave her a new side door. She even got a new porch. The work was completed around Thanksgiving, the successful clean up recorded in a quarterly report the city sends to HUD. "You can walk around the house in the dark now, it's so bright and shiny!" Thelma says. Today, she reports, the twins, aged 3, are doing better. "We take them to the doctor. They're free from lead." Keeping track of houses that have been cleared of lead-based paint hazards and those that remain toxic is important - and not just because it protects children from lead poisoning that can damage their developing brains and nervous systems. HUD requires accurate reports to keep crucial lead remediation money flowing into Cleveland. Why is Thelma's house still on the "lead hazard" list seven months after contractors finished the work? A city spokeswoman didn't address Thelma's case but said posting warning signs on houses was "a last resort." As Mayor Jackson and members of his Healthy Homes initiative have said, they don't want to be in the business of evicting people. And yet, here they are, threatening to chuck who knows how many residents - even those who've complied with the city's clean up order. (Thelma isn't the only HUD grant recipient being told to clear out. Today, my colleague Rachel Dissell writes about dozens of others she found in a check of city records.) The Jackson administration, says Legal Aid Society of Cleveland's Abigail Staudt, has had a year to come up with a better plan. Her group sued Cleveland on behalf of a toddler, poisoned after moving into a West Side rental the city knew was polluted, but her parents didn't. "It's so frustrating that a lot of folks are facing either displacement or some sort of backlash as a result of this when this is not like something that came out of the blue." Thelma spent the week leaving voice mails with the city and hearing nothing. "I ain't talked to nobody - I talk to the answering service. That's all I talk to. I told them I was being evicted - I need some help!" She finally got a call, the day after I asked why they'd served her with an order to vacate. "They said they were running behind," Thelma says - in filing paperwork, she thinks, but it wasn't entirely clear. She doesn't recall if they apologized. But, "they said I didn't have to evacuate!" That's because her house was already clean of lead, so bright and shiny you can walk around in the dark. If only the city would clean its own house - of inaction and weak excuses. Cleveland would be a healthier place for everyone. CLEVELAND, Ohio - As Easter Seals approaches its 100th anniversary in 2019, many may be surprised to learn that the organization that was designed to help people in need, was born out of a local tragedy. Homer Allen of Elyria had just graduated high school on Memorial Day weekend in 1907 and, like hundreds of others, was celebrating downtown. He was riding on the outside of the Interurban streetcar when it collided with another streetcar. Nine people, including Homer Allen, died as a result of the crash, mostly from injuries which may not have proven fatal if they were able to get fast medical care. "It is a story that just rips your heart out," said Sheila Dunn, CEO of Easter Seals of Northern Ohio. "The Allen boy and others lost their legs in the accident. There was no hospital in Elyria, the nearest one was in Lorain. By the time the victims were taken to Lorain it was too late." But out of tragedy came hope. Homer Allen's father, Edgar Allen, was horrified about the lack of a hospital for his city. He sold his business and used the money to start a fundraising campaign. It was so successful that enough money was raised to open a 36-bed hospital in the city in 1908. The larger, 100-bed "Gates Hospital for Crippled Children" opened in 1915 thanks to Allen's efforts. The hospital treated children suffering from rickets, scurvy, polio, tuberculosis and birth defects. "Through the new hospital, Allen was surprised to learn that children with disabilities were often hidden from public view," according to the Easter Seals website. "In 1919, Allen founded what became known as the National Society for Crippled Children." The organization evolved into the Easter Seals foundation. The first "Easter Seals" campaign was launched in 1934 to raise money nationally to help needy children, which soon expanded to include adults. The Easter Seals campaign, where they send seals to about 10 million people in the country and ask for donations, continues today. This year, artwork from one Northern Ohio artist will be one of six floral designs on seals that will be sent out to more than 10 million homes next year. This year's selection of Easter Seals designed to raise money for helping people with disabilities. The contest to find those designs begins this week. Three designs from those submitted by Northern Ohio artists will be sent to national Easter Seals headquarters and one will be among the six used in the centennial campaign. For specific contest rules, visit the Easter Seals website. Generally, the contest calls for the drawing or painting of a lily or floral design in any format . The original artwork should be sent to Easter Seals Art Contest, 1929A East Royalton Road, Broadview Heights, Ohio 44147. Contestants can enter as often as they like. Plain Dealer cartoonist J.H. Donahey designed the first Easter Seal in 1934, a simple design to remind people that the children were fighting for the right to live a normal life. Plain Dealer cartoonist J.H. Donahey created the first Easter Seal, a simple design to remind people that the children were fighting for the right to live a normal life. The now-familiar lily became part of the Easter Seals logo in 1952. Dunn explained that the lily, like the Spring holiday of Easter, is symbolic of new life. Easter Seals assists in the care and treatment of more than a million children and adults with many disabilities including autism. They provide treatment and rehabilitation to people at over 550 locations in the United States and through an associated organization in Australia. One of those who relies on their services is Olivia Forrest, 20, of Fairview Park. Forrest has been getting treatments from the Easter Seals since she was nine and diagnosed with Asperger's Syndrome. As she describes it, the weekly sessions with a speech therapist has allowed her to improve to a point where she can live with her disability. "When I was young and couldn't speak and would get very angry and sometimes violent," she said. "Through the speech therapy I have been taught to deal with it. I've learned communication skills, learned to read people's facial expressions and body language to know how to speak with them and stay on topic. They teach me when to talk and when to stop talking, how to know when to give information and when to stop." Her mother, Jennifer, accompanies Olivia to the sessions and learns how to continue the lessons at home. She now takes on-line classes from Southern New Hampshire University, majoring in creative writing and English. "I have aspirations of becoming a writer," she said. "And I am learning what it takes to reach that goal." In Northern Ohio, which stretches from the borders of Indiana to Pennsylvania, Easter Seals also offers "Home Choice," that helps people moving from an institution back to the community. It also offers home care services for senior citizens who need help to stay in their homes or apartments. "We cook and clean for them, run errands," said Dunn. "We have 27 Eastern Seals offices in the state." They also offer three summer day camps for kids with special needs in Ashtabula, Alliance and Bellevue. Easter Seals has 150 employees and about 600 volunteers and functions through private donations, fundraisers and Medicaid. They have worked closely with Rotary clubs around the nation since the beginning. NEWBURGH HEIGHTS, Ohio -- Police are asking for the public's help in finding a missing 13-year-old girl. Kasharra Rivera-Hill was last seen in the Fleet Avenue area in Slavic Village, according to a post on the Newburgh Heights Facebook page. Rivera-Hill is 5-feet 2-inches and weighs 140 pounds. Police reported about 6:30 p.m. that Rivera-Hill was found safe. Anyone with information on her whereabouts if asked to call Newburgh Heights police at 216-641-5545 or 216-641-2117. If you'd like to comment on this story, visit Saturday's crime and courts comments section. CLEVELAND, Ohio -- Nick Knox, most widely known as drummer of the legendary trash-rock band the Cramps, died Thursday night in Cleveland Clinic. He was 65. The cause was cardiogenic shock, according to his sister, Jeanne Goldberg. Knox, born Nicholas Stephanoff, was drummer in the Cleveland punk band Electric Eels before joining the Cramps, formed by Stow native Lux Interior (born Erick Lee Purkhiser) and his wife, Poison Ivy Rorschach (Kristy Wallace), in 1977. The group performed regularly at such clubs as New York's CBGB and toured Europe extensively. Knox played on four studio albums and became the group's longest-tenured drummer. The Cramps relocated to Los Angeles in 1980, but at one point, with Knox's cousin Mike Metoff joining on guitar, three-fourths of the band was from Ohio. Knox left the group in 1991 and returned to Greater Cleveland. The Cramps disbanded after Lux Interior's death in 2009. A private person who disliked the spotlight, Knox was largely retired "and enjoying his family" in recent years, his sister said. He was most recently serving as a mentor and sometime DJ for the Cleveland band Archie and the Bunkers, who called him "Grandpa Nick." Survivors, in addition to his sister, include nephews, a niece and cousins. Services will be at 11 a.m. Wednesday, June 20, at the Donald A. Faulhaber Funeral Home, 7915 Broadview Road, with interment in St. Theodosius Cemetery. The revelation that Ohio ranks No. 2 among the 50 states in the percentage of its drivers whose licenses have been suspended or revoked should galvanize state lawmakers to accelerate action on two bipartisan reform measures co-sponsored by Greater Clevelanders. The state rankings come from the auto insurance comparison shopping website Insurify. Cleveland.com's "Justice For All" series has highlighted the unfair way in which Ohio driver's license suspensions impact people based on income. When poorer drivers lose their licenses, they often lose their jobs and then can't work their way out the bind. People of means simply pay the reinstatement fee and move on -- or they don't get their licenses suspended in the first place because they can pay their original fines. And in Ohio, multiple license suspensions can create fast-escalating fees. In low-income Ohio ZIP code areas (in which at least half the residents were below 200 percent of the 2016 federal poverty level), cleveland.com's Sara Dorn found there were 99 license suspensions for every 1,000 residents. But in Ohio ZIP code areas where at least half the residents were above 200 percent of poverty, there were just 28 suspensions for every 1,000 residents. That's a differential of 72 percent. Substitute House Bill 336, sponsored by state Reps. John Barnes Jr., a Democrat from Warrensville Heights, and Dave Greenspan, Republican of Westlake, would create a six-month amnesty period to get licenses reinstated, either for no fee or greatly discounted fees, depending on income and other eligibility requirements. It's a sensible bipartisan measure that sailed through the House last December with only one "no" vote and unanimously passed out of a Senate committee last month with minor amendments. Greenspan says the Senate may pass it later this month. Ohio lawmakers should finish work on the bill and send it to Gov. John Kasich's desk before they take their summer recess. HB 336 would provide significant relief to those Ohioans caught in the state's vortex of high license reinstatement fees who have completed all other requirements of their cases, and where no alcohol, drugs or weapons were involved, but who just can't afford to pay the fees. Also pending in the Senate but still in committee a year after it was introduced is Senate Bill 160, sponsored by state Sen. Sandra Williams, a Cleveland Democrat. It would let courts in Ohio order community service in lieu of payment of driver's license reinstatement fees. Williams testified last fall that the bill arose from a groundswell of requests from indigent and working poor defendants who, in the Cleveland courts, can work off court costs and other debts but can't get their driver's licenses restored because of high state Bureau of Motor Vehicle reinstatement fees. SB 160 is co-sponsored by Republican state Sen. Matt Huffman of Lima, and has had three hearings since last fall -- but no other discernible action. Former Ohio Supreme Court Justice Paul E. Pfeifer, now executive director of the Ohio Judicial Conference, testified on behalf of the conference that judges had "practical concerns over requiring courts to oversee community service programs for the repayment of amounts owed to another state agency," that is, to the BMV. But if the BMV were acting to create a community-service alternative to what, for too many, are impossible-to-pay reinstatement fees, no such law would be needed. The BMV should work with Williams to establish reasonable benchmarks to guide judges in this effort, but it can't simply ignore the need to end a process that creates one system of justice for the well-off, and another one, notably unjust, for the indigent. About our editorials: Editorials express the view of the editorial board of cleveland.com and The Plain Dealer -- the senior leadership and editorial-writing staff. As is traditional, editorials are unsigned and intended to be seen as the voice of the news organization. Have something to say about this topic? * Use the comments to share your thoughts. Then, stay informed when readers reply to your comments by using the "Follow" option at the top of the comments, and look for updates via the small blue bell in the lower right as you look at more stories on cleveland.com. * Send a letter to the editor, which will be considered for print publication. * Email general questions about our editorial board or comments on this editorial to Elizabeth Sullivan, director of opinion, at esullivan@cleveland.com. The goal of an opioid is to reduce pain, but the addictive drugs are creating pain for millions of families suffering through the crisis. Deaths from opioid overdoses number at least 42,000 a year in the U.S., according to the Center for Disease Control. "This is an epidemic that's been getting worse over 10 to 20 years," Caleb Alexander, co-director of Johns Hopkins Center for Drug Safety, told CNBC's "On The Money" in a recent interview. "I think it's important that we have realistic expectations about the amount of work that it will take and the amount of coordination to turn this steamship around," Alexander added. President Donald Trump declared the opioid epidemic a public health emergency last fall, and he announced an initiative in March to confront the national health crisis. "No doubt there's a lot of efforts underway at every level to address the epidemic," Alexander explained. "There's a flurry of legislation right now working its way through Congress and these legislative efforts address everything from safer packaging to better use of information to try to address the diversion of prescription opioids." Opioids include not just prescription drugs, like OxyContin, codeine, and morphine, but also heroin and synthetic drugs like fentanyl. But Alexander says some progress has been made in reducing the overprescribing of the prescription painkillers, "this was one of the primary drivers of the epidemic in the first place." "There's been modest declines in prescription opioid sales over the past 5 to 7 years. But we're still way beyond the volume of opioids prescribed compared with every other country in the world. We have a long way to go before we get to the levels of opioid prescribing that we were at in the late 1990's before this epidemic began." Alexander says his research is focused on identifying clinical and policy solutions to the opioid epidemic. Beyond reducing opioid prescriptions, he sees another step as crucial in addressing the epidemic. "We need to better identify and treat people with opioid addiction. This is a treatable condition, just like diabetes or high cholesterol and yet the vast majority of people with opioid use disorder are not enrolled and seeking care." Alexander added: "The statistics are stunning. More than 2.1 million Americans have an opioid use disorder or opioid addiction" and he says the country needs to "invest tens of billions or hundreds of billions of dollars" to shore up the treatment system. He said patients should be able to access medications that "we know work to help reduce the cravings for further opioids." With treatment, Alexander said "they can return to normal healthy productive lives in recovery." On the Money airs on CNBC Saturday at 5:30 am ET, or check listings for air times in local markets. One year ago Saturday, Amazon announced it would take over Whole Foods in a $13.7 billion deal that shook the grocery industry. Since then, a number of e-commerce start-ups have scored paydays from big retailers. Walmart bought Flipkart, Target acquired Shipt, and Kroger invested in Ocado, for example. But there's been another surprising beneficiary in the tech world: Google. In the last year, the search giant has become an increasingly attractive partner for retailers looking for ways to compete with Amazon, allowing it to explore new business models and alliances. For example, Target, Walmart, Costco and others all agreed to a new advertising program with Google that makes their products appear in search and through its smart, voice-activated Assistant at the same time, with a universal shopping cart that routes purchases through its Express shopping delivery service. Instead of paying for an ad, the retailers now have to give Google a cut of each purchase. It's an interesting new model for Google and helps retailers stay on par with Amazon by giving consumers a simple, consistent purchasing process. And earlier in June, the search giant announced a fresh partnership with French supermarket giant Carrefour to sell its groceries through Google's shopping site and Home smart speaker. For retailers, partnering with Google on shopping offers visibility and consumer convenience. For Google, its shopping service is crucial in helping it win back product searches from Amazon and stay relevant in the voice-powered future of e-commerce. Cans of Pabst Blue Ribbon beer are show at the Burton & Channel Islands store in Los Angeles, May 21, 2015. Rochelle Brodin Photography | Getty Images MillerCoors and Pabst Brewing are headed to court over a half-a-billion dollar lawsuit Pabst lodged against the Keystone beer maker. The center of the dispute is a decades-old agreement under which MillerCoors brews all of Pabst's legacy beers, including Pabst Blue Ribbon. The agreement is set to expire in 2020, but it has two options to renew. MillerCoors, facing declining volume in the U.S., has said it may not have the capacity to continue that relationship. The stakes for Pabst are high. Without that contract renewal, many of Pabst's beer brands will be orphaned. It is expensive to build a brewery and there are not many breweries across the U.S. built for the capacity a company as large as Pabst requires. Pabst is accusing MillerCoors of breach of contract, breach of anti-competition laws, fraud and misrepresentation. MillerCoors contests those claims, arguing it has the right to determine whether it has the capacity to extend the contract. In April, a Milwaukee court judge denied MillerCoors' motion for summary judgment, which could have prevented the suit from going to trial. The two are set to go to trial in November of this year. MillerCoors, owned by Molson Coors, makes beers under labels like Coors, Miller, Blue Moon and Keystone. It last quarter reported a drop in its earnings before interest tax depreciation and amortization (EBITDA) of 12.2 percent and a decline in its volume of 3.8 percent. Pabst, which also makes brands like Old Milwaukee, is privately held and its finances could not be immediately obtained. Competition and potential brewery closure Italy wont allow two ships allegedly carrying migrants and asylum seekers from Libya to reach its shores, Interior Minister Matteo Salvini said, in comments highlighting the risk for further spats between the populist government in Rome and its European Union peers. As Bloomberg writes in an article "Italy to Turn Away New Migrant Ships From Libya", Spain, meanwhile, said that France had offered to help take in migrants from a migrant ship that Italy had previously turned away. The vessel, called Aquarius and due to dock in Valencia on Sunday, is now under escort from a Spanish navy patrol boat, the government in Madrid said in emailed statements on Saturday. Salvinis battle to curb arrivals from across the Mediterranean has rocked relations between the new Italian governing coalition and France just over a week after the administration led by the League party and the Five Star Movement was sworn in. The spat could threaten broader efforts led by France and Germany to reform euro area governance. Two other ships with the flag of Netherlands -- Lifeline and Seefuchs -- have arrived off the coast of Libya, waiting for their load of human beings abandoned by the smugglers, Salvini wrote Saturday on his Facebook account. These gentlemen know that Italy no longer wants to be complicit in the business of illegal immigration, and therefore will have to look for other ports (not Italian) where to go. Top Worry Immigration is still the main concern of European Union citizens. Almost 60 percent of Italians are in favor of closing the countrys ports, supporting Salvinis anti-immigration strategy, Ferdinando Pagnoncelli, president of polling company Ipsos Italia, wrote Saturday in Corriere della Sera, citing a survey conducted on June 12-13. Lingering political tensions over the unresolved question of how to control immigration from outside Europe have now broken out into the open, and the fallout is reshaping alliances and stoking old rivalries from Rome to Berlin, Paris and Vienna. Italy is facing giant challenges and I can understand that in the past Italy got the feeling it didnt receive enough solidarity from European countries, German Foreign Minister Heiko Maas said in an interview with Corriere della Sera, adding that he invited his Italian counterpart Enzo Moavero Milanesi to Berlin. Salvini, leader of the anti-immigrant League, lost no time in falling out with some close European allies over his decision to deny access to port for a refugee vessel earlier this month. His stance also forced uncomfortable decisions in Spain, which was forced to take in the ship turned away from Italy with 629 migrants on board, and is threatening Chancellor Angela Merkel, who faces renewed domestic turbulence over her open-door stance on migrants that could yet spell her early departure. As a minister and a father, they can attack me and threaten me as much as they want, but I do not give up and I do it for the good of all, Salvini added on Facebook. France has offered to take those migrants from the Aquarius that express a desire to go there, Spanish Deputy Prime Minister Carmen Calvo said in a statement sent by her ministry. French President Emmanuel Macron and Italian Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte on Friday pledged to work togetheron containing migration across the Mediterranean as they tried to put a spat about the issue behind them. Meanwhile, Spanish coastguards reported waves of migrants trying to reach Spanish shores from North Africa in boats. As many as 933 people have been rescued in the Western Mediterranean and Straits of Gibraltar over the past 48 hours, the Spanish sea rescue service Salvamento Maritimo said on its twitter account. Four have died, it said. In the wake of tit-for-tat tariffs, America's beloved liquid spirit is caught in the crosshairs of Washington's escalating trade battle. In a collective strategic political punch, China, Mexico, Canada and the European Union have all slapped tariffs on America's booming bourbon industry. The duties came in reaction to the Trump administration's move to impose tariffs on steel and aluminum. "When they targeted this particular category of spirits, it's clear that it was done with the intention of hitting at the heart of what is so clearly important to the American economy," explained Margie Lehrman, executive director of the American Craft Spirits Association. "You can't get any closer to home than something that is grown by an American farmer," Lehrman told CNBC, adding the tariffs pose significant threats to the U.S. grain industry as well as distillers. "Bourbon is truly Americana," said whiskey collector Bill Thomas, proprietor of Washington D.C.'s Jack Rose Saloon, which is popular for its extensive bourbon selection. "When you talk about tariffs on steel or aluminum or anything else, bourbon just can't be produced anywhere else than the United States," Thomas told CNBC in a prior interview. "So in many ways, this is a symbolic target on American culture because bourbon is so intertwined with who we are." And nowhere else is bourbon so intimately intertwined than in Kentucky. The Singapore Exchange (SGX) on Saturday said a court-appointed arbitrator had allowed it to continue listing and trading of SGX Nifty contracts beyond August 2018, during dispute resolution with India's National Stock Exchange (NSE). The two exchanges have been locked in dispute after India's three main bourses unexpectedly announced in February they would stop licensing their indexes to foreign bourses from August. SGX responded that it would launch successor products to its flagship Indian equity derivative products on June 4. Now NSE and SGX have been ordered "to facilitate the continued listing of SGX Nifty products for at least two successive contract month maturations beyond the arbitration's completion date", SGX said in a statement. The arbitrator has also asked SGX not to offer its proposed new India equity derivative products until the final decision, it said. "Arbitration proceedings are continuing and the hearings on evidence are expected to commence in early 2019," the statement said. SGX had postponed the launch of a set of new India derivatives products after an Indian court in May referred a dispute around the proposed offerings to an arbitrator. The NSE had sought an interim injunction against the launch on grounds that the offerings infringed the intellectual property rights of its unit India Index Services and Products (IISL), which runs the Nifty index. The Bombay High Court then asked a senior retired judge to arbitrate in the matter, and resolve the issue by June 16. However, the June 16 interim order, which was reviewed by Reuters, laid out a timeline for filing of claims and counter-claims and set November 21 for hearing of the issues, with further directions to be provided on June 18. Over the past two decades, SGX has become the most popular market for foreign investors to bet on Indian equity indexes, with Nifty 50 futures tracking the NSE's main index. But NSE, BSE Ltd and Metropolitan Stock Exchange moved to end licensing deals with foreign bourses so as to stem the loss of trades to overseas rivals, following SGX's plans to launch trade in single-stock futures contracts. The Indian government backed the decision, as it is keen to draw investors to an international financial centre being developed in Prime Minister Narendra Modi's Gujarat, sources say. Prime Minister to give extra 384m a week to NHS This exceeds the amount mooted by the Leave campaign Sunday Telegraph Hunt: We believe its the largest cash increase ever The Sunday Times May says itll come from money saved by Brexit The Sun on Sunday But also hints at tax increase Mail on Sunday The NHS will receive an extra 384m a week after a deal to hand the health service the biggest cash boost in its history. Theresa May will announce today that the health service budget will rise by 20bn a year but to pay for it the government will have to increase taxes and borrowing by 11bn, the equivalent of around 3p on the basic rate of income tax. The rest of the money will come from what ministers are calling a Brexit dividend, by diverting the 9bn the UK pays into the EU budget to NHS funding. That will enable the prime minister to claim she has fulfilled the controversial pledge of pro-Brexit campaigners to increase NHS spending by 350m a week. The Sunday Times >Today: ToryDiary: Dominic Cummings, NHS hero May: I will always put the health service first On the day I became Prime Minister, I said my Government would be driven not by the interests of a privileged few but by those of ordinary working people. Nothing matters more to the British people than our NHS. Thats why I will always put it first. We never know when we, or a loved one, might need the NHS, and we all sleep easier in our beds because it is there for us. World-class medical care, free at the point of use, is part of the social fabric of this country. This year, as we celebrate its 70th birthday, I am determined to take action to secure our NHS for generations to come. To do so, we will deliver a long-term plan for the NHS, and this week I will be setting out the principles that will guide it. It will be a serious plan for the future, led by the NHS itself, backed by new investment. Mail on Sunday We will give it more than 350m a week Jeremy Hunt, Sunday Telegraph Analysis: This will not make remainers happy Toby Helm, Observer Editorial: What the NHS really needs is proper reform Sunday Express >Yesterday: Ara Darzi in Comment The Government must end the cycle of feast and famine for the NHS Brexit 1) Will Downing Street seek new deal with rebels this week by tweaking amendment? Brexiters ask May to enshrine in law the guarantee that we wont pay divorce bill without EU trade deal Sunday Telegraph May is absolutely holding steadfast to Brexit principles Sunday Express Shes in secret talks with Labour MPs over votes The Sun on Sunday Ministers are prepared to thrash out a compromise with Tory rebels on Brexit this week to avoid a defeat that could torpedo Theresa Mays remaining authority. Senior figures say Downing Street could seek a new deal with Dominic Grieve, the former attorney-general, who has been negotiating with No 10 after their talks collapsed last week. That could see ministers tweak the wording of an amendment to the withdrawal bill this week to peel away backbench critics. Grieve thought he had struck a deal on Thursday with Robert Buckland, the solicitor-general, to give MPs a meaningful vote on how to proceed if May fails to get a Brexit deal with Brussels this autumn only for the wording to be changed at the insistence of David Davis. The Sunday Times Comment: We need a constructive way forward Dominic Grieve, Observer Soubry should suck it up Tony Parsons, The Sun on Sunday Brexit 2) Field: The Lords approach to the Withdrawal Bill shows why upcoming reforms need to include the houses abolition The Tory leadership in the House of Lords hasnt yet ruled out the prospect of peers overturning the will of the House of Commons when the Brexit Bill returns to them this week. To defy the elected House once is a misfortune. To defy it twice, particularly when this is about implementing the result of a referendum, is an act of insurrection. The Commons must act. One of the many good side-effects of Brexit should be the abolition of the upper House and its replacement by a much smaller senate. Leaving the EU was never a one-stop goal. It was a crucial political objective only because it will allow us to settle all the big issues facing the country in our own way and time. Sunday Telegraph On Tuesday, Field will introduce a bill proposing a hybrid senate of experts and elected representatives Sunday Telegraph More comment: Lords must back May Baroness Evans, Sunday Telegraph More Brexit and Europe Javid wont set up UK-only queues at airports and ports The Sunday Times Sinn Fein president claims Conservatives indifferent to Brexit fallout Belfast Telegraph New questions over Banks wealth The Sunday Times German MP claims Merkel could be out next week Mail on Sunday Comment: EU isnt interested in Brexit any more Andrew Rawnsley, Observer Here are some hard facts for both sides Dan Hodges, Mail on Sunday Migration will be seen as fatal solvent of the EU Niall Ferguson, The Sunday Times Editorial: Both Merkel and May are struggling to survive The Sunday Times Government considering review of medicinal cannabis law after Javid licenses boys treatment Home Office backed down over Caldwells cannabis oil yesterday Observer Home Secretary announces crackdown on UK violent crime The Government is considering reviewing laws on the use of medicinal cannabis after the Home Secretary intervened to help treat a chronically ill boy suffering life-threatening fits, The Sunday Telegraph can disclose. Sajid Javid took the unusual step of licensing a batch of cannabis oil, which is illegal in the UK, to treat Billy Caldwell, 12, who suffers from violent epileptic episodes. Billys mother, Charlotte Caldwell, 50, had a batch of the medicine seized by the Home Office last week. In a decision Ms Caldwell hailed as historic, the consignment of the drug which she had brought from Canada but was then confiscated at Heathrow Airport, was returned for doctors to administer to her son. Sunday Telegraph The Home Secretary has announced a crackdown on violent crime in the UK as he revealed he was recently the victim of a moped mugging at a London train station. Sajid Javid has said he will restrict knife sales, as well as place a complete ban on terrifying zombie blades. The MP for Bromsgrove said: I want to ensure we do all we can to tackle rising knife crime. Used wrongly, all knives are dangerous. Ill restrict all online knife sales so they must be delivered to a non-residential address. The law on so-called zombie knives made them illegal to buy in 2016, but the legislation did not outlaw any of the blades bought before this date. Sunday Express Including new rules on knife sales The Sun on Sunday Rentoul: Might Javid be PM by end of year? The situation looks increasingly unstable and, if the Tory party is looking for a prime minister with a middle position on Brexit but who can make decisions, Javid is available. We can note last months Conservative Home survey of party members who would make the final choice of leader that put Javid in third place behind Jacob Rees-Mogg, who probably wouldnt get enough support from MPs to make it on to the ballot, and Michael Gove. Fortunes rise and fall fast, but it now seems possible Javid could be prime minister by the end of the year. Independent on Sunday Editorial: Hes made an impressive start at the Home Office The Sun on Sunday Cleverly says yes, yes, yes regarding pre-2022 leadership ambitions Davis rumours re-arise after hike Mail on Sunday And Lee hires PR firm to improve his own chances The Sunday Times Meanwhile, Bercow to face no confidence vote unless he announces intention to stand down within next week The Sunday Times The renewed fears over Mrs Mays future came as Tory Deputy Chairman Mr Cleverly declared his own leadership ambitions. Asked if he wanted to lead the Tories into the next election if the PM stood down, former Army Officer Mr Cleverly, said: Yes, yes, yes. And I make no apologies for that. When I was a soldier if anyone asked would I like to be Chief of Defence staff, Id say, Of course. When I played rugby if anyone asked if I would I like to be captain, Id say the same. I see nothing strange that someone who is in the first XV of Conservative politics saying hed like to captain that team, he told a private event in Oxfordshire on Thursday, adding he remained loyal to Mrs May. Mr Cleverly, whose mother is from Sierra Leone, is the third Tory with an ethnic minority background to reveal his leadership ambitions, along with Home Secretary Sajid Javid and ex-Cabinet Minister Priti Patel. Mail on Sunday More Conservatives >Yesterday: ToryDiary: The Government must share the blame for the fall of the upskirting ban >Today: Chris White in Comment: Why its time radically to reform the Private Members Bill system Where was the plant-based food at Labour Live? And where were all the music lovers? Red plastic flags, a Solidarity tent and a shout out to legend Jeremy Corbyn it can only be Labour Live. While it may not have attracted the adoring Glastonbury sized crowds the leader is used to, Corbynistas still made their way to Jez-fest for an afternoon of music and socialism. The Labour leader was cheered by fans as he walked through the north London park. And the mostly white, middle-aged crowd praised their guy Corbyn as they queued for food and enjoyed free trades union-supplied ice cream. Around the White Hart Recreation Ground in Wood Green, stewards handed out party flags, and Jeremy Corbyn Christmas cards were on sale for 5 for a pack of five. Alongside the flags, were stickers reading B****cks to Brexit, and COR-BYN. Sunday Express Comment: It was a flop Michael Deacon, Sunday Telegraph But if you see it more as Jezfest, then not so much so Mattha Busby, Observer More Labour Baroness Kennedy urges Oxford to launch inquiry about harassment Sunday Telegraph Other parties Sturgeon visits Glasgow School of Art fire scene and vows to provide support Herald Sinn Fein members vote to liberalise NI abortion law Observer News in Brief Chris White was Special Adviser to Patrick McLoughlin, when the latter served as Chief Whip, as well as to Andrew Lansley and William Hague when each served as Leader of the House. He is now Managing Director of Newington Communications. The absurdities of the Private Members Bill system can be neatly summed up by watching the last sitting day in every session when these bills are considered. This year, the day fell on 11th March. Forty bills were down for their Second Reading debate over a five hour period, although only 33 were actually considered, and just two with any form of debate. The usual Private Members Bill (PMB) specialists were out in force, and Philip Hollobone opened the days debate with the following speech: I congratulate my hon. Friend the Member for Wellingborough (Mr Bone) on promoting the Bill. As you will appreciate, Mr Speaker, it is no easy task to get a Private Members Bill on to the Order Paper. It involved quite a few days and evenings sitting and sleeping in the corridor upstairs to ensure that this Bill was selected for one of the 13 sitting Fridays. Set aside if you can the images of Messrs Bone and Hollobone tucked up in their sleeping bags outside the Public Bill Office, a sight I confess Ive seen on at least one occasion (what would Mrs Bone say?) and consider instead why MPs should have to resort to this practice in order to obtain debating time? The current system plays into the hands of a small number of motivated MPs without any consideration of the merit of what is being debated. Any member of the public who turned up to watch the debate that day in the gallery would have seen a farce. They might have been expecting to see a debate on the Foreign National Offenders (Exclusion from the UK) Bill. Instead, what they got was a carefully considered and planned filibuster, during which little effort was made to examine the merits of the two-clause bill before the House. The reason? The usual suspects Peter Bone, Philip Hollobone and David Nuttall were filibustering, with collusion from the Government, to eat up the debating time available and prevent Caroline Lucas National Health Service Bill making any progress. Their efforts were successful. Philip Hollobone spoke for one hour and 22 mins, Sir Edward Leigh for 36 minutes, Philip Davies for just under an hour and David Nuttall for 43 minutes. By the time a vote had been taken, it was 2.15pm, allowing just 15 minutes for debate on the Lucas bill, insufficient time for it to make progress and objective achieved. The remaining 32 PMBs were all objected to by the whips in what has been termed the slaughter of the innocents. As a former special adviser to both the Chief Whip and the Leader of the House for the whole of the last Parliament, I colluded with a fair few of these practices over the years. For the Government, the priority is always to avoid defeat and embarrassment, and if that means working the system to prevent that happening, then so be it. Yet such a system is neither transparent, nor allows fair debate, and its time it changed. Charles Walker, the excellent Chair of the Procedure Committee, this week issued a report saying that the Government was in the last-chance saloon with regards to reforming the PMB system. Whilst Charles and I have not always agreed with each other in the past, I have genuine respect for someone who is a true champion in balancing the rights of the legislature and the executive. He suggested a number of solutions: The first seven bills in the ballot should be guaranteed a vote, eliminating the problem of filibustering. The Backbench Business Committee should choose up to four bills to be given the first four slots, on the basis that they have had substantial cross party support and spend up to a year developing their proposals. Reducing the number of Bills in the ballot from 20 to 14 to ensure better and more thorough scrutiny. MPs may only have one bill up for debate on any one day (on 11th May, for example, Christopher Chope had five bills scheduled for debate). Remove dummy bills, where only a name, not a substantive bill exists, from the Order Paper. These proposals are both modest and fair. MPs should not be allowed to place dummy bills on the order paper, but then never introduce them. They should not have more than one bill up for debate on any one day, although Id prefer it if each MP was restricted to one presentation bill per session. PMB slots should be slightly restricted, but the House should be open to advancing those with widespread support. The Coalition Government introduced more bills for pre-legislative scrutiny than any previous Government, and PMBs would be improved if they were subjected to the same process and scrutinised by a select committee. I would also reform Ten Minute Rule bills. Ostensibly, these allow the Commons to give leave to an MP to introduce a bill if he wins a vote after making a ten minute speech. They are useful in that they allow MPs to raise issues that would otherwise not find time for debate, but we should not con the public into believing that these bills have a chance of law. Thirty-nine Ten Minute Rule bills were introduced in the 2013-14 session and none became law. Indeed, no ten minute rule bill has become law since 2006, and the number should either be heavily cut, or the link with introducing legislation should be removed. The real challenge for Government will be whether they accept the guaranteed vote on Second Reading. Its an attractive idea, but the whips will no doubt be wary of having to summon the party in on a Friday, cancelling hundreds of pre-arranged constituency events, to vote down a bill that it does not agree with, or which commits to too much financial expenditure. A compromise could be to allow a guaranteed vote to the four bills which have gone through pre-legislative scrutiny and been approved by the Backbench Business Committee. Reports suggest that Government is sympathetic. I hope that this sentiment is reflected in all parts of Government, for the current system is unsustainable, unbalanced and undemocratic. If we want people to trust Parliament, we have to be transparent and accountable about the way it works, and thats why I hope that the time for reform has finally come. We hope that patients, doctors, nurses, midwives, paramedics, cleaners, porters, caterers, medical secretaries, clerical staff and all who sail in the good ship NHS are duly grateful to Dominic Cummings this morning. For it was the polling and focus group work of the former Vote Leave director, interpreted by his political vision, that resulted in a centrepiece of the organisations victorious campaign the idea that the payments which Britain makes to the EU could be turned into 350 million a week for the health service. Without it, Leave might not have won. Without it, there would certainly have have been no pressure to honour the commitment (Boris Johnson has hammered away, from time to time, on the point in ministerial meetings.) So without it, the NHS would not have had gained the 384 million a week extra which, we read, will now come. The service would doubtless have been chucked some extra dosh to honour its 70th anniversary, but doubtless not quite as much. Jeremy Hunt links Brexit and this new NHS money together this morning. That famous campaign promise can now unite us all, he writes, the British public voted for 350 million a week for the NHS, and that and more is exactly what this Government will deliver. Remainers and Leavers will argue until Brussels freezes over about whether 350 million will fully come back at all, or will partly be spent elsewhere, or will be exceeded by lost tax revenue, or is an accurate figure in the first place. One point is certain: that when it comes to telling less than the truth, both the official campaigns were in it together, as George Osborne once put it. (Yes, thats the same George Osborne who claimed that Brexit would bring an immediate recession.) But at any rate, both quarrelling parties ought to be able to agree that the UK will not stop making payments to the EU at a stroke. Indeed, some money will still be flowing to it on as distant a date as 2064. Philip Hammond must find some of the new NHS money from growth, borrowing, tax rises, spending reductions elsewhere, or all four. How much from each? We apparently wont know until the Budget, though there are likely to be stealth tax increases, such as frozen thresholds. It is at this point that the logic of policy-making by focus group begins to break down. How would frozen thresholds be compatible with the Conservative Manifesto commitment to as promised, increase the personal allowance to 12,500 and the higher rate to 50,000 by 2020? And how does bunging a Brexit dividend plus stealth tax rises at the health service actually work in either NHS or wider terms? There are three main issues. First, the service will reportedly have to ensure that the new spending delivers value for money. But, with all due respect to Downing Street and the Health Department, this is the same old song. The cash will most likely vanish into the services gaping maw. Second, public gratitude will be strictly limited, if real at all. The Health Foundation is already out and about suggesting that the new money will not be enough. Simon Stevens, the trade unions, the Opposition, the health lobbies none will simply throw up their arms to heaven in gratitude, and sing the Alleluia chorus. Finally, the increase raises the alarming possibility of a complete breakdown in Ministerial order. The Sunday Times claims that the details of the announcment were finalised at 5.30pm on Friday after Jeremy Hunt, the health secretary, told his closest allies that he was prepared to resign if he did not get the money he was demanding. Whatever the full facts may be, the package can only be read as a big win for Hunt, who has increasingly been operating as an open campaigner for more NHS cash, and a consequent defeat for a Chancellor who, despite his successful Budget of last autumn, is unpopular with Brexiteers, kept well away from voters, and is now vulnerable to pressure from his colleagues. Like sorrows in Hamlet, spending bids come not single spies, but in battalions. Gavin Williamson wants more money for defence. Sajid Javid has marked his arrival at the Home Office by suggesting that the police need more, too. James Brokenshire has local authorities knocking at his door. Damian Hinds can point to parents up in arms about schools spending during last years election. And now Hunt wants more for social services, too. Weve said it before, and say it again: a nation cannot tax its way to prosperity or to a better NHS for that matter. Nor can it let borrowing take the strain instead: the roof must be fixed while the sun is shining, as someone or other once put it. Too few Ministers get the point: Javid (overall), Liz Truss, David Gauke, Hammond himself not many others. But if it isnt a happy day for the Chancellor, it most certainly is some of his colleagues. The news marks a win for Johnson and Michael Gove as well as Hunt. And it comes nicely in time for this weeks further debates on the EU Withdrawal Bill, a point that will not be lost on the whips in their conversations with potential rebels. As for Cummings, perhaps a giant gold Turkmenbashi-style statue should be hauled up in his honour in his home city, Durham, to mirror that of Aneurin Bevan in Cardiff. They could frown and wink across Britain at each other, like the Two Towers in The Lord of the Rings. 100% Website ehil.com uses latest and advanced technologies. It supports HTTPS. The main html page has a size of 80934 bytes (79.04 kb uncompressed). This CoolSocial report was updated on 2019-09-29, you can refresh this analysis whenever you want. We are analyzing the site. Please wait a few seconds.. The friends and supporters of the president of the Yerkrapah Volunteers Union(YVU), MP Manvel Grigoryan are holding a protest action near the building of the Armenian National Security Service (NSS), News.am reports. Manvel Grigoryan's adviser Vardan Vardanyan told Armenian News - NEWS.am that Grigoryan does not admit his guilty and demands immediate release. It should be noted that Grigoryan's supporters clashed with the police near the building of the NSS. Earlier, Armenian National Security Service (NSS) detained MP, General Manvel Grigoryan and crime boss Artur Asatryan (aka Don Pipo). Both were detained in Etchmiadzin during a NSS operation on Saturday, NSS said in a statement. According to the statement, the National Security Service officers conducted simultaneous searches within the framework of two criminal cases. The house and summer cottage of MP Manvel Grigoryan were searched. The officers found large quantity of illegal arms and ammunition. The deputy was detained on suspicion of purchasing and possessing illegal firearms and ammunition. President of Armenia was informed about the detention of the deputy, according to Article 96 of the Constitution. The house of Artur Asatryan was also searched within the framework of an abduction case. Asatryan allegedly abducted the individuals who planned to kill him. Illegal firearms and ammunition were found during the search. Four other individuals who are Russia nationals were detained in the case as well. CORNWALL, Ontario Starbucks will be closing its doors around 2:30 p.m. today (Monday) as employees are taking part in training on race, bias and inclusion. Over 1,000 Canadian stores will be closed this afternoon because of the training. Similarly, 8,000 stores in the United States closed their doors in late May for the same workshop. The training is prompted following the arrest of two Black men who were refused permission to use the washroom at a Philadelphia location. A video of the arrest was made public, and it was received with public out-cries and protests. In a letter to customers, Michael Conway, President of Starbucks Canada, said the training will include discussion about how employees can make the public space feel inclusive to everyone, amongst other efforts. CORNWALL, Ontario Truffles Burger Bar posted on their Facebook page on Monday afternoon, June 11, 2018, that they had been victims of a break-in at 3 a.m. that morning. This morning at 3am, two guys broke into our restaurants and stole laptops, iPads, cash, liquor and one of our fine menus (as a trophy I would imagine), the Facebook post reads. If you have any information or recognize the person in the picture please contact us. This has to stop. Its become an annual event and affects multiple other businesses in the downtown core. In a Facebook message to Cornwall Seaway News Truffles Burger Bar stated that they had contacted the police. Cornwall Seaway News reached out to the Cornwall Community Police Service to comment on the story and to ask if any other businesses had recently been broken into downtown, but they did not immediately respond to our request. CORNWALL, Ontario The New York Fires located in the food court of the Cornwall Square suddenly closed on Monday, June 11, 2018. This was the Cara Group that made the decision to shut it down, said Cornwall Square Retail Manager Karen Burns. New York Fries is a franchise brand owned by CARA. Burns said that this was not the only location that CARA had decided to close. CARA did not immediately reply for a request for comment about the New York Fries closure. This New York Fries had been at that location in the Cornwall Square since the food court opened in the mall in 1989. A message was left on Monday on the counter at the New York Fries. All delicious things must come to an end, the message read. This NYF location is now closed. Thank you for your patronage. For the Squares part, Burns said that there were three open locations in the food court and that there were a few irons in the fire in terms of possible new eateries. APPLE HILL, Ontario Pot-bellied pigs quickly gathered as bread was flung to them during the Pig Feeding Frenzy at Bee Meadow Farm on Saturday, June 16. This was the rescue farms second annual fundraiser, and last year $6,500 was raised to support the adopted and foster animals. The fundraiser was held from 1 to 4 p.m. and it included a high-energy Pig Feeding Frenzy, face painting, an animal photo booth, pony rides, as well as a silent auction and a raffle. The event encouraged participants to donate to the farm or sponsor an animal. Natalie Rowe, who runs the farm, hopes that this years event will fund recent veterinary bills. The farm is supported by Rowe and her husband, as well as donations. We have this open house every year now so the public can see whats going on and come to enjoy the animals, said Rowe. We hope to inspire people to have some compassion for animals and if they want to help out they can. Its just a nice day to ride the ponies or feed the pigs. Rowes rescue started five years ago when the OSPCA asked if she would foster a pregnant pot-bellied pig. Now her farm has grown to house several pigs, goats, ponies, chickens and cats. Currently Rowe owns 17 cats and is fostering 12 cats who are up for adoption. A lot of the cats who have come through her farm are from Cornwall and Rowe volunteers with various local OSPCA locations. Rowe is thankful for the support that the farm has received on social media. She said that two of her kittens will soon be adopted by a pastry chef from Toronto, and the connection would have never been made if it wasnt for Twitter. She is also thankful for the support of everyone who attended the Bee Meadow Farm day and hopes to see participants at Goat Yoga in August. Being connected to nature is a huge part of healing to me, said Pierre Quenneville, who attended the event. Being around animals is a really healing thing, just seeing them like this. So supporting something like this, to me is important. To find out more about Bee Meadow Farm, visit the website www.beemeadowfarm.com or Bee Meadow Farm on Facebook. NORTH DUNDAS, Ontario On June 4, 2018 at approximately 4:31 p.m., Stormont, Dundas & Glengarry Ontario Provincial Police officers responded to a report of a break-in at a business (North Dundas Landfill) on Boyne Road, North Dundas Township. On June 5, 2018 at approximately 10:33am, Stormont, Dundas & Glengarry Ontario Provincial Police officers responded to a report of a break-in at a business (North Dundas Landfill) on Boyne Road, North Dundas Township. Investigation indicated that on May 26, 2018 and June 5, 2018 culprit(s) entered the property and removed items and caused damage to the buildings. On June 12, 2018 members of the Community Street Crime Unit of SD&G OPP arrested two adult males in connection with the break-in. During the arrest Police located suspected marijuana at the residence of the North Dundas male. Randy FROATS (23) of South Dundas, Ontario was arrested and is charged with; Break and enter ( 2 counts) Mischief Under $5000 ( 2 counts) Christopher McRoberts (40) of North Dundas, Ontario was arrested and is charged with; Break and enter ( 2counts) Mischief Under $5000 Produce a controlled substance Possession of a controlled substance Both males were released and are scheduled to appear at the Ontario Court of Justice in Morrisburg on August 7, 2018. The Georgian Dream team is considering the reduction of ministries, - Kakha Kaladze, Tbilisi Mayor and General Secretary of the ruling party, told reporters, InterPressNews reported. Kaladze also noted that information about the new members of the Cabinet of Ministers will become known tomorrow or the day after tomorrow. "The discussion of this issue has already begun. Very soon, tomorrow or the day after tomorrow this information will be known to the public. As for the reduction of ministries, the team is considering this," Kaladze said. Before he heads to work, Craig Oshrin clocks in as a dad. Every weekday, the Fairfield resident drops off his 22-month-old son, Jacob, at 8 a.m., at his day care center at Temple Shalom in Norwalk and picks him up at 5 p.m. As he marks his second Fathers Day as a parent, Oshrin, 40, a Darien-based Realtor for Coldwell Banker, said he has embraced the challenge of juggling his family responsibilities with his career. But getting the balance right requires unrelenting focus and commitment for Oshrin one that employers and elected officials in Connecticut and throughout the country are also trying to perfect. As a working dad, Im more hyper-focused, Oshrin said in an interview last week. Before I was a dad and married, I could waste time. Time wasnt as valuable. Now, time as a dad is super valuable. Grappling with time off Oshrin took about a week and a half off after Jacobs birth. He felt obligated to quickly return to work to maintain his professional progress. I needed to get back to work to continue to grow my business, he said. Ive been in real estate now for four years, and I now have a really strong client base. I didnt have that when Jacob was born. In hindsight, if I had all the money and everything I wanted, I would have loved to (take more time off). But, from a work standpoint, that wasnt an opportunity. Nationwide, only 12 percent of private-sector workers have access to paid family leave through their employers, according to recent U.S. Department of Labor data. There is no federal law guaranteeing paid family leave. Only a handful of states California, New Jersey, New York, Rhode Island and Washington offer paid time off for care of relatives. New Yorks policy went into effect this year. In 2018, it allows workers to take up to eight weeks off and receive 50 percent of their average weekly wage during their work absence. Erik Trautmann / Hearst Connecticut Media The federal Family and Medical Leave Act provides all public-sector employees, and those in private-sector organizations of more than 50, with up to 12 weeks of unpaid leave during a 12-month period. It covers care for newborn, adopted or foster children, other family members or time for employees to manage their own health issues. Connecticuts equivalent state law gives up to 16 weeks of unpaid time off in a two-year period for businesses with more than 75 in-state employees. Several bills introduced in the General Assembly in recent years have proposed instituting paid family leave, but none has been signed into law. State Sen. Len Fasano, R-North Haven, said he is studying the issue. The Republican leader in an evenly divided Senate said he would introduce legislation in the Assemblys 2019 session if he could develop a paid-leave proposal that would garner bipartisan support and backing from the states business community. We have to understand the cost impact, and I dont think we have a real cost impact yet, he said. The key to this type of legislation is to get all the grunt work done before the next session. If we do that work, we can roll into the next session with a plan that covers all of the main concerns. Messages left for state Sen. Ed Gomes and state Rep. Robyn Porter, the Democratic co-chairs of the Legislatures Labor and Public Employees Committee, were not returned. More Business Report: Connecticut is the best state for working dads in 2018 Connecticut in 2011 became the first state to require paid sick leave for certain private-sector employees. Corporate initiatives A number of major employers in Connecticut have worked to fill the gaps in state and federal policies by offering their own paid-leave programs. In 2016, professional-services firm Deloitte expanded its family-leave policy to give employees up to 16 weeks of fully paid time off for the birth and adoption of children and general caregiving of family members. The policy covers all of Deloittes U.S. employees regularly working at least 20 hours per week and includes Deloittes Stamford offices, where about 1,160 people work. I know a number of people who have taken advantage of the policy and were hearing a lot more stories of men taking it, as well, said Heather Ziegler, Deloittes Stamford managing partner. Just removing that stress for our professionals to really focus on family and not have to worry about the office is really important. Then, when they come back, they can be re-energized to fully focus on work. Stamfords Synchrony Financial provides employees up to six weeks of fully paid leave following births or adoptions. Available to both male and female employees, the leave can be taken continuously or incrementally within one year of births and adoptions. Erik Trautmann / Hearst Connecticut Media Finding a balance Like other fathers in two-parent households, Oshrin cites the importance of his spouses support. His wife, Rachel, works full time for a beauty care firm in Wilton. A lot of working dads, their success is owed to their wife or partner, Oshrin said. And weve got grandma coverage, from my wifes mother. Shell take Jacob on Thursdays and Fridays. Without them, to have a work-life balance wouldnt exist, if everybody wasnt ready as a family. In the nearly two years since Jacobs birth, the couple has developed a reliable system, using tools such as Google Calendar to manage Jacobs care. It could be Honey, Ive got to take this person out to go look at these properties, or Ive got to put this home on the market, Oshrin said. And I send her an invite (on Google Calendar). So were always covered. Oshrin said he thinks support groups for fathers in or out of the workplace could also help men to cope with the challenges of parenthood. Im at a place where I can say Im unequivocally proud of the man that I am for my son, to view me and look up to me, Oshrin said. We should support more dads to have that self-esteem and awareness and be excited to not only honor themselves as men, but to be proud to be dads and role models. The phrase farm-to-table is so overused you might say its like a cliche on steroids. But the concept behind the phrase locally produced food inspiring chefs and enhancing flavors while supporting agriculture is something that will never grow old. The true meaning of farm-to-table is taken to an extreme degree at farm dinners. At these events, which are almost always memorable, guests sit under the stars or white tents, in the very fields where much of the food they are eating that evening was harvested. Its a dining experience unlike any other and one that borders on the spiritual. Here are some of the upcoming farm-dining series in Connecticut this summer and early fall. Schoolhouse at Cannondales Farm to Fork Series ctbites This popular series at Wiltons Millstone Farm will feature four farm-fresh courses created by chef Tim LaBant from Wiltons Schoolhouse at Cannondale. The evening will begin with a cocktail hour and tour of the grounds. Unlike many other farm events, if the weather permits, guests eat under the stars rather than a tent. Dates: June 19-20, July 17-18, Aug. 21-22, Sept. 18-19. For tickets: schoolhouseatcannondale.com DORO Farm Dinners at Sub Edge Farm DORO Restaurant Group, the culinary force behind several acclaimed West Hartford-area restaurants, is teaming with Sub Edge Farm in Farmington for a series of farm-dining events. Overseen by Chef Dorjan Puka and Chef Scott Miller, each of these dinners will be tied to a different DORO restaurant and will feature a diverse selection of food featuring farm-fresh ingredients. Dates: June 21, Zohara Dinner; July 14, Bastille Day Farm Festival with Avert Brasserie; Aug. 2, Artisanal Burger Company Dinner; Sept. 7, Treva Dinner; Sept. 8, Farm Festival; Oct. 4, Avert Brasserie. For tickets: dororg.com Outstanding in the Field with Chef Brian Lewis at The Hickories Bradley E. Clift / For Hearst Connecticut Media The Outstanding in the Field farm-dinner series is a national series that has hosted outdoor events pairing the talents of local chefs and farmers in all 50 states. In September the organization will host an event at The Hickories farm in Ridgefield. It will feature the farm-fresh creations of Brian Lewis, chef and owner of The Cottage and OKO in Westport. Those in attendance will be in good hands as Lewis was recently a James Beard Award semifinalist in the category of best chef in the Northeast. Date: Sept. 12. For tickets: outstandinginthefield.com A Rockin Evening on the Farm Harvest Fest Winter Caplanson This is the largest fundraiser of the year for Wakeman Town Farm in Westport. Under a tent on the farm grounds, attendees enjoy dishes crafted by well-known local chefs. Wine and signature cocktails are also available. This years list of participating chefs is still being formulated, but past participants have included staff from Barcelona, Bar Sugo, Fire & Rice Paella, Artisan, The Spread and more. There will also be live music throughout the evening. Date: Sept. 22. For tickets: wakemantownfarm.org Dinners at the Farm Billed as New Englands original farm dinner benefit, this celebrated farm-dining series was launched in 2007 and raises funds for nonprofit organizations that preserve open space and advocate for local farms. The dinners feature an ever-changing menu prepared by a co-founder of the series, Jonathan Rapp of River Tavern restaurant in Chester. This years events will take place at Barberry Hill Farm in Madison and White Gate Farm in East Lyme. Dates: Aug. 1-4, White Gate Farm; Aug. 8-11, Barberry Hill Farm. For tickets: dinnersatthefarm.com Max Chef to Farm Cheyney Barrieau Once named one of the top five farm dinners in the country by Fodors Travel, this dining series from Max Restaurant Group is serious about connecting diners with the land. Each menu starts with whats available from farmers. The evening begins with a reception and tour of the farm and continues with a tented, candlelit meal on the fields mere yards away from where the meal is prepared in an outdoor kitchen. Dates: (All dinners at Rosedale Farms & Vineyards in Simsbury unless otherwise noted) June 17, fifth annual Fathers Day Lobster Fest July 13, Tapas & Corn July 15, Savoy Road Show: Pizza & Beer July 27, Dinner and a Movie Under the Stars (screening of Sideways) July 28, Dinner and a Movie Under the Stars (screening of Chef) Aug. 5, Oyster Festival Aug. 9, BBQ, Bluegrass & Brews Aug. 24, Gluten Free on the Farm Aug. 30, Ode to Tomatoes Sept. 13, Seed-to-Plate Dinner at Comstock Ferre & Co. in Wethersfield Oct. 7, HOPtoberfest 2018 Oct. 18, Vintners Dinner at the Wine House at Crystal Ridge Winery in South Glastonbury For tickets: maxcheftofarm.com BRIDGEPORT Visitors to the downtown and neighborhood merchants will continue paying into controversial high-tech, camera-equipped parking meters for at least part of the summer. Mayor Joe Ganims administration announced in late March that after over a year of complaints that the equipment was difficult to use, overly punitive and that it scared away business, the meters would be replaced with less intimidating ones. The timeline was not clear. But last week Ganims office told Hearst Connecticut Media the newer meters are supposed to arrive on June 30. The plan is to replace not only the 118 camera-equipped meters, but eventually the hundreds of so-called legacy or coins-only machines that remain along some downtown streets and in other areas of the city such as the neighborhood around St. Vincents Medical Center. The camera-equipped meters should be out of downtown by mid-August. We were hoping theyd be gone before the summer season really kicked in, said Kelvin Ayala, owner of Moes Burger Joint and a downtown small business leader who has been a vocal critic of the parking meter program. If Im a betting man, this whole thing wont be completed until September, October. But, Ayala said, he will be glad once the entire downtown district will have one meter. For years, businesses urged City Hall to replace the coin-operated meters with ones that accept credit cards. In late 2016, the Ganim administration and the City Council partnered with Municipal Parking Services out of Minnesota. The company installed its meters for free in return for a share of the profits. The MPS meters accept credit cards and payments by mobile phone, but also use cameras to catch violators and mail them tickets that initially cost $40. The city attempted to publicize the changeover even piloting a handful of the new meters on the curb across from the downtown government center. But once they went into operation in early 2017, the complaints grew and critics said the Ganim administration did not do a good enough job of educating a public accustomed to older, human-patrolled meters and more lax parking enforcement. The number of parking tickets exploded, as did the number of appeals, resulting in the citys sole parking hearing officer resigning from being overwhelmed. Ganim stood by the MPS meters last June. Its going to settle in, he said. We went for the latest technology. Ultimately that will serve us well. But last summer the City Council, concerned that the meters were hurting the still fragile downtown business climate, had halved the fine to $20, increased the grace period for feeding the meter, and offered free Saturday parking. And while that seemed to help, in March, John Ricci, Bridgeports head of public facilities, announced that the city had decided to start fresh, end its relationship with MPS and go with camera-less meters provided by IPS Group of California. The city is spending about $600,000 for 630 IPS meters and will do the installation. There is no anticipated disruption to parking, though spaces may be free for a brief period during the changeover. Ayala said City Hall has assured local businesses that it will do a better job publicizing the meters. We did say the merchants are the first line of defense, he said. Well be more than happy to put posters in the windows and share (information) directly with the people coming in to downtown. Seated shoulder to shoulder, women of all ages scribble furiously on legal pads, the glow of Macbooks illuminating their faces. They pause, focused on a montage of video clips playing at the front of a classroom where Hillary Clinton once sat as a student at Yale Law School. Some gasp, others laugh, as the clips show one combative interview after another between national TV news anchors and politicians. This is what youre about to throw yourself into, says Joel Silberman, a progressive media and message strategist whos trained politicians from U.S. Senator Elizabeth Warren to Democratic candidate for governor Ned Lamont, and is currently working with the student survivors of the Parkland, Florida, school shooting. Are you ready? Its day four of a five-day intensive boot camp at the Womens Campaign School at Yale University, which brings speakers and guests from across the political spectrum. Nearly 100 women from around the globe, many of whom are making their first foray into politics, nod in agreement. Theyre ready. Easton Democrat Anne Hughes who is running for the 135th state House district, said she has been interested in politics for some time, but it wasnt until 2016 when friends urged her to run for office that she decided to do so. Im part of the women phenomenon in some ways that we have to be asked a lot and we dont see ourselves at the table very easily, Hughes said. Its interesting that, I guess, I fall into that same category that we have to be encouraged, supported and, frankly, trained. Hughes has been to campaign school before. She was in the first class of Emerge Connecticut, a program that trains Democratic women to run for office. Unlike that group, Yales program is non-partisan. Patti Russo, director of the Womens Campaign School at Yale, declined to give the enrollment breakdown by party, but said the women who attend are overwhelmingly Democratic. The school has made a concerted effort to involve Republican women, she said, but in these divisive times, it has not been easy. I think that that really speaks to the two cultures of the parties, which are very different, Russo said. We spend a lot of time at the school reaching out to a variety of different Republican groups to talk about the importance of investing in more Republican women to run for office. The school has seen a surge in applicants registered as independent or unaffiliated voters. "Im wondering if some of those women used to be Republican," Russo said. A newfound interest A year and a half after Clinton failed to win the highest executive office, women have come out in droves to run for office. While these women were frustrated and looking to get involved, Russo said, they were woefully unprepared to do so. We were flooded with calls from women who were mad, but I discovered that of all the women that had reached out, one-third werent even registered to vote, and two-thirds of the women who reached out to us really were not ready to run for office at all, she said. So we raised money and created a whole new level of our training expressly for the women who have a newly founded interest in politics." Some have found their way without benefit of the schools training. Laura Kostin, a Greenwich Democrat whose first involvement in politics was her election to the Greenwich Representative Town Meeting last year, learned that firsthand when she was attacked by a local blogger who encouraged his followers to vote for anyone except women. She said she believes hes an outlier, but shes also noticed a difference in the way shes treated on the campaign trail. Kostin is now challenging incumbent Republican Fred Camillo for his seat representing Greenwich in the state House. People have said, You have four kids how are you going to do this? and nobody ever asks that of a man that has four kids, Kostin said. I find that amusing. Lucy Dathan, a Democrat from New Canaan, moved to Connecticut from Silicon Valley three years ago with her husband and three children. Though shes long been a follower of politics, it wasnt until she felt her representatives didnt represent her at all that she decided to get involved. The initial first spark of it is whats happening in our national government,she said of her decision to run for the 142nd district seat in the state House of Representatives. It was starting to trickle into our own state and that upset me and I think many people are losing their voice in government. Red, Blue, Purple and Pink While the surge in new female candidates might appear at first to be a blue wave, J.R. Romano, chairman of the state Republican party, said hes also seen a significant increase in political newcomers, particularly minority and women candidates, during the last two legislative election cycles. Weve seen a massive increase, Romano said. We have some tremendous new candidates on our side of the aisle who are looking to lead. Republicans are looking to lead, theyre not looking to resist. In the 1970s, Connecticut was a leader in electing women to office it was one of the first states to elect five women to the state Senate. The states rank for gender parity in elected office has steadily dropped since 2010 when the state was eighth in the nation and had 32 percent of its elected seats filled by women the most in state history, according to the Rutgers Center for American Women in Politics. The state has dropped to 21st in the nation with just 27 percent of its elected seats filled by women. In the state Senate, nine seats are filled by women seven Democrats and two Republicans - and in the state House, 42 of 151 seats are filled by women with exactly half representing each major party. But 2018 could be the year women fill more seats in the state legislature than ever before as more women step out of the shadows to run for office. I find it to be tremendously empowering and I can only hope that we are the change that weve been waiting for. I can only hope, Kostin said. Hartford can be a dysfunctional place but lets hope some good sense will prevail. kkrasselt@hearstmediact.com; 203-842-2563; @kaitlynkrasselt OK, now it's as close to official as these things get: Donald Trump Jr. is dating Fox News host Kimberly Guilfoyle. How do we know? Because his wife, Vanessa Trump - from whom the eldest son of President Donald Trump is separated - says so. Vanessa Trump took to her family's favorite medium, Twitter, with a message Thursday that seemed protective of her estranged husband's new lady, a co-host of "The Five" who was once married to San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said at a weekly government session on Sunday that he had told Russian President Vladimir Putin and US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo that Israel would be taking action against the military presence of Iran on the whole territory of Syria, TASS reported. "At the end of the week, I spoke with Russian President Vladimir Putin and US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo. I reiterated our main principles towards Syria - first of all, Iran must leave the territory of Syria. Secondly, we will be taking measures and we are already taking action against efforts to establish the military presence of Iran and its satellites close to the border [with Israel] and deep in Syria". "We will act against these efforts in any part of Syria," the prime ministers office quoted him as saying. Each credit union has its own approach to strategic planning. Yet despite differences in methods and outcomes, focus proves to be one of the most important drivers of a credit unions strategic success. And while the fundamentals of strategic planningobjectives, strategies, measures, and timelineshavent changed, what is different is the viewpoint of strategy, particularly when balanced between the CEO and board. Planning and execution are what we do as managers; thats our job, says one credit union CEO from Colorado. We noticed the greatest benefit when our strategic process became more about ideas and less about numbers. Our focus shifted away from the balance sheet and toward the whiteboard. Find your focus Successful organizations over time are those that: Select a handful of strategic focus areas. Move forward and measure those extents relentlessly. Recognize that year-to-year strategies may change so long as progress continues toward the areas of focus. One Southeastern CEO shares that his credit union learned the strategic power of no in its quest to gain clarity and focus. As we scrutinized what we could do, we asked ourselves what we should master initially. Our inventory of strategic priorities shortened from 10 to two. By saying no to eight priorities, we said yes to two primary areas of focus. As we finish our two, we can set our sights toward the others. How are these credit unions establishing more focus in their strategic planning processes? Three significant practices surface. Most credit unions dedicate part of each board meeting to strategic trends. Some survey board members ahead of time for their areas of interest. Others focus on different departments or functions. And some credit unions review information from conferences. But they dont simply share information for general interest and updates. They systematically and substantially discuss ideas, issues, and trends. While examining each trend, CEOs inform their boards how that development might affect current strategy and any action the credit union is taking or considering. This way, strategic updates focus on actions and decisions rather than a string of industry occurrences. For formal planning sessions, many credit unions engage outside facilitators and experts for assistance. Some credit unions retain economists, technology experts, or marketing authorities to gauge the broad direction of financial services and courses they might follow. Often, credit unions invite strategic facilitators for their impartiality, lack of bias, and skill in ensuring that a thoughtful, balanced, and action-oriented discussion ensues. With or without an outsider present, strive to dedicate the most substantial discussions to trends that represent opportunities for expansion and refinement of your operations and chances for strategic success. Next-level questions Most strategic meetings center on next levels of success. Invest some time to discuss the main objectives and goals for the coming year, but devote more time to address opportunities and decisions necessary to lay the groundwork for the next several years. One West Coast CEO explains, Our discussions shifted from asking, What are we doing to serve several hundred thousand members? to What must we do next to serve one million members? The board chair of one of the nations largest credit unions also describes the importance of being future-focused in deliberations as a board and with the CEO. As we grew, we rapidly recognized we could not inspect every operational aspect. It was too much to understand, the board chair says. While studying new housing permits and traffic patterns might be interesting, our board partnered best with our CEO in ensuring the strategic focus was making progress and the CEOs attention to detail delivered the projected results. Strategic education For credit union leaders to continue thinking strategically, they must educate themselves strategically. At the practical level, executives and directors should subscribe to industry publications and take advantage of industry webinars and conferences. This provides leaders with information, networking, and a chance to learn about success in financial services. Some credit unions require leaders to take part in schools and institutes that conclude with a designation or degree. More than an investment in the leaders education, this presents an investment for members. If we continually strive to provide relevance and excellence to our members through products, services, access, and experiences, we should provide the same for our members elected and professional leadership, says a Texas CEO. Authored by: JEFF RENDEL. Jeff is a certified speaking professional and president of Rising Above Enterprises and a contributing author to 2018-2019 CUNA Environmental Scan (E-Scan). Two people were injured Thursday in an accident on Kingwood Road The Williams Cos., Inc. operates as an energy infrastructure company, which explores, produces, transports, sells and processes natural gas and petroleum products. It operates through the following segments: Transmission and Gulf of Mexico; Northeast G&P; and West. The Transmission and Gulf of Mexico segment comprises of interstate natural gas pipelines, Transco and Northwest Pipeline, as well as natural gas gathering and processing and crude oil production handling and transportation assets in the Gulf Coast region. The Northeast G&P segment includes midstream gathering, processing, and fractionation businesses in the Marcellus Shale region primarily in Pennsylvania and New York, and the Utica Shale region of eastern Ohio. The West segment consists of gas gathering, processing, and treating operations in the Rocky Mountain region of Colorado and Wyoming, the Barnett Shale region of north-central Texas, the Eagle Ford Shale region of south Texas, the Haynesville Shale region of northwest Louisiana, and the Mid-Continent region which includes the Anadarko, Arkoma, and Permian basins. The company was founded by David Williams and Miller Williams in 1908 and is headquartered in Tulsa, Read More The Bank of Nova Scotia provides various banking products and services in Canada, the United States, Mexico, Peru, Chile, Colombia, the Caribbean and Central America, and internationally. It operates through Canadian Banking, International Banking, Global Banking and Markets, and Global Wealth Management segments. The company offers financial advice and solutions, and day-to-day banking products, including debit and credit cards, chequing and saving accounts, investments, mortgages, loans, and insurance to individuals; and business banking solutions comprising lending, deposit, cash management, and trade finance solutions to small businesses and commercial customers, including automotive financing solutions to dealers and their customers. It also provides wealth management advice and solutions, including online brokerage, mobile investment, full-service brokerage, trust, private banking, and private investment counsel services; and retail mutual funds, exchange traded funds, liquid alternative funds, and institutional funds. In addition, the company offers international banking services for retail, corporate, and commercial customers; and lending and transaction, investment banking advisory, and capital markets access services to corporate customers. Further, it provides Internet, mobile, and telephone banking services. The company operates a network of 952 branches and approximately 3,540 automated banking machines in Canada; and approximately 1,400 branches, 5,200 ATMs, and 22 contact centers internationally. The Bank of Nova Scotia was founded in 1832 and is headquartered in Halifax, Canada. Read More The following companies are subsidiares of LyondellBasell Industries: A. Schulman, A. Schulman 's-Gravendeel B.V., A. Schulman AG, A. Schulman Asia Limited, A. Schulman Belgium BVBA, A. Schulman Canada Ltd., A. Schulman Castellon S.L., A. Schulman Europe GmbH & Co. KG, A. Schulman Europe International B.V., A. Schulman Europe Verwaltungs GmbH, A. Schulman Gainsborough Ltd, A. Schulman GmbH, A. Schulman GmbH (Austrian Branch), A. Schulman Holding Company France S.A.S., A. Schulman Holdings (France) S.A.S., A. Schulman Holdings S.a.r.l., A. Schulman Inc., A. Schulman Inc. Limited, A. Schulman International Inc., A. Schulman International Services BVBA, A. Schulman Ireland Limited, A. Schulman Magyarorszag Kereskedelmi Korlatolt Felelossegu Tarsasag, A. Schulman Nordic AB, A. Schulman Plastics (Branch), A. Schulman Plastics (Dongguan) Ltd., A. Schulman Plastics (Malaysia) Sdn. Bhd., A. Schulman Plastics (Suzhou) Co. Ltd., A. Schulman Plastics BVBA, A. Schulman Plastics India Private Limited, A. Schulman Plastics PTY. LTD., A. Schulman Plastics S.r.l., A. Schulman Plastics SAS, A. Schulman Plastics bvba Bornem Sucursala Cluj-Napoca, A. Schulman Plastics organizacni slozka, A. Schulman Plastk Sanayi ve Ticaret Anonim Sirketi, A. Schulman Plasticos do Brasil Ltda., A. Schulman Polska Sp. z o.o., A. Schulman Real Estate GmbH & Co. KG, A. Schulman S.A.S., A. Schulman S.a.r.l., A. Schulman Thermoplastic Compounds Limited, A. Schulman Thermoplastic Compounds Sdn Bhd, A. Schulman de Mexico S.A. de C.V., A. Schulman del Peru S.A.C., A.Schulman Poznan Sp. Z o.o., ARCO Chemical, AS Global Holdings Inc., AS Mex Hold S.A. de C.V., AS Worldwide LLC, AS Worldwide LLC & Cie S.C.S., ASI Akron Land Co., ASI Employment S.A. de C.V., ASI Investments Holding Co., Al Waha Petrochemical Company, BKV Beteiligungs- und Kunststoffverwertungs-gesellschaft mbH, BMC Deutschland GmbH, BMC Dongguan Limited, BMC Far East Limited, BMC TetraDURTurkey Plastik Hammadde Kompozit Uretim Sanayi ve Ticaret Limted Sirketi, Basell (Thailand) Holdings B.V., Basell Advanced Polyolefins (Dalian) Co. Ltd., Basell Advanced Polyolefins (Suzhou) Co. Ltd., Basell Advanced Polyolefins (Thailand) Company Ltd., Basell Arabie Investissements SAS, Basell Asia Pacific Limited, Basell Bayreuth Chemie GmbH, Basell Benelux B.V., Basell Chemie Koln GmbH, Basell Europe Holdings B.V., Basell Germany Holdings GmbH, Basell Holdings Middle East GmbH, Basell Iberica Poliolefinas Holdings S.L., Basell International Holdings B.V., Basell International Trading FZE, Basell Italia S.r.l, Basell Mexico S. de R.L. de C.V., Basell Moyen Orient Investissements SAS, Basell North America Inc., Basell Orlen Polyolefins Sp. Z.o.o., Basell Orlen Polyolefins Sprzedaz Sp. Z.o.o., Basell Poliolefinas Comercial Espagnola S.L., Basell Poliolefinas Iberica S.L., Basell Poliolefinas Ltda., Basell Poliolefinas S. de R.L. de C.V., Basell Poliolefine Italia S.r.l., Basell Polyolefin Istanbul Ticaret Limited Sirketi, Basell Polyolefine GmbH, Basell Polyolefines France S.A.S., Basell Polyolefins Company BVBA, Basell Polyolefins India Private Limited, Basell Polyolefins Korea Ltd., Basell Polyolefins UK Limited, Basell Sales & Marketing Company B.V., Basell Service Company B.V., Basell Slovakia s.r.o., Basell Trading (Shanghai) Co. Ltd., Basell UK Holdings Limited, Basell UK Ltd., Brindisi Servizi Generali S.c.a.r.l., Bulk Molding Compounds Inc., Bulk Molding Compounds Mexico S. de R.L. de C.V., Bulk Molding Compounds do Brasil Industria de Plasticos Reforcados Ltda., Citadel Brazil Holdings LLC, Citadel Intermediate Holdings LLC, Citadel Plastics Holdings Cooperatief U.A., Citadel Plastics Holdings Inc., Citadel Plastics Mexico Holdings LLC, Citadel Plastics Netherlands Holdings LLC, Compagnie Petrochimique de Berre SAS, Compagnie de Distribution des Hydrocarbures SAS, EMS Holding Ltd., EPS Ethylen-Pipeline-Sud Geschaftsfuhrungs GmbH, EPS Ethylen-Pipeline-Sud GmbH & Co. KG, Elian S.A.S., Equistar Bayport LLC, Equistar Chemicals LP, Equistar GP LLC, Equistar LP LLC, Equistar Mont Belvieu Corporation, GuangZhou Basell Advanced Polyolefins Co. Ltd., HGGC Citadel Plastics Holdings Inc., HGGC Citadel Plastics Intermediate Holdings Inc., HMC Polymers Company Limited, HPC Holdings LLC, Hadlock Plastics LLC, Houston Refining LP, I.F.M. S.c.a.r.l., ICO Europe C.V., ICO Holdings LLC, ICO Holdings New Zealand Limited, ICO Petrochemical Cayman Islands, ICO Polymers Cayman Islands, Indelpro S.A. de C.V., Infraserv GmbH & Co. Hochst KG, Inmobiliaria Satchmo S. de R.L. de C.V., Innovacion Y Desarrollo en Materiales Avanzados A.C., J.R. Courtenay (N.Z.) Limited, LPI Holding Company, LYB (Barbados) SRL, LYB Advanced Polymer Solutions Ireland Limited, LYB Americas Finance Company LLC, LYB Equistar Holdings LLC, LYB Export Holdings Limited, LYB Exports Inc., LYB Finance Company B.V., LYB International Finance B.V., LYB International Finance II B.V., LYB International Finance III LLC, LYB Ireland 2 Limited, LYB Ireland Limited, LYB La Porte Hyperzone LLC, LYB Luxembourg S.a r.l., LYB Matrixx Holdings Inc., LYB Receivables LLC, LYB Trading Company B.V., LYB Treasury Services Ltd., Limited Liability Company "LyondellBasell Polyolefins", Limited Liability Company A. Schulman, Lucent Polymers Inc., Lyondell Asia Holdings Limited, Lyondell Centennial Corp., Lyondell Chemical Company, Lyondell Chemical Europe Inc., Lyondell Chemical Overseas Services Inc., Lyondell Chemical Products Europe LLC, Lyondell Chemical Properties L.P., Lyondell Chemical Technology 1 Inc., Lyondell Chemical Technology L.P., Lyondell Chemical Technology Management Inc., Lyondell Chemie (PO-11) B.V., Lyondell Chemie (POSM) B.V., Lyondell Chemie Nederland B.V., Lyondell Chimie France SAS, Lyondell China Holdings Limited, Lyondell Greater China Holdings Limited, Lyondell Greater China Ltd., Lyondell Greater China Trading Limited, Lyondell Japan Inc., Lyondell PO-11 C.V., Lyondell POJVGP LLC, Lyondell POJVLP LLC, Lyondell POTechGP Inc., Lyondell POTechLP Inc., Lyondell Refining Company LLC, Lyondell Refining I LLC, Lyondell South Asia Pte Ltd, LyondellBasell Acetyls Holdco LLC, LyondellBasell Acetyls LLC, LyondellBasell Advanced Polyolefins Mexico S.A. de C.V., LyondellBasell Australia (Holdings) Pty Ltd, LyondellBasell Australia Pty Ltd, LyondellBasell Brasil Ltda., LyondellBasell Canada Inc., LyondellBasell Central Europe Kft., LyondellBasell China Holdings B.V., LyondellBasell Circular Economy B.V., LyondellBasell Covestro Manufacturing Maasvlakte V.O.F., LyondellBasell Egypt LLC, LyondellBasell F&F Holdco LLC, LyondellBasell Finance Company, LyondellBasell Holdings France SAS, LyondellBasell Hungary Kft, LyondellBasell Industries Holdings B.V., LyondellBasell Industries N.V., LyondellBasell Investment LLC, LyondellBasell Malaysia Sdn. Bhd., LyondellBasell Polyolefin (Shanghai) Co. Ltd., LyondellBasell Services France S.A.S., LyondellBasell Subholdings B.V., LyondellBasell Taiwan Co. Ltd., LyondellBasell Transportation Company LLC, Millennium Chemicals, Natpet Schulman Specialty Plastic Compounds, Ningbo ZRCC Lyondell Chemical Co. Ltd., Ningbo ZRCC Lyondell Chemical Marketing Co. Ltd., OE Insurance Ltd, Oil Casualty Insurance Ltd., Oil Insurance Limited, PD Glycol LP, PO JV LP, PO Offtake LP, POSM II Limited Partnership L.P., POSM II Properties Partnership LLC, PT A.Schulman Plastics, PT ASchulman Plastics Commercial, PTT Chemical PCL, Poly Pacific Polymers Sdn. Bhd., Poly Pacific Pty. Ltd., PolyMirae Co. Ltd., Premix Holding Company, Premix Inc., Prime Colorants Inc., QCP B.V., QCP Holding B.V., QCP IP B.V., Quantum Composites Inc., RIGK GmbH Gesellschaft zur Ruckfuhrung industrieller and gewerblicher Kunstoffverpackungen mbH, Rayong Olefins Co. Ltd., Rexene - LDPE and PP Businesses, SCG ICO Polymers Company Limited, SJS Plastiblends, San Jacinto Rail Limited, Saudi Ethylene & Polyethylene Company, Saudi Polyolefins Company, Sociedad Espanola De Materiales Plasticos Semap S.A., Societe des Stockages Petroliers du Rhone SA, Solvay Engineered Polymers, Surplast S.A., TRV Thermische Ruckstandsverwertung GmbH & Co. KG, TRV Thermische Ruckstandsverwertung Verwaltungs-GmbH, Technology JV LP, The Matrixx Group Incorporated, ULSAN PP Co. Ltd., YNCORIS GmbH & Co. KG, Zylog Plastalloys, and tetra-DUR Kunststoff-Produktion GmbH. KBR, Inc. engages in the provision of differentiated professional services and technologies across the asset and program life-cycle within the government services and hydrocarbons industries. It operates through the following segments: Government Solutions, Technology Solutions, Energy Solutions, Non-strategic Business, and Other. The Government Solutions segment provides full life-cycle support solutions to defense, space, aviation, and other programs and missions for military and other government agencies. The Technology Solutions segment combines KBR's proprietary technologies, equipment, and catalyst supply and associated knowledge-based services into a global business for refining, petrochemicals, inorganic, and specialty chemicals as well as gasification, syngas, ammonia, nitric acid, and fertilizers. The Energy Solutions segment provides full life-cycle support solutions across the upstream, midstream and downstream hydrocarbons markets. The Non-strategic Business segment represents the operations or activities which the company intends to exit upon completion of existing contracts. The Other segment includes corporate expenses and general and administrative expenses not all Read More Kering SA develops, designs, manufactures, markets, and sells apparel and accessories. The company offers shoes; leather goods, including handbags and wallets, purses, and other leather products; eyewear, textile accessories, etc.; and jewelry and watches, as well as ready-to-wear products for men and women. It also provides perfumes and cosmetics. The company provides Gucci, Saint Laurent, Bottega Veneta, Alexander McQueen, Balenciaga, Brioni, Boucheron, Pomellato, DoDo, Qeelin, Girard-Perregaux, Ulysse Nardin, and Kering Eyewear branded products. It sells its products through department stores, multi-brand stores, and franchise stores, as well as e-commerce sites. As of December 31, 2020, it operated 1,433 stores. Kering SA sells its products in the Asia-Pacific, Western Europe, North America, Japan, and internationally. The company was formerly known as PPR SA and changed its name to Kering SA in June 2013. Kering SA was founded in 1963 and is based in Paris, France. Read More Sophos Group plc, through its subsidiaries, provides cloud-enabled end-user and network security solutions. The company offers Intercept X, which delivers endpoint protection against unknown malware, exploits, and ransomware; XG Firewall, a next generation firewall that provides unprecedented visibility for networks, users, and applications directly from the control center; Sophos Central, a unified cloud administration console for managing various Sophos products; and Cloud Optix that offers artificial intelligence-based cloud security analytics, compliance, and DevSecOps platform to provide end-to-end protection in public cloud services. It also provides Sophos Wireless, a wireless access point; Sophos Email, an email security solution; Sophos Mobile, a unified endpoint management and mobile threat defense solution; UTM, a unified threat management solution; Phish Threat, a phishing simulation and engaging training solution; and Intercept X for Server, a next-generation server protection solution that provides security against cyber threats. In addition, the company offers SafeGuard Encryption solution; Secure Web Gateway for Web security; and Sophos Home for Mac and PC protection. It serves education, healthcare, retail, finance, and banking industries, as well as governments and public sectors in the Americas, Europe, the Middle East, Africa, the Asia Pacific, and Japan. Sophos Group plc was founded in 1985 and is headquartered in Abingdon, the United Kingdom. Read More Wall Street analysts have given Petra Diamonds a "Buy" rating, but there may be better buying opportunities in the stock market. Some of MarketBeat's past winning trading ideas have resulted in 5-15% weekly gains. MarketBeat just released five new stock ideas, but Petra Diamonds wasn't one of them. MarketBeat thinks these five companies may be even better buys. View MarketBeat's top stock picks here. Sasol Ltd. is a holding company. The firm engages in the provision of liquid fuels, chemicals, and low-carbon electricity. It operates through following segments: Mining, Exploration and Production International, Energy, Base Chemicals, Performance Chemicals, and Group Functions. The Mining segment secures coal feedstock for the Southern African value chain, mainly for gasification, but also to generate electricity and steam. The Exploration and Production International segment develops and manages oil and gas exploration and production in Mozambique, South Africa, Canada, and Gabon. The Base Chemicals segment involves the marketing of commodity chemicals based on the group's upstream Fischer-Tropsch, ethylene, propylene and ammonia value chains. The Performance Chemicals segment markets commodity and differentiated performance chemicals. The Energy segment sells and markets liquid fuels, pipeline gas, and electricity. The Group Functions segment includes the head office and centralised treasury operations. The company was founded in 1950 and is headquartered in Johannesburg, South Africa. Read More Quorum Health Corporation, together with its subsidiaries, provides hospital and outpatient healthcare services in the United States. Its hospital and outpatient healthcare services include general and acute care, emergency room, general and specialty surgery, critical care, internal medicine, diagnostic, obstetric, psychiatric, and rehabilitation services. Quorum Health Corporation offers its healthcare services through its hospitals and affiliated facilities, including urgent care centers, diagnostic and imaging centers, physician clinics, and surgery centers. The company, through its subsidiary, Quorum Health Resources, LLC, provides hospital management advisory, healthcare consulting, and group purchasing services to non-affiliated hospitals, as well as Web-based applications and software tools; and various education programs for healthcare leaders, professionals, and other medical staff. As of December 31, 2018, it owned or leased 27 hospitals with approximately 2,604 licensed beds. The company was incorporated in 2015 and is headquartered in Brentwood, Tennessee. Read More Genesee & Wyoming Inc. owns and leases freight railroads. It operates through three segments: North American Operations, Australian Operations, and U.K./European Operations. The company transports various commodities, including agricultural products, autos and auto parts, chemicals and plastics, coal and coke, food and kindred products, lumber and forest products, metallic ores, metals, minerals and stone, petroleum products, pulp and paper, waste, and other commodities. It owns or leases 122 freight railroads, including 105 short line railroads and 2 regional freight railroads located in the United States, 8 short line railroads located in Canada, 3 railroads located in Australia, 1 railroad located in the United Kingdom, 1 railroad in Poland and Germany, and 2 railroads in the Netherlands with a total of approximately 16,200 miles of track. The company also operates 6,200 additional miles of track that is owned or leased by others. In addition, it operates deep sea maritime containers and provides bulk haulage, including coal, aggregates, cement, and infrastructure services. Further, the company provides rail service at approximately 40 ports; rail-ferry service in North America, Australia, and Europe; and contract coal loading and railcar switching for industrial customers. Genesee & Wyoming Inc. was founded in 1899 and is headquartered in Darien, Connecticut. Read More The following companies are subsidiares of Arthur J. Gallagher & Co.: 2235158 Alberta Limited, A.J. Amer Agency, AHC Digital LLC, AIX Limited, AJG Coal LLC, AJG Financial Services LLC, AJG Meadows LLC, AJG North America ULC, AJG RCF LLC, AJGRMS of Louisiana LLC, ARM RE Ltda., AVIATION INSURANCE SERVICES, AVRECO, Ace IRM Insurance Broking Group, Acumus Holdings Limited, Acumus Interco Limited, Acumus Ltd, Adams & Associates International, Adaptive Marketing LLC, Adco General Corporation, Advanced Benefit Advisors, Aequus Trade Credit, Affinity Marketing Group, Ahrold Fay Rosenberg, Aires Consulting Group, Alesco Risk Management Services Limited, Alize Limited, Allied Claims Administration Inc., Alternative Market Specialists, Altman & Cronin Benefit Consultants, American Freedom Carriers Inc., American Security Services Corp., American Wholesalers Underwriting Ltd, Andrew-Anthony Insurance Agency, Anthony Hodges Consulting Limited, Antrobus Investments Limited, AquaSurance, Argentis, Argentis Financial Group Limited, Argentis Financial Management Limited, Argus Benefits, Armstrong/Robitaille/Riegle, Artex (SAC) Limited, Artex Cedar Hill, Artex Corporate Services (Malta) Limited, Artex Corporate Services Limited, Artex Holdings (Gibraltar) Limited, Artex Holdings (Malta) Limited, Artex Insurance (Guernsey) PCC Limited, Artex Insurance (Tennessee) PCCIC Inc., Artex Insurance Brokers (Malta) PCC Limited, Artex Insurance ICC Limited, Artex Intermediaries Ltd, Artex Risk Solutions (Bermuda) Ltd, Artex Risk Solutions (Cayman) Limited, Artex Risk Solutions (Gibraltar) Limited, Artex Risk Solutions (Guernsey) Limited, Artex Risk Solutions (International) Ltd, Artex Risk Solutions (Malta) Limited, Artex Risk Solutions (Singapore) Pte Ltd, Artex Risk Solutions (UK) Limited, Artex Risk Solutions Inc., Arthur J Gallagher (Norway) Holdings AS, Arthur J. Gallagher & Co., Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. (AUS) Ltd, Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. (Bermuda) Limited, Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. (Illinois), Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. Insurance Brokers of California Inc., Arthur J. Gallagher (Aus) Pty Ltd, Arthur J. Gallagher (Bermuda) Holding Partnership, Arthur J. Gallagher (Life Solutions) Ltd, Arthur J. Gallagher (Singapore) Pte Ltd, Arthur J. Gallagher (U.S.) LLC, Arthur J. Gallagher (UK) Limited, Arthur J. Gallagher Asesoria S.A.C., Arthur J. Gallagher Australasia Holdings Pty Ltd., Arthur J. Gallagher Brokerage & Risk Management Services LLC, Arthur J. Gallagher Broking (NZ) Limited, Arthur J. Gallagher Financial Services Professionals Risk Purchasing Group LLC, Arthur J. Gallagher Group Quebec ULC, Arthur J. Gallagher Holdings (UK) Limited, Arthur J. Gallagher Insurance Brokers Limited, Arthur J. Gallagher Latin America LLC, Arthur J. Gallagher Management (Bermuda) Limited, Arthur J. Gallagher Real Estate Risk Purchasing Group LLC, Arthur J. Gallagher Risk Management Services (Hawaii) Inc., Arthur J. Gallagher Risk Management Services Inc., Arthur J. Gallagher Risk Management Services of Utah Inc., Arthur J. Gallagher School Risk Purchasing Group LLC, Arthur J. Gallagher Service Company LLC, Arthur J. Gallagher Services (UK) Ltd, Ashmore & Associates Insurance Agency, Atlantic Risk Management Corp., Atrex Insurance (Cayman) SPC Limited, Avantek Pty Ltd, Axe Insurance PCC Limited, BIS Insurance Services, Baker - Tillys employment benefits solutions, Ballard Benefit Works, Bankers Financial Benefits, Barmore Insurance Agency, Behnke & Co. Inc., Bellisle Pty Ltd, Belmont Associates Consultants, Belmont Insurance Holdings Limited, Belmont International, Belmont International Limited, Benefit Development Group, Benefit Management Group, BenefitLink Resource Group, Benefits Planning & Insurance Agency, Benefits Unlimited, Bennett & Shade Co., Bergvall Marine, Bergvall Marine A.S., Besselman & Little Agency, Big Savings Insurance Agency Inc., Blenheim Park Ltd, Blenheim Park Services Limited, Blue Holdings Pty Ltd, Blue Horizon Insurance Services, Blue Water Benefits, BluePeak Advisors, Blueleaf Consulting Pty Ltd., Bluewater Incorporated Cell Insurance Company, Bollinger Inc., Bollinger Insurance Services Inc., Bowen Miclette Britt & Merry of Arkansas Inc., Brendis & Brendis, Brim AB, Broker Benefit Services, Brokerage Professionals, Brown Hobbs & McMurray Insurance, Bultman/Bell Associates Inc., Burkwald & Associates, Burns-Fazzi Brock & Associates, Bushong Insurance Associates, C&B Consulting Group, CGM Gallagher Insruance Brokers (Trinidad & Tobago) Limited, CJM Solutions Inc., CMA Solutions LLC, Cairnstone Financial, California Insurance Center, Capital Bauer Insurance Agency, Capitol Benefits Group, Capsicum CRLA LLP, Capsicum Re Brasil Participacoes Ltda, Capsicum Re Latin America Corretora De Resseguros Ltda, Capsicum Reinsurance Brokers Bermuda Limited, Capsicum Reinsurance Brokers Miami Inc., Carefree Marketing Inc., Carpenter Cammack & Associates, Cashan & Co., Castle Insurance Associates, Centennial Insurance Agency, Charity First Insurance Services Inc., Charles Allen Agency, Charter Lakes Insurance Agency, Chris Schroeder Insurance, Christie-Phoenix, Cintran Claims Canada Limited, Classic Insurance Services, Cleaveland Insurance Group, Cohen & Lord Insurance Brokers, Cohn Financial Group, Coleman Group Holdings Limited, Coleman Holdings Limited, College and University Scholastic Excess Risk Purchasing Group LLC, Commercial Insurance Brokers, Complete Benefit Alliance, Complete Financial Balance, Complete Financial Balance Pty Ltd, Consolidated Casualty Specialties LLC, Construction Risk Solutions, Contego Underwriting Limited, Contego Underwriting Ltd, Continental Excess & Surplus, Convergence Risk Services Ltd, Copper Mountain Assurance Inc., Cornwall & Stevens Co., Corporate Benefit Advisors, Corporate Life Consultants, Countrywide Accident Assistance Limited, Coverdell & Company Inc., Coverdell Canada Corporation, Cowles and Connell, Craig M. Ferguson & Co., Crist Elliott Machette Insurance Services, Crombie Lockwood (NZ) Limited, Davis-Poston & Associates, Denman Consulting Services, Detlefs Johnson & Partners, DiBrina Group, Dickinson & Associates, Discount Development Services L.L.C., Discovery Benefit Solutions, Dodson-Bateman & Co., Donald P. Pipino Co. Ltd., E. S. Susanin Inc., EHE Holdings LLC, EHS Holdings Limited, Elantis Premium Funding (NZ) Limited, Elantis Premium Funding Limited, Elite Benefits Insurance Marketing Services, Employee Benefits Analysis Corp., Employee Benefits of The Carolinas, Encore Insurance & Bonding, Everett James, Evolution Risk Services Limited, Evolution Technology Services Limited, Evolution Underwriting Group, Evolution Underwriting Group Limited, Evolution Underwriting Limited, Excel Insurance Services, FYI Direct Canada Corporation, FYI Direct LLC, Farallone Pacific Insurance Services, Fenchurch Faris Limited, Fidelity Benefits & Insurance Services, Financial Profiles Inc., Finergy Solutions Pty Ltd, First Agency, First Iowa Insurance Agency, First Premium Inc., First Premium Insurance Group, Fish & Schulkamp, Fishermans Insurance Services, Foley Healthcare Limited, Fortress Financial Solutions Pty Ltd, Fortress Insurance LLC, Foundation Strategies, Fox Lawson & Associates, Franklin-Case Agency LLC, Fraser MacAndrew Ryan Limited, Friary Intermediate Limited, Fuller & O'Brien, G.S. Chapman & Associates Insurance Brokers, G.S. Levine Insurance Services, GBS (Australia) Holdings Pty Ltd, GBS Administrators Inc., GBS Insurance and Financial Services Inc., GBS Retirement Services Inc., GBS Specialty Markets LLC, GGB Finance 1 Limited, GGB Finance 2 Limited, GGB Finance 3 Limited, GGB Finance 4 Limited, GPL Assurance, GPL Assurance Inc., Gabor Insurance Services, Gale Smith & Co. Inc., Gallagher (Bermuda) Insurance Solutions Ltd., Gallagher - Grace/Mayer Insurance Agency, Gallagher Bassett Aires Inc., Gallagher Bassett Canada Inc., Gallagher Bassett Insurance Services Ltd., Gallagher Bassett International Ltd., Gallagher Bassett NZ Pty Ltd., Gallagher Bassett Services Inc. , Gallagher Bassett Services Pty Ltd., Gallagher Bassett Services Workers Compensation Victoria Pty Ltd., Gallagher Benefit Services (Canada) Group Inc., Gallagher Benefit Services (Holdings) Limited, Gallagher Benefit Services Inc., Gallagher Benefit Services Management Company Limited, Gallagher Benefit Services Pty Ltd, Gallagher Benefits Consulting Limited, Gallagher Bomford Couch Wilson, Gallagher Burgess, Gallagher Canada Acquisition Corporation, Gallagher Caribbean Group Limited, Gallagher Clean Energy LLC, Gallagher Communications Limited, Gallagher Community Clinic RPG LLC, Gallagher Consulting Ltda, Gallagher Corporate Services LLC, Gallagher Coyle, Gallagher CyberRisk, Gallagher Energy Risk Services Inc., Gallagher Fiduciary Advisors LLC, Gallagher Holdings (UK) Limited, Gallagher Holdings Bermuda Company Limited, Gallagher Holdings Four (UK) Limited, Gallagher Holdings Three (UK) Limited, Gallagher Insurance Brokers (Barbados) Limited, Gallagher Insurance Brokers (St. Kitts & Nevis) Limited, Gallagher Insurance Brokers (St. Lucia) Limited, Gallagher Insurance Brokers (St. Vincent) Limited, Gallagher Insurance Brokers Jamaica Limited, Gallagher International Cash Management s.r.l., Gallagher International Holdings (US) Inc., Gallagher Investment Advisors LLC, Gallagher Inwest Group, Gallagher Koster, Gallagher Lambert Group, Gallagher Madison Risk & Insurance Services, Gallagher Mauritius Holdings, Gallagher Mississippi Brokerage LLC, Gallagher RE Colombia Ltda Corredores de Reaseguros SA, Gallagher Risk & Reward Limited, Gallagher Risk Group LLC, Gallagher Risk Placements Pty Ltd, Gallagher SKS, Gallagher Service Center LLP, Gallagher-Tarantino, Galtney Group, Game Day Insurance Inc., Gardner & White Corp., Gardner Marine Agency, Garza Long Group, Gatehouse Consulting Limited, Gault Armstrong Kemble Pty Ltd, Gault Armstrong SARL, Giles Group, Giles Holdings Limited, Giles Insurance Brokers, Gillis Ellis & Baker Inc., Goodman Insurance Agency, Grandy Pratt Co., Greenseed Alternative Mangaers Platform Ltd, Grossman & Associates, Group Benefits of Arkansas, Group Insurance Associates, Gruppo Marcucci, HLG Holdings Limited, HMG-PCMS Limited, HPF Investments LLC, HR Owen Insurance Services Limited, Hagan Newkirk Financial Services, Hagedorn & Company, Hardman & Howell Benefits, Harlequin Insurance PCC Limited, Hartstein Associates Inc., Healthcare Professionals Purchasing Group LLC, Healthcare Risk Solutions, Heath Lambert Group Ltd., Heath Lambert Limited, Heath Lambert Overseas Limited, Heiser Insurance Agency, Henderson Phillips Fine Arts Insurance, Herbruck Alder & Co., Heritage Insurance Brokers (CI) Limited, Hesse & Partner AG, Hesse Consulting, Hexagon ICC Limited, Hexagon Insurance PCC Limited, Hill Chesson & Woody, Hogan Insurance Services, Home & Travel Limited, Honour Point Limited, Horseshoe Corporate Services Ltd, Horseshoe Fund Services (Cayman) Ltd, Horseshoe Fund Services Ltd, Horseshoe Fund Services USA Inc., Horseshoe ILS Services UK Ltd, Horseshoe Insurance Advisors US LLC, Horseshoe Insurance Advisory Ltd., Horseshoe Insurance Services Holdings Ltd, Horseshoe Insurance Services Holdings US Inc., Horseshoe Management (Gibraltar) Limited, Horseshoe Management (Ireland) Ltd, Horseshoe Management Ltd., Horseshoe PCC Limited, Horseshoe Re Limited, Horseshoe Services (Cayman) Ltd, Horseshoe Services (Pty) Ltd, Horton Insurance Agency, Housing Authorities Services Risk Purchasing Group LLC, Human Resource Management Systems, I-Protect Underwriting Pty Ltd, IBIS Advisors, IBS Reinsurance Singapore Pte Ltd, ILS Fund Services Ltd., ISG International, ITI Solutions, Igloo Insurance PCC Limited, Independent Benefit Services, Independent Fiduciary Services, Ink Underwriting Agencies Limited, InsSync Group Pty Ltd, Inspire Underwriting Limited, Instrat Insurance Brokers, Instrat Insurance Brokers Pty Ltd, Instrat Integration Holdco Pty Ltd, Insurance Acquisitions Holdings Limited, Insurance Associates Inc., Insurance Dialogue Limited, Insurance Dialogue Ltd., Insurance Plans Agency, Insurance Plus Risk Purchasing Group LLC, Insurance Point, Insurance Risk Managers of Missouri Inc., Insure My Villa Limited, Insure Pty Ltd, Integrated Healthcare Strategies, InterNational Insurance Group, InterPacific Underwriting Agencies, Intermountain Financial Benefits, Interstate Insurance Underwriters, JPGAC LLC, James F. Reda & Associates, James R. Weir Insurance Agency, Jenkins and Associates, Joe E. Martin Inc., John P. Woods Co. Inc., Jones Brown, Jones Brown Group Inc., Jones Brown Insurance Solutions Inc., Joseph Distel, Joseph James & Associates Insurance Agency, Just Landlords Insurance Services Ltd, KDC Associates, KRW Insurance Agency, Kahl Insurance Services, Kaler Carney Liffler & Co. Inc., Kane Group - Insurance Management Operations, Kelly Financial, Kent Kent & Tingle and RBS, Keyser Benefits Corp., Kingspark Enterprises Pty Ltd, L&R Benefits, LSG Insurance Partners, Learn About Money Limited, Lewis & Associates Insurance Brokers, Leystone Insurance & Financial, Life Plans Unlimited, Lincoln Financial Management, Longfellow Financial, Lucas Fettes Limited, Lucas Fettes and Partners Limited, Lutgert Insurance, MA Underwriting Pty Ltd, MDM Insurance Associates, MG Advanced Coal Technologies-1 LLC, MGA Insurance Services, MRS Holdings Ltd., Madison Scott & Associates, Managed Healthcare Solutions, Mannequin Insurance PCC Limited, Marchetti Robertson & Brickell Insurance, Marine Insurance Service, Martin Gordon & Jones Inc., McDowall Associates Human Resource Consultants, McIntyre Risk Management, McLean Insurance Agency, McNeary, McPherson Benefits Group, McRory & Co., Mecacem Insurance SPC Ltd, MedInsights Inc., Melton Insurance Associates, Memberworks Canada LLC, Merit Insurance, Metcom Excess, Metzler Bros. Insurance, Meyers-Reynolds & Associates, Mid America Group, Midwest Surety Services, Mike Henry Insurance Brokers, Mike Henry Insurance Brokers Limited, Mike Henry Insurance Funding Limited, Miller Buettner & Parrott, Miller-Harrison Insurance Services, Milne Alexander Pty Ltd, Minvielle & Chastanet Insurance Brokers, Monument Insurance (NZ) Limited, Monument Llc, Monument Premium Funding Limited, Mortgage Insurance Agency, Murphy Consultants, Mutual Insurance Services, NationAir Aviation Insurance, National Administration Co., National Ethics Association, National Transportation Adjusters, Nelson/Monarch Insurance Services, Nicoud Insurance Services, NiiS/Apex Group Holdings, Nonprofit Insurance Risk Purchasing Group LLC, Noraxis Capital Corp, Nordic Forsakring & Riskhantering AB, North Alabama Insurance, Nourse Insurance Brokers, O'Gorman & Young, OAMPS (UK) Limited, OAMPS Gault Armstrong Pty Ltd, OAMPS Limited, OAMPS Special Risks Ltd, Offshore Market Placements Limited, Optimum Talent, Orb Financial Services, Orb Financial Services Limited, Osprey Insurance Brokers Limited, Oval Group, Oval Healthcare Limited, Oval Insurance Broking Limited, Oval Limited, Oval Management Services Limited, Oxygen Insurance Managers, P2 Group, PEN Insurance Management Advisors Ltd, PT IBS Insurance Broking Service, Pacific Insurance Agency, Palmer Atlantic Insurance, Palmer Atlantic Insurance Ltd, Palmer Atlantic Risk Services Ltd., Park Row Associates, Parkstar Enterprises Pty Ltd, Parmia Pty Ltd, PartnerSource, Pastel Holding (NZ) Company, Pastel Holdings Pty Limited, Pastel Purchaser (NZ) Limited, Pastel Purchaser Pty Limited, Pavey Group Holdings (UK) Limited, Pavey Group Holdings Limited, Pavey Group Limited, Pearson Dunn Insurance Inc., Pen Underwriting Canada Limited, Pen Underwriting Group Pty. Ltd., Pen Underwriting Limited, Pen Underwriting Pty Ltd, Persing Dyckman & Toynbee Inc., Personal Advice Services Pty Ltd, Petty Burton Associates, Pointer Insurance Agency, Portmore Insurance Brokers (Wilshire) Limited, Portmore Insurance Brokers Limited, Potter-Holden & Co., Powell Insurance Agency, Premier Insurance Services Inc., Premier Risk Services, Premium Finance Corporation, Preston-Patterson, ProSource Financial, Professional Agents Risk Purchasing Group LLC, Professional Claims Managers, Proinova AB, Proinova Agency AB, Pronto California Agency LLC, Pronto California General Agency LLC, Pronto Florida Claims LLC, Pronto Florida General Agency LLC, Pronto Franchise LLC, Pronto General Agency Ltd, Pronto General Agency Management LLC, Pronto Holdco Inc., Pronto Holding California LLC, Pronto Holding Florida LLC, Pronto Insurance Agency of Laredo Inc., Pronto Premium Finance LLC, Property & Commercial Ltd., Property Insurance Initatives Limited, Property and Commercial Limited, Protected Insurance Company, Protection Plan Association Inc., Protek Group Limited, Providium Consulting Group, Ptarmigan Underwriting Agency Limited, Ptarmigan Underwriting UK Limited, Purple Bridge Claims Management Limited, Purple Bridge Finance Limited, Purple Bridge Group Limited, Purple Bridge Investments Limited, Purple Bridge Online Services Limited, Purple Bridge Publishing Limited, Quantum Underwriting Solutions Limited, Quillco 226 Limited, Quillco 227 Limited, R. L. Youngdahl & Associates, R.G. Speno Inc., R.W. Scobie, RA Rossborough (Guernsey) Ltd., RA Rossborough (Insurance Brokers) Ltd, REGENCY Group inc., RGA Referencing Limited, RGA Underwriting Limited, RIL Administrators (Guernsey) Ltd., RJ Dutton Inc., RSM Insurance Services Limited, Reassurance Holdings Inc., Rebholz Insurance Agency, Reid Manson Ltd., Reimbursement Services, Rentguard Limited, Reward Management Limited, Reynolds & Rodar Insurance Group, Riley & Associates, Rio 587 Limited, Rio 588 Limited, Risk & Reward Group, Risk Management Partners Limited, Risk Placement Services Inc., Risk Planners, Risk Services (NW) Limited, Risk Services (NW) Ltd., Risk Solutions Group Limited, Robert A. Schneider Agency, Robert Keith & Associates, Roberts & Roberts Insurance Service, Robinson-Adams Insurance, Rossborough Healthcare International Ltd, Rossborough Insurance (IOM) Ltd., Rossborough Insurance Services Ltd. (Jersey), S. A. Freerks & Associates, SEG Insurance Ltd, SGB-NIA Insurance Brokers, SHILLING Ltd, SKANCO International, SMERI AB, SRS Underwriting Pty Ltd, Secure Enterprises Pty Ltd, Securitas Re, Sellers Group, Sentinel Indemnity LLC, Septagon Insurance PCC Limited, Shuford Insurance Agency, Sigma II Insurance Agency, Sinclair Billard and Weld Limited, Sobieski & Bradley, Solid Benefit Guidance, Spanjers Insurance Agency, Spataro Insurance Agency, Specialised Broking Associates, Specialty Risk, Stackhouse Poland, Stackhouse Poland Bidco Limited, Stackhouse Poland Group Limited, Stackhouse Poland Holdings Limited, Stackhouse Poland Midco Limited, Stackouse Poland Limited, Stanton Group, Stark Johnson & Stinson Inc., Steel Agency, Strata Solicitors Ltd, Strategic Health Plans Corp., Strathearn Insurance Brokers, Strathearn Insurance Brokers (Qld) Trading Trust, Strathern Insurance Group Pty Ltd, Strathern Integration Holdco Pty Ltd, Strathern Unit Trust, Strong Financial Resources, Summit Insurance Group, Sunday and Associates, Sunderland Insurance Services, Super Advice Corporate Services Pty Ltd, Taylor Benefits, Texas Insurance Agency, Texas Insurance Managers, The BeneTex Group, The Buchholz Planning, The Chapman Group, The Commonwealth Consulting Group, The Daniels Group Inc., The EHE Group LLC, The EHE Insurance Agency LLC, The Eagle Insurance Agency LLC, The Eriksen Group, The Forker Company, The Gleason Agency, The Great Lakes Agency, The HR Group, The Hawk Agency, The Human Capital Group, The Lance Group, The Levitt/Kristan Co., The MW Bagnall Company, The Old Greenwich Consulting Group, The Parks Johnson Agency, The Plus Companies Inc., The Presidio Group, The Producers Choice, The Rains Group, The Splinter Group, The Titan Group, The Treiber Group, The Woodsmall Companies Inc., Title & Covenant Brokers Ltd., Title Investments Limited, Tom Sherwin Insurance Agency, Total Reward Group, Total Rewards Group (Holdings) Limited, Towle Agency, Transwestern, Tri-State General Insurance Agency, Triad Insurance Agency, Triad USA, Tribeca Strategic Advisors, Trinder & Norwood, Trip Mate, Trissel Graham & Toole, Tropp & Co., Tudor Risk Services, Tyloma Holdings Limited, Uni-Care Inc., Unison Inc., Universico Group, Unoccupied Direct Limited, V2V Holdings LLC, VEBA Service Group, Vasek Insurance Services Limited, Velo ACU LLC, Velo Holdings Inc., Verbag AG., Vertrue LLC, Victory Insurance Agency, Vincent L. Braband Insurance, Vital Benefits, Voluntary Benefits Solutions, W. E. Kingsley Co. Inc., WM. W. George & Associates, Walker Taylor Agency, Welling Associates, Wesfarmers Insurance - Insurance Brokerage Operations, Western Benefit Solutions, White & Company Insurance, Whitehaven Insurance Group, William Gallagher Associates Insurance Brokers, William H. Connolly & Co., Williams Insurance Agency Inc., Williams-Manny Insurance Group, Winn & Company Insurance Brokers, Wischmeyer Benefit Partners, Woodbrook Underwriting Agencies, Woods & Grooms, WorkCare Northwest, Worksite Communications, Y. S. Liedman & Associates, YOA Capsicum Reinsurance Broker Limited, Zenor Limited, Zuber Insurance Agency, and e3 Financial. The following companies are subsidiares of Prudential Financial: 210-220 E. 22nd Street SSGA Owner LLC, AIG Edison, AIG Star, AREF Cayman Co Ltd., AREF GP II Pte. Ltd., AREF GP Ltd., ASPF II - Feeder Fund GmbH, ASPF II - Verwaltungs - GmbH & Co. KG, ASPF II Management GmbH, ASPF III (Scots) L.P., ASSURANCE, AST Investment Services Inc., Adlerwerke CB Investment LLC, Administradora de Fondos de Pensiones Habitat S.A., Administradora de Inversiones Previsionales SpA, Aoba Life Insurance Company, Asia Property Fund III GP S.a.r.l., Assurance IQ LLC, Assurance Intelligence LLC, BSC CP LP, Braeloch Holdings Inc., Braeloch Successor Corporation, Brazilian Capital Fund GP Limited, Broad Street Global Advisors LLC, Broome Street Holdings LLC, CB German Retail LLC, CLIS Co. Ltd., COLICO INC., Campus Drive LLC, Capital Agricultural Property Services Inc., Chadwick Boulevard Investment Holdings Co. LLC, Cibecue LLC, Coconino LLC, Colico II Inc., Columbus Drive Partners L.P., Commerce Street Holdings LLC, Commerce Street Investments LLC, Coolidge LLC, Coral Reef GP, Coral Reef L.P., Coral Reef Unit Trust, Cottage Street Investments LLC, Cottage Street Orbit Acquisition LLC, DHFL PRAMERICA LIFE INSURANCE COMPANY LIMITED, DICKENS AVENUE HOLDINGS VI LLC, DICKENS AVENUE PARTNERS VI (Ireland) L.P., DICKENS AVENUE PARTNERS VI (US) L.P., Don Cesar Investor LLC, Dryden Arizona Reinsurance Term Company, Dryden Finance II LLC, EVP II GP S.a r.l., EVP II Sweden Resi I GP S.a r.l., Edison Place Senior Note LLC, Essex LLC, EuroCore GP S.a r.l., European Value Partners GP S.a.r.l., Everbright PGIM Fund Management Co. Ltd., Flagstaff LLC, GA 1600 Commons LLC, GA 333 Hennepin Investor LLC, GA BV LLC, GA Bay Area GP LLC, GA Bay Area Investor LLC, GA Belden LLC, GA CLARENDON LLC, GA Cal Crossings LLC, GA Collins LLC, GA E. 22nd Street Apartments Holdings LLC, GA East 86 Street LLC, GA JHCII LLC, GA MENLO PARK INVESTOR LLC, GA Manor at Harbour Island LLC, GA Metro LLC, GA Mission LLC, GA TRITON INVESTOR LLC, GA W Paces LLC, GA/MDI 333 Hennepin Associates LLC, GIBRALTAR BSN HOLDINGS SDN BHD, GIBRALTAR INDIA SOLUTIONS LLP, Gateway Holdings II LLC, Gateway Holdings LLC, German Retail Income CP LP, Gibraltar BSN Life Berhad, Gibraltar International Insurance Services Company Inc., Gibraltar International Service LLC, Gibraltar Reinsurance Company Ltd., Gibraltar Universal Life Reinsurance Company, Glenealy International Limited, Global Portfolio Strategies Inc., Gold GP Limited, Gold II L.P., Gold L.P., Graham Resources Inc., Graham Royalty Ltd., Green Tree GP, Green Tree L.P., Greenlee LLC, Halsey Street Investments LLC, Hirakata LLC, IVP Fund GP LLC, Impact Investments Bridges UK S.a.r.l, Inter-Atlantic G Fund L.P., Inversiones Previsionales Chile SpA, Inversiones Previsionales Dos SpA, Ironbound Fund LLC, Jennison Associates LLC, Kyarra S.a r.l., Kyoei Annuity Home Co. Ltd., LINEUP LLC, Lake Street Partners IV L.P., MC GA COLLINS HOLDINGS LLC, MC GA COLLINS REALTY LLC, MC Insurance Agency Services LLC, Manor at Harbour Island LLC, Marble Canyon LLC, Maricopa LLC, Market Street Holdings IV LLC, Morenci LLC, Mulberry Street Holdings LLC, Mulberry Street Investment L.P., Mulberry Street Partners LLC, Mullin TBG Insurance Agency Services LLC, MullinTBG Insurance Agency Services, National Family Assurance Group LLC, New Savanna, Orchard Street Acres Inc., PAI Bay Farm LLC, PAI Bayrock Groves LLC, PAI Belvidere Farms LLC, PAI Big Cypress Farm LLC, PAI Corcoran 640 Ranch LLC, PAI DeKalb Farm LLC, PAI Delano 1500 Ranches LLC, PAI Flicker Orchard LLC, PAI Good Hope Farm LLC, PAI Hawk Creek Ranch LLC, PAI Hills Valley Ranches LLC, PAI Holly Hill Groves LLC, PAI Hunt Farm LLC, PAI Jackson Bayou Farm LLC, PAI Lake Placid Groves LLC, PAI Wallula Gap Vineyard LLC, PCP V Cayman AIV GP L.P., PEREF II Co-Invest 1 GP S.a r.l., PEREF II GP S.a r.l., PEREF II PV S.r.l, PFI EM-Tech Fund I LLC, PG Business Service Co. Ltd, PG Collection Service Co. Ltd., PGA Asian Retail Limited, PGA European Limited, PGI Co. Ltd, PGIM (Australia) Pty Ltd, PGIM (Hong Kong) Ltd., PGIM (Scots) Limited, PGIM (Shanghai) Company Ltd., PGIM (Singapore) Pte. Ltd., PGIM AVP IV GP S.a r.l., PGIM Advisory (Shanghai) Co. Ltd., PGIM Agricultural Investments GP LLC, PGIM Agricultural Investors LP, PGIM Broad Market High Yield Bond Fund L.P., PGIM Broad Market High Yield Bond Partners LLC, PGIM Capital Partners Management (Feeder) VI LLC, PGIM Capital Partners Management Fund VI L.P., PGIM European Financing Limited, PGIM European Services Limited, PGIM Financial Limited, PGIM Fixed Income Alternatives Fund II L.P., PGIM Fixed Income Alternatives Fund L.P., PGIM Fixed Income Alternatives GP LLC, PGIM Fixed Income Alternatives II GP LLC, PGIM Foreign Investments Inc., PGIM Holding Company LLC, PGIM INDIA ASSET MANAGEMENT PRIVATE LIMITED, PGIM INDIA TRUSTEES PRIVATE LIMITED, PGIM Inc., PGIM International Financing Inc., PGIM Investments LLC, PGIM Japan Co. Ltd., PGIM Korea Inc., PGIM LTIF Berlin GP S.a r.l., PGIM LTIF Berlin MLP S.ar.l., PGIM LTIF GP S.a.r.l., PGIM Limited, PGIM Loan Originator Manager Limited, PGIM M Campus GP S.a r.l., PGIM Management Partner Limited, PGIM MetaProp Investor LP LLC, PGIM Netherlands B.V., PGIM Overseas Investment Fund Management (Shanghai) Company Ltd, PGIM Private Capital (Ireland) Limited, PGIM Private Capital Limited, PGIM Private Placement Investors Inc., PGIM Private Placement Investors L.P., PGIM REF EUROPE SCSp, PGIM REF Europe GP S.a r.l., PGIM REF Europe Member LLC, PGIM REF Intermediary Services Inc., PGIM Real Estate (Japan) Ltd., PGIM Real Estate (UK) Limited, PGIM Real Estate CD S.a.r.l., PGIM Real Estate Capital VII GP S.a r.l., PGIM Real Estate Carry & Co-Invest GP LLC, PGIM Real Estate Carry & Co-Invest GP S.a r.l., PGIM Real Estate Carry & Co-Invest L.P., PGIM Real Estate Carry & Co-Invest SCSp, PGIM Real Estate Co-Invest Holdings LLC, PGIM Real Estate Debt GmbH, PGIM Real Estate Finance Holding Company, PGIM Real Estate Finance LLC, PGIM Real Estate France SAS, PGIM Real Estate Germany AG, PGIM Real Estate Global Debt GP LLC, PGIM Real Estate Inmuebles S. de R.L. de C.V, PGIM Real Estate Italy S.r.l., PGIM Real Estate Loan Services Inc., PGIM Real Estate Luxembourg S.A., PGIM Real Estate MVP Administradora IV S. de R.L. de C.V., PGIM Real Estate MVP Administradora V S. de R.L. de C.V., PGIM Real Estate MVP Inmuebles IV S. de R.L. de C.V., PGIM Real Estate MVP Inmuebles V S. de R.L. de C.V., PGIM Real Estate Management Luxembourg S.a.r.l., PGIM Real Estate Mexico S.C., PGIM Real Estate S. de R.L. de C.V., PGIM Real Estate U.S. Debt Fund GP LLC, PGIM Senior Loan Opportunities Management (Feeder) I LLC, PGIM Senior Loan Opportunities Management Fund I L.P., PGIM Strategic Financing LLC, PGIM Strategic Investments Inc., PGIM USPF VI Manager LLC, PGIM Warehouse Inc., PGLH of Delaware Inc., PIFM Holdco LLC, PIIC Limited, PIISC Holdings (UK) Limited, PIM KF Blocker Holdings LLC, PIM KF Blocker V Holdings LLC, PIM USPF V Manager LLC, PLA Administradora Industrial SRL, PLA Administradora LLC, PLA Administradora S. de R.L. de C.V., PLA Asesoria Profesional II S. de R.L. de C.V., PLA Asesoria Profesional S.de R.L. de C.V., PLA Co-Investor LLC, PLA Mexico Industrial Manager I LLC, PLA Mexico Industrial Manager II LLC, PLA Mexico Residential Manager I LLC, PLA Residential Fund III Aggregating Manager LLC, PLA Residential Fund III Limited Manager LLC, PLA Residential Fund III Manager LLC, PLA Residential Fund IV Aggregating Manager LLC, PLA Residential Fund IV Manager LLC, PLA Retail Fund I Blue LP, PLA Retail Fund I LP, PLA Retail Fund I Manager LLC, PLA Retail Fund I Red LP, PLA Retail Fund II Aggregating Manager LLC, PLA Retail Fund II LLC, PLA Retail Fund II LP, PLA Retail Fund II Manager LLC, PLA Retail Fund II U.S. Carry/Co-Invest LP, PLA Services Manager Mexico LLC, PLAI Limited, PMCF Holdings LLC, PMCF Properties LLC, PPPF General Partner LLP, PR GA SCP Apartments LLC, PRAMERICA PRECAP VI GP (SCOTS FEEDER) LLP, PRAMERICA PRECAP VI GP LLP, PRECO ACCOUNT III LLC, PRECO ACCOUNT PARTNERSHIP III LP, PRECO Account IV LLC, PRECO Account Partnership IV LP, PRECO III GP LLP, PREFG Hanwha Manager LLC, PREI Acquisition I Inc., PREI Acquisition II Inc., PREI Acquisition LLC, PREI HYDG LLC, PREI International Inc., PRIAC Property Acquisitions LLC, PRICOA Management Partner Limited, PRISA Fund Manager LLC, PRISA II Fund Manager LLC, PRISA II Pooled Manager LLC, PRISA III Fund GP LLC, PRISA III Fund PIM LLC, PRREF II Fund Manager LLC, PRU 3XSquare LLC, PRUCO LLC, PRUDENTIAL CAPITAL ENERGY PARTNERS MANAGEMENT (FEEDER) LLC, PRUDENTIAL MORTGAGE SKP MEMBER LLC, PRUDENTIAL MORTGAGE SKP REIT LLC, PRUDENTIAL MORTGAGE SKP VENTURE 2 LLC, PRUDENTIAL MORTGAGE SKP VENTURE LLC, PT PFI Mega Life Insurance, Passaic Fund LLC, Pine Tree GP, Pine Tree L.P., Platinum GP Limited, Platinum II L.P., Platinum L.P., Pramerica (Hong Kong) Holdings Limited, Pramerica (Luxembourg) CP GP S.a.r.l., Pramerica (Scots) CP GP LLP, Pramerica Business Consulting (Shanghai) Company Limited, Pramerica EVP CP LP, Pramerica Financial Asia Headquarters Pte. Ltd., Pramerica Financial Asia Limited, Pramerica Fixed Income Funds Management Limited, Pramerica Fosun Life Insurance Co. Ltd., Pramerica General Partner LLP, Pramerica Holdings Ltd, Pramerica Insurance Agency (China) Company Ltd., Pramerica PRECAP I GP LLP, Pramerica PRECAP II GP LLP, Pramerica PRECAP III GP LLP, Pramerica PRECAP IV GP LLP, Pramerica Pan European Real Estate (Scots) LP, Pramerica Property Partners Fund (Scotland) Limited Partnership, Pramerica Real Estate Capital I (Scotland) Limited Partnership, Pramerica Real Estate Capital I GP (Scots Feeder) LLP, Pramerica Real Estate Capital II (Scots) Limited Partnership, Pramerica Real Estate Capital III (Scots) Limited Partnership, Pramerica Real Estate Capital IV (Scots) Limited Partnership, Pramerica Real Estate Capital IV GP (Scots Feeder) LLP, Pramerica Real Estate Capital IV GP Limited, Pramerica Real Estate Capital V (Netherlands) GP LLP, Pramerica Real Estate Capital V (Scots) Limited Partnership, Pramerica Real Estate Capital VI (Scots) Limited Partnership, Pramerica SGR S.p.A, Pramerica Systems Ireland Limited, Preco III (Scotland) Limited Partnership, Pru 101 Wood LLC, Pru Alpha Partners I LLC, Pru Fixed Income Emerging Markets Partners I LLC, PruVen Capital Partners Fund I L.P., Pruco Assignment Corporation, Pruco Life Insurance Company, Pruco Life Insurance Company of New Jersey, Pruco Securities LLC, Prudential 900 Aviation Boulevard LLC, Prudential Affordable Mortgage Company LLC, Prudential Agricultural Property Holding Company LLC, Prudential Annuities Distributors Inc., Prudential Annuities Holding Company Inc., Prudential Annuities Inc., Prudential Annuities Information Services & Technology Corporation, Prudential Annuities Life Assurance Corporation, Prudential Arizona Reinsurance Captive Company, Prudential Arizona Reinsurance Term Company, Prudential Arizona Reinsurance Universal Company, Prudential Bank & Trust FSB, Prudential Capital Energy Opportunity Fund L.P., Prudential Capital Energy Partners L.P., Prudential Capital Energy Partners Management Fund L.P., Prudential Capital Partners Management Fund IV L.P., Prudential Capital and Investment Services LLC, Prudential Chile II SpA, Prudential Chile SpA, Prudential Commercial Property Holding Company LLC, Prudential Customer Solutions LLC, Prudential Equity Group LLC, Prudential Financial Securities Investment Trust Enterprise, Prudential Fixed Income Global Liquidity Relative Value Partners LLC, Prudential Fixed Income U.S. Relative Value Partners LLC, Prudential Funding LLC, Prudential General Services of Japan Y.K., Prudential Gibraltar Agency Co. Ltd., Prudential Global Funding LLC, Prudential Holdings of Japan Inc., Prudential Huntoon Paige Associates LLC, Prudential IBH Holdco Inc., Prudential Impact Investments Mortgage Loans LLC, Prudential Impact Investments Private Debt LLC, Prudential Impact Investments Private Equity LLC, Prudential Industrial Properties LLC, Prudential Insurance Agency LLC, Prudential International Insurance Holdings Ltd., Prudential International Insurance Service Company L.L.C., Prudential International Investments Advisers LLC, Prudential International Investments Company LLC, Prudential International Investments LLC, Prudential Investment Management Services LLC, Prudential Japan Holdings LLC, Prudential Legacy Insurance Company of New Jersey, Prudential Life Insurance Company of Taiwan Inc., Prudential Mortgage Asset Holdings 1 Japan Investment Business Limited Partnership, Prudential Mortgage Asset Holdings 2 Japan Investment Business Limited Partnership, Prudential Mortgage Capital Asset Holding Company LLC, Prudential Mortgage Capital Funding LLC, Prudential Mortgage Capital Holdings LLC, Prudential Multifamily Mortgage LLC, Prudential Mutual Fund Services LLC, Prudential Newark Realty LLC, Prudential QOZ Investment Fund 1 LLC, Prudential Realty Securities Inc., Prudential Retirement Financial Services Holding LLC, Prudential Retirement Holdings LLC, Prudential Retirement Insurance and Annuity Company, Prudential Securities Secured Financing Corporation, Prudential Securities Structured Assets Inc., Prudential Seguros Mexico S.A. de C.V., Prudential Seguros S.A., Prudential Servicios S. de R.L. de C.V., Prudential Structured Settlement Company, Prudential Systems Japan Limited, Prudential Term Reinsurance Company, Prudential Trust Co. Ltd., Prudential Trust Company, Prudential Universal Reinsurance Company, Prudential Workplace Solutions Group Services LLC, Prudential do Brasil Seguros de Vida S.A., Prudential do Brasil Vida em Grupo S.A., Prudential/TMW Real Estate Group LLC, Pruservicos Participacoes Ltda., QMA JP EM All Cap Equity Partners LLC, QMA LLC, QMA Wadhwani LLP, Quartzsite LLC, Residential Services Corporation of America LLC, Rio CP LP, Rock European Real Estate Holdings S.ar.l., Rock Global Real Estate LLC, Rock Kensington Limited, Rock Marty GP S.a r.l., Rock Oxford S.a r.l., Rock UK Real Estate Holdings S.ar.l., Rock UK Real Estate II S.a.r.l., Rockstone Co. Ltd., Rosado Grande LLC, Ross Avenue Energy Fund Holdings LLC, Ross Avenue Minerals 2012 LLC, SCP Apartments LLC, SENIOR HOUSING PARTNERS VI GP LLC, SENIOR HOUSING PARTNERSHIP FUND VI GP LLC, SHP IV Carried Interest LP, SHP V Carried Interest L.P., SMP Holdings Inc., SVIIT Holdings Inc., Sanei Collection Service Co. Ltd. (Kabushiki Kaisha Sanei Shuuno Service), Senior Housing Partners IV L.L.C., Senior Housing Partners V LLC, Senior Housing Partnership Fund IV L.L.C., Senior Housing Partnership Fund V LLC, Sterling Private Placement Management LLP, Stetson Street Partners L.P., Strand Investments Limited, TBG Insurance Services Corporation, TENSATOR HOLDINGS LTD, TF Proveedora S.C., TMW ASPF I Verwaltungs GmbH & Co. KG, TMW ASPF Management GmbH, TMW Management LLC, TMW Real Estate Group LLC, TMW Realty Advisors LLC, TMW USPF Verwaltungs GmbH, TRGOAG Company Inc., The Gibraltar Life Insurance Co. Ltd., The Keynes Dynamic Beta Strategy (US) Fund GP LLC, The Prudential Assigned Settlement Services Corp., The Prudential Brazilian Capital Fund LP, The Prudential Gibraltar Financial Life Insurance Co. Ltd., The Prudential Home Mortgage Company Inc., The Prudential Insurance Company of America, The Prudential Life Insurance Company Ltd., The Prudential Real Estate Financial Services of America Inc., The WMF Group, Thurloe Commercial Guernsey Limited, Times Square Center Associates, USPF V - Verwaltungs - GmbH & Co. KG, USPF V Carry LLC, USPF V Co-Invest LLC, USPF V Investment LP, United States Property Fund VI GP S.a r.l., Vailsburg Fund LLC, Vantage Casualty Insurance Company, Wabash Avenue Holdings V LLC, Wabash Avenue Partners V L.P., Wadhwani Capital Limited, Waveland Avenue Holdings I LLC, Waveland Avenue Partners I (Ireland) L.P., Waveland Avenue Partners I (US) L.P., Wellness Services Ecossistema De Bem Estar Ltda., Wellness Services SRL, Yamato Life, and Yavapai LLC. Wall Street analysts have given Amerigo Resources a "N/A" rating, but there may be better buying opportunities in the stock market. Some of MarketBeat's past winning trading ideas have resulted in 5-15% weekly gains. MarketBeat just released five new stock ideas, but Amerigo Resources wasn't one of them. MarketBeat thinks these five companies may be even better buys. View MarketBeat's top stock picks here. Wang Chen, a member of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee, visited the United States from June 13 to 16 at the invitation of the U.S. Congress to promote bilateral ties. Wang, also vice chairman of the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress (NPC), met separately with U.S. House of Representatives Speaker Paul Ryan, president pro tempore of the Senate Orrin Hatch, and House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi. Wang Chen, a member of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee. [File Photo: npc.gov.cn] He also held meetings with Congressman Rick Larsen and other members of the U.S.-China Working Group, U.S. senators including Steve Daines of Montana, as well as Deputy Secretary of State John Sullivan. In the meetings, Wang dwelt on China's principles and positions on issues of trade and economy, intellectual property rights, and related legislation, among others, expressing the hope that Washington could treat the China-U.S. relations from the prospective of strategic and overall picture and properly manage sensitive issues and differences. The two sides should stick to mutual respect and win-win cooperation, Wang said, urging to strengthen communication, mutual trust and collaboration between legislative bodies of the two countries. The U.S. side said it attached great importance to the development of U.S.-China relations and was ready to enhance exchanges to increase mutual understanding and cooperation. In his four-day trip, Wang also visited Boston, where he met with lawmakers of the state of Massachusetts, and held talks with scholars of Tufts University. BANGKOK Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc said Viet Nam is ready to contribute to co-operation as part of the Cambodia-Laos-Myanmar-Viet Nam (CLMV) mechanism. Attending the 9th CLMV Summit (CLMV 9) in Bangkok, Thailand on Saturday, Phuc said Viet Nam would help the countries attend trade fairs in Viet Nam, build e-government, improve digital capacity and skills and continue to provide scholarships for Cambodian, Lao and Myanmar students. He stressed that narrowing the development gap within the ASEAN was significant to socio-economic development in Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar and Viet Nam and to the prosperity of ASEAN as a whole. The Prime Minister said there were three key factors for optimising CLMV co-operation. First, the co-operation should focus on sectors which are the strength of the countries, especially in the context of limited resources and the four countries participation in various Mekong mechanisms. He mentioned examples such as soft infrastructure connection, agriculture, tourism, human resource training and development of a sound business climate. Secondly, CLMV should be creative in mobilising resources and building projects, he said, suggesting integrating CLMV contents into other Mekong co-operation mechanisms. Thirdly, the four nations should build mid and long-term cooperation strategies to serve as a foundation for their activities. At the summit, themed For Greater Economic Integration and Connectivity, leaders of the four member states affirmed their determination to bolster collaboration to tap their economic potential, making contributions to the development of ASEAN and ensuring inclusive development in the region. The summit lauded efforts made by the states in enhancing transport connection, facilitating trade and investment, and developing human resources. Leaders of Cambodia, Laos and Myanmar thanked the Vietnamese Government for providing scholarships and training courses for their citizens. The leaders agreed on fortifying connectivity among the four economies to realise the CLMVs targets. On transportation, the four nations will work to build missing roads in their transport connectivity, upgrade sections in the North-South Economic Corridor, East-West Economic Corridor and South Economic Corridor, accelerate construction of the Vientiane-Ha Noi expressway and study building a road running through Myanmar, Laos and Viet Nam. On trade, investment and industrial co-operation, they will carry out existing agreements, organise trade and investment promotion activities, stimulate border trade and development of e-commerce, slash trade barriers, branch out special economic and industrial zones, build mechanisms to support small and medium enterprises and share experience in industrial development. To push tourism development, an action plan on tourism co-operation during 2016-18 will be fully implemented. The four nations will create favourable conditions for travel associations to attend regional tourism events and encourage public-private partnerships in tourism and foster aviation connectivity. The four nations will continue the CLMV scholarship programme financed by the Vietnamese Government during 2016-20, study establishing a database on labour demand and vocational training programmes. In agricultural co-operation, the countries will improve productivity, diversify agricultural products and connect farm produce with consumption markets. They will also expand ties in fisheries and forestry, share good practices and promote sustainable agriculture. Regarding energy, they study new, clean and renewable energy sources, the sustainable management and use of natural resources, including water resources, encourage the harmonisation of electrical technical standards and build of common mechanisms for electricity transmission pricing. The countries will share knowledge in building policies and regulations developing the information and communications technology (ICT) sector, promoting ICT connectivity among them, expand co-operation in cyber security and support ICT enterprises. Leaders at the summit assigned senior officials to study streamlining CLMV operations and better combine CLMV co-operation with other Mekong co-operation mechanisms. At the end of the summit, the leaders adopted a joint statement of the CLMV 9 and agreed that Laos would host the CLMV 10. PM attends ACMECS On the same day, Phuc suggested measures to make Ayeyawady-Chao Phraya-Mekong Economic Cooperation Strategy (ACMECS) co-operation more effective at the 8th ACMECS summit that opened in Bangkok. He said it was necessary to push for co-ordination between ACMECS members and development partners, and build a common voice. Greater attention should be paid to the mobilisation of financial sources via initiatives like the ACMECS Fund and ACMECS Infrastructure Fund and Trust, the PM noted. He said ACMECS operation mechanism should be improved to be leaner and more effective, suggesting holding ACMECS meetings in conjunction with events held by ASEAN and other Mekong co-operation mechanisms. The PM added that ACMECS needs to become an integral part of the ASEAN Community formation process through integrating the implementation of the ACMECS Master Plan with that of the ASEAN Community Vision 2025, the Master Plan on ASEAN Connectivity and other ASEAN co-operation programmes. The Vietnamese PM also recommended co-operation plans in transport connectivity, trade-investment, agriculture, tourism, environmental protection, natural resources management and human resources development. Besides Phuc, the ACMECS 8 was attended by leaders of Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar and Thailand. Themed Towards an Integrated and Connected ACMECS Community, ACMECS 8 focused its discussions on measures to facilitate socio-economic development, improve competitiveness of member economies and outlined plans for inclusive and sustainable development in the region. Leaders agreed that the Mekong region boasts a wide market, capable human resources and a strategic geo-economic location connecting the Indian Ocean with the Pacific and Asian markets. However, regional countries face challenges from the slow recovery of the world economy, the emergence of populism, the return of protectionism, non-traditional security issues, climate change and natural disasters, requiring ACMECS to improve the efficiency of its co-operation. Participants adopted the Bangkok Declaration and the ACMECS Master Plan for 2019-2023 with the goal of turning ACMECS into an economic hub with seamless connectivity, on the three main pillars of hard infrastructure and soft infrastructure connectivity and smart and sustainable development. Accordingly, ACMECS will promote connectivity from multi-modal transports links including infrastructure designed for sub-regional digital connectivity and energy infrastructure interconnection. Emphasis will be put on filling missing links in the sub-region, auxiliary connection lines linking industrial parks and seaports to main corridor routes and completing missing railway links to improve the sub-regional railway network. It will also harmonise and simplify rules and regulations to facilitate the movement of people, free flow of goods, services and investment while promoting financial literacy, capital market co-operation as well as financial connectivity such as payment and settlement, use of local currency, fintech and co-operation between banks. For smart and sustainable development, ACMECS will promote the development of human capital in strategic areas including entrepreneurship, agriculture, tourism, medical services and education. Environmental co-operation will be promoted, particularly in sustainable water resource management, agriculture, industry, tourism, health, renewable energy, climate change, disaster-risk management and natural resources conservation. The summit also discussed Thailands initiative to establish the ACMECS Fund and ACMECS Infrastructure Fund and Trust as a financing mechanism for projects in the region. The summit highlighted the role of businesses in and outside of the region, with the ACMECS CEO Forum and a dialogue between ACMECS country leaders and CEOs of companies in the region taking place for the first time. ACMECS leaders also welcomed Viet Nams hosting of the World Economic Forum on ASEAN in Ha Noi on September 1113 this year. They said it would be an opportunity to highlight the Mekong region as ASEANs new dynamic economic engine and promote entrepreneurship in ACMECS countries. They agreed that Cambodia will host the 9th ACMECS Summit in 2020. PM active on sidelines of ACMECS 8, CLMV 9 PM Phuc was also kept busy with on the sidelines of the ACMECS 8 and CLMV 9. He began the day with a meeting over breakfast with his Lao and Cambodian counterparts Thongloun Sisoulith and Hun Sen. They discussed measures to reinforce the three countries co-operation focusing on projects on transport connectivity and human resources training. PM Phuc pledged that Viet Nam would support Laos and Cambodia in boosting human resources capacity to narrow their development gap with other ASEAN member states and implement the ASEAN Community Vision 2025. Later during the day, the Vietnamese PM had separate meetings with Myanmar President U Win Myint and Secretary General of ASEAN Lim Jock Hoi. In the meeting with Lim Jock Hoi, Phuc lauded the role of the ASEAN Secretariat in helping the CLMV group shorten the development gap with other members in the bloc. Also on Saturday the Vietnamese PM received leaders of several Thai businesses which are investing in Viet Nam, including Thai Beverage Public Company Limited and Siam Cement Public Company Limited. On Saturday afternoon, Phuc left Bangkok for Ha Noi, concluding the trip to attend the ACMECS 8 and CLMV 9. VNS The Toronto-Dominion Bank, together with its subsidiaries, provides various personal and commercial banking products and services in Canada and the United States. It operates through three segments: Canadian Retail, U.S. Retail, and Wholesale Banking. The company offers personal deposits, such as chequing, savings, and investment products; financing, investment, cash management, international trade, and day-to-day banking services to businesses; and financing options to customers at point of sale for automotive and recreational vehicle purchases through auto dealer network. It also provides credit cards; real estate secured lending; auto finance; consumer lending; point-of-sale payment solutions for large and small businesses; wealth and asset management products, private banking, investment advisory, and trust services to retail and institutional clients; and property and casualty insurance, as well as life and health insurance products. The company also provides capital markets, and corporate and investment banking services, including underwriting and distribution of new debt and equity issues; advice on strategic acquisitions and divestitures; and trading, funding, and investment services to companies, governments, and institutions. It offers its products and services under the TD Bank and America's Most Convenient Bank brand names. The company operates through a network of 1,085 branches, 3,440 automated teller machines, and 1,223 stores, as well as offers telephone, digital, and mobile banking services. The Toronto-Dominion Bank was founded in 1855 and is headquartered in Toronto, Canada. Read More HCM CITY As many as 130 delegates from six countries will share experiences about smart tourism at the 8th Tourism Promotion Organisation for Asia Pacific Cities (TPO) Forum from June 21-22 in HCM City. The biennial forum, with the theme of Smart Tourism, is being held for the first time in Viet Nam, according to Nguyen Thi Anh Hoa, deputy director of HCM Citys Department of Tourism. Representatives from 25 member cities will give presentations about their smart tourism promotions and services, Hoa said at a press meeting held in HCM City on Friday (June 15). Hoa said the event is a great opportunity for the citys tourism sector to develop new ideas and strategies for smart tourism. As the host city of the TPO forum, HCM City will also have a chance to promote the countrys tourism industry as well as strengthen cooperation with other member cities of TPO. The forum will include city leaders, policymakers and officials in the tourism sector from member cities, according to Shin Yeon-sung, Secretary General of TPO. Forum delegates will discuss the use of technology in tourism, which is now in an early stage in TPO member cities. Various programmes will be held in conjunction with the main events of the forum, including a TPO travel-trade and smart-tourism product exhibition that will promote tourism brands and resources of member cities via one-on-one consultations with major travel agencies and tourism-related institutions. The 31st TPO Executive Committee Meeting and the TPO Bilateral Meeting will also be held during the event. The members of the Executive Committee will discuss issues related to the operation of the TPO such as budget plans, joint projects, and the admission of new members. The Bilateral Meeting for TPO Member Cities will provide a chance for one-on-one talks between member cities in a more personal setting and will enhance mutual cooperation and exchange. The Tourism Promotion Organisation for Asia Pacific Cities, with 85 member cities and 45 industry members from 10 countries and territories, is an international organisation established in 2002 to promote the exchange and development of the tourism industry in major cities in the Asia Pacific region. The first forum took place in Busan, South Korea in 2004. VNS Embraer SA engages in the design, manufacture, and sale of aircraft and its parts for commercial, defense, and executive aviation sectors. It operates through the following segments: Commercial Aviation, Defense and Security, Executive Jet Business, Service & Support and Others. The Commercial Aviation segment is involved in the development, production, and sale of commercial jets; and the provision of support services to regional aviation and aircraft leasing. The Defense and Security segment engages in research, development, production, modification, and support for defense and security aircrafts, as well as other integrated products and solutions including satellites and information and communication systems. The Executive Jet Business segment deals with the development, manufacture, and sale of executive jets. The Service & Support segment provides after-service solutions and support to its customers through a comprehensive portfolio of innovative and competitive solutions to ensure operational efficiency of products manufactured by Embraer and by other aircraft manufacturers, extending the useful life of commercial, executive and defense aircraft. The Others segment refers to Read More HDFC Bank Ltd. engages in the provision of banking and financial services, including commercial banking and treasury operations. The firm also provides financial services to upper and middle income individuals and corporations in India. It operates through the following segments: Treasury, Retail Banking, Wholesale Banking and Other Banking Operations. The Treasury segment consists of bank's investment portfolio, money market borrowing and lending, investment operations and trading in foreign exchange and derivative contracts. The Retail Banking segment provides loans and other services to customers through a branch network and other delivery channels. The Wholesale Banking segment provides loans, non-fund facilities and transaction services to large corporates, emerging corporates, public sector units, government bodies, financial institutions, and medium scale enterprises. The Other Banking Business segment includes income from para banking activities such as credit cards, debit cards, third party product distribution, primary dealership business, and the associated costs. The company was founded by Aditya Tapishwar Puri in August 1994 and is headquartered in Mumbai, India. Read More The following companies are subsidiares of TE Connectivity: 999 Arques Corp., ABB ENTRELEC terminal block business, ACC Telecommunications, ADC Chile Limitada, ADC Communications (SEA) Pte. Ltd., ADC Communications (UK) Holding Ltd., ADC Communications (UK) Ltd., ADC Communications Hong Kong Limited, ADC Telecommunications Equipment (Shanghai) Co., AMP Amermex, AMP Products Pacific Limited, AMP Taiwan B.V., AMP Trading B.V., AMP de Venezuela, Acalon Holdings Limited, Advanced Fiber Products LLC, Advanced Fiber Products Limited, Advanced Tube Technologies, AdvancedCath, AdvancedCath Technologies, Alpha Technics, American Sensor Technologies, Betatherm (R&D) Limited, Brantner Holding Company, Brantner and Associates, Butterfly Management SAS, C.S. Tyco Decisive Inc., C.S. Tyco Dependable Inc., C.S. Tyco Durable Inc., C.S. Tyco Reliance Inc., C.S. Tyco Resolute Inc., C.S. Tyco Responder Inc., CII Guardian International Limited, Cablotec GmbH, Carrier Kheops Bac SAS, Catheter and Disposable Technology, Celis Eletrocomponentes Ltda., Cima de Acuna S.A. de C.V., Clarebury Pty. Ltd., Codenoll Technology Corporation, Communication Expert International Investments Limited, Compagnie Deutsch Distribution SAS, Compagnie Deutsch SAS, Comtec Systeme GmbH, Connecteurs Electriques Deutsch SAS, Corcom, Corcom West Indies Limited, Cotsworks LLC, Creganna, Creganna Captial Holding Ireland Unlimited Company, Creganna Finance (US) LLC, Creganna Finance Ireland Limited, Creganna Luxembourg SARL, Creganna Medical Devices, Creganna Medical Pte. Limited, Creganna Medical Technology Unlimited, Creganna Medical s.r.l., Creganna Regulatory, Creganna Solutions Limited, Creganna Solutions Unlimited Company, Creganna Tactx Singapore Limited, Creganna Unlimited Company, Cregstar Bidco Limited, Critchley Group Limited, Crompton Instruments (South-East Asia) Pte. Ltd., Deutsch, Deutsch Connectors Hong Kong Limited, Deutsch Connectors Manufacturing (Shanghai) Co., Deutsch Connectors Trading (Shanghai) Co., Deutsch Finance SAS, Deutsch GB Limited, Deutsch Group SAS, Deutsch India Power Connectors (Pvt) Ltd, Deutsch Israel Ltd., Deutsch SAS, Deutsch Servicios S. de R.L. De C.V., Deutsch Subco Limited, Deutsch UK, F.A.I. Technology (Hong Kong) Limited, First Sensor, Grangehurst Enterprises Pty. Ltd., Hirschmann Car Communication, Hong Kong Sensors Technologies Limited, Howard A. Schaevitz Technologies, Intercontec Connector System (Shanghai) Co., Intercontec Produkt GmbH, Intercontect Pfeiffer Industrie-Steckverbindungen GmbH, Jaquet North America, Jaquet Technology Group AG, Kemex Holding Company, Kenabell Holding Limited, LADD Distribution LLC, LADD Distribution Limited, LSA, MEAS Asia Limited, MEAS Europe SAS, MEAS France SAS, MEAS Ireland (Betatherm) Limited, MEAS Norway AS, MEAS Shenzhen Limited, MEAS Switzerland S.a r.l., MEAS US Holding, MP&E, Measurement Specialties, Measurement Specialties (Chengdu) Ltd., Measurement Specialties (China) Ltd., Measurement Specialties (China) Ltd. Production Branch, Measurement Specialties Foreign Holdings LLC, Measurement Technology (Chengdu) Ltd., Medical Engineering & Design, MicroGroup, Morlynn Ceramics Pty. Ltd., Nikkiso-Therm Co., PT KRONE Indonesia, PT. Tyco Electronics Indonesia, Pfeiffer GmbH & Co KG, Pfeiffer Verwaltungs GmbH, Polamco, Polamco Limited, Potter & Brumfield de Mexico, Precision Interconnect LLC, Precision Subsea AS, Precision Wire Components, Precision Wire Holding Company, Produxx, RAYCHEM-RPG Private Limited, Raychem (HK) Limited, Raychem (Shanghai) Trading Ltd, Raychem China Limited, Raychem Dominicana S.A., Raychem Industries BVBA, Raychem International LLC, Raychem International Manufacturing LLC, Raychem Juarez, Raychem Limited, Raychem Ltd., Raychem Pacific Corporation, Raychem Saudi Arabia Limited, Raychem Shanghai Cable Accessories Ltd, Raychem Technologies Limited, Rochester Wire and Cable LLC, SEACON Advanced Products LLC, Seacon (Europe) Limited, Seacon Global Production, Seacon Produtos e Servicos Opticos e Eletricos Ltda., Sensitive Object, Servo Interconnect Limited, Shanghai CII Electronics Co., Shenzhen Century Man Communication Equipment Co., Sibas Electronics (Xiamen) Co., TCN Holding (Luxembourg) S.a.r.l., TE Connectivity (Barbados) SRL, TE Connectivity (Denmark) ApS, TE Connectivity (HKZ) Holding Limited, TE Connectivity (Kunshan) Company Limited, TE Connectivity (Netherlands) Holding S.a r.l. - Irish Branch, TE Connectivity (Schweiz) Management AG, TE Connectivity (Suzhou) Co., TE Connectivity Argentina S.R.L., TE Connectivity Australia Pty Ltd, TE Connectivity Colombia S.A.S., TE Connectivity Connectors (Suzhou) Co., TE Connectivity Distribution (Thailand) Limited, TE Connectivity EMEA Holding GmbH, TE Connectivity Germany GmbH, TE Connectivity HK Limited, TE Connectivity Holding International II S.a r.l., TE Connectivity Holding International II S.a r.l. Luxembourg (LU) Schaffhausen E-Finance branch, TE Connectivity Holding International II S.a r.l. Luxembourg (LU) Schaffhausen branch, TE Connectivity Holding International II S.a r.l. (Ireland Branch), TE Connectivity Holding International S.A., TE Connectivity Inc., TE Connectivity India Private Limited, TE Connectivity Investments Holding S.A., TE Connectivity Investments Holding S.A. Luxembourg (LU) Schaffhausen branch, TE Connectivity Ireland Limited, TE Connectivity LATAM Holding S.a r.l., TE Connectivity LATAM I S.a r.l., TE Connectivity LATAM II S.a r.l., TE Connectivity Limited, TE Connectivity MOG Europe S.a r.l., TE Connectivity MOG Holding S.a r.l., TE Connectivity MOG Inc., TE Connectivity MOG Sales GmbH, TE Connectivity Manufacturing (Thailand) Company Limited, TE Connectivity Manufacturing Sdn. Bhd., TE Connectivity Morocco SARL, TE Connectivity Nederland B.V., TE Connectivity Netherlands (Poland II) Cooperatief U.A., TE Connectivity Netherlands (Turkey) B.V., TE Connectivity Netherlands Cooperatief U.A., TE Connectivity Phoenix Optix Inc., TE Connectivity Seacon Phoenix Inc., TE Connectivity Sensors Germany GmbH, TE Connectivity Services India Private Limited, TE Connectivity Solutions GmbH, TE Connectivity South Africa Proprietary Limited, TE Connectivity Spain, TE Connectivity SubCom S.L.U., TE Connectivity SubCom Spain Holding S.L.U., TE Connectivity Technology Solutions Limited, TE Connectivity Tunisia Sarl, TE Connectivity ULC, TE Connectivity US Group Holding Inc., TE Connectivity Vietnam Holding Company Limited, TYCO Electronics Polska Sp.z.o.o., TYCO SUBMARINE SYSTEMS INC., TacPro, Tactx Medical, Taicang Speed & Spin Sensors Co., Taliq Taiwan Limited, Tappat Engineering Pty Ltd, TechDevice Costa Rica Limitada, TechDevice Holdings, TechDevice LLC, The Whitaker LLC, Transoceanic Cable Ship Company LLC, TyCom Holdings II SA, TyCom Networks (Peru) S.A., Tyco Electronics (AMP Korea) Malta Limited, Tyco Electronics (Dongguan) Ltd, Tyco Electronics (Gibraltar) Holding Limited, Tyco Electronics (Gibraltar) Limited, Tyco Electronics (Korea) Malta Limited, Tyco Electronics (Kunshan) Ltd, Tyco Electronics (Malaysia) Sdn. Bhd., Tyco Electronics (Qingdao) Ltd., Tyco Electronics (Schweiz) Holding II GmbH, Tyco Electronics (Shanghai) Co., Tyco Electronics (Shenzhen) Co. Ltd., Tyco Electronics (Suzhou) Ltd., Tyco Electronics (Zhuhai) Ltd, Tyco Electronics AMP Guangdong Ltd, Tyco Electronics AMP Italia Products S.R.L., Tyco Electronics AMP Italia S.R.L., Tyco Electronics AMP Korea Co., Tyco Electronics AMP Manufacturing (S) Pte Ltd, Tyco Electronics AMP Qingdao Ltd., Tyco Electronics AMP Shanghai Ltd., Tyco Electronics Austria GmbH, Tyco Electronics Belgium EC BVBA, Tyco Electronics Brasil Ltda., Tyco Electronics Canada ULC, Tyco Electronics China (Gibraltar) Limited, Tyco Electronics Componentes Electromecanicos Lda., Tyco Electronics Corby Limited, Tyco Electronics Corporation, Tyco Electronics Czech s.r.o., Tyco Electronics Del Peru S.A.C., Tyco Electronics EC Trutnov s.r.o., Tyco Electronics EC Verwaltungsgesellschaft mbH, Tyco Electronics Eta Limited, Tyco Electronics Finance Alpha GmbH, Tyco Electronics Finance S.a r.l., Tyco Electronics Finland Oy, Tyco Electronics France SAS, Tyco Electronics Germany Holdings GmbH, Tyco Electronics Group S.A., Tyco Electronics Group S.A. (French Branch), Tyco Electronics Group S.A. (Ireland Branch), Tyco Electronics H.K. Limited, Tyco Electronics Hellas MEPE, Tyco Electronics Holding Corp., Tyco Electronics Holding France, Tyco Electronics Holding S.a r.l., Tyco Electronics Holdings (Bermuda) No. 7 Limited, Tyco Electronics Holdings (Bermuda) No. 7 Limited Taiwan Branch, Tyco Electronics Hong Kong Holdings No. 1 Limited, Tyco Electronics Hong Kong Holdings No. 2 Limited, Tyco Electronics Hong Kong Holdings No. 3 Limited, Tyco Electronics Hungary Termelo Kft, Tyco Electronics Idento, Tyco Electronics India (Gibraltar) Limited, Tyco Electronics Industrial Y Comercial Chile Limitada, Tyco Electronics Integrated Cable Systems LLC, Tyco Electronics Ireland Limited, Tyco Electronics Israel Ltd., Tyco Electronics Italia Holding S.r.l., Tyco Electronics Japan G.K., Tyco Electronics Lambda, Tyco Electronics Latin America Holding LLC, Tyco Electronics Manufacturing Singapore Pte Ltd, Tyco Electronics Mexico, Tyco Electronics Middle East FZE, Tyco Electronics Motors Ltd, Tyco Electronics NZ Limited, Tyco Electronics Netherlands (Germany Holding) S.a r.l., Tyco Electronics Netherlands (Gibraltar China) Cooperatief U.A., Tyco Electronics Netherlands (Gibraltar India) Cooperatief U.A., Tyco Electronics Netherlands (India) Cooperatief U.A., Tyco Electronics Netherlands Holding B.V., Tyco Electronics Norge AS, Tyco Electronics Philippines, Tyco Electronics Precision Engineering Ltd., Tyco Electronics Printed Circuit Group LP, Tyco Electronics RIMC Holding LLC, Tyco Electronics RUS OOO, Tyco Electronics Raychem GmbH, Tyco Electronics Raychem Korea Limited, Tyco Electronics SIMEL SAS, Tyco Electronics Saudi Arabia Limited, Tyco Electronics Services GmbH, Tyco Electronics Singapore Pte Ltd, Tyco Electronics Subsea Communications LLC, Tyco Electronics Svenska AB, Tyco Electronics Svenska Holdings AB, Tyco Electronics Technology (SIP) Co., Tyco Electronics Technology (SIP) Ltd., Tyco Electronics Tecnologias S. de R.L. de C.V., Tyco Electronics UK Holdings Ltd, Tyco Electronics UK Ltd., Tyco Electronics UK Ltd. (Kenya Branch), Tyco Electronics Ukraine Limited, Tyco Electronics Uruguay S.A., Tyco Electronics Verwaltungs GmbH, Tyco Electronics Wireless Systems B.V., Tyco Electronics de Venezuela, Tyco Elektronik AMP Ticaret Limited Sirketi, Tyco Global Networks Ltd., Tyco Iberia, Tyco International Services GmbH, Tyco Networks (Argentina) S.R.L., Tyco Networks (Italy) Srl, Tyco Networks (Netherlands) B.V., Tyco Networks Iberica, Tyco Submarine Systems, Tyco Submarine Systems C.A., Tyco Submarine Systems de Argentina S.A., Tyco Telecommunications Ltd., Wema Americas LLC, Wema Automotive System Private Limited, Wema Environmental Technologies (Shanghai) Co., Wema Environmental Technologies (Shenzhen) Co., Wema Environmental Technologies Ltd., Wema System AG, Wema System AS, Wema System Hong Kong Limited, Wema System Production and Distribution HK Limited, Xiamen Delixing Electric Equipment Businesss, and motec Montage GmbH. AK Steel Holding Corporation, through its subsidiary, AK Steel Corporation, produces flat-rolled carbon, and stainless and electrical steel products in the United States and internationally. It produces flat-rolled carbon steel products, including coated, cold-rolled, and hot-rolled carbon steel products; grain-oriented specialty stainless and electrical steels; and carbon and stainless steel tubing products. The company also buys and sells steel and steel products, as well as other materials; and produces metallurgical coal from reserves in Somerset County, Pennsylvania. It sells its flat-rolled carbon steel products, primarily to automotive manufacturers and their suppliers; customers in the infrastructure and manufacturing markets, including the manufacturers of power transmission and distribution transformers, who produce equipment for the electrical grid, as well as electrical motors and generators; and manufacturers of heating, ventilation, and air conditioning equipment, and appliances. The company also sells its carbon steel products to distributors, service centers, and converters. AK Steel Holding Corporation was founded in 1993 and is headquartered in West Chester, Ohio. Read More The following companies are subsidiares of Hewlett Packard Enterprise: 3Com International Inc., 3PAR Inc., Apogee, Aruba Networks Inc., Aruba Networks International Cayman, Aruba Networks International Limited, BlueData Software, Cloud Cruiser, Cloud Technology Partners, Cloud Technology Partners Inc., Compaq Computer (Mauritius), Compaq Trademark B.V., Cray, Cray Inc., EDS World Corporation (Far East) LLC, EYP Mission Critical Facilities Inc., H3C Holdings Limited, HP Enterprise Services Australia Pty Ltd, HP Financial Services (Australia) Pty Limited, HP Financial Services (Chile) Limitada, HP Financial Services (Japan) K.K., HP Financial Services Arrendamento Mercantil S.A., HP Financial Services Company (Korea), HP Financial Services International Holdings Company, HPE Government LLC, HPFS Global Holdings I LLC, HPFS Global Holdings II LLC, HPFS Rental S.R.L., Hangzhou H3C Technologies Co. Ltd, Hewlett Packard Caribe BV LLC, Hewlett Packard Colombia Ltda., Hewlett Packard Enterprise (China) Co. Ltd., Hewlett Packard Enterprise B.V., Hewlett Packard Enterprise B.V. Amstelveen Meyrin Branch, Hewlett Packard Enterprise Canada Co., Hewlett Packard Enterprise Canada Co. Hewlett Packard Enterprise Canada Cie, Hewlett Packard Enterprise Costa Rica Limitada, Hewlett Packard Enterprise GlobalSoft Private Limited, Hewlett Packard Enterprise India Private Limited, Hewlett Packard Enterprise Ireland Limited, Hewlett Packard Enterprise Luxembourg SCA, Hewlett Packard Enterprise Polska sp. z o.o., Hewlett Packard Pathfinder LLC, Hewlett Packard Taiwan Ltd., Hewlett-Packard (Israel) Ltd., Hewlett-Packard (M) Sdn. Bhd., Hewlett-Packard (Nigeria) Limited, Hewlett-Packard (Schweiz) GmbH, Hewlett-Packard (Tanzania) Limited, Hewlett-Packard (Thailand) Limited, Hewlett-Packard ApS, Hewlett-Packard Argentina S.R.L., Hewlett-Packard Asia Pacific Pte. Ltd., Hewlett-Packard Australia Pty Ltd, Hewlett-Packard Belgium SPRL/BVBA, Hewlett-Packard Bermuda Enterprises LLC, Hewlett-Packard Brasil Ltda., Hewlett-Packard Bulgaria EOOD, Hewlett-Packard Caribe B.V., Hewlett-Packard Caribe Y Andina B.V. LLC, Hewlett-Packard Chile Comercial Limitada, Hewlett-Packard Cyprus Ltd, Hewlett-Packard Ecuador Cia. Ltda., Hewlett-Packard Egypt Ltd., Hewlett-Packard Financial Services (India) Private Limited, Hewlett-Packard Financial Services Canada Company, Hewlett-Packard Financial Services Company, Hewlett-Packard France SAS, Hewlett-Packard G1 SPV (Cayman) Company, Hewlett-Packard Gesellschaft mbH, Hewlett-Packard Ghana Limited, Hewlett-Packard GmbH, Hewlett-Packard Guatemala Limitada, Hewlett-Packard HK SAR Ltd., Hewlett-Packard Hellas EPE, Hewlett-Packard Holdings Ltd., Hewlett-Packard International Bank Designated Activity Company, Hewlett-Packard International Bank Public Limited Company, Hewlett-Packard International Sarl, Hewlett-Packard Italiana S.r.l., Hewlett-Packard Japan Ltd., Hewlett-Packard Korea Ltd., Hewlett-Packard Leasing Limited, Hewlett-Packard Limited, Hewlett-Packard Luxembourg Enterprises LLC, Hewlett-Packard Macau Limited, Hewlett-Packard Manufacturing Ltd, Hewlett-Packard Marigalante Ltd., Hewlett-Packard Mexico S. de R.L. de C.V., Hewlett-Packard Middle East FZ-LLC, Hewlett-Packard Mocambique Limitada - Sociedada em Liquidacao, Hewlett-Packard Nederland B.V., Hewlett-Packard New Zealand, Hewlett-Packard Norge AS, Hewlett-Packard OY, Hewlett-Packard Operations Mexico S. de R.L. de C.V., Hewlett-Packard Peru S.R.L., Hewlett-Packard Philippines Corporation, Hewlett-Packard Portugal Lda., Hewlett-Packard SARL, Hewlett-Packard SIA, Hewlett-Packard Servicios Espana S.L., Hewlett-Packard Singapore (Sales) Pte. Ltd., Hewlett-Packard South Africa (Proprietary) Limited, Hewlett-Packard Sverige AB, Hewlett-Packard Technology Center Inc., Hewlett-Packard Teknoloji Cozumleri Limited Sirketi, Hewlett-Packard The Hague B.V., Hewlett-Packard Venezuela S.R.L., Hewlett-Packard Vision Limited, Hewlett-Packard d.o.o., Hewlett-Packard s.r.o., Limited Liability Company Hewlett Packard Enterprise, MapR Technologies, New H3C Technologies Co. Ltd., Niara Inc., Nimble Storage, Nimble Storage Inc., Nimble Storage Israel Ltd, Nimble Storage Japan GK, Nimble Storage UK Limited, Plexxi, RedPixie, SGI (Silicon Graphics), Sapphire Holding Co, Scytale, Shanghai Hewlett-Packard Co. Ltd., Silver Peak, SimpliVity, Sinope Holding B.V., Trilead, UAB ES Hague Lietuva, and Unis Huashan Technologies Co. Limited. LAO CAI Police in the northern province of Lao Cai arrested two men on Saturday caught in possession of 8kg of heroin. Giang A Pao, 39, and Vang A Pia, 36, from ien Bien Province were arrested as they were delivering the heroin to a local hostel in Lao Cai Provinces Ban Phiet Commune. Phia admitted to police that he was hired by a foreigner to sell the drugs for VN540 million per kilo (US$4,300). Police in the northern province of Thanh Hoa also arrested a man on Friday afternoon for illegally storing 6,000 methamphetamine pills at his house in Muong Lat Districts Trung Ly Commune. Giang A Su said he was paid VN4 million ($175) to store the pills for a man from Laos for five months. Border soldiers in the central province of Quang Binh arrested a man for illegally trafficking nearly 48,000 methamphetamine pills from Laos to Viet Nam at an area near the Cha Lo International Border Gate. Local police are investigating the case. VNS McDermott International, Inc. provides engineering, procurement, construction and installation, and technology solutions to the energy industry worldwide. It operates through five segments: North, Central and South America; Europe, Africa, Russia and Caspian; the Middle East and North Africa; Asia Pacific; and Technology. It designs, engineers, and constructs upstream offshore oil and gas facilities, downstream oil and gas facilities, gas-fired power plants, liquefied natural gas import and export terminals, atmospheric and refrigerated storage vessels and terminals, water storage and treatment facilities, pipe and module fabrication, hydrocarbon processing facilities, pipe fabrication and manufacturing, and refining and petrochemical facilities. The company also provides gas processing, refining, petrochemical and coal gasification technologies, as well as a supplies catalysts, equipment, and related engineering services. It serves national, integrated, and other oil and gas companies, as well as producers of petrochemicals and electric power. McDermott International, Inc. was founded in 1923 and is headquartered in Houston, Texas. Read More Surge Energy Inc. explores for, develops, and produces oil and gas in western Canada. The company holds interest in the Greater Sawn Lake assets located in Northern Alberta; Valhalla/Wembley property located in northwestern Alberta; Sparky assets located between Provost and Wainwright in eastern Alberta and western Saskatchewan; and Shaunavon properties located to the southwest of Swift Current, Saskatchewan. It holds an average working interest of approximately 83% in approximately 109,941 net developed acres and approximately 92% in approximately 152,344 net undeveloped acres in Greater Sawn area; approximately 70% in approximately 16,032 net developed acres and approximately 74% in approximately 8,208 net undeveloped acres in Valhalla area; and approximately 76% in approximately 80,213 net developed acres and 96% in approximately 58,598 net undeveloped acres in Sparky area; and approximately 61% in approximately 88,178 net developed acres and approximately 39% in approximately 10,483 net undeveloped acres in Edmonton and other minor areas. As of December 31, 2020, it held interests in 316 net oil and 13 net gas wells in Greater Sawn area; 56 net oil and 4 net gas wells in Valhalla area; 466 net oil and 10 net gas wells in Sparky area; 176 net oil wells, as well as an average working interest of approximately 100% in approximately 23,409 net developed acres and 13,698 net undeveloped acres in the Shaunavon properties; and 28 net oil wells and 7 net gas wells in Edmonton and other minor areas. The company was formerly known as Zapata Energy Corporation and changed its name to Surge Energy Inc. in June 2010. Surge Energy Inc. was incorporated in 1998 and is headquartered in Calgary, Canada. Read More Local expert: Bon Nieng Ha Sao is known as the last carving artisan of the Cil ethnic community. Viet Nam News by Ngoc Nga The Neu pole (a tall bamboo post put up in front of a private or communal house) plays an important role in the spiritual life of the Cil ethnic minority people in the Central Highlands province of Lam ong. The pole, symbolising the connection between humans and the gods, is often put up in front of a communal house during important ceremonies or festivals. It is believed that when the neu pole is erected, the gods will participate in the event and bestow blessings on local people. The locals often carve the pole with delicate patterns featuring vignettes of daily life and their wishes. Bon Nieng Ha Sao, a native of ung KNo Commune of Lam ong Province, is known as an artisan who can carve almost any traditional patterns of the Cil people onto the neu pole. If you want to learn about the decorations and culture of the Cil, then you should find Bon Nieng Ha Sao, said Phi Sron Ha Nrang from ung KNo Commune. Several years ago, before Sao moved in with his wifes family, his father-in-law introduced him to the art of carving and taught him the meaning of the decorative patterns of the Cil. As his father-in-law got older, his eyes and hands were not as sharp as before, and he asked Sao to take over the craft. The more Sao practised, the better he became. Sao is now able to carve designs not only on the neu pole but also on tobacco pipes and boxes, flutes, and quivers. Sao is now an experienced artisan, yet he still remembers his first days on the job. He said he was so bewildered, as he didnt know how to carve the delicate lines into the big, straight pole. This job requires special attention and takes lots of time, therefore patience is crucial. When my father-in-law was alive, he and I would sit under the tree in front of our house and carve these works of art. He would sit near me and tell me the stories and meanings behind every single pattern. I learned everything from him, said Sao. I think its the way things work to master a skill, one has to understand its meaning first, said Sao. Intricate: Sao carves on not only neu poles but also pipes, flutes and tobacco boxes. VNS Photos Ngoc Nga Through this training, Saos father-in-law not only taught him the skills of carving and the importance of local traditions, but also inspired in him the love for the craft and a sense of responsibility to preserve the artform. Working on the fields might have made his hands hard and calloused, yet when it comes to carving, his hands are delicate and dexterous. A small, sharp knife is all he needs. Sao dedicates all of his concentration to the work and slowly carves thin lines into the surface of the wood. Its not simply a decoration, its whats really happening in the lives of the Cil people over the years, Sao said about the patterns he loves so much. Each pattern has a story Sao showed off a short neu pole that he has just finished carving for a family in am Ron to celebrate their new house, patiently explaining the meaning of the 10 patterns along its surface. Each pattern has its own meaning Sao said. Weih for example is a special kind of knife that locals use as a tool for farming and a weapon when they head into the jungle. Sonual is a fishing net. Locals here have a unique tradition if they catch fish for food, they keep just the small ones and free the big ones. A neu pole can also feature Mattonge (the sun), as it is believed to bring life to people. Without sun and light, people cant survive, Sao explained. Matsem (eyes) symbolises birds flying in the sky with a panoramic view of the jungle where locals live. Seronot (serrated teeth) recalls an old tradition. In ancient times, people would cut and file their teeth. Men had their top front teeth removed while women would sharpen their bottom teeth and dye them black with herbs. Those who hadnt had their teeth removed (for men) or sharpened and dyed (for women) couldnt get married. Another symbol is the nhaguool, a type of leaf which is used to shelter from the harsh sun. Some patterns may be more popular than others yet each illustrates aspects of real life the animals, plants or tools used each day, Sao said. Patterns with thin and curving lines are the most difficult, he said. Locals believe that the forest is mother nature. The forest gives us several things in life. The Cil people, therefore, protect the forest like a treasure. Sao said: Our ancestors do everything with meaning. The patterns carved on the neu pole are wishes sent to the gods. The designs are a way to express their hopes for a good life, Sao said. After learning about Sao, his culture and skills, as well as his wide knowledge on local culture, many tour companies have sought to collaborate with him and develop local tourism. Experienced tour guide KVang who helped connect tour companies to Sao said: Tourists visit Sao to learn about local culture. What they brought home are the stories he shared. They also brought back gifts like bamboo pipes and tools carved with many beautiful patterns. --VNS Fraport AG operates airports in Germany, rest of Europe, Asia, and the United States. The company primarily focuses on the operation of Frankfurt Main airport. It operates through four segments: Aviation, Retail & Real Estate, Ground Handling, and International Activities & Services. The Aviation segment operates landside and airside infrastructure, which covers the area of airport charges. The Retail & Real Estate segment engages in retail activities, including marketing of real estate properties and land. This segment also manages buildings and facilities, and parking and retail areas; and rents advertising space. The Ground Handling segment provides loading, baggage, and passenger services through airmail and luggage transport to freight handling. The International Activities & Services segment acquires, operates, maintains, develops, and expands airports and infrastructure facilities. This segment also offers integrated facility and corporate infrastructure management, airport expansion south, and information and telecommunication services. Fraport AG was founded in 1924 and is headquartered in Frankfurt am Main, Germany. Read More The following companies are subsidiares of Valero Energy: AIR BP-PBF DEL PERU SAC, BELFAST STORAGE LTD, CANADIAN ULTRAMAR COMPANY, COLONNADE TEXAS INSURANCE COMPANY LLC, COLONNADE VERMONT INSURANCE COMPANY, DIAMOND ALTERNATIVE ENERGY LLC, DIAMOND ALTERNATIVE ENERGY OF CANADA INC., DIAMOND GREEN DIESEL HOLDINGS LLC, DIAMOND GREEN DIESEL LLC, DIAMOND K RANCH LLC, DIAMOND OMEGA COMPANY L.L.C., DIAMOND SHAMROCK REFINING COMPANY L.P., DIAMOND UNIT INVESTMENTS L.L.C., DSRM NATIONAL BANK, ENTERPRISE CLAIMS MANAGEMENT INC., GCP LOGISTICS COMPANY LLC, GOLDEN EAGLE ASSURANCE LIMITED, HAMMOND MAINLINE PIPELINE LLC, HUNTWAY REFINING COMPANY, MAINLINE PIPELINES LIMITED, MAPLE ETHANOL LTD., MICHIGAN REDEVELOPMENT GP LLC, MICHIGAN REDEVELOPMENT L.P., MRP PROPERTIES COMPANY LLC, NECHES RIVER HOLDING CORP., NORCO METHANOL LLC, OCEANIC TANKERS AGENCY LIMITED, PARKWAY PIPELINE LLC, PENTA TANKS TERMINALS S.A., PI DOCK FACILITIES LLC, PICKARD PLACE CONDOMINIUM ASSOCIATION, PORT ARTHUR COKER COMPANY L.P., PREMCOR USA INC., PROPERTY RESTORATION L.P., PURE BIOFUELS DEL PERU S.A.C., PURE BIOFUELS HOLDINGS L.P., Parkway Pipeline, Premcor, Pure Biofuels Del Peru, SABINE RIVER HOLDING CORP., SABINE RIVER LLC, SAINT BERNARD PROPERTIES COMPANY LLC, SUNBELT REFINING COMPANY L.P., THE PREMCOR PIPELINE CO., THE PREMCOR REFINING GROUP INC., THE SHAMROCK PIPE LINE CORPORATION, TRANSPORT MARITIME ST. 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DE C.V., VALERO RAIL PARTNERS LLC, VALERO REFINING AND MARKETING COMPANY, VALERO REFINING COMPANY-ARUBA N.V., VALERO REFINING COMPANY-CALIFORNIA, VALERO REFINING COMPANY-OKLAHOMA, VALERO REFINING COMPANY-TENNESSEE L.L.C., VALERO REFINING-MERAUX LLC, VALERO REFINING-NEW ORLEANS L.L.C., VALERO REFINING-TEXAS L.P., VALERO RENEWABLE FUELS COMPANY LLC, VALERO SECURITY SYSTEMS INC., VALERO SERVICES INC., VALERO SKELLYTOWN PIPELINE LLC, VALERO TEJAS COMPANY LLC, VALERO TERMINAL HOLDCO LTD, VALERO TERMINALING AND DISTRIBUTION COMPANY, VALERO TERMINALING AND DISTRIBUTION DE MEXICO S.A. DE C.V., VALERO TEXAS POWER MARKETING INC., VALERO ULTRAMAR HOLDINGS INC., VALERO UNIT INVESTMENTS L.L.C., VALERO WEST WALES LLC, VRG PROPERTIES COMPANY, VTD PROPERTIES COMPANY, WARSHALL COMPANY LLC, and ZELIG COMMERCIAL INC.. Morgan Stanley India Investment Fund, Inc. is a closed ended equity mutual fund launched and managed by Morgan Stanley Investment Management Inc. The fund is co-managed by Morgan Stanley Investment Management Company. It invests in the public equity markets of India. The fund invests in stocks of companies operating across diversified sectors. It benchmarks the performance of its portfolio against the U.S. dollar adjusted BSE National Index. Morgan Stanley India Investment Fund, Inc. was formed on December 22, 1993 and is domiciled in the United States. Read More Suncor Energy Inc. operates as an integrated energy company. The company primarily focuses on developing petroleum resource basins in Canada's Athabasca oil sands; explores, acquires, develops, produces, transports, refines, and markets crude oil in Canada and internationally; markets petroleum and petrochemical products under the Petro-Canada name primarily in Canada. It operates in Oil Sands; Exploration and Production; Refining and Marketing; and Corporate and Eliminations segments. The Oil Sands segment recovers bitumen from mining and in situ operations, and upgrades it into refinery feedstock and diesel fuel, or blends the bitumen with diluent for direct sale to market. The Exploration and Production segment is involved in offshore operations off the east coast of Canada and in the North Sea; and operating onshore assets in Libya and Syria. The Refining and Marketing segment refines crude oil and intermediate feedstock into various petroleum and petrochemical products; and markets refined petroleum products to retail, commercial, and industrial customers through its other retail sellers. The Corporate and Eliminations segment operates four wind farm operations in Ontario and Western Canada. The company also markets and trades in crude oil, natural gas, byproducts, refined products, and power. The company was formerly known as Suncor Inc. and changed its name to Suncor Energy Inc. in April 1997. Suncor Energy Inc. was founded in 1917 and is headquartered in Calgary, Canada. Read More Forty-five successful surgeries in the last two weeks and 100 more patients to go this is what the American Orthopaedic Foot and Ankle Society (AOFAS) has achieved so far in its seventeenth collaboration with the Viet uc Hospital. A seminar , which aims to provide new information on surgical techniques to Vietnamese doctors, was sponsored by the Ministry of Labour, Invalids and Social Affairs, the Viet uc Hospital, AOFAS and the Mobility Outreach International. The seminar welcomes doctors from the US, Israel, Brazil and more than 145 Vietnamese trauma orthopedic surgeons from hospitals in Ha Noi and some northern provinces. At the annual medical seminar in Ha Noi on surgery of the lower extremity, Hoang Ho had a chance to talk with Justin Kane, a dedicated doctor attending the seminar for the first time. Inner Sanctum: What is your impression on the seminar on Foot and Ankle Operations? Although this was my second trip to Viet Nam, its the first seminar about Foot and Ankle Operations that Ive joined in Ha Noi. The seminar was outstanding. AOFAS is doing a really good job by holding this seminar and gathering good doctors together to help many patients. It was exciting to see the research presented by doctors from not only the Viet uc Hospital, but also from many hospitals in Ha Noi and some northern provinces as well. The data presented was compelling and I learned a lot. Every year I wish I had more time. I cant wait to come back. Inner Sanctum: Can you share your experience on your collaboration with the Viet uc Hospital? Were there any difficulties during your work? It was such a wonderful hospital experience. Our Vietnamese colleagues were accommodating and provided us with a wonderful experience with meaningful teamwork. It was my first time at the Orthopedic and Rehabilitation Hospital in Ha Noi. I enjoyed working with the residents from provinces. It can be more challenging when doing surgeries in the provinces. There are less resources available, making performing surgery challenging. Its always a challenge to provide the best care with limited resources. There is always a need for more medical equipment and newer technologies to improve patient outcomes. Inner Sanctum: Can you say more about this years programme? We have this seminar on June 2, [and after that teams of guest doctors including Dr Mario Adames, Dr Jessica Faught, Dr Kathleen McHale, Dr Raman Dega and Dr Paul Mcllvane will be on missions at the Hospital of Orthopeadics and Rehabilitation in Ba Vi District, the Viet uc Hospital, and the Bai Chay General Hospital in Quang Ninh.] With a really tight schedule and experienced doctors from the US, Israel, Brazil and Viet Nam, we really hope to help as more than 55 patients more. Inner Sanctum: What do you think about the importance of helping patients with their mentality, not just treating their physical health? The emotional and mental component of disability is certainly real. By helping to improve the patients functionality, the goal is to increase their overall happiness and wellbeing. And to be honest, even more than doing a surgery, seeing the patients after the surgery and watching them talk with their family is what I love. Inner Sanctum: Can you share any story that left the biggest impression on you during your work in Viet Nam? Last year I met a young lady with Arthrogryposis, which is general contracture of the joints. Her situation was really bad as she couldnt even walk with her deformed legs. She felt hopeless before meeting us. We talked about surgery options, an option was a fusion of the knee with fusion of the foot or amputation, and she wanted to think about it. I told her Id come back and we did the surgery this year. We had to operate on her legs as the situation was that bad and we had no other option. But after the surgery, it was a huge improvement. Her legs were stretched much straighter and she was able to walk again. When I saw her happy face. It was probably the best I felt. Inner Sanctum: What is your feeling about the dedication of Vietnamese doctors in learning advanced treatment techniques, especially in treating foot-ankle disease? In my experience until now I have worked in Yen Bai, Ive worked in the Orthopaedic hospital, and Ive worked in the Viet uc Hospital. The residents and the surgeons here are excellent and incredibly intelligent and they asked some of the smallest questions that for me, made me think how to answer. They asked great questions, and their technique is very good, and it is the matter of until you see it, you dont know. So they asked the right questions when we did the surgery together and now that we did surgery together my hope is that they can teach the other people as well. 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racket with Telugu actresses, the American police are seriously scrutinising all Telugu film stars travelling to the US. One of the people recently grilled by the American authorities is Mehreen Kaur. The actress, who travelled to Canada after wrapping up her upcoming Telugu film Pantham, was travelling from Vancouver to the US for a three-day trip to meet her family when she was stopped by officials of the US Department of Homeland & Immigration. When contacted, Mehreen confirms that she was questioned by officials upon revealing that she was a Telugu actress I am shocked. It was so embarrassing, Mehreen says, adding, I was constantly travelling and wasnt aware of the emergence of news regarding such illegitimate activities. The actress is especially upset that she was questioned for no reason apart from her profession. As an actress, I have got my recognition from the Telugu film industry. It is my bread and butter. When I revealed that I was a Telugu actress, I was questioned for 30 minutes, she says. Mehreen says that she was asked about her purpose for visiting the US as part of the inquiry. The authorities also wanted to know if she was aware of the ongoing issue. The immigration officials politely told me that there was a serious racket that they were investigating and that they were questioning everybody from the Telugu film industry travelling to the US. I told them that I visited both Canada and the US often because I had family there, says the actress, adding, Although they apologized for the inconvenience, they said that they would continue to question people until all those involved in the racket were taken to task. Having gone through that ordeal, Mehreen is concerned that the actions of a few have damaged the reputation of the entire Telugu film fraternity. Their impression of Telugu actors is really embarrassing. As an artiste, I felt it was a very awkward situation, she says. The makers of Ram Charans yet-untitled next have announced that they are planning a Sankranti-2019 release. The film is being directed by Boyapati Srinu, who is working with the lead actor for the first time. At present, they are busy shooting some action scenes on the outskirts of Hyderabad. These high-octane action scenes are important to the film, a source from the unit reveals. Boyapati is known for making commercial entertainers featuring intense action episodes. In this film, too, you will see Charan playing a role with mass appeal, and Boyapati is giving the action scenes importance, the source adds. According to the producers, the action episode that is being shot at the moment has cost them around Rs 5 crore. Around 60 artistes and over 500 bodybuilders will be seen in the episode, says producer D.V.V. Danayya, adding, We recently completed a major schedule in Bangkok. And we are planning to release the film on Sankranti next year. Actress Sayyeshaa Saigal hasnt signed a Telugu film since the failure of her debut film Akhil, opposite Akhil Akkineni, which released two years ago. Now, Telugu audiences will have the chance to see her on screen again as her upcoming Tamil film will be released in both languages. The film, Kadaikutty Singam, features Karthi as the lead actor and it has been produced by Karthis brother Suriya. Promotions for the Telugu version of the film, which is called Chinababu, will begin with an audio function on June 23, which Suriya will attend as the chief guest. The film will be released on July 13. Karthi is a known face for Telugu audiences, and this is a good opportunity for Sayyeshaa to become re-acquainted with them. Maybe shell be able to land a few Tollywood projects after this. The new numbers come as a blow amidst the pressure of lifestyle changes and sedentary lifestyles. Hyderabad: India is one of the top 10 countries in terms of number of diabetics, which could be as high as 150 million. Recent estimates from various surveys areas have shown that there are 75 million diabetics and another 70 million in the pre-diabetic stage. Director G.V.S. Murthy of the Indian Institute of Public Health Hyderabad said diabetes had become an epidemic and required urgent attention. The problem is that half of them do not know that they have diabetes and the condition is noticed only when they have a complication. Brain stroke, heart attack and diabetes are the commonest underlying factors and it is very important to act now, Mr Murthy said. The new numbers come as a blow amidst the pressure of lifestyle changes and sedentary lifestyles. Dr Govardhan Mandula, senior general physician, explained, The new numbers reflect the actual picture we see at hospitals and during clinical level assessments. Those who are above 40 years of age must get their blood sugars tested. Random testing for pre-diabetics in the age group of 35 to 40 years is important. He said the would help put patients on control measures like lifestyle changes and 150 minutes of aerobic exercises and brisk walking. The high risk groups are mothers who have suffered from gestational diabetes during pregnancy, and their children. They must get evaluated. Watching weight is very important and controlling abdominal obesity is the need of the hour, he said. Experts state that the initiatives taken by the government like helplines will help patients understand the management of the disease but prevention is a major aspect. The health complications due to the disease are a financial burden on the family, they said. Appa is a feminist and has always told me that it is very important for a woman to have a successful career and that I should work very hard. Whenever people ask me about my relationship with my dad, I always tell them that we have shared a normal parent child relationship, the only difference is I am the parent and he is the child. I have been a bossy, strict daughter ever since I was a toddler. I am the over protective parent and he is the rebel child. In spite of his busy schedule, he made sure he was around to listen to our everyday issues. When I was a child he was around to tell me stories and when I was a teenager he was there to listen to my stories about exam stress. Appa is a feminist and has always told me that it is very important for a woman to have a successful career and that I should work very hard. He is an atheist but he never forced atheism on me. I was free to follow any religion. I dont follow any religion. Dad made sure that I was always involved in his career. He started narrating scripts to me when I was 10 years old. I am lucky to have a father who loves me unconditionally, without restrictions or demands. He has always believed in my strength and respected the fact that I wanted to be financially independent. That is the best gift he can give me. SYDNEY: More than 11,000 Australians who rushed for the chance to strip for American photographer Spencer Tunick will soon wear only smiles after a national supermarket chain changed its mind about allowing the shoot to go ahead on a suburban rooftop carpark. Were over the moon, John Lotton, director of the Provocare Festival of the Arts, told Reuters on Saturday. Tunick has photographed thousands of nudes in group shots around the globe from Bogota to Vienna. But Australian retail giant Woolworths had refused to allow him access to a car park in the up-market suburb of Prahran, in the nations second-largest city of Melbourne, as they feared it would inconvenience their customers. Organizers of the Chapel Street Provocare arts festival had hoped Tunicks photo shoot would propel their event onto the world stage. After festival organizers agreed to move the event from busy weekend trading hours to a quiet Monday morning, Woolworths shed its inhibitions to allow the event to go ahead on July 9. Its a good outcome, a Woolworths representative said in a statement emailed to Reuters. Lotton said 11,000 people had registered to disrobe, with a week still left before entries close. Many were willing to travel thousands of miles for a chance to take part, he told Reuters from Melbourne. It is not known exactly how many au naturel volunteers are needed or how Tunick will choose them, but Lotton said there will not be enough places for all that want to participate. Its well and truly oversubscribed, Lotton said. In 2007 in Mexico City, 18,000 people stripped off in the heart of the citys Zocalo Square for Tunick, an internationally renowned photographer from New York. Volunteers have also posed naked in freezing temperatures on a Swiss glacier. Eid Mubarak everyone. Blessings to everyone and happiness in abundance. And now the biriyani craze has begun. I have not eaten properly for two days so I can save up space to eat all the Haleem and biriyani I hopefully will get this Eid. Ha-ha! On such an auspicious day its so beautiful to see everyone get together. The array of food stalls and the buzz you can see during the Ramzan nights is such a wow factor. Its a feast for ones eyes. Our weather in Chennai is also changing, getting somewhat pleasanter with some rain. Just hoping we out of the summer quickly. Happy weekend everyone - stay happy and be kind to one another. Hotness overload Movies, shoots, fashion shows all of this is not new to this hot and most wanted Sujo Mathew. People drool over this dusky hunk in his latest movie Oru Kuppai Kathaiin which he plays the villain. It tells the story of a scavenger who is employed with Chennai Corporation. He gets married to a village girl who believes that the hero is a clerk. Issues starts creeping up between them due to the environment in which they live and his profession. She falls for her neighbour and elopes with him (Sujo). Later, its about how she realises her mistake and she stages a comeback into the heros life is the crux of the story. Dance choreographer Dinesh plays the role of the scavenger while Manisha Yadav plays his wife. Sujo plays the role of their neighbour for whom Manisha falls and elopes with. The movie is directed by Kaali Rangaswamy and its an intense subject. Sujo mentioned how he manages between his modelling career and his movie stint. Hes going to be part of an upcoming blockbuster. Well, Sujo you are amazing and you rock the film scene with great dedication... hugs Heart of gold Child labour exists in different strata of society. Many are blissfully unaware that in some parts of the world, parents put their children through so much and try to realise their dreams through them. These children should actually be spending their time playing with their toys or reading books and generally enjoying their childhood. Unfortunately, these children are used as tools by their parents to earn money. How sad is that? Fortunately, the reel life celebrity heroine Trisha comes as a ray of hope to bring the sunshine into the lives of so many children who are missing out on a happy childhood. She adorns the super hero cloak to put an end to child labour. She has joined hands with UNICEF for an amazing cause to try and put an end to child labour. I am sure Trisha that you will have the blessings of everybody for the children of today is Indias tomorrow. We want to congratulate you for taking it upon yourself that every child has a right to live a happy life, dream big and excel in a field of their choice. Not many actors take time off to do such noble acts in life. Trisha you are a blessing and god bless you. Ladies and gentlewomen The media is an amazing route to bring about awareness of situations which many people think is a taboo to discuss, especially about gender preferences. Ladies and Gentlewomen is a documentary film made by a young film maker Malini Jeevarathnam. Not only is she behind the screen, but is also an activist and an actor with a burning passion to put an end to the social stigma bias against strong and brave women who like to be honest with their same-gender relationships. This documentary is certainly welcome, especially at a time where the suicide rate has been comparatively on the rise with so many helpless women who prefer to end their lives rather than face situations and speak up to the world. It is nice to see how the world is evolving with acceptance and respect for ones personal choices. Thanks to people like Malini who have treaded on such delicate issues, which, in turn, has brought in so many changes in the mindset of people. Celebrating womanhood Chennai has started getting more fun and interactive with events that are empowering women and celebrating their lives and hard work. Roshni Hemdev and Pavitra Krishnaswamy are doing such fabulous events in order to celebrate womanhood. You dont need a Womens Day to do it. Every day is a beautiful day. In a few days they are doing a fab event in one of Chennais hotspots with the whos who of the Chennai scene and mind you all these ladies are from all walks of life and they are not just socialites but they are achievers in their line of work. Recently, Celio celebrated 10 years in India and Roshni and Pavitra were the only lucky two who were chosen and flown down to Mumbai for their autumn winter collection showcase. There is no stopping these two divas, more power to you both rock the world by sweethearts. Grace is missing Recently, a very big launch party of an upcoming fashion week witnessed the best of Chennai in full attendance to support the organiser and the event. But the saddest part was that none of the Chennai models, not even one, came to support an event that they are all supposed to be a part of. In fact, outstation models came with no charge just out of goodwill and respect because of the organiser who gives them so much work and treats them so well. If there had been some remuneration involved, Im sure some of the Chennai models would have come. No doubt about that and that is why most of the Chennai models are just stuck in this bubble in Chennai and never get work outside. Start respecting people who respect you and support them. Its basic ethics in life. Im sure people may hate me for being so outspoken, but this column is about the truth and it is indeed an eye opener. The girl's parents searched for her and later lodged a complaint with the police after which a missing case was registered. (Representational Image) Hyderabad: A 10-year-old girl was allegedly raped and killed by a labourer in Nirmal district of Telangana, police said on June 17. The incident occurred in Soan mandal of the district on Saturday, they said. The accused Pravin Kumar(26) took the girl, who was playing near her house, to an isolated place under some pretext and allegedly "raped and later murdered" her, police said. The girl's parents searched for her and later lodged a complaint with the police after which a missing case was registered. Subsequently, some locals found the body of the minor girl this afternoon and alerted her parents and police, they added. Police picked up Pravin and during the course of the investigation, he reportedly confessed to "raping and murdering" the girl. A case has been registered under relevant sections of IPC and under relevant provisions of the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act, the police said. Letterheads of the American Telugu Association were also found by the police during the investigation and the ATA too denied that such events. (Representational Image) Hyderabad: Law enforcement officials in the United States who are investigating the Tollywood to Chicago prostitution racket have discovered that the arrested couple Kishan Modugumudi alias Sreeraj Chennapathi and Chandrakala Purmina Modugumuda alias Vebha Jayam used the letterheads of various Telugu associations based in the United States to facilitate the visit of Tollywood actresses to the country. An affidavit filed in the United States District Court Northern District of Illinois by the Special Agent, Homeland Security Investigations, stated that a victim referred to as Victim A, who is said to be a Tollywood actress, was to visit the United States to be honoured by the Telugu Association of Southern California (TASC) at an event last year. However, TASC denied issuing any such letter to facilitate the visit of the actress. Another Telugu Association the North America Telugu Society (NATS) was also investigated by law enforcement officials and it too categorically denied holding any conference at Renaissance Centre in Schaumburg, Illinois last November where actresses from the Tamil film industry were invited. In fact the Renaissance Centre was not engaged for any such event. Letterheads of the American Telugu Association were also found by the police during the investigation and the ATA too denied that such events. The email accounts of Sreeraj revealed that he had obtained several letters from various associations to arrange the visits of Tollywood and Kannada actresses who were then allegedly lured into prostitution. The officials checked several emails in two accounts reportedly being used by Chennuppati. The accounts were used to purchase air tickets for the visiting actresses too. Using these Ids about 42 reservations were made in various hotels using different names. Aam Aadmi Party supporters have joined the protestors gathered to march to the Prime Ministers Office.(Photo: @AamAadmiParty | Twitter) New Delhi: Aam Aadmi party leaders and workers have joined the protestors gathered to march to the Prime Ministers residence on Sunday against the lack of response by L-G Anil Baijal and Centre to the dharna by Arvind Kejriwal and his ministers. From almost a week, Delhi CM, Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia and cabinet ministers Satyender Jain and Gopal Rai has been camping in Raj Niwas demanding L-Gs order to IAS officers to end their strike and approve doorstep ration delivery scheme. Kejriwal has repeatedly appealed to the Prime Minister Narendra Modi to intervene. Delhi Atithi Shikshak Sangh - DASS also joins March to PM House, today in solidarity with @ArvindKejriwal's protest at LG House.#__ pic.twitter.com/bh1Swbn2uo AAP (@AamAadmiParty) June 17, 2018 Visuals from Mandi House: Members & supporters of Aam Aadmi Party are staging a protest march to the Prime Minister's residence in support of #Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal's demand that Delhi Lieutenant-Governor Anil Baijal put an end to the strike by state government officers. pic.twitter.com/wcs7vjNZVp ANI (@ANI) June 17, 2018 CPM leader Sitaram Yechury is lending support to Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal. Joining the protest rally to the Prime Ministers residence today to express serious condemnation over the manner in which federalism, a fundamental feature of our Constitution, is being undermined by this BJP Central government. (1/n) Sitaram Yechury (@SitaramYechury) June 17, 2018 Earlier in the day, the Delhi police had said that AAP has had not applied for permission to carry out the protest march. Read: AAP determined to hold protest march today, cops say no permission sought Speaking about the security arrangements in place for Sunday's protest, DCP Madhur Verma said, "At the time of the protest, the exit gates of 4 metro stations namely Udyog Bhawan, Lok Kalyan Marg, Patel Chowk and Central Secretariat will be closed." DCP, New Delhi, told ANI that AAP does not have permission for the protest march. "They've been contained at Parliament street. They're being told that they can't go any further," he added. "Specially trained personnel are deployed. We're sure they'll (AAP members and protesters) listen to us," DCP said. The data collected by the home ministry indicated that terror-related incidents in the Kashmir valley increased by more than 100 per cent during Ramzan. (Photo:File) New Delhi: The Centre on Sunday decided not to extend Ramzan ceasefire in Jammu & Kashmir. However, security forces will continue to take all necessary actions to prevent terrorist attacks. Home Minister Rajnath Singh said, "Security forces are being directed to take all necessary actions as earlier to prevent terrorists from launching attacks and indulging in violence and killings. Government will continue with its endeavour to create an environment free of terror and violence in J&K." On 17th May 2018, GoI took the decision that Security Forces will not conduct offensive operations in J&K during the holy month of Ramzan. This decision was taken in the interests of the peace loving people of J&K, in order to provide them a conducive atmosphere to observe Ramzan Rajnath Singh (@rajnathsingh) June 17, 2018 Taking to Twitter to announce the decision, Rajnath Singh said that it was taken in the interest of the peace-loving people of Jammu and Kashmir. Singh also applauded the security forces on showing 'exemplary restraint' during the ceasefire period. However, he said that terrorists continued to attack civilians and security forces resulting in bloodshed. The data collected by the home ministry indicated that terror-related incidents in the Kashmir valley increased by more than 100 per cent during Ramzan. Before the ceasefire was announced -- April 19 to May 16 -- only 25 terror-related incidents were reported. But after the announcement, as many as 66 incidents were reported between May 17 and June 13. New Delhi/Chennai: Chief Minister Edappadi K. Palaniswami arrived at New Delhi late Saturday for participating in the fourth meeting of Niti Aayogs Governing Council being held at the Rashtrapati Bhawan Cultural Centre on Sunday. He is likely to meet Prime Minister Narendra Modi on the sidelines of the meet. The PM will chair the daylong session. Looking forward to the 4th Governing Council meeting of @NITIAayog tomorrow. Implementation of key policies relating to a wide range of sectors will be discussed during the meeting, tweeted the PM on Saturday. The council, apex body of Niti Aayog, includes all Chief Ministers, Lieutenant Governors of Union Territories, several Union Ministers and senior government officials. The Council is expected to discuss important subjects including measures taken to double farmers income, progress of flagship schemes such as Ayushman Bharat, National Nutrition Mission and Mission Indradhanush, the development of aspirational districts and celebration of the 150th birth anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi, according to an official statement. Besides, development agenda for New India 2022 is expected to be approved in the meeting. Niti Aayog has been working on the strategy document for development agenda for New India 2022 for a while. Earlier, it had planned to come out with three documents a three-year action agenda, seven-year medium term strategy paper and a 15-year vision document. The Aayog, in a presentation last year, had said the foundation for freedom from six problems poverty, dirt, corruption, terrorism, casteism and communalism will be laid by 2022 when India celebrates 75 years of independence. At the Councils first meeting on February 8, 2015, the Prime Minister had laid down the key mandates of Niti Aayog, such as fostering cooperative federalism by addressing national issues through mutual cooperation and monitoring of important schemes and programmes. It was also decided that the Aayog will act as the think tank of the government and work as a bridge between the Centre and the states. Later, sub-groups of Chief Ministers and two task forces, one on elimination of poverty and the other on agriculture development were set up. The second meeting of council on July 15, 2015 reviewed the progress made by the three sub-groups of CMs and the two task forces. In the third meeting of council on April 23, 2017, PM Modi had pitched for conducting simultaneous elections of the Lok Sabha and the State Assemblies and shifting to a January- December fiscal year. New Delhi: After being denied permission to meet Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on Saturday, the chief ministers of four states continued to support the sit-in protest by Aam Aadmi Party ministers at Delhi Lieutenant Governor (L-G) Anil Baijal's office. Requests of West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, Karnataka Chief Minister H D Kumaraswamy, Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan and Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu to meet Arvind Kejriwal were turned down by L-G Anil Baijal on Saturday. The chief ministers who are in Delhi to attend the NITI Aayog meet on Sunday, which will be chaired by PM Modi, plan to address their concerns with PM Modi. At a joint press conference on Saturday, CM Mamata Banerjee said, "This is not a democracy, where we are not being allowed to meet a chief minister. A wrong message is being sent out. If this happens in the capital of the country, what happens to other states? This is a constitutional crisis. We will request PM Modi to solve the problem." West Bengal CM Mamata Banerjee, Karnataka CM H D Kumaraswamy, Kerela CM Pinarayi Vijayan and Andhra Pradesh CM N Chandrababu Naidu meet wife of Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal, Sunita, at her residence, in New Delhi on Saturday. (Photo: PTI) Also read: 4 ambulances at L-G office, panic in AAP on day-5 of Kejriwal protest Speaking about the strike by IAS officers, CM Kejriwal told NDTV that this was being done at the instance of Prime Minister Narendra Modi. "We came here to show our support to Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal. We demand that the Prime Minister interferes and takes necessary steps to solve the problem," Kumaraswamy said. Andhra Pradesh CM N Chandrababu Naidu, who pulled out from the NDA over the Special Category Status (SCS), said that the centre and states need to work as one unit to address the issues of distressed people. Kejriwal thanked the four Chief Ministers, saying "we all will work together to save democracy". Also Read: Delhi L-G denies permission to 4 chief ministers to meet Arvind Kejriwal Even though a host of opposition leaders have backed Kejriwal, the Congress has been on the other end of the spectrum by calling the protest a drama. The BJP, too, has countered the protest and blamed Kejriwal for shirking responsibility. The open support to the Aam Aadmi Party chief by the four regional heavyweights - from Trinamool Congress, Telugu Desam Party, Janata Dal (Secular) and Communist Party of India (Marxist) - comes amid opposition efforts to cobble together a rainbow coalition ahead of the 2019 Lok Sabha elections. New Delhi: Heavy rainfall on Saturday battered the north-eastern states, where at least 17 people have died in flash floods and landslides, with the southwest monsoon extending its reach in the region, Odisha and parts of West Bengal. The Indian Meteorological Department (IMD) daily report predicted light rainfall for Sunday in Delhi, which is still reeling under a haze of dust brought by winds from Rajasthan which has raised the air pollution level to "severe". It said the monsoon was hovering over Maharashtra in the west and parts of Odisha, West Bengal and Assam in east and northeast India. Any further advance of the monsoon is unlikely during next 6-7 days due to the prevalence of a weak pattern. The weatherman forecast heavy to very heavy rainfall at a few places in Konkan and Goa and heavy rain at some places in Andaman and Nicobar Islands, Uttarakhand, Arunachal Pradesh, Assam and Meghalaya, sub-Himalayan West Bengal and Sikkim, Madhya Maharashtra and coastal Karnataka on Sunday. According to Assam State Disaster Management Authority, four people lost their lives in flood and landslide related incidents during the past 24 hours. One person died in Mizoram. The total number of people dead in the northeast has risen to 17, officials said. The IMD said dust storm or thunderstorm is "very likely" at a few places over Rajasthan. Dust storms this week in western India have led to a thick haze and increased the presence of ultra-fine pollutants in the air in the Delhi-NCR region. The dust storm in Rajasthan on Saturday led to the cancellation of a Bikaner-New Delhi flight. The weatherman has forecast light rainfall for Sunday, which should settle the toxic dust particles in the air. Rainfall in parts of Punjab and Haryana, including Chandigarh, cleared the haze blanket, while flight operations hit in the two states due to low-visibility resumed on Saturday. The maximum temperature dropped by a few notches after rainfall in the two states. The rainfall brought cheers to paddy growers, readying their fields for transplanting paddy. A few places in western and eastern Uttar Pradesh are likely to experience rain or thunderstorm on Sunday, the MeT department in Lucknow said. The day temperature was above the normal in Varanasi, Allahabad, Kanpur and Moradabad divisions. In Odisha, the Similipal Tiger Reserve (STR) was closed for visitors from Saturday in view of the monsoon. The STR, spread over an area of 2,750 sq km, attracts thousands of domestic and foreign tourists because of its varied flora and fauna, including the Black Melanistic Royal Bengal Tiger, and breathtaking waterfalls. The Odisha government also extended the summer vacation in schools by three days owing to the intense heat, a state education department official said in Bhubaneswar. Odisha is reeling under sweltering heat with nine places including the state capital recording temperatures above 40 degrees Celsius, despite the onset of the monsoon in the state. Widespread rainfall lashed parts of Himachal Pradesh, settling the dust particles in the air. The visibility, however, remained poor due to mist but was expected to improve by Sunday, Manmohan Singh, the director of the local Met office, said. Hyderabad: In a huge relief to school children in the Telangana state, the government issued strict guidelines to reduce the weight of schoolbags for children in the year 2017. However, parents from the city still complain of heavy school bags their children carry to their school and about homework given to them. According to the order issued by the TS government, the maximum weight of a school bag with textbooks and notebooks should not exceed 1.5 kg for Class 1 and II; 2-3 kg for Classes III to V; 4 kg for Classes VI and VII; 4.50 kg for Classes VIII and IX and 5 kg for Class X students. The order also said the heavy load was caused by the fact that the children bring textbooks, guides, homework notebooks, rough work notebooks etc. to the classroom every day. Despite the orders issued by the state government, parents say that their childrens bags weigh minimum 9kg for Class-V, minimum 6kg to 9kg for Class-III to Class-V in different schools. One of the parents, Mrs M. Namratha, said Parents are not allowed inside the school campus and the school bags are too heavy. My daughter said that she is asked to get all the books irrespective of class work, homework and text books. Also, I am told that they dont have drawers to keep their school bags, not even desks, due to which they keep their schools bags on their lap or back. Elangovan Israel, a parent, said Most of the children and parents are facing the issue of excess homework. Students of class IV and class V are getting excess amount of homework. Many parents, in last few days, have shared the same issues like heavy school bags students need to carry all by themselves. Mr Hridesh Gupta, Member- Hyderabad School Parents Association (HSPA) said Many schools are asking kids to carry daily all subjects books and notebooks. Now imagine, each kid has minimum 4-5 subjects (English, Maths, Science, GK, Language) and activities books. So the total is 10-12 books, due to which the total weight comes around 6-8 kg, excluding stationary box, lunch box and water bottles and if we include everything it becomes 10-12kgs for grades 2-3.. He adds, I fail to understand why schools are asking kids to carry all the books daily? Why can't they keep the books in the school and send them only on weekends. That way they don't have to carry so much weight on a daily basis. I feel very bad when I see my small kids carrying such huge bags. In the previous school they we're carrying only an almanac and few note books. Even after the timetable adjustment the number doesn't go down much; they can hardly reduce one or twobooks. School should make sure that they advise kids to carry only notebooks and keep books at school or at home. It will help everyone. Mr Ramu J. Rao, a parent from Secunderabad said Students have to walk with such heavy bags for around 100m and they have to carry it up two floors. If their class is in new building they have to go more than 200m. They have to carry the lunch bag also. At least the school authorities should allow parents to carry school bags to the classrooms. Mr Srinivas Reddy, president-Telangana recognised schools management associations (TRSMA) said We requested the students and their parents to carry their books as per the time table to avoid a heavy load of school bags, soon after the state government issued the GO regarding school bags. As holidays are over, children will carry all the books to schools now and we will submit all the books to the school itself. This year also we have requested the government to print the books term wise to avoid the a heavy load on children and from this year onwards we will strictly implement the GO. Chennai: The All India Telugu Federation (AITF) has demanded the Tamil Nadu government to include the languages of linguistic minorities in school syllabus, as a compulsory subject, respecting Article 30 of the Constitution. The Federation has also sought the renaming of Tiruchi district after Rani Mangammal, the queen who ruled the Madurai Nayak kingdom with Tiruchi as her capital, and Tirunelveli district after freedom fighter and 18th century Palayakarrar and chieftain from Panchalankurichi, Kattabomman. Resolutions to this effect were unanimously passed at the State executive committee meeting of AITF held at Tiruchi, on Saturday, with its president Prof Dr. C. M. K. Reddy, stated a release here. Computerising enumeration uploading the details on government website to maintain accuracy and transparency of statistics, another resolution said. Yet another resolution demanded a quota system community-wise to fill all important posts, such as district and High Court Judges, Group 1 & 2 placements, Chairmen of various Boards, government seats in medical, dental, engineering, law, veterinary courses, according to the population ratio in the State. Establishing Telugu Academy as was done for Muslims, to oversee our education and conserve culture, constructing a memorial and installing a statue for Rani Mangammal at an appropriate place in Tiruchi, a memorial for the great freedom fighter, Veerapandia Kattabomman in Chennai, reviving the TN Scavenger Welfare Board to benefit Sewerage Workers & Scavengers, were among the ten resolutions that were passed on the occasion. The federation has planned to hold State Telugu Maanaadu in 2019, either in Madurai or Tiruchi, to demonstrate its solidarity and also to sensitise Telugu population for judicious voting in the next elections, the release added. Delhi BJP chief Manoj Tiwari said that the dharna was a bid to form an 'anti-BJP, anti-Narendra Modi' front in the run-up to the 2019 Lok Sabha election. (Photo: File/PTI) New Delhi: The Delhi BJP on Sunday accused Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal of resorting to a "political stunt" in a bid to form an "anti-BJP, anti-Narendra Modi" front in the run-up to the 2019 Lok Sabha election. Delhi BJP chief Manoj Tiwari also said it was "unfortunate" that the chief ministers of four states allowed themselves to be a part of the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) supremo's "drama". Leader of Opposition in the Delhi Assembly Vijender Gupta, who is sitting on an indefinite hunger strike at the chief minister's office in the Delhi Secretariat, wrote an "open letter" to Kejriwal, asking him to look beyond "political interests" and resume work, along with his ministers. "The (press) conference held by the chief ministers of four states in your favour ends all doubts of your dharna being nothing more than a political stunt to rally together an anti-BJP, anti-Modi front before the elections next year," Gupta wrote in the letter. West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, her Kerala counterpart Pinarayi Vijayan, Karnataka Chief Minister H D Kumaraswamy and Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu tried to meet Kejriwal at the LG office in New Delhi, where he is sitting on an indefinite dharna, along with some his cabinet colleagues, but were denied permission. Read: Delhi L-G denies permission to 4 chief ministers to meet Arvind Kejriwal Tiwari accused Banerjee of first trying to delay the NITI Aayog meeting on the "pretext" of Eid celebrations in her state and then being a part of Kejriwal's "tamasha". "First @MamataOfficial asks Niti Ayog to delay its meeting by a day on the pretext of Eid celebrations in Bengal but lo and behold she is now participating in petty politics of #DharnaTamasha In Delhi (sic)," he tweeted. First @MamataOfficial asks Niti Ayog to delay its meeting by a day on the pretext of Eid celebrations in Bengal but lo and behold she is now participating in petty politics of #DharnaTamasha In Delhi Manoj Tiwari (@ManojTiwariMP) June 16, 2018 Earlier, Tiwari had asked the four chief ministers, who are here for the NITI Aayog governing council meeting today, to advise Kejriwal to focus on the problems being faced by the people of Delhi. "This is so unfortunate that the 4CMs have allowed themselves to be part of this #DharnaTamasha. Infact they should advise CM Delhi @ArvindKejriwal to focus on resolving severe Drinking Water Crisis which the people of Delhi are now facing, earn the confidence of Delhi officers (sic)," he had tweeted. The move came a day after Additional Director General of Police (ADGP) Sudesh Kumar was transferred after a junior policeman had complained of alleged manhandling by his daughter and ill-treatment by his family while on duty. (Representational Image) Thiruvananthapuram: Amid a raging row over the alleged maltreatment to the Kerala police menial staffers like cooks, sweepers, barbers etc deployed with senior officials, the Home Department has begun collecting their details to rectify the situation. DGP Loknath Behera issued an order on Sunday seeking various details of the menial workers, generally known as camp followers and deployed on orderly duties with IAS and IPS officers and judges etc in Kerala. The details included the camp followers' sanctioned strength, present headcount, their status as permanent or temporary worker besides their current status of deployment with senior officials. Read: After brawl, senior Kerala IPS officer's daughter, police driver both booked The move came a day after Additional Director General of Police (ADGP) Sudesh Kumar was transferred after a junior policeman had complained of alleged manhandling by his daughter and ill-treatment by his family while on duty. ADGP (Headquarters), Anandakrishnan, on behalf of the DGP, asked respective district police chiefs, commandants and unit heads to collect and submit details of the camp followers and the PSOs by Sunday. Read: Kerala top cop removed after daughter misbehaved with police driver The top brass including superintendent of police (SPs) and above have been asked to provide details of the police personnel, who are assigned as camp followers and PSOs with them. The details of staff assigned for orderly duty with IAS, IFS and other government officials, judges, legal advisors and prosecutors should also be furnished, the order said. The DGP also asked to collect details of the ministers and other leaders who were given personal security officers due to the perceived threat to their lives. The row over ill-treatment faced by the camp followers was triggered after ADGP Sudesh Kumar's driver Gavaskar lodged a complaint with police against ADGP's 28-year old daughter, Snigdha on Thursday. In his complaint, the policeman alleged that she had verbally abused him and hit him on his neck and shoulder with her mobile phone for delay in bringing the vehicle to pick her up after her morning walk. A case had been registered against Snigdha under various sections of the IPC based on Gavaskar's complaint while he too was booked over her counter complaint. The following day, Gavaskar's family members had met Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan who assured them of stern action on the issue. The Kerala Police Association also came out against the alleged ill-treatment meted out to junior policemen by senior officers. Sudesh Kumar, who was serving as the head of the Armed Police Battalion, has not been given any new posting after being removed from the post. The meeting may be overshadowed by Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal's sit-in protest who won't be attending the meet. (Photo: ANI/Twitter) New Delhi: The fourth meeting of the Governing Council of NITI Aayog began in the national capital on Sunday. Home Minister Rajnath Singh and Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan arrived at the Rashtrapati Bhavan for the meet on Sunday morning. Earlier, Karnataka CM HD Kumaraswamy and Punjab Chief Minister Amarinder Singh also arrived for NITI Aayog's Governing Council meeting. The meeting, which will be chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, will discuss the implementation of key policies relating to various sectors. Also Read: NITI Aayog meet: Andhra CM to take on PM Modi over 'broken promises' The meeting may be overshadowed by Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal's sit-in protest who won't be attending the meet. Backing Kejriwal, West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, Karnataka Chief Minister H D Kumaraswamy, Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan and Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu will address concerns surrounding AAP's protest. The governing council, apex body of the NITI Aayog, includes all the chief ministers, lieutenant governors of union territories, several union ministers and senior government officials. Issues, including measures taken to double farmers' income and progress of flagship schemes, will come up for discussion, an official statement issued had said on Friday. The development agenda for 'New India 2022' is also expected to be approved in the meeting, according to it. The reptile has been identified as a Viper, a species that is considered to be very poisonous. (Representational image) Puducherry: A highly venomous snake was discovered in the VIP lounge of the airport in Puducherry causing a flutter among staff members and officials. The reptile was first spotted in the middle of a meeting where top officials including Airport Authority of India, Chairman, Guruprasad Mohapatra had convened. The officials spotted the 6-feet long snake moving beneath a couch and immediately rushed out of the lounge, police said. A woman staff member attempted to drive out the snake using a mop, but to no avail. The snake was finally captured by a police constable present on the site. It was handed over to forest department personnel, the police added. The reptile has been identified as a Viper, a species that is considered to be very poisonous. The constable D Thiagou, attached to the India Reserve Battalion (IRBn) of Puducherry was presented a cash award and commendation certificate for his act of bravery. Director General of Police S K Gautam presented the cash award and commendation certificate to the constable and appreciated his brave act. The woman worker would be honoured for her courageous act on Monday, airport sources said. This was the fifth leopard attack incident in the last 22 days. POLLACHI: In a significant development, tea estate workers along with members from all political parties in Valparai staged a road roko on Saturday after a 52-year-old estate woman worker was mauled to death by a leopard on Friday night near Kanchamalai in Valparai hills. This was the fifth leopard attack incident in the last 22 days. People suspect a particular leopard to have turned into a man-eater that recently entered a human habitat on Feb 8 last and mauled a 4-year-old boy to death at Kanchamalai estate. However, the leopard was trapped and relocated to Mandhri mattam in Varagaliyaru range. Notwithstanding this development, on Friday around 7.30 pm a leopard had attacked the woman worker Kaileshwari while she was busy washing clothes in front of her house. The leopard also dragged her into a nearby bush and mauled her on various parts including her neck. Hearing her cries, neighbours came running, but the leopard killed her before they could rescue her. Seeing the crowd, the leopard ran away from the spot leaving Kaileshwaris body, sources said. On information Forest department officials along with police rushed to the spot and sent the body to Valaprai Government hospital for post-mortem. Today, hundreds of tea estate workers and relatives of Kaileshwari led by various political party members thronged the Valparai hospital and staged a protest. They also staged a road-roko in front of the Valparai post office on Saturday, demanding to install a cage to trap the carnivore and relocate it, while few of them suspected it to be a tiger attack. Forest department officials pacified the protestors promising to install a cage trap to relocate it, as well as few camera traps to confirm the movement of leopard. K.Kalidasan-president of Osai a Coimbatore based NGO told the DC, possibilities are there for the animal to have turned into a man-eater; however a study should confirm it; during trapping, such animals blood samples or else their hair has to be collected for DNA test to confirm whether the same animal is returning back to its territory after relocating it. In Maharashtra, studies have proven that many tigers and leopard have returned to their territory after relocating them at a long distance. Relocating the carnivore is a temporary solution. However another young male could fill the space, he said. Kalidasan also suggested a slew of measures for the tea estate owners including awareness programmes for estate workers, replacing the present quarters for the workers with new construction with larger number of houses and sufficient lighting arrangements, removing all the bushes around the quarters and installation of solar fencing around the quarters. Workers should also strictly abide by the instructions given by the Forest department in such areas, he said. A group of armed youths tied a man to a tree and raped his wife and 15-year-old daughter in Gaya district on June 14, according to the police. (Photo: File/Representational) Gaya: Many RJD leaders, including its national general secretary Alok Kumar Mehta and MLA Surendra Yadav, have been charged for allegedly forcing a minor gang-rape survivor to get down from a police vehicle and narrate her ordeal, a senior police official said on Saturday. TV footage showed some of them clicking photographs with the girl on their cell phone and also preparing videos. It happened when an RJD fact-finding team confronted the police when they were taking the minor to a hospital for medical examination on Friday and allegedly forced her to get down from the vehicle and narrate her ordeal, besides making her identity public, Magadh Range Deputy Inspector General (DIG) Vinay Kumar said. The fact-finding team was constituted by Leader of the Opposition in Bihar Assembly Tejashwi Yadav. A group of armed youths tied a man to a tree and raped his wife and 15-year-old daughter in Gaya district on June 14, according to the police. Also Read: Gaya: Group of 20 gangrape mother, daughter as helpless father is tied to tree The family was waylaid while they were crossing the area on a motorcycle near Sondiha village under Konch police station on June 14 night, following which the station house officer was suspended and 20 youths were detained, they said. An FIR was lodged against RJD's national general secretary Mehta, Belaganj MLA from Belaganj in Gaya district Surendra Prasad Yadav, the party's state president of women's cell Abhalata, RJD's district president Murshid Alam alias Nezam, district president of RJD's women's cell Sarswati Devi and other unnamed persons in the case, the DIG said. The case was lodged with Medical police station under relevant sections of the Indian Penal Code and the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act, 2012, he said. He said they were also been booked for creating an obstruction in the discharge of duty by police officials in the case. Mehta, a former Bihar minister, however, termed the allegations against him and the team as "false" and claimed they were intended to divert people's attention from the case. "This is an attempt to divert people's attention from the case in order to protect the accused by the state government...Whatever allegations have been levelled against me are completely wrong and false," he said. Accusing the police of having delayed action in an attempt to cover up the case, Mehta asked, "Why the police took the victim after 38 hours of the incident for medical examination instead of getting it done within 24 hours?" The party's team did not ask the victim to get down from the vehicle, he said, claiming it requested the girl for some information but she became angry after seeing media persons. DIG Kumar said that the state women commission has sought a report from the police in this regard. A team from the Forensic Science Laboratory (FSL), Patna had on Friday visited the site of occurrence to collect samples and evidence in the gangrape case, he said. The FSL team also collected the clothes of both the victims and the arrested suspects for scientific investigation in the case, Kumar said. Three persons have been arrested in the case, the DIG said, adding that two of them- Shivam Sharma and Gaurav Sharma- belonged to Sonediha village while the third Dipak Paswan hailed from Manglore, a neighbouring village. The police have set up three separate teams to investigate the case, Kumar said, noting that a charge sheet would be filed soon in a court. Besides, the police would make a formal plea to the court for a speedy trial in the case, the DIG said. Hyderabad: A chargesheet will be filed by the Rein Bazaar police against BJP legislator Raja Singh following his response to the notices issued to him. According to the police, a case was registered against the legislator after he made remarks against a green book last week. He had demanded that a ban on the green book as it was the cause of terrorism in the country. The police has warned the public that such action would have serious consequences. Stern legal action would be taken against persons who make such comments, irrespective of their status. The complaint against the MLA was registered with the Rein Bazaar police following a petition from one Asif Iqbal under IPC Sections 153B (Imputations, assertions prejudicial to national integration), 298 (uttering words with deliberate intent to wound religious feelings of any person), 295A (deliberate and malicious acts, intended to outrage religious feelings) and 505 (punishment for statements conducting to public mischief). Mr Raja Singh is a known offender who has at least 19 cases pending against him, including two related to injuring or defiling a place of worship with an intent to insult a religion, two attempt-to-murder cases, eight charges of promoting enmity, as per his affidavit submitted during his nomination in 2014 Assembly elections. said a source from the Hyderabad police. Two months ago, during the Ramanavami festivities, the MLA had put up a video in which he accused the TRS government of being anti-Hindu for prohibiting the use of loudspeakers. He had then issued provocative statements and challenged the police to stop him from using loudspeakers. Complaints were filed in Charminar and Rein Bazaar police stations. He also has a case against him in Karnataka. DCP, South, V. Satyanarayana said, We appeal to all citizens that they should not encourage such things. The law will takes its own course if anybody violates the law or indulges such unsocial activities. The corporation instead is focusing on placing emergency vehicles at nearby locations to pump out water in case there is stagnation following rain. Hyderabad: More than 130 deadly manholes located on main roads pose a grave threat to citizens. These manholes would become invisible even after light rainfall. Some of the manholes are located close to nalas, and there will be little time to help anyone who falls into one. Despite the grave danger, the civic body has not managed to at least instal cautionary signboards to caution motorists and pedestrians of the location of the manholes. The corporation instead is focusing on placing emergency vehicles at nearby locations to pump out water in case there is stagnation following rain. In 2011, the Lokayukta, had issued notices to the GHMC to instal grills at all manholes in the twin cities. The idea was that even if someone fell into a manhole, he or she would be restrained by the grill and not get washed away in the water. This came on a petition filed against the Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation for negligence which led to the death of a woman who fell in an open manhole. Following this, the GHMC had allocated a special budget to modernise the manholes. However, neither were the grills installed nor, apparently, has the attitude of the corporation towards the issue changed. Sources said the GHMC had received several requests from road-users to place warning boards to alert motorists and pedestrians to the location of such manholes. Private agencies that have been carrying out desiltation works have been neither setting up warning boards nor closing the manholes properly after the completion of work. Reports of such negligence of the corporation has even been taken to the State Human Rights Commission. In one incident, a woman fell into an open manhole in Secunderabad after she got down from her husbands motorcycle in a heavy downpour. The complaint filed regarding the incident with the State Human Rights Commission stated that the manhole was opened by some unidentified persons so that the storm water could flow away. Asked about the dangers posed by these manholes, a senior official said the GHMC had done a survey and found out that there were 132 deadly manholes. He said the corporation would instal warning board and two corporation officials, including an executive engineer, will monitor the manholes. The official said that private agencies had been asked to set up warning signs while taking up desilting works. If they did not do so, the corporation would initiate stringent action and not hesitate to blacklist them. The official said that the corporation manholes were only 3.5-foot deep and could not claim a life. He said the manholes leading to nalas had the potential to cause deaths. There was a 2.44 per cent decrease in the casualties of security forces. During 2017, 42 per cent more terrorists were neutralised. Hyderabad: An increased number of terrorist activities took place in Jammu and Kashmir in 2016-17, according to the annual report by the Union home ministry. The two Telugu states featured on the list of states facing left wing extremism, (LWE) with Telangana state recording two deaths and AP seven. Left wing extremism continues to be an area of concern for the internal security of the country, but a declining trend has been noted, the report said. The report states, The last four years have seen an unprecedented improvement in the LWE scenario across the country. An overall 20 per cent reduction in violent incidents from 1,136 to 908 and 33.8 per cent reduction from 397 to 263 in the LWE related deaths was noted in 2017. It said 27 incidents occurred in AP and 17 in Telangana state. Last year witnessed the lowest number of insurgency incidents in the northeastern states since 1997. Similarly, casualties in the security forces in the region declined from 17 to 12 and civilian casualties from 48 to 37. With a drastic rise in infiltration attempts across the LoC, casualties and ceasefire violations by Pakistan, the Centre had to spend nearly Rs 1,185 crore in 2016-17 towards security related expenditure, which is the maximum for any year so far. The expenditure on security forces is directly proportional to the increase in terror activities. In Jammu and Kashmir, an alarming increase of 6.21 per cent and 166.66 per cent was noted in the number of terrorist incidents and fatalities of civilians, respectively, in 2017 over 2016. However, there was a 2.44 per cent decrease in the casualties of security forces. During 2017, 42 per cent more terrorists were neutralised. The report states, The threat from terrorist/militant groups makes it imperative to provide adequate security to holders of high public offices and other dignitaries. The security arrangements are assessed by a high level committee to effectively tackle the evil designs of terrorists and militants and thereby ensure maintenance of public order and peace in the country." The ministry is planning on increasing inter-state coordination to ensure fewer terror attacks. Periodic inter-state meetings will be encouraged. Another important aspect mentioned in the report is the liberalisation of weapons manufacturing to boost the Make in India initiative of the Centre and also to promote employment generation in the field of manufacturing of arms and ammunition. A notification in this regard was issued on October 27, 2017, stating that the liberalisation of arms rules will encourage investment in the manufacturing of arms and ammunition and weapon systems as part of the Make in India programme. The licence fee has been reduced significantly from Rs 500 per fire-arm, which added up to very large sum, to between Rs 5,000 and a maximum of Rs 50,000. The special infrastructure scheme which was implemented till 2014-15 has been revived for a period of three years till 2019-20, for strengthening the intelligence mechanism and special forces of the states and for fortification of police stations. The total outlay of the scheme is Rs 1,048 crore. The government has also encouraged policies to mainstream the youth, which includes providing employment opportunities to wean them away from militancy. Addressing a public gathering at Rajajinagar, Sri Ram Sena president Pramod Muthalik slammed critics for asking Prime Minister Narendra Modi to break his silence over Gauri Lankeshs murder. (Photo: File) Bengaluru: A day after the Special Investigation team (SIT) summoned Rakesh Math, the Vijayapura district president of Sri Ram Sene, for questioning in the Gauri Lankesh murder case, Sene founder-president Pramod Muthalik on Sunday triggered a controversy saying, Why should Modi react if some dog dies in Karnataka? Muthalik, addressing a public gathering at Rajajinagar, slammed the critics for asking Prime Minister Narendra Modi to break his silence over Gauris murder. He said, Two murders happened in Karnataka and two in Maharashtra during the Congress rule. No one is saying anything about the Congress governments failure. Instead, they are asking why is PM Modi keeping quiet and not commenting on Gauri Lankeshs death. Why should Modi react if some dog dies in Karnataka? Muthalik later clarified that he did not directly compare Gauri to a "dog". He said that Parshuram Vaghmare, who allegedly pulled the trigger on Gauri, is not associated with his organisation. I attend several functions where people approach me and ask for pictures. Everyone who gets their picture clicked with me is not a member of my organisation. I dont know who Parshuram is, he said. Also Read: Gauri Lankesh killing: SIT summons Sri Ram Sene district head for questioning Sri Ram Sene came under the radar when a picture of Waghmare with Muthalik surfaced. Gauri Lankesh was shot dead by two bike-borne assailants outside her residence in Bengaluru in September 5, 2017. Chennai: AMMK leader T.T.V. Dhinakaran justified his supporter Thanga Tamilselvans decision to quit his MLA position and contest on pressure cooker symbol, saying this would provide his group an opportunity to prove that they are real followers of Amma (late CM J. Jayalalithaa). Denying reports of disunity in his group, Dhinakaran who got elected from the citys R. K. Nagar Assembly constituency, said all the MLAs are collectively with him. All the 18 MLAs are still with me I have left the decision to them as they won with Ammas blessings and as I didn't campaign for them, Mr Dhinakaran said on Saturday while hailing Thanga Tamilselvans decision. The remaining members had decided to face the legal battle, he added. Thanga Tamilselvan, considered close to Dhinakaran, was among the 18 legislators disqualified by Assembly Speaker P. Dhanapal for meeting Tamil Nadu Governor and seeking a change of Chief Minister last year. On Saturday he announced to withdraw the petition from the Madras High Court challenging his disqualification. Speaking to reporters here he said that he had lost hopes of getting justice from judiciary and hence has decided to withdraw his petition. Reacting, Mr Dhinakaran who said all the MLAs are solidly with him united, contended that they would even approach the Supreme Court to challenge any adverse decision from the High Court. Thanga Tamilselvan was keen on withdrawing his petition and was ready to face the by-election because he was confident of winning it. I said ok. He is not angry with us. This does not mean there is any division in our group. We are all united, he said and added don't read between the lines. Madras High Court had on Thursday delivered a split verdict in the MLA disqualification case, with Chief Justice Indira Banerjee upholding the decision of the Speaker in disqualifying the legislators loyal to Dhinakaran while the companion judge Justice M. Sundar disagreed. Hyderabad: YSR Congress leader and former minister, Botsa Satyanarayana, said the YSRC would go it alone in the next elections and would not forge an alliance with any party. Speaking to the media at the party office here on Saturday, Mr Satyanarayana said that in the last four years both the TD and the BJP had caused losses to the state and now the TD was spreading false propaganda that the YSRC was an ally of the BJP. He said they would soon come out with a book on AP Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidus looting of the state and distribute it to all the political leaders in the country. Mr Satyanarayana said the YSRC was not afraid to publicly spell out the truth about the Telugu Desam. Botsa asked Why is the TD uncomfortable with Buggana Rajendranaths visit to Delhi? People are aware of Naidus politics of compromise. He has union minister Nirmala Sitaraman's husband beside him all the time and the TDP government has appointed a Maharashtra minister's wife as a TTD board member.". Botsa said after misguiding the entire state about the Special Package, Naidu changed his stance and made a U-turn to hold protest meetings against the Centre. He said he was surprised that Naidu was asking for protection and alleged that the CM had looted from the village level to the state level and was now trying to escape. Together with the Lida Ching from the University of Geosciences in China Blackburn analyzed four amber fossils discovered in the field in the Northern part of Myanmar, the former Burma. The fossils included one skeleton of a frog that was complete enough for scientists to identify it as a new species, named Electrorana limoae, the study said. An ancient frog species which lived at the time of dinosaurs has been discovered. "Frogs are common animals to encounter in the wet tropical forests of today, and easily more than a third of the almost 7,000 species of frogs live in these wet forests", David C. Blackburn, a co-author of the new study and the associate curator of amphibians and reptiles at the Florida Museum of Natural History, told Gizmodo. The discovery of Electrorana and the other fossils, the first frogs to be recovered from these deposits, help add to our understanding of frogs in the Cretaceous Period, showing they have inhabited wet, tropical forests for at least 99 million years. Even though frogs have been around for 200 million years the oldest fossil that was found in the Dominican Republic dates back 40 million years. However, frogs live in just about every habitat on Earth, from scorching deserts to dense tropical rainforests to suburban back yards. The other amber fossils contain two hands and an imprint of a frog that likely decayed inside the resin. This is, in fact, the oldest frog we've ever found in a tropical environment - and the oldest frog trapped in amber, for that matter. More than a third of the 7,000-odd living species of frogs and toads are found in rain forests around the world. "Lizards and frogs in amber are certainly not unheard of, but ones this old are exceptional", says Marc Jones, an expert on fossil frogs based at the Natural History Museum in London, U.K. But the fossil record for amphibians from these kinds of wet, tropical environments has been nearly nonexistent, leaving paleontologists with few clues to their early evolution. Frogs are thought to be at least as old as 200 million years old, but it's almost impossible to learn much about the early amphibians - due to their small size and biology, they don't fossilize easily and most of the extinct frog remains are long gone. The piece of amber contains the frog's head, forelimbs, part of its spine, and part of one of its hindlimbs, as well as an unidentified beetle. "There could be a lot more fossils coming", he explained. This discovery was made during excavations on the territory of Asia in Myanmar. For instance, the ribs and a bone in the cartilaginous plate that supports the tongue suggest Electrorana l. closely resembled some of the species alive today, such as fire-bellied toads and midwife toads. Features such as wrist bones, the pelvis, hip bones, the inner ear, the top of the backbone. That would allow scientists to ask more sophisticated questions about the way these ancient frogs lived and evolved. "We don't have a lot of single-species frog communities in forests". It seems extremely unlikely that there's only one. The findings were published Thursday in Nature's Scientific Reports. Bengaluru: With differences emerging between ruling coalition partners, Congress and JD(S) over presentation of a full-fledged state budget, Deputy Chief Minister G Parameshwar on Sunday said the matter would be discussed in the coordination committee. Interestingly, Dr Parameshwar seems to have a slightly different view from that of former CM Siddaramaiah, who had dismissed the need for a full fledged budget saying he had already presented one before the Assembly polls. The Deputy CM however, did not rule out the possibility of a full fledged budget and seems to be thinking on the same lines as Chief Minister H.D. Kumaraswamy, who has hinted that the budget will be presented in the first week of July. The CM has scheduled pre-budget meetings with various departments starting June 21. "When a new government comes to power, it will naturally have its new programmes. We will discuss about it in the coordination committee and after the discussion, we will come to a final decision," said Dr Parameshwar. Siddaramaiah who is chairman of the Congress-JD(S) coordination committee, had suggested that there was no need for a fresh budget and a supplementary budget would do. "The budget has already been tabled for which we have taken a vote on account for four months, it will be there till July-end. If Mr Kumaraswamy wants to announce new programmes or schemes, he can do it through a supplementary budget," he had said. Former PM and JD(S) supremo H.D. Deve Gowda celebrates his birthday with his supporters at his residence in Bengaluru on Sunday. (Photo:DC) Bengaluru: A day after former CM Siddaramaiah expressed his reservations over the presentation of a full fledged budget by Chief Minister, H.D. Kumaraswamy when he had already presented one before the Assembly polls, his own party colleague and Deputy CM, Dr G. Parameshwar struck a discordant note stating on Sunday that it was natural for a new government to present a new budget to send out the right signals to voters. However in the same breath, Dr Parameshwar who is also the KPCC)president, added that the matter would be discussed in the co-ordination committee and a final decision on presenting a full fledged budget will be arrived at. Speaking to reporters here, Dr Parameshwar said, "Whenever a new government comes to power, it will naturally like to speak about its new programmes and it is usually done by presenting a fresh budget. The co-ordination committee has decided to continue with the programmes of the previous (Congress) government and so it will be a combination of both." He added that both coalition partners will have to discuss this in the co-ordination committee meeting and only then can the two parties come to a final decision. "The new programmes can be announced in a fresh budget or through an appropriation bill or by way of a supplementary budget, we will have to decide on it in the co-ordination committee," he reasoned. He argued that the co-ordination committee will have to meet soon after the Common Minimum Programme(CMP) was prepared. "A five-member committee has been formed to study the manifestos of both parties and arrive at a common understanding on every issue. Unless the CMP is completed, the budget cannot be presented," he explained. Dr Parameshwar also issued a gag order to all his partymen stating that no party leaders was authorised speak on the issue of the budget. "It will be either Congress Legislature party leader, Siddaramaiah or myself who will issue statements with regard to this," he said. Water resources minister, D. K. Shivakumar who held an in-camera meeting with Dr Parameshwar for over two hours, stated that party leaders need not add to the present confusion on the budget. "The Congress party knows how resolve such (budget) issues," he said cryptically. If the government can hold its nerve, and convert the recent Id-eve tragic assassination of Kashmirs prominent editor Shujaat Bukhari by the dark forces operating in J&K into an opportunity, it may yet be enabled to succeed in a retrieval act. Popular aspiration in Kashmir is crying out for this. The Modi government has engaged in a mindless pursuit of militarism alone as a solution to the issues thrown up in Kashmir. This is a sterile course. It can offer no solace to ordinary people in their violence-torn day-to-day lives. In the larger field of politics, it can bring no laurels as genuine democrats and middle-of-the-road people in Kashmir retire from the field and women and men of goodwill are forced to surrender arms, leaving the terrorists, the Islamists, and the planners across the border, an open gateway. The funeral of the murdered editor held in his native overgrown village of Kreeri, some 30 kilometres north of Srinagar, and until not long ago a hotbed of militancy, on Friday saw mourners arrive in their tens of thousands an unheard of event in the recent annals of Kashmir. This is an emphatic rejection at the symbolic level of all sources of violence. The senior journalist was killed because he promoted while walking a dangerously thin line in Kashmirs specific context dialogue and conversation, and did not endorse ideologies of violence. In the manner ordinary Kashmiris have dealt with their most recent tragedy lies an instruction for the Modi government to pay heed to the voice of moderation, and to seize the moment for a positive construction of politics and administrative policies in respect of J&K. After the repeated failure of the regime in New Delhi to pay heed to the voice of Kashmir, the people are offering the government yet another chance. They have a right to receive a more hopeful response. The extension of the so-called Ramzan ceasefire, which expired on Saturday, is the way forward. It will not automatically bring an end to terrorist violence. What it will bring about is a confrontation between terrorist violence and popular will if the policy is executed with due sensitivity, without propagandist bombast. In turn, this can potentially lead to a smoother environment for preparing for the looming Amarnath yatra. If terrorism has been enabled to raise its profile dangerously in the Valley in the past two years, it is on account of the governments failure to pursue a politics of moderation while taking on terrorism and jihadism. It is this which has marginalised the voices of moderation and tolerance whose quiet influence typically challenges the cause promoted by Pakistan in Kashmir. These voices have to be reappointed to their traditional place in Kashmirs society and politics. Babus in Karnataka are expecting another high-level reshuffle, after the change in government. As the JD (S)-Congress government headed by chief minister H.D. Kumaraswamy settles in, observers say that the chief minister is very likely to fill crucial positions in the government with babus of his choice. For at least five months, the bureaucracy in Karnataka has been in a state of flux, thanks to the frequent change of guard in the upper echelons of the administration. According to sources, several officers, who were neglected during the Congress regime and have JD(S) leanings, are set to return to key posts. The alleged marginalisation of Vokkaliga officers during the previous government is also said to have cost Congress dearly in the state Assembly polls but are likely to return into the limelight in the new dispensation. The key position of the chief secretary will fall vacant on June 30 with incumbent K. Ratna Prabha due to retire. In all probability, T.M. Vijay Bhaskar, will be her successor. Hunt on for CCI chief The government has begun the search for the next chairperson of the Competition Commission of India (CCI) since the tenure of outgoing chairperson D.K. Sikri expires in July this year. Mr Sikri had assumed office in January 2016 as its third chairperson. The applications need to be submitted by July 2. Many names of prospective candidates have already started doing the rounds. Those who are being seen as frontrunners for the post include former corporate affairs secretary Tapan Ray, outgoing UP chief secretary Rajive Kumar, outgoing Union commerce secretary Rita Teotia, former DIPAM secretary Niraj Gupta and the outgoing secretary, ministry of human resource development Anil Swarup. Promotion concerns With most states functioning with depleted strength of IAS officers, and with the Centre delaying recommendations for Central deputation, babus are concerned over the likely impact of this delay on their career prospects. Recently, the Uttar Pradesh IAS association reportedly wrote to the Centre seeking an amendment in its policy of IAS officers at the rank of Additional Secretary and Secretary. In the letter to the department of personnel and training (DoPT), association chairman, Pravir Kumar, has claimed that the inordinate delay in forwarding names for Central deputation on JS-level posts will have an adverse impact on their career prospects. According to the DoPT, an IAS officer should have at least three years of experience in a joint secretary-rank post at the Centre to become eligible for appointment at the level of additional secretary. Rajya Sabha member and national vice president of the Bharatiya Janata Party, Prabhat Jha is one of the key strategists who has ensured the saffron outfits three successive terms in Madhya Pradesh. As the state readies for another Assembly election at the end of the year, Mr Jha analyses the prospects of the BJP. He predicts doom for the Congress which is fighting a do-or-die battle this time. In an interview with Rabindra Nath Choudhury, Mr Jha says the farmers stir, which turned into a flop show, may prove to be a bad omen for the Congress as the Opposition failed to make any dent in the BJPs support base through it. Excerpts: The just-concluded 10-day stir (June 1-10) called by different farmers bodies was billed as a litmus test for both the ruling BJP and the Opposition Congress as far as wooing ryots (Indian peasants/tenant farmers) who constitute nearly 70 per cent of the electorate in MP are concerned, particularly when the Assembly elections are round-the-corner. Has the agitation threatened to erode the support base of the BJP among farmers? No. In fact, we were thrilled to find that the stir had evoked little response from the peasants in the state. There was absolutely no disruption in the supply of vegetables and milk from villages to urban areas as the farmers had decided to stay away from the agitation. The Congress-aided stir was a super flop and has completely foiled the partys bid to make it a major poll issue for the Assembly polls. The collapse of the farmer agitation may spell bad omen for the Congress. A major reason for this flop show was that the peasants had realised that the Congress was behind the violence during a similar agitation in the state last year which led to a number of death in the police firing at Mandsaur. Hence, the farmers maintained distance from this years stir, much to the dismay of the Congress. Even Gujarat Patidar leader Hardik Patels meetings in MP evoked little response. Why was there no impact of farmers agitation in MP this time? Our government has earmarked the largest allocation for agriculture and welfare of farmers in the state budget in the country. I can vouch that no other state government in the country has done as much as our government has done for the farmers. Whenever the farmers were in distress, our government intervened to help. We procured potatoes and tomatoes directly from the farmers so that dont go in for distress sales of their produce. We also purchased wheat from them at minimum support price (MSP) to save them from exploitation by the middlemen. In a unique initiative in the country, the MP government floated Bhavantar Bhugtan Yojana to compensate the farmers for not being able to sell their food grains at remunerative prices in the open market. We connected with the farmers at the grassroots level to apprise them of the welfare measures undertaken by the state government. All these measures helped. The Congress has dropped hints on forging an alliance with Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) and Gandwana Ganatantra Party (GGP), a tribal party having influence in, at least, two dozen Assembly constituencies in the Maha Koshal region of Madhya Pradesh, to turn it into a formidable electoral force by bringing the SC and ST voters under its fold. Will the proposed alliance pose a challenge to BJP in Assembly polls? We will not be intimidated by such alliances. Had these parties formed an alliance in the last Assembly elections, it would have cost BJP 41 seats. We could still have got majority by winning 125 out of 230 Assembly seats. This time, the BJP is in a far better position than it was in the 2013 Assembly elections. Our government has undertaken many social welfare measures to take care of all the sections of society. Besides, chief minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan has emerged as a credible pro-farmer and pro-poor mass leader in the state. That is our USP. Hence, we are confident that such an alliance would hardly have any impact on the prospects of BJP in the elections. Moreover, caste plays no role in Madhya Pradesh elections, so the Congress ploy of playing the caste card will not pay off. In the last Assembly elections, we won 75 out of 82 Assembly seats, earmarked for SC and ST in the state, which clearly shows our stronghold over the SC and ST communities. But reports say that the internal surveys by the BJP have suggested poor show by the party in the upcoming Assembly elections These reports are baseless and have been spread by the Congress. In fact, our internal survey has forecast a comfortable victory. We will form the government for the fourth time in a row. How do you plan to counter anti-incumbency that is bound to surface as the party has been in power for the last 15 years in the state? Development will be a major poll plank. We will showcase before the people the developmental works carried out by our government in the last one-and-half-decades and the poor performance of our predecessor Congress regime. This will stir a strong pro-incumbency wave in the elections, helping the party retain power in the state. But there are reports that the BJP is going to drop nearly 60 sitting party MLAs to fight anti-incumbency. It is a matter of interpretation. Rather I would like to put it this way: Win-ability will be our sole criteria for selection of candidates. Our slogan is Jo jitega usko hi ticket milega (candidates with winning prospects will only be given party ticket). The Congress is trying to make inroads into the BJP base by luring Lodhi community, an influential section of other backward class (OBC), by attempting to make marginalisation of Lodhi leader Uma Bharti an emotive issue among them. Uma Bharti is a respected senior leader. There is no question of her marginalisation in the party. The Congress attempt to spread falsehood among the members of the OBC community is bound to fail as the community is our traditional support base. Do you feel a rejuvenated Congress under the new president Kamal Nath will pose a threat to the BJP in the coming elections in MP? Mr Nath will pose absolutely no challenge to the BJP. He is not a state leader. He is considered a constituency leader who does not even know the names of district presidents of his party outside his Lok Sabha seat, Chhindwara. He has remained aloof in the state affairs during his 37-year-long electoral career and has hardly shown interest in state politics. He has no time to connect with party cadres and leaders. Besides, his style of running the party, like a corporate boss than a political leader, will not inspire the Congress cadres. The corporates deal humans as resources whereas in politics we deal humans as humans. The sooner he learns it; the better it will be for his party. Even Jyotiraditya Scindia, who has been made the campaign committee chairman of Congress in MP, is a constituency leader, not a state leader. He has his influence over a particular region in the state, not across the state. There is only one state leader in Congress Digvijay Singh who has his following across the state. Besides, Congress is faction-ridden in MP, having nine groups each working at cross purposes against the others. The party lost a connect with masses long ago. Its leaders appear only during elections. Do you think Vyapam issue involving corruptions in admissions in different medical colleges and recruitments in government jobs in MP will be an elections issue this time too? Vyapam (issue) had cut little ice among the electorates in the last Assembly elections. Chief minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan has been given a clean chit by the court in Vyapam, leading ghost of Vyapam to be exorcised for once and all. Vyapam (issue) is dead. Most of the casualties were from the rocket projectiles fired from outside the town minutes after two suicide bomber attacked. (Photo: Representational/AP) Kano (Nigeria): Suspected Boko Haram jihadists killed at least 31 people in a twin suicide bomb attack on a town in northeast Nigeria, a local official and militia leader said on June 17. Two blasts ripped through the town of Damboa in Borno state Saturday evening targeting people returning from celebrating the Eid al-Fitr holiday, in an attack bearing all the hallmarks of Boko Haram. Following the suicide bombings, the jihadists fired rocket-propelled grenades into the crowds that had gathered at the scene of the attacks, driving the number of casualties higher. "There were two suicide attacks and rocket-propelled grenade explosions in Damboa last night which killed 31 people and left several others injured," militia leader Babakura Kolo told AFP. Two suicide bombers detonated their explosives in Shuwari and nearby Abachari neighbourhoods in the town around 10:45 pm (2145GMT), killing six residents, said Kolo, speaking from the state capital Maiduguri, which is 88 kilometres from the town. "No one needs to be told this is the work of Boko Haram," Kolo said. A local government official, who spoke on the condition of anonymity, confirmed the death toll. "The latest death toll is now 31 but it may increase because many among the injured may not survive," said the official. "Most of the casualties were from the rocket projectiles fired from outside the town minutes after two suicide bomber attacked," he said. The jihadist group has deployed suicide bombers, many of them young girls, in mosques, markets and camps housing people displaced by the nine-year insurgency which has devastated Nigeria's northeast. On May 1 at least 86 people were killed in twin suicide blasts targeting a mosque and a nearby market in the town of Mubi in neighbouring Adamawa state. Nigerian President Muhammadu Buhari came into power in 2015 vowing to stamp out Boko Haram but the jihadists continue to stage frequent attacks, targeting both civilians and security forces. The militants stormed the Government Girls Technical College in Dapchi on February 19, seizing over 100 schoolgirls in a carbon copy of the abduction in Chibok in 2014 that caused global outrage. Washington: A man in the US has been convicted of the first-degree murder of an Indian-origin student after four years of untiring efforts by his family to seek justice, according to a media report. When Southern Illinois University student Pravin Varughese was found dead in 2014 after being missing for five days, authorities in Carbondale initially declared it as a tragic accident. Varughese's cause of death at that time was reported as environmental hypothermia, Chicago Tribune reported. The family of the 19-year-old student from Morton Grove was simply unwilling to accept that. His relatives pushed for further investigation, had an independent autopsy performed that conflicted with the local coroner's findings and filed suit against Carbondale and its police chief, who was fired soon after. A 12-person jury on Thursday found Gaege Bethune, a southern Illinois man, guilty of the first-degree murder of Varughese. "Pravin's day finally came. He can rest in peace now," Pravin's mother, Lovely Varughese said. During investigations, Bethune, who was 19 at the time, told police that he gave Varughese a ride on the night of February 12, 2014 after a party, and the two drove around while Varughese was allegedly looking to buy cocaine. Bethune said that at some point he got into a fight with Varughese. The prosecution said the two had been fighting over money, and alleged Bethune landed several punches to Varughese's head and face that led to Varughese running into the woods, where he later died. Jurors deliberated for seven hours before returning a verdict, according to WSIL. They found Bethune guilty of one count of murder that hinged on the state arguing Bethune caused great bodily harm to Varughese and that his death was "a direct and foreseeable consequence," The Southern Illinosian reported. He was found not guilty on a second murder charge that accused Bethune of robbing the victim, according to the newspaper. Bethune now faces 20 to 60 years in prison. A sentencing has not yet been scheduled. It is the first time the Taliban has agreed to a ceasefire for Eid since the US invasion in 2001. (Photo: AP) Kabul: Afghan President Ashraf Ghani on Saturday announced an extension of the government's week-long ceasefire with the Taliban which was otherwise due to end on Tuesday. "To respect the public's wishes and to support their demands about peace, I am ordering the security and defence forces to extend the ceasefire from the fourth day of Eid. We will soon share the details of the proposed ceasefire with the nation," Afghan President Ashraf Ghani tweeted. To respect the public's wishes and to support their demands about peace, I am ordering the security and defense forces to extend the ceasefire from the fourth day of Eid. We will soon share the details of the proposed ceasefire with the nation. Ashraf Ghani (@ashrafghani) June 16, 2018 He also urged the Taliban to extend their three-day ceasefire which is due to end Sunday. Read: Taliban agrees to ceasefire with Afghan govt for Eid, 'foreign occupiers' exempted "We also request the Afghan Taliban to extend their ceasefire. During the ceasefire, we will provide medical assistance to the wounded Taliban, and will provide them any humanitarian assistance if needed. Taliban prisoners will also be allowed to contact and see their families," Ghani wrote in another tweet. We also request the Afghan Taliban to extend their ceasefire. During the ceasefire, we will provide medical assistance to the wounded Taliban, and will provide them any humanitarian assistance if needed,. Taliban prisoners will also be allowed to contact and see their families. Ashraf Ghani (@ashrafghani) June 16, 2018 This comes in the backdrop of an initial truce which was observed by both sides over the Eid festival period. Also Read: Taliban, Afghan forces celebrate Eid ceasefire with hugs, take selfies Emphasising on the significance of peace, the Afghan President Peace said, "Peace is an urgent need and as it turned out that in the last 24 hours there was a consensus between the Afghan government and the Taliban on peace, it proved that we are all for peace. Fortunately, there's also consensus among the international community on peace in Afghanistan." The Taliban on June 9 announced a three-day ceasefire over the Eid holiday, two days after the Afghan government announced the ceasefire. "The Government of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan announces ceasefire from the 27th of Ramadan until the fifth day of Eid-ul-Fitr," Ghani tweeted on June 7. It is the first time the Taliban has agreed to a ceasefire for Eid since the US invasion in 2001. Other countries welcomed the ceasefire move by both sides and said this should become a permanent ceasefire. The United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) also welcomed the Taliban's announcement. Naveed was let off with a warning after his medical practitioners' ID card was scrutinised and he wasn't found guilty of any criminal offence. (Photo: Screengrab | @MurtazaViews/Twitter) London: A man allegedly sneaked into former Pakistan Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif's wife Kulsoom Nawaz's hospital room without permission at London's Harley Street Clinic on Saturday. Kulsoom, 68, had suffered a cardiac arrest in the intensive care unit of the hospital on Friday and was put on a ventilator as her health deteriorated. The incident has sparked alarm among members of the Sharif family, Dawn reported. "This man fooled security and managed to reach Begum Kulsoom's room," Geo News quoted Hussain Nawaz, the son of Nawaz Sharif, as saying. In a video shared on Twitter, the man identified himself as Naveed. He claimed he was a former member of the Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf or PTI and had come to support the Sharif family, in his capacity as a Pakistani. Man forces his way into the Harley street clinic room where Begum Kulsoom nawaz is on ventilator. He told the security hes a doctor and wanted to do procedures. Thrown out when a family member alerted the security. Police called to the scene pic.twitter.com/EkppCsKF7S Murtaza Ali Shah (@MurtazaViews) June 16, 2018 According to Dawn, he is a doctor with a medical practitioner's ID card. "Even if he is a doctor, it does not mean that he can enter a place he has no concern with," Hussain Nawaz added. The incident was later reported to the police who then arrested the man and conducted an inquiry. He was let off with a warning after his medical practitioners' ID card was scrutinised and he wasn't found guilty of any criminal offence. Kulsoom underwent multiple surgeries last year to remove lymph nodes after she was diagnosed with throat cancer. In April, her medical reports indicated that her health had worsened after her throat cancer began to spread to the rest of her body. She was shifted to the intensive care unit of the London hospital on Thursday after her condition deteriorated further. Nawaz Sharif and daughter Maryam had left for London on Friday following the news of Kulsoom's deteriorating health. Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) President Shehbaz Sharif also arrived in London on June 17 to see his ailing sister-in-law. A day after the prime minister hosted a dinner for party office bearers and RSS leaders at his official residence in the national capital, BJP chief Amit Shah deliberated with the party's organisational and general secretaries over the strategy ahead. The BJP faces an uphill task of retaining power in three poll-bound states of Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan and Chhattisgarh. In his half-hour speech at the party's three-day brainstorming meeting in the presence of senior RSS functionaries at Surajkund in the BJP-ruled Haryana, Shah dwelt at length over the challenges and the need for the organisation to galvanise before the 2019 Lok Sabha polls. In the meeting, it was felt that the general secretaries in charge of organisation should tour the state and keep "live contact" with ground realities and the status of the organisation. Organisation secretaries have also been told to send reports to the central leadership if they find some major weakness in the organisation in the states. In the states not ruled by the BJP, the organisation secretaries were asked to take home the message of the Modi government's performance while in the BJP-ruled states, the thrust has to be on maintaining coordination with the government. In the wake of alliances being formed up by Opposition parties such as Samajwadi Party, BSP, Congress and RLD in Uttar Pradesh and the NCP-Congress in Maharashtra, Shah laid emphasis on strengthening the organisation to take on the challenge by widening BJP's existing vote base. There is a view in the party that with the Opposition parties coming together, the BJP cannot hope to repeat its 2014 magic of winning 71 out of 80 Lok Sabha seats on its own in Uttar Pradesh. The three-day brain storming took place after two back-to-back meetings of senior RSS and BJP leaders in the national capital in which the functioning of the four years of the Modi government was discussed. The deliberations also talked about the strategy for the party with less than one year left for next Lok Sabha polls. Party insiders say that the BJP would lay greater thrust on 300 rural Lok Sabha seats in 2019 polls. The BJP believes it has been traditionally strong in the cities and needs more focus on rural seats, given the growing debate on the rural-urban divide. In the Gujarat Assembly polls last year, the Congress had won more seats from the rural areas, bringing the tally of BJP down. Rural distress has been a challenge for the BJP and it has faced farmer protests in its own backward, in Madhya Pradesh and Maharashtra. SALT LAKE CITY--On an early May morning in 2010, 16-year-old Kalief Browder, who lived with his family in the Bronx, N.Y., was arrested for stealing a backpack. I didnt rob anybody, Browder told the arresting officer. You can check my pockets. But the next day, he was led into a courtroom, where he learned he had been charged with robbery, grand larceny, and assault. A judge set his bail at $3,000, an amount well beyond his familys resources. So Browder was sent to Rikers Island to await trial. He spent the next three years at the New York City jail known for its culture of violence, nearly two of them in solitary confinement. He never went to trial. After three years, the case was dropped and all charges against him were dismissed. Browder tried to move forward, but his experience at Rikers continued to haunt him. In 2015, at his parents home in the Bronx, he hanged himself. Widely reported in the media, Browders story focused public awareness on pretrial detention and catalyzed a bail reform movement which is gathering steam across the nation. In May, Utah took its own step toward pretrial reform by implementing a new tool called the Public Safety Assessment, which is designed to give judges more information about a defendants likelihood of flight and danger to the community before setting bail. In theory, the level of bail set reflects the severity of the crime and thus the risk that the accused will flee or cause harm to the public while awaiting trial. But experts like Shima Baradaran Baughman, professor at the University of Utah College of Law and author of The Bail Book: A Comprehensive Look at Bail in America's Criminal Justice System, say thats not usually the way things play out. According to Baughman, the fundamental injustice of the bail system, both nationally and in Utah, is that its workings disproportionately affect the poor. People who have money are released because they can pay bail, even if they pose a high risk of violent crime, she explained. People who do not have money to pay bail are detained even if they are safe to released. Baughman said minorities are particularly affected, often paying double the amount of bail as white people and sitting behind bars two times longer for the same crimes, often because they cannot afford bail. Some states, such as New Jersey, have moved toward eliminating bail in the majority of circumstances, in favor of a system in which those at significant risk of flight or to public safety are either released under close supervision or required to remain in jail until their trial. Others, who present little to no risk, are released without bail. Theres tremendous momentum for bail reform around the country, said Sandra G. Mayson, an assistant professor at the University of Georgia School of Law. Whats most remarkable and most exciting is that there is broad bipartisan support for rationalizing our bail system. The incarceration of low-income individuals can have a devastating impact on individuals and families, Baughman explained. Studies have shown that pretrial detention increases the likelihood that a person will commit future crime, potentially due to the destabilizing effect on defendants lives. Families are separated and people lose stable income, housing and child care situations, said Baughman. When release on bail is based on money, poor families are hit the hardest. Its also expensive for the taxpayer, Baughman added. More than 60 percent of inmates in jail nationwide are awaiting trial, costing approximately $14 billion per year. A 2015 study by the Utah State Courts indicated that 52 percent of inmates in Utah jails were awaiting trial. The vast majority of incarceration across the country is pretrial detention at the local level, said Cherise Fanno Burdeen, chief executive officer of the Pretrial Justice Institute, a Maryland-based advocacy organization. Thats not because everyone is dangerous and needs to be held, its that being arrested comes with a money bond amount which the vast majority of people cant afford. Thats where the Public Safety Assessment comes in. Developed by the Laura and John Arnold Foundation, a Texas-based criminal justice nonprofit, the PSA has already been implemented in several other states. It works like this: you plug in a defendants criminal history, age and prior failures to appear in court. The software then uses an algorithm to calculate the likelihood that someone will reoffend, commit a violent crime, or will fail to appear at a future date. The tool is not without its critics. Some say risk assessment tools like the PSA can reinforce racism. And there are others within the bail bonds industry who say it poses a public safety threat. The PSA is recklessly endangering the lives of citizens who live in the United States, said Beth Chapman, president of the Professional Bail Agents of the United States, and wife of Duane Dog Chapman of the reality TV series "Dog the Bounty Hunter." Dyon Flannery, a Utah bail enforcement agent, said it will open the floodgates of crime. It will change the culture of Utah, she said. How the PSA works Utah Third District Judge Todd Shaughnessy said within 24 hours of an arrest, judges in Utah have a critically important decision to make: if, and how much, bail should be set for the accused. But until the PSA was implemented, judges didnt have much information to go on. It was shocking to me how little information we as judges had when we had to make a decision on whether someone was going to be released or not, said Shaughnessy. Judges often have access to no more than a probable cause statement filed by a police officer that could be just one sentence long, said Keisa Williams, associate general counsel for the Utah Administrative Office of the Courts. That statement might say something like she was in possession of heroin, with no information provided about the background or criminal history of the accused, said Williams. Judges are able to refer to a Uniform Fine and Bail Schedule, which helps ensure judges in different areas of the state are setting the same bail amounts for identical charges. But, Williams said, that bail schedule doesnt provide the judge with any information about an accuseds criminal history, risk of reoffending or skipping a court date. Our judges need more information, fast, said Williams. Thats what the PSA is designed to do. The Laura and John Arnold Foundation created the PSA in 2013 by using a large, diverse set of pretrial records: 1.5 million cases from approximately 300 jurisdictions across the United States. Researchers analyzed the data and identified the nine factors that best predict whether a defendant will engage in new criminal activity, commit a violent crime, or fail to appear in court if released before trial. Utah's PSA is an automated report about a defendant, including their criminal history, failure-to-appear records and history of violent offenses. The algorithm provides two risk scores one for failure to appear in court, and another for the potential of committing a new crime. The assessment also includes a violence flag that indicates whether the defendant poses an elevated risk of committing a new violent crime if released. Williams said its important to note the tool is not intended to replace judicial discretion. Its just another data point for them, said Williams. They can ignore this if they want, or they can change the (PSA's) recommendation." Will the PSA reinforce racism? Could it make Utah less safe? In 2016, ProPublica published a study that alleged COMPAS, another pretrial risk assessment tool, was biased against blacks. The article stated that the tool was particularly likely to falsely flag black defendants as future criminals, labeling them that way at almost twice the rate as white defendants. Experts agree that pretrial risk assessment tools can have the potential to reinforce racism. A major con is sometimes the way that pretrial risk assessments are set up, they can exacerbate racial disparities, said Priya Raghavan, Counsel at the Brennan Center for Justice at the New York University School of Law. She said thats because they can be designed to consider social factors, education levels, employment histories, or family structures, which can negatively affect African-American and Latino defendants. But Williams said the PSA avoids many pitfalls of racial bias by sticking solely to criminal history. This tool is about as race-neutral as you can get, said Williams. No interview is conducted and race is not included in the report or score calculation. She added that it contains an important element of transparency. "Unlike some other tools, the PSA algorithm is publicly available. In fact, it is posted on the court's website," said Williams. "Defendants and their lawyers have the opportunity to do their own risk assessments and challenge the PSAs recommendation in court." The most vocal opposition, both locally and nationally, to bail reform and the implementation of the PSA tool has come from the bail bonds industry. Beth Chapman said she views the PSAs premise with skepticism. Youre dealing with someones human emotion, youre gambling on human behavior, she said. No nine question risk assessment can help you determine whether a persons going to reoffend or not, whether a person is going to be a risk to society or not, and whether a person is going to return to court or not. It just doesnt do that. Wayne Carlos, president of the Utah Association of Professional Bondsmen and Agents, told the Deseret News that while Utah has not eliminated monetary bail, he's concerned thats the inevitable next step. Everywhere that PSA has been implemented bail is almost nonexistent, said Carlos. Thats our fear. Nationwide, the bail bonds industry rakes in about $2 billion in revenue each year, according to a 2012 Justice Policy Institute report. But Carlos said it's about more than making money bondsmen provide an important public service by keeping communities safe. He said his company has bonded over 80,000 people out of jail and has done the difficult, sometimes dangerous work of tracking them down to make sure they show up to court. And, he added, its at no cost to the taxpayer. Next steps Williams said the next step is to study the outcomes and whether the tool helps reduce failures to appear and recidivism. She said the Harvard Access to Justice Lab will be conducting free studies of the tool in several counties in Utah. In addition, courts will be tracking pretrial outcomes statewide to ensure the PSA, and pretrial release and supervision programs overall, are successful. The courts will be conducting quality assurance tests and making adjustments to the entire pretrial program as needed, said Williams. To get started working on pretrial reform as a whole in Utah, Williams said the Utah State Courts have created a standing committee on pretrial release and supervision. That committee consists of stakeholders throughout the state, including representatives from the legislature, bail bonds industry, and law enforcement as well as defense attorneys, prosecutors and judges. But, she said, the court is taking a measured approach to pretrial reform. We are not attempting to completely overhaul pretrial practices in Utah all at once, as some other states have done by passing a constitutional amendment and eliminating the use of monetary bail. We cant say right now what, if any, future pretrial reforms should be made in Utah. Thats why were making incremental changes, coupled with outcome studies, feedback from stakeholders and ongoing evaluations, said Williams. Burdeen with the Pretrial Justice Institute said Utah's implementation of the PSA is just one piece of a larger, nationwide effort to change problems associated with pretrial detention. The PSA is one component of an entire change process," she said. "It isnt a silver bullet, it doesnt change things all by itself." Burdeen said the Pretrial Justice Institute's ultimate goal is to reduce pretrial detention nationwide to no more than 10 percent of the prison population. That would be life changing for millions of people, she said. KEARNS In the midst of national school shootings, local high school suicides and other bleak circumstances, Michelle Brunson felt inspired to bring some light and kindness to society. "Obviously there are so many good people in the world," she said. "But we wanted to do our part to make it a little bit of a happier place for everybody. We really do want everyone to just enjoy being kind and helping others." Brunson, public relations manager for the LDS Family Festival, helped launch the global TRAK (Team Random Acts of Kindness) Challenge, which kicked off last week. The summerlong event is a competition scavenger hunt of service for groups, and it's available for anyone in the world to sign up. "It'll be an exciting event and way to boost morale for everybody, especially in Utah and whoever wants to participate throughout the world," Brunson said. The challenge, part of the 2018 LDS Family Festival, is open to teams of any size to register. An official list of kind acts options will be emailed once a team is registered. Registration costs $35 per team. "Some of the things are just simple, like give five people high-fives, or take dinner to someone you normally wouldn't take dinner to," Brunson said. "There's a variety of things you can do to put your own twist on it." David Teams, who works with his wife, Tonia Teams, who founded the LDS Family Festival, also gave a preview of some of the service acts on the official TRAK list: pull weeds for a neighbor, bake cookies for someone, pick up garbage in one's neighborhood or leave a little money at a vending machine. For every social media post each team member posts of their kind act with the hashtag #trakchallenge, the team will earn five points. "If one team does one act of kindness and everybody shares it say there's five people on that team they'll get five points toward five acts of kindness, even though they all did the same act," Brunson said. There is no size limit for teams. Brunson listed a variety of groups that could make up a team for the TRAK Challenge, including families, youth groups, friends, Scouts, co-workers, neighborhoods, family reunions and classmates. The TRAK Challenge is partners with and will raise money for Operation Underground Railroad, an international nonprofit assisting in rescuing children from human trafficking and sex trafficking. Teams said they chose to partner with Operation Underground Railroad because "they risk their lives to save these kids and put gangsters in jail. We couldn't think of something that fit better." The finale to the TRAK Challenge will take place at the LDS Family Festival in Sandy Aug. 3, where the top teams will be invited on stage, and the winner will be announced and given the opportunity to present a check to Tim Ballard, founder of Operation Underground Railroad. Teams have until the weekend before the festival to fulfill challenges and gain points. Brunson said her service experiences with her daughters helped her form ideas for the TRAK Challenge. "When Paige, my oldest, was about 2, I really got the impression that I needed to start including her in service and acts of kindness," she said. "And I realized you can serve and do acts of kindness at any age." Brunson's family, including their 8-, 5- and 1-year-old daughters, is competing as a team for the TRAK Challenge, and Brunson said she hopes other families with young children will join, too. "If you're on the fence (about joining the challenge), then you need to be over the fence and just do it," Teams said. "It's going to be lots of fun. The more you think about it, the more opportunities you'll see. And the more you do, the better you'll feel." Learn more and sign up at trackchallenge.com. SALT LAKE CITY A 28-year-old man has been arrested in the slaying of a St. George woman last week. Elizabeth Carter, 33, was found dead in an apartment near 500 North and Bluff Street around 2 p.m. Wednesday. St. George police obtained an arrest warrant Friday and took Kevin Ray Mcatlin into custody early Saturday in the Moab area, according to a news release from St. George police. He was charged in 5th District Court on Friday with murder, a first-degree felony. According to an affidavit for the arrest warrant filed in conjunction with the charges, property managers discovered Carter's body in a bathtub covered by blankets and a couch cushion. The body has been transported to Salt Lake City for autopsy. "During the autopsy it was discovered that there were 16 puncture wounds to the right side of the decedent's neck. The punctures ranged from superficial, to at least three centimeters in depth," the affidavit states. Additionally, there was a puncture wound the back of the Carter's right shoulder and four slash marks on the back of her neck. "The Office of the Medical Examiner classified the death as a homicide," the affidavit states. The affidavit said investigators discovered "a bloody fingerprint on the back side of the apartment door." A state crime lab fingerprint expert "positively matched the fingerprint located on the back of the apartment front door to Kevin Mcatlin," the affidavit states. The document also states that people interviewed by investigators who knew Carter saw her and Mcatlin at a gathering in Toquerville on June 1. "They also confirmed that they saw them both leave together," the affidavit states. Property managers who oversee the apartments where Carter lived contacted her on May 31 to inspect the unit, according to the affidavit. It was in "filthy condition" and they told Carter to clean the apartment, the document states. "They gave her a two-week time limit to make the changes or risk being evicted," the affidavit states. On June 13, the property managers returned to the apartment to conduct a follow-up visit but "no one answered the door at the time," according to the affidavit. The property management employees contacted a locksmith who opened the door to the apartment, which had a foul odor, the document states. "They made their way into the bathroom of the apartment and discovered a suspected human body," according to the affidavit. According to the police press release, "The condition of (Carter's) apartment and suspicious circumstances began an 'all hands on deck' investigation as evidence and information developed over the course of the hours and days following the discovery." The case is "complex and technically challenging. Evidence is still being processed and work continues on the case," the press release said. An initial court appearance for Mcatlin has not been scheduled. SALT LAKE CITY Utah scientists are working on technology that could someday help the U.S. military disable enemy watercraft at sea. Researchers at Utah State University in Logan received a grant of $420,000 from the U.S. Navy Division of Unconventional Warfare aimed at designing and developing synthetic spider silk material that could be used to fight enemy targets during military combat. The official name for such devices is nonlethal Maritime Vessel Stopping Occlusion Technologies. Funded through the Utah Science Technology and Research initiative, the USU Synthetic Spider Silk Lab will also apply silk manufacturing technology to enable the commercial-scale production of other biomaterials, explained Randy Lewis, professor of biology and lab director. He noted Kevlar was the initial material used in previous technologies, followed by superabsorbent polymers that led to the current "polymer kelp" design. "Part of the project is to develop a material that will replace Kevlar for being able to enwrap the propeller," he said. "There is a second component that is based on hagfish 'slime' an incredibly viscous solution. We're trying to combine our extraordinary material with the ability to match up with the 'slime' so that it will be much more effective at slowing up the propeller and disabling the (watercraft)." As a defense from predators, hagfish eel-like marine creatures secrete a gooey, microfibrous mucin that greatly expands in seawater, he noted. Today, the U.S. Navy envisions stronger, more effective and environmentally friendly next-generation designs with spider silk and synthetic slime derived from other proteins, he said. Maritime Vessel Stopping Occlusion Technologies is currently deployed with pneumatic launchers similar to T-shirt cannons used at sporting events, he said, though future designs may use unmanned surface vessels or aerial drones. "The idea is not to destroy the (enemy vessel), but to make it so inefficient and ineffective that the boat can't keep (advancing)," he said. The project has three major aims that will benefit the U.S. Navy and advance the lab's research, he said. First is supplying the aforementioned synthetic spider silk made from transgenic bacteria and silkworms, two of four sources the lab uses for silk production, he explained. The second priority of the project is sharing expertise with the U.S Navy on producing synthetic slime from hagfish proteins, while the third goal is to share USU expertise on scaling-up production of hagfish-derived proteins to manufacture commercial-level quantities of the materials, as well as commercial-scale spinning of fibers, Lewis said. "This is a great opportunity for USU because this project will allow us to continue to develop our knowledge of synthetic silk production and applications," he said. "It also provides research opportunities for three research scientists, two graduate students and a number of undergraduate researchers." The grant is for one year, with opportunities for follow-up funding, he noted. "What we're hoping to have is a prototype within that one-year time frame so that we can start testing and designing it," he said. "There isn't much out there that is very effective." Over the years, Lewis has received previous U.S. Navy grants totaling more than $1 million to develop waterproof fasteners and adhesives from synthetic spider silk. "Certain types of spider silk have chemical and physical properties that enable them to attach to virtually any surface even when wet," he said. "In addition, the silk is flexible, lightweight and very strong." Along with bacteria and silkworms, the lab also uses the milk from transgenic goats and fibers from transgenic alfalfa to produce synthetic silk, Lewis noted. "Spider silk has properties unmatched by any manmade material," he said. "Synthetic silk holds promise for nearly endless applications in industry, medicine and consumer products." LAKEPORT, Calif. (AP) - A Northern California county has agreed to pay $2 million to a man who sued after his mother killed herself in jail a day after she was arrested for being under the influence of drugs. A spokesman for the son, Dane Shikman, said Thursday that Shikman filed a federal lawsuit alleging his mother, Elizabeth Gaunt, was left in a Lake County jail sobering cell in 2015 without being evaluated by a doctor, even though she was hallucinating. The suit says a licensed vocational nurse who last saw the 56-year-old woman documented her psychosis but failed to contact a doctor as required. The county counsel's office said it had no comment about the settlement. In court documents, the county rejected the claim that officials were deliberately indifferent to Gaunt's medical needs. (Copyright 2018 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.) The recently announced Redmi 6A by Xiaomi in China introduced the world to a MediaTek Helio A22 chipset. The chipset made by the Taiwanese silicon maker is mid-range chipset and is part of the companys new goal of bringing premium features down to more affordable offerings. The details revealed by MediaTek about the chipset certainly reveals so. The Helio A22 is a quad-core chipset with four ARM Cortex-A53 cores with a max frequency of 2GHz. That is combined with a IMG PowerVR GE-class GPU. The chipset supports both LPDDR4X and LPDDR3 RAM along with support for eMMC 5.1 storage type. The A53 cores are efficiency cores built on ARMs v8-A architecture and can be paired in a big.LITTLE configuration with other A53 cores. According to MediaTek, the Helio A22 is 30 percent faster in computing and 72 percent better in graphics. The chipset uses MediaTeks CorePilot technology which provides intelligent CPU scheduling based on power intake, thermal management. The technology homebrewed by MediaTek assigns the workload to different CPU cores efficiently. The chipset also comes with a ultra-low power sensor hub for apps that require always-on sensor readings, such as a pedometer or a language processor. These apps will engage the sensor hub instead of taxing the CPU, thereby saving more power. Furthermore, the Helio A22 brings Edge AI onboard, although in a rudimentary form. The capabilities will allow for FaceID, smart photo album, and single and dual camera bokeh effects in smartphones. However, MediaTeks NeuroPilot platform gives developers the ecosystem to leverage the AI capabilties of the chip. The platform is fully compliant with Android Neural Networks API and comes with common AI frameworks. The Helio A22 uses MediaTeks WorldMode 4G LTE modem that provides 4G dual SIM support with dual VoLTE/ViLTE. Theres also the companys TAS 2.0 smart antenna tech that optimises the signal using multiple cameras. Over its previous generation, the MediaTek Helio A22 now includes multi-GNSS options for multiple GPS standards. It is also 24 percent more power efficient thanks to the onboard sensor hub. Theres also support for Bluetooth 5 for twice the speed and four times the range. The five-day grand finale of the 'Smart India Hackathon' (SIH) will be held at the renowned Indian Institute of Science (IISc) here from Monday to showcase hardware products by college students from across the country, it was announced on Saturday. Organised by Union Human Resource Development Ministry in partnership with academia and industry, the hardware edition of the SIH 2018 is being held after the software edition finale on March 30-31 at 28 nodal centres across the country. "The theme of the hackathon in this city is 'Smart Vehicles', which will enable young students to showcase their innovative hardware products that can address the problem of providing clean water and waste management and create smart vehicles and do smart communication," said an event representative in a statement here. The 10 themes of the Hackathon finale are organised at Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Kanpur (drones), IIT-Kharagpur (agriculture), IIT-Guwahati (rural technology), Central Electronics Engineering ResearchAInstitute (CEERI) Pilani (smart communication), IISc Bengaluru (smart vehicles), IIT-Roorkee (clean water), National Institute of Technology (NIT) Trichy (waste management), College of Engineering, Pune (security) and Forge Coimbatore (importAsubstitution). Under the hardware edition, 4,362 ideas were received, with 50,000 students participating from 752 technical institutions, the statement said. After two rounds of evaluation, 106 teams were shortlisted to compete under the 10 themes in the hardware edition finale. The finale will kickstart on Monday in the presence of IISc Director Anurag Kumar, former Defence Research Development Organisation chief V.K. Aatre and All India Council for Technical Education (AICTE) Vice Chairman M.P. Poonia. Union HRD Minister Prakash Javadekar, AICTE Chairman Anil Sahasrabudhe, and other academic heads will be joining the event via video conferencing. The winners will be announced on June 22 after three rounds judging, the statement said. The top three winning teams under each theme will be awarded cash prizes of Rs 1 lakh for the winning team, Rs 75,000 for the first runner-up, and Rs 50,000 for the second runner-up. "The teams may also get support from investors who are willing to invest in the products and make them market ready." The HRD ministry is also working with the Department of Science and Technology to explore hand-holding the winning teams into becoming startups with the help of business incubators. Image Courtesy: BetterIndia The death occurred in the Lourdes Hospital of Alex Sweeney, Christianstown, Readypenny, Dundalk on 14 May 2018. Alex was the third eldest in a family of eleven born to Ackie and Rosie (Nee McKenny). He attended Darver National School until the age of fourteen when he left to work with the local farmers. When he was eighteen he got a job in Annagassan Mills , during the Harvest (which was owned by the late Paddy Donegan). He remained working there and then began working as a helper on a lorry in the Castlebellingham branch. He was promoted to a lorry driver which shaped the rest of his life. He travelled the length and breadth of Ireland but mostly to Cavan, a trip he loved apart from the bad roads. In his spare time he would be seen taking engines apart for repairs in scooters and cars. In 1971 Alex married Margaret Thornton from Readypenny whom he first met at school at the age of seven. They had two children Colin and Noeleen who are their pride and joy. In 1989 he got the opportunity to buy his first lorry and become self employed. He built up a successful business with his son Colin working with Lakeland Dairies where he made many friends. In 2007 Alex semi retired and spent his spare time farming, a job he loved. He enjoyed nothing more than spending time with his only grand daughter Carla looking after the animals and feeding the pet lambs. Alex loved country music and himself and Margaret would be seen in Bundoran twice a year at the country music festivals. Alex was predeceased by his parents Ackie and Rosie, brothers Sean and Frankie, and sister Benny. Alex is survived by his wife Margaret, Son Colin, Daughter Noeleen, granddaughter Carla, son in law Ollie Drumgoole, brothers Brendan, Mickey and Enda, sisters Betty McDonnell, Mary Matthews, Rosaleen Mullen and Teresa Hand, brothers in law, sisters in law, aunts, uncle, nephews and nieces, relatives and many friends. After reposing at his home, his remains were removed to St Michaels Church Darver, where mass was celebrated by Fr Pat McEnroe and Fr Eugene Sweeney was also in attendance. Readings were by daughter Noeleen and grand daughter Carla. Offertory Gifts were brought to the altar by his sisters Mary and Rosaleen. Prayers of the faithful were by nieces Fiona McCarthy, Paula Reid, Karen Neary and Rosemary Sweeney. Alexs popularity and the high regard in which he was held was reflected in the large number of people who called to the house from near and far and attended his funeral. The family would like to thank all the medical staff who looked after Alex in his illness, his carers Annette and Claire who were a great support to Margaret. Also to his neighbours and friends who were always on hand to help in any way they could. They would also like to thank Finlays undertakers and Jim Tenanty for their professionalism and also the grave diggers, all who send mass cards, flowers and messages of support. The beautiful singing was by Philomena Gilmore accompanied by organist Paddy Neary. Burial took place in the adjoining cemetery. Alexs months mind mass will be celebrated in St Michaels Church Darver on Friday 15 June at 7.30pm. How does a Swiss person integrate in Russia? Having Russian friends and an interest in local history, culture and sport can help, says 45-year-old Daniel Rehmann, a businessman representing Swiss expatriates living in Russia. swissinfo.ch: Why did you choose to live in Russia? Was it by chance, or planned? Daniel Rehmann: It was a result of how business was building up here and my academic further education at the University of St Petersburg. It wasnt planned. I met some people on a trip to St Petersburg who proposed cooperating with me in building up a tourism business. Thats how I got started here. It was also during the economic boom in Russia and there were plenty of business opportunities. So I stayed and built up my own small business while furthering my education at local Russian universities. swissinfo.ch: How did you imagine Russia before you arrived what were your expectations? D.R.: I had visited Russia a few times previously and made some contacts here, so I was a little bit prepared. I obviously did have expectations but I was realistic enough to see the opportunities and the risks. The economic boom in the years 2002 to 2008 was very impressive, and Moscow and St Petersburg changed and modernised very fast. It was, however, always clear to me that for foreigners, there are political risks to living in Russia. These became apparent after 2014 [start of the conflict in Ukraine]. swissinfo.ch: How did you feel in these metropolises? D.R.: I felt very safe. There was a lot to discover. In 1998 and 1999, without the internet, you had to look for the right information or ask people. The most important thing was to understand the metro system in Moscow and St Petersburg. swissinfo.ch: When did you realise that you would stay in Russia for a long time and that this would be more than a business trip? D.R.: When I got the first contracts and completed some successful projects, passed the admissions examinations at the universities, and was out and about a lot in St Petersburg with local friends and getting to know Russia through longer trips to the different regions. swissinfo.ch: Do you understand the Russians? Are the special character and the big Russian soul just cliches? D.R.: Yes and no. You adapt, you learn the language, and you fit into Russian life. But I grew up in Switzerland. So I will never really be able to understand the Russians, although I can understand a lot. Yes, many Russians express their emotions, and for the Swiss, these emotions are sometimes hard to understand. It is important for a foreigner to have Russian friends, knowledge of Russian literature, history and culture, and to take an interest in sport. Then its possible to integrate. swissinfo.ch: What difficulties have you faced, both professionally and privately? D.R.: On the professional side, doing business in Russia is different from in Switzerland. You have to learn it by practice. There are big differences between what the law says and what actually happens in reality. Politics plays a much bigger role in influencing and defining the business environment. On the private side, learning the Russian language and finding the right way to integrate into Russian society while maintaining my identity have proven challenging. swissinfo.ch: How do you rate relations between Russia and Switzerland? Do these have any influence on the Russian political system? D.R.: I would describe official relations between Switzerland and Russia as relatively good, given the political situation. As far as politics go, there have been reciprocal visits by parliamentary delegations and Swiss Economics Minister Johann Schneider-Ammann visited Moscow last summer. From an economic perspective, trade between Switzerland and Russia will increase in 2017 for the first time since 2014. The Russian economic crisis seems to be over. There is potential for improvements in bilateral trade; for example, a free trade agreement between Switzerland and the Eurasian Economic Union would be a great boon for Swiss small and medium-sized companies setting up in Russia. It could also help to ease political tensions between east and west. There is still a lively cultural exchange between Russia and Switzerland. swissinfo.ch: Do you miss anything Swiss when you are in Russia, or anything Russian when you are in Switzerland? D.R.: In Russia I miss punctuality, on occasion reliability, good cheese, the natural environment, FC Basel and in St Petersburg, I miss the mountains. In Switzerland I miss spontaneity and emotionality; many things that seem impossible can be made possible in Russia with improvisation and flexibility the last minute mentality. swissinfo.ch: Do you follow public debates in Switzerland? Do you vote? In Russia, e-voting doesnt always work D.R.: Yes I do, and I can vote electronically. At the moment, e-voting works for some Swiss expatriates in Russia. swissinfo.ch: One frequently expressed opinion is that expatriate Swiss who havent lived in Switzerland for a long time should lose the right to vote. What is your position on this? D.R.: I am clearly against it. Most Swiss expatriates who have lived abroad for a long time still have a connection to Switzerland. There are also many Swiss today who live abroad for professional reasons just for a few years they shouldnt lose contact with political affairs in Switzerland. If you vote by post, the documents often come too late and in practical terms you cant participate in a vote. swissinfo.ch: What are your tasks as the representative of Swiss people living in Russia? D.R.: Since 2017, I have served as an elected representative in the Council of the Swiss Abroad. My role is to serve as a contact person and discuss the concerns and problems faced by the Swiss in Russia with the Organisation of the Swiss Abroad and Swiss politicians, as well as informing the Swiss in Russia about important changes in Swiss policy. Are you a Swiss citizen living abroad? If so, add the hashtag #WeAreSwissAbroad to your photos on Instagram. Prime Minister Theresa May on Sunday promised a major funding boost for Britain's state-run National Health Service, using money currently sent to the EU. The premier said that by the financial year 2023-2024, an extra 20 billion ($26.5 billion, 23 billion euros) a year would be going into the NHS. As we leave the European Union and stop paying significant annual subscriptions to Brussels, we will have more money to spend on priorities such as the NHS, May wrote in The Mail on Sunday newspaper. In the 2016 referendum, claims plastered on the official Leave campaigns battle bus about a Brexit dividend for the NHS proved some of the most contentious. We send the EU 350 million a week. Lets fund our NHS instead, said the slogan, infuriating the Remain campaign which bitterly disputed the figures. Under Mays plans, to be announced more fully on Monday, the NHS budget will increase compared to now by more than 20 billion a year in real terms approximately 600 million a week. But she said the Brexit dividend would not be enough on its own and the country would need to contribute a bit more, with finance minister Philip Hammond due to set out the tax increase details. The increase would also be tied to efficiency reforms. The NHS marks its 70th anniversary this year. SAN ANTONIO Some of the biggest names in Texas Republican politics used the statewide party convention here to publicly scoff at the idea that a blue wave is forming that could sweep Democrats into office in a state that has been solidly red for more than two decades. U.S. Sen. John Cornyn quipped that Republicans have a giant red seawall to protect the state, while Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick suggested the party need only build a bigger surfboard. But beyond the playful banter at the Republican Party of Texas weeklong convention, in mostly closed-door events and even in speeches from some of those same leaders, it is clear that Republicans are bracing for a tougher election cycle. They recognize a future in which they are more on defense as the states demographics continue to change, and Democrats make gains particularly in the states largest cities. Cornyn, who won his Senate seat in 2002, offered a sober assessment to more than 8,000 Republican activists gathered in San Antonio. He warned Democrats have a massive messaging machine, an angry base, and a Bernie Sanders Army packing a lot of energy into the Democrats. We need to close the enthusiasm gap, he warned. Texas Railroad Commissioner Christi Craddick told the same audience just moments earlier that Democrats are winning special election after special election across the nation as Republicans fail to turn out. Many of those victories have come in congressional and state legislature districts Republicans typically win. The Democrats are motivated, Craddick warned. But its not just words. Texas Gov. Greg Abbotts campaign teams held training sessions - called Abbott University - preparing Republican volunteers for a 2018 that is not like anything Republicans have seen in recent years. Abbotts team explained the threat U.S. Senate candidate Beto ORourke poses for all Republicans - not just Sen. Ted Cruz, the Republican he is trying to unseat. ORourke is going to places in Texas that Democrats long ago appeared to give up on and his fundraising worries Abbotts team. ORouke is not just outraising Cruz, but hes raising a lot of money from small donors. Democrats will likely go back to those small donors later for more money, creating a financial stream Democrats have failed to develop in more than a decade. In short, ORourke is working off of a different playbook. Cruz hammered the point home in his convention speech Saturday morning. He drew gasps when he told them that ORourke has more than doubled the Cruz campaigns fundraising of late, despite Cruz having a nationwide network from his presidential run in 2016. He is raising more money than any Democrat in the entire country, Cruz warned. Last quarter I raised $3.2 million - most of any Republican incumbent in the country. Last quarter he raised $6.7 million - more than two times as much as we did. The hard left is angry. They're energized. They hate the president and theyre coming for Texas. Emotion is a key factor in elections, Abbotts campaign team warned Republican Party campaign workers. President Barack Obama rode the emotion-triggering Hope and Change slogan to the White House, and President Donald Trumps Make American Great Again elicited the fervor that helped get him elected. Its why Republicans are retraining their campaign workers to bring more personal stories when they are door knocking or meeting potential voters. That emotion is critical to repelling the anger Democrats are riding against Trump. The Democrats voter registration campaign effort is also making a difference. Abbott University leaders told potential campaign workers that they hold Battleground Texas partly responsible for flipping Harris County from a Republican County to a place Democrats now win regularly. Battleground Texas was created by a former national field director for President Barack Obamas campaigns, and its goal is flipping Texas from Republican to Democratic. Changing demographics have also been a huge part of the conversation at the Republican Partys convention. Frisco Republican Cindy Asche built much of her campaign running for state party chair around a need to improve the parties outreach to minority voters, millennials and independents. She warned the party has to broaden its appeal and target new communities or the changing demographics and growing diversity will endanger the partys future. We have got to do a better job bringing people into the party that have our values, Asche said. Asche lost to Austin Republican James Dickey in the chairman's race, but he too talked up the partys need to better reach out to bring in more voters. Congressman Pete Sessions said part of the outreach has to be explaining to the legions of people moving to Texas every year why Republican policies, particularly on the economy, are critical to keeping the state moving forward. Sessions said there have been so many people moving into north Texas that it is completely changed who is living in Dallas in Collin counties. They make up the bulk of his 32nd Congressional District - considered to be one of the most endangered U.S. House districts held by a Republican in the nation. Are people going to make Texas more like the place they used to live, or are we going to convince them to keep Texas the place that made them want to move here in the first place, Sessions said. He pointed to Colorado, which changed from a red state to a blue one quickly because of population growth and increased diversity. National political analysts have increasingly predicted Democrats will win enough seats from Republicans in the U.S. House to flip it to Democratic control. In Texas, theyre counting on three seats. Besides Sessions district, battles for Rep. John Culbersons 7th District in Houston and Rep. Will Hurds 23rd District in San Antonio have Republicans on the defense. In all three, more voters picked Hillary Clinton over Donald Trump in the 2016 presidential election. For rank-and-file Republicans like Curtis McKinley, the secret to Republicans in Texas repelling a Democratic wave is focusing on the economy and showing how it is helping everyone. Just keep that economy going, McKinley said. If Republican policies are keeping the economy rolling, he said by election day it could quell much of the Democratic energy. Thats the message Abbott and Cruz both focused heavily on in their messages to the convention. Because of what weve done the past four years, the Texas economy is stronger today than its ever been, Abbott said. He and Cruz stressed the low unemployment rates for blacks and Hispanics, a message Republicans will try to use to prove their policies are working for communities that make up the base of the Democratic Party. Cruz acknowledged tension within the Republican Party due to recently completed primary elections, and even the hot race for the party chairmanship that turned negative. He said for Republicans to weather what the Democrats are bringing into the midterms, the party must re-unify. We need to come together, Cruz said. We need conservative, moderates, independents and libertarians. This election is all about turnout. jeremy.wallace@chron.com Twitter.com/JeremySWallace Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick made it through about 12 minutes of his speech at the Texas Republican Convention without mentioning House Speaker Joe Straus. Then, on the topic of Senate-supported property tax and school choice bills that Straus halted in the House, he did not mince words. There were many House members who couldnt wait to vote on them, but they never got to the floor, Patrick told thousands of Republican delegates Friday. And look, I wish him well in retirement and I thank him for his public service. But the winds of change are coming to the House, I believe. Straus, who is not seeking re-election, moved around the periphery of this weeks convention in his hometown San Antonio. On Thursday he sipped a margarita at La Villita while chatting with members of the Texas Federation of Republican Women. He appeared Friday with Sen. John Cornyn at a nearby Associated Republicans of Texas reception. He did not speak on the convention floor. But Straus presence was evident through Patricks speech, and debates over party rules and platform planks that tied back to the speaker. Among those issues was an unsuccessful movement by some delegates to abolish or amend a party rule that allows committees to censure officials who stray from the party platform. The State Republican Executive Committees decision in January to censure Straus, which sparked the debate, also divided party chair candidates James Dickey and Cindy Asche. Dickey, who cast one of the committees decisive censure votes, overwhelmingly beat Asche, an opponent of the move to censure the speaker. In a recent interview, Straus called the rule absurd and pretty meaningless. Im comfortable taking the positions I have, he said. Sometimes theyre in opposition to some of the planks of a 266-issue platform. And when I disagree with a partys platform, I have the courage to say it. I think more political leaders ought to, frankly. Straus also said he doesnt see it as a foregone conclusion that responsible Republicans his term for officials who dont get distracted by some of these fringe issues will lose power in the House. It remains to be seen in the November elections. Just because youre nominated doesnt mean youll win, although I think the prospects are pretty good for a strong Republican majority, Straus said. But until November, you really dont know the makeup of the House, entirely. I think the House is going to be very much like the House has been. Planning not to disappear Since announcing in October he would not seek re-election, Straus has spent his time pondering his next move which will be something in the private sector and wont include lobbying at the Capitol and traveling frequently outside the bubble of the Texas capital. Ive talked to a lot of business leaders outside of Texas who agree with the approach to governing that Ive tried to take and who are very invested in Texas and who want to invest a lot more, Straus said. Asked if nearly eight months of reflection have moved him closer to deciding whats next, Straus said hes not quite ready to announce yet, but Im planning not to disappear. Straus critics in the Republican Party have been quick to cast him as irrelevant. But armed with about $10 million cash on hand at last count some of which he dispensed to responsible Republicans in the primaries Straus wants to keep making noise. I really believe that by the time my term ends that I can continue to play a constructive role in changing both the politics and maybe some of the policy of the state, Straus said. Speaker selection Straus retirement announcement excited Republicans hoping for a speaker who aligns closer with the Texas GOPs more conservative wing. House Republicans are planning to caucus in December to marshal behind a candidate, an aim at preempting Democratic input. On Saturday, state Rep. Matt Schaefer, a Tyler Republican and the House Freedom Caucus chair, focused on the speaker selection during a speech to delegates. The Texas constitution says all 150 members of the House get a vote on that first day of the session. But for too long, Democrats have had a deciding influence on the outcome, even when they were not in the majority, Schaefer said. He pledged to support the caucus chosen speaker candidate, even if its not his first choice. Straus said he agrees with the practice of Republicans caucusing to get behind a speaker before the vote gets to the floor. But treating the process as a formality isnt a good idea, he said. As a practical matter, they can come up with any kind of process they want. But what matters is when they vote on the floor on the first day of the session, Straus said. Dickey, shortly after winning re-election, affirmed that hes all in on the speaker-selection-by-caucus strategy. Its not a question of binding. Were big believers in all of the important freedoms guaranteed in the Bill of Rights, he said. The issue is to do the right thing by those who helped get you elected. And the Republican Party helped get Republican legislators elected. We expect them to respect back that it should be a Republican choice for speaker. Next session Straus, in the Express-News interview, sought to ease concerns of some local officials who are wary of issues likely to dominate the next session, such as public school funding and Gov. Greg Abbotts plan to limit local property tax revenue increases. I dont think the overall disposition toward addressing school finance reform is going to fundamentally change in the next House, Straus said. If anything, it may be stronger. I hope it is, and I will support that. Bexar County Judge Nelson Wolff, a Democrat, has known Straus for decades and watched his leadership style evolve through five terms. Recalling Straus role in moderating the states constitutional spending cap, Wolff said he will miss the speakers common sense leadership next session. When he became speaker, he started out like the policeman on the corner, directing traffic, Wolff said. Then as he got longevity, he began to establish his own priorities and belief in what ought to be done. As for the bathroom bill, Patrick declared victory in his Friday convention speech, calling the issue settled due to broad support for a question about privacy protection on the primary ballot. Straus shot back in a statement: If victory on the bathroom bill means that its not coming back and there will be more focus on fixing school finance and promoting private-sector growth, thats great news. jscherer@express-news.net | Twitter: @jaspscherer BIG WELLS, Texas - Five undocumented immigrants were killed Sunday after a chase with Border Patrol Agents in Big Wells, Texas, according to NBC affiliate KABB-TV. Fourteen people were inside the car, 12 of them were ejected from the vehicle after traveling over 100 miles per hour before rolling over at noon on Highway 85, said the Dimmit County Sheriff's Office. Dimmit County Sheriff Marion Boyd said good police work was the reason why deputies started pursuing the vehicle. Four people died at the scene when it crashed and another one died at a local hospital. The driver of the vehicle is believed to be a U.S. citizen. Sheriff Boyd said there needs to be a wall built around the area because its a real problem." Big Wells, Texas is a town 60 miles away from the U.S. Mexico border. Nia Sharma Nia Sharma shared a video in which she was seen rehearsing to DJ Snake's super hit number Magenta Riddim' for the Gold Awards 2018. The actress wrote, "I also got my fav #magentariddim beats #goldawards2018 @vikaaskalantri ." - (sic) Karanvir Bohra Karanvir Bohra too, shared a video and wrote, "Getting ready for @goldawardstv. it's time to go insane to the membrane. @vikaaskalantri @sanjayshettyofficial. #khaliballihogayadil." - (sic). He was seen rehearsing to the song, Khalibali' from the film, Padmaavat. Karan Tacker Apparently, Karan Tacker will also be seen performing at the event. The actor had shared a video on his Instagram story. He had also shared a video on his Instagram account and wrote, "Slightly Under the weather , but just knowing that it's the weekend got me feeling like ! #weekend #saturday #dance #excited." - (sic). Shakti, Helly & Karishma Shakti Arora, Helly Shah and Karishma Tanna were spotted rehearsing for the awards ceremony. Bahu Hamari Rajni Kant actress, Ridhima Pandit was also seen rehearsing. Ridhima Pandit Ridhima had shared a few pictures on her Instagram stories. She had shared a video and captioned, "Dancing my blues away. Gold awards 2018." - (sic) Gold Awards 2018 Set Sanjay Shetty (choreographer) shared a few pictures and wrote, "Day 1 of @goldawardstv. Team work make dreams work! #sanjayshetty #sanjuzteam #dreamteam #teamwork #rehearsal #dancing #choreographer #bollywood #awardshow #tvshow." MONACO, June 17, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- Rubens Menin, Chairman of Brazil-based MRV Engenharia e Participacoes S.A., was this evening named EY World Entrepreneur Of The Year 2018 at an awards ceremony held in Monaco's Salle des Etoiles. Rubens was picked from among 761 program participants that included the 56 country winners from 46 countries and regions vying for the title here in Monaco. Rubens becomes the first ever EY World Entrepreneur Of The Year winner from South America. Rubens, 62, founded MRV, a homebuilder and real estate company, in 1979 and has grown it into Latin America's largest real estate developer by units sold and Brazil's leading low-income housing builder. In 2017, MRV recorded net operating revenue amounting to US$1.44b with a net income of US$197m. These figures represent substantial growth since it was listed on B3 [formerly BM&FBOVESPA] in 2007, when net revenue amounted to US$105m and net income totaled US$13m. MRV employs more than 24,000 people, operates in 150 cities and has built some 300,000 properties. In these cities, 1 in 200 people lives in a property built by MRV. Jim Nixon, Chairman and CEO of Nixon Energy Investments and Chair of the EY World Entrepreneur Of The Year judging panel, says: "The judging panel is honored to award Rubens this year's title and to recognize the first EY World Entrepreneur Of The Year from South America. The judging panel was struck by his innovative and entrepreneurial spirit and his purpose of seeking a fairer and more egalitarian society." Rubens Menin, Chairman, MRV Engenharia e Participacoes S.A., says: "Throughout my life, I have pursued the purpose of bringing the dignity of homeownership to people for whom this is an unobtainable dream. I am very proud to be recognized in this way but the work does not stop here. The construction industry is well positioned to further enact positive civil impact. I believe economic empowerment is not just about wealth generation but also social development and MRV's legacy will continue for generations to come." Mark Weinberger, EY Global Chairman and CEO, says: "Rubens' clear vision, determination and focus has helped countless Brazilian families to take their first step on the property ladder. His leadership is exemplified by his persistence to succeed against a backdrop of national economic challenges and turbulent years to create Brazil's largest public housing provider and become Latin America's largest real estate developer. Rubens is a truly inspiring World Entrepreneur Of The Year winner." Bryan Pearce, EY Global Leader - EY Entrepreneur Of The Year, says: "Rubens' success and passion make him an exemplary EY World Entrepreneur Of The Year winner. As a family business, he has passed the torch on to the next generation. His son, nephew and daughter will help preserve his family's remarkable legacy by continuing to provide housing to millions of people in Brazil and beyond." About Rubens Menin and MRV Engenharia e Participacoes S.A. Rubens recognized that, for many Brazilians, home ownership was an unobtainable dream, which motivated him to start his own company. In 1979 at just 21 years old, he founded MRV Engenharia e Participacoes S.A. with two partners. During the "favelization" of cities in Brazil in the 1970s, Rubens saw an opportunity to make real estate more affordable to the masses by changing homebuilding from a quasi-artisanal activity to a true industry. Under Rubens' leadership, the building company has delivered more than 320,000 houses and apartments in Brazil through 2017, enabling over one million people to realize their home ownership dream. Currently, MRV manages a total of 214 construction sites, with an average of 398 housing units per site. Since 2008 MRV, with several other companies, has been part of the Brazilian Federal Government's social housing program "Minha Casa, Minha Vida" (My House, My Life) and delivered three million houses to Brazilians. The search for innovation has always been part of Rubens' approach. For example, MRV has employed a concrete wall method, an economical, flexible and sustainable building system. The method has enabled MRV to decrease its average workforce from 12 to 3.5 workers, while also erecting a four-story building with 16 housing units in just 10 working days. Part of MRV's strategy has been to build fewer units in capital cities and more in mid-sized towns across Brazil, where land is cheaper and competition weaker. In 2015, mid-sized towns accounted for 70% of MRV's market. Over the decades, Rubens has also diversified his activities. In 1994, he founded Banco Inter, which in March 2018 filed a request with the Brazilian Securities and Exchange Commission to go public. In 2008, he created LOG, a company specializing in the development and lease of logistics property, malls, office parks and commercial lots. And in 2012, he founded American Housing Solutions (AHS), a low-income housing company in the US that provides access to quality housing for households currently spending more than half of their income on rent. In the same year, Rubens also founded URBAMAIS, a plot developer that works with families to build high-quality, sustainable residential subdivisions. Over its 38 years of history, the building company has invested more than US$302m in urban infrastructure including road, sewage and lighting networks, schools and daycare centers and neighborhood health care centers. MRV has also built public squares and revitalized parks. Through the Brazilian Friend of the Climate Program (Programa Amigo do Clima), MRV has reached the goal of 1 million planted trees, extracting 550,000 tons of carbon dioxide from the atmosphere. Under Rubens' leadership, MRV has grown into a family business where his can-do, optimistic attitude has passed to the next generation. His son Rafael is now co-CEO of the company along with his nephew Eduardo Fischer and his daughter Maria is Chief Legal Officer. About the judging panel The independent judging panel was chaired by Jim Nixon of Nixon Energy Investments (US). Joining him were: Rosario Bazan of DanPer ( Peru ) ) Diane Foreman of Chelsea Group Ltd. ( New Zealand ) of Chelsea Group Ltd. ( ) Ruigang Li of CMC Capital Partners (Mainland China) of CMC Capital Partners (Mainland China) Manny Stul of Moose Enterprise Holdings & Controlled Entities ( Australia ) Broadcast coverage, an interview with the winner and high-resolution photography is available here to download for broadcast and online use. Event photography is available at www.ey.com/weoy/eventphotos. Notes to Editors About EY EY is a global leader in assurance, tax, transaction and advisory services. The insights and quality services we deliver help build trust and confidence in the capital markets and in economies the world over. We develop outstanding leaders who team to deliver on our promises to all of our stakeholders. In so doing, we play a critical role in building a better working world for our people, for our clients and for our communities. EY refers to the global organization, and may refer to one or more, of the member firms of Ernst & Young Global Limited, each of which is a separate legal entity. Ernst & Young Global Limited, a UK company limited by guarantee, does not provide services to clients. For more information about our organization, please visit ey.com. This news release has been issued by EYGM Limited, a member of the global EY organization that also does not provide any services to clients. About EY World Entrepreneur Of The YearTM EY World Entrepreneur Of The Year is the world's most prestigious business award for entrepreneurs. The award makes a difference through the way it encourages entrepreneurial activity among those with potential, and recognizes the contribution of people who inspire others with their vision, leadership and achievement. As the first and only truly global award of its kind, Entrepreneur Of The Year celebrates those who are building and leading successful, growing and dynamic businesses, recognizing them through regional, national and global awards programs in more than 145 cities in more than 60 countries. Peter Kelley Yvonne Diaz EY Global Media Relations EY Global Media Relations +1 424 376 7227 +44 (0)799 056 0615 peter.kelley1@ey.com yvonne.diaz@uk.ey.com Photo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/706911/EY_World_Entrepreneur_Of_The_Year_2018.jpg Logo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/381362/EY_Logo.jpg MADRID (dpa-AFX) - Migrants rescued from the Mediterranean and turned away by Italy and Malta have arrived in Spain's port of Valencia, according to reports. The first of three vessels entered harbour soon after dawn. The Aquarius, which rescued the 630 migrants last weekend, arrived several hours later carrying a second group. Health officials and interpreters are on hand to offer support. Spain's new socialist government has promised free healthcare and says it will investigate each asylum case. An Italian coast guard ship, the Dattilo, entered the port of Valencia at 06:20 (04:20 GMT). It was carrying 274 migrants, the Italian news agency Ansa reported. The Aquarius itself entered the port shortly after 09:30. A second Italian ship, the Orione, is expected to dock later on Sunday morning, carrying the rest of the migrants. Copyright RTT News/dpa-AFX Werbehinweise: Die Billigung des Basisprospekts durch die BaFin ist nicht als ihre Befurwortung der angebotenen Wertpapiere zu verstehen. Wir empfehlen Interessenten und potenziellen Anlegern den Basisprospekt und die Endgultigen Bedingungen zu lesen, bevor sie eine Anlageentscheidung treffen, um sich moglichst umfassend zu informieren, insbesondere uber die potenziellen Risiken und Chancen des Wertpapiers. Sie sind im Begriff, ein Produkt zu erwerben, das nicht einfach ist und schwer zu verstehen sein kann. KANAZAWA, Japan, June 17, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- Researchers at Kanazawa University have uncovered the role of lipids in facilitating a functional switch between two forms of a cellular enzyme: Peroxiredoxin (Prxs). Their study published in the Journal of Molecular Biology explains how negatively charged membrane lipids can bind to Prxs, and induce structural changes, in turn flipping their function. (Photo: https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/706938/Kanazawa_University_Lipids_and_Proteins_Infographic.jpg ) Kanazawa University WPI Nano Life Science Institute https://nanolsi.kanazawa-u.ac.jp/en/ Prxs are a family of proteins found in abundance within red blood cells. The most common form of these, is 2-Cys Prxs. Until recently, the primary function of 2-Cys Prxs was thought to be its involvement in neutralizing free radicals, such as hydrogen peroxide (H 2 O 2 ) which are harmful by-products of chemical reactions in the cell. Prxs have "active sites" on their surface, which can bind to free radicals and deactivate them. A more ambiguous role of 2-Cys Prxs is that of a chaperone; essential in maintaining the structural composition of other proteins, especially under conditions of stress. To undertake this role, 2-Cys Prxs must be in arranged as high-molecular-weight complexes (HMW). In the native form, it is dimeric in structure. The only known inducers of HMWs, are a docking of the energy carrier ATP/ADP onto the dimer, or overoxidation, a chemical reaction in which the active site is blocked. The exact roles of these inducers are however, debatable. Takamitsu Haruyama and colleagues conducted a groundbreaking study on the process that causes 2-Cys Prxs to switch into chaperones, which until now was quite elusive. The research team first grew the human form of 2-Cys Prxs, in bacteria, and isolated it. To then induce HMWs, it was incubated with Mg-ATP or Mg-ADP, their stable counterparts. Overoxidation was used as an alternative inducer. To their surprise, yields of HMWs were quite low. The structure of the resulting HMWs was examined using atomic force microscopy (AFM), a sophisticated technique used to magnify the structure of macromolecules. AFM suggested that HMWs consisted of a big sphere, which upon dismantling, revealed various shapes: a small hexagonal lattice, flattened sheets, and even smaller trefoil or clover-shaped particles. The team now had reason to believe that their isolated 2-Cys Prxs, was contaminated with something from the host bacteria, which lowered their yields, and formed spherical vesicles. This contamination was most likely to be another set of cellular macromolecules - lipids. 2-Cys Prxs was subsequently isolated with utmost care, ensuring it was free of all lipids. In a serendipitous discovery, the team now noticed that Mg-ADP or overoxidation no longer induced HMWs. Could it be the lipids then, that led to formation of HMWs? Four different membrane lipids were now incubated with 2-Cys Prxs. Two of these, phosphotidylglycerol (PG) and phosphotidylserine (PS) did indeed result in HMWs formation. This too had a nearly identical spherical structure, containing trefoil-shaped particles, most likely oligomers of 2-Cys Prxs. To assess functionality of the newly formed HMWs, their chaperone activity was tested on an artificially distressed protein. Indeed, only chaperone activity and no inherent peroxidase activity was seen. The authors speculate the exact chaperone function of the HMWs in the context of stress. They hypothesize that this complex might play a role in capturing and removing incorrectly structured proteins from the cell, which would otherwise cause more damage. Although this hypothesis needs further validation, their discovery of the specific lipids involved in this mechanism, will make it much easier. Given the need for chaperones in combatting aging, neurodegenerative diseases and cancer, these findings could have an impact on therapeutic research. References: Takamitsu Haruyama, Takayuki Uchihashi, Yutaro Yamada, Noriyuki Kodera, Toshio Ando and Hiroki Konno, "Negatively Charged Lipids Are Essential for Functional and Structural Switch of Human 2-Cys Peroxiredoxin II", Journal of Molecular Biology (January 2018) doi: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jmb.2017.12.020 About WPI Nano Life Science Institute (WPI-NanoLSI), Kanazawa University The Kanazawa University Nano Life Science Institute (WPI-NanoLSI) was launched October 2017 following the selection of The University for the World Premier International Research Initiative (WPI) by Japan's Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology (MEXT). The mission of the NanoLSI is to combine the world's foremost knowledge of bio-scanning probe microscopy and supramolecular chemistry to develop 'nano-endoscopic techniques' to directly image, analyze, and manipulate the nano-dynamics of proteins and nucleic acids both on the surface and inside of living cells. Notably, complementary experimental and multi-scale simulation techniques developed in this research will form a basis for elucidating wide ranging molecular and cellular dynamics by comparing healthy and cancer cells. Based on the techniques and expertise gained through this process, Kanazawa University will create the new academic field of 'Nanoprobe Life Science', to promote fundamental understanding of critical mechanisms governing diverse life phenomena such as diseases and aging. https://nanolsi.kanazawa-u.ac.jp/en/ Further information Public Affairs WPI Nano Life Science Institute (WPI-NanoLSI), Kanazawa University, Kakuma-machi, Kanazawa 920-1192, Japan Email: nanolsi-office@adm.kanazawa-u.ac.jp Tel: +81 (76) 234-4550 SAN DIEGO (dpa-AFX) - As Apple's legal battle with Qualcomm continues to drag on, the United States International Trade Commission recommended that a trade judge find Apple guilty of infringing upon at least one of Qualcomm's patents. The decision from the ITC doesn't constitute a ruling, but rather a mere suggestion for judges. In many cases, however, the judges often follow what the ITC decides. Qualcomm has requested an import ban on infringing iPhones. The chipmaker hopes that such a ban - or even a threat of one - would push Apple to settle or drop its legal war against Qualcomm. The two parties are engaged in more than a dozen legal fights over patents, licensing, and contracts. Given the extent of the case, a decision isn't expected until January. 'Qualcomm is selectively asserting its patents to target only Apple products containing Intel chipsets - even though its patent infringement allegations would apply equally to Apple products containing Qualcomm chipsets - in an attempt to use the ITC as another mechanism for perpetuating its ill-gotten monopoly position,' Apple wrote. Qualcomm, however, says that its practices are legal and have been accepted by customers 'for many years as the smartphone industry boomed.' Copyright RTT News/dpa-AFX Werbehinweise: Die Billigung des Basisprospekts durch die BaFin ist nicht als ihre Befurwortung der angebotenen Wertpapiere zu verstehen. Wir empfehlen Interessenten und potenziellen Anlegern den Basisprospekt und die Endgultigen Bedingungen zu lesen, bevor sie eine Anlageentscheidung treffen, um sich moglichst umfassend zu informieren, insbesondere uber die potenziellen Risiken und Chancen des Wertpapiers. Sie sind im Begriff, ein Produkt zu erwerben, das nicht einfach ist und schwer zu verstehen sein kann. PLEASE REMEMBER TO ORDER FROM AMAZON THOUGH FMF.CLICK ON ANY BOOK WE LIST TO GET TO AMAZON, AND THEN ORDER WHATEVER. thanxxx &amp;amp;lt;br /&amp;amp;gt; FINISHING THE 2ND EDITION!!! REVISED AND UPDATED 2ND EDITION NEAR COMPLETION. LOOK FOR IT IN SEPTEMBER. THANK YOU AND LEGAL NOTICE As an Amazon Associate we earn from qualifying purchases. THANK YOU TO ALL THE READERS WHO REMEMBER TO GO TO AMAZON VIA FIRST MOTHER FORUM. IT MATTERS NOT WHAT YOU PURCHASE. From the New York Times "Lorraine Dusky, a writer who relinquished a daughter as a young single mother in New York State in 1966, supports opening the records. She reported in her 2015 memoir that in the handful of states that offered women the opportunity to remove their names from original birth certificates, only a small fraction of women fewer than 1 percent chose to do so." -- Dont Keep Adopted People in the Dark by Gabrielle Glaser, June 19, 2018 From the New York Times "On FirstMotherForum.com, a blog that discusses issues among women who had given children up for adoption, Lorraine Dusky, one of the sites authors, praised the series (ABC's 10-episode Find My Family): 'Maybe this will be heard by people who think it is unloyal somehow for a person to search out his or her roots, parents, family, when it is a most natural desire of consciousness.' --Two Reality Shows Stir Publicity and Anger"--Dec. 6, 2009. This blog takes cookies. "It shouldn't take a miracle to find people you are related to by blood."--Jenn Gentlesk EMAIL US AT forumfirstmother@gmail.com Oregon court records available Instructions and forms for accessing adoption records are on the Oregon Judicial Department's website. COPYRIGHT NOTICE Material from First Mother Forum may be quoted as long as FMF is credited and with a link to original source here. Over 350 words, contact for permission: forumfirstmother@gmail.com. Prime Minister Narendra Modi will chair the fourth meeting of NITI Aayog's Governing Council on Sunday to discuss various issues, including measures taken to double farmers' income and progress of flagship schemes New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi will chair the fourth meeting of NITI Aayog's Governing Council on Sunday to discuss various issues, including measures taken to double farmers' income and progress of flagship schemes. Besides, development agenda for 'New India 2022' is expected to be approved in the meeting. The council, apex body of NITI Aayog, includes all chief ministers, lieutenant governors of union territories, several union ministers and senior government officials. The Governing Council, according to an official statement, is expected to discuss important subjects, including measures taken to double farmers' income; progress of flagship schemes such as Ayushman Bharat, National Nutrition Mission and Mission Indradhanush; development of aspirational districts; and celebration of the 150th birth anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi. NITI Aayog has been working on the strategy document or development agenda for 'New India 2022' for a while. Earlier, it had planned to come out with three documents - a three-year action agenda, seven-year medium term strategy paper and a 15-year vision document. The Aayog, in a presentation last year, had said the foundation for freedom from six problems poverty, dirt, corruption, terrorism, casteism and communalism will be laid by 2022 when India celebrates 75 years of independence. At the Council's first meeting on 8 February, 2015, the prime minister had laid down the key mandates of NITI Aayog such as fostering cooperative federalism by addressing national issues through mutual cooperation and monitoring of important schemes and programmes. It was also decided that the Aayog will act as the "think tank" of the government and work as a bridge between the centre and the states. Later, sub-groups of chief ministers and two task forces, one on elimination of Poverty in India and other on Agriculture Development were set up. The second meeting of council on 15 July, 2015 reviewed the progress made by the three sub-groups of chief ministers and the two task forces. In the third meeting of council on 23 April, 2017, Modi had pitched for conducting simultaneous elections of the Lok Sabha and the state assemblies and shifting to a January-December fiscal year. By Allison Lampert and Julia Fioretti MONTREAL/BRUSSELS (Reuters) - The U.N. aviation agency is expected to include fossil fuels in a landmark global agreement to limit aircraft emissions, a move that could encourage airlines to purchase crude over more costly biojet fuels, sources familiar with the matter said. Countries at the International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) are seeking to agree on rules that will govern how the overall deal, brokered by the ICAO in 2016, will be implemented By Allison Lampert and Julia Fioretti MONTREAL/BRUSSELS (Reuters) - The U.N. aviation agency is expected to include fossil fuels in a landmark global agreement to limit aircraft emissions, a move that could encourage airlines to purchase crude over more costly biojet fuels, sources familiar with the matter said. Countries at the International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) are seeking to agree on rules that will govern how the overall deal, brokered by the ICAO in 2016, will be implemented. The United States, backed by Saudi Arabia and other countries, has proposed giving airlines credit for using crude oil as well as aviation fuels from renewable sources like corn, provided they meet the deal's lower-emissions criteria, two industry sources said. Europe will back the proposal next week at an ICAO meeting in Montreal, as long as the fossil fuels eligible under the deal deliver actual carbon savings, two European Commission officials said separately. ICAO experts would determine how many emissions each fuel emits to avoid any confusion. The emission levels of individual fuels need to be "very robust so there is no fooling around with what is the actual performance of one fuel over another", one of the officials said. Oil giant Saudi Arabia, for example, has previously argued that the 2016 agreement should be "fuel neutral" - whereby it does not discriminate between different types of fuels - because technological advances could one day enable crude to be produced with 10 percent fewer emissions, as the deal requires, according to a Saudi presentation seen by Reuters. "What they (the Saudis) are saying is 'don't rule it out for us," said the first industry source. All of the sources spoke on condition of anonymity because talks on how to implement the 2016 deal, known as the Carbon Offset and Reduction Scheme for International Aviation (CORSIA), are private. Representatives from Saudi Arabia and the U.S. State Department did not respond to requests for comment. An ICAO spokesman declined to comment. LOWER EMISSION FOSSIL FUELS The European Commission sent a letter to EU ministers this week reiterating concerns that any attempts to weaken the 2016 deal, which will go into effect in 2021, should be "strongly opposed." The agreement aims to cap airline emissions at 2020 levels, and airlines would be required to limit their emissions or offset them by buying carbon credits from designated environmental projects around the world. Airlines would receive credit toward lowering their emissions if they use eligible lower-carbon fuels. Haldane Dodd, spokesman for the Air Transport Action Group, which represents 50 members of the aviation industry, would not take a position on the use of lower-carbon crudes but advocated "strong sustainability standards for our fuels." Europe hopes that airlines will still be encouraged to use more costly biojet fuels if they deliver bigger emissions savings. But with aviation biofuels now only produced in small quantities, lowering the emissions of conventional jet fuel may prove a better option for the environment, said a fifth source who works in the aviation industry. "If we can develop technologies that are going to make fossil fuels with lower emissions, isn't that a carbon savings compared with business as usual?" (Additional reporting by Valerie Volcovici in Washington; Editing by Susan Fenton) This story has not been edited by Firstpost staff and is generated by auto-feed. CHICO, Calif. - The Chico Unified School District is going high tech this upcoming 2018-2019 academic school year. During registration, each student from 6th through the senior year will be given a brand new chrome book. Officials with the computer for classrooms say this program began with an idea four years ago. They realized some students did not have the technology to complete assignments. That is when they reached out to one middle school class a trial program. Theyre now branching out to make sure everyone has the same opportunities. Parents who have children in these classrooms say they love the idea. Oh she loves it, it really connects us together I can send her emails and check her homework, grades any assignments she gets, said Michael Deir. The laptops are not just for school, students will be allowed to keep the devices throughout the summer as their personal laptops. Since the Cachar Paper Mill in Assam ceased functioning, 18 other deaths have been reported. Families of the deceased claim that stress was an underlying cause. Silchar: Days after 54-year-old Sujit Dey, a former employee of the Hindustan Paper Corporation's defunct Cachar Paper Mill in southern Assam, died following a stroke on 7 June, his bereaved wife said she had seen it coming all along. In many ways, he had died the day they downed the shutters of the mill where he had worked for several years. I saw him wasting away after that, little by little every day, Bijoya Dey, 45, said at her house in Kalinagar, Part-III, at Katakhal in Hailakandi. It was the stress that got to him, said Bijoya, while her 15-year-old son crouched near a crumbling wall of the house that had seen better days. My husband kept struggling amidst all odds so the family could survive. His health started failing even as we fought for his pending salary. We couldnt afford treatment. Now, I dont know how to make ends meet. We dont even have his pension to fall back on, she said. Sujits demise is the latest in a spate of deaths that have occurred among the former employees of the Cachar Paper Mill, the only major industrial undertaking in Assams Barak Valley, located at Panchgram in Hailakandi district. Narendra Modi promised to revive mills in 2014 Since the mill, which had a staff of about 1,000, ceased functioning in October 2015, 18 other deaths have been reported, with family members of the deceased claiming that the deaths were a result of stress-related complications as the workers, both contractual and permanent, had not been paid salaries pending for over 18 months. The mill stopped functioning owing to a number of factors, including a shortage of bamboo and a ban imposed by the National Green Tribunal (NGT) on mining and transportation of coal from Meghalaya. Manabendra Chakraborty, president of Cachar Paper Projects Workers Union, said that the workers of the mill were awaiting Achhe Din that Prime Minister Narendra Modi promised during his poll campaign in 2014. At least 19 former employees of the mill have died since it stopped functioning, mostly because they were under stress and could not afford treatment. It is shocking that the government is still not taking any concrete steps for payment of pending salaries or revival of the mill, said Chakraborty. He added, When Modi was on his campaign trail here in 2014, he had announced that the Cachar Paper Mill and Nagaon Paper Mill at Jagiroad would be revived if the BJP came to power. Despite being in power at both the Centre and the state now, the BJP has not fulfilled its promises. Where are the Acche Din the party promised? Chakraborty also said that the union was opposed to privatisation of the mill. In February, Union minister for heavy industries Anant Geete said that the Centre would hand over the management of the two mills in Assam to private parties. Chakraborty said it would be the final nail in the coffin. See what happened to Ashok Paper Mill in Assams Bongaigaon district. It was permanently closed after being privatised. He said that workers would stage large-scale protests unless all pending salaries are paid within two months and the mill revived. Following a series of protests and hunger strike by former employees in April, the Centre released three months salaries in phases. 'Death will relieve us' Najmul Islam, general secretary of Cachar Paper Projects Workers Union, said many employees rendered jobless were in dire straits. While some were reeling under debt, others had to sell their belongings to survive. Dolly Dey, wife of Nabendu Dey, a former mill employee who stays at Azad Hind Road in Silchar, said the family might have to take an extreme step if pending salaries were not released. My husband is demanding what he worked for. How does one feed a family of five without any money? There is no end to our misery. Only death will relieve us now. A senior official of Hindustan Paper Corporation said it was likely that salaries for a few more months would be released soon. Silchar MLA Dilip Kumar Paul added that the government was concerned about the sufferings of the employees and was trying for release of pending salaries at the earliest. Assams fisheries, PWD and excise minister Parimal Suklabaidya said the state government was in touch with the Centre and efforts were on for revival of the mills but added that privatisation appeared to be their only lifeline. Congress leaders, however, said the BJPs promises rang hollow. Ajit Singh, former Congress minister from Udharbond constituency in Cachar district, said, Modi is good at making false commitments. He assured people that the mill would be revived but has failed to follow through. When the Congress was in power, the Cachar mill was up and running. It met its downfall after the BJP came to power. Kamalakhya Dey Purkayastha, Congress MLA from Karimganj North, added that the government should take responsibility for the deaths of former employees of the Cachar Paper Mill. The CBI should investigate who is responsible for the pitiable condition of the mill and why salaries were not given to the workers, he said. (Swapnaneel Bhattacharjee is a Silchar-based freelance writer and a member of 101Reporters.com, a pan-India network of grassroots reporters) Nitish Kumar also said that there had been no significant improvement in farmers' income. New Delhi: Chief Minister of Bihar Nitish Kumar on Sunday said the income of farmers was showing no signs of improvement, even as he criticised farm loan waiver as a "regressive step" and found fault with the central government's crop insurance scheme. Speaking at the fourth meeting of the NITI Aayog's governing council, he sought to have the practice of cooking food under the midday meal scheme replaced with direct benefit transfer. Kumar said farmers were not getting remunerative prices for their produce, and "farm income is showing no signs of improvement", which was a "major challenge" for the government. His comments came amid talks of farm distress in various quarters, an issue the Opposition has often used to target the government of the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance at the Centre. The Bihar chief minister described the rise in the share of states in the pool of taxes from 32 percent to 42 percent as merely a "compositional shift", saying the increase in revenue was negated to a large extent by the reduction in the Centre's allocation for centrally-planned and sponsored schemes. The Modi government has often cited its decision to raise the share of a state's revenue as recommended by the 14th Finance Commission as an evidence of its commitment to strengthening the power of states. Kumar also batted strongly to have Bihar granted special category status, saying that the state is far below the national average on multiple parameters of development. The special status will increase its resources, improve access to external resources and act as a catalyst for private investment, he added. Granting Bihar special category status has been a longstanding demand of the Janata Dal (United) chief. He has been raising the demand vociferously since joining the ruling NDA last year. The main agenda of the NITI Aayog's governing council meeting was to deliberate on measures taken to double farmers' income and the progress of the government's flagship schemes. Kumar, however, warned against farm loan waiver, which he said is being adopted as a measure to overcome the agriculture crisis. He also asserted that experience indicates that it is a regressive step from a long-term perspective. Several states, including many run by the BJP, have waived farm loans to placate distressed farmers, and Opposition parties have demanded that the Centre do it across the country. "This benefit is only limited to those farmers who have taken loans," the Bihar chief minister said. "Non-loanee and non-raiyat farmers, who are in a large number, do not benefit from the scheme... I firmly believe that farmers should be given assistance through input subsidy. By doing so, we can reduce the total input cost of farmers and ensure higher actual returns." The Bihar government recently launched an input subsidy scheme, Kumar said, seeking financial assistance from the Centre. Kumar had held the portfolio of the agriculture minister in the government of Atal Bihari Vajpayee. Sharing his views on the 'Pradhan Mantri Fasal Bima Yojna' a key initiative of the government in the farm sector Kumar said substantial numbers of farmers are not getting its benefits. Insurance companies quoted excessive rates of premiums, he said, adding that it caused the average rate of premium to rise by 15 percent in Bihar for kharif produce in 2015-16 as against the scheme's provision of only 2.5 percent. The total amount of premium, including shares of the state, Centre and farmers, was Rs 1,122.50 crore, but insurance companies paid only Rs 289.36 crore as compensation to farmers, Kumar said. "It is evident from the experience of implementing this scheme that non-loanee farmers and non-raiyat, whose number is substantial, are not getting the benefits of the scheme," he said. The Bihar government has launched its own scheme considering these factors, he said, seeking 50 percent central assistance for it. The chief minister also spoke against the involvement of 'Anganwadi Centres' in cooking food under the midday meal scheme, saying its real objectives of enhancing the nutrition of pregnant and lactating mothers have been lost due to this. On the other hand, the midday meal scheme has diverted the focus of teachers away from teaching, leading to poor learning outcomes, he added. "Instead of being a centre of learning, students see schools as a centre of food," the Bihar chief minister said. "Inadequate infrastructure in schools results in poor storage and untrained, low-paid cooks results in unhygienic management of food grains. This, in turn, contributes to poor quality of cooked meals." Unpleasant incidents keep happening when the cooked meal prepared in schools have led to children sometimes becoming sick for one reason or the other, leading to law and order situations, Kumar said, adding that this was not good for the teaching environment in schools. It is time to begin experimenting with direct cash transfers and put trust and faith in the wisdom of beneficiaries on how they spend the resources made available to them, he said. He also shared how his government was preparing to celebrate Mahatma Gandhi's 150th birth anniversary and suggested granting amnesty to those accused of petty crimes. "Female prisoners or prisoners above 60 years of age may be given priority," he said. If suitable changes are required in the law, it may be considered." He also stressed that India has a tradition of granting amnesty on special occasions. The Bhopal Police on Saturday arrested three people in connection with the murder of a man on the night of 12 June, media reports said. The Bhopal Police on Saturday arrested three people in connection with the murder of a man on the night of 12 June, media reports said. All the three arrested persons are relatives of the victim one of them being his wife. According to Hindustan Times, Dr Shafatullah Khan was murdered in his home last week with 12 stab wounds on his chest, and his wrists and neck slit. Khans wife Ayesha had allegedly hired three men to castrate him, for which she took the help of her niece Nandini and Nandini's husband Pawan Vishwakarma. However, Pawan is said to have told the men to kill Khan instead. Ayesha had alleged that her husband had sexually exploited several women by promising them jobs as nurses, India Today reported. She is also said to have claimed that he had raped her niece when she was a minor. The home ministry announced on Sunday that it has decided not to extend the suspension of anti-terror operations in Jammu and Kashmir, putting an end to uncertainty. The home ministry announced on Sunday that it has decided not to extend the suspension of anti-terror operations in Jammu and Kashmir, putting an end to uncertainty on whether it would extend the policy beyond Ramzan. The Government of India decides not to extend the suspension of operations in J&K announced in the beginning of Ramazan. HMO India (@HMOIndia) June 17, 2018 The announcement comes days after senior journalist Shujaat Bukhari was shot dead in Srinagar. Meanwhile, home minister Rajnath Singh said the government is committed to working for creating an environment free of terror and violence in Jammu and Kashmir. The central government had on 17 May decided that security forces will not conduct offensive operations in Jammu and Kashmir during Ramzan. "The government commends the role of security forces for having implemented the decision in letter and spirit, in the face of grave provocation, to enable the Muslim brothers and sisters to observe Ramzan in a peaceful manner," the home ministry's statement said. Two days ago, Prime Minister Narendra Modi chaired a high-level meeting on the security situation in Jammu and Kashmir to take a decision on extending the suspension of anti-terrorist operations. The meeting was attended by home minister Rajnath Singh, national security advisor Ajit Doval, and senior officials of intelligence and security agencies, officials said. Many in the Valley expressed the view that the experiment failed to yield results. The chairman of the Hurriyat Conference Mirwaiz Umar Farooq said that the suspension in operations in itself was not a solution and would not "bring respite unless coupled with serious initiatives to address the Kashmir conflict." On the other side of the political spectrum, Altaf Ahmad Thakur, a Bharatiya Janata Party spokesperson, rued that the policy led to an uptick in militant activity. "Although there has been some respite from violence, and the number of youth getting pellet and bullet injuries has dropped, militant activities have gained momentum," he said. The Kashmir Valley has witnessed the killings of over 55 militants and the deaths of 27 locals this year. Nearly 80 incidents of violence occurred there in the last four months. Militants had on Saturday fired at a security forces party at Lasjan on the outskirts of Srinagar, injuring a CRPF jawan. The period of suspension of anti-terror operations was marked by a number of gruesome incidents of violence, the most recent being the killings of Rising Kashmir editor Shujaat Bukhari and armyman Aurangzeb. Further, last week, two policemen were killed in a pre-drawn strike by suspected militants on a guard post of a court complex in Pulwama district. As this article noted, such killings of policemen have done 'what the security establishment could not do for years' make militants increasingly unpopular. As a Firstpost writer points out, in the same week that Bukhari was killed, two police personnel were also murdered and 10 CRPF jawans were injured in different terror attacks in Anantnag and Pulwama. Bukhari's murder and the rise in violence appear to be a desperate attempt to scuttle the peace process that was launched by the Centre to cool down the temperature and pave the way for a sense of calm in the Valley during the holy month of Ramzan, says the writer. With inputs from PTI Congress and JD(S) are at loggerheads over the 2018-2019 budget. Congress has said that a supplementary budget would suffice but, JD(S) insists on a new one Bengaluru: In yet another sign of birth pangs in their coalition, Congress and JD(S) in Karnataka on Saturday differed on the tabling of a new full-fledged budget for 2018 to 2019. While the Congress said there was no need for a fresh budget and insisted that a supplementary budget would do, JD(S) asserted that a fresh one was needed to demonstrate the direction of the new government. Strongly pushing for a new budget, chief minister HD Kumaraswamy said he would meet Congress president Rahul Gandhi to sort out the issue soon. Former chief minister and chairman of the Congress-JD(S) coordination committee Siddaramaiah expressed his strong reservations over presenting a new full-fledged budget, saying there was no need for such an exercise. Siddaramaiah, who is also the Congress Legislature Party leader, said he had already tabled the budget as chief minister a few months ago. "Budget has already been tabled. It is a full-fledged budget only. That's why we had taken vote on accounts for four months. It will be there till July end. All the ongoing programmes and new programmes announced in the budget will continue," he said. He advised Kumaraswamy that if he wants to carry out certain projects and launch some schemes, he can bring out a supplementary budget. Reacting to Siddaramaiah's 'suggestion', Kumaraswamy told reporters in Delhi that the new government has to demonstrate its objectives to the people. "Whenever a new government comes to power, it needs to demonstrate what its goals are. We cannot limit ourselves to presenting supplementary budget because there are many challenges before the government." He also said the Congress as well as the JD(S) made several promises incorporating new programmes. "A supplementary budget would not suffice to incorporate them all," he said. Kumaraswamy reminded Siddaramaiah about his statement in the past that if a new government takes over after the election, a new budget may be presented. "Today Janata Dal (S) and Congress have formed a coalition government. Usually when a new government comes to power, its duty is to present the best budget and send our message to people through it," the chief minister said. In this connection, he said, he would meet Rahul Gandhi in a day or two and sort out the matter. Replying to a question, Kumaraswamy said, "I am not uncomfortable with my coalition government but I have become uncomfortable for my media friends." He conceded that delay in the expansion of cabinet gave room for speculative media reports doubting the longevity of the government. "Let us assume that there is a threat to the government as you are speculating but at least nobody can touch (this government) till the parliament elections. This is what I had said (yesterday)," he said. "After the Congress decided to retain this government for five years, it is their wish to run this coalition government not just for five years but for 10 to 15 years, just as Congress and Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) ran the coalition government in Maharashtra," he added. Kumaraswamy appealed to the media to allow him to work and said the common minimum programme would be ready in 10 days. The lower ranks in the Kerala Police force have been battling charges of atrocities against unsuspecting citizens for the past few months, but this week saw the focus shifting in the opposite direction. The police are facing the ill-treatment not from outside but from within. This news came into the spotlight after a police driver complained he was grievously assaulted by the daughter of his boss: An IPS officer of the rank of Additional Director General of Police (ADGP). The lower ranks of the Kerala Police have been battling charges of atrocities against unsuspecting citizens for the past few months, but this week saw the focus shift in the opposite direction. The police are facing accusations from within. This news came into the spotlight after a police driver complained he was grievously assaulted by the daughter of his boss: an IPS officer of the rank of Additional Director General of Police (ADGP). The incident occurred on 14 June when Abdul Kareem Gavaskar, the official driver of ADGP Sudesh Kumar, took his daughter Snigdha and her mother in their official car to the Napier Museum grounds, a popular spot for walkers in the state capital, for morning jogging. Gavaskar alleged that Snigdha beat him on his neck and shoulders with her mobile phone when he was a little late to pick her up after the walk. The medical examination of Gavaskar, who was admitted to Trivandrum Medical College Hospital, confirmed that he suffered contusions on his neck and bruises on the eyes that may affect even his vision. The incident triggered outrage as the police waited until the ADGPs daughter filed a complaint to accept the one lodged by the driver. Gavaskars plea was registered as a counter complaint. As the protests mounted, the police registered cases against both by 11 pm. The driver was booked under Section 354 (assault or criminal force to woman with intent to outrage her modesty) of the Indian Penal Code, which is a non-bailable offense and Section 294 (obscene acts), while Snigdha has been charged with causing hurt to deter a public servant from his duty under Section 332. Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan, who holds the home portfolio, ordered the removal of the ADGP from his position and ordered a Crime Branch probe under the direct supervision of an ADGP after Gavaskars wife and sister met him and appealed to him. They also alleged pressure on the family from the ADGP to withdraw the complaint. But Gavaskar stood his ground and affirmed he will go to the court if his assailant is not brought to book. Former superintendent of police George Joseph said the offence committed by Snigdha amounted to an attempt to murder as the injury Gavaskar suffered to his eyes could even lead to his death. Whichever way the case goes, the incident has helped a marginalised section of the police draw the attention of the authorities towards their deplorable work conditions. This section, known as camp followers, are recruited as support staff at police camps and battalions. They perform a wide variety of jobs: Cooking, cleaning, cutting hair and washing clothes. A battalion of 135 police personnel usually have 10 camp followers. They remain on the fringes of the police department without being recognised either as police or civil servants. There are no fixed working hours for the camp followers. While men in uniform have been brought under eight-hour duty regime, we remain on 24-hour duty. We also have to work on Sundays and even holidays, said PA Ashraf, patron of the Kerala Camp Followers Association. The camp followers are given the salary of last-grade employees without any scope for promotion. Almost all of them retire in the same post as they get into the service. They are also denied other benefits extended to the police personnel such as uniforms and festival allowances. But whats most disconcerting is the practice of deploying the camp followers at the residences of the IPS officers to run errands, drop wives to work, children to schools, cook for them, bathe their dogs and perform other household chores. Ashraf said many are made to work like slaves. Following the incident, many camp followers narrated the bitter experiences at the hands of officers. Gavaskar accused the ADGPs wife and children of profusely abusing him when he refused to do menial jobs. He even accused the officer of once pointing a gun at him when he laughed in his daughter's presence. He alleged that most policemen working at the ADGP's residence faced similar experiences. He said that the ADGP asked his daughter to sic his dog on a maid after she was late for duty. Association leaders said most camp followers working in officers' residences faced similar harassment from the officers and their family members. Most are suffering the humiliation silently as the consequences for raising their voices will be serious. Severe punishment is meted out to those who complain. Many are implicated in false cases and some are transferred to far-away places. About 90 percent of the time, the punishment awarded to the camp followers is illegal," said Mini Shaju, secretary of the Kerala Police Camp Followers Womens Association. The associations have been, for years, demanding an end to the illegal practice of deploying camp followers at the residences of senior officers and improvement in their service conditions. The previous UDF government sought to end the system in 2011 by granting the officers a monthly allowance of Rs 7,000 to hire domestic help. The then home minister Thiruvanchoor Radhakrishnan said the system was brought back after he demitted office in 2014. He said officers were now making use of the camp followers for domestic work even as they collected their monthly allowance. And its not just camp followers who are made to work in the residences of officers. Kerala Police Association sources said a large number of uniformed men from the lower ranks of the force are also enlisted. A report in Malayala Manorama daily said around 2,000 police personnel are serving at the residences of around 80 IPS officers and politicians. The total number of camp followers is only 1,300. Around 30 percent of them are deployed in non-camp works. The rest apparently come from the police force. Apart from this, many policemen are also deployed in non-policing activities in the name of working arrangements, other duties and special duty. Former DGP Alexandar Jacob said in an interview to a daily there were 6,670 such policemen enlisted in the state. In the aftermath of the controversy, Vijayan directed state police chief Loknath Behra to collect details of the camp followers being engaged by IPS officers for their personal services. However, he is silent about the policemen taken away from the force. Roy Mathew, a senior journalist at Thiruvananthapuram, said that the political regime is not keen to end the system as they are its beneficiaries. He said police were being appointed as personal security officers of ministers, MLAs, MPs, senior political leaders and used for domestic and personal work. If these men are called back, Kerala can improve policing and escape the blame they are now facing for their inaction in the law and order front. Its possible only if the politicians are ready to sacrifice their extra benefits, he added. BJP, Congress are making it big on social media platform like- WhatsApp, Twitter, Facebook for the upcoming Madhya Pradesh assembly elections to gain traction from young voters, before they set for the real poll battle. Bhopal: Nearly 65,000 'cyber warriors' of the BJP are all set to take on 'Rajiv Ke Sipahi' of the Congress in cyber space to woo young voters on social media platforms in the upcoming Madhya Pradesh Assembly polls. The BJP's state Information Technology (IT) cell in-charge, Shivraj Singh Dabi, said about 65,000 'cyber warriors' have been deployed by the party in the last three months and 5,000 more will be deputed shortly. The state Congress has set up a team of around 4,000 'Rajiv Ke Sipahi' (named after their leader and former prime minister Rajiv Gandhi credited with the digital revolution in India) to battle it out against the BJP on social media. The Congress will train 5,000 more people for the task, the state party's IT cell in-charge, Dharmendra Bajpai, said. "We are going to hold training sessions in the state's revenue divisions from 25 June," he said. Both the leaders said they were going to reach out to people on popular social media platforms like Facebook,Twitter. They would specially focus on WhatsApp, owing to its wide reach. 'During elections, our biggest weapon is going to be WhatsApp', Bajpai said. Commenting on BJP's strategy, Dabi said, 'We are going to be doubly active on WhatsApp as it's the biggest communication tool, specially to reach out to commoners and villagers.' He said the party used social media to counter the Congress' 10-day Gaon bandh during the farmers' agitation in MP from 1 June to 10 June. BJP's IT cell highlighted the central and state governments' welfare schemes for farmers during the agitation, Dabi said. He claimed that the party thwarted Congress' bid to capitalise on the farmers' agitation. In contrast, Bajpai said their 'Rahul with farmers' hash-tag on Twitter was a 'huge success'. It was trending for 23 hours on Twitter when Congress chief Rahul Gandhi visited Madhya Pradesh's Mandsaur district and addressed a farmers' rally on 6 June, he said. 'The hash-tag recorded participation of more than 1.25 lakh people on the widely used social networking site', Bajpai claimed. Both the parties said through the use of social media, they would try to dispel misunderstandings and false propaganda of their rivals in the run-up to the state polls. A BJP leader said party president Amit Shah, during his visit to Jabalpur in MP on 12 June, held a meeting with 'cyber warriors' and discussed with them on how to take on the Congress in the social media space. WHY DONT YOU READ THESE? Hundreds of relief camps have been set up to accommodate those affected by the floods in the North East. Torrential rain, landslides and flash floods wreaked havoc in several parts of North East India the past week, claiming 17 lives in Manipur, Assam, Tripura and Mizoram. More than 36,000 people were rescued from flood-affected regions in Assam and Tripura alone. Erratic power and water supply have also forced many schools and governments offices to remain closed. A number of embankments have caved in at various places, with several rivers flowing above the danger mark. In Manipur, 12,000 households affected At least 55,000 people were displaced in Imphal West alone as the valley remained inundated under floodwaters. The State Disaster Response Force (SDRF) has opened 44 relief camps across the district. "We have provided all necessary commodities in the camps," said Pravin Singh, district commissioner. "The situation this year has been particularly grim. Around 106 of the total 176 villages in Imphal West are reeling under knee-deep waters. Nearly 12,000 households have been affected." Some of the worst-hit areas in the district are Wangoi, Lamphel, Iroishemba, Lamsang, Patsoi and Konthoujam. Singh also said that 100 quintals of rice, 330 quintals of dal and 259 litres of edible oil have been distributed. Efforts are also on to provide mosquito nets, candles and potable drinking water to those affected. Authorities also said that the national highway connecting Manipur with southern Assam's Barak Valley was cut off after mudslides. Six rivers in Assam flow above danger mark At least five people were reported dead and more than 1.5 lakh affected in 350 villages of Biswanath and Karbi Anglong West and the districts of Karbi Anglong East, Golaghat, Karimganj and Hailakandi. The swelling Difolu river has submerged National Highway-37 in Golaghat, disrupting traffic. With fresh showers in several parts of the state in the past 24 hours, a few more areas of Barak Valley were reported inundated. The situation in Karimganj especially remains grim. According to official sources, six rivers in the valley are flowing precariously above danger levels. According to data from Sunday afternoon, the water level of Longai river was at 23.14 metres, while its danger mark is 22 metres. Similarly, Singla river crossed its danger mark of 17.98 metres to reach 18.16 metres. Kushiara river, which has a danger level of 14.94 metres, was marked at 16.42 metres. "Heavy downpour for the past three days has drowned several villages in the district, particularly in Patharkandi, where we have set up 55 relief camps," said Dhrubajyoti Deb, additional deputy commissioner of Karimganj. "The SDRF is conducting rescue operations." Some of the worst-affected areas in Patharkandi are Nayadahar, where a river embankment had caved in recently, Jherjheri, Bazaricherra, Lowairpoa and Kabaribond. According to a bulletin the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) released recently, around 82,225 people were affected in the first wave of floods that hit Hailakandi. As per data from Sunday afternoon, the Katakhal river was marked at 22.12 metres as it crossed its danger level of 20.27 metres. The Dhaleshwari river's water has breached its danger mark of 28.05 metres to reach 31.75 metres. The worst-affected villages in Hailakandi include Sudarshanpur, Nimaichandpur, Dholai-Molai and Konkonbasti. Road connectivity between Hailakandi and Mizoram has snapped because several highways are under water. Officials also said that 1,642 hectares of cropland have been damaged. Deputy Commissioner of Hailakandi Adil Khan said: Personnel of the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) and SDRF have evacuated 271 people stranded in the floods. Eleven roads are submerged across the district, disrupting surface communication to various parts of the state." Assam environment and forest minister Parimal Suklabaidya toured different flood-hit regions on Thursday to take stock of the situation. The legislator from Hailakandi, Anowar Hussain Laskar, had also visited affected areas under his constituency and supervised relief operations. In Cachar district on Sunday, the Barak river was flowing at 20.86 metres, above its danger mark of 19.83 metres. Some of the affected areas in the district are Borkhola, Katigorah and Sonai. "A total of 15 relief camps 10 in Silchar Sadar circle and five in Katigorah have been set up," said Shamim Ahmed Laskar, the project officer of the Cachar District Disaster Management Authority. "Around 493 hectares of arable lands have been inundated in Cachar." Recurring landslides since Wednesday along National Highway-6 between Malidhar and Sonapur have disrupted traffic movement between Barak Valley and Shillong/Guwahati. Railway services have also been temporarily suspended in the Lumding-Badarpur hill section due to mudslides and tunnel washouts, snapping connectivity with Tripura. Assam water resources minister Keshab Mahanta visited some of the flood-affected areas in Barak Valley on Sunday and reviewed the situation. Tripura seeks assistance from army, NDRF With the rain-fed Khowai river inundating fresh areas, the situation in Tripura deteriorated on Saturday. The toll has already risen to four in the past two days, and around 26,000 were reported affected. Seven of the eight districts in the state have been affected, with the situation in Unakoti being the worst. Government sources said 180 relief camps have been set up to provide shelter to as many as 6,054 families. The state government has sought assistance from the Indian Army and NDRF to evacuate people from flooded areas. Besides Unakoti, some of the other severely affected regions are South Tripura, Dhalai, North Tripura, Gomati and a few West Tripura districts. "Chief Minister of Tripura Biplab Kumar Deb spoke to Union home minister Rajnath Singh for immediate rescue operations by the Army," said Sanjay Kumar Mishra, a senior official in the Chief Minister's Office. "He did an aerial survey of Kailashahar, the headquarters of Unakoti district." In view of the flood situation, Bharatiya Janata Party National President Amit Shah was also advised to cancel his visit to the state on Monday. Sources say river water levels in Mizoram receding More than 1,066 families were reported affected in the state. Government sources said that water levels in the Tlawng and Langkaih rivers have started receding. However, the road connecting Aizawl with Lunglei via Thenzawl was blocked for a few hours in Mualthuam village in Lunglei district before officials of the Public Works Department cleared a massive landslide near Ramlaitui. Some of the worst-hit villages were Lunglei district's Tlabung town and its surrounding villages, including Lamthai, Tipperaghat and Serhuan. Around 700 families in these regions were shifted to safer places after their homes were inundated by the flooding Chhimtuipui river along the Mizoram-Bangladesh border. The authors are freelance writers and members of 101reporters.com, a pan-India network of grassroots reporters. WASHINGTON - Amidst scattered protests, the federal government continues separating immigrant children from their families at the U.S. Mexico border. The Department of Homeland security says in a six week period, nearly 2,000 children have been taken from their parents and held in government shelters. The Department of Justice will not stand idly by while our laws are being nullified and undermined, said Jeff Session, the U.S. attorney general. The Trump administration hopes changes to the criteria to gain asylum in the U.S. and splitting families apart when they arrive here will deter others from coming. But in a Saturday morning tweet, the president blamed Democrats for his border policy, calling it "their forced family breakup at the border." An apparent attempt to force Democrats to negotiate with Republicans on other aspects of immigration law, including funding for a border wall. The administration is getting criticism from both sides of the aisle, religious leaders even the American Medical Association. "He could stop it if he wanted to. All he has to do is pick up his phone and say stop taking babies away from their mothers. That is entirely within the power of the POTUS. If he isn't doing that then he needs to own it because that's on him, said Elizabeth Warren, a senator from Massachusetts. A Republican immigration bill which would stop families from being separated at the border will be debated in Congress next week. Indian Army soldiers from Jammu and Kashmir are bound to be more intensely targeted as the security situation in the state continues to worsen. It is a shame that rifleman Aurangzeb was abducted, tortured and killed while on his way home from his army camp last Thursday. His murder indicates that no steps have been taken to secure soldiers from the state of Jammu and Kashmir when they are on leave, even as terror attacks continue to worsen relentlessly. This is particularly troubling as it happened more than a year after Lieutenant Umar Fayaz was killed in a similar way, while in Kashmir on leave from the army. The wave of empathy, remorse, and anger that swept the country after the young officer's murder does not seem to have led to operational differences. In an age of amazing and all-encompassing electronic surveillance and security systems, it is disappointing that alarms, tracking apparatus, and quick-response rescue mechanisms have not been set up for soldiers on leave. Message for help Aurangzeb's father said in an interview that he had heard his son over the telephone yelling "stop the car" for 10 minutes. Perhaps the abducted soldier had covertly dialed the last dialed number on his mobile phone so his father could hear that he was being abducted. Had there been an easy facility to send an alarm to his unit or a centralised monitoring unit, it would have surely been possible to track the location of his phone and initiate a rescue mission. That such procedures have not been put in place yet suggests a cynical disregard for the lives of soldiers from Jammu and Kashmir, who are bound to be more and more intensely targeted as the situation continues to worsen. As things stand, there is little doubt that violence will spiral, probably to unprecedented highs. Those in charge of security policy should realise that soldiers and other security personnel from the state will be even more urgently required as the situation worsens. Quite apart from such tactical thinking, soldiers should be able to count on a caring and responsive leadership, both in the army brass and the political establishment. Those in decision-making roles should have become keenly conscious of the need for alarm and rescue systems after Lieutenant Fayaz was abducted and brutally killed last year. Rifleman Aurangzebs death should now be more than enough reason to ensure that soldiers on leave are monitored. Propaganda hype The irony is that those in charge of government and army propaganda, as well as their bosses in very high places, tend to highlight the fact that youth from Jammu and Kashmir turn up in large numbers to be recruited in the Indian Army and other security forces. Ironically, some of those who focus on this also tend to highlight that Jammu and Kashmir is an integral part of India and that there is no difference between citizens from this and other parts of the country. The army had launched a major recruitment drive during the prolonged agitations that followed the killing of militant commander Burhan Wani in July 2016. The purpose of this drive was to show that local youth are happy to work for the army. A large number of Kashmiri youth did indeed turn up for the recruitment tests at two locations in the Valley. However, once young people from the state join the forces, they must not be treated as propaganda tools or cannon fodder. Every effort must be made to secure them. Some sections of the media try to project such soldiers as the "real" face of Kashmir. Even on Saturday, when rifleman Aurangzeb was buried, a news channel repeatedly posed a question about whether stone-pelting or Aurangzeb was the real face of Kashmir. Not only is this false categorisation, this notion tends to divide the state into geographical and sociological lines, which could prove very costly for national security. One of the many proud traditions of the Indian Army is that it does not differentiate between officers and men from different parts of the country. Equal treatment of all religions, too, has been a proud and laudable army tradition. Seychelles President Danny Faure said that the joint project with India to develop a naval base at Assumption Island in his country will not happen due to pressure from Opposition parties back in Seychelles New Delhi: Ahead of his India visit, Seychelles President Danny Faure has said a joint project with New Delhi to develop a naval base at Assumption Island in his country would not move forward. There has been growing political opposition in Seychelles to a pact it signed with India in 2015 to develop a naval facility at the island which would have given India a strategic advantage in the Indian Ocean Region. Government sources said Faure would arrive here on 26 June on a bilateral visit during which a range of issues to strengthen two-way cooperation would be discussed. At a press conference on 4 June, Faure had said Seychelles would develop military facilities at the island on its own and that the project with India "will not move forward". According to the Seychelles News Agency, he said, "In next year's budget, we will put funds for us to build a coastguard facility on the Assumption ourselves. It is important for us to ensure that we have a military post in this area." He had also said the issue would not be discussed with the Indian leadership during his visit to New Delhi. The Ministry of External Affairs has not commented on the issue. India was keen on developing the Assumption Island as a naval base to expand its footprint in the strategically key region where China has been trying to enhance its military presence. The pact on the Assumption Island between India and Seychelles was first signed in 2015 during Prime Minister Narendra Modi's visit to that country. An updated version of the original pact was finalised by the two sides earlier in 2018. However, opposition leaders in Seychelles came out openly against the pact after the original document as well as the revised version of it surfaced online in March. After the furore, the Seychelles president said he would not approach the country's parliament to ratify the agreement with India. Seychelles had ordered an inquiry into the leak of highly classified agreement. Modi and Faure had a bilateral meeting in April on the sidelines of the multilateral Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM) in London. When it comes to farmer suicides, Telangana figures in the top three states. The big difference is that farmers here, largely women who call themselves millet sisters, have not lost their spirit for agriculture Chakri Bai of Arjunnayak hamlet near Zaheerabad in Telangana cannot help teasing the assembled crowd which has travelled 120 kilometres from Hyderabad. "You people are not able to withstand this mild sun even for a while, you have already become shrivelled. But barring a two-hour break during the day, we women farmers are in the field from dawn to dusk. We can withstand it because of the food we eat. You people are like broiler chicken, we are like country chicken,'' said Bai. Saturday was a special day for Bai and 250 farmers like her. She was part of a signing ceremony between farmers and consumers where cultivators pledged to give customers a basket of produce every year for a certain amount of money. This is the first time in India that a group of urban consumers have decided to look beyond organised markets for organic food and decided to partner in the production process with farmers. The financial support from the 100-odd customers will also reduce the dependency of farmers on money lending agencies and state sops. Two packages are on offer: Rs 25,000 and and Rs 12,500. As part of the plan, six varieties of grains, four varieties of pulses, two kinds of oilseeds and jaggery are provided at periodic intervals. For instance, the Rs 25,000 package includes 24 kilograms of flour made from jowar/bajra, 30 kilograms of ragi rava, 40 kilograms of tur dal, 40 kilograms of green moong dal, 25 kilograms of urad dal, 8 kilograms of jaggery and much much more. Under the Rs 12,500 package, you get half the produce. "What I am conveying by part of this bond is that I am with my farmer,'' said Telugu TV host Jhansi Rani. "And I am not looking at it as a capital investor from which I want returns. The idea is not to approach this with a consumer mindset but that of a supporter who also desires a change in lifestyle.'' In fact, that is the hidden agenda. At a time when fitness challenges are taking the virtual world by storm, the idea is to make India healthy. That Indians should cut down on consumption of rice and wheat and shift to more healthy grain options, which are also not input resource intensive, in terms of water and fertilisers. So, this pact is not just about putting money in the pockets of farmers, but also about making a promise to lead a more healthy lifestyle by changing breakfast, lunch and dinner options. "Frankly, farmers could have done with just one or two varieties of grain or pulses, and pledged to provide that to the consumer. But then the idea is to transfer our biodiversity of agriculture, the multiplicity of crops to the table as well and provide an escape route for the consumer who has been fed only cheap rice,'' said PV Satheesh, director of the Deccan Development Society (DDS). The memorandum of understanding is the brainchild of the DDS. What this pact means is that these select consumers have understood the soul of agriculture, and they are understanding the process instead of merely receiving the product. And over a period of time, it will hopefully lead to personality changes, understanding of issues, empathy for farmers and respect for land and crops. "It is an effort to move from feeling good about buying organic foods to feeling better that you have supported that as a lifestyle. This was long overdue,'' said Vinod Pavarala, professor of communication at Hyderabad University. "This will also lead to an alternative socio-economic model of agriculture, with consumers picking up a greater stake in it through this expression of solidarity.'' The overhead is less, which means farmers will not get pushed into a debt trap. The seeds they use are indigenous, passed down through generations, with the women of the community deciding what works best in different conditions. In the past 30 years that DDS has been working with farmers, there has not been a single agrarian distress-related suicide in these parts. The irony is that just a few kilometres away in neighbouring Medak and Warangal districts, several hundred farmers take the extreme step every year. When it comes to farmer suicides, Telangana figures in the top three states. The big difference is that farmers here, largely women who call themselves millet sisters, have not lost their spirit for agriculture. How different is this pact from the K Chandrasekhar Rao government's decision to give Rs 8,000 per acre to the farmer every year to reduce his dependence on external lending agencies? "Any rupee put into farmer's pocket is important,'' agreed Satheesh. "But the question is: Through this incentive, what kind of farming are you encouraging? What we are seeing now in most parts of India is toxic agriculture: Pushing poison into the soil with no respect for the earth. The support has to be more nuanced, you cannot put the millet and the cotton farmer on the same page.'' As Mallamma, her husband and daughter plough their field ahead of sowing, they hardly look skywards. The family is not unduly worried about the monsoon playing truant. Though farming in this part is largely rain-fed, they are confident their different 15 to 20 varieties of seeds can survive even in a stingy monsoon season. Other varieties will survive even if there is a downpour, providing them with an insurance cover of sorts. Confident they now have the consumers' backing, they want to ensure this model of community-supported agriculture tastes success. Young leaders of a nascent group of middle-class Dalits think and act differently from veteran leaders when it comes to the violence they face. Even as we continue to hear accounts of the violence that Dalits face every day, there is a growing sense that the community especially the younger generation is being pushed inexorably towards frustration and anger. Filmmaker Pa Ranjith's Rajinikanth-starrer Kaala, which is only his fourth movie, articulates the pent-up emotions of a young, disadvantaged and excluded urban slum community in a battle for land, dignity, and identity. It also highlights concerns that mainstream commercial or art-house films fail to even hint at caste and street-level cultural expressions of the youth of urban slums and their lives, struggles, and aspirations. Kaala will be discussed for the next few months, but its impact is likely to last at least a generation. Around the time the movie was released came the harrowing, but all too familiar, news from Kachanatham village in Tamil Nadu's Sivagangai district three young men were attacked and killed in cold blood one evening as the residents of the Dalit-majority village were watching a popular television serial. Their power supply was cut off, and armed with swords, the assailants swung out indiscriminately at the group gathered at the house of one of those who were killed. One of the victims, 31-year-old Shanmuganathan, was an MBA graduate who had given up work in the formal sector and taken up farming on his familys land. He had also dug a deep borewell recently to ensure water supply to his farm and to those of others. It is still unclear what motivated the assailants to kill him. This violent denouement was a result of the resentment a handful of oppressive upper-caste families held against a few Dalit youths in Kachanatham for taking up government jobs and emerging as leaders in the village. Just a few days before their deaths, a police complaint had been filed after a youth from an upper-caste abused some Dalit men after driving a motorcycle rashly too close to them. The police, however, did not take any action. Atrocities against Dalits Around the same time came a report from Telangana's Sircilla district that two Dalit men 62-year-old Yellaiah and his 40-year-old son Shekar had been hacked to death. They were killed on their small plot of land just 32 guntas or about three-fourths of an acre in Kandikatkur village after they decided to prepare it for tilling for the first time after winning a case in the high court confirming their title to the land. Devaiah, a member of the dominant Mudiraja community, had illegally laid claim to the land. The police and local revenue officials had colluded with him to try and defraud the Dalit family of the plot that rightfully belonged to them. In Meerut, three minor boys two 12-year-olds and one 15 have been in jail since 2 April, the day Dalits held a nationwide bandh to protest against a Supreme Court order diluting the Scheduled Castes and Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act. They were taken from the streets while running errands for their families. Their Aadhaar cards prove their ages, but a report in The Wire says that they have been booked along with a number of men with serious charges. In one of the most heart-rending cases in recent months, two 14-year-old Dalit boys were stripped and beaten in public in Jalgaon in Maharashtra for swimming in a well that belonged to a non-Dalit. "In the violence that erupted on 2 April, members of the upper-caste were involved," said social activist and Dalit leader Sushil Gautam. "The police had arrested them on the spot but later released them due to pressure from the BJP. Releasing the upper-caste members and leaving the Dalit boys behind bars for two months only shows the two-faced nature of the administration. All this is being done to break the social and political movement of Dalits. A Manuwadi judiciary is also involved in it." Gautam also emphasised that Dalits and their leaders were being "implicated in false cases so that they are unable to build a future". "Those wearing T-shirts with Baba Saheb's (BR Ambedkars) image on them were arrested (on the day of the protests)," he added. Shameful conviction rates Madurai-based NGO Evidence, which monitors the state of the human rights of Dalits in southern Tamil Nadu, has held public hearings on cases of violence against Dalit women in Tamil Nadu. The executive director of the NGO, Kathir, said that in every case of rape, murder or other violent acts including torture and mutilation, there were two common threads inactive police, law and order machinery and administration on one hand and the woman or her family's struggle for access to land or livelihood. The oppressors who perpetrated the crimes were either granted bail quickly or never arrested, with the police claiming that they were absconding even though they could be seen going about their lives. Dalit women and girls are often the targets of hate crimes. Access to justice has been abysmal, with conviction rates at a measly 16.8 percent. Crimes against Dalits usually see half the conviction rate of the overall rate of conviction of crimes. Experts and activists say that low conviction rates and lack of prosecution of such cases of atrocities are the reasons why crimes against Dalits continue to rise, according to a DNA report. In all the cases mentioned above, we see a common pattern of the police, courts and administration treating perpetrators of crimes against Dalits with impunity. In fact, the case from Tamil Nadu's Kachanatham, which has just one family from the dominant caste, shows the state of the community, as highlighted by statements from Dalits in the village. "We dare not react to their harassment as their clansmen will attack us severely," said a Dalit man from the village. This indicates that their fear of retaliation, and the fact that the local police will never act on their behalf, is the primary reason for the continuing trend of violence against Dalits and the fear that stalks the lives of Dalits countrywide even today. Possible signs of change Will we see change any time soon? Will the fact that the administration does not respond to appeals for help from Dalits, despite stringent laws, continue to cause them to live bereft of hope for justice? There are signs that portend change, but many are still unsure of which way the wind will blow. The cases highlighted above all seem to point in only one direction towards despair and hopelessness but a few trends seem worth keeping an eye on. Jignesh Mewani, an activist, lawyer, and newly-elected MLA, came into the limelight in July 2016 after organising a countrywide march to protest the horrifying beating of four Dalit boys in Gujarat's Una for skinning a dead cow. The four were tied to a jeep and thrashed while an accomplice filmed the act. Their idea was to terrorise the Dalits, but it had the opposite effect unexpectedly. Dalits in Gujarat all resolved to not move carcasses of dead animals and also scattered truck-loads of bones in public places such as bus stands and offices of district collectors, to the dismay of the public. This was a first-of-its-kind protest by Dalits in India. In western Uttar Pradesh, there is a large group of enthusiastic young men who call themselves the Bhim Army and run around 300 schools in the region. They shot to prominence in 2017 after opposing the forceful procession of Rajputs who had tried to garland a statue of Maharana Pratap in the same area as the Bhim Army in Saharanpur, resulting in clashes that led to the death of one Rajput and one Dalit. Bhim Army co-founder Chandrashekhar Ravan, a lawyer, was arrested under the stringent National Security Act, because of which he remains in police custody despite a high court ordering his release. When his colleague Pradeep Narwal went to meet Ravan, he said: "My greatest desire is to work for society, but the BJP is making sure I never leave prison. I cannot appear to be despondent or break down for the simple reason that the spirit of my community has been broken so often that there is only one option left for us now to struggle." In one of India's best universities, known for its humanities, language and science departments, student politics was alternately dominated by unions affiliated to the Left Wing and the Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad, which is the student wing of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh. However, in recent years, there has been a relatively new entrant in the field the Birsa-Ambedkar-Phule Student's Association (BAPSA), whose nominee narrowly lost the post of student union president a few years ago. BAPSA and similar other student bodies comprised mostly of students from the Dalit, Adivasi or other backward classes (OBCs) are now active in a number of university campuses in the country. Professor Kancha Ilaiah Shepherd, who is known for his anti-caste stance and critical analysis of Indian socio-political realities, said that the unprecedented all-India bandh that Dalits had organised on 2 April to protest the Supreme Court's order diluting provisions of the SC/ST Act to protect government servants against its perceived abuse was a sign of a 'Dalit Spring' spearheaded by middle-class educated Dalits who were beneficiaries of the constitutional provision. The professor believes that they fully understand the welfarist option the Constitution offers them, though the large OBC population in the country has not been able to enjoy the experience as much. The Dalit protest on 2 April was widely perceived as successful and peaceful, even though 13 people died and some activists were arrested and tortured, said former Uttar Pradesh chief minister and Dalit leader Mayawati. Those opposed to the constitutional reservations for Dalits had organised a retaliatory bandh on 10 April. It passed without any fanfare or wide support primarily because BJP-run governments had heightened security and suspended internet services for several hours in their states. Clearly, this anti-reservation bandh had received only partial support. Subsequently, the Centre passed and formalised an ordinance against the Supreme Court's decision. Dalit politics ahead of 2019 elections The next 12 months are crucial for several reasons, one of the top ones being that this period immediately precedes the general elections in 2019. Dalits form about 14 percent of India's population, ranging from 32 percent in some parts of Punjab to around 12 percent in other parts such the North East. This gives the BJP reason to do its best to try to gain the trust of the Dalit community. Will we see a new form of election strategy especially where residents are dissatisfied with the services to their constituents? The electorate seems in no mood to relent, with activists pushing the government to end the trend of shielding those behind crimes against Dalits. Young leaders of this nascent Dalit community think and act differently from veteran leaders. We have the likes of Udit Raj, Ramdas Athavle, Prakash Ambedkar and others on one hand, who are part of the formal political processes, and on the other, we have Jignesh Mevani, Chandrashekhar Ravan and other young leaders from movements like the Bhim Army. We also have bards from the Kabir Ekta Manch who keep the tradition of folk theatre alive along with musical protests. Although Mevani is now an elected representative, he continues to be active in Dalit movements. The call to end impunity to perpetrators of crimes against Dalits is being taken forward steadily, even as protests and resistance rise across the country. Is there enough outrage brewing in the community to feed a large-scale uprising? We will have an answer in the next few months. Mamata Banerjee, Chandrababu Naidu, Pinarayi Vijayan and HD Kumaraswamy met Narendra Modi at the fourth NITI Aayog meet in Delhi. With the stand-off between the Delhi government and the Lieutenant Governor Anil Baijal entering the seventh day, West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee, and three other chief ministers have asked Prime Minister Narendra Modi to resolve the Delhi deadlock immediately, Banerjee tweeted on Sunday. Banerjee, who is in Delhi to attend the fourth NITI Aayog meet said that she along with Chandrababu Naidu, Chief Minister of Andhra Pradesh, Pinarayi Vijayan, Chief Minister of Kerala and HD Kumaraswamy, Chief Minister of Karnataka, met the prime minister and requested him to resolve the problems of Delhi government immediately. I along with the Honble CMs of Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka and Kerala have requested Honble PM today to resolve the problems of Delhi government immediately. Mamata Banerjee (@MamataOfficial) June 17, 2018 The four chief ministers have already voiced their support to New Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal and his party. The fiery Banerjee had sought Modi's intervention on Saturday as well while addressing the media in the national capital along with Kumaraswamy, Vijayan, and Naidu. "The mandate of the people must be respected," Banerjee had said on Saturday, adding, "If this is the condition of Delhi, it sends the wrong message to the rest of the country...We did not take this step immediately but waited for six days. I had sent a message to Arvindji three days earlier as well." The four chief ministers also wrote a joint letter to Baijal, seeking to meet Kejriwal who is on a protest at the L-G's office-cum-residence, Raj Niwas. "All of us would like to make a representation to you with respect to the issues concerning the Chief Minister of Delhi Arvind Kejriwal. Please grant us a meeting slot today (Saturday) as we are waiting. We request you to give us time around 9 pm," it read. However, the L-G's office declined their request stating that Baijal was out. The Delhi chief minister's office has not released any official comment on the four chief ministers' request to the prime minister. As for the Delhi IAS officers, who according to Kejriwal and team have launched an unofficial protest against the government, are expected to address the media at 3.30 pm on Saturday. Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal's dharna (sit-in) at Lieutenant Governor Anil Baijal's office entered the seventh day on Sunday. Kejriwal and his colleagues from AAP are protesting against bureaucrats refusal to meet Delhi ministers following an assault on Delhi secretary Anshu Prakash. Click here for live updates Auto refresh feeds Karnataka chief minister HD Kumaraswamy said, "We came here to show our support to the Delhi chief minister, and to save the democratic system in the country. We demand that the prime minister should intervene in the issue." Following Kumaraswamy's address, Kerala chief minister Pinarayi Vijayan is now speaking to the media. He said, "We are in solidarity with Kejriwal. All democratic-thinking people are with the Delhi chief minister." She also said that there is a 'political crisis.' West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee said, "Delhi has a population of about 2 crore. The functioning of the state has been stopped for the last four months, and this is unfortunate. The Centre should not cross the line." 'If Delhi is in such a condition, what will happen to the rest of the country?': Mamata Banerjee The West Bengal chief minister said that the four chief ministers had been waiting for three to four hours to meet Kejriwal. "We made appeals and requests, but to no avail," she said. Mamata says four CMs waited for 3-4 hours to meet Kejriwal While Naidu, Kumaraswamy and Vijayan spoke to the media for a short while, Mamata Banerjee had a detailed interaction and took several questions. CNN-News18 reports that the four chief ministers will not meet Arvind Kejriwal today. People will assemble at Mandi House at 4 pm and march to the PMO under the party banner to support Kejriwal and his ministers' sit-in. Accusing the Centre of misusing its powers to stop Delhi government from working, AAP said it would lead a massive protest march to the Prime Minister's Office on Sunday evening. The meeting comes a day after Mamata Banerjee, HD Kumaraswamy, N Chandrababu Naidu and Pinarayi Vijayan came out in support of Arvind Kejriwal. A crucial meeting of the NITI Aayog may turn out to be a platform for yet another show of strength by the Opposition as four non-NDA, non-Congress chief ministers may corner Prime Minister Narendra Modi on the Delhi deadlock, according to News18. The prime minister added that the Governing Council has approached complex issues of governance as "Team India", in the spirit of cooperative, competitive federalism. He described the smooth rollout and implementation of GST as a prime example of this. Narendra Modi today delivered the opening remarks at the fourth meeting of the Governing Council of NITI Aayog. He said that the Governing Council is a platform that can bring about "historic change." At NITI Aayog, Modi says Governing Council approached complex issues of governance as 'Team India' After Arvind Kejriwal slammed Delhi L-G following reports that he has gone to the NITI Aayog meet, Amitabh Kant clarified that Anil Baijal is not present at the meeting. Senior BJP leader Vijay Goel said the four leaders "are in the national capital to attend the NITI Aayog meeting and not to do politics. It doesn't suit them". Criticising the decision of four non-NDA chief ministers to extend support to Kejriwal, the BJP has questioned why they did not object to the assault on Delhi chief secretary Anshu Prakash. Metro station restrictions are also in place. No entry/exit will be available at Lok Kalyan Marg metro station on Sunday from 12 pm onwards till further directions. In view of AAP's plan to lead a protest march to the Prime Minister's Office on Sunday evening, police personnel will be deployed on various routes leading to the PMO, a police offiicial told The Indian Express . At the time of protest, the exit gates at Udyog Bhawan, Lok Kalyan Marg, Patel Chowk and Central Secretariat will be closed, Madhur Verma, DCP New Delhi, told ANI. Metro restrictions in place as AAP plans to march to PMO Arvind Kejriwal on Sunday said he has not "authorised" L-G Anil Baijal to attend the NITI Aayog meeting in his place after a report claimed the presence of the Constitutional head at the meeting. However, NITI Aayog Chief Executive Officer Amitabh Kant described the report as "totally incorrect". Delhi Metro will keep its Lok Kalyan Marg station shut on Sunday as the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) is set to march to the Prime Minister's residence located nearby. "As advised by police, no entry or exit will be available at Lok Kalyan Marg station (from 12 pm)," the DMRC said. - IANS AAP leader Arunoday Prakash said that Arvind Kejriwal, Satyendar Jain, Manish Sisodia and Gopal Rai will not participate in Sunday's protest march. They will continue the sit-in protest at L-G office, he added. "Those who are not listening to the elected chief minister will never listen to a common man ever. This is a beginning of dictatorship and an attempt to end democracy. Our fight is to save the Constitution. It is an undeclared Emergency," Rai told IANS. Accusing the Narendra Modi government of not paying attention to Delhi's elected government, Delhi Cabinet minister Gopal Rai said such a regime will never listen to the common man and dubbed the current situation an "undeclared Emergency". 11 Balmiki and Safai Karamchari organisations have pledged their support to Kejriwal's demand for full statehood for Delhi. Manual scavenging is a caste-based occupation and the major social organisations centred on cleanliness have pledged their support to Kejriwal. The AAP is holding the march to support the sit-in of Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal and his cabinet colleagues at the lieutenant governor's office for the last six days demanding him to direct IAS officers to end their "strike". - PTI Hours before the Aam Aadmi Party's protest march to the prime minister's residence, the Delhi Police said no permission was sought for it, even as AAP leaders alleged that party supporters were being prevented from taking part in the rally. "Police has got several metro stations closed down. Barricades have been erected all over Delhi and police is going door to door asking people if they were going for the march. People are being stopped from going for the march," Gopal Rai said. After police officials said that those trying to take out the march will be detained since no permission has been sought for it, AAP leaders alleged that the Delhi Police was trying to stop people from joining the march. Deputy Speaker of the Delhi Assembly Rakhi Birla has said that the situation in Delhi is "worse" than the Emergency. Meanwhile, AAP leader Atishi Marlena alleged the Delhi Police was working on the instruction of the PMO. - PTI West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee said that she met the home minister and later the prime minister to find a solution for the problems in Delhi, according to News18. IAS Association holds press conference, reiterates that officers are not on strike "We never imagined that we would have to hold a press conference to justify our work. We are answerable only to the Constitution," Saxena said. In a press conference, IAS Association's Manisha Saxena said that all the departments are doing their jobs. "We are neutral and apolitical," she added. An IAS officer, in a press conference of the IAS Association, said that the officers are being victimised. "This is not a normal situation. We have been targetted and victimised. We are not on strike," the IAS officer said at the Press Club of India Manisha Saxena said that reports of how desilting of drains has been hampered due to our so-called strike is also not true. "Work is in progress." Reports of work being hampered because of so-called strike not true: IAS Association Varsha Joshi said that she has been targetted by the social media handles of a certain political party in an unfair manner. "We are here to do our work. Please don't use us for political mileage," she added. "The issues in Delhi are unique. Not everything is under our control but we do our job as per the constitution," she added. "We are apolitical. Irrespective of the government in power, we do our jobs. We have never been required to come out in the open and clarify our stand. This is an unusual press conference. We never imagined that we would have to hold a press conference to justify our job. We are answerable only to the law and constitution," said Manisha Saxena. She, however, reiterated that officers are not on strike and added that all files are being moved and no work is being hampered. Saxena said that they are scared after what happened with Delhi chief secretary Anshu Prakash. "The chief secretary went for the meeting at midnight. How is this non-compliance? He went for a meeting but was assaulted." AAP's Dilip Pandey told News18 that they are requesting L-G and Prime Minister Narendra Modi to ask IAS officers to come back to work. Countering the IAS Association's claims, AAP leader Atishi Marlena said, "We have over 50 notices which show that IAS officers did not respond to our meetings. It was only on Saturday that Imran Hussain called a meeting over Delhi pollution but, not even a single IAS officer showed up." The IAS Association said that no officer is on strike and they sometimes even work on holidays. No officer on strike, we are working even on holidays sometimes: IAS Association Delhi BJP chief Manoj Tiwari also said it was "unfortunate" that the chief ministers of four states allowed themselves to be a part of the AAP chief's "drama". - PTI The Delhi BJP has accused Arvind Kejriwal of resorting to a "political stunt" in a bid to form an "anti-BJP, anti-Narendra Modi" front in the run-up to the 2019 Lok Sabha election. She added, No officer is on strike and we are working even on holidays sometimes. We are completely apolitical. IAS Association, in a press conference, said denied charges by Arvind Kejriwal and AAP that officers are on strike. Manisha Saxena, member of the IAS Association, said "IAS officers work away from the public eye. This is not a normal situation for us. We have been targeted and forced to do this." "Specially trained personnel are deployed. We're sure they'll (AAP members and protesters) listen to us." DCP, New Delhi, told ANI that AAP does not have permission for the protest march. "They've been contained at Parliament street. They're being told that they can't go any further," he added. AAP's Raghav Chadha told News18 that the IAS association, just four days ago, said that officers have not been attending the meetings called by the ministers. "Going on strike is a gross violation of code of conduct. They should be suspended or their services terminated." Going on strike a 'gross violation of code of conduct', says AAP's Raghav Chadha Talking to News18, AAP's Sanjay Singh said that the rally is to protect the rights of citizens and to protect the Constitution. "Entire country is getting together to back Arvind Kejriwal's fight." Delhi Congress chief Ajay Maken said Kejriwal should put an end to the crisis by expressing "regrets" to Chief Secretary Anshu Prakash, who was allegedly manhandled by AAP legislators at the chief minister's residence during a late night meeting on 19 February. The Congress on Sunday accused Kejriwal of making the people of the national capital suffer due to his "inflated ego". Banerjee, Kerala's Pinarayi Vijayan, Andhra Pradesh's N Chandrababu Naidu and Karnataka's HD Kumaraswamy had a meeting with Prime Minister Narendra Modi and home minister Rajnath Singh on the sidelines of the NITI Aayog Governing Council meeting and urged the Centre to resolve the issue. West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee said that the prime minister did not give any assurance when she, along with three other chief ministers, raised the political crisis in Delhi with him. PM didn't say anything when we raised Delhi crisis with him: Mamata Banerjee Nearly 30,000 Karamcharis of the MCD, which is under the BJP since 15 years, have turned up in support of the Arvind Kejriwal led AAP government. ( See here ) 30,000 workers of MCD (which is under BJP) supported AAP Aam Aadmi Party does not have permission to hold protest march in national capital: Delhi Police Banerjee, Kerala's Pinarayi Vijayan, Andhra Pradesh's N Chandrababu Naidu and Karnataka's HD Kumaraswamy had a meeting with Prime Minister Narendra Modi and home minister Rajnath Singh on the sidelines of the NITI Aayog Governing Council meeting and urged the Centre to resolve the issue. West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee said that the prime minister did not give any assurance when she, along with three other chief ministers, raised the political crisis in Delhi with him. PM didn't say anything when we raised Delhi crisis with him: Mamata Banerjee #BREAKING -- @AamAadmiParty protest march has been called off. #LGKejriwalStandOff Get #LIVE updates here: https://t.co/qUBfSz7MKW pic.twitter.com/8W3D845Agw Nearly 30,000 Karamcharis of the MCD, which is under the BJP since 15 years, have turned up in support of the Arvind Kejriwal led AAP government. ( See here ) 30,000 workers of MCD (which is under BJP) supported AAP Aam Aadmi Party does not have permission to hold a protest march in the national capital Aam Aadmi Party does not have permission to hold protest march in national capital: Delhi Police My appeal to my officers of Delhi govt .... pic.twitter.com/YQ02WgaAtd Aam Aadmi Party protest against Delhi Lieutenant Governor Anil Baijal latest updates: AAP supporters have begun their protest march from Mandi House metro station. Delhi Police stopped the protesters at Parliament Street and told them that they can't go any further because they have no permission. AAP protest march has been called off The IAS Association held a press conference to reiterate that officers are not on strike. Manisha Saxena said that all files are being moved and allegations that work is being hampered are wrong. Hours before AAP's protest march to the prime minister's residence, the Delhi Police said no permission was sought for it. Four metro rail stations Central Secretariat, Patel Chowk, Udyog Bhawan and Lok Kalyan Marg will be closed to prevent AAP workers and supporters to reach Mandi House, venue of the march scheduled at 4 pm. "Those trying to take out the march will be detained since no permission has been sought for it," a police officer told PTI. Reacting on the development, the AAP leadership alleged that the Delhi Police was trying to stop people from joining the march. "Police has got several metro stations closed down. Barricades have been erected all over Delhi and police is going door to door asking people if they were going for the march. People are being stopped from going for the march," Delhi AAP chief Gopal Rai said. Sitaram Yechury will join the AAP protest march to the Prime Minister's Office on Sunday evening. People will assemble at Mandi House at 4 pm and march to the PMO under the party banner to support Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal. However, Delhi Police said that the party has not applied for permission for a protest march. West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee, along with the chief ministers of Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka and Kerala, requested Prime Minister Narendra Modi to resolve the problems of the Delhi government immediately. Kejriwal slammed Delhi L-G for attending the NITI Aayog meet on Sunday. He tweeted that he did not authorise the L-G to replace him in the meet. The crucial NITI Aayog meeting on Sunday may turn into a platform for the four Opposition chief ministers to raise the issue of the political impasse in Delhi with Prime Minister Narendra Modi, according to News18. Kejriwal's protest against Lieutenant Governor entered the seventh day on Sunday. The Aam Aadmi Party national convener is on a sit-in at the Lieutenant Governor's office for six days. Kejriwal and three Cabinet colleagues have been staying put in a waiting room at Raj Niwas, protesting against what they call is a strike by the bureaucrats in the national capital, and have sought Prime Minister Narendra Modi's intervention in solving what they termed a "constitutional crisis. On Saturday, Kejriwal received the support of chief ministers of West Bengal, Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, and Kerala. After their request for permission to meet the Aam Aadmi Party chief at the LG's office was verbally denied, West Bengal's Mamata Banerjee, Karnataka's HD Kumaraswamy, Andhra Pradesh's N Chandrababu Naidu and Kerala's Pinarayi Vijayan reached the chief minister's home in the evening. The open support to Kejriwal by the four regional heavyweights from Trinamool Congress, Telugu Desam Party (TDP), Janata Dal (Secular) and Communist Party of India (Marxist) comes amid opposition's efforts to cobble together a rainbow coalition ahead of the 2019 Lok Sabha elections. But the Congress, which has been eyeing a grand alliance of opposition parties, has been slamming the Delhi chief minister for the sit-in at Lieutenant Governor Anil Baijal's office. The four chief ministers, who are in Delhi to attend a NITI Aayog meeting on Sunday, are expected to take up the matter with the prime minister. "We came here to show our support to Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal. We demand that the prime minister interferes and takes necessary steps to solve the problem," Kumaraswamy said. "I wanted to meet the Delhi chief minister but I was told, verbally, that permission will not be granted. Then four of us wrote to the LG for an appointment, but we were told that he is not there. We were not allowed," Banerjee said. Earlier, the four leaders met at Andhra Bhawan. The CMs met Kejriwal's wife, members of minister Satyendar Jain's family and several AAP leaders at the Delhi chief minister's home. We want this problem to be solved. This has become a constitutional crisis. Ultimately, if this problem is not solved, the people will face issues, Banerjee said. If this is happening in the capital, then what will happen in other states? We will meet the prime minister tomorrow and request him to intervene and solve the problem," Banerjee said. The bureaucrats in Delhi are not meeting Delhi ministers as part of their protest against an alleged assault on Chief Secretary Anshu Prakash in February. They are demanding an apology from Kejriwal for the incident. At their joint press conference at Kejriwal's home, the CMs said they had come to show solidarity with the protest by the AAP chief. Pinarayi Vijayan said the Centre must take immediate steps to resolve the issue. "We demand PM's intervention to solve this problem," he said. He said the situation had developed in this manner because of the attitude of the central government, which is destroying the federal system. The threat was not just to Delhi government but to the whole country, he said. Mamata Banerjee said there has been no work in Delhi for the last four months. We want this issue to be sorted out as there is a constitutional crisis," she said. The people should not suffer due to a political crisis and their mandate should be respected, she added. Kejriwal also attacked Narendra Modi, tweeting that the Prime Minister's Office (PMO) had directed Baijal to refuse permission to Banerjee to meet him. Chandrababu Naidu said both the states and Centre should work together for the service of the people. Senior BJP leader Vijay Goel said the four leaders are in the national capital to attend the NITI Aayog meeting and not to do politics. It doesn't suit them," he said. "Where were they when Delhi Chief Secretary Anshu Prakash was assaulted at Kejriwal's residence in his presence? And what will happen if the chief secretaries of their states also come out in support of Prakash," Goel said. Delhi on Sunday witnessed a massive show of strength by the ruling Aam Aadmi Party, as thousands of people gathered on the streets of the national capital. Delhi on Sunday witnessed a massive show of strength by the ruling Aam Aadmi Party, as thousands of people gathered on the streets of the capital to protest the alleged four-month-long strike by IAS officers working in various departments in the Delhi government. Protesters were transported to Mandi House by bus, from where they marched to Parliament street, shouting slogans demanding that the IAS officers end their strike, and also that Delhi be granted full statehood. Rajya Sabha MP Sanjay Singh led the procession, which comprised of thousands of men and women from various parts of the capital. Addressing the protesters, he said, "Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal and three of his colleagues have been sitting in protest in the Lieutenant Governors office for the last six days. But the L-G did not even care to listen to their grievances." He further said, The IAS officers in the Delhi government have been on strike for the past four months, because of which a democratically elected government has been facing tremendous difficulties. How will a government function without officers? Singh accused the BJP-led central government of having a role in the strike and said, "Whenever the BJP is frightened, it takes recourse to the police force." He further asserted, "We will stop only after full statehood to Delhi is granted." Raghav Chadha sought to respond to criticism that the protest was a ploy to divert attention from the shortcomings of the government. He said, "Arvind Kejriwal could have chosen the luxurious life of a chief minister, but he did not. Rather, he chose the path of struggle to meet the aspirations of the people in Delhi. Even today, he is holding a sit-in protest at the LGs office." Ram Niwas Goel, Speaker of the Delhi Assembly, was seen speaking on a microphone while sitting on top of a vehicle alongside Sanjay Singh. He said, As per protocol, it is not right for the Speaker to participate in such political rallies. But what is the use of protocols which cannot fulfill the wishes of the people? This is why I decided to participate in the rally. This show of strength comes less than a year before the 2019 Lok Sabha polls, and has a significant political implication. The protest not only brought into focus the possibility of a rainbow coalition against the ruling NDA, but also highlighted the Congress' incompatibility with such permutations and combinations. Arvind Kejriwal and three of his cabinet colleagues have been holding a protest on this issue in the waiting room of the L-G's office for the last six days. During the protest on Sunday, there was heavy deployment of security personnel. The police had kept barricades and water cannons ready to control the crowd. While the protest march was meant to head to the prime ministers residence, it was stopped at Parliament Street. The chief ministers of West Bengal, Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka and Kerala on Saturday had rallied behind Arvind Kejriwal. While they went to meet him in the L-Gs office, they were not allowed to do so. The issue of full statehood for Delhi may become a rallying point for Opposition parties, and the AAP's vow to continue the protest can be seen in this context. The face-off between the Delhi government and the IAS officers working with it began in February, when chief secretary Anshu Prakash alleged that he was physically assaulted by two AAP MLAs. The AAP has claimed that the IAS officers have been on strike since the incident, but the officers have denied this claim. HD Kumaraswany's move to back AAP was surprising as the Congress its ally in Karnataka does not support the party's demands in Delhi. The decision of the chief ministers of West Bengal, Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka and Kerala to hold a press conference on Saturday on the standoff between the Delhi government and Lieutenant Governor Anil Baijal has given federalism new significance. Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal and his ministers have been on a sit-in protest at Baijal's office since 11 June. They have been demanding that Baijal meet them, ask Indian Administrative Services (IAS) officers of Delhi to call off their strike and implement the government's initiative of delivering rations at the doorsteps of beneficiaries. Saturday's late night press conference should come as a reminder of what happened in Andhra Pradesh in July-August 1984: And how it became a lightning rod to mobilise regional outfits. The then chief minister NT Rama Rao (NTR), who was hugely popular in his state, had gone to the United States to undergo an open heart surgery. His absence prompted former prime minister Indira Gandhi to script his downfall: NRTs Telugu Desam Party (TDP) was split, after which his finance minister N Bhaskara Rao staked claim to majority support in the party and was sworn-in as chief minister by a pliable governor, Ramlal. The coup happened on 15 August, Indias Independence Day, and the irony was not lost on people. On his return to India, NTR disputed the governor's decision and marched his MLAs to Raj Bhavan to demonstrate that he had majority support. For one long month, he ferreted away his MLAs to a hideout to ensure that they were not poached. This inspired Opposition parties, including the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), to rally behind NTR on the principle of federalism. Indira then caved, governor Ramlal was removed, and NTR was back in the chief minister's chair. A month or so later, Indira was assassinated. In the 1984 Lok Sabha elections, the Congress swept much of India, but the TDP triumphed in Andhra Pradesh, winning 30 of the 42 seats. For the first time in India's electoral history, a regional party became the principal Opposition party in the Lok Sabha. From thereon, regional outfits tended to unite against the Centre's attempts to overthrow any of them and subvert the principle of federalism. It is also why they have continued to play a vital role in the formation of government at the Centre: A trend reversed only in 2014, when the BJP under Prime Minister Narendra Modi acquired a majority of its own. Fears of risks to federalism Since then, the BJP government at the Centre has flexed its muscles the way the Congress under Indira did before 1984, stoking concerns among regional outfits that the principle of federalism stands imperiled all over again. They have veered to the view that the stronger the Modi government becomes, the greater the threat to their autonomy and survival. Of this, the prime example is the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) government's experience in Delhi. It was denied control over bureaucracy through the Ministry of Home Affairs' notification dated 21 May, 2015. Once the Delhi High Court ruled in 2016 that the lieutenant governor is not bound by the aid and advice of the elected government in Delhi and its chief minister, Baijal delayed several AAP projects on the flimsiest of grounds. There can be little doubt that in many ways, the popular will of the citizens of Delhi has been subverted. It is this backdrop that frames the decision of the four chief ministers to support AAP in its fights against the lieutenant governor and, by extension, the Modi government. It has ended the isolation of Kejriwal, whose decision to sit in protest has brought to the fore the principle of federalism, which is not only of existential importance to the four chief ministers but has also given them a campaign point against the BJP for the 2019 Lok Sabha elections. Regional outfits will be available to argue before the people in their states that they must not vote for a national party as such a choice will be detrimental to their interests. In other words, Delhis centralising tendencies will be portrayed as inimical to both democracy and the people. This is precisely why West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee said that the lieutenant governor's high-handed approach to the AAP government is "bad" for Delhi's two-crore population: It prevents Kejriwal and his ministers from working for their relief and providing good governance. She also said that it is scandalous to see the confrontation between the state and Centre happen in Delhi. A warning for other states Imagine what might happen in states far away the national media's gaze, Banerjee seemed to suggest through the joint press conference on Saturday. She was effectively signalling to the people in West Bengal that their fate could well be similar to that of Delhi residents if the Modi government's ambition to expand its footprints across the country is not thwarted. No doubt, it is easy for the four chief ministers to support Kejriwal because AAP's support base does not overlap with those of their own parties. In all the four states Kerala, Andhra Pradesh, West Bengal and Karnataka AAP is not a political factor yet. At the same time, Kejriwal's protest has provided them an identifiable reason to crib against the Centre's centralising tendencies, which is precisely the lethal ammunition that NTR's campaign provided the Opposition in the 1980s. As in 1984, the Opposition's complaint is no longer just theoretical or out of pique. It provides them substance, an example to cite. This list of chief ministers supporting AAP is confined to four only because the BJP or its allies rule many states. Yet, several regional outfits not in power will soon find it prudent to officially support Kejriwal. The Sorens former chief ministers Hemant and Shibu have signalled their support to AAP from Jharkhand. So should, in all probability, Samajwadi Party president Akhilesh Yadav, who is smarting under the BJP government's charge that he damaged his official bungalow before vacating it on court orders. This also applies to Rashtriya Janata Dal leader Tejashwi Yadav, whose father Lalu Prasad Yadav and his siblings were raided before Bihar chief minister Nitish Kumar defected to the BJP from the grand alliance. Kumaraswamy's surprising support... Among the four chief ministers, the presence of Karnataka's HD Kumaraswamy at the late night press conference on Saturday was most surprising. After all, Kumaraswamy heads a government of which the Congress is a partner. Although boasting a higher number of MLAs, the Congress gave Kumaraswamy the post of chief minister as well as the finance portfolio. His support for the AAP shows that he does not support the Congress' stand that Kejriwal should not be assisted in his fight against the Centre. His choice also underscores the perception problem the Congress faces. This is because the decision of the Congress to criticise Kejriwal and his dharna belies the claim of party president Rahul Gandhi that he upholds the idea of federalism. It is one thing for the Congress to support federalism only when it is illegitimately denied a first shy at power, as it happened in Goa and Karnataka. Indeed, Gandhi's support for federalism could have acquired a deeper meaning if he had been seen supporting Kejriwal even at the expense of his party's interests. ...And Congress' apathy Really, it was not much of a price for the Congress to pay. Delhi has seven parliamentary seats, a number which cannot spectacularly enhance its tally at the national level. More significantly, a triangular contest in Delhi will be to the BJP's advantage. To get seven seats, the Congress may end up getting nothing, given the overlapping of its support base with that of the AAP to a degree. The Congress does not want to support Kejriwal also because of the structural problem it faces: It is a national party that has footprints in every state, including Delhi. It is bound to become weaker nationally if it were to forego its ambitions in states. It is consequently argued that the Congress must walk the tightrope align with regional outfits in states where it has more or less disappeared, as in Uttar Pradesh and Bihar and simultaneously capture power in states that have a two-party competition and obliterate at least one party AAP in Delhi where the electoral competition is three-cornered. This structural logic of the Congress, unspoken though it is, persuaded Kumaraswamy to support Kejriwal. He knows the Congress will try to oust him after the 2019 general elections, regardless of whether the BJP is dislodged from power. This is also what the Yadavs of Uttar Pradesh and Bihar and the Sorens in Jharkhand know, as well: The Congress, like the BJP, will have no qualms in weakening them once it begins to revive. Such doubts about the intent of the Congress will only get reinforced because of its refusal to support AAP in its fight against the Centre, apart from showing that its idea of federalism is based on expediency, not principle. This is what the press conference of four chief ministers has tellingly underscored. There was speculation that the Centre would extend the order beyond Ramzan. Srinagar: Political parties in Jammu and Kashmir on Sunday described as "disappointing" the Centre's announcement to not extend the suspension of operations against terrorists in the state, blaming the Centre and the state government for not making it effective. "It is disappointing but not entirely an unexpected development," said Junaid Mattu, spokesperson for the state's main Opposition party, National Conference (NC). Mattu said the central government should have done some necessary back channel work for the 'non-initiation of combat operations' to be effective. "We welcomed the decision to announce the ceasefire, and we had expected the decision to have been made after due application of mind and with the necessary back channel work," he said. "That turned out not to be the case, and the recent developments, including the tragic assassination of (veteran journalist and Rising Kashmir editor) Shujaat Bukhari made this decision inevitable." The NC spokesperson said the "failure" of the Centre's unilateral decision was the "collective failure" of the state and central governments and a loss for all those who believe in a peaceful resolution to the "Kashmir's political issue". The ruling Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) said that while the party was also disappointed, there was very little it could do as peace is a two-way traffic. "Peace is a two-way traffic, it is not one way," PDP General Secretary Peerzada Mansoor said. "We tried everything from our side. Is there any CBM (confidence-building measure) that we or (chief minister) Mehbooba Mufti did not work on? Stone-pelters were given amnesty; their cases, in thousands, were revoked, even those who were booked in 2010 by the then NC government. There was a dialogue process. Even the Union home minister mentioned talks with the Hurriyat by taking their name. What else could we have done?" "You can lead a horse to the water, but you cannot make it drink," he added. "Ceasefire happened after many years. Last time it happened, the government was opposed to that. We called for an all-party meet this time when there was consensus. Then Mehbooba Mufti initiated it. We are grateful that the prime minister honoured it. Then the home minister announced it." "You saw how death and destruction stopped during Ramzan, except for one boy who came under a forces vehicle. People heaved a sigh of relief. You travel to Pulwama or Shopian and see. But see the situation in the last few days. What happened to Bukhari. How he was mercilessly killed. What can we do?" Mansoor said, adding that the situation in the Valley had left the ruling party with no choice. Criticising the separatists for setting pre-conditions for talks, the PDP leader said engagement would be in the interest of Jammu and Kashmir and its people. "They could also have constituted a team. If the Centre has constituted a team (special representative Dineshwar Sharma), let them also form a team. But there should be engagement so that people are saved from death and destruction. What can we do, where will we go? Kashmir is burning because of these things," he said. Mansoor said that while the party was disappointed by the Centre's decision, the situation was such that the so-called ceasefire could not have been extended. However, he said the party has not lost hope. "We are hopeful that a better sense will prevail. Let them tell us what Mehbooba Mufti should do, we are ready to do that," he said. The president of the Jammu and Kashmir Pradesh Congress Committee (JKPCC), GA Mir said the BJP-led government at the Centre did not have any clear policy or roadmap on the Kashmir conflict. He said that while all mainstream political parties in Jammu and Kashmir had pitched for a ceasefire in the state during in the holy month of Ramzan, the Centre's decision to revoke it was made unilaterally. "They have never tried to take on board mainstream parties for a national consensus. So even today's decision is a unilateral one. They have not kept in mind that Kashmir is a sensitive issue and consensus is needed to be built at the country or parliamentary level, where some other opinion could have come up or a direction could have been taken where other people would have contributed. Therefore, this decision was made unilaterally," Mir said. He said there was some effect of the ceasefire on the ground in the Valley, which his party also appreciated. "Especially in the month of Ramzan, people got respite from sudden crackdowns and search operations, which (otherwise) disturbed the situation. There was definitely a difference (in the situation). Now, whether they have assessed that angle or not, we do not know. Whether they asked the state government for their opinion or not as they were also monitoring it, and did they take their coalition partner on board or not, nobody knows," he said. The JKPCC president asked chief minister Mufti to come clean on the decision. Mir said the effect of the Centre's direction to security forces to resume operations against militants "will show in a few days' time as to which level the situation will head to". "How the situation plays out now, the responsibility of that will lie on the central government as well as on Mehbooba Mufti," the Congress leader said. REDDING, Calif. - The Redding Fire Department knocked down a 1.5-acre vegetation fire at the neighborhood of Grandview Heights Saturday. The fire was reported by authorities before 3:30 p.m. Saturday and it was in the area of Grandview and Railroad Avenues. According to Fire Chief Gerry Gray, the grass/brush fire was burning up a hill. Railroad Avenue was closed briefly at 3:34 p.m. but reopened a short time later. The cause is under investigation. Reuters Didi Chuxing Technology Co Ltd, the Chinese ride-sharing company that bought the mainland operations of Uber Technologies Inc, will begin offering its service this month in Australia, its first foray in a Western-style country. The scheduled June 25 launch in Australias second biggest city Melbourne sets Didi up for a showdown with the US rival it bought out in China in exchange for a stake. Didi started expanding outside Asia in Mexico earlier this year and has said globalisation is a core strategy. Its move into Australia will be a test of how it can compete in Western-style markets that might tend more towards US brands than, say, Southeast Asia or Latin America, where China has traditionally had a stronger influence. I think overall penetration rates for ride-sharing versus overall transportation is still low so the market has great potential, Dillon Ye, who heads up Didis Australian operations, told Reuters on 15 June when asked about competition. Didis announcement on Friday about the launch shows business deals between China and Australia are being struck as normal, even as relations between the two governments have hit a speed bump after the Australian federal government proposed anti-foreign interference laws directed at Beijing. Ye said political tensions had not had any effect on the firms plans in the market. Didi is backed by bluechip investors including SoftBank Group Corp and Apple Inc. Australian exporters have blamed anti-Beijing rhetoric for delays clearing product through Chinese customs. But just a day earlier, Australias Sirtex Medical picked a $1.4 billion Chinese takeover offer that trumped US company Varian Medical Systems. Melbourne, a city of 4.5 million people with cheaper real estate than larger Sydney, is a popular Australian entry point for companies in the so-called sharing economy. Uber has routinely launched new offerings in the city, while several Chinese and Singapore-owned dockless bicycle rental companies have picked Melbourne to start in Australia. We welcome competition because it keeps us focused on delivering the very best product and customer experience for riders, driver partners and Uber Eats customers and partners, an Uber spokeswoman said in an email. Didi did not give any investment details or a timeline for expanding its Australian operation outside Melbourne, though Ye said the firm would build up its business before moving on to the next wave of cities, as well as into New Zealand. The Chinese company said it had started recruiting drivers in Melbourne in early June to warm responses. It had also done a trial in Geelong, a satellite city 75 kilometres (46 miles) away. Didi cemented its spot as Chinas biggest ride-hailing company when it bought Ubers operations in the country in 2016. IANS Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis paid a visit to one of the test sites of Virgin Hyperloop One in Las Vegas, an official said here on Saturday. Fadnavis' visit to Nevada was a follow-up to the memorandum of understanding signed by the state government with the Richard Branson-led Virgin Group to build the Mumbai-Pune Hyperloop. He was accompanied by the company CEO Rob Lloyd. He studied the demonstration track and discussed the feasibility of fast-tracking the deploying roadmap for the technology in Maharashtra. Fadnavis was earlier in Dubai. He will visit Canada after the US. The framework agreement with the Pune Metropolitan Region Development Authority (PMRDA) envisages reduction in travel time between Mumbai-Pune to just 25 minutes from the current three hours with Hyperloop. Branson, who attended the Magnetic Maharashtra Summit in February in Mumbai, spoke about the futuristic technology, a near-supersonic mode of surface travel in a vacuum -- not yet implemented anywhere in the world. The state government and the company have already completed the pre-feasibility study on this and the PMRDA has identified a 15-km demonstration track which may be constructed next year. After the tests succeed, the fully electric Hyperloop will be constructed within four years, or by 2024, at an estimated cost of Rs 20,000 crore. The Hyperloop between Mumbai-Pune will ease congestion on the existing expressway, reduce greenhouse effects and accidents. Besides Maharashtra, the Virgin Group will also examine other potential routes or sectors in the country, their economic impact and technical viability of deploying the sophisticated Hyperloop transportation technology in India. Kshitij Pujari Facebook has updated its advertising policy to prohibit ads for weapon accessories to users under the age of 18, the media reported. The social network currently bans ads for the sale of weapons and modifications, like magazines. But Facebook has taken an additional step of adding an age requirement for ads selling things like holsters, be lt accessories or mounted flashlights, CNET reported on Friday. Facebook updated its advertising policy page with examples of what kinds of firearm ads are and aren't allowed on the platform under the changed policy, which will come into effect from June 21. For example, ads for gun cases, slings and gun paint are allowed, but only with the new age restriction. But ads for firearms, ammunition, paintball guns or BB guns aren't allowed. The company said that in the weeks ahead it will work with businesses and organisations that may be affected by the new age restriction policy. The announcement comes as the US has been embroiled in a nationwide debate over gun reform. Mass shootings, including school attacks in Parkland, Florida, and Santa Fe, Texas, have intensified the discussion. Facebook isn't the only Silicon Valley company that's waded into the gun debate by restricting the content on its platforms. In March, YouTube said it will ban videos that promote or link to websites that sell firearms and related accessories. The company had already banned videos that attempted to sell firearms. tech2 News Staff Google celebrates Father's Day with a Doodle portraying six upside down handprints, of varied colours, which somewhat look like a dinosaur. Google has been commemorating this special day since the year 2000. That doodle was extremely simplistic with the first 'o' of the Google wearing a hat and the 'g' wearing a tie. Father's Day is celebrated on different days in different places. As India follows the North American, it celebrates Father's Day on the third Saturday which falls on 17 June. This occasion complements various other celebratory days like Mother's Day, Siblings Day and Grandparents Day. On such a day usually the children show their affection by gifting things like handmade cards, chocolates, books, flowers, electronic gadgets, clothes and so and so forth surprising their fathers. Reuters Fed up with the obstacle course of Lisbons narrow footways and stairs in doorways, wheelchair user Ricardo Teixeira has taken matters into his own hands, giving disabled people the chance to fight back and instantly report violations via a phone app. Developed together with Portugals disability charity Salvador Association, +Acesso is believed to be the worlds first application allowing users to file official complaints against public buildings and businesses that do not meet accessibility laws. The digital entrepreneur, a tetraplegic since the age of 18, came up with the idea a year ago after a disappointing experience during his wedding anniversary party at a restaurant, which advertised itself as being accessible. But we were surprised to find a big step at the entrance, the 41-year-old told Reuters. I didnt want to ruin the evening but it made me think about how great it would be to have something in my pocket to make a complaint with. Launched in May, the free app, which covers all Portugal, identifies the users location on an interactive map that shows all nearby buildings. In a single click, the user can select a shop or restaurant and rate it based on its accessibility, including if it has an adapted toilet, parking or a ramp, and fill in a complaint form. There are apps out there people can use to rate buildings based on accessibility but there is nothing like this, said Vera Bonvalot, board member of the Brussels-based European Disability Forum. Complaints sent through the app instantly reach the respective city councils and the National Institute for Rehabilitation, responsible for upholding accessibility laws. The process takes less than five minutes. Since the app was introduced 95 complaints have landed in authorities mailboxes, compared with 70 filed in Portugal in all of 2016, a report by the Disability and Human Rights Observatory revealed. Around 18 percent of Portuguese live with a disability. By using this app we can all work towards a more accessible Portugal, Teixeira said. A government decree in force since 2007 gave all public and private entities until February 2017 to ensure accessibility in public spaces. However, the legislation is yet to be fully implemented, said Ana Antunes, secretary of state for inclusion. In this area [accessibility] Portugal has a long way to go and many things to improve, Antunes added. Joana Bernardo, a 28-year-old with cerebral palsy who uses a walking aid to get around, said there was a time when lack of accessibility affected her motivation to go out but she hopes the app will help. Some people get discouraged from complaining because they think nothing will ever change, she said. The app is a very smart way of making us exercise our rights. Pope Francis denounced abortion as the 'white glove' equivalent of the Nazi-era eugenics programme and urged families to accept the children that God gives them Vatican City: Pope Francis denounced abortion on Saturday as the "white glove" equivalent of the Nazi-era eugenics programme and urged families to accept the children that God gives them. Francis spoke off-the-cuff to a meeting of an Italian family association, ditching his prepared remarks to speak from the heart about families and the trials they undergo. He lamented how some couples choose not to have any children, while others resort to pre-natal testing to see if their baby has any malformations or genetic problems. "The first proposal in such a case is, 'Do we get rid of it?'" Francis said. "The murder of children. To have an easy life, they get rid of an innocent." Francis recalled that as a child he was horrified to hear stories from his teacher about children "thrown from the mountain" if they were born with malformations. "Today we do the same thing," he said. "Last century, the whole world was scandalized by what the Nazis did to purify the race. Today, we do the same thing but with white gloves," Francis said. The pope urged families to accept children "as God gives them to us." Francis has repeated the strict anti-abortion stance of his predecessors and integrated it into his broader condemnation of what he calls today's "throw-away culture." He has frequently lamented how the sick, the poor, the elderly and the unborn are considered unworthy of protection and dignity by a society that prizes instead individual prowess. He has also decried how women are often considered part of this "throw-away culture," sometimes forced to prostitute themselves. "How many of you pray for these women who are thrown away, for these women who are used, for these girls who have to sell their own dignity to have a job?" Francis asked during his morning homily on Friday. Francis has dedicated much of his pontificate to preaching about families, marriage and the problems that families today encounter. He is expected to highlight these issues during his August trip to Ireland where he'll close out the Catholic Church's big family rally. An Afghan government ceasefire with the Taliban was extended Saturday despite a suicide bombing killing at least 25, which marred an otherwise remarkable Eid holiday that has seen militants hugging security forces and civilians in celebration of the unprecedented truce An Afghan government ceasefire with the Taliban was extended Saturday despite a suicide bombing killing at least 25, which marred an otherwise remarkable Eid holiday that has seen militants hugging security forces and civilians in celebration of the unprecedented truce. President Ashraf Ghani made the announcement in a rare televised address, in which he also asked the Taliban to extend their three-day ceasefire, which is due to end Sunday night. So far the group has not responded. "I order the security forces to remain on their defensive positions," Ghani said, adding details of the extension would be released later. The government's ceasefire was due to end Tuesday. It has been marked by incredible scenes of Taliban fighters embracing and even praying with security forces, politicians, and civilians across the war-battered country, in a mass outpouring of emotion over the first nationwide ceasefire since the 2001 US invasion. Saturday's attack on a crowd celebrating the ceasefire in Rodat district, in the eastern province of Nangarhar, was the first major incident of violence since the start of Eid. There was no immediate claim of responsibility for the assault, which provincial governor spokesman Attaullah Khogyani said in a statement killed at least 25 people and wounded 54. "A suicide bomber detonated among people, security forces and Taliban who were celebrating the ceasefire," Khogyani told AFP earlier. An Afghan security source told AFP that the Islamic State group which was not part of Kabul's ceasefire was to blame. Provincial health director Najibullah Kamawal confirmed the casualty toll. Tired of war In scenes that would have been unthinkable only a few days ago, Afghan forces manning checkpoints in the contested district of Bati Kot in Nangarhar offered Eid greetings to Taliban fighters, embracing and posing for photos with the same people they are usually trying to kill. The fighters travelled openly by car and motorbike, carrying assault weapons and rocket-propelled grenade launchers and waving Afghan and Taliban flags. Villagers also flocked around the insurgents, hugging them and happily taking selfies. "I am here to offer greetings to our brothers in the police and army," Taliban commander Baba told AFP. "We have held the ceasefire well so far. Everyone is tired of war and if our leaders order us to continue the ceasefire, we will hold it forever." The Taliban announced their truce for the first three days of Eid, which started Friday, promising not to attack Afghan security forces for the first time in the nearly 17-year conflict. They said they would continue attacking US-led NATO troops. That came after Ghani announced that police and troops would cease operations against the Taliban for eight days, starting last Tuesday -- though he warned that operations against other militants, including IS, would continue. Ghani's extension of the ceasefire drew immediate international support. NATO's Resolute Support mission in Afghanistan and US Forces said in a joint statement they would respect the announcement. The European Union called the truce "historic". "President Ghani's latest decision to offer an extension of the ceasefire is another courageous step to make way for peace negotiations and we call on the Taliban to reciprocate," said the EU's foreign policy chief Federica Mogherini in a statement. "The Afghan people deserve a lasting peace." Powerful propaganda Extraordinary images posted on social media appearing to show Taliban, security forces and civilians celebrating together served as powerful propaganda for both sides and fanned hopes among ordinary Afghans for the ceasefire to continue. "Look, they are brothers. If their leaders come, sit and talk just like their soldiers we will have peace tomorrow," Said Hasibullah posted on Facebook under a photo purportedly showing a Taliban fighter and Afghan soldier having a cup of tea together. The Taliban had "exploited" the opportunity to show their popularity among ordinary Afghans, a Western diplomat in Kabul told AFP. "(That's) no bad thing if they are able to see the benefits of talking not fighting," he said. The unusual bonhomie between the two sides also came as Ghani confirmed that Pakistani Taliban chief Maulana Fazlullah had been killed in a US drone strike. US forces targeted Fazlullah in a counterterrorism strike on Thursday in eastern Kunar province, close to the border between Afghanistan and Pakistan, US officials said, without confirming his death. Ghani said Pakistani leaders had assured him the strike was a "great step toward building trust between the two nations," while urging them to "bring (the) Afghan Taliban residing in Pakistan to the negotiation table." Pakistan has long been accused of supporting the Afghan Taliban and providing safe haven to its leaders, charges it denies. A suicide attack in restive eastern Afghanistan on Sunday killed at least 18 people in a crowd celebrating the Eid holiday. Kabul: A suicide attack in restive eastern Afghanistan on Sunday killed at least 18 people in a crowd celebrating the Eid holiday, the second assault in as many days to mar an unprecedented ceasefire. There was no immediate claim of responsibility for the suicide attack in Jalalabad city, outside the office of the Nangarhar provincial governor. The Islamic State group, which was not part of the truce, had claimed an even deadlier blast near the city a day earlier. Further dampening hopes for peace after jubilant scenes during the ceasefire over the Muslim holiday, the Taliban announced they would not be extending the truce beyond Sunday night. Nangarhar provincial health director Najibullah Kamawal put the death toll from Sunday's blast at 18 with 49 wounded. "Some of the wounded are in a serious condition," Kamawal added, suggesting the death toll could rise. Governor's spokesman Attaullah Khogyani said 14 people had been killed and 45 wounded when the bomber on foot blew himself up among a crowd of Taliban fighters, local elders and civilians leaving the governor's compound after attending a special event for Eid. On Saturday, a suicide assault on a gathering of Taliban, security forces and civilians in the province killed at least 36 people and wounded 65, Kamawal said. The Islamic State group's Afghanistan franchise claimed responsibility for that attack. Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid announced the decision to resume fighting after President Ashraf Ghani said Saturday a government truce with the militants would be extended. He asked the group to reciprocate. "The ceasefire ends on Sunday night and our operations will begin, inshallah (God willing). We have no intention to extend the ceasefire," Mujahid told AFP in a WhatsApp message. Mujahid made no reference to Ghani's announcement. The first formal nationwide ceasefire since the 2001 US invasion had been widely welcomed across the country as Afghans Taliban, security forces and civilians celebrated Eid, the holiday that caps the fasting month of Ramadan. Taliban fighters and security forces embraced and took selfies with each other over the first two days of the Muslim holiday. Civilians also flocked to greet the militants, who had left their posts or areas under their control to celebrate the halt in hostilities, fuelling hopes among war-weary Afghans that peace was possible. Ghani's extension of the government's eight-day ceasefire, which had been due to expire Tuesday night, drew immediate international support and calls for the Taliban to follow suit. The Taliban had agreed to a truce but only for the first three days of Eid, which started Friday, promising not to attack Afghan soldiers or police. They would, however, continue attacking US-led NATO troops. With the ceasefire due to end, fighting is likely to resume on Monday. Further unnerving some ordinary Afghans, who have borne the brunt of the war, is the number of Taliban fighters now inside cities around the country. Before the Taliban's ceasefire had even started, analysts had expressed cautious optimism that the truces, if successful, could help build trust between the government and the Taliban and lay the groundwork for peace talks. But it was clear on Sunday that not everyone in the Taliban approved of the bonhomie between their fighters and security forces. The Taliban ordered their fighters to avoid gatherings of security forces and civilians, ostensibly to avoid further civilian casualties, following Saturday's attack. "The enemy has misused the ceasefire issue and there is a chance of more such bad incidents happening," Mujahid said in an earlier message. But some Taliban commanders also told AFP they disapproved of their fighters visiting government-controlled areas and celebrating with police and troops. The Taliban's decision to resume fighting came as no surprise to several Western diplomats in Kabul. "If they extend the ceasefire, they will be compelled to talk, which I think the Taliban isn't interested in. They're looking for an outright victory," one diplomat said on condition of anonymity. BEIRUT (Reuters) - Each of the parties to Yemen's messy civil war has its own agenda, making the conflict harder to resolve. This factbox looks at some of these groups and what they want. BEIRUT (Reuters) - Each of the parties to Yemen's messy civil war has its own agenda, making the conflict harder to resolve. This factbox looks at some of these groups and what they want. THE HOUTHIS In the late 1990s, the Houthi family in far north Yemen set up a religious revival movement for the Zaydi sect of Shi'ite Islam, which had once ruled Yemen but whose northern heartland had been marginalised. As friction with the government grew, they fought a series of guerrilla wars with the national army and a brief border conflict with Saudi Arabia. They built ties with Iran, but it is not clear how deep that relationship goes. Since seizing the capital, Sanaa, in 2014, the Houthis have relied on parts of the existing bureaucracy to govern, and their long-term strategy is unclear. LOYALISTS OF THE LATE PRESIDENT SALEH Ali Abdullah Saleh took power in north Yemen in 1978 and after unification with the south in 1990 he stayed on as president. He joined with tribal power brokers to dominate the country, placing his clansmen in key positions in the army and economy, prompting accusations of massive corruption. When former allies deserted him during the Arab spring, forcing him from power, Saleh disrupted the political transition and joined with his erstwhile foes, the Houthis, helping them seize Sanaa. Despite their differences, they ruled much of Yemen together until last year. Then Saleh saw a chance to regain power for his family by turning on the Houthis but was killed trying to flee. When Saleh switched sides, so did some commanders and troops loyal to him. They are now fighting against their former Houthi allies under the late president's son Ahmed, an army general with ties to the UAE. PRESIDENT HADI'S GOVERNMENT A general in south Yemen before unification, Hadi sided with Saleh during the brief 1994 civil war. After defeating the separatists, Saleh made Hadi vice president. When Saleh was forced from power, Hadi was elected to a two-year term in 2012 to oversee a transition to democracy with a new constitution and new elections scheduled for 2014. But his government was constantly undermined by Saleh, faced a renewed southern separatist movement, Houthi rebellion and many bombing attacks by al Qaeda. The Houthis rejected the new constitution and elections were shelved. After the Houthis took Sanaa, Hadi fled and then went into exile in Saudi Arabia. He lacks any power base of his own and is widely seen as weak. But the Arab coalition's military intervention is based on upholding the legitimacy of his internationally recognised government and the political transition vested in it. SOUTHERN SEPARATISTS After independence from Britain, South Yemen became the only Communist country in the Middle East, but it suffered constant infighting. Weakened by that and the collapse of the Soviet Union, it unified with Saleh's North Yemen in 1990. As it became clear most power was in northern hands, the old southern leadership tried to secede in 1994, but was swiftly beaten by Saleh's army, which sacked Aden. Many southerners have complained of increasing economic and political marginalisation. The southern separatist movement has remained internally divided, but it is a powerful force across the old south Yemen and has provided many of the fighters against the Houthis. AL QAEDA IN THE ARABIAN PENINSULA Set up by members of the global jihadist group who had escaped prison in Yemen and their comrades who fled Saudi Arabia last decade, al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula became one of its most powerful branches. It took advantage of Arab Spring chaos to create mini states in remote eastern regions and launched numerous bloody attacks that undermined Hadi's transitional government. During the civil war, it has carried out attacks against both sides. Any prolonged chaos in Yemen will give it more room to consolidate and plot attacks abroad. SAUDI ARABIA, THE UAE AND THE ARAB COALITION Saudi Arabia regards the Houthis as a proxy for Iran, its greatest regional rival, and it wants to stop Tehran gaining sway in its neighbour. Its other war aims are to end Houthi missile strikes and shelling, to re-start the transition process it backed in 2012, and to prevent long-term chaos in Yemen that would let AQAP plot attacks on the kingdom. Saudi Arabia's air force has been particularly involved in Yemen, but the kingdom has also provided a base-in-exile for Hadi and assisted the ground fighting in northern Yemen. The UAE, which also backed the 2012 transition plan, is the other main participant in the coalition. It wants to prevent Islamist militancy growing in Yemen and regards the country's ports as strategically important. It has focused on the war in southern Yemen and the Red Sea coast. The other countries in the coalition have been less closely involved, though Sudan has put some troops on the ground. IRAN AND ITS REGIONAL ALLIES Iran champions the Houthis as part of its regional "axis of resistance", and the movement has adopted elements of Tehran's revolutionary ideology. But while Saudi Arabia and its allies accuse Iran of arming and training the Houthis, the extent of the relationship is disputed and Tehran has denied funnelling weapons into Yemen. (Reporting By Angus McDowall, editing by Larry King) This story has not been edited by Firstpost staff and is generated by auto-feed. At least six Islamic State (IS) militants were killed on Sunday in an airstrike in Iraq's central province of Salahuddin. Baghdad: At least six Islamic State (IS) militants were killed on Sunday in an airstrike in Iraq's central province of Salahuddin. The incident took place early in the morning when the Iraqi aircraft bombarded an Islamic State hideout in Farhatiyah area near Balad, some 80 kilometres north of the Iraqi capital, destroying the hideout and killing six Islamic State militants inside, Sheikh Safaa al-Timimi, a leader of a brigade in Saraya al-Salam militia, told Xinhua news agency. The airstrike was based on intelligence reports by Saraya al-Salam, or Peace Companies, affiliated with the prominent Shia cleric Moqtada al-Sadr, Timimi said. Sadr's militia is a reformation of the previous Mahdi Army, which he led during the US occupation of Iraq and the subsequent sectarian strife in the years after 2003. Later in 2014, Sadr announced the formation of Peace Companies to protect Shia shrines from the Islamic State following the 10 June, 2014 blitzkrieg when the group seized large swathes of territories in predominantly Sunni provinces in northern and western Iraq. Key cities of Salahuddin province, including the provincial capital Tikrit, some 170 kilometres north of Baghdad, were captured by Islamic State militants in June 2014, but the Iraqi security forces freed the province during major anti-Islamic State offensives. MOSCOW (Reuters) - A taxi ran into crowds of people in central Moscow on Saturday, injuring seven, Russia's TASS news agency reported, citing a source in the emergency services. 'According to preliminary information, seven people were injured,' TASS cited the source as saying. (Reporting by Maria Kiselyova and Jack Stubbs; Editing by Christian Lowe) MOSCOW (Reuters) - A taxi ran into crowds of people in central Moscow on Saturday, injuring seven, Russia's TASS news agency reported, citing a source in the emergency services. "According to preliminary information, seven people were injured," TASS cited the source as saying. (Reporting by Maria Kiselyova and Jack Stubbs; Editing by Christian Lowe) This story has not been edited by Firstpost staff and is generated by auto-feed. On 16 June changes were brought about to its immigration policy tabled in Parliament, the UK Home Office announced a relaxation of the Tier 4 visa category for overseas students from around 25 countries, excluding India. Britain: The UK government has caused outrage with its decision to exclude Indian students from a new list of countries considered low risk in order to facilitate an easier visa application process to UK universities. In changes to its immigration policy tabled in Parliament yesterday, the UK Home Office announced a relaxation of the Tier 4 visa category for overseas students from around 25 countries. On a list already covering countries like the US, Canada and New Zealand, the Home Office has added on the likes of China, Bahrain and Serbia as countries from where students would face reduced checks on educational, financial and English language skill requirements to study at British universities. The changes, which come into effect on 6 July, aim to make it easier for international students to come to study in the UK. However, India has been left out of this new expanded list, which means Indian students applying for similar courses will continue to face rigorous checks and documentary requirements. Lord Karan Bilimoria, Indian-origin entrepreneur and president of the UK Council for International Student Affairs, described the move as an insult to India and another example of Britain's economically illiterate and hostile attitude to immigration. I consider this another kick in the teeth for India... This sends entirely the wrong message to India, to exclude it from these Tier 4 measures. The government has simply got it wrong, said Bilimoria, while welcoming the overall visa relaxation measures introduced by UK Home Secretary Sajid Javid. Bilimoria, founder of Cobra Beer and founding-chair of UK India Business Council, added, It is completely hypocritical that this is announced at the same time that Britain is talking about doing a post-Brexit free trade agreement (FTA) with India. If this is the way they treat India, they can dream on about an FTA with India". "India has always been one of Britain's closest allies and an emerging global economic superpower. Excluding India from this list is myopically short-sighted and is damaging what has always been a special relationship between our countries," he said. The National Indian Students and Alumni Union (NISAU) UK also expressed disappointment at India's exclusion from the list, which it said effectively categorises Indian students as high risk . The representative body for Indian students in the UK said it was unfair that Indian students should be treated differently from Chinese or other nationals on the list. It is important to note that today's announcement makes no change to the process of application for Indian students, but it is the perception of this message among Indian students that worries us. And, this raises another question will China continue to get even more favourable actions while India gets the rhetoric, questioned Sanam Arora, president of NISAU UK. According to latest Office of National Statistics (ONS) data, India is among the top three countries from where overseas students come in to study at UK universities, after China and the US. While Indian students registered a hike of 30 percent to hit 15,171 Tier 4 visas IN 2017, the numbers remain a far cry from around 30,000 six years ago. The latest development will add to growing concern within Indian government circles, given that ministers and diplomats have repeatedly highlighted the need for a more welcoming immigration regime for Indian students. Last week, Indian High Commissioner to the UK, YK Sinha, held a meeting with the UK minister for universities, Sam Gyimah, during which he once again raised the issue of 'smoother and greater student and faculty mobility between the two countries'. 'It is unfortunate that in the last six years we have seen a steep drop (in Indian student numbers). What should be troubling universities here is that Indian students are now going in much greater numbers to the US, Australia even France and Germany' The UK Home Office said in order to make it easier for students to come and study in the UK's world-leading education sector, it has expanded the list of countries from which students will be able to benefit from a streamlined application process. Students from an additional 11 countries, including China, will be able to provide a reduced level of documentation when applying for their Tier 4 visa, the Home Office statement notes. On being asked why India had been omitted from this expanded list, a spokesperson said, We welcome Indian students who want to come to the UK to study at our world-leading educational institutions. We issue more visas to students from India than any other country except China and the USA. The Home Office stressed that 90 percent of Indian students who apply for a UK visa get one, a figure up from 86 percent in 2014 and 83 percent in 2013. It added, "In addition, the proportion of Indian students coming to study in the UK at a university has increased from around 50 percent in 2010 to around 90 percent in 2016. Indian student visa applications are up 30 percent on 2017. We continue to have regular discussions with the Indian government on a range of issues including on visas and UK immigration policy," it said. The UN envoy for Yemen held emergency talks in rebel-controlled capital Sanaa over the key aid port of Hodeida, where a coalition is battling Houthi rebels Sanaa (Yemen): The UN envoy for Yemen held emergency talks in rebel-controlled capital Sanaa on Saturday over the key aid port of Hodeida, where a regional coalition is battling Houthi rebel fighters. Martin Griffiths was believed to be pushing a deal for rebel leaders to cede control of the Red Sea port to a UN-supervised committee and halt heavy clashes against advancing government troops backed by Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates (UAE). The envoy did not make any statement on his arrival at Sanaa international airport. UAE Minister of State for Foreign Affairs Anwar Gargash on Twitter backed "the envoy's efforts to facilitate the safe handover of Hodeida to the legitimate Yemeni Government". "The people of Hodeida urgently want to be liberated. The coalition will continue with its military and humanitarian preparations to achieve this urgent result," Gargash wrote. More than 70 percent of Yemeni imports pass through Hodeida's docks and the fighting has raised UN fears of humanitarian catastrophe in a country already teetering on the brink of famine. Yemen's government and its allies launched their offensive on Wednesday, since when at least 139 combatants have been killed, according to medical and military sources. The Shiite Houthi rebels have controlled the Hodeida region with its population of some 600,000 people since 2014. Earlier this year, the Saudi-led coalition imposed a near-total blockade on the city's port alleging it was being used as a conduit for arms smuggling to the rebels by its regional arch rival Iran. The capture of Hodeida would be the coalition's biggest victory of the war so far, and rebel leader Abdel Malek al-Houthi on Thursday called on his forces to put up fierce resistance and turn the region into a quagmire for coalition troops. Hodeida Airport The Yemeni army on Saturday claimed it had seized control of the rebel base at Hodeida's disused airport, which has been closed since 2014. An AFP correspondent on the front line could not confirm the report and a spokesman for the coalition, which has troops taking part in the offensive, did not respond to repeated requests for comment.But military sources later denied that the army had entered the airport. They told AFP, however, that sporadic clashes were underway at the airport's southern gate. The highway between Hodeida and the government-held port of Mokha was also the scene of fighting, they said, adding that loyalist forces had suffered "losses". The UN and relief organisations have warned that any all-out assault on Hodeida would put hundreds of thousands of people at risk. The fighting is already nearing densely populated residential areas, the Norwegian Refugee Council warned, and aid distributions have been suspended in the west of the city. The International Committee of the Red Cross said thousands were likely to flee if the fighting continued. The World Health Organization (WHO) called on all sides "to protect health workers and their facilities from harm, as well as to ensure unimpeded access for medical teams seeking to treat the wounded". On Thursday, the UN Security Council demanded that Hodeida port be kept open to vital food shipments but stopped short of backing a Swedish call for a pause in the offensive to allow for talks on a rebel withdrawal. The Yemen war has claimed some 10,000 lives since the coalition intervened in 2015 when President Abedrabbo Mansour Hadi fled into exile to Saudi Arabia when the rebels overran much of the country. More than 22 million Yemenis are in need of aid, including 8.4 million who are at risk of starvation, according to the UN, which has described the conflict as the world's worst humanitarian crisis. With every passing day, NASA gets closer and closer to completing its Space Launch System. Described as the most powerful rocket since the Saturn V that sent American astronauts to the Moon, SLS will tower 322 feet on its launch pad and produce 8.4 million pounds of thrust at liftoff. SLS is also powering the profits of America's biggest space companies. Boeing (NYSE:BA), Lockheed Martin (NYSE:LMT), Aerojet Rocketdyne, and Orbital ATK (now owned by Northrop Grumman) are just a few of the companies profiting from SLS's $35 billion development budget. And once SLS is built, it could be even more lucrative for its builders and operators, generating revenue of as much as $1 billion -- some estimates now say $1.5 billion to $2.5 billion -- per launch. Or will it? Doubts emerge The National Space Society recently held a conference in Los Angeles, and SLS was apparently a hot topic at the gathering. Over the course of four days of mingling with space industry muckety-mucks, Politico Space reports it heard multiple rumblings that bode ill for the Space Launch System money-pot. For one thing, SLS has been marketed as key to NASA's efforts to eventually put astronauts on Mars. But as Politico reports, attendees at the conference expressed doubts as to "the wisdom or efficacy of a crewed mission to Mars in the next decade." California Republican and House space subcommittee member Rep. Dana Rohrabacher, for one, criticized the technology as too immature to support a manned Mars mission, saying "I think all this talk about going to Mars has been premature," and warning that NASA won't actually be ready to conduct a manned Mars mission before "20 years from now, maybe more." Among other deficiencies, Politico cites a former Lockheed engineer pointing out that the Orion space capsule Lockheed Martin is building for SLS will be incapable of landing on the Moon, much less Mars. At best, the capsule would only be capable of docking with an intermediate orbiting space station off-planet (the so-called Deep Space Gateway). To conduct a landing on either the Moon or Mars, therefore, would require the development of yet another piece of hardware: a lander. Immature -- and also obsolete Perversely, other critics attacked the Space Launch System from the opposite direction -- arguing that not only is the technology built into this rocket insufficient to conduct a successful Mars mission, but it may actually already be obsolete. For example, NASA is currently developing SLS as an expendable launch vehicle (meaning that, like most rockets in use today, it would be discarded after a single use). However, "spacecraft developers SpaceX, Blue Origin and others ... are moving more quickly and at lower cost" to develop reusable rockets, says Politico, citing unnamed sources. Another engineer -- this time an ex-Boeing employee -- said that even if SLS does ultimately get built, "I don't think it will last very long" given the strides SpaceX and Blue Origin are making in reusable rockets. One government official, speaking off the record, was quoted arguing that given how much farther they are ahead of Boeing and Lockheed at this point, NASA might be better off outsourcing rocket development to SpaceX and Blue Origin. Instead of spending billions to build SLS, NASA might better use its funds to develop "dream space programs like a manufacturing facility in space, nuclear propulsion, and credible space solar power demonstrations" instead. Will SLS be DOA? Should it be? I have to admit that I've had many of these same thoughts myself. Over the years, we've seen the cost of the Space Launch System swell, and its development get delayed, even as Elon Musk continues to make strides in developing alternative, arguably more advanced launch vehicles such as the reusable Falcon Heavy and still-on-the-drawing-board "BFR." Both SLS and Falcon Heavy, for example, are capable of sending payloads to the Moon and Mars (though FH's payload capacity is smaller). If an FH mission costs $90 million, and SLS will cost anywhere from $1 billion to $2.5 billion, then simple economics argue for NASA cutting its losses on SLS as soon as possible,and simply outsourcing its space transportation missions to SpaceX. True, Musk is currently no longer planning to use the Falcon Heavy for manned missions. But he could if NASA asked, and he has stated that two Falcon Heavies working in tandem -- one for flying, and one for refueling -- could land astronauts on the Moon and bring them back again. This argument will only grow stronger once SpaceX completes work on its BFR, which will both cost less than SLS and have a greater payload capacity. That being said, any move to kill SLS would face significant political opposition in Congress. Literally every state in the nation houses companies that provide parts to the program. It would pose a threat to the space businesses at Boeing and Lockheed, the two highest profile contractors on the SLS coalition; "space" accounts for roughly 20% of revenues at both companies, according to data from S&P Global Market Intelligence, a fact that will spur their lobbyists to action. Long story short: Killing SLS would probably be good for taxpayers, and good for SpaceX. It probably wouldn't even be disastrous for Boeing or Lockheed. After all, to date SpaceX has not expressed any particular interest in a "manufacturing facility in space, nuclear propulsion, [or] credible space solar power demonstrations" -- all of which are projects the aerospace giants could bid for if NASA redirects funds currently earmarked for SLS toward new endeavors. Just because this is the logical course to take, however, doesn't mean it's what will happen. In fact, so long as SLS's critics feel compelled to keep their criticism off the record and their names anonymous, I suspect the Space Launch System program still has a few years of life left in it. WhatsApp WhatsApp is few of the messaging app that supports end-to-end encryptions. And this means all the messages of 1.5 billion WhatsApp users are protected by default. No one, even the employee of the company will be able to read the texts that you send on WhatsApp. If you are using WhatsApp for texting, then you will happy to know that your messages are safe. ProtonMail Though many of us use Gmail as our primary email provider, it's time for us to stop and look back to make sure that we are doing the right thing. Did you know that Gmail reads all your mail, so that it can show you targeted advertising? Replace your Gmail with ProtonMail. ProtonMail is one of the few email service providers that supports end-to-end encryption. The service is free, but if you want to use it for a long-term, you should consider trying the premium version once. PGP/GPG Pretty Good Privacy (PGP) is an encryption program that secures your drives, emails and files by cryptography. It is a popular method for encrypting the emails. After PGP gained popularity, it was realized that the people were dependent on proprietary software. As a result, an OpenPGP was proposed which included the famous GNU Privacy Guard (GPG). VeraCrypt Our browsing history, confidential information and sensitive documents, all are placed in our computer and being mobile people, misplacing your laptop won't be a surprising thing. But then comes the real problem, how will you save your information? VeraCrypt is an open-source encryption tool for Windows, Mac and Linux/ It can encrypt your storage drives and partitions in real-time. PEN International Privacy is one of the most talked about topic now a days. NSA whistleblower Edward Snowden is the most famous person who is fighting for your right to privacy but you must know that there are many other people who are fighting for your rights. One such association of writers is the PEN international. It is an NGO of London and in recent years, it has actively taken part for the freedom of expression around the world. Recently, it has voiced against Russian government who has banned the encrypted messaging app Telegram. "Today, I want to confirm that in Ontario the carbon tax's days are numbered", he said. The promise of Ford is concerned by the government of Quebec province, which in 2013 introduced a system of emission control and quota trading them and joined the carbon market in Ontario and California. Premier-designate Doug Ford also said he will challenge Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's authority to make local governments put a price on greenhouse-gas emissions. "Nothing drives people more insane than on the weekend mysteriously all these prices of gas go up", he said. Ford said eliminating the cap-and-trade system will help him deliver on a campaign promise to cut gasoline prices by 10 cents per litre. Ford, whose Progressive Conservatives won majority of seats in the Ontario legislature, is now meeting with his transition team to select his cabinet and prepare for his official swearing-in on June 29. Drummond says he doesn't know how the new provincial government will be able to balance the books: "They've got a dilemma because they've got all kinds of spending initiatives and proposals to cut taxes, but they also say they're going to balance the budget over a responsible time frame and it doesn't add up". Ford said the government will provide clear rules for an "orderly wind down" of the system. The Tory's campaign platform pegged the cost for a court challenge at $30 million. Ontario has made close to $3 billion in a series of auctions since the system was introduced past year. "The Ontario government will need to find billions of dollars to buy back those permits, or risk being sued", the statement said. "This is the fundamental measure". "How will Mr. Ford replace the $1.9 billion per year that the cap-and-trade auction brings in for the province?" said NDP legislator Peter Tabuns. Ontario Green party Leader Mike Schreiner, who was elected to the legislature last week, said cancelling pollution pricing without a backup plan would send a signal to clean companies that the province is not open for business. "Ontario should lead in the low-carbon economy that will save money and lives, not return to failed environmental policies that resulted in the Walkerton disaster". Ford has already directed officials to begin the preparations. Germanys Lufthansa has awarded a three-year ramp handling contract to Paris-headquartered Worldwide Flight Services (WFS) at Newark Liberty International Airport in the US. The deal comes into effect with the start of the Lufthansa Groups summer schedule, which includes three Lufthansa flights per day to Frankfurt, Dusseldorf and Munich as well as daily services operated by Austrian Airlines and Swiss International Airlines. WFS also won several other ground handling contracts at Newark earlier this year, with new customers including El Al, WOW Air and Primera Air. Tricia Casalinho, senior vice president ground handling at WFS in North America, said that growing WFSs ground handling business globally is one of the companys top priorities. Share this story A recent survey commissioned by Porch.com gets to the heart of some truly important questions. Does pineapple belong on a pizza? Is a hot dog a sandwich? Are the edges or the middle pieces the best part of a brownie? It's flighty and fun data-as-entertainment. But then, and perhaps without even meaning to, the survey has something serious to say. Respondents were asked what they care about more: Food or politics? Food or climate change? The results are a little ominous. About 46 percent of people said they cared more strongly about food than politics. Slightly more than half of all female respondents said they cared more about food; 40.2 percent of men said the same. About 37 percent of all people had stronger feelings about food than about climate change. Granted, this is not an extremely scientific survey. Although there were more than 1,000 respondents, they were surveyed online via Amazon's Mechanical Turk, so they're self-selecting, and more than half of the participants were millennials. But what does it mean that nearly half of these mostly millennial respondents - despite increasing millennial engagement in politics - still care more about food? It means it shouldn't be an either/or question: Food is politics. Every aspect of our food chain touches on a political issue. Immigrants - some of whom are undocumented - farm land and process meat, and deliver food to stores, and work in restaurants. The restaurant industry is one of the fastest-growing workforces in the country, and is deeply affected by changes pertaining to health care, union organizing and the minimum wage. Approximately 40 million low-income Americans get food assistance from the government each month. The government regulates the safety of our food, and the water we use to grow or produce it. Climate change will affect the quality and quantity of food produced worldwide. And many of the products we consume - coffee, fresh fruits and vegetables, and wine, for example - come to us via foreign trade. Laws and regulations that affect farmers, truck drivers, small-business owners, importers and immigrants can in turn affect the price and quantity of our food. Anyway, back to the fun stuff! - More baby boomers than millennials call a hot dog a sandwich. - 4.1 percent of people pour the milk before the cereal. (Those people are monsters.) - We're almost equally divided on our preference for pancakes vs. waffles, and edge vs. middle brownies. - 71.6 percent of people think it's acceptable to put pineapple on pizza. (Those people are also monsters.) - 20.1 percent of people answered "yes, technically" when asked whether an Uncrustable - a peanut butter-and-jelly sandwich with the crust cut off and the middle crimped in - is a ravioli, not including the 40 percent of people who had never heard of an Uncrustable. - Almost 30 percent of people do not peel their string cheese and just bite it (more monsters). Oh, and voter turnout hovered around 50 percent among millennials - more than 2012, but lower than any other generational group - in the 2016 presidential election. But that one wasn't from the survey. David A. DeLeon of Greenwich was among the 10 members of The University of Scrantons Class of 2018 who were commissioned as second lieutenants in the U.S. Army during a ceremony held on campus in May. DeLeon majored in finance at the Jesuit university. In recognition of her outstanding contributions as a volunteer, Greenwich resident Trish White was honored with the 2018 Pat Bugg Award for Special Service and Dedication to Pegasus at the 36th annual Pegasus Horse Show on May 19. White has volunteered with Pegasus for five years at both the nonprofits main equestrian center, Pegasus Farm in Brewster, N.Y., and at its regional chapter at Kelsey Farm in Greenwich. She shared this years Pat Bugg award with fellow volunteer Maryann Fiebach of Hastings-on-Hudson, N.Y. Trish arrives early at Kelsey Farm each Monday to prepare horses for program, assists in each class as a leader or sidewalker, and stays after to be sure all the horses are safely put away for the night, said Pegasus volunteer director Lynn Peters. Trish shares her great ideas, energy and artistic talents with us as a member of our special events committee, and her enthusiasm for Pegasus makes her an invaluable volunteer. While Trish and Maryann have had a great positive impact on our participants and the organization overall, this past year they have both really gone above and beyond. Hosted at Pegasus Farm, the 36th annual Pegasus Horse Show highlighted the equestrian achievements of 60 children and adults with special needs. Grouped in classes of three to five athletes, each Pegasus Horse Show participant demonstrated skills practiced during weekly lessons at one of the nonprofits three chapter locations. Each student earned a class ribbon for accomplishing a particular horsemanship skill exceptionally well. Local ribbon winners included Cos Cob resident Nina Cevallos (best half seat), Greenwich residents Hannah Cunningham (best posting) and Jamie Ann McGovern (best use of aids), and Old Greenwich residents Isabelle Root (best control of the horse) and Ali Russo (best position). Founded in 1975, Pegasus Therapeutic Riding provides the therapeutic benefits of horseback riding and other equine-assisted activities to people with special needs and individuals at risk. Visit pegasustr.org for further information. Maxine Pascal of Old Greenwich graduated cum laude with a dual degree in biology and French and Francophone Studies from from Muhlenberg College in Allentown, Pa. The college held its 170th baccalaureate and commencement ceremonies on May 17 and May 18. Catherine Vanech of Old Greenwich excelled during the Spring 2018 semester, achieving a GPA of at least 3.5 to earn a spot on the Deans List at Hofstra University in Hempstead, N.Y. She graduated on May 20 with a bachelors degree in criminology and double minor in sociology and history. The 2014 Greenwich High School graduate will attend Southern Connecticut State University in the fall to pursue a masters degree in social work. During commencement ceremonies on May 21, Lehigh University in Bethlehem, Pa., conferred 1,103 bachelors degrees, 402 masters degrees and 59 doctoral degrees. Local graduates include: Nicholas Schepis of Greenwich, who earned a bachelor of science in mechanical engineering degree with honors; Sangjoon Chung of Riverside, who earned a bachelor of science in business and economics degree with a major in finance; and Mark Shterk of Cos Cob, who earned a bachelor of science in integrated business and engineering degree and bachelor of science in industrial & system engineering degree. A number of local students were among the members of the Class of 2018 who received their diplomas May 20 at Colgate Universitys 197th Commencement in Hamilton, N.Y. Local graduates include: Philip Brauer of Greenwich, who majored in molecular biology and graduated magna cum laude; Chloe Matonis of Greenwich, who majored in environmental studies and Chinese and graduated magna cum laude; James Neary of Riverside, who majored in economics; Elisabeth Rosa Di Sant of Cos Cob, who majored in economics and graduated cum laude; Remi Rosmarin of Greenwich, who majored in English and graduated cum laude; Owen Schubert of Old Greenwich, who majored in neuroscience and graduated cum laude; and Madeleine Veronis of Greenwich, who majored in English and graduated magna cum laude. Local student Justine Perloe of Cos Cob, a member of the Class of 2019 at Muhlenberg College in Allentown, Pa., studied in Chile during spring 2018. Owen Regan of Old Greenwich earned a place on the Deans List for the Spring 2018 semester at Dean College in Franklin, Mass. Eastern Connecticut State University in Willimantic announced its spring 2018 semester Deans List for full-time students. Local students include: Fiorella Beccaglia, of Greenwich, a Class of 21 member majoring in political science and communication; Makenzie Dutton of Greenwich, a member of the Class of 21 who is majoring in criminology; Destiny Sammut of Greenwich, a Class of 18 member who majored in social work; and Leonard Vargas, of Old Greenwich, a Class of 21 member who is majoring in computer science. To be named to the Deans List, Eastern students must achieve a GPA of 3.5 or higher for the semester. WASHINGTON Sen. Richard Blumenthal spoke in unison with three other Democrat lawmakers on Capitol Hill Tuesday when he said Donald Trumps immigration policies are ripping apart families. His argument comes on the heels of a House scramble to garner 218 signatures for a vote later this month on bills addressing the Obama-era Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program, which President Trump canceled last year. Blumenthal, D-Conn., joined three Democratic lawmakers here urging passage of legislation to prevent immigrant families from separation at the border. He applauded the call of Sen. Dianna Feinstein, D-Calif., for a bill that would protect families at the border, saying its necessary to pass in the face of an administration that is so lawless. Never did any of us think that the United States of America would make its official immigration policy split and scatter families, Blumenthal said. Democratic and moderate Republican House representatives in favor of debating the four DACA-relief bills collected close to the requisite number of signatures so far, but staunch Republicans opposed to the Obama-era program are doing everything they can to bring the movement to a halt. If the discharge petition did not reach its 218 required signatures by Tuesday, the legislation likely would not hit the House floor until July - the third time debate about the bills has been pushed since Trump nixed the program in March. The House would take a queen of the hill approach in debating a DACA measure, meaning the bill that acquires the most votes would be adopted by lawmakers. On Capitol Hill Tuesday, Blumenthal blasted the Trump administration for a new policy that disqualifies victims of domestic abuse and gang violence from seeking asylum in the United States. The senator said the policy is hideous and nauseous because, in his view, it does not uphold American values. Attorney General Jeff Sessions made the ruling Monday, sparking concern among advocates who said the policy will endanger people seeking asylum. People will suffer, and the blood will be on Jeff Sessions hands, Blumenthal said. Blumenthal also filed an amendment to the National Defense Authorization Act on Tuesday to bar the Trump administration from modifying military housing for children separated from their immigrant parents, citing four military bases that may be detaining children. Its unclear what type of bill Democrats and Republicans would agree upon for debate in the House, but lawmakers in favor of reviving the DACA program have said theyre willing to be flexible with Republicans about the legislation. Sarah.roach@chron.com What was just a concept in the spring has come to life as an actual product in the summer - the vivo NEX is now official in two distinct flavors. The NEX S and NEX A were announced this week and we went hands-on with them. Schematics of two sizes of next-gen iPhones surfaced and it appears the future iPhone X Plus will be smaller than the 8 Plus we have now. And rumor has it, Apple may adopt USB-C for next year's iPhones, though we somehow can't see it replacing the Lightning connector at the phone end of the cable. The Asus ROG phone showed up in benchmarks posting higher numbers than what's typical for the Snapdragon 845, a full spec leak of the Oppo Find X made us want one, and Sony designers talked about their vision for the future as live images of an Xperia XZ3 popped up with little design changes. Meanwhile, Galaxy Note9 blueprints suggested a larger battery this year, and it wasn't long before blueprints turned into renders. There were two more phones to file in the 'official' folder too - we now have the Redmi 6 and the Redmi 6A, each with a brand new Mediatek Helio chipset. You can read the details on these plus other stories from the past week by clicking through the links below. vivo NEX S announced - in-display fingerprint and 91% screen-to-body ratio vivo NEX S is based on the APEX concept and features tons of new tech including in-display fingerprint, periscope-like camera and a SoundCasting screen technology. The first vivo NEX S camera samples are in, check them out The NEX S features a 12 MP + 5 MP dual camera on the back with OIS and Dual Pixel AF. The selfie camera is unique in how it slides into the phone. First vivo NEX S product video details the unreal phone The vivo NEX S looks like a game changer and its promo video makes us want it more. Apple's 2019 iPhones to finally adopt USB-C, rumor says For a long time it's been said that we'd see the universal connector in this year's models. Xiaomi Redmi 6 with Helio P22 and Redmi 6A with Helio A22 announced Xiaomi just unveiled the Redmi 6 and Redmi 6A with brand new chipsets. The Redmi 6 also comes with dual camera and up to 64GB of storage. Huawei's Mate 20 to use 6.9-inch Samsung AMOLED screen With such a huge panel it would easily win the battle for the biggest high-end smartphone of the year. Our Samsung Galaxy A6 (2018) first look video is up We are already working on a full review of the Samsung Galaxy A6 (2018) but in the meantime, go check out our first impressions. Sony Xperia designers talk about camera, screen and thinner bezels They seek to find a balance - to deliver thinner bezels, without compromising ergonomics or the phone's other features. New Nokia X6 update lets you hide the notch [Updated] The update also includes Android security fixes for the month of June, among other changes. Oppo Find X's full specs leak, look exciting Oppo's Find X will carry a huge 6.4-inch screen in a rather small footprint and offer top-notch internals. Oppo Find X leaked image points to curved screen, notification strip Oppo Find X front-facing render hints at a curved display, a cool new notification light and probably no notch. iOS 11.4 users reporting rapid battery drain post update There are several threads discussing the problem on Apple's official forum, and on one of these threads, close to a thousand users have confirmed the issue with their unit. Asus Zenfone 5z available for in Europe, it's the cheapest phone with S845 It slides under the OnePlus 6 even without the promotional 50 rebate. With it, it's cheaper than an imported Xiaomi Mi Mix 2s. Samsung Galaxy Note9 to come with bigger battery and a faster wireless charger Samsung Galaxy Note9's schematics suggest that the cameras might be horizontally stacked due to the bigger battery. Xiaomi Mi 8 SE's next flash sale will be on June 15 Xiaomi's Mi 8 SE will be available for sale once again on June 15. Reservations started today. Samsung Galaxy A8 Star launched in the Philippines The Samsung Galaxy A8 Star is the Galaxy A9 Star for markets outside China. Huawei will deliver its GPU Turbo tech to older phones, from flagship to mid-range GPU Turbo promises a 60% boost in performance and a 30% reduction in power. It debuted with the Honor Play and Honor 9i. Xiaomi Mijia launches affordable smartphone gimbal At under $100 and a 5,000 mAh battery, the gimbal makes for a great budget option. note that earlier Mijia launched a gimbal only for action cams. Xiaomi Black Shark in Royal Blue is coming tomorrow Xioami is releasing a new Royal Blue version of its gaming Black Shark smartphone tomorrow at 10AM. Published on 2018/06/17 | Source Voters cast their ballots at a voting station in Seoul on Wednesday. /Newsis Voters cast their ballots in local elections and 12 by-elections for the National Assembly on Wednesday at 14,134 voting stations across the nation. Advertisement They will choose 4,016 government officials, including mayors, provincial governors and superintendents of education. The winners are expected to be determined at around 11 p.m. Local elections are often seen as a verdict on the central government's performance, and the ruling Minjoo Party has a strong lead on the back of efforts to make peace with North Korea, pinning its hopes on portraying the Moon Jae-in administration as a resounding success. The main opposition Liberty Korea Party by contrast hopes voters can be stirred to forget the disaster that was the Park Geun-hye administration and give the present government the thumbs-down for its poor economic policies. The Bareun Future Party called on voters to keep the two major political parties in check. Minjoo candidates are expected to win in 15 out of 17 major districts, while the LKP hopes to win in six to seven districts, including the Gyeongsang provinces, South Chungcheong Province and Gyeonggi Province. The main candidates focused their efforts on campaigning in the Seoul metropolitan and Gyeongsang regions until the late in the night Tuesday. The U.S.-North Korea summit in Singapore and the fallout of the adultery scandal surrounding Gyeonggi gubernatorial candidate Lee Jae-myung are key variables expected that could sway voter sentiment at the last minute. Read this article in Korean By Vasia Orion | Published on 2018/06/16 Sometimes fortune favors me enough to provide some very satisfying news, and I think that the good food, and handsome cleaning men of this week are pretty much the definition of paradise. "Let's Eat - Season 3" brings back the nom noms, while "Your House Helper" and its dream man will be clearing homes, worries and our viewer souls. Casting news is still pouring in, and today I take a look at some new and upcoming leads. Advertisement Eat Your Heart Out I have not personally tortured my food-loving eyes with the "Let's Eat" series, but the third installment is here with a vengeance. Kim Dong-young has been cast in the drama, which has released stills, more stills, and a little teaser look at its leading duo following its first, mouth-watering teaser. I am writing this while struggling with the digestion of my lunch, and I would still love to have everything that I see, so perhaps I need to keep away from this one entirely. "Let's Eat - Season 3" will be out on July 17th on tvN. Unicorns Are Real and They Clean If there's a dream man for me, it is definitely the man I see in "Your House Helper" so far. The drama is based on a webtoon about a man who helps a woman with her messy house and messy mind, probably by means of romance, but also house chores. This magical man-creature can be seen doing at least the latter in the drama's posters and first teaser, while the second and third teasers show him outside of this fort of emotional and literal clutter. Marry me, man-gician. Upcoming Drama Goodies MBC drama "Time - Drama" has held its script reading, and so has the plastic surgery themed "My ID is Gangnam Beauty". "Mr. Sunshine" has released new stills, and we finally have news of "God's Quiz: Reboot" happening, "I Am a Nurse, a Human" will take a realistic look at medical work, and "Ms. Ma, Nemesis" has its channel and air date. This week is full of casting goodies, so here are some major ones. Jung So-min is returning to us, while Kim Nam-gil may become our "The Fiery Priest". Musical drama "to.Jenny" has its leads, and Go Soo has accepted "Two Lives One Heart". "Terius Behind Me" has its OTP, and Jang Hyuk becomes a "Bad Papa". Followed Dramas I knew that my insane drama schedule would catch up with me eventually, so I am doing the reasonable thing and adding even more on to it. I will be checking out "Life on Mars" soon, while fighting off the drama-pain of having to wait for "Secret Mother" after that cliffhanger in episode 20. Pesky life, moving on beyond and above dramas. Written by: Orion from 'Orion's Ramblings' Published on 2018/06/17 | Source Samsung has launched a new fund to invest in start-ups in artificial intelligence technologies. Advertisement Samsung NEXT, the Korean tech giant's investment arm in Silicon Valley, said Thursday that part of its US$150 million fund will be used for the new Q Fund. The Q stands for "quality", it added. Samsung NEXT will invest in early-stage companies within one year of their founding. It aims to improve its influence in the AI industry by investing in as many start-ups as possible and secure technologies for use in its products. It will also consider buying competitive firms. Samsung is making aggressive efforts to expand manpower and investment in AI technologies. It opened AI research centers in Canada, France. Russia and the U.K. last month and plans to secure more than 1,000 talented workers. "Samsung finds it hard to maintain its leading position with its current businesses", an industry insider said. Read this article in Korean Black bears more likely to wander into yards this time of year This year's spotty acorn crop makes it more likely black bears could wander into yards near forests searching for food. What to do for that and more. As reported in Dhaka Tribune, an English daily of Bangladesh, five Hindu households have been attacked in Brahmanbarias Nasirnagar under the pretext of a trivial incident, leaving nine people injured. The attack took place on Tuesday, 12th June 2018, morning. After being notified, police went to the spot immediately and brought the situation under control. On Tuesday morning, a man named Md Rafiq Mia, who was traveling with his cow, came by the shore of Langor river and asked a fisherman to take him on his boat across the river. The fisherman, Naresh Das, expressed his inability to take Rafiq on his boat with the cow. An angry Rafiq started to verbally abuse Naresh and disparage the fishermen community. Meanwhile locals from Nareshs village Gongkulpara where a community of fishermen reside started to gather around Rafiq. When they demanded an answer from Rafiq as to why he was abusive, Rafiq retorted dismissively which started a brawl between the two sides. Later, Rafiq and his cohorts a group of miscreants under the leadership of Ayet Ali went to Gongkulpara and attacked five households. Eyewitnesses, Prodip Das and Porimol Das, said the attackers used locally-made weapons: machetes, rods and daggers, and they attacked the households of Suresh Das, Lal Mohan Das, Jantu Das, Mantu Das, and Shonar Chand Das. During the attack, nine people were injured due to bricks hurled at them. They are: Moni Rani Das, Anjana Das, Bipula Rani Das, Maloti Rani Das, Samir Das, Jitu Das, Opira Rani Das, Dulu Das, and Jantu Das. Among them, Moni Rani Das was critically injured and admitted to Nasirnagar Health Complex. The on-duty doctors said she has lost a lot of blood due to a head injury. Additional Superintendent of police in Brahmanbaria Mohammad Iqbal Hossain and Nasirnagar police stations Officer-in-Charge (OC) Abu Zafar confirmed the matter saying police have brought the situation under control. All the parties involved in the incident have been called to the police station, they further said adding that they have alerted both parties to end the matter right away. Police have also confirmed that peace has been restored in the area. The 2016 attack in same locality On October 30, 2016, at least 17 Hindu temples and more than 50 houses were attacked and vandalized by an Islamist mob in Brahmanbarias Nasirnagar, as part of what the National Human Rights Commission of Bangladesh said was a well orchestrated plan aimed at grabbing lands of the minority Hindu community. More than 100 people were injured in the attack, said to be triggered by a Facebook post defaming Islam allegedly posted from the account of an illiterate fisherman. Eight cases were filed against up to 3,000 people over the attack. A total of 124 accused were arrested but all of them were later freed on bail. Source : Hindupost The following article by Ms. Mehreen Zahra-Malik highlighting rise in killings of Sikhs in Pakistan and their pitiable condition in Pakistan was first published here. The Sikh minority in Pakistan has been living on the edge ever since Islamist extremists began to target them. On a sweltering afternoon last month, a man walked into Charanjeet Singhs grocery store at the entrance of the northwestern Pakistani city of Peshawar and asked for red chilli powder. As Charanjeet scooped the spice into a plastic bag for his customer, the man shot him several times. The much-loved peace activist died on his way to the hospital. According to police, the Pakistan Sikh Council, and Sikh representatives in Punjab and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa provinces where most Pakistani Sikhs reside, the murder of Charanjeet is the tenth targeted killing of a prominent Sikh since 2014 and has stirred unprecedented fear and fury among the communitys members, particularly in Peshawar. I believe a genocide of Sikhs is taking place here, Baba Gurpal Singh, a community spokesperson, told TRT World in Peshawar, the capital of the northwestern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province and a frontier town in the Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA), long used as a sanctuary by the Taliban and other militant groups to launch attacks across Pakistan. While violence against religious minorities, particularly Christian and Shia Muslims, has been a painfully familiar story in Pakistan, Sikhs have long been considered one of the countrys most protected minorities. In Peshawar, they have lived peacefully among Muslims for over 250 years, working mostly as traditional healers, and running pharmacies and cosmetics and clothing stores. But a spate of killings in the last four years has raised worries Sikhs might be the latest target of Pakistans religious extremist groups, leaving community members unsure of their future in the country. Sikhs were not included in last years population census and there is no hard data on their numbers but social worker Radesh Singh estimated that more than sixty percent of Peshawars 30,000 Sikhs had left for other parts of Pakistan or migrated to neighbouring Bharat in the last four years. There are probably less than 8,000 Sikhs left in Peshawar now, he said from the tiny headquarters of his organisation, the National Council for Minority Rights, atop a dentists office in Peshawars Khyber Bazaar. Of the people who are left, some are trying to sell their homes, others are looking for buyers for their shops. Wherever you look, people are preparing to leave. Easy targets Pakistan is considered the birthplace of the Sikh religion. Guru Nanak, the founder of Sikh Dharma, was born in the small village of Nankana Sahib near the eastern city of Lahore in 1469. Today, thousands of Sikhs from around the world visit the area for pilgrimage. And in the countrys northwest, Sikhs have a particularly glorious history. Maharaja Ranjit Singh, the leader of the Sikh Empire, defeated the majority ethnic Pashtun tribesmen of the region in the Battle of Nowshera in 1823. His commander-in-chief, Hari Singh Nalwa, then moved thousands of Sikhs from Punjab to Peshawar and its surrounding areas in what is present-day Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and FATA. Since then, at least 500 Sikh families have lived in Peshawar and its surrounding northwestern regions, according to community estimates. My ancestors have lived here for hundreds of years alongside Muslims but now we are being wiped out because we have a different religion, because we look different, said Balbir Singh a young volunteer with the Pakistan Sikh Council. He pointed to his tightly-wound, lilac turban the most conspicuous emblem of the Sikh faith: This makes us easy targets. Out of fear of retaliation, Balbir and at least a dozen other members of the community interviewed would not directly say who was to blame for the killing of Charanjeet, or for past murders. But privately, many Sikhs said this was the work of Taliban and other militants who have routinely targeted and killed hundreds of other religious minorities across the country. In 2016, in another high-profile case, Soran Singh, a lawmaker from the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf party which governs Khyber Pakhtunkhawa province, was shot dead near Peshawar. Though the Taliban claimed responsibility for the assassination, police arrested a political rival, a minority Hindu politician called Buldev Kumar. He underwent trial for two years but was acquitted over lack of evidence this April. This is a big problem: the police are afraid to take on the Taliban so they want to make it look like these killings are over disputes within minorities or due to business rivalries, Radesh Singh said. Three prominent Sikhs interviewed, who requested not to be named for fear of reprisal, said they had been visited by intelligence and police officials in Peshawar and instructed not to talk about the recent killings, particularly to the media, or about extortion and kidnappings for ransom that the community has had to deal with quietly. If we openly start saying the Taliban are behind these incidents then the government will have to answer why they are not able to control these groups, one Sikh elder said. And to that they will have no answer. Haroon Khalid, an anthropologist who has written a number of books on Pakistans minorities, including Walking with Nanak about the founder of Sikh Dharma, said he had no doubt militant groups were behind the killings. In recent years many Sikhs have become more visible, they are speaking up about their rights, and so they have become targets of extremist groups who see minorities as infidels worthy of being killed, Khalid said. According to Khalid, Taliban imposed jizya, a tax levied on non-Muslims living in a Muslim state, in several parts of the tribal areas when they took over after 2007. In 2009, the Taliban destroyed the houses of 11 Sikh families in Orkazi Agency for refusing to pay jizya. In 2010, Jaspal Singh, a young man from Khyber Agency, was beheaded after his family couldnt pay up. Such incidents have propelled ever more Sikhs to move down from the tribal areas to Peshawar and its surrounding areas, Khalid said. When asked about Charanjeets murder investigation, a police spokesman in Peshawar said he could not comment on an ongoing case but admitted that the deceased activist did not have any known rivals and was likely killed by some extremist elements. He also said police had been deployed to protect both temples and prominent Sikh community members. The police checkpoint outside the 250-year-old Gurdawara Bhai Joga Singh remained unmanned throughout that day earlier this month. My father had a dream At Charanjeets rented home inside Peshawars ancient walled city, mourners gathered in the first week of June to meet his widow and three children. His eldest son Gurjeet Singh served visitors a pink rose-flavoured syrup, mixed in milk and offered lunch to those who were not fasting. He told the mourners, many of whom were Muslims, to pray for the departed soul as per their own religious traditions. A small-time shopkeeper who had come to be known not just in Peshawar but around the country as a committed peace activist, Charanjeet had written three books on interfaith harmony and founded the Pakistan Council of World Religions in 2006. He was most popular in Peshawar for arranging daily dinners at sunset for fasting Muslims throughout the holy month of Ramadan and was a regular on the conference circuit in Pakistan, advocating religious harmony. I used to tell him not to be so vocal about his views; I was scared because of the murders of other outspoken Sikhs in this city, Gurjeet said quietly, wiping away a stray tear. But my father had a dream: to see a peaceful Pakistan where Sikhs could live as equal citizens among Muslims. And he died working for that dream. When asked who Gurjeet believed was responsible for his fathers killing, he said: The point is to spread terror and destroy our friendship with Muslims, and everyone knows who wants that. A short walk away from Charanjeets home, people had begun gathering at the Gurdawara Bhai Joga Singh for evening prayers. The ornate marble building, its inside walls decorated with miniatures and hundreds of tiny mirrors, is tucked away in the narrow alleys of Peshawars famous Namakmandi food street. Sikhs are constantly battling with the Pakistan government for ownership of hundreds of such temples, called gurdawaras. Under an agreement signed between Pakistan and Bharat after the partition of Bharat in 1947, religious lands and temples cannot be sold. And yet, many lands allotted for Sikh temples and crematoriums have been disposed off by the Evacuee Trust Property Board, a body responsible for the maintenance of properties abandoned by people who left for Bharat during Partition. In one high-profile case, Gulab Singh, Pakistans first Sikh traffic warden, filed a case against Asif Hashmi, the chairman of the Evacuee Trust Property Board, accusing him of illegally selling gurdawara land to land developers. In January, the Supreme Court found Hashmi guilty. This is just one case; there are thousands of acres of gurdawara lands across Pakistan that our community has no access to, said Taranjeet Singh, a Sikh from Peshawar who now lives in Lahore and hosts a travel show on Pakistan Television. We cant add one brick to our temples without permission from the Evacuee Board. Another major problem for the community is the absence of a crematorium in Peshawar. Sikhs are required by religion to cremate their dead, and the nearest cremation ground is more than a hundred kilometers away from Peshawar, in Attock. The Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government allocated money for a crematorium last year but the Evacuee Board has not approved its construction to date. Prominent community members took the issue to court last month in the hope it would compel authorities to finally start construction work. Land was originally allocated for three crematoriums in Peshawar and its surrounding areas, an elderly member of the community said, requesting anonymity as he did not feel safe speaking about the issue on the record. On one of the lands, there is a wedding hall, one is a private park and one has been sold off to some property mafia. So we have to fight in the courts for this basic right. If we leave, terrorism wins The combination of these issues have left Peshawars Sikhs feeling vulnerable and exposed. Many are considering leaving and those who cant, due to family ties or lack of resources, describe living in a hostile world where every stranger could be an attacker. Since 1699, two centuries after the founding of the religion, Sikhs have been forbidden from cutting their hair and are required to wear turbans that make them stand out. However, in Peshawar, many young Sikhs no longer want to be easily identified. I believe very strongly in my faith but I dont want to die, so I cut my hair and stopped wearing my turban one year ago, 20-year-old Paldeep Singh said as we drove past the famous Bala Hisar Fort, an imposing quadrilateral fortress that was rebuilt by Ranjit Singh and which some historians say is as old as Peshawar itself. His parents were very upset by the decision but it was a question of safety in the end, he said. Charanjeets widow Tirat Kaur said she had asked relatives to try to find a buyer for her deceased husbands shop because she would not risk allowing her sons to run it. What if someone comes after them next? Kaur said, sitting cross-legged on the floor of her home. I hope the government will help us. We have nothing left. Taranjeet Singh, the TV anchor, said the greatest source of bitterness for Pakistani Sikhs was the lack of acknowledgement by the state that Sikhs needed its support and protection. Whether it is targeted killings of community leaders or the sale of gurduwara lands, until you accept that these problems exist, how can we find a solution? Taranjeet said as he played with a silver Khanda the Sikh symbol of two swords and a circle he wore around his neck. He said for most Sikhs here, their Pakistani identity coexisted proudly with their religious identity but its painful that the government doesnt even want to acknowledge that we are hurting. Things have to change. Otherwise in a few years, there will be no Sikhs left in Pakistan, Taranjeet said. And if we leave, terrorism wins. Mehreen Zahra-Malik HinduPost Note It is puzzling why the author of this otherwise poignant and evocative article has failed to mention Hindus as one of the minority communities being persecuted in Pakistan. Just like Sikhs, Hindu businessmen and other activists have been the target of Muslim extremists even worse, Hindu girls (some as young as 12-year-old Kajal Bheel) are routinely abducted, raped and married off to their Muslim abductors in Sufi shrines like Bharchoondi Sharif. This sad omission reflects how Hindu human rights have been completely marginalized and forgotten by the international human rights networks. Source : Hindupost It is a wonderful Eid for Ali Fazal. The young actor is currently shooting for Tigmanshu Dhulias Milan Talkies in his hometown Lucknow. And the timing couldnt have been better. It is Eid and my mother is thrilled to have me home. Ive been shooting here for some time now and Ill be here till July. So my family is very happy. In fact I was shooting on the day of Eid. But the team was kind enough to wrap up the shooting quickly so I could go home to my sewaiyaan and kabaabs, Ali could barely contain his joy, as hes shooting with a Bollywood debutante from the South. She is Shraddha Sreenath. She recently did Vikram Vedha in Tamil with Madhavan. She is a fabulous actress. Its a joy to be working around someone so gifted, says Ali whose happiness knows no bounds as he is also shooting with one of his favourite actors in another project. I cant believe I am shooting with Manisha Koirala. She plays my mother in the remake of the 2010 Telugu hit Prasthanam. Im her biggest fan. Every time we are shooting together I just keep staring at her. I wonder what she thinks of me! Sadly, I am not paired with her in the film. But just shooting with her is a joy. Ali Fazal and Manisha Koirala on sets of Prasthanam. Alis association with beautiful talented actors of every generation goes back to the legendary Judi Dench with whom he had the singular honour of being paired in the 2017 British trans-cultural drama Victoria & Abdul. Ali is still in touch with his mythical British co-star. He sent her some mangoes this summer season, and guess what the irrepressible Judi Dench replied? She thanked me saying, I wish it was you in that box instead of the mangoes. Id love to meet with Judi again as soon as I can. Ali added. (This story has been published from a wire agency feed without modifications to the text. Only the headline has been changed.) Follow @htshowbiz for more 432pp, Rs 695; Navayana Hours after a flyover under construction in Uttar Pradeshs Varanasi collapsed in May, a message started going viral on WhatsApp. In it, photos of mangled steel girders of the bridge were spliced with large fonts that screamed how such accidents were to be expected in a country where large numbers of engineers and officers came from reserved categories, and therefore, as the anonymous creator of the message held, were not meritorious and deserving. This is a sentiment many Indians hold close to their hearts, despite there being no proof of affirmative action diluting merit, or indeed, meritorious general category students being particularly adept at anything apart from templatised MBAs, or monopolising professions that backward and scheduled castes are stopped from entering. Still, pervasive hatred for reservation, and glib stories about losing out on college seats as if there can be a birthright on it have become an essential part of the social discourse in India. It is this condition that academic Anand Teltumbde attacks frontally in his new book Republic of Caste, a masterful, if somewhat rhetorical, narration of the social and historical life of caste in India and how it has seeped into and morphed every institution in its mould. In 13 chapters, Teltumbde spans politics, education, agriculture, atrocities and reservation to underline how Dalit communities have been systematically disenfranchised and disempowered, and, more importantly, how such exclusion is not an aberration, but in the very DNA of the republic. It is a difficult proposition, not least because writing on caste is still far from adequate. An exploration of how caste shapes the country and the consciousness of its citizens is as good as absent, save from Dalit publishers and writers, many of whom struggle for funds and exposure in mainstream publishing that continues to be monopolised by dominant castes. Teltumbdes strength lies in interspersing the history of the formation of the republic with perspective on how those nation-building processes have evolved into modern-day caste practices that shape the state. This kindles new questions on what has been long-accepted canon. For example, we have grown up studying the Sepoy Mutiny of 1857 and associated agitations as the First War of Indian Independence. But were these little more than associated castes fighting for dominance, and did its roots lie less in the imagination of sovereignty and more in regaining caste control? Or, how would our imagination of communal tensions and secularism change if we remember many of the people who converted to Islam were lower caste who faced hostility from stalwarts like Syed Ahmed Khan, founder of Aligarh Muslim University, who thought they were impure. Teltumbde makes several provocative arguments but the best are on the evolution of contemporary politics, the critique of the Indian independence movement and on reservation. He correctly diagnoses the dominant caste rhetoric of reservation as barely-disguised panic over lack of control, but goes further to suggest that the architecture of such discrimination is embedded into the Constitution itself. This is a counter-intuitive argument, because the document is seen as the only protection for the marginalised today. But Teltumbde points out how the document has been implemented and reminds the reader that BR Ambedkar, Indias first law minister and widely regarded as the father of the Constitution, was himself disillusioned with his efforts merely three years after the formation of the republic. He also delves at great length into the 1932 Poona Pact, where MK Gandhi forced Ambedkar to give up on separate electorates for Dalits and instead opt for reserved seats. This development, Temtumbde argues, is responsible for the generally hapless current state of Dalit representation despite large numbers of scheduled caste MP and MLAs. This is a common grouse of Dalit movements that often complain their political leadership has no real power and is beholden to upper-caste leadership of mainstream parties, especially because non-Dalit voters hold a majority in reserved seats and therefore Dalit politicians have to constantly appease majority communities, whose interests never align with those from marginalised castes. The other big insightful-if-controversial argument in the book is on corruption and who civil society feels comfortable branding as corrupt. Teltumbde examine the ease with which Uttar Pradesh chief minister Mayawati or former Bharatiya Janata Party chief Bangaru Laxman both Dalits were termed as corrupt while those with far more damaging legacies, corrupt corporate, and those who have been institutionally compromised are routinely feted in public. He uses similar arguments to criticise the middle-class, dominant caste concerns of the Aam Aadmi Party, which grew out of an anti-corruption movement and which, he argues, isnt so much interested in systemic changes to root out corruption, but in superficial tinkering. At the centre of the books focus, and I suspect Teltumbdes politics as well, is land rights. He berates the Dalit movement for splintering and what he believes is selling out without focusing on questions of land. He accuses the Left of being too blind to see that questions of land and class affect Dalits the most. But there is a flip side to this concern. In recent decades, as agriculture has fallen into distress, middle and dominant castes have increasingly felt their control slip (think of the Maratha and the Jat agitations in the past three years) while some within the Dalit communities have been able to transition out of rural economies on the back of education. How poor, disempowered Dalit farmers would deal with a crushingly unprofitable agrarian system if given land is a question Teltumbde acknowledges, but has an unconvincing answer to. The book pulls no punches, and the authors criticism is directed at the BJP, which he accuses of saffronising Ambedkar, and at the Congress, which he thinks has let independent India down. But this may also be the books big weakness. Large tracts are reserved for the criticism of urban, well-to-do Dalits. This comes across as unfair. It doesnt take into account the hostility and derision even well-to-do Dalits battle and the effort it takes for a Dalit to maintain a semblance of influence among networks that see them as the other, as unmeritorious and undeserving. To survive in such company is in itself praiseworthy. As Ambedkar wrote, It is your claim to equality which hurts them. They want to maintain the status quo. If you continue to accept your lowly status ungrudgingly, continue to remain dirty, filthy, backward, ignorant, poor and disunited, they will allow you to live in peace. The moment you start to raise your level, the conflict starts. Anand Teltumbde (Courtesy Navayana) Teltumbde reserves particular contempt for those he terms as sell-out Dalits and those who argue for symbolism than the supposedly more real fight for land. But, as he himself acknowledges in a chapter on caste atrocities, the mere use of symbols such as a Buddha vihar or an Ambedkar statue is enough to unleash monstrous violence on Dalits. Surely then, to erect symbols is resistance in itself. The book is also content to explore the social milieu of a handful of states such as Maharashtra and Uttar Pradesh but takes little note of similar, long-running anti-caste resistance movements in places such as West Bengal. The insights drawn, therefore, sometimes appear locked in a perspective that could have been further informed by drawing from heterogeneous regional examples. Similarly, Teltumbde is bold in offering solutions but some of the remedies suggested such as capping affirmative action within a family or nationalising the countrys school system are either self-defeating or far fetched. There is also little exploration of the ways in which caste shapes our conceptions of gender and sexuality and Dalit women are absent, except in the context of sexual crimes against them. Read more: The unusual annihilator of caste The last few years have seen a remarkable churn in Indias caste consciousness. More Dalits are today speaking up against pervasive discrimination though their numbers are far from adequate. Politically, the false dichotomy between caste politics and development politics is slowly unravelling as more and more dominant communities display their insecurity in the rise of the people they once controlled. And, as India looks ahead to a general election where caste coalitions are expected to play a key role, Republic of Caste is both a cautionary tale and a promissory note of the India that has betrayed Ambedkars vision and mangled the spirit of his Constitution, and the things we need to urgently explore, if not remedy, if the republic has to keep the promise it made to its most marginalised. The Uttarakhand high court has quashed appointments of two of its retired justices as heads of admission and fee regulatory committee, and appellate authority meant for the states unaided private professional education institutions, citing procedural problems. The court has also directed the state government to send a proposal to the chief justice of the high court for nominating retired judges of the high court as chairman of the admission and fee regulatory committee and chairman of the appellate authority within three weeks. Justice Gurmeet Ram (retd) was appointed as chairman of admission and fee regulatory committee and justice Brijesh Kumar Srivastava (retd) as chairman of appellate authority by the state government on January 31 after amending the existing law. Division bench of justices Rajiv Sharma and Lok Pal Singh issued the directions while hearing a public interest litigation (PIL) filed by Pradeep Datta. The order was passed on Tuesday but a copy of the order was made available on Saturday. According to the petitioner, professional un-aided educational institutions are charging exorbitant fees. The order said: Students are asked to furnish advance bank guarantees. It is difficult for the parents belonging to the lowest strata to impart education to their children in unaided professional educational institutions. The HC bench pointed out that the Uttarakhand government following a Supreme Court judgment as well as per the advisory issued by the ministry of health and family welfare in 2003, had enacted Uttaranchal Un-aided Private Professional Education Institutions (Regulation of Admission and Fixation Fee) Act, 2006 in order to regulate admission and determination of fee and reservation of seats in such institutions. The high court order stated that according to this act, the state government was mandated to constitute an admission and fee regulatory committee, with a retired high court judge, nominated by the chief justice of high court, as its chairman. According to the section 12(1) of the Act , the state government is also to appoint an appellate authority, with another retired high court judge, nominated by the chief justice of the HC, as its chairman. However, on the basis of the amendment carried out, the state government itself nominated a retired judge as the chairman of the admission and fee regulatory committee and chairman of appellate authority, the order stated. The amendment carried out by the state government... of the Principal Act is contrary to the Supreme Court ruling. The chairman of the admission and fee regulatory committee could only be a retired judge of the high court to be nominated by the chief justice of the respective state. Similarly, chairman of the appellate authority could only be a retired judge of the high court to be nominated by the chief justice of the respective state, the order said. The high court also struck down the amendments carried out in the act. We have been appraised at the bar that Justice Gurmeet Ram has submitted his resignation but no decision has been taken by the state government on the resignation, the order said. Other directions of HC The HC recommended the government to frame a suitable legislation for regulating the admission and fee structure in private unaided schools in Uttarakhand within three months. The court directed the admission and fee regulatory committee to regulate the fee as per the law laid down by the Supreme Court in 2003 and 2005. The saint community wants the work that missed deadline nearly 5 years ago to complete before the 2021 Mahakumbh in Haridwar. To ensure their movement gets support from all saint organisations and Akhadas, representatives of Bharat Sadhu Samaj are reaching out to prominent seers and Akhada heads. Irrespective of their proximity to political parties, saints are extending their support to this movement as during this peak pilgrim season devotees get affected due to the delayed expansion work. Bharat Sadhu Samaj is a pan India organisation of seers. Its state unit president Swami Devanand Saraswati said Haridwar was a major pilgrim city as seers consist more than 30% its population. He said it was their responsibility to raise civic issues. Pilgrims as well as local people has been facing major inconvenience for the past few years due to slow pace and stalling of construction work for varied reasons, said Saraswati. Laxity by NHAI, projects nodal agency Era Infra and lack of concern from local public representatives have led to this situation. We are contemplating on initially staging symbolic protest at VIP ghat opposite to Har-Ki-Pauri, adjacent to highway, to draw attention of the concerned agencies, said Saraswati. Citing inconvenience to Chardham-bound pilgrims, Chetan Jyoti ashram spiritual head Swami Rishiswaranand said a large number of saints has agreed to participate in this agitation - date of which would be finalised soon. Union road transport and highways minister Nitin Gadkari, Rishiswaranand said, announced in 2016 that Haridwar-Dehradun four-lane work would get completed by December 2016. But, almost 18 months have passed with more than 30% work still pending, he added. Mahamandaleshwar Swami Harichetnanand Maharaj of Jai Ram ashram, who is equally regarded by both the BJP and Congress, said there was unrest among local people, pilgrims, devotees and tourists, so how come the saint community remains untouched by this problem. When contacted, a site official of Era Infra said the company was in talks with Punjab-based Grover company for fund and thereafter, a proposal will be submitted to NHAI. If approved, then work will resume on the national highway. Earlier this week, the Uttarakhand high court asked the central and state governments and NHAI to reply within three weeks time, reasons for the delay in completion of NH broadening work on Roorkee-Haridwar-Dehradun NH-58 stretch. Teerth purohit Anshul Shrikunj said almost 100 years ago saints had participated in an anti-dam movement at Har-Ki-Pauri after which the then colonial British rulers refrained from constructing dam on the Ganga river. Concerned agencies will now woke up as none wants the seer communitys anger, he said. Chief minister Trivendra Singh Rawat on Sunday reiterated his demand that the central government constitute a separate ministry for the Himalayan states and said the closure of hydro-power projects approved for Uttarakhand is not in the latters interests. Hydro power is a clean energy and can play an important role in the development of the state. Closure of such duly approved projects is therefore not in its interest, he said while speaking at the fourth meeting of Niti Ayog chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Rawat also reiterated his demand that the central government constitute a separate ministry for the Himalayan states. If that is not possible a Hills cell should be constituted under the aegis of the Niti Ayog, he said. Rawat said the states contributing for conservation of environment should be encouraged and for that green accounting system should be adopted. Referring to Uttarakhand, he urged the Centre for financial and technical help in relocating villages which are vulnerable to natural disasters. Rawat said his government has been working on a mission mode on 25 important targets to achieve the goal of New India by 2020. Special focus is on doubling the farmers income, checking distress migration from hilly areas and Digital Uttarakhand. A landholding in the state is currently estimated to have an average agricultural income of 65,000, which has to be increased up to 1.5 lakh by 2022, he said. A total of 16 mandis (wholesale markets) in plain districts in the state have so far been linked to the e-national agricultural market, Rawat said, adding that the hill mandis were also being linked to the online system. In order to rejuvenate the rivers and ensure flow of water in them all the time, under the water conservation campaign, water reservoirs, water tank trenches and check dams are being built, he said. A large scale plantation campaign with public participation in the water storage area of the Kosi and Rispana rivers is proposed in the month of July. The residents of south Delhi are set to pay the price for the redevelopment projects around seven neighbourhoods, which include Sarojini Nagar, Nauroji Nagar and Netaji Nagar. The forest department has given the permission to chop off at least 16,500 full grown trees to make way for redeveloping of Central government accommodations in the area. The environment impact assessment report for the projects around south Delhi shows that 11,000 out of 13,128 trees will be cut in Sarojini Nagar, 1,465 out of 1,513 will be cut in Nauroji Nagar, 3,033 out of the total 3,906 trees will be chopped off from Netaji Nagar and another 520 will be felled from Kasturba Nagar, which has a cover of as many trees. The figures for RK Puram are yet to be released. In smaller neighbourhoods such as Thyagaraja Nagar and Mohammadpur 108 and 447 trees will be cut for the project, according to the environmental impact assessment (EIA) clearance. Experts and residents have raised alarm against such mass felling of these residential pockets, which are known to be the green belt of the city. Padmavati Dwivedi, an activist, said that the chopping of full grown trees will leave a void in the city, which cannot be replaced by planting saplings at distant locations. If I am living in a particular area and the trees there are cut, how will planting saplings in another part help? These saplings will take years to provide the benefit that full-grown trees were giving, said Dwivedi. Environment lawyer Aditya Prasad said that if the forest department, which comes under the Delhi government, wants they can reject the proposal. Delhi is governed by the Delhi Preservation of Trees Act and if they want they can reject the proposal. Compensatory afforestation is not a guarantee as there is no agency that is checking if the required number of trees is being planted or where they are being planted, Prasad said. He also said chopping off these trees is not only a loss for the green cover but the wildlife in the space will also be affected by this. As per guidelines by the forest department, any agency that is chopping trees for developmental projects need to plant saplings in an alternative location. For every full grown tree, 10 saplings are required to be planted. According to an order by the National Green Tribunal (NGT) order issued in 2017, NBCC has been asked to transplant or relocate 186 trees from Netaji Nagar and Nauroji Nagar alone. The company will also deposit a cumulative security deposit of ?22.54 crore for compensatory afforestation. NBCC chairperson Anoop Kumar Mittal said that the upcoming complexes will be developed as green spaces, with lush trees around these residential areas. We have developed the New Moti Bagh complex, which is among one of the green spaces in the city. Similarly, in Kidwai Nagar, where we have almost completed the project, we have planted over 10 times of what had to be cut, Mittal said. Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leaders accompanied by thousands of party workers marched towards the Prime Ministers residence on Sunday to support the ongoing sit-in protest at lieutenant governor Anil Baijals office by Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal and his ministers. The marchers walked from Mandi House in central Delhi before being stopped by police near the Parliament Street police station. AAP supporters demanded that the ongoing IAS officers strike be brought to an end and the doorstep ration delivery scheme be approved by the L-G. Five Metro stations were shut as a precautionary measure ahead of the march. Urging city bureaucrates to attend meetings called by ministers, Kejriwal said that he would ensure the safety and security of officers with all powers available at his command. It is my duty the officers are a part of my family. I would urge them to stop boycott of elected government, return to work and start attending all meetings of ministers, respond to their calls and messages and join them for field inspections. They should work without fear or pressure. They should not come under any pressure from any sources, whether state or central government or any political party, Kejriwal said in a statement, his first such on the ongoing stand-off between the government and bureaucracy. Kejriwal and his cabinet colleagues Manish Sisodia, Satyendar Jain and Gopal Rai have stayed put for a week at Raj Niwas to demand that the L-G order the IAS officers to end their alleged strike. The CMs statement came in response to safety concerns flagged by the IAS?Association at a press conference on Sunday. Denying that they were on strike, the IAS officers said there was an atmosphere of fear and mistrust in the bureaucracy in the national capital. Whatever gathering or meeting it is, we dont feel safe, (hence) we dont attend. However, we are attending all statutory meetings. The misinformation, which is being spread, that we are on strike is completely false and baseless. We are all at work, conducting all public inspections, attending meetings. Everybody is working to their utmost sincerity, vigour and dedication, the association s secretary Manisha Saxena said. Saxena is divisional commissioner of Delhi and holds several charges in various departments. The IAS officers are likely to meet on Monday to discuss the next course of action. The officers said the bureaucrats were completely apolitical and neutral and worked according to the law and the Constitution, adding that it was unfortunate that they were being used to score political points. Kejriwal urged Prime Minister Narendra Modi to step in and end the IAS officers strike and let the elected government work. The protest march also saw the presence of Communist Party of India (Marxist) leader Sitaram Yechury who said that federalism was being undermined. The Shiv Sena and the NCP extended support to the AAP on the ongoing stand-off. Earlier in the day, Mamata Banerjee, N Chandrababu Naidu, HD Kumaraswamy and P Vijayan, the chief ministers of West Bengal, Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka and Kerala, respectively, met Prime Minister Modi at a NITI Aayog meeting and requested him to resolve the stalemate. Banerjee later said in a tweet that she and the other three CMs requested Honble PM today to resolve the problems of Delhi government immediately. Earlier in the morning, Kejriwal tweeted questioning how Baijal was attending the meeting in his place. Under which provision of the Constitution does L-G have powers to replace the Chief Minister? I have not authorised him to go in my place, Kejriwal tweeted. The claim was, however, refuted by NITI CEO Amitabh Kant saying that Baijal was not present at the meeting. After the four CMs extended their support to Kejriwal over his standoff with Baijal, Shiv Sena president Uddhav Thackeray spoke to the AAP leader over the phone on Sunday. Minutes after the call, Sena clarified its stand in a statement that read, Kejriwal called Thackeray up and discussed the political situation in Delhi. Sena has not yet decided on the support to Kejriwal. AAP sources said Thackeray expressed solidarity with the partys fight. Delhis air quality is back to normal after almost a gap of five days. While the Air Quality Index (AQI) has come down to poor level from the severe level, the concentration of dust particles that had shot up eight times above the safe standard has come down to around three times above the limits on Sunday. Meteorologists said that it was the change in wind pattern that helped in cleaning Delhis air. On Sunday, several parts of Punjab and Haryana also received rain, which helped the suspended dust particles in the air to settle down. This would help to further clean the air in Delhi and NCR, they said. Rain in some NCR areas on Sunday helped the suspended dust particles to settle down. This helped to further clean up the air. The winds coming from rain-soaked regions also helped to bring down Delhis day temperature. On Sunday the maximum temperature was recorded to be 36.8 degrees Celsius which was three degrees below the normal. The minimum temperature was 28.2 degrees Celsius, which was normal. Meteorologists said that some parts of Delhi could also receive a drizzle on Monday morning. But the relief from the scorching heat could be temporary as it could shoot up to around 43 degrees by the middle of this week again, said an official of the local meteorological department. Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) data stated that on Saturday the level of PM10 was hovering around 539ug/m3, which was five times the safe limit of 100ug/m3 as prescribed in the National Ambient Air Quality Standards. On Sunday the level dropped to around 339ug/m3. It had shot up to 840ug/m3 on Wednesday. Atmospheric dust particles are usually not toxic. But minute and toxic pollutants coming out of vehicles, industries and power plants cling on to the larger dust particles and make them toxic, said Anumita Roychowdhury, head of air pollution and clean transportation program at Centre for Science and Environment said. The alarming situation had prompted the Lieutenant Governor (l-G)?Anil Baijal to ban construction activities till Sunday. The North and East Delhi municipal corporations suspended the extra classes in their primary schools from Saturday. The AQI on Sunday was recorded to be 289. The last time it was below the 300-mark was on June 12 when it was 296. The AQI had shot up to 447 on Friday, said the CPCB official. On a scale of 0 500, an AQI value above 400 is considered to be severe and between 200 and 300 it is said to be in the poor category. Delhis pollution level usually remains in the poor and moderate category during the summer, occasionally breaching the very poor level. Meteorologists had said that strong westerly winds blowing close to the surface were bringing in dust from across northwest India, particularly Rajasthan and beyond which created a veil of dust that extended up to some parts of Bihar. The wind directions have changed. While Delhi got some easterly winds on Saturday night, on Sunday north westerly winds started blowing. While the westerly winds were blowing with a speed of 40 50 km per hour, now Delhi is getting winds at a speed of 14 15 km per hour. These slow winds cant carry too much of atmospheric dust, said Kuldeep Srivastava, a senior scientist with the regional weather forecasting centre. A four-year-old boy was kidnapped by a man, who was persistently after his mother to marry him, in a bid to mount more pressure on her, but the child was safely rescued within hours, police said on Sunday. Police said the woman is separated from her husband. The accused Shiv Kumar, a labourer working in Kolkata, went to her house in Madhu Vihar area of east Delhi to wish Eid to the family, and ran away with the child to board a train to Kolkata, said Deputy Commissioner of Police, East, Pankaj Kumar Singh. However, police, who were alerted, traced and arrested Shiv Kumar from Connaught Place and rescued the baby within six hours, the officer said. The accused told police that he wanted to marry the childs mother, who was not agreeing to it. Therefore to mount pressure, he kidnapped her child, the DCP added. Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal and his three cabinet colleagues have refused to leave the lieutenant-governors house till he concedes to their demand that of asking the IAS officers posted in the Delhi government to call off their alleged strike. On the sixth day of their sit-in protest, when four other chief ministers landed in Delhi to show solidarity with Kejriwal in his protest, the Delhi CM took time to respond to some questions by this correspondent. A questionnaire was mailed to his office. The chief minister sent these answers from the 10X15 visitors room at the lieutenant-governors office. It is going to be the sixth night of your sit-in. For how long do you and your Cabinet colleagues plan to continue with this protest? The IAS officers strike has stalled many projects of public good in Delhi. IAS officers dont attend meetings, dont take calls of ministers, and dont accompany the ministers for site visits. This is a very peculiar situation. After we came to power with a thumping majority in Delhi, the BJP-ruled central government snatched away all our powers. Today we cannot take any action against any erring officer. All this is being done intentionally at the behest of the Modi government at the Centre. However, the people of Delhi will collectively fight against this illegal strike. The people of Delhi will unitedly fight and win. There is a point of view that governance of Delhi has become a farce and all that the government is interested in is scoring political brownie points. How do you respond to that? This is totally untrue. We are here to fight for the people of Delhi. We need to firstly understand who is orchestrating this strike and why is it being done. In the last three years, despite creating numerous hurdles, the AAP government has done unprecedented work for the people of Delhi. Even our opponents believe the AAP government has done a wonderful job, especially in the fields of health, education, power and water. People across the country have started asking that if the AAP government has delivered so much in three years such as providing free medicines, test and treatment in government hospitals, private schools have not been allowed to increase fees, etc., all in just a short span of time of three years, then why cant the other state governments where the BJP is in power, such as Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh and Gujarat, follow suit? If the AAP government can lower power tariff in Delhi in three years, why is the BJP-ruled Centre unable to do so even in four years? Governments ruled by the BJP at the Centre as well as the states have been extremely unsuccessful. Therefore, they have devised a new way to stop the brilliant work done by AAP in Delhi create so many hurdles that the AAP government cannot function at all. At their behest, all government officers are on strike. But I will continue my fight for the people of Delhi till my last breath. I will not budge till they put an end to the strike by the IAS officers and ask them to come back to work. These people are blackmailing the people of Delhi and holding them on ransom. I will not allow this to happen. Have you tried to reach out to the other side, instead of taking them on? Isnt politics, governance and administration about making compromises to ensure implementation? For the past three months, we have been trying to sort out the issue with the honourable L-G. We have requested him to personally intervene and put an end to the strike. I have met the honourable L-G at least four times during last three months, education minister Manish Sisodia met him four times, health minister Satyender Jain met him three times and labour minister Gopal Rai met him three times. We have written numerous letters to him on the issue. Every time we meet him, the L-G only says one thing he will try to resolve the issue in one week. Despite so many meetings and letters, there has been no progress on the issue. They want the strike to continue. This strike has been orchestrated by the central government through the L-G. We are now convinced they want to paralyse my government so that no work can be done in the remaining tenure. It was then that we decided not to take things sitting down. You have said its not the IAS officers but others who are responsible for the standoff. Who are these others? This strike is being orchestrated by the BJP-ruled central government through their L-G. The reason behind this is that despite so many obstacles created by the central government, even our staunchest political rivals admit that the Delhi government has done wonderful work in health, education, electricity and water sectors in just three years. The Modi government and the BJP state governments have no answers when people ask them about no fee hike by private schools in Delhi and free tests and medicines in Delhi government hospitals. It is precisely due to all this that the BJP has decided to now not let the Kejriwal government work. There has been talk of a coalition with the Congress. Is there any truth to that? The way the Congress has been siding with the BJP and supporting it on the Delhi L-G issue has angered and disappointed people. Is it fair the administration is at a standstill when there is a pollution crisis and water shortage to be dealt with? Our environment minister Imran Hussain had called an urgent meeting of all top officials, including the environment secretary and the Delhi Pollution Control Board (DPCC) chairman. However, they failed to turn up for the meeting. There is a regular meeting on air pollution every 15 days since the last three months, this meeting has not take place due to the strike of IAS officers. This is a very unfortunate situation. Similarly, the water crises looms large on Delhi. But if the DJB officials do not pick up my calls or come to my meetings, then how will we function? Let me give you some more examples: Officers have not attended the meetings to prepare for the desilting of drains before monsoon. This work is being affected; the dengue and chikungunya season follows the monsoon. Officers did not come for meetings on this issue too. This will have an extremely adverse effect on the health of people of Delhi. During the summer break, whitewash of schools is undertaken. This year, due to the strike by IAS officers, even this work has not started. Due to the strike, the work of setting-up mohalla and polyclinics has been stalled. The last instalment for completing the Signature Bridge has to be released, which is pending due to the IAS officers strike. Work of laying roads and sewers in unauthorised colonies has either stopped or has considerably slowed down due to the strike. Delhi has had chief ministers before, but why is it only now, during your tenure, that governance is facing such continuous turbulence? That is what we have been saying. The Modi government through a notification barely three months after the people of Delhi elected our government with an unprecedented mandate in 2015, took away the power of transfers and postings of officers and also the ACB (anti-corruption bureau) from us. The powers enjoyed by the Shiela Dikshit government were considerably reduced by the Modi government through its May 21, 2015, notification. It was aimed at paralysing the elected Delhi government. Despite all these hurdles, the work of our government during last three years has been widely appreciated in India and abroad in the fields of health, education, electricity and water. Will you meet the PM during the NITI Aayog meeting scheduled for Sunday and seek his intervention? I have written to the honourable prime minister and appealed to him that before the Niti Aayog meeting, the strike of IAS officers be called off. If the honourable PM wants, the officers strike will end within a minute. At around 3 every morning, hours after the hundreds of jewellery showrooms and gold workshops in Delhis Karol Bagh and Chandni Chowk neighbourhoods down their shutters , a group of men get to work. Most spread themselves out and begin sweeping the floors outside the shops. Others take the lids off the sewer lines and stealthily slide inside. These are Delhis gold hunters. Over the next few hours, they will go about sifting gold dust and tiny slivers of the precious metal from the dirt outside the shops. Then they have a tedious and grimy task of cleaning the many kilos of muck in the hope of finding particles of gold. The gold hasnt ever made any of them rich, but by late afternoon, each of them will be hoping to earn Rs 200- Rs 2,000 depending on their luck, skill and experience. The price at which they are able to sell the gold they manage to sift, too, varies, depending on the quality, the price the buyer is willing to offer and how well they negotiate. The market rate for 24 carat gold in Delhi today is Rs 32,130 for 10 grams. The gold hunters get between Rs 20,000 and Rs 30,000 for that quantity. Neighbourhoods such as Regharpura and Desh Bandhu Gupta Marg in Karol Bagh and Dariba Kalan in Chandni Chowk host over 2,000 registered and unregistered jewellery showrooms and gold workshops. Goldsmiths who work with the metal inadvertently end up carrying minute pieces and dust of gold in their clothes, hair and shoes when they walk out at the end of the days work. Some gold also flows into the drains when the craftsmen wash themselves after work. The gold dust gets mixed with the mud outside the workshops. We earn our living from the gold that was otherwise going to be wasted. It is quite similar to a barbers shop. When the barber walks out of the saloon, he is bound to carry some hair on his body, said Mohammad Salil, one of around 200 men engaged in the occupation. The gold hunters work with acid, mercury and a lot of dirty water. This leaves them with coarse hands and falling hair. (HT Photo) Salil and the others dont need workshops or high-end equipment to sieve gold from the mud. A large open area next to their Dev Nagar slum is their workstation. They have arranged free sources of constant flowing water to clean the mud. They have also dug up large pits to dispose of the leftover. Having brought the mud and muck in sacks and pans after their early morning operation, around a dozen men squat around each of the six pits in the Dev Nagar slum. Filled with dirty mud and black water mixed with acid, each of these pits is of eight metres in radius and six feet deep. Mohammad Lala, a 35-year-old whose father taught him the tricks of the trade, half fills a pan with the mud collected in the morning. He then adds some clean water to it before beginning to tilt the pan. He then carefully sifts his fingers through the mix, never wavering from the job. The naked eye cannot spot any gold in the mud. But I am hopeful that there will be some gold, said Lala. The sieving process could take up to two hours, during which time the mud will need to be repeatedly washed. Since gold is heavy, it keeps sinking to the bottom of the pan. With each wash, I remove some mud from the pan. By the end, I will be left with just a small pinch of mud, which will contain gold dust that will be visible to my eyes but cant be separated with hands, said Lala. With Lalas hands dirty, a friend lights a beedi and places it between his lips. The next step in the process is to use a magnet to remove magnetic particles from the residue. I will then add some mercury to the mixture as gold sticks to mercury, leaving everything else behind. The mixture of gold and mercury is then heated in acid. The process separates gold from mercury, said Aslam Khan, who works alongside Lala. The last step is to heat the gold over a small furnace that will leave the worker with a tiny ball of gold. This is around 300-400 milligrams of gold. It is not in its purest form and wont fetch me the market rate, but I should be able to earn anywhere between Rs 700 and Rs 1,200 by selling it, said Khan, displaying a tiny yellow ball on his palm. It was the result of his work the previous day. On a bad day, Khan will perhaps collect gold dust that weighs 100-200 milligrams. If I am lucky, I find tiny gold pieces. There have been occasions when I have collected up to two grams of gold, said Khan. Deepak Singh, who introduced himself as the contractor/caretaker for these workers, said the 200 men working at the Dev Nagar slum end up collecting a total of 40 to 60 grams of gold worth Rs 1-1.5 lakh every day. Each man takes home Rs 300-1,000 every day, said Singh, who is in his forties. Sometimes, they get luckier, and on occasions, they go back with just Rs 100 in their pockets, he said. The jewellers and goldsmiths dont mind this offshoot of their business but they arent ignoring the opportunity to make an extra buck. We ensure our craftsmen dust themselves well before leaving. We get the dust inside our shop collected through the year and then sell it for Rs 1,000-2,000 per sack. People from Delhi as well as other states buy the dust from our shops in bulk, said Chandan Raj Anand, owner of V Raj Jewellers in Karol Bagh. If some gold still goes outside, we dont mind people collecting it. Rajesh Lal, a goldsmith working in Chandni Chowks Dariba Kalan, said even the leftover water after craftsmen wash themselves is saleable. We are required to wash ourselves well at the shop before leaving so that no gold dust goes out with us, said Rajesh. When he worked in Karol Bagh earlier, his employer needed him to wear a separate uniform. Contractor Deepak Singh said he and his men are among the buyers of the dust sacks and water. The dust from inside the shops holds much more gold. There have been occasions when we recovered gold worth Rs 15,000 from one sack, said Singh. The work with acid, mercury and the dirty water has a fallout it leaves the gold hunters with coarse hands and falling hair. We collect gold, but most of our wives and mothers have never worn gold jewellery. Given the dirty nature of our work, many of us dont even reveal our work to our families. We tell them we work as daily wage labourers, said Pappu Lal, a worker. At the end of each day, Lal bathes twice to remove the stench from his body. I use soap and shampoo to bathe. A deodorant helps to remove the stench. My children wouldnt eat with me if I walked home without a bath, said Lal. Their work often leads the police to them whenever there is a theft at any jewellery shop. We are the usual suspects, but never has any of us been arrested for any theft. We have a goose that lays golden eggs. We wouldnt kill the goose and lose all our golden eggs, said Singh. In south Delhis Sangam Vihar, life is cheap. Sometimes even cheaper than water. One of the countrys largest unauthorised colonies, Sangam Vihar witnessed the murder of a 45-year-old man on Thursday evening over a dispute that broke out over the laying of a piped water connection. The state government has failed to provide piped drinking water to this south Delhi neighbourhood that houses a population of over 1.5 million residents. The resultant water crisis has made Sangam Vihar a haven for criminals and given birth to gangs whose member do not hesitate even to kill for water. According to police files, issues like water, unauthorised construction and betting often escalate into gunbattles in Sangam Vihar. One of the most active gangs of the area, the Madrassi gang, is involved in a feud with other groups led by Ravi Gangwal and Rohit Choudhry, according to the files. Their turf wars have resulted in the loss of at least a dozen lives in the past six years. It is a game of supremacy. In a place like Sangam Vihar, where water is precious, fights have become routine. We have not had a drop of water since the past one week. Under such conditions, who wouldnt fight for water? said Hazara Begum, a resident of B Block in Sangam Vihar. Another resident, Mukesh Kumar, said that in the past few years, illegal constructions have changed the topography of the area completely. This place today has become the largest and most congested colony of the capital. Illegal construction is rampant. Renting a house has become cheap, but basic facilities like water remains a dream. No wonder mafias have taken over water and housing, the two basic needs of locals, said Kumar, who runs a shop in the area. The area is also dominated by Basiran, a 62-year-old woman and her seven sons, who have been jailed for more than 100 crimes, ranging from bootlegging to robbery and from extortion to murder. Delhi police had recently written to a subdivisional magistrate and the Delhi Jal Board about Basirans family which, until recently, controlled three government borewells. Police say many criminal gangs of the area started as water mafia and moved to other crimes. The area has some big names such as gangsters Deepak Pandit, Ravi Gangwal and Rohit Chaudhary who dominate the locality and even control distribution of water in their areas. Many water tanker suppliers and groups who control borewells are influenced by these men, said a senior police officer. Locals believe controlling the water lines is not the only illegal business of these gangs. Controlling water is just a way of asserting supremacy. These gangs run extortion rackets and are involved in robberies, a police officer said. Deputy commissioner of police (south), Romil Baaniya said that most of the criminal gangs of Sangam Vihar and Ambedkar Nagar have started hiring juveniles and are providing them money and arms. The officer said that the police continuously keep these gangs and their movements under surveillance. Since Sangam Vihar has government borewells, the fight is always over who controls these borewells, he said. AAP MLA from Sangam Vihar, Dinesh Mohaniya, said the area was largely an unauthorised colony. Pipelines require permission as it comes under the ridge . Delhi Jal Board has sought permission from the forest department but the matter is stuck as it also requires the Supreme Courts approval, Mohaniya said. The State Bank of India (SBI) released on Monday the admit card of preliminary examination for the recruitment of probationary officers (PO) in the state-run bank on its career website. The online preliminary examination is scheduled to be held on July 1, 7 and 8. The examination will be held to fill 2,000 probationary officers vacancies across its various branches. Here is the direct link to download the SBI PO Prelims 2018 admit card SBI PO Prelims 2018 admit cards can be downloaded by visiting the career section of SBI website at sbi.co.in/careers. Click on the link for call letter of SBI PO exam 2018 in the latest announcement section to go to the login page. Enter your registration number, password/date of birth and captcha code (as in the image) and click on login. Your call letter will be displayed on the screen. Take a printout and save it on your computer. No hard copy of the call letter will be sent by post. Candidates must carry the admit card to the examination centre. He must bring one photo identity proof such as passport/Adhar/PAN card/Driving Licence/Voters card/Bank passbook with duly attested photograph/Identity card issued by school or college/gazetted officer along with the admit card. The identity proof should be submitted at the time of examination. Candidates who clear the preliminary exam will be called for the main examination. Group exercises and interview will be conducted for those who clear the main examination. The results of the preliminary examination will be declared on July 15, 2018. The online main exam will be held on August 8, 2018 and its result will be declared on August 20, 2018. The group exercises and interview will be held from September 24 to October 12, 2018 and the results will be declared on November 1, 2018. Note: All the dates given above are tentative. Candidates are advised to regularly keep in touch with the SBI website www.sbi.co.in/careers for details and latest updates. The state cabinets approval to expand the Metro network from the Huda City Centre Metro station to Gurugram railway station and the Regional Rapid Transit System (RRTS) project, have failed to enthuse residents. In fact, many residents took to Twitter on Saturday to vent their anger over pending projects, including the Dwarka Expressway, which has been delayed by eight years. The common sentiment in all reactions was that residents want on-ground implementation and completion of projects. The government makes so many announcements, but they all remain on paper. We want the work to happen on the ground. I have compiled a list of statements (by ministers) over the last two years where the words used are different, but the projects they speak of are the same. Nothing is moving except for files, said resident Prakhar Sahai, who has been keenly awaiting the completion of the Dwarka Expressway. Sahais list includes delay in shifting the Kherki Daula toll plaza; an alternative road to Kherki Daula, which is incomplete; Metro connectivity from HUDA City Centre to Dwarka Sector 21 which is now in a limbo; the U-turn on the Delhi-Gurgaon Expressway; and a major project launched by the MCG to expand and modernise the Old Delhi-Gurgaon road, which is progressing at a very slow pace. Fridays announcement also got a strong reaction on the social media, where people criticised the states leadership. Some of them also pointed out that as the state is getting close to the election year (2019), politicians have started making the right noises, but are not mentioning timelines and deliverables. The election time will be here soon and a lot of such announcements will be made. Soon, the government will promise the stars, but they have not even been able to install streetlights in New Gururgam sectors, resident Anurag Awasthi wrote on micro-blogging site Twitter. Another resident questioned the timeline of these projects and why the government had failed to build even a 1km Metro network in the last year. A few homebuyers were also critical of Fridays announcement saying that the RERA has failed to live up to their expectations. The H-RERA was supposed to bring relief to homebuyers, but it seems to have had no effect, Sanjeev Singh said, adding that the governments promise on no power cuts has also failed. We pay highest tariff for quality service, he said. Residents said that there was clearly a trust deficit between them and the government, and unless the promises made are delivered, there was little for the people to look forward to in the new announcements. When apprised of peoples sentiment, Gurugram MP Rao Inderjit Singh blamed the delays in Dwarka Expressway and other infrastructure projects to past legacy. There were too many legal issues and complexities, but these have been resolved (in Dwarka Expressway). The underpasses and flyovers at Rajiv Chowk, Signature Tower and Iffco Chowk have come up and so has the flyover on Rana Pratap Chowk. Kherki Daula toll shift was on the cards, but locals approached the NGT and this has slowed things. These are large projects and will take time, but we will deliver them, Singh said. The demand for electricity in Gurugram has been increasing annually by 10-12%, according to the power distributor, Dakshin Haryana Bijli Vitran Nigam (DHBVN). With a potential to reduce electricity bills, solar energy is a viable alternative to Gurugrams power and pollution woes. The city is facing a 25% shortage in power supply this year, which leads to outages in the city, said KC Aggarwal, superintending engineer of DHBVN. As evident from the citys 2014 draft master plan, a substantial amount of power is consumed by the industrial sector, while the overall demand has increased by 55% since 2005 across all sectors. The demand for electricity to meet the citys infrastructure, including streetlights, motors and water pumps is also rising. In 2014, new and renewable energy department of Haryana (HAREDA) announced grid-connected solar rooftop policy and made it mandatory for every new house across the state with an area up to 500 square yards or more to install a solar power system, besides net metering policy. The government provides subsidies to consumers who purchase solar panels and other equipment from affiliated sellers. The government has made it mandatory for all public buildings, such as schools, health centres and offices to have rooftop solar panels in Gurugram, an official said. Rameshwar Singh Beniwal, project officer, HAREDA, said that the total installed capacity of solar rooftop installation in the city has reached 25MW this year. According to HAREDA, currently, there are about 500 net-metered projects (houses/buildings that have opted for the net-metering scheme) in the city. Further, 5MW of the 25MW is generated through subsidised rooftop panels. We have some issues with respect to the net-metering scheme, which is being resolved on a priority, with the assistance of DHBVN officials, Rameshwar Singh, project officer, HAREDA, said. The Rapid Metro has also installed the first set of solar panels at the depot near the station at Sector 54 Chowk. The solar plant, with a capacity of over 400 kilowatts peak (kWp, a solar energy term), will produce pollution-free solar energy of 1.18 crore units over its 25-year lifetime. In a move to turn self-sufficient in power generation, initiatives to promote solar energy have been taken by many societies. Wellington Estate, a condominium in DLF-5 installed solar panels, through which the society generates approximately 200 KW of solar power and saves Rs20 lakh per year on electricity bills. We have already installed equipment to handle a capacity of 200 KW. In the second phase, we will get additional 150KW. The advantage of the second phase is that we will be getting more power from lesser space because the new panels are advanced ones and will generate 370 watts each. The existing panels produce only 320 watts each, Vineet Bagga, president, Wellington Estate RWA, said. Earlier, the residents used to pay 50 paise per sqft. Now, they pay only 35 paise per sqft. Around 40% of the electricity that goes to all common areas, including elevators, streetlights, lobby lights, water pumps, etc, comes from solar panels. After the second phase, solar power will cover almost 75% of the common area consumption. The government gives a grant of Rs 20,000 per kilowatt to schools that comply with the orders. Schools such as Suncity World School, Scottish High International School, Open Sky School, Pathways World School, NorthCap University and many others have installed solar panels. We have installed a 77KW solar plant in our school that produces 8,500 units, Rupa Chakravarty, principal of Suncity World School, said. Corporates have embraced solar energy as a part of their CSR initiatives. Fortunately, the Haryana government has issued a slew of incentives to encourage the adoption of solar energy. The solar energy is not only cost-effective but also has the potential to reduce the carbon footprint. It can play an instrumental role in overcoming the citys dependency on diesel generators, which severely increases air pollution, said Shubhra Puri, of Gurgaon First NGO. Researchers have identified an enzyme located in the inflammatory cells of the body which is responsible for vascular damage caused by aircraft noise. Various studies have shown that long-term exposure to aircraft noise can lead to increased development of cardiovascular diseases. The findings show that removal of the enzyme phagocytic NADPH oxidase, completely prevents vascular damage. Elimination of the enzyme phagocytic NADPH oxidase, which is located mainly in inflammatory cells, completely avoids aircraft noise-induced negative effects on vessels and brain, said Thomas Munzel, Professor at the Johannes Gutenberg University-Mainz (JGU) in Germany. In the study, published in the European Heart Journal, the team was able to show that night-time noise has a particularly harmful effect. We demonstrate for the first time that night-time noise, i.e., noise during the sleep phase of the mice, and not the noise during the waking phase is responsible for vascular dysfunction, added Professor Andreas Daiber from the JGU. Further, the scientists also examined the effects of aircraft noise on the brain. They identified neuronal nitric oxide (NO) synthase an important enzyme in the brain that is responsible for learning and memory. This enzyme is down-regulated by aircraft noise and its function gets impaired, explaining the cognitive developmental disorders in children after exposure to aircraft noise, the researchers said. Further, the team also found that transcription factor a protein that helps turn certain genes on or off by binding them to DNA named FoxO3, also plays a central role in noise-induced vascular and brain damage. The down-regulation of this transcription factor by night-time noise leads to a defective gene expression network that controls cellular events as a function of circadian rhythm. The researchers explained that disturbance to the circadian rhythm is linked with sleep disorders and subsequently to more cardiovascular, mental and metabolic disorder. The findings may help to develop strategies to reduce the negative effects of aircraft noise for the body, the researchers said. Follow @htlifeandstyle for more Anne Hathaway has described her character in Oceans 8 as that of an awful actor, someone she would have turned into had she taken fame too seriously. The 35-year-old actor stars in the spin-off of Steven Soderberghs The Oceans Trilogy, alongside Sandra Bullock, Cate Blanchett, Anne Hathaway, Mindy Kaling, Sarah Paulson, Awkwafina, Rihanna and Helena Bonham Carter. Shes called Daphne Kluger, shes an actress and -- well, shes awful. Shes won two Academy Awards and seven Golden Globes, she has two ex-husbands. Shes very, very full of herself and doesnt care in the least about what people think about her because she doesnt care about other people, Hathaway told HELLO! magazine. Cast members (L to R) Cate Blanchett, Awkwafina, Sarah Paulson, Anne Hathaway, Sandra Bullock, Mindy Kaling, Helena Bonham Carter and Rihanna pose at the world premiere of the film Ocean's 8 at Alice Tully Hall in New York City, New York, U.S., June 5, 2018. (REUTERS) Asked if she drew inspiration from someone in real life to play the part, the actor said, Not really. It was just an idea I had about how I might have been if, at the beginning of my career, Id taken fame very seriously. And what would have happened if Id cared about myself more than I care about other people, she added. Talking about the Gary Ross-directed film, which has an all-female cast, Hathaway said she made a lot of friends on the set. We became very good friends. I genuinely love all those women. Of course Ive seen people behave badly in my life, but Ive seen more people behave badly in the real world than on set. If you behave like that you probably wont have a very long career anyway, because at a certain point people can choose who they work with and most of the people who are at the top are lovely, she said. (This story has been published from a wire agency feed without modifications to the text. Only the headline has been changed.) Follow @htshowbiz for more (CNN) A group of migrants stranded in the Mediterranean for more than a week after Italy refused to let their ship into port are disembarking in the Spanish city of Valencia. A total of 630 of migrants had been rescued by the Aquarius, a ship operated by Doctors Without Borders and SOS Mediterranee, last weekend off the coast of Libya. At least 100 minors and seven pregnant women are among the group. The ship was held for two days between Malta and the Italian island of Sicily after Italy's Interior Minister Matteo Salvini refused to allow the ship to dock. After Spain offered to take them in, the ship started an 800-mile journey to Valencia along with two Italian ships, which were sent to ease the overcrowding. The first group of 274 migrants arrived at the Spanish port Sunday morning aboard the Italian Coast Guard ship Dattilo. The Aquarius arrived in port next, with the third vessel expected later Sunday. More than 2,300 people are meeting the ships, including 400 translators, 1,000 Red Cross volunteers and around 600 police officers, local authorities said. France makes settlement offer SOS Mediterranee posted footage on Twitter of migrants dancing and singing as they viewed the Spanish coast. "Relief & happiness on board the #Aquarius as we see Spanish shores. ... The end of a long and exhausting odyssey is close," it said. Doctors Without Borders, known by its French acronym MSF, tweeted that migrants on board the Aquarius had been "calm and pleased" to hear they would be arriving in Spain Sunday morning. In a separate tweet, MSF said the ship would be obliged to conduct search and rescue operations in the Mediterranean "for as long as European governments fail to fulfill their responsibilities." Some of the rescued migrants from the Aquarius will be allowed to settle in France, Spain's deputy prime minister said Saturday. France made the offer via its ambassador to Spain, Deputy PM Carmen Calvo said in a statement. In a telegram, Spain's President, Pedro Sanchez, thanked French President Emmanuel Macron for his offer. Macron had been critical of Italy's refusal to accept the Aquarius migrants but later worked to smooth things over with Italy's Prime Minister, Giuseppe Conte. Italy's warning Salvini, Italy's hard-line, anti-immigration interior minister and the leader of League party, was instrumental in blocking the Aquarius from docking this week in his country. On Saturday, he warned other ships carrying migrants as part of a humanitarian mission not to try to dock in Italy. "While the Aquarius ship goes toward Spain, 2 other NGO ships with Dutch flags have arrived near the Libyan coast," Salvini tweeted Saturday. "We know that Italy does not want to be complicit in the business of clandestine immigration, and they will have to look for other ports to go to," he said, without providing details about the Dutch-flagged ships. Salvini has previously promised to expel half a million illegal immigrants from Italy. He's also shared anti-immigrant memes on social media. This story was first published on CNN.com, "Migrants disembark in Spain after Mediterranean standoff." The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) is turning to tribals in seven Chhattisgarh districts under the grip of Maoist rebels and is hoping former chief minister Ajit Jogi will neutralise the impact of a possible tie-up between the Congress and the Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) in this years assembly election. In the last assembly election, the BJP won only four of 12 assembly seats in the seven districts of the Bastar region where the Maoists wield influence. It won just one out of eight in the northern district of Surguja. We have worked on several development projects in the tribal areas. There will be impact, chief minister Raman Singh said after ending the first phase of his 2,700-km Vikas Yatra from Dantewada. The Congress and the BSP are discussing a pre-poll pact to end the 15-year-long uninterrupted rule of the BJP in the state and unseat Singh, the longest serving chief minister of his party. The BSP polled about 560,000 votes in the 2013 assembly election, six times the margin by which the BJP defeated the Congress. The BSP, generally, takes about 4-5 % of votes in an election. If the Congress forges an alliance with the BSP, then certainly we will have a different strategy to counter it, Singh said. Chhattisgarh has always elected its ruler by a wafer-thin margin that has got thinner with every election. The BJP strategy is threefold, a party functionary in Delhi said. First, mobilise the organization in the seven assembly seats that BJP has never won. Second, woo the adivasi population of south Chhattisgarh through development projects. Third, smart distribution of election tickets to neutralize anti-incumbency of BJP legislators, the functionary said. As many as 30 seats witnessed a close fight in 2008. Of these, 20 seats went to the BJP with a margin less than the votes polled by Congress and the BSP-Gondwana Gantantra Party (GGP) put together. The BSP played the spoiler in eight seats and the GGP in six others. The Congress is in talks with the GGP, which has pockets of influence in tribal-dominated areas. The BJP won 12 seats and lost six with a margin of less than 5,000 votes. The Congress won five assembly constituencies and lost 13 with a margin of less than 5,000 votes. The challenge in Chhattisgarh is daunting, party insiders admit. They hope former CM and rebel Congress leader AJit Jogi, whose Janta Congress Chhattisgarh will be in the fray this time, will snatch a sizeable chunk of the scheduled caste votes and dent the Congress base. Congress spokesperson Shailesh Nitin Trivedi said a tie-up would prove beneficial. If we stitch an alliance with the BSP , it will surely benefit us in central Chhattisgarh , where BSP has its hold. On an average , BSP has about 4% in Chhattisgarh and we believe that it will be helpful to us in forming government, he said. Congress is now irrelevant in the Chhattisgarh. No alliance can save them in the elections. As far as my party is concerned , we will fight in all 90 seats and form the government, Amit Jogi, son of Ajit Jogi, said. A reaction from the BSP was not immediately available. The Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) is planning to contest elections in 55-60 of the 230 seats in the upcoming assembly polls in Madhya Pradesh and is in the process of selecting candidates, according to state party president Narmada Prasad Ahirwar. The BSP currently has four seats in the assembly, from the Chambal and Rewa division. Behenji (BSP chief Mayawati) has instructed us to be prepared to contest 55-60 seats and we are in the process of identifying them and selecting our candidates, Ahirwar told reporters on Sunday. Ahirwar said there was no talk of a pre-poll alliance with the Congress at a time when Opposition parties are in the process of putting together a federal front to take on the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), particularly since the Congress state chief Kamal Nath said last month that the party was trying to bring like-minded parties together. The Congress is the principal Opposition to the ruling BJP in the state. Ahirwar contended that the Congress had more to gain from an alliance with BSP. (The) Congress wants to get our share of the vote bank and that is why it is desperate to ally with us... But this misinformation is causing problems for us as it is demotivating our workers, Ahirwar said. In the 2013 assembly elections, the BJP had got nearly 45% of the votes case, while the Congress had got 36% and the BSP 6%. When asked if the party could form an alliance with the Samajwadi Party (SP) in the state on the lines of the tie-up in Uttar Pradesh, Ahirwar said the SP has no base in Madhya Pradesh, and therefore, a tie-up would be meaningless. When asked about Ahirwars comments, state Congress spokesperson Manak Agrawal said: We are not spreading any rumours. We are only repeating what our national president Rahul Gandhi has said about allying with like-minded parties. External affairs minister Sushma Swaraj on Sunday left for a seven-day tour of Italy, France, Luxembourg and Belgium, which is aimed at deepening Indias strategic engagement and trade ties with the four European countries. In Brussels, Swaraj will meet the top leadership of the European Union during which both sides are likely to deliberate on removing hurdles for resumption of negotiations on the long-pending EU-India free trade pact. The visit from June 17-23 will provide an opportunity to hold in-depth discussions with the political leadership on a wide range of global, regional and bilateral issues and advance Indias growing strategic engagement with the European Union, the MEA said. In the first leg of her visit, Swaraj will travel to Italy for the first major political exchange between the two countries after Giuseppe Conte assumed charge as the Italian Prime Minister. Swaraj will call on Conte and also meet her counterpart Enzo Moavero Milanesi. The external affairs minister will then travel on June 18 to France where she will spend two days. In Paris, Swaraj will meet her counterpart Jean-Yves Le Drian and the two sides will review bilateral relations. India and France are celebrating the 20th anniversary of their Strategic Partnership. Swaraj will be in Luxembourg from June 19-20 and it will be the first-ever visit there by an Indian external affairs minister, the MEA said. During her stay, Swaraj will be calling on Grand Duke of Luxembourg Henri Albert Gabriel Felix Marie Guillaume and Prime Minister Xavier Bettel. Swaraj will also have meetings with Jean Asselborn, minister of foreign and European affairs and Pierre Gramegna, the minister of finance. In Luxembourg, she will also interact with the Indian community, the MEA said. On the last leg of her tour, Swraj will visit Belgium from June 20-23. In Brussels, she will meet deputy PM and minister of foreign affairs of Belgium Didier Reynders. She will also meet President of the European Commission Jean-Claude Juncker and President of the European Parliament Antonio Tajani. The MEA said Swaraj will also meet her counterpart, Federica Mogherini, the High Representative of the European Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, to review the entire gamut of India-EU relations. She will also deliver a keynote speech at the high-level event Climate, Peace and Security: Time for Action, lead the International Yoga Day celebrations at the European Parliament and also interact with the Indian community, the MEA said. The Union government on Sunday said it was discontinuing the suspension of military operations in Jammu and Kashmir as the holy Islamic month of Ramzan was over, and announced the full resumption of cordon-and-search and search-and-destroy operations in the state to prevent terror attacks. The same evening, a 45-year-old man was killed in south Kashmirs Kulgam district after unidentified gunmen barged into his house and opened fire at him, police said. Iqbal Kawak was an employee with the consumer affairs and public distribution department, said Kulgam SP Harmeet Singh. Earlier, home minister Rajnath Singh said that the May 17 decision to suspend operations had been taken in the interests of the peace-loving people of J&K in order to provide them a conducive atmosphere to observe Ramzan. Though the government did not call it a ceasefire, it was the first such truce in the troubled state in more than 17 years. It was expected that everyone will cooperate in ensuring the success of this initiative. While the security forces have displayed exemplary restraint during this period, the terrorists have continued with their attacks on civilians and security forces, resulting in deaths and injuries. Security forces are now being directed to take all necessary actions as earlier to prevent terrorists from launching attacks and indulging in violence and killings, Singh wrote on Twitter. Jammu and Kashmirs chief minister Mehbooba Mufti, who had first asked for the ceasefire, had been appealing to the Centre for an extension of the truce period. The issue was being deliberated on at the highest levels of the government for the last two weeks, but officials said a recent spate in violence in the Valley played a role in the decision. A senior home ministry official said on the condition of anonymity that three principal issues weighed on the governments mind security arrangements for the 60-day long annual Amarnath Yatra that starts on June 28, spike in violence in the second half of Ramzan that included the of killing of prominent journalist Shujaat Bukhari, and a less-than-enthusiastic response to the initiative from the Valleys separatist leadership. The first half of Ramzan went well, but the violence just before the Eid (Saturday) really tied the hands of the government as the security of Amarnath Yatra became a paramount concern. Whenever the sentiments in the Valley start improving, Pakistan scales up violence there, and we believe that the separatists should have shown more enthusiasm in lapping up the opportunity, the official added. Underlining the significance of a peaceful Amarnath Yatra, Udhampur MP and minister of state in the Prime Ministers Office, Jitendra Singh said: It is a symbol of composite culture of the country and the Jammu and Kashmir with centuries-old tradition where Hindus are the pilgrims and Muslims are the hosts. The government wanted to ensure that no mischief happens during the Yatra. The Valley witnessed a total of 41 killings since May 17 the most prominent among them the drive-by shooting of journalist Bukhari and his two private security officers on Thursday, and the abduction and killing the same day by militants of Rashtriya Rifles jawan, Aurangazeb, in south Kashmirs Pulwama district. Former J&K chief minister, Omar Abdullah of the National Conference said the decision to end the truce was the failure of everyone who wanted to peace a chance. The state Congress president, Ghulam Ahmad Mir said it showed the Centre did not have any concrete policy vis-a-vis Kashmir. (The) government of India has no road map or concrete policy about Kashmir. It is not ever clear, whether the Centre had taken its coalition partner (PDP - Mehboobas Peoples Democratic Party) on board over the withdrawal of the ceasefire, he said. While Mehbooba did not issue a statement, senior PDP minister Naeem Akhtar termed the Centres decision as sad. It was an important measure that could have set stage for purposeful dialogue not reciprocated except with provocative attacks. It could have led to way out of bloodshed and destruction. But for that everyone had to be on board, he said. Another home ministry official blamed the leaders of the All Party Hurriyat Conference for playing into the hands of Pakistan with their lukewarm response. Separatist leaders, who had said last month that the Union government was giving them mixed signals, did not respond to calls. Mirwaiz Umar Farooq, the Hurriyat Conference chairman did not issue any reaction. In his Eid sermon on Saturday, the Mirwaiz had said that Kashmir was a political issue which could never be tackled through military and had told the government that engagement among three stakeholders (India, Pakistan and the separatists) is the assured way to move forward. (With inputs from Ashiq Hussain in Srinagar) When 19-year-old M Ajanya walked out of the Kozhikode Medical College Hospital with her mother, it was a near miracle as she had been infected with the dreaded Nipah virus and few expected that she would live. Assembled medical workers found it difficult to control their tears when they bid her goodbye. We treated Ajanya like our daughter. We closely followed her each movement. We never wanted another Lini (the nurse who died after attending to the affected). We wanted her to live. Our dedication and work paid off. We won the battle against a hitherto unknown monster, said head nurse PV Usha Devi, adding it was a memorable day in her career of three decades. The Nipah was an unknown virus with no medicine or history of treatment and little information about the carrier. Health experts hit a blind spot during the initial stages of the outbreak in north Kerala last month. But they fought back and contained its secondary infection and nursed back to health two Nipah-positive patients Ajanya, a nursing student and Ubeesh, a male nurse. The deadly virus claimed 17 lives in a span of 10 days. Health experts said that the way the potentially explosive epidemic was contained was laudable. In two affected districts, Kozhikode and Malappuram, when educational institutions reopened after the extended summer vacation on Tuesday, all schools devoted the first period of the academic session to Nipah. All medical colleges in the state plan to include epidemiology of this virus in the new curriculum. A team of dedicated medical staff, well-oiled health machinery, and effective monitoring by bureaucracy and political leadership helped the state to win the battle against Nipah, said district medical officer Dr V Jayasree who was at ground zero from day one. Four cases were confirmed by the National Virology Institute in Pune on May 20. We were initially at a loss. But we were determined that our helplessness should not percolate down. We mobilised resources, took precautions on a war footing, and gathered background information from wherever we got. Some of us couldnt sleep for days, she said, adding that early detection was key to the success. Once the disease was confirmed, the government machinery swung into action. All cases and suspected cases were moved to the Government Medical College Hospital at Kozhikode. An isolation protocol, on the lines of World Health Organization guidelines, was formed. Health personnel in all hospitals were given training and safety gadgets. A medical emergency was declared in no time. It was a challenge. More than 2,000 contacts were traced and followed up on a daily basis. If and when any of them fell ill, they were taken to isolation wards. Cases were treated symptomatically with life support system. Anti-viral drug Ribavirin and a monoclonal antibody were imported and tried on some patients, said state health director LP Saritha who campaigned for two weeks in affected areas. She said efficacy of these imported medicines will have to be studied in detail. The district administration immediately constituted quick response teams and gave them a free hand. Chief ministers of West Bengal, Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka and Kerala on Sunday met Prime Minister Narendra Modi today and urged him to intervene for solving the tussle between Delhi Lt Governor and the AAP government, terming it a constitutional crisis. On the sidelines of the Niti Aayog governing council meeting, West Bengals Mamata Banerjee, Andhra Pradeshs Chandrababu Naidu, Keralas Pinarayi Vijayan, and Karnatakas HD Kumaraswamy requested Modi to resolve the crisis so the federal structure of the Constitution is maintained. I along with the Honble CMs of Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka and Kerala have requested Honble PM today to resolve the problems of Delhi government immediately (sic), Banerjee tweeted after meeting with Modi. On Saturday, the four chief ministers -- after being denied a meeting with Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal -- had announced that they will raise the issue with the Prime Minister. The leaders had termed the situation unconstitutional and said the Prime Minister should make sure that the problem gets resolved. The open support to Kejriwal by the four regional heavyweights -- from the Trinamool Congress, Telugu Desam Party, Janata Dal (Secular) and Communist Party of India (Marxist) -- comes amid opposition efforts to cobble together a rainbow coalition ahead of the 2019 Lok Sabha elections. Kejriwal accompanied by his deputy Manish Sisodia and ministers Satyendar Jain and Gopal Rai have stayed put at the L-G office since Monday demanding that Baijal direct IAS officers to end what AAP described as their strike and approve doorstep ration delivery scheme. The West Bengal chief minister also supported Chandrababu Naidu on the issue of 2011 Census being adopted by 15th Finance Commission in the NITI Aayog Governing Council meeting and requested not to penalise the performing states. The Congress on Sunday defended its decision not to join other opposition parties in supporting Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal over his standoff with L-G Anil Baijal , calling the AAP leaders dharna in an air-conditioned room a drama, and alleging that his party does not stand for any ideology. At a press conference, Congress spokesperson Pawan Khera said it is not his party but Kejriwal who is feeling isolated and seeking support from everywhere as he is losing his credibility and vote base rapidly. He also played down the support extended to Kejriwal by four chief ministers, including heads of three regional parties, saying they would not fight the polls in Delhi and it is the AAP leader who will face the people. The voters will opt for Congress and not the AAP, he claimed. Why should the Congress feel isolated? It is Kejriwal who is feeling isolated and seeking support from everywhere, he said. The Congress has been criticised in some quarters for keeping away from support extended by several opposition parties. Also read: Highlights: AAP protesters disperse after being stopped by Delhi police at Parliament Street Calling Kejriwals ongoing dharna at the LGs office stupid, Khera said it was a drama and took a jibe at him, saying he does not need any more exposure as he has been exposed enough. The four chief ministers should have been allowed to meet Kejriwal, he said, but added that the Raj Niwas should not be made a playground for politics for anyone. Khera alleged that the AAP is a party without any ideology. This is the first party in country which has no ideology, he said. Referring to Punjab AAP leader Sukhpal Singh Khairas alleged pro-Khalistan remarks, he questioned if people want the Congress to join hands with a party like this. This would never happen, he said. While Kejriwal has apologised to BJP leaders in their defamation cases against him, he has not done to Congress leaders, Khera said. If the Delhi CM had the peoples interests on his mind, then he would have apologised gracefully to the citys chief secretary Anshu Prakash who was bashed by his MLAs, he said. In a case of gruesome brutality, a man in West Bengals South 24 Parganas district allegedly drugged his neighbour, hacked him to death and then dragged the body and handed it over to his father on Saturday. The accused, Ubaid Ullah Mollah alias Kallu, had called the victim Ramzan Mullick (29) to his house in Bishnupur, a suburban locality near Kolkata, to discuss ways to settle disputes between the two families, according to police. Mollah then offered Mullick suspected narcotics, which the latter consumed. After that, he hacked Mullick with a sharp weapon and dragged his body till the gate of his residence and handed it over to the victims father, a police officer, who did not wish to be named, said. Locals caught and thrashed Mollah and handed him over to police. Angry neighbours also set fire to Mollahs house. Koteswara Rao, police superintendent, Diamond Harbour, said Mollah has been arrested. A case has been registered against him and investigation was on. Mullick worked as an embroiderer, creating designs on garments. He is survived by his father, wife and two children. The officer wishing anonymity said according to neighbours, Mollah was notorious in the locality for his short temper and tendency to pick up unnecessary feuds with people in the locality. They told us that previously too Mollahs name had been associated with a murder, he said. The month-long halt on counter-insurgency operations in Jammu and Kashmir (J&K) for the month of Ramzan will end after Eid, which was celebrated on Saturday. The government is discussing whether to extend the halt or to resume operations, given the recent spike in violence including Thursdays killing of senior journalist Shujaat Bukhari in Srinagar. HT looks back at 2000-2001, the only other time when security operations were put on hold in the state, in a decision taken by the government of then prime minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee. Context The Vajpayee government, in consultation with the J&K government then led by Farooq Abdullah, announced a unilateral halt to operations against militants on November 28, 2000. The ceasefire was extended on December 28 and then on January 27 and February 27. It ended on May 30 after remaining in force for 185 days. It was called NICO, or non-initiation of combat operations. NICO was tagged along with the announcement of the start of a political dialogue with all sections of peace leaving people of the state including those who were outside J&K. The government appointed KC Pant, who was then deputy chairman of the planning commission, as its representative in the dialogue. NICO was enforced after a July 2000 ceasefire announcement by Abdul Majeed Dar, the commander of the Hizbul Mujahideen, in the Kashmir valley. In the first week of August, Hizb members had a well-publicised meeting with then Union home secretary Kamal Pandey in Srinagar. But within at few days, Hizbs top leader Syed Salahuddin called off the overture, saying Pakistan too should be part of the dialogue. What happened In the first month of the ceasefire, 96 attacks on security forces claimed the lives of 45 security personnel. Ninety-six civilians and 61 terrorists too were killed in the period. During the entire duration of 185 days, 781 attacks on security forces took place, resulting in the killing of 258 personnel.In the same period, 535 civilians and 630 terrorists too were killed. Fidayeen or suicide attacks on the airport as well as the Badami Bagh cantonment in Srinagar took place in the period. Militancy in the Valley was largely driven by terrorists sent by Pakistan. some of whom were battle-hardened fighters of the Afghan war. The Dar overture also didnt last long. Within a year of announcing the ceasefire, Dar was expelled by the Hizbul Mujahideen as he held on to his stand that the Kashmir issue should be resolved peacefully. He was assassinated in 2003. The political dialogue initiated by KC Pant didnt make much headway. The first meeting between separatist leadership and then deputy prime minister LK Advani could take place only in January 2004 and three months later, the government was voted out of power Significance The 2000 experiment and its extensions and outcome will have a significant bearing on any decision that the government will announce on Sunday whether it extends the halt on operations in Jammu and Kashmir or decides to resume them. The fate of future negotiations between the centres current Kashmir interlocutor Dineshwar Sharma and the separatist leadership too depends on the governments announcement. Preliminary data shows that around five dozen violent incidents took place in the Valley during the halt on operations which started in May; a majority of these were grenade attacks. There also have been calls to extend the ceasefire till the Amarnath Yatra which kicks off on July 28. The number of serious terror attacks was limited to half-a-dozen and recruitment in militant ranks came down to 13 from an average one a day in the preceding two months. The Opposition on Sunday termed as policy failure the governments decision to resume operations in Kashmir after a months break, saying the Centre had on plan in place to resolve the 30-year-old insurgency. The BJP-PDP ruling combine blamed unending violence for the Centres decision to restart operations in the Valley, saying the militants had failed to reciprocate the peace overture. Former Jammu and Kashmir chief minister Omar Abdullah termed the decision as failure of everyone who wanted peace. The ceasefire or NICO was the Centres initiative & yet these people are celebrating its failure as if it had been announced by our enemies. Its failure is the failure of everyone who wanted to give peace a chance, Abdullah tweeted. The National Conference leaders tweet came soon after Union home minister Rajnath Singh announced withdrawal of Non Initiation of Counter-Insurgency (Nico), directing security forces to take all necessary action to prevent militants from launching attacks. The Centre had on May 16 unilaterally called a truce during the Islamic holy month of Ramzan. Forty-one people were killed, a record 20 grenade attacks launched and 50 militant strikes were reported in the Valley during the truce month, a big surge in violence. The Centre would be responsible for civilians deaths following the resumption of military operations, Jammu and Kashmir Congress president Ghulam Ahmad Mir said. The government of India has no road map or concrete policy about Kashmir. It is not even clear whether the Centre had taken its coalition partner PDP on board over withdrawal of the ceasefire, Mir said. Kashmir was a sensitive issue and needed a consensus from all parties, he said. The Centre took the decision without doing any groundwork and the move didnt find any takers, he said. The Centre also appointed an interlocutor, instead of politics or resolution of important issues, the interlocutor talks about potable water and transformers, the Congress leader said. In New Delhi, his party colleague Pawan Khera said Kashmir was the Modi governments biggest failures and asked the Centre to make public the security measures taken for the Amarnath Yatra that begins June 28. The decision to restart operations was sad, Jammu and Kashmirs road and building minister Naeem Akthar said. It could have led to way out of bloodshed and destruction. But for that, everyone had to be on board, the senior Peoples Democratic Party leader said, adding his party would continue to strive for peace with dignity. It was an important measure that could have set stage for purposeful dialogue but was not reciprocated except with provocative attacks. J&K deputy chief minister and senior BJP leader Kavinder Gupta said the ceasefire was announced keeping in view the holy month of Ramzan. Unfortunately the response from the other side i.e. militant groups, Pakistan and Hurriyat was never positive and there was a surge in violence, hence it was suspended, Gupta said. While the ceasefire on borders was meant for Pakistan and suspension of operations in the Valley was for militants, it was not reciprocated by either side, he said. The separatist leadership was tight-lipped. Mirwaiz Umar Farooq, who is a fairly active on Twitter, didnt react to the decision. But on Saturday in his Eid sermon, the head priest of the Valley said Kashmir was a political issue that couldnt be resolved militarily. Peace cannot be created in a vacuum. Kashmir is a political dispute not a law and order issue, said Farooq, who leads the moderate faction of the Hurriyat Conference. The government, he said, should revisit Vajpayees policy of engagement among three stakeholders, which is the assured way to move forward. He was referring to former prime minister Atal Bihar Vajpayees Kashmir doctrine that includes talks with Pakistan. The fourth meeting of the governing council of Niti Aayog, chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, began on Saturday at the Rashtrapati Bhavan. An official statement said that PM Modi assured flood-affected states that Centre would provide all assistance to them to help deal with the situation. The Prime Minister also asserted that the NITI Aayog governing council is a platform that can bring about historic change. Progress of flagship schemes such as Ayushman Bharat, National Nutrition Mission and Mission Indradhanush; development of districts; farmers income and celebration of the 150th birth anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi are issues that were likely to be discussed in the meeting, according to an official statement issued on Saturday. The development agenda for New India 2022 was also expected to be approved. The council, the apex body of Niti Aayog, includes all the chief ministers, lieutenant governors of union territories, several union ministers and senior government officials. Home minister Rajnath Singh, Karnataka chief mininister HD Kumaraswamy, Punjab CM Captain Amarinder Singh and Madhya CM Pradesh Shivraj Singh Chouhan arrived for the NITI Aayog governing council meeting earlier on Saturday, news agency ANI reported. Andhra Pradesh chief minister N Chandrababu Naidu raised a host of the state issues, including the centres refusal to grant special category status to it, during the NITI Aayog meeting. Over the last four days, the chief minister held extensive discussions with the state ministers, top bureaucrats and MPs on the issues to be raised during the 4th Governing Council meeting of the NITI Aayog. A highly venomous snake was discovered in the VIP lounge of the airport in Puducherry causing flutter among staff members and officials. Top officials including Airport Authority of India chairman Guruprasad Mohapatra in the middle of a meeting on Saturday spotted the 6-feet long reptile moving beneath a couch and immediately rushed out of the lounge, police said. A woman staff present at the spot tried to drive out the snake using a mop. Later, a police constable managed to catch the snake that had wandered in from a nearby thicket and handed it over to forest department personnel. The reptile was identified as Viper, a species considered to be very poisonous. The constable, D Thiagou, attached to the India Reserve Battalion (IRBn) of Puducherry was presented a cash award and commendation certificate for his act of bravery. The woman worker would also be honoured for her courageous act on Monday, airport sources said. A 48-year-old professor of a government polytechnic college in Madhya Pradeshs Harda district was arrested for allegedly raping a minor student, police said on Saturday. Ganesh Dave, a government polytechnic college professor in Harda was arrested on Friday after a 17-year-old student filed a complaint of rape, said Harda additional superintendent of police (ASP) Hemlata Kureel. The official said that Dave had been charged under section 376 (rape) of the Indian Penal Code as well as under relevant sections of the Protection Of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act. The ASP said the professor allegedly lured the girl, a student of Class XI, on the pretext of imparting lessons and financing her higher education. The victim approached police after the professor began frequently demanding sexual favours, Kureel informed. Police said that investigations into how the girl and the professor, who also runs a dance class, came in contact were underway. Nearly 65,000 cyber warriors of the BJP are all set to take on Rajiv Ke Sipahi of the Congress in cyber space to woo young voters on social media platforms in the upcoming Madhya Pradesh assembly polls. The BJPs state information technology (IT) cell in-charge, Shivraj Singh Dabi, said about 65,000 cyber warriors have been deployed by the party in the last three months and 5,000 more will be deputed shortly. The state Congress has set up a team of around 4,000 Rajiv Ke Sipahi (named after their leader and former prime minister Rajiv Gandhi credited with the digital revolution in India) to battle it out against the BJP on social media. The Congress will train 5,000 more people for the task, the state partys IT cell in-charge, Dharmendra Bajpai, said. We are going to hold training sessions in the states revenue divisions from June 25, he said. Both the leaders said they were going to reach out to people on popular social media platforms like Facebook, Twitter. They would specially focus on WhatsApp, owing to its wide reach. During elections, our biggest weapon is going to be WhatsApp, Bajpai said. On the BJPs strategy, Dabi said, We are going to be doubly active on WhatsApp as its the biggest communication tool, specially to reach out to commoners and villagers. He said the party used social media to counter the Congress 10-day Gaon bandh during the farmers agitation in MP from June 1 to June 10. The BJPs IT cell highlighted the central and state governments welfare schemes for farmers during the agitation, Dabi said. He claimed that the party thwarted the Congress bid to capitalise on the farmers agitation. In contrast, Bajpai said their Rahul with farmers hash-tag on Twitter was a huge success. It was trending for 23 hours on Twitter when Congress chief Rahul Gandhi visited MP Mandsaur district and addressed a farmers rally on June 6, he said. The hash-tag recorded participation of more than 1.25 lakh people on the widely used social networking site, Bajpai claimed. Both the parties said through the use of social media, they would try to dispel misunderstandings and false propaganda of their rivals in the run-up to the state polls. A BJP leader said party president Amit Shah, during his visit to Jabalpur in MP on June 12, held a meeting with cyber warriors and discussed with them on how to take on the Congress in the social media space. Four people allegedly abducted and gang-raped two sadhvis in Chhattisgarhs Bilaspur district. The incident took place on March 2 this year but a case was lodged on Friday. Bilaspur SP Bilaspur Arif Sheikh said the sadhvis complaint filed at Pendra police station has named Dilipchand Patel, Kalpnath Choudhary, Girjashankar Choudhary and Shyamchand Choudhary. As per the complaint, on March 2, the two sadhvis, aged 24 years, got down at Champa railway station from the South Bihar Express. Dilipchand Patel, who knew them, offered to drop the two women in his car to their ashram in Amoda Hasaud village in Janjgir-Champa district. Patel turned the vehicle towards Korba district claiming that he had to attend a birthday celebration. At Barapali, three more people got into the car and Patel threatened the two women with a gun when they protested. The two women were then taken to an isolated place near Sonnadi in Pendra where the four men raped them. Police are also investigating a link in Basti district of Uttar Pradesh. We have called the two victims for more information today (Sunday), the SP said. The BJP has stepped up efforts to reach out to the electorate through social media platforms ahead of the 2019 Lok Sabha elections and on Sunday conducted a workshop for its members and supporters to help disseminate the partys message. Defence minister Nirmala Sitharaman and minister of state for external affairs MJ Akbar were part of the initiative attended by a group of social media users, many of whom are not part of the BJP but are seen to be sympathetic to its ideology. Conducted by India Foundation, a BJP-inspired think tank, the Social Media Leaders Meet was aimed at garnering support for the party as it prepares to take on a possible larger coalition to retain power in 2019. The workshop was held at the Nehru Memorial Museum and Library. Both ministers, also on board of governors of India Foundation, were not available for comment, but people familiar with the development said the workshop was to help BJP supporters and those inclined towards the party to communicate the partys message to a larger audience. Some of the attendees are professionals with large followings on social media and are seen as critical voices that can help set an agenda. They were told how they can counter false narrative against the government and help propagate the partys message, a person privy to the workshop said. Ahead of his India visit, Seychelles President Danny Faure has said a joint project with New Delhi to develop a naval base at Assumption Island in his country would not move forward. There has been growing political opposition in Seychelles to a pact it signed with India in 2015 to develop a naval facility at the island which would have given India a strategic advantage in the Indian Ocean Region. Government sources said Faure would arrive here on June 26 on a bilateral visit during which a range of issues to strengthen two-way cooperation would be discussed. At a press conference on June 4, Faure had said Seychelles would develop military facilities at the island on its own and that the project with India will not move forward. According to the Seychelles News Agency, he said, In next years budget, we will put funds for us to build a coastguard facility on the Assumption ourselves. It is important for us to ensure that we have a military post in this area. He had also said the issue would not be discussed with the Indian leadership during his visit to New Delhi. The ministry of external affairs has not commented on the issue. India was keen on developing the Assumption Island as a naval base to expand its footprint in the strategically key region where China has been trying to enhance its military presence. The pact on the Assumption Island between India and Seychelles was first signed in 2015 during Prime Minister Narendra Modis visit to that country. An updated version of the original pact was finalised by the two sides earlier this year. However, opposition leaders in Seychelles came out openly against the pact after the original document as well as the revised version of it surfaced online in March. After the furore, the Seychelles president said he would not approach the countrys parliament to ratify the agreement with India. Seychelles had ordered an inquiry into the leak of highly classified agreement. Modi and Faure had a bilateral meeting in April on the sidelines of the multilateral Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM) in London. A leopard attacked and injured two persons in a village in Jamwaramgarh area near Jaipur on Sunday morning. The injured were taken to a clinic and discharged after treatment, forest officials said. According to reports, a leopard got stuck in a boundary wire around a field in Dipola village. Villagers gathered at the spot and informed the forest department officials about the animal. The forest department officials were in the midst of discussion over tranquilising the leopard, when it suddenly broke free and attacked two people before running away towards the hills into the forest. Everything happened so suddenly that there was no time to react, said an eyewitness. Senior forest officials said that the leopard could have come from the nearby forest in search of water. Animals come to the villages in search of water during summer, they added. The injured were identified as a forest department employee, Shiv Kumar, and a villager, Hanuman Paridwal. Kumar received injuries in his forehead and Paridwal hurt his hands. Both were discharged after treatment at a local clinic. There has been an increase in the incidents of man-animal conflict in Rajasthan. In April this year, a leopard had mauled a woman defecating in the open at Kanoj village under Salumber tehsil of Udaipur district. She received injuries on her head and neck and was discharged after treatment. In another incident in April, a hungry leopard attacked a villager at Bhabhru gram panchayat in Shahpura area of Jaipur. In order to save the victim, the two-year-old leopard was beaten to death by villagers. Post mortem report revealed that the leopards stomach was empty. In January, two villagers were mauled by a leopard at Peelu village under Chauhtan tehsil of Barmer district. According to the Wildlife Census 2016, there are total 41 leopards in Jaipur Nahargarh (7), Nahargarh Biological Park (4), Deputy Conservator of Forest (DCF), Jaipur (21) and DCF, Jaipur North (9). Rajasthan has 508 leopards. Kumbalgarh (95), Mount Abu (46), Sita Mata (40), Todgarh Raoli (35) and Panther Conservation Reserve, Sumerpur (28) have the maximum number of leopards. Rajasthan is the first state in the country that has launched a project to conserve leopards by improving their prey base, mitigating conflicts with humans and controlling poaching. The project was launched in March 2017. Leopard is an endangered animal under Schedule 1 of the Wildlife Protection Act, 1972. Chief minister Vasundhara Raje has urged the centre to give special financial aid to Rajasthan in the wake of acute water crisis. Raje has also demanded that the proposed Eastern Rajasthan Canal Project (ERCP), which will benefit 13 districts of Rajasthan, should be designated as a national project. Raje was addressing the Niti Aayog meeting held in New Delhi, an official release stated. She said that ERCP report has already received in-principal approval from the centre and its acceptance as national project will speed up the venture. Raje also said that a major portion of the countrys population consuming fluoride contaminated water was in Rajasthan and the centre should contribute 50% funds for the projects underway to improve the groundwater quality in the state. Raje also pitched for increasing the land limit for receiving agriculture input subsidy from two hectares to five hectares. She said that 8-10 districts of the states are affected by drought and the decision on input subsidy is taken based on the number of farmers. However, the actual number of farmers is more than the numbers on basis of which the input subsidy is calculated. Raje also suggested that a nationwide environment conservation campaign should be launched in the memory of Mahatma Gandhi. She also urged the centre to give help for establishing more agriculture mandis in the state. The chief minister also appreciated the fact that Niti Ayog had made a special mention of Mukhya Mantri Jal Swalambhan Abhiyan (MJSA) and appreciated the steps taken by Rajasthan in the field of water conservation in its report. By restoring 80 per cent of the irrigation potential of identified water bodies, largely through community-managed ponds and tanks, Rajasthan has improved its ranking in the federal think tank NITI Aayogs composite water management index (CWMI). Released on June 14, the report highlights how India is suffering from the worst ever water crisis with nearly half of countrys population facing high to extreme water stress and about two lakh people dying every year due to inadequate access to safe water. In that backdrop, Rajasthan has done some good work in restoration of surface water bodies and rural water supply provision in 2016-17, improving its ranking by three places. The feat was achieved because of transformational state water policies such as Rajasthans Mukhya Mantri Jal Swavlambhan Abhiyan (MJSA) and effective irrigation management integrated irrigation solutions. CWMI comprises nine areas of assessment with 28 different indicators covering various aspects of groundwater, restoration of water bodies, irrigation, farm practices, drinking water, policy and governance. Of the 17 non-Himalayan states, Rajasthan in base year (financial year 2015-16) was ranked 13th, in 2016-17 it reached the 10th position. MJSA is a multi-stakeholder project, which aims to make the remotest of the villages in the state water-sufficient, by focusing on reviving water bodies, increasing groundwater levels, and providing clean drinking water. Under Rajasthans integrated irrigation solutions, the state government has implemented a comprehensive package of solutions in Sanchore along the Narmada River and as a part of this micro-irrigation technology has been made mandatory for farmers. The report states that about 60% (15 out of 24) of the states included in the index have improved their scores in 2016-17. The improvement is because of work done in restoration of surface water bodies, watershed development activities, and rural water supply provision. Rajasthan (among the non-Himalayan states) and Meghalaya, Tripura, and Sikkim (among the North-Eastern and Himalayan states) have improved the most. Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan have benefited the most from community galvanization, led by local officers and NGOs, for the restoration of traditional water bodies such as farm ponds and tanks. In terms of absolute achievement, Rajasthan improved the most between the years, managing to geo-tag a staggering 55,000 assets in a single year. In terms of incremental change in the index (over 2015-16 level), Rajasthan holds number one position in general states, reads the report. The state has improved scores across the indicator themes, including the provision of a greater role to Water User Associations (WUAs) in irrigation, and the restoration of surface water bodies. Building on this momentum, Rajasthan has received a $100 million loan from the New Development Bank (NDB) in 2018 to improve the Indira Gandhi Canal system. Rajasthan has also improved scores across the indicator themes of participatory irrigation and source restoration. In waste water treatment - in line with installed capacity, treatment percentages vary from 25-95% for the larger states. Haryana is the leader and treats 95% of its waste water. Rajasthan, in the second position and treats 71% of its urban waste water, up from 42% in the base year (FY 15-16). Commenting on the report, chairman, Rajasthan River Basin and Water Resources Planning Authority, Sriram Vedire said, in next two-three years, Rajasthan will become number one not just in incremental growth but otherwise also. Under MJSY our focus is on reviving water bodies, increasing ground water and providing clean drinking water. This scheme is driving force in improving our stand by nine points, highest in the country under instrumental change, he said. Vedire said the Niti Aayog has mentioned how state used technology such as drone and geo-tagging in identifying water bodies. The Niti Aayog report, however, also pointed out how only 44 per cent of Rajasthans rural habitations are fully covered by drinking water supply. The report said there has been no improvement in water quality, in terms of contamination by arsenic and fluoride, in 2016-17 compared to the previous financial year. Despite the challenges in the water-scarce state, the state government is working on various public welfare water projects. We will be spending close to Rs 20,000 crore on projects to make surface water available to the people in rural and urban areas, PTI quoted state public health engineering and groundwater minister Surendra Goyal as saying. The minister said 90 per cent of the countrys brackish water and 50 per cent of its fluoridated water is found in Rajasthan, so providing safe water was a time-consuming challenge. BOX Things Going Well: Surface water restoration: the state has restored 80% of the irrigation potential of identified water bodies, largely through community-managed ponds and tanks Participatory irrigation: 75% of irrigated area is maintained by WUAs, which retain 95% of fees Policy and data: the state has enacted conservation legislation, charges 73% of urban households for water, and has setup an integrated data center. Things to improve: Irrigation utilization and O&M: the state has assessed only 14% of its 107MMI projects for utilization gaps and has the lowest O&M expenditure in India Rural drinking water: at 44% access rate of rural habitations are one of the lowest in the country, and there has been no improvement in water quality Dr Kafeel Khan, the suspended paediatrician of BRD Medical College in Gorakhpur, alleged the role of a Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) MP in the June 10 attack on his brother and demanded a CBI inquiry into the incident. Kafeels brother Kashif Jameel, 34, an engineer by profession, was shot at in the Gorakhnath area. Kafeel, who has also received a letter from Congress president Rahul Gandhi condemning the attack, said, The attack needs a CBI inquiry. The manner in which police delayed the treatment of my brother in the name of medico-legal examination is enough to show that they were either under pressure or following someones directions. My brother was attacked at the behest of Bansgaon BJP MP Kamlesh Paswan and promoter Satish Nangalia following a dispute over a 50,000 sq feet land owned by my maternal uncle, Kafeel said. Refuting Khans charges Paswan said he was ready for any probe but would file a defamation case against the doctor. Charges levelled against me by Dr Kafeel, who himself is a controversial person, are totally baseless and an attempt to come into limelight by accusing a politician like me, Paswan told reporters in a hurriedly called press conference on Sunday. Ever since Congress president Rahul Gandhi extended support to him, he has started accusing us in a planned manner, the MP said. Tension prevailed in Kotwali area of Bhadohi in Uttar Pradesh when four persons were injured following clashes between two communities, police said on Sunday. Superintendent of Police Sachindra Patel said, In the violence that erupted here between two communities on Saturday, four persons sustained injuries in stone pelting. As many as 18 persons have been arrested. The SP said the problem started almost three days ago, when a few Muslim boys allegedly entered a marriage place in a Dalit locality forcibly, and started objecting to songs being played there. The boys were allegedly beaten and chased away, he said. On the day of Eid, after the Muslim boys had offered namaz, they saw the Dalit boys who had chased them away, and started beating them. At this point, stone pelting between the two communities broke out. Police reached the spot and controlled the situation. As many as 13 Muslim and five Hindu boys were arrested, the SP said. He added that a case was registered in this regard. SP Patel said police were in touch with people from both communities and additional forces were deployed in the area. The international drug syndicate recently busted by the Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI) manufactured the popular date rape drug, Ketamine, worth 25 crore every month, alleged one of the accused who claims he was appointed by the Goa factory owner to oversee the drug processing. Recently, the DRI arrested the alleged factory owner and one of the key players of the drug syndicate, Jimi Singh Sandhu, on June 14. He is the eleventh person to be arrested in the case, in which DRI raided 14 residential and industrial places in Maharashtra, Gujarat and Goa last week and seized 308kg Ketamine, 2,000kg of raw material, hashish, cocaine and opium worth nearly 35 crore. Ten people, including four foreigners, were arrested. Sandhu was living in Canada and is married to a Canadian woman. He was deported to India in 2015 following his involvement in street fights and house break-ins. DRI officials said, during their Operation Vitamine, they got to know that Sandhu was at Villa number 1, Saipem Hills, Candolim in Goa. However, when DRI officials raided this place, he allegedly managed to escape from the window into the jungle nearby. Later, he was nabbed in Panipat, Haryana. DRI claims that Sandhu owns the factory in Goa. One of the arrested accused, Sarpreet Singh, told interrogators that Sandhu hired him to look after the overall work of Ketamine manufacturing at Vijay Industries. Singh also told investigators that Sandhu taught him to process Ketamine. Singh also admitted that on an average, 20kg of Ketamine was produced every five days at the factory. This means the syndicate was manufacturing at least 100kg of Ketamine worth 25 crore (at the rate of 25 lakh a kg in UK and Canada) every month, said a DRI source. The source added that this does not include proceeds from the New Panvel-based Rasaini factory. Another accused, Nguyen Man Cuong, a Canadian national of Vietnamese origin, told investigators that Sandhu met him in Vietnam while he was trying to export sandalwood from India. Cuong claims that through him, Sandhu made some clients in Vietnam, to whom he sold Ketamine. Cuong said he came to India on Sandhus request to guide him in processing Ketamine at the Goa factory. Sandhus lawyer Praveen Nagar, however, stated that his client is being falsely implicated and has nothing to with the factory in Goa. Nagar said, My client was tortured by the DRI official and forced to sign documents. He has been sent to judicial custody. Special public prosecutor Anuradha Mane said the allegation of torture is false. Sandhu owns the factory in Goa where drug was being manufactured. He was sent to judicial custody as we did not seek his custody, said Mane. An inquiry committee set up by the Bombay high court into the Kamala Mills fire case has asked officials of three civic departments to appear before it after it has found irregularities in several approvals given to the two restaurants Mojos Bistro and 1Above. The committee has called the owners of the restaurants (for explanation) and other parties who have filed PILs in the case to submit their suggestions. It has raised doubts over no-objection certificates (NOCs) given to the restaurants by the fire brigade, health and building proposals departments between November 2016 and December 2017. The panel arrived at this conclusion based on on-record material. The committee has also asked the Briahmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) to explain whether the first NOC granted by the fire brigade to restaurant 1Above in November 2016 and a health NOC granted in December 2016 were issued before the building proposals department approved the premises to be used as a restaurant. The committee has observed that the final NOC granted to 1Above by the building proposals department in February 2017 was given hurriedly, possibly under Ease of Doing Business parameters. It also noted that the fire brigade NOC given to Mojos Bistro in April 2017 was given without verifying NOCs given in November 2016 and February 2017. It contended that Mojos Bistro may not have had a health licence. In April, the high court had set up a three-member panel, headed by retired judge AV Sawant, to probe the Kamala Mills fire that claimed the lives of 14 people on December 29 last year. The panel is expected to submit its report by August. The committee has asked the building proposals department to submit documents regarding approvals given for alterations on the third floor that housed the restaurants, and NOCs for use of open-to-air seating. It has asked BMC which official was in charge of granting NOCs to the two restaurants; if the rules were violated; and if any action was taken against the official for the violation of the NOC clause. Officials asked to attend the hearings are deputy municipal commissioner of the central purchase department, the chief fire officer, deputy municipal commissioner of the health department, the executive health officer, chief engineer of the Development Plan department, deputy chief engineer of the building proposals department, deputy municipal commissioner of Zone 2 under whose jurisdiction Kamala Mills falls, and assistant commissioner of the G-South ward. The hearings will take place between July 10 and July 12. More than a month after Amit Bhardwaj, the kingpin of the 2000-crore cryptocurrency scam, was arrested by the Pune police, a unit of the Thane crime branch has found that it was the same persons company that was running a similar racket in Kalyan for a year. A police officer from the Thane commissionerate, requesting anonymity, said they were investigating into this matter based on the complaint of a 45-year-old man, Raghuveer Kulkarni, who was approached by Gain Bitcoin Bhardwajs company last year and lured into investing a lot of money in one of their schemes. Gain Bitcoin was running at Yogidh in Kalyan too. We found that the main accused, Amit Bhardwaj, has already been arrested. We have alerted Pune police about it, the officer said. Kulkarni invested 22.5 lakh (with Gain Bitcoin). When the company shut down a few months ago, the owners and other employees switched off their mobiles, just like they did to investors in Pune, the officer said. The Thane police said there were more people apart from Kulkarni who were also cheated in Kalyan. Earlier this month, the Thane crime branch busted a similar cryptocurrency racket which had cheated more than 25,000 investors of more than 500 crore. The mastermind behind this scheme, Amit Lakhanpal, is said to be hiding in Dubai. It was in 2017 when Lakhanpal launched his own fake cryptocurrency company, distributing 120 digital coins to investors after giving them fake promises. In connection with this case, the Thane police said they arrested one suspect. We have arrested a Mumbra resident, Taha Kazi, 26-years-old, who was appointed as technical head and later made director (of Lakhanpals company), said another officer from the Thane commissionerate. Police also seized 68 bottles of foreign liquor from Lakhanpals home in Navi Mumbai, besides three high-end vehicles and 3 lakh in cash. Five days after the death of an undertrial in Ludhiana central jail, the jail officials claimed that an inmate strangulated him after they had a tiff over beedi. On June 11, Parkash Chand, 18, was found dead in barrack number 4 of the jail. According to Iqbal Singh Dhaliwal, deputy superintendent of Ludhiana central jail, Deepak Daliya, 18, confessed to have killed Chand after he refused to give him a puff of a beedi. The division number 7 police have registered a case against Daliya under Section 302 (murder) of the Indian Penal Code (IPC). Parkash Chand and Deepak Daliya were neighbours and were lodged in the jail in snatching case by division number 5 police on May 30. Iqbal Singh Dhaliwal said they had initiated investigation on their own and found that Parkash Chand had a scuffle with Deepak Daliya on June 11. Upon interrogation by the police, Deepak Daliya revealed that he had a verbal spat with Parkash Chand in barrack number 4, where they were lodged, over a beedi. Parkash Chand had a beedi and Deepak Daliya asked him for a puff. Parkash Chand allegedly slapped Deepak when he insisted. After a while, Deepak followed Parkash Chand to the washroom and pushed him. Parkashs head smashed against the wall and a tap hit him in his neck, after which he lost his consciousness. Later, Deepak strangulated him to death and went back to his barrack, said jail officials. After the postmortem report suggested strangulation as the cause of death, we initiated investigations. Another inmate Varinder Kumar told us about the spat between Parkash Chand and Deepak. When questioned, Deepak confessed to the crime, said the superintendent. After his confession, we wrote to the police to lodge a case of murder against him, he added. Prakash Chand and Deepak Daliya were drug addicts and both were shifted to drug de-addiction centre at Ludhiana Central Jail from juvenile home on June 1. ASI Nachhattar Pal, who is investigating the case, said they will bring the accused on production warrant for questioning. Accused nursed old grudge against him Shamsher Singh, superintendent of Ludhiana central jail, said Deepak Daliya told around six months ago Parkash Chand had thrashed him with a brick. He had suffered injuries on his head and needed stitches. Though he did not lodge any case against Parkash Chand, but he nursed a grudge against him. A local court on Saturday sent all five members of the notorious Lawrence Bishnoi-Sampat Nehra gang, including an ex-armyman, to judicial custody. Those arrested have been identified as Ramandeep Singh, alias Bhao, of Ferozepur; Shubnavdeep Singh, alias Shub, of Amritsar; Jaspreet Singh, alias Jassu, of Ambala; Gurwinder Singh, alias Guri and Bindri, also of Ambala, and Dinesh Kumar, who was posted as a naik with the armys signal regiment in Jaipur. The gangsters were apprehended by the Mohali police from the Radha Swami Chowk in Mohali on June 12 night. Police also recovered two .315 bore pistols with 10 live cartridges, one .32 bore pistol with six cartridges, a kirpan and a Hyundai i20 car, which had allegedly been snatched at gunpoint, from them. The accused, who are associated with the Bishnoi gang and worked in close co-ordination with Sampat Nehra, were involved in a number of carjackings, Mohali SSP Kuldeep Singh Chahal had said after their arrest. Police had claimed that the gangsters had admitted to their involvement in three crimes in the tricity in the past week, including a carjacking at Sector 21, Panchkula, on the night of June 9. Later, the accused used the car to waylay and loot a Gujarati family at gunpoint near a petrol pump in Saneta on the Landran-Banur road on the intervening night of June 11 and June 12. Mohali police to seek Nehras custody Wanted in two cases in Mohali, the local police will seek the remand of Sampat Nehra, a key member of the Lawrence Bishnoi gang. Police his remand, Nehra had revealed before the Haryana Police that he was on a mission to eliminate Salman Khan on the orders of Lawrence, who is presently lodged in Jodhpur jail, and handling all gang activities from behind bars. The Mohali police claimed that the gangsters were also involved in the murder of Banur councillor Preeti Walias husband Daljit Singh Walia. The local businessman was killed while he was out for evening walk on September 6, 2017. After the crime, the gangsters allegedly took away a car forcibly in Dera Bassi. On December 30, 2016, the gang members were also involved in a brawl outside a hotel in Zirakpur, during which they opened fire, said police. A case of attempt to murder was registered. We will be seeking custody of Sampat Nehra, named as accused in two cases registered with us. We will be able to solve many more cases, and are hopeful of getting crucial leads to arrest other wanted gangsters across the state, said Kuldeep Singh Chahal, SSP, Mohali. Can the stuffing in your sofa prove an effective tool to combat water pollution? Research conducted by a young Indian-origin scholar at the University of Toronto suggests the simple sponge has the potential to tackle such contaminants. The inspiration for this field of endeavour for Pavani Cherukupally comes from growing up in Hyderabad and experiencing the degradation of the Musi river that defines that city. Cherukupally, part of the universitys mechanical engineering department, said, I have developed a new sponge-based water technology to remediate oil field wastewater using ordinary sponges. This water has highly concentrated organic contamination. As you might be aware, Indian rivers such as the Ganga, Yamuna, and Musi also have a high concentration of organic contamination. So, we could extend this technology to remediate Indian rivers. The technology of using sponges to soak up contaminants has existed since the 1800s. Most people use them for everyday activities such as cleaning kitchen counters, then wringing the sponge clean. That is the basis of the simple but effective concept of Cherukupallys project, which uses newly developed techniques to adapt it to a larger problem. It works as a filter, as she said, The water passes through it, oil droplets are trapped inside and clean water comes out. With a background also in physical chemistry, Cherukupallys project is aimed, for now, largely at the problem of wasterwater tailings from oilsands in the province of Alberta. Even though 92% of the discharged water is treated, the remainder has added up to over a trillion litres, stored in ponds. Her concept, now undergoing refining in the laboratory, uses the polyurethane sponge charged to attract the ions of the waters pollutants that have opposing charges. The measurement techniques are new, which allows us to measure the surface charge on the materials and ensure under what conditions exactly this attachment happens and when they will have opposing charges, she said during the course of an interview. The system has a removal efficiency of 98%, and it then releases clean water. This particular concept has been developed for offshore filtration but another concept looks at vacuuming the polluted water into the sponge-based system, collecting contaminants and discharging the treated water. While a lab-scale system is being built for the process, a demonstration is planned for this autumn. She said, The system configuration to implement at the spill site is finished now. Field trials at a facility in Nova Scotia province are expected within a few months. Canadian government agencies such as the department of fisheries and Natural Resource Canada are supporting the research. Her research is being undertaken under the supervision of mechanical engineering professor Chul Park and Amy Bilton. She is creating a hybrid foam with charged and neutral surface areas under the supervision of chemistry professor Geoffrey Ozin. Cherukupally believes the technology, once fully developed, can be applied to polluted Indian rivers. Not only will it be effective but it can be used by small industries, since unlike the expensive membranes used at effluent treatment plants, the sponge-based system will be an affordable alternative. While remove pollutants makes for a healthier environment, she is also actively looking into using the system to remove water borne bacteria. As she explained, As we know, Indian rivers have many microbes in them. Therefore, this direction of the project is also very critical in extending sponge technology to polluted rivers and lakes. Now a bustling tourist hotspot, Nainital seems to have forgotten all about the British woman who took the first steps towards developing it as a tourist destination 130 years ago. Mary Jane Corbett, better known as the mother of hunter-turned environmentalist Jim Corbett, was virtually the mother of tourism activities in the hill town as she set up its first lodging facility for visitors. This piece of history, however, seems to have been buried under layers of time as the picturesque hill town gets busier each year with the crowd of tourists. Mary Jane was a woman who lived in the hills of Mussoorie and Nainital and died in Nainital. Her final resting place is also located in the lap of this town but stands neglected by locals and tourists alike despite having the potential to become a tourist attraction. Mary Jane was the first person to provide a lodging facility in the town and, in her own little way, she sowed the seeds of tourism culture, which gradually became one of the main occupations of the people here and now shapes its economy, says Reverend Sundar Lal, who presides over the Church of St John-in-the-wilderness where Mary Jane Corbetts grave stands. Despite the town harvesting a fortune out of tourism activities, the mother of tourism lies neglected and forgotten, he rues. People from various countries still come to Nainital to visit the graves of their ancestors who were buried here during the colonial era. Its unfortunate that the grave of the person who devoted her life to developing tourism remains deserted, says Reverend Sundar Lal. Ever since its discovery, Nainital had been a summer retreat to many. (Shutterstock) It also shows the apathy of those responsible for tourism development. If not for emotional reasons, this site should have been well-preserved, propagated and publicised at least for promoting tourism. The remains of this grave are a part of the history of this town. The site is also worth a visit for witnessing the peaceful environment and the natural beauty that encompasses the area, he says. Ever since its discovery, Nainital had been a summer retreat to many. Professor Anil Joshi of Kumaun Universitys History department says, The first European-style residential building set up in the town was for the benefit of Lushington, who served as the fourth Commissioner of the Kumaon region. It soon became the summer capital for the governor of the United Province (later known as Uttar Pradesh), and to this day the town is graced by the presence of the Uttarakhand governor during summer. The Britons were responsible for the settlement and development of Nainital as well as for the inception of tourism. Vijay Mohan Singh Khati, a tourism expert, says, This initiative can largely be attributed to Mary Jane, more popularly recognised as the mother of Jim Corbett, the legendary hunter-turned-environmentalist and writer of Kumaon after whom Corbett National Park was renamed. Mary Jane Corbetts grave lies in the cemetery of the Church of St John-in-the-wilderness. (Shutterstock) Amid the hot and sultry weather of India, the discovery of Nainital was like a boon to the Britons. Homesick for their motherlands cool temperatures, they found solace in Nainitals weather, says Anup Sah, a noted photographer. As the towns population began to grow, its economy, too, began taking shape. In 1862, Christopher William, father of Jim Corbett, who was also a veteran of the First Afghan wars, the Sikh wars of 1840s and the mutiny, was recruited as postmaster at Nainital. Christopher and Mary Jane had three children each from their first marriages and 9 from the marriage to one another. Supporting such a big family on the meagre income of a postmaster being difficult, Mary Jane rented out half the house as a lodging facility for visitors to add to the family income. This was the first time a lodging facility was offered to the visitors in Nainital. Snippets from Jim Corbetts books reveal that when the Corbetts moved to Nainital, they built a double storey house along with a cottage in the area opposite the China hill. Here, Mary Jane managed her family of 15 children while also running a lodging house for visitors. With the active participation and management of Eugene Mary Doyle, Mary Janes first daughter, she was able to provide the family with much-needed financial support. However, after a landslide in 1880 and her husbands death in 1881, Mary Jane sold the house. She then moved to the region of Ayarpata and constructed well-known building of the town, Gurney house. The house was constructed out of the material of the dismantled cottage of the old home, thus gaining its name Gurney, meaning a wheeled cot of stretcher, referring to the house built through the remains of the cottage wheeled over to the new location. While Christopher William passed away on April 21, 1881, Mary Jane passed away on May 16, 1924. They were both laid to rest in the cemetery of the Church of St John-in-the-wilderness, said Prof Joshi. Follow @htlifeandstyle for more Tourists sit out under the stars, watching the history of Portugal projected over their heads onto the walls and arches of a ruined Lisbon church. The multimedia show Lisbon Under Stars has been drawing up to 500 visitors a night to the capitals landmark Carmo Church, say organisers. The show moves in chapters through Portugals story, including the 1755 earthquake which destroyed much of the building and the old city around it. There is magic in the place ... it tells a gripping story, said project manager Edoardo Canessa. Other scenes move from the 1385 battle which secured Portugals independence from Spain, to explorer Vasco da Gamas discovery of the sea route to India in 1498 and the 1974 Carnation Revolution that ended decades of dictatorship. Very beautiful, very beautiful, a group of Italian tourists told the ushers at the end of the show. Follow @htlifeandstyle for more The first weekend episode of Bigg Boss 2 Telugu started off with host Nani thanking audience for accepting the all new Bigg Boss house, contestants and him as the host. He tells audiences what happened on Friday in the Bigg Boss house and we saw how Tejaswi justifies the decision of giving captaincy to Samrat over Banu, who technically performed better. She puts forth her point to fellow contestant Nutan. We also had Samrat discussing his decisions with Tanish, which reflects his inability to make decisions as a captain on his own. We also saw Kaushal discussing how he either wants himself, Sanjana Deepthi or Shyamala to be among the finalists. Nani then welcomed the contestants on board for the weekend show - the beginning of the first elimination. The nominated contestants are Sanjana, Kaushal, Deepthi Sunaina, Nuthan Naidu, Ganesh and Kireeti. Nani spoke with Sanjana in the house about the week that has passed. She was jailed on day 1 and then went on to have arguments with Tejaswi. Nani addressed the misunderstanding and Sanjana explained that Tejaswi and she are too much alike to get along and both of them have ego. To this, Tejaswi defended herself and explained that she doesnt like how Sanjana treats any given situation. Nani then tells Sanjana that audiences dont think that the two of them are similar, and neither does he agree with her opinion about being on the same level as Tejaswi when it comes to winning. Nani also addressed the youngest contestant on the show - 20-year-old Deepthi Sunaina who is an online sensation. He congratulated her on having a great first week and also called out cyber bullying. The actor asked, She is a 20-year-old who has worked hard to earn her place in this house and among people today. What have you done except for the negativity that you spread? Nani interacts with one of the contestants of Bigg Boss 2 Telugu. (Screen grab) Jokes, memes and trolls are fine when they are in the vein of humour. Not otherwise, he stressed. Nani also spoke about the famed kiss that social activist Babu Gogineni planted on rapper Roll Rida. The episode took a hilarious twist as Babu confessed that he never thought that he would be kissing a rapper, especially on national television. Nani also mentioned that Roll Rida is the most entertaining contestant in the house, who needs to pitch in a bit more when it comes to work. Tejaswi Madivada makes a point during Bigg Boss 2 Telugus Saturday episode. (Screen Grab) He then spoke to Bhanu who was technically the best performer at the captaincy task and yet was not given the captaincy because of contestants who decided to give the captaincy to Samrat even before the task took place. Nani appreciated her for the effort that put in. He finally spoke to the first captain of the Bigg Boss Telugu season 2 house, Samrat. Nani asked Samrat what he thought about contestants decision and asked if he was ready for the post, to which Samrat responded in the positive. It was then that Nani called out Samrat for being a weak leader who has an assistant to consult with about every single decision he takes, which has audience doubting his abilities. Actor Kireeti is one of many contestants of Bigg Boss 2 Telugu this year. (Screen Grab) The elimination episode set to air on Sunday, June 17 will see one of the nominated contestants leave the Bigg Boss show. Nani has already announced that Deepthi Sunaina has been protected because of the huge fan following that she has garnered with her performance on the show. Kaushal is also protected from the elimination round, leaving the rest of the nominees worried about the future in the house. Follow @htshowbiz for more Suspected Boko Haram jihadists killed at least 31 people in a twin suicide bomb attack in a town in northeast Nigeria, a local official and militia leader said on Sunday. Two blasts ripped through the town of Damboa in Borno state on Saturday evening targeting people returning from celebrating the Eid al-Fitr holiday, in an attack bearing all the hallmarks of Boko Haram. Following the suicide bombings, the jihadists fired rocket-propelled grenades into the crowds that had gathered at the scene of the attacks, driving the number of casualties higher. There were two suicide attacks and rocket-propelled grenade explosions in Damboa last night which killed 31 people and left several others injured, militia leader Babakura Kolo told AFP. Two suicide bombers detonated their explosives in Shuwari and nearby Abachari neighbourhoods in the town around 10:45 pm (2145GMT), killing six residents, said Kolo, speaking from the state capital Maiduguri, which is 88 kilometres from the town. No one needs to be told this is the work of Boko Haram, Kolo said. A local government official, who spoke on the condition of anonymity, confirmed the death toll. The latest death toll is now 31 but it may increase because many among the injured may not survive, he said. Most casualties were from the rocket projectiles fired from outside the town minutes after two suicide bomber attacked, he said. The jihadist group has deployed suicide bombers, many of them young girls, in mosques, markets and camps housing people displaced by the nine-year insurgency which has devastated Nigerias northeast. On May 1, at least 86 people were killed in twin suicide blasts targeting a mosque and a nearby market in the town of Mubi in neighbouring Adamawa state. Nigerian President Muhammadu Buhari came into power in 2015 vowing to stamp out Boko Haram but the jihadists continue to stage frequent attacks, targeting both civilians and security forces. The militants stormed the Government Girls Technical College in Dapchi on February 19, seizing over 100 schoolgirls in a carbon copy of the abduction in Chibok in 2014 that caused global outrage. The first Italian government ship accompanying the migrant aid boat Aquarius has docked at the Spanish port of Valencia. The Italian coast guard vessel Dattilo arrived just before 7am on Sunday. It will be followed by the Aquarius and another Italian navy ship, the Orione. The Aquarius and the two Italian boats are carrying the 630 migrants rescued by the Aquarius while attempting the perilous crossing of the Mediterranean Sea last week. The Aquarius, a boat operated by the aid groups SOS Mediterranee Sea and Doctors Without Borders, was stuck off the coast of Sicily last Saturday when Italy refused permission to dock and demanded Malta do so. People hold a banner reading 'We don't want refugees' during a demonstration called by the far-right political party Espana 2000 (E-2000) against the arrival of the Aquarius rescue ship in Valencia. (AFP Photo) Malta refused and Spain stepped in and offered to grant them entry some 1,500 kilometers (930 miles) away. Britains move to not extend to India a pilot to provide easier, cheaper and longer visas, and to not include Indians in the revised list of countries for easier student visas is likely to harden postures in New Delhi. Prime Minister Narendra Modi did not sign the memorandum of understanding on the return of illegal Indians in the UK during his visit in April in a last-minute decision linked to London refusing to provide Indians relaxed visa norms already available to the Chinese. Fridays changes including China and not India in the list of non-EU students who will be allowed to provide reduced level of documentation for student visas has added to ennui that was partly responsible for Modi not signing the MoU. Keeping India out of the revised list of countries for student visas sparked criticism from various Indian quarters in London, including from Karan Bilimoria, a member of the House of Lords, who has been campaigning for easier norms for Indian students. Calling it insulting, Bilimoria said: To think that this is announced whilst this is the same Britain that is talking about doing a post-Brexit free trade deal with India, and this is the way they treat India. An FTA with India with this approach is pie-in-the-sky. This latest insult to India is on top of reduction made a couple of years ago for Chinese business visitors and tourists, who acquire two-year multiple entry visas at a reduced price of 85; for Indians, the price is still 388. Brexit-bound Britains eagerness to forge an FTA with India faces the wall of India seeking easier visa norms, described as Mode 4 in trade talks, referring to the free movement of people. It was Britains objection to the Mode 4 part of the EU-India trade talks that had stalled it for years. Sources in Brussels expect speedier movement in the talks after Britain leaves the EU. Fridays non-inclusion of India in the list of countries for streamlined student visa process is part of the visa-related mosaic that has emerged on the top of the bilateral relationship, with London seeking return of illegal Indians and New Delhi pushing for easier visa norms. The draft of the MoU on illegal migration was initialled during the January visit of minister of state for home Kiren Rijiju, but uncertainty in New Delhi on the duration in which the identity of suspected illegal Indians would need to be confirmed 15 days or 70 days was another reason it was not signed during Modis visit. There is already uneasiness over the anomaly of New Delhi making it considerably easier and cheaper for British nationals seeking visas to India, while the measures are not reciprocated by London for Indians nationals seeking UK visas. Harvard College has consistently accorded Asian-American applicants the lowest rating among racial groups on a key admission criterion of personality, a lawsuit has claimed. The suit, filed on Friday, accused the iconic institution of discriminating against immigrants from Asia, including those from India. Despite their superiority in the measurables for academic and extracurricular achievement, Asian-American applicants have the lowest score of the four major racial groups on Harvards personal rating the most subjective of all the ratings, said the lawsuit filed by the non-profit Students for Fair Admissions in a court in Boston, Massachusetts. Personality traits rated were likability, kindness, courage and being widely respected, according to The New York Times. The plea went on to state: Incontrovertible evidence shows that Harvards admissions policy has a disproportionately negative effect on Asian-Americans vis-a-vis similarly situated white applicants that cannot be explained on non-discriminatory grounds. The suit did not give an ethnic breakdown of the umbrella term Asian Americans, but Edward Blum, founder of the organisation, told Hindustan Times, The Asian classification includes students from the Indian subcontinent. Harvard defines Asian-Americans as people of Chinese, Japanese, Korean, Vietnamese, Cambodian, Hmong or Indian descent. The lawsuit says there is undisputed evidence based on analysis of six years of admissions data and records of nearly 200,000 applicants that Harvard is doing racial balancing. It claims Harvard suppressed a 2013 internal investigation that had found discrimination against Asian Americans in admissions. Todays court filing exposes the startling magnitude of Harvards discrimination against Asian-American applicants, Blum, a former investment broker who has for decades challenged how institutions and governments incorporate race into their decision-making processes wrote on the organizations website. Harvard said in a counter motion filed in the court: The analysis in those documents was not designed to evaluate whether Harvard was intentionally discriminating and reached no such conclusion. It added, in a statement, Thorough and comprehensive analysis of the data and evidence makes clear that Harvard College does not discriminate against applicants from any group, including Asian-Americans, whose rate of admission has grown 29 percent over the last decade. A suicide bomber struck in Afghanistans eastern city of Jalalabad on Sunday, killing at least 14 people in the second attack in as many days targeting Taliban fighters, security forces and civilians celebrating a holiday ceasefire. Attahullah Khogyani, spokesman for the governor of Nangarhar province, said another 45 people were wounded in the attack, which struck a crowd of people as they left the governors compound. Saturdays attack, which also took place in Jalalabad, killed at least 36 people and wounded 65, according to Najibullah Kamawal, director of the provincial health department No one has claimed the attacks, but they appear to be the work of the Islamic State group, which is not included in the ceasefire and has clashed with the Taliban in the past. The local ISIS affiliate has a strong presence in the province. The bomber on Saturday targeted a gathering of Taliban fighters who were celebrating a three-day truce coinciding with the Eid al-Fitr holiday. Also read: Taliban militants roam Afghan cities at will as truce with security forces nears end After the attack, Afghan President Ashraf Ghani announced a nine-day extension of the ceasefire. The Taliban, however, refused, saying they would resume operations from Monday. The three-day holiday and the ceasefire end on Sunday night. The chairman of the High Peace Council, a government body charged with negotiating an end to the nearly 17-year war, called on the Taliban to accept the extended cease-fire and join the peace process. The Taliban have steadily expanded their presence in recent years, seizing a number of districts across the country and carrying out near-daily attacks on Afghan security forces. But over the past two days Taliban fighters could be seen celebrating the truce alongside Afghan troops and other people in a number of locations. Taliban leaders have at different times expressed interest in holding peace talks to end the conflict. But they have refused to meet with the US-backed government, saying they will only negotiate with the United States directly. They have also demanded the withdrawal of all foreign forces. British home secretary Sajid Javid has revealed that months before he was appointed to the top security post in the Theresa May cabinet, he was mugged outside the London Euston train station. Javid, whose parents migrated to the UK from Pakistan, has previously spoken of difficult times faced by many immigrant families, but said he was shaken when muggers riding a moped snatched his brand new phone at the station after he took it out to call a taxi. It happened in a flash. I was walking out of Euston station and reached for my phone to call a taxi. It was brand new. Before I knew what was happening, it had gone. They just rode up, grabbed it and zoomed off, Javid told The Sun on Sunday I was angry and upset but thought myself lucky not to have been stabbed or beaten up like many other victims who fall prey to these vicious criminals. London has seen several instances of mugging in recent weeks by moped riders. In the context of knife crime and mugging in the city, Javid admitted being anxious over his teenage children being out on the streets. He said: My eldest child, my daughter, is home from university and a couple of weeks ago went out to celebrate her 19th birthday. She told me she was going to stay out late with friends in London. It was a day when Id heard about a lot more knife crime. I worried that night that she was out there. We want our children to be safe. It will drive me even more to ensure no parent worries about kids out at night. Javid, who in April became Britains first home secretary of Asian origin, has been slowly unravelling a set of policies that May called a hostile environment for illegal migrants. These include policies that affect a large number of Indian professionals. He has lifted the cap on work visas, which will benefit Indian doctors and professionals, but did not include India in the list of countries whose students are to be allowed easier visa application process. Javids office is also at the centre of a row between New Delhi and London on the return of illegal Indians in the United Kingdom, with a key memorandum of understanding between the two countries yet to be signed by the two prime ministers. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ARTESIA POLICE DEPARTMENT June 15 SUSPICIOUS ACTIVITY 12:48 a.m. Officer dispatched to North Fifth Street and West Chisum Avenue in reference to suspicious activity. 1:37 a.m. Officer dispatched to Roselawn Avenue and JJ Clarke Drive in reference to suspicious activity. 1:51 a.m. Officer dispatched to the Abo Apartments in reference to suspicious activity. ACCIDENT 2:25 a.m. Officer dispatched to Brewer, 2601 W. Main St., in reference to a motor vehicle accident. DISTURBANCE 5:13 a.m. Officer dispatched to South 33rd Street and West Dallas Avenue in reference to a disturbance. June 14 ARRESTS 5 p.m. Danielle N. Warren, 37, of Artesia, arrested and charged with failure to comply with conditions of release. 8:02 p.m. James G. Perez, 43, of San Antonio, Texas, arrested on a municipal warrant for failure to appear. UNWANTED SUBJECT 11:02 a.m. Officer dispatched to the 700 block of West Lolita Avenue in reference to an unwanted subject. 11:16 a.m. Officer dispatched to the 1200 block of West Merchant Avenue in reference to an unwanted subject. 11:16 a.m. Officer dispatched to the 2200 block of West Main Street in reference to an unwanted subject. PROPERTY INCIDENT 11:33 a.m. Officer dispatched to Allsups, 1910 W. Main St., in reference to a property incident. LITTERING 12:01 p.m. Officer dispatched to the 2200 block of West Ray Avenue in reference to littering. WANTED SUBJECT 4:17 p.m. Officer dispatched to the 1800 block of West Feather Avenue in reference to a wanted subject. ALARM 4:56 p.m. Officer dispatched to 1106 S. 17th St. in reference to an alarm. LARCENY 5:08 p.m. Officer dispatched to Wal-Mart in reference to larceny. HARASSMENT 5:31 p.m. Officer dispatched to the 100 block of North 26th Street in reference to harassment. ALARM 5:56 p.m. Officer dispatched to 1908 W. Hermosa Drive in reference to an alarm. SUSPICIOUS ACTIVITY 9:23 p.m. Officer dispatched to the 800 block of West Bullock Avenue in reference to suspicious activity. BURGLARY 9:39 p.m. Officer dispatched to 2601 Jaycee Park Drive in reference to burglary. EDDY COUNTY SHERIFFS OFFICE June 15 SUSPICIOUS ACTIVITY 2:31 a.m. Deputy dispatched to North First Street and West Richey Avenue in reference to suspicious activity. HARASSMENT 2:39 a.m. Deputy dispatched to North Park Trailer Park in reference to harassment. June 14 BREAKING AND ENTERING 8:05 a.m. Deputy dispatched to 12 W. Four Dinkus Road in reference to breaking and entering. ALARM 10:23 a.m. Deputy dispatched to 105 Hayride Road, Hope, in reference to an alarm. BURGLARY 11:21 a.m. Deputy dispatched to 1810 N. Freeman Ave. in reference to burglary. DISTURBANCE 1:36 p.m. Deputy dispatched to Jerry Drive in reference to a disturbance. UNWANTED SUBJECT 1:37 p.m. Deputy dispatched to U.S. 285, mile marker 65, in reference to an unwanted subject. LIVESTOCK 3:36 p.m. Deputy dispatched to U.S. 285, mile marker 56, in reference to livestock in the roadway. According to a report submitted to CNN, Pope Francis has landed the Catholic Church in hot water for comments he made during a speech in Rome this afternoon. During a scheduled appearance before delegation of Italy's Family Association, The Pope spoke out against Abortion, comparing it to the Nazi Eugenics of the 1930s & 40s. The Pope also reiterated the church's belief that a "true human family is comprised of a man and woman." His comments were later confirmed by The Vatican. His words have been translated into the following two passages: "I have heard that it's fashionable, or at least usual, that when in the first months of pregnancy they do studies to see if the child is healthy or has something, the first offer is: let's send it away." and "I say this with pain. In the last century the whole world was scandalized about what the Nazis did to purify the race. Today we do the same, but now with white gloves." The Pope seems to be inferring his position on the sterilization of the Human Race, through bioengineering and genetic modification, or just generally through contraception. His comments are in line with his state position that the image of God is created through the union of man and woman, that any other syncretism comes in defiance. His words follow the legislative action of his home nation Argentina, where Abortion has been made legal, as early as 14 weeks of pregnancy. Luis Fonsi is no stranger to the construction of universally successful hit songs and looks to continue to capitalize off his track record with the latest Stefflon Don-assisted Calypso. As the name suggests, the new cut draws inspiration from the Caribbean calypso soundsteel drums and allas Steff and Luis pull from their respective Jamaican and Puerto Rican roots to craft a new outing made with the summertime in mind. With the Calypso video already amassing nearly 20 million views within its first 48 hours, Stefflon Dons inclusion on what could very well prove to be the sound of the summer is only her latest feat. Most recently, she graced the cover of XXL as this years sole female rapper in the Freshman Class. Quotable Lyrics: Anywhere and everywhere you know I take it off Top down, all in your town, we live it up Still got an attitude and I don't give a- (what?) Tell the DJ, money pull up when we pull up The way the thing set up There are different movies for different moments. Sometimes, a drama with a drawn-out plot is a good time killer. Or, maybe a horror flick is a good choice when you invite a date over and need an excuse to get close. Netflix has something for everybody, but one genre is severely underappreciated. The stoner comedy. Movies like Half Baked or How High are perfect because of how imperfect they are. Just smoke up and sit back, enjoy the comedy on the screen while lost in a haze. The best thing about the stoner comedy is the low level of commitment and the high levels of hilarity. The plot doesnt need to make sense, the movie doesnt need an amazing rating on Rotten Tomatoes, and winning an Oscar is unlikely. Still, it feels good to sit back and just laugh at slapstick comedy Stoner comedies come in several forms. There is the traditional movie about a crew getting high and going on an adventure. Then there are action comedies that are so obviously ridiculous that it would almost be blasphemous not to smoke up before watching them. Every now and then theres the rom-com that graduates past being trite and is accepted in the stoner comedy genre. So whether you're looking for action with your comedy, or romance, Netflix has a stoner comedy for you. From Tropic Thunder to Mac & Devin Go to High School, these are the best comedies to get stoned to on Netflix. A California kid in the 1960s and 70s, Ted Slauson was a The Price is Right savant. He watched the popular daytime TV game show obsessively, tracked and memorized prices of hundreds of product prizes and dreamed of one day being a contestant a dream that eventually came true. But today Slauson is a San Antonio resident best known among rabid Price fans as the guy who, in 2008, made game show history when he helped another contestant make the first-ever perfect Showcase bid and for how that triggered a controversy that almost destroyed TVs longest-running game show. Slausons obsession, the 37 shows he attended and the conspiracy theories that arose after the infamous Showcase are all part of the recently released award-winning documentary Perfect Bid: The Contestant Who Knew Too Much, currently available from iTunes, Amazon and Vudu. Slauson began watching The Price is Right when he was about 6 years old. The youngest of six kids growing up in Sacramento, he had little choice. The family had only one TV, and thats what his siblings wanted to watch. So he watched, too, albeit grudgingly. But soon, he was hooked. Every show is different, said Slauson, now 52, explaining the attraction. They play different games each show, and theres lots of different prizes cars, trips, RVs. And Bob Barker was a really good host. Slausons childhood neighbor Dee Gavaldon remembers his obsession well. Teddy and his brother Dan would use Fisher-Price play set figures to put on a whole show, with contestants, prizes, the whole thing, she said. They were real Price is Right nerds. Read more: Fans can 'Say Anything' to John Cusack at San Antonio screening At some point, Slauson noticed that the show cycled through the same product prizes again and again and that the prices rarely changed. The Emperor grandfather clock was always $1,000, the Golden West billiard table was always $2,800 and the Amana side-by-side refrigerator/freezer was always $789. So he started tracking prices, first on paper and later on his first computer, a Texas Instruments TI-99/4A. Eventually, his spreadsheet reached almost 2,000 individual items, and Slauson memorized them all. In 1984, soon after he turned 18, Slauson and Gavaldon got in a car and headed for Southern California and Studio 33 in CBS Television City, where The Price is Right was (and still is) taped. They spent the entire drive reviewing prices. Sitting in the audience, they watched as the shows first prize, an above-ground swimming pool, was revealed. The price Slauson shouted out $1,499 was spot on. Sitting next to him, Gavaldon looked over in surprise. What? he responded. You spent the whole drive quizzing me on prices. Its one thing to know prices in the car, but its another with the noise and the people and the excitement, Gavaldon said. He was cool and collected. Despite his enthusiasm, Slauson wasnt chosen to come on down to Contestants Row to play One Bid, the shows first pricing game. He returned the next year, but again he wasnt chosen. So he went the next year. And the next. And the next. Sometimes he went with friends, sometimes by himself. Eventually, he became so well known that the producers learned his name and greeted him like an old friend. Even when he wasnt chosen, he enjoyed using his talent for memorizing prices to help others win. Many contestants, realizing he knew his stuff, would turn to him for help. If the studio got too loud for them to hear him, hed signal with his fingers 1, 2, 9 and 9, for example, to tell someone to bid $1,299. The producers encouraged audience members to shout out bids, and while they wouldnt allow you to bring in lists of prices, they couldnt stop you from memorizing them. Slausons knowledge was so unerring that Barker once acknowledged him from the stage. Sitting in the audience, Slauson was the first to shout a price of $1,250 for a home gym. Barker quipped from the stage, Now theres the first bid of The Price is Right. After explaining the rules, he then pointed directly at Slauson, adding, And you, sir, have no chance of winning. The camera even focused on Slauson, in a blue polo short and with a bristly mustache. When the $1,250 price was revealed, Barker had Slauson stand up and take a proverbial bow. Excerpts from The Price is Right in Perfect Bid show this and other events happening exactly as Slauson remembers them. While he dismisses suggestions that he has a photographic memory, his ability to recall details prices, prizes, contestant names and their bids is impressively accurate. Perfect Bid director C.J. Wallis marvels at Slausons memory. When we interviewed him, he sat down and, without any notes, remembered everything about probably a dozen different times he was in the studio audience, he said. Slauson was also always good with numbers. I tease him and call him Rain Man, said Slausons brother Dan, who works for the University of California school system. If you want to know what something costs over time, hell know right away, like, Its X dollars a month. Read more: The McNay Art Museum invites San Antonians to get 'Immersed' For his part, Slauson said he enjoyed the documentary, though Wallis had to trim 13 minutes of show footage from an early version when FreemantleMedia, which owns The Price is Right, put a seven-minute limit on how much it would license to him. (Wallis) did an excellent job telling my story, despite the limitations, Slauson said. In addition to the online sites where its being streamed, Perfect Bid has been shown at several film festivals and was named Best Documentary at the 2017 Orlando Film Festival. After graduating from California State University, Sacramento, Slauson started teaching middle school math in 1988. He later taught high school and moved in 2005 to San Antonio, where he works as a mathematics assessment specialist for an educational testing company. As a teacher, he continued using summers and school holidays to drive to California and try to get on the show. Finally, in 1992, on his 24th time on the show, announcer Rod Roddy called Slausons name. He concedes that, even after all those years, being a contestant was disorienting. You get up there and youre just kind of like, Oh, my God, I dont know what Im doing, he said in the documentary. Its very exciting. After missing on a patio furniture set (there were three in his database and he guessed wrong), he made a perfect bid on a Berkline recliner ($599), earning a $100 bonus. His pricing game was Punch-A-Bunch, an oversize punch board with 50 paper-covered holes, each containing dollar prizes. The top prize is $10,000, but when he got $1,000 on his first punch, he decided to call it quits and take his winnings. (The next three punches, Barker revealed, were for $500, $250 and $50. So, good decision.) Ultimately, he got knocked out on the Big Wheel, in which contestants spin a vertical roulette wheel containing the numbers zero through $1 in 5-cent increments. The object is to spin a maximum of two times and get the highest total number without going over $1. Slauson spun for 55 cents, but a young soldier named Thomas spun for 70 and continued on to the Showcase. So Im off to the side watching, and it dawns on me that my time on The Price is Right is over. But The Price is Right wasnt done with him. Cut to Sept. 22, 2008, not long after host Bob Barker had retired and been replaced by comedian Drew Carey. Slauson had returned to the renamed Bob Barker Studio and was sitting next to Terry and Linda Kniess. Terry, 60 at the time and a former Las Vegas weatherman and casino surveillance expert, was chosen to play and eventually made it to the Showcase, the shows final pricing game. The Showcase that Kniess had to price included a karaoke machine, a pool table and a 17-foot camper. And this is where Slausons and Kniess recollections diverge. Doing the math in his head, Slauson came up with a total of $23,743, which he told to Linda Kniess. Then he did the calculations a second time to be sure. It again added up to $23,743. Terry Kniess, on the other hand, said he got the first two digits from his wife and that the last three 743 werent a guess. Its a number we used all the time because Linda and I were married on the seventh of April, so thats the seven and the four, he said from his home in Henderson, Nevada. And she was born in March, so thats the three. Kniess said they used the number when they played the lottery, on their luggage locks and as their ATM PIN, adding a zero at the end to make it four digits. When people questioned me, and I told them where the numbers came from, we had to spend the next 10 days changing all our passwords, he said. After Kniess curiously exact bid, the show cut to commercial, during which, Slauson recalls, confusion reigned. Theres a long history of TV game show scandals and, in an interview on Kevin Pollaks Chat Show, Carey conceded he was worried. Is this possible? he said he asked himself. How could this even happen? I think, Im (expletive). I think Im out of a job. I think theyre shutting down the show. Online speculation ran rampant. One theory was that disgruntled crew members, angry that the shows beloved long-time producer Roger Dobkowitz had been fired shortly after Barker retired, had somehow fed the right price to Kniess, either to embarrass the show or take the whole thing down. Slauson rejects the notion that he was involved in such skulduggery. I think Ive proven that I know my prices and that its not unusual for me to help people win. Kniess, too, claims that he didnt cheat, but he also insists that he didnt get the price from Slauson. Both say they were the object of vicious name-calling both online and on podcasts. Theyd call me that blankety-blank obsessed fan, Slauson said. Oh, the hatred, Kniess said. You go online and its 10 pages deep. So who is right, Kniess or Slauson? Kniess has his own theory. Call it a cosmic coincidence. Maybe were both right, he said. Maybe he called out the price, I guessed correctly and, boom, both of us got the same number. Eventually, Kniess received his prizes and none of the conspiracy theories was ever proved. To prevent a repeat, the show tightened its internal controls, changing brands more often and adding and subtracting options, especially on cars, all to make memorizing prices that much more difficult. Over time, the hubbub died down. Today, The Price is Right continues rolling along and will soon close out its 46th season, but without Slauson. He still has a collection of Price memorabilia including audience name tags, a signed photo of his favorite Barkers Beauty, Holly Hallstrom, and the dumbbell set he won on that special day long ago when Rod Roddy called him to come on down but he no longer watches the show. He said he stopped because he doesnt like the way Dobkowitz, Hallstrom and other cast members were treated, he doesnt like how Carey treats the contestants (He laughs at them, not with them) and he especially doesnt like the way it treated him like he was a criminal. His love affair with The Price is Right is officially over. Next prize, please. Richard A. Marini is a San Antonio Express-News staff writer. Read more of his stories here. | rmarini@express-news.net | @RichardMarini WASHINGTON - White House lawyer Rudy Giuliani suggested Sunday that President Donald Trump might pardon his former campaign manager Paul Manafort if he is convicted - but only after special counsel Robert Mueller III has completed his investigation. "When it's over, hey, he's the president of the United States, he retains his pardon power, nobody's taking that away from him," Giuliani said on CNN's "State of the Union" when asked whether Trump would pardon Manafort should he be convicted. "I couldn't and I don't want to take any prerogatives away from him." But Giuliani stressed that Trump has not issued, would not issue and should not issue any pardons related to the Mueller probe while it is still ongoing, so as not to give the appearance that he has anything to hide. "The president has not issued pardons in this investigation. The president is not going to issue pardons in this investigation, and my advice to him as long as I am his lawyer is not to do it because you just cloud what is becoming now a very clear picture of an extremely unfair investigation with no criminality involved of any kind," Giuliani said. Manafort was jailed last week over charges that he attempted to tamper with witnesses related to his pending trial on federal conspiracy and money-laundering charges. Trump reacted by playing down Manafort's role in his campaign. But the president has issued several pardons in recent weeks, which some have interpreted as a signal to affiliates being targeted by Mueller's probe not to cooperate with the investigation. Even members of the president's own party have urged him to stop talking about pardons. "I think it would be more helpful if the president never mentioned the word 'pardon' again with respect to the investigation," Sen. Susan Collins, R-Maine, said Sunday on CBS's "Face the Nation." Giuliani pushed back Sunday on the notion that in discussing his pardon power, the president had been suggesting doing anything untoward. "You're not going to get a pardon just because you're involved in this investigation - you probably have a higher burden if you're involved in this investigation compared to the others who get pardoned," he said. "But you're certainly not excluded from it if the president and his advisers, not me, come to the conclusion that you've been treated unfairly." Giuliani said he would not be advising Trump on pardons, noting, "I shouldn't be involved in that process because I'm probably too rooted in his defense." But he did accuse the Mueller investigation - yet again - of being "political" and rife with "unfairness," perhaps unfair enough to merit pardons for those who get caught by it. "Going back to Nixon, Ford ... even Bush and Clinton ... these pardons happened in these political investigations," Giuliani said. "That mean they're going to happen here, doesn't mean anyone should rely on it. "But there is a lot of unfairness out there," he continued. "We don't know the full scope of it." The president weighed in Sunday on Twitter with his opinion of the Mueller probe, again calling it a "WITCH HUNT!" and declaring that law enforcement officials had a "Double Standard!" in their investigations of him and Hillary Clinton. "There was no Russian Collusion. Oh, I see, there was no Russian Collusion, so now they look for obstruction on the no Russian Collusion," Trump wrote. "The phony Russian Collusion was a made up Hoax. Too bad they didn't look at Crooked Hillary like this." Trump has not yet spoken to Mueller as part of the probe, and Giuliani suggested Sunday that he should not do so under oath - pointing to Trump's recent backpedaling on how he characterized his son Donald Trump Jr.'s 2016 meeting with a Russian lawyer as evidence of why it's hard to sort out "a lot of different recollections." "That's why you don't want to go under oath," Giuliani said. Appearing on "Face the Nation," Giuliani said Trump's legal team nonetheless owed it to him to "sort through" the options of how an interview with Mueller could proceed, because "the president wants to do it." He stressed that the Trump team was not trying to delay an interview but that the president had had other priorities - namely, the North Korea summit. "I couldn't possibly justify troubling the president when he was working on peace with North Korea," Giuliani said, accusing the Mueller team of being "responsible for three months of delays." Giuliani added that Trump's legal team would try to limit any interview with Mueller "to some specific questions about the heart of the probe" that they think "could be answered quickly" - in about three hours, he said. But he added that he "couldn't possibly" agree to an interview with Mueller "until we know how badly this investigation" was affected by bias among FBI agents castigated in the recently released inspector general's report. Giuliani also called on the Justice Department to investigate the Mueller probe, "not because of Mueller but because of its genesis," he said, referring to a report the inspector general put out last week on the FBI's Clinton email probe. Several officials who worked on the Clinton probe also worked on the bureau's Russia investigation, but the report found no evidence that political leanings affected any decisions made during the Clinton probe. Yet the report did accuse five FBI officials, including former top counterintelligence officer Peter Strzok and former FBI lawyer Lisa Page, of exhibiting anti-Trump bias and former FBI director James Comey of insubordination and poor judgment. "We want the Mueller probe to be investigated the way the Trump investigation's been investigated, and we'd like to see a report with the conclusions," Giuliani said. Giuliani added that he thought certain FBI officials should be fired for "taking bribes" from journalists in exchange for information - though he acknowledged that there is nothing in the inspector general's report that accuses FBI agents of taking bribes. The inspector general's report said it would continue investigating FBI officials who received tickets to sporting games and other things of value from reporters. MIAMI - One day in late May 2016, Roger Stone - the political dark sorcerer and longtime confidant of Donald Trump - slipped into his Jaguar and headed out to meet a man with a Make America Great Again hat and a viscous Russian accent. The man, who called himself Henry Greenberg, offered damaging information about Hillary Clinton, Trump's presumptive Democratic opponent in the upcoming presidential election, according to Stone - who spoke about the previously unreported incident in interviews with The Washington Post. Greenberg, who did not reveal the information he claimed to possess, wanted Trump to pay $2 million for the political dirt, Stone said. "You don't understand Donald Trump," Stone recalled saying before rejecting the offer at a restaurant in the Russian-expat magnet of Sunny Isles, Florida. "He doesn't pay for anything." Later, Stone got a text message from Michael Caputo, a Trump campaign communications official who'd arranged the meeting after Greenberg had approached Caputo's Russian-immigrant business partner. Now Playing: Longtime confidante and former campaign Adviser Roger Stone making waves, claiming that President Trump may not seek re-election in 2020. For more on the story here is Zachary Devita. Video: Veuer "How crazy is the Russian?" Caputo wrote according to a text message reviewed by The Post. Noting that Greenberg wanted "big" money, Stone replied: "waste of time." Two years later, the brief sit-down in Florida has resurfaced as part of special counsel Robert Mueller III's sprawling investigation of Russian interference in the 2016 presidential campaign, according to Caputo. Caputo said he was asked about the meeting by prosecutors during a sometimes-heated questioning session last month. Stone and Caputo, who did not previously disclose the meeting to congressional investigators, now say they believe they were the targets of a setup by U.S. law enforcement officials hostile to Trump. They cite records - independently examined by The Post - showing that the man who approached Stone is actually a Russian national who has claimed to work as an FBI informant. Interviews and additional documents show that Greenberg has at times used the name Henry Oknyansky. Under that name, he claimed in a 2015 court filing related to his immigration status that he had provided information to the FBI for 17 years. He attached records showing that the government had granted him special permission to enter the United States because his presence represented a "significant public benefit." There is no evidence that Greenberg was working with the FBI in his interactions with Stone, and in his court filing, Greenberg said that he had stopped his FBI cooperation sometime after 2013. Greenberg, in text messages with The Post, denied that he had been acting on the FBI's behalf when he met with Stone. An FBI spokeswoman declined to comment, as did a spokesman for Mueller's office. The meeting took place two months earlier than federal officials have said a counterintelligence operation was officially opened and before WikiLeaks began releasing hacked Democratic emails. It came in the same time period as other episodes in which Russian interests approached the Trump campaign. A few weeks earlier, Trump campaign foreign policy adviser George Papadopoulos was told in London that the Russians had dirt on Clinton. And it was two weeks before the sit-down between Donald Trump Jr. at Trump Tower with a Russian lawyer who he had been told could offer information that would hurt Clinton as part of a Russian government effort to help his father. Trump and his allies have said the meetings were inconsequential, and there was no collusion. Stone and Caputo's interactions with Greenberg mean that at least 11 Trump associates or campaign officials have acknowledged interactions with a Russian during the election season or presidential transition. Those interactions have become public in the year and a half since a Trump spokeswoman said that no one associated with the campaign had communications with Russians or other foreign entities. It is not clear how seriously investigators are taking the Florida meeting. Caputo said that prosecutors during his interview seemed to have intense interest in the interaction as well as the role of Greenberg. Reached by phone, Greenberg, 59, initially denied Stone's account of a meeting. "This is wrong information," Greenberg said. Later, in text messages to a Post reporter, Greenberg changed his story, acknowledging that he'd met with Stone and providing a skeletal account of the encounter that matched Stone's in some ways. Unprompted, Greenberg used essentially the same language as Stone to describe Stone's reaction: "Trump will never pay for anything." Stone said Greenberg was alone at the meeting. But Greenberg said he was accompanied by a Ukrainian friend he identified only as Alexei, who he said had been fired from a job with the Clinton Foundation, a global charitable organization founded by Hillary Clinton's husband, former president Bill Clinton. A Clinton Foundation spokesman said the foundation has never employed a man with the first name of Alexei. "He was very upset, and he wants to tell his story," Greenberg said in a text. "He told Mr. Stone what he knew and what he want." Greenberg denied that he asked for money, saying that it was his friend who spoke with Stone. Trump and his allies previously accused the FBI of unfairly targeting his campaign following revelations that another FBI informant, Cambridge University professor Stefan A. Halper, approached Papadopoulos and two other campaign advisers starting in July 2016 to gather information about their possible ties to Russia. "If you believe that (Greenberg) took time off from his long career as an FBI informant to reach out to us in his spare time, I have a bridge in Brooklyn that I want to sell you," Caputo said in an interview. In a separate interview, Stone said: "I didn't realize it was an FBI sting operation at the time, but it sure looks like one now." The Florida meeting adds another layer of complexity to Stone's involvement in the Russia probe. For months, as several of Stone's employees and associates have been subpoenaed or have appeared before the Mueller grand jury, it has been clear that the special counsel has been scrutinizing repeated claims by Stone that he communicated with WikiLeaks via a back-channel source before the group's 2016 release of hacked Democratic Party emails. Stone has said it's possible he will be indicted, speculating that Mueller might charge him with a crime unrelated to the election in order to silence him. He said he anticipates that his meeting with Greenberg could be used in an attempt to pressure him to testify against Trump - something he says he would never do. Last year, in a videotaped interview with The Post, Stone denied having any contacts with Russians during the campaign. "I've never been to Russia. I didn't talk to anybody who was identifiably Russian during the two-year run-up to this campaign," he said. "I very definitely can't think of anybody who might have been a Russian without my knowledge. It's a canard." Stone and Caputo said in separate interviews that they also did not disclose the Greenberg meeting during testimony before the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence because they had forgotten about an incident that Stone calls unimportant "due diligence" that would have been "political malpractice" not to explore. Caputo said that he was asked during a session with the committee in July whether he'd ever been offered information about the Clinton campaign by a Russian, and he either answered "no" or that he could not recall. However, Stone and Caputo said their memories were refreshed by text messages that Caputo said he no longer has in his possession but was shown during a May 2 interview. Caputo's attorney on Friday sent a letter amending his House testimony, and he plans to present Caputo's account of the Greenberg incident to the Office of Inspector General for the Department of Justice, which has announced it is examining the FBI's use of informants during the Russia probe. Stone said his attorney has done the same. Documents and interviews reveal a quirk-filled story that spans three decades and two continents. It touches down in locales as distinct as a hipster Miami art gallery and a riverfront construction site. But, like so much of the drama swirling around the 2016 election, its roots lie far away from American ballot boxes - in the Russian capital of Moscow. Though they never met, both Caputo and Greenberg lived heady existences in Moscow in the years after the collapse of the Soviet Union, a period when the city had a frisson of artistic and creative energy that Caputo compares to "Paris of the 1920s, but with Kalashnikovs." Caputo had moved to Russia to develop a Rock-the-Vote-style campaign for Russian President Boris Yeltsin. Greenberg was already a familiar figure in the city's social whirl. He married a Russian actress and moved to Los Angeles. Court records show that, after being charged in 1994 with assault with a deadly weapon, he entered a plea in which he was convicted without accepting guilt. According to a declaration he filed in court, Greenberg spent almost two years in the custody of the U.S. immigration service. He said he decided in 2000 to return to Russia, where, according to interviews and local media coverage, he resumed a glamorous life. For a time, he shared an apartment at a fashionable Moscow address with John Daly, a producer of hit films including "Terminator," and he was well known by expats from the Moscow club scene. "He was an up and down kind of guy. Charming. Very ingratiating and personal," said Edward Bass, a movie producer who spent time with Greenberg in Moscow in that time. According to accounts in Russian media, he was arrested in 2002 and charged with a decade-old $2.7 million fraud. The Moscow Times reported that authorities found three passports with false names in his apartment and photographs that appeared to show him posing with movie directors Steven Spielberg and Oliver Stone. The Post was unable to determine the outcome of the case from public records. Greenberg denied wrongdoing, saying he was not convicted, and the case was closed. Greenberg returned to the United States, according to immigration records that he submitted as part of his federal court filing in 2015. He attached to the statement government documents outlining his immigration history. Between 2008 and 2012, the records show, he repeatedly was extended permission to enter the United States under a so-called "significant public benefit parole." The documents list an FBI agent as a contact person. The agent declined to comment. Immigration lawyer David Leopold, former president of American Immigration Lawyers Association, said the documents described an immigration history generally consistent with Greenberg's claims that he had been allowed to enter the United States to assist law enforcement. In a 2015 court declaration, Greenberg - using the last name Oknyansky - said he'd been giving information to the FBI since returning to Russia from the United States in 2000. "Wherever I was, from Iran to North Korea, I always send information to" the FBI, he wrote. "I cooperated with the FBI for 17 years, often put my life in danger. Based on my information, there is so many arrests criminal from drugs and human trafficking, money laundering and insurance frauds." Greenberg did not respond to questions about his use of multiple names but said in a text that he had worked for the "federal government" for 17 years. "I risked my life and put myself in danger to do so, as you can imagine," he said. By May 2016, Greenberg was in the midst of an eventually unsuccessful zoning fight to open a restaurant on the Miami River, according to public records. He showed up without an invitation at a gallery opening organized by Caputo's public relations firm, according to Caputo's business partner, Sergey "George" Petrushin. Greenberg approached Petrushin and invited him to check out the possible restaurant site the next day, Petrushin said. According to Petrushin, Greenberg eventually said that he knew Petrushin was partners with Caputo and that he had information he wanted to share that would be helpful to Trump's campaign. Petrushin called Caputo, and handed the phone to Greenberg to make his pitch. At the time, Caputo said, Russia was not a major campaign issue, and the man's accent raised no red flags for him. "I said, 'Let me get somebody to vet it for you,'" Caputo recalls saying. Caputo knew just the guy: Roger Stone. Stone had spent decades trying to persuade Trump to run for president. In the spring of 2016, Stone was no longer with the campaign - but he remained in touch with Trump and some in his orbit. When Stone arrived at the restaurant in Sunny Isles, he said, Greenberg was wearing a Make America Great Again T-shirt and hat. On his phone, Greenberg pulled up a photo of himself with Trump at a rally, Stone said. "We really want to help Trump," Stone recalled Greenberg saying during the brief encounter. By Greenberg's account, he had limited contact with Stone, sitting at a nearby table while his friend Alexei conducted the meeting. "Alexei talk to Mr. Stone, not me," he wrote. He added that he believes Alexei has moved back to Ukraine, and they are not in contact. When Caputo followed up with Stone via text to ask if "anything at all interesting" took place, Stone responded with a single word: "No." --- Helderman reported from Washington. The Washington Post's Alice Crites and Devlin Barrett in Washington and Natasha Abbakumova in Moscow contributed to this report. --- Video Embed Code Video: Roger Stone, a close Trump ally, met with a Russian man in May 2016 claiming to have "dirt" that could help Trump be elected. He previously denied meeting with anyone of Russian origin in the lead up to the election.(Meg Kelly/The Washington Post) Embed code: One man was hospitalized early Sunday after gunfire broke out near a northwest Houston apartment complex. Three men started arguing around 5 a.m. in the complex parking lot by West Gulf Bank and Antoine, according to authorities. At some point, one of the men went back in the Amir Apartments, retrieved a gun and started shooting at the other two. One of the men was hit and first responders rushed him to Ben Taub Hospital in stable condition. The shooter fled and is still at large. Police did not immediately offer a suspect description or shed any light on what sparked the dispute in the first place. The trappings of any summertime parade were there: the marching bands, the swivel-hipped cheerleaders dancing to a beat, the politicians waving from bunting-clad convertibles. Yet, this years Houston Juneteenth festivities Saturday in a city at the beginning of the now-national celebration to mark the emancipation of slaves carried a distinct air of urgency. The crowds were bigger, the skin tones more varied, and the message from those lining the streets of the Acres Homes neighborhood was pointed squarely at elected officials both in Texas and in the nation's capital: They are paying attention. This is one Juneteenth that is about making people aware, said Anita Collins, a Houston nurse who was attending the celebration for the first time in more than 30 years. Its not just a black thing said Michael Martin, her brother, who has been attending for years, carrying on a legacy that began with their parents. Its an American thing, Collins said, finishing his sentence. More Information More events Sunday, June 17. 9:30 a.m.-12:30 p.m. Sandbox Juneteenth Service and Celebration; Sandbox Church 1415 South Voss Tuesday, June 19. 7:30 p.m. A Gulf Coast Juneteenth. Concert: blues and zydeco. Miller Outdoor Theater,6000 Hermann Park Drive Tuesday, June 19. 11 a.m.-5p.m. Juneteenth Wakanda Forever, United Way-Greater Houston, 50 Waugh Tuesday, June 19. Noon-6 p.m. Juneteenth Celebration, Emancipation Park. 3018 Emancipation Ave. Tuesday, June 19. 10 a.m.-noon. Juneteenth Freedom Rides; bike tour of Third Ward See More Collapse Juneteenth is forever embedded in the history of this corner of Texas. On June 18, 1865, Union forces arrived in Galveston and the following day Gen. Gordon Granger stood on the balcony of Ashton Villa and read General Order No. 3, a proclamation freeing Texas slaves nearly three years after President Abraham Lincoln issued his Emancipation Proclamation. A spontaneous celebration filled the streets in the port city and spread to Houston as more than 1,000 slaves were suddenly freed. Texas was the first to establish Juneteenth as a state holiday in 1980. Also Saturday, a separate celebration was held in Houstons Emancipation Park. It is a park central to the Juneteenth narrative because in 1872 it became the first piece of land to be purchased by African-Americans in Texas. At that time, the Rev. Jack Yates led a group of residents, including former slaves from the Third and Fourth wards, who raised $1,000 to buy the 10-acre property. Yates great-granddaughter Jacqueline W. Bostic spoke from the parks main stage, reminding those gathered of the important lessons the day carried. Its a great day for freedom, Bostic said. Its important that we remember our history and the history of this city, as well as the state of Texas. Last year, Emancipation Park marked a $34 million renovation, which revived the facilities after many years of disrepair. You can always dream if you have faith, said Ray Peavy, who once lived in the neighborhood and returned for the celebration Saturday. Anything is possible. Im enjoying the scenery, thinking about what my ancestors have been through. Back along the parade route, Roxanne Werner, who is white and lives in the nearby Oak Forest neighborhood, came with her husband Gabriel Konigsberg, who is Hispanic, and their 4-year-old son, Oliver. We think it's for all of us, she said. None of us is free until were all free. Verda Hawkins, 69, could not agree more. She welcomed the newcomers to not only what traditionally was a black celebration, but also into her neighborhood as a whole. Acres Homes, every fourth or fifth house is no longer black, she said. Edna Griggs, whose grandparents settled in the Acres Home neighborhood in 1929, expects only good as the old racial dividing lines blur in the city. Its long overdue, she said. While it was a day for Popsicles and pompoms, politics were not far from the surface. Lots of things happened because of Juneteenth votes, jobs, education, said Collins, who said she senses a renewed activism in her community. We have 18 women, black women, and one black man running for office. I think more of us are going to get out to vote this year. Griggs said her great-grandmother had to pay a poll tax to vote in Houston. She said she worries now that rights again are being eroded Kyla Smith is part of the new generation of voters. The Texas Southern University student is pursuing a masters degree in history and attended the Emancipation Park festivities to cement an understanding of what came before. Its such a big part of my history and who I am, Smith said. As a future historian, I realize that we need to take ownership of our heritage. Nearby, Amy Gentry watched as her two children played in the park. When she was little, Juneteenth was an important family event with crawfish boils and barbecues. She wants the tradition to live on. The further removed we are from slavery and the Jim Crow era, the easier it is to forget the adversity that our ancestors dealt with, she said. Theyll only remember if we show them. jenny.deam@chron.com One man died after being shot in a north Houston parking lot early Saturday morning, the Harris County Sheriff's Office said. One of the two suspects, meanwhile, was arrested after being found hiding in a dumpster. WASHINGTON Texas Republican Will Hurd blasted the Trump administration's policy of separating immigrant parents from children Saturday after touring the new Tornillo tent camp. "Separating kids from their families is a bad idea," said Hurd, the first congressman to get inside the tent camp in his border district. "We shouldn't be doing this. In the land of the free and the home of the brave you shouldn't be using kids as part of our deterrence strategy." Hurd's remarks came on the eve of a planned Sunday Father's Day march to protest the camp, which is outside El Paso. Among those leading the march is Democratic U.S. Senate candidate Beto O'Rourke, an El Paso congressman, and Lupe Valdez, a Democrat challenging Gov. Greg Abbott. Houston Democrat Sheila Jackson Lee also plans to tour immigrant children detention facilities in the Rio Grande Valley on Sunday. "Reports indicate that in the six weeks the policy has been in effect, close to 2,000 children have been cruelly separated from their parents," she said. "This has to stop." Hurd, facing a tough reelection challenge in a heavily Latino district between San Antonio and El Paso, said that objections to the family separation policy transcends partisan politics. "This isn't a Democratic or Republican issue," he said. "This is bad policy." Hurd also ripped the White House's announced strategy of using the public's uneasiness over the family separations to get Democratic backing for a new GOP-led immigration bill with beefed up border security. "If anyone's waving that as a carrot, nobody is biting," Hurd said in an interview with the Chronicle Saturday as he drove back to San Antonio. Hurd's criticism stands out from many other leading Republicans in Texas, including U.S. Sens. John Cornyn and Ted Cruz, who have justified the controversial new policy as a deterrent to illegal immigration. Cruz, speaking to reporters Saturday at the state Republican Party convention in San Antonio, said the migrants are themselves to blame for putting their children at risk. He also maintained that the family separations occurred before President Donald Trump's new "zero tolerance" policy of prosecuting illegal border crossers. "There's no doubt that the images that we've seen of children, and children being separated from their parents, are heartbreaking," Cruz said. "They were heartbreaking when Obama was president." Democrats dispute that President Barack Obama pursued a family separation policy as a deterrence strategy as the Trump administration has. Hurd rejected the deterrence strategy. "If your strategy for border security involves separating kids, then you need to rethink that strategy," he said. Hurd, who visited the Tornillo tent camp Friday night, said the facility has 400 beds to house 16- and 17-year-old boys who arrived at the border unaccompanied by other family members. He said most had come from other facilities to make room for younger children being housed because of family separations. He said there are about 20 youths per tent, supervised by two adults in each shelter. Hurd took issue with GOP congressional leaders who insist that new compromise border legislation they are proposing would help end the family separations. "If you read the details of one of the plans that's allegedly being voted on next week, the way their proposing ending family separations is by allowing the indefinite detention of families," Hurd said. "That's not solving the problem." Hurd, part of a faction of moderate Republicans who have been trying to force floor action on a plan to help Dreamers - young immigrants brought into the country illegally as children - said he doubts that any of the immigration bills that GOP House Speaker Paul Ryan is expected to bring to the House floor have any chance of passing with only Republican support. "I've participated in a lot of meetings on immigration, and there's never been a 218-vote Republican solution to immigration," he said, referring the threshold for a House majority. "And this is an issue that I think we should be trying to solve it in a bipartisan fashion." Hurd also took issue with claims by Attorney General Jeff Sessions and other Trump administration officials that the tough new family separation policy has a biblical grounding. "I'm not a Biblical scholar," Hurd said, "but I don't think taking a 4-year-old away from their mother is something that we should do." ### One Saturday night in Houstons Fourth Ward, a couple of police detectives approached what was later described as an unruly crowd gathered at the intersection of Andrews and Genesee Streets. One of the men in the crowd dropped a pistol on the ground, another man started running and one of the detectives chased him around the corner. A gun battle erupted, a police officer was mortally wounded, and a badly injured suspect was later arrested and hospitalized. Robert Powell was charged with murder, but he never made it to his trial. Instead, three days after the shooting, a lynch mob armed with pistols stormed into Jeff Davis Hospital, dragged him out of his hospital bed and took him to a wooded area along Post Oak Road near whats now the West Loop interchange with Interstate 10. His tattered body was found hanging from a bridge on the morning of June 20, 1928. RELATED: Kendrick Lamar confronts black death ALSO: Let's rid ourselves of Confederate statue Houston has been shamed before the nation, said a front page editorial published in this newspaper. The killing triggered a wave of outrage not only from the citys leadership, but also from newspapers and magazines across the country. Five men were arrested, but after the national spotlight dimmed, none of the suspected killers was convicted. Robert Powell is one of more than 4,000 names etched on steel columns now displayed at The National Memorial for Peace and Justice. The lynching museum, as its better known, opened last month in Montgomery, Ala. Its founders have issued what amounts to a challenge, offering to give duplicate columns from the memorial to communities willing to confront their history of lynching. Houston should accept the invitation, finding a prominent place to display a monument to our countys lynching victims. The memorial highlights an era when racial segregation and white supremacy were enforced with horrifying mob violence. Victims were sometimes savagely tortured to death for minor social transgressions. The killings occasionally became public spectacles drawing thousands of jeering and cheering bystanders. A cottage industry produced gruesome postcards bearing photographs of crowds gathered around the maimed bodies of lynching victims. RELATED: How Houston's civic leaders responded to the lynching of Robert Powell in 1928 At the newly opened memorial, victims names are engraved on more than 800 columns, one for each county in the United States where a racial terror lynching happened, including Harris, Fort Bend, Montgomery, Galveston and Waller counties in Texas. Those columns hang from the ceiling of the memorial in a graphic representation of dangling corpses. Outside the memorial, on six acres of park land, lies a field of identical columns, waiting to be claimed by each of the counties they represent. The staff of the Equal Justice Initiative, which maintains the museum, says its already having conversations with leaders of dozens of communities interested in moving the columns to their home counties. Harris County should join that conversation and find an appropriate place in Houston to display the column bearing the names of local lynching victims. The museums staff found records of four such murders here in whats now Texas most populous county; the column is engraved with remembrances of Powell, John Walton, Bert Smith and another victim whose name remains unknown. EDITORIAL: Remembering our history Indeed, every county in the Houston area should contact the museum and get to work claiming the monuments memorializing their lynching victims. The staff says it works with local partners to find appropriate places to display the columns and help local communities engage with this history in a constructive and meaningful way. Robert Powells lynching happened just days before Houston hosted the 1928 Democratic National Convention, which is much of the reason the crime attracted nationwide attention. Now Houston hopes to host another Democratic National Convention in 2020. Claiming Harris Countys column from The National Memorial for Peace and Justice before then would be an altogether appropriate way to confront and remember a dark chapter in our local history. All a dad wants on Fathers Day is to spend time with his kids. One can assume thats what Marco Antonio Munoz wanted, too, last month when he and his family crossed the Rio Grande to apply for asylum from Honduras, one of the most violent countries in the world. But soon after, Customs and Border Protection separated him from his wife and 3-year-old son. The 39-year-old was found dead in his cell the next day. Thousands of men, women and children from Central America are trekking across a continent, searching for safe harbor after fleeing danger and civil strife not usually seen outside war zones. Theyre asking for asylum in places like Costa Rica, Mexico and, yes, Texas. AMERICAN ACADEMY OF PEDIATRICS: Taking immigrant kids from parents shows contempt for families EARLIER: Trump tempts a humanitarian crisis by splitting parents from kids at the border RELATED: Sessions and Sanders radically depart from the Christian religion The United States has decided to meet their pleas with a policy of conscious cruelty that, according to Attorney General Jefferson Beauregard Sessions III, is intended to discourage more refugees: Split up the families. Detain them. Let them know theyre not welcome. It wont work. Harsh strategies against huddled masses have been condoned in the past, when most border crossers were working-age Mexican men seeking labor. But Central American parents will stop at nothing to save their childrens lives. Even cruelty in a hostile land, it seems, is better than death and hopelessness at home. We must find a new policy before this chilling disregard for human life further erodes Americas high ground, gnaws another hole into its sacred promise. EDITORIAL: Sen. Merkley right to investigate secret jails for migrant children ALSO: ICE needs to be put on trial The Trump administration is pushing ahead with its zero-tolerance policy. The administration is even building an encampment outside El Paso to house some of the 2,000 children separated from their families over the past six weeks. Maybe they should have gone with Crystal City, a border town with some experience in this area. During World War II, thousands of Japanese, Italian and German families were forced from their homes across the United States and were interred at the Crystal City Alien Enemy Detention Facility. At the time, the entire nation was caught up in a frenzy of fear, convinced that their neighbors posed a threat to the war effort. We now know those fears were unfounded but it should have been obvious at the time, too. In 1983, a Congressional commission found that internment was motivated by racial prejudice, war hysteria and failure of political leadership, and not by military considerations. The 467-page report also stated that government officials ignored recommendations by the FBI and naval intelligence that careful surveillance of suspicious targets would be enough to check espionage, sabotage or fifth column activity. RELATED: Revealing the tragedy of Crystal City ALSO: I know an American "internment" camp when I see one EARLIER: The U.S. is again at the edge of 'the ugly abyss of racism' Today we face a similar conflux of prejudice, hysteria and failure of political leadership driving our response to the humanitarian crisis in Central America. Immigration experts and pediatricians alike are pleading with the federal government to stop taking children from their parents and end a policy of mass detention that began under the Obama administration, and instead embrace policies that we know work. This means resuscitating and expanding the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcements family case management program that was shuttered in June 2017. That program proved to be less expensive than detention and had a 99.6 percent appearance rate at immigration court hearings. It means fully funding our immigration courts, including extensive support staff, so that the hearings take weeks instead of years. Fulfilling the Constitutions promise of due process, speedy trial and effective representation will ensure that asylum seekers receive a fair determination about whether they can stay legally or be sent back. It also means long-term investment in Central America to help stabilize nations like Guatemala, El Salvador and Honduras and calm the chaos that these refugees hope to escape. If we dont make these changes, however, the history is clear about what will happen. Families will suffer. Americas international reputation will weaken. Our children will read about this ignoble moment and wonder why we responded with panic and fear rather than calm and compassion. RELATED: Republicans' actions at the border reveal the grand scam Maybe, like those interned at Crystal City, a generation of kids will return decades from now to the abandoned Walmart where they were detained to remember the injustice they endured in a nation they turned to for help. And they will ask: Why did they let it happen again? Just to demonstrate the point, IKEA recently announced that it would hire 16000 people over the next 12 years and confirmed it was hiring for roles that didnt exist a few years ago. In an interview with the country HR manager, Richard Harries said Its not so much about jobs disappearing, for us its more about how the jobs are changing we always need to be thinking ahead. When I talk to CHROs and CEOs about what keeps them awake at night, the impact of the future of work on the workforce is right up there. Technology may not necessarily replace people, but it will certainly change the skills that they need. Senior executives want to know what they can do today to sustain their organisation into the future. Here are my tips to on how to set your workforce up for future success: 1. Conduct a future of work assessment Once the management team identifies skills gaps, it can move to close potential deficiencies with upskilling and reskilling programs to help attract and retain a more effective workforce. Telstra for example has recently announced it has developed a skills mapping system for its 32,700 strong workforce that can track an individual's abilities and knowledge, and map these against skills that will be needed as automation and artificial intelligence change many occupations. Imperial Valley News Center On President Ghani's Offer to Extend the Ceasefire and Open Negotiations Washington, DC - Secretary of State Mike Pompeo: "The United States extends its best wishes to the people of Afghanistan in celebration of Eid al-Fitr. We welcome the ceasefire during the period of Eid. The Afghan people this year are spending the Eid holidays with their families with renewed hope of peace. "We support President Ghanis offer to extend the ceasefire and begin peace talks. As President Ghani emphasized in his statement to the Afghan people, peace talks by necessity would include a discussion of the role of international actors and forces. The United States is prepared to support, facilitate, and participate in these discussions. "All of Afghanistans people benefit from the end of bloodshed, and we have seen the overwhelmingly positive reaction from Afghans across society. We have seen pictures of Islamic Republic of Afghanistan soldiers and police with Taliban fighters offering prayers for Eid side by side. If Afghans can pray together, their leaders can talk together and resolve their differences. "Agreeing to begin peace talks is an expression of determination to create a unified Afghanistan in which all its citizens can live in peace and dignity. The United States stands ready to work with the Afghan government, the Taliban, and all the people of Afghanistan to reach a peace agreement and political settlement that brings a permanent end to this war." Imperial Valley News Center CBP Turns Away Ukraine and Lithuanian Travelers for Violating US Immigration Laws Pittsburgh, Ohio - As the summer travel season begins in earnest, U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) urges all international visitors to ensure they possess the appropriate U.S. travel visa for the purpose of their visit. Two women learned that lesson this weekend at Pittsburgh International Airport after being charged as U.S. immigration law violators. On Friday, a 26-year-old Lithuanian woman applied for admission to the United States under the Visa Waiver Program. During her inspection, CBP officers determined that she overstayed her visit in 2016. She also admitted that she worked in the U.S. without permission during 2017. She will need a U.S. travel visa for future visits to the United States. On Saturday, a 46-year-old Ukrainian woman presented a U.S. travel visa and applied for admission to the United States to attend a jewelry workshop in San Francisco. During her inspection, CBP officers identified numerous misspellings in a workshop invitation letter and she subsequently admitted that she altered a letter from the previous year. CBP officers confirmed with the workshop host that the workshop invitation letter was not authentic and that he was not holding any workshops in San Francisco during June. Additionally, CBP officers discovered numerous personal certificates and diplomas in the Ukrainian womans baggage. CBP officers determined that both women were intending immigrants not in possession of an immigrant visa and allowed them to withdrawal their application for admission. The women were returned to their last point of embarkation. Identifying two immigration violations in Pittsburgh is unusual and we urge all foreign visitors to ensure they have the correct travel visa, if necessary, for their visit said Susan Anderson, CBP Port Director, Port of Pittsburgh. CBP's Office of Field Operations leads the agencys border security mission at 328 air, land and sea ports of entry. Field Operations officers enforce all applicable U.S. laws, including illegal immigration, narcotics smuggling and illegal importation, and by CBP agriculture specialists, who protect U.S. agriculture from the introduction of pests or disease from overseas sources. Please visit CBP Ports of Entry to learn more about CBPs Office of Field Operations. The United States is a welcoming nation, and we expect foreign visitors to respect and comply with our nations laws, said Casey Durst, CBP Director, Baltimore Field Office. Customs and Border Protection remains committed to enforcing all U.S. laws and regulations, including our nations immigration laws. Almost a million times each day, CBP officers welcome international travelers into the U.S. In screening both foreign visitors and returning U.S. citizens, CBP uses a variety of techniques to intercept narcotics, unreported currency, weapons, prohibited agriculture, and other illicit products, and to assure that global tourism remains safe and strong. CBPs Travel section offers rules and tips for clearing CBP inspection during travel to and from the United States. Imperial Valley News Center Air Cargo Advance Screening Program Goes into Effect Washington, DC - U.S. Customs and Border Protection and the Transportation Security Administration announced that the Air Cargo Advance Screening (ACAS) program went into effect today requiring the submission of advanced air cargo information on shipments arriving in the United States from a foreign location. Previously a voluntary process in which many airlines already participated globally, the program requirements are now mandatory for airlines flying to the United States. This is a necessary measure as the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) continues to raise the baseline on aviation security worldwide. As part of the ACAS program, participating carriers submit a subset of required pre-arrival air cargo data to CBP at the earliest point practicable and prior to loading the cargo onto aircraft destined to or transiting through the United States. ACAS leverages DHS threat information and other data to employ a risk-based approach to improve air cargo security through targeted vetting. At the National Targeting Center, CBP and TSA jointly target and mitigate any cargo identified as high-risk before it is loaded aboard aircraft destined to the United States. The ACAS program is a vital component for CBP to prevent illicit contraband from entering, while expediting lawful commerce, said CBP Commissioner Kevin McAleenan. It was built on partnership with the express and air cargo industry and represents the government and private sector working together to solve challenging problems. The formalization of ACAS will enhance and support the security of the small parcel and air cargo industry for years to come. TSA and CBP continue our strong partnership in securing the homeland, and the screening of inbound air cargo is improved with these new regulations, said TSA Administrator David Pekoske. Our joint procedures with the industry will allow for effective and efficient screening of the high volume of cargo transported daily to the United States. CBP and TSA work together to employ a layered security approach to secure inbound air cargo, including using various risk assessment methods to identify high-risk cargo and to mitigate any risks posed. When this high-risk cargo is identified, enhanced cargo screening is performed pursuant to TSA-approved or accepted security programs. While there is no current specific terrorist threat to cargo bound to the United States, terrorists continue to target the aviation sector. CBP and TSA continue to work closely with our partners in law enforcement and the shipping industry to ensure our nation's ports and cargo facilities are secure. In October 2010, the global counterterrorism community disrupted a potential terrorist attack when concealed explosive devices were discovered in cargo onboard aircraft destined for the United States. This incident demonstrated the importance of advance information in identifying and disrupting the attempts of terrorists to exploit the global supply chain. CBP and the TSA collaborated with express consignment carriers and launched the ACAS pilot in December 2010. The pilot quickly expanded to include participation by relevant stakeholders in the air cargo community such as passenger carriers and freight forwarders. Homeland Security Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen signed the Air Cargo Advance Screening interim final rule on May 23, certifying ACAS as a program. The program officially goes into effect June 12, 2018. Imperial Valley News Center Joan Lunden Headlines This Years Aging Summit San Diego, California - For nearly two decades, millions of Americans invited Joan Lunden into their homes each morning when she was the co-host of Good Morning America. She reported from 26 countries, interviewed six U.S. presidents, and covered five Olympic Games and two royal weddings. Lunden is headlining this years Aging Summit on Thursday, June 28 at the Town & Country Convention Center, 500 Hotel Circle North, San Diego. A second location at the California Center for the Arts, 240 N. Escondido Blvd., Escondido, will feature Lundens talk via satellite. A native of Fair Oaks, California, Lunden has also authored eight books, writing mostly about health and lifestyle issues, including her triumph over breast cancer. Drawing on her life experiences, Lunden, 67, will focus on caregiver issues, healthy aging and the importance of staying socially engaged. Participants at both locations will be able to attend breakout sessions focusing on senior housing, preventing social isolation, community volunteering, senior transportation and using social media. There will also be a session focusing on dementia and Alzheimers disease. The free event is hosted by the County of San Diego Health and Human Services Agency and made possible by Sharp HealthCare. A free lunch will be provided. To register, visit www.AISevents.org or call -800-82-SHARP (1-800-827-4277). Imperial Valley News Center US Extradites Former President of Panama to Face Illegal Wiretapping and Embezzlement Charges Washington, DC - The United States Monday extradited Ricardo Alberto Martinelli Berrocal, who served as President of Panama from 2009 to 2014, to stand trial in that country on four charges related to an illegal wiretapping scheme allegedly conducted while he was in office. Acting Assistant Attorney General John P. Cronan of the U.S. Department of Justices Criminal Division and U.S. Attorney Benjamin G. Greenberg of the Southern District of Florida made the announcement. Following a year of litigation in the United States, former Panamanian President Ricardo Alberto Martinelli Berrocal has been extradited to Panama to face charges of embezzlement and illegal wiretapping, said Acting Assistant Attorney General Cronan. This extradition is a testament to the Department of Justices commitment to honoring our extradition treaty obligations. I especially thank the hard-working attorneys and international affairs specialists in the Office of International Affairs, as well as our partners in the U.S. Attorneys Office for the Southern District Florida, for their tireless efforts in support of this extradition. Assistant U.S. Attorneys for the Southern District of Florida, alongside attorneys for the Departments Office of International Affairs, have worked hard to make sure that former Panamanian President Ricardo Alberto Martinelli Berrocal would be extradited back to his home country to face criminal charges, said U.S. Attorney Greenberg. Our Office is committed to upholding the rule of law and ensuring that justice is appropriately carried out for all parties. Because of Panamas partnership with the United States, Martinelli has been returned to Panama. Ricardo Alberto Martinelli Berrocal, 66, formerly of Coral Gables, Florida, was indicted in Panama for illegally monitoring communications of more than 150 people between 2012 and 2014 using an extensive surveillance system, and for embezzling over $10 million in public funds. A justice of the Supreme Court of Justice of the Republic of Panama (the highest court in Panama) issued an arrest warrant for Martinelli on Dec. 21, 2015. The Criminal Divisions Office of International Affairs, working with the government of Panama, the U.S. Attorneys Office for the Southern District of Florida, and the U.S. Department of State successfully returned the former Panamanian President in response to a request submitted under the terms of the extradition treaty between the United States and Panama. According to the information provided by the government of Panama in support of its extradition request, shortly after taking office, Martinelli created the National Security Council, an advisory body to the President containing a Special Services unit, which carried out confidential activities at the direction of the President. The Special Services unit used two multi-million-dollar surveillance systems to illegally intercept and record the private communications from the cell phones and computers of at least 150 individuals whom Martinelli identified as targets, including his political allies and opponents and their family members, his business rivals, Panamanian judges, journalists, union activists, U.S. diplomats, and others. Shortly following the 2014 elections, and before Martinelli left office as President, members of the National Security Council removed much of the surveillance equipment from the Special Services office. The whereabouts of the equipment is currently unknown. On Aug. 31, 2017, a U.S. magistrate judge in the Southern District of Florida ruled that Martinelli could be extradited to Panama on the four Panamanian charges. Martinelli then filed a petition for a writ of habeas corpus, which the federal district court in the Southern District of Florida denied on Jan. 23, 2018. Following a thorough review of Martinellis case, Deputy Secretary of State John J. Sullivan issued a warrant ordering Martinellis surrender to Panamanian authorities. Today, the U.S. Marshals Service executed that warrant, transported Martinelli to Panama, and delivered him to the custody of Panamanian authorities. With the extradition now complete, the case will now move forward in the Panamanian legal system and any finding of guilt or innocence will be made by Panamanian courts. The extradition proceedings and subsequent appellate litigation were handled by Acting Associate Director Christopher J. Smith and Trial Attorney Rebecca A. Haciski of the Criminal Divisions Office of International Affairs, and Assistant U.S. Attorneys Emily M. Smachetti and Adam S. Fels of the Southern District of Florida with the support of OIA Assistant Director Magdalena Boynton and the Criminal Divisions Appellate Section. Imperial Valley News Center 74 Arrested in Coordinated International Enforcement Operation Targeting Hundreds of Individuals in Business Email Compromise Schemes Washington, DC - Federal authorities announced Monday a significant coordinated effort to disrupt Business Email Compromise (BEC) schemes that are designed to intercept and hijack wire transfers from businesses and individuals, including many senior citizens. Operation Wire Wire, a coordinated law enforcement effort by the U.S. Department of Justice, U.S. Department of Homeland Security, U.S. Department of the Treasury and the U.S. Postal Inspection Service, was conducted over a six month period, culminating in over two weeks of intensified law enforcement activity resulting in 74 arrests in the United States and overseas, including 29 in Nigeria, and three in Canada, Mauritius and Poland. The operation also resulted in the seizure of nearly $2.4 million, and the disruption and recovery of approximately $14 million in fraudulent wire transfers. BEC, also known as cyber-enabled financial fraud, is a sophisticated scam often targeting employees with access to company finances and businesses working with foreign suppliers and/or businesses that regularly perform wire transfer payments. The same criminal organizations that perpetrate BEC also exploit individual victims, often real estate purchasers, the elderly, and others, by convincing them to make wire transfers to bank accounts controlled by the criminals. This is often accomplished by impersonating a key employee or business partner after obtaining access to that persons email account or sometimes done through romance and lottery scams. BEC scams may involve fraudulent requests for checks rather than wire transfers; they may target sensitive information such as personally identifiable information (PII) or employee tax records instead of, or in addition to, money; and they may not involve an actual compromise of an email account or computer network. Foreign citizens perpetrate many BEC scams. Those individuals are often members of transnational criminal organizations, which originated in Nigeria but have spread throughout the world. Fraudsters can rob people of their life's savings in a matter of minutes, said Attorney General Sessions. These are malicious and morally repugnant crimes. The Department of Justice has taken aggressive action against fraudsters in recent months, conducting the largest sweep of fraud against American seniors in history back in February. Now, in this operation alone, we have arrested 42 people in the United States and 29 others have been arrested in Nigeria for alleged financial fraud. And so I want to thank the FBI, nearly a dozen U.S. Attorneys' Offices, the Secret Service, Postal Inspection Services, Homeland Security Investigations, the Treasury Department, our partners in Nigeria, Poland, Canada, Mauritius, Indonesia, and Malaysia, and our state and local law enforcement partners for all of their hard work. We will continue to go on offense against fraudsters so that the American people can have safety and peace of mind. This operation demonstrates the FBIs commitment to disrupt and dismantle criminal enterprises that target American citizens and their businesses, said FBI Director Christopher A. Wray. We will continue to work together with our law enforcement partners around the world to end these fraud schemes and protect the hard-earned assets of our citizens. The public we serve deserves nothing less. The Secret Service remains committed to aggressively investigating and pursuing those responsible for cyber-enabled financial crimes, said U.S. Secret Service Director Randolph Tex Alles. Although the explosive expansion of the cyber domain has forced us to develop innovative ways of conducting these types of investigations, our proven model remains the same. FinCEN has been a leader in the fight against BEC and other cyber-enabled crime, said FinCEN Director Kenneth A. Blanco. Since 2014, working with our domestic and international partners, our Rapid Response Program has helped recover over $350 million stolen from innocent Americans. We must continue to be smarter, quicker, and better than the criminals that we face every day. Todays action is a victory, but it will take vigilance, time, and resources to take this fight into the future. In defense of the victims of these crimes, we are ready for the challenge. The U.S. Postal Inspection Service has a long history of successfully investigating complex fraud and corruption cases, said Chief Postal Inspector Guy Cottrell. We are proud to work alongside our fellow law enforcement partners in major efforts, such as Operation Wire Wire, to target those individuals who take advantage of the American public for illegal profits. Anyone who engages in deceptive practices like this should know they will not go undetected and will be held accountable, regardless of where they are. Postal Inspectors will continue to work tirelessly to protect our customers from fraud. A number of cases involved international criminal organizations that defrauded small to large sized businesses, while others involved individual victims who transferred high dollar funds or sensitive records in the course of business. The devastating effects these cases have on victims and victim companies, affect not only the individual business but also the global economy. Since the Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3) began keeping track of BEC and its variant, Email Account Compromise (EAC), as a complaint category, there has been a loss of over $3.7 billion reported to the IC3. BEC and EAC is a prevalent scam and the Justice Department along with our partners will continue to aggressively pursue and prosecute the perpetrators, including money mules, regardless of where they are located. Money mules may be witting or unwitting accomplices who receive ill-gotten funds from the victims and then transfer the funds as directed by the fraudsters. The money is wired or sent by check to the money mule who then deposits it in his or her own bank account. Usually the mules keep a fraction for their trouble and then wire the money as directed by the fraudster. The fraudsters enlist and manipulate the money mules through romance scams or work-at-home scams. Starting in January 2018, this coordinated enforcement action targeted hundreds of BEC scammers. In addition, law enforcement agents executed over 51 domestic actions including search warrants, money mule warning letters, and asset seizure warrants totaling nearly $1 million. Local and state law enforcement partners on FBI task forces across the country, with the assistance of multiple District Attorneys Offices, charged 15 alleged money mules for their role in defrauding victims. These money mules were employed by the fraudsters to launder their ill-gotten gains by draining the funds into other accounts that are difficult to trace. Among those arrested on federal charges in BEC schemes include: Following an investigation by the FBI and the U.S. Secret Service, 23 individuals were charged in the Southern District of Florida with laundering at least $10 million from proceeds of BEC scams, including eight people charged in an indictment unsealed last week in Miami. These eight defendants are alleged to have conspired to launder proceeds from numerous BEC scams, totaling at least approximately $5 million, including approximately $1.4 million from a victim corporation in Seattle, as well as various title companies and a law firm. Following an investigation led by the FBI with the assistance of the IRS Criminal Investigation, Gloria Okolie and Paul Aisosa, both Nigerian nationals residing in Dallas, Texas, were charged in an indictment filed on June 6 in the Southern District of Georgia. According to the indictment, they are alleged to have victimized a real estate closing attorney by sending the lawyer a spoofing email posing as the seller and requesting that proceeds of a real estate sale in the amount of $246,000 be wired to Okolies account. They are charged with laundering approximately $665,000 in illicit funds. The attorney experienced $130,000 in losses after the bank was notified of the fraud and froze $116,000. Adeyemi Odufuye aka Micky, Micky Bricks, Yemi, GMB, Bawz and Jefe, 32, and Stanley Hugochukwu Nwoke, aka Stanley Banks, Banks, Hugo Banks, Banky, and Jose Calderon, 27, were charged in a seven-count indictment in the District of Connecticut in a BEC scheme involving an attempted loss to victims of approximately $2.6 million, including at least $440,000 in actual losses to one victim in Connecticut. A third co-conspirator Olumuyiwa Yahtrip Adejumo, aka Ade, Slimwaco, Waco, Waco Jamon, Hade, and Hadey, 32, of Toledo, Ohio, pleaded guilty on April 20 to one count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud. Odufuye was extradited from the United Kingdom to the United States and on Jan. 3, pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud and one count of aggravated identity theft. Nwoke was extradited to the United States from Mauritius on May 25, marking the first extradition in over 15 years from Mauritius. His case is pending. Richard Emem Jackson, aka Auwire, 23, of Lagos, Nigeria, was charged in an indictment filed on May 17 in the District of Massachusetts with two counts of unlawful possession of a means of identification as part of a larger fraud scheme. According to the indictment, on two occasions in 2017, Jackson is alleged to have possessed the identifications of two victims with the intent to commit wire fraud conspiracy. In another case being prosecuted in the District of Massachusetts, a 25-year-old Fort Lauderdale, Florida man was indicted in federal court in Boston on June 6 on one count of money laundering conspiracy. According to the indictment, the individual was part of a conspiracy that engaged in wire fraud. It is alleged that in early 2018, the defendants co-conspirators gained access to email accounts belonging to a Massachusetts real estate attorney and sent emails to recipients in Massachusetts that spoofed the real estate attorneys account in an attempt to cause the email recipient to transfer nearly $500,000, which was intended to be used for payment in connection with a real estate transaction, to a shell account belonging to a money mule recruited and controlled by the defendant. The BEC scam is related to other forms of fraud such as: Romance scams, which lull victims to believe that their online paramour needs funds for an international business transaction, a U.S. visit or some other purpose; Employment opportunities scams, which recruits prospective employees for work-from-home employment opportunities where employees are required to provide their PII as new hires and then are significantly overpaid by check whereby the employees wire the overpayment to the employers bank; Fraudulent online vehicle sales scams, which convinces intended buyers to purchase prepaid gift cards in the amount of the agreed upon sale price and are instructed to share the prepaid card codes with the sellers who ignore future communications and do not deliver the goods; Rental scams occur when renters forward a check in excess of the agreed upon deposit for the rental property to the victims and request the remainder be returned via wire or check and back out of the rental agreements and ask for a refund; and Lottery scams, which involves persons randomly contacting email addresses advising them they have been selected as the winner of an international lottery. The cases were investigated by the FBI, U.S. Secret Service, U.S. Postal Inspection Service, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcements Homeland Security Investigations, the U.S. Department of the Treasury Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (FinCEN) and IRS Criminal Investigation. U.S. Attorneys Offices in the Districts of Central California, Connecticut, Eastern Virginia, Massachusetts, Nebraska, New Jersey, Southern Florida, Southern Georgia, Southern Texas, Eastern Pennsylvania, Eastern Washington, Western Pennsylvania, Western Tennessee, Western Washington, Utah, and elsewhere have ongoing investigations some of which have resulted in arrests in Nigeria. The Justice Departments Computer Crime and Intellectual Property Section, Money Laundering and Asset Recovery Section and Office of International Affairs of the Criminal Division provided assistance. District Attorneys Offices of Caddo Parrish in Shreveport, Louisiana; Harris County, Texas and Los Angeles are handling state prosecutions. Additionally, private sector partners and the Nigerian Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, Canadian law enforcement including the Toronto Police Service, the Mauritian Attorney-General and the Commissioner of Police, Polish Police Central Bureau of Investigation, Indonesian National Police Cyber Crimes Unit, and the Royal Malaysia Police provided significant assistance. This operation, which was funded and coordinated by the FBI, serves as a model for international cooperation against specific threats that endanger the financial well-being of each member countrys residents. Attorney General Sessions expressed gratitude for the outstanding efforts of the participating countries, including law enforcement actions that were coordinated and executed by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) in Nigeria to curb business email compromise schemes that defraud businesses and individuals alike. Victims are encouraged to file a complaint online with the IC3 at bec.ic3.gov. The IC3 staff reviews complaints, looking for patterns or other indicators of significant criminal activity, and refers investigative packages of complaints to the appropriate law enforcement authorities in a particular city or region. The FBI provides a variety of resources relating to BEC through the IC3, which can be reached at www.ic3.gov. For more information on BEC scams, visit: www.ic3.gov/media/2018/180611.aspx California Residents Plead Guilty to Scheme to Illegally Export Components for Production of Night Vision Rifle Scopes San Francisco, California - Naum Morgovsky, 69, and Irina Morgovsky, 66, both of Hillsborough, California, pleaded guilty Tuesday for their respective roles in a scheme to export components for the production of night vision and thermal devices in violation of the Arms Export Control Act. Naum Morgovsky also pleaded guilty to laundering the proceeds of from the scheme. Assistant Attorney General for National Security John C. Demers, Acting U.S. Attorney Alex G. Tse for the Northern District of California and Special Agent in Charge John F. Bennett of the FBIs San Francisco field office made the announcement. The pleas were accepted by the Honorable Vince Chhabria, U.S. District Judge, during jury selection. According to their guilty pleas, Naum Morgovsky and Irina Morgovsky admitted that from April 2012 until Aug. 25, 2016, they conspired to export without the necessary license to a company in Moscow, Russia, numerous scope components, including image intensifier tubes and lenses. They further admitted a coconspirator in Russia communicated to them lists of components necessary for the Russian business to manufacture certain night vision devises. The couple used their U.S. business, Hitek International, to purchase these components and misrepresented to the sellers that the products would not be exported. The couple then shipped the products to Russia and other countries in Europe where an associate arranged for them to be hand-carried into Russia. Further, the couple admitted the scope components they exported were on the U.S. Munitions List and that they therefore were not permitted to export the items without a license from the Department of State, Directorate of Defense Trade Controls. The defendants admitted they knew a license was required to export the components and that they did not obtain a license. In addition to exporting the components, Naum Morgovsky admitted he took steps to conceal his crimes so that the couple could continue to run the illegal export business undetected. Specifically, he admitted he laundered the proceeds of the export crimes and used the name of a deceased person to conceal the fact that he was the source and owner of a U.S.-based account. On April 27, 2017, a federal grand jury issued a superseding indictment charging the Morgovskys, along with Mark Migdal, 72, of Portola Valley, California, for their respective roles in three related schemes the illegal export scheme resolved by todays plea agreements, and two additional bank fraud schemes allegedly involving Naum Morgovsky. With respect to the illegal export scheme, the grand jury charged Naum Morgovesky with conspiracy to violate the Armed Export Control Act, and two counts of money laundering. The grand jury charged Irina Morgovesky with the conspiracy and with misuse of a passport. Pursuant to todays plea agreements, the couple pleaded guilty all the charges with the exception of the passport charge pending against Irina Morgovesky that charge will be dismissed. On Nov. 10, 2017, Judge Chhabria severed the case to allow the illegal export charges to be handled separately from the allegations regarding the bank fraud scheme alleged in the April 27, 2017, indictment. The bank fraud charges are still pending against Naum Morgovesky. According to the indictment, Naum Morgovesky conspired with Migdal to defraud two federally-insured banks, now Bank of America and EverBank, by seeking those banks approval for a short sale of two condominiums. The condominiums were in Kihei, Maui, and were in the same building as a condominium that had been owned by Migdal. The indictment alleges Morgovsky and Midgal conspired to convince the banks to allow the properties to be sold in a short sale to an individual who was deceased. A short sale is a sale in which a lender allows a property to be sold at a price that is less than the amount owed on the loan. Morgovsky also is accused of submitting false statements to the banks about Midgals employment status and income. The indictment charges Naum Morgovsky and Migdal with conspiracy to commit bank fraud, and two counts of bank fraud, related to the sale of the Hawaii properties. On July 25, 2017, Migdal pleaded guilty to his part in the conspiracy and to two counts of making false statements on loan and credit applications. On April 24, 2018, Judge Chhabria sentenced Migdal to 18 months in prison and ordered him to pay a $1,000,000 fine, to pay $460.215 in restitution, and to serve 3 years of supervised release. In sum, the charges and maximum statutory sentences against Naum Morgovsky are as follows: Count Charge Statue Status Maximum Sentence One Conspiracy to Commit Bank Fraud 18 U.S.C. 1349 Pending 30 years; $1,000,000 fine Two Bank Fraud 18 U.S.C. 1344 Pending 30 years; $1,000,000 fine Three Bank Fraud 18 U.S.C. 1344 Pending 30 years; $1,000,000 fine Four Aggravated Identity Theft 18 U.S.C. 1028A Pending 2 years consecutive to any other sentence; $250,000 fine Nine Armed Export Control Act Conspiracy 22 U.S.C. 2778 Pleaded Guilty 20 years; $1,000,000 fine Ten Money Laundering 18 U.S.C. 1956(a)(1)(B)(i) Pleaded Guilty 20 years; $500,000 fine or twice the value of funds involved Eleven International Money Laundering 18 U.S.C. 1956(a)(2)(A) Pleaded Guilty 20 years; $500,000 fine or twice the value of funds involved The charges against Irina Morgovsky are as follows: Count Charge Statue Status Maximum Sentence Nine Armed Export Control Act Conspiracy 22 U.S.C. 2778 Pleaded Guilty 20 years; $1,000,000 fine The maximum statutory sentences are prescribed by Congress and provided here for informational purposes; the sentencing of the defendants will be determined by the court based on the advisory Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors. A sentencing hearing for todays guilty pleas is scheduled for Sept. 18. No date has been scheduled yet to resolve the remaining charges against Naum Morgovsky. The prosecution is the result of an investigation by the counterintelligence squad of the FBI, with assistance from IRS-Criminal Investigation and the Department of Commerce, Bureau of Industry and Security. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Colin Sampson and Erin Cornell of the Northern District of California, and Trial Attorney Jason McCullough of the National Security Divisions Counterintelligence and Export Control Section. Two United States Citizens Arrested for Human Smuggling by Border Patrol Agents Palo Verde, California - Yuma Sector Border Patrol agents assigned to the Highway 78 Immigration Checkpoint near Palo Verde, California arrested two male United States citizens along with three Mexican nationals and one Guatemalan national in an attempted human smuggling event Sunday. At approximately 6:30 p.m., a black 2015 Dodge Charger containing six occupants arrived at the checkpoint. Upon questioning, Blythe Station agents discovered that four adult men in the back seat were foreign nationals illegally present in the United States. The subjects were attempting to travel from Calexico, California to Phoenix. The 31-year-old driver residing in Julian, California and his 17-year-old juvenile passenger, both United States citizens, were arrested for alien smuggling. Agents also arrested the foreign nationals, and seized the vehicle. Border Patrol Discovers Drugs in Vehicles Fuel Tank Salton City, California - El Centro Sector Border Patrol agents arrested a man suspected of smuggling drugs inside a vehicles fuel tank Wednesday morning. The incident occurred on June 13, just before 6 a.m., when a black Chevrolet pick-up truck approached the primary inspection area of the Highway 86 Checkpoint. At primary inspection, a Border Patrol agent referred the driver to secondary for further inspection. In secondary, a canine detection team alerted to the bed of the truck. After a search of the vehicle, agents discovered 35 wrapped bundles hidden inside the vehicles fuel tank. The packages were tested and proved positive for the characteristics of methamphetamine. The total weight of the methamphetamine was 56 pounds with an estimated value of $184,800. The man, later identified as a United States citizen, was transported to the station for further processing. This seizure highlights the tireless efforts our Border Patrol Agents demonstrate in keeping these dangerous drugs out of our community, said Assistant Chief Patrol Agent David S. Kim. The man, vehicle, and narcotics were turned over to the Drug Enforcement Administration for further investigation. In fiscal year 2018, El Centro Sector has seized more than 651.18 pounds of methamphetamine. Dark Web Vendor Pleads Guilty to Narcotics Trafficking and Money Laundering Charges Miami, Florida - A French national who was serving at times as an administrator and senior moderator on one of the largest dark web criminal marketplaces pleaded guilty Tuesday to conspiracy to possess with the intent to distribute controlled substances and conspiracy to launder money. Acting Assistant Attorney General John P. Cronan of the Justice Departments Criminal Division, U.S. Attorney Benjamin G. Greenberg for the Southern District of Florida and Special Agent in Charge Adolphus P. Wright of the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) Miami Field Office made the announcement. Gal Vallerius, aka Oxymonster, 36, pleaded guilty before U.S. District Court Judge Robert N. Scola Jr. in the Southern District of Florida. According to the court record, including the agreed upon factual proffer, beginning in or around November 2013 a criminal online marketplace known as Dream Market began operating on the Tor dark web network. Dream Market was designed to promote and facilitate the anonymous sale of illegal items. In time, the Dream Market website became one of the largest dark web criminal marketplaces. All of the items and services on Dream Market were offered for sale in exchange for Bitcoin and other peer-to-peer crypto-currencies. According to the agreed upon factual proffer, Vallerius first participated in the conspiracy by becoming a vendor on Dream Market. As a vendor, he sold Oxycodone and Ritalin under the moniker Oxymonster. Shortly thereafter, Dream Market employed the defendant who acted at times as an administrator and senior moderator. In these positions, he played a role supporting the daily illicit transactions between buyers and vendors on Dream Market, such as the trafficking in narcotics, and the laundering of illicit proceeds using virtual currencies, Dream Markets tumblers and the dark web. Vallerius is scheduled to be sentenced by Judge Scola on Sept. 25 at 8:30 a.m. This investigation and prosecution was carried out by members of the South Florida High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area (HIDTA) Task Force. The South Florida HIDTA, established in 1990, is made up of federal, state and local law enforcement agencies that, cooperatively, target the regions drug trafficking and money laundering organizations. The South Florida HIDTA is funded by the Office of National Drug Control Policy which sponsors a variety of initiatives focused on combatting the nations illicit drug trafficking threats. The prosecution is a result of the ongoing efforts by the Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force (OCDETF), a partnership between federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies. The OCDETF mission is to identify, investigate, and prosecute high-level members of drug trafficking enterprises, bringing together the combined expertise and unique abilities of federal, state, and local law enforcement. The investigation was conducted by the DEA Miami Field Office and Paris Country Office, FBI Miami, IRS Criminal Investigation Miami Field Office, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcements Homeland Security Investigations Miami and Atlanta Field Offices, U.S. Customs and Border Protections Field Operations Atlanta, U.S. Postal Inspection Service Miami Field Office, the Department of Justices Office of International Affairs, Europol, Special Operations Division (SOD), Finnish National Police, Finnish International Judicial Administration of the Ministry of Justice, Dutch National Police, French Ministry of Justice and the Direction Interregionale de la Police Judiciaire as well as the U.S. Attorneys Office for the Northern District of Georgia. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Juan A. Gonzalez and Frank R. Maderal of the Southern District of Florida and Trial Attorney C. Alden Pelker of the Criminal Divisions Computer Crime and Intellectual Property Section (CCIPS). Russian and Syrian Nationals Charged With Laundering Millions of U.S. Dollars for Designated Russian Company Washington, DC - Eight businessmen, including five Russian nationals and three Syrian nationals, were indicted today on federal charges alleging that they conspired to violate U.S. economic sanctions against Syria and Crimea, by sending jet fuel to Syria and making U.S. dollar wires to Syria and to sanctioned entities in Syria without receiving a license from the U.S. Treasury Department. The indictment was returned in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia and involves transactions conducted by Joint Stock Company Sovfracht (Sovfracht), a Russian shipping company and freight forwarder. The five Russian nationals Ivan Okorokov, Ilya Loginov, Karen Stepanyan, Alexey Konkov and Liudmila Shmelkova are employees of Sovfracht. Yaser Naser is a Syrian national who has worked on behalf of Sovfracht in Syria to coordinate its business there. Farid Bitar and Gabriel Bitar are petroleum inspectors at Port Banias, Syria. All eight individuals were charged with one count of conspiracy to violate the International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA) and one count of conspiracy to launder monetary instruments. A forfeiture allegation was also included in the indictment. Assistant Attorney General for National Security John C. Demers, U.S. Attorney Jessie K. Liu for the District of Columbia, and Special Agent in Charge Timothy Dunham of the FBI Washington Field Office Counterintelligence Division made the announcement. The U.S. sanctions on Syria and Crimea thwart Syrias support of terrorism and its pursuit and use of weapons of mass destruction, as well as the actions of those who seek to undermine Ukraines democratic processes and territorial integrity. The National Security Division will not tolerate any attempts to evade these important foreign policy and national security tools, said Assistant Attorney General Demers. The defendants allegedly conspired to defy our sanctions against Syria and Crimea, endangering both American interests in the region as well as our foreign policy and national security at home. I applaud the investigators who helped bring these alleged violations to light and the violators to justice. The indictment in this case demonstrates that we will vigorously investigate and prosecute violations of U.S. economic sanctions, including the use of our financial system to promote and facilitate the activities of sanctioned entities, such as the delivery of jet fuel to Syria, said U.S. Attorney Liu. The charges also reflect the tireless dedication of the FBI to rooting out this illegal activity. The FBI takes sanctions violations extremely seriously and will not hesitate to use our full investigative resources to stop this type of alleged illegal activity, said Special Agent in Charge Dunham. This investigation underscores the determination of the special agents and intelligence analysts who pursue those who violate United States laws, no matter where they reside. As noted in the indictment, on May 11, 2004, the President declared a national emergency to deal with the threat to the national security, foreign policy and economy of the United States posed by the actions of the Government of Syria. That and subsequent Executive Orders imposed economic sanctions on Syria, which prohibited, among other things, the exportation, re-exportation, sale, or supply, directly or indirectly, to Syria of any goods, technology, or services from the United States, which includes the processing of U.S. dollar wires for transactions conducted overseas. According to the indictment, as early as 2011, banks began rejecting U.S. dollar wires by Sovfracht that were destined for Syria. The alleged conspirators began using front companies and falsifying information in shipping records and the related U.S. dollar wires in order to circumvent the sanctions. In subsequent conversations in 2015, the defendants allegedly sent e-mails warning about the effect of Western sanctions and the related prohibition on U.S. dollar transactions. The indictment alleges that the defendants used vessels owned by Transpetrochart Co. Ltd. (Transpetrochart), a Russian based company that owned the petroleum tankers Mukhalatka and Yaz, to transship jet fuel and other items surreptitiously to Syria. The indictment also notes that on May 8, 2014, the Treasury Department, Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC), designated the Banias Refinery Company, a Syrian based petroleum processing company owned by the Syrian regime, for processing petroleum that was imported into the Syrian Port of Banias. According to the indictment, in spite of these sanctions, the defendants engaged in U.S. dollar transactions beginning in 2015 to deliver jet fuel to Syria via the Banias Refinery Company. On or about Jan. 13, 2016, OFAC blocked two wires from Sovfracht that passed through the United States totaling $2,585,340 for the delivery of jet fuel to Syria. As a result, the defendants allegedly began to use third party companies to continue making U.S. dollar payments for shipments to Syria. On Sept. 1, 2016, OFAC designated Sovfracht for Crimean sanctions violations. Following these sanctions, Sovfracht was prohibited from transacting in U.S. dollars without first receiving a license from OFAC, regardless of whether or not the transaction was for the supply of goods to Syria. On Sept. 9, 2016, the government sent notice to Sovfracht of a forfeiture action against the blocked $2,585,340. On Dec. 20, 2016, OFAC designated Transpetrochart for working with Sovfracht. According to the indictment, in October 2016, following Sovfrachts designation, the defendants utilized Maritime Assistance LLC (Maritime) as a front company for Sovfracht, as part of the scheme to circumvent U.S. sanctions and conduct U.S. dollar transactions. Maritime was operated by employees, including several of the defendants, of Sovfracht. The indictment alleges that Sovfracht and Maritime employees acted interchangeably. Maritime assumed debts previously owed by Sovfracht and paid third parties on contracts previously negotiated by Sovfracht. The indictment alleges that these activities allowed the defendants to continue engaging in U.S. dollar transactions, which passed through the United States, in spite of Sovfrachts designation. According to the indictment, following designation, Sovfracht, acting through Maritime, continued to transact in U.S. dollars for the delivery of jet fuel to Syria, in violation of both the Crimean and Syrian sanctions. For example, on or about May 11, 2017, OFAC blocked two wires from Sovfracht that passed through the United States totaling $2,957,983 for the delivery of jet fuel to Syria. In response to the blocking, Ilya Loginov allegedly stated to co-conspirators that Maritime has been burned, that it was unadvisable to make further use of it, and that they had to create a new clean company. An indictment is merely a formal charge that a defendant has committed a violation of criminal law and is not evidence of guilt. Every defendant is presumed innocent until, and unless, proven guilty. The maximum statutory penalty for conspiracy to violate IEEPA is five years in prison, and for conspiracy to commit money laundering is 20 years in prison. The charges also carry potential financial penalties and forfeitures of blocked funds and facilitating property such as the vessels in question. The maximum statutory sentence is prescribed by Congress and is provided here for informational purposes. If convicted of any offense, a defendants sentence will be determined by the court based on the advisory Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors. This case is being investigated by the FBIs Washington Field Office. The government is represented by Trial Attorney David Recker of the National Security Divisions Counterintelligence and Export Control Section; and Assistant U.S. Attorneys Zia Faruqui and Erik Kenerson, Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Parker Tobin, Paralegal Specialist Toni Anne Donato, and Legal Assistant Jessica McCormick of the District of Columbia. Assistance earlier was provided by Assistant U.S. Attorney Ari Redbord of the U.S. Attorneys Office. Assistant Secretary Mitchell Travel to Bucharest, Zagreb, Prague, and Brussels Washington, DC - Assistant Secretary of State for European and Eurasian Affairs A. Wess Mitchell will travel to Europe from June 17 to 22. On June 18 he will be in Bucharest, Romania, to meet with senior officials and independent analysts to discuss regional security and economic cooperation. He will lead the U.S. delegation to the sixth U.S.-Romania Strategic Partnership Dialogue, and he will deliver remarks at the University of Bucharest. Assistant Secretary Mitchell will then travel to Zagreb, Croatia, on June 19, where he will meet with senior Croatian officials to discuss developments in Croatia and the region, including Croatias contributions to regional stability and energy security. On June 20 and 21, he will be in Prague, Czech Republic to participate in the U.S.-Czech Republic Strategic Dialogue, meet with Czech officials, and deliver a speech co-hosted by the Prague European Summit and GLOBSEC. Finally, June 21-22, Assistant Secretary Mitchell will visit Brussels, Belgium. There he will meet with Belgian Deputy Prime Minister Alexander De Croo. He will also discuss areas of U.S.-European cooperation with EU officials, and he will give a speech at Carnegie Europe. The forecast, it seems, is for a long hot summer of record temperatures. Which may of course be the signal for an extended period of cool and rainy weather. But, if its not, we can all expect to be drinking a lot of chilled rose in the next couple of months, by far the best wine in hot weather, whether its an after-work refresher or for al fresco eating. Last week we focused on Provencal roses, which have come to dominate the market over the past few years, taking this unpretentious summer wine into more sophisticated and pricey territory. But there are many great roses being made elsewhere in France, in Europe and around the world, giving rose lovers a wide variety of grapes, styles and flavours. In France itself, pink is definitely not confined to Provence rose is produced in almost all wine growing areas and most people tend to be a bit chauvinistic about their local stuff, which is invariably considered better than anywhere else. Recommended 8 Best volcanic wines As well as Provence, the roses of Tavel in the Rhone Valley have also been celebrated: made with similar grape varieties grenache, syrah, cinsault, carignan, etc they are deeper in colour, more rounded and richer than those from further west. For a really excellent dinner party rose, try the syrah/grenache dominated Domaine des Carabiniers Lunar Apogee 2017 (15.95 Davywine.co.uk) from a small organic and biodynamic estate near splendid Avignon: bursting with red berry fruit flavours, its ideal with a big baked fish, surrounded by roasted Mediterranean vegetables. Moving north and west, the Loire Valley is also a source of well made roses, usually from either pinot noir or cabernet franc grapes, which emphasise crisp cherry and strawberry flavours and are suitably, fashionably pale; the light and elegant Domaine La Clef du Recit Sancerre Rose 2016 (13.20 Genesiswines.com) from well regarded winemaker Anthony Girard is entirely pinot noir and suffused with the flinty minerality derived from the same limestone and flint soils that give Sancerre whites their quality. Two of the best roses Ive ever drunk have been Spanish one an unlabelled bottle on a kitchen table in a remote village on the island of Fuerteventura, probably from grapes grown on local volcanic soils, and the other a lovely glass of barrel fermented tempranillo in a riotous bar in Seville, where I foolishly never noted the name. Instead, I give you the full-bodied, raspberry fruited and deeply pink garnacha-based Senorio de Sarria Rosado Navarra 2017 (6.75 Thewinesociety.com), which is just the kind of thing to keep in the fridge for a glass after a long day and to accompany some tapas and nibbles, although its substantial enough for something more complex and spicy, such as a chicken tagine. This wine is included in an excellent Wine Society offer on a selection of new roses, which also includes the Mas de Cadenent Cotes de Provence recommended last week; full details here. Also from Spain, but much more delicate, citrusy and floral, is the Torres Vina Esmeralda 2017 (6.99 Dylanswine.co.uk; 7.99 Robertsandspeight.co.uk) from garnacha grapes grown in the northern Penedes region and more rounded than it might be, due to four months ageing on the lees. A great screw-topped choice for parties or picnics. The nine best restaurants in the world (2017) Show all 9 1 /9 The nine best restaurants in the world (2017) The nine best restaurants in the world (2017) 1. Eleven Madison Park, New York, USA World's Best 50 Restaurants The nine best restaurants in the world (2017) 2. Osteria Francescana, Modena, Italy World's Best 50 Restaurants The nine best restaurants in the world (2017) 3. El Celler de can Roca, Girona, Spain World's Best 50 Restaurants The nine best restaurants in the world (2017) 4. Mirazur, Menton, France World's Best 50 Restaurants The nine best restaurants in the world (2017) 6. Asador Etxebarri, Axpe, Spain Mariano Herrera The nine best restaurants in the world (2017) 7. Gaggan, Bangkok, Thailand FB://Allwecandid The nine best restaurants in the world (2017) 8. Maido, Lima, Peru Jose Caceres The nine best restaurants in the world (2017) 9. Mugaritz, San Sebastian, Spain World's Best 50 Restaurants The nine best restaurants in the world (2017) 10. Steirereck, Vienna, Austria World's Best 50 Restaurants But Spain isnt just about budget pinks. In mighty Rioja they can take on Provence at their own game, with the garnacha/viura Lalomba Ramon Bilbao Rose 2017 (19.95 Greatwesternwine.co.uk; 20 Sommelierschoice.co.uk) from high altitude vineyards in La Rioja Baja. Very pale? Check. Elegant bottle? Check. Bone dry, light, but intense minerality and fruit? Check. Now get the lobster or prawns under the grill. Rose is generally an uncomplicated, simply made wine, best drunk young with no ageing [apart from the odd exception as above] or other devices to give the wine more character. In Italy, the appassimento technique of adding semi-dried grapes is normally only used to give complexity to red wines, but works very well in the Rosa dei Masi, Rosata della Venezie 2016 (12.95 Winedirect.co.uk, Hailshamcellars.com; 13.32 Corkingwines.co.uk) where 15 per cent of the refosco grapes were aged in drying lofts for 50 days, giving a softness and depth of character to the wine. Excellent with pizza or tomato-based pasta dishes. Moving down to Sicily and a rose made from the native nero davola grape, grown organically on a family estate near Palermo, where although the grapes are pressed quickly, Provencal style, the Vino Lauria Rose di Zio Paolo (15 Harveynichols.com) is still a deep blood orange, full of luscious fruit flavours, but with some underlying, smoky complexity and a touch of the grapes cherries and chocolate notes; try it with traditional Sicilian swordfish rolls. Moving to South America and to Argentina, Malbec shares some of nero davolas freshness, particularly when grown at altitude so there are some fine pinks from that grape, such as the Malbec dominated Vaglio Rose 2017, (10 Marksandspencer.com) which also has some pinot noir, cabernet and torrontes in the mix. Over in Chile, they tend to like their roses full-bodied and fruit-filled, such as the Fairtrade cabernet sauvignon Santa Digna Cabernet Sauvignon Reserva 2017 (7.99 Robertsandspeight.co.uk; 8.50 Winedirect.co.uk). Definitely one for the barbecue, with perhaps grilled lamb or merguez sausages. Old vineyards dot the landscape surrounding Navarrevisca, this village about an hour west of Madrid. But to find the tiny, astounding Rumbo al Norte vineyard, where 70-year-old garnacha vines grow on granite and sandstone slopes threaded with quartz and strewn with gigantic boulders, you not only have to know someone, you have to earn his trust. For as long as anybody can remember, old vineyards like this one in the foothills of the Sierra de Gredos mountains have been cherished by a dedicated few, who nurtured the vines through hot summers and cold winters. The work was exhausting, especially in the years before automation and automobiles. Simply getting to the vineyards, which can approach 4,000 feet above sea level, was an arduous project. Even today, they are tended almost entirely by hand. The reward? For decades, the garnacha, as grenache is known in Spanish, went to the local cooperative, which made bulk wines that ended up in anonymous blends. Many growers lost money on their vines. But their attachment to the land was deep, transcending economics. Beyond the elderly caretakers, whose children were seldom interested in carrying on their stewardship, not many valued these old vineyards. Twenty years ago, the few commercial wineries in the area were planting cabernet sauvignon and merlot on the flatlands in an effort to appeal to international markets. Many of the old vineyards have been abandoned over the decades. You can sometimes see traces of them, their ancient stone terraces fading back into the hillsides. Only in the last decade has it become apparent that the area could offer agricultural riches to those willing to seek them out. Nobody has searched harder for these old vineyards than Fernando Garcia and Daniel Gomez Jimenez-Landi, two 40-ish men who make fresh, precise, delicate wines under the curious label Comando G. And nobody has worked harder to demonstrate that the grapes from these vineyards could make world-class wines. During the last 10 years, Garcia and Landi have tracked down vineyards that were only legends, whispered about in taverns or in the fields. They befriended farmers and earned their trust and respect. We have a big, big treasure here, says Landi. The big heroes are those who worked and maintained these vineyards, even as they lost money selling to the co-ops. Landi, who goes by Dani, says the vineyard prospecting has required a great deal of research. Talking to old guys in bars, he says. I found when you drink beer, you find good vineyards. In their search for old vineyards, Garcia and Landi look for three qualities: granite soils, garnacha and altitude (Getty Images/iStockphoto) Today, along with Comando G, a handful of producers working in the Sierra de Gredos are showing how distinctive the wines can be from an area that was ignored for so long. Among them are Bernabeleva, which makes superb reds and whites of garnacha and albillo real; Daniel Ramos, whose wines are quite good, though they still seem to be grasping for an identity; and RuBor Viticultores, which makes natural wines that can be both fascinating and challenging. But the bottles with the most finesse and nuance, and which have drawn the most interest, are from Comando G, whose wines are now among the most compelling in Spain. The entry-level red, La Bruja de Rozas, is lovely and floral, with light, chalky mineral flavours. Rozas 1er Cru is a step up, not as effusive or ample as La Bruja, and a little more chiselled. Most striking are a trio of wines made from old-vine garnacha grown in granite at high altitudes, all striking similar chords yet discernibly different. Las Umbrias, from a vineyard of sandy granite and clay, tastes like flowers, citrus and minerals. Tumba del Rey Moro from a vineyard of almost pure granite with ancient vines interspersed with trees is more like concentrated rose petals, yet distinctly salty. Rumbo al Norte is dry, chalky and almost austere. The texture of this vineyard is the texture of the wine, Garcia says, pointing to fine grains of quartz as we wandered among the boulders in Rumbo al Norte. Collectively, they are among the most striking grenache-based wines I have had. The label, Comando G, comes from a Spanish 1980s cartoon based on Science Ninja Team Gatchaman, a Japanese anime series from the 1970s. But just as important, the G could stand for Gredos, the region where they prospected for vineyards, and it could stand for garnacha. Ten years ago, when Comando G was getting started, most of the garnacha wines in Spain were jammy, concentrated, oaky and alcoholic. The Comando G team looked for inspiration instead from France, where they found wines in a different style, like the legendary Chateauneuf-du-Papes of Chateau Rayas, made entirely of grenache and known for their subtle, intricate grace, and the exquisite Ceps Centenaires La Meme cuvee from Domaine Gramenon, a producer in the Cotes du Rhone. Garcia and Landi took many trips to Burgundy, to the Rhone and the Loire, and eventually to Roussillon in the south and to Sicily and the Barolo region of Italy. In Spain, we didnt have any references, says Garcia, who goes by Fer. We learned about terroir and minerality in France and Italy, but not in Spain. Food and drink news Show all 35 1 /35 Food and drink news Food and drink news Healthy living makes us more inclined to binge, research suggests Gluten-free breads, dairy-free milks and other plant-based products have been some of the most favoured foods in British supermarkets this year. However, while were busy filling our shopping trolleys with gluten-free goodness, were also jamming it with junk food and alcohol, new research suggests Getty/iStock Food and drink news Growing list of Vegan celebs Making the switch to veganism is a major lifestyle choice, one that many claim can improve energy levels, lower the risk of cardiovascular disease and clear up any skin issues. Beyonce, Natalie Portman and Jessica Chastain are among the growing list of Hollywood stars who have eschewed animal products from their diets in recent years. Theres also been an increasing number of professional athletes who have gone vegan, such as boxing champions Mike Tyson and David Haye, thus debunking the myth that following a plant-based diet will leave you feeling weak and malnourished. AFP/Getty/NARAS/iHeartMedia Food and drink news McDonald's has announced the launch of a new vegan burger on its menu in Germany This will mark the first time the German franchise of the fast food chain has offered a vegan burger to its customers. The Big Vegan TS burger consists of a patty made from soy and wheat. It is served in a classic sesame seed bun, and contains salad, tomato, pickles and red onion. McDonald's Germany Food and drink news Drinking too many protein shakes could lead to an increased risk of obesity and a reduced lifespan, a new study has claimed Researchers from the University of Sydney's Charles Perkins Centre carried out an investigation to determine the impact excessive consumption of branched-chain amino acids (BCAAs) has on the body. BCAA supplements are often consumed in the form of powder, which is then added to water to make a shake. Published in journal Nature Metabolism, the study found that while BCAAs help to build muscle, they can also negatively impact an individual's temperament, cause weight gain and lead to a shortened lifespan Getty Images/iStockphoto Food and drink news Britain consumes more chocolate than any other country Most people love chocolate but it turns out no one does more than the Brits with the average Brit found to have consumed 8.4 kg of chocolate in 2017, according to new data. Chocolate consumption around the world is on the rise, according to Mintel Global New Products Database (GNPD), which found that in the past year alone, Easter chocolate production has risen by 23 per cent Food and drink news 'Easter eggs should be banned for children under four' Dr Becky Spelman, chief psychologist at Harley Streets Private Therapy Clinic, is calling for Easter eggs to be banned for consumption for children under the age of four, claiming that giving them the opportunity to binge on chocolate so young will give them an unhealthy relationship with food later on. "This is a nightmare situation for parents of this generation as they have no idea how to teach their children to delay their response to cravings, she said, explaining that too many young kids binge on these chocolates because their parents dont know how to stop them. "Once a child starts overeating behaviour at a young age its very hard to turn things around for them in terms of food and their eating habits moving forward, leading to obesity from at very young age," she added PA Food and drink news Pineapple overtakes avocado as the UK's fastest-selling fruit According to Tesco, pineapple has overtaken avocado as the UKs fastest-selling fruit, with sales increasing by 15 per cent in 2017. In comparison, avocado sales rose by just under 10 per cent last year. The popular supermarket says the surge in popularity comes as shoppers buying the versatile fruit are beginning to use it as a main ingredient in everything from curries and barbecues, to juices and cocktails Getty Food and drink news Marks & Spencers launches stoneless avocados Rather than the result of genetic modification, the avocados are formed by an unpollinated avocado blossom. The fruit develops without a seed which in turns stops the growth, creating a small, seedless fruit. Whats more, the skin is actually edible, unlike a regular avocado. The flesh is much like that of a normal avocado - smooth and creamy, pale in colour and rich in flavour M&S Food and drink news Office teabags contain 17 times more germs than a toilet seat, reveals study The average bacterial reading of an office teabag was 3,785, in comparison to only 220 for a toilet seat. Other pieces of kitchen equipment also stacked up highly in their findings, with the bacterial readings averaging at 2,483 on kettle handles, 1,746 on the rim of a used mug and 1,592 on a fridge door handle Getty Images/iStockphoto Food and drink news New study shows drinking more coffee leads to a longer life There is good news and a final hope for coffee addicts and lovers. You will now be able to drink coffee for longer as new study shows its can lead to a prolonged life. Scientists showed that those who drank between two and four cups of coffee a day had 18% lower risk of death compared to non-coffee drinkers. PA Food and drink news Coke Zero is replaced with Coke Zero Sugar Coca-Cola is pulling the plug on its Coke Zero. The much loved drink will be replaced with a new improved taste. The move, backed with a 10 million campaign, is said to come from Coca-Cola supporting people to reduce their sugar intake. Coca-Cola want people make this move while not sacrificing sugary taste of Coca-Cola. Coca-Cola Food and drink news Starbucks introduce new avocado spread The avocado craze has grown from hipster brunch restaurants to Starbucks. Starbucks have introduced their new avocado spread earlier this year and it has the internet in debate. Some argue that it not a spread but guacamole while others question if there is any avocado in there at all. When buying the new spread you can also buy an optional toasted bagel. It is a must try for all avocado connoisseurs. Starbucks Food and drink news New Mars chocolate bar The iconic British chocolate bar is about to get its partner in crime. The new bar, named Goodness Knows, will replace the gooey caramel goodness of the mars bar with oats. It is said to be more like a Florentine biscuit with a thin dark chocolate bottom. While being moderately healthy Mars says that is has good intentions. One pack has 154 calories and will sell for about 90p. Mars Food and drink news Wine prices could increase because of Brexit Wine lovers across the UK might soon have to shell out close to a quarter more for their favourite tipple after Brexit, as a weaker pound and sluggish economy takes its toll, a new study shows Rex Food and drink news Chocolate may be good for the heart A new study, published in the British Medical Journal: Heart, found that moderate chocolate intake can be positively associated with lessening the risk of the heart arrhythmia condition Atrial Fibrillation Getty Images/iStockphoto Food and drink news Brits throw away 1.4 million bananas each year British families are throwing away 1.4 million bananas that are perfectly good to eat every day at cost of 80m a year, new figures have shown PA/Armin Weigel Food and drink news Rosemary sales spike over exam time There has been a surge a surge in sales of the herb rosemary after a recent study found it helps improve memory. According to high street health food chain Holland & Barrett, sales of the herb have increased by 187 per cent compared to the same time last year Getty Images/iStockphoto Food and drink news Gluten-free diets 'not recommended' for people without coeliac disease Avoiding wheat, barley and rye in the belief that a gluten-free diet brings health benefits may do more harm than good, according to a team of US nutrition and medicine experts Getty Images/iStockphoto Food and drink news Starbucks launches two new coffee-based drinks Starbucks is launching two new coffee-based drinks in the UK, as it strives to tap into consumers growing appetite for healthy beverages. The Cold Brew Vanilla sweet cream and the Cappuccino Freddo, will both be available in stores throughout the UK from the start of May Twitter/@SbuxCountyHall Food and drink news Cadburys Dairy Milk Tiffin is making a permanent comeback after 80 years The Cadbury Dairy Milk Tiffin, first produced in 1937, is making a permanent comeback to the UK. The raisin and biscuit-filled chocolate bar is being launched after a successful trial last summer saw 3 million chocolate treats at the cost of 1.49 for each 95g bar- purchased by nostalgic customers Cadburys Food and drink news Pizza restaurant makes worlds cheesiest 'Scottie's Pizza Parlor' in Portland Oregon has created the worlds cheesiest pizza using a total of 101 different cheese varieties. Facebook/Scottie's Pizza Parlor Food and drink news A pizza joint in Portland Oregon has created the worlds cheesiest pizza using a total of 101 different cheese varieties. Why not eating before a workout could be better for your health A study published in the American Journal of Physiology by researchers at the University of Bath found you might be likely to burn more fat if you have not eaten first Getty Images/iStockphoto Food and drink news New York restaurant named best in the world A New York restaurant where an average meal for two will cost $700 has been named the best in the world. Eleven Madison Park won the accolade for the first time after debuting on the list at number 50 in 2010. The restaurant was praised for a fun sense of fine-dining, blurring the line between the kitchen and the dining room Getty Images Food and drink news Why you crave bad food when youre tired Researchers at Feinberg School of Medicine, Northwestern University in Chicago recently presented their results of a study looking into the effects of sleep deprivation upon high-calorific food consumption. Researchers found that those who were sleep-deprived had specifically enhanced brain activity to the food smells compared to when they had a good nights sleep Shutterstock Food and drink news Drinking wine engages more of your brain than solving maths problems Drinking wine is the ideal workout for your brain, engaging more parts of our grey matter than any other human behaviour, according to a leading neuroscientist. Dr Gordon Shepherd, from the Yale School of Medicine, said sniffing and analysing a wine before drinking it requires exquisite control of one of the biggest muscles in the body Getty Images/iStockphoto Food and drink news British dessert eating surges after people ditch healthy eating in February : In heartening news for anyone feeling guilty about quitting their New Year diet, it seems lots of us have given in to our sweet tooths once again. New data from nationwide food-delivery service Deliveroo reveals there was a surge in Brits ordering desserts in February compared to the first month of 2017 Getty Images/iStockphoto Food and drink news US congress debates definition of milk alternatives A new bill has been created that seeks to ban dairy alternatives from using the term milk. Titled the DAIRY PRIDE Act, the name is a tenuous acronym for defending against imitations and replacements of yogurt, milk, and cheese to promote regular intake of dairy every day. It argues that the dairy industry is struggling as a result of all the dairy-free alternatives on the market and the public are being duped too Getty Images Food and drink news Cadburys launches two new chocolate bars UK confectionary giant Cadbury has launched two new chocolate bars, hoping to lure those with a sweet tooth and perhaps help combat some of the challenges it faces from rising commodity prices and a post-Brexit slump in the value of the pound.The companys new products will be peanut butter and mint flavoured. They will be available in most major super markets as 120g bars, priced at 1.49, according to the company Cadburys Food and drink news You can now get a job as a professional chocolate eater The company responsible for some of your favourite chocolate brands think Cadbury, Milks, Prince and Oreo have officially announced an opening to join their team as a professional chocolate taster. The successful candidate will help them to test, perfect and launch new products all over the world. Getty Images/iStockphoto Food and drink news MSG additive used in Chinese food is actually good for you, scientist claims For years, weve been told MSG (the sodium salt of glutamic acid) - often associated with cheap Chinese takeaways - is awful for our health and to be avoided at all costs. But one scientist argues it should be used as a supersalt and encourages adding it to food. Getty Images/iStockphoto Food and drink news Lettuce prices are rising Not only are lettuces becoming an increasingly rare commodity in supermarkets, but prices for the leafy vegetables seem to be rising too. According to the weekly report from the Governments Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, a pair of Little Gem lettuces had an average market price of 0.86 in the week that ended on Friday, up from an average of 0.56 in the previous week thats an almost 54 per cent increase. Getty Images Food and drink news Do-It-Yourself restaurant To encourage more people to cook and eat together, IKEA has launched The Dining Club in Shoreditch a fully immersive Do-It-Yourself restaurant . Members of the public can book to host a brunch, lunch or dinner party for up to 20 friends and family. Supported by their very own sous chef and maitre de, the host and their guests will orchestrate an intimate dining experience where cooking together is celebrated and eating together is inspirational Mikael Buck / IKEA Food and drink news Ping Pong menu with a twist Gatwick Airport has teamed up with London dim sum restaurant Ping Pong to create a limited edition menu with a distinctly British twist; including a Full English Bao and Beef Wellington Puff, to celebrate the launch of the airports new route to Hong Kong Food and drink news Zizzi unveil the Maamgharita Unique pizza art has been created by Zizzi in celebration of the Queens 90th birthday. The pizza features the queen in an iconic pose illustrated with fresh and tasty Italian ingredients on a backdrop of the Union Jack Food and drink news Blue potatoes make a comeback Blue potatoes, once a staple part of British potato crops, are back on the menu thanks to a Cambridge scientist turned-organic farmer and Farmdrop, an online marketplace that lets people buy direct from local farms. Cambridge PhD graduate-turned farmer, Adrian Izzard has used traditional growing techniques at Wild Country Organics to produce the colourful spuds, packed with healthy cell-protecting anthocyanin, which had previously disappeared from UK plates when post-war farmers were pushed towards higher-yielding varieties The need to look elsewhere for inspiration was partly a legacy of the long Franco dictatorship, which effectively closed off Spanish winemakers from the rest of the wine world, and from their own heritage. Emerging from the dictatorship in the 1980s and 1990s, Garcia says, and disconnected from their own Spanish wine traditions, they tried to duplicate internationally popular wine styles, aiming for dark colours, power and impact rather than freshness or expression of place. Only in recent years, Garcia says, have many Spanish winemakers felt freer to explore their own tastes and muses. Were not trying to copy the style of Burgundy, but to follow the philosophy, says Landi. Every village here is completely different. We want to express the style of each village. Landi grew up in the region. His family owned vineyards and was one of the first in the area to bottle its own wine. With the encouragement of the European Union, his family planted international varieties rather than the traditional grapes. But Landi found that garnacha, grown at high altitude, was much more to his taste. He eventually left the family business and started his own label, Daniel Gomez Jimenez-Landi, making wines of a similar ilk to the Comando Gs, but from different sites. In Madrid, Landi met Garcia, who was studying agricultural engineering and working at one of the citys best wine shops. Together with a third partner, Marc Isart, who eventually dropped out, they started Comando G in 2008. Every village here is completely different. We want to express the style of each village (Getty Images/iStockphoto) At first, it was a hobby. Landi had his family label while Garcia worked for Telmo Rodriguez, one of Spains more dynamic wine entrepreneurs, who himself was one of the early explorers of the potential of the Sierra de Gredos region. Garcia had also started another label, Bodega Maranones, which, like Landis label, makes excellent wines from the region. Up until 2012 or 13, we both had day jobs and worked weekends and holidays on Comando G, says Garcia. Now Comando G is the day job. In their search for old vineyards, they are looking for three qualities: granite soils, garnacha and altitude. The soils provide strength and freshness in the wines, Landi says. Garnacha, which Landi calls the pinot noir of the south, gives the winemakers the ability to produce fresh, elegant wines. Altitudes of at least 2,500 feet and preferably 3,000 to 4,000 allow a longer ripening cycle, and wines with less alcohol and more balance. The men are especially interested in vineyards facing east and north, which receive less direct heat, especially important in the era of climate change. The region encompasses three different valleys with three different climates, from Mediterranean in the southern Tietar and Alberche valleys to continental in the northern Alto Alberche. The divergence is reflected in the landscape, where lavender and fig and olive trees in the southern part give way to oak, chestnuts and almonds in the north. While there is great diversity in the land, the appellation system has not kept up. The official appellation, Vinos de Madrid, encompasses three provinces with widely differing climate and geology. So Comando G prefers the unofficial Sierra de Gredos, the more specific region, with bottles identified by village as well, when appropriate. They farm biodynamically, but each vineyard, Garcia says, required slightly different techniques, derived often by observing how the older people worked the land. All the garnachas are fermented with their stems, in the ancient fashion, the single-vineyard wines in big oak vats, the others in a mixture of oak and concrete. The aim, always, is to preserve freshness. With grenache, you dont need structure, you need acidity, Garcia says. Comando G also makes a tiny amount of a lovely white wine from garnacha gris and garnacha blanc, El Tamboril, which smells like lemons, rocks and flowers. In a sort of full circle, the Comando G partners are now consulting with the local co-operative, Granito del Cadalso, which from a peak of almost entirely bulk wine production in the 1980s had found itself in serious difficulty as people left agriculture for factory or construction work. Since 2015, the aim has been to produce smaller quantities of better-quality wine in bottles, rather than bulk wine. The 2017 was fresh, fruity, direct and easy to drink, a good value for about $15 (11.30). The Comando G wines range from about $25 to $100 or more for the single-vineyard wines. For Comando G, it has been a remarkable decade. Ten years is not so long in the wine business, says Garcia. But 10 years ago there was practically nothing here. New York Times Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, June 17) The government and the National Democratic Front of the Philippines (NDFP) agreed to temporarily stop all hostilities before they resumed formal peace talks set on June 28. According to a signed "stand-down" agreement, a copy of which was obtained by CNN Philippines, both parties would "take an active defense mode, and shall not commit any offensive action or operation against combatants or civilians." The document also warned armed troops and personnel from either side against acting in a manner that could be considered provocative or hostile. Included in the agreement is a condition for the protection of civilians and their property. A member from each side was supposed to be assigned to a panel that would coordinate on issues related to the implementation of the deal. "They shall work on measures to prevent the escalation of hostilities that may arise from certain incidents. No retaliatory act shall be taken from either party," the agreement said. The accord was signed on June 8 in Utrecht, the Netherlands by government panel chair Silvestre Bello III, along with Hernani Braganza, and Angela Librando-Trinidad. NDFP panel chair Fidel Agcaoli, and members Julieta de Lima and Asterio Palma signed for the other side. The document was set for release by both parties a week before the supposed resumption of the fifth round of peace talks, which was slated on June 28 in Oslo, Norway. However, on June 14, Presidential Adviser on the Peace Process Jesus Dureza said the negotiations would "not happen as originally set and as originally announced by the media." He said more consultations with the public were needed. The NDFP is waiting for representatives from the government to arrive in the Netherlands Sunday to give a more thorough explanation on why the resumption of peace talks was dropped. Talking peace Renato Reyes, secretary-general of the Bagong Alyansang Makabayan (BAYAN), released a statement Sunday saying the document "shows the seriousness and readiness of both panels to pursue a just peace" and "belies the claim that no progress has come from negotiations held overseas." Reyes, however, questioned the government's supposed recent decision to hold the talks in the Philippines. "The big question now is why is the Duterte government suddenly backing out, and undermining the work of its own peace panel? Why impose a new condition of holding talks in the Philippines knowing fully well that this will be rejected by the other side? Why claim that talks in a foreign neutral venue have not yielded results when facts and signed agreements show otherwise?" he asked. Senate Minority Leader Franklin Drilon backed the holding of talks in the country. "I support the President's decision. The venue of the next round of peace negotiations with the rebel groups should be in the Philippines...It's about time that we change the venue of peace talks with the National Democratic Front and it is about time that it takes place on Philippine soil," he said in a statement on Sunday. Drilon served as a peace process adviser of the past administrations. In May, NDFP chief political consultant Jose Ma. Sison said the government and the NDFP were set to sign an interim peace agreement also on June 28, which could lead to peace talks between the both sides. CNN Philippines Cecille Lardizabal and Pia Garcia contributed to this report. A suicide bomber has killed at least 10 people in Jalalabad, eastern Afghanistan on Sunday, in the second attack in as many days targeting Taliban fighters, security forces and civilians celebrating a holiday ceasefire. Attahullah Khogyani, spokesman for the governor of Nangarhar province, said the attack - for which no group has yet claimed responsibility - took place near the governor's compound. Earlier in the day, the death toll from a suicide bombing against a gathering of Taliban fighters celebrating a holiday ceasefire near same city had risen to 36 following an attack which Islamic State claimed responsibility for. Recommended Car bomb in Afghanistan leaves at least 26 dead Najibullah Kamawal, director of the health department in the eastern Nangarhar province, said on Sunday that another 65 people were wounded in Saturday's car bomb attack. The bomber targeted a group of fighters who were celebrating a three-day truce that coincided with the Eid al-Fitr holiday. Isis, which was not included in the ceasefire and has clashed with the Taliban in the past, eventually claimed responsibility for the attack. In its wake, Afghan President Ashraf Ghani announced a nine-day extension of the ceasefire. There was no immediate word from the Taliban on whether they would observe the extension and the three-day holiday and ceasefire ends Sunday. Taliban fighters ride their motorbikes inside Ghazni city (AP Photo) The chairman of the High Peace Council, a government body charged with negotiating an end to the nearly 17-year war, called on the Taliban to accept the extended armistice and join the peace process. "We hope that the extension of the cease-fire will be announced by the leadership of the Taliban," Mohammad Karim Khalili told a press conference in the capital, Kabul. He said there had been an "exchange of views" between the government and the Taliban over the past week, without elaborating. The Taliban have steadily expanded their presence in recent years, seizing a number of districts across the country and carrying out near-daily attacks on Afghan security forces. But over the past two days, Taliban fighters could be seen celebrating the truce alongside Afghan troops and other people across the country. Taliban militants waved flags as they travelled freely into cities across Afghanistan on Sunday. Ecstatic men and children crowded around the soldiers and Taliban fighters. Taliban fighters gather with the residences in Surkhroad district of Nangarhar province, east of Kabul, Afghanistan, Saturday, June 16, 2018. A suicide bomber blew himself up in eastern Afghanistan on Saturday as mostly Taliban fighters gathered to celebrate a three-day cease fire marking the Islamic holiday of Eid al-Fitr, killing 21 people and wounding another 41, said the Nangarhar provincial Police Chief Ghulam Sanayee Stanikzai. Most of the dead and wounded were believed to be Taliban, he said. (AP Photo/Rahmat Gal) However, critics raised questions about what happens should the hugs and selfies stop and the festive atmosphere and calls for peace turn sour. They said such overtures and concessions have allowed the Taliban to pour into cities unchecked and win the upper hand. The president had committed "a grave mistake" by allowing Taliban fighters to enter government-controlled areas, said Amarullah Saleh, a politician and a former head of the National Directorate of Security (NDS). "We don't have mechanisms in place to mitigate the breach of ceasefire by the Taliban," Mr Saleh told Reuters. Members of parliament opposing Mr Ghani's move said he had not consulted politicians and would be left with no recourse if the Taliban rejected his impromptu request. The Taliban already roam huge swathes of the country and, with foreign troop levels down to 15,600, from 140,000 in 2014, there appears little hope of outright government victory. Taliban leaders have at different times expressed interest in holding peace talks to end the conflict. Men hug each other after Eid al-Fitr prayers outside of Shah-e-Dushamshera mosque in Kabul, Afghanistan on Friday (AP Photo/Massoud Hossaini) But they have refused to meet with the US-backed government, saying they will only negotiate with America directly. They have also demanded the withdrawal of all foreign forces. Mr Ghani, in an address to the nation, urged the Taliban to extend their ceasefire and begin peace talks. He said he wanted to discuss "issues of mutual concern with neighbouring countries and the presence of foreign forces". His office has yet to declare a new timeframe for the extended ceasefire. A senior western diplomat in Kabul said Mr Ghani's decision was "a bold move" but questioned what would happen if the Taliban rejected the fresh ceasefire request. "The consequences could be disastrous," he said. Razan al-Najjar, a 21-year-old volunteer paramedic from Gaza, had become an icon before her death on 1 June. In recent weeks, images of her were being widely circulated online; a recognisable fixture at Gazas weekly demonstrations, she was often photographed wearing her white medic uniform with colourful headscarves and a determined expression on her face as she entered dangerous terrain in order to treat the wounded. Najjar was an unarmed first responder helping victims of the demonstrations dubbed the Great March of Return in Gaza, the coastal strip which was occupied by Israel for 38 years until 2005, when she was shot by Israeli soldiers. The protest, organised by Hamas, aims to lift the decade-long blockade by Israel and Egypt and allow Palestinian refugees and their descendants to return to their ancestral homes, which were taken by Israel when it was established in 1948. The Jewish state has rejected any right of return; in part due to demographic consequences, which would result in a non-Jewish majority. As a medical emergency worker, Najjar was frequently photographed with the blood of her patients spattered on her white coat. Im here at the front line as a human shield and rescuer for the injured, she said in an interview. According to the Japan Volunteer Centre, a partner organisation with non-governmental health organisation the Palestinian Medical Relief Society (PMRS), Najjar herself had been wounded twice before during demonstrations. Najjar was defiant and wanted to prove that women were able to play an active role in her conservative society. Being a medic is not only a job for a man, she said during an interview at a protest camp in May. Its for women, too. The Gazan population has largely rejected any past attempts towards strict Islamisation by the strips rulers, Hamas, but the doors to womens equality are still only partially open. Women are often judged. But society has to accept us. If they dont want to accept us by choice, they will be forced to accept us. Because we have more strength than any man, Najjar said. She had begun to make many appearances in the media, providing both an image for Palestinians to rally around and the world to see the struggle in Gaza. Najjar was born on 11 September 1996 in Khuzaa, a farming village east of the town of Khan Younis in the southern Gaza Strip, near the border with Israel. She was the eldest of six children and the family of eight lived in an apartment owned by relatives in Khuzaa. Najjar did not attend university, but instead completed two years paramedic training at the Nasser hospital in Khan Younis. She then became a volunteer for PMRS. Her father, Ashraf Al-Najjar, had worked in the scrap metal industry in Israel before most Palestinian workers had been prevented from crossing the border. He then ran a shop in Gaza selling spare motorcycle parts. However, Mr Najjar has been unemployed ever since the shop was destroyed in an Israeli airstrike during the 2014 war, which was sparked by the kidnap and murder of three Israeli teenagers by Hamas members. This seven-week offensive occurred while Najjar, whose entire adolescence had been scarred by conflict, was 17, and their neighbourhood suffered some of the worst devastation in Gaza. Najjars father said that on the Friday of his daughters death, she got up early to eat before the Fajr prayer at dawn and the daily, sunrise-to-sunset, Ramadan fast. That was the last time he saw her. He told AFP that he never expected his daughter would be targeted during her humanitarian work. According to her colleagues in the field, the health worker took all necessary precautions. She was wearing a clearly identifiable white medics uniform and raising her hands in the air to show she was unarmed as she tended to the wounded on the eastern border of Khan Younis. She had been less than 100 yards from the fence bandaging a man struck by a tear gas canister, who was then taken away in an ambulance. Israeli soldiers fired from across the fence, according to a witness, hitting Najjar in the upper body. She fell to the ground. Gazans protest as US embassy moves to Jerusalem in pictures Show all 37 1 /37 Gazans protest as US embassy moves to Jerusalem in pictures Gazans protest as US embassy moves to Jerusalem in pictures Palestinian mourners carry the dead body of Mukhtar Ebu Hamas, 25, killed by Israeli forces in Gaza on 14 May Getty Gazans protest as US embassy moves to Jerusalem in pictures A Palestinian woman flashes a victory sign during a protest near the border fence AFP/Getty Gazans protest as US embassy moves to Jerusalem in pictures Israeli soldiers guard on top of a watch tower along the Israel-Gaza border AP Gazans protest as US embassy moves to Jerusalem in pictures Palestinian demonstrators react to fired tear gas Reuters Gazans protest as US embassy moves to Jerusalem in pictures Palestinian demonstrators run for cover Reuters Gazans protest as US embassy moves to Jerusalem in pictures US President's daughter Ivanka Trump and her husband Senior White House Advisor Jared Kushner arrive for the controversial inauguration of the US embassy in Jerusalem. The United States moved its embassy in Israel to Jerusalem after months of global outcry, Palestinian anger and exuberant praise from Israelis over President Donald Trump's decision tossing aside decades of precedent. AFP/Getty Gazans protest as US embassy moves to Jerusalem in pictures Palestinians carry a demonstrator injured during clashes AFP/Getty Gazans protest as US embassy moves to Jerusalem in pictures US Ambassador to Israel David Friedman speaks during the dedication ceremony of the new US embassy in Jerusalem Reuters Gazans protest as US embassy moves to Jerusalem in pictures A Palestinian man walks in the smoke billowing from burning tyres AFP/Getty Gazans protest as US embassy moves to Jerusalem in pictures Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu waves as he arrives ahead of the dedication ceremony of the new US embassy in Jerusalem. Reuters Gazans protest as US embassy moves to Jerusalem in pictures Palestinian protesters lying on the floor during clashes Rex Gazans protest as US embassy moves to Jerusalem in pictures Palestinian protesters burn tires AP Gazans protest as US embassy moves to Jerusalem in pictures Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, his wife Sara, Senior White House Advisor Jared Kushner, US President's daughter Ivanka Trump, US Treasury Secretary Steve Mnuchin and US ambassador to Israel David Friedman attend the opening of the US embassy in Jerusalem. AFP/Getty Gazans protest as US embassy moves to Jerusalem in pictures A Palestinian man assists a wounded protestor AFP/Getty Gazans protest as US embassy moves to Jerusalem in pictures A Palestinian man holding his national flag walks in the smoke billowing from burning tyres AFP/Getty Gazans protest as US embassy moves to Jerusalem in pictures US Treasury Secretary Steve Mnuchin and Ivanka Trump unveil an inauguration plaque during the opening of the US embassy in Jerusalem AFP/Getty Gazans protest as US embassy moves to Jerusalem in pictures Palestinians carry a protester injured AFP/Getty Gazans protest as US embassy moves to Jerusalem in pictures Ivanka Trump and US Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin stand next to the dedication plaque at the US embassy in Jerusalem Reuters Gazans protest as US embassy moves to Jerusalem in pictures A Palestinian demonstrator uses a sling to hurl stones at Israeli troops during a protest against U.S. embassy Reuters Gazans protest as US embassy moves to Jerusalem in pictures A female Palestinian demonstrator stands amidst smoke Reuters Gazans protest as US embassy moves to Jerusalem in pictures Ivanka Trump attends the opening ceremony of the new US embassy in Jerusalem AP Gazans protest as US embassy moves to Jerusalem in pictures Palestinian medics and protesters evacuate a wounded protester AP Gazans protest as US embassy moves to Jerusalem in pictures An Israeli soldier aims his weapon at Palestinian demonstrators Reuters Gazans protest as US embassy moves to Jerusalem in pictures Gazans carry an injured protestor Rex Gazans protest as US embassy moves to Jerusalem in pictures Protestors gather to demonstrate Reuters Gazans protest as US embassy moves to Jerusalem in pictures An Israeli soldier fires tear gas at demonstrators Reuters Gazans protest as US embassy moves to Jerusalem in pictures A Palestinian demonstrator poses with a slingshot Reuters Gazans protest as US embassy moves to Jerusalem in pictures Protestors carry tires Reuters Gazans protest as US embassy moves to Jerusalem in pictures A demonstrator kicks a burning tire Reuters Gazans protest as US embassy moves to Jerusalem in pictures Palestinians congregate prior to their demonstration against the US moving their embassy to Jerusalem Reuters Gazans protest as US embassy moves to Jerusalem in pictures Female Palestinian demonstrators react to tear gas fired by Israeli troops Reuters Gazans protest as US embassy moves to Jerusalem in pictures A Palestinian demonstrator reacts Reuters Gazans protest as US embassy moves to Jerusalem in pictures A Palestinian man throws leaflets dropped by the Israeli military during a protest against the US embassy move to Jerusalem and ahead of the 70th anniversary of Nakba, at the Israel-Gaza border, east of Gaza City Reuters Gazans protest as US embassy moves to Jerusalem in pictures A boy holds a Palestinian flag as he stands amidst smoke Reuters Gazans protest as US embassy moves to Jerusalem in pictures A Palestinian demonstrator tries to put out a fire caused by objects dropped from Israeli drones during a protest against the US embassy move to Jerusalem and ahead of the 70th anniversary of Nakba, in Khan Younis in the southern Gaza Strip Reuters Gazans protest as US embassy moves to Jerusalem in pictures A Palestinian demonstrator with a slingshot REUTERS Gazans protest as US embassy moves to Jerusalem in pictures Protesters look up at falling tear gas cannisters dropped by an Israeli drone AFP/Getty One of her relatives was on the scene he carried her away and accompanied her in the ambulance. She arrived at a field hospital in a critical condition and was then transferred to the European Gaza Hospital in Khan Younis, where she was pronounced dead in the operating room. Najjar was the 119th Palestinian killed since the protests began in March, according to Gaza health officials. She lost her life in the southern Gaza Strip town on the same day as four other paramedics. News of her death sparked protests in front of United Nations and World Health Organisation headquarters in Gaza City. In Ramallah on the West Bank, humanitarian workers, political and religious figures, accompanied by convoys of ambulances, participated in a funeral procession. Participants in the convoy chanted slogans condemning Najjars murder and called on the international community to intervene urgently to protect the Palestinians and their medical institutions. The Arab League has blamed Israel for the killing, calling it a deliberate murder and called upon international bodies to compel Israel to respect international treaties on the work of doctors and paramedics. The targeting of medical facilities and paramedics is a war crime. According to the Israeli army, Palestinian gunmen were attacking its forces along the border with bullets and grenades. A preliminary Israeli investigation found no shots were deliberately or directly aimed towards Najjar. Israeli officials have sought to discredit Najjar, accusing her of being an accomplice to terrorists. A spokesman for Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu shared a video with text asking: Was Razan Najjar just a medic? and the IDF released footage of a misleadingly edited interview where Najjar says she has come to the protest to act as a human shield, supposedly at Hamass request. The unedited version of the video makes no mention whatsoever of Hamas. Najjar once said in an interview: We have one goal which is to save lives and evacuate people; to send a message to the world that without weapons, we can do anything. Najjars last Facebook post on 31 May reads: Your conscience will be comforted as much as possible since God always knows your intention. #sleep_well Be good. Razan al-Najjar, volunteer paramedic, born 11 September 1996, died 1 June 2018 The mother of a severely epileptic boy who forced the home secretary into a highly public climbdown on the confiscation of his cannabis medication has warned ministers they now face a major backlash from other parents in the same situation. Sajid Javid intervened personally on Saturday to sanction the return of Billy Caldwells anti-epileptic medicine after it was taken off his mother, Charlotte, at Heathrow airport on Monday prompting the return of seizures that left the 12-year-old fighting for his life in hospital. Ms Caldwell had been on her way back from Canada, where she had been forced to travel to seek out the drug after the Home Office halted the prescription for it Billy had been receiving from his GP, which she credited with keeping him seizure-free for nearly 10 months beforehand. Public outcry at the case intensified when Billy became gravely ill and was admitted to hospital over the weekend, at which point Mr Javid stepped in to grant a temporary licence allowing him access to the medication. Ms Caldwell is now calling for complete reform to the UKs massively outdated laws and warning the government the backlash is only just beginning. I want to meet the home secretary and health secretary, urgently, this week, to get assurance that not only will Billys meds never again be removed, but to call for an urgent review of the overall policy on medical cannabis as it affects everyone who could benefit, she told The Independent. The home secretary has seen the momentum that has built up in support of Billy. Theres hundreds of other kids and mummies and daddies who are equally affected. Neither [Sajid Javid] nor the health secretary should be in any doubt as to how this will escalate now that all those families and their supporters will react. I want nobody in government, and nobody who has been impacted by massively outdated laws, to be under any impression that this is job done. This is just the start. The energy weve brought to Billys campaign is as nothing compared to what we are prepared to unleash to drive complete reform. MPs from across the political spectrum are now calling on the government to legalise medicinal cannabis and update laws based on outdated claims that the plant has no medicinal value. We need to get serious now about getting the benefits of these medicines, and move to change the frankly absurd position we are in, Crispin Blunt, a Conservative MP and former prisons minister, told the BBC. Dr Dan Poulter, a former Conservative health minister, said that the current situation was ridiculous and that a new all-party parliamentary group that he is part of is pushing for an urgent change in the law. I genuinely dont understand why we see ... medicinal cannabis through the prism of the 1971 Misuse of Drugs legislation, he said. When actually this is a medical issue, its not a prohibition of drugs issue, and thats whats got to change. We need to change the law, George Freeman, a Tory MP and chair of the Conservative Policy Forum, tweeted. Treating cannabis medicine oils for epilepsy like recreational street cannabis is criminalising patients and fuelling a dangerous black market. The Home Office initially held the view that since cannabis is a controlled substance it could not sanction its use medicinally. However, countless pharmaceutical drugs contain substances such as opium and benzodiazepines which are otherwise illegal. Around a third of the 63,400 children with epilepsy across the UK do not positively respond to the medication prescribed by the NHS and a growing number of families are demanding the right for their children to access cannabis medicine. There is an increasing body of evidence proving that cannabis medicine can be an effective treatment, particularly since the side-effects of traditional anti-epileptic medicines can be debilitating. Ironically, the UK is the largest producer of medicinal cannabis and it exports anti-epileptic medication to foreign markets. It will astonish most people to learn that Britain is one of the largest producers and exporters of medicinal cannabis yet we have extreme laws which prevent people here from feeling the benefits of these drugs, said Caroline Lucas, the co-chair of the parliamentary group for drug policy reform. Much of the 95 tonnes of cannabis grown in greenhouses across the country is done by British Sugar, whose managing director is married to the drugs minister, Victoria Atkins. It is used as the key ingredient in pharmaceutical drugs manufactured by GW Pharmaceuticals, a biotech company whose main investor, Capital Group, count Theresa Mays husband as their investment relationship manager. Relatives of government ministers have also confessed to using cannabis oil to treat chronic pain. UK news in pictures Show all 50 1 /50 UK news in pictures UK news in pictures 16 October 2021 Boris Johnson, Sir Keir Starmer, Priti Patel and Lindsay Hoyle pay respects to Sir David Amess at Belfairs Methodist Church, in Leigh-on-Sea, the site of his death EPA UK news in pictures 15 October 2021 A person lays flowers at the scene near the Belfairs Methodist Church in Eastwood Road North, Leigh-on-Sea, Essex, where Conservative MP Sir David Amess has died after he was stabbed several times at a constituency surgery. A man has been arrested and officers are not looking for anyone else PA UK news in pictures 14 October 2021 A red deer stag during rutting season in Bushy Park, Richmond, south west London, which is home to over 300 red and fallow deer PA UK news in pictures 13 October 2021 Police officers detain a man as Insulate Britain activists block a roundabout at a junction on the M25 motorway during a protest in Thurrock Reuters UK news in pictures 12 October 2021 The aerial climate installation by Swiss artivist Dan Acher 'We Are Watching' is unveiled at Our Dynamic Earth in Edinburgh PA UK news in pictures 10 October 2021 A young girl is helped by a Border Force officer as a group of people thought to be migrants are brought in to Dover, Kent, following a small boat incident in the Channel. PA UK news in pictures 9 October 2021 People walk past a life-size sculpture of British singer John Lennon entitled "Imagine", by sculptor Lawrence Holofcener, displayed to mark what would have been the 81st birthday for the former member of the Beatles in Carnaby Street Reuters UK news in pictures 8 October 2021 WW II veteran, 96-year-old Lorna Cockayne, who served in the Women's Royal Naval Service (WRNS), popularly and officially known as the Wrens, as a Bletchley Park codebreaker, poses for a photograph with the Legion d'honneur after receiving it during a ceremony at the Pear at Parley in Ferndown, Bournemouth PA UK news in pictures 7 October 2021 British comedian Jo Brand poses with cut-out silhouettes representing women outside the Metropolitan Police headquarters New Scotland Yard, to highlight violence against women by male police officers or former police officers AFP via Getty UK news in pictures 6 October 2021 A protester, wearing a mask of Johnson, holds a sign reading Question it all on the final day of the Tory conference Getty UK news in pictures 5 October 2021 Members of Insulate Britain outside the Royal Courts of Justice in London, before a hearing over the injunction banning the environmental activists from blocking the M25 PA UK news in pictures 4 October 2021 A delegate passes a street cleaner on the second day of the annual Conservative Party Conference being held at the Manchester Central convention centre AFP via Getty UK news in pictures 3 October 2021 Margaret Thatcher-themed mugs for sale at the annual Conservative Party conference in Manchester EPA UK news in pictures 2 October 2021 A couple make their way through a flooded underpass in Bristol as a yellow weather warning for rain and wind is issued for parts of the UK Tom Wren/SWNS UK news in pictures 1 October 2021 A driver talks to members of the media after passing his HGV (Heavy Goods Vehicle) driving test at National Driving Centre in Croydon, south London AFP via Getty Images UK news in pictures 30 September 2021 The centrepiece One Thousand Springs by Japanese artist Chiharu Shiota is seen ahead of the beginning of the Japan Festival, a celebration of the countrys plants, art and culture running from 2-31 October, at Kew Gardens in London PA UK news in pictures 29 September 2021 The family of Betty Campbell unveil the bronze sculpture of her during the unveiling of the statue in Central Square, Cardiff, of Betty Campbell, Wales' first black headteacher PA UK news in pictures 28 September 2021 A sign referring to the lack of fuel is placed at the entrance to a petrol station in London AP UK news in pictures 27 September 2021 Police officers detain a protester from Insulate Britain occupying a roundabout leading from the M25 motorway to Heathrow Airport in London PA UK news in pictures 26 September 2021 Labour Party leader Sir Keir Starmer watches the Arsenal v Tottenham Hotspur match at The Font pub in Brighton PA UK news in pictures 25 September 2021 Scottish pro-independence supporters hold a march and rally outside the Scottish Parliament in Edinburgh, Scotland Getty Images UK news in pictures 24 September 2021 Police officers remove two protesters from the top of a tanker, as Insulate Britain block the A20 in Kent, which provides access to the Port of Dover in Kent. The environmental activists have moved location after been banned from campaigning on the M25 motorway in London PA UK news in pictures 23 September 2021 Gabriella, the seven year old daughter of imprisoned British-Iranian Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe, joins in a game on a giant snakes and ladders board in Parliament Square, to show the ups and downs of her mothers case to mark the 2,000 days she has been detained in Iran AP UK news in pictures 22 September 2021 A new sign hangs on the Millicent Fawcett statue after it was altered by CrackTheCrises coalition activists to highlight the climate crisis as a feminist struggle in Parliament Square in London EPA UK news in pictures 21 September 2021 Gabriella Diment prepares a monumental bronze patinated fibreglass wall sculpture depicting household cavalry soldiers on horseback which is expected to be sold for 12,000-18,000 when it goes up for auction at Summers Place Auctions in Billinghurst, Kent PA UK news in pictures 20 September 2021 Florist Judith Blacklock puts the finishing touches to a floral carousel installation in Halkin Arcade, which she has designed with Neill Strain for the Belgravia in Bloom festival, running from September 20-26, in London PA UK news in pictures 19 September 2021 Bubbles surround Manchester Uniteds Cristiano Ronaldo before the match against West Ham at London Stadium Action Images/Reuters UK news in pictures 18 September 2021 Children take part in the Settrington Cup Pedal Car Race as motoring enthusiasts attend the Goodwood Revival, a three-day historic car racing festival in Goodwood, Chichester, Reuters UK news in pictures 17 September 2021 Hugo, 7, from London rides past a 4x7 metre rainbow arch, made entirely of recycled aluminium cans, which has been installed by recycling initiative 'Every Can Counts', in partnership with The City of London Corporation in front of St Paul's Cathedral in London, to encourage members of the public to recycle their drinks cans ahead of recycling week, which starts on 20 September PA UK news in pictures 16 September 2021 Sheikeh MOhammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, leader of Abu Dhabi, leaves Downing Street after meeting with Boris Johnson PA UK news in pictures 15 September 2021 Children pose by ice sculptures depicting people collecting water by charity Water Aid to show the fragility of water and the threat posed by climate change in London AFP/Getty UK news in pictures 14 September 2021 Heavy rain covers the A149 near Kings Lynn in Norfolk PA UK news in pictures 13 September 2021 Luke Jerram's 'Museum of the Moon' at Durham Cathedral PA UK news in pictures 12 September 2021 Inspirational young fundraiser Tobias Weller crosses the finish line, near his home in Sheffield, as he completes his latest epic feat where he swam and triked his way to the end of his awesome year-long Ironman Challenge. This is the third challenge Tobias, who has cerebral palsy and autism, has completed, raising more than 150,000 for his school and Sheffield Children Hospitals charity PA UK news in pictures 11 September 2021 British player Emma Raducanu, holds up the US Open championship trophy winning the women's singles final of the US Open in New York AP UK news in pictures 10 September 2021 People paddle board during a misty morning in Ullswater, the second largest lake in the Lake District, Cumbria PA UK news in pictures 9 September 2021 Troops from Wiltshire based 4 Armoured Close Support Battalion Royal Electrical and Mechanical Engineers during final inspection at Wellington Barracks in London, ahead of providing troops for the Queens Guard PA UK news in pictures 8 September 2021 Workers cross London Bridge during the morning rush hour in London Reuters UK news in pictures Mixing it up: Painting it up press view in London A gallery employee poses for photographers next to a painting entitled Prairie by British artist, Louise Giovanelli during the exhibition 'Mixing it up: Painting it up' at the Hayward Gallery in London EPA UK news in pictures 6 September 2021 Traders in the Ring at the London Metal Exchange, in the City of London, after open-outcry trading returned for the first time since March 2020, when the Ring was temporarily closed due to the pandemic PA UK news in pictures 5 September 2021 People enjoy the warm weather on Sandbanks beach, Poole PA UK news in pictures 4 September 2021 Demonstrators from Animal Rebellion and Nature Rebellion protest in Trafalgar Square in London. PA UK news in pictures 3 September 2021 South Africa's Ntando Mahlangu (centre) wins the Men's 200 metres T61 Final ahead of second placed Great Britain's Richard Whitehead at the Tokyo 2020 Paralympic Games PA UK news in pictures 2 September 2021 A young common seal on the beach at Horsey Gap in Norfolk, as hundreds of pregnant grey seals come ashore ready for the start of the pupping season. PA UK news in pictures 1 September 2021 Goldfinches fighting over food in a garden in Strensham, Worcestershire PA UK news in pictures 31 August 2021 Gold Medallist Sarah Storey of Britain celebrates on the podium Reuters UK news in pictures 30 August 2021 Extinction Rebellion protesters hold a a tea party on Tower Bridge in London EPA UK news in pictures 29 August 2021 A police office tussles with a demonstrator on Cromwell Road outside the Natural History Museum during a protest by members of Extinction Rebellion in London PA UK news in pictures 28 August 2021 Members of the British armed forces 16 Air Assault Brigade walk to the air terminal after disembarking a Royal Airforce Voyager aircraft at Brize Norton, Oxfordshire POOL/AFP/Getty UK news in pictures 27 August 2021 Fabio Quartararo crashes during a MotoGP practice session at the British Grand Prix, Silverstone Circuit Action Images via Reuters It emerged on Sunday that the sister-in-law of the policing minister, Nick Hurd, started using cannabis medicine after a nerve cyst operation. I know it is technically illegal but I could not believe anyone would arrest me for taking pain relief medicine when there are so many more important things for the authorities to focus on, Sara Hurd told the Mail on Sunday. I have no doubt cannabis should be properly legalised for medicinal purposes. I simply dont understand how we have got to this place whereby we can use opioids and other illegal drugs in medicine but not cannabis. David Dimbleby is to leave the BBC programme Question Time after almost 25 years as its presenter. The 79-year-old, who has fronted the broadcasters flagship political debate show since 1994, said he would step down at the end of the year, adding it was the right moment to leave. Mr Dimbleby said he was not retiring from broadcasting but intended to return to his first love by focusing on reporting. The veteran presenter been a regular face on public affairs programming since making his television debut in 1967. He has anchored the BBCs coverage of general elections and US presidential elections since 1979. Speaking to the BBC, Dimbleby said his tenure as host of Question Time had been exhilarating, following the twists and turns of British politics. It has been a privilege to work for a programme which brings voters face to face with those in power, he added. BBC director general Tony Hall paid tribute to Dimbleby, describing him as a titan in British broadcasting. David has been at the helm of Question Time for over 25 years: a brilliant champion of the public and the audiences friend getting the answers they want on the big and difficult issues of the day, Mr Hall added. Always a commanding figure, David has ensured Question Time has not only stayed relevant through the years, but a must watch for those interested in politics and current affairs. UK news in pictures Show all 50 1 /50 UK news in pictures UK news in pictures 16 October 2021 Boris Johnson, Sir Keir Starmer, Priti Patel and Lindsay Hoyle pay respects to Sir David Amess at Belfairs Methodist Church, in Leigh-on-Sea, the site of his death EPA UK news in pictures 15 October 2021 A person lays flowers at the scene near the Belfairs Methodist Church in Eastwood Road North, Leigh-on-Sea, Essex, where Conservative MP Sir David Amess has died after he was stabbed several times at a constituency surgery. A man has been arrested and officers are not looking for anyone else PA UK news in pictures 14 October 2021 A red deer stag during rutting season in Bushy Park, Richmond, south west London, which is home to over 300 red and fallow deer PA UK news in pictures 13 October 2021 Police officers detain a man as Insulate Britain activists block a roundabout at a junction on the M25 motorway during a protest in Thurrock Reuters UK news in pictures 12 October 2021 The aerial climate installation by Swiss artivist Dan Acher 'We Are Watching' is unveiled at Our Dynamic Earth in Edinburgh PA UK news in pictures 10 October 2021 A young girl is helped by a Border Force officer as a group of people thought to be migrants are brought in to Dover, Kent, following a small boat incident in the Channel. PA UK news in pictures 9 October 2021 People walk past a life-size sculpture of British singer John Lennon entitled "Imagine", by sculptor Lawrence Holofcener, displayed to mark what would have been the 81st birthday for the former member of the Beatles in Carnaby Street Reuters UK news in pictures 8 October 2021 WW II veteran, 96-year-old Lorna Cockayne, who served in the Women's Royal Naval Service (WRNS), popularly and officially known as the Wrens, as a Bletchley Park codebreaker, poses for a photograph with the Legion d'honneur after receiving it during a ceremony at the Pear at Parley in Ferndown, Bournemouth PA UK news in pictures 7 October 2021 British comedian Jo Brand poses with cut-out silhouettes representing women outside the Metropolitan Police headquarters New Scotland Yard, to highlight violence against women by male police officers or former police officers AFP via Getty UK news in pictures 6 October 2021 A protester, wearing a mask of Johnson, holds a sign reading Question it all on the final day of the Tory conference Getty UK news in pictures 5 October 2021 Members of Insulate Britain outside the Royal Courts of Justice in London, before a hearing over the injunction banning the environmental activists from blocking the M25 PA UK news in pictures 4 October 2021 A delegate passes a street cleaner on the second day of the annual Conservative Party Conference being held at the Manchester Central convention centre AFP via Getty UK news in pictures 3 October 2021 Margaret Thatcher-themed mugs for sale at the annual Conservative Party conference in Manchester EPA UK news in pictures 2 October 2021 A couple make their way through a flooded underpass in Bristol as a yellow weather warning for rain and wind is issued for parts of the UK Tom Wren/SWNS UK news in pictures 1 October 2021 A driver talks to members of the media after passing his HGV (Heavy Goods Vehicle) driving test at National Driving Centre in Croydon, south London AFP via Getty Images UK news in pictures 30 September 2021 The centrepiece One Thousand Springs by Japanese artist Chiharu Shiota is seen ahead of the beginning of the Japan Festival, a celebration of the countrys plants, art and culture running from 2-31 October, at Kew Gardens in London PA UK news in pictures 29 September 2021 The family of Betty Campbell unveil the bronze sculpture of her during the unveiling of the statue in Central Square, Cardiff, of Betty Campbell, Wales' first black headteacher PA UK news in pictures 28 September 2021 A sign referring to the lack of fuel is placed at the entrance to a petrol station in London AP UK news in pictures 27 September 2021 Police officers detain a protester from Insulate Britain occupying a roundabout leading from the M25 motorway to Heathrow Airport in London PA UK news in pictures 26 September 2021 Labour Party leader Sir Keir Starmer watches the Arsenal v Tottenham Hotspur match at The Font pub in Brighton PA UK news in pictures 25 September 2021 Scottish pro-independence supporters hold a march and rally outside the Scottish Parliament in Edinburgh, Scotland Getty Images UK news in pictures 24 September 2021 Police officers remove two protesters from the top of a tanker, as Insulate Britain block the A20 in Kent, which provides access to the Port of Dover in Kent. The environmental activists have moved location after been banned from campaigning on the M25 motorway in London PA UK news in pictures 23 September 2021 Gabriella, the seven year old daughter of imprisoned British-Iranian Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe, joins in a game on a giant snakes and ladders board in Parliament Square, to show the ups and downs of her mothers case to mark the 2,000 days she has been detained in Iran AP UK news in pictures 22 September 2021 A new sign hangs on the Millicent Fawcett statue after it was altered by CrackTheCrises coalition activists to highlight the climate crisis as a feminist struggle in Parliament Square in London EPA UK news in pictures 21 September 2021 Gabriella Diment prepares a monumental bronze patinated fibreglass wall sculpture depicting household cavalry soldiers on horseback which is expected to be sold for 12,000-18,000 when it goes up for auction at Summers Place Auctions in Billinghurst, Kent PA UK news in pictures 20 September 2021 Florist Judith Blacklock puts the finishing touches to a floral carousel installation in Halkin Arcade, which she has designed with Neill Strain for the Belgravia in Bloom festival, running from September 20-26, in London PA UK news in pictures 19 September 2021 Bubbles surround Manchester Uniteds Cristiano Ronaldo before the match against West Ham at London Stadium Action Images/Reuters UK news in pictures 18 September 2021 Children take part in the Settrington Cup Pedal Car Race as motoring enthusiasts attend the Goodwood Revival, a three-day historic car racing festival in Goodwood, Chichester, Reuters UK news in pictures 17 September 2021 Hugo, 7, from London rides past a 4x7 metre rainbow arch, made entirely of recycled aluminium cans, which has been installed by recycling initiative 'Every Can Counts', in partnership with The City of London Corporation in front of St Paul's Cathedral in London, to encourage members of the public to recycle their drinks cans ahead of recycling week, which starts on 20 September PA UK news in pictures 16 September 2021 Sheikeh MOhammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, leader of Abu Dhabi, leaves Downing Street after meeting with Boris Johnson PA UK news in pictures 15 September 2021 Children pose by ice sculptures depicting people collecting water by charity Water Aid to show the fragility of water and the threat posed by climate change in London AFP/Getty UK news in pictures 14 September 2021 Heavy rain covers the A149 near Kings Lynn in Norfolk PA UK news in pictures 13 September 2021 Luke Jerram's 'Museum of the Moon' at Durham Cathedral PA UK news in pictures 12 September 2021 Inspirational young fundraiser Tobias Weller crosses the finish line, near his home in Sheffield, as he completes his latest epic feat where he swam and triked his way to the end of his awesome year-long Ironman Challenge. This is the third challenge Tobias, who has cerebral palsy and autism, has completed, raising more than 150,000 for his school and Sheffield Children Hospitals charity PA UK news in pictures 11 September 2021 British player Emma Raducanu, holds up the US Open championship trophy winning the women's singles final of the US Open in New York AP UK news in pictures 10 September 2021 People paddle board during a misty morning in Ullswater, the second largest lake in the Lake District, Cumbria PA UK news in pictures 9 September 2021 Troops from Wiltshire based 4 Armoured Close Support Battalion Royal Electrical and Mechanical Engineers during final inspection at Wellington Barracks in London, ahead of providing troops for the Queens Guard PA UK news in pictures 8 September 2021 Workers cross London Bridge during the morning rush hour in London Reuters UK news in pictures Mixing it up: Painting it up press view in London A gallery employee poses for photographers next to a painting entitled Prairie by British artist, Louise Giovanelli during the exhibition 'Mixing it up: Painting it up' at the Hayward Gallery in London EPA UK news in pictures 6 September 2021 Traders in the Ring at the London Metal Exchange, in the City of London, after open-outcry trading returned for the first time since March 2020, when the Ring was temporarily closed due to the pandemic PA UK news in pictures 5 September 2021 People enjoy the warm weather on Sandbanks beach, Poole PA UK news in pictures 4 September 2021 Demonstrators from Animal Rebellion and Nature Rebellion protest in Trafalgar Square in London. PA UK news in pictures 3 September 2021 South Africa's Ntando Mahlangu (centre) wins the Men's 200 metres T61 Final ahead of second placed Great Britain's Richard Whitehead at the Tokyo 2020 Paralympic Games PA UK news in pictures 2 September 2021 A young common seal on the beach at Horsey Gap in Norfolk, as hundreds of pregnant grey seals come ashore ready for the start of the pupping season. PA UK news in pictures 1 September 2021 Goldfinches fighting over food in a garden in Strensham, Worcestershire PA UK news in pictures 31 August 2021 Gold Medallist Sarah Storey of Britain celebrates on the podium Reuters UK news in pictures 30 August 2021 Extinction Rebellion protesters hold a a tea party on Tower Bridge in London EPA UK news in pictures 29 August 2021 A police office tussles with a demonstrator on Cromwell Road outside the Natural History Museum during a protest by members of Extinction Rebellion in London PA UK news in pictures 28 August 2021 Members of the British armed forces 16 Air Assault Brigade walk to the air terminal after disembarking a Royal Airforce Voyager aircraft at Brize Norton, Oxfordshire POOL/AFP/Getty UK news in pictures 27 August 2021 Fabio Quartararo crashes during a MotoGP practice session at the British Grand Prix, Silverstone Circuit Action Images via Reuters Dimbleby has chaired dozens of memorable Question Time debates over the years, including a 2014 showdown between comedian Russell Brand and then-Ukip leader Nigel Farage, as well as the controversial appearance of BNP leader Nick Griffin in 2009. During his career, he has also been the face of the BBCs local and European election coverage for decades, while he also presented BBC analysis of Britains referendums on Europe in both 1975 and 2016. He also serves as a commentator for various other events broadcast on the BBC, including the annual Remembrance Day service at the Cenotaph in central London. A popular young man fatally stabbed himself in the chest mistakenly believing the vest he wore was stab-proof, his inquest heard. Jordan Easton was in the kitchen at one of his friends parents on 23 August last year just five days after his 22nd birthday when he turned a knife on himself to demonstrate the stab-proof nature of the abdominal protection he had on. He suffered a chest stab wound, and was taken to the University Hospital of North Tees, in Stockton. Teesside assistant coroner Karin Welsh said: Despite the best efforts of the medical professionals, they were unable to save him. Although his injuries were self-inflicted, there was no evidence Mr Easton intended to harm himself. A police investigation was launched, but no further action was taken. Detective Superintendent Ted Butcher, from Cleveland Polices major investigation team, confirmed various witnesses and Jordans family had been spoken to. Family of stabbed burglar bring birthday tributes to scene of death He agreed with the coroners assertion that while Jordan may have had his issues in the past, he seemed to have settled down. DSI Butcher confirmed that all the witnesses gave consistent accounts about what happened subsequently borne out by toxicology and other reports. Mr Easton had died after a boisterous act, added DSI Butcher. Jordans devastated mum Alison Price told the inquest she found it hard to believe the concept that Jordan would consciously do that. Single stab to the heart killed teen in Oxford Street fight Show all 2 1 /2 Single stab to the heart killed teen in Oxford Street fight Single stab to the heart killed teen in Oxford Street fight Pg-4-oxfordst-pa.jpg PA Single stab to the heart killed teen in Oxford Street fight Pg-4-teenager-gettyjpg.jpg Getty Images She said: Its more possible if it was bravado, showing off in front of lads, but where a mother and a young girl were, its out of character for him. I cant absorb it. Recording a verdict of misadventure, Ms Welsh blamed the tragedy on the foolishness of youth. I cant begin to imagine what you are going through, she told his grieving relatives. Mr Eastons friends paid tribute to a one-of-a-kind kid and a character. Everyone on the estate got on with him and loved him, said one childhood friend. Trinity Mirror Dominic Grieve says Tory rebels are prepared to collapse the government if that is necessary to block the catastrophic damage from a botched Brexit. The groups leader vowed they would not back down in a further Commons showdown this week to secure a meaningful vote designed to block a no-deal exit. Instead, Mr Grieve accused pro-Brexit hardliners in his own party of seeming to prefer chaos, rather than reach an agreement to give MPs a voice in the process. Recommended Labour frontbencher backs campaign for second referendum Asked if he was ready to defeat the government, he replied: The group is quite determined that the meaningful vote pledge that was given to us has got to be fulfilled I think that is abundantly clear. And, asked what might happen if Theresa Mays deal was later rejected, Mr Grieve said: We could collapse the government. And I can assure you, I wake up at 2am in a cold sweat thinking about the problems that we have put on our shoulders. But the former attorney general vowed not to bow to pressure and risk leaving the EU without an agreement which he called a demand to sign up to a slavery clause. It asked that however potentially catastrophic it might be for my constituents and my country, Im signing in blood now that I will follow over the edge of the cliff, he warned. That I can tell you I am not prepared to do, Mr Grieve told the BBCs Daily Politics programme. The biggest issues facing UK on leaving EU Show all 8 1 /8 The biggest issues facing UK on leaving EU The biggest issues facing UK on leaving EU Post-Brexit immigration workers sorting radishes on a production line at a farm in Norfolk. One possible post-Brexit immigration scheme could struggle to channel workers towards less attractive roles - while another may heighten the risk of labour exploitation, a new report warns. PA The biggest issues facing UK on leaving EU Customs union A key point in the negotiations remains Britain's access to, or withdrawal from, the EU customs union. Since the referendum there has been hot debate over the meaning of Brexit: would it entail a full withdrawal from the existing agreement, known as hard Brexit, or the soft version in which we would remain part of a common customs area for most goods, as Turkey does? No 10 has so far insisted that Brexit means Brexit and that Britain will be leaving the customs union, but may be inclined to change its position once the potential risks to the UKs economic outlook become clearer. Alamy The biggest issues facing UK on leaving EU Northern Ireland-Irish border Though progress was made last year, there has still been no solid agreement on whether there should be a hard border between Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland. To ensure borderless travel on the island, the countries must be in regulatory alignment and therefore adhere to the same rules as the customs union. In December, the Conservative Partys coalition partners, the DUP, refused a draft agreement that would place the UK/EU border in the Irish Sea due to its potential to undermine the union. May has promised that would not be the case and has suggested that a specific solution would need to be found. Getty The biggest issues facing UK on leaving EU Transition period Despite protests from a small number of Conservative MPs, the Government and the EU are largely in agreement that a transitional period is needed after Brexit. The talks, however, have reached an impasse. Though May has agreed that the UK will continue to contribute to the EU budget until 2021, the PM wants to be able to select which laws made during this time the UK will have to adhere to. Chief negotiator Michel Barnier has said the UK must adopt all of the laws passed during the transition, without any input from British ministers or MEPs. EPA The biggest issues facing UK on leaving EU Rights of EU citizens living the UK The Prime Minister has promised EU citizens already living in the UK the right to live and work here after Brexit, but the rights of those who arrive after Brexit day remains unclear. May insists that those who arrive during the transition period should not be allowed to stay, whereas the EU believe the cut-off point should be later. Getty The biggest issues facing UK on leaving EU Future trade agreement (with the EU) Despite this being a key issue in negotiations, the Government has yet to lay out exactly what it wants from a trade deal with the EU. Infighting within the Cabinet has prevented a solid position from being reached, with some MPs content that "no deal is better than a bad deal" while others rally behind single market access. The EU has already confirmed that access to the single market would be impossible without the UK remaining in the customs union. Getty The biggest issues facing UK on leaving EU Future trade agreements (internationally) The Government has already begun trying to woo foreign leaders into prospective trade agreements, with various high profile state visits to China, India and Canada for May, and the now infamous invitation to US President Donald Trump to visit London. However the UK cannot make trade agreements with another country while it is still a member of the EU, and the potential loss of trade with the world's major powers is a source of anxiety for the PM. The EU has said the UK cannot secure trade deals during the transition period. EPA The biggest issues facing UK on leaving EU Financial services Banks in the UK will be hit hard regardless of the Brexit outcome. The EU has refused to give British banks passporting rights to trade within the EU, dashing hopes of a special City deal. However according to new reports Germany has suggested allowing trade on the condition that the UK continues paying into the EU budget even after the transition period. Getty The comments set up another dramatic showdown on Wednesday, when the EU Withdrawal Bill returns to the Commons with the Lords certain to reject an attempted government compromise on Monday. A rebellion was aborted last week when the prime minister partially agreed to the rebels demands for MPs to have a decisive vote to block a no-deal Brexit. They were stunned when the amendment was later altered, so that MPs would only be able to debate a no-deal outcome, rather than change the governments course. The Independent understands the last-minute change was made after fierce objections from Brexiteers and the intervention of David Davis, the Brexit secretary. Earlier, Ms May denied she had gone back on a promise given to the pro-EU Tory MPs, insisting she was a woman of her word. I did indeed meet a group of my fellow MPs. I listened to their concerns and I undertook to consider their concerns, she told The Andrew Marr Show. But she suggested she would not back down, vowing: Parliament cannot tie the hands of government in negotiations. The rebels believe they have the numbers to win, but Brexiteers are equally convinced they are exaggerating their strength pointing to a nailbiting vote on Wednesday. The prime minister also revealed her long-promised white paper on long-term Brexit aims would finally be published in the week beginning 9 July. It was due to set out the UKs negotiating position ahead of the crucial EU summit at the end of June, but was delayed by cabinet infighting over customs and the Irish border. Ms May again insisted she could not agree to any EU move to create a trade border between Britain and Northern Ireland, stating: Thats not right. Thats not acceptable. And she sought to reassure nervous Brexiteers, saying: The message is government has agreed that we will have an independent trade policy. We will be free to negotiate those trade deals around the rest of the world. Labour faced fresh Brexit turmoil as another member of Jeremy Corbyns top team came out in favour of a new referendum. Shadow Northern Ireland minister Stephen Pound has backed the Peoples Vote campaign, supported by the group Open Britain, which wants a national poll on the terms of a withdrawal deal. Mr Pounds former boss, Owen Smith, was sacked as shadow Northern Ireland secretary in March by Mr Corbyn after he called for a new referendum. Recommended Labour Live allows party faithful to commune with JC Mr Corbyn has repeatedly insisted Labour is not seeking a fresh poll, but has avoided completely ruling out such a move. Mr Pound told a group affiliated to Open Britain that there had to be an evaluation of Brexit. He said: This decision is not something we can just forget about a week later. This is a decision that is going to affect my grandchildren, their children, and every single generation in this country. It is so, so serious that we have to have a cold evaluation." He added: This should be about the future of the European ideal. For us, and for all future generations. Support a peoples vote. Mr Pound told the Press Association: I was speaking in a personal capacity, and not on behalf of the party. PA Theresa May has refused to say which taxes will rise to pay for her 20bn a year NHS boost, amid a storm of criticism over her claim of a Brexit dividend to part fund it. Pressed on her admission that tax hikes will be needed, the prime minister gave no details, saying only that we will be contributing more as a country. Meanwhile, independent experts and a senior Tory MP dismissed Ms Mays claim echoing the much-derided Leave campaign that the government would have extra cash from leaving the EU. Recommended By increasing NHS funds Theresa May will be looking to save herself Dont even begin to swallow any rubbish that this will be some Brexit bonanza, tweeted Sarah Wollaston, the Tory chair of the Commons Health Committee. In reality the tax rises & borrowing will need to be higher as a result. Paul Johnson, the head of the respected Institute for Fiscal Studies (IFS), said the government had accepted that Brexit would swipe 15bn a year from revenues or 300m a week. Furthermore, the divorce bill, plus commitments to replace Brussels funding in key areas, would swallow up all of the returning EU contributions until 2022. There is no Brexit dividend, Mr Johnson said. Quizzed by the BBCs Andrew Marr on the tax rises to come, Ms May said: The chancellor will announce the details in due course. And she claimed: There are many aspects that will change over the next few months potentially. We will be looking at economic growth and at other issues. NHS in Crisis march: in pictures Show all 25 1 /25 NHS in Crisis march: in pictures NHS in Crisis march: in pictures Protesters call on the government to reverse cuts to the NHS. Rex NHS in Crisis march: in pictures Demonstrators dressed as an undertaker and carrying a fake coffin. Getty Images NHS in Crisis march: in pictures Demonstrators gather on Gover Street in central London ahead of a march towards Downing Street to protest against underfunding and privatisation of the NHS and demand an end to the winter crisis in the health service. Rex NHS in Crisis march: in pictures Health workers and NHS campaigners march through London to a rally outside Downing Street. Rex NHS in Crisis march: in pictures Thousands of protesters marched during the demonstration organised by 'The People's Assembly Against Austerity' campaign group that called for better funding for the National Health Service (NHS) to end the 'winter crisis' in the national health care system. EPA NHS in Crisis march: in pictures A Boris Johnson impersonator lies in a makeshift hospital bed next to an effigy of Theresa May during a People's Assembly demonstration against the Conservative government's health policy. Getty NHS in Crisis march: in pictures A demonstrator in a mobility scooter carries a placard. Getty NHS in Crisis march: in pictures Demonstrators take part in a emergency NHS 'Fix It Now' protest demanding an end to the funding crisis in the Health Service. Rex NHS in Crisis march: in pictures Demonstrators take part in pro-NHS march and protest towards Downing Street in Central London. EPA NHS in Crisis march: in pictures A protestor carries a placard featuring Britain's Health and Social Care Secretary Jeremy Hunt. AFP/Getty NHS in Crisis march: in pictures The demonstration is focused on the current crisis in the National Health Service. Getty NHS in Crisis march: in pictures Demonstrators hold placards and set off flares . Getty NHS in Crisis march: in pictures A demonstrator carries a cardboard skeleton wearing an ambulance uniform . Getty NHS in Crisis march: in pictures Demonstrators hold placards during a People's Assembly demonstration against the Conservative government's health policy Getty NHS in Crisis march: in pictures The Government will be urged to provide more beds, staff and funds to ease the problems facing the service. PA NHS in Crisis march: in pictures Protestors gather calling for an end to the "crisis" in the NHS. AFP/Getty NHS in Crisis march: in pictures Shadow Health Secretary Jon Ashworth M joins people taking part in the march. PA NHS in Crisis march: in pictures A placard reading 'Nurses with fight for the NHS'. AFP/Getty NHS in Crisis march: in pictures Protestors carry placards and shout slogans. AFP/Getty NHS in Crisis march: in pictures People march through central London. PA NHS in Crisis march: in pictures People take part in a march in London in support of the National Health Service. PA NHS in Crisis march: in pictures People hold up a sign in support of the National Health Service to demand an end to the "crisis" in the NHS. PA NHS in Crisis march: in pictures Protestors carry placards featuring Britain's Prime Minister Theresa May and Britain's Health and Social Care Secretary Jeremy Hunt. AFP/Getty NHS in Crisis march: in pictures People take part in a march in London in support of the National Health Service. PA NHS in Crisis march: in pictures Demonstrators carry placards . Getty Chancellor Philip Hammond is expected to opt for stealth taxes, by delaying or scrapping promises to raise income tax thresholds which will anger many Tory MPs. But Mr Johnson said that would not come close to bringing in the funds needed, warning it would require more than a couple of pence on income tax and adding: 20bn is a big number. The extra 20bn a year, promised by 2023-24, marks a dramatic break with eight years of austerity and follows a difficult battle with the Treasury for more funds. However, the annual real-terms increase will be around 3.4 per cent, not the 4 per cent pleaded for by Simon Stevens, the outspoken NHS England chief executive. During the interview, the prime minister also: * Appeared to admit the 20bn could still be allocated even if Britain stayed in the EU describing the question as completely hypothetical * Hinted the increase in the early years may be less than 3.4 per cent saying it may vary a little from year to year * Refused to say when cancer waiting targets will finally be hit they have been missed for more than two years Labour said it would match the new Tory spending plans and go further with extra increases from scrapping corporation tax cuts. John McDonnell, the shadow chancellor, described them as a pre-election gimmick, saying: Can you imagine if I came forward with this? There would be accusations of magic money trees its a magic money forest that has come out this morning. But, standing by her Brexit dividend claim, Ms May said: As a country we will be contributing more, a bit more, but also we will have that sum of money that is available from the European Union. Home secretary Sajid Javid has revealed he had his mobile phone stolen in a mugging by moped thieves in north London. Mr Javid, who is in charge of the nations policing and security, said criminals snatched his brand new phone outside Euston station shortly before he took up his current cabinet role. It happened in a flash, he told The Sun on Sunday. I was walking out of Euston station and reached for my phone to call a taxi. Recommended Sajid Javid could be PM by the end of the year Before I knew what was happening, it had gone. They just rode up, grabbed it and zoomed off. I was angry and upset but thought myself lucky not to have been stabbed or beaten up like many other victims who fall prey to these vicious criminals. The minister spoke out about the incident after Michael McIntyre was robbed of his watch by moped-riding thieves. The comedian was on the school run in his Range Rover in Golders Green, in north London, when thugs smashed the windows before stealing the Rolex. The minister fell foul of thieves outside Euston station (Reuters) Mr Javid, who has four children, admitted he worries about them if they are out late and his parental concern drives him to tackle the problem. Our streets should be safe at all times, you shouldnt have to worry about things like knife or other crime, he said. The latest Scotland Yard statistics show an average of 60 crimes a day were committed using mopeds or motorbikes in the year to April a 50 per cent increase on the previous 12 months. In the year to May 2018, there were 22,025 crimes committed on mopeds in London, up from 14,699 in the previous 12 months. But despite the sharp year-on-year rise, police said there had been a steady decrease in the last four months. The rising use of mopeds to carry out violent robberies using acid, knives and hammers has sparked alarm, with moped delivery drivers targeted for their vehicles, which are then used to commit more crime. The teenagers murdered in London in 2018 Show all 21 1 /21 The teenagers murdered in London in 2018 The teenagers murdered in London in 2018 Oluwadamilolda Odeyingbo Oluwadamilolda Odeyingbo, 18, was killed in a fight in Chislehurst on 10 January 2018 Metropolitan Police The teenagers murdered in London in 2018 Hasan Ozcan Hasan Ozcan, 19, was stabbed to death on the Gascoigne Estate in Barking on 3 February 2018 Metropolitan Police The teenagers murdered in London in 2018 Sabri Chibani Sabri Chibani, 19, was stabbed fatally in the chest in Streatham on 11 February 2018 Metropolitan Police The teenagers murdered in London in 2018 Promise Nkenda Lord Promise Nkenda, 17, was stabbed to death in Canning Town on 14 February 2018 Facebook The teenagers murdered in London in 2018 Lewis Blackman Lewis Blackman, a 19-year-old rapper from Kentish Town, was stabbed to death in Kensington on 18 February 2018 Metropolitan Police The teenagers murdered in London in 2018 Abdikarim Hassan Abdikarim Hassan, 17, was stabbed to death near his home in Camden's Peckwater estate on 20 March - less tahan two hours before another man was stabbed to death nearby Metropolitan Police The teenagers murdered in London in 2018 Kelvin Odunuyi Kelvin Odunuyi, a 19-year-old rapper known as DipDat and Lampz, was shot dead in Wood Green on 8 March Metropolitan Police The teenagers murdered in London in 2018 Lyndon Davis Lyndon Davis, 18, was chased down and stabbed to death in Chadwell Heath on 14 March Metropolitan Police The teenagers murdered in London in 2018 Tanesha Melbourne-Blake Tanesha Melbourne, 17, was killed in a drive-by shooting in Tottenham on 2 April PA The teenagers murdered in London in 2018 Amaan Shakoor Amaan Shakoor, 16, was shot dead in Walthamstow on 2 April Metropolitan Police The teenagers murdered in London in 2018 Israel Ogunsola Israel Ogunsola, 18, was stabbed to death in Hackney on 4 April Metropolitan Police The teenagers murdered in London in 2018 Rhyhiem Ainsworth Barton Rhyhiem Ainsworth Barton, a 17-year-old rapper and aspiring architect, was shot dead in a Kennington Street on 5 May Handout The teenagers murdered in London in 2018 Jordan Douherty Aspiring rapper Jordan Douherty died of his injuries outside a birthday party in Romford on 23 June Metropolitan Police The teenagers murdered in London in 2018 Katrina Makunova Katrina Makunova, 17, was stabbed to death in Camberwell on 12 July 2018 Metropolitan Police The teenagers murdered in London in 2018 Latwaan Griffiths 18-year-old Latwaan Griffiths was fatally stabbed on 25 July and died in hospital after being thrown off the back of a moped in Camberwell Metropolitan Police The teenagers murdered in London in 2018 Guled Farah Guled Farah, 19, was shot in Walthamstow on 22 September Metropolitan Police The teenagers murdered in London in 2018 Ethan Nedd-Bruce Ethan Nedd-Bruce, 18, died after he was shot outside a party at a flat in Greenwich, south-east London, on 22 October. He had also been stabbed, but the gunshot wound was the cause of death. Metropolitan Police The teenagers murdered in London in 2018 Jay Hughes Jay Hughes, 15, died was fatally stabbed outside a chicken shop in Bellingham, south-east London, on 1 November Metropolitan Police The teenagers murdered in London in 2018 Malcolm Mide-Madariola Malcolm Mide-Madariola, 17, was found suffering from a stab wound outside Clapham South Tube station on 2 November Metropolitan Police The teenagers murdered in London in 2018 John Ogunjobi John Ogunjobi, 16, died in front of his parents after he was stabbed in Greenleaf Close, Tulse Hill, on 5 November Metropolitan Police The teenagers murdered in London in 2018 Aron Warren Aron Warren, 18, was found stabbed in a flat block in Greenwich on 8 December and died at the scene Metropolitan Police As previously reported by The Independent, police officers are allegedly disguising themselves as takeaway delivery drivers in London to catch the moped-riding criminals. However Londons Metropolitan Police said it could not comment on covert policing methods or tactics due to operational reasons. Police officers chasing criminals riding mopeds could be given new legal protections to prevent them being prosecuted. The government has said it wants to smash the myth that officers cannot pursue riders who are not wearing helmets by making it clear in law that suspects are responsible for their own decision to drive dangerously. The Home Office has launched a consultation on changing the law, which currently applies the same legal test for careless and dangerous driving offences to police officers as the general public. Speaking from the G7 summit in Quebec earlier this month, prime minister Theresa May reiterated her commitment to reforming the law around pursuing moped criminals. We are looking at the pursuit that police are able to make of these people, and actually ensuring they have got the powers that they need, she said. They must be able to pursue them and able to take the action we agree that they want to take. This issue of moped crime is one that is of concern for people. Additional reporting by Press Association Nearly a dozen Tory MPs will this week challenge Theresa May to pay greater attention to the UKs housing crisis, and demand she adopt a radical agenda to win voters support. In what they believe could be the partys most enticing offering to voters under 40, they will call on Ms May to reaffirm what she previously called the number one priority of her domestic agenda. At a meeting pencilled in for Wednesday, 10 Conservative MPs will present ideas including: paying council tax instead of small business rates on second homes rented out as holiday homes; a new rent to buy scheme; and a self-build initiative. The Independent revealed recently that the governments Help to Buy scheme was being used by people on relatively high incomes. Those set to attend the meeting this week include Scott Mann, Sarah Wollaston, Gary Streeter and Richard Bacon. In a sign of frustration at the current offering from the Conservatives, one of the MPs who will be at the meeting, Scott Mann, told The Independent: Successive governments have been unable and in some cases unwilling to truly address the biggest challenge facing under-40s in the UK: being able to buy a home that is genuinely affordable. Housing supply has not been kept up with demand for well over two decades and now it is time for a comprehensive overhaul of a broken market. We need to come up with real solutions, not only because it is the right thing to do but also because it is a defining issue that is holding back Conservative support in the under-40s voters. While Mr Mann said he was grateful for the prime minister to offer her time for an issue she cares deeply about, he continued: Brexit has consumed a considerable amount of the parliamentary time but as the negotiations progress, it is now right for the prime ministers to bring her number one domestic agenda back centre stage. When she stood on the steps on 10 Downing Street and said, I know there are people who the country isnt working for, I believe she was specifically talking about those individuals who have been marginalised and excluded from a housing market that no longer works for all. It follows Ms Mays keynote speech on housing earlier this year in which she said young people without family wealth are right to be angry about their inability to get onto the property ladder. UK news in pictures Show all 50 1 /50 UK news in pictures UK news in pictures 14 October 2021 A red deer stag during rutting season in Bushy Park, Richmond, south west London, which is home to over 300 red and fallow deer PA UK news in pictures 13 October 2021 Police officers detain a man as Insulate Britain activists block a roundabout at a junction on the M25 motorway during a protest in Thurrock Reuters UK news in pictures 12 October 2021 The aerial climate installation by Swiss artivist Dan Acher 'We Are Watching' is unveiled at Our Dynamic Earth in Edinburgh PA UK news in pictures 10 October 2021 A young girl is helped by a Border Force officer as a group of people thought to be migrants are brought in to Dover, Kent, following a small boat incident in the Channel. PA UK news in pictures 9 October 2021 People walk past a life-size sculpture of British singer John Lennon entitled "Imagine", by sculptor Lawrence Holofcener, displayed to mark what would have been the 81st birthday for the former member of the Beatles in Carnaby Street Reuters UK news in pictures 8 October 2021 WW II veteran, 96-year-old Lorna Cockayne, who served in the Women's Royal Naval Service (WRNS), popularly and officially known as the Wrens, as a Bletchley Park codebreaker, poses for a photograph with the Legion d'honneur after receiving it during a ceremony at the Pear at Parley in Ferndown, Bournemouth PA UK news in pictures 7 October 2021 British comedian Jo Brand poses with cut-out silhouettes representing women outside the Metropolitan Police headquarters New Scotland Yard, to highlight violence against women by male police officers or former police officers AFP via Getty UK news in pictures 6 October 2021 A protester, wearing a mask of Johnson, holds a sign reading Question it all on the final day of the Tory conference Getty UK news in pictures 5 October 2021 Members of Insulate Britain outside the Royal Courts of Justice in London, before a hearing over the injunction banning the environmental activists from blocking the M25 PA UK news in pictures 4 October 2021 A delegate passes a street cleaner on the second day of the annual Conservative Party Conference being held at the Manchester Central convention centre AFP via Getty UK news in pictures 3 October 2021 Margaret Thatcher-themed mugs for sale at the annual Conservative Party conference in Manchester EPA UK news in pictures 2 October 2021 A couple make their way through a flooded underpass in Bristol as a yellow weather warning for rain and wind is issued for parts of the UK Tom Wren/SWNS UK news in pictures 1 October 2021 A driver talks to members of the media after passing his HGV (Heavy Goods Vehicle) driving test at National Driving Centre in Croydon, south London AFP via Getty Images UK news in pictures 30 September 2021 The centrepiece One Thousand Springs by Japanese artist Chiharu Shiota is seen ahead of the beginning of the Japan Festival, a celebration of the countrys plants, art and culture running from 2-31 October, at Kew Gardens in London PA UK news in pictures 29 September 2021 The family of Betty Campbell unveil the bronze sculpture of her during the unveiling of the statue in Central Square, Cardiff, of Betty Campbell, Wales' first black headteacher PA UK news in pictures 28 September 2021 A sign referring to the lack of fuel is placed at the entrance to a petrol station in London AP UK news in pictures 27 September 2021 Police officers detain a protester from Insulate Britain occupying a roundabout leading from the M25 motorway to Heathrow Airport in London PA UK news in pictures 26 September 2021 Labour Party leader Sir Keir Starmer watches the Arsenal v Tottenham Hotspur match at The Font pub in Brighton PA UK news in pictures 25 September 2021 Scottish pro-independence supporters hold a march and rally outside the Scottish Parliament in Edinburgh, Scotland Getty Images UK news in pictures 24 September 2021 Police officers remove two protesters from the top of a tanker, as Insulate Britain block the A20 in Kent, which provides access to the Port of Dover in Kent. The environmental activists have moved location after been banned from campaigning on the M25 motorway in London PA UK news in pictures 23 September 2021 Gabriella, the seven year old daughter of imprisoned British-Iranian Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe, joins in a game on a giant snakes and ladders board in Parliament Square, to show the ups and downs of her mothers case to mark the 2,000 days she has been detained in Iran AP UK news in pictures 22 September 2021 A new sign hangs on the Millicent Fawcett statue after it was altered by CrackTheCrises coalition activists to highlight the climate crisis as a feminist struggle in Parliament Square in London EPA UK news in pictures 21 September 2021 Gabriella Diment prepares a monumental bronze patinated fibreglass wall sculpture depicting household cavalry soldiers on horseback which is expected to be sold for 12,000-18,000 when it goes up for auction at Summers Place Auctions in Billinghurst, Kent PA UK news in pictures 20 September 2021 Florist Judith Blacklock puts the finishing touches to a floral carousel installation in Halkin Arcade, which she has designed with Neill Strain for the Belgravia in Bloom festival, running from September 20-26, in London PA UK news in pictures 19 September 2021 Bubbles surround Manchester Uniteds Cristiano Ronaldo before the match against West Ham at London Stadium Action Images/Reuters UK news in pictures 18 September 2021 Children take part in the Settrington Cup Pedal Car Race as motoring enthusiasts attend the Goodwood Revival, a three-day historic car racing festival in Goodwood, Chichester, Reuters UK news in pictures 17 September 2021 Hugo, 7, from London rides past a 4x7 metre rainbow arch, made entirely of recycled aluminium cans, which has been installed by recycling initiative 'Every Can Counts', in partnership with The City of London Corporation in front of St Paul's Cathedral in London, to encourage members of the public to recycle their drinks cans ahead of recycling week, which starts on 20 September PA UK news in pictures 16 September 2021 Sheikeh MOhammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, leader of Abu Dhabi, leaves Downing Street after meeting with Boris Johnson PA UK news in pictures 15 September 2021 Children pose by ice sculptures depicting people collecting water by charity Water Aid to show the fragility of water and the threat posed by climate change in London AFP/Getty UK news in pictures 14 September 2021 Heavy rain covers the A149 near Kings Lynn in Norfolk PA UK news in pictures 13 September 2021 Luke Jerram's 'Museum of the Moon' at Durham Cathedral PA UK news in pictures 12 September 2021 Inspirational young fundraiser Tobias Weller crosses the finish line, near his home in Sheffield, as he completes his latest epic feat where he swam and triked his way to the end of his awesome year-long Ironman Challenge. This is the third challenge Tobias, who has cerebral palsy and autism, has completed, raising more than 150,000 for his school and Sheffield Children Hospitals charity PA UK news in pictures 11 September 2021 British player Emma Raducanu, holds up the US Open championship trophy winning the women's singles final of the US Open in New York AP UK news in pictures 10 September 2021 People paddle board during a misty morning in Ullswater, the second largest lake in the Lake District, Cumbria PA UK news in pictures 9 September 2021 Troops from Wiltshire based 4 Armoured Close Support Battalion Royal Electrical and Mechanical Engineers during final inspection at Wellington Barracks in London, ahead of providing troops for the Queens Guard PA UK news in pictures 8 September 2021 Workers cross London Bridge during the morning rush hour in London Reuters UK news in pictures Mixing it up: Painting it up press view in London A gallery employee poses for photographers next to a painting entitled Prairie by British artist, Louise Giovanelli during the exhibition 'Mixing it up: Painting it up' at the Hayward Gallery in London EPA UK news in pictures 6 September 2021 Traders in the Ring at the London Metal Exchange, in the City of London, after open-outcry trading returned for the first time since March 2020, when the Ring was temporarily closed due to the pandemic PA UK news in pictures 5 September 2021 People enjoy the warm weather on Sandbanks beach, Poole PA UK news in pictures 4 September 2021 Demonstrators from Animal Rebellion and Nature Rebellion protest in Trafalgar Square in London. PA UK news in pictures 3 September 2021 South Africa's Ntando Mahlangu (centre) wins the Men's 200 metres T61 Final ahead of second placed Great Britain's Richard Whitehead at the Tokyo 2020 Paralympic Games PA UK news in pictures 2 September 2021 A young common seal on the beach at Horsey Gap in Norfolk, as hundreds of pregnant grey seals come ashore ready for the start of the pupping season. PA UK news in pictures 1 September 2021 Goldfinches fighting over food in a garden in Strensham, Worcestershire PA UK news in pictures 31 August 2021 Gold Medallist Sarah Storey of Britain celebrates on the podium Reuters UK news in pictures 30 August 2021 Extinction Rebellion protesters hold a a tea party on Tower Bridge in London EPA UK news in pictures 29 August 2021 A police office tussles with a demonstrator on Cromwell Road outside the Natural History Museum during a protest by members of Extinction Rebellion in London PA UK news in pictures 28 August 2021 Members of the British armed forces 16 Air Assault Brigade walk to the air terminal after disembarking a Royal Airforce Voyager aircraft at Brize Norton, Oxfordshire POOL/AFP/Getty UK news in pictures 27 August 2021 Fabio Quartararo crashes during a MotoGP practice session at the British Grand Prix, Silverstone Circuit Action Images via Reuters UK news in pictures 26 August 2021 An Extinction Rebellion activist holds a placard in a fountain surrounded by police officers, during a protest next to Buckingham Palace in London Reuters UK news in pictures 25 August 2021 Gold Medallist Great Britains cyclist, Sarah Storey, celebrates after winning the Womens C5 3000m Individual Pursuit Final at the Tokyo 2020 Paralympic Games. It was her 15th Paralympic gold Reuters She also vowed to get tough with property developers who sit on planning permissions, suggesting they could be penalised in future bids, as she told them to do your duty to Britain. But before the speech a former housing minister and the Tory head of the Local Government Association (LGA) both warned the nonsense will go on and nothing will change unless the proposals are dramatically beefed up. Mr Mann said while he was heartened to see the announcement of Oliver Letwins review into the housing market, it is abundantly clear that we have a supply problem with six national housebuilders controlling the supply of land and therefore the properties built on it. He added: Holding land on balance sheets maybe good for shareholders capital, but it is not good for human capital. Many in our party are calling for planning deregulation and a simplified planning system and such measures have merit. However, it is my long-held view anchored in my personal experience that there are more practical solutions out there. Increasing the stamp duty land tax exemption for first-time buyers has also been a positive move, as has the introduction of the Lifetime ISA. But lets be honest, a 1,000 per tax year contribution from the government does nothing to reduce the price of land. The fact that the government is doing its bit to subsidise the housing market through the Lifetime ISA and Help To Buy schemes shows that something is wrong in the market itself. A second Conservative MP due to attend the meeting next week, Sarah Wollaston, said second homeowners should all have to pay council tax rather than small business rates. She said: Having to pay council tax on residential property, even if rented out much of the year for holidaymakers, would give councils with high levels of second homes a much needed boost, some of which could go to help fund genuinely affordable homes. Gary Streeter, MP for South West Devon, is expected to advocate a new rent to buy scheme, Rentplus. It enables people who are on the waiting list a plan to buy their home after five,10 or 15 years of renting, with 10 per cent gifted as a deposit, he said. So they can enjoy the benefits of rented property when they cannot afford to buy and then own that same house when they can. He added: This helps them to put down roots in one place in the knowledge they can plan for a secure, long-term future. Rentplus started in Plymouth but now operates successfully in schemes across many parts of the country. It will be greatly helped if the government changes the definition of affordable housing in the planning system, and I will be encouraging the prime minister to do this at our meeting. Dalits are particularly wary of quota rules being ignored in the lateral entry scheme. New Delhi: Indias first Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru once famously said that Indian Civil Services was the steel frame of the country. Thus, the Modi governments move to push for lateral entry of professionals as joint secretaries into this steel frame, bypassing the rigorous entry-level hiring method, should not come as a surprise given the current BJP dispensations anathema to anything Nehruvian. But the enthusiasm of doing away with the concept of Nehruvian civil services has opened a Pandoras box for the Modi government as far as reservation policy is concerned, with the Opposition, allies who have dalit votebanks, and even an MP from its own ranks questioning whether quota will be implemented while filling up these vacancies. And in an election year, this is not a good news. While the Opposition is up in arms and the bureaucracy is somewhat peeved with the move, the Modi government, some feel, has taken another huge gamble. It is being felt that the government is trying to build a committed bureaucracy before the 2019 battle royale. Dissident BJP leader Yashwant Sinha, a bureaucrat-turned-politician, while speaking to media, said, I have no objection to lateral entry of talented people into the government. It has been happening over the years. But I object strongly to the way it is being done. Where are the recruitment rules for the post? Why is the UPSC not doing it? All this makes it suspicious. Dalits are particularly wary of quota rules being ignored in the lateral entry scheme. Their anger against the Supreme Courts order allegedly diluting the SC/ST Act was visible during the Dalit Bandh on April 2. And now, the government advertisement calling applications to fill up 10 joint secretary-level positions through lateral entry, apparently without any quota, has come as another bad news. Possibly realising this, one of the first to come out and question the lateral entry move was BJP MP and one of the partys best know dalit faces, Udit Raj. The North West Delhi MP said that he was concerned over whether quota would be implemented during lateral hiring and that he would be writing to the department of personnel and training (DoPT) to ensure that the policy of reservations was followed. Next to follow suit was Union minister for consumer affairs, food and public distribution Ram Vilas Paswan, an ally of the BJP. Mr Paswan said that he raised the matter at a meeting of group of ministers that met to discuss dalit issues and the confusion over the Supreme Court order on reservation in promotions for Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes. Sources said that he was intimated that, as of now, the government had not thought on those lines. Various Opposition parties and dalit groups are also up in arms over the lateral entry decision. They went to the extent of accusing the government of trying to fill up the UPSC controlled ranks with people aligned to the right-wing ideology. The decision has been thought through the government wants to bypass the rigorous process of selection through the UPSC to make way for the absorption of people affiliated to the RSS (Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh) and the BJP through the back door, Congress MP P.L. Punia said. CPI(M) general secretary Sitaram Yechury said in a tweet, Why are time-tested UPSC and SSC (State Services Commission) being sought to be undermined? To fill IAS ranks with Sanghis and undermine reservation too, in the BJPs last few months in office. Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) chief Mayawati, who has emerged as a key link in the efforts to forge a united Opposition front, said that the decision to hire those who have not cleared the examination conducted by the UPSC is indicative of administrative failure of the Modi government. It is a dangerous move that could benefit big businesses through policy making, the BSP chief said in a statement. RJD Rajya Sabha MP Manoj Jha said, We must also not forget that the idea of reservation/representation in public employment through the lens of Article 15(4) and Article 16(4) is being diluted systematically to the huge disadvantage of the SCs, the STs and the OBCs by throwing the positions in contractual appointment bereft of any provisions of reservation. Various dalit groups are planning a nation-wide bandh to protest the lateral entry decision. According to dalit activist Ashok Bharti, the lateral entry plan ignores the compulsory reservation criteria for the SCs and the STs. He said that the protest is being planned in August, during the monsoon session of Parliament. The lateral entry plan, widely advertised in newspapers, is set to bypass the Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) examination system, which reserves 15 per cent seats for the SCs, 7.5 per cent for the STs and 27 per cent for the OBCs in the Indian Administrative Services (IAS). The government argues that it wants to hire talent from different spheres, including the private sector, to augment its own capacity. Whether the move will pay dividends in pursuing the goal of good governance, only time can tell, but with this contentious step, the government has taken a huge gamble ahead of the 2019 Lok Sabha elections. Israels deportation of Eritrean and Sudanese asylum-seekers is cruel and unlawful, Amnesty International has said in a report calling for an end to the practice. The study, published on Monday, says the African migrants are being sent to Uganda, which Israel has an agreement with. A similar agreement with Rwanda recently collapsed. It claims immigration officials routinely offer an ultimatum to asylum-seekers: to go back home, to leave voluntarily for Uganda, or to face indefinite detention in Israel. One was allegedly told: If you dont leaveyou will leave Israel in a coffin. Recommended Israel begins jailing African asylum seekers refusing deportation Charmain Mohamed, Amnesty Internationals head of refugee and migrant rights, said: Israel is one of the most prosperous countries in the region but it is going out of its way to shirk its responsibility to provide refuge to people fleeing war and persecution and who are already on its territory. According to the UN refugee agency, there are about 27,000 Eritrean and 7,700 Sudanese seeking asylum in Israel. The new 45-page report - called Forceful and Unlawful - says it has interviewed 30 of them about their experience, although none are named. One, who spoke while at Israels Saharonim Prison, is quoted as saying: Every day, all the time, the prison guards and the Interior Ministry officers tell me that it would be better for me to go to Rwanda. They say: If you dont leave for Rwanda, you will leave Israel in a coffin But I have friends in Rwanda who tell me not to come, that the situation there is very difficult. I prefer to die in Eritrea so that my mother can visit my grave than to go to Rwanda or Uganda. I have nothing there. World news in pictures Show all 50 1 /50 World news in pictures World news in pictures 30 September 2020 Pope Francis prays with priests at the end of a limited public audience at the San Damaso courtyard in The Vatican AFP via Getty World news in pictures 29 September 2020 A girl's silhouette is seen from behind a fabric in a tent along a beach by Beit Lahia in the northern Gaza Strip AFP via Getty World news in pictures 28 September 2020 A Chinese woman takes a photo of herself in front of a flower display dedicated to frontline health care workers during the COVID-19 pandemic in Beijing, China. China will celebrate national day marking the founding of the People's Republic of China on October 1st Getty World news in pictures 27 September 2020 The Glass Mountain Inn burns as the Glass Fire moves through the area in St. Helena, California. The fast moving Glass fire has burned over 1,000 acres and has destroyed homes Getty World news in pictures 26 September 2020 A villager along with a child offers prayers next to a carcass of a wild elephant that officials say was electrocuted in Rani Reserve Forest on the outskirts of Guwahati, India AFP via Getty World news in pictures 25 September 2020 The casket of late Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg is seen in Statuary Hall in the US Capitol to lie in state in Washington, DC AFP via Getty World news in pictures 24 September 2020 An anti-government protester holds up an image of a pro-democracy commemorative plaque at a rally outside Thailand's parliament in Bangkok, as activists gathered to demand a new constitution AFP via Getty World news in pictures 23 September 2020 A whale stranded on a beach in Macquarie Harbour on the rugged west coast of Tasmania, as hundreds of pilot whales have died in a mass stranding in southern Australia despite efforts to save them, with rescuers racing to free a few dozen survivors The Mercury/AFP via Getty World news in pictures 22 September 2020 State civil employee candidates wearing face masks and shields take a test in Surabaya AFP via Getty World news in pictures 21 September 2020 A man sweeps at the Taj Mahal monument on the day of its reopening after being closed for more than six months due to the coronavirus pandemic AP World news in pictures 20 September 2020 A deer looks for food in a burnt area, caused by the Bobcat fire, in Pearblossom, California EPA World news in pictures 19 September 2020 Anti-government protesters hold their mobile phones aloft as they take part in a pro-democracy rally in Bangkok. Tens of thousands of pro-democracy protesters massed close to Thailand's royal palace, in a huge rally calling for PM Prayut Chan-O-Cha to step down and demanding reforms to the monarchy AFP via Getty World news in pictures 18 September 2020 Supporters of Iraqi Shi'ite cleric Moqtada al-Sadr maintain social distancing as they attend Friday prayers after the coronavirus disease restrictions were eased, in Kufa mosque, near Najaf, Iraq Reuters World news in pictures 17 September 2020 A protester climbs on The Triumph of the Republic at 'the Place de la Nation' as thousands of protesters take part in a demonstration during a national day strike called by labor unions asking for better salary and against jobs cut in Paris, France EPA World news in pictures 16 September 2020 A fire raging near the Lazzaretto of Ancona in Italy. The huge blaze broke out overnight at the port of Ancona. Firefighters have brought the fire under control but they expected to keep working through the day EPA World news in pictures 15 September 2020 Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny posing for a selfie with his family at Berlin's Charite hospital. In an Instagram post he said he could now breathe independently following his suspected poisoning last month Alexei Navalny/Instagram/AFP World news in pictures 14 September 2020 Japan's Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga, former Defense Minister Shigeru Ishiba and former Foreign Minister Fumio Kishida celebrate after Suga was elected as new head of the ruling party at the Liberal Democratic Party's leadership election in Tokyo Reuters World news in pictures 13 September 2020 A man stands behind a burning barricade during the fifth straight day of protests against police brutality in Bogota AFP via Getty World news in pictures 12 September 2020 Police officers block and detain protesters during an opposition rally to protest the official presidential election results in Minsk, Belarus. Daily protests calling for the authoritarian president's resignation are now in their second month AP World news in pictures 11 September 2020 Members of 'Omnium Cultural' celebrate the 20th 'Festa per la llibertat' ('Fiesta for the freedom') to mark the Day of Catalonia in Barcelona. Omnion Cultural fights for the independence of Catalonia EPA World news in pictures 10 September 2020 The Moria refugee camp, two days after Greece's biggest migrant camp, was destroyed by fire. Thousands of asylum seekers on the island of Lesbos are now homeless AFP via Getty World news in pictures 9 September 2020 Pope Francis takes off his face mask as he arrives by car to hold a limited public audience at the San Damaso courtyard in The Vatican AFP via Getty World news in pictures 8 September 2020 A home is engulfed in flames during the "Creek Fire" in the Tollhouse area of California AFP via Getty World news in pictures 7 September 2020 A couple take photos along a sea wall of the waves brought by Typhoon Haishen in the eastern port city of Sokcho AFP via Getty World news in pictures 6 September 2020 Novak Djokovic and a tournament official tends to a linesperson who was struck with a ball by Djokovic during his match against Pablo Carreno Busta at the US Open USA Today Sports/Reuters World news in pictures 5 September 2020 Protesters confront police at the Shrine of Remembrance in Melbourne, Australia, during an anti-lockdown rally AFP via Getty World news in pictures 4 September 2020 A woman looks on from a rooftop as rescue workers dig through the rubble of a damaged building in Beirut. A search began for possible survivors after a scanner detected a pulse one month after the mega-blast at the adjacent port AFP via Getty World news in pictures 3 September 2020 A full moon next to the Virgen del Panecillo statue in Quito, Ecuador EPA World news in pictures 2 September 2020 A Palestinian woman reacts as Israeli forces demolish her animal shed near Hebron in the Israeli-occupied West Bank Reuters World news in pictures 1 September 2020 Students protest against presidential elections results in Minsk TUT.BY/AFP via Getty World news in pictures 31 August 2020 The pack rides during the 3rd stage of the Tour de France between Nice and Sisteron AFP via Getty World news in pictures 30 August 2020 Law enforcement officers block a street during a rally of opposition supporters protesting against presidential election results in Minsk, Belarus Reuters World news in pictures 29 August 2020 A woman holding a placard reading "Stop Censorship - Yes to the Freedom of Expression" shouts in a megaphone during a protest against the mandatory wearing of face masks in Paris. Masks, which were already compulsory on public transport, in enclosed public spaces, and outdoors in Paris in certain high-congestion areas around tourist sites, were made mandatory outdoors citywide on August 28 to fight the rising coronavirus infections AFP via Getty World news in pictures 28 August 2020 Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe bows to the national flag at the start of a press conference at the prime minister official residence in Tokyo. Abe announced he will resign over health problems, in a bombshell development that kicks off a leadership contest in the world's third-largest economy AFP via Getty World news in pictures 27 August 2020 Residents take cover behind a tree trunk from rubber bullets fired by South African Police Service (SAPS) in Eldorado Park, near Johannesburg, during a protest by community members after a 16-year old boy was reported dead AFP via Getty World news in pictures 26 August 2020 People scatter rose petals on a statue of Mother Teresa marking her 110th birth anniversary in Ahmedabad AFP via Getty World news in pictures 25 August 2020 An aerial view shows beach-goers standing on salt formations in the Dead Sea near Ein Bokeq, Israel Reuters World news in pictures 24 August 2020 Health workers use a fingertip pulse oximeter and check the body temperature of a fisherwoman inside the Dharavi slum during a door-to-door Covid-19 coronavirus screening in Mumbai AFP via Getty World news in pictures 23 August 2020 People carry an idol of the Hindu god Ganesh, the deity of prosperity, to immerse it off the coast of the Arabian sea during the Ganesh Chaturthi festival in Mumbai, India Reuters World news in pictures 22 August 2020 Firefighters watch as flames from the LNU Lightning Complex fires approach a home in Napa County, California AP World news in pictures 21 August 2020 Members of the Israeli security forces arrest a Palestinian demonstrator during a rally to protest against Israel's plan to annex parts of the occupied West Bank AFP via Getty World news in pictures 20 August 2020 A man pushes his bicycle through a deserted road after prohibitory orders were imposed by district officials for a week to contain the spread of the Covid-19 in Kathmandu AFP via Getty World news in pictures 19 August 2020 A car burns while parked at a residence in Vacaville, California. Dozens of fires are burning out of control throughout Northern California as fire resources are spread thin AFP via Getty World news in pictures 18 August 2020 Students use their mobile phones as flashlights at an anti-government rally at Mahidol University in Nakhon Pathom. Thailand has seen near-daily protests in recent weeks by students demanding the resignation of Prime Minister Prayut Chan-O-Cha AFP via Getty World news in pictures 17 August 2020 Members of the Kayapo tribe block the BR163 highway during a protest outside Novo Progresso in Para state, Brazil. Indigenous protesters blocked a major transamazonian highway to protest against the lack of governmental support during the COVID-19 novel coronavirus pandemic and illegal deforestation in and around their territories AFP via Getty World news in pictures 16 August 2020 Lightning forks over the San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge as a storm passes over Oakland AP World news in pictures 15 August 2020 Belarus opposition supporters gather near the Pushkinskaya metro station where Alexander Taraikovsky, a 34-year-old protester died on August 10, during their protest rally in central Minsk AFP via Getty World news in pictures 14 August 2020 AlphaTauri's driver Daniil Kvyat takes part in the second practice session at the Circuit de Catalunya in Montmelo near Barcelona ahead of the Spanish F1 Grand Prix AFP via Getty World news in pictures 13 August 2020 Soldiers of the Brazilian Armed Forces during a disinfection of the Christ The Redeemer statue at the Corcovado mountain prior to the opening of the touristic attraction in Rio AFP via Getty World news in pictures 12 August 2020 Young elephant bulls tussle playfully on World Elephant Day at the Amboseli National Park in Kenya AFP via Getty The report also throws doubt on Israels claim that the Eritreans and Sudanese are economic migrants. Rather it states most are fleeing persecution or serious human rights violations. And it says that many of those who did agree to go to Rwanda or Uganda are left with questionable legal status in the new country despite Israeli assurances they will have assured legal status there. Uganda has repeatedly denied the existence of an agreement for the reception of deportees. In April, the Israeli Government admitted that Rwanda refused to accept further deportations but Amnesty reported that, at the time of publication of its report, "voluntary" transfers to Uganda continued. The Independent has contacted the Embassy of Israel in London for comment. A prominent doctor has spoken out against the Trump administration's policy of separating migrant children from their parents at the US border. saying it could have a 'devastating' long-term effect on their emotional well-being. Dr Colleen Kraft, president of the American Academy of Pediatrics, visited a shelter for children under the age of 12 that runs along the Texas border with Mexico. The shelter in question held 60 beds and had a little playground for children. Rooms are equipped with toys, books and crayons. To Dr Kraft, it looked like a friendly environment for children - a place where they could be happy. But the child who caught the paediatricians attention during a recent visit was anything but happy. This little girl - no older than two - was screaming and pounding her fists on a mat. Yet staff members could not comfort the infant because of the rules prohibiting physical contact. The really devastating thing was that we all knew what was going on with this child. We all knew what the problem was, Dr Kraft said. She didnt have her mother, and none of us can fix that. Nearly 2,000 immigrant children were separated from their parents during six weeks in April and May, according to the Department of Homeland Security. The little girl is among the multitude of immigrant children who have been separated from their family as part of the Trump administrations zero-tolerance policy, meaning any adult who crosses the border illegally will face criminal prosecution. That also means parents were taken to federal jails while their children were sent to shelters. CNN political analyst Brian Karem presses White House press secretary Sarah Sanders on family separations at the US-Mexico border It is believed 11,432 migrant children are in the custody of the Department of Health and Human Services - an increase of nearly 3,000 from beginning of May. These numbers include children who arrived at the border without a relative and children separated from their parents. The policy so far has pushed shelters to their capacity. Trump administration officials are making preparations to hold immigrant children on military bases. On Thursday, the Trump administration said it will house children in tents in the desert outside El Paso. The really basic, foundational needs of having trust in adults as a young child was not being met. That contradicts everything we know that the kids need to build their health, said Dr Kraft after her visit to the Texas shelter. Such a situation could have long-term, devastating effects on young children, who are likely to develop what is called toxic stress in their brain once separated from caregivers or parents they trusted. It disrupts a childs brain development and increases the levels of fight-or-flight hormones in their bodies, added Kraft. This kind of emotional trauma could eventually lead to health problems, such as heart disease and substance abuse disorders. Undocumented immigration across the US-Mexico border Show all 14 1 /14 Undocumented immigration across the US-Mexico border Undocumented immigration across the US-Mexico border Immigrant children, many of whom are separated form their parents, are housed in Texas' tent city Reuters Undocumented immigration across the US-Mexico border A two-year-old Honduran asylum seeker cries as her mother is searched and detained near the US-Mexico border Getty Undocumented immigration across the US-Mexico border Undocumented migrants ride on the top of a freight train referred to as the beast, or La Bestia Getty Undocumented immigration across the US-Mexico border A cage inside a US Customs and Border Protection detention facility in Texas Reuters Undocumented immigration across the US-Mexico border US Border Patrol Academy All new agents must complete a months-long training course at the New Mexico facility before assuming their posts at Border Patrol stations, mostly along the US-Mexico border Getty Undocumented immigration across the US-Mexico border US-Mexico border fence A group of young men walk along the Mexican side of the US-Mexico border fence in a remote area of the Sonoran Desert Getty Undocumented immigration across the US-Mexico border US-Mexico border fence in the US Man looks through US-Mexico border fence into the US in Tijuana, Mexico Getty Undocumented immigration across the US-Mexico border US-Mexico border fence US Border Patrol agent Sal De Leon stands near a section of the US-Mexico border fence while stopping on patrol on in La Joya, Texas Getty Undocumented immigration across the US-Mexico border US Border Patrol Academy US Border Patrol instructor yells at trainees after their initial arrival to the academy Getty Undocumented immigration across the US-Mexico border Memorial service in Guatemala Families attend a memorial service for two boys who were kidnapped and killed in San Juan Sacatepequez, Guatemala. Crime drives emigration from Guatemala to the United States, as families seek refuge from the danger Getty Undocumented immigration across the US-Mexico border Arrests on the border Undocumented immigrants comfort each other after being caught by Border Patrol agents near the US-Mexico border Getty Undocumented immigration across the US-Mexico border Detention holding facility A boy from Honduras watches a movie at a detention facility run by the US Border Patrol Getty Undocumented immigration across the US-Mexico border Mexican farm workers Mexican migrant workers harvest organic parsley at Grant Family Farms in Wellington, Colorado Getty Undocumented immigration across the US-Mexico border Mexican family in Arizona A Mexican immigrant family sits in the living room of their rented home in Tuscon, Arizona. The family that Arizona's new tough immigrant law had created a climate of fear in the immigrant community. Getty Kraft and her organisation are not alone in this opinion. Nearly 4,600 mental health professionals and 90 organisations have signed a petition urging Trump and attorney general Jeff Sessions to stop the policy of parental separation. It says: To pretend that separated children do not grow up with the shrapnel of this traumatic experience embedded in their minds is to disregard everything we know about child development, the brain, and trauma. While not all of the children we are ripping from their parents will suffer the full consequences of toxic stress, many may, said child psychologist Megan Gunnar of the University of Minnesota. Although the policy is being implemented by his own administration, Mr Trump has avoided publicly owning it and. Instead, he blamed Democrats for forcing the breakup of families at the border with their horrible and cruel legislative agenda. Health and Human Services blames Congress, saying its inability to pass legislation on border security created perverse and dangerous incentives for illegal border crossings and child smuggling. For Dr Kraft, the partisan finger-pointing means politicians run the risk of obscuring the impact the parental separation policy will have on children. As partisan and as divisive as the whole topic of immigration is, we need to start with whats right, she said. Can we start with just keeping parents and children together while we figure out some of the other details? The kids need to come first, she added. America is better than this. Washington Post News Service The federal government is considering another attempt to drop legal protections for gray wolves across the lower 48 states, reopening a lengthy battle over the predator species. The US Fish and Wildlife Service said it had begun a science-based review of the status of the wolf, which presently is covered by the Endangered Species Act in most of the nation and cannot be killed unless its threatening human life. The agency will publish a proposal by the end of the year if it decides to begin the process of removing of the wolf from the endangered species list. "Any proposal will follow a robust, transparent and open public process that will provide opportunity for public comment," the service said in a statement to the Associated Press. The government first proposed revoking the wolf's protected status in 2013, but backed off after federal courts struck down its plan for "delisting" the species in the western Great Lakes region. Long despised by farmers and ranchers, wolves were shot, trapped and poisoned out of existence in most of the US by the mid-20th century. Since securing protection in the 1970s, they have bounced back in parts of the country. There are around 3,800 gray wolves in the western Great Lakes states of Michigan, Minnesota and Wisconsin. Other established populations are in the Northern Rockies, where they are no longer listed as endangered, and the Pacific Northwest. Federal regulators contend populations have recovered sufficiently for their designation as endangered to be removed and management responsibilities handed over to the states. Environmental groups say it is too early for that, as wolves still haven't returned to most of their historical range. "Time and again the courts have told the service that wolves need further recovery before their protections can be removed," said Collette Adkins, an attorney with the Center for Biological Diversity. "But the agency is dead set on appeasing special interests who want to kill these amazing animals." Members of Congress have tried numerous times to strip wolves of legal protection. Another bill to do so is pending in the House of Representatives. Associated Press A Massachusetts school is back in the spotlight following another brush with anti-semitism after it emerged a graduating student had included a Nazi quotation in its leavers' yearbook. The quote, which reads Make the lie big, keep it simple, keep saying it and eventually they will believe it, is attributed to the Third Reich's propaganda supremo, Dr Joseph Goebbels. The quote is not attributed in the yearbook, and appears in black text underneath the photo of the student, who has not been identified. Despite being vetted by school staff, it was a student who alerted them to the quote's Nazi provenance. Hundreds of copies of the yearbook had been printed and distributed to students at Andover High School in Massachusetts before the school became aware of the problem and stopped selling the yearbook. The school is now offering to replace the page or cover the quote up with a sticker. We are appalled and angered that this quote was submitted, and I ask you to please accept my deepest apologies on behalf of our faculty, staff, and administration for the insertion of these words in the yearbook, wrote school principal, Philip Conrad, in a letter to parents. Quoting a racist dictator bent on genocide or his minister of propaganda has no place in our school or our community and it is deeply upsetting to all of us. Holocaust Memorial Day: three unsung heroes who helped Europe's Jews escape the Nazis The incident was not the first time Andover High School has been in the news for a Nazi-related incident. In December, several swastikas were found carved into desks - including some in classes with Jewish teachers. Mr Conrad said on Friday he did not believe the swastikas and the yearbook quote were linked, but declined to provide more details on the schools investigation into the swastikas or its outcome. He added that the school immediately investigated after finding out about the Goebbels quote and believed the student took it from a source which did not identify the author with no knowledge of its hateful background. Nationally, the number of antisemitic incidents reported annually increased by 57 per cent in 2017, according to the Anti-Defamation League (ADL). It believes the increase is linked to the divisive state of American politics, the emboldening of extremists, and the effects of social media. A spokeswoman for the Massachusetts department of elementary and secondary education said it does not track the prevalence of hate-related incidents in the states public schools. Robert Goldstein, a rabbi at Temple Emanuel in Andover, praised the schools response to the controversy. I think its very important to differentiate between what is an intentional act of racism and anti-semitism and homophobia and something that is somewhat innocent, Mr Goldstein said. Robert Trestan, regional director of the ADL in Boston, which is helping the school respond to the episode, described both the swastikas and the yearbook as educational opportunities that could help prevent future anti-semitism. Hess's body exhumed and grave destroyed to stop neo-Nazi pilgrimages Show all 2 1 /2 Hess's body exhumed and grave destroyed to stop neo-Nazi pilgrimages Hess's body exhumed and grave destroyed to stop neo-Nazi pilgrimages 626802.bin EPA Hess's body exhumed and grave destroyed to stop neo-Nazi pilgrimages 626803.bin AP When you have an incident of anti-semitism or any type of hate or bigotry, you have to look at it and try and make a determination of whats the motivation behind it, Mr Trestan said. They were transparent in sending out this note to the parents, and they also concluded that some remedial action was necessary. Mr Trestan said he hoped the school would hold sessions in the future to teach students about anti-semitism. A spokesman for Andover's schools did not elaborate on whether such sessions would be held, and had no comment on potential changes to yearbook publication procedures. The district will review its practices and procedures going forward to avoid an incident like this in the future, he said. New York Times News Service The Trump-Russia saga has taken another twist after the revelation the president's longtime confidant, Roger Stone, made contact with a Russian national during the 2016 presidential election. The man, who called himself Henry Greenberg, offered damaging information to Mr Stone about Hillary Clinton, Mr Trumps presumptive Democratic opponent in the upcoming presidential election. The meeting took place two months earlier than federal officials have said a counterintelligence operation was officially opened and before WikiLeaks began releasing hacked Democratic emails. It came in the same time period as other episodes in which Russian interests approached the Trump campaign. A few weeks earlier, Trump campaign foreign policy adviser George Papadopoulos was told in London that the Russians had dirt on Ms Clinton - two weeks before the sit-down between Donald Trump Jr. at Trump Tower with a Russian lawyer. Greenberg, who did not reveal the information he claimed to possess, wanted Mr Trump to pay $2 million for the political dirt, Stone told the Washington Post. You dont understand Donald Trump, Mr Stone recalled saying before rejecting the offer. He doesnt pay for anything. Later, Stone got a text message from Michael Caputo, a Trump campaign communications official who arranged the meeting after Mr Greenberg had approached Mr Caputos Russian-immigrant business partner. How crazy is the Russian? Mr Caputo wrote. Noting that Greenberg wanted big money, Mr Stone replied: waste of time. Two years later, the brief sit-down in Florida has resurfaced as part of special counsel Robert Muellers sprawling investigation of Russian interference in the 2016 presidential campaign, according to Mr Caputo. Mr Caputo said he was asked about the meeting by prosecutors during a questioning session last month. Mr Stone and Mr Caputo, who did not previously disclose the meeting to congressional investigators, now say they believe they were the targets of a setup by US law enforcement officials hostile to Mr Trump. Their interactions with Mr Greenberg mean that at least 11 Trump associates or campaign officials have acknowledged interactions with a Russian during the election season or presidential transition. Ex-MI6 agent behind Trump Russia dossier breaks silence Those interactions have become public a year and a half after a Trump spokeswoman said that no one associated with the campaign had communications with Russians, or other foreign entities. Interviews and additional documents show that Mr Greenberg has at times used the name Henry Oknyansky. Under that name, he claimed in a 2015 court filing related to his immigration status that he had provided information to the FBI for 17 years. Mr Greenberg also attached records showing that the government had granted him special permission to enter the United States because his presence represented a significant public benefit. Mr Greenberg says he stopped his FBI cooperation sometime after 2013, and denied that he had been acting on the FBIs behalf when he met with Stone. There is no evidence that Mr Greenberg was working with the FBI during his interactions with Stone. An FBI spokeswoman declined to comment, as did a spokesman for special prosecutor Robert Mueller - the man charged with investigating the Trump campaign's alleged collusion with Russia. Singapore Summit: historic first meeting between Trump and Kim Jong-un Show all 20 1 /20 Singapore Summit: historic first meeting between Trump and Kim Jong-un Singapore Summit: historic first meeting between Trump and Kim Jong-un Mr Trump and Mr Kim leave following their historic meeting AFP/Getty Singapore Summit: historic first meeting between Trump and Kim Jong-un Mr Trump and Mr Kim sign a document committing to peace between their nations, amongst other things EPA Singapore Summit: historic first meeting between Trump and Kim Jong-un Mr Trump holds up a document that both he and Mr Kim have signed AFP/Getty Singapore Summit: historic first meeting between Trump and Kim Jong-un The two leaders reach out to shake hands for the first time AP Singapore Summit: historic first meeting between Trump and Kim Jong-un Mr Trump and Mr Kim shake hands as they meet for the first time Reuters Singapore Summit: historic first meeting between Trump and Kim Jong-un Mr Trump and Mr Kim walk off stage, following their historic meeting Reuters Singapore Summit: historic first meeting between Trump and Kim Jong-un Mr Trump and Mr Kim take a stroll after their meeting on June 12 Reuters Singapore Summit: historic first meeting between Trump and Kim Jong-un Mr Trump and Mr Kim interrupt their stroll to talk to the media AP Singapore Summit: historic first meeting between Trump and Kim Jong-un Mr Kim and Mr Trump look out over a balcony at the Capella hotel, where they held their meeting on June 12 Reuters Singapore Summit: historic first meeting between Trump and Kim Jong-un Mr Trump takes questions at the press conference following his meeting with with Mr Kim AP Singapore Summit: historic first meeting between Trump and Kim Jong-un Mr Trump appreciates the crowd in the press conference following his meeting with Mr Kim Getty Singapore Summit: historic first meeting between Trump and Kim Jong-un Mr Trump travels to the Istana ahead of the summit with Kim Jong Un on June 12 Reuters Singapore Summit: historic first meeting between Trump and Kim Jong-un Kim Jong Un travels to the Istana ahead of the summit with President Trump on June 12 Reuters Singapore Summit: historic first meeting between Trump and Kim Jong-un Mr Kim poses for a photo with Singapore's Finance Minister Vivian Balkrishnan and Education Minister Ong Ye Kung ahead of the summit with Mr Trump Twitter/Reuters Singapore Summit: historic first meeting between Trump and Kim Jong-un Mr Trump shakes hands with Singapore Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong, meeting on Monday June 11 in the Istana, Singapore's presidential palace AP Singapore Summit: historic first meeting between Trump and Kim Jong-un At a working lunch on Monday, Singapore's Prime Minister surprised Mr Trump with a birthday cake, in early celebration of his 72nd birthday later in the week EPA Singapore Summit: historic first meeting between Trump and Kim Jong-un US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo answers questions about the summit at a press briefing in Singapore on Monday, June 11 Getty Singapore Summit: historic first meeting between Trump and Kim Jong-un US President Donald Trump arrives at the Paya Lebar Air Base in Singapore on June 10, two days prior to his summit with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un Reuters Singapore Summit: historic first meeting between Trump and Kim Jong-un Mr Trump and Mr Kim met on Tuesday June 12 in the Capella hotel on the island resort of Sentosa, just off the south coast of Singapore AFP/Getty Singapore Summit: historic first meeting between Trump and Kim Jong-un Mr Trump boards Air Force One following the summit AFP/Getty Mr Trump and his allies maintain that the meetings were inconsequential, and there was no collusion. It is not clear how seriously investigators are taking the Florida meeting. Mr Caputo said that prosecutors took an "intense" interest in the interaction during his questioning last month. The Florida meeting adds another layer of complexity to Mr Stones involvement in the Russia probe. For months, it has been clear that the special counsel has been scrutinising repeated claims by Mr Stone that he communicated with WikiLeaks via a back-channel source before the groups 2016 release of hacked Democratic party emails. Mr Stone - who long urged Mr Trump to run for president - has mooted the possibility he will be indicted, speculating that Mr Mueller might charge him with a crime unrelated to the election in order to "silence" him. He said he anticipates that his meeting with Mr Greenberg could be used in an attempt to pressure him to testify against President Trump something he says he would never do. Washington Post News Service Hundreds of people have demonstrated outside a tent camp in Texas that is being used by the Trump administration to house migrant children deliberately separated from their parents under a zero tolerance immigration policy. The government announced last week it had opened the camp at Tornillo, 40 miles southwest of El Paso. It is the latest facility to house children who have tried to cross the border by themselves or been split from their families as the result of the enforcement of rules intended to dissuade people from trying to enter the US. It said between April 19 until May 31 2018, 1,995 youngsters had been separated from their parents under the new approach. On Sunday, as temperatures in Tornilo passed 100F (37C), hundreds of protesters and local politicians gathered at the facility. The protest had been organised by Democratic congressman Beto ORourke, who is challenging Republican Ted Cruz to become a senator on Novembers midterm elections. Recommended Trump blames Democrats once again for border family separation At the moment that [these children] finally thought they had reached safety, refuge, were going to petition for asylum, they were taken from their parents, and are now in Tornillo with no idea of when or if they will see their mothers or their fathers on this Fathers Day again, Mr ORourke told CNN. Things have to be really bad for you to leave Honduras, travel 2,0000 miles, if youre lucky, on top off not inside of a train known as The Beast, or La Bestia, with your child. He added: To literally take your and your childs life into your hands and hope that you will make it here. Once you get here to try to request asylum, only to find that your child will be taken from you. Donald Trump has in recent days found himself at the centre of mounting controversy after the government revealed the number of children being split from their families. A number of traditional supporters of the president, including members of the clergy, have said the policy is wrong and urged him to change it. Mr Trump, who is due to visit Capitol Hill on Tuesday to discuss the issue with legislators, has claimed, inaccurately, the policy was established by the previous administration and he can do nothing about it without the cooperation of Democrats to completely overhaul immigration. Critics say Mr Trump is seeking to use the children as leverage as he seeks to push legislators to provide funds to pay for a border wall. While some children were separated by their families during the administrations of Barack Obama and George Bush, last month Attorney General Jeff Sessions announced that officials would start prosecuting all people who tried to cross the border illegally. (Getty (Getty) The new approach meant the Department of Justice would prosecute everyone crossing, even those seeking to make asylum claims. As a result of the shift, people travelling with children were detained rather than being charged and released. The children were not charged, but were held separately Mr Sessions last week used a passage from the bible to defend his departments policy. CNN political analyst Brian Karem presses White House press secretary Sarah Sanders on family separations at the US-Mexico border I would cite you to the Apostle Paul and his clear and wise command in Romans 13, to obey the laws of the government because God has ordained the government for his purposes, he said, during a speech to police officers in Indiana. Orderly and lawful processes are good in themselves. Consistent and fair application of the law is in itself a good and moral thing, and that protects the weak and protects the lawful. One shelter in Brownsville, Texas, which holds nearly 1,500 boys aged 10 to 17, recently opened its doors to the media. The facility, which reporters said resembled a jail, only permitted the young people for spend two hours outside each day. World news in pictures Show all 50 1 /50 World news in pictures World news in pictures 30 September 2020 Pope Francis prays with priests at the end of a limited public audience at the San Damaso courtyard in The Vatican AFP via Getty World news in pictures 29 September 2020 A girl's silhouette is seen from behind a fabric in a tent along a beach by Beit Lahia in the northern Gaza Strip AFP via Getty World news in pictures 28 September 2020 A Chinese woman takes a photo of herself in front of a flower display dedicated to frontline health care workers during the COVID-19 pandemic in Beijing, China. China will celebrate national day marking the founding of the People's Republic of China on October 1st Getty World news in pictures 27 September 2020 The Glass Mountain Inn burns as the Glass Fire moves through the area in St. Helena, California. The fast moving Glass fire has burned over 1,000 acres and has destroyed homes Getty World news in pictures 26 September 2020 A villager along with a child offers prayers next to a carcass of a wild elephant that officials say was electrocuted in Rani Reserve Forest on the outskirts of Guwahati, India AFP via Getty World news in pictures 25 September 2020 The casket of late Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg is seen in Statuary Hall in the US Capitol to lie in state in Washington, DC AFP via Getty World news in pictures 24 September 2020 An anti-government protester holds up an image of a pro-democracy commemorative plaque at a rally outside Thailand's parliament in Bangkok, as activists gathered to demand a new constitution AFP via Getty World news in pictures 23 September 2020 A whale stranded on a beach in Macquarie Harbour on the rugged west coast of Tasmania, as hundreds of pilot whales have died in a mass stranding in southern Australia despite efforts to save them, with rescuers racing to free a few dozen survivors The Mercury/AFP via Getty World news in pictures 22 September 2020 State civil employee candidates wearing face masks and shields take a test in Surabaya AFP via Getty World news in pictures 21 September 2020 A man sweeps at the Taj Mahal monument on the day of its reopening after being closed for more than six months due to the coronavirus pandemic AP World news in pictures 20 September 2020 A deer looks for food in a burnt area, caused by the Bobcat fire, in Pearblossom, California EPA World news in pictures 19 September 2020 Anti-government protesters hold their mobile phones aloft as they take part in a pro-democracy rally in Bangkok. Tens of thousands of pro-democracy protesters massed close to Thailand's royal palace, in a huge rally calling for PM Prayut Chan-O-Cha to step down and demanding reforms to the monarchy AFP via Getty World news in pictures 18 September 2020 Supporters of Iraqi Shi'ite cleric Moqtada al-Sadr maintain social distancing as they attend Friday prayers after the coronavirus disease restrictions were eased, in Kufa mosque, near Najaf, Iraq Reuters World news in pictures 17 September 2020 A protester climbs on The Triumph of the Republic at 'the Place de la Nation' as thousands of protesters take part in a demonstration during a national day strike called by labor unions asking for better salary and against jobs cut in Paris, France EPA World news in pictures 16 September 2020 A fire raging near the Lazzaretto of Ancona in Italy. The huge blaze broke out overnight at the port of Ancona. Firefighters have brought the fire under control but they expected to keep working through the day EPA World news in pictures 15 September 2020 Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny posing for a selfie with his family at Berlin's Charite hospital. In an Instagram post he said he could now breathe independently following his suspected poisoning last month Alexei Navalny/Instagram/AFP World news in pictures 14 September 2020 Japan's Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga, former Defense Minister Shigeru Ishiba and former Foreign Minister Fumio Kishida celebrate after Suga was elected as new head of the ruling party at the Liberal Democratic Party's leadership election in Tokyo Reuters World news in pictures 13 September 2020 A man stands behind a burning barricade during the fifth straight day of protests against police brutality in Bogota AFP via Getty World news in pictures 12 September 2020 Police officers block and detain protesters during an opposition rally to protest the official presidential election results in Minsk, Belarus. Daily protests calling for the authoritarian president's resignation are now in their second month AP World news in pictures 11 September 2020 Members of 'Omnium Cultural' celebrate the 20th 'Festa per la llibertat' ('Fiesta for the freedom') to mark the Day of Catalonia in Barcelona. Omnion Cultural fights for the independence of Catalonia EPA World news in pictures 10 September 2020 The Moria refugee camp, two days after Greece's biggest migrant camp, was destroyed by fire. Thousands of asylum seekers on the island of Lesbos are now homeless AFP via Getty World news in pictures 9 September 2020 Pope Francis takes off his face mask as he arrives by car to hold a limited public audience at the San Damaso courtyard in The Vatican AFP via Getty World news in pictures 8 September 2020 A home is engulfed in flames during the "Creek Fire" in the Tollhouse area of California AFP via Getty World news in pictures 7 September 2020 A couple take photos along a sea wall of the waves brought by Typhoon Haishen in the eastern port city of Sokcho AFP via Getty World news in pictures 6 September 2020 Novak Djokovic and a tournament official tends to a linesperson who was struck with a ball by Djokovic during his match against Pablo Carreno Busta at the US Open USA Today Sports/Reuters World news in pictures 5 September 2020 Protesters confront police at the Shrine of Remembrance in Melbourne, Australia, during an anti-lockdown rally AFP via Getty World news in pictures 4 September 2020 A woman looks on from a rooftop as rescue workers dig through the rubble of a damaged building in Beirut. A search began for possible survivors after a scanner detected a pulse one month after the mega-blast at the adjacent port AFP via Getty World news in pictures 3 September 2020 A full moon next to the Virgen del Panecillo statue in Quito, Ecuador EPA World news in pictures 2 September 2020 A Palestinian woman reacts as Israeli forces demolish her animal shed near Hebron in the Israeli-occupied West Bank Reuters World news in pictures 1 September 2020 Students protest against presidential elections results in Minsk TUT.BY/AFP via Getty World news in pictures 31 August 2020 The pack rides during the 3rd stage of the Tour de France between Nice and Sisteron AFP via Getty World news in pictures 30 August 2020 Law enforcement officers block a street during a rally of opposition supporters protesting against presidential election results in Minsk, Belarus Reuters World news in pictures 29 August 2020 A woman holding a placard reading "Stop Censorship - Yes to the Freedom of Expression" shouts in a megaphone during a protest against the mandatory wearing of face masks in Paris. Masks, which were already compulsory on public transport, in enclosed public spaces, and outdoors in Paris in certain high-congestion areas around tourist sites, were made mandatory outdoors citywide on August 28 to fight the rising coronavirus infections AFP via Getty World news in pictures 28 August 2020 Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe bows to the national flag at the start of a press conference at the prime minister official residence in Tokyo. Abe announced he will resign over health problems, in a bombshell development that kicks off a leadership contest in the world's third-largest economy AFP via Getty World news in pictures 27 August 2020 Residents take cover behind a tree trunk from rubber bullets fired by South African Police Service (SAPS) in Eldorado Park, near Johannesburg, during a protest by community members after a 16-year old boy was reported dead AFP via Getty World news in pictures 26 August 2020 People scatter rose petals on a statue of Mother Teresa marking her 110th birth anniversary in Ahmedabad AFP via Getty World news in pictures 25 August 2020 An aerial view shows beach-goers standing on salt formations in the Dead Sea near Ein Bokeq, Israel Reuters World news in pictures 24 August 2020 Health workers use a fingertip pulse oximeter and check the body temperature of a fisherwoman inside the Dharavi slum during a door-to-door Covid-19 coronavirus screening in Mumbai AFP via Getty World news in pictures 23 August 2020 People carry an idol of the Hindu god Ganesh, the deity of prosperity, to immerse it off the coast of the Arabian sea during the Ganesh Chaturthi festival in Mumbai, India Reuters World news in pictures 22 August 2020 Firefighters watch as flames from the LNU Lightning Complex fires approach a home in Napa County, California AP World news in pictures 21 August 2020 Members of the Israeli security forces arrest a Palestinian demonstrator during a rally to protest against Israel's plan to annex parts of the occupied West Bank AFP via Getty World news in pictures 20 August 2020 A man pushes his bicycle through a deserted road after prohibitory orders were imposed by district officials for a week to contain the spread of the Covid-19 in Kathmandu AFP via Getty World news in pictures 19 August 2020 A car burns while parked at a residence in Vacaville, California. Dozens of fires are burning out of control throughout Northern California as fire resources are spread thin AFP via Getty World news in pictures 18 August 2020 Students use their mobile phones as flashlights at an anti-government rally at Mahidol University in Nakhon Pathom. Thailand has seen near-daily protests in recent weeks by students demanding the resignation of Prime Minister Prayut Chan-O-Cha AFP via Getty World news in pictures 17 August 2020 Members of the Kayapo tribe block the BR163 highway during a protest outside Novo Progresso in Para state, Brazil. Indigenous protesters blocked a major transamazonian highway to protest against the lack of governmental support during the COVID-19 novel coronavirus pandemic and illegal deforestation in and around their territories AFP via Getty World news in pictures 16 August 2020 Lightning forks over the San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge as a storm passes over Oakland AP World news in pictures 15 August 2020 Belarus opposition supporters gather near the Pushkinskaya metro station where Alexander Taraikovsky, a 34-year-old protester died on August 10, during their protest rally in central Minsk AFP via Getty World news in pictures 14 August 2020 AlphaTauri's driver Daniil Kvyat takes part in the second practice session at the Circuit de Catalunya in Montmelo near Barcelona ahead of the Spanish F1 Grand Prix AFP via Getty World news in pictures 13 August 2020 Soldiers of the Brazilian Armed Forces during a disinfection of the Christ The Redeemer statue at the Corcovado mountain prior to the opening of the touristic attraction in Rio AFP via Getty World news in pictures 12 August 2020 Young elephant bulls tussle playfully on World Elephant Day at the Amboseli National Park in Kenya AFP via Getty Republican congressman Will Hurd, whose district includes about one third of the US-Mexico border, toured the new tent facility on Friday. Other legislators were able to examine other facilities on Sunday. He said the conditions were reasonably good. He said each air-conditioned tent had bed space for 20 children and two adults, and there were showers, bathrooms, medical facilities, fire trucks and spaces for children to meet with case management workers and lawyers. But he told the El Paso Times: At the end of the day, in the land of the free and the home of the brave, we should not be using children as deterrents when it comes to our broken immigration system. Experts on child health have also criticised the policy. The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) has been speaking out against the policy since last year, when reports the White House was considering such a step. Separating children from their parents contradicts everything we stand for as paediatricians protecting and promoting childrens health, said AAP president Colleen Kraft. The new policy is the latest example of harmful actions by the Department of Homeland Security against immigrant families, hindering their right to seek asylum in our country and denying parents the right to remain with their children. On Sunday, senior White House adviser Kellyanne Conway sought to distance the White House from the controversy. Nobody likes breaking up families and seeing babies ripped from their mothers arms, Ms Conway, a counselor to the president, told NBC. As a mother, as a Catholic, as someone with a conscienceI will tell you that nobody likes this policy. Ms Conway sought to blame Democrats, saying if they were serious about overhauling the system, theyll come together again and try to close these loopholes and get real immigration reform. India is suffering from the worst water crisis in its history and around 600 million people face a severe water shortage, according to a government think tank. Approximately 200,000 people die every year due to inadequate access to clean water and its only going to get worse as 21 cities are likely to run out of groundwater by 2020. In the longer term, the undersupply will become even more acute in the South Asian nation, as demand increases with the 1.4 billion population growing at a rate of around 1 per cent. By 2030, the countrys water demand is projected to be twice the available supply, the Niti Aayog report reads. [This will cause] severe water scarcity for hundreds of millions of people. Recommended At least 54 dead in extreme weather across India There is an imminent need to deepen our understanding of our water resources and usage and put in place interventions that make our water use efficient and sustainable. The expected degree of water scarcity will account for a 6 per cent loss in Indias gross domestic product. Indian cities and towns often run out of water throughout the summer due to the absence of infrastructure to deliver piped water to homes. Sprawling queues for government water tankers and public taps are already a common sight in Indian slums since people are reliant on the service and the impending disaster would leave this provision even more thinly stretched. Erratic rainfall also causes chaos in rural areas where people are similarly affected by a lack of access to safe water. Forced to deal with the problem, water-scarce states are the best at managing the resource (AFP) Groundwater is increasingly used for farming when monsoon rains do not deliver a sufficient level of precipitation meaning there is little to drink. There has been an effort to develop sustainable water supplies in India in recent years with water conservation legislation existing in 80 per cent of the country. However, poor data management and an abject failure to properly price water has prevented the country from making any significant progress. Where data is available, it is often unreliable due to the use of outdated collection techniques and methodologies, according to the report. For example, groundwater data in India is based on an inadequate sample of [around] 55,000 wells out of a total [approximately] 12 million in the country. In what could serve as encouragement to step up the pursuit of policies to better conserve water, several water-scarce states are the best at managing the resource. Some of the best performers in the national composite water index Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh, Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Maharashtra, Telangana are states that have suffered from severe droughts in recent years. The action taken by these states, and their subsequent good performance on the index, are likely driven by necessity in the face of looming water shortages, asserts the report. Other policies, such as the provision of free utilities, have not had the anticipated result. Policies like several states giving free electricity to farmers or giving financial support for groundwater extraction borewells and tubewells results in uncontrolled exploitation and wastage of resource, Suresh Rohilla, director of urban water management at the Centre for Science and Environment, told CNN. Drip irrigation, a method that means farmers use drastically less fertiliser and diesel, has failed to become popular and its implementation is expensive for most people with state governments providing limited support. Primarily, water is not valued in India. It is very cheap in India, Samrat Basak, director for urban water at the World Resources Institute, told CNN. People think it is free. Alarmingly, the states ranked lowest like Uttar Pradesh, Haryana and Jharkhand are home to almost half of Indias population along with the majority of its agricultural produce. An Indonesian villager has been swallowed whole by a python the second such incident in the country in a year. Wa Tiba, 54, left her home on Muna island to visit her cornfield on Thursday night, according to the Jakarta Post. The field is about half a mile from her house, surrounded by cliffs, caves and a certain number of reticulated pythons the longest snakes in the world. These snakes normally feed on smaller mammals. Attacks on humans are supposed to be as rare as winning the lottery and being struck by lightning at the same time. Yet last year, a mans body was extracted from a 23-foot python, in an incident captured on a gruesome YouTube video. When Ms Tiba failed to return by Friday morning, her sister went to search for her alongside around 100 people from the village of Persiapan Lawela. They found only Ms Tibas footprints, her flashlight, her machete and slippers. The snake was found a few dozen yards from Ms Tibas belongings. It was 23 feet long and so bloated it could barely move, with a large bulge midway down its body. The villagers killed the snake and opened it up to find Ms Tiba intact inside the snake, clothed just as she had been when she went to check the corn. In pictures: venomous snakes Show all 5 1 /5 In pictures: venomous snakes In pictures: venomous snakes Egyptian Cobra Found in the Middle East, North Africa and sub-Saharan Africa, the cobras venom can kill a human within 15 minutes and an elephant in three hours. It can be recognised by its small flat head and round snout Alamy In pictures: venomous snakes Puff Adder Found across Southern Africa, the snake, which has dark stripes, hunts small mammals, birds, lizards, frogs and toads Rex In pictures: venomous snakes Black Mamba Once thought to be the worlds deadliest snake, the black mamba is found in Southern and Eastern Africa. It strikes once, then waits for its prey to become paralysed before devouring it Rex In pictures: venomous snakes Carpet Viper The snake, which is found in South Asia and India, has a speckled belly and a distinctive cross-shaped white mark on its head. It hunts lizards scorpions and centipedes Rex In pictures: venomous snakes Spitting Cobra The colour varies on this snake, which is found in sub-Saharan Africa. It eats small rodents, lizards and other snakes. Unlike other snakes it projects its venom Rex A reticulated python secures its prey with a bite, then wraps its body around the victim, squeezing down until the victim cannot breathe, before consuming. Its so rare for humans to be eaten that its more common to see hoaxes. A single photo of a snake digesting a pig has been used to falsely claim attacks on humans in China, Africa and across Southeast Asia. Washington Post The US and South Korea are reportedly set to halt joint military exercises as early as this week, just days after Donald Trump promised to halt something he said was both costly and very provocative to Kim Jong-un. During his summit with the North Korean leader last week in Singapore, Mr Trump said he wanted to halt the exercises and even suggested he wanted to bring home the 28,000 US troops stationed on the peninsula. Under the circumstances that were negotiating a very comprehensive, complete deal I think its inappropriate to have war games. It is something that [North Korea) very much appreciated, he said. Recommended Trump salutes North Korea general in exchange aired on state televison Referring to the cost of the exercises, he added: We fly in bombers from Guam. Thats a long time for these big massive planes to be flying to South Korea to practice and then drop bombs all over the place and then go back to Guam. I know a lot about airplanes. Its very expensive. While some critics of Mr Trump he had given up the concession long demanded by North Korea with nothing in exchange, others said it was worth it to continue to negotiate with Pyongyang. Trump-Kim meeting: how events unfolded at the Singapore summit Both South Korea and the US military seemed caught off guard by the announcement, but secretary of state Mike Pompeo subsequently flew to South Korea to brief officials on Mr Trumps summit with Mr Kim. On Sunday, the South Korean news agency Yonhap said an announcement on the exercises suspension was expected to be made this week. It said they would be restarted if North Korea failed to press ahead with its undertaking to work towards denuclearisation. Holding back the war games during the negotiations was my request because they are VERY EXPENSIVE and set a bad light during a good faith negotiation. Also, quite provocative. Can start up immediately if talks break down, which I hope will not happen, Mr Trump tweeted. He added: The denuclearisation deal with North Korea is being praised and celebrated all over Asia. They are so happy! Over here, in our country, some people would rather see this historic deal fail than give Trump a win, even if it does save potentially millions & millions of lives. Singapore Summit: historic first meeting between Trump and Kim Jong-un Show all 20 1 /20 Singapore Summit: historic first meeting between Trump and Kim Jong-un Singapore Summit: historic first meeting between Trump and Kim Jong-un Mr Trump and Mr Kim leave following their historic meeting AFP/Getty Singapore Summit: historic first meeting between Trump and Kim Jong-un Mr Trump and Mr Kim sign a document committing to peace between their nations, amongst other things EPA Singapore Summit: historic first meeting between Trump and Kim Jong-un Mr Trump holds up a document that both he and Mr Kim have signed AFP/Getty Singapore Summit: historic first meeting between Trump and Kim Jong-un The two leaders reach out to shake hands for the first time AP Singapore Summit: historic first meeting between Trump and Kim Jong-un Mr Trump and Mr Kim shake hands as they meet for the first time Reuters Singapore Summit: historic first meeting between Trump and Kim Jong-un Mr Trump and Mr Kim walk off stage, following their historic meeting Reuters Singapore Summit: historic first meeting between Trump and Kim Jong-un Mr Trump and Mr Kim take a stroll after their meeting on June 12 Reuters Singapore Summit: historic first meeting between Trump and Kim Jong-un Mr Trump and Mr Kim interrupt their stroll to talk to the media AP Singapore Summit: historic first meeting between Trump and Kim Jong-un Mr Kim and Mr Trump look out over a balcony at the Capella hotel, where they held their meeting on June 12 Reuters Singapore Summit: historic first meeting between Trump and Kim Jong-un Mr Trump takes questions at the press conference following his meeting with with Mr Kim AP Singapore Summit: historic first meeting between Trump and Kim Jong-un Mr Trump appreciates the crowd in the press conference following his meeting with Mr Kim Getty Singapore Summit: historic first meeting between Trump and Kim Jong-un Mr Trump travels to the Istana ahead of the summit with Kim Jong Un on June 12 Reuters Singapore Summit: historic first meeting between Trump and Kim Jong-un Kim Jong Un travels to the Istana ahead of the summit with President Trump on June 12 Reuters Singapore Summit: historic first meeting between Trump and Kim Jong-un Mr Kim poses for a photo with Singapore's Finance Minister Vivian Balkrishnan and Education Minister Ong Ye Kung ahead of the summit with Mr Trump Twitter/Reuters Singapore Summit: historic first meeting between Trump and Kim Jong-un Mr Trump shakes hands with Singapore Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong, meeting on Monday June 11 in the Istana, Singapore's presidential palace AP Singapore Summit: historic first meeting between Trump and Kim Jong-un At a working lunch on Monday, Singapore's Prime Minister surprised Mr Trump with a birthday cake, in early celebration of his 72nd birthday later in the week EPA Singapore Summit: historic first meeting between Trump and Kim Jong-un US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo answers questions about the summit at a press briefing in Singapore on Monday, June 11 Getty Singapore Summit: historic first meeting between Trump and Kim Jong-un US President Donald Trump arrives at the Paya Lebar Air Base in Singapore on June 10, two days prior to his summit with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un Reuters Singapore Summit: historic first meeting between Trump and Kim Jong-un Mr Trump and Mr Kim met on Tuesday June 12 in the Capella hotel on the island resort of Sentosa, just off the south coast of Singapore AFP/Getty Singapore Summit: historic first meeting between Trump and Kim Jong-un Mr Trump boards Air Force One following the summit AFP/Getty Reuters said that immediately after Mr Trump announcement last Tuesday, US forces in Korea said they had received no guidance on stopping any drills, and South Korean officials said they were trying to figure out which exercises Trump was referring to. However, in a sign Seoul may be open to suspending drills, South Korean President Moon Jae-in said on Thursday that his government would need to be flexible when it came to applying military pressure on North Korea if it was sincere about denuclearisation. Mr Moon said South Korea would carefully consider joint military drills with the United States and he asked his officials to cooperate with the United States on the issue, his office said in a statement at the time. Yonhap also reported on Sunday that during military talks between the two Koreas on Thursday, South Korean officials asked their northern counterparts to relocate artillery 25 miles away from the heavily fortified military demarcation line that divides the two countries. Greece and Macedonia have signed a historic deal agreeing to the latter country changing its name after decades of dispute. Macedonia, which sits to the north of Greece, will become known as North Macedonia under the new agreement, which was today signed by Greek prime minister Alexis Tsipras and Macedonian prime minister Zoran Zaev. The name dispute between the two countries has existed since the break-up of the former Yugoslavia. Greece has previously argued that Macedonia's name suggests it has a claim over the Greek province which is also called Macedonia. Recommended Macedonia president refuses to sign deal changing name of country While nationalists on both sides have attempted to thwart any kind of agreement in the past, Macedonia is believed to have become open to the change recently in order to push through the country's membership of Nato and the EU. Mr Tsipras called the agreement an "appointment with history", while Mr Zaev said the two countries can now call themselves "partners and allies". The Macedonian prime minster also said he hopes the agreement between the two countries will serve as an example to other Balkan states, which have been plagued by conflicts since the break up of Yugoslavia in the final years of the Cold War. The recent agreement, which was announced on Tuesday but signed by each country's foreign ministers today, has been met by protests on both sides. Macedonia/Greece Border Crisis Show all 10 1 /10 Macedonia/Greece Border Crisis Macedonia/Greece Border Crisis Macedonia Border Crisis Migrants attempt to pass the Greek-Macedonian border guarded by Macedonian police near the town of Idomeni, northern Greece AFP/Getty Macedonia/Greece Border Crisis Macedonian Border Crisis A migrant reacts as he carries a child during clashes with Macedonian police at the Greek-Macedonian border Reuters Macedonia/Greece Border Crisis Macedonia Border Crisis A Macedonian policeman armed in riot gear clashes with a migrant girl, police have reinforced control at the border with Greece in a bid to stop the influx of migrants, but a few hundred Syrians managed to cross the frontier overnight AFP/Getty Macedonia/Greece Border Crisis Macedonia Border Crisis Macedonian special policemen guard the border as more than a thousand immigrants wait at the border line Reuters Macedonia/Greece Border Crisis Macedonia Border Crisis Migrant men help a fellow migrant man holding a boy as they are stuck between Macedonian riot police officers and migrants during a clash near the border train station of Idomeni, AFP/Getty Macedonia/Greece Border Crisis Macedonia Border Crisis A barbed wire fence lines the border of Macedonia and Greece near the Gevegelija Railway station, Macedonian special policemen are guarding the border as more than a thousand immigrants wait at the border line of Macedonia and Greece Reuters Macedonia/Greece Border Crisis Macedonia Border Crisis Macedonian Police stand firm at the Greek-Macedonian border in a bid to stop the influx of migrants AFP/Getty Macedonia/Greece Border Crisis Macedonia Border Crisis Government of Macedonia has declared the state of emergency in the region of country's southern and northern border and in accordance with the law to open a possibility for appropriate engagement of the army of Macedonia AFP/Getty Macedonia/Greece Border Crisis Macedonia Border Crisis Macedonian police drove back crowds of migrants and refugees trying to enter from Greece on Friday after a night spent stranded in no-man's land by an emergency decree effectively sealing the Macedonian frontier. Reuters Macedonia/Greece Border Crisis Macedonia Border Crisis A migrants woman with childrens wait to pass the Greek-Macedonian border, guarded by Macedonian police near the town of Idomeni, northern Greece AFP/Getty Mr Tsipras narrowly survived a vote of no confidence yesterday after it was tabled by his opposition, the New Democracy party. His critics called the vote after claiming he had made too many concessions to secure the agreement. However, it was rejected by 153 votes to 127. Despite the agreement being signed by each country's foreign minister, their respective parliaments will now have to approve it. Macedonia will also hold a referendum in September or October which will ask if voters are happy to change the country's constitution in order to change its name - a point Greek demanded to be included in the agreement. The Macedonian president Gjorge Ivanov so far has refused to sign the agreement and has the power to temporarily veto it, which would lead to it being sent back to parliament for a second vote. If it is passed again Mr Ivanov would be obligated to approve it. Victoria Falls, shared by Zambia and Zimbabwe, is truly one of earths greatest spectacles, leaving every visitor awestruck by its magnificence. Youll be rather wet, our guide warns us. I am skeptical. I check my shoes and am happy they are waterproof. The drive from the hotel to the falls is short. We were informed that the spray from the falls can be seen from many kilometres away from where we stayed. Considering that Victoria Falls is the largest in the world and is 1.5 times wider than and double the height of Niagara Falls, I expect to see it as we drive past. But we arrive at a gate that announces itself as the entrance. The entry fee for foreigners is 30 US dollars a person. Meanwhile, locals pay a negligible entry fee. More surprises await us. Our guide leads us through a series of displays that explain the many viewpoints to the falls, the formation of the falls and other interesting details. He hands out raincoats with hoods. The spray, we are informed, can be rough in places, much like a high monsoon day in good old Mumbai. Obviously, unless we are airborne over this natural wonder, there is no way to see it in its entirety. The path that we have started on will wind in and out, getting us to the viewpoints close to the rushing waters, snaking back to move to the next viewpoint, covering a total of 2.5 km. The viewpoints have quaint names like Horseshoe Falls, Eastern Cataract, Rainbow Falls and Devils Cataract. The guide also warns us that after the third or fourth viewpoint, it is best to put away any photographic equipment that is not waterproof. I am disappointed. At times, he adds, we can experience an up-pour, where the spray can come to us from the bottom, pushed upwards by the force of water. It can be stronger than rain. So we walk on, jostling through the narrow paths with other tourists. Chinese, Europeans and Americans come to gawk at this natural wonder of the world. Many are accompanied by guides. Others ramble along the path with its many signposts. Through February to July, one can expect the most spectacular views of the falls and it is best to view them from the Zimbabwe side, if one has to choose between the two countries. As Indians, we had to, else it would mean yet another visa. In the lean season, as summer hits the southern hemisphere, Zambia allows very close views of the falls, including a natural swimming pool at the edge, which though exciting, has claimed some lives. Our guide says he herds up to three tours a day and in peak season gets really tired after six trips. But the majesty of the scene still keeps him in awe. As we stop at the first few viewpoints, the roar of the water, the sound of the cataract as it drops dizzyingly down into the abyss is indeed awe-inspiring. The bottom is out of sight. Clouds of spray rise and come floating inwards, drenching us lightly at first. And of course, the combination of sun and rain gives rise to rainbows. One arches across the water at Rainbow Falls. After a particularly wet dousing when we turn to run to shelter, a perfect arch stands just ahead, and we run under it, to beyond the reach of the spray. My phone has been rendering great service as a camera but between shots I have to tuck it into my shirt, close to my body, to warm it and hopefully, keep it dry. I keep weighing the risks of yet another shot and look enviously at the Canadian lady in our group who has a transparent waterproof cover for her instrument. At a particularly long curve towards the falls, our guide stops, asking us if we wish to walk the stretch known as the wettest. We venture forth, fighting the heavy rain. Surely, for one part of the year, when the falls are full, this must be the wettest place on earth. We stop to view a road bridge that links Zimbabwe to Zambia and marvel at the structure built in England and assembled in Africa to stretch across the chasm in the early 20th century. And of course, as we turn back, a rainbow gleams through the iron and steel as if to remind us that one of the worlds natural wonders is not that far away. Fact File 1) You can fly into Victoria Falls which is connected by air through Joberg and most African countries. It is also easy to drive into Zimbabwe 2) Indians can get a visa on arrival paying $30 3) Do make time for a Zambezi river cruise. You will possibly see hippos, crocs, and plenty of birds. Unlimited snacks and drinks, liquor included are served on the house. 4) A special visa allows you to view the Falls from Zambia too. The Zambian view is much closer but less spectacular, especially in the dry season. The writer is the Consulting Editor, Harper Collins Publishers India and Executive Director, Encyclomedia The first boat carrying hundreds of people picked up in Mediterranean rescue missions has arrived in the Spanish port of Valencia after being turned away from Italy and Malta. The Aquarius ship is the first of three vessels that have been accepted by the Spanish government after being stranded at sea for almost a week. Health officials and interpreters could be seen helping people, many of whom were rescued while trying to cross from Libya to Europe, as they disembarked this morning. Sanctuary was offered to the vessel by Spain's new socialist prime minister Pedro Sanchez after political disputes within the governments of Italy and Malta left the boat without a place to dock. Mr Sanchez, who has only been in office for two weeks, said: "It is our duty to help avoid a humanitarian catastrophe and offer a safe port to these people, to comply with our human rights obligations." David Noguera, head of Doctors Without Borders in Spain, said he has "mixed feelings" about the vessel docking, as it doesn't necessarily spell the end of European countries closing their ports to rescue ships. He said: "I am happy that the journey is over, a journey that was too long, and I am worried for the situation in the Mediterranean and the closing of European ports." Refugees and migrants arriving in Catania, Sicily Show all 7 1 /7 Refugees and migrants arriving in Catania, Sicily Refugees and migrants arriving in Catania, Sicily Refugees and migrants arriving in Italy on MSF rescue ship the Bourbon Argos in Catania, Sicily Lizzie DeardenI Refugees and migrants arriving in Catania, Sicily Refugees and migrants disembarking from MSF rescue ship the Bourbon Argos in Catania, Sicily Lizzie Dearden Refugees and migrants arriving in Catania, Sicily Refugees and migrants undergoing health checks after disembarking from MSF rescue ship the Bourbon Argos in Catania, Sicily Lizzie Dearden Refugees and migrants arriving in Catania, Sicily Refugees and migrants undergoing security checks after disembarking from MSF rescue ship the Bourbon Argos in Catania, Sicily Lizzie Dearden Refugees and migrants arriving in Catania, Sicily Refugees and migrants being fingerprinted after disembarking from MSF rescue ship the Bourbon Argos in Catania, Sicily Lizzie Dearden Refugees and migrants arriving in Catania, Sicily Refugees and migrants being fingerprinted after disembarking from MSF rescue ship the Bourbon Argos in Catania, Sicily Lizzie Dearden Refugees and migrants arriving in Catania, Sicily A man being taken to hospital from MSF rescue ship the Bourbon Argos in Catania, Sicily Lizzie Dearden Spanish authorities say they will be examining the migrants case-by-case to see if they qualify for asylum, however added that the boat's passengers will be granted "special authorisation" to remain in the country for at least one month due to the ordeal they have faced over the past week. Doctors Without Borders reported last week that the Aquarius was carrying 629 people, including 123 unaccompanied minors and seven pregnant women. Children laugh and play onboard reguee vessel headed for Spain The vessel was turned away from Italian ports after Matteo Salvini, the country's interior minister and leader of far-right party Lega Nord (Northern League), said Italy will say "no to the business of illegal immigration". In response to Mr Salvini's hardline stance, the mayor of Sicilian city Palermo, Leoluca Orlando, said he will be going against orders and allowing the refugees to disembark in the city's port. While a tense standoff between Palermo's port and the Italian coastguard was expected, the situation was quickly diffused when the Spanish government announced its intention to accept the rescue vessels. Associated Press contributed to this report Of all the horrors to emerge from Colombias five-decades-long conflict with the guerilla forces of the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (Farc), the so-called false positives scandal is one of the most notorious. Between 2002 and 2010, members of the Colombian military used promises of employment to lure, kidnap and murder thousands of vulnerable young men before presenting their deaths as combat kills, for which they were remunerated by the government. According to evidence presented in the perpetrators trials, they transported their victims hundreds of miles into the jungle and dressed them in Farc uniforms, then photographed their corpses and presented the pictures as evidence for financial remuneration. Now, in a recent book, a former Colombian police colonel, Rojas Bolanos, has alleged that the practice was far more widespread and systematic than first imagined, and that approximately 10,000 civilians were murdered by Colombian military forces. That staggering number raises difficult questions about the future of Colombias already struggling post-conflict justice process. In a way, 10,000 represents the crossing of a sort of psychological threshold it is hard to ignore. But Colombia has also been far too slow in delivering justice for crimes committed in its decades-long conflict and that raises the possibility of an intervention by the International Criminal Court (ICC). Colombia has been under preliminary examination by the ICC since June 2004. So far, the court has gathered evidence, received reports by advocacy groups, produced interim reports, and conducted visits to Colombia in 2013, 2015 and 2017. But since Colombia has not yet been formally recognised as a situation by the ICC, no official investigations have begun, no arrest warrants prepared, and no hearings scheduled. Many people both inside and outside Colombia think its time for the ICC to take the next step and declare the state unwilling or unable to carry out genuine prosecutions of those most responsible for these crimes. The ICC has jurisdiction over crimes against humanity committed by Colombian nationals or on the territory of Colombia since November 1, 2002 a timeframe that would include the majority of false positive murders. But the mere fact the ICC can intervene in Colombia doesnt mean it will, or indeed that it should. Watching and waiting: Fatou Bensouda (Getty) After a visit to Colombia in September 2017, the ICC prosecutor, Fatou Bensouda, insisted that she was impressed by the commitment, invaluable experience and high standards of Colombian courts. She also said the courts were determined to ensure genuine accountability for the most serious crimes and respect for the rights of victims. This hardly sounds like a prosecutor preparing to intervene. Perhaps thats to be expected; the ICC is designed to be a court of last resort. Its quite likely that Colombia will be given more time to bring those responsible to justice, especially since the countrys new transitional justice system has only recently opened its doors. That system, known as the Special Jurisdiction for Peace, was agreed by the negotiating parties to the 2016 peace deal. A complex system of accountability, it is founded on exchanging the full confessions of those most responsible for international crimes for limited sanctions, meaning up to eight years of restricted liberty and enforced community service. Those who do not confess in full can be put on trial and potentially sentenced to up to 20 years in prison. This setup has proved very controversial among Colombians. It was in fact rejected by a slim majority in a 2016 referendum, and ultimately implemented without being put to another popular vote. The Farc is now a political party, but in recent legislative elections, it received only 0.34 per cent of the total vote. Much could depend on the winner of this years presidential elections, the first round of which ended with two leading candidates who will face off today. Conservative Ivan Duque led with 39 per cent of the vote, and leftist Gustavo Petro polled 25 per cent. Centrist Sergio Fajardo was eliminated with 23.8 per cent of the votes, and his supporters will now help decide the runoff outcome. Presidential candidate Ivan Duque (Alamy) Duque, a staunch right-wing critic of the peace deal, is supported by an ex-president, Alvaro Uribe, who worked hard to mobilise No voters in the 2016 plebiscite. If he commits to unravelling the peace deal, then the resulting impunity may mean that an ICC intervention becomes inevitable. Without a credible and genuine attempt to bring those most responsible for international crimes to justice, Colombia will be in breach of its international obligations under the Rome Statute and calls for an ICC intervention will only get louder. Whoever the next president of Colombia is, they would do well to remember Colombias international obligations. As the ICCs Bensouda herself affirmed after the peace deal was struck: As a state party to the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court, Colombia has recognised that grave crimes threaten the peace, security and wellbeing of the world and stated its determination to put an end to impunity for the perpetrators and thus contribute to the prevention of such crimes. Thats no small task, but the peace process was deliberately set up to take it on. Whether Colombia will be willing and/or able to follow through is another matter. Seb Eskauriatza is a teaching fellow in law at the University of Birmingham. This article was originally published on TheConversation.com Yesterday the Home Office did the right thing and returned 12-year-old Billy Caldwells cannabis oil, which had been confiscated when he and his mother arrived back at Heathrow last week after travelling to Canada to acquire the medication. Billy uses cannabis oil to help treat his life-threatening seizures, which are caused by a severe form of epilepsy. The oil helps to drastically reduce the number of seizures he suffered, which reached up to 100 per day at one stage a frankly horrific thought. The country rallied around the Caldwells in what seemed to be almost unanimous support for them to get the medication back, but the real issue is that the Home Office should never have taken it away in the first place. Not just because it caused unnecessary suffering to an ill child, but because its now created a murky grey area when it comes to medicinal cannabis, and forced people to question the logic behind the UKs intransigent stance. Cannabis oil contains THC, a substance that is currently illegal in the UK, making the decision to permit Billy to have the oil one of the first instances of medicinal cannabinoids being accepted as a valid healthcare option since THC was criminalised under the Misuse of Drugs Act in 1971. Billys case was widely documented on the TV, radio and in the press and his mother, Charlotte Caldwell, was able to use the platform to speak out and put pressure on the Home Office to change its mind. She has since called for the legalisation of cannabis for children with similar conditions to her son, but medicinal marijuana can be used to treat a huge variety of conditions, and now that the government has made it clear theyre willing to bend the rules for one individual, its impossible to justify the status quo. Cannabis has been found to help relieve nausea in cancer patients who are undergoing chemotherapy. It also has benefits for people with multiple sclerosis. The one cannabis-based drug that is legal in the UK is called Sativex and it helps to relieve the symptoms and relax muscle spasms. This has recognised as a valid treatment, and yet it is not offered to millions of sufferers due to this countrys ambiguous and outdated policies on drugs coming before the welfare of its citizens. Thanks to Billys highly publicised case, politicians were forced to condemn the governments current position on cannabis, which claims that there is no medicinal benefit to it. Dan Poulter, Tory MP and former health minister, called the situation ridiculous. This sentiment was echoed by fellow MP Crispin Blunt, the former prisons minister and co-chair of the all-party parliamentary group that focusses on drug policy reform. He said it was inconceivable that the Home Office still denied patients access to medical marijuana when they were able to access it in many other countries including Canada and the US. Cannabis is legal both recreationally and medicinally in 29 American states and is frequently prescribed to treat a range of conditions. Germany, Italy and the Netherlands have also legalised medicinal cannabis. Our perception of the drug is changing across the globe, yet the UK is lagging behind. UK news in pictures Show all 50 1 /50 UK news in pictures UK news in pictures 16 October 2021 Boris Johnson, Sir Keir Starmer, Priti Patel and Lindsay Hoyle pay respects to Sir David Amess at Belfairs Methodist Church, in Leigh-on-Sea, the site of his death EPA UK news in pictures 15 October 2021 A person lays flowers at the scene near the Belfairs Methodist Church in Eastwood Road North, Leigh-on-Sea, Essex, where Conservative MP Sir David Amess has died after he was stabbed several times at a constituency surgery. A man has been arrested and officers are not looking for anyone else PA UK news in pictures 14 October 2021 A red deer stag during rutting season in Bushy Park, Richmond, south west London, which is home to over 300 red and fallow deer PA UK news in pictures 13 October 2021 Police officers detain a man as Insulate Britain activists block a roundabout at a junction on the M25 motorway during a protest in Thurrock Reuters UK news in pictures 12 October 2021 The aerial climate installation by Swiss artivist Dan Acher 'We Are Watching' is unveiled at Our Dynamic Earth in Edinburgh PA UK news in pictures 10 October 2021 A young girl is helped by a Border Force officer as a group of people thought to be migrants are brought in to Dover, Kent, following a small boat incident in the Channel. PA UK news in pictures 9 October 2021 People walk past a life-size sculpture of British singer John Lennon entitled "Imagine", by sculptor Lawrence Holofcener, displayed to mark what would have been the 81st birthday for the former member of the Beatles in Carnaby Street Reuters UK news in pictures 8 October 2021 WW II veteran, 96-year-old Lorna Cockayne, who served in the Women's Royal Naval Service (WRNS), popularly and officially known as the Wrens, as a Bletchley Park codebreaker, poses for a photograph with the Legion d'honneur after receiving it during a ceremony at the Pear at Parley in Ferndown, Bournemouth PA UK news in pictures 7 October 2021 British comedian Jo Brand poses with cut-out silhouettes representing women outside the Metropolitan Police headquarters New Scotland Yard, to highlight violence against women by male police officers or former police officers AFP via Getty UK news in pictures 6 October 2021 A protester, wearing a mask of Johnson, holds a sign reading Question it all on the final day of the Tory conference Getty UK news in pictures 5 October 2021 Members of Insulate Britain outside the Royal Courts of Justice in London, before a hearing over the injunction banning the environmental activists from blocking the M25 PA UK news in pictures 4 October 2021 A delegate passes a street cleaner on the second day of the annual Conservative Party Conference being held at the Manchester Central convention centre AFP via Getty UK news in pictures 3 October 2021 Margaret Thatcher-themed mugs for sale at the annual Conservative Party conference in Manchester EPA UK news in pictures 2 October 2021 A couple make their way through a flooded underpass in Bristol as a yellow weather warning for rain and wind is issued for parts of the UK Tom Wren/SWNS UK news in pictures 1 October 2021 A driver talks to members of the media after passing his HGV (Heavy Goods Vehicle) driving test at National Driving Centre in Croydon, south London AFP via Getty Images UK news in pictures 30 September 2021 The centrepiece One Thousand Springs by Japanese artist Chiharu Shiota is seen ahead of the beginning of the Japan Festival, a celebration of the countrys plants, art and culture running from 2-31 October, at Kew Gardens in London PA UK news in pictures 29 September 2021 The family of Betty Campbell unveil the bronze sculpture of her during the unveiling of the statue in Central Square, Cardiff, of Betty Campbell, Wales' first black headteacher PA UK news in pictures 28 September 2021 A sign referring to the lack of fuel is placed at the entrance to a petrol station in London AP UK news in pictures 27 September 2021 Police officers detain a protester from Insulate Britain occupying a roundabout leading from the M25 motorway to Heathrow Airport in London PA UK news in pictures 26 September 2021 Labour Party leader Sir Keir Starmer watches the Arsenal v Tottenham Hotspur match at The Font pub in Brighton PA UK news in pictures 25 September 2021 Scottish pro-independence supporters hold a march and rally outside the Scottish Parliament in Edinburgh, Scotland Getty Images UK news in pictures 24 September 2021 Police officers remove two protesters from the top of a tanker, as Insulate Britain block the A20 in Kent, which provides access to the Port of Dover in Kent. The environmental activists have moved location after been banned from campaigning on the M25 motorway in London PA UK news in pictures 23 September 2021 Gabriella, the seven year old daughter of imprisoned British-Iranian Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe, joins in a game on a giant snakes and ladders board in Parliament Square, to show the ups and downs of her mothers case to mark the 2,000 days she has been detained in Iran AP UK news in pictures 22 September 2021 A new sign hangs on the Millicent Fawcett statue after it was altered by CrackTheCrises coalition activists to highlight the climate crisis as a feminist struggle in Parliament Square in London EPA UK news in pictures 21 September 2021 Gabriella Diment prepares a monumental bronze patinated fibreglass wall sculpture depicting household cavalry soldiers on horseback which is expected to be sold for 12,000-18,000 when it goes up for auction at Summers Place Auctions in Billinghurst, Kent PA UK news in pictures 20 September 2021 Florist Judith Blacklock puts the finishing touches to a floral carousel installation in Halkin Arcade, which she has designed with Neill Strain for the Belgravia in Bloom festival, running from September 20-26, in London PA UK news in pictures 19 September 2021 Bubbles surround Manchester Uniteds Cristiano Ronaldo before the match against West Ham at London Stadium Action Images/Reuters UK news in pictures 18 September 2021 Children take part in the Settrington Cup Pedal Car Race as motoring enthusiasts attend the Goodwood Revival, a three-day historic car racing festival in Goodwood, Chichester, Reuters UK news in pictures 17 September 2021 Hugo, 7, from London rides past a 4x7 metre rainbow arch, made entirely of recycled aluminium cans, which has been installed by recycling initiative 'Every Can Counts', in partnership with The City of London Corporation in front of St Paul's Cathedral in London, to encourage members of the public to recycle their drinks cans ahead of recycling week, which starts on 20 September PA UK news in pictures 16 September 2021 Sheikeh MOhammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, leader of Abu Dhabi, leaves Downing Street after meeting with Boris Johnson PA UK news in pictures 15 September 2021 Children pose by ice sculptures depicting people collecting water by charity Water Aid to show the fragility of water and the threat posed by climate change in London AFP/Getty UK news in pictures 14 September 2021 Heavy rain covers the A149 near Kings Lynn in Norfolk PA UK news in pictures 13 September 2021 Luke Jerram's 'Museum of the Moon' at Durham Cathedral PA UK news in pictures 12 September 2021 Inspirational young fundraiser Tobias Weller crosses the finish line, near his home in Sheffield, as he completes his latest epic feat where he swam and triked his way to the end of his awesome year-long Ironman Challenge. This is the third challenge Tobias, who has cerebral palsy and autism, has completed, raising more than 150,000 for his school and Sheffield Children Hospitals charity PA UK news in pictures 11 September 2021 British player Emma Raducanu, holds up the US Open championship trophy winning the women's singles final of the US Open in New York AP UK news in pictures 10 September 2021 People paddle board during a misty morning in Ullswater, the second largest lake in the Lake District, Cumbria PA UK news in pictures 9 September 2021 Troops from Wiltshire based 4 Armoured Close Support Battalion Royal Electrical and Mechanical Engineers during final inspection at Wellington Barracks in London, ahead of providing troops for the Queens Guard PA UK news in pictures 8 September 2021 Workers cross London Bridge during the morning rush hour in London Reuters UK news in pictures Mixing it up: Painting it up press view in London A gallery employee poses for photographers next to a painting entitled Prairie by British artist, Louise Giovanelli during the exhibition 'Mixing it up: Painting it up' at the Hayward Gallery in London EPA UK news in pictures 6 September 2021 Traders in the Ring at the London Metal Exchange, in the City of London, after open-outcry trading returned for the first time since March 2020, when the Ring was temporarily closed due to the pandemic PA UK news in pictures 5 September 2021 People enjoy the warm weather on Sandbanks beach, Poole PA UK news in pictures 4 September 2021 Demonstrators from Animal Rebellion and Nature Rebellion protest in Trafalgar Square in London. PA UK news in pictures 3 September 2021 South Africa's Ntando Mahlangu (centre) wins the Men's 200 metres T61 Final ahead of second placed Great Britain's Richard Whitehead at the Tokyo 2020 Paralympic Games PA UK news in pictures 2 September 2021 A young common seal on the beach at Horsey Gap in Norfolk, as hundreds of pregnant grey seals come ashore ready for the start of the pupping season. PA UK news in pictures 1 September 2021 Goldfinches fighting over food in a garden in Strensham, Worcestershire PA UK news in pictures 31 August 2021 Gold Medallist Sarah Storey of Britain celebrates on the podium Reuters UK news in pictures 30 August 2021 Extinction Rebellion protesters hold a a tea party on Tower Bridge in London EPA UK news in pictures 29 August 2021 A police office tussles with a demonstrator on Cromwell Road outside the Natural History Museum during a protest by members of Extinction Rebellion in London PA UK news in pictures 28 August 2021 Members of the British armed forces 16 Air Assault Brigade walk to the air terminal after disembarking a Royal Airforce Voyager aircraft at Brize Norton, Oxfordshire POOL/AFP/Getty UK news in pictures 27 August 2021 Fabio Quartararo crashes during a MotoGP practice session at the British Grand Prix, Silverstone Circuit Action Images via Reuters Outdated fears and prejudices contribute to the continued ban on medical cannabis. People argue that it would effectively lead to decriminalisation of the substance for recreational purposes too, as though that were the worst possible outcome in a country that already allows for legal consumption (and abuse) of booze, cigarettes and deep-fried Mars bars arguably all of which are more problematic than the odd spliff every now and then. Cannabis is the most widely used illegal recreational drug, but the lack of regulation makes it exponentially more risky than it would be if it were legal. A regulated cannabis market would bring in an estimated 1bn that could be used to invest in public services such as the NHS. Im not here to argue for decriminalisation or recreational legalisation of cannabis just for it to be treated like every other medication (many of which can also be misused recreationally) and offered to those who need it. Recommended An ingredient in cannabis could be useful for treating psychosis For the government to stick to its stance on medicinal cannabis would be not only embarrassingly regressive but also worryingly hypocritical. The Caldwells case forced a decision: do we stick to our guns and let a child suffer, or create a new policy based on the advice of scientists, charities and even ex-policy advisers, and on an approach that puts the wellbeing of millions of people at the forefront. It should never be up to civil servants or elected officials in the midst of a Twitter backlash to decide what treatment patients should receive lets leave it to the medical professionals: The British Medical Association has backed the decriminalisation of cannabis supporting the 2016 report from the Royal Society for Public Health. Theresa May has pledged to increase NHS funding. If she really cares about improving the quality of our healthcare, she needs to put her mouth where her money is and recognise that for many patients cannabis is the best and only treatment available, and if Billy was worth bending the rules for so are the thousands of other people suffering in silence. The first thing we do, lets kill all the lawyers, proclaims Dick the Butcher in Shakespeares Henry VI. In Greece the analogous cry is: Prosecute the statistician. Andreas Georgiou, the former head of the Greek statistics agency, was convicted last year of a violation of duty and given a two-year suspended sentence. The charges that Georgiou failed to present deficit figures to the agencys board are transparently trumped up. Indeed, they were brought by two political appointees to the board. The International Statistical Institute, which represents statistics agencies all around the world, has looked closely at his work and concluded that there is absolutely no merit to the charges. Georgious real crime was, finally, starting to tell the truth about the extent of Greeces public sector borrowing in 2010. If anyone deserves to be charged with a violation of duty it is his predecessors, who obscured the true, dire, borrowing situation. UN appoints billionaire businessman Michael Bloomberg as climate envoy Georgiou has effectively been made a scapegoat for the EU/International Monetary Fund bailout programme and the resulting economic misery inflicted on the country. That programme was, it is quite true, flawed in design and idiotically carried out. But the fault was in no conceivable way attributable to Georgiou. Last week the Supreme Court in Athens rejected an appeal by Georgiou after even its own prosecutor recommended the conviction be annulled. And the Syriza government, which ought to be standing up for the blameless civil servant from an independent domestic institution and making efforts to prevent this apparent perversion of the rule of law? It doesnt see any problem. Whats in it for them to defend a number cruncher and a former employee of the reviled IMF to boot? It couldnt happen here, of course. We dont do things like that in our long-standing and stable democracy, do we? Well, were not as far away as one might hope. Recall the assailing of the Bank of Englands governor, Mark Carney, by senior pro-Brexit politicians for not being sufficiently cheery about leaving the European Union. Recall the similarly vicious attacks on treasury civil servants when they produced projections of the economic impact of Brexit which were entirely in line with every credible external modelling exercise. Think of the November 2016 condemnation of three High Court judges as enemies of the people by the Daily Mail, the most influential newspaper in the UK. That papers former political editor and the author of that very piece of propaganda, James Slack, incidentally, was hired as Theresa Mays official spokesperson only months later. Is it any wonder ministers were so disgracefully hesitant about standing up for the judiciary? Over in the US, think of Donald Trumps continual trashing of the integrity of the independent FBI and Department of Justice. Observe Trumps unilateral decision, as a personal favour to the Chinese president, to lift a ban on US firms selling parts to a Chinese technology company which had been found guilty of busting US sanctions on Iran. Think of his clear attempt to bring pressure on the independent US Post Service to damage the commercial interests of The Washington Post and Amazon-owner Jeff Bezos. Business news: In pictures Show all 13 1 /13 Business news: In pictures Business news: In pictures Flybe collapses Airline Flybe has collapsed. All future flights on the Exeter-based airline have been cancelled leaving more than 2,300 staff facing an uncertain future, and wrecking the travel plans of hundreds of thousands of passengers. The chief executive, Mark Anderson, said: Europes largest independent regional airline has been unable to overcome significant funding challenges to its business. AFP via Getty Business news: In pictures Future product placement will be 'tailored to individual viewers' Marketing executives say that product placement in films and televison shows on streaming services such as Netflix may be tailored to individuals in future. For instance, if data shows that a viewer is a fan of pepsi, a billboard in the background of a shot would host an advert for pepsi, while for a viewer known to have different tastes it could be for Coca-Cola Paramount Business news: In pictures Corbyn wishes Amazon a happy birthday In a card sent to Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos on the company's 25th birthday, Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn writes: "You owe the British people millions in taxes that pay for the public services that we all rely on. Please pay your fair share" Business news: In pictures No deal, no tariffs The government has announced that it would slash almost all tariffs in the event of a no-deal Brexit. Notable exceptions include cars and meat, which will see tariffs in place to protect British farmers Getty Business news: In pictures Fingerprint payment NatWest is trialling a new bank card that will allow people to touch their hand to the card when paying rather than typing in a PIN number. The card will work by recognising the user's fingerprint NatWest/PA Wire Business news: In pictures Mahabis bust High-end slipper retailer Mahabis has gone into administration. 2 Jan 2019 Mahabis Business news: In pictures Costa Cola Coca-Cola has paid 3.9bn for Costa Coffee. A cafe chain is a new venture for the global soft drinks giant PA Business news: In pictures RIP Payday Loans A funeral procession for payday loans was held in London on September 2. The future of pay day lenders is in doubt after Wonga, Britain's biggest, went into administration on August 30 PA Business news: In pictures Musk irks investors and directors Elon Musk has concluded that Tesla will remain public. Investors and company directors were angry at Musk for tweeting unexpectedly that he was considering taking Tesla private and share prices had taken a tumble in the following weeks Getty Business news: In pictures Jaguar warning Iconic British car maker Jaguar Land Rover warned on July 5, 2018 that a "bad" Brexit deal could jeopardise planned investment of more than $100 billion, upping corporate pressure as the government heads into crucial talks AFP/Getty Business news: In pictures Spotif-IPO Spotify traded publically for the first time on the New York Stock Exchange on Tuesday. However, the company isn't issuing shares, but rather, shares held by Spotify's private investors will be sold AFP/Getty Business news: In pictures French blue passports The deadline to award a contract to make blue British passports after Brexit has been extended by two weeks following a request by bidder De La Rue. The move comes after anger at the announcement British passports would be produced by Franco-Dutch firm Gemalto when De La Rues contract ends in July. The British firm said Gemalto was chosen only because it undercut the competition, but the UK company also admitted that it was not the cheapest choice in the tendering process. Business news: In pictures Beast from the east economic impact The Beast from the East wiped 4m off of Flybes revenues due to flight cancellations, airport closures and delays, according to the budget airlines estimates. Flybe said it cancelled 994 flights in the three months to 31 March, compared to 372 in the same period last year. Yes, there have been no Greek-style prosecutions of officials, no jailings of dissidents. But its quite wrong and utterly complacent to claim that this kind of behaviour is harmless. Such assaults delegitimise independent public institutions. They intimidate officials. They erode the fabric of our liberal democracy. Why are some nations prosperous and yet others remain poor and dysfunctional? Daron Acemoglu and James Robinson make a persuasive argument that the secret lies not in great leaders, not in investment, not in education, not in natural resources, not in hard work, but in pluralistic and democratic institutions: the rule of law, an impartial civil service, a free media, a culture of respect for norms of behaviour among politicians and the broader population. These are the invisible framework that permits trust to flourish, which in turn allows business to invest with confidence and enable entrepreneurs to operate with security. Many people mistakenly equate democracy with voting. But voting without strong institutions does not make for a true democracy; it is, instead, a system prone to instability and capture by populist demagogues. No doubt thats why the populist demagogues of our day miss no opportunity to trash them. The long overdue increase in NHS funding is welcome news, a desperately cynical move though it is. The demoralised and fragmented service is failing the generations of people who depend upon it and have revered it during the past 70 years. The its not just about money argument that has been trotted out over the years to avoid the issue is in fact correct, but it is partly about money. The NHS operates effectively only as a whole system, and it is no longer a whole system. Profitable low (financial) risk specialities have been hived off to the private sector fragmenting and disrupting healthcare, which more often than not requires an integrated and coordinated approach. So, very welcome that it is, it will be of little benefit if increased funding is hived off to swell the coffers of private health companies leaving a service that remains underfunded and disjointed Chris Brace York It is profoundly positive that the NHS is now on the governments agenda. However, I do not think that this government will be able to tackle the myriad challenges facing the NHS. Great expectations, as Charles Dickens put it, can be both problematic and unrealistic. First, the government is perceived by huge swathes of the population as lacking empathy and a coherent plan to communicate with people. Second, Theresa May has helped to prop up the mental health crisis, darken the mood state of the nation, widen the chasm of income inequality and outright poverty between people, and drag entire families into the morass of debt, exhaustion, homelessness and breakdown through the governments drastic austerity measures in vital public services. One can only hope May et al will come down from their ivory towers and see the social and economic mess they have created in reality. Dr Munjed Farid Al Qutob London NW2 Brexit negotiators should be involved in parliament I just watched Theresa May argue that negotiators cannot report to parliament during Brexit negotiations. Lessons from history would tell her that the lack of involvement by elected representatives can end badly. This is what happened during the negotiations for Britain to leave Ireland: the Irish negotiators were prevented from consulting with the provisional Irish government on the terms of British withdrawal, and this lead directly to the Irish civil war, a divided Ireland, 30 years of the Troubles and the current question of a hard border. Beware the law of unforeseen consequences. Those who dont study history are condemned to repeat it. John Simpson Ross on Wye How can anyone still vote for the Tories? When asking whether Theresa May is cowardly or horrible, James Moore has missed one of the reasons we can be assured she is horrible. Before the last election she said, Personally I have always been in favour of fox hunting, a declaration that had a significant negative impact on her chances of success. She has no excuse for this obnoxious opinion because the internet is now awash with filmed evidence of the disgusting cruelty involved in the (illegal) practice of fox hunting, so she knows what she is supporting. Her fellow dinosaur, Christopher Chope (no Sir from me) compounded his destruction of the upskirting legislation on Friday by promptly also destroying the chances of another private members bill to give greater legal protection from attack to police dogs and horses. Can anyone please give me a cogent and non-obnoxious reason why anyone votes for this ghastly crew? Especially anyone who claims to be an animal lover? Penny Little Oxfordshire How to end moped crime Regarding the upsurge of moped attacks, could an emergency order banning pillion passengers be applied? I appreciate it could cause some inconvenience, but the police could move instantly to disarm potential attackers before the events described. If the riders attempted to escape, they could be charged as attempted robbers. William Park Lytham St Annes We need to reframe the narrative around rectal examinations Your article Less than a third of men can spot signs of most common cancer, poll shows suggests that rectal examination is uncomfortable not true. Having had numerous rectal examinations myself, I can confidently declare that the procedure is not even vaguely uncomfortable. Perhaps The Independent could lead the charge towards changing the narrative around medical examination. There is a damaging morbid delicacy about physical examination generally and genital, rectal and breast examination in particular. The lives of patients and doctors would be so much easier if such examinations were viewed in their correct perspective as banal, mundane and sexless interactions, devoid of even the slightest taint of embarrassment. Correctly performed and in the absence of pathology, none should cause pain. The sensations may be outside the envelope of previous experience and the circumstances maybe likewise but none should fear examination at all. Womens reluctance to attend smear tests, with all the potentially disastrous consequences, seems to be another particularly damaging consequence of the prevailing perpetuated falsehoods. Man or woman, youve got what youve got and there are no secrets or surprises or mysteries. An outbreak of sanguine equanimity and good sense is overdue. Its time to be grownups and put behind us negative sentiments and baseless fears. Perpetuating false narratives is a bad idea and particularly egregious is the use of the nauseatingly maudlin circumlocution intimate examination. Having examined thousands of men and women over the decades of a medical career, I can report with confidence that I have never done any intimate thing with any patient at any time. Steve Ford Haydon Bridge No debate will continue to dominate the strategic spectrum in Asia as much as the issue of North Korean denuclearisation. The meeting in Singapore between Donald Trump and Kim Jong-un may have heightened the prospects of peace in the Korean peninsula, but there will be plenty of tests to come as Asias military and strategic landscape is redrawn. Even the issue of the denuclearisation itself has long been contentious in the region. In spite of Trump and Kims improved relations, the Americans and North Koreans will continue to differ on the process and the definition of complete. China will back the phased manner preferred by Pyongyang, while Japan is likely to support the US demand for complete, verifiable and irreversible dismantlement (CVID). And after the recent miscommunication over its joint military exercises with the US, South Korea is likely to be subjected to more difficult and tense times ahead it has to figure out a tactical balance among all these critical actors in northeast Asia. Recommended This is what Trump and Kim were really thinking in Singapore After Singapore, they will follow the lead of the US, which pivoted so spectacularly from a stance that sought to isolate North Korea and simply hope for regime collapse. The opposite scenario has fast emerged, where world leaders want to engage as quickly as possible with Pyongyang. Kim Jong-uns meetings with the Chinese leader Xi Jinping, South Korean president Moon Jae-in, and Trump all in the space of a month and a half demonstrate this. Vladimir Putins top diplomat, Sergei Lavrov, has already invited Kim to visit Russia. By hosting the Trump-Kim summit as a third country, Singapore indicated that the world as a whole is more receptive to engaging with North Korea with an open mind. And perhaps sensing new trading opportunities, all its neighbours have appeared open to removing UN sanctions on North Korea if its nuclear sites and stockpiles are fully dismantled. Such a finely poised dynamic makes it an increasingly important time for non-critical actors like India, which until now has been preoccupied with what it calls North Koreas involvement in nuclear proliferation with Pakistan. (The founder of Pakistans nuclear weapons programme has said he sold secrets to North Korea, as well as to Iran and Libya.) New Delhi was not a member of the six-party talks meant to solve the nuclear crisis between 2003 and 2009 indeed, India has not been directly involved in Korean politics since the 1950s and the Korean War, with geographical distance and its lack of UN Security Council permanent membership proving a stumbling block. But the Indian prime minister Narendra Modi has made Act East his central foreign policy tenet, an evolution of the Look East programme of his predecessors that saw India try to forge new ties with both the Koreas. If Modi is truly to convert spectating into action, this will be an opportune moment to get involved especially as no complete denuclearisation would be possible without addressing North Koreas ties to Pakistan. For while most will not remember, India was not always a passive observer on matters to the far east. It was once a major power in the Korean corridor, and was a key member of the nine-party UN commission established to hold elections in post-independence Korea in 1945. South Koreas independence day, 15 August 1948, coincides with Indias independence day. And it was an India-sponsored resolution that both North and South Korea accepted to end the Korean War, declaring a ceasefire on 27 July 1953. India should read Asias strategic environment carefully as always, it must tread a fine line between China and the US, both of which could put up roadblocks to another would-be superpower making its presence felt in the region. A surprise visit to Pyongyang last month by Indias foreign minister of state VK Singh, almost unnoticed in the excitement building around the Trump-Kim summit, was an appreciable stride in the right direction. And if North Korea is indeed opened up to the outside world, India will surely seek a bigger role under the UN mandate to address the humanitarian issues at stake, as well as the recuperation of North Koreas economic plight. Singapore Summit: historic first meeting between Trump and Kim Jong-un Show all 20 1 /20 Singapore Summit: historic first meeting between Trump and Kim Jong-un Singapore Summit: historic first meeting between Trump and Kim Jong-un Mr Trump and Mr Kim leave following their historic meeting AFP/Getty Singapore Summit: historic first meeting between Trump and Kim Jong-un Mr Trump and Mr Kim sign a document committing to peace between their nations, amongst other things EPA Singapore Summit: historic first meeting between Trump and Kim Jong-un Mr Trump holds up a document that both he and Mr Kim have signed AFP/Getty Singapore Summit: historic first meeting between Trump and Kim Jong-un The two leaders reach out to shake hands for the first time AP Singapore Summit: historic first meeting between Trump and Kim Jong-un Mr Trump and Mr Kim shake hands as they meet for the first time Reuters Singapore Summit: historic first meeting between Trump and Kim Jong-un Mr Trump and Mr Kim walk off stage, following their historic meeting Reuters Singapore Summit: historic first meeting between Trump and Kim Jong-un Mr Trump and Mr Kim take a stroll after their meeting on June 12 Reuters Singapore Summit: historic first meeting between Trump and Kim Jong-un Mr Trump and Mr Kim interrupt their stroll to talk to the media AP Singapore Summit: historic first meeting between Trump and Kim Jong-un Mr Kim and Mr Trump look out over a balcony at the Capella hotel, where they held their meeting on June 12 Reuters Singapore Summit: historic first meeting between Trump and Kim Jong-un Mr Trump takes questions at the press conference following his meeting with with Mr Kim AP Singapore Summit: historic first meeting between Trump and Kim Jong-un Mr Trump appreciates the crowd in the press conference following his meeting with Mr Kim Getty Singapore Summit: historic first meeting between Trump and Kim Jong-un Mr Trump travels to the Istana ahead of the summit with Kim Jong Un on June 12 Reuters Singapore Summit: historic first meeting between Trump and Kim Jong-un Kim Jong Un travels to the Istana ahead of the summit with President Trump on June 12 Reuters Singapore Summit: historic first meeting between Trump and Kim Jong-un Mr Kim poses for a photo with Singapore's Finance Minister Vivian Balkrishnan and Education Minister Ong Ye Kung ahead of the summit with Mr Trump Twitter/Reuters Singapore Summit: historic first meeting between Trump and Kim Jong-un Mr Trump shakes hands with Singapore Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong, meeting on Monday June 11 in the Istana, Singapore's presidential palace AP Singapore Summit: historic first meeting between Trump and Kim Jong-un At a working lunch on Monday, Singapore's Prime Minister surprised Mr Trump with a birthday cake, in early celebration of his 72nd birthday later in the week EPA Singapore Summit: historic first meeting between Trump and Kim Jong-un US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo answers questions about the summit at a press briefing in Singapore on Monday, June 11 Getty Singapore Summit: historic first meeting between Trump and Kim Jong-un US President Donald Trump arrives at the Paya Lebar Air Base in Singapore on June 10, two days prior to his summit with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un Reuters Singapore Summit: historic first meeting between Trump and Kim Jong-un Mr Trump and Mr Kim met on Tuesday June 12 in the Capella hotel on the island resort of Sentosa, just off the south coast of Singapore AFP/Getty Singapore Summit: historic first meeting between Trump and Kim Jong-un Mr Trump boards Air Force One following the summit AFP/Getty China and the US are likely to remain the biggest players in drawing North Korea out of its isolation, while Russia has shown in Syria its willingness to engage directly on the international scene. Nonetheless, with the Panmunjom Declaration heralding a new era of reconciliation between the two Koreas, the moment is right for India to revive its historical role as a peace builder. Dr Jagannath Panda is research fellow and centre coordinator for East Asia at the Institute for Defence Studies and Analyses (IDSA), New Delhi Micheal Martin has accused Mary-Lou McDonald of having a sense of entitlement to power. He claimed the Sinn Fein presidents address to her party ard fheis on Saturday evening lacked substance. The Fianna Fail leader told RTEs This Week it was a flat speech. He said: There was no radical proposals or solutions contained within the speech. And there was a sense of entitlement, that somehow Fianna Fail or Fine Gael owed Sinn Fein power. And I think what is revealing in the last week and revealing from Mary-Lou McDonalds speech is this sense that Sinn Fein and Fine Gael are all talking about power, getting into power, and not focusing on the key issues and the key challenges facing the people of the country. Ms McDonald addressed a range of matters, including homelessness, hospital waiting lists and the cervical smear check controversy. "We are Irish republicans, we are serious about changing things and we are not going to sit on the sidelines" - @MaryLouMcDonald talking about entering government in the South #TWIP pic.twitter.com/2o3471PbCj Sinn Fein (@sinnfeinireland) June 17, 2018 Sinn Fein has decided not to table a motion of no confidence in Housing Minister Eoghan Murphy before the Dail summer recess. Fianna Fails confidence and supply arrangement with Fine Gael underpinning the minority Government is nearing the end of its originally agreed period. It effectively runs out after the October budget. On Saturday, Ms McDonald said her party would not be excluded from Government by Mr Martin or Leo Varadkar. She said it was no longer their way or the highway and it was up to the people to decide. Mr Martin told RTE he still harboured concerns about how Sinn Fein operated despite the change in leadership. He added: Just because you change the podium, you dont change the party. Britain's Prince Charles and Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall pictured as they took a stroll along Derrynane beach during their visit to Caherdaniel Co Kerry. Picture Credit: Frank McGrath Government ministers were given strict instructions not to discuss Brexit in front of Prince Charles and the Duchess of Cornwall during their official visit to Ireland last week, the Sunday Independent can reveal. It is understood the same protocol will apply to ministers and senior government officials when Prince Harry and his new wife, Meghan Markle, arrive in the country next month. Meghan and Harry are expected to meet Taoiseach Leo Varadkar when the newlywed royal couple visit Ireland on July 13. Ahead of Prince Charles's arrival last week, ministers were warned that it would not be appropriate to make "explicit references" to Brexit during the visit as the royal family is officially not involving itself in Britain's exit from the EU. This included referencing Brexit in any public comments about the visit to Ireland by Charles and his wife. Ministers were also told the visit was a mix of political, civic and cultural engagements, but Brexit was strictly off the agenda. Several senior politicians, including Tanaiste Simon Coveney, Agriculture Minister Michael Creed, Minister of State Paul Kehoe and Junior Minister Kevin 'Boxer' Moran, met Prince Charles during his sixth official visit to Ireland. The warning to ministers came at a time of heightened tension in the UK over Brexit negotiations ahead of a crunch EU summit later this month. "Given the precarious nature of the Brexit issue in the UK, we need to be conscious not to exacerbate the problem," one minister said. The royal family does not comment on political matters and stays neutral on affairs of state. Charles and Camilla also met with Fianna Fail leader Micheal Martin and Sinn Fein leader Mary Lou McDonald. The official purpose of Prince Charles's visit was to build on peace and reconciliation ties between Ireland and the UK. Ministers were told the visit "reinforces the normalisation" of relations between the two countries. The highlight of the two- day trip was the prince's visit to Derrynane House, in Kerry, the ancestral home of Daniel O'Connell. Charles and Camila also took in the English Market in Cork and visited the Cuanlee Women's Refuge and the Irish Guide Dogs for Blind centre. Preparations for Prince Harry and Meghan's visit are at an advanced stage but are being treated highly confidentially by government officials and diplomats. However, sources say the Taoiseach is expected to meet the couple at some stage during their short stay. 'This special report aims to gives an overview of customs processes and procedures and identify steps that businesses can take in order to develop a Brexit impact plan.' With less than a year to go until March 29, 2019 - the date the UK leaves the EU - many businesses still haven't started planning for Brexit. In a Deloitte survey conducted in 2017 with more than 200 businesses, the main areas for concern were the additional costs and administration in the case of no agreement being reached, potential delays to movements of goods, and the challenge of remaining competitive in the UK market. While businesses in Ireland have been successful in diversifying into other markets, the UK remains the largest trading partner for most sectors. Along with the uncertainty, many businesses may have to navigate customs rules and procedures for the first time in an area that can be complex and confusing. While the negotiations are ongoing, there is still a lot of uncertainty around how the future trading relationship between the UK and EU will look. There are two main scenarios, a 'hard Brexit' and a 'soft Brexit' and different levels of alignment and harmonisation between the two options. A 'hard Brexit' scenario (the preferred option for the UK Brexiteers) would see the UK leaving both the EU Customs Union and the EU Single Market. This would have maximum impact on businesses and trade would revert to a third country (non-EU) basis with customs border checks and tariffs being applied to movements of goods. Goods moving to the UK would be subject to export controls and, under EU customs law, the authorities would have to be notified in advance of the goods movement taking place. Goods brought in from the UK would be treated as imports and would be subject to import customs declarations, and possibly duty and Vat and other tariff barriers, including additional documentary requirements such as licences, tariff quotas and regulatory checks. In the absence of a trade agreement, the UK/EU trade would revert to World Trade Organisation (WTO) rules. This represents the maximum duty percentage that a country has to pay if no trade agreement has been negotiated and it would have the most significant impact on Irish businesses. It is interesting to note that the UK is a member of WTO through its membership of the EU and would therefore have to apply to be a member of the WTO in its own right in order to trade under its terms. Even if the UK and EU do negotiate a free trade agreement (FTA), such as the Norway and Switzerland models, exporters would still be bound to comply with specific rules of origin which can be onerous and time-consuming. Only those goods which qualify as EU or UK origin (containing a specified amount of originating material in the finished product) would qualify for zero tariff rates. For businesses which currently trade under FTAs, they often find that compliance with rules or origin is so complex that they do not use it for many of their traded products. With the supply chains on the island of Ireland being so heavily integrated, this would be most disruptive to trade. Many businesses in the border counties rely on being able to trade seamlessly with their customers in Northern Ireland and it is difficult to imagine how they could be affected. On the other hand, a 'soft Brexit' could see the UK remaining a part of the EU Customs Union and thus eliminating the introduction of tariffs on goods. For goods moving within a Customs Union framework, customs declarations are still required (the 'Turkish model') so to remove the administrative burden, the UK would also have to remain within the EU Single Market. As this would prevent the UK being able to negotiate its own FTAs, it is unlikely that this option will be agreed, even though it is infinitely more beneficial for Ireland and other EU Member States that trade with the UK. The UK recently proposed a 'temporary customs arrangement' which would remain in place until the future trade agreement is agreed by the end of December 2021. They proposed that the UK and not just Northern Ireland would continue to trade on current terms with the EU during the interim period. The arrangement would see "the elimination of tariffs, quotas, rules of origin and customs processes including declarations on all UK-EU trade". While this would have been a welcome (albeit temporary) reprieve for Irish businesses, this proposal has been rejected by EU negotiator Michel Barnier who stated: "Our backstop cannot be extended to the whole UK because it has been designed for the specific situation of Northern Ireland". Therefore, in the absence of any agreement so far on the future trading relationship, businesses should prepare for the eventuality that the UK may 'crash out' of the EU in March 2019. This special report aims to gives an overview of customs processes and procedures and identify steps that businesses can take in order to develop a Brexit impact plan. Brexit planning When planning for Brexit, a business should take the following steps: 1 Review supply chain movements to determine which flows of goods are affected. It can be useful to look at your company's Intrastat returns (if completed) to identify which products are sourced from or supplied to the UK. 2 Complete a product classification exercise on the relevant products. This can be time-consuming and complex, but it is important it is correct as it affects the percentage of duty paid on the goods. 3 Once the product classification has been obtained, complete a duty analysis on these products to quantify the risk to the business. It is prudent to base these on World Trade Organisation (WTO) rates to show the maximum impact. 4 When the business is aware of the cost impact of Brexit, it can then identify if there are any potential steps it can take to mitigate the effects of Brexit, such as applying for a bonded warehouse or a processing authorisation. Businesses may also want to consider whether applying for AEO (authorised economic operator) may be beneficial. The proposed transition period may allow businesses more time to prepare, yet traders should still be planning now as applying for customs authorisations can be time-consuming. Economic Operator Registration and Identification (EORI) In order to be able to import and/or export goods, a trader is required to hold an Economic Operator Registration and Identification (EORI) number issued by EU customs authorities. An EORI number issued in any member state is valid throughout Europe and can be used in interactions with other customs authorities. The format of the EORI number consists of the country code (IE) and a unique code/number. In Ireland, it generally takes the format of IE followed by the trader's VAT number. If a trader does not already hold an EORI number, this can be applied for using the ROS (Revenue online system). The following is required: ROS log-in details and a valid ROS digital certificate; A registration for customs and excise in ROS. A request for an EORI number can either be made using MyEnquiries in myAccount or by using ROS online. Detailed instructions on how to apply for an EORI number are shown on the Revenue webpage. It is critical that an EORI number is obtained before importing or exporting to avoid delays. Deferred payment of duty and VAT Under the EU customs legislation, the Union Customs Code (UCC), the customs debt (duty and VAT) shall be incurred at the time of acceptance of the customs declaration (when the goods are released into free circulation in the territory of the EU). There are two options for paying these charges, either by cash or a deferred payment facility. If paying cash, this must be made by Electronic Fund Transfer (EFT) before the import declaration is made. If a trader is going to be importing goods in large quantities, they may want to consider applying for a deferred payment account with Revenue. This allows the trader to import goods 'on account' and pay the charges due by direct debit the following month. Businesses who wish to avail of deferred payment must be approved for a comprehensive guarantee. Once the comprehensive guarantee authorisation number is obtained, an application can be made for a customs deferred payment authorisation on the Customs Decisions System (CDS). In order to access CDS, the trader should: Have a valid ROS certificate; Be registered for customs and excise in ROS; Hold a valid EORI number. Maximum change - WTO tariffs, classification and rules of origin A tariff is a tax applied on the importation of goods which, in the EU, is applied across its external borders. The rate of duty can vary depending on the type of product and country of origin. WTO tariffs apply to trade between countries that have not negotiated a preferential trading arrangement. Maximum tariff rates have been set by the WTO and in the absence of an agreement being reached between the UK and EU, it is envisaged these rates will apply. In addition to tariffs, there will be a requirement to comply with EU customs formalities and complete import and export declarations. For anyone who has tried to navigate the EU Taric (database of EU tariffs), it can be a time-consuming and frustrating process. In-depth knowledge of the product is essential and, even then, the language can be obscure and it is constantly having to be updated to include new technology. Yet ensuring that the correct tariff code is used is critical as the percentage of duty payable is based on the tariff code. It also determines whether regulatory requirements are applicable, such as goods licensing and tariff quota arrangements. Tariffs within the EU remain relatively low, with average tariffs of around 2.3pc for non- agricultural products, yet this will offer little comfort to businesses who trade in products such as cars (10pc tariff) clothing and footwear (12pc-16pc tariff) and food products (40-60pc+ tariffs). If a free trade agreement (FTA) is reached between the UK and EU, it is hoped that tariffs will be eliminated and goods will be able to move across borders without the payment of duty. However, this will only apply to those goods which are sourced within the EU and qualify under the rules of origin. To receive preferential treatment under an FTA, the goods must: 1 Be made in the FTA territory (Ireland); 2 Must meet the appropriate rules of origin applicable to the product (certain percentage must be EU origin); 3 Must be documented as originating by means of a certificate of origin document. Each FTA has its own rules of origin which differ between products and these must be followed carefully. Authorised economic operator (AEO) What is AEO and should I apply? AEO (authorised economic operator) is an accreditation by the customs authorities that the business is a 'trusted trader' and that their supply chain is secure. In order to apply for AEO, the business should be able to demonstrate that their internal processes are robust and that they have adequate control over the storage and security of goods movements. Niall Cody, the chairman of Revenue noted in a statement last year that 82pc of all non-EU imports and 89pc of non-EU exports are by AEO traders and advised: "It will be very important that the bulk of trade continues to be through AEOs after Brexit." Types of authorisation There are two types of authorisation, AEOC (customs simplifications) and AEOS (security simplifications). Traders may apply for one or both types. AEOC benefits: up to 70pc reduction in customs duty guarantee, notification waiver for EIDR (entry in declarant's records), self-assessment and centralised clearance (when implemented). AEOS benefits: faster clearance at the border, priority treatment, mutual recognition by other countries such as the USA and Japan. A trader should consider which benefits are the priority when deciding which type of authorisation to apply for. AEO application criteria The application process involves completion of a detailed self-assessment questionnaire around the procedures the trader has in place for all areas of the business relating to customs matters. In order to meet the conditions for application, traders must fulfil the following criteria: Compliance with customs and tax requirements for the past three years with no significant irregularities; Financial solvency for the past three years; Appropriate standards of record-keeping, including internal controls and written procedures relating to the movement of goods in the supply chain; Evidence of practical standards of competence in relation to customs matters for the past three years (AEOC only); Safety and security standards (AEOS only). Benefits and cost The AEO guidelines issued by the European Commission state that AEO accreditation provides many benefits to businesses such as: Easier admittance to customs simplifications; Fewer physical and document-based controls related to security and safety and related to other customs legislation; Prior notification in case of selection for physical control (related to safety and security); Prior notification in case of selection for customs control (related to other customs legislation); Priority treatment if selected for control; Possibility to request a specific place for customs controls. Indirect benefits can include: Recognition as a secure and safe business partner; improved relations with Customs and other government authorities; reduced theft and losses; fewer delayed shipments; improved planning; customer service and customer loyalty; and lower inspection costs of suppliers and increased co-operation etc. The EU has concluded mutual recognition agreements with third countries who operate a similar scheme such as Norway, Switzerland, Japan, Andorra, the US (Customs-Trade Partnership Against Terrorism C-TPAT) and China. AEO application and process The AEO application and accreditation process is likely to take between six and 12 months, depending on what internal procedures are already in place. Once the application has been accepted, the authorities have 120 days to audit the trader and this will involve review of the customs processes and systems as well as security of premises and cargo handling. When making the decision to apply, the trader should consider the time and cost of resource required to complete written procedures and ensuring that the business is compliant with customs processes. Next to the accreditation from customs, obtaining the AEO status is also proof that the internal organisation is - from a risk perspective - at the appropriate level, so also important for company management. Mitigation How can I mitigate the costs of Brexit? Brexit will represent a hard cost to businesses either in relation to duty/VAT payments or additional administrative costs for customs documents. The business should try to mitigate these costs as far as possible by using the customs simplifications that are available such as: Bonded warehousing; Processing (inward and outward); Temporary admission. Bonded warehousing Customs bonded warehousing is a special procedure under which goods from outside the EU can be stored in a customs warehouse without payment of import duty or VAT. The customs warehouse can be part of an existing warehouse at the trader's premises provided the boundaries are clearly marked. Customs warehousing can be used by businesses that import materials in bulk or hold goods for a period of time before either re-exporting the goods or releasing the goods for free circulation. The benefits of operating a customs warehouse include the following: Duty and VAT payments are suspended until the products are removed from the warehouse; No duty or VAT is payable on goods exported outside the EU; No VAT is payable on goods dispatched to another EU country. To operate a customs warehouse, the business must apply to the Irish Revenue for an authorisation. To apply, the business must be: Established in the EU; Have verifiable stock control systems in place; Submit maps of the premises; Demonstrate that the premises are secure. Processing (inward and outward) Inward processing is a term used to describe a duty relief procedure, under which goods can be imported into the EU for processing, with a suspension of import duties and VAT; the products resulting from the processing are either re-exported or released to free circulation within the EU, with duty and VAT paid on the originally imported raw materials or on the processed products. Processing is broadly defined for this purpose. For example, assume a manufacturer based in Ireland imports raw materials from non-EU countries for processing. A certain quantity of the finished product is re-exported to non-EU customers, and the remainder is released for consumption within the EU. If the manufacturer applies for an inward processing authorisation (a requirement to import or receive inward processing goods), the manufacturer pays duty and VAT only on the goods that are released for consumption within the EU. In addition, if the manufacturer produces goods on which a 0pc duty rate applies, the duty owed can be based on the end product rather than on the imported goods, which means that no duty would be payable. Outward processing occurs when a business sends goods out of the EU for processing and then re-imports the processed goods. This is beneficial for businesses in that the duty and VAT is only payable on the value added cost (the cost of labour outside the EU and the inbound freight costs). This could represent a substantial saving for businesses who process goods outside the EU. It is worth noting that use of these customs procedures requires a comprehensive guarantee and compliance with the conditions of the authorisation, which would include stringent stock controls and use of correct information on import and export declarations. Common Transit Convention (customs transit) Customs transit is described in EU guidance as 'a customs procedure used to facilitate the movement of goods between two points of a customs territory via another customs territory or between two or more different customs territories'. What this actually means in practice is that goods can be moved with temporary suspension of customs checks and duty payments until the goods reach the destination country. Its signatories include the EU member states, the European Economic Area (EEA) states, Macedonia, Serbia and Turkey. There are two main types of transit movement: 1 Goods imported from non-EU countries can be moved under transit from the point of entry into the EU to their final destination without payment of duties. Take for example, an importer in Ireland who brings goods in by road from Belarus. The goods cross the EU border and enter the EU in Poland. Usually the goods would have to go through the import process in Poland but use of the transit procedure allows the movement of the goods across all the European countries en route (Poland, Germany, Netherlands, UK) to Ireland. Use of this procedure means that all customs formalities are suspended until the goods reach their final destination. 2 EU goods can be moved under transit to another EU member state via a non-EU country without undergoing customs import and export formalities. Post-Brexit, it is expected that goods which use the land-bridge route to Europe may have to use the transit procedure to cross the UK. A transit accompanying document (TAD) will be issued in the country of origin (Ireland) showing a consignee in another member state such as France. This means that when the goods enter the UK, they do not have to be 'imported' and when they leave, an export document is not required. The haulier will be asked to present the transit documents at each border crossing to confirm these are EU origin goods. The UK has stated that it wants to remain a member of the Common Transit Convention and would have to agree membership with the EU. It could offer the UK and Ireland some alleviation of pressures at the borders. Comprehensive Guarantee Under the Union Customs Code (UCC), all special customs procedures require that a financial guarantee, is in place before the authorisation can be issued. This is in the form of a comprehensive guarantee which must be applied for and be received before the authorisation is used. In order to be approved for a comprehensive guarantee, there are a number of criteria which must be satisfied. Businesses must: Be established in the EU; Have had no serious or repeated infringements of customs or tax rules; Have no record of serious criminal offences related to your business activities. With regards to the latter two criteria, the authorities will look at these over the previous three years as part of their assessment. The level of the guarantee required relates to the 'potential debt' which may be incurred on goods held under a special procedure, such as inward processing or customs warehousing. To calculate the potential debt element, the volume of goods under the special procedure over the period of a year is calculated, and the highest duty rate applicable is applied to that volume to give the reference amount. It is worth mentioning that businesses who hold an Authorised Economic Operator (AEO) accreditation or meet AEO criteria can apply for a reduction or waiver of the guarantee amount. SAD documentation The main customs document is the C88 or SAD (Simplified Administrative Document) and this is required for both imports and exports outside the EU. It is completed electronically on the Automated Entry Processing (AEP) system. The SAD is generally completed by a customs broker, although companies do have the option to complete this themselves. It is worth noting here that a custom broker will generally act as a direct representative in the principal's (importer's) name. This means the principal is solely liable for the customs debt. The onus also lies with the trader to make sure the details on the import or export SAD are correct, even if completed by a broker on their behalf. Some key fields of a declaration are shown below: Consignee EORI, name and address; Declarant EORI name and address; Country of origin; Currency and value; Commodity code; Preference document number (if trader is claiming duty reduction or waiver under a free trade agreement); Customs procedure code (this lets the authorities know if the trader is entering goods to a special procedure such as a warehousing or processing regime). Once the import declaration is complete, it is sent electronically to AEP for checking. The system will automatically check the details on the declaration against risk parameters and will flag the declaration for further checking if it is deemed to be a high-risk shipment. The declaration will be routed as follows: Green routing - the declaration is cleared on the basis of the declaration with no further customs checks; Orange routing - the goods have been selected for documentary examination; Red routing - the goods have been selected for both documentary and physical examination. Orange and red routing can lead to delays for traders as they require further checks on the documents and/or goods. Conclusion There are many different areas to consider when developing a Brexit strategy and customs is just one of these areas. Yet, it is possibly the area in which a lot of businesses have the least knowledge and exposure. Businesses should treat Brexit like any other business risk and plan for change accordingly. By looking at the current trading landscape in detail, it may allow business to identify opportunities and research new markets. Businesses in Ireland are renowned for their adaptability and resilience and Brexit could well represent the most significant challenge for businesses in Ireland in many years. Hopefully this report has shed some light on the key areas that have been discussed over the past few years in relation to Brexit and customs and will encourage businesses to start taking action to prepare. Q Am I affected if I only trade with Europe? Potentially, goods traded with Europe could be affected if they are moved through the UK land-bridge option. Many traders are not aware that this route is being used by their transport provider, yet is it very popular as it is the most cost effective and fastest route to mainland Europe. Under the current customs legislation, the Union Customs Code (UCC), any EU goods which move through a non-EU country (as the UK will be post- Brexit) require customs supervision in the form of a customs document known as a Transit Accompanying Document (TAD). The TAD is raised in the country of dispatch and the duty and VAT liability is discharged when it reaches the country of destination. While the use of this document removes the requirement to complete import and export declarations at each border crossing, it still represents an administrative burden for the trader. In order to avoid this issue, shipping firms in Ireland have recently announced that they will be expanding existing capacity and introducing new direct routes to Europe from Ireland. Q What does the transition period and 'backstop' arrangement mean? Provided that an agreement on Brexit terms is reached by October 2018, a transition period has been proposed to last from March 29, 2019, until December 31, 2020. In the absence of such an agreement, the deadline of March 29, 2019, will still apply. During this time, the UK is expected to remain party to existing EU trade deals but will be able to negotiate trade deals with other countries. On the island of Ireland, the 'backstop' arrangement means that Northern Ireland will remain in parts of the single market and customs union, unless another solution to avoid a hard Border is found. This proved to be a key part of the December phase one agreement and places the onus on the UK to provide alternative solutions for the movement of goods on the island of Ireland. Interesting fact The Apollo 11 crew had to file a customs declaration when they returned from the moon. The Apollo 11 form lists the flight routing as "Cape Kennedy, Moon, Honolulu". With Jacob Rees-Mogg "threatening to call the Irish government's bluff" on Brexit and Boris Johnson warning of "the tail wagging the dog" on the border, it is hardly surprising that Ireland's state agencies are gearing up for battle. A number of key agencies have spent a total of 2.8m on new staff resources specifically to tackle the unpredictable impact of Britain's politically chaotic and uncertain journey to leave the European Union. Enterprise Ireland, IDA, Science Foundation Ireland and the Health and Safety Authority have all received additional pay allocations this year because of Brexit, Minister for Business, Enterprise and Innovation Heather Humphreys revealed when responding to a parliamentary question on the matter. The hike in allocations does not include an unquantified extra amount spent by the department itself on a dedicated Brexit Unit established in 2016, which last year increased its staffing, she said. Enterprise Ireland was allocated 1.3m to recruit 18 additional staff members for Brexit-related posts across the organisation during 2018 and to date six positions have been filled. IDA was allocated an additional 700,000 in funding "to further reinforce its staffing levels as a result of Brexit." "It is intended that the agency will use this funding to create 10 new positions across a range of areas in the organisation," said Humphreys. "It will also be used to hire five more graduates who will be on fixed-term, rolling three-year contracts. The IDA has also established a specific Brexit Committee to oversee its response to the opportunities and challenges arising from the UK's exit from the EU. The agency also has a clear Brexit Plan, which includes one-to-one investor engagements and public relations and media campaigns." Science Foundation Ireland was allocated an additional 400,000 to hire Brexit-related staff, while the Health and Safety Authority received an allocation of 400,000 for Brexit-related posts for 2018. "Following a review of its Workforce Plan, a number of inspector posts were identified and business cases were submitted to the Department of Business, Enterprise & Innovation. Sanction has been given to fill seven inspector posts and the authority has commenced the recruitment process for these positions with preliminary interviews scheduled to take place in mid-June," she said, adding that her department would keep staffing requirements under review during 2018. The actress shared a video where she, along with Raj Kundra and son Viaan, distributed sweets in an old age home. Mumbai: Fitness enthusiast and Bollywood actor Shilpa Shetty, whose picture hit the internet after she was spotted coming out of a diagnostic lab with reports in her hand, finally clarified about the pregnancy rumours. Ever since the photo of the actress coming out of a pathology lab went online, her fans are questioning #ShilpaKoKyaHua. Seeing this buzz, Shilpa took to Twitter to respond and calm down all her fans and social media users. Clarifying that she is not pregnant, Shilpa said that she had gone for a regular health checkup. She said, on Twitter, "#ShilpaKoKyaHua KUCH NAHI! Hey Bhagwan I get a preventive health check done at SRL regularly to know that my body is as healthy on the inside as the outside. Something we all must do. What's all the fuss about!! And NO not pregnant?? #healthcheck #preventionisbetterthancure" #ShilpaKoKyaHua KUCH NAHI! Hey Bhagwan I get a preventive health check done at SRL regularly to know that my body is as healthy on the inside as the outside.Something we all must do.What's all the fuss about !! And NO not pregnant #healthcheck #preventionisbetterthancure SHILPA SHETTY KUNDRA (@TheShilpaShetty) June 16, 2018 Recently, the 'Dhadkan' star's son turned six. The 43-year-old actress shared a video on her Insta page where she, along with her businessman husband Raj Kundra and son Viaan, was seen distributing sweets in an old age home. Moorepark Farm at Garristown in north Dublin is a 203ac block of land typical of the large farms on the market at the moment. The sale is being guided pre auction at 10,000/ac. Located 4km from Garristown, 12kms from Ashbourne and 15km from Swords the holding (pictured above) is all in one block with road frontage on to three roads giving plenty of access. With the necessary permission the lands should have good site potential. The farm is laid out in a combination of large and small fields and while most of the ground is under grass there is a portion in winter wheat. The ground is in great heart, according to auctioneer Thomas Potterton, having been well rotated between tillage and grass over the years. Mr Potterton describes the land as fit for any use, for tillage beef or dairying. Fencing is provided by traditional hedgerow and a meandering stream running through the property provides an endless supply of water. Drinking troughs servicing the land are supplied from a mains supply and in terms of other services there is a limited yard comprised of a four-column hayshed with a lean-to at either side. Given the range of access points available to the holding it will be offered for sale in a number of lots. The first to be offered will be a parcel of 107ac with dual road frontage. This parcel comes with the farm buildings and is mainly in permanent pasture aside from two fields under tillage. The second piece extends to 85ac has plenty of road frontage and is in old pasture. According to Mr Potterton this would make for an ideal residential holding subject to the required planning permission. The third piece is described by Mr Potterton as a long rectangular field with broad views over the countryside. He believes this too could lend itself to the construction of a residence given proper planning. The entire will also be offered for sale. The auction takes place at The Property Exchange, Trim, Co Meath at 3pm on Wednesday, June 27. KELLS AUCTION At the same auction Mr Potterton is handling the executor sale of a 67ac non-residential farm at Martinstown, Crossakiel near Kells in Co Meath. Located 1km from Crossakiel, 8km from Kells, 8km from the M3 and 11km from Delvin, the land is in one division with dual road frontage and river frontage. Mainly in tillage at the moment the parcel is also suitable to drystock farming. It is guided prior to auction at 8,000/ac and Mr Potterton is anticipating lively interest. The government needs to hold an emergency Cabinet meeting to prove to the people of rural Ireland that it is serious about supplying broadband nationwide, Irish Rural Link CEO Seamus Boland has urged. This comes following a report last week by the European Court of Auditors that predicted that it is "highly unlikely" that the 275m set aside by the Government to supply broadband to every home in Ireland will be enough. At present, Enet is the only bidder left in the process that should result in 540,000 premises being connected to the National Broadband Plan, following Eir's withdrawal from the tender in January. Mr Boland told the Farming Independent that an emergency Cabinet meeting should have been held when companies started dropping out of the tender process. He said it is now time for the Government to hold such a meeting and prove to the people of rural Ireland that they're not out of touch with the issue. "Red lights should have been flashing for the Government when companies started pulling out of the tender process. An emergency Cabinet meeting now has to be held as there are too many negative implications on rural Ireland if the plan isn't rolled out. "Until we get that sense of urgency from the Government, it just looks like they've lost touch with rural Ireland,"he added. Mr Boland also called for the Government to examine the bidding system because he feels since there is only one bidder left, it is likely that the process will "be delayed for as long as possible until the company get a good deal." Mr Boland also said that the gap between urban and rural areas will only widen if the broadband issue isn't resolved. "There's a massive gap in terms of jobs and services between rural Ireland and Dublin and it's growing and preventing companies from setting up there," he said. ICMSA president Pat McCormack echoed Mr Boland's concerns and pointed out that he fears the Government's commitment to a nationwide broadband roll-out is losing critical momentum and is being allowed to slip down the political agenda. "There's no point in pretending that we're not becoming a little anxious about the loss of momentum and drive that seems to have enveloped the policy and the criticism being directed at the strategy for deficiencies in competition and tendering," Mr McCormack continued. 'Financing gap' "There's also a so-called 'financing gap' which refers to a deficit between what the Government has allocated and what the contractors estimate the roll-out will cost." He added that the rolling out of a National Broadband Plan was "non-negotiable" and has to be delivered on. "As far as rural communities are concerned, the state policy on a complete roll-out of rural broadband within the time frame set out upon announcement is non-negotiable,"he said. "It is realistically the only major national infrastructural project that the vast majority of rural districts will ever see and ICMSA will not accept a deferment or postponement on grounds of non-availability of finance at a time when no such considerations seem to apply to urban transport or motorway projects." Irish medical devices startup AuriGen Medical is looking to rapidly accelerate development with a brand new fundraising round among Irish and US venture capital companies. Management at the company are set to travel to the US next week in a bid to continue raising the huge amounts of money it will need to allow sufferers of irregular heartbeats to benefit from the highly innovative technology it has developed. Chief executive Dr John Thompson told the Sunday Independent that the company will also target angel investors and a number of high-net-worth individuals in the new funding round. The news comes after the announcement last week that AuriGen had beaten off stiff competition from around Europe to win a 2.5m funding boost from the EU-backed Horizon 2020 SME funding scheme. The NUI Galway spinout company specialises in the treatment of persistent atrial fibrillation patients - which is the most common form of irregular heartbeat - and is developing the first cardiac implant to treat both the stroke and heart failure risk associated with the condition. The tiny device is inserted into a patient's arm and travels to the heart via a vein to stop an irregular heartbeat, a condition that affects about 10 million people in Europe alone. The company was established by Thompson - a former intensive care physician - and experienced medical devices engineer Tony O'Halloran after they met through NUI Galway's BioInnovate Ireland Programme. Thompson said bringing the device to market will cost "tens and tens of millions and will take the next three or four years of development before it will be anywhere near being approved." "We have a great opportunity to create a company here in Galway where there is a fantastic local environment and a number of big multinationals from the sector like Medtronic and Boston Scientific," said Thompson. "The traditional route for a startup like ours in the medical devices sector would be to look to be acquired but we are looking at whether there is an opportunity for us to have a viable business, create employment and have a sustainable company." "We would look at both opportunities and see what is right for the company at the time but myself and Tony invented this technology and brought it this far and it would be fantastic to be able to bring it all the way to market and to see patients benefiting from it. It's about seeing your baby grow up and go out into the world." Christmas hasn't quite come early for BWG boss Leo Crawford, but the group's annual trade show last week did bring some off-season Christmas cheer to retailers visiting the Citywest Convention Centre. During a humid June morning, hundreds of shop owners couldn't miss a towering Christmas tree, along with ornamental Rudolphs and Santa decorations as suppliers handed out samples of their newest festive goodies in one prominent section of the large events hall. Crawford himself is feeling rather jolly. This time four years ago BWG, which operates the Spar and Londis symbol groups among others, was on its knees. Crippled with debt, and with vulture funds circling, the future looked bleak to outsiders. But unbeknown to all but a handful of BWG insiders, Crawford and his fellow shareholders - John Clohisey and John O' Donnell - were locked in secret talks with Spar South Africa. The South Africans took an 80pc stake in the company for 55m, also taking on debts of 130m. Crawford and his shareholders retained only 20pc of the equity in the company, but it was a great result for the business - securing its future with a 100m investment plan. With those high-stress days of debt now behind him, and Irish consumers feeling buoyant, it is little wonder that Crawford is in good spirits, chatting to shop owners and suppliers alike as he does a walkabout of the trade show. More importantly, his main shareholder is happy with how the Irish business is doing. "They would tell you that we've outperformed, above their expectations, which is great because from their perspective it was a big move for South Africa to invest in Ireland," says Crawford. "It was a vote of confidence in the management team and the one thing you have got to do when somebody like that invests with you is provide the returns for them. I think they're a really good partner - very quickly they were prepared to invest in the long term." Within a few months of the 2014 investment from Spar SA, BWG acquired Londis for 23m and the Irish group has recently been given the go-ahead for the acquisition of 4 Aces, a supplier to rival chain Gala. With BWG openly in acquisition mode, surely Gala and its various wholesalers would be an obvious target. Crawford doesn't give away too much, although he clearly sees further opportunities. "Different wholesalers are involved in the Gala brand, so in terms of buying all those wholesalers that would be very... not all of them want to sell anyway," he says choosing his words carefully. "We are involved with Gala with 4 Aces, so that's a start anyway. I could never envisage where we would own every single wholesaler involved with Gala." Gala would be a route to growth in a highly competitive market and it also has a wide geographical spread, which would no doubt be appealing to BWG. BWG already operates Value Centre, which has 20 cash and carry branches nationwide along with Foodservice depots, and a 240,000 sq ft national distribution centre. Crawford was raised in Marino, north Dublin, to a family which put a heavy emphasis on learning and hard work, and thought his career would be in teaching. His father was employed in the Department of Posts and Telegraphs while he describes his mother as "a fairly academic lady". "I remember at a very young age learning Irish and history," he says. "So even at a young age we were focused on education, trying to do well, that was nurtured in us. The other interesting thing about my family was, there was always a great interest in politics. My grandfather was president of the Irish Congress of Trade Unions." After achieving a 'good' Leaving Cert, Crawford went for an interview for the teaching course in St Patrick's Teaching College in Drumcondra and laughs at the fact that he somehow passed a singing test that was required but, to his shock, he failed the oral Irish test despite doing well in the subject in his Leaving Cert. "I was devastated. This was the plan, nothing else," he says. There was no CAO system for universities at the time, but luckily he had sent in an application to Trinity College. "And I remember actually phoning Trinity in August and seeing was there a place available." There was and so he studied business at the university. He recalls studying very hard and by the end of his degree was not inclined to follow the path of chartered accountancy and face more exams. Instead, Crawford wrote to all the Irish PLCs he could and was offered a chance to work with Jameson owner Irish Distillers, which he grabbed with both hands. Crawford held a number of roles with the company, including roles dealing with branding and marketing, but his big opportunity came with the chance to buy BWG, owned at that time by Irish Distillers. The symbol group, which is a mix of company-owned shops and franchise holders as well as a wholesale business, was well positioned to grow at a time when Ireland's economy was ratcheting up. Crawford and his team were backed by private equity firm Electra, which stayed with them until 2006. "Then myself, John Clohisey and John O'Donnell did a leveraged buy-out. Then the crash came," he says. The 390m deal in 2006 had left the business carrying huge debts. "We ran into difficulties with respect to our property covenants, loan to value covenants. A situation arose then where we had to try and do a refinancing - we did a refinancing in 2013 where the banks took warrants on our equity which was tough." Crawford is typically modest in explaining how the deal with Spar South Africa came about in 2014. "I'd love to say to you, 'Yes, that it was a great strategy', but I was sitting on a bus in Abu Dhabi at an International Spar board meeting, John Clohisey was beside me, our debt had been put up on the secondary desk for sale in late February and I said to John, 'Do you know what, I'm going to have a word with Graham O'Connor (the new CEO of South Africa) and see is he interested'. And he was interested. It was a complicated deal, but it was done by that August. Securing the investment was a huge relief for Crawford. He did not have personal guarantees and had taken money off the table in previous deals. "I was personally fine but you've suppliers, you've your own staff, you see, this is a people business, I mean, look at all those people," he says. There was some scepticism about the deal when it was initially announced - some financial analysts raised concern about the margins of the Irish business, for example. Crawford says that in addition to the buzz he gets from days such as the annual trade show, there is also a buzz from proving the analysts wrong. The business has performed well. In 2017, BWG had revenues of 1.4bn, operating profits of 33.3m and profit before tax of 29.8m. The results for 2018 will show double digit profit growth. While retail had a tough time during the recession, Crawford is keen to point out that debt and property were the issues at BWG - the underlying business grew earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortisation (ebitda), he says. Now that shoppers are feeling a bit more money in their pockets, you might expect convenience stores to be riding high. But they remain associated with high prices, something Crawford is very aware of. "I call it the insult pricing thing, which we've got to try to avoid. We made massive inroads there and like in today's day and age you know you just won't get away with that, you've got to have exceptional standards, good service, good hygiene but competitive pricing," he says. "The consumer learnt through the recession as well. "The sector has become much more competitive, Lidl and Aldi have played a big role in that, lots of people don't like talking about their competitors. I don't have a problem with that, I think they've done a very good job." But there are challenges and Crawford expects 2019 to be a tough year. He is pragmatic about it rather than worried. "One of the issues now in our business and in any business in Ireland, is on the one side we're at full employment which is fantastic in terms of my consumers. But there's a supply and demand issue, getting people to work for you at rates that you have is now a problem so you've got to improve your wage rates. "If your top line is only growing by 3pc and if your costs - our main cost is people - is growing at a faster rate that's a huge challenge now for Irish business and that's compounded by the fact that a lot of our operations are out of Dublin." "The mathematics are challenging, because we're all running businesses where we're expected by our shareholders to grow our business." He also said that growing insurance costs are a key issue for businesses. "That's where you've got to be creative in terms of your business, certainly acquisition activity can grow your business quicker above the normal 2pc or 3pc." But he said that with costs rising, growing margins is "the challenge any CEO in Ireland has at the moment." The group has several brands in addition to Spar - Eurospar, Mace, Londis and XL, accounting for over 1,000 shops. Would one option be to simplify the business and drop some of the brands? Crawford thinks not. "Our brands allow us a degree of flexibility because if you go into certain towns, I don't think it works to have three Spars or three Londis but there are situations where you can have a Spar, a Mace, a Londis in a town." BWG also has business in the UK, Appleby Westward, which operates 294 Spar stores in the south-west of England. Crawford says it is doing well, despite operating in an extremely tough environment. "We're going to achieve double-digit growth in profit before tax this year in Appleby Westward, so UK has often been a tough market to crack for Irish wholesalers in particular, but we've a good profitable business in Appleby Westward." There are many issues affecting the British market, among them a shift to online shopping. It isn't something that worries Crawford. "I'm not saying it's overrated, I think for certain sectors and retail, it's definitely had a huge impact in the UK, you know, but that's more high street, now I'm not saying it's not going to happen in grocery," he says. "Can we perform some part of that extra mile in terms of providing a service for retailers? Are we going to build a massive business online? No, not compared to some of our competitors." Crawford focuses most of his energy on BWG and has one non-executive role, sitting on the board of the Stafford Group, which owns Lifestyle Sports. He is also working with Trinity on its endeavours to set up the first national cancer institute. "I don't have a huge amount of non-execs, I'm busy doing what I'm doing. I think if you want to become a non-exec, you've got to be committed and prepared to give time to it," he says. Under the South African deal, the three Irish shareholders will exit the business in the coming years. John Clohisey leaves at the end of 2019, John O'Donnell at the end of 2020 and Crawford leaves in 2021. He says he has no intention of going any earlier. "I'm really enjoying it," he adds with a grin. 'Aer Lingus has long been at loggerheads with DAA over what it saw as a failure to provide the facilities it needs to create a transatlantic hub at the airport, which has been growing rapidly.' Growth at Dublin airport could "grind to a halt" as early as next year because it lacks appropriate infrastructure and development and investment plans to address capacity constraints, Aer Lingus has warned. If a deficit in "hub infrastructure" is not addressed "in an urgent manner... the growth opportunity currently planned by Aer Lingus will need to be revisited and the fleet currently earmarked for the growth will have to be deployed outside of Ireland", it said. The warning is contained in a letter written by Aer Lingus chief corporate affairs officer Donal Moriarty to the aviation regulator in response to its decision on how much airport operator DAA can invest at the airport and recoup through passenger passengers. Aer Lingus has long been at loggerheads with DAA over what it saw as a failure to provide the facilities it needs to create a transatlantic hub at the airport, which has been growing rapidly. The airline said that since last November it had "constructive discussions" with DAA regarding these plans and supported a series of infrastructure investment plans proposed. Apart from the 320m runway plan and capital improvements, the DAA is planning to build out 285m of infrastructural developments at the airport by 2021, including new aircraft stands, taxiways and additional immigration facilities in both terminals. The Commission for Aviation Regulation (CAR) had ruled earlier this year that it would allow DAA to recoup 267.5m of the required funds for the 23 planned projects through potentially higher passenger charges. It has now upped that amount by 1.8m following an analysis by consultants SDG. Capacity at Aer Lingus jumped 12pc last year as it added more routes and expanded existing services, particularly to North American destinations such as Miami. New routes announced this year by chief executive Stephen Kavanagh, pictured, to destinations such as Miami are expected to see capacity jump again by almost 10pc this year, putting further strain on the airport. In his letter to the regulator, Moriarty said that even though the Dublin hub plan had been identified as a significant engine of economic growth by the National Aviation Policy, Dublin airport was not yet functioning as a hub "and is not designed as such." "Aer Lingus has outlined to both DAA and CAR its real concerns on future infrastructure development at Dublin airport as set out in DAA's development plans. It is our view that plans to date have not adequately reflected either the National Aviation Policy aspirations for Dublin airport as a hub airport." The proposals were "unaligned with the strategic ambitions and user requirements of Dublin's home-based hub carrier and anchor tenant at Terminal 2 - Aer Lingus," it said, adding that although it supported the projects outlined they did not go far enough. It said that the focus of the proposals on developments on the west and north aprons of the airport do not meet the requirements of Aer Lingus and other airlines that wish to connect through Dublin. The word on the seas is that when the delayed Irish Ferries ship, the WB Yeats, finally arrives on the market for next year's summer season, the bar on it will be bigger than ones in previous ferries. EU intra-duty free officially ended in 1999 and there is no actual sign that it will return post-Brexit. But the planners at ICG, the Irish Ferries parent, are said to be accounting for all possibilities following Britain's exit from the EU. One thing it didn't see coming, though, was the delay of the delivery of the WB Yeats by German shipbuilder Flensburger Schiffbau-Gesellschaft (FSG) until next September, forcing the Irish ferry company to cancel numerous sailings this summer and disrupting the travel plans of thousands of disappointed holidaymakers in the process. FSG said there had been delays in the delivery of interior components for public areas as well as on the electrical system installation in the hull and deckhouse of the ship. The past week, at least at face value, looked like the stuff of nighmares for both Irish Ferries and its affected customers, not to mention lost revenue for our tourism industry and a bombshell for shareholders. And the timing of the delay couldn't have been worse, heading into the peak summer travel season. To add insult to injury, the delay was the second for the ship in as many months by FSG. Irish Ferries again blamed "extraordinary circumstances beyond its control", and attributed the delay to FSG. But as the plight of travellers took up columns of newspaper inches and dominated the airwaves, is the delay really such a big deal for ICG and its Irish Ferries brand? Those who watch the industry closely believe that this is a glitch that ICG and Irish Ferries will recover from and will do so quite quickly - but at some cost? Analysts pointed out that the ship was purchased at a good time, when steel prices were relatively low. The latest figures for ICG show that for 2017 it reported a strong set of results despite the effects of lower sterling and higher fuel costs. Operating profits came in at 89m, up from 62.6m the previous year. Revenues for year ended December increased 3pc to 335.1m from 325.4m the previous year. And while market watchers said ICG, which operates on the Irish sea and French markets, will take a hit on the delay of the ship in this year's figures, they don't see much more collateral damage further down the line. "Let's face it, when the ship is ready to work in September, who will actually remember what happened the previous summer," said Stephen Furlong, analyst at Davy stockbrokers. "Customers have short memories. Big companies often have problems and customers flock back to them," he added. "We know now that the delays in the delivery of the ferry will have a 7m hit on the top line for 2018, but can't see it having an effect on the company's 2019 bottom line at all." It's important to remember that there's a lot more to the ferries business than carrying passengers. The ferry business is broadly divided 50-50 between passenger and freight, and the latter is an all-year business, not just a seasonal one. Apart from passenger and freight, ICG also operates a container and terminal division. In fact, many of these large ferries were built predominantly with freight in mind, with the passenger business coming second. And freight is a massive contributor to the Irish economy given its role in the import/export market, especially for a small, open island economy like Ireland. According to the Central Statistics Office, the latest figures show that 79bn in imports came to Ireland in 2017 while the export figure was 122bn. The latest annual port tonnage figures from the CSO are for 2016. In that year, Irish ports handled 50.7 million tonnes of goods including freight and containers. And as Brexit fears continue to grow, analysts said these figures could grow. Given the structure of the ferries business, it could allow hundreds of thousands of extra tonnes of freight to travel to and from Ireland and the Continent and bypass Britain and the border controls and paperwork that might go with that if a hard Brexit hits. ICG has already placed an order with FSG for another ship and will pay 165m to build a replacement for the Ulysses, which "will be the largest cruise ferry in the world in terms of vehicle capacity," according to the company. And in the past week, Stena Line - although a smaller operator than ICG - has confirmed that the first of its new ferries, which is currently being built in China, is planned to enter services on its Dublin-Holyhead route in early 2020. At the launch, Ian Davies, Stena Line trade director Irish Sea South said: "Freight volumes have surpassed the Celtic Tiger peaks of 2007 and we are confident that this upward trend will continue. "2017 was a record year for Stena Line in the Irish Sea, where we carried over 800,000 freight units on our routes to and from the island of Ireland," he said. And don't forget the enormous fanfare in April when Taoiseach Leo Varakar launched the MV Celine in Dublin, the world's biggest ro-ro ship that will transport freight between Dublin and the continent. Dubbed the "Brexit buster", it is 235m long and has a capacity of 8km of car deck and would not have been able to dock in Dublin had it not been for the completion of recent expansion works there. It will be interesting to see if the WB Yeats' 54,985 gross tonnes cruise ferry that can accommodate 1,885 passengers and crew and has nearly 3km of car deck space gets as much attention when it launches. 'Dempsey is calling on Ireland to twin with the German state.' Ireland is missing a trick by not engaging fully with Bavaria, according to a group of Irish tech experts based there. "Bavaria has wealth and manufacturing - it's a leader in IOT (internet of things, including robotics and artificial intelligence)," said Ann Dempsey, head of the Munich-Irish business network who also works for Hibernia Business networks. Dempsey is calling on Ireland to twin with the German state. The top 20 tech firms including Google, Microsoft and Intel have operations there and, as with Ireland, it offers tax incentives using research boxes and industrial zones. It shares some historical similarities with Ireland, mainly that both places were impoverished in the 1950s, and most of its inhabitants identify as Catholic. Bavaria's capital, Munich, was 90pc destroyed during the bombardments in World War II. Last week more than 100 of Bavaria's most influential business leaders gathered to hear Tanaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs Simon Coveney speak at an event marking the 12th year in operation of Globe Business College in Munich - a private third level business college which combines the Irish and German approaches to education. Its founder and dean, Dr Susan Walsh, says she recognised the 'diametrically opposed' personalty types of most Irish people in contrast to German people when she first moved to Munich. "The Irish and German's are diametrically opposed in some ways, but when you bring them together there's a fantastic mix," she told the Sunday Independent. Nama has offloaded the majority of the so-called ghost estates on its books, but could it have done better? Nama believes it can deliver a profit for the State of around 3.5bn when it finishes up its job. This is a higher figure than previously estimated but it is hardly a surprise. Buying assets at a 57pc discount and then selling them into a heavily subsidised buyer's market isn't necessarily rocket science. The bigger question is when and how Nama should finish the job. The agency seems keen to summarise its biggest achievements in two figures. The fact that it paid back all of its 32bn in senior debt three years ahead of schedule and that it will make a profit of 3.5bn. Job done! But the agency isn't quite out the gate yet. The truth is that it has dealt with all of the low-hanging fruit by selling off its better assets at lightning speed. Its balance sheet says that at the end of 2017 it had just 3.1bn of loans left. Yet, this actually represents original loans of 25bn that were taken out during the boom years. Nama values them at just 3.1bn. This figure represents 4,634 loans and over one-third of the original loan book it took over. This is the real tricky stuff. Nama has enforced on 1,189 of those 4,634 loans, representing just a third of the original par value. Some 2,800 of them are more than four months delinquent and in truth are probably several years in delinquency. Just 321 of these remaining loans are performing, with the other 4,313 non-performing. As Nama tries to grapple with these tougher, smaller, and less commercially valuable assets, it will have to work a lot harder to get a decent price for them. Its legal fees, for example, rose from 3.4m in 2016 to 6.5m in 2017. In fact, in the last three months of 2017, Nama was spending 240,000 per week on legal fees. This reflects the need for more legal activity as the agency tries to grapple with the scrappier and less valuable aspects of its loan book. Nama chairman Frank Daly didn't seem in any hurry to wrap things up when he talked about how the agency could recover more from the remaining loan book by not jumping to sell too quickly. He even referred to the "medium term". This will have created more than a wry smile among big developers who believe the agency jumped far too quickly to sell off their prize property assets. Daly does have a point about the need to take the last part more slowly but that is because it is enormous. It isn't just a small bit at the end, but instead represents over 4,000 loans and more than one-third of the original Nama loan book. It might be the worst bit, but managing it and selling it may be a lot trickier and require more work than selling off trophy assets in a buyer's market. It is still too early to say whether Nama has been a success. On the metrics of paying off its massive 32bn of debt and delivering a 3.5bn profit for the state, it appears to have done well. But it still isn't clear what the advantage of paying off debt three years early actually was? This was cheap borrowing that was not expensive to finance. Paying down early did reduce the scale of potential risk to the state that the 32bn represented but was it so advantageous to pay back so much so soon? This is especially true when holding off on asset sales might have yielded more. When Nama started, it had to sell some of its best assets in the UK in order to get the ball rolling and pay back something. There was no market in Ireland in 2011 or 2012. Fair enough. However, Nama didn't create the market in Ireland - the government did, by using tax breaks. By slashing commercial stamp duty and offering breaks to Section 110 entities and even zero Capital Gains Tax on property deals, we all financed the vultures. Undoubtedly, the country has benefited from the positive recovery in the commercial property market and the jobs it has brought. But there will always be the question - could we have done a lot better out of it? Trump effect starts to take toll on US FDI to Ireland When IDA Ireland chief executive Martin Shanahan says anything about US multinationals, we have to sit up and take notice. He leads an agency that knows more about how these US corporations think than they even know themselves. IDA Ireland's track record over decades bears this out. So when Shanahan says we cannot be complacent about future US multinational foreign direct investment, it has to be taken seriously. During the week he urged caution over Ireland's ability to attract vital FDI and added that US firms are slower to make decisions about investing here because of US president Donald Trump's policies. Trump is the second US president in a row to name-check Ireland as a place where major tax haven-type activities take place. Throw into the mix the Apple Inc tax finding, and the academic study published last week which found Ireland to be the biggest tax haven in the world with $90bn of multinational profits re-directed to Ireland last year. The tax haven line is strongly refuted by the government. But while it has a point, it increasingly looks like semantics. The big issue is whether we can rely on the sizeable corporate tax receipts that have been paid in Ireland in recent years. In good times Ireland bagged around 4bn to 5bn in Corporation Tax, but last year it was 8bn. A government-commissioned study suggested these levels were sustainable in the medium term (up to around 2020). Economist John Fitzgerald believes we need a new tool for measuring real economic activity in Ireland because traditional GDP and even the new GNI measure don't capture the full, complex picture. Perhaps the way to look at it is how we define the so-called fiscal space. Rather than simply count all corporate tax receipts as money that is available to spend, perhaps for a few years at least some of that extra money should be either set aside or spent only on targeted one-off measures. Either way, we need to ask some tough questions about the durability of our recovery. Murtagh gets timing right with Kingspan share sale Kingspan chairman Eugene Murtagh's decision to sell another 50m worth of his shares in the company shows how carefully he manages his shareholding. The trick when selling some of an enormous plc stake is to ensure you get a good price, while not doing anything that will undermine or damage the share price. Murtagh's remaining shares in the group are worth over 1bn but he has to be careful how and when he sells shares. He seemed to get it spot on, given that after cashing in 50m, Kingspan shares went up. Not so over at Ryanair, where Michael O'Leary recently sold another 30m of his shares. His remaining stake is worth around 710m. Ryanair shares fell after the sale, as the Financial Times tried to link the disposal with concerns about Brexit. Other executives with big plc shares include Eamonn Rothwell of ICG, whose 14.9pc stake is worth 130m, and Stephen Vernon whose stake in Green Reit is worth 350m. One plc founder who has not cashed in at all is Jim Flavin of DCC. He retired from the company several years ago, but retained a 3pc stake. That stake has tripled in value in the last five years and is now worth around 230m. Eir may have pulled out of the seemingly never-ending National Broadband Plan process, leaving just one choice for the government - Enet. Even so, the Department of Communications appears to need help deciding the winner of the one-horse race. "If in doubt, bring in the consultants," has long been a mantra of government departments, state agencies and semi-states. Why would the broadband project be any different? New figures reveal Minister Denis Naughten and his team have spent 2.882m to date in 2018 on the project. "This expenditure principally relates to the cost of acquiring external expertise to support the procurement process for the NBP state intervention," the minister said in response to a parliamentary question. "The NBP procurement process is complex and is supported by a specialist team including external expertise and advisors. These include a range of national and international experts with commercial, economic, environmental, financial, insurance, legal, procurement, state aid, tax and technical, expertise and experience. The procurement process is now in the final stages." Broadband-free residents of rural Ireland will be happy to know the professional classes are being kept gainfully employed while they continue their long wait to get plugged in. The department might feel Naughten is showing restraint, however, given his NBP budget is 15m this year. North Dublin city braces itself for hotel boom Plans for hotel builds show little sign of easing off on the north side of Dublin. Pat Creans Balark Trading is proposing a new apart-hotel in Upper Abbey Street. It is hoping for two bites of the hospitality cherry on one side is a nine-storey building fronting onto Great Strand Street, with 269 bedrooms. The second part of the plan is a nine-storey hotel fronting Abbey Street Upper, with 207 bedrooms. Crean is not the only one with plans for the Abbey Street stretch. Solicitor and developer Noel Smyth is planning a budget hotel on Liffey Street with more than 300 rooms. But its not just the relative newcomers to the trade who are seeing the opportunity. Wynns Hotel on Lower Abbey Street, which opened in 1845 and is popular with the citys more mature visitors, wants to add two new floors to the historic building. Alas, they wont be in time for the Popes visit, which the hotel is promoting heavily. * * * * * When it comes to the politics of shifting huge manufacturing plants between countries there are obvious sensitivities. Little wonder that Jaguar Land Rovers UK press office was last week choosing words carefully. News broke last week that the iconic British car and jeep maker is to move manufacturing of the Land Rover Discovery from the UK to Slovakia, while it tools up its huge plant at Solihull to build more electric vehicles. Contacted by Ergo, the companys press office insisted this had no implications for the new software engineering facility it opened early this year in Shannon, where electric vehicles are the key focus for 150 engineers. So would it be fair to say the new Shannon facility is a key component of Jaguar Land Rovers move towards increased production of electric vehicles? Think you could say important rather than key. We have 12,000 engineers working in the UK too! came the wary response, mindful, no doubt, of how words can sound to a workforce feeling uneasy given recent events. Specsavers see room for growth in new premises Optician Seamus Breslin was one of the first employees of Irelands first Specsavers, which opened in Dublins GPO Arcade in 1991. A franchise-style outlet, he went on to buy it soon afterwards in a joint venture partnership with college friend Peter McGrath. The pair are now involved in four Specsavers, including the Grafton Street premises, which they opened in 1994 and are now relocating to Dawson Street. Breslin told me the new shop represents an investment of around 1m, and will have state-of-the-art services for eyes and, a newer area of businesss, audiology. The shop will be twice as big as the Grafton Street store, while staff numbers will increase from around 45 to 55. There are now 53 Specsavers across the Republic of Ireland and sales are strong. Although the company still focuses on a value-for-money message, one of the big changes since Breslin started out is the companys shift towards designer frames, such as Gant, Tommy Hilfiger and now collaborations with Will.i.am and Kylie Minogue. Breslin also says the strength of the groups ad campaigns have given business here a boost, with You should have gone to Specsavers one of the most widely-used taglines around. * * * * * Fast-growing listed British IT reseller Softcat is getting Brexit ready it opened its first outpost outside the UK in Dun Laoghaire, Dublin, last week. Managing director Colin Brown told industry magazine Computer Reseller News UK: There is an element of having a foot in the eurozone post-Brexit. None of us really knows whats going to happen post-Brexit. They expect to be up and running at the start of August. Well probably have about a dozen people there when we start, he said. Weve already signed up three new people and weve got another assessment centre this week to try and recruit a few more locals. While Brexit was listed as its fourth reason for stepping outside the UK, it has big international ambitions and hopes working with foreign currency and different employment and tax laws will be a learning curve for future expansion. A startup that sells canisters of "pure Irish soil" has secured its first major sales in the United States, targeting the lucrative funeral home market there. Original Irish Dirt Ltd has shipped its first container of ceremonial canisters to the United States, after securing its first funding round late last year. Founder Aifric O'Byrne said the company is targeting more than 30 million Irish Americans in the US as the funeral industry there pivots towards "personalisation" in the end-of-life market. The company, which has secured a US nationwide distributor, says it has secured deals with funeral homes in Boston, New York and Pennsylvania as it targets the disapora there. The canisters retail at 79.99 for funeral homes who buy in bulk. Families can also order the 2lb 'Handful of Home' canisters online for 129.99. Original Irish Dirt is also targeting the corporate gift market with customised products of 'Irish luck' as well as dedicated 'St Patrick's Day' products and the floral industry. O'Byrne, who is considering fresh fundraising rounds as the company targets markets other than the US, said she was inspired to set up Original Irish Dirt after her own family members emigrated to the US. "This is the only way they can bury loved ones in the US surrounded with the earth of Ireland as the movement of earth across borders, in particular from Ireland into the United States is highly regulated," said O'Byrne, a former barrister who became an entrepeneur after conducting legal advisory work for startups across Europe. "We're honouring the heritage of the deceased," said O'Byrne, who moved into private practice after a longstanding career at the Irish bar. "We decided it was time to do something back to roots, to do something tangible, something that you could hold in your hands." 'The information that IAS officers in Delhi are on strike is completely false and baseless,' said Manisha Saxena. New Delhi: IAS officers who are the reason of a huge stand-off between Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal and the Lieutenant Governor, the IAS Association held a press conference, reiterating that officers are not on strike. However, Delhi CM has accused the Centre and the Lieutenant Governor of backing what he called the "strike" by the IAS officers. In the press conference, IAS Associations Manisha Saxena said all departments are doing their jobs. The information that IAS officers in Delhi are on strike is completely false and baseless. We are attending meetings and all departments are doing their work. I would like to inform that we are not on strike. The information that IAS officers in Delhi are on strike is completely false & baseless. We are attending meetings, all depts are doing their works. We are sometimes also working on holidays: Manisha Saxena, IAS Association #Delhi pic.twitter.com/4AE90onyYi ANI (@ANI) June 17, 2018 "We never imagined that we would have to hold a press conference to justify our work. We are answerable only to the Constitution," Saxena said. Let us do our work. We are feeling frightened and victimised. We are being used for completely political reasons." said Varsha Joshi, the Delhi transport commissioner. Increasing wages and other costs such as high insurance premiums will make it very difficult for retailers in 2019, the CEO of BWG, Leo Crawford, has warned. BWG, the owner in Ireland of the Spar and Mace chains, will deliver double-digit profit growth for the year to September 2018. But Crawford has concerns for the following financial year. "The existing business has to continue to grow but preparing a budget now for 2019 will be slightly more challenging because of some of the cost pressures, particularly in respect to the whole labour cost situation," he said. "But that's the challenge for us, to get growth again." He said that 2019 would be the most challenging year for the group since Spar South Africa took an 80pc stake in the business in 2014.The Irish business has a profit before tax for the year end to September 2017 of 29.8m. "One of the issues now in our business and in any business in Ireland, is on the one side we're at full employment - which is fantastic in terms of my consumers. But there's a supply-and-demand issue, getting people to work for you at rates that you have is now a problem, so you've got to improve your wage rates. "If your top line is only growing by 3pc and if your costs - our main cost is people - is growing at a faster rate that's a huge challenge now for Irish business. The mathematics are challenging, because we're all running businesses where we're expected by our shareholders to grow our business." He said many businesses were growing through acquisitions, and BWG is interested in buying more businesses having recently acquired wholesaler 4Aces, a supplier to Gala, a rival convenience brand. A good few years ago, a friend of mine left her well-paid job in a London PR agency to set up shop on her own. Having spent the best part of 12 years with the agency, she was instrumental in helping it grow by introducing many new clients, including several whom she knew personally through her own network of well-connected friends and family. When she announced that she was leaving, her boss was shocked. Almost immediately, she was relieved of her duties and was warned not to talk to clients about her departure or contact them in the future. All client information in her possession was immediately handed over and off she went to the nearest watering hole for a stiff G&T to digest what had just unfolded. Apparently, this was fairly standard stuff within the cut-throat marketing communications world where every client is a revenue stream. But it was only a matter of weeks later when one client - a family friend - decided to move their account to her new agency, that a barrage of legal correspondence rained down upon her. At one stage, there was even talk about getting her to provide a written apology that would then be published in the company's internal newsletter. Being a somewhat feisty person with Celtic blood coursing through her veins, she told them where to stick their apology. The company was global ad giant WPP. Admittedly, these legal tactics were run-of-the-mill back in the 1990s and early noughties, when anybody dared stray from the fold to set up a rival business. WPP, of course, had every right to protect its business and it had a duty to shareholders and employees to do so. Given that the marketing communications business is a people-driven one, once a senior employee leaves there is always a fear that they will take some clients with them. How companies deal with it, however, is a different matter. Contrast this stern approach, however, with Martin Sorrell's controversial departure from WPP back in April. Not only was he allowed to resign following an investigation into a number of alleged misbehaviours, but he was not subject to a non-compete agreement that prohibits him from setting up a business which will, inevitably, compete against the company or one of its 400 subsidiaries at some stage in the future. And to rub salt into what is an already open wound at WPP, he was allowed to hold on to share options that could be worth nearly 20m over the next five years if the company hits targets. It should also be pointed out that this is on top of the 48m package he received in 2017 and the 70m in 2016. In case you missed it, Sorrell has only gone off and set up a new business called S4 Capital, having persuaded a number of institutional investors to pledge 150m to fund an acquisition spree in the marketing communications space. Notwithstanding the allegations made about him in his favourite newspaper, the Financial Times, this week about inappropriate spending and bullying his personal assistants - all of which he has strenuously denied - there is still something troubling about WPP's handling of the whole sorry episode. Even more so, when one considers that the company has a legal blueprint for dealing with people who leave the group and set up on their own. After all, it has been down this road hundreds of times before. But the salacious sideshow - as depicted by the Financial Times as well as The Wall Street Journal earlier this week - paints a very unflattering picture of Sorrell, who was once feted as the most influential person in the marketing communications universe. While he has always been a divisive figure in the industry, those who have questioned him and his methods in the past are quite possibly putting the finishing touches to his epitaph. But there are also many great, talented and creative people working for WPP and its many subsidiaries, including plenty of them in Ireland, who are feeling angry, saddened and let-down by the whole debacle. Having led the company he founded for more than 30 years, many now feel that they been given the two-finger salute by their former group CEO. Some of them have expressed anger about recent comments he made about looking to set up the so-called agency of the future. If this is what his ultimate game-plan is, then why the hell didn't he do something about it when he was running WPP? Or did he realise that the writing was on the wall and decided to bail out before it was too late? At the company's AGM in London earlier this week, none of the many questions about his departure were answered. Instead the company hid behind confidential non-disclosure agreements which it entered into with him before he exited stage left. It is entirely conceivable that if these NDAs were opened up and the full details of what really transpired in the run-up to his departure emerged, even more damage may have been inflicted on both parties. But for now, at least, Sorrell would appear to be off the hook and WPP can return to the important business of finding his replacement now that the AGM is done and dusted. But next week the advertising world will descend on Cannes in the south of France for the Cannes Lions Festival of Creativity. Normally, Sorrell holds court with the global power-brokers of the industry every year. This year, however, it might be a different story. While it remains to be seen whether he will even show up, it's highly likely that, if he does, he will have fewer hangers-on, sycophants and gurus in his entourage than previous years. And, perhaps, rightly so. The award-winning Irish flautist Fiona Kelly is from Cork city. She lived there until she was 18, when she travelled abroad to study music. She has lived for a number of years in London, New York and Sweden before returning to live in London last year. Kelly will be performing at the West Cork Chamber Music Festival in Bantry, Co Cork. For more details on the festival, which runs from June 29 to July 8, visitwestcorkmusic.ie. What is the most important lesson about money which your career in music has taught you? That a career in music is not about money and if making a lot of money becomes the priority, it's time to move on to something else. What's your favourite song or tune about money? It's an obvious one, but it has to be Money by Pink Floyd. What's the most expensive country you ever visited? I lived and worked in Sweden for four years and that was a pricy place to be. New York was really expensive for a student. The most expensive country would be Switzerland - I remember buying a sandwich in an airport for what felt like a million Swiss francs. What's the most expensive musical instrument you have ever bought? A flute, and I am not comfortable to disclose how much it cost. Most flutes depreciate in value over time as the mechanism wears down. But the instrument I have is made from gold and, as gold prices have increased, so has the value of the instrument. The instrument-maker phoned me hysterically a few years ago to make sure I had it insured it for the right amount. What's the best advice you ever got about money? Investing in a good instrument, and learning Pachelbel's Canon - which is very popular at weddings. I got that advice from my father, who is also a musician. What was your best financial killing? Playing in my father's string quartet for weddings most weekends while I was still at secondary school. Are you better off than your parents? No, sadly. I think most of my generation in their early 30s are not better off than their parents. The cost of property is the main reason. If you won the Euromillions, what would you do with the money? I would set up an initiative for kids from disadvantaged backgrounds to have access to free music education - such as instrumental teaching, orchestras, bands, and so on. I would donate the other half of the money to homeless charities in Ireland and Britain. What's the most expensive thing about living in London? The price of rent. Have you ever made an insurance claim? Yes - after dropping a phone down a loo. iTunes or Spotify? Or are you more into CDs and records? I like Spotify and CDs. Spotify is an amazing resource to have, although I feel uncomfortable about how little money artists receive with it, so I prefer to buy CDs. What was the last thing you bought online? This is embarrassing, but my mother will be delighted with me - a floor steamer from Amazon. It will be a pipe and slippers next. Would you buy Irish property now? As much as I would love to buy a little house by the sea in west Cork, I'm still trying to work out if I could ever afford a property in Britain. I'm waiting on my future millionaire husband to turn up. What three things would you not be able to do without if you were tightening your belt? My flute, Bose speakers and my bicycle. 'At current prices a typical motorist will now pay 221 a month for petrol.' (Stock picture) Driving a car is becoming more expensive by the day in this country. The momentum has gone out of the Government's efforts to tackle the motor insurance crisis. That is a real pity, because it coincides with petrol and diesel prices shooting up by the pumps. And the Government bears a large degree of responsibility for this, as it takes a huge amount of tax from motor fuels. In fact, motorists in this country are being bled dry by the Government through taxes, ranging from excise duty on petrol and diesel, to vehicle registration tax, annual motor tax and the carbon levy. The total tax take from motorists has been rising steadily in recent years. It now stands at over 5.4bn a year, according to Dail replies received by Fianna Fail spokesman Michael McGrath. The tax on petrol and diesel is particularly savage. Pump prices have hit a three-year high. Figures from insurer AA Ireland show that a litre of petrol now costs 1.476 on average, compared with 1.41 last month. Those driving a diesel vehicle are now paying 1.378 for diesel, up from 1.31 in May. Crude oil prices have been rising, leading to a situation where petrol has increased by approximately 9c since the start of 2018 - while diesel prices are up over 10c since the year began. This means many Irish workers are in a situation where they are struggling to afford the costs of their commute to work. At current prices a typical motorist will now pay 221 a month for petrol. But a huge chunk of this is made up of rip-off levels of taxation. Some 132 of the monthly fuel bill is made up of taxes on the fuel, according to calculations by AA Ireland. For the diesel driver, a monthly spend of 206 is typical. But 113 of this goes to the Exchequer. Drivers are being penalised. Of course motor fuel should be taxed, but it is hardly fair that 60pc of the pump price is made up of taxes. Remember too that emergency taxes of around 20c were put on petrol and diesel during the worst of the recent downturn. It would not be unreasonable for the Government to remove this, especially as pump prices are rising. Otherwise there is a risk the costs of commuting to work will become unsustainable for many. This country does not have good public transport links, particularly in rural areas. Come on Finance Minister Paschal Donohoe: it is high time for the Government to re-assess the "exceptionally high" taxes on both petrol and diesel. Drivers are paying too much to support the State. What do you do when you have successfully built your brand and your business has reached saturation in your home market? The textbooks suggest you develop new products or you develop new markets. Tipperary Crystal is an established Irish brand of quality hand-cut lead crystal. In 2011 it was acquired by Allied Imports, a second-generation Irish family business. The Scanlan family have been in the import, distribution and export business for 45 years, starting off in toys and tourism products. Founded by James Scanlan, the business now employs 48 people. At the time of the acquisition, sales in Tipperary Crystal were made up of 95pc lead crystal and ancillary products at 5pc. Now, seven years later, that ratio has completely flipped. Only 5pc of sales are crystal - the rest is collections of jewellery, cutlery, tableware, candles and other 'living' products. The brand values that made highly trusted Tipperary Crystal such a success included 'quality, innovation, gift appeal, and family'. For consistency and brand integrity, the new owners applied these values to the new collections too. This strategy - and the new TC Handbag collection, designed by creative director Karen Scanlan - has ensured a growth of 25pc a year over the last few years. I'm not surprised by this. The family has a strong culture of managing change and taking risks. "We have been in the business for a long time and have learned from our successes and mistakes over the years. We were highly excited by the potential of the Tipperary Crystal brand and were keen to take it to the next level," said managing director Robbie Scanlan. The collections have a strong 'gifting' theme with a mainly female customer base. That encouraged them to become lead sponsor of the Rose of Tralee festival and to run a very successful Christmas ad campaign, centred around family gifting. Challenges with export Having achieved such phenomenal growth in recent years, the family are keen to continue this trajectory. But the indigenous Irish market is limited by its size. Even though they have collections that allow them to sell through gift shops, jewellers, boutiques and pharmacies, there is still a cap on the growth potential in Ireland. Export has to be an obvious next step. However, when attempts were made to sell Tipperary Crystal products internationally, there was a surprising resistance. The past international success of Waterford Crystal meant the word 'crystal' was synonymous with Waterford - similar to how Hoover became synonymous with vacuum cleaners and Xerox with photocopiers. So, bizarrely for Tipperary Crystal, although the new collections were potential winners, the problem was in the name. Export tips The company had many previous international successes. So rather than give up before they started, they took time to think outside the box. 1. Select a market and research it. There are a number of ways to research a new market, such as commissioning a market research study, running focus groups and so on. Tipperary Crystal's way was to speak to some potential customers to discover the brand perception feedback mentioned earlier. They realised that simply replicating the Irish business model wouldn't work. That did not stop them. Knowing their strengths and past successes were in 'gifting' products, the family literally invented a name that they felt would resonate with an international gifting audience. Built on the Tipperary Crystal brand values (the same patented colours, fonts, packaging and styling), Bailey & Brooke was born as a new brand. 2. Tailor your product range. This would normally follow on from the market research you do. For Bailey & Brooke, they simply identified the best-sellers in each category of the home market collection over the last few years. That became the core launch collection. Undoubtedly when they build expertise in their new markets, differences will emerge in time. The family are commercial enough to be on top of that and will adapt accordingly. Not everyone has such a track record of best sellers, so feedback is vital. 3. Decide your potential market and channels for distribution. This company had three choices, which included direct wholesale distribution, licensing to international distributors and online retail sales. With the support of Enterprise Ireland, several new markets have been opened for licensing the brand and collections, such as Panama, South Korea, Taiwan, Australia, USA, Italy and Romania. An online retail store was also developed. The family decided to service the UK market directly themselves, due to proximity, language and taste-levels. Brexit be damned. 4. Test, test and test again. With any new launch in a new territory, testing and fine- tuning is essential. That starts with a mindset that resists making assumptions and that managing change will be essential for success. Summary I have been on the periphery of the homewares industry myself for 40 years and, in that time, it always struck me as a sleepy sector with little real innovation. It is really encouraging to see a number of Irish brands, like Tipperary Crystal and others, breaking that mould. With Bailey & Brooke, the Scanlan family have taken a different route. They didn't let the resistance to the name stop their export ambitions. With determination and resilience, they have built Bailey & Brooke, a new international brand that has real growth potential for years to come. I think they are poised for more stardom, so watch this space. On the flip side to today's export case-study, next week I'll be exploring how an iconic American import brand like Harley-Davidson has grown in Ireland. Alan O'Neill, The Change Agent www.alanoneill.biz. Contact Alan if you'd like support with your business. Business advice questions for Alan can be sent to sundaybusiness@independent.ie Q: I'm retiring soon and was thinking of treating myself to something I can take up as a hobby. I've always wondered about getting a model kit plane but never quite had the time or money. Now I think I'd like to give something like that a go and am wondering about getting a drone. What's a good one to get and do I need a licence? A. You don't need a licence to fly a drone, but you need to 'register' the drone for free with the Irish Aviation Authority (at iaa.ie) if it's over 1kg in weight. In your case, I'd be recommending one of the larger ones for their better battery life and speed, so this registration requirement will likely apply to you. Alternatively, if you're happy to opt for one of the smaller, lighter ones (of which there are now a few good options), you won't need to register. However, there are some fairly basic laws you need to be aware of in terms of where you can fly your drone and what you can do with it. Before I get into that, a few recommendations. Decent drones start at around 600. If your budget can stretch, DJI's Phantom 4 Advanced (1,399) is probably the best all-round drone for your money at the moment. It travels at up to 72km per hour, has an above-average battery life of 30 minutes per charge and can be controlled up to 7km away from you. It can also fly in light to moderate wind, which is common in Ireland. (Smaller drones struggle for control in anything stronger than a breeze.) On top of this, its camera is one of the best in the market, giving you demonstrably better results than the lens on smaller drones. As it's over 1kg, you will have to register this drone. However, I would strongly advise a second battery, which will set you back an additional 189. If you're looking for something that costs a little less, you have two choices. Neither need to be registered. DJI's Mavic Air (849) is its newest model and has the advantage of being able to fold up neatly so that it can fit into virtually any small bag (it has its own small case, around the size of a headphone case). It performs well (I'm currently testing one) but the battery is limited to 20 minutes per charge. It also doesn't come with a remote control, which is absolutely crucial to flying it more than a couple of hundred yards away from you. So if you're going for this model, you need the 'Fly More Combo' version (1,049), which adds a remote control, spare propellers and two spare batteries. If this is still too rich, DJI's entry-level Spark drone (499) is still capable of amazing video and photo footage. I know this personally as I've been flying one for over a year. It's even smaller than the Mavic Air, meaning you can take it just about anywhere. However, the battery life here is 14 minutes per charge, meaning it's essential to get at least two spare batteries. Similar to the Mavic Air, it doesn't come with its own remote control unit unless you buy the 'Fly More Combo' pack (649), which also throws in two spare batteries. So this is really the option you should get if choosing this model. As for the law, know that in general, you can't fly drones in built-up areas like residential estates. The law defaults towards safety and drones over houses are still considered to be risky. Similarly, you can't fly them in obviously dangerous areas, such as anywhere near an airport. RECOMMENDATION: Phantom 4 Advanced (1,399, pictured) Email your questions to caomahony@independent.ie Two to Try Garmin DriveSmart 51 LMT-S (199) Expand Close Garmin DriveSmart 51 LMT-S / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp Garmin DriveSmart 51 LMT-S Many now naturally default to a smartphone for maps in a car. But for those who want the extra benefits of a satnav, this may be the best one to get. The five-inch screen attaches easily, has both voice and visual navigation and is easy to operate. Nokia 8 Sirocco (799) Expand Close Nokia 8 Sirocco / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp Nokia 8 Sirocco I was a big fan of the recently launched mega-value Nokia 7 Plus (399). But Nokia's latest flagship device, the Nokia 8 Sirocco, has much stiffer competition. This is the luxury top-end device which pits itself against the likes of Samsung's S9 and the iPhone 8 Plus. Its benefits include a lovely, curved 5.5-inch screen Oled screen, dual cameras on the phone's rear and loads (128GB) of storage. But the battery life isn't as good as the (much) cheaper Nokia 7 Plus and it has no headphone jack. It's hard to see this one scoring an immediate hit. 'Jonathan Klahr, managing director with SGE, said that the fund has been impressed with the companies here.' Stock image Susquehanna Growth Equity (SGE), a large US investment firm which has just invested 20m for a minority stake in Irish salon booking business Phorest, is seeking up to five more investments in Ireland over the next two to three years. The fund believes more companies have the potential to follow the lead of Irish success story Intercom by becoming so-called unicorns - startups with a value of more than $1bn. Jonathan Klahr, managing director with SGE, said that the fund has been impressed with the companies here. "Ireland for us is a very interesting market in the sense that I think the quality of the entrepreneurs is very strong, the technical teams are world- class from what we've seen and also the Irish entrepreneurs think internationally very early because the market is so small," he said. The fund, which is often a long-term investor, has been investing in Europe for close to 10 years but has only invested in three other businesses to date. "We're very eager to up the pace in Europe," said Klahr. "I would be very excited if we could do four or five investments over the next two to three years in Ireland. That's kind of our target," he added. SGE invests between $5m and $100m in firms. "We are looking for companies with sales. We are not an early-stage investor," said Klahr. Noa Wolfson, investor with SGE, said: "Obviously Intercom is the big success story, becoming a unicorn. We feel more unicorns will come out of the market." "We're very eager to have more investments in Ireland. We're actively looking for more investments in the market and seeing some great stuff." She said it was an interesting time for Irish tech companies as they are maturing. SGE previously invested in the Logic Group (acquired by Barclaycard), Graduway and ETF Securities. As growth investors we see that as a really interesting opportunity, added Wolfson. She said she came across Phorest by reading an interview with founder Ronan Perceval in which he spoke about why he would not be interested in a venture capital investment in his business due to the typically short-term nature of such investments. Wolfson said that SGE backs entrepreneurs and their timelines, be they short or long. If someone is looking to build a business for the next 10-20 years we are happy to jump on that ride, she said. The 20m investment in Phorest, whose salon CRM and appointment software company has over 4,000 clients, includes the buy-out of some of its initial investors, such as Enterprise Equity and a number of angel investors. The founders and employees of Phorest retain majority control. Klahr said SGE had been very impressed with the company and founder Perceval. When we were checking out the investment we used an independent technology firm that came and did the analysis of the technology and they concluded that the team in Dublin was world-class. They do hundreds of these a year and they concluded it was right up there with the best. Founded 15 years ago by Perceval, Phorest has customers in Ireland, the UK, Finland, Germany and the US. Klahr said the company had only scratched the surface of the market it is operating in. Theres lots and lots of opportunity to grow, he said. Phorest is based in Dublin and he said he would expect growth to continue in Ireland, despite the fact that it is now an international company. All of the SGE investment capital derives from Susquehanna International Group (SIG), one of the largest privately held financial services firms in the world, which employs 500 people in Dublin. WOOKEY HOLE, ENGLAND - OCTOBER 19: Asia Sawicka as Anastasia IV poses for a photograph prior to a rehearsal of the Circus of Horrors' latest show Voodoo (Photo by Matt Cardy/Getty Images) A new festival is coming to Dublin and they're seeking to showcase Irish busking talent alongside their line-up. Scottish craft brewers BrewDog are bringing Cinematic Circus to Dublin's Weston Airport on Saturday July 7. They'll be scouring Grafton St in Dublin for buskers - three will be paid to busk at the festival and one will be chosen to perform on the main stage in support of Mullingar band Fallen Lights. Scouts will be taking to Grafton Street on Friday to see what's on offer busker-wise. Aside from music, there will be Ireland's biggest mobile outdoor HD cinema screen playing horror classic The Shining. Festival goers can chill on sofas, deck chairs and old cinema seats laid out in front of the airports hangars. There will also be a performance by Circus of Horrors, who reached the finals of Britain's Got Talent. The act has been banned from several venues as it includes dangerous fire, sword and acrobatic stunts alongside Victoria style freak shows with Gothic, Steampunk, Burlesque and Voodoo themes. As well as their own beer tents, Brewdog will be hosting four other Irish craft beer companies and all designated drivers will get free non-alcoholic Bredog Nanny State beer for the event which runs 4pm to 11pm. Here's the schedule: Doors 4pm Video of the Day 4-5.30pm Street Performers in Crowd 5.30pm Music: Fallen Lights on Main Stage 7pm: World record attempt for Biggest Beer tasting 7.15pm: Movie on a colossal outdoor screen 9.30pm: Circus of Horrors 11pm: Food Closes 11.30pm: Bars Close 12.30am: Event Doors Close Tickets are 16 from www.brewdog.com/circus or Universe.com Long-awaited Pixar sequels, nail-biting action movies and the all-female Ocean's 8 - there are plenty of exciting blockbusters arriving in cinemas over the next couple of months... Its been a year brimming with box-office successes so far, but the best is yet to come in the world of film. As the days get ever warmer, the evenings lighter and the kids look forward to the school holidays, the summer blockbusters start arriving. So, get the popcorn ready, for here are the silver-screen epics you wont want to miss. ANT-MAN AND THE WASP Whens it out? August 3 What can we expect? Avengers: Infinity War took the world by storm earlier this year, but the small yet mighty Ant-Man (Paul Rudd) was notably missing from the action. As usual with films from the Marvel Cinematic Universe, exact plot details are top secret. What we do know is this latest adventure will see Rudds character, Scott Lang, struggling to balance life as a father with his superhero duties as Ant-Man especially when he and The Wasp (Michelle PfeifferEvangeline Lilly) are faced with a dangerous mission. Bring it on. HOTEL TRANSYLVANIA 3: SUMMER VACATION Whens it out? July 27 Video of the Day What can we expect? An all-star cast lend their voices to this family comedy were talking Adam Sandler, Selena Gomez and Steve Buscemi. This time, the animation revolves around the monsters embarking a cruise ship for a nice summer holiday. What could possibly go wrong? Well, when Mavis (Gomez) realises Drac (Sandler) has fallen for the ships mysterious captain, all hell breaks loose and all of monsterkind are at risk. Yikes. OCEANS 8 Whens it out? June 18 What can we expect? Girl power. Theres been serious excitement surrounding this all-female reboot of the Oceans franchise and rightly so. The fun heist flick follows Sandra Bullocks Debbie Ocean (thats the sister of George Clooneys character from the original films) on her release from jail. Shes soon up to no good again, thanks to the help of a team of criminal masterminds who happen to be played by some of Hollywoods biggest names Cate Blanchett, Mindy Kaling, Sarah Paulson and Helena Bonham Carter. Oh, and superstar Rihanna is in it too. THE DARKEST MINDS Whens it out? August 10 What can we expect? OK, you might argue summer will be long gone by the time September comes, but This is the next big thing when it comes to adaptations of young adult novels. Amandla Stenberg (youll know her as Rue in The Hunger Games) leads the cast as Ruby, who, thanks to outstanding supernatural abilities, has managed to survive in a dystopian world where a disease has killed off 98pc of Americas children. After the government fears her superpowers are dangerous, Ruby, and other teens like her, are imprisoned and we have an edge-of-our-seats thriller on our hands. THE EQUALIZER 2 Whens it out? August 17 What can we expect? Denzel Washington is back as the crime-fighting Robert McCall, in a sequel to the 2014 box-office hit which saw him take down a notorious Russian gang. This time, the fight gets personal following the death of an old friend. Yet again, retired CIA operative McCall wont give up until his mission to bring the bad guys down is completed. This is what you call non-stop action. THE INCREDIBLES 2 Whens it out? July 13 What can we expect? Its the Disney Pixar film weve all been waiting for, right? Fourteen years since The Incredibles, the action begins right where we left it Bob Parr (Craig T Nelson) has taken a step back from his role as Mr Incredible to look after the kids, including super- powerful baby Jack-Jack. But dont worry, his sassy wife Helen, aka Elastigirl (voiced by Holly Hunter), is carrying on with saving the world. This may look like a kids film, but it will be totally acceptable for adults to enjoy every minute too. THE MEG Whens it out? August 10 What can we expect? A shark. A very, very big shark. Jason Statham plays a rescue diver tasked with saving the crew on-board a deep-sea submersible that has been attacked by a 23-metre-long prehistoric creature known as the Megalodon, which was thought to be extinct but most definitely isnt. Warning: if Jaws left you with nightmares, The Meg sounds like its going to be even scarier. Orange Is The New Blacks Ruby Rose also stars. THE PREDATOR Whens it out? September 13 What can we expect? Another terrifying instalment in this much-loved film series that launched in 1987 with Arnold Schwarzenegger portraying the leader of a US special forces team attacked by an alien. The trailer shows former marine Quinn McKenna (Boyd Holbrook) encountering a terrifying mythical monster after investigating a spaceship crash, with Olivia Munn joining the cast as a doctor who helps the haunted McKenna in his battle for survival. MISSION: IMPOSSIBLE FALLOUT Whens it out? July 26 What can we expect? A whole load of crazy stunts. Tom Cruise broke his ankle jumping across buildings while filming scenes for this movie the sixth in the series in London last year, and weve also seen clips of him dangling from a helicopter over New Zealand. Other than the fact that the past comes back to haunt Cruises character, Agent Ethan Hunt, as he and his IMF team try to prevent nuclear terrorism, we dont know much about the storyline. One things for sure, however 22 years after the first film, Cruise still gets pulses racing. MAMMA MIA! HERE WE GO AGAIN Whens it out? July 20 What can we expect? Abba fans, get tuning those vocal cords a decade since the comedy musical Mamma Mia!, its time for a sequel. Songs this time include Angel Eyes, I Wonder and When I Kissed The Teacher, the scenery is just as spectacular (they filmed it in Croatia this time) and Cher even makes an appearance. Meanwhile, much of the original cast are back, including Amanda Seyfried as a now-pregnant Sophie learning about her mothers past, Colin Firth, Pierce Brosnan and, of course, Meryl Streep. Whats not to love? For first time, MP CM & Cong state chief share dais. Madhya Pradesh chief minister Shivraj Singh Chauhan and Congress state president Kamal Nath greet Muslims on the occasion of Id-ul-Fitr in Bhopal. (Photo: PTI ) Bhopal: Id, which was celebrated here on Saturday with gaiety, fervor and enthusiasm, brought, for the first time, political rivals chief minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan and Madhya Pradesh Congress president Kamal Nath on one platform. But, the bonhomie between them lasted barely a few hours with Mr Nath found missing in the photographs of the event posted in Mr Chouhans Twitter and Facebook accounts later, much to the surprise of political observers here. Four pictures showing Mr Chouhan celebrating Id with thousands of Muslims at the famous Idgah ground here were posted in his social media networking sites. But, Mr Nath who was sitting just next to Mr Chouhan on the dais erected on the occasion in the Idgah ground was seen nowhere in the pictures uploaded in the latters twitter and Fb walls. The missing Mr Nath in Mr Chouhans social media sites has created a buzz the political circle here with Opposition Congress describing it as unwarranted act of one-upmanship by the chief minister. Such a pious occasion should not be used for publicity by anybody. It is irony that Id united them (on one platform), but social media separated them, Congress spokesman here Pankaj Chaturvedy remarked. Earlier, the occasion witnessed the unusual sight of the two leaders joining thousands of Muslims in the Idgah ground to celebrate Id. Both the leaders were seen hugging each other and raining rose-petals on the devotees. I pray for peace and social harmony in the country on the occasion, Mr Chouhan said while conveying Id Mubarak to all. Mr Nath also wished the same. Liz Bonnin, whose family moved to Dublin when she was nine years old, says she would never be suited to a regular job* The first time Liz Bonnin encountered Sir David Attenborough in his natural habitat was at a primate conference 15 years ago. "I stuttered when I spoke," she says, wincing at the memory. "I felt like I was back at school and in trouble with the headmaster." The next notable occasion was two years ago at a television awards in Bristol, and Bonnin mentioned both wildlife presenters had recently been in the same deep ocean submersible (her in Galapagos; he in the Great Barrier Reef). "It was the first time I was able to hold a conversation with him fairly decently," she recalls. And then there was last year's Blue Planet II premiere, in which Bonnin was asked by the BBC to interview her hero on stage. "I asked him a question and he swivelled round in his chair and looked so closely at me it was an out-of-body experience," she says. "It was probably one of the most thrilling moments of my life." If the whispers prove to be correct, there may yet be one more defining Attenborough encounter to come: the moment when the 92-year-old finally passes on his mantle. Once referred to as "Lara Croft meets David Attenborough", nowadays Bonnin is tipped to one day replace the legendary broadcaster as the voice of the BBC's flagship natural history programmes. As soon as I mention this possibility, however, I am met with an arched eyebrow. "Nobody will ever succeed him," she says, bluntly. "Everybody needs to walk away from conversations on who will be the next Attenborough. But even to learn from him and make programmes in the same organisation is to me just ridiculous." Expand Close David Attenborough / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp David Attenborough Bonnin's modesty is bolstered by the clear-eyed drive and single-minded ambition that has taken her from being in a girl band mentored by Louis Walsh to one of Britain's most popular wildlife presenters. Recent credits include BBC's Galapagos and last year's Wild Alaska Live - plus she has a Master's in Wild Animal Biology and Conservation to boot. Out of principle, she says, she refuses to discuss her age (45, according to Wikipedia). "I'm not shying away from it - I'm proud to be my age - but I have noticed the media make more of a thing of women and age. Those are things I can actively help to discourage when it comes to how women are seen." She is similarly outspoken about the gender pay gap recently revealed among the BBC's highest earners (although her name does not appear on the list). "I find it absurd and quite shocking," she admits. Next month Bonnin's latest series, Animals Behaving Badly, goes out on the BBC. We meet in between filming a new BBC documentary, Drowning in Plastic, which will be released later this year. Video of the Day Bonnin has just returned from a trip to Indonesia as part of filming for the series, and has also visited Lord Howe Island off the east coast of Australia; on her trip she encountered rivers and shorelines choked with plastic, and filmed scientists working every night to rid seabird chicks of plastic clogging their stomachs. "It has been a very difficult experience, one that I'm not that used to because of what we've seen," she explains. "The extent to which it is affecting the oceans is something I never really imagined. It just whacks you between the eyes in a way which it hasn't before." Unlike the famous mellifluous tones of Attenborough, Bonnin's accent skips across the world. Interspersed with Irish, there is residual French (she was born in Paris and grew up near Nice) and, on occasion, a hint of her Trinidadian mother. Her family emigrated to Dublin when she was nine years old in order to secure a good education for Bonnin and her sister. They attended Mount Anville, the prestigious South Dublin secondary school, while her father worked as a dentist. At first, Bonnin says, they struggled with the culture shock and weather: "Leaving the south of France to rainy Ireland with potatoes, really?" But at school she excelled, and was awarded a place at Trinity College Dublin to read biochemistry. Graduation brought with it an about turn: she auditioned for a new manufactured girl band, Chill, moved to London and signed to Polydor records. "I had a ball," says Bonnin. "It is my nature to grab things with both hands. I don't think I would ever have been suited to a regular job." Chill never took off, breaking up before recording or releasing any of their work, but it led Bonnin into presenting on showbiz television - something she would do for the next decade, appearing on Channel 4's short-lived breakfast show RI:SE, and later guest-hosting Top of the Pops. This early introduction to showbusiness made Bonnin cautious of sharing details of her private life; something she still fiercely adheres to. She speaks a little of her family - now divorced, her mother lives in England and father in Trinidad, while her sister lives in New Zealand - but beyond that maintains a silence. "I do it for the person, whoever that person has been over the years," she explains, "and also it gives me this little space just for myself. I am actually an absurdly private person. That is precious to me." She pauses. "I'm not like Angelina Jolie. Does anybody really care? I'm a little science presenter who likes her job." As her 20s progressed, Bonnin concedes she began to lose her enthusiasm for life in the public eye, at which stage the job offers began drying up. So when the lads mags came calling, "I had a really long think about it," she says. "But every cell in my body was saying this is not for me. It's just not something that felt right or natural to me to do in my career." Instead, she returned to university, finishing top of her year from her Master's from the Zoological Society of London. Following that, she got her big break presenting Bang Goes the Theory; soon, she was being commissioned to present wildlife films all over the world and admits she flung herself on to "the hamster wheel". Three years ago, she paid the price for her relentless work ethic when her back seized up, and she was forced to cancel several trips and rest up at home, being looked after by her family and friends. "When you don't rest enough, you begin to lose your grip on reality somewhat," she says. "And I didn't really listen because I'm driven and ambitious and love what I do." Time away from work helped Bonnin take stock, and she believes she is now more emotionally mature as a result. "My career matters hugely to me but now I can be my best at that without burning out again," she insists. So if not Attenborough's crown, what might her career yield? As she becomes more outspoken on the environment, Bonnin envisages a future for herself "somewhere between conservation organisations and governments and being a voice to fast-track change." That sounds like the answer of a politician rather than a presenter, I suggest. "The second half of my life is where it's going to be interesting," she replies, cryptically. "I feel then I will really be knowledgeable enough to make a difference." 'Animals Behaving Badly' begins on the BBC in July Telegraph Media Group Limited [2021] Kate Tobin, who is campaigning for the right to die having being diagnosed with MS four years ago A terminally ill woman who was told she has less than six months to live has made a dying wish to Simon Harris to give her a full time carer. Kate Tobin (52) was told a fortnight ago that her progressive multiple sclerosis had gotten worse, and that she won't make it to the end of the year. "I have a rare form of MS so it's spreading rapidly around my body and organs. I'm going rapidly downhill. I've got bone to bone disease, so at the moment my left leg is in plaster. My bones are now crumbling," she told Independent.ie. "The neurologist told me I had four to six months to live, that I definitely wouldn't make it through another winter." The former nun, from Lismore Co. Waterford, worked as a palliative care nurse until she was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis in 2013. With only months left to live, Kate is begging the Health Minister to provide her with full time care, so that she doesn't die alone. At the moment, Kate receives 14 hours of care during the week at her adapted home in Co. Wexford. She moved to Clonroche in Wexford last year from Lismore, Co. Waterford as the house she was previously living in wasn't wheelchair accessible. "I have two women that were contracted out by the HSE two years ago, but they only work for 14 hours a week, Monday to Friday. It means that from 12.30 on Friday until 1.30 on Monday, I have nobody. Expand Close Kate Tobin / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp Kate Tobin "I'm having breathing problems - my ribs are obviously affected. I've got nobody coming in at night to check if I'm in bed, or even to check if I'm still breathing. "I'm making my dying request to Simon Harris to ask if I could have more carers to make sure I'm safe. Even just an extra hand with my personal hygiene and to have help walking around." Read More Kate explained that she's reached out to the HSE and Mr. Harris but has yet to hear anything back from them. "I'm only 52, I've got a disease that's going to kill me. I've reached out to the Taoiseach, who told me to contact Simon Harris, but in the last four months he hasn't answered any of my emails. "I spent this weekend all alone again. Am I going to have to spend another one alone or do they just want me to die? I feel like I'm being a major inconvenience to those in Dail Eireann." A spokesperson for the HSE said they are happy to discuss any issues a patient may have with them directly, but are unable to publicly discuss the circumstances of any individual. "The HSE encourages anyone who may have questions about or issues to raise in regards to their care or access to services, to make contact with us and their situation can be addressed directly with them." A spokesperson for the Department of Health said they are unable to comment on individual cases. Last year, Kate began a campaign for the right-to-die. She explained she felt some "peace of mind" as she began planning her funeral and how she wanted to die. However, euthanasia and assisted suicide are currently illegal in Ireland. Speaking to Independent.ie in May 2017, Kate said: "My directive is that I don't want any resuscitation if I become unconscious and if I get an infection I don't want any antibiotics, so it will slowly kill me. I want to keep my pain managed but I don't want any treatment that will prevent me from dying." Loneliness has become a silent epidemic in Ireland. So many people feel lonely that the problem is now "the most unrecognised health crisis of this generation", according to Dr Keith Swanick, chairperson of the Loneliness Taskforce. Prolonged bouts of loneliness can affect physical and mental health, and reduce life expectancy, he said. The group's new report urges the Government to fund a public awareness campaign to tackle what has become a nationwide problem. The report stated loneliness hits young and old alike. "I believe we can all beat loneliness, one conversation at a time," said the Mayo-based GP, who is also a senator. He agreed "100pc" with Fr Brian D'Arcy, who described loneliness in Ireland as "the last taboo". Dr Swanick said his patients would be quicker to disclose they were feeling depressed rather than admit they were lonely. He said doctors need to be trained to ask the fundamental question: "Are you lonely ?" Members of the taskforce came together in Dublin last week to launch their report, entitled 'A Connected Ireland.' Professor Brian Lawlor, a consultant psychiatrist at St James's Hospital in Dublin, spoke of his years working in the southside Dublin hospital and how he encountered "a very high prevalence of loneliness" among patients in the local community. He has a leading role in Mercer's Institute for Research on Ageing at the hospital. He spoke of his earlier years at the hospital when some patients who were prescribed anti-depressants showed no sign of improvement. This may have been partly because no one had addressed their loneliness. He said no one asked them that important question: "Are you lonely?" Loneliness has been found to influence physical and mental health, including clinical depression, dementia and sleep problems; it can also adversely affect cardiovascular health. There was still a lack of awareness about the problem of loneliness and many GPs would not know to even ask the question, he said. Research has shown there is a connection between loneliness and ill health and that doctors and medical training needed to catch up with this research. However, more research in an Irish context was needed now, he said. He paid tribute to volunteers who contact lonely people in their communities. The benefits were not only felt by the lonely, as the volunteers also gained much by reaching out. Professor Lawlor paid tribute to Dr Swanick, who is Fianna Fail's spokesperson in the Seanad on health and mental health, for his leadership and efforts in setting up the taskforce. Sean Moynihan, chief executive of ALONE, the charity which supports older people who live alone in their homes, worked with Dr Swanick in the group. "We need to make sure in Ireland that it is OK to say, 'I am lonely'," said Mr Moynihan. Ireland's communities and lifestyles had changed rapidly, he pointed out. "Previously, our social circles were made up of our families, our neighbours and our communities. Now, as our lifestyles change, we are required to put effort into these connections which were formerly an intrinsic part of everyday life. "As our population ages and becomes more urban and individualised, people feel less and less connected to their communities," he said. ALONE now has 1,200 volunteers working with people experiencing social isolation and loneliness. It planned to have 9,000 volunteers within the next five years, said Mr Moynihan. The report recommends the Government spend 3m initially to combat loneliness. It also suggests that the Government should promote a public awareness campaign and sustain funding for research and initiatives into the future, including supporting volunteer action plans. While the UK government has appointed a Minister For Loneliness, the Government should at least designate a specific minister and department to take on additional responsibility for combating the nationwide problem, it recommended. The taskforce report included comments from people who described their own experiences of loneliness. A college student said: "I have a feeling of emptiness that is hard to describe. Kinda like you ran out of petrol in the car." Dr Eddie Murphy, a clinical psychologist best known for his appearances on RTE's Operation Transformation series, said his work on the taskforce underlined that loneliness was "a silent epidemic". "Just like feelings of hunger or thirst make you eat and drink, the feeling of being lonely signals your need for human contact," he said. "Loneliness affects all generations. People need to reach out. Just being physically present with someone can do a lot," he said. Dr Swanick, introducing the report, said he requested that the Government set up the taskforce last year, stating that loneliness "never discriminates between young or old, between rich and poor and between urban and rural". Despite the arrival of the most 'interconnected' era ever with social media, people were lonelier than ever, said Dr Swanick. "The importance of personal contact and human interaction with others cannot be superseded by technology alone," he said. Loneliness was "a major public health risk" and everyone had a role to play to reach out to others. He quoted the old Irish saying: "Under the shelter of each other, people survive." It is a quiet Wednesday afternoon on Knock's main street. Incessant rain and the gusts of what will soon become Storm Hector are keeping pilgrims away. Those who have ventured to the Mayo village take refuge from the elements in the Apparition Chapel or the basilica, currently undergoing something of an internal facelift. Tom Byrne has had a quiet day. He has run souvenir shops here for as long as he can remember but, with trade slow, he takes the opportunity to do a stocktake and to count the new batch of plastic holy water bottles that have arrived. He is expecting brisk business over the next couple of months as the numbers visiting Knock increase in advance of the visit of Pope Francis. "It will be a really great day for Knock," he says, "we're all so happy that he is coming here." Byrne was present in the village on that day in September 1979 when John Paul II became the first pontiff to visit Ireland - and Knock. "If it wasn't for the centenary of the apparition, he wouldn't have come to Ireland at all," he says. "But Monsignor Horan had done a lot of work to convince him that he should come here." Expand Close Different times: Pope John Paul during his visit in 1979. Photo: Anway Hussein / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp Different times: Pope John Paul during his visit in 1979. Photo: Anway Hussein Byrne recalls the former parish priest of Knock with great fondness. It was the visionary James Horan who had an airport built up the road in the boggy common ground near Charlestown. "He married me in 1975," he says. "He was a really great man who wanted the best for Knock. He wanted people to be able to come here from all over the world. And that's what happens today." This unique village, Byrne insists, is the place where Catholics can feel completely at ease in a secular Ireland. *** The Ireland that Pope Francis will visit in August is unrecognisable to the one that John Paul II toured almost four decades ago. From a devout, God-fearing land where the Catholic Church ruled, the Ireland of 2018 has never felt more secular. This week, Taoiseach Leo Varadkar told the Dail that he abhorred the situation where some liberals had made "pariahs" out of those with deep Catholic faith: "I do not believe in the socialist ideology, which is to push religion out of the public space and force people who are religious to be ashamed they have religious convictions." Expand Close Mary Walsh from The Irish Craft Centre in Knock, Co Mayo. Photo: Keith Heneghan / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp Mary Walsh from The Irish Craft Centre in Knock, Co Mayo. Photo: Keith Heneghan It would have been unthinkable for then Taoiseach Jack Lynch to utter such words in the weeks before John Paul II came here. That Ireland was a place without divorce and abortion, where the purchase of contraceptives was illegal and where homosexuality was deemed a crime. Mass attendance was high and dissenting voices were few. Fast-forward to the present day to an Ireland where divorce was legalised in 1995 and condoms can be bought easily over the counter, to a country where two thirds of the electorate voted to make abortion legal for the first 12 weeks of pregnancy and where gay marriage has been written into the constitution. Church-going has slumped in most parishes and now it's those who espouse religious belief who must feel like they are in the minority. The most recent Central Statistics Office figures show how significant the change has been in just a couple of generations. In 2016, those indicating 'No Religion' accounted for 9.8pc of the population. This was an increase of 198,610 over the five years, bringing the total to 468,421 and making 'No Religion' the second largest group in 2016. By contrast, in the 1991 census, the total claiming 'No Religion' was just 67,413. Back in 1961, 94.9pc of the population claimed to be Catholic. Today, that stands at 78.3pc. And for a country that was among the last in the world to ban divorce, there were more than 73,000 Catholic divorcees in Ireland in 2016. *** Tom Moloney is sitting in silent contemplation in the Basilica of Our Lady Queen of Ireland - by far the largest of the five churches in Knock. He is in his early 70s and is visiting today from Tuam, Co Galway. Like many who make the pilgrimage here, he is seriously ill: colon cancer has spread to his lungs and he offers up private prayer. Knock is a special place for him, he says. He has travelled here many times and feels great solace when surrounded by other people with strong faith. "The country has changed," he says, sadly. "A lot of the young people have turned from God and it is very sad to see. It was very different in '79. I was in Galway [at Ballybrit Racecourse] to see the Pope then and there was such excitement for old and young. It won't be like that this time. Too many young people have left church." A pair of pilgrims from Co Tyrone, Collete Given and Patrick McEnhill, have chosen an especially wet day to visit Knock. They have been coming here for years. "It's a welcoming place," the woman says, "and for those of us with a strong faith, there's nowhere else like it in Ireland." Given is dismayed at how secular Ireland has become, especially when contemplating the fact that two out of ever three votes were in favour of abortion rights in last month's referendum. But she says it's a source of solace that more than 700,000 people voted No. Many of them are proud of their Catholic faith, she insists, even if modern-day Ireland can be a cold place for them. "It feels like a foreign place," she says. "A 'me, myself and I' culture rules now. There just isn't the sort of dependence on God as there was when I was their age." "It's a pity what's been lost," McEnhill adds, "but maybe when Pope Francis comes here, some people might be encouraged to return." *** Wendy Grace is a presenter on the Dublin-based Christian station, Spirit Radio. She has met Pope Francis in the past and is excited at the prospect of his Irish visit. "He is a great communicator," she says, "and he has a great connection with young people. I saw him in Poland and there were 2.2 million people present - most of them were young. They're excited by him." Grace, who was a high-profile campaigner for a No vote in the abortion referendum, says the pontiff's appeal is wide-ranging and encompasses those "of all religions and none". She believes even lapsed Catholics appreciate his inherent goodness and the fact that his care for the poor isn't just a PR exercise. "When he visits the Capuchin Centre [for Dublin's homeless] he'll do it privately. And wherever he goes, he makes a point about seeing the poor, of going to them. It's something that he did from his earliest days in the priesthood." Comparisons with the '79 visit will be inevitable, although Grace insists one cannot compare like with like. "Just because people may not go to the Phoenix Park in the sort of numbers they did then does not mean they're not interested," she says. "Many of them will watch from home on their couches. Big events like that didn't happen here when Pope John Paul II came so people went out in great numbers. Similarly, while a lot of people were on the street when Obama was here, farm far more came out for JFK - a different time." Grace believes many people are not as comfortable about declaring themselves to be Catholic as they were a couple of generations ago. "It's sad that it's happened, but many so-called liberal people are very intolerant of those with faith. It shouldn't be like that but people can be afraid to put their heads above the parapet for simply being proud to be Catholic." A papal visit, she reckons, will embolden many silent Catholics. "It will show them they're not alone, that there are many people - including many young people - who have a very strong faith and are not ashamed of that faith." *** Young people are thin on the ground in Knock on Wednesday. The only millennials to be seen are working in the various information centres and book stores run by the Church here. Others wait tables in the old-fashioned restaurants and chintzy gift shops. Some twenty-somethings staff the mass card centres - and the facility close to the vast car park is an eye-opener to the first-time visitor. It looks like a bank, with a row of semi-private 'windows' where you can pay for mass cards and have 'tellers' take down the details of whom you wish to have prayed for. A common motto in this shrine village is 'I prayed for you in Knock' and the legend adorns all manner of religious artefacts and the ubiquitous plastic bottles that are typically sold for 1 apiece. There's no difficulty accessing holy water - a row of taps providing consecrated water is built into the perimeter wall in front of the Apparition Chapel and alongside the wide open space that will accommodate 45,000 ticketed pilgrims during Pope Francis's whistle-stop visit here. Estimates vary widely, but anything between 200,000 and 400,000 descended on Knock for John Paul II 39 years ago. He was supposed to spend much longer in Knock, but as Tom Byrne recalls, the pontiff was detained over a lengthy lunch by the Bishop of Galway, Eamonn Casey. Consequently, his tight schedule was thrown out of sync. "And the Pope said the very reason he was visiting Ireland was to see Knock," Byrne says. "He was always so devoted to Our Lady and he wanted to come to the place where the apparition had happened." Knock enjoyed busy years in the decade and a half after that visit, according to Mary Walsh who has run the Irish Craft Centre in the village since 1985. "The numbers wouldn't be as big today," she says, "but they're still coming, and thank God they're still coming. No matter what you might hear, there are still an awful lot of people in this country who have a strong religious devotion. You'll see that when the Pope comes." Brian Crowley, manager of the Knock House Hotel, says the large proportion of repeat visitors is testament to the unique appeal of Knock. "People of all ages feel a very strong connection with this place and for those of faith it is a hugely important destination that they want to visit time and again." The hotel is especially busy this time of year and booked out around the time Francis will arrive in Ireland, but the manager insists that his establishment will not ratchet up prices. "That's not how we operate," he says, adding that the papal visit is not an opportunity for the hotel to make a quick buck. "Our guests are much more important than that." *** Connaught, and parts of Mayo in particular, suffered enormously in the long period from the Great Famine in 1840s until the birth of the 20th century. Poverty was rife in the 1870s and the Land War would be especially pronounced in the province. Captain Boycott owned a huge estate not far from Knock and his name would enter the English language as a result of the ostracisation practices employed against him. Poverty may have been acute, but deep religious devotion was just as ingrained. Pope Pius IX had elevated the Virgin Mary in the eyes of Catholics with his Immaculate Conception dogma in 1854 and four years later Mary allegedly appeared to a peasant girl in Lourdes in the south of France. The story of the apparition was well known in Ireland by 1879, when up to 15 people in Knock allegedly witnessed a vision of Mary, Saint Joseph, John the Baptist and Jesus, in the spiritual form of a lamb. They reportedly appeared on the gable end of the church that had been built in 1828. One of those locals, Dominic Byrne, is an ancestor of souvenir shop owner, John Byrne. Church 'commissions of enquiry' in 1879 and 1936 were satisfied that the incident had taken place and Knock's shrine status was secured. And while major religious events were held there, it wasn't until the construction of the basilica in 1976 - another achievement by the industrious Monsignor Horan - that the village started to attract numbers that would peak at 1.5 million per annum in the mid-1980s. Only last year, the remains of John Curry, the youngest person to have reportedly witnessed the apparition, were taken from a communal plot on Long Island, New York and buried at St Patrick's Cathedral, Manhattan. Fr Richard Gibbons, parish priest at Knock, celebrated mass in the famed church for this member of the "forgotten Irish who had faced the desolation of leaving home never to return". "Secular Ireland doesn't understand this place," says one woman, a native of Knock, but who declines to be named. "And it doesn't want to. It's somewhere it can laugh at and think of as a relic of the past. "But for those who believe, it's a vital place and I feel very fortunate to have spent all of my life in a place where Our Lady chose to appear. "And she is very welcome to come back at any time - everyone who comes here would be so happy to see her." Fifteen motorists have been arrested for dangerous driving and six others held for drink-driving during the Donegal International Rally weekend so far, gardai said today. The number of arrests before Sunday's race has reached 66, ten more than for the entire weekend last year. However the head of the Traffic Corps in the county Insp Michael Harrison told independent.ie that genuine fans of the rally were not involved in the incidents gardai are investigating. The rally stages are being held in the Milford District and almost all of the arrests have taken place in the Letterkenny District, said Insp Harrison. Most of those held havent even been to see the rally. At the rally itself we have found the fans respectful. They are here to see the race and weve had no real issues there. "The crowds at the rally are enormous this year; the largest I've ever seen." Letterkenny District Inspector Goretti Sheridan said 36 arrests took place overnight, adding to the 30 arrests on Friday. Overnight we have made 15 arrests for dangerous driving and six for suspected drink-driving, said Insp Sheridan. Another 39 people were detained for public order offences. Four people were detained for drugs offences. Most of those arrested are young adults. They come from all over Ireland and for most of them this morning they are starting to see the consequences of their actions in the cold light of day, some of them life-changing in terms of losing driving licenses and jobs. Insp Sheridan said three gardai injured when their patrol car was hit by another vehicle early yesterday morning (Sat) have been released from hospital. A juvenile a boy aged 17 - has been released from custody pending further enquiries. The rally is due to end this evening. Five secondary schools on islands in the Gaeltacht area are to receive additional resources from September onwards. Located on islands in the Galway and Donegal areas, the schools will get an additional 15,000 in funding annually to cover additional operating costs. There will be an increased teacher allocation for each of the island post-primary schools, an increase from one extra teacher per school to the equivalent of one-and-a-half. Colaiste Naomh Eoin on Inis Meain, Co. Galway will also be granted independent stand-alone status. This will result in the appointment of a principal and deputy principal, as well as the establishment of a board of management. The schools on Inis Mor, Inis Meain, Inis Oirr, Arainn Mhor and Toraigh are thought to have almost 230 students between them. The additional package of supports was announced today by Minister for Education Richard Bruton. The policy on Gaeltacht Education was launched in 2015 as part of the Minister's action plan for education. Speaking at the launch today, Minister Bruton said he wants Ireland to have the best education service in Europe by 2026. I have set the ambition to make Irelands education and training service the best in Europe by 2026. "I am acutely aware of the challenging environment in which island post-primary schools operate, which is why, as part of our Policy on Gaeltacht Education, we are supporting these schools with additional resources to meet their unique circumstances. Joe McHugh, Minister for the Irish language, Gaeltacht and the Islands, said the additional resources will "go a long way" for the five island schools. "These additional 15,000 grants and extra teaching resources for Gaeltacht island post-primary schools will go a long way in supporting this Government's ambitions to sustain and grow the Irish language among the next generation. "The islands are valuable communities and this money demonstrates a clear vision for their Irish language medium schools to be properly resourced and to expand and improve the teaching of key subjects such as the sciences. I know this will make a huge difference to communities on the islands off Donegal and Galway and will be a welcome boost to the teachers, equipping children and teenagers with the skills they need for the future. There are currently 12 primary schools and five secondary schools on Ireland's islands. The secondary schools are under the patronage of Galway/Roscommon ETB and Donegal ETB. A file photo of the late Joe Quinn who died in a fire in his home in Meelick, Clare. Photo: Press 22 A well-known Co Clare accordion player has passed away in hospital after sustaining extensive burns in a tragic accident at his home. The deceased, named locally as Joe Quinn, (89), from Meelick, was caught up in a fire at his home on Friday evening after he fell. Mr Quinns son, Seamus, aged in his 40s, also received burns in the incident when he tried to come to his fathers aid. Its the second tragedy to hit the family after Mr Quinn and his wife Alice, lost their son, David, aged in his 20s, in a tragic motorbike road accident on the outskirts of Limerick a number of years ago. Neighbours were shocked by the tragic events at the Quinns family home on Friday evening. A neighbour said she heard "a scream" coming from the house, and soon afterwards a major presence of emergency services had responded, including firefighters, paramedics, gardai, and two helicopters. Expand Close The scene of the incident Photograph Liam Burke Press 22 / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp The scene of the incident Photograph Liam Burke Press 22 According to neighbours Mr Quinn was due to celebrate his 90th birthday next week. After he was stabilised by paramedics he was brought by stretcher to a nearby field and airlifted to Cork University Hospital serious burns unit by the Air Corps 112 Emergency Aeromedical Service air ambulance. Seamus Quinn was also airlifted to CUH, by the Shannon-based Coast Guard Rescue Helicopter 115. Four units of Limerick City and County Fire and Rescue Service attended the scene, having initially thought they were responding to a house fire alert. Tributes poured in for Mr Quinn, who had worked for CIE, and was devoted to traditional Irish music. He was a great performer. He headed up the Joe Quinn Show with a modern band in his later years. They played in all the venues around the mid-west region in their time, said a source. In his earlier days he played accordion with a number of bands including The Dalcassian Ceili Band and he shouldered with other local musicians involved with The Shanakyle Gaelic Circle. Joe was a good musician and entertainer, and he used to sing like Jim Reeves. He was a good neighbour, said another local man. Paying tribute, Cathal Crowe, a local Fianna Fail councillor and family friend, said: I went to school with some of Joes children and he is known all across South Clare and beyond. I had only been speaking to him in his house about three weeks ago. He was a very talented accordion player and he performed with many bands. The family are all very respected in the community. Mr Crowe said everyone knew the situation at the Quinn home was serious, when two helicopters appeared in the sky over the tight-knit rural community. The presence of the helicopters in the sky in the area was what really alarmed people. We knew then things were bad. He added: My thoughts and prayers are with Joes wife Alice and all of their children. It's a very traumatic time for the family. A garda spokesman said the incident was being treated as a tragic accident. It's the second fire tragedy to strike at the heart of the community in recent years. The body of local woman Nellie Moloney, aged in her 70s, was found by firefighters in her home after it was destroyed by fire ten years ago next month. Ms Moloneys son, who passed away in 2016, was in the house at the time, but had managed to escape unharmed. The national statistical office is reviewing its box-ticking gender options for the 2021 census. (stock photo) The Central Statistics Office (CSO) is assessing whether it will move to recognise and statistically record citizens who identify themselves as neither male nor female. The national statistical office, tasked with impartially collecting, analysing and publishing data about Ireland's people, society and economy, is reviewing its box-ticking gender options for the 2021 census. The traditional male or female choice looks likely to be widened by new definitions of gender. The CSO has received a number of submissions from groups such as Transgender Equality Network Ireland and the organisation for young gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender people named BeLonG To. A CSO spokeswoman said that for many years the CSO has received telephone calls from members of the public having difficulty with having just the male or female choices on their census forms. "If someone had an issue, we would advise that person that they could tick both the male and female boxes or else tick none of the boxes," she said. Their returned census form would then be entered by the CSO into a process where a gender was chosen by a random selection method so that the census entry process could be completed. The next national census will be held in 2021 and the choice of possible gender answers on the form is to be reviewed and finalised before the forms are issued to the public. The CSO has decided to assess the need for change in a series of smaller surveys. Household surveys to be carried out in thousands of homes in the first three months of next year will include specific questions on gender which are expected to go beyond the usual picking of a pronoun. A CSO statement to the Sunday Independent said: "CSO currently asks respondents to specify their sex, male or female. CSO has engaged with stakeholder groups to explore the development of statistics on gender identity. "As part of this, CSO is planning an assessment of the inclusion of specific questions on gender identity in its household surveys." These questions will be asked in a household survey on equality and discrimination. The size of Ireland's transsexual and inter-sex population is not known. The HSE defines transsexual as someone whose gender identity is 'opposite' to the sex assigned to them at birth. Inter-sex is defined by the HSE as "individuals who cannot be classified using the medical norms of so-called male and female bodies". The health authorities state that 'gender fluid' people experience different gender identities at different times. The HSE website states "A gender fluid person's gender identity can be multiple genders at once, then switch to none, or move between single gender identities." Social Protection Minister Regina Doherty has launched a consultation process under a review of the Gender Recognition Act 2015. The Act allows a person to legally change gender and provides for the preferred gender of a person to be fully recognised by the State. Among the areas covered in the review were arrangements that might be made for persons of a "non-binary gender" who identified themselves as being neither male nor female. The party high command has also asked its supporters and functionaries to prevent and swiftly act on reports of atrocities against dalits. With a united Opposition front gradually taking shape, BJP spin doctors are worried that the OBCs and the dalit vote banks could shift towards the proposed mahagathbandhan. (Photo: PTI) New Delhi: The loss of dalit support in the Hindi heartland has become a major cause of concern for the BJP ahead of the Lok Sabha elections in 2019. Both the BJP and the RSS have now joined hands to try and consolidate the dalit votebank which, they feel, is rapidly moving away from the saffron party following attacks and atrocities on dalits. Under its dalit outreach programme, the RSS recently invited chairman of Buddhist International Research Centre, Bhadant Shanti Mitr, to deliver an address on the concluding day of Sanghs 20-day training camp, sources said. The party high command has also asked its supporters and functionaries to prevent and swiftly act on reports of atrocities against dalits. Saffron strategists told this newspaper that over the past few months BSP chief Mayawati has emerged as the main threat to the party in Uttar Pradesh and other parts of the Hindi belt. A BJP functionary pointed out that in Chhattisgarh BSPs vote share in the Assembly election last time was higher than the margin of victory for the BJP. With a united Opposition front gradually taking shape, BJP spin doctors are worried that the OBCs and the dalit vote banks could shift towards the proposed mahagathbandhan. The BJP functionary quoted a report and said, A dedicated votebank of largely dalits and a section of Muslims ensure that Mayawati is capable of transferring votes seamlessly to BSPs alliance partners. Saffron party strategists apprehend that Mayawati is the only leader in the Opposition camp who can dent Prime Minister Narendra Modis plan to tap the weaker section with his much flaunted slogan of empowerment of the poor. According to Census 2011, dalits or Scheduled Castes comprise 16.6 per cent (201 million) of Indias population, up from 16.2 per cent in 2001. BJP dalit Lok Sabha member Udit Raj told this newspaper that dalit are drifting away from party and immediate steps should be taken to keep them with the BJP. In 2014 dalits voted for us en masse anticipating that the BJP will give what was not provided by other parties like Congress or others in 60 years. But the failure to stop atrocities against dalits has taken them away from the BJP. For victory in 2019, the BJP must retrieve its dalit support. The party is discussing ways to reach out to the dalit at the earliest, said Dr Raj, who represents North West Delhi constituency. Sinn Fein leader Mary Lou McDonald has attacked the two main parties for ruling her out as a future Tanaiste. In her first Ard Fheis speech as president of Sinn Fein, Ms McDonald said Fine Gael and Fianna Fail will have to talk to her about forming a coalition after the next election. She said the parties' leaderships need "to wake up and smell the coffee". "Our democratic mandate and more importantly the people who vote for Sinn Fein will be respected. "It is not for Leo Varadkar or Micheal Martin to decide whether or not we enter government," she said. "That decision will be made, in the first instance by the people." On Brexit, Ms McDonald said the UK Conservative Party can no longer be allowed "to dodge, equivocate and engage in fantasy non-solutions to the Irish question." She said the EU summit at the end of this month is "crunch time". "If the British government don't have a credible, acceptable proposal - if they cannot demonstrate how they will avoid a hard border, protect the Good Friday Agreement and citizens' rights - then the Irish government must call them out. "There can be no question of progressing to the next phase of these negotiations in the absence of an answer to the Irish question," the Dublin Central TD said. Having been criticised for using the republican phrase 'tiocfaidh ar la' in her inaugural speech as leader, Ms McDonald attempted to be more diplomatic this time. "A new Ireland must be home for Unionists. We need to understand that. We need to find ways to talk about the future," she said. She said it wasn't easy to reconcile the past because "people suffered, were hurt, endured pain - inflicted pain. We can't make that go away but we can say sorry to each other." Ahead of her speech in Belfast, the party rowed back on a threatened motion of no confidence in Housing Minister Eoghan Murphy. But she told delegates last night that he is not fit for office. "Eoghan Murphy has failed dismally to turn the tide because he is simply the latest proponent of disastrous Fine Gael policy. "Let's be clear - the housing emergency is a 'whole of government' issue. The buck stops with Leo Varadkar," she said, claiming the Government had failed to house citizens or tackle the rental crisis. "A government with Sinn Fein would take the responsibility that Mr Varadkar refuses to take," she said. "Sinn Fein will deliver a budget for those who struggle to make ends meet, despite getting up early and working hard every day; for those who do everything possible to better their lives, and the lives of their families - yet the wolf remains all too close to their door." Earlier at the Ard Fheis, Sinn Fein members voted to amend its policy so that TDs can support legislation allowing for abortion up to 12 weeks. The party leadership will now be allowed to set policy on the issue "informed by the best available medical advice". The motion said Sinn Fein supports the Joint Oireachtas Committee findings on abortion and reasserts that abortion should be available where a woman's life, health or mental health is at risk and in cases of fatal foetal abnormality. "That is our duty to all the women of Ireland. Change is coming. There is nothing to fear in that change," she said, adding: "And let me say this loud and clear - the North is next." Fine Gael is actively polling the public mood in anticipation of a general election, testing slogans such as 'Let Leo Lead On'. In recent days, senior party figures commissioned a poll asking whether people believe an election should be called on the issue of Brexit. And Leo Varadkar wants to know whether voters care most about the economy, health or housing. The Sunday Independent has seen a top secret questionnaire which gives a revealing insight into the Taoiseach's strategy ahead of seeking a fresh mandate. The research by Red C was conducted at the same time that Mr Varadkar was privately warning his TDs to be ready for a snap election in the coming months. Fine Gael's slogan during the 2016 election - 'Keep the recovery going' - was widely panned as being out of touch, so unsurprisingly the party is now testing a series of alternatives. Among the options under consideration are: Let Leo Lead On Securing our Future Forward with Leo's Team Prudence over Promises Party sources confirmed these are only "a sample of the ideas" being teased out. Interestingly, the first option is a direct copy of Fianna Fail's 1965 election mantra: 'Let Lemass Lead On.' After his election as Fine Gael leader, Mr Varadkar said he took inspiration from Sean Lemass who he described as a "modernising and reforming Taoiseach" who had "transformed this country". He keeps a portrait of the ex-Fianna Fail leader in his office at Government Buildings. Voters were asked to state whether each slogan suggested Fine Gael was a "party that truly stands out", "really appealing" or "out of touch". Views were also sought on how people would react to Fianna Fail if Micheal Martin's party used a tagline such as 'A Shared Prosperity'. Mr Varadkar has repeatedly stated that he wants to negotiate the confidence and supply arrangement with Fianna Fail over the summer months. However, today's revelations show that election planning is at a very advanced stage. Fine Gael has candidates formally selected in 22 constituencies while dozens more are lined up to run up at short notice. Mr Varadkar's poll asks how the public would react to an election based on Brexit or a collapse in the confidence and supply arrangement. "Fine Gael should seek an election to strengthen its mandate in the event of a collapse in the Brexit negotiations on the Irish border" is presented as one option. The alternative is: "Fine Gael should seek an election to strengthen its mandate in the event of a failure of FF to commit to extend confidence and supply." The potential for a left-wing coalition also features in the extraordinary questionnaire, with participants asked whether they would be more or less likely to support the Labour Party if they were to suggest doing business with Sinn Fein. The set of questions tabled makes it clear that Mr Varadkar is trying to find a balance between personality politics and policy topics. The forum was asked to describe Mr Varadkar, Micheal Martin, Mary Lou McDonald and Brendan Howlin. Among the optional answers were "gets things done", "intelligent", "caring", "arrogant", "honest" and "likeable". People were told to rate how important they believe it is to have "a strong leader capable of being a good Taoiseach". Red C also collected data on what issues people believe will affect their vote. Those who took part were shown a scale from one to seven and asked to rate the importance of the Government being strong on crime, improving the affordability of renting, proving childcare supports and tackling climate change. Other scales focused on reducing hospital waiting lists, enhancing regional development and championing gender equality. Participants were also asked to rate how important it is to "protect and reassure women affected by the health service screening issues". Another section notes there has been "a lot of focus on housing as a major issue for the country". But Mr Varadkar wants to know which element of the housing crisis voters are most concerned about: homelessness, rising prices, lack of development, restrictions on mortgages or the shortage of social and affordable housing. Sinn Fein yesterday withdrew its threat to place a motion of no confidence in Housing Minister Eoghan Murphy before the Dail's summer recess. Expand Close Housing Minister Eoghan Murphy / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp Housing Minister Eoghan Murphy Mr Varadkar told a private party meeting last Wednesday that if the motion was tabled it could lead to a snap election. Since then sources in Fine Gael have tried to dampen down speculation about an election - but ministers and senior Fianna Fail politicians all accept that an autumn election remains a distinct possibility. The emergence of the polling is likely to irritate Fine Gael's top brass who have not even informed key ministers it was being carried out. It is understood only a small group of advisers who are "extremely close" to Mr Varadkar are aware of the research. When asked for comment, a Fine Gael spokesman told the Sunday Independent he had no knowledge of any polling. Yesterday, Richard Colwell of Red C said: "During the last month we have conducted over 50 different polls/studies for various commercial clients, and interest groups. Each of our clients has a different client team internally that looks after that account and their interest. As we work for many different clients, we of course cannot comment on any work conducted for any individual client that had commissioned work privately, as their confidentiality is paramount." The Government is offering a reduced mileage rate to women with cervical cancer who were not told that their smears were misread. The women are entitled to claim 18c a kilometre for travelling to treatments, according to a "guidance document" circulated to staff by the Health Service Executive. This is half the 37c that civil servants can claim for every kilometre they travel, up to a maximum of 1,500. It is only slightly more than the 16.59c that civil servants are allowed to claim for travelling to courses or to attend interviews for promotion. The women are also allowed to claim subsistence rates of 133.73 when they need to stay overnight for treatment, or 167.34 if they are overnighting in Dublin. In addition, they may claim 14.01 a day to cover meals, or 33.61 if they are away for more than 10 hours. The guidance document outlines commitments to meet home care and nursing expenses, child care costs, counselling and other expenses. The women and immediate families were also issued with discretionary medical cards. Expenses incurred by the women before May - when the Government's offer of financial supports came into effect - will be "considered" by the Department of Health. The document says the HSE will forward information on those expenses to the Department of Health for its "consideration". The Government announced the additional supports for women impacted by the CervicalCheck scandal last month but came under criticism because women were experiencing delays in accessing them. The Government acted swiftly to approve ex-gratia payments of 2,000 to each woman affected by the controversy, with the first payments transferred to a number of women over the weekend. Minister for Health Simon Harris said this would not prevent compensation being provided to the women affected. The proposal to offer a financial sum to each of the 209 women and to the next of kin of any woman who has passed away was contained in a progress report by Dr Gabriel Scally, the chair of an independent scoping inquiry. Dr Scally accused the HSE and other state agencies of delays in providing records and of providing electronic records in a form that meant they could not be searched. Meanwhile, the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists will this week start a clinical audit of more than 3,000 women with cervical cancer. The audit will include the 1,400 women with cervical cancer who were screened by CervicalCheck and a further 1,500 who are on the National Cancer Registry, who were not all screened or may have been screened privately. The team from the RCOG will also be expected to analyse the levels of false negatives, levels of error, whether the standards applied to US laboratories to the reading of cervical cytology slides. The terms of the reference for the RCOG audit are due to be published in the coming days. An American medical college is expecting the results this week of its review of screenings at the same US laboratory that settled Vicky Phelan's case for 2.5m. Baylor College of Medicine in Texas launched a probe into the diagnostic accuracy of the cervical smears it sends to Clinical Pathology Laboratories in Austin, Texas, in the wake of the cervical cancer screening scandal in Ireland. A spokesperson said the results are due later this week but was unable to say whether its report will be published. Ms Phelan, who exposed the failure to tell women about misread smears, received happy news last week that a revolutionary drug treatment appeared to be working after only three doses. Ms Phelan received a terminal diagnosis in January but she told RTE last week that her tumours appear to have shrunk significantly. She said it took "nine weeks of blood, sweat and tears" to fight for the drug. Muriel Thornton first learned that the fine dining restaurant she had run for years with her chef husband Kevin had lost its Michelin star when a food critic tweeted in disbelief that the new list of starred establishments did not include Thornton's. It was the summer of 2015 and it was a significant news story. Kevin Thornton is regarded by many as one of the best chefs the country has ever produced - the first Irishman to be awarded two Michelin stars - and here he was being stripped of the accolade. He described it at the time as akin to being "stabbed in the heart". But it was Muriel, whom he met when she was just 17, and the business brains behind his restaurants since their first venture, Rathmines' Wine Epergne opened in 1990, who had to process the news first. Kevin was up the Dublin Mountains at the time, foraging for herbs. "It was a huge shock, completely unexpected," she says. "But then I started to think, 'F***, this is a great thing [because, she believed, it would force them to do something completely different]. Expand Close Chez Thornton: Kevin with his wife Muriel at their home in Ranelagh. Photo: Frank Mc Grath / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp Chez Thornton: Kevin with his wife Muriel at their home in Ranelagh. Photo: Frank Mc Grath "But it took Kevin a while to come around to that way of thinking. He felt very judged and it was an open trashing because it was a very public story." The loss of the star hurt business almost immediately. Profits dipped and a year later the pair announced that they were shutting the restaurant. After 26 years of cooking at the highest level, Kevin Thornton was walking away. Today, in their beautifully designed home in Ranelagh, Dublin, the Tipperary chef says he has no regrets. Life, he insists, has never been better. He's able to indulge a passion for travel - slumming it in far-flung countries for weeks at a time. "I go to Vietnam," he says, "and I spend six, eight or 10 dollars a night. Muriel says, 'There's a great spa hotel you could go to that costs $150 a night' and I say, 'Are you crazy?'. I want to stay grounded." Now, the couple can enjoy opportunities previously unavailable to them due to the demands of a spotlight-always-on kitchen. This month, they travel to Cornwall to see one of their favourite bands, Massive Attack, in concert. "Those were the sort of things we could never do when we had the restaurant," Muriel says. "He gave everything to it - there wasn't a day when he said, 'S***, I have to go to work'. It's great - we've a good balance to our lives now." And with no mortgage or creditors to worry about, they enjoy a financial stability that has allowed them to work at a much gentler pace. Expand Close Kevin Thornton in the kitchen of Thornton's in 2014. Photo: Damien Eagers / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp Kevin Thornton in the kitchen of Thornton's in 2014. Photo: Damien Eagers Kevin points to a pierced ear. "I got this done when I was 17," he says, with a grin, "and this one" -his other ear - "done last year." He says he has lifted all the shackles off and discovered that there's more to life than supremely complex dishes. "As a chef you'd be working 18 hours a day," he says. "You need to be able to come down and when we closed the restaurant, I had to do something to come down. And that something was travel. I needed to adjust to a completely different pace of life and I've managed it. But, I'll be honest: I was scared - scared that I wouldn't be myself." Muriel insists they have no regrets. "I was saying to Kevin, 'We can't keep going like this'. We had signed seven-year leases. We had been there [in the Fitzwilliam Hotel on St Stephen's Green] for 14 years and the next lease was due. We were looking at changing the type of thing we were doing. Michelin never reflected us as people - that stuffiness, the linen tablecloths, very particular cutlery. Kevin used to always say he'd love to have a restaurant right on the water. I said, 'We cannot sign up - you'll be going out of there in a box'." They may not be in the restaurant business any more, but Kevin and Muriel Thornton have channelled their food expertise into new ventures. There's catering for those with exquisite tastes and - presumably - deep pockets and there's cookery classes in the light-filled kitchen of their home. Numbers are kept to six or eight for these Kooks classes and the price - just under 300 - seems reasonable for the opportunity to enjoy hands-on tuition from a master in a relaxed environment. Students get to eat the fruits of their labour and presumably fire questions about food at Kevin. So far, men have out numbered women, according to Muriel. "It's 60/40 men," she says. "I find that fascinating. Men love to cook. For women, it's seen as a chore - unless that's what you're into. But for men, they love to zone out put on the music and go into the kitchen." Her husband's fascination with everything and anything to do with food seems undimmed, not least when reminiscing about some of the skills he learned more than 30 years ago in the globally famous Lyon establishment, Restaurant Paul Bocuse. The giant of French gastronomy died earlier this year and Kevin Thornton feels he helped raise the standards of chefs everywhere. He is happiest in the kitchen - one that still bears some of the hallmarks of his days in the restaurant trade, including a large selection of gleaming copper pots he bought in Paris at the end of the 1980s. Each cost more than 100 at the time - a lot of money - and they've clearly been given TLC in the decades since. Thornton produces some hand-dived scallops for Weekend and rhapsodises about the quality of food to be found on this island. He says there's great beef, but our pig-meat production could be so much better. He pan-fries one batch of the scallops and serves it with a sumptuous puree and the rest gets the crevice treatment. Both dishes are sublime, especially when the juices are mopped up with an olive oil bread he's just made. The oil, he says, is the best he's found in Ireland lately and was sourced at a nearby mosque. He insists that anyone can learn to cook, especially the rudimentary dishes that are the bedrock of healthy eating. In an environment where obesity is becoming a significant crisis in Ireland - we're on course to be the fattest in Europe by 2030 - he believes it is essential that people learn to cook from an early age. Unsurprisingly, he is evangelical about local produce and seasonality and he believes the supermarkets "who really dictate what we all eat" have upped their game of late. "But they could do an awful lot more." And he dislikes the idea of lone dining. Food, he points out, is an opportunity to connect with friends and family - whether the setting is a restaurant or the dining- room table. "Dinner really is about bringing people together. You could have the best food and wine in the world but if you're with the wrong person it doesn't taste of anything. But you can have the simplest thing and be with the most magical person and it's 'Wow!'." His love of food was fostered at an early age growing up in Cashel. He felt a connection to the land even though he didn't come from a farming family. But he had a traditional upbringing too, especially when it came to set ideas about eating. "My sister doesn't eat fish," he says, "and that's because my father made her sit down for two hours until it was gone. A couple of years ago we were in London at a tasting restaurant and she said she can't eat fish - I hadn't realised it was quite that serious. "But food is a memory. It's like music and smell. If I hear Queens of the Stone Age now, it reminds us [Muriel and him] of driving from San Francisco to LA in a convertible." He had a complex relationship with his father, a truck driver, who's now deceased. "He had a tough dad," Muriel says. "He was a very harsh disciplinarian." "I swore I would never treat anyone like that," Kevin says quietly. "School was even worse you'd get the s*** kicked out of you all the time. And then you'd get to work [when he first started] and it was the same s***. The chef was screaming at the commis and he dragged someone onto the range. It was my turn next and I just legged it - there was no way I was going to let him do it to me." He insists that he was a good employer to the staff at his restaurant. "I was very strict but very fair." "There's no time in a busy kitchen for 'Excuse me, please, would you mind doing that?'" Muriel adds. "The first thing Kevin used to do was shake hands with everyone and the last thing at night was to shake hands with everyone. And they'd know that if he said 'That sauce is crap, do it again' it wouldn't be held against them. It wasn't personal." "You can't serve up sub-standard dishes," Kevin says, "and say, 'Sorry, I wasn't feeling well today.' We had a rule where whatever is upsetting you, you leave it outside the restaurant. I saw it as a team. Of course, I'm not a saint - but it wasn't a power trip. I would scrub the floor with my hands and knees if it needed it. If somebody disrespected a kitchen porter, I would kill him nobody is better than anyone else in life in that we're all just passing through. We're privileged to be here in the first place." Both say they have become much more mindful of their mental health. "If you're in that position all the time where you're giving people grief and you're treating them like s***, you can feel it inside you and it takes nothing to be nice," Kevin says. "But it takes so much energy to be nasty. And that's toxic." Kevin's creativity isn't just confined to cooking. He's a keen photographer and enjoys art. He shows Weekend a guitar that he expertly painted and there's a large bronze sculpture of a tuna fish that he cast in his kitchen. He's got some famous friends, including Michael Stipe of REM. They met when Thornton cooked for the band when they were staying in Luttrellstown Castle, Dublin, around the time of the Monster album in the early 1990s. And his love of the arts has informed the way he presents food. Both scallop dishes are so prettily put together, it's almost a shame to have to eat them. "Kevin believes you eat with your eyes first," Muriel says. "Even if it's just the two of us eating here, he'll never just slop something on the plate." The couple's son Conor (24) still lives in the family home and is trying to carve out a career as a musician. It's early days, but the work he's delivered to date suggests he has plenty of talent. Another son, Edward, was given up for adoption as Muriel was still a teenager when he was born and the pair felt they were too young. But when he turned 18 contact with his birth parents was reestablished and today Edward is very much part of their lives. He is also a musician. Both children have resisted the temptation to go into the restaurant business - and it's hardly a surprise when one considers just how lengthy and stressful the chef's day can be. Right now, there's a shortage of chefs in Ireland and school-leavers seem to baulk at the idea of hours that are relentless and anti-social. Kevin says he understands that attitude and feels that cheffing is a career that suits those who feel a true calling to it. But rising to the top does not instantly mean contentment - as he knows only too well. "Sometimes the restaurant becomes a monster, particularly that time when we had two stars," he says. "And you become part of the monster." Those days are behind him now, he insists and, despite numerous offers, neither expects to open a restaurant again. And with Kevin planning his next spot of travelling, who's to blame him? Photography by Frank McGrath kevinthorntonskooks.com There are 5,500 choir members to be signed up. 3,000 journalists to be accredited. A vast order of communion wafers. A specially constructed papal altar. Such are the tasks facing organisers of Pope Francis's visit to Ireland. "From wheels down to wheels up" is the euphemism for the two-day papal visit among those managing this colossal event. The only concern for the vast majority of people interested in seeing Pope Francis over the August 25-26 weekend is getting hold of a ticket for Croke Park, Knock or the Phoenix Park. The enormity and complexity of the organisation will likely pass over their heads. But behind the scenes, the co-ordination of the various strands is gaining pace now that the Pope's official itinerary has been confirmed. The World Meeting of Families' office in Clonliffe College in Dublin is the hub for the planning and decision-making. With less than 10 weeks to go, many details remain under wraps for security reasons. Gardai have put a lock on information concerning where the Pontiff will stay; and the route of his popemobile, which will be brought in specially for the occasion, is not being made public for now. According to spokeswoman Brenda Drumm, the final design for the papal altar in the Phoenix Park will be signed off on, and construction will begin, in two weeks. The signature structure of the papal Mass, it has to be visible from every corral into which the anticipated 600,000-strong crowd will congregate. It will be located under the papal cross, which marks the spot where the last papal altar was erected, linking John Paul II's visit in 1979 with Francis's visit in 2018. Two religious orders are involved in producing the thousands of communion wafers for the crowds that will descend on the Phoenix Park on August 26 as well as the tens of thousands of participants who will attend the pastoral congress in the RDS, which incorporates a Mass on each of its three days between August 22-24. The identities of the host-making orders won't be revealed for another while. But according to Drumm, they have gifted the hosts as a gesture of goodwill for the success the World Meeting of Families (WMOF) and the papal visit. Likewise, anticipation is building around the design of the vestments which the Pontiff and all concelebrating bishops and priests will be kitted out in. All that is known for now is that a lot of sewing is going on and at some stage over the coming weeks, these trademark vestments will be unveiled. Though Pope Francis' visit is not formally a state visit, Taoiseach Leo Varadkar has stressed that the assistance provided by the statutory authorities will be same as if it were. That means the gardai will provide security, the OPW and other statutory agencies will oversee transport, safety and medical care. "Health and safety as a concept back in 1979 didn't really exist," Drumm acknowledges. There is a lot less wriggle room 40 years on. She pays tribute to the state agencies who have "come front and centre" in the organisation of the various pieces of the papal jigsaw. In Knock, Fr Richard Gibbons seems undaunted by the demands of the papal visit which will see 45,000 pilgrims assemble on the concourse in front of Knock shrine. He already has 700 dedicated volunteers he can call on through the corps of stewards, handmaids and VAKS (the young Volunteers At Knock Shrine). "We possibly need more volunteers. We are in the process of seeing how many we would need and where we need them. Our own volunteers have been working with us for years and are well trained. They are used to big occasions here anyway." Knock's annual novena sees crowds of up to 150,000 over nine days, so 45,000 does not faze him. "It is manageable; we know our own resources and we are in the process of making sure that we have everything in excess of what we need to cater for everybody." This includes making provision for toilets, ensuring people have access to food, water and medical attention. "What if somebody trips and falls - what happens to them; where do we put our wheelchairs; what happens if it rains; have we the power and IT back-up for the streaming of everything to the screens outside and online; what happens if somebody gets lost; what happens if people want to leave the area - are there routes available. We are working very closely with all the other agencies to make this happen." Meetings with the gardai between now and August 26 will be a regular feature according to Fr Richard as details are firmed up. At the moment, no decision has been taken on whether or not to allow people to line the road that the Pope will travel on from Knock Airport to the shrine. What is known is that Archbishop Michael Neary of Tuam will greet the Pope off his Aer Lingus flight at Knock Airport but Fr Richard will welcome Pope Francis to the shrine. That is protocol. Training and vetting Another major behind-the-scenes operation under way is the assembling of large choirs to sing at the papal ceremonies. Some 5,500 choir members are needed for the Phoenix Park alone while smaller-scale choirs are needed for the RDS and Knock. Hundreds of ministers of the eucharist are also needed for the Phoenix Park as are thousands of volunteer stewards. These are in addition to the 5,500 volunteers who have already signed up to carry out duties at the WMOF congress at the RDS and the Festival of Families which Pope Francis will attend in Croke Park on the evening of August 25. Training and vetting has been ongoing for every single one of these for months. RTE will oversee the broadcast of everything "from wheels down to wheels up" and is working with the European Broadcasting Union to feed this coverage around the world. According to Brenda Drumm: "There were tens of millions of viewers of the Festival of Families and the closing papal Mass at the last World Meeting of Families in Philadelphia. You can expect tens of millions of people to be looking in at the events in Knock, Croke Park and the Phoenix Park." Meanwhile, over 3,000 journalists need to be accredited and a media centre has to be set up in Dublin Castle with sub centres in the RDS, Croke Park and the Phoenix Park. "There is great co-operation between everybody to make this as good and safe and enjoyable and prayerful a visit as we possibly can," Fr Gibbons says. Premium Eoghan Harris Opinion Misery media fails to give due credit to the Taoiseach Taoiseach Micheal Martin must drive his advisers mad. Unlike Leo Varadkar or Donald Trump, he never bigs up success stories such as the effect of Level 3 Plus on Covid or his visionary Shared Island project. Last Friday, Tony Holohan and RTE cheerleaders seemed to imply Level 5 was responsible for the improved Covid situation. Not so. Few residents of north, west and inner-city Dublin, and similar communities throughout the country, will get to attend NUI or Trinity College Dublin. If you live in Dublin 4, 6, or Dublin South County and some parts of North Dublin, you are many times more likely to go to university than residents of other postal districts. The majority of those who do live in the better-off areas will attend UCD or Trinity. A similar bias exists throughout the country. Those who do graduate from Trinity and NUI get the opportunity to elect between them six members of Seanad Eireann. The effect of this is as bad as apartheid in other parts of the world. Laws will continue to be disproportionately made by the better off. It is time to end this outrage. Before the 1832 Reform Act, there was no uniform basis for the parliamentary franchise in the then United Kingdom of Britain and Ireland. Pocket boroughs, that is control of certain constituencies by the influential was, until then, common practice. Almost 200 years later, the University Panel election system as constituted is the nearest thing to pocket boroughs we still have. The Eighth Amendment to the Constitution has now been repealed. The new amendment will be legislated for with breath-taking speed. Next year will mark the 40th year since the passing of the Seventh Amendment. This allows for universities and other institutions of higher education, in addition to the graduates of the NUI and the University of Dublin (TCD), to vote in the election of senators. There are now more than one million people in Ireland between the ages of 20 and 65 who have a third-level qualification. Only a fraction of those have graduated from NUI or Trinity. Yet, graduates from third-level institutions other than NUI and TCD have been denied the vote in Seanad elections because the Oireachtas has failed to legislate for the decision of the people almost four decades ago. This electoral apartheid would be unworthy of an authoritarian state. That it has been allowed to continue for almost 40 years after the people voted for change in a referendum is an appalling failure of government. The Universities Act 1997 redefined the nature of the NUI. To the three constituent colleges of UCD, UCC and UCG were added a number of teacher training and medical training colleges, and Maynooth. The predecessor of the NUI was the Queen's University of Ireland, established by Royal Charter. The allocation of six seats, three each to the NUI and TCD, has its origins in this historic establishment, and the need to ensure an openness to both Catholic and Protestant representation. Most of the NUI students were Catholic, TCD was a Protestant stronghold. Indeed, the Catholic Church would not allow its members to attend Trinity, save in exceptional circumstances. These patterns of education are a thing of the past. The country has moved on. There are now as many Catholics as Protestants at TCD but the old regime, and the old-boy and girl network, continues. Why are the graduates of such institutions as DCU, DIT, and Regional Technological Institutes, denied a say in the election of senators? We are about to have a new technological university, none of its graduates will have a vote in Senate elections if amending legislation is not introduced. There should be one six-seat constituency for all third-level graduates. As a citizen of the State, I accept the decision of the people not to abolish Seanad Eireann but we were promised significant reforms. This is one reform that is almost 40 years overdue. The excuse offered by those who are content with the existing discriminatory system is that there would be difficulty drawing up a broader third level Register of Electors. Why? The very business of politics is to find solutions to problems. This is not rocket science. If it were, we could find a well- qualified scientist in, for example, DIT, DCU or WIT to find a solution. Every graduate of a third-level institute in Ireland should be allowed to indicate on the Dail register that he/she is a graduate. The letter (S) could then be placed on the register after their name to indicate an entitlement to vote in Seanad elections - just as the letters (E and L) indicate rights to vote in European and Local Elections for different categories of residents. For those living abroad, a central register could be maintained. To prevent abuse, provision could be made for random annual audit of, say, 10pc of those registered, with penalties provided for those who deliberately misrepresent their entitlement. The Institute of Public Administration could easily draw up a list of qualifying third-level institutions whose graduates would be entitled to register. Seanad Eireann makes laws jointly with Dail Eireann. Joint Oireachtas committees are made up of members from both houses. A senator who assiduously attends can be as influential as a Dail deputy. We would never dare elect TDs on such a discriminatory basis. Why should we allow it for senators? We live in a democracy. The people spoke almost 40 years ago. There can be no more excuses, it is time to end this injustice. There will be a Seanad election within two years. This abuse of democracy must be ended before that election comes. Gay Mitchell is a former Fine Gael TD and MEP. Land allotted in Rajasthan belongs to temple, cannot be sold or given on lease. Jaipur: Baba Ramdevs proposed yoga centre in Rajasthans Karauli district, is facing a peculiar problem that has no clear answer with Vasundhara Raje government. Two months ago, Baba Ramdev and chief minister Vasundhara Raje laid foundation stone for setting up a yoga center, ayurveda hospital and cow shelter on 400-bigha land with an estimated investment of Rs 500 crore. The land on which Baba Ramdev wants to set up is shown in revenue records as Mandir Mafi lands, which cannot be sold, allotted or given on lease. Hence, the government finds itself in a bind as rules do not permit conversion of such land. The land was given on three years lease to Patanjali Yoga Peeth by Govind Dev ji trust, which owns the land. According to experts, temple lands are registered in the name of the deity, which in legal terms is considered a minor, with the name of the priest mentioned as the guardian hence such land cannot be sold or converted for any other purpose. The matter has been decided at Supreme Courts level. However, when the matter reached before the government for approval for converting the land into industrial, it was realised that there is no rule to convert a temple land for any other purpose. Several meeting were held in the secretariat and district level to find a way. The government has also sought advice of the law department but so far there is no solution in sight. And, it may not be possible soon because Assembly elections are close and the officials would not want to get into trouble later in case the government changes and orders a probe. Besides, there is an old dispute going on between a local man who claims ownership of the land on the basis that the land belonged to his father while the temple trust also claims its ownership. The southern winter is a glorious thing with chilly nights and warm days, dust in the air and lungs, the harvested maize stalks withering in stooped ranks, the chapped lips and static in the air, the smell of fires at dusk and the skies that go on forever. And the land burned gold and brown in the absence of rain. The land. Begetter of life and instigator of tragedies. "The land that has happened inside us, this nobody can take away from us, not even ourselves." The words belong to the South African writer, Andre Brink, and were written 40 years ago when the struggle against apartheid was at its most bitter. He wrote of the journey of a black man and a white woman through the interior of South Africa in the 18th Century. There is a love story - a scandalous proposition when it was first published in South Africa - between black and white. But the true love in Brink's book is for the land. In the mid 18th Century the land of southern Africa was still being colonised. In fact that process would continue until late in the 19th Century when Cecil Rhodes's invading columns moved into Matabeleland and Mashonaland to carve out the country that is today known as Zimbabwe. They shot, hanged and flogged the original occupants, subjugated them and took their land away. As Ireland was celebrating its first successful revolution - the land campaign led by Charles Stewart Parnell and Michael Davitt - precisely the opposite process was underway in southern Africa. The seizure of black land by imperialists did not appear to trouble Parnell. He was a man of his time. He even accepted a substantial political donation from Cecil Rhodes who saw in the push for Irish Home Rule a useful template for his own self-governing ambitions in Africa. That was in 1888. Two years later Rhodes's columns rolled north on the fateful journey that would lead to dispossession, the installation of a white supremacist regime, a bitter liberation war, the rise to power of Robert Mugabe, the invasion of white farms, the destruction of the country's economy, a military backed coup and the arrival in power last November of Emmerson Mnangagwa. It is a lot of history crowded into the short span of 118 years. And still the question of land haunts the nation. More than once on this journey through the winter fields of Zimbabwe I have been reminded of my uncle John B and his play The Field. He knew that in rural Ireland, just as in rural Africa, what famine could do to the psyche of a people. In the words of the Bishop who addresses the congregation after a man has been murdered in a north Kerry land dispute: "And in this parish, you, and your fathers before you knew what it was to starve because you did not own your own land - and that has increased; this unappeasable hunger for land." Come forward to 1992 when a north Kerry woman facing eviction declared: "I will give up my life before I give up that land." She went to jail with her husband to make her point. I am back in Zimbabwe and I am legal once more, having spent over a decade on a Government blacklist. A senior minister once described me as a 'wizard' who came to destabilise the country. He has now fled into exile and would be arrested on sight if he were foolish enough to return. Mr Jonathan Moyo became a victim of his talent for picking the wrong side in the bitter factional disputes that culminated in last September's military coup. He was a pal of Grace Mugabe and poured scorn and vitriol on her enemies. Mr Moyo was the propagandist who justified the brutal land invasions that ruined the country's agricultural production in the name of writing an historic wrong. The majority of white farmers were driven from the fields in the guise of righting the historic wrong initiated by Cecil Rhodes and his accomplices. The imagery of white families being terrorised out of their homes caused outrage, particularly in Britain. For Mugabe it all had much more to do with sustaining his power than obtaining justice for the landless. Many of the prime beneficiaries of the land invasions were party hacks and senior generals. Given the history, white farmers were an easy diversionary target when Zimbabweans bridled under Mugabe's despotic rule. But his cynical, brutal tactics do not take away from the justice of land reform. Travelling the country, I met landless black families hoping that the new dispensation would give them their own few acres at last. I met a liberation war veteran stranded on a farm he had neither the training or capital to make flourish, regretting the international isolation which followed the invasions he had helped to lead. And I met white farmers who were hoping to get back onto the land. If they do, they will help this country to recover. Those I met, like Ben Freeth, who was driven off his farm nine years ago, are patriotic Zimbabweans. While lobbying to return to his land he has been helping to train black farmers. A land that once exported food to the region now must import to feed itself. Zimbabwe needs a thriving agricultural sector. As the former colonial power, Britain has a special responsibility here. But Ireland can help too. Our farmers and agri-business experts needn't wait for the Government to start pouring extra funding into Zimbabwe, if it ever does. They can approach organisations like the Limerick-based Bothar, Concern, Oxfam Ireland and ask what they can do to help. Think of the expertise an organisation like Kerry PLC group could offer. What began as a group of farmers' cooperatives banding together in north Kerry is now an international food giant with a multi-million Euro business. What better triumph over the legacy of dispossession and famine? In an age when there is much justifiable scrutiny of foreign aid and its usefulness, Zimbabwe presents a special case. Yes there are questions about a Government largely made up of former allies of Robert Mugabe, men and women who presided over the land invasions that produced such ruin. But there is a realisation in Harare that with any new investment, there will be strong scrutiny. The old methods cannot endure. Help must be carefully targeted. It cannot be a charter to make fat cats fatter. The landless, the small farmers have waited too long for justice. If ever there was a place where a small country like ours could make a very big difference it is Zimbabwe. Fergal Keane is the BBC Africa Editor Lust is a strange emotion that brings endless potential - but none of the risks of true love. Over the past few days, Sinn Fein's lust for power both north and south has been evident. The party leadership amended a motion that would have restricted Mary Lou McDonald's political flirtations to the likes of the Solidarity-People Before Profit alliance. She knows that the likes of Richard Boyd Barrett and Paul Murphy will be of no use to her after the next election. There is zero chance of them actually entering government and running the country. But Ms McDonald is very interested in the potential for a meaningful relationship with Leo Varadkar or Micheal Martin. That won't sit well with many of her followers - but their anxieties would be soothed by moving a step closer to being in government north and south. Before the 2016 general election, Sinn Fein made a tactical error by declaring that it would only take part in a coalition if it was the largest party. It meant it was immediately discounted once the ballot boxes were opened. The two main parties derided Gerry Adams as somebody who was only interested in carping from the sidelines. But Ms McDonald is working hard to change that perception and to some extent, it is working. On several occasions in recent years, we in the media have rang around Fianna Fail TDs to identify "the rump" who were open to talking to Sinn Fein. It was a recurring story that drove Mr Martin and his senior advisors to the point of distraction. The leader has consistently said Sinn Fein is "a cult". But he knows the next election could be his last as leader - and voters will question whether he hates Sinn Fein enough to turn down its support if it is the difference being the Taoiseach or a backbencher. What has changed in recent months is that people are now also analysing the potential for Fine Gael to do a deal with Ms McDonald. Leo Varadkar says she is like French far-right leader Marine Le Pen and Ms McDonald has called him "smarmy". But the juvenile insults couldn't hide the fact that Sinn Fein recently helped Fine Gael in two Seanad by-elections. And in recent weeks the two parties did a once unimaginable deal on legislation relating to the vetting of judges. It reached the point where party chiefs had to brief TDs on how to reject media questions about "cosying up" to Sinn Fein. So on the surface, Mary Lou McDonald has managed to bring her party in from the sidelines - but that doesn't mean it has stepped fully out of its shadowy past. Being part of the debate doesn't automatically bring us to the point where Sinn Fein are real contenders for ministerial seats for a number of reason. Fine Gael and Fianna Fail consistently say that Sinn Fein's policies and attitude to politics are not "compatible" with their own views of the world. But is this really the case or a stock answer to hold back the inevitable? Before Budget 2018, Sinn Fein proposed 2bn in tax hikes, many of which would hit ordinary families. A few other proposals included: A 47pc higher tax rate on income over 100,000, albeit marketed as a surcharge of seven cents in the euro. Abolishing the special 9pc VAT rate on the tourism industry Increasing inheritance tax to 36pc (which would hit families who wish to pass on their homes) Hiking employers' PRSI on salaries over 100,000 by 5.75pc Abolishing property tax at a cost of 445m. At the Ard Fheis in Belfast this weekend, Pearse Doherty said Sinn Fein "offer economic transformation". However, it's difficult to see how either of the main parties could sign up to a transformation that would be perceived as anti-business. Fine Gael sources say they would "spell disaster", noting how Gerry Adams championed the Greek model of economic recovery. "Look at where Greece is now and look at where we are. That's all the evidence you need that Sinn Fein can't be trusted with the economy," said a senior Fine Gael figure. Likewise, Fianna Fail say Mary Lou McDonald's attitude to business would "instigate a major fiscal crisis". A basic point of contrast is the establishment of a Rainy Day Fund. Fianna Fail demanded one as part of the confidence and supply arrangement. Fine Gael agreed. But Sinn Fein plans to spend the cash "and at the same time ignore European fiscal rules". "They can't have it both ways," a Fianna Fail source said. Moving past the economy, there are big differences in the approach to international affairs. Once upon a time that would not be a big deal - but in the era of Brexit and Trump, our place in the world matters more than ever. There is a widely held view that Sinn Fein has tried to exploit Brexit to bounce the UK into a poll on a united Ireland. The Fianna Fail hierarchy are particularly strong on this point, believing that such a move would prove counterproductive. Sinn Fein has a long history as a Eurosceptic party. It opposed Ireland joining the European Union in 1973 and has fought against every EU referendum in Ireland since. And while the party is now extremely vocal on Brexit, it never actually registered with the UK Electoral Commission to campaign during the referendum in 2016. Despite that recent deal on judges, Fine Gael would find an actual deal on crime next to impossible to explain to its membership. Just last week, Sinn Fein voted against the retention of the non-jury Special Criminal Courts, leading Charlie Flanagan to question their "true motives". Traditionally Sinn Fein's version of ''law and order'' is more associated with kangaroo courts than the Four Courts. And then there is the question of whether TDs from the two main parties could actually work with their counterparts in Sinn Fein. While Mary Lou McDonald might slot into the Tanaiste role, what about Doherty in finance or Dessie Ellis in transport? There would be a grassroots revolt if Leo Varadkar or Micheal Martin even considered signing off on a Sinn Fein justice minister. Both men would also have to consider the impact of mixing so closely with a party they claim has a toxic culture. One in eight of Sinn Fein councillors has left the party since 2014 for a variety of reasons, including bullying. Ms McDonald has always denied there is any bullying culture but time and again stories have found their way into the media. There is also a risk of contamination from incidents such as the Barry McElduff's mocking of the Kingsmill massacre. Imagine Varadkar or Martin having to stand up in the Dail and face questions about the Sinn Fein leadership's initial reaction to the controversy. Or an even more recent example, when Senator Maire Devine insulted the memory of murdered prison officer Brian Stack. She got a rap on the knuckles. So while Mary Lou McDonald might lust after power, the journey to a place where her comrades would be acceptable to Fine Gael and Fianna Fail seems far from complete. Her day may be coming but the strong evidence suggests that we would not be looking at Tanaiste McDonald after the next election. The Trump administration is guilty of many acts of deliberate cruelty. But just as the world was watching the lead up to the Trump-Kim Jong-un meeting in Singapore last Monday, the US may have sunk even lower by quietly announcing a decision that threatens to kill millions by starvation or disease. The potential death sentence came in a short press statement by the US press secretary, Mike Pompeo, effectively giving a green light for the UAE to launch its offensive in Yemen aimed at capturing Hodeidah on the Red Sea. The port city is the point of entry for 70pc of food and medical supplies for the eight-million Yemenis whom the UN says are on the brink of starvation out of the 22 million in need of humanitarian aid. The eagerness of US officials to avoid accusations of complicity in the Hodeidah attack was a sign that they suspect the outcome may be calamitous. Pompeo was deliberately low-key in his three sentence statement about Hodeidah: "I have spoken with Emirati leaders and made clear our desire to address their security concerns while preserving the free flow of humanitarian aid and life-saving commercial imports." Absent from this message for the first time was any call for Saudi Arabia and the UAE not to attack Hodeidah, a city with a population of 600,000. The US and UAE have been working hard on a smokescreen of misinformation about who is responsible for what is happening and why they are launching the offensive now. The 25,000 Yemeni fighters who yesterday took the airport at Hodeidah are not an independent force but are paid for and under the control of the UAE. "We take our orders from the Emiratis, of course," a Yemeni field commander in the front line told Iona Craig of The Intercept earlier this month as he called in airstrikes. This air support is provided by the Saudis and the UAE with the US providing essential services such as mid-air refuelling and target intelligence. The US is denying that it has a direct role in the assault on Hodeidh, but it would not happen without its assent. The UAE has made it clear privately to US officials that it would not attack Hodeidah without the permission and support of the Trump administration. The White House decided to escalate the Saudi and UAE-led campaign against the Houthis, whom it denounces as Iranian proxies, though without providing much evidence of this. A justification by the UAE for attacking Hodeidah is that it was used by the Houthis to import Iranian-made missiles and other weapons. But a UN panel of experts concluded earlier in the year that no weapons were coming through the port from Iran because ships are randomly inspected and must be authorised by the UN. A crude attempt was made by the UAE to pretend that it is not acting in concert with the US by announcing publicly that its request to the US for satellite imagery, reconnaissance and mine-sweeping had been turned down. Given that countries do not normally put such rejections up in lights, this is clearly another attempt to play down the US role. Why is the US doing this? Trump is closer to Saudi Arabia and UAE than any another US president and they have put a vast effort into cultivating him. The White House sees Yemen as one front in a broader campaign to put pressure on Iran. But the most important motive for escalation by Saudi Arabia, UAE and their foreign backers such as the US, Britain and France is that their war has not been going well for them. When Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman began the Saudi air war against the Houthis in March 2015, it was over-confidently named 'Operation Decisive Storm'. It turned out to be anything but decisive and is still going on three years later. The US is encouraging the UAE and its allies to take Hodeidah to break the deadlock, by tightening encirclement of the Houthis. But this is a long way from taking Sanaa and forcing the Houthis to surrender. What the Hodeidah operation may do is turn a humanitarian disaster, which the UN is already calling the worst humanitarian crisis in the world, into complete catastrophe. Three quarters of the 27 million Yemenis already require aid to survive and this may be cut off in the next few days as the fighting moves into Hodeidah and closes the port. The Saudis and the UAE are trying to defuse international concerns, particularly in the US Congress, about an impending famine by saying that they are ready and waiting to send in supplies once they have taken Hodeidah. That sounds good, but last year Saudi Arabia even banned chlorine tablets being sent to Yemen though it was suffering from a cholera epidemic - in which, according to the World Health Organisation, 500,000 people have been infected and 2,000 children have died. The epidemic started because the Saudi-led coalition had bombed the main electric power station and not enough fuel was getting through to keep the sewage and water purification plants working. Even if Hodeidah falls, the Saudi and Emirati-backed Yemeni forces will be unable to fight their way into the rugged highlands of Yemen. Pretensions of humanitarian concern from Yemen by the US, Britain and France reek of hypocrisy, shedding copious tears for the victims of war while supplying the arms and advisers with which that war is being waged. The largely ineffective Houthi missiles fired at Riyadh are furiously denounced, but scarcely a squeak is heard about the relentless bombing of Sanaa and every other population centre in the country. The US and Britain opposed a demand by Sweden at the UN Security Council last Thursday that Saudi Arabia and UAE declare an immediate ceasefire. Some cynics suspect that the Saudi-UAE offensive is timed to sink peace efforts by the UN Special Envoy Martin Griffiths whereby the Houthis would withdraw from Hodeidah and the UN take over the port city. Calling for a political settlement, as Britain has done, sounds better than calling for more war, but the outcome will be much the same so long as Saudi Arabia and UAE try to gain through diplomacy what they have failed to win on the battlefield. It is only when the US, Britain and France begin to exact a political price from Saudi Arabia and UAE for continuing their disastrous foreign venture in Yemen that the end of the war will be in sight. Independent Sir - Eoghan Harris and others have questioned the advisability of the Leo Varadkar visit to the Orange Order and the Feile in west Belfast (Sunday Independent, June 10). While these issues are, of course, debatable, it may be appropriate to give those involved the benefit of being considered well-intentioned, if not wise. But contrast all of that with Sinn Fein's mean-spirited objection to the honouring of Seamus Mallon by bestowing on him the freedom of Drogheda. In the past week, or so, we saw this country also honour the memory of two Irish soldiers who died while serving with the UN. Given its track record, I assume Sinn Fein would not support this honour seeing that those two heroes were murdered by the Shinners' pals in the PLO. Seamus Mallon is one of the giants of Irish history, who tried to bridge the gap between communities in a peaceful and generous manner. Seamus has also something in common with another Irish hero, Tom Crean, the great Antarctic explorer because Sinn Fein also objected to the erection of a statue to Tom in his native Annascaul, though Mary Lou McDonald was happy to unveil the statue of Sean Russell, a Nazi collaborator, in Clontarf. But Mary Lou and Michelle O'Neill will continue to pose as representing new and liberal politics, advocating respect and inclusiveness and pseudo liberal guff so acceptable on RTE. These are the same people who are refusing to restore power-sharing because they are not getting enough "respect". What petty-minded hypocrites. Pat O'Mahony, Dalkey, Co Dublin Has Harris got a hidden agenda? Sir - It seems Arlene Foster, Eoghan Harris and Mairia Cahill are all opposed to the Taoiseach launching Feile An Phobail (Sunday Independent, June 10). At the same time, they themselves have all attended and spoken at the same festival. Are we living in the twilight zone? I do appreciate that Mairia Cahill has suffered greatly and deserves great respect in relation to her horrific abuse, and indeed Arlene Foster may have been indulging in a little political point-scoring, particularly as Gavin Robinson DUP MP, and then the Lord Mayor of Belfast, himself, launched the festival in 2012, and spoke in remarkably similar tones to An Taoiseach. However, in relation to Eoghan Harris, I am extremely disappointed. Recently he has seemed to have lost all sense of balance in his political commentary. Indeed, his column now reads more like an advertorial for Micheal Martin. It was notable, that in his comments after the recent referendum, he couldn't bring himself to even name An Taoiseach Leo Varadkar. In relation to Feile an Phobail, Eoghan criticises the Taoiseach for launching the Feile and then goes on to say that he, himself, spoke at the Feile. His Jesuitical explanation and self-exculpation puts one in mind of Bill Clinton's 'but I didn't inhale' moment. One has to ask, is there an agenda here compromising the necessary balance of even polemical writing? If so, it is hugely sad, particularly in a columnist such as Eoghan Harris. Martin Murnaghan, Co Louth North looks to the future - not past Sir - To the average person reading your paper last weekend, one might have thought Leo Varadkar made his way to Northern Ireland for the sole purpose of visiting the Orange Order and launching Feile an Phobail, dutifully ticking both of the "orange" and "green" boxes. Even further mis-characterising the spirit of the Taoiseach's visit, some commentators in the Sunday Independent were perpetuating the old idea of "us" and "them" politics, suggesting that by launching the Feile, West Belfast's pride and joy as Ireland's largest festival, Leo Varadkar has cynically engaged with a "Republican" event to pave the way towards a coalition with Sinn Fein. There are two things wrong with this poor commentary. Firstly, there is the continued suggestion that Northern Ireland is solely comprised of republicans and unionists, with no one in between worth mentioning. However, more frustrating to me, as a business leader in Northern Ireland, is that his other engagements were hardly mentioned. There was little recognition of the conversations that were probably the most relevant as Northern Ireland reaches 18 months with no functioning Executive and only nine months away from Brexit. Meetings with cross-border bodies, leading all-Ireland businesses and a civic engagement meeting at Queen's University, including representatives from the majority of business organisations, higher education and the community and voluntary sector were all passed over in favour of the attention-grabbing headlines. Opening the hand of friendship to members of the unionist and nationalist traditions is, of course, very important. However, failing to recognise the important engagement the Taoiseach had with us business leaders perpetuates the stereotypical view of Northern Ireland as obsessed with national identity, instead of recognising the issues we're actually trying to deal with; for example, Brexit, business uncertainty and a complete political vacuum. Indeed, this is the first time in the two years since the referendum where business and civic leaders in Northern Ireland have been brought together to engage openly in a group setting with a political leader. The crude analysis around the Taoiseach's visit to Feile an Phobail was presented as a cynical, political appeal to the Republican tradition. Instead of recognising the leadership shown to engage with all members of Northern Ireland's community, the response has, once again, focused on presenting Northern Ireland simply as a divided community. It's that type of mindless labelling that is to blame for the stagnant, leaderless vacuum we are dealing with in Northern Ireland. To the cynics of the visit, I would like them to consider what the leadership shown last week means to those of us in Northern Ireland, especially in the absence of a local Executive. The idea of rejecting dialogue with entire communities amid accusations of "endorsing" every historical action, or presenting it as a tokenistic gesture to serve other political ends is simply ridiculous - leadership is about engaging in dialogue, especially if you might disagree. Therefore, I applaud the Taoiseach on his visit and I would suggest that the cynics note that the majority of people in Northern Ireland are focused on building the future, rather than dwelling on the past. Tina McKenzie, Co Antrim Exam discipline generates skills Sir - The Leaving Cert is commonly known for creating stress and anxiety among young people of this generation. Some of my friends, who are sitting the most important exam of their lives, are anxious and under horrible pressure by the whole situation. I see others at ease and overly distracted by video games. At the end of the day, it's down to self-motivation and thorough discipline to study. Fortunately, our stress levels force us to generate these skills and create opportunities for our future selves. Ellen Murphy, Co Carlow Brexit is declaration of economic war on us Sir Dan OBrien is right when he tells us that Brexit is one of the most important issues in the history of this State (Sunday Independent, June 10). He is also right when he says that a good outcome is simply not achievable. Brexit has historically negative importance in relation to international cooperation in a continent that was reduced to rubble in the past by imperial/totalitarian warfare. The EU is a union of nearly 30 democracies, each of which signed a treaty to cooperate in matters of mutual interest. Brexit has torn up that treaty and declared economic war on the rest of Europe. The Good Friday Agreement was signed between the UK and Ireland. Together with the visit of Queen Elizabeth it drew a line under nearly eight centuries of colonial rule. The pre-Brexit position saw very good relations between Dublin and London and an absence of all border controls. Brexit has torn up that agreement and will reimpose the border to prevent free movement. Given that situation, all our Government can do is treat the UK as a hostile state in the same way the UK through Brexit has declared Ireland. All we can hope for is that the rest of the EU supports us. But we have to come to terms with the fact that Brexit will have long-term negative consequences, not only for Ireland but for the UK and the rest of the EU and for international cooperation worldwide. A Leavy, Sutton, Dublin 13 Just a voice in the wilderness Sir I feel unrepresented in my own country. Politicians, the media, people who I thought would give me a fair hearing on my opinions, religious institutions, international institutions, people who my late parents taught me to trust, have been, to say the least, untrustworthy. I have come to the point where to say what I am is to be sneered at, treated as if I am inferior in some way, that I should just shut up and mind my own business while serious people get on with running my country. Ive come to the point where as a person who loves sport, I actually couldnt care less if any Irish team ever wins a game again. To live in this country, which I loved unconditionally, is becoming more and more difficult every day. If I had written this letter 10 years ago, it would probably have come from someone who was gay, black, non-religious, Protestant, Muslim or pro abortion. I am none of these. Patrick Duffy, Limerick Ban offensive political billboards Sir What do the objections to the Soapbox cartoon by Tom Halliday tell us (Letters, Sunday Independent, June 3/10)? That religious people are sensitive about their beliefs or that No voters lack a sense of humour? I moved to humour in the dying days of the campaign. Undoubtedly I, too, offended many Christians with my cartoon blog posted online, One billboard outside Dublin, which displayed a message that small children were looking at: Every time a woman has an orgasm God kills a kitten. I illustrated this cartoon in reaction to the enormous images of aborted foetuses that the No side posted outside maternity hospitals, and elsewhere. They were offensive to everyone women, men and children. I know of at least one person who almost crashed her car when driving under one such banner on the N11 and many others who were deeply upset at the reminder of their miscarriages. In my view, legislation should be enacted to ban, or at least restrict in terms of size and location, all political posters in referendums and elections in Ireland. Alison Hackett, Dun Laoghaire, Co Dublin Airman (95) says thank you Sir The only reason why, at 95 years of age, I can enjoy a full and active life is because of the excellent medical care afforded to me by the Irish medical profession. Not all Irish doctors are based in Ireland, as we all know. However, it is often not known or appreciated how significant their contribution was to keeping Irish airmen alive while they were fighting with the Allies for the freedoms our present-day society now takes for granted. Irish doctors were on hand and instantly available at Allied air bases and also in military hospitals, where they were universally admired for their care, concern, expertise and often their immense charm and sense of humour. I flew as a member of the all-volunteer Pathfinder Force, as a Lancaster pilot throughout the latter years of World War II and I and my (Irish) aircrew survived a crash landing in radiation fog. Although badly injured, Irish medical care both on site and after transfer to hospital, restored me to flying duties within six weeks of the crash. I and many of my fellow Irish contemporaries were the beneficiaries of this level of skill and care, both in the wartime years and throughout the rest of our lives, when many of us returned home, to transfer our wartime learnt skills to help as very experienced aircrew, in the evolution of Aer Lingus, our wonderful national airline. Now, as we gently pass into our later years, we are still enjoying wonderful care from our GPs and if and when we need them, from their specialist colleagues. I offer a personal salute, on behalf of myself and all of my contemporaries, to our wonderful Irish medical profession, past and present. Francis, Full name and address with the Editor Anthem should be for everyone Sir In reply to Stan Darbey (Letters, Sunday Independent, June 10), regarding changing our national anthem to Sean O Riadas Women of Ireland, may I remind Stan that we are just over decades of scandal involving the awful abuse that boys and men have suffered throughout the 20th Century, some suffered by myself, family and friends, which prompted me to leave school aged just 14 against my parents wishes. The men and women of 1916 have proclaimed a better Ireland for all, men, women and children, all inclusive. We have all suffered in the past 100 years, so to have a national anthem in honour of just women would be extremely sexist. What is it about todays Ireland that women think everything is about them? Where does that leave equality? If we are to have a new anthem, lets make it one that includes all, and one that shows that as a people we are stronger men, women and our future, our wonderful children. Tony Mooney, Beaumont, Dublin 9 A day to remember Magdalene victims Sir It was heartening to see the sunshine light up the faces of the Magdalene Laundry women as they arrived home to Dublin Airport. It was ironic that our young people came in droves to vote the week before, to an Ireland they would like to inherit. The downside of this occasion was that none of the religious orders were there to greet the women and show them the hand of friendship. Some of them were on their first trip home from their exile and they told their stories of misery and suffering, shame and guilt. Their only crime was that they came from large families and poverty, and became pregnant outside of marriage. Some slaved in the laundries they lost their names, their spirit, families, their hair, their hopes and, unknown to them, their babies were flying to Boston and New York to wealthy families. You would have to have a heart of stone not to feel for them. We have St Brigids Day, St Patricks Day, and now we should have a day to remember the Magdalene Laundry women. Ireland is a place of saints and scholars, a Catholic country, but where were our Christian values? The wheel of life has turned slowly. As they were greeted in the streets of Dublin with spontaneous applause from the public and gardai, one lady said she felt like a pop star, she never expected to get this treatment. Yes, they came home to an Ireland of compassion, diversity and hope for tomorrow. Ted Cadogan, Skibbereen WEST HOLLYWOOD, CA - MAY 02: Caitlin Fitzgerald attends the For Your Consideration event for Starz's "Sweetbitter" And Vida" at The Jeremy Hotel on May 2, 2018 in West Hollywood, California. (Photo by Earl Gibson III/Getty Images) WEST HOLLYWOOD, CA - FEBRUARY 13: Actress Caitlin Fitzgerald attends the Lifetime hosts Anti-Valentine's Bash for Premieres of 'UnREAL' and 'Mary Kills People' at Eveleigh on February 13, 2018 in West Hollywood, California. (Photo by Tara Ziemba/Getty Images) WEST HOLLYWOOD, CA - MAY 02: Caitlin Fitzgerald attends the For Your Consideration event for Starz's "Sweetbitter" And Vida" at The Jeremy Hotel on May 2, 2018 in West Hollywood, California. (Photo by Earl Gibson III/Getty Images) Aidan Turner and new girlfriend, actress Caitlin Fitzgerald, have been spotted on a romantic break in Paris. The 34-year-old Poldark star and Masters of Sex actress, who is also 34, met on the set of their upcoming fantasy feature film, The Man Who Killed Hitler And Then the Bigfoot. Expand Expand Previous Next Close WEST HOLLYWOOD, CA - MAY 02: Caitlin Fitzgerald attends the For Your Consideration event for Starz's "Sweetbitter" And Vida" at The Jeremy Hotel on May 2, 2018 in West Hollywood, California. (Photo by Earl Gibson III/Getty Images) WEST HOLLYWOOD, CA - MAY 02: Caitlin Fitzgerald attends the For Your Consideration event for Starz's "Sweetbitter" And Vida" at The Jeremy Hotel on May 2, 2018 in West Hollywood, California. (Photo by Earl Gibson III/Getty Images) / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp WEST HOLLYWOOD, CA - MAY 02: Caitlin Fitzgerald attends the For Your Consideration event for Starz's "Sweetbitter" And Vida" at The Jeremy Hotel on May 2, 2018 in West Hollywood, California. (Photo by Earl Gibson III/Getty Images) The film was shot in Massachusetts last year and the Dublin actor plays an American solider in World War II who leaves his love, played by Caitlin, behind when he's tasked with assassinating Adolf Hitler. US actress Caitlin is best known for her role in Masters of Sex and she also played the daughter of Merly Streep in It's Complicated in 2009. Expand Close Caitlin Fitzgerald (l) with hair stylist Mara Schiavetti and Aidan Turner (r) PIC: Marasciavettibeauty/Instagram / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp Caitlin Fitzgerald (l) with hair stylist Mara Schiavetti and Aidan Turner (r) PIC: Marasciavettibeauty/Instagram The co-stars were photographed at the wrap party for their upcoming film in September last year. A hairstylist on the film shared a selfie with them on Instagram with the caption, "Wrap party, Tequila shots and the rest is a blur. Yours truly with Caitlin Fitzgerald and Aidan Turner at Hubies tavern in Turners Falls MA. What a great cast, crew and film, it was sad to say goodbye. Until next time." Expand Close WEST HOLLYWOOD, CA - FEBRUARY 13: Actress Caitlin Fitzgerald attends the Lifetime hosts Anti-Valentine's Bash for Premieres of 'UnREAL' and 'Mary Kills People' at Eveleigh on February 13, 2018 in West Hollywood, California. (Photo by Tara Ziemba/Getty Images) / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp WEST HOLLYWOOD, CA - FEBRUARY 13: Actress Caitlin Fitzgerald attends the Lifetime hosts Anti-Valentine's Bash for Premieres of 'UnREAL' and 'Mary Kills People' at Eveleigh on February 13, 2018 in West Hollywood, California. (Photo by Tara Ziemba/Getty Images) Aidan Turner split from his previous girlfriend, Nettie Wakefield, in June last year. Nettie has reportedly just gotten engaged to presenter Alex Zane. He was also in a relationship with Irish actress Sarah Greene for five years. When asked if he had a girlfriend recently, Turner said he had, but was coy about her identity. In April it was reported that he was engaged to a '24 year old law graduate'. However, he has been photographed kissing and walking hand in hand with Caitlin in Paris. Expand Close Aidan Turner as Ross Poldark in the upcoming fourth series (Mammoth Screen/BBC) / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp Aidan Turner as Ross Poldark in the upcoming fourth series (Mammoth Screen/BBC) Sam Heughan (L) and actress Caitriona Balfe arrive at Starz's "Outlander" FYC Special Screening and Panel at the Linwood Dunn Theater at the Pickford Center for Motion Study on March 18, 2018 in Hollywood, California. (Photo by Amanda Edwards/Getty Images) Caitriona Balfe arrives at Starz's "Outlander" FYC Special Screening and Panel at the Linwood Dunn Theater at the Pickford Center for Motion Study on March 18, 2018 in Hollywood, California. (Photo by Amanda Edwards/Getty Images) Caitriona Balfe during 8th Annual Victoria's Secret Fashion Show - Runway at The New York State Armory in New York City, New York, United States. (Photo by KMazur/WireImage) Caitriona Balfe during 8th Annual Victoria's Secret Fashion Show - Runway at The New York State Armory in New York City, New York, United States. (Photo by KMazur/WireImage) Caitriona Balfe arrives at Starz's "Outlander" FYC Special Screening and Panel at the Linwood Dunn Theater at the Pickford Center for Motion Study on March 18, 2018 in Hollywood, California. (Photo by Amanda Edwards/Getty Images) Irish actress Caitriona Balfe has a career most would give their right arm for - she's a retired supermodel, the only Irish woman to appear in the Victoria's Secret Fashion Show and she stars on cult hit Outlander, earning a slew of award nominations in the process. The Co Monaghan native (38) was discovered by a model scout at the age of 18, which she says taught her independence from an early age, but something which sometimes came at the cost of her self esteem. After some early work in Dublin, she began travelling around the world to Paris and Milan before moving to New York full time. "I remember one of my first ever photoshoots in Dublin," she told Irish Tatler. "I was so young and I remember coming back from it and my sister was like, 'Where have you been all day?' Expand Close Caitriona Balfe in Oscar de la Renta Fall 2003 Fashion (Photo by J. Vespa/WireImage) / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp Caitriona Balfe in Oscar de la Renta Fall 2003 Fashion (Photo by J. Vespa/WireImage) "I was just being sent off with a strange photographer who was older and with no kind of knowledge about where I was going, what was expected, just sort of thrown out to the wolves at 18. It's just incredible when I look back now at how I navigated all of that because you are literally just send off on your own, traipsing around some strange cities where you don't know the language. "You are just expected to fend for yourself. It was the wild west and you were lucky if you had a job." After hanging up her high heels in 2009, she decided to pursue acting and moved to Los Angeles full-time at the age of 29, a late starter in comparison to the bus load of teenagers making their way to Hollywood every day. "When I left the business, I moved to LA and I am so grateful that I was able to take a year...a lot of that was just dismantling a lot of the mental issues I had taken from the business because your confidence and your self-esteem is in the toilet after you've been in that business for so long." Balfe previously described her modelling experience as "vapid", while saying she's also grateful for the opportunities it afforded her to travel the world. Meanwhile, she is planning her wedding to music producer Tony McGill, a relationship over which she is fiercely protective and rarely speaks about in interviews. "I would just love to have all of my friends and family and have a great party. I think the production side of it is just too much like work," she told the magazine about her wedding planning. Expand Close Actress Caitriona Balfe spotted with fiancee Tony McGill close to St Stephen's Green / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp Actress Caitriona Balfe spotted with fiancee Tony McGill close to St Stephen's Green Equipped with dual use capability, it will be finished by 2022; Gives more teeth to Chinese military. Moreover with the entire Indo-China border in the north running on the high-altitude inner Himalayas, it is not an easy area for land forces to operate in and air power stands greater chance of dominating the heights. (Photo: PTI/File) New Delhi: China is building three big airports in close proximity to the Indian border. While the airports are civilian ones, the move is expected to bolster Chinas air power against India substantially as Chinese airports are equipped with dual use capability, allowing both civilian and military operations. On June 8, the Tibet Civil Aviation Administration took the decision to build three airports in Lhunze, Shigatse, and in Burang. The three airports are to be completed before 2022. The airports can aid the Chinese military by acting as launch bases for support of troops as well as replenishment of supplies, very critical in the backdrop of operational limitations due to high-altitude in Tibet. It is difficult for aircraft to take off from the 4 km high Tibetan plateau because of the rarefied atmospheric conditions due to which aircraft cannot acquire full thrust resulting in payload limitations. Comparatively, it is easier for Indian Air Force (IAF) planes to operate as the Indian side is much lower in height than the Chinese side. Moreover with the entire Indo-China border in the north running on the high-altitude inner Himalayas, it is not an easy area for land forces to operate in and air power stands greater chance of dominating the heights. The airport being set up in Lhunze will be just across the border, a few kilometres from Arunachal Pradeshs upper Subansiri district. This location made global headlines recently after China moved in enormous quantities of men and material to undertake gold and silver mining in a mega gold mine valued at about $60 billion. The new airport besides helping military operations will also aid the gold mining effort in the remote area. The airport in Burang will be located in the tri-junction in Chinas Tibet, bordering Nepal and Pithoragarh in Indias Uttarakhand while the airport in Shigatse city (or Xigaze) will be closest to the Doklam plateau, near the tri-junction between Indias Sikkim, Bhutan and southern Tibet. Doklam was the site of the 73-day standoff between Indian and Chinese troopers in 2017. At present, Tibet has five big airports. China is already building roads and railroads to these areas in the lofty Himalayas on a war footing. Major railheads are already being set up in Burang and Yatung (which is again near Doklam) even as a third link is being built to Gyirong, a settlement across the Nepal border with China. All these railheads will originate at Shigatse which is connected to Lhasa, Tibets capital. India is also ramping up the road and air linkages in the north and Northeast region bordering with China. Besides roads, the IAF has already activated several advanced landing grounds (ALGs) at Ziro, Along, Mechuka, Pasighat, Tuting and Along in Arunachal Pradesh. Gunmen have opened fire at an all-night arts and music festival in New Jersey, sending people running over each other in the scramble to safety, authorities said. One suspect was killed and 22 people, including two suspects, were injured. Of 17 people treated for gunshot wounds, four of them, including a 13-year-old boy, were critically injured but three had been upgraded to stable by evening, leaving only one man believed to be a suspect in critical condition, Mercer County Prosecutor Angelo Onofri. The shots rang out as an estimated 1,000 or more people were attending the Art All Night Trenton festival that showcases local art, music, food and films. Mr Onofri said numerous fights inside and outside had prompted police to tell organisers that the event needed to be shut down because there was a report that the mood inside the venue had been changing. Organisers were in the process of doing that when the shooting started, he said. Expand Close Multiple people were wounded early on Sunday (Paige Gross/NJ.com/The Star-Ledger via AP) / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp Multiple people were wounded early on Sunday (Paige Gross/NJ.com/The Star-Ledger via AP) Authorities believe several neighbourhood gangs had a dispute at the venue, and multiple suspects began shooting at each other, with police returning fire, Mr Onofri said. Tahaij Wells, 33, the suspect who was killed, had recently been released from prison and was on parole since February on homicide-related charges, Mr Onofri said. Amir Armstrong, 23, listed in stable condition, was charged with a weapons offence. It was not immediately known if he had a lawyer who could comment. Multiple weapons were confiscated, including a handgun with an extended capacity magazine containing more ammunition than is allowed under New Jersey law, Mr Onofri said. On Sunday, crime scene tape surrounded the site of the historic Roebling Wire Works Building that now shares a parking lot with a supermarket, bank and laundry. Police were also investigating an attempted carjacking that occurred in a nearby alley. Mr Onofri said police were working to determine if it is connected to the shooting. Gennie Darisme was getting ready to leave the festival when she heard shots and saw people running. There were people trampling other people, cars hitting other cars, she said. When she was walking back to her car after the shots stopped, Ms Darisme said she saw someone bleeding on the ground, in handcuffs. People were running to him, trying to see his face, to see if hes a family member or a friend, she said. Theresa Brown, who has been volunteering at Art All Night for 12 years, said she was leaving her volunteer shift when she heard pop, pop, pop. I thought it was a car backfiring, she said. The remainder of the two-day festival has been cancelled. Its with great regret that we announce that the remainder of Art All Night has been cancelled due to a tragic incident that occurred overnight. Were still processing much of this and we dont have many answers at... https://t.co/ZSZlIgVYdN Art All Night (@aantrenton) June 17, 2018 Were very shocked. Were deeply saddened. Our hearts ache and our eyes are blurry but our dedication and resolve to building a better Trenton through community, creativity and inspiration will never fade. Not tonight. Not ever, festival organisers posted on social media. The injured were taken to area hospitals, where some had been treated and released. Trenton Mayor Eric E Jackson said the violence cannot be discarded as just random violence; this is a public health issue. Pope Francis leaves after an audience at the Vatican (Alessandro Tarantino/AP) Pope Francis has denounced abortion as the white glove equivalent of the Nazi-era eugenics programme and urged families to accept the children that God gives them. Francis spoke off-the-cuff to a meeting of an Italian family association, ditching his prepared remarks to speak from the heart about families and the trials they undergo. He lamented how some couples choose not to have any children, while others resort to pre-natal testing to see if their baby has any malformations or genetic problems. Expand Close Pope Francis greets visitors to the Vatican (Alessandro Tarantino/AP) / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp Pope Francis greets visitors to the Vatican (Alessandro Tarantino/AP) The first proposal in such a case is, Do we get rid of it?' Francis said. The murder of children. To have an easy life, they get rid of an innocent. Francis recalled that, as a child, he was horrified to hear stories from his teacher about children thrown from the mountain if they were born with malformations. Today we do the same thing, he said. Last century, the whole world was scandalised by what the Nazis did to purify the race. Today, we do the same thing but with white gloves, Francis said. The pope urged families to accept children as God gives them to us. Francis has repeated the strict anti-abortion stance of his predecessors and integrated it into his broader condemnation of what he calls todays throw-away culture. He has frequently lamented how the sick, the poor, the elderly and the unborn are considered unworthy of protection and dignity by a society that prizes instead individual prowess. He has also decried how women are often considered part of this throw-away culture, sometimes forced to prostitute themselves. How many of you pray for these women who are thrown away, for these women who are used, for these girls who have to sell their own dignity to have a job? Francis asked during his morning homily on Friday. Francis has dedicated much of his pontificate to preaching about families, marriage and the problems that families today encounter. He is expected to highlight these issues during his August trip to Ireland where he will close out the Catholic Churchs big family rally. 'Spain wants to take legal action against me; France says that I make them vomit; I, however, want to work in harmony with everyone but with one clear principle: Italians come first." Those Trump-style words were expressed in a tweet last Tuesday by the newly installed Italian Interior Minister, Matteo Salvini, leader of the federalist (Northern) League and current deputy Prime Minister. His hardline, anti-immigrant convictions had always seemed set to provoke an immediate head-on clash with Italy's senior EU partners. In the end, it took him less than a week. Salvini started a furious diplomatic row last week by putting his finger on the raw nerve that is the European Union's migration policy. When the ship Aquarius, jointly run by two NGOs, Medecins Sans Frontieres and SOS Mediterranean, pulled up off the coast of Sicily last weekend with a 'cargo' of 629 people on board, Italy said "No", refusing to allow it entry. True to the anti-immigrant rhetoric that marked much of his electoral campaign, Salvini tweeted: "From today, Italy says no to human trafficking. Let us ensure a good life for these children in Africa and for our children in Italy." Within hours, French President Emmanuel Macron had dubbed Salvini "cynical and irresponsible" while Macron's party spokesman stated that Salvini's politics "make me vomit". Salvini stuck to his populist guns, however, refusing to allow the ship to dock, forcing it to go to Malta, where its cargo of Sudanese, Eritreans, Bangladeshi, Pakistanis, Moroccans and Algerians was again refused entry. Finally, new socialist Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez said his government would take in the migrants in the port of Valencia, where they are due to arrive today. Expand Close Italian Interior Minister Matteo Salvini. Photo: AP / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp Italian Interior Minister Matteo Salvini. Photo: AP Salvini was visibly satisfied with his coup, telling advisers that "Brussels" needs to understand that "the music has changed around here". In a speech to parliament last Wednesday, he defiantly attacked French "hypocrisy", pointing out that Paris wants to "act the Good Samaritan" with migrants on Italian soil but is more than happy to block them at the Italo-France land borders of Ventimiglia, in Liguria, and Bardonecchia, in Piedmont. In particular, Salvini recalled how France had denied entry to 10,000 mainly Eritrean migrants back in 2015. Inevitably, the diplomatic spat cooled. Macron phoned new Italian Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte in midweek to confirm last Friday's scheduled bilateral meeting. So, it was all kisses and hugs... and I still love you? Not really. The point is that Salvini had very clearly unmasked a fundamental European Union failing. Namely, the lack of a coherent, EU-wide migration policy. From Budapest to Berlin, from Lesbos to Lisbon, EU member countries continue to interpret the complex rules and regulations relative to migrants, to suit their own purposes. It is worth recalling that the EU migration crisis first began to assume its current biblical proportions following the 2011 so-called Arab Spring, mainly in North Africa. The subsequent disintegration of Libya and then the disastrous impact of the still ongoing conflict in Syria (not to mention conflict in Iraq, Afghanistan and Yemen) all exacerbated the problem. By 2015 and 2016, three million people were seeking political asylum in the EU as they ran from war, impending poverty or natural disasters. Given that the EU population is 508 million strong, a figure of three million should not necessarily prompt a populist panic. Yet it did, as EU citizens nightly saw images of boats laden with Africans arriving in Sicily, or trains crammed with Asians and East Europeans pulling into Berlin or camps in Lesbos, Greece, filling up with Syrians and others bound (they hoped) for Europe. Perception is everything. If you have stood on the quayside in Palermo or Catania - as I have - watching boatloads of tired, hungry, barely clothed migrants disembark, some still dazed by the trauma of having been pulled out of the Mediterranean after their rickety boat went down, well then perception is indeed everything. As the migrants, in this case mainly African, line up for a routine medical check right on the harbourside, you can feel only sorry for them. Well-meaning medical volunteers poke a little at them and look into their mouths to check teeth, just like a horse dealer at Ballinasloe Fair. Then they are taken off to the first of many 'holding' pens that will come to symbolise much of their Italian experience. Except that these are not horses at Ballinasloe, these are families, men, women and children, caught up in a desperate global plight. Overall, international migrants make up 244 million people or 3.3pc of the world's population. Even if the number of migrants arriving in Italy has radically diminished in 2018, the popular perception remains that Italy is being "invaded". Between 2014 and 2017, more than 100,000 migrants landed in Italy, stretching the country's already inadequate resources well beyond breaking point. In contrast, in the first five months of this year, some 11,000 migrants have landed in Italy. According to the UN Migration Agency, the IOM, in that same period this year, 33,400 people have crossed the Mediterranean to Europe, with some 785 drowning in the process. The above figures would suggest that the Italian crisis is over but that is not the attitude taken by Salvini. He desperately wants the terms of the 2013 Dublin Agreement rewritten. In particular, he and a large body of Italian popular opinion argue against the rule which says that a migrant must 'register' (and therefore most likely stay) in the country of his/her first EU port of entry. Given that the Italian island of Lampedusa is just 70 miles off the Tunisian coast and 300 miles from Libya, Italy is clearly always going to be the first point of arrival for many migrants, above all those from the world's poorest continent, Africa. Hence, Salvini argues that Italy has been left to deal with the problem on its own. Here, too, he has a point. Only one EU country, Germany, processed more asylum requests last year than Italy, 198,255 as opposed to 126,350. By comparison, Holland processed 16,090, Sweden 22,190, the UK 33,310 and Hungary just 3,115. For the time being, Salvini has not closed all doors. He draws an important distinction between migrants who arrive on Italian navy or coastguard ships and those who are "delivered" by NGOs such as those on the Aquarius. For example, the coastguard vessel Diciotti disembarked 932 migrants in Catania, Sicily, last Wednesday. On top of that, Salvini regularly argues that only 6 to 7pc of migrants are political refugees, with the rest being economic migrants, suggesting that the economic migrants should have fewer, if any, rights. Furthermore, like many in Italy, Salvini believes that organised crime syndicates have wormed their way into the migration business, not only transporting the boat people across the Mediterranean but also running migrant holding centres in Sicily, Rome and elsewhere. For that reason, he has his reservations about some of the less well- known NGOs. Salvini's call for tougher controls has unexpectedly won him immediate allies with both the Austrian Chancellor Sebastian Kurz and the German Interior Minister Horst Seehofer last week envisaging a Rome, Vienna and Berlin "axis" on migration, a move that could yet cause problems for Chancellor Merkel. When Salvini last week blocked the Aquarius, it looked like a populist, consensus-seeking stunt. One week later, it might have become the first step in a radical rethinking of EU migration policy. Perhaps, this new Italian government is not quite as naive as it might have seemed to some. Protesters clash with riot police during a demonstration against the agreement reached by Greece and Macedonia to resolve a dispute over the former Yugoslav republic's name, in Pisoderi village, northern Greece, June 17, 2018. REUTERS/Alexandros Avramidis Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras and Macedonian Prime Minister Zoran Zaev gesture before the signing of an accord to settle a long dispute over the former Yugoslav republic's name in the village of Psarades, in Prespes, Greece, June 17, 2018. REUTERS/Alkis Konstantinidis Greece and Macedonia have signed a deal that, if ratified, will resolve a decades-old dispute concerning Macedonia's name. Under the agreement, Greece's northern neighbour will be renamed North Macedonia, a move the two countries' leaders said would be the beginning of closer, friendly relations and an example to all Balkan nations. The deal will also allow Macedonia to try to join Nato and the European Union. The two countries' prime ministers, Greece's Alexis Tsipras and Macedonia's Zoran Zaev, attended the signing of the deal on Sunday by the two countries' foreign ministers, Nikos Kotzias and Nikola Dimitrov. Expand Expand Previous Next Close Protesters argue with riot police during a demonstration against the agreement reached by Greece and Macedonia to resolve a dispute over the former Yugoslav republic's name, in Pisoderi village, northern Greece, June 17, 2018. REUTERS/Alexandros Avramidis Protesters chant the Greek national anthem during a demonstration against the agreement reached by Greece and Macedonia to resolve a dispute over the former Yugoslav republic's name, in Pisoderi village, northern Greece, June 17, 2018. REUTERS/Alexandros Avramidis / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp Protesters argue with riot police during a demonstration against the agreement reached by Greece and Macedonia to resolve a dispute over the former Yugoslav republic's name, in Pisoderi village, northern Greece, June 17, 2018. REUTERS/Alexandros Avramidis Also at the ceremony were UN under-secretary for political affairs Rosemary DiCarlo, the UN mediator for the name dispute, Matthew Nimetz, EU foreign affairs chief Federica Mogherini and EU enlargement commissioner Johannes Hahn. The village of Psarades, on the shores of Greater Prespa Lake, was chosen as a symbolic site, since it is near where the borders of the two countries, as well as Albania, meet. Zaev and Dimitrov arrived by a small speedboat from across the lake and were greeted by Tsipras and Kotzias. "This is our own appointment with history," Tsipras said, adding that the Balkan people have long suffered from "the poison of chauvinism and the divisions of nationalist hatred". Recalling his first meeting with Zaev earlier this year at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, Tsipras told Zaev that "very few believed we would succeed" in ending what he called "26 years of sterile dispute between our countries". Zaev, on his part, hailed an "end to decades of uncertainty" and said Greece and Macedonia would henceforth be "partners and allies" setting an example for the whole Balkan region. "We are proud of today's agreement, may we stay as united forever as we are on this day," Zaev said. Following the signing, the officials left by boat for the Macedonian lake resort of Oteshevo for a celebratory lunch. Police had cordoned off all approaches to Psarades to prevent protesters from reaching the site, so more than 4,000 Greek nationalists gathered near Pisoderi, a village 25 miles away. Several hundred marched to a nearby police blockade and began throwing rocks. Police responded with tear gas and stun grenades. Macedonian nationalists who also object to the agreement planned a rally in the city of Bitola, near the Greek border, on Sunday. Since Macedonia seceded from the former Yugoslavia in 1991, Greece had objected to its use of the name Macedonia because it claimed that implied territorial designs on its own northern province of Macedonia. Greek objections delayed UN recognition of Macedonia until April 1993 and then only as The Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia (FYROM). In 1995, the two countries signed an interim agreement after Macedonia agreed to modify its flag. Spain's maritime rescue service yesterday said it had saved 933 people and recovered four bodies from dozens of migrant boats attempting the perilous crossing of the Mediterranean over the past two days. The service said it pulled the migrants from a total of 68 smuggling boats that rescue craft intercepted throughout last Friday and yesterday morning after they departed from African shores. The spike in arrivals comes as Spain prepares to receive the 630 migrants on the Aquarius, after Italy and Malta refused to let the aid ship land in their ports last Saturday. The Aquarius and two Italian ships carrying the migrants are expected to arrive at Spain's eastern port of Valencia later today. The migrants will be met by emergency workers, including health officials and psychologists. Spanish authorities say they will examine them case by case to see if they qualify for asylum. The shipload of migrants who were forced to spend days crossing the western Mediterranean include 123 unaccompanied minors, 11 children and as many as seven pregnant women. Spain announced yesterday that it had accepted an offer by the French government to take in those migrants who want to go to France "once they have fulfilled the protocols established for their arrival". The statement said Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez "appreciated the co-operation of France's President Macron and believes this is the framework of co-operation that Europe should use to respond" to immigration. Italy and Malta's refusal to allow the Aquarius to enter their ports has created a row between EU members over how to handle immigration. Spain's new Socialist government has taken up the cause of the migrants' plight to demonstrate its commitment to protecting human rights and respecting international law. Fleeing violent conflicts or extreme poverty, thousands of migrants attempt the dangerous journey into Europe each year in smugglers' dinghies. At least 792 migrants have died crossing the Mediterranean so far this year, according to the UN. During the first five months of 2018, a total of 35,455 migrants reached European shores, with 11,792 of them arriving in Spain. More than 1.8 million migrants have arrived in Europe since 2014, and Italy is now sheltering more than 170,000 asylum seekers, as well as an estimated 500,000 unregistered migrants. "This is not something that Malta, Italy, Greece or Spain should be left alone to deal with. Countries not in the Mediterranean cannot try to use geography to exonerate themselves from responsibility," said Roberta Metsola, a leading MEP on migration. So sensitive is the topic that the EU's Bulgarian presidency has spent months supervising closed-door lower-level talks to find a compromise - but the problem is eminently political, not technical. Hungary and Poland have refused to take in refugees, and other nations barely contributed in the EU's earlier failed attempt to share the burden. The problem has put strong domestic political pressure on Angela Merkel - who in 2015 refused to close Germany's door to migrants, many fleeing conflict in Syria and Iraq. Interior Minister Horst Seehofer now wants to turn away refugees registered elsewhere. Austria and Denmark are championing the idea of setting up migrant camps outside western Europe, in the neighbouring Balkans. Migration Policy Institute Europe director Elizabeth Collett said such plans were a sign of desperate times. "These ideas ... look good on paper, but it has been hard to identify a non-EU country willing to be a vassal state in this way, or design a system that would actually function," she said. "What has changed now is the amount of political desperation involved in pursuing these ideas. Countries are willing to put more on the table - that is, pay third countries more - and are less concerned about how well they function." EU leaders had ordered a solution be found by this month. With none in sight, Merkel and colleagues will be forced to grasp the migration nettle again at their June 28-29 summit. "Europe can be the example to everyone on this issue but we have to see real political will to move away from fiery rhetoric to taking tough decisions," Metsola said. "The ball is in the leaders' court now. The world is watching." Associated Press The first Italian government ship accompanying the migrant aid boat Aquarius has docked at the Spanish port of Valencia. The Italian coastguard vessel Dattilo arrived just before 7am on Sunday. It will be followed by the Aquarius and another Italian navy ship, the Orione. Expand Close Migrants were met by emergency workers (Alberto Saiz/AP) / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp Migrants were met by emergency workers (Alberto Saiz/AP) The Aquarius and the two Italian boats are carrying the 630 migrants rescued by the Aquarius while attempting the perilous crossing of the Mediterranean last week. The Aquarius, a boat operated by the aid groups SOS Mediterranee Sea and Doctors Without Borders, was stuck off the coast of Sicily last Saturday when Italy refused it permission to dock and demanded Malta do so. Malta refused and Spain stepped in and offered to grant them entry some 930 miles away. The migrants were met by emergency workers, including health officials and psychologists, at the citys marina. David Noguera, the head of Doctors Without Borders in Spain, said he was glad that Spain allowed the migrants in but said he was worried that more European nations would close their ports to those rescued at sea in the future. I have mixed feelings, he told The Associated Press. I am happy that the journey (for the Aquarius migrants) is over a journey that was too long and I am worried for the situation in the Mediterranean and the closing of European ports. Valencia emergency official Jorge Suarez said some of the migrants were in a state of shock. They are very shaken, Suarez said. Put yourself in their position, you get off a ship and the first people who greet you are wearing masks. Spanish authorities have said they will examine the migrants case by case to see if they qualify for asylum according to the countrys regulations. For as long as European governments fail to fulfill their responsibilities. #Aquarius is obliged to continue to conduct search and rescue operations in the #Mediterranean. pic.twitter.com/KuEU91JS2e MSF Sea (@MSF_Sea) June 17, 2018 Spains minister of public works, Miguel Angel Abalos, said on Saturday that the migrants from the Aquarius would be granted a special authorisation to remain in the country for one month before they will be dealt with according to our laws without exception. Abalos said the Spanish government will act with sensitivity and at the same time within the law, and with a message to Europe that it doesnt have an immigration policy up to the challenge at hand. The boatload of migrants that was forced to spend days crossing the western Mediterranean includes 123 unaccompanied minors, 11 children and as many as seven pregnant women, according to Valencias regional authorities. Expand Close The Dattilo docked in Valencia (Alberto Saiz/AP) / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp The Dattilo docked in Valencia (Alberto Saiz/AP) Spain has accepted the French governments offer to take in those migrants who want to go to France once they have fulfilled the protocols established for their arrival. The refusal by Italy and Malta to allow the Aquarius to enter their ports has created a row between EU members over how to handle immigration. Under the EUs asylum laws currently the subject of a major political dispute and under revision migrants must apply for asylum in the country where they first enter Europe. In practice, the policy has placed a heavy burden on Italy and Greece, where hundreds of thousands of asylum-seekers have arrived in recent years. Spains new Socialist government has taken up the cause of the migrants plight to demonstrate its commitment to protecting human rights and respecting international law. The arrival of the Aquarius convoy comes during a spike of seaborne migrants crossing from African shores to southern Spain. Spains maritime rescue service pulled 986 people from 69 small boats its rescue craft reached in waters in or near the Strait of Gibraltar between Friday and Saturday. It also recovered four bodies. At least 792 migrants have died crossing the Mediterranean so far this year, according to the United Nations. Through the first five months of 2018, a total of 35,455 migrants reached European shores, with 11,792 of them arriving in Spain. Alexis Tsipras, right and Zoran Zaev signed a deal which launches a long process that will last several months (Yorgos Karahalis/AP) Greece and Macedonia have signed a deal that, if ratified, will resolve a decades-old dispute concerning Macedonias name. Under the agreement, Greeces northern neighbour will be renamed North Macedonia, a move the two countries leaders said would be the beginning of closer, friendly relations and an example to all Balkan nations. The deal will also allow Macedonia to try to join Nato and the European Union. Expand Close There were protests against the deal in the village of Pisoderi (Giannis Papanikos/AP) / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp There were protests against the deal in the village of Pisoderi (Giannis Papanikos/AP) The two countries prime ministers, Greeces Alexis Tsipras and Macedonias Zoran Zaev, attended the signing of the deal on Sunday by the two countries foreign ministers, Nikos Kotzias and Nikola Dimitrov. Also at the ceremony were UN under-secretary for political affairs Rosemary DiCarlo, the UN mediator for the name dispute, Matthew Nimetz, EU foreign affairs chief Federica Mogherini and EU enlargement commissioner Johannes Hahn. At the signing of a historic agreement, with @tsipras_eu @Zoran_Zaev @NikosKotzias @Dimitrov_Nikola @JHahnEU Its a good day - for the two countries, for the #Balkans, for Europe, making it more peaceful and united. A source of inspiration to all of us #NorthMacedonia pic.twitter.com/S2L0DHQMCq Federica Mogherini (@FedericaMog) June 17, 2018 The village of Psarades, on the shores of Greater Prespa Lake, was chosen as a symbolic site, since it is near where the borders of the two countries, as well as Albania, meet. Zaev and Dimitrov arrived by a small speedboat from across the lake and were greeted by Tsipras and Kotzias. This is our own appointment with history, Tsipras said, adding that the Balkan people have long suffered from the poison of chauvinism and the divisions of nationalist hatred. We cannot change our geography or our history. But we can shape our future. And it will be a common European future of mutual respect, understanding and friendship! https://t.co/rHQ5fiG9bE Nikola Dimitrov (@Dimitrov_Nikola) June 17, 2018 Recalling his first meeting with Zaev earlier this year at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, Tsipras told Zaev that very few believed we would succeed in ending what he called 26 years of sterile dispute between our countries. Zaev, on his part, hailed an end to decades of uncertainty and said Greece and Macedonia would henceforth be partners and allies setting an example for the whole Balkan region. We are proud of todays agreement, may we stay as united forever as we are on this day, Zaev said. Following the signing, the officials left by boat for the Macedonian lake resort of Oteshevo for a celebratory lunch. Police had cordoned off all approaches to Psarades to prevent protesters from reaching the site, so more than 4,000 Greek nationalists gathered near Pisoderi, a village 25 miles away. Several hundred marched to a nearby police blockade and began throwing rocks. Police responded with tear gas and stun grenades. Macedonian nationalists who also object to the agreement planned a rally in the city of Bitola, near the Greek border, on Sunday. Since Macedonia seceded from the former Yugoslavia in 1991, Greece had objected to its use of the name Macedonia because it claimed that implied territorial designs on its own northern province of Macedonia. Greek objections delayed UN recognition of Macedonia until April 1993 and then only as The Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia (FYROM). In 1995, the two countries signed an interim agreement after Macedonia agreed to modify its flag. I've just watched footage of Donald Trump saluting a North Korean general - and it occurs to me that what's really going on here is that the president is envious of Kim Jong-un, who has the absolute authority to execute his uncle with anti-aircraft machine guns, consign tens of thousands of people to the gulag, and rule through a personality cult based on ruthless indoctrination. This, the last hangover of Stalinist totalitarianism, must be the society for which Trump yearns as, remote control in hand, he wanders the corridors of the White House searching for Melania or a late-night burger. It's one in which prostration to the leader is the norm, critical thought is punishable with death, and the whole tedious apparatus of American constitutional democracy - checks and balances, the rule of law, a free press, an independent judiciary - has been relegated to history's trash heap. The real enemy, you see, is not the North Korean general Trump saluted, or Kim himself, the erstwhile "rocket man" turned "great personality" and "very smart guy". No, it's the forces within American society working to limit Trump's power and so keep the Republic. As he tweeted upon his return from the summit with Kim in Singapore, "Our country's biggest enemy is the Fake News so easily promulgated by fools." Biggest enemy! A monstrous regime, still armed with nukes, gets a pass because Trump dreams of building condos on its deserted beaches and seeing a Trump Boulevard in Pyongyang, but no pass for CNN or The New York Times if they refuse to kowtow. A Russian attempt to subvert the last election also goes ignored. The evidence is now overwhelming that Trump cannot resist a dictator. Kim is "funny". (You read that right.) Rodrigo Duterte, the Philippine president, is doing "an unbelievable job on the drug problem" through mass arrests and extrajudicial killings. Xi Jinping is just "great". Vladimir Putin's human rights violations are not worth a mention because: "What do you think, our country's so innocent?" By contrast, America's democratic allies are a bunch of losers. Canada's prime minister, Justin Trudeau, is "dishonest and weak". Germany refuses to pay up and is "bad, very bad". Trump even seems to have lost patience with his one European buddy, President Emmanuel Macron of France. The trouble with these wimpy leaders is they don't starve their citizens or execute troublemakers with anti-aircraft guns. Expand Close Trump acknowledges the North Korean general / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp Trump acknowledges the North Korean general Asked by Greta Van Susteren, in an interview with Voice of America, what he would like to say to North Korean citizens, Trump said: "Well, I think you have somebody who has a great feeling for them. He wants to do right by them, and we got along really well. We had a great chemistry - you understand how I feel about chemistry." We understand. Chemistry supplants facts and is an excuse for laziness. Trump has no interest in reality. When allies, the leaders of democratic nations, try to speak to him about reality, his eyes glaze over. Dictators can make up their own worlds. They can make words mean the opposite of what they were intended to mean. They can turn "fake news" into propaganda that's impossible to contest. This is what makes Trump so envious. He wants a country where everyone succumbs to his make-believe, a nation where everyone, without exception, would pound the sidewalk in inconsolable grief if he had the extraordinary temerity to die. The United States now has a president who would have told East Germans in 1961, as the Berlin Wall went up, that the Soviet and East German leaders were to be congratulated for walling them in because they were concerned about their people's safety, happiness and well-being. Trump, in Singapore, saluted evil. That's a pretty ignominious way to bring down the curtain on more than seven decades of American stewardship of the world after the defeat of evil in 1945. Of course, history is not our esteemed leader's strong point. Trump also tweeted that the nuclear threat from North Korea is over - abracadabra, just like that! He urged Americans, in this light, to "sleep well tonight". This recalled nothing so much as the British prime minister, Neville Chamberlain, on his return from Munich in 1938, declaring "peace for our time" and saying: "Go home and get a nice quiet sleep." A year after Chamberlain's "ultimate deal" with Hitler, the Nazi leader invaded Poland, igniting World War II. North Korea, whose recent history does not encourage trust, still has its nuclear arsenal. In Singapore, it committed only to "work toward" denuclearisation. That could mean anything. But Trump insists, "We're going to denuke North Korea" - less than a year after he threatened to nuke it! This was an unserious summit, cobbled together in haste by an unserious man, and summed up by the video fantasy of a glorious shared future, shown by the Trump administration in Singapore just after the meeting. This was billed as a 'Destiny Pictures Production', but it was in fact produced by the National Security Council, as the council later sheepishly admitted. You can't make this stuff up. New York Times Migrants are checked by emergency workers after arriving in Valencia Alberto Saiz/AP) The Aquarius rescue ship, a pawn in Europes latest battle over immigration, has docked in the Spanish port of Valencia after a week-long odyssey carrying migrants around the Mediterranean. The boat operated by aid groups SOS Mediterranee Sea and Doctors Without Borders touched land shortly before 11am Sunday with 106 migrants on board. An Italian coastguard ship had already arrived in Valencia with 270 of the 630 migrants that the Aquarius saved off Libyan shores more than a week ago. Another Italian navy ship with the rest of the migrants from the Aquarius will arrive later. Italy and Malta had denied entry to the rescue ship last Saturday. Spain then stepped in and offered to let it dock. It took the convoy nearly a week to travel the 930 miles between Sicily and Spain. The head of Doctors Without Borders in Spain said he was glad that Spain had allowed the convoy to dock but he was worried about European nations closing their ports to those rescued at sea. David Noguera told The Associated Press: I have mixed feelings. I am happy that the journey is over, a journey that was too long, and I am worried for the situation in the Mediterranean and the closing of European ports. For as long as European governments fail to fulfill their responsibilities. #Aquarius is obliged to continue to conduct search and rescue operations in the #Mediterranean. pic.twitter.com/KuEU91JS2e MSF Sea (@MSF_Sea) June 17, 2018 Spains minister of public works Jose Luis Abalos said due to their ordeal, the migrants would be granted a special authorisation to remain in the country for one month before they will be dealt with according to our laws without exception. Mr Abalos said: Spain will act with sensitivity and at the same time within the law, and with a message to Europe that it doesnt have an immigration policy up to the challenge at hand. The migrants include 123 unaccompanied minors, 11 children and as many as seven pregnant women. The heavily-armed militants first set off a powerful improvised explosive device (IED) blast at the vehicle and started indiscriminate firing. It is significant that this is the second time that Assam Rifles jawans have been targeted in the state while going to fetch water. (Representational image) Guwahati: Eight Assam Rifles personnel were killed, six others critically injured and many more reported missing after heavily-armed NSCN(K) militants triggered a powerful blast and ambushed a convoy of the Assam Rifles in Mon district of Nagaland. However, defence spokesman Lt. Col. P. Khongsai told this newspaper that he could only confirm that two soldiers had been killed and another soldier critically wounded in the bomb blast, which took place at Aboi in the Changlang Su area on Sunday. Saying that a massive manhunt has been launched in the area, he said the jawans were collecting water when they were attacked by terrorists, who had laid an ambush on their way. He, however, added that the authorities were still waiting for an official report from the unit. It is significant that this is the second time that Assam Rifles jawans have been targeted in the state while going to fetch water. The heavily-armed militants first set off a powerful improvised explosive device (IED) blast at the vehicle and started indiscriminate firing. The troopers were proceeding to their company camp from Tobu area. Nagaland police chief L.L. Doungel told the local media in Kohima: Eight Assam Rifles troopers were killed and six others injured in the attack. Four troopers are reported missing. Sources in the Assam Rifles said that there were over 20 personnel in the vehicle. Our forces retaliated but eight of our jawans were killed on the spot while four others suffered injuries. They have been taken to a hospital and an operation has been launched in and around the area, a security source said. The militants attacked the Assam Rifles personnel with rocket-propelled grenades (RPGs) and other sophisticated weapons. Security sources suspected the involvement of the National Socialist Council of Nagaland-Khaplang (NSCN-K) in the incident. In May 2015, eight jawans of 23 Assam Rifles were killed and six others injured in an ambush by NSCN(K) militants in Mon district of Nagaland near Changlangsu. The NSCN(K), which is operating from Myanmar, had pulled out of a 15-year-old ceasefire agreement with the Centre three years back. The NSCN(K) has claimed responsibility for Sundays ambush. In a statement issued to newspapers, self-styled Col. Isak Sumi claimed that the Naga army attacked an armed patrol of the Indian security forces near Aboi town in the afternoon and killed more than six soldiers on the spot and injured an equal number. Ships in the Aquarius aid convoy docked on Sunday at the Spanish port of Valencia. Their arrival ended a week-long ordeal for hundreds of people who were rescued from the Mediterranean only to become the latest pawns in Europes battle over immigration. The Italian coastguard vessel Dattilo was the first of the three boats bearing the 630 migrants to touch land just before 7am on Sunday. The 270 migrants on board soon began to disembark after medical staff had made a preliminary inspection. The rescue ship Aquarius came in at 11am with another 106 migrants. Another Italian navy ship, the Orione, came in shortly after 1pm. The Aquarius, operated by the aid groups SOS Mediterranee Sea and Doctors Without Borders, was stuck off the coast of Sicily on June 9 when Italy refused it permission to dock and demanded that Malta do so. Malta also refused. After days of bickering and food and water running low on the rescue ship, Spain stepped in and offered to grant the rescue boat entry. The 930-mile journey across the Mediterranean from Sicily to Valencia took nearly a week. David Noguera, the head of Doctors Without Borders in Spain, said he was glad that Spain allowed the migrants in but he was worried that more European nations would close their ports to those rescued at sea in the future. I have mixed feelings, he told The Associated Press on Sunday as the first boat arrived. I am happy that the journey (for the Aquarius migrants) is over a journey that was too long and I am worried for the situation in the Mediterranean and the closing of European ports. For as long as European governments fail to fulfill their responsibilities. #Aquarius is obliged to continue to conduct search and rescue operations in the #Mediterranean. pic.twitter.com/KuEU91JS2e MSF Sea (@MSF_Sea) June 17, 2018 The migrants were met by emergency workers, health officials, Red Cross volunteers and psychologists at the citys marina. Each was assigned to a translator and authorities worked to determine their identities before they were sent to welcome centres. The first migrant was a 29-year-old man from South Sudan. Valencia emergency official Jorge Suarez said some migrants were in a state of shock. They are very shaken, Suarez said. Put yourself in their position, you get off a ship and the first people who greet you are wearing masks. Spanish authorities say they will examine the migrants case by case to see who may qualify for asylum. Spanish national police official Bernardo Alonso said that, due to their ordeal, the migrants from the Aquarius have been granted a special authorisation to remain in the country for 45 days before they must begin resolving their legal situation. They will be dealt with according to our laws, without exceptionJose Luis Abalos They will be dealt with according to our laws, without exception, Spains minister of public works, Jose Luis Abalos, said Saturday. Spain will act with sensitivity and at the same time within the law, and with a message to Europe that it doesnt have an immigration policy up to the challenge at hand. The migrants include 123 unaccompanied minors, 11 children and as many as seven pregnant women. After Spain invited the Aquarius to land, Italy sent the Dattilo and Orione to help transport the migrants. The refusal by Italy and Malta to allow the Aquarius to dock has reignited a continent-wide battle over how to handle immigration. Under the EUs asylum laws, currently the subject of a major political dispute and under revision, migrants must apply for asylum in the country where they first enter Europe. In practice, the policy has placed a heavy burden on Italy and Greece, where hundreds of thousands of asylum-seekers have arrived in recent years. Spains new Socialist government has taken up the cause of the migrants to demonstrate its commitment to protecting human rights. But overall, the European Unions 28 members have not agreed in the least how to handle the influx of refugees and migrants to Europe. The issue has put strong domestic pressure on German Chancellor Angela Merkel, created a spat between France and Italy, and prompted eastern nations like Hungary and Poland to refuse to take in any migrants. Immigration will be a top issue at the EU leaders June 28-29 summit and a new populist government from Italy, one whose interior minister has vowed to deport tens of thousands of migrants as soon as he can, will make any compromises on migration policy even more difficult. A woman crying Allahu akbar, God is great in Arabic, has injured two people with a box cutter at a supermarket in southern France, French media said. Europe 1 radio quoted the prosecutor of Toulon as saying that a customer in the store in La Seyne-sur-Mer was injured in the chest in the Sunday morning attack and taken to hospital. A woman at the markets cash register was injured too, but less seriously. The radio station reported that Toulon prosecutor Bernard Marchal said the attacker has been detained. Learning the subtle art of how to build your relationships effectively can do wonders to increase your influence and go a long way in boosting your confidence amongst your co-workers. Doing so also happens to be one of the best ways to stay motivated to reach greater heights in your career. Its not just professional growth but building good relationships can lead to greater personal growth as well, making this a crucial skill to master. The more supportive people judged their relationships to be, the higher their personal growth tendencies, said lead author on a study of this subject David Lee, a postdoctoral fellow at Ohio State University in the US. pinterest.com In other words, relationships do not necessarily conflict with but help sustain ones personal growth, Oscar Ybarra, Professor at the University of Michigan, said in a statement released by the university. One of the best ways to build a good rapport and boost confidence is by gaining influence amongst your co-workers. Not with an authoritative mindset but with a gentle, subtle and empathetic manner. Firstly, take initiative and make time to build relationships You may be the busiest person you know but taking out 20-30 minutes a day, even if that means breaking those into 5-10-minute time slots, to reach out and communicate with people is key to relationship building. Although a meet-and-greet is the best way to build a foundation for a relationship, even smaller interactions can be beneficial. That could even mean sending text messages or replying to people on social media. concern-eap.com Its also important that you meet employer/coworkers at least once a month or more, to discuss, brainstorm and make sure youre on the same track. This is also an important step to understand the mindset of the other person and also to show that you care. Become a better listener You may have the gift of the gab, but are you the best listener you know? Although people capable of expressing themselves clearly and effectively have often been lauded for their influence over others, research states its efficient listeners who garner the most influence. People with the most influence in the workplace are the best listeners, not just talkers. azcentral.com Research suggests that good listeners benefit from both the information they receive and the bond they build. They tend to form trust with their colleagues easily, helping them gain influence. Practice on developing your emotional intelligence (EI) Knowing what to say and to whom to say it to sets the tone of the relationship you share with someone, which is critical for building the foundation. Listening to people more in-depth helps you understand and comprehend their emotions more clearly. You also need to spend time developing and understanding your emotions to understand how it affects you and the people around you. yourbusiness.azcentral.com Emotional intelligence can be more important than IQ, according to a famous American psychologist, Daniel Goleman. Thats because people with higher EIs are more perceptive, equipped to manage their own and others emotions effectively, excellent decision makers, very intuitive and make for ideal leaders. Appeal to peoples emotions instead of hard selling goals Results, numbers and goals are all good motivators that can help drive people towards a common, larger goal, but the real motivation lies in peoples personal stories. When trying to rally people behind a common thought or goal its best to appeal to their innate emotions, to help empower their inner drive. future-cube.com A personal story or a relatable emotional goal is what is going to stir people into performing concrete and sustainable actions that can lead to accomplishments everyone feels genuinely happy achieving. Go out of your way to have more personal exchanges to understand what really motivates someone. Be as genuine as you can be Make sure your smiles are warm and genuine, acknowledge your shortcomings, mistakes and misunderstandings, and apologise from your heart. A genuine smile compared to a smirk or a grin, helps build trust and confidence in the other person as it shows that youre not faking it. People can tell when youre forcibly putting on a smile. sverige.willanordic.se Also, dont shy away from apologizing when you know youve done something thats wrong. Not only does it not take away your influence it shows that you are genuinely concerned and thinking about others. This show of empathy from your end is effective and building genuine respect and concern from others towards yourself as well. Give credit where it is due Theres no one in an office space that doesnt like to be appreciated. Praising or complimenting your co-workers efforts can go a long way in improving their performance, reveals research. Genuinely complementing someone can keep them motivated and push them to strive even harder without putting in additional efforts to do so. promenadeimob.com.br Whether it is complementing your boss on the way he handled a situation or praising a newbie for the work they managed to accomplish in their first week itself or even thanking the cleaning staff for their efforts in keeping your bay clean; appreciation leads to a higher level of overall productivity. Dont hesitate to communicate openly Dont be afraid to state your opinion if you disagree or have a point of view. As an employee letting your boss know what you think of his/her idea is important to build a better understanding of each other and also your prerogative. If you disagree or think there is a better way to about a course of action, politely state your opinions and put across your views tactfully. lacoon.info As a boss, it is important to be assertive, not aggressive with your thoughts and ideas. Be confident, not arrogant, while putting forth your ideas and receptive enough to build confidence in your employees to come forth with their own thoughts and ideas; even if it differs from your views. Being receptive is the only way both parties will stay out of the dark and refrain from creating misunderstandings or even frustration in the future. In an operation which explains why Indian Navy is considered a formidable force, a Sea King 42C helicopter craned down a Marco officer on a burning merchant's vessel to stop it from drifting towards International Maritime Border Line in Bangladesh. Merchant Vessel SSL Kolkata was abandoned by its 22 member crewon June 14 off the Sagar Island at the mouth of the Ganges Delta after the fire engulfed 70 per cent of the ship carrying containerised cargo in the Bay of Bengal. pti "The Marine Commando officer ascertained the conditions in the forward part of the ship and later called in the helicopter to lower on board three crew members of the ship," the Navy said in a statement. "The team managed to drop the starboard anchor from the ship to prevent her from drifting any further. Thereafter, the team prepared the seamanship gear for the ship to be towed if required," the statement said. The nature of the threat was evident from the explosion on board in the forenoon which restarted the fire. The helicopter skillfully recovered all four members of the team and is returning base for turnaround, the statement added. Earlier, Vice Admiral Karambir Singh, Flag Officer Commanding-in-Chief Eastern Naval Command, had directed that the ship's drift towards the Sundarbans delta had to be stopped at all costs notwithstanding the high temperatures on board to avoid an ecological disaster should the ship capsize on the sandbanks causing pollution from oil on board. Accordingly, a Sea King 42C helicopter and a Dornier aircraft were dispatched from Visakhapatnam with a core team comprising divers, Marcos, shipwrights and seamanship specialists to stage through the IAF airbase at Kalaikonda. representational image Indian Navy Ship Kadmat, which was exercising in the Bay of Bengal on June 15, was also directed to proceed and arrived on site at first light this morning to augment the onsite support wherein the Indian Coast Guard ships were standing by. The operation this morning has successfully managed to arrest further drift of the ship to enable salvage operations. Disturbed with sarcastic remarks and comparison with self-styled godmen accused in rape cases, a 41-year-old priest chopped off his genitals in a public meeting at Sewavali Dhaam Aashram situated at Mandhan village in Alwar district late on Friday evening. In anger, he also threw it in the air. The man was rushed to Jaipur's Sawai Man Singh Hospital where he is undergoing treatment. According to police, a jagaran (night prayer) was on at Sewavali village situated aashram under Mandhan village of Alwar district. People started to boo priest Anil Purohit. People started commenting on how self-styled godman varying from Asaram, Sant Gurmeet Singh Ram Rahim, Falhaari Baba and now Daati Maharaj are allegedly involved in rape cases, police said. reuters/representational image The priest was continuously asking people to calm down and said those who had committed crime should be legally punished. People were taken aback when he first declared that he is going to chop off his genitals and within some minutes, he did it. "Within some seconds he got fainted and panic prevailed at the venue. People started running away from the spot. He was rushed to a nearby hospital in Behror where doctors referred him to the SMS Hospital in Jaipur," said Dharam Pal, an eye-witness devotee. According to locals, the victim was annoyed and disturbed for a long time after reading and watching news on self-styled godmen getting involved in rape cases. "Every month on 15th and 30th, people visit Sewawali Aashram for the jaagran (night prayers). People started comparing the priest with the others who got involved in rape cases. Initially, he was annoyed and later asserting that he is not like others, he chopped off his private part," said Moti Lal, another devotee. The priest in his statements said that only he is responsible for this act. In a shocking incident, a man was murdered at his home in Bhopal on Tuesday night after his wife allegedly hired men to chop off his genitals. The 55-year-old, Dr Shafatullah Khan was found dead at his home and police arrested his wife and relatives who aided her in murdering her husband. She was allegedly helped by her niece Nandini and her husband Pawan Vishwakarma. Pawan later told the two men who took the contract, killed Khan instead. Khan had 12 stab wounds on his chest, and his throat and wrists had been slit, Jabalpur SP Shashikant Shukla said. Shukla said initially it appeared to be a case of loot as killers had taken away cash and jewellery from the house after locking Ayesha, her daughter and grandson in bathroom. However, while questioning the family, the police grew suspicious as there were anomalies in version given by members of the family. Nandini finally broke down and revealed the conspiracy. According to Shukla, Ayesha married Khan in 1991, but he had many illicit relations with several other women. He would lure young girls by promising them jobs as nurses and allegedly raped them. He allegedly raped Nandini when she was 11-year-old which resulted in her getting pregnant said Ayesha. Ayesha claimed that the matter was hushed up. Things had reached my family and I had to act." Pawan then hired the two men Rajendra Malviya and Dheeraj for the job. The killers arrived in Jabalpur on June 12 where Ayesha gave them Rs 10,000 each to chop off Khans genitals, but Pawan decided it would be wise to kill him. Police have arrested Ayesha, Nandini, and Rajendra while Pawan and Dheeraj are absconding. Aurangzeb, a jawan was killed by terrorists in Pulwama Jammu & Kashmir on Thursday for being too close to an army officer who had gunned down Hizbul Mujahideen commander Sameer Tiger in Kashmir in April. In a video that was released following his abduction, Aurangzeb was seen being interrogated about his closeness to Major Rohit Shukla. He confirmed that he was Shukla's buddy. A buddy in the Indian Army is like officer's shadow - they move with the officer and help them in all little to big things. Brave indian army jawan #Aurangzeb's video Before he was killed by Pakistani rats.. calls himself a proud soldier. Nation will always remember your martyrdom brother. Rest in peace. pic.twitter.com/T6OOOK7vTt (@indiantweeter) June 15, 2018 While the details of how favoured the abduction and who gave the tips on Aurangzeb's whereabouts, another video of his father and brother has moved the internet. Shared by Manjinder S Sirsa, his father and his brother came to meet the officers and urged them that they too wanted to join the army. Aurangzeb was a rifleman posted at the 44 Rashtriya Rifles camp at Shadimarg in Shopian. On Thursday morning, some army personnel from the unit had stopped a car asking the driver to drop Aurangzeb in Shopian, when he was on his way to home for Eid. This is Aurangzebs father - Aurangzeb who was killed by terrorists in Pulwama! His father says he & their elder son will join the army to see Indian flag in the valley Salutes to this man ! #FathersDay @adgpi pic.twitter.com/1W3lpVw8xY Manjinder S Sirsa (@mssirsa) June 16, 2018 Terrorists then stopped the vehicle as it approached Kalampora, abducted the jawan and sent his bullet-ridden body to Pulwama. The struggle of men who serve the Indian Forces is only seeming to shuttle from one debacle to another. Every other day we hear stories about men and women who are killed by terrorists, anti-nationals and others who have put forward their own agenda before humanity. In all this horror, we often sit and wonder, should we really wait for a better tomorrow or make peace with the agonizing reality? Born in Bihar, Abhay Kumar Singh has created history after becoming a lawmaker in a provincial Assembly of Russia. Kumar originally belongs to Patna but migrated to Russia (Union of Soviet Socialist Republics) in 1991 to study medicine. Recently he fought the local elections to the Kursk city Assembly on a ticket of 'United Russia'. This is the ruling political party led by President Vladimir Putin and won to become a 'Deputat', equivalent to a Member of Legislative Assembly (MLA) in India, there. My father passed away when I was just 13 years old. At that time only, I had decided to become a doctor. Hence, I came here. After graduating from the Kursk State Medical University, I went back to Patna to practice as a registered doctor there. But I came back here after some time and entered the pharmaceutical business. However, gradually, I entered politics, he said, reports The Sunday Guardian. Kumar joined Putin's party only a year ago and got the chance to contest elections this year. He says that initially, he used to feel awkward in the setting, being the only Indian in the party but things got smoother as he proceeded. I was very impressed by the policies of Vladimir Putin as he has been able to bring back the clout of Russia in the world and so I felt that I should also contribute to his work. Kumar is a student of Loyola School in Patna. I am still interested in the political happenings in India, and I like Narendra Modi and Nitish Kumar. I want that relations between India and Russia always stay warm as they have been. Everyone here still remembers the popular slogan Hindi Russi Bhai Bhai. That is the spirit that should govern our relations, he added. 1. U.S. acceptance of coexistence as the only alternative to atomic war. 2. U.S. willingness to capitulate in preference to engaging in atomic war. 3. Develop the illusion that total disarmament of the United States would be a demonstration of moral strength. 4. Permit free trade between all nations regardless of Communist affiliation and regardless of whether or not items could be used for war. 5. Extension of long-term loans to Russia and Soviet satellites. 6. Provide American aid to all nations regardless of Communist domination. 7. Grant recognition of Red China. Admission of Red China to the U.N. 8. Set up East and West Germany as separate states in spite of Khrushchev's promise in 1955 to settle the German question by free elections under supervision of the U.N. 9. Prolong the conferences to ban atomic tests because the United States has agreed to suspend tests as long as negotiations are in progress. 10. Allow all Soviet satellites individual representation in the U.N. 11. Promote the U.N. as the only hope for mankind. If its charter is rewritten, demand that it be set up as a one-world government with its own independent armed forces. (Some Communist leaders believe the world can be taken over as easily by the U.N. as by Moscow. Sometimes these two centers compete with each other as they are now doing in the Congo.) 12. Resist any attempt to outlaw the Communist Party. 13. Do away with all loyalty oaths. 14. Continue giving Russia access to the U.S. Patent Office. 15. Capture one or both of the political parties in the United States. 16. Use technical decisions of the courts to weaken basic American institutions by claiming their activities violate civil rights. 17. Get control of the schools. Use them as transmission belts for socialism and current Communist propaganda. Soften the curriculum. Get control of teachers' associations. Put the party line in textbooks. 18. Gain control of all student newspapers. 19. Use student riots to foment public protests against programs or organizations which are under Communist attack. 20. Infiltrate the press. Get control of book-review assignments, editorial writing, policymaking positions. 21. Gain control of key positions in radio, TV, and motion pictures. 22. Continue discrediting American culture by degrading all forms of artistic expression. An American Communist cell was told to "eliminate all good sculpture from parks and buildings, substitute shapeless, awkward and meaningless forms." 23. Control art critics and directors of art museums. "Our plan is to promote ugliness, repulsive, meaningless art." 24. Eliminate all laws governing obscenity by calling them "censorship" and a violation of free speech and free press. 25. Break down cultural standards of morality by promoting pornography and obscenity in books, magazines, motion pictures, radio, and TV. 26. Present homosexuality, degeneracy and promiscuity as "normal, natural, healthy." 27. Infiltrate the churches and replace revealed religion with "social" religion. Discredit the Bible and emphasize the need for intellectual maturity which does not need a "religious crutch." 28. Eliminate prayer or any phase of religious expression in the schools on the ground that it violates the principle of "separation of church and state." 29. Discredit the American Constitution by calling it inadequate, old-fashioned, out of step with modern needs, a hindrance to cooperation between nations on a worldwide basis. 30. Discredit the American Founding Fathers. Present them as selfish aristocrats who had no concern for the "common man." 31. Belittle all forms of American culture and discourage the teaching of American history on the ground that it was only a minor part of the "big picture." Give more emphasis to Russian history since the Communists took over. 32. Support any socialist movement to give centralized control over any part of the culture--education, social agencies, welfare programs, mental health clinics, etc. 33. Eliminate all laws or procedures which interfere with the operation of the Communist apparatus. 34. Eliminate the House Committee on Un-American Activities. 35. Discredit and eventually dismantle the FBI. 36. Infiltrate and gain control of more unions. 37. Infiltrate and gain control of big business. 38. Transfer some of the powers of arrest from the police to social agencies. Treat all behavioral problems as psychiatric disorders which no one but psychiatrists can understand. 39. Dominate the psychiatric profession and use mental health laws as a means of gaining coercive control over those who oppose Communist goals. 40. Discredit the family as an institution. Encourage promiscuity and easy divorce. 41. Emphasize the need to raise children away from the negative influence of parents. Attribute prejudices, mental blocks and retarding of children to suppressive influence of parents. 42. Create the impression that violence and insurrection are legitimate aspects of the American tradition; that students and special-interest groups should rise up and use united force to solve economic, political or social problems. 43. Overthrow all colonial governments before native populations are ready for self-government. 44. Internationalize the Panama Canal. 45. Repeal the Connally reservation so the United States cannot prevent the World Court from seizing jurisdiction over nations and individuals alike. The central government had on May 17 decided that security forces will not conduct offensive operations in J&K during Ramzan. Home minister Rajnath Singh, in a statement issued on Sunday, reiterated that the security forces had been directed to take all possible action to ensure that terror outfits do not resort to violence and killing. (Photo: PTI) New Delhi: The Centre on Sunday decided to withdraw the conditional ceasefire in Jammu and Kashmir which was announced last month in the wake of the holy month of Ramzan. The security forces will now launch a massive offensive against terror groups active in the Valley with top intelligence and security officials claiming that tracking down militants responsible for the killing of senior journalist Shujaat Bukhari and Army jawan Aurangzeb is a top priority for them. This newspaper had reported last week that the Centre was unlikely to extend the ceasefire in J&K after Ramzan in view of the sharp increase in terror incidents during the holy month. Even the state unit of the BJP, which is in coalition with the PDP in the J&K government, was also not in favour of extending suspension of operations, particularly after the killings of Bukhari and Aurangzeb. Security sources claimed that the entire network in the Valley has been activated to track down those responsible for the killing of Bukhari and Aurangzeb and the forces were hopeful of achieving success in the next few days. The cordon and search operations in the Valley will also resume from Monday. The central government had on May 17 decided that security forces will not conduct offensive operations in J&K during Ramzan. Home minister Rajnath Singh, in a statement issued on Sunday, reiterated that the security forces had been directed to take all possible action to ensure that terror outfits do not resort to violence and killing. It was expected that everyone will cooperate in ensuring the success of this initiative. While the security forces have displayed exemplary restraint during this period, the terrorists have continued with their attacks, on civilians and security forces, resulting in deaths and injuries, the home minister said. Security and intelligence agencies claimed that there was a sharp increase in terror related incidents during the month-long ceasefire as 66 such cases were reported as compared to 25 the month before that. However, security sources admitted that there was drop in civilian casualties during the period. Intelligence reports suggest that terror groups like Lashkar-e-Tayyaba and Jaish-e-Mohammed had used the ceasefire period to consolidate and re-group their operatives in the Valley and this could pose a serious threat in the days ahead, particularly to the Amarnath Yatra. Mr Singh appealed to people to come together in an attempt to isolate militants and prevail upon those who have been misguided to join the mainstream. Ministry sources claimed that Centres J&K interlocutor Dineshwar Sharma will continue to engage with different groups in the state to explore possibilities for bringing peace to the region. While explaining the logic behind conditional ceasefire, the home minister claimed this was largely to ensure that peace-loving people in J&K could celebrate Ramzan and Id in a conducive and favourable environment. On Friday, the home minister had met Prime Minister Narendra Modi and briefed him about the situation in the Valley. Minister of state in the PMO Jitendra Singh said that home ministry has decided that suspension of anti-terror operations will no longer continue. He added that the immediate priority of both the Centre and the state was to ensure that the Amarnath yatra, scheduled to start later this month, was conducted peacefully. Meanwhile, former J&K chief minister Omar Abdullah in a Tweet said that it was the Centres initiative and yet these people are celebrating its failure as if it had been announced by our enemies. Its failure is the failure of everyone who wanted to give peace a chance. Security and intelligence agencies claimed that there was a sharp increase in terror related incidents during the month-long ceasefire as 66 such cases were reported as compared to 25 the month before that. However, security sources admitted that there was drop in civilian casualties during the period. Intelligence reports suggest that terror groups like Lashkar-e-Tayyaba and Jaish-e-Mohammed had used the ceasefire period to consolidate and re-group their operatives in the Valley and this could pose a serious threat in the days ahead, particularly to the Amarnath Yatra. Mr Singh appealed to people to come together in an attempt to isolate militants and prevail upon those who have been misguided to join the mainstream. Ministry sources claimed that Centres J&K interlocutor Dineshwar Sharma will continue to engage with different groups in the state to explore possibilities for bringing peace to the region. While explaining the logic behind conditional ceasefire, the home minister claimed this was largely to ensure that peace-loving people in J&K could celebrate Ramzan and Id in a conducive and favourable environment. On Friday, the home minister had met Prime Minister Narendra Modi and briefed him about the situation in the Valley. Minister of state in the PMO Jitendra Singh said that home ministry has decided that suspension of anti-terror operations will no longer continue. He added that the immediate priority of both the Centre and the state was to ensure that the Amarnath yatra, scheduled to start later this month, was conducted peacefully. Meanwhile, former J&K chief minister Omar Abdullah in a Tweet said that it was the Centres initiative and yet these people are celebrating its failure as if it had been announced by our enemies. Its failure is the failure of everyone who wanted to give peace a chance. Security and intelligence agencies claimed that there was a sharp increase in terror related incidents during the month-long ceasefire as 66 such cases were reported as compared to 25 the month before that. However, security sources admitted that there was drop in civilian casualties during the period. Intelligence reports suggest that terror groups like Lashkar-e-Tayyaba and Jaish-e-Mohammed had used the ceasefire period to consolidate and re-group their operatives in the Valley and this could pose a serious threat in the days ahead, particularly to the Amarnath Yatra. Mr Singh appealed to people to come together in an attempt to isolate militants and prevail upon those who have been misguided to join the mainstream. Ministry sources claimed that Centres J&K interlocutor Dineshwar Sharma will continue to engage with different groups in the state to explore possibilities for bringing peace to the region. While explaining the logic behind conditional ceasefire, the home minister claimed this was largely to ensure that peace-loving people in J&K could celebrate Ramzan and Id in a conducive and favourable environment. On Friday, the home minister had met Prime Minister Narendra Modi and briefed him about the situation in the Valley. Minister of state in the PMO Jitendra Singh said that home ministry has decided that suspension of anti-terror operations will no longer continue. He added that the immediate priority of both the Centre and the state was to ensure that the Amarnath yatra, scheduled to start later this month, was conducted peacefully. Meanwhile, former J&K chief minister Omar Abdullah in a Tweet said that it was the Centres initiative and yet these people are celebrating its failure as if it had been announced by our enemies. Its failure is the failure of everyone who wanted to give peace a chance. Company behind Tether 'token' fined $41M by US regulators AP - Fri Oct 15, 6:03PM CDT The company behind a digital token called Tether has agreed to pay $41 million to settle charges that it misled investors by claiming the token was fully backed at all times by U.S. dollars and other fiat... $SPX : 4,471.37 (+0.75%) $DOWI : 35,294.76 (+1.09%) $IUXX : 15,146.92 (+0.63%) Grains rebound on demand hopes Sidwell Strategies - Fri Oct 15, 5:57PM CDT Howdy market watchers! The feeling of fall is finally here and its never felt so good! We have also been blessed with more timely rains this last week though they brought more than enough severe weather... Corn Rallies into Weekend Barchart - Fri Oct 15, 4:21PM CDT Corn futures bounced on the last trade day of the week, headed into the break on 6 1/2 to 9 cent gains. For December that limited the weeks loss to just 4 1/4 cents. December 21 is again a premium... ZCZ21 : 525-6s (+1.74%) ZCPAUS.CM : 5.0523 (+1.79%) ZCH22 : 534-2s (+1.62%) ZCZ21 : 525-6s (+1.74%) Cotton Mixed on Friday Barchart - Fri Oct 15, 4:21PM CDT Front month cotton futures were mixed with Gains for December and March, yet losses for July and October 22. December printed the largest move by the close, with 23 points which limited the weeks... CTZ21 : 107.33s (+0.21%) CTH22 : 105.00s (+0.05%) CTZ21 : 107.33s (+0.21%) Retail sales climb despite rising prices, supply issues AP - Fri Oct 15, 3:04PM CDT NEW YORK (AP) Americans continued to spend at a solid clip in September even while facing sticker shock in grocery aisles, car lots and restaurants as snarled global supply chains slow the flow of... $SPX : 4,471.37 (+0.75%) $DOWI : 35,294.76 (+1.09%) $IUXX : 15,146.92 (+0.63%) Nat-Gas Tumbles on Weak European Gas Prices and Warm U.S. Temps Barchart - Fri Oct 15, 2:41PM CDT November Nymex natural gas (NGX21 ) on Friday closed down -0.277 (-4.87%). Nov nat-gas prices on Friday gave up an early advance and settled sharply lower. Nat-gas prices sank on negative carry-over from... NGX21 : 5.410s (-4.87%) However, it appears that the stance might be softening a little now. Probably due to the fact that the Iranian economy is in a very worrying state with no signs of improvement. Furthermore, the Iranian regime is suffering major setbacks in Syria and the public discontent at home is consistently high these days with no signs of it easing up. Since President Donald Trump announced that the United States would be exiting the 2015 nuclear agreement, there was very little reaction from Iran. Of course, it would take a few days for the regime to gather its thoughts and consider the consequences, but the silence from the Supreme Leader was deafening. When the nuclear deal was being negotiated, Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei talked about heroic flexibility. It appears that, moving forward, Iran is going to be careful and cautious. For example, the Supreme Leader has ordered a resume in nuclear activities but stressed that it must be within the framework of the nuclear agreement. Red lines, this time, are being taken into consideration by Iran. Given the fragile state of the Iranian regime, it is unlikely that it will go back to the days when it acts as a free agent with no consideration for anything other than its own gains. The Supreme Leader has the final say on all matters in Iran. President Hassan Rouhani by comparison has very little power. Although Khamenei has made himself out to be the hardened and uncompromising leader, it is known that secret talks were held with the United States before the nuclear deal was negotiated. He also told the Rouhani government to go ahead with the nuclear agreement talks. Although he appeared to distance himself from the negotiations, it has been admitted that nothing was agreed without the Supreme Leaders consent. Khamenei had previously said that he would burn the nuclear agreement if the US left it. The United States announced its exit, but the deal was not burned. It seems like the Iranian regimes foreign policy has softened and become more moderate. However, lets not fall into the trap of thinking it has taken a conscious decision to do so. It has been left with no choice because of the domestic unrest, the worsening economic and exchange rate crisis and its desperation abroad where it is facing setback after setback. The regime is looking for a way to advance in the Middle East because at home the people have made it very clear that they are not going to relent. The National Council of Resistance of Iran (NCRI) will be holding its annual gathering in Paris on 30th June in which tens of thousands of Iranians from all over the world will be joined by dignitaries, human rights activists, officials and politicians to further the Free Iran cause. Post-primary schools on the country's islands in the Gaeltacht, are to receive extra funding. Education Minister Richard Bruton has announced a package of supports that includes an additional 15,000 per post-primary school and extra teaching resources Gordon Deegan Ryanair yesterday called for a pre-10am booze ban at airports after a group of Irish based holiday-makers forced an Ibiza bound flight Ryanair flight from Dublin to divert to Paris on Saturday morning. A group of up to 20 holiday makers were involved and three passengers were removed and detained by French police on arrival at Paris Beauvais on Saturday morning. The captain of the return flight from the party island to Dublin on Saturday afternoon - which was delayed by 2hrs 40 minutes as a result of the disturbance - apologised for the delay and explained that the outward flight had to divert due to up to 20 passengers being involved in the disturbance. The captain said that there were children on board the flight and that the flight was diverted for safety concerns of all of the passengers on board. The captain said that the unruly passengers had been drinking at the terminal at Dublin airport prior to take-off. The Ibiza bound flight's scheduled take-off was 8.50am on Saturday and Ryanair spokesman, Robin Kiely confirmed the incident yesterday. He said: This flight from Dublin to Ibiza diverted to Paris Beauvais after three passengers became disruptive inflight. He said: The aircraft landed normally and the passengers were removed and detained by police upon arrival, before the aircraft continued to Ibiza." Mr Kiely said: We will not tolerate unruly or disruptive behaviour at any time and the safety and comfort of our customers, crew and aircraft is our number one priority. Mr Kiely was not able to comment on the costs to Ryanair of the diversion or the legal fate of the three passengers who were taken off the plane. He said: This is now a matter for local police. Mr Kiely said that the incident is exactly why we are calling for significant changes to prohibit the sale of alcohol at airports, such as a two-drink limit per passenger and no alcohol sales before 10am. He said: Its incumbent on the airports to introduce these preventative measures to curb excessive drinking and the problems it creates, rather than allowing passengers to drink to excess before their flights. * This story was subject to an edit on June 20 The pracharaks last week took part in a brain-storming session with senior RSS leaders at Surajkund in Haryana. New Delhi: After hosting a dinner for RSS pracharaks deputed in the BJP, Prime Minister Narendra Modi held a crucial meeting with the RSS and BJP brass, which also included BJP president Amit Shah and senior Cabinet ministers, to discuss key electoral issues like dalit and farm unrests, Kashmir, economy and the impact of Central governments welfare schemes. Sources said the meeting on Saturday, a day after Mr Modi hosted a dinner for pracharaks at his residence, also deliberated on 2019 poll strategies to take on a united Opposition. The pracharaks last week took part in a brain-storming session with senior RSS leaders at Surajkund in Haryana. On Saturday, the Prime Minister held talks with Sanghs second-in-command Bhaiyya Joshi and joint general secretaries, including Dattatreya Hosabale, Suresh Soni, Krishna Gopal, V. Bhagaiah and Manmohan Vaidya, sources disclosed. Union Cabinet ministers, including Rajnath Singh, Sushma Swaraj and Nitin Gadkari, were also present. With finance miniser Arun Jaitley recuperating from a surgery, railway minister Piyush Goyal, who is handling the additional charge of finance ministry, attended the meeting. RSS joint general secretaries coordinate with Sangh parivars various affiliates, whose cadre play a key role in BJPs campaigning and outreach programmes. During the meeting on Saturday, the Kashmir situation was also discussed as a result of which the Centre on Sunday called off its month-long suspension of operations against terror groups. The saffron leaders also reviewed the impact of various Central government schemes. The BJP is hoping that the beneficiaries of Modi governments various schemes would add to its votebank. The Prime Ministers interaction with BJP and RSS brass took place amid indications that the next Lok Sabha polls could see the BJPs tally go down as compared to 2014 and the Modi-led NDA governments development plank, which has been facing severe criticism from the Opposition, losing its sheen. The BJP governments are also battling anti-incumbency in Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan and Chattisgarh which are going to polls by the end of this year. The results in these states could impact the partys performance in 2019. The Prime Minister, sources said, will also meet Union ministers, who have been given the charge of non-BJP ruled states including Odisha, Andhra Pradesh, Kerala and West Bengal and also the North-eastern states. Strengthening the organisation in non-Hindi speaking states has been a focus area of the BJP leadership. Two Irish bishops have today reflected on the future of the Catholic Church in a more secular and pluralist society predicting a greater evangelical role for lay people and people of faith amidst new models of ministry and pastoral care. Speaking this afternoon at the ordination of a priest in the Diocese of Down & Connor, Bishop Noel Treanor suggested that in the coming decades the face of the life of the Church would likley see much change with "the emergence of new models of ministry and pastoral care" The Bishop went on: "Evidently one cannot foresee the developments these coming decades will bring. It is a fair guess that the future perception and understanding of the Christian community and of the Church will give greater emphasis to building communities of conscious faith, to mission and new forms of catechesis. "It is probable that in a more secular and pluralist society we, Catholics and Christians, will realise more clearly that the Christian way of life is a freely chosen discipleship of Christ in ever renewed conversion to the living Word of God. "We and society at large will probably come to a rediscovery of the early Christian realisation that the community of those who seek to live by the values of the Kingdom of God, that is, the Church, are a living presence, a faith and life-filled leaven in society, rather than a political power." Meanwhile, in a homily at the Kilmore diocesan pilgrimage to the Marian Shrine of Knock, Bishop Leo OReilly said he believed the Church of today and the future would be "closer to being the kind of Church Jesus wants us to be - a humbler Church, but to still be a hospitable one." Bishop O'Reilly said in the weeks since the result of the recent referendum he had been filled with a mixture of shock and sadness but had come to the realisation that a new reality existed in Ireland "where the Church is no longer the dominant voice in society". The Bishop went on: "We understand now the words of Saint Pope John Paul II before he left Ireland in 1979 - that each new generation is a new continent to be won for Christ. "Ireland is now mission territory. Pope Francis has told us that we must see everything we do through the lens of mission. From now on our focus must be on sowing the seed of the Gospel. It must be on mission rather than maintenance." The Bishop of Kilmore went on to say the church of today must be less "imposing on people" and more "welcoming to all who wish to shelter in its shade." He went on: "We are called to be a humbler Church today, but to still be a hospitable one. We must never forget that the Church is not for the perfect, but for sinners. Jesus said: I have not come to call the righteous but sinners to repentance. "The Churchs mission is not to compel the unwilling, but to invite the willing. Our task is to sow the seed, not to reap the harvest. Bishop O'Reilly said despite his sadness at the referendum result he looked forward to a future where the evangelical role of the laity would be much stronger. "You are the new evangelists. You have been out sowing the seed of the Gospel of Life in homes and hearts the length and breadth of Ireland. The dream of the Second Vatican Council for the role of the laity in the Church is coming true. "For the first time in my life we have had a nationwide mission of evangelisation led and carried out - not by bishops, priests or religious - but by lay people. A mission, not preached in churches, but rather in radio and TV studios, in hotels and homes, on doorsteps and streets. That is truly a quiet revolution. Bishop Leo O'Reilly The Bishop concluded: "The role of lay people in the Church has taken a decisive turn. You have gone out, two by two, as the first disciples did, to sow the seed of the Gospel. "I pray that this will be the beginning of a new phase in the Churchs mission of evangelisation, and especially of spreading the Gospel of Life. The campaign to protect the lives of unborn children in Ireland has not ended. It has only just begun." - Dolan O'Hagan A shooting incident at an all-night art festival in New Jersey has left one suspect dead and 20 people injured, a local prosecutor said. Many of the 20 injured were treated for gunshot wounds, Mercer County Prosecutor Angelo Onofri said Sunday morning. Four of those, including a 13-year-old boy, were in critical condition. A quick update from the scene of the #ArtAllNight shooting in Trenton, where 16 people were hit by gunfire overnight @NBCPhiladelphia One suspect believed to be dead, another in custody #Trenton pic.twitter.com/2YKjwGoQMB Randy Gyllenhaal (@RandyGyllenhaal) June 17, 2018 He said that two suspects opened fire around 2:45am local time during the Art All Night festival in Trenton that showcases local art, music, food and films. One of the suspects, a 33-year-old man, was killed. Another suspect is in custody. Authorities say that about 1,000 people were in the area when the shooting started. Trenton resident Angelo Nicolo told Philadelphia 6ABC-TV that he and his brother were at the event when they heard loud popping sounds. He said people started running down the street. I saw two police officers escort a guy that got shot in the leg. They bandaged him up and whisked him away, Mr Nicolo said - Press Association While clinical trials are not due to begin until 2020, confidence in the firm has been shown by its selection as the highest-ranked of 1,280 applications for the latest round of a European fund for high-potential innovation. The 2.5m from the Horizon 2020 SME Instrument fund will allow AuriGen Medical develop its product, aimed at reducing risk of stroke and heart failure, for those first trials in humans. The company is working on a device to increase the success of a procedure that seeks to eliminate the irregular heartbeat, known as atrial fibrillation, and the associated high risk of strokes. Its founders, Tony OHalloran and John Thompson, hope the device will allow treatment for atrial fibrillation patients who have persistent or long-standing disease. They account for nearly 75% of the 10m atrial fibrillation patients across Europe, but can not have their problem addressed by current treatment options such as medication, cardioversion, or ablation that only address the minority who have intermittent disease. Ablation is a procedure to scar or destroy heart tissue that allows incorrect electrical signals that cause an abnormal heart rhythm. Because the procedure can be hit and miss, an estimated 200,000 people need repeat ablations each year as the irregular heartbeat problem recurs. AuriGens device aims to significantly reduce costs as repeat ablations can cost over 40,000. Atrial fibrillation happens when the electrical impulses controlling the heartbeat do not travel in an orderly way through the heart, meaning many fast and chaotic impulses affect the ability of blood to be pumped between different chambers of the heart. The AuriGen device is to be implanted in the left atrial appendage, a small ear-shaped pouch in the muscle wall of an upper chamber of the heart where blood can collect if a patient has atrial fibrillation. By closing off the appendage, risk of clots and resultant strokes will be reduced, but the devices sensor technology will also allow disruption of the abnormal electrical signalling. As the companys chief technology officer, Mr OHalloran said the new investment will help the firm hire key personnel, and further advance the products development. Our pre-clinical trials have been very encouraging and the feedback from cardiologists is extremely positive, he said. NUI Galway did not provide details requested by the Irish Examiner about its shareholding in the company. The technology was developed at NUI Galway using commercialisation funding from Enterprise Ireland. Congress sources said, however, that the party might strategically remain silent on certain matters like the Kejriwal fiasco. New Delhi: The Opposition parties, including the Congress, seem to have veered around to Trinamul Congress chief Mamata Banerjees one-on-one formula in states to take on the Narendra Modi-led BJP in the 2019 general election. Top political sources said there is a broad understanding within all the parties that the best way to deal with the Narendra Modi-Amit Shah juggernaut was to allow the strongest Opposition party whether regional or national take on the BJP at the state level. So in Tamil Nadu it can be the DMK, in Uttar Pradesh it can be the SP-BSP combine, in West Bengal it can be the Trinamul Congress while in Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan and Chattisgarh it can be the Congress which will take the lead role in fighting against the BJP, the sources told this newspaper. All seat-sharing talks will have to fit into this formula and any national-level post-poll alliance can be worked out after the results are out such as in 2004 with UPA-1. On Sunday, senior Congress leader and the partys chief troubleshooter Ahmed Patel met Ms Banerjee after the show of support for Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal (in his ongoing battle with the Centre) by four Opposition CMs, indicating that though his party didnt take any stand on this issue, all was well within the Oppositions ranks, and that the Congress remained interested in being a part of the Opposition coalition against the BJP. Mr Patel, who came to meet Ms Banerjee with flowers and a big fruit basket, was warmly invited inside Banga Bhavan at Chanakyapuri by the West Bengal CM. Trinamul sources said Mr Patels visit indicated the interest of the Congress and Ms Banerjees importance in cobbling together a coalition of Opposition parties. Ahmed Patel meeting Ms Banerjee is significant as it is likely that he has been directed by Congress leader Sonia Gandhi to meet the chief minister. Ms Banerjee today is in a leading role of uniting all Opposition parties against the BJP. And the Congress obviously wants to be a part of it, a TMC source said. The meet took place in the backdrop of differences of opinion between the Congress and other Opposition parties on supporting the Delhi CM against the Centre and Delhi lieutenant-governor Anil Baijal. While several regional parties, including the TMC, the Telugu Desam Party, the Janata Dal (Secular) and the Left extended support to the AAP leader, the Congress has crticised Ms Kejriwal for his theatrics. The broad contours of the broad Opposition understanding were arrived at on the sidelines of the swearing-in of the JD(S)-Congress government in Karnataka, where the whos who of the Opposition leadership had gathered. Sources said the top Opposition leaders, including Andhra Pradesh CM N. Chandrababu Naidu, West Bengal CM Mamata Banerjee, CPI(M) general secretary Sitaram Yechury and former Uttar Pradesh CM and SP chief Akhilesh Yadav met and tried to fine-tune this strategy. The leaders also decided to hold at least one big joint Opposition event every month to keep showcasing Opposition unity. Sources said the Congress, which fancies itself as the chief Opposition party against the BJP, has in principle accepted this in order to keep the BJP out and the climbdown in its stand was evident in the way it agreed to play second fiddle to the Janata Dal (S) in Karnataka. The so-called one-on-one formula was first proposed by Ms Banerjee during a high-voltage visit to New Delhi in the second half of the Budget Session. Incidentally, Ms Banerjee had taken the lead in proposing a federal front against the incumbent BJP government, which was evident by her taking a tough stance on the standoff between Arvind Kejriwal and the Centre this weekend. Congress sources said, however, that the party might strategically remain silent on certain matters like the Kejriwal fiasco. The Australian Criminal Intelligence Commission has discontinued its Biometric Identification Services project, being developed by NEC Australia, because of implementation delays. In a statement, the ACIC said the contract, with NEC Australia, had been stopped on 15 June. It had been suspended on 4 June to conduct commercial negotiations. NEC Australia is likely to bid to develop a national facial recognition database that is likely to cost Australia at least hundreds of millions of dollars, but could go into the billions. The current status of this project is unknown. Last year, Paul Howie, NEC Australia's general manager of Smart Systems, said the main expense would be on cameras and hardware. There would also be costs involved for software and algorithms that do the actual recognition. The ACIC project is the second under NEC Australia's stewardship that has been cancelled. In May, an apprenticeship IT platform, which cost $20 million, was cancelled by the Department of Education. Once again, the reasons given were delays and budget blowouts. The system the Australian Apprenticeships Management System was to have been part of the Federal Governments plan to improve support for employers and apprentices as well as streamline payments that are being made through the legacy Training and Youth Internet Management System It was announced in October 2015 and was expected to be commissioned in July 2016 to support the Australian Apprenticeship Support Network. The ACIC said the Australian National Audit Office was conducting an audit into the biometric project as the ACIC had requested in February 2018. The project was awarded to NEC in April 2016. According to InnovationAus.com, delays soon began to haunt the project. A report by PriceWaterhouseCoopers in 2017 said that a systemic pattern of delay was evident and spending had gone out of hand by more than $40 million by November 2017. The ACIC statement said: "The ACIC is committed to delivering projects that enhance capability for our law enforcement partners. "As part of this approach we regularly review the scope, expected benefits and ongoing feasibility of our projects. "The ACIC is committed to providing national criminal information and intelligence services, including fingerprint data, to more than 70,000 police officers and other accredited users on a daily basis, to keep them and the Australian community safe." Two domain registrars have been fined a collective total of $1.95 million by the Federal Court for breaching Australian Consumer Law. Domain Corp and Domain Name Agency the latter also trades as Domain Name Register sent out about 300,000 unsolicited notices to businesses between November 2015 and April 2017, that resembled domain name renewal notices, according to a statement by the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission on Friday. But these were not renewals and instead were for registration of a new domain name at prices ranging from $249 to $275. The two firms made false and misleading representations and engaged in misleading and deceptive conduct, the Court said. They received a total of about $2.3 million in response to these misleading notices. The domain companies misled businesses into thinking they were renewing payment for the business' existing domain name, when in fact the business was paying for a new domain name, ACCC acting chair Delia Rickard said. These sham operations target small businesses, capitalising on a lack of understanding of the domain name system or a busy office environment. We encourage businesses to be vigilant when paying invoices, especially if it is for a domain name registration service. The sole director of both companies, Steven Bell aka Steven Jon Oehlers, was found to be knowingly concerned in, and a party to, the operation. He was disqualified from managing a company for five years and ordered to pay $8000 in costs to the ACCC. Additionally, orders against the companies (for five years) and against Bell (for three years) include a requirement that any further notices have to say: This notice does not relate to the registration of your current domain name. This is not a bill. You are not required to pay any money. Top officials of Chinese telecommunications company Huawei have written to Australian MPs and senators telling them that excluding the firm from the 5G rollout in the country would result in increased costs, an inferior service and pose a threat to the company's operations Down Under. The Australian Financial Review reported the letter, signed by Huawei Australia chairman John Lord and directors John Brumby a former premier of Victoria and Lance Hockridge said: "To completely exclude Huawei from 5G in Australia means excluding Huawei from the entire Australian market and we don't believe this would be in Australia's best interest." Last week, reports said that the Australian Government had decided to exclude Huawei from the 5G rollout altogether. Reacting to this, Lord said that the company had not been told anything by the government. Due to the security claims being made about its operations, the company is reported to have said it was not asking to be involved in the core 5G network, but only in supplying radio antennae and switches. This is the same model that the firm follows in the UK and Canada in the former, a cell set up and overseen by GCHQ, the main spook agency, oversees Huawei's equipment and in Canada this is done by a third party. The letter included a factsheet that pointed out that New Zealand, Canada and the UK had accepted an offer to evaluate Huawei's technology in order to ensure that it met the cyber security strictures in each of these countries. It also offered to build an Australia evaluation and testing so similar assessments could be made as in the three countries listed above. The factsheet pointed out that since it had been set up in Australia in 2004, Huawei had grown to the extent where half the Australian population depends on its technology for their daily telecommunications needs. If Huawei is banned, this would be the second time the company, which has a presence in 170 countries, has been kept out of major projects in Australia. It was banned from bidding for contracts for Australia's national broadband network, the NBN, in 2012. Australia also acted to prevent Huawei participating in an undersea cable project linking the Solomon Islands and Papua New Guinea to Sydney. The US has put considerable pressure on Huawei, locking it out of a number of American contracts. American spy agencies have also pushed Australian Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull to keep Huawei out. American fears about the company extend back nearly a decade with the NSA having hacked into Huawei's offices in Shenzhen in 2010, according to documents released by whistleblower Edward Snowden. Police said that the video was used to blackmail the victim into having a physical relationship with the doctor. A case was registered against Joshi under section 376 (rape) and 328 (using poison to commit an offence) based on the womans complaint, police said. (Photo: Representational) Vadodara: A doctor who had been on the run after being booked for allegedly sedating and raping a patient in his clinic in Angadh village in Nadesari area on the outskirts of Vadodara was detained on Saturday, police said. Nadesari police inspector JK Patel said that Dr Pratik Joshi, who had been booked for rape on June 11, was detained from a relatives house in Valan village in neighbouring Panchmahal district at 3:30 am. A woman had filed a complaint that the doctor had injected her with a sedative and then raped her. We detained Dr Pratik Joshi and he will be arrested soon and presented before a magistrate for remand, Patel said. Patel informed that the clinics compounder, Dilip Gohil, was arrested on June 11 for allegedly filming the act, at the behest of the doctor, in order to blackmail the victim. He said that the video was used to blackmail the victim into having a physical relationship with the doctor. A case was registered against Joshi under section 376 (rape) and 328 (using poison to commit an offence) based on the womans complaint, Patel said. The incident took place about three months ago, he added. Meanwhile, Joshi has alleged that compounder Gohil, along with two others identified as Mahendra Gohil and Vikram Gohil, were also blackmailing him. The three had kidnapped him on February 22 and had demanded Rs 50 lakh from him, the doctor has stated in his police complaint, Patel said. Patel said that the three had been arrested and the doctors allegations against them were being investigated. Three others connected to this case are on the run and police was on the lookout for them, the official said. Further investigations into the case were underway following which Dr Joshi would be arrested and presented before court, Patel said. 'The prime minister did not say anything, but Rajnath Singh said that he would look into the matter. ' she said. New Delhi: West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee said on Sunday that the prime minister did not give any assurance when she, along with three other chief ministers, raised the political crisis in Delhi with him. Banerjee, Kerala's Pinarayi Vijayan, Andhra Pradesh's N Chandrababu Naidu and Karnataka's H D Kumaraswamy had a meeting with Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Home Minister Rajnath Singh on the sidelines of the NITI Aayog Governing Council meeting and urged the Centre to resolve the issue. "We have raised the issue with the prime minister as well as the home minister. We told them that the deadlock should be resolved for the sake of the people. The prime minister did not say anything, but Rajnath Singh said that he would look into the matter. We said what we had to, now they have to sort it out. It is their matter now," Banerjee said after the meeting. The chief ministers belonging to the Trinamool Congress, Communist Party of India-Marxist (CPIM), Telugu Desam Party (TDP) and Janata Dal-Secular (JDS) had expressed solidarity with their Delhi counterpart Arvind Kejriwal, visiting his home on Saturday and seeking Modi's intervention on issues over which he has been on a sit-in at the Lieutenant Governor's office. Terming the deadlock as "political crisis", the opposition leaders had said that people should not suffer due to any political crisis brought about by any political party. Kejriwal and his three cabinet colleagues have been staying put in a waiting room at Raj Niwas, protesting against what they call a strike by the bureaucrats in the national capital. Reddit Email 185 Shares Trump allegedly complained to Israeli Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu that after the 2015 nuclear deal, the Iranians think they can do anything they want. Presumably Trump was referring to Irans geopolitical reach in the Middle East, where it had gathered up allies in Lebanon, Syria, Iraq and Yemen. It is likely that Trumps violation of the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), the deal signed between Iran and the five permanent members of the UN Security Council plus Germany, was intended to set the stage for a push to contain Iran. The push against Iran would involve again subjecting it to severe economic sanctions, in hopes of bankrupting it and depriving it of the means with which to continue to play a role in Iraq, Syria and Lebanon. Boycotts on oil states are not usually effective, since they can usually find a way to sell their oil lucratively nevertheless, and to use the proceeds to cushion the countrys elect. One corner of the attempt at rollback involves Iraq. When a reconstruction conference took place last February in Kuwait, the Trump administration refused to make any contribution at all to rebuilding the country that the US destroyed. At the same time, the US encouraged Iraq to take aid from Saudi Arabia as a quid pro quo for moving away from Iran. The continued tone deafness in Washington about Middle East politics, after all these years of being deeply immersed in it, is baffling. The Shiite majority in Iraq isnt necessarily opposed to better relations with Wahhabi Saudi Arabia. People are more pragmatic than the clash of civilizations or Sunni-Shiite conflict theses might lead one to expect. But that the Shiite-majority government of Iraq would turn its back on Iran in favor of an alignment with Saudi Arabia (which does not like Shiites very much) is a daft proposition. Another sign of Iran Derangement Syndrome in Washington was the unrealistic hopes expressed by right wing pundits that the Iraqi parliamentary election would signal a turn of Iraq away from Iran. The biggest vote-getters were followers of the hard line Shiite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr, who had quixotically allied with the small Communist movement. Al-Sadr is known for resenting Iranian domination of Iraqi Shiism. His father, an Iraqi Arab, had been a contender for the position of chief Iraqi Shiite authority or clerical Exemplar in Najaf before he was assassinated by the Saddam Hussein regime in 1998. His fathers rival, who rose to the top, is Ali Sistani, from a town near Mashhad in eastern Iran, who came to Iraq in 1952. Not only is Sistani the leading religious authority for Iraqi Shiites but Irans clerical Leader, Ali Khamenei, also has influence. Al-Sadr, however, has just announced that he will form a post-election coalition with Hadi al-Ameri, the leader of a heavily pro-Iranian political list, Fatah, that comprises party-militias backed by Iran, who played a major role in defeated the hard line Sunni ISIL terrorist group that took over northern and western Iraq 2014-2017. Al-Ameri is head of the Badr Corps, a Shiite militia that began as an offshoot of the Iranian Revolutionary Guards Corps, Trumps bete noire. Moreover, the idea that al-Sadr is anti-Iran is overblown. He once dedicated his militia, then known as the Mahdi Army, to defending Iran from anyone who might attack it. When Gen. David Petraeus forced al-Sadr out of Iraq in 2007, Muqatada took refuge in Qom in Iran, where he pursued seminary studies before eventually returning to his country. And after the parliamentary elections of 2010 returned four major blocs, al-Sadr allowed his arm to be twisted by Iran such that he allied with pro-Iranian factions to form a government, locking the Sunnis out of power. Baghdad looks to have close and warm relations with Iran under the government now being formed. It is being joined by Massoud Barzanis Kurds, who also have traditionally good relations with Tehran, despite tensions over Iranian Kurdistan (Iran has some 4 million mostly Sunni Kurds, who are sometimes restive). In fact, the prominence of al-Ameri in the proposed new government raises questions about how welcome the some 6000 US troops in Baghdad will remain now that ISIL is largely defeated. The May elections in Lebanon also returned a government thick with Christian and Shiite allies of Iran, and in which the position of the pro-Iranian Shiite party-militia, Hizbullah, improved over that of the last election in 2009. In Syria, president Bashar al-Assad is openly speaking of offering Iran hardened bases in his country. Trump is talking about pulling out US troops from Syria by October, and if that happens (a big if), there would be nothing to stop plans for formal Iranian bases from moving forward. So far, the new alliance of Trump, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and Israel against Iran formed in spring of 2017 has had no successes at all. If anything, in the last year Irans hand has been strengthened in Iraq, Syria and Lebanon. While the Houthi rebels in Yemen may ultimately be defeated by the Saudi-UAE Axis, which is now attacking the Red Sea port of Hodeida, Iran is only marginally involved in Yemen contrary to what Saudi propaganda would have us believe. On the other side of the Arabian Peninsula, Iranian relations with Qatar have warmed up substantially, after Iran helped thwart a Saudi-UAE plot to overthrow Qatars government and subject it to themselves. In fact, the Saudi-UAE push on Qatar has destroyed the Gulf Cooperation Council, which used to group Bahrain, Saudi Arabia, Oman, Qatar and Kuwait, and which was formed in 1981 to combat Iranian hegemony in the Gulf. The collapse of the GCC inevitably strengthens Irans hand. Oman and Kuwait have stood by Qatar, and both have fair relations with Tehran. Some 18 months into the Trump administration, Trump hasnt laid a finger on Tehran, which is still in the catbird seat in the eastern stretches of the Middle East. - Bonus video: Press TV: Iraqs Sadr teams up with Fatah alliance Reddit Email 216 Shares Donald Trumps recent policy towards the Israeli-Palestinian conflict has been unambiguous, to put it mildly. His administration is increasingly aligned with one of the most right-wing governments in Israels history. Most radically of all, it reversed a longstanding US policy by recognising Jerusalem as the capital of Israel, and relocating the US embassy there from Tel Aviv. But, while the US policy has been the subject of furious debate, theres been relatively little discussion about how the Palestinian leaders can respond. Its very important not to see the Palestinians and their leaders as passive actors or helpless victims. This is an evolving situation, and the Palestinian people are far from powerless. In fact, the current US-Israeli alliance presents Palestinian leaders with new opportunities to formulate counter-policies and preserve the Palestinian issues status as a just cause. Theres plenty to do on the home front, and high up the list is achieving national unity among the different Palestinian political factions Fatah and Hamas and also the wider Palestinian communities in the homeland and the Shatat (diaspora). Shatat communities have been marginalised in Palestinian political life ever since the Oslo Accords were signed in the early 1990s. While the leaders of the Palestine Liberation Organisation (PLO) returned to the occupied territories, the vast majority of the Palestinian refugee and displaced communities in Syria, Lebanon and Jordan were left waiting for an end to the displacement that began in 1948. They are still waiting today. The PLOs existing institutions need to be reformed and reinvigorated, and Palestinian communities within the homeland and the Shatat given a true voice in them. More than that, if Palestinian leaders want to put Israel under pressure, they need to think seriously about engaging in national campaigns of nonviolent popular resistance and civil disobedience. Changing course One of the Israeli military and political leaderships biggest fears is the emergence of an unarmed and nonviolent movement in the occupied Palestinian territories, one that could attract international support and the attention of the worlds media. The possibility of Palestinian refugees marching towards their confiscated land and demanding their national rights has haunted Israel for 70 years, and the last thing the Netanyahu government wants to see is an organised peaceful mass resistance movement that the wider world might feel comfortable supporting. Along these lines, theres another radical option the Palestinian leaders should consider: to shift its focus from the failing two-state solution to the pursuit of full and equal rights for all its citizens. Palestinians in Israel face severe everyday discrimination, and Palestinians in Gaza and the West Bank including East Jerusalem are living under oppressive military occupation. Both are subject to complex and unjust legal structures that accord full rights to Israelis and settlers while denying protection and national rights to indigenous Palestinian communities. Seeking equal rights and justice in all of Palestine is not only a democratic question, but a challenge to exclusive ideologies that have maintained separation and conflict. Among Palestinian intellectual and political representatives, the discourse of citizenship and equality is regaining currency as a primary means of conflict transformation largely because of the failure of the two-state solution. The high ground Another option is to keep pursuing international recognition of Palestinian statehood. This may not make much impact on Palestinians everyday lives, but it will certainly help enhance Palestines international status and foreground the Palestinian issue in international law. And that in turn will put Israel under increasing pressure to accept Palestinian national independence. The most recent breakthroughs on this front came at the UN, which in 2012 effectively recognised Palestines statehood and granted it membership as a non-member observer state. That move has granted the Palestinians access to international justice mechanisms; today, the International Criminal Court is investigating potential war crimes committed by Israel since June 2014 in Palestinian territories, particularly in Gaza. The Palestinian political leadership can also do more to leverage the PLOs recognition of Israel. Whereas the PLO has recognised Israels right to live in peace and security since the 1993 Oslo Accords, Israel has never reciprocated and recognised Palestinian statehood. Instead, in the words of Sara Roy, the Oslo process saw the Israeli military occupation of Palestinian territories became formalised and institutionalised. Yet despite repeated statements bemoaning the Oslo frameworks failure, the Palestinian Authority has yet to capitalise on this obvious political inequality. Instead, it is still firmly committed thanks to the political, economic and security interests of its ruling elites. To change the calculus, the Palestinian Authority leadership needs to put the issue of equal state recognition back on the agenda and consider the merit of its dogged commitment to the Oslo Accords. Options like this might not reverse the damage created by Trumps alignment with the right-wing Israeli leadership, but they will prove that the Palestinians are serious and capable of developing policies that can lead to genuine change and win over international public opinion. More articles about Palestine, written by experts: Yaser Alashqar, Adjunct Assistant Professor and Lecturer in conflict studies and Middle East politics, Trinity College Dublin This article was originally published on The Conversation. Read the original article. Bonus video added by Informed Comment: Munther Amira talks about social work and non-violent resistance Former CM Sheila Dikshit said nobody could help Kejriwal if he did not understand the constitutional provisions regarding Delhi. Congress chief Ajay Maken said Kejriwal should put an end to the crisis by expressing 'regrets' to Chief Secretary Anshu Prakash. (Photo:File) New Delhi: Amid an intensifying tussle between the Arvind Kejriwal-led Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) and Lieutenant Governor Anil Baijal, the Congress on Sunday accused the Delhi chief minister of making the people of the national capital suffer due to his "inflated ego". Delhi Congress chief Ajay Maken said Kejriwal should put an end to the crisis by expressing "regrets" to Chief Secretary Anshu Prakash, who was allegedly manhandled by AAP legislators at the chief minister's residence during a late night meeting on February 19. "Still remember the unabashed 'apology' radio ads by Kejriwal after his 49 days gov in 2014. Now-apology from Majithia,Jaitley,Sibbal...Why can't he just offer regrets to the CS and govern Delhi the way he is Constitutionally supposed to? Why should Delhi suffer his inflated ego (sic)?" Maken tweeted. Still remember the unabashed apology radio ads by Kejriwal after his 49 days gov in 2014. Now-apology from Majithia,Jaitely,Sibbal... Why cant he just offer regrets to the CS and govern Delhi the way he is Constitutionally supposed to?Why should Delhi suffer his inflated ego? Ajay Maken (@ajaymaken) June 17, 2018 Former Delhi chief minister and Congress leader Sheila Dikshit said nobody could help Kejriwal if he did not understand the constitutional provisions regarding Delhi. "If you do not understand the Constitution, what can anyone do? That is the bottom line. Delhi cannot become Kerala or Goa or Puducherry, which have different powers as per the Constitution," she told PTI. Dikshit said there was no harm in fighting for more power, but added that it could only be done through Parliament. "If a chief minister does not understand the basics about his state, then I have nothing to say. Everybody has the right to ask for more power, but it has to be by changing the Constitution through Parliament. He can have the powers he is seeking only through Parliament," she added. Dikshit dismissed the AAP allegation that the Congress was siding with the BJP, while several political parties were standing by Kejriwal in the ongoing tussle. "What they are saying is totally irrelevant. We have got our own identity," she said. Kejriwal, along with some of his cabinet colleagues, is sitting on an indefinite dharna at Lieutenant Governor Anil Baijal's office since Monday last, demanding the latter to direct the Indian Administrative Service (IAS) officers to call off their "strike" and clear his government's doorstep ration delivery scheme. The IAS officers of the Delhi government are boycotting their meetings with the AAP ministers in protest against an alleged attack on the chief secretary by the ruling party legislators. Delhi Congress chief spokesperson Sharmistha Mukherjee accused Kejriwal of trying to convert the venue of his dharna at the Raj Bhavan into a place for "political hobnobbing". "Had the venue been different, perhaps there wud be no need for 'permission'. Rajbhavan is not the place for political hobnobbing. BJP does it all the time & @ArvindKejriwal tried to do it in a convoluted manner. One wrong doesn't make another wrong right (sic)," she tweeted. Had the venue been different, perhaps there wud be no need for permission. Rajbhavan is not the place for political hobnobbing. BJP does it all the time & @ArvindKejriwal tried to do it in a convoluted manner. One wrong doesnt make another wrong right https://t.co/1DPnOu0FMC Sharmistha Mukherjee (@Sharmistha_GK) June 16, 2018 On Saturday, the chief ministers of four states ruled by non-BJP parties, including Mamata Banerjee of West Bengal, had tried to meet Kejriwal, but were denied permission. 33K Shares Share Dr. Eugene Gu. He is was a surgical resident at Vanderbilt University. His resume exemplifies academic perfection: valedictorian in high school, undergraduate degree from Stanford, medical degree from Duke, surgical residency at Vanderbilt. He also founded his own research company. Not once throughout the span of his academic or professional career would one have any reason question his capability or competency. But several weeks ago Vanderbilt fired him, citing performance issues. Why? Because Eugene is an outspoken advocate for social equity. And there seems to be no place for that in the authoritarian, monotonous, uninspiring world of medicine. Medicine functions on tradition. It has been said that progress in health care moves as fast as molasses, and Eugenes situation epitomizes why this is the case. A young surgeon who embraces advocacy, critiques a harmful president, and fights for his right to advance scientific knowledge should be celebrated, not silenced. (Eugenes research involves using stem cells to grow organs in vitro to then transplant into newborns with organ failure. In Tennessee, where Vanderbilt is located, the use of stem cells is controversial so his research was halted. He contested that it has potential to save lives and that he has a right to continue.) Physicians should be leaders in public discourse and public health. It is our duty to advocate for policies and support the people who improve our nations health; and to criticize policies and condemn the people who harm our nations health. That is the role Eugene accepted, and he was punished for it. He spoke up against racism and sexism and various other prejudices constructs which have been shown repeatedly to harm the health of those who experience them. He publicly condemned Donald Trump. He fought for his right to conduct lifesaving research. However, the fear-based, hierarchical world of medicine did not praise or promote him for his efforts they fired him. The message reverberated to all of us in health care who care about changing the status quo: Either get in line or get out. I have faced backlash already simply for associating with Eugene. Imagine that: By acknowledging he is my friend and saying I support him, I am in dangerous territory. I have not done stem cell research, I have not filed a lawsuit against the president, I have not spoken out against my institutions wishes. But the fear within health care is so pervasive that by supporting someone who has done these things, I receive warnings. One person wrote to me: You should not be involved in controversial topics this extreme. Just a well-wishers advice. Heres what is controversial: Physicians are silenced. They are incapable of expressing their views from within the system, even when those views pertain to public health advocacy. Physicians are expected to be assembly-line workers who keep their mouths closed, who do as they are told, who do not rock the boat. Individuality is removed piece-by-piece from brilliant young minds until they are reduced to machinelike robots operating under fear-mongering tactics like professionalism. Eugenes behavior is not inherently problematic. It stands out because in a strict culture where conformity was mandated of him, he refused. When he was in hot water with his research, we spoke about his unwillingness to conform and the pressures imposed upon him. Heres what he told me. A conversation I had with Eugene when his research was being threatened. His behavior is not antagonistic, its heroic. He doesnt battle states or institutions or presidents for attention, as his detractors would say; he battles them because he stands for what he believes in. He has values. He has a moral compass and is courageous enough to advocate for what he thinks is right and to condemn what he thinks is wrong. We shouldnt be scared to associate with Eugene. Rather, we should learn from him. We should promote him, be inspired by him, and become an spokesperson for what we believe in just like he has done. By firing him, the culture of medicine let us down. It reinforces the notion that if we are to advocate for what we believe in, we will be punished and ostracized; and if we conform, we will be rewarded. But conformity to a healthcare system that produces high rates of suicide, depression, substance abuse, anxiety, and disillusion among physicians is illogical and unsafe. Refusing to conform, insisting on maintaining our identities, and standing up for what we believe in behaviors Eugene has demonstrated are ways we will transform the culture of medicine. I appreciate you, Eugene. On behalf of those in medicine who want to overhaul the status quo, thank you. Jamie Katuna is a medical student. She can be reached at her self-titled site, Jamie Katuna, and on Facebook. Image credit: Jamie Katuna Many were willing to travel thousands of miles for a chance to take part. SYDNEY: More than 11,000 Australians who rushed for the chance to strip for American photographer Spencer Tunick will soon wear only smiles after a national supermarket chain changed its mind about allowing the shoot to go ahead on a suburban rooftop carpark. Were over the moon, John Lotton, director of the Provocare Festival of the Arts, told Reuters on Saturday. Tunick has photographed thousands of nudes in group shots around the globe from Bogota to Vienna. But Australian retail giant Woolworths had refused to allow him access to a car park in the up-market suburb of Prahran, in the nations second-largest city of Melbourne, as they feared it would inconvenience their customers. Organizers of the Chapel Street Provocare arts festival had hoped Tunicks photo shoot would propel their event onto the world stage. After festival organizers agreed to move the event from busy weekend trading hours to a quiet Monday morning, Woolworths shed its inhibitions to allow the event to go ahead on July 9. Its a good outcome, a Woolworths representative said in a statement emailed to Reuters. Lotton said 11,000 people had registered to disrobe, with a week still left before entries close. Many were willing to travel thousands of miles for a chance to take part, he told Reuters from Melbourne. It is not known exactly how many au naturel volunteers are needed or how Tunick will choose them, but Lotton said there will not be enough places for all that want to participate. Its well and truly oversubscribed, Lotton said. In 2007 in Mexico City, 18,000 people stripped off in the heart of the citys Zocalo Square for Tunick, an internationally renowned photographer from New York. Volunteers have also posed naked in freezing temperatures on a Swiss glacier. The police recovered a suicide note from the spot. The note has been written in Nepali. On Friday evening, the police got an information that a maid has allegedly committed suicide in Keshavpurm locality by hanging herself. (Representational picture) New Delhi: In a shocking incident, an 18-year-old maid has allegedly committed suicide by hanging in herself at a flat in New Delhis Keshavpuram on Friday evening. The police recovered a suicide note from the spot, which is written in Nepalese language. According to the police, the deceased has been identified as Payal (18). The police has registered a case and questioning the employers. The police has kept the body in a nearby hospital for post-mortem. The police recovered a suicide note from the spot. The note has been written in Nepali. A senior police officer said that Sanjeev lives with his family in Keshavpuram. He is a businessman by profession. The deceased was working for the past three months with the family. The deceased was originally from Nepal. On Friday evening, the police got an information that a maid has allegedly committed suicide in Keshavpurm locality by hanging herself. When the police reached the spot, they found the deceased hanging from the roof. The police ruhed Payal to a hospital where the doctors declared her brought dead. According to the police, preliminary investigation revealed that the deceased used to take care of Sanjeevs six-year-old son. The police received a telephone call from Sanjeevs family members reporting about the incident. Presently, the police are interrogating them. The police was told that Sanjeev and his wife were not at home at the time of the incident. We are ascertaining the reality of the couples claim, they added. The government is exploring this transportation technology (hyperloop) for the Mumbai-Pune route with an aim to reduce the travel time. Mumbai: The travel time between Mumbai and Pune, which is around four hours, will be reduced to just 25 minutes if a high-tech transportation system being explored by the government is implemented. Chief minister Devendra Fadnavis, visited the Virgin Hyperloop One test site in Nevada and met the companys CEO and board member, Rob Lloyd, a statement from the CMO said. The government is exploring this transportation technology (hyperloop) for the Mumbai-Pune route with an aim to reduce the travel time. Virgin Hyperloop One plans to send engineers to Pune shortly to conduct a study, statement said. The Pune Metropolitan Regional Development Authority (PMRDA) has identified a 15-km-long demonstration track for hyperloop. It is noteworthy that 70 per cent of materials and components required for hyperloop can be sourced within Maharashtra itself, the statement added. Mumbai fire brigade will be putting up fluorescent boards with warnings to curb drowning-related casualties. The Mumbai police has started deploying police personnel along with the civic lifeguards and officers from the National Disaster Response Force team on the weekends at beaches across city. (Representational image) Mumbai: Mumbai fire brigade will be putting up fluorescent boards with warnings to curb drowning-related casualties. Eight persons drowned in the city since early June, as the city witnessed heavy showers in the first two weeks of the monsoon. The Mumbai police has started deploying police personnel along with the civic lifeguards and officers from the National Disaster Response Force team on the weekends at beaches across city. According to the sources, there are several boards placed on the beaches like Juhu, Girgaon and Dadar, but they often fail to stop the over-excited crowd from entering the waters. In addition to this the police personnel are only armed with lathis (canes) to obstruct the people from going too close to the water bodies and risking their lives. Deployed on duty from 8 am till late at night, these police officers patrol beaches during high tide. With the upcoming introduction of the fluorescent boards, the police and lifeguards aims to garner as much attention as possible to ensure peoples safety and security. Speaking to The Asian Age, David Neville, a lifeguard at Juhu said, On weekends, Juhu generally witnesses huge crowd visiting the sea-fronts during afternoon and evening times. Despite knowing the danger of approaching the waters closely during high tides, people carelessly go closer towards the water. The hefty waves makes it difficult for us to rescue them, but we cannot risk their life by waiting for the water to recede. We request people to be away from the sea-fronts during high tides and to immediately inform the police officials patrolling the area, if such a mishap takes place. Repeated public service announcements to be wary of the powerful waves and stay away from the seafronts during high tides are often ignored by the people, said Manoj Kumar Sharma, deputy commissioner of police (Zone 1). Places like Girgaon Chowpatty, Dadar Chowpatty, Marine Drive, Juhu beach, Bandra Bandstand, Carter road and Worli sea face are some of the places, where the police officers will be deployed to patrol on weekends. The victims are likely to explain how one of the two-gutted restaurants did not have an exit door that led to the casualties. Mumbai: The victims and family members of those who lost their lives in Kamala Mills fire are set to assist the judicial committee constituted by the Bombay high court to probe the tragedy including lapses and violations of the entities concerned including the BMC and the fire brigade. The judicial committees began this month. The victims are likely to explain how one of the two-gutted restaurants did not have an exit door that led to the casualties. Advocate Prakash Wagh who is representing seven injured and five deceased family members, told The Asian Age that his clients are waiting for the commissions summon. He said first of all the committee has to establish the fire incidents and for that these victims are ready to depose before the court. We can bring to the notice of the court regarding how violations were done by two resto-pubs because nobody other than victims can describe the look from inside, said Mr Wagh. On April 2, the HC had set up committee under the chairmanship of retired Kerala HC chief Justice A.V. Sawant and retired urban development secretary K. Nalinakshan and Vasant Thackur, architect of the HC panel will. During the hearing, BMC counsel Anil Sakhare had informed the court that corporation is ready to arrange place and infrastructure to the committee. BMC also informed the court that committee will start working from the June 1 and will complete its work before August 31. Guatemala City, Jun 17 (AFP) Authorities today called off a search for the nearly 200 people missing since Guatemala's Fuego volcano erupted earlier this month, devastating the surrounding countryside. Officials have confirmed the deaths of 110 people as a result of the volcanic eruption on June 3, but another 197 people remain unaccounted for. A spokesman for the government's civil protection agency, David de Leon, said the agencies involved decided to end the search "due to the fact that the area is uninhabitable and of high risk." The volcano, which is located 35 kilometers (about 22 miles) southwest of the capital, is still generating four or five weak explosions an hour, sending a column of gray ash more than 3,000 feet (1,000 meters) into the sky. Additionally, rains were forecast for Sunday, posing a danger of volcanic mudflows. More than 3,600 villagers have been forced to take temporary refuge in schools and community halls. The suspended search had been focused on the hardest-hit communities of San Miguel Los Lotes and El Recreo. The only exception to the suspension is in the area of Alotenango, where volunteer firefighters continued to search for two comrades who went missing on the day of the disaster. (AFP) (This is an unedited and auto-generated story from Syndicated News feed, LatestLY Staff may not have modified or edited the content body) Southern Illinois University student Pravin Varughese, who was missing for 5 days, was found dead in 2014, initially declared as accident. Washington: A man in the US has been convicted of the first-degree murder of an Indian-origin student after four years of untiring efforts by his family to seek justice, according to a media report. When Southern Illinois University student Pravin Varughese was found dead in 2014 after being missing for five days, authorities in Carbondale initially declared it as a tragic accident. Varughese's cause of death at that time was reported as environmental hypothermia, Chicago Tribune reported. The family of the 19-year-old student from Morton Grove was simply unwilling to accept that. His relatives pushed for further investigation, had an independent autopsy performed that conflicted with the local coroner's findings and filed suit against Carbondale and its police chief, who was fired soon after. A 12-person jury on Thursday found Gaege Bethune, a southern Illinois man, guilty of the first-degree murder of Varughese. "Pravin's day finally came. He can rest in peace now," Pravin's mother, Lovely Varughese said. During investigations, Bethune, who was 19 at the time, told police that he gave Varughese a ride on the night of February 12, 2014 after a party, and the two drove around while Varughese was allegedly looking to buy cocaine. Bethune said that at some point he got into a fight with Varughese. The prosecution said the two had been fighting over money, and alleged Bethune landed several punches to Varughese's head and face that led to Varughese running into the woods, where he later died. Jurors deliberated for seven hours before returning a verdict, according to WSIL. They found Bethune guilty of one count of murder that hinged on the state arguing Bethune caused great bodily harm to Varughese and that his death was "a direct and foreseeable consequence," The Southern Illinosian reported. He was found not guilty on a second murder charge that accused Bethune of robbing the victim, according to the newspaper. Bethune now faces 20 to 60 years in prison. A sentencing has not yet been scheduled. Colombo, June 17: Sri Lankan Navy will release ten Indian fishermen's boats that were taken into custody in 2015 and 2016. As per media reports, the Sri Lankan government had, on June 13 sent a letter to the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) stating that they are ready to release ten boats. In 2017, out of the 216 boats, Sri Lanka released around 42 boats. However, the fishermen were only able to retrieve 32 boats as remaining ten were damaged beyond repair. Now, the Sri Lankan government is releasing another 10 boats instead of the ones that were not retrieved in 2017, Colombo Page reported. A team headed by a fisheries official, including fishermen and salvage personnel will be leaving for Sri Lanka in two days to retrieve the boats. As per the demands of fishermen in the region, remaining 174 boats in the Sri Lankan custody must be released. Each boat costs Rs 8 to 10 lakh, they added. "We will go and check the boats in Sri Lanka but we demand that all our boats in the Sri Lankan custody be released," Colombo Page quoted Jesuraj, a Tamilian fishermen leader as saying. The Sri Lankan fishermen also suggested that the boats in Sri Lankan custody either be disposed of or returned to Indian fishermen. "These seized boats are docked in our shore and it is so difficult for us to go to the sea for fishing. The tied boats tend to move astray and hit with the neighbouring damaging the docked boats as well as ours," a Sri Lankan fisherman was quoted by Colombo Page. The Indo-Sri Lankan officials are scheduled to meet in Delhi to discuss the problems of the Tamil fishermen on July 4. (This is an unedited and auto-generated story from Syndicated News feed, LatestLY Staff may not have modified or edited the content body) Mosul [Iraq], June 17 (ANI): Prominent Hollywood actress Angelina Jolie, who is the Special Envoy of the UN Refugee Agency UNHCR, visited Mosul in northern Iraq on Saturday less than a year after the city's liberation from three years of Islamic State (IS). Saturday's trip was Jolie's fifth visit to Iraq since 2001, reported PEOPLE. The Oscar-winning actress, 43, paid a visit to the Iraqi city on the second day of the Eid ul-Fitr, the holiday that marks the end of the holy month of Ramadan. "It is deeply upsetting that people who have endured unparalleled brutality have so little as they try, somehow, to rebuild the lives they once had," the report quoted Jolie, as saying. Jolie, in a video shared by the organization said, "This is the worst devastation I've seen in all my years with UNHCR. These people have lost everything, and the trauma and the loss that they've suffered is unparalleled. They're here on their own with very little support - next to nothing. And they're rebuilding themselves with their bare hands. They're moving the rubble with their bare hands." (ANI) (This is an unedited and auto-generated story from Syndicated News feed, LatestLY Staff may not have modified or edited the content body) New Delhi, June 17: External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj on Sunday embarked on a four-nation visit to Italy, France, Luxembourg and Belgium. Today, Swaraj will visit Italy. This will be the first major political exchange between India and Italy following the swearing-in of Giuseppe Conte as the country's new Prime Minister. In Rome, Swaraj will call on Prime Minister Conte and also meet her counterpart, Enzo Moavero Milanesi, Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, and review the bilateral relations between the two countries. Meanwhile, the visit to France (June 18-19) will see Swaraj meeting her counterpart, Jean-Yves Le Drian, Minister for Europe and Foreign Affairs to review the bilateral relations between the two nations. This will be the first major visit to France since the visit of the French President Macron to India in March this year. India and France are celebrating the 20th anniversary of their strategic partnership. While in Paris, Swaraj will be the Chief Guest at the naming ceremony of the Indian Culture Centre and also interact with the Indian community. Later on, Swaraj will be visiting Luxembourg from June 19-20, marking the 70th year of establishment of Diplomatic Relations between the two countries. During her visit, the External Affairs Minister will be calling on the Grand Duke of Luxembourg His Royal Highness Henri Albert Gabriel Felix Marie Guillaume and Xavier Bettel, the Prime Minister of Luxembourg. Swaraj will also have meetings with Jean Asselborn, Minister of Foreign and European Affairs and Pierre Gramegna, the Minister of Finance. In Luxembourg, she will also interact with the Indian community. The Minister will be visiting Belgium from June 20-23. Swaraj will be meeting the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs of Belgium, Didier Reynders. In Brussels, Swaraj will call on the President of the European Commission Jean-Claude Juncker and the President of the European Parliament Antonio Tajani. Swaraj will also be meeting with her counterpart, Federica Mogherini, the High Representative of the European Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy / Vice President of the European Commission to review the entire gamut of India-EU relations. While in Brussels, Swaraj will deliver a keynote speech at the high-level event 'Climate, Peace and Security: Time for Action', lead the International Yoga Day celebrations at the European Parliament and also interact with the Indian community. The visit to the four European nations is aimed at providing an opportunity to hold in-depth discussions with the political leadership on a wide range of global, regional and bilateral issues, and advance India's growing strategic engagement with the European Union. Hollywood actor Angelina Jolie visited Mosul in Iraq with United Nations Refugee Agency on Saturday. Although a year after Mosul's liberation from ISIS, the city continues to struggle from after-effects of war. Remains of toppled-down buildings on dusty roads have become a normal sight since ISIS took control of it three years ago. This is Jolie's fifth visit to Iraq with the UN since 2001. With the visit, the actor aims to raise awareness about the condition of the residents. Jolie who is a special envoy for UNHCR has called on the international community to help rebuild and stabilize the city. People of Mosul still have no running water, medical services or assistance to rebuild their homes. This is the worst devastation I have seen in all my years working with UNHCR" Our Special Envoy Angelina Jolie visits Mosul in Iraq, and urges the world not to forget the people of the city. https://t.co/s22hAmQT0b UN Refugee Agency (@Refugees) June 16, 2018 UNHCR's website quotes Jolie as saying, "This is the worst devastation I have seen in all my years working with UNHCR. People here have lost everything: their homes are destroyed. They are destitute. They have no medicine for their children, and many have no running water or basic services. They are still surrounded by bodies in the rubble. After the unimaginable trauma of the occupation, they are now trying to rebuild their homes, often with little or no assistance." # #_#AngelinaJoliepic.twitter.com/sADzzCFUDw (@omartvsd) June 16, 2018 Talking about the terrible conditions in which people are living in the Iraqi city, she said, "We often tend to assume, as an international community, that when the fighting is over, the work is done. But the conditions I observed here in West Mosul are appalling. Displacement is still happening. The camps near the city are still full. Whole areas of West Mosul remain flattened. Enabling people to return and stabilizing the city is essential for the future stability of Iraq and the region." Jolie's visit comes four days after a report confirmed that Jolie and her ex-husband Brad Pitt reached a new temporary custody agreement over their six children for this summer. Jolie and Pitt split in September 2016 after two years of marriage and 12 years together. Their next court hearing is set for August 13. (The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Jun 17, 2018 10:10 AM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com). Jeffrey Parks believes that struggling Rust Belt communities can learn a thing or two from Bethlehem. Parks, the founder of Musikfest and former head of its parent ArtsQuest, has written a new book chronicling how the city survived the loss of its main industry and recast itself as an artistic hub. "Stronger Than Steel: Forging a Rust Belt Renaissance," which comes out Monday, combines research, interviews and Parks' personal recollections to explain how Bethlehem managed to avoid the long-term economic disaster that has plagued other industrial cities. "What do we have here that we can share with other people?" Parks said he asked himself when first setting out to write the book in 2015. "People have come here for Musikfest or have seen SteelStacks, and want to know, 'My gosh, how did you do all of this?'" The cover of "Stronger Than Steel: Forging a Rust Belt Renaissance." Looking back, Parks credits the city's resilience largely to the right people stepping up and coming together at the right time. "You have to recognize opportunity and seize upon it," said Parks, who grew up in Bethlehem. As Bethlehem Steel shed jobs and public policy encouraged flight to the suburbs in the 1970s and '80s, the city needed something new to rally around. Musikfest, originally nicknamed "Operation Bootstrap" by the organizers, debuted in 1984. The book looks to highlight the unnoticed ways that the arts benefit a community. Typically, Parks said, people look to job creation and audience spending to justify public support of the arts. But he believes those metrics don't tell the whole story. "Arts have a far greater contribution to economic success of communities than they've been given credit for," Parks said. He points to the fact that Bethlehem is one of just three Pennsylvania cities where more than 30 percent of residents age 25 to 34 have a college degree. Many of those educated young professionals, he concludes, are drawn to the area (or convinced to stay) in part by its thriving art scene. In contrast, when Parks moved back to the Lehigh Valley in the 1970s, he saw young professionals leaving the community at an alarming rate. For the arts to lift a community, Parks said it's important for programs to be inclusive and accessible to everyone. He notes that in 1990s, Bethlehem's growing Latino population often didn't feel included in Musikfest. The festival had to do more to send the message that they were welcome, and in 2000 debuted Plaza Tropical to host more Latin music. To continue its success story, Parks said, Bethlehem should focus on developing housing in its downtown areas -- on both the north and south sides -- that will appeal to younger professionals who want a "live, work, play" lifestyle. Bethlehem should also think about what businesses it needs to attract to sustain that new workforce. Parks is a partner on the $15 million, 50-apartment Skyline West proposal off West Broad Street in Bethlehem. As of 2016, among Pennsylvania cities with more than 20,000 people, Bethlehem had the lowest poverty rate and highest median household income. With "Stronger Than Steel," Parks wanted to highlight the collaborative effort that went into reviving city -- well beyond ArtsQuest's work. "It wasn't just me, and it wasn't just Musikfest," he said. "I wanted to make sure all those who came together and made the city what it is are recognized." Parks will present a reading and book signing in the Blast Furnace Room of the ArtsQuest Center on June 22 from 5 from 6:30 p.m. The book, available at SteelStacks, local bookstores and online retailers, costs $19.50 for a paperback and $9.99 for Kindle and Nook ebooks. MORE BETHLEHEM This isn't the only new book looking back on Bethlehem's past. "Tamar Bair's Bethlehem: The Colonial Industrial Quarter" by John Marquette and Mark Iampietro pairs old photos of the city taken by resident and St. Luke's nursing instructor Tamar Bair with modern shots of the same spots by Iampietro. Andrew Doerfler may be reached at adoerfler@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @adoerfler or on Facebook. By Timothy Fallon In September 2015 I was asked by Gov. Tom Wolf to join the non-partisan Pennsylvania Early Learning Investment Commission. I felt this was in direct alignment with the educational mission of PBS39. Since then I have learned about the power of investing in the care and education of young children and have been gratified to see Pennsylvania's commitment to doing so grow. Still, we can and must do more to realize the individual potential of every child and secure a prosperous future for our region and the commonwealth. Timothy Fallon. Every child is born with innate talents. The question is how, and whether, those talents are unleashed and nurtured. Potential is like a flower that requires sun and water before it can bloom. Give a child the tools and the environment that power imagination, and their talents blossom. Even if scientists hadn't discovered the remarkable growth occurring in the brain from birth to age 5, we would know every moment offers a precious learning experience. In those years, children grow so quickly, learning to walk, speak, and interact with the people around them. Their little brains are hard at work. We know from research that each interaction sparks neural development that builds the pathways for lifetimes of learning, social functioning, and success. Clearly, early childhood education starts from the moment a new mom counts her baby's fingers and toes, and dad makes a silly face. In this sense, child care is early childhood education, and every setting should be rich with stimulation that promotes development of the young brain. Sadly, not every child gets the advantages of developmentally rich settings. Pennsylvania is in critical need of making high-quality child care more affordable and available to children and working families. This shortage affects not just families but entire communities and Pennsylvania's economic growth. Quality matters because it nurtures childhood potential. Research-based quality practices assure that child care programs are staffed by teachers trained in interactions that spark neural development. The settings are safe, offer strong educational programs, and are stocked with art supplies, books, and toys that encourage imaginative play and creativity. Quality costs money, but just like any smart purchase, it pays for itself with immediate and long-term benefits. Today our investments improve workforce productivity and participation. Missed work days and high turnover caused by the lack of reliable, affordable child care cost employers billions of dollars in reduced productivity, according to groundbreaking new studies. For states, this translates to millions of dollars in lost tax revenues. Availability of high-quality child care also helps parents pursue training and credentials needed for better jobs, helping them achieve self-sufficiency and better support their families. High-quality child care helps build a more capable workforce, because quality child care assures school readiness. Children who enter school ready to learn, instilled with the basics of literacy, mathematics, and good behavior, are much more likely er to stay on track academically, graduate from high school, pursue higher education and career training, and be more productive workers. The talents we nurtured in the child are honed into the skills that the adult offers the workplace. The lack of affordable, available high-quality child care puts these benefits in question. Pennsylvania's Child Care Works subsidies, which help cover some costs for working parents striving for self-sufficiency, lack the buying power to purchase care that's truly high-quality. The effect resonates statewide. In Lehigh County, 80 percent of young children in Child Care Works are in programs that have not met high-quality standards, as shown by achieving 3 or 4 Keystone STARS or national accreditation. Only 272 young children in Child Care Works are enrolled in programs meeting high-quality standards proven to promote school readiness. In fact, only 33 percent of the 7,120 young Lehigh County children eligible for Child Care Works are even served by the program. A similar picture of unmet need emerges in Northampton County, with 66 percent of Child Care Works-eligible young children not enrolled in programs meeting high-quality standards. Even families that don't qualify for Child Care Works are affected. Throughout Lehigh and Northampton counties, at least 62 percent of child care provider capacity does not meet high-quality standards. When families go looking for child care, their choices in quality are scarce. Every day is a day to invest in our children. Gov. Wolf's proposed $27 million increase in the 2018-19 state budget would increase the supply of high-quality child care and enhance the buying power of Child Care Works subsidies. This investment is our chance to cultivate talent and make imaginations soar, for families and businesses that are stronger today, and children who are poised to pursue their dreams tomorrow. Timothy Fallon is the CEO of PBS39, the Greater Lehigh Valley's public media station. Visit www.paearlylearning.com for an April 2018 ELIC brief on the critical need for high-quality child care. Visit www.papartnerships.org for local data on child care availability and quality. Cill Dara Foroige is seeking new members to join in this September at the Hive. Debbie and Keith of Cill Dara Foroige Club are encouraging new members to become part of the club in September. Cill Dara Foroige has always been a welcoming spot for young people who want a safe space to come meet and discuss what is going on for them in their lives. SEE ALSO: New 1.2m. spa opens in Osprey Hotel, Naas Cill Dara has been hugely active in promoting the good works of its members who each year collect monies and raise awareness of charities for those in their community. The club will enjoy a well-earned summer break and the members are keen to encourage more teens to avail of the wonderful facilities in The Hive. The space is a purpose-built facility for young people in and around Kildare and is hugely welcoming. In September there will be an expression of interest and information night for adults and young people in The Hive where you will find out about the opportunities available for teens from Foroige, the largest youth organisation in the country. For more information on what Foroige could do for you and your community please go to www.foroige.ie or if you or your young person would like to become involved please contact the Development Officer in Kildare and Laois on 0866384199 or newclub@foroige.ie This superbly located unique residential stud farm on the edge of Newbridge has long term development potential. Located on the edge of Newbridge and just 700m from zoned land, it has 520m road frontage on to the busy Milltown road and must have tremendous potential, said Jordan Auctioneers. It is located 1.5 km from the commuter rail station to Dublin and 2.5km from the Main Street in Newbridge and just 40 km from Dublin City. SEE ALSO: Former Deasy's photographic studio to be sold in Newbridge The land is in one block in well laid out flat paddocks, all with excellent shelter and a purpose built road to service the entire span of the farm and yards. The property is approached via a recessed entrance with a 350m tree - lined avenue. Hawkfield House itself is an imposing residence extending to 2,700sq ft with original guest cottage 915 sq ft. The house may require some refurbishment but it has the potential to be a very fine property. The yards are well laid out with 14 boxes, tack room, feed house and toilet. There is a three span hay-shed with two lean tos and a three span machinery shed. There is also a large all weather sand arena (60mx30m) which is railed and sheltered. The stud is owned by well known Galway based equine veterinary surgeons Ned and Liz OFlynn. They have reluctantly taken the decision to sell their farm in Kildare having made their principle base in Oranmore in Co Galway. Over the years Hawkfield House Stud has produced many top class horses including Olympic Gold Medal winner Custom Made bred by Liz OFlynn. The list also includes winners at Badminton 5 Star, Kentucky Rolex, Galaxy Libra Supreme Performance Champion RDS, Oranmore, Champion Horse of the Year Show UK, Trinity winner RDS, Mecca twice winner RDS, Nice and Easy, 2nd Burghley and winner of numerous International Events. Hawkfield House Stud is a unique centrally located compact Stud Farm that should appeal to any equestrian enthusiast or racing person wishing to purchase a property or investment close to Dublin. The property is to be auctioned on July 5 in the Keadeen Hotel, Newbridge at 3pm (unless previously sold) and Jordans are quoting a price of 1,300,000. Additional information is available from Paddy Jordan or Clive Kavanagh of Jordan Auctioneers 045-433550. A WALK-OUT by gardai working in deplorable conditions at Newcastle West Garda Station in Limerick cannot be ruled out, a garda representative has warned. The only reason the members are continuing to work there is the goodwill of the members and that goodwill is running out, Garda Alan ODonnell of the Garda Representative Association (GRA) said this week. I can envisage a walk-out. Meanwhile, Niall Collins TD has described the situation at the station as a crisis. Overcrowding is a fact of life at the station and the portakabins where the lockers and changing facilities are located have been condemned, Gda ODonnell pointed out. There is only one bathroom for the 17 female members working in the station. Even more problematic is the fact that prisoners have to be brought in or out through the public office and this can pose dangers if the prisoner is violent, he explained. Prisoners also have to be processed in the public office and there is a problem with rat infestation. What is needed, Gda ODonnell said, is a clear road map as the campaign for improved facilities has been going on since 2009. We were promised a complete overhaul in 2012, he explained but these plans were somehow lost in translation. Following the merger of the Askeaton Garda District with the Newcastle West Garda District in 2013, a report was commissioned which found the station to be not fit for purpose. But the plan to extend and refurbish the building has now been put aside and a plan to build an all-new, two-storey station on the existing site has been drawn up. The plans are well advanced, Gda ODonnell said. It is coming down to money and who makes the loudest noise. As an association, we have brought this as far as we can. We have been knocking on TDs doors. We have met with Garda commissioners. We have met two Ministers of Justice, he continued. The hope of two years down the road has been held out time and time again. If we knew there was a clear road map, that the money was there and ring-fenced, there would be a lot more acceptance, Garda ODonnell said. Responding to concerns raised by gardai at the station, Deputy Collins said: To say this is a major health and safety issue would be a huge understatement. Last November, the Minister for Justice Charlie Flanagan visited the station, the second minister to do so in the lifetime of this government, he pointed out. This raised the hopes of all involved that a major announcement would very soon follow. However all concerned continue to feel very disappointed, let down and very frustrated, he said. I am now calling on the Government to immediately recognise the crisis and fund the development of the proposed new Garda District Headquarters. I am equally as frustrated as the gardai on this, said Minister of State Patrick ODonovan who accused certain politicians of point-scoring. This should have been done years ago, he continued, pointing out that successive governments since the 1990s had failed to act on the matter. However, he pledged: I am not going to be deflected by point-scoring by certain politicians. They have questions to answer too about what they did, which was little or nothing. He had been liaising with garda representatives and with garda chiefs on the issue and has consistently been raising it at ministerial level. Only last week again, Minister ODonovan said, he met with Minister Flanagan and Minister Boxer Moran, who has responsibility for the OPW. This Wednesday, a further meeting, this time involving officials from the OPW, the Department of Justice and Garda Accommodation, is scheduled to take place. This is to chart a way forward, he said. The plans for the new building have been drawn up, the Minister pointed out, and he confirmed that the site has been checked and found to be suitable for pile-driving to support a two-storey building. Minister ODonovan expects to have greater clarity on the matter within the week. Meanwhile, however, Deputy Collins has indicated he will be raising the issue in the Dail chamber. Here's my ensemble! Culottes Onesie (got this on Sale from Shop Thrift Shop Fishermall) Bag: Zalora I have the say, the material of this one piece culottes is so comfortable yet it works even for professional setting! The only complaint? I need a bit of time inside the washroom as I need to remove the ribbon tied at the back of my neck, the ribbon on the waist and a zipper! But once you went back and forth the washroom for 2-3 times, you'll get the hang of it! *laughs* I have to sing praises to my newest and comfiest pair of Alberto Shoes! I usually bring with me a flats to change in between meetings and work but for this particular pair, I was able to survive 9:00am-10:00pm wear! Seriously, I even ran around chasing my son inside the SM Aura mall and my feet did not die! How about you fellow Mommies, what is your favorite "work-mom-wear"? Keep smilin' Stay happy! It was a Holiday in the Philippines but it is a "working Holiday" for me.I need to take my son to his Speech School and leave for a meeting for lunch.From Tomas Morato, I am flying to SM Aura for a Korean Cosmetics launch (Welcome The Saem!), then I have a scheduled Brow Wax session at Benefit then leave the rest of my schedule for family!I don't tediously plan my outfit but I roughly have an idea what to wear before I go to sleep! I wanted something comfortable where I can move around at the same time, chic enough for meetings!I will share more of my simple yet comfortable busy-mom pieces on this Blog more often because I always gets asked on my Instagram DM on my clothing FORMER Housing Minister Jan OSullivan has welcomed the potential provision for residential capacity in Limerick's Project Opera plan. As revealed by the Limerick Leader last week, Limerick Twenty Thirty bosses are reconsidering the idea of bringing housing into the 170m scheme in the Upper Patrick Street area. Plans for the huge office development released last year initially showed not a single dwelling, prompting outrage from groups as diverse as housing charity Novas and the Limerick Chamber. This came after plans dating back to 2011 revealed proposals for 161 apartments and it was on this basis that funding came for Project Opera. Ms OSullivan, who was Housing Minister at that time, said: This just shows how important it is that people respond to public consultation. The Labour Party put in a very detailed submission, and our main point was there needs to be residential accommodation in this very important site in the heart of the city. That was the original intention when I was minister. Ms OSullivan said she hopes it is not just token housing. Elsewhere, there has been a guarded welcome to the news. Campaigners and politicians have said ultimately the proof will be in the delivery. Designers of updated plans presented to councillors have indicated 1,200 square metres will be set aside in Upper Patrick Street for a mix of uses including office, higher education and crucially, residential. Solidarity councillor Cian Prendiville said: There is a glimmer of hope now residential will be included. But we must keep pressure on the council to make sure they follow through on this. He said any accommodation provided must be at affordable rates. While Limerick Twenty Thirty insisted the possibility of housing in Project Opera was never ruled in or ruled out, Cllr Prendiville believes public pressure has made a difference. Solidarity, other parties, Novas and others made submissions saying it would be a grave mistake not to include some accommodation. So its clear this has had an effect, he said. Novas, the homelessness charity, was one group which also made a submission on the 170m, 3,000-job scheme. Dr Una Burns, its communications officer, said: Were glad the council has listened to the concerns in regard of housing on the site. The Opera site provides immense potential to alleviate some of the housing problems. She pointed out a dearth of city homes, and high rents. Cllr Joe Leddin believes without housing in the mix, An Bord Pleanala would have likely rejected the proposals, causing additional delays and huge embarrassment to Limerick Twenty Thirty. However, the company last week maintained that housing had not been ruled in or ruled out of the Patrick Street development, updated plans for which will soon be shown to councillors. A LIMERICK council worker who claimed he was injured during a workplace accident five years ago has settled a court action. Kevin Quinn (54) who has an address at Main Street, Glanworth, County Cork sued Limerick City and County Council for damages following the incident wich happened while he was working at Gortadroma landfill site near Shanagolden on July 1, 2013. Mr Quinn, who was driving a dumper truck on the day of the accident, claimed the ground upon which he was driving gave way causing the truck to fall over. The plantiff, who had sought 60,000 in damages, had alleged negligence on the part of the local authority which, he said, had failed to supply a safe place of work. He alleged the council had failed to properly inspect the site and had failed to have adequate safety measures in place and had caused, allowed or permitted the accident to happen through its negligence. According to court papers, he was in shock and disorientated in the immediate aftermath of the incident and sustained a bruise to his left forehead as he struck his head before exiting the truck. Mr Quinn, who is a professional driver, subsequently developed neck and lower back pain which aggravated a pre-existing medical condition. He claimed he experienced a reduced range of movement in his shoulder and neck and also developed a burning sensation in his legs and still experiences some pain. The plaintiff also alleged that he developed problems with his vision as a result of the accident and sees colours. The case was listed for hearing before Limerick Circuit Court and was expected to last a number of hours. However, following discussions between the parties, Judge Gerald Keys was told the matter had been settled and could be struck out. Details of the settlement were not disclosed to the court. Its understood Limerick City and County Council has agreed to pay the legal costs of the plaintiff. WITNESSES are being sought after a smart phone was snatched during the daytime from a young girl who was walking on a street in Limerick. The incident happened on William Street at around 2.30pm on Thursday, June 7 and gardai are warning people to keep their phones safe. She was walking with her phone in her hand, she was not using it. Suddenly it was snatched from her by a male and he ran off before she could even get a good look at him, said a garda spokesperson. "Her phone was worth 300 and it was probably sold on for 50 but the loss to that girl was not just the cash value but all of her personal data and photos. Your phone must be minded like something of great value so keep it out of sight. "If you are in a busy place and must take or make a call step into a shop or somewhere safe and secure it again before you continue on your way," added the spokesperson. A COUNTY Limerick vet is due to appear before a British Horseracing Authority (BHA) hearing this summer, it is understood. According to The Sunday Times, the BHA alleges Pius Collins, from Athea, obtained and used inside information from a stable yard to place bets on horses not to win. It is understood Mr Collins will deny all wrongdoing and has instructed a firm of solicitors to defend any charges against him. There was no reply at Mr Collins veterinary practices telephone number from the Limerick Leader this week to request a comment. The automated message said the mailbox is full and cannot accept new messages at this time. The yard in question is David Pipes son of Martin Pipe, one of the most successful jumps trainers in British Racing History. The BHA is satisfied that Pipe had no involvement or knowledge of the matters that are under investigation. The BHA investigation is focusing on a series of suspicious bets, totalling thousands of euros, which Mr Collins wagered on horses from Pond House, which is in the countryside on the Devon-Somerset border in England. The bets were placed on Betfair, the online gambling exchange where you can either back a horse to win, or lay it if you dont think the horse will be first past the post. The nature of the online bets, placed in 2013, attracted the attention of Betfairs compliance department, which regarded them as suspicious. Betfair reported them to the BHA which commenced an investigation. An examination of Mr Collinss Betfair account established there were sufficient grounds to believe he had access to inside information. The BHA inquiry is said to have identified a person whom they suspect provided information to Mr Collins on the condition of various horses and their likely performance at race meetings over a protracted period of time. Mr Collins is the second Irish vet to fall under suspicion for involvement in alleged betting irregularities in recent months. Tim Brennan, a vet from Kilkenny who works for champion trainer Willie Mullins, was last month charged with passing inside information about an injury to the racehorse Faugheen before the Champion Hurdle in 2016. Mr Mullins has no connection with the BHA investigation, which again was first revealed by The Sunday Times. The charges against Brennan followed a 27-month investigation by the BHA after suspicious bets totalling thousands of euros were laid on the horse not being fit to run at Cheltenham. It is alleged the bets were placed by Brennans brother Michael, who has already been banned from attending race meetings or associating with trainers by the BHA. Like Collins, Brennan has denied the allegations being made against him. GARDAI arrested two men accused of burglary in County Limerick last week with the help of observant neighbours. Sergeant Ber Leech, crime prevention officer, said on Friday an attempt was made to break into a house in the Caherconlish area. The owner of the house has CCTV cameras installed so he could see two males and give a very good description of them, said Sgt Leech, who is based in Henry Street garda station. Gardai patrolled the area and another neighbour then told them that two males were seen acting suspiciously. And not only that but where they were at that precise moment in Caherconlish. These two males were identified as the suspects by gardai and arrested, said Sgt Leech. I suppose this shows the benefits of having good neighbours and looking out for each other, continued Sgt Leech. Gardai always encourage members of the public to contact them if they see any suspicious activity - no matter how small they think it might be as it might be the key to helping them with their enquiries. And this is a case in point. A LIMERICK city school has moved another step closer towards a state-of-the-art new school campus on Clare Street. Gaelcholaiste Luimnigh has applied for planning permission to clear the site at the former Dawn Dairies-Kerry Group processing plant, on Old Clare Street. The former dairy is the future site of the schools permanent home, according to Patrick Hogan of the Limerick and Clare Education and Training Board. Planning permission has been submitted for the clearing of the site, which would be the normal course of action, Mr Hogan said. You have to prepare the site before any other form of action, in terms of foundations. Were applying for planning permission to clear the site and then in the near future, subsequently to apply for the new build for the school. The school will be getting its permanent home there; the building that it is currently in a leased building. That was never intended to be a permanent home anyway, he added. The purpose of the site was approved in 2015 and the keys were handed over in 2016. Fianna Fail Councillor and director of Limerick 2030 James Collins welcomed the progress on the school. The school has been doing fantastically well and principal Donncha OTreasaigh and the staff are doing a tremendous job. Academically but also in terms of the students who graduate out of there every year and the type of people they become is fantastic. Thats in spite of the tight space they are in at the moment. The buildings they were initially in were not an ideal layout for running a school but that hasnt stopped them. I can only imagine, when a purpose built school is provided for them, how well then that the school will progress even further. A SPACE where parents receive difficult news in private in relation to fetal loss or fetal abnormalities at University Maternity Hospital Limerick, has been transformed following a 7,200 boost. The refurbishment of the Rose Room at the Ennis Road maternity hospital is part of a wider HSE design and dignity scheme, in which more compassionate hospital spaces are delivered. The refurbishment included painting the door and walls, change of flooring, installation of soft lighting, removal of wall cupboards, new soft furniture, coffee-making facilities, and adding art to the walls. Bereavement counselling midwife at UMHL, Marie Hunt said that while most women have a positive outcome at the maternity, there are some who experience fetal loss or fetal abnormality. When a doctor or ultrasonographer identifies a fetal abnormality on the ultrasound scan or when a woman or couple have been asked to return to the hospital for the results of diagnostic tests, there needs to be a private dignified comfortable space where they can be met with compassion and cared for. The newly refurbished Rose Room will represent our commitment to providing sensitive and compassionate care to women and their families when receiving bad news while providing a private and dignified space for them to receive their care, Ms Hunt added. The official opening of the refurbished space was attended last week by Louise and David Higgins, from Oola, who lost their baby Sarah in 2017. Louise said at the launch: We are honoured and privileged to be invited to todays launch of the new Rose Room. The professionalism, sensitivity and understanding of the staff at UMHL is exemplary. The generosity and sensitivity of the ladies who knitted special basket beds, blankets and teddies for our beautiful daughter Sarah is overwhelming. All the kindness and warmth of the hospital staff is now mirrored in the Rose Room. UL Hospitals Group CEO, Prof Colette Cowan said that the group continues to make progress in supporting families who experience loss in the maternity services. A consultant perinatal psychiatrist was recently jointly appointed by UL Hospitals Group and HSE MidWest Community Healthcare together with a CMM in Perinatal Mental Health, and the hospital group is also well-advanced in implementing the National Bereavement Standards following Pregnancy Loss and Perinatal Death. We are fortunate to have Marie Hunt, who was on the national steering group that resulted in those standards, and her colleague Rita OBrien driving those service improvements in Limerick, Prof Cowan added. The Rose Room was part-funded by the Irish Hospice Foundation. LIMERICK accountancy student, Jason Lynch, has proved he is a tough man to match. In the recent Association of Chartered Certified Accountants business analysis exam, 14,000 students from across the world were unable to meet his standard. And to mark his achievement in coming first in the world, the Athea man was presented with an award by Minister for Education and Skills, Richard Bruton at an Association Business Breakfast in Dublin earlier this month. Business and accounting always came naturally to me and perhaps more importantly, Ive always enjoyed it, Jason said, following the ceremony. People sometimes dont realise the rewarding nature of being able to help small and medium business owners with the minutiae of accountancy, of being able to give professional advice and see the positive impact it has on their finances and their life. There is a considerable people element to the field that I think a lot of people overlook and thats whats always interested me most about it, Jason added. Stephen OFlaherty, the Limerick born chairman of the Association of Chartered Certified Accountants (ACCA) in Ireland congratulated Jason on his success to date. Jasons achievements have impressed everyone here at ACCA, he said. It is an incredible achievement for Jason and bodes well for the industry in Ireland to have such talented and committed people entering accountancy. The fact that Jason has the potential to be one of the youngest ever accredited accountants only adds to his accomplishments. Jason has just completed his final Auditing exam (P7) and plans to apply for full ACCA membership in September, making him one of the youngest ever accredited members at the annual new members ceremony in October. Our focus at ACCA has always been to equip our 200,000 fully qualified members and 486,000 students worldwide with the skillset, ethics and leadership to support dynamic and changing workplaces, Mr OFlaherty said. Jason represents the latest consignment of young accountants who will soon be impacting on Irish and global business and that is something to be excited about. A PRE-SANCTIONED probation report is to be prepared in the case of a young Limerick man who admitted having a very fancy knife for his own protection. Luke Halvey-OBrien, aged 21, of Lisheen Park, Patrickswell pleaded guilty to charges relating to an incident at Main Street in the village shortly after midnight on November 11, 2017. Limerick District Court was told the defendants car a black Ford Focus was stopped and searched after it was observed by gardai acting suspiciously and driving at high speed through the village. A nine inch knife was located behind the drivers seat of the vehicle he was driving, said Sergeant Donal Cronin. Judge Marian OLeary was told the defendant took responsibility for the knife and made admissions during interview. However, he did not provide any legitimate reason for having the knife. Two other people were in the car when it was stopped. Solicitor Andrew DArcy said his client had been the victim of a very brutal assault at a nightclub in the city two months earlier and that he had the knife for his own protection. He said the young man spent around a month in hospital and that he has been threatened since the incident. Threats were made by the alleged assailant arising from his complaint (to gardai), he was extremely fearful, he said, adding that his client accepts he should not have had the knife. The solicitor insisted Mr Halvey-OBrien is a law abiding member of society and that he would never have used the knife. He urged Judge OLeary to view the incident in the context of the previous assault and the fact that the defendant had only been released from hospital a number of days earlier. Responding to Mr DArcys submissions, Sgt Cronin confirmed he had an awareness of the assault but he added that it did not justify Mr Halvey-OBrien having the knife in the circumstances outlined to the court. Any notions he has can be dispelled, he said. Having considered the matter and noting the defendants guilty plea, Judge OLeary adjourned the matter to September to facilitate the preparation of a pre-sanctioned probation report. LIMERICK City and County Council is putting jobs for the top brass before emptying the bins, declared a furious Cllr Bill ODonnell. He was speaking after Conn Murray, CEO, appointed two new directors, new senior executive officers and created new departments. Yet Cllr ODonnell said bins in Bruff are overflowing and weeds are growing up through footpaths. A full-time operative for the picturesque town retired in December and hasnt been replaced. Bruff is now litter-infested, weed-infested and bins are overflowing. It is having a very negative effect on the town and a negative effect on businesses. There has been very bad feedback from tourists who have visited the town in recent times. This cannot continue. The people of Bruff, and in particular the business owners and voluntary groups, are very annoyed about the failure of the council to replace the full-time operative, said Cllr ODonnell. He says he is absolutely gobsmacked that the council seems to have endless resources when it comes to development under Limerick 2030 and appointing senior staff but are severely lacking in delivery of basic services and appointing front line staff. Are we losing sight of our core responsibilities to the people of Limerick and in particular the people of County Limerick? asks Cllr ODonnell. In every other business he says when you know somebody is retiring or leaving you make arrangements in advance. It is six months on. The position should have been filled by now, said Cllr ODonnell. Chairman of Bruff/Grange/Meanus Community Council, chair of Bruff Tidy Towns and owner of the towns Eurospar, Mark Nagle said there is huge disappointment in the town. Mr Nagle said the streets arent being swept, weeds are growing and bins are emptied irregularly. It is leaving the locals to pick up litter in the mornings and evenings while other towns have a full service. There seems to be an increased reliance on the voluntary sector, to supplement these basic services, that people just expect to be in place. This is all happening parallel to the recent rate review. Some businesses have seen a dramatic increase in their annual rates two and a half fold in some cases. At the same time services are being pulled from the town. Were asking where is this increased rates going - are they being sent in to the city or sent to other towns to develop them? We just want our fair crack of the whip here in Bruff. Were not asking for much, said Mr Nagle. The Tidy Towns committee have put in huge hours pulling up weeds but with the recent weather they are growing again the second their back is turned. To compound matters, Mr Nagle says they are not allowed put down weedkiller in an urban setting under recent regulations. It can only be done by trained personnel through Fas or county council staff. In fairness to the council lads on the ground they are being pulled and dragged in different directions. The resources arent been given to allow them to give a full commitment to the job that needs to be done. Mossy Daly, who retired, was like an ambassador for the town. He did an incredible job and has been a huge loss to the area, said Mr Nagle. Last year, Bruff was named in TravelMag.coms 20 most most charming towns in Ireland. We have seen an increase in tourism footfall in Bruff and surrounding areas. Were trying to grow our tourism product. There have been comments from tourists about streets not being swept and weeds growing, he said. There was no response to a media query sent to the council. IRISH hospital consultant doctors are to get a pay increase following the settlement of their breach of contract claims against the Health Service Executive and the State. At the High Court on Friday, Ms Justice Una Ni Raifeartaigh was informed that several lead actions they brought over what the claimed was a failure by the State to comply with the terms the 2008 Consultants Contract had been settled in their entirety. As part of the settlement, consultants will receive corrected remuneration as well as retrospective payment of remuneration. It is understood the deal will cost the state 200m and will add 60m to the annual consultants pay bill. In statements issued following the settlements both the Irish Medical Organisation, and the Irish Hospital Consultants Association welcomed the settlement. The Judge was due to hear several lead cases in claims brought by hundreds of consultant doctors who alleged there was a breach of their contract in relation to agreed pay promises in the 2008 consultants' contract. It is estimated that up to 700 breach of contract claims in total had been brought against the various defendants. As part of the 2008 agreement consultant doctors accepted new working conditions from July 2008 onwards, including increasing their working week from 37 to 39 hours. The consultants actions had been opposed by the State and the HSE. On Friday John Rogers SC, who represented several of the 10 doctors taking the lead cases, said the cases centred on the State failure to pay remuneration due to the doctors as had been agreed as part of the 2008 Contract. Counsel said the essence of the cases was the States inability to pay the consultants following the financial crash. Counsel said that following lengthy talks between the various parties an agreement had been reached to resolve the dispute. The cases could be struck out on terms including that the doctors are to get declarations they are entitled to prospective and retrospective remuneration, their legal costs against the defendants. The settlement counsel said will apply not only to the lead cases, but other consultants who cases are pending before the courts, and other non-litigating consultants who fall within the terms of the settlement. Counsel said the 2008 agreement was a visionary instrument which resulted in consultants having a greater involvement in the running of the health services. The settlement counsel said was a new dawn which will result in the vision and objectives of the 2008 agreement being fully realised. Counsel thanked the Judge for granting the parties time to bring about a resolution of matters that applied to a great number of people. He also acknowledged the role of parties including the IMO, ICHA, who he said had worked together on the cases, as well as the Department of Health the HSE and the Ministers for Finance and Health in bringing about the settlement. The cases, which were due to start last week had been adjourned on several occasions to see if the claims could be resolved. The cases, had they opened before the Judge, were expected to run for several weeks. Ms Justice Ni Raifeartaigh welcomed the settlement of what was lengthy, complex and clearly very urgent litigation. The judge then agreed to make the terms of settlement an order of the court. The need-to-know about Coles private label plan SUPERMARKET shoppers will win on price and may lose on choice as Coles moves to increase its private label penetration to 40 per cent, a plan that threatens to undermine local manufacturers, experts say. Coles boss John Durkan in his recent 2018 strategy briefing stated the aim of 40 per cent penetration by 2023. Retail expert, Associate Professor Gary Mortimer from the QUT Business School said the proportion in Australia of supermarket private label product sits around 25 to 27 per cent yet in the UK it is closer to 35 per cent, while in Spain and Germany it is almost 50 per cent. I would expect prices overall to fall, as Coles will not be paying suppliers and manufacturers, instead delivering their own products to the market through contract manufacturers, Prof Mortimer told Australian Food News. Shoppers should not worry about their favourite brands vanishing off the shelves anytime soon, as major brands like Cadbury, Coke, Nescafe, Kelloggs will always remain. Certain categories, like healthcare, skincare, pharmaceuticals, even infant formula will be less exposed to the penetration of private labels, as shoppers look to brands to signal quality. I would expect to see fringe brands, slowly disappear, as Coles increases private label ranges. Prof Mortimer said supermarkets had invested millions of dollars improving the quality of private label products, so shoppers will not be disadvantaged. The loss though of fringe brands may present an opportunity for smaller grocers, like IGA, to re-position themselves away from convenience and more towards a retailers of local exclusive food brands, he said. Local manufacturers at risk The Australian Food and Grocery Council, representing the nations $127.4 billion food and grocery processing sector, though sounded a warning about the move by Coles. CEO Tanya Barden said consumers will lose choice with a shrinking range. We have to remember it is an incredibly competitive retail market, so if consumers who find their favourite products have disappeared from the supermarket shelves at one supermarket can vote with their feet and walk over the road or look online to get what they are looking for, Ms Barden told Australian Food News. She said Australian-branded manufacturers currently use spare capacity to manufacture private label products for supermarkets. If that ratio was to change because an increased private label strategy reduces the availability of branded products, then it could potentially undermine the viability of the local manufacturer of not only the branded product but, in the longer term, could impact their ability to manufacture private label products domestically. Will Australian supermarkets make their own milk? US grocery giant Walmart is opening its own dairy processing plant supplying milk to 500 stores, and perhaps modelling a next-step pathway for Australian supermarkets. Walmart will take milk at the Indiana plant from 25 farms, produce half-gallon and gallon containers of whole and skim milk products under its private label brand, US reports say. Its our first entry into food production, Walmart spokeswoman Molly Blakeman told reporters. Will Australian supermarkets follow suit and invest vertically? They will need to invest more in processing plants if they wanted a decently reliable supply chain under such terms, particularly after suppliers have taken a battering due to low prices driven by the supermarkets. The current practice is for Coles and Woolworths to enter a number of 10-year supply agreements with a variety of processors. Also, Walmart in this case also got about $US4 million in start-up tax credits, partly tied to hiring plans, as well as a $US10.7 million saving over 10 years thanks to further tax abatements, US reports say. What are Aussie farmers doing to counter price pressures? A group of Victorian dairy farmers is trying to reclaim bargaining power in a fight for a better milk price by offering processors a collective pool of milk. The farmers, based in northern Victoria, are concerned about the future of the dairy industry and have decided to act and form a collective bargaining group, United We Stand. In less than a month, the group has had 85 million litres of milk pledged from more than 40 farmers, who supply the major processors Fonterra and Saputo as well as Australian Consolidated Milk, Tatura and Parmalat. Krystal Knapp's shift at an annual arts and music festival in Trenton, New Jersey, was nearing its end when the commotion began. People pushed and shoved one another. Several began running in Knapp's direction, so she stood up from her chair and rushed toward the door. About 2:45 a.m. on Sunday, gunshots erupted inside a historic building where a large crowd had gathered for Art All Night, an annual 24-hour festival that draws thousands of people. In the ensuing chaos, Knapp, an event volunteer, was knocked down as she headed for the exit, she later wrote in a Facebook post recapping the horror. "A kind woman pulled me up and over to the side and told me to stay down with her," Knapp wrote. "A woman three feet from us was shot in the leg. I'm not sure how many people were shot." At least two gunmen opened fire during the festival, injuring 22 people, including a 13-year-old boy and three others who remained in critical condition on Sunday, Mercer County Prosecutor Angelo Onofri told reporters. One of the suspects, a 33-year-old man, was fatally shot by a police officer, while the other one was arrested. Seventeen of those injured were hit by gunfire, while the rest suffered other injuries during the chaos, Onofri said. Onofri said the shooting appears to be related to a dispute among people at the event, and police had confiscated several weapons. The prosecutor remained tight-lipped about other details of the shooting, including what the dispute was about, who the suspects are and what types of guns were seized. "It absolutely could've been worse given the confined space and the number of shots that appear to have been fired," Onofri said, adding that about a thousand people were in the area at the time. "It's a massive crime scene. There's a lot of people that are injured," he said. "There are a lot of interviews that needed to be conducted." There are no metal detectors in the building, Onofri said. Authorities are also investigating an attempted carjacking that occurred in a nearby alley shortly after the shooting, Onofri said. One person came up to a vehicle with three passengers and may have pointed a gun at them. It's unclear whether that incident was connected to the shooting. Trenton Mayor Eric Jackson condemned what he said was not "just a random act of violence" but a "public health issue" that follows gruesome school shootings that have reignited a nationwide debate over gun control. Just a month ago, a 17-year-old student armed with a shotgun and a pistol opened fire at a high school in Santa Fe, Texas, killing 10 and wounding at least 10. "All shootings, whether large or small, are a crisis. It's a fact that our cities as well as our suburbs throughout America are experiencing an increase in public shootings and public unrest such as this," Jackson, a Democrat, told reporters. Art All Night is an annual event held in June. More than 900 artists submit their work for display, and attendance surges into the thousands, about 13,000 in 2011, for example, according to the event's Facebook page. The event was canceled after the shooting. Event organizers said in a statement that all their staff members, volunteers, artists and musicians are accounted for. "We know there are a lot of questions and a lot of speculation at this point. We're still trying ourselves to piece this entire situation together ... We're very shocked. We're deeply saddened. Our hearts ache and our eyes are blurry but our dedication and resolve to building a better Trenton community, creativity and inspiration will never fade," the statement said. Franco Roberts said loud music is usually playing at the event, but that wasn't the case when he and his girlfriend arrived at about 2:30 a.m. They were told that the building would be shut down and turned around to see people "squaring up to fight," Roberts told Homicide Watch Trenton, a community news site. That's when he heard gunshots. "Everybody ran toward the door," Roberts said. "And the people fighting got mixed with the crowd that was running and they went out the door shooting." Irvin Higgenbotham, who comes to the event every year, said he was walking with his bike when he heard gunfire. He had been shot in the leg. "I was like, pow, pow pow, and then I was laying down on the ground," he told NJ.com. Hours later, Higgenbotham, with crutches and his left leg completely covered in bandages, went back to the crime scene to find out what had happened. Knapp, the event volunteer, said she had scrapes on her knees and elbows and a small bump on her head, but she's grateful she wasn't shot. Off-duty officers were working security at the event all night, but Knapp said, "some idiot decided to pull out a gun and harm the best night of the year in Trenton." "I hope this doesn't ruin Art All Night," she added. "That would be letting violence win." By a margin of just seven votes, incumbent Roberto Zarate held on to his seat Saturday on the Alamo Colleges board of trustees, a post he has held since 2003. Zarate garnered 637 votes to challenger James Hernandezs 630 votes in the hotly contested race. Hernandez said he will seek a recount. Ive never had an election that close, Zarate said Saturday night. The turnout was extremely light due in part, I think, to election fatigue in Bexar County, and also, who has an election in June? I met many people who had no idea there was a runoff today. With 105,281 residents registered to vote in the district, only 1,282 decided the runoff election. The Bexar County Elections Department, which conducted the election, reported an under vote of 15, meaning 15 people turned in their ballots without voting for either candidate. Zarate, 70, is a retired principal of Mary Hull Elementary School in the Northside Independent School District. Hernandez, 26, is a case manager for Roy Maas Youth Alternatives. He said he planned to seek a recount just for my peace of mind. If the decision is the same, I will look to other elections, he said. I live in the Edgewood School District, so I may run for that board. Im glad the race is over, but I will stay involved in San Antonio politics. The vast majority of votes were cast during the early voting period; there were 1,107 early votes and only 175 votes on Election Day. Hernandez won the early vote, 551-542, but lost the Election Day vote, 79-95. District 5 covers western and southwestern parts of San Antonio. Hernandez won 44 percent of the votes to Zarates 36 percent in last months general election, forcing the runoff. A third candidate, Ramiro Nava, won 20 percent of the vote. Zarate is one of a group of longtime incumbents who have occasionally drawn criticism for their support of Bruce Leslie, the polarizing chancellor of the community college district who is set to retire in September, and for now-lifted accreditation warnings attributed to board policies that eroded the colleges autonomy. There is a faction of the faculty that is not happy with me, said Zarate. Theyre a small, but activist segment that does not like my staunch support for the chancellor. We are completely focused on student success. The community college student is more at risk than any other student. But the board also has received praise for the Alamo Colleges increased student success metrics, which many attribute to Leslies changes, and for choosing Mike Flores, the popular president of Palo Alto College, to replace Leslie. Trustees have recently ramped up advising to help students pick courses that transfer to their programs of study at four-year universities, and last year voters approved a $450 million bond for the district. Alia Malik is a San Antonio Express-News staff writer. Read more of her stories here. | amalik@express-news.net | @AliaAtSAEN Mayor Ron Nirenberg and City Council need to think long and hard about why the city privatized its tourism department and whether the promise of greater private fundraising has been kept. The mayor and council also need to consider how much is too much when it comes to charging visitors. The proposed 1.25 percent lodging fee for large hotels would be in addition to San Antonios 16.75 percent hotel occupancy tax. Thats a steep price for visitors to pay to enjoy our city, even if it leads to more robust marketing. That alone is reason enough to be skeptical of the proposal from the San Antonio Hotel and Lodging Association and Visit San Antonio, the private nonprofit that receives millions in public funding. It was known as the Convention and Visitors Bureau when it was part of the city. If enacted, the proposal would create a tourism public improvement district that would blanket the city. Hotels and other forms of lodging with more than 100 rooms would tack on the 1.25 percent fee to raise millions in marketing dollars for Visit San Antonio. Sixty percent of San Antonios hoteliers would have to approve the PIDs creation. In an interview, Liza Barratachea, president and CEO of the San Antonio Hotel & Lodging Association, said this is a common practice in other cities. The fee, she said, is something hotel owners would have to agree to. And she described it as good for business. Better marketing would lead to more visitors, which would lead to greater hotel occupancy tax revenue. We think this is going to, again, raise all ships, she said. Maybe so. Its troublesome, however, that this fee was not a prevalent part of the discussion around privatizing the Convention and Visitors Bureau a move we opposed for a variety of reasons. The conversation around that effort was largely about how making the CVB private would open the door to private fundraising. The city will still remain the largest contributor, Dan Decker, who was president of SeaWorld San Antonio at the time, told a city task force in 2015. But going private frees up the CVB, like in other towns, to go and find other revenue sources. The thinking was those other revenue sources would be private sponsorships and member dues hopefully to the tune of $10 million. The pitch that I heard also was that it would make it easier for the CVB to raise funds in the private sector, Nirenberg said in 2016 when he was a member of council. Former District 9 City Councilman Joe Krier, who championed turning the CVB into a nonprofit, told us if the fee had been discussed at that time, I might not have voted for privatizing the CVB. Like others, he was under the impression this was about raising private funds, not fees. Visit San Antonio, which was constituted in 2016, has started a membership program, but thats only expected to add $1 million to its budget of about $25.5 million, according to Express-News reporter Joshua Fechter. Casandra Matej, president and CEO of Visit San Antonio, has said the increased fee would push that budget closer to $33 million. Officials have described this as a way to keep up with the likes of Houston, Dallas and Chicago. But those are all significantly bigger metro areas. The fee would push San Antonios hotel costs well ahead of other major Texas cities. Dallas hotel users pay a 13 percent occupancy tax as well as a 2 percent public improvement district fee. Austin hotel users pay 15 percent in city and state taxes. Houston hotel guests pay 17 percent in occupancy taxes. Barratachea said this was always part of the discussion but the comments from Krier and others belie that point. If a major goal of spinning off from the city was to raise private funds for Visit San Antonio, this isnt what was understood. In fact, the vote to create Visit San Antonio might have been different if a new fee had been part of the discussion. That makes this a promise unkept and an additional burden on visitors. A better way would be for the private sector to raise additional marketing funds for the private nonprofit that was created to support the tourism industry. But maybe that was never the goal. New machines have been deployed on Bord na Mona bogs in Longford and Tipperary this week as part of a plan by the company to rewet thousands of hectares of bogs across Ireland. The machines are being used to block decades old drains on the bogs causing them to rewet and start growing again. One of the new machines, which have been specially engineered for bog work, cost over 100,000 and has been deployed in the past week to Clonwhelan Bog close to Edgeworthstown. Bord na Mona Ecologist David Fallon said the machines were like massive bog defibrillators, giving the lands the push they needed to start living again. Their arrival here is a massive boost to the task of blocking the drains that will raise the water levels and rewet the bog, added Mr Fallon, before pointing out that once the bog is wet the live mosses which built the bog would return in force. In locations like this, when the live mosses are active again, the bog can return to being a carbon sink; we hear a lot about the effectiveness of rainforests in this regard but Irish bogs can be just as effective in drawing down and storing carbon. Meanwhile, the expert says that rehabilitated bogs have the immediate benefit of providing new habitats for rare Irish flora and fauna. We have 162 hectares of bog here in Edgeworthstown that once rewetted, we hope will become a habitat for a number of precious species including the Curlew, Mr Fallon said, before pointing to the fact that Bord na Mona has also announced that it has progressed the rehabilitation of over 700 hectares of cutaway bog in the past year. This adds to the 15,000 hectares of bog already rehabilitated by the company. The company has outlined a target of at least 10,000 hectares to be rehabilitated in the coming decade; in 2015 Bord na Mona announced it was transitioning towards a more sustainable business model and that it would cease harvesting peat for energy completely by 2030. He's been gone a year, but evidence of his legacy and the indelible mark that he left on Bakersfield may actually be growing. Social media has become a powerful marketing tool for the restaurant industry, with both chains and internet-savvy independent operators using Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter to engage with their customers and create "buzz" about their businesses. Earlier this month IHOP, the Glendale, Calif.-based chain originally known as International House of Pancakes, perpetrated a media hoax of sorts as it tweeted that it was changing its name to IHOb. Switching from "p" to "b," the Twitter messaging claimed, represented a shift in product focus away from pancakes to burgers instead. IHOP's series of "IHOb" tweets quickly unleashed a storm of social media mockery as chains such as Wendy's and Chili's (as well as individual consumers) took aim at IHOP's new self-proclaimed burger specialist status. Burger King, for example, taunted IHOP by temporarily rebranding itself as "Pancake King" on both Twitter and Facebook. Food blogs and web sites (including Masslive.com) rushed to review "IHOb's" new burger products, creating an additional publicity bonanza. The chain soon coyly admitted that the name change to "IHOb" was, in their marketing department's words, "for the time being" only. The temporary name "flip" was designed to promote IHOP's new burger menu, which debuted nationwide on June 11. Choices on the new menu include an Ultimate Steakburger, a Jalapeno Kick, a Cowboy BBQ, and a Classic with Bacon. The roster also includes a Big Brunch burger that's topped with fried egg, crispy browned potato, American cheese, and, of course, a "signature sauce." The new burger menu is part of an effort to build traffic at IHOP restaurants after 11 a.m. and particularly during the early evening dinner hours. More information on "IHOb's" new burger menu can be found at ihop.com There are IHOP locations here in Western Massachusetts on Riverdale Street in West Springfield and at 270 Cooley Street in Sixteen Acres. Side Dishes: The Student Prince Cafe and Fort Restaurant in Springfield will be hosting a Non-Kentucky Bourbon Tasting on June 27 starting at 6 p.m. The event will feature six food courses paired with six artisan brands of bourbon, all of which are produced in locations as diverse as Chicago and Gardiner, NY. Cost to attend is $75, tax and gratuity included. For more details or to make reservations, contact the Student Prince at (413) 734-7475. As its contribution to kicking off the summer season, Cracker Barrel Old Country Store has introduced an expanded "Campfire Menu." Developed to showcase the bold flavors of the South, the Campfire Menu includes new items like Roasted Sweet Glazed Chicken, a Smoky Beef Brisket breakfast, a BBQ Pork plate, and a S'More Latte. The Roasted Sweet Glazed Chicken, for example, features a sweet tea glaze along with a seasoned corn on the cob side, and Campfire Baked Beans cooked with tomato, mustard, chopped bacon, and spices. Campfire Beef, a favorite from last summer's menu, also returns. It incorporates chuck roast, corn, red skin potatoes, fresh carrots, tomato wedges, and onions, all seasoned and delivered in a foil-wrapped packet. On Cracker Barrel's dessert menu the Campfire S'more dessert from 2017 will be joined this summer with a S'More Latte, an espresso drink flavored with marshmallow, milk chocolate, and graham cracker crumbs. The Campfire Menu will be available at Cracker Barrel Old Country Stores through July 15. Cracker Barrel locations in Western New England include Whiting Farms Road in Holyoke, Route 20 in Sturbridge, and in East Windsor, CT. On Monday, June 25 the Publick House Historic Inn in Sturbridge will be moving its Fundraising Feast out under the tent as the Inn offers a "classic barbecue" menu. The evening features two open seatings, one at 4:30 p.m. and a second at 6:30 p.m.; adults are charged $14 and children 12 years and younger, $5. Pulled pork and barbecue chicken are being featured on the buffet, where they will be joined by baked beans, corn on the cob, and cornbread. As is customary at Fundraising Feasts, tossed salad, dessert, and coffee, tea, or soft drinks will also be available. For more details, contact the Publick House at (508) 347-3313. The Gill Tavern in Gill has announced that it will be taking a "summer break" between Wednesday, June 27 and Wednesday, July 4, reopening on July 5. Call (413) 863-9006 for additional information on this weeklong vacation shutdown. FIC Restaurants, Inc., the company that operates and franchises Friendly's Restaurant locations across New England, has announced that it's "kicking off summer" with a $2 Tuesday promotion. Every Tuesday through August 28, participating Friendly's locations will be offering a different menu favorite at a $2 price. The calendar of menu offerings includes a double scoop cone on June 19, a kids' meal on June 26, a Friend-z blended ice cream treat on July 3, and mozzarella sticks on July 10. A full listing of the $2 Tuesday calendar can be found at Friendlys.com. No coupon is required, and participation by a particular Friendly's location can be confirmed by calling that store directly. Thanks to Cinema Northampton, the Northampton Arts Council, and Forbes Library, all of which are sponsoring an outdoor movie night featuring the Warner Bros. film classic "Casablanca," Bistro Les Gras in Northampton will be offering a special movie night menu on June 27. Outside tables will be available for reservation, and a movie-inspired bill of fare will be available, as will Casablanca-themed cocktails. The "movie night" menu will feature nibbles such as Moroccan-spiced popcorn, deviled eggs, and chicken liver toasts, while the special entrees for the evening will include the Bogart burger, chicken tagine, and lamb kefta. The bar will be mixing classic cocktails like the French Seventy-Five as well as the Gin Joint and the Ingrid Bergman. For reservations or information, contact Bistro Les Gras at (413) 320-4666. Apple American Group, which operates Applebee's Neighborhood Grill + Bar restaurants across New England, is celebrating the start of summer with the return of its Dollar L.I.T, its version of a Long Island Iced Tea offered at a special $1 price. The drink special is available all day, every day, through the end of June at participating Applebee's locations. Hugh Robert is a faculty member in Holyoke Community College's hospitality and culinary arts program and has over 40 years of restaurant and educational experience. Please send items of interest to Off the Menu at the Republican, P.O. Box 1329, Springfield, MA 01101; Robert can also be reached at OffTheMenuGuy@aol.com Growing up as the "whoops child" for a mother who taught high-school English, Sally C. Fuller could not avoid being engulfed in a world of words. Her siblings were 10 and 12 years older, so Fuller wound up being her mother's focus. "She read to me, she talked to me (and) she had me acting in plays," Fuller remembers of her childhood in New Jersey. "It's why I say my mother gave me words. What a rich childhood I had. Sometimes (though) your mother drives you nuts when she wants to read you Shakespeare and you're only 6." Her mother's gift to her is one that Fuller has been sharing ever since, with her own children, now her grandchildren and also with the community of Springfield. It was in 2005 that Fuller first became associated with the Irene E. and George A. Davis Foundation when she was named project manager for the Springfield Cherish Every Child initiative. She has most recently overseen the foundation's Read! Reading Success by 4th Grade community initiative with a goal of ensuring all of Springfield's children are reading proficiently by the end of the third-grade. In 2017, Springfield was recognized as one of 15 cities in the nation to be honored as an All-America City. The award, presented by the Campaign for Grade-Level Reading and the National Civic League, recognizes the city's efforts to ensure more young people from low-income families achieve grade-level reading proficiency and early school success. For Fuller and the Davis Foundation, it was another watershed moment for the Reading Success by the 4th Grade initiative. Along with the progress of the children whose achievements are being tracked, the award recognized "exemplary efforts in promoting civic engagement and inclusiveness." Key to the success of the initiative has been bringing together community partners, families and schools, all united to meet the goal. Fuller will be feted this week upon the occasion of her retirement with a gathering at the Community Music School. There is sure to be a legion of parents, educators and representatives of the community partners Fuller has marshaled together in the literacy effort bringing her good wishes. The only gifts requested are children's books which can, in turn, be gifted to Springfield school children. Before her work with the Davis foundation, Fuller, who had begun her work life as Russian linguist employed by the National Security Agency, followed a long and winding professional road that included stopping-off points to raise her children. She wound up in Springfield in the 1970s, arriving with her husband, now retired Probate & Family Court Judge David M. Fuller, when he decided he wanted to "come home" to practice law in Western Massachusetts. They will mark their 46th wedding anniversary in just two months. "It was then that I had to figure out what to do. There were no Russian linguists or NSA briefers needed in Western Mass. I was a decent writer and good at public speaking so (I decided) why don't I think about communications," Fuller recalls. It was Westfield State College president Robert Randolph who gave Fuller her first job in communications as the school's "community relations" officer, she says. Over the years, her professional life evolved as a communications specialist for a wide variety of organizations, and, all along the path she also was an ardent volunteer, serving on the boards of groups like the Springfield Mentoring Partnership, Springfield School Volunteers, Pioneer Valley Girl Scout Council and the Springfield Day Nursery. If you see a trend here, you get the picture. In the 1990s, she chaired Springfield's first Teaching Excellence Awards, a program which was begun by the Springfield Chamber of Commerce and which, over the years, evolved and eventually morphed into the Pioneer Valley Excellence in Teaching Awards overseen by the Harold Grinspoon Foundation. It was during her tenure as chair of the board for Springfield Day Nursery, now known as Square One, that Fuller says she became "heavily invested in the world of early childhood education." It was also during that time that she connected with the Davis foundation and its executive director, Mary E. Walachy. "I had come to a couple of meetings that Davis had as they developed Cherish Every Child, and I knew a little bit about its work," she remembers. When she learned from Walachy about plans to ratchet up the early literacy component of Cherish Every Child, Fuller decided to put her hat into the ring to lead it. Hiring Fuller made perfect sense, says Paul Robbins, who works closely with the foundation and was involved in the search process to fill the position. He refers to Fuller as a "one-woman army" who had all the qualities needed to lead the charge on early childhood literacy. "It's her family background. They're readers, lifelong learners. That goes a long way in setting someone's course in life," Robbins says. "Her time in the communications business gave her an understanding of how to reach out to partners. She had the community resources, the natural resources of her upbringing and savvy, and the third part is she's just passionate about this and seeing the needle move. She has a rare combination of gifts." Indeed, Fuller herself says it's her mother's influence from childhood which made her connect with the mission of the Davis foundation in the literacy effort. "One of the first things I did when I got to Davis was read the Hart & Risley study of at least 20 years ago which counted the number of words shared in households at different income levels. That's the origin of the 30 million word gap," she explains. "Words. It's what my mother gave me. That's why this job resounds with me." (That study documented how the vocabulary skills of children are linked to economic backgrounds and noted "remarkable differences" between children living in poverty, those of working class families and children raised in families of professionals. Thus, the more access to early childhood education and literacy programs the better the later success in school and in life for children of low-income families.) It's gratifying for her, Fuller says, to continually hear from parents about how grateful they are for Reading Success and what it means, not just for their children, but for the entire family, Fuller says. "To hear from young parents now things like 'My parents never read to me' or 'We never had books in our house,' it's what makes me passionate about how we need to share this research with parents so they know how powerful they are (in their children's lives)." "What we've done here is to try and build a system to support children and families," Fuller says. "We're here to bring the community together." The 2017 award made particular note of the success marked between 2012, when Springfield was last named an All-America City, and now. Through the coalition of community partners, that includes the Springfield Public Schools, the Springfield City Library, Springfield Museums, WGBY Public Television, community, business and civic groups, Springfield recorded an 11 percent increase in third-graders scoring proficient in reading from 2014-15 to 2015-16. In a word, according to Fuller, it was a "powerful" indicator of what the community has accomplished with the help of the Davis foundation. Retirement will give Fuller and her husband more time to spend with their three children and four grandchildren, who are ages 5 and 7, and more time at the beach, a place she learned to love growing up as a "Jersey girl." She has no plans, though, to give her literacy work up entirely. It's more a matter of figuring how she can contribute, Fuller says. In the meantime, there are always plenty of books to read. "Giraffes Can't Dance" and "The Book with No Pictures" are two of her favorite children's volumes that are on her list to share at Springfield's Bowles School where she reads to children with the Link to Libraries program. And, as an adult reader, she's anxiously awaiting the soon-to-be-released next volume in Louise Penny's Inspector Gamache mystery series. For the rest of the summer, expect to find her either on the beach in Naragansett, Rhode Island, with one set of grandchildren or in the Adirondacks of New York state with the other. Ensconced in her world of words. Cynthia G. Simison is managing editor of The Republican. She may be reached by email to csimison@repub.com. A Massachusetts man and a woman from Georgia have agreed to plead guilty in connection to an interstate prostitution ring involving brothels in Cambridge. The U.S. Attorney's Office said Jineok Kim, 38, of Watertown, Mass., and Susan Bashir, 41, of Stone Mountain, Georgia, agreed to plead guilty Friday in federal court to one count of conspiracy to persuade, induce, entice, or coerce individuals to travel in interstate commerce to engage in prostitution and one count of conspiracy to engage in money laundering. Kim and Bashir were arrested on March 15 and charged with three others with running a prostitution network in Massachusetts, Virginia and Atlanta. Another suspect, 52-year-old Kyung Song is from Lexington, Massachusetts. The network, which operated for years, involved moving Asian women to different cities as they worked as prostitutes. The network made potential clients fill out applications to use the service, federal records show. Authorities say Bashir worked for the network for several years until March. The network had brothels in high-end apartments in Cambridge, authorities said. "They advertised appointments with Asian women primarily on three websites: www.bostonasiandolls.com, www.exoticasiansatlanta.com, and www.redhotflowers69.com," according to the U.S. Attorney's Office. "The women advertised on the websites were moved from city to city within the network, working as prostitutes for the organization." Bashir screened potential clients and arranged meetings with women. "Bashir also updated the prostitution websites and calculated the payments for each prostitute based on the number of clients she had met with," authorities said. Bashir collected money from the women working at the Georgia brothels and distributed money to other people involved in the ring, records said. Kim would transport women working as prostitutes and buy supplies, including bulk orders of condoms. Kim retrieved cash from the Cambridge brothels and distributed money to others involved in the ring, authorities said. A Boston man accused of identifying himself as a police officer in order to break into an apartment in Dorchester Saturday morning will be arraigned in court this week. Boston police say 36-year-old Taurean Pearson forced his way into a Lyon Street apartment around 2:30 a.m. after he "falsely identifying himself as a police officer." A man inside the apartment pushed Pearson. Police say Pearson slashed the man's wrist with a knife, police said. The wound was not life-threatening. Pearson was caught as he tried to run from the area. Officers recovered the knife and charged Pearson with assault and battery with a dangerous weapon, home invasion and malicious destruction of property. He will be arraigned in Dorchester District Court this week. SPRINGFIELD -- Some city councilors and the city's health commissioner have agreed to consider regulations that would prohibit vaping in public spaces ranging from restaurants to the MGM Springfield casino. During a meeting Friday at City Hall, Health and Human Services Commissioner Helen R. Caulton-Harris said she will bring the issue to the city's Public Health Council at its next meeting on Wednesday for an initial discussion. In addition, city councilors asked the Law Department to verify what steps are needed before enacting any ban on vaping in indoor public spaces, and any fines for violations. Vaping involves the use of devices such as e-cigarettes to inhale vapor containing nicotine as an alternative to cigarettes and other tobacco products that give off smoke. Some question if vaping has any long-term impacts on health. While smoking in public places is prohibited by local and state laws, the use of vaping products in indoor public spaces is not prohibited in the city or by state statute, officials said. City Solicitor Edward Pikula said he will provide a legal opinion on the issue of local regulations soon. The Public Health Council appears to have "extraordinary powers" relating to local public health legislation, but the City Council would need to approve any fines for violations, he said. MGM Springfield officials said they have no immediate plans to ban vaping at the casino, slated to open Aug. 24, as vaping is currently permitted in public places in Massachusetts and Springfield. But Seth Stratton, vice president and legal counsel for MGM Springfield, said the casino would comply with any local or state regulation on vaping. Caulton-Harris and councilors said the vaping regulations, if approved in Springfield, would not single out any one entity such as the casino. In January, the City Council approved an ordinance that bans the sale of cigarettes and other tobacco products to persons under age 21, rather than 18, as was recommended by the Public Health Council and Caulton-Harris. City Councilor Jesse Lederman, chairman of the City Council's Health and Human Services Committee, said he is planning a meeting to initiate discussion of a vaping ordinance. Councilor Michael Fenton, chairman of the Casino Oversight Committee, said he considers vaping to be a nuisance, but not as much as cigarettes. Councilor Melvin Edwards said he does not want to "walk through anyone's vape." Meanwhile, the state House of Representatives has approved raising the minimum age for purchasing cigarettes and other tobacco or vaping products from 18 to 21 statewide. The measure will need approval from the Senate and governor before it would become law. Bakersfield, CA (93308) Today Sunny. High 84F. E winds shifting to NW at 10 to 20 mph.. Tonight Clear skies this evening will give way to occasional showers overnight. Low 54F. Winds NNW at 10 to 20 mph. Chance of rain 50%. One suspect in a shooting at a New Jersey arts festival Sunday morning is dead and 20 people were injured including a 13-year-old boy, authorities said during a morning press conference. NJ.com reports a 33-year-old male, one of the suspected shooters, was killed when gunfire began around 2:45 a.m. at the Trenton, New Jersey event. Roughly 1,000 people were at the event, Mercer County Prosecutor Angelo Onofri told NJ.com. Another suspect who authorities say began shooting during the festival is in custody, Onofri said during a press conference. The festival did not appear to be the target and it appears people had a dispute that took place during the event. Onofri said more than 15 people had gunshot wound injuries. The 13-year-old boy injured by the gunfire is in critical condition, the prosecutor said during the press conference. A total of 20 people were hurt, but not all were injured by gunfire, he said. Multiple weapons have been recovered from the scene. NJ.com reports Trenton police officers exchanged gunfire with at least one of the suspects. Officers were working off-duty security during the festival. The Art All Night Facebook page said the event was shut down Sunday after the shooting. "We're still processing much of this and we don't have many answers at this time but please know that our staff, our volunteers, our artists and musicians all seem to be healthy and accounted for. Our sincere, heartfelt sympathies are with those who were injured," the post read. "We know there are a lot of questions and a lot of speculation at this point. We're still trying ourselves to piece this entire situation together." MIAMI -- One day in late May 2016, Roger Stone - the political dark sorcerer and longtime confidant of Donald Trump - slipped into his Jaguar and headed out to meet a man with a Make America Great Again hat and a viscous Russian accent. The man, who called himself Henry Greenberg, offered damaging information about Hillary Clinton, Trump's presumptive Democratic opponent in the upcoming presidential election, according to Stone - who spoke about the previously unreported incident in interviews with The Washington Post. Greenberg, who did not reveal the information he claimed to possess, wanted Trump to pay $2 million for the political dirt, Stone said. "You don't understand Donald Trump," Stone recalled saying before rejecting the offer at a restaurant in the Russian-expat magnet of Sunny Isles, Florida. "He doesn't pay for anything." Later, Stone got a text message from Michael Caputo, a Trump campaign communications official who'd arranged the meeting after Greenberg had approached Caputo's Russian-immigrant business partner. "How crazy is the Russian?" Caputo wrote according to a text message reviewed by The Post. Noting that Greenberg wanted "big" money, Stone replied: "waste of time." Two years later, the brief sit-down in Florida has resurfaced as part of special counsel Robert Mueller III's sprawling investigation of Russian interference in the 2016 presidential campaign, according to Caputo. Caputo said he was asked about the meeting by prosecutors during a sometimes-heated questioning session last month. Stone and Caputo, who did not previously disclose the meeting to congressional investigators, now say they believe they were the targets of a setup by U.S. law enforcement officials hostile to Trump. They cite records - independently examined by The Post - showing that the man who approached Stone is actually a Russian national who has claimed to work as an FBI informant. Interviews and additional documents show that Greenberg has at times used the name Henry Oknyansky. Under that name, he claimed in a 2015 court filing related to his immigration status that he had provided information to the FBI for 17 years. He attached records showing that the government had granted him special permission to enter the United States because his presence represented a "significant public benefit." There is no evidence that Greenberg was working with the FBI in his interactions with Stone, and in his court filing, Greenberg said that he had stopped his FBI cooperation sometime after 2013. Greenberg, in text messages with The Post, denied that he had been acting on the FBI's behalf when he met with Stone. An FBI spokeswoman declined to comment, as did a spokesman for Mueller's office. The meeting took place two months earlier than federal officials have said a counterintelligence operation was officially opened and before WikiLeaks began releasing hacked Democratic emails. It came in the same time period as other episodes in which Russian interests approached the Trump campaign. A few weeks earlier, Trump campaign foreign policy adviser George Papadopoulos was told in London that the Russians had dirt on Clinton. And it was two weeks before the sit-down between Donald Trump Jr. at Trump Tower with a Russian lawyer who he had been told could offer information that would hurt Clinton as part of a Russian government effort to help his father. Trump and his allies have said the meetings were inconsequential, and there was no collusion. Stone and Caputo's interactions with Greenberg mean that at least 11 Trump associates or campaign officials have acknowledged interactions with a Russian during the election season or presidential transition. Those interactions have become public in the year and a half since a Trump spokeswoman said that no one associated with the campaign had communications with Russians or other foreign entities. It is not clear how seriously investigators are taking the Florida meeting. Caputo said that prosecutors during his interview seemed to have intense interest in the interaction as well as the role of Greenberg. Reached by phone, Greenberg, 59, initially denied Stone's account of a meeting. "This is wrong information," Greenberg said. Later, in text messages to a Post reporter, Greenberg changed his story, acknowledging that he'd met with Stone and providing a skeletal account of the encounter that matched Stone's in some ways. Unprompted, Greenberg used essentially the same language as Stone to describe Stone's reaction: "Trump will never pay for anything." Stone said Greenberg was alone at the meeting. But Greenberg said he was accompanied by a Ukrainian friend he identified only as Alexei, who he said had been fired from a job with the Clinton Foundation, a global charitable organization founded by Hillary Clinton's husband, former president Bill Clinton. A Clinton Foundation spokesman said the foundation has never employed a man with the first name of Alexei. "He was very upset, and he wants to tell his story," Greenberg said in a text. "He told Mr. Stone what he knew and what he want." Greenberg denied that he asked for money, saying that it was his friend who spoke with Stone. Trump and his allies previously accused the FBI of unfairly targeting his campaign following revelations that another FBI informant, Cambridge University professor Stefan A. Halper, approached Papadopoulos and two other campaign advisers starting in July 2016 to gather information about their possible ties to Russia. "If you believe that (Greenberg) took time off from his long career as an FBI informant to reach out to us in his spare time, I have a bridge in Brooklyn that I want to sell you," Caputo said in an interview. In a separate interview, Stone said: "I didn't realize it was an FBI sting operation at the time, but it sure looks like one now." The Florida meeting adds another layer of complexity to Stone's involvement in the Russia probe. For months, as several of Stone's employees and associates have been subpoenaed or have appeared before the Mueller grand jury, it has been clear that the special counsel has been scrutinizing repeated claims by Stone that he communicated with WikiLeaks via a back-channel source before the group's 2016 release of hacked Democratic Party emails. Stone has said it's possible he will be indicted, speculating that Mueller might charge him with a crime unrelated to the election in order to silence him. He said he anticipates that his meeting with Greenberg could be used in an attempt to pressure him to testify against Trump - something he says he would never do. Last year, in a videotaped interview with The Post, Stone denied having any contacts with Russians during the campaign. "I've never been to Russia. I didn't talk to anybody who was identifiably Russian during the two-year run-up to this campaign," he said. "I very definitely can't think of anybody who might have been a Russian without my knowledge. It's a canard." Stone and Caputo said in separate interviews that they also did not disclose the Greenberg meeting during testimony before the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence because they had forgotten about an incident that Stone calls unimportant "due diligence" that would have been "political malpractice" not to explore. Caputo said that he was asked during a session with the committee in July whether he'd ever been offered information about the Clinton campaign by a Russian, and he either answered "no" or that he could not recall. However, Stone and Caputo said their memories were refreshed by text messages that Caputo said he no longer has in his possession but was shown during a May 2 interview. Caputo's attorney on Friday sent a letter amending his House testimony, and he plans to present Caputo's account of the Greenberg incident to the Office of Inspector General for the Department of Justice, which has announced it is examining the FBI's use of informants during the Russia probe. Stone said his attorney has done the same. Documents and interviews reveal a quirk-filled story that spans three decades and two continents. It touches down in locales as distinct as a hipster Miami art gallery and a riverfront construction site. But, like so much of the drama swirling around the 2016 election, its roots lie far away from American ballot boxes - in the Russian capital of Moscow. Though they never met, both Caputo and Greenberg lived heady existences in Moscow in the years after the collapse of the Soviet Union, a period when the city had a frisson of artistic and creative energy that Caputo compares to "Paris of the 1920s, but with Kalashnikovs." Caputo had moved to Russia to develop a Rock-the-Vote-style campaign for Russian President Boris Yeltsin. Greenberg was already a familiar figure in the city's social whirl. He married a Russian actress and moved to Los Angeles. Court records show that, after being charged in 1994 with assault with a deadly weapon, he entered a plea in which he was convicted without accepting guilt. According to a declaration he filed in court, Greenberg spent almost two years in the custody of the U.S. immigration service. He said he decided in 2000 to return to Russia, where, according to interviews and local media coverage, he resumed a glamorous life. For a time, he shared an apartment at a fashionable Moscow address with John Daly, a producer of hit films including "Terminator," and he was well known by expats from the Moscow club scene. "He was an up and down kind of guy. Charming. Very ingratiating and personal," said Edward Bass, a movie producer who spent time with Greenberg in Moscow in that time. According to accounts in Russian media, he was arrested in 2002 and charged with a decade-old $2.7 million fraud. The Moscow Times reported that authorities found three passports with false names in his apartment and photographs that appeared to show him posing with movie directors Steven Spielberg and Oliver Stone. The Post was unable to determine the outcome of the case from public records. Greenberg denied wrongdoing, saying he was not convicted, and the case was closed. Greenberg returned to the United States, according to immigration records that he submitted as part of his federal court filing in 2015. He attached to the statement government documents outlining his immigration history. Between 2008 and 2012, the records show, he repeatedly was extended permission to enter the United States under a so-called "significant public benefit parole." The documents list an FBI agent as a contact person. The agent declined to comment. Immigration lawyer David Leopold, former president of American Immigration Lawyers Association, said the documents described an immigration history generally consistent with Greenberg's claims that he had been allowed to enter the United States to assist law enforcement. In a 2015 court declaration, Greenberg - using the last name Oknyansky - said he'd been giving information to the FBI since returning to Russia from the United States in 2000. "Wherever I was, from Iran to North Korea, I always send information to" the FBI, he wrote. "I cooperated with the FBI for 17 years, often put my life in danger. Based on my information, there is so many arrests criminal from drugs and human trafficking, money laundering and insurance frauds." Greenberg did not respond to questions about his use of multiple names but said in a text that he had worked for the "federal government" for 17 years. "I risked my life and put myself in danger to do so, as you can imagine," he said. By May 2016, Greenberg was in the midst of an eventually unsuccessful zoning fight to open a restaurant on the Miami River, according to public records. He showed up without an invitation at a gallery opening organized by Caputo's public relations firm, according to Caputo's business partner, Sergey "George" Petrushin. Greenberg approached Petrushin and invited him to check out the possible restaurant site the next day, Petrushin said. According to Petrushin, Greenberg eventually said that he knew Petrushin was partners with Caputo and that he had information he wanted to share that would be helpful to Trump's campaign. Petrushin called Caputo, and handed the phone to Greenberg to make his pitch. At the time, Caputo said, Russia was not a major campaign issue, and the man's accent raised no red flags for him. "I said, 'Let me get somebody to vet it for you,'" Caputo recalls saying. Caputo knew just the guy: Roger Stone. Stone had spent decades trying to persuade Trump to run for president. In the spring of 2016, Stone was no longer with the campaign - but he remained in touch with Trump and some in his orbit. When Stone arrived at the restaurant in Sunny Isles, he said, Greenberg was wearing a Make America Great Again T-shirt and hat. On his phone, Greenberg pulled up a photo of himself with Trump at a rally, Stone said. "We really want to help Trump," Stone recalled Greenberg saying during the brief encounter. By Greenberg's account, he had limited contact with Stone, sitting at a nearby table while his friend Alexei conducted the meeting. "Alexei talk to Mr. Stone, not me," he wrote. He added that he believes Alexei has moved back to Ukraine, and they are not in contact. When Caputo followed up with Stone via text to ask if "anything at all interesting" took place, Stone responded with a single word: "No." Refrigerant poisoning can occur if a person inhales or consumes the chemicals also known by the brand name of Freon from cooling appliances, such as refrigerators and air conditioners. Accidental refrigerant poisoning is rare but can occur when a person works directly with cooling chemicals. Poisoning is more common in people who use the substance as a recreational drug. Mild exposure to Freon in a well-ventilated area is usually not serious, including having a small amount on the skin or having a localized leak in the home. However, if a person notices symptoms of refrigerant poisoning, they should contact their doctor or emergency service immediately. In this article, learn about the symptoms of refrigerant poisoning, as well as how to treat and prevent it happening. What is refrigerant poisoning? Share on Pinterest Toxicity warnings on tubes of hazardous chemical substances. Refrigerant poisoning happens when a person inhales chemicals used in cooling appliances. Certain appliances, such as refrigerators, air conditioners, and freezers, contain chemicals called fluorinated hydrocarbons. People often refer to these chemicals as Freon, which is a leading brand name. Freon is a dangerous substance. This almost odorless and tasteless gas can cause severe symptoms if a person inhales too much at once. Because refrigerants cut off the oxygen supply, some people use the gas to get high. This is very dangerous, as breathing in refrigerants in high concentrations or large amounts can lead to death. If a person suspects they have inhaled refrigerants accidentally, they should contact the emergency services immediately. Symptoms Symptoms of refrigerant poisoning vary based on exposure. If exposure happens accidentally due to a leaking appliance in a well-ventilated area, poisoning is not likely to occur. Accidental poisoning is rare. Most cases of poisoning occur due to intentional exposure when someone wants to get high, or they inhale the gas in an enclosed space. Symptoms of mild to moderate refrigerant poisoning may include: headache irritation of eyes, ears, and throat dizziness frostbite if exposed to quickly expanding gas or liquid coolant vomiting chemical burn on the skin nausea coughing Severe refrigerant poisoning can cause symptoms, including: vomiting blood breathing difficulties loss of consciousness bleeding or fluid buildup in the lungs seizure feeling of the food pipe burning irregular heartbeat confusion coma or sudden death Causes Share on Pinterest Accidental exposure can cause refrigerant poisoning. The most common cause of refrigerant poisoning is substance abuse. Refrigerants are easy to obtain because of their low cost and use in many appliances. A person may use a rag, a small container, bag, or an appliance soaked with refrigerant chemicals to get high. Freon is one of several common inhalants used by teens and adults with the aim of getting a high from the fumes. Inhaled substances usually have short-lasting effects, so it is not uncommon for a person to inhale several deep breaths in a row to extend the high. Taking multiple breaths also substantially increases the chance of causing refrigerant poisoning. Though not as common, it is possible to get refrigerant poisoning from accidental exposure. This is most likely to occur if a person works in a facility that uses refrigerants. Accidental exposure may also occur from working on products that contain the chemicals. It is not likely that a person will develop poisoning from a leaking home appliance, assuming it is in a well-ventilated area. Treatment It is vital to call the emergency service or Poison Control in the United States, which runs a 24-hour telephone guidance service for poisoning emergencies, if a person is showing signs of refrigerant poisoning. If possible, a bystander should help a person move to a well-ventilated area or outdoors where they can get fresh air while waiting for the ambulance. In the emergency room, doctors will monitor a persons heart rate, breathing, and blood pressure. Direct treatment will attempt to fix any internal or external damage from the poisoning. Treatments the doctor may use include: medication to treat symptoms or internal damage oxygen through a breathing tube removal or treatment of any burned skin removal of liquid from the stomach, using a tube if ingested There are currently no drugs available to treat the poisoning directly. Also, doctors do not have a formal way to diagnose the condition, but they will administer treatment if they expect or can confirm exposure to refrigerants. Prevention Share on Pinterest People abusing refrigerants may use spray cans to inhale the chemicals. Preventing refrigerant poisoning focuses on stopping or preventing drug abuse. People should secure any appliances that contain refrigerants and lock up refrigerants that are in storage so that they are not accessible unintentionally. It is also crucial for parents, teens, and professionals who work with children to recognize the signs of inhalant abuse. Signs of inhalant abuse include: sudden weight loss watery eyes seeming to be drunk slurred speech loss of coordination breath or clothing that smells of chemicals hidden signs of abuse, such as chemical-soaked rags or empty spray cans excitability stains on a persons face, hands, or clothing Being educated about the dangers of refrigerant poisoning can also help stop people from inhaling coolant chemicals for the first time. Even one-time use of coolant chemicals can cause death. Other complications that may occur due to inhaling coolant chemicals include: depression damage to the lungs, nerves, brain, or other vital organs weight loss loss of strength or coordination irritability psychosis irregular and rapid heartbeat If a person suspects someone they know is abusing refrigerants, they can call the Substance Abuse Treatment Facility Locator from the National Institute on Drug Abuse at 1-800-662-HELP (4357). Alternatively, they may also visit www.findtreatment.samhsa.gov for more information. Behavioral health facilities can help treat a persons addiction and help identify and treat any other underlying health problems, such as anxiety or depression. To help prevent accidental poisoning, a person or company working with refrigerants can take steps to make their workplace safer. People working with refrigerants should only do so in a well-ventilated area. They should also take precautionary measures to avoid exposure to the skin. It is important for people working with refrigerants to following all guidelines and procedures. They should receive training on how to safely handle chemicals before using them. Currently Reading Mega yachts of the rich and famous CROMWELL Four years of a mix of fun, boredom, excitement, friendships, long days and often longer nights were suddenly just a memory as the 154 students of the Cromwell High School class of 2018 were officially graduates. The class of 2018 is the 60th class to graduate from CHS. Their excitement was somewhat tempered: yes, there was some venting, a mix of yells and whoops, and firing off party poppers. But with only a very few exceptions they never as a class skied their mortarboards into the near-perfect early evening sky. Maybe it was it was their satisfaction at having finally achieved their diplomas. Or, perhaps, maybe it was the looming reality that they were officially young adults setting off on the rest of their lives. Whichever it was, as they filed out of the ceremony, which was at the front entrance of the school, they were immediately enveloped by joyful parents, families and friends. And they went with declarations of support, admiration and even love from their teachers and administrators. The expressions of support began in the library/media center where the class gathered prior to the event. Officer Jason Tolton climbed atop a table to make himself heard above the hubbub of excited students. Four years ago, I became your school resource officer, Tolton told the students, so you are my class. In those four years, I have seen your grow into beautiful, intelligent people, he said. I am very proud of you guys. I love you. And I will not say Goodbye to you; instead Ill say, See you later. His remarks were made with cheers and exclamations of their love for him. It was a doubly rewarding day for Tolton. Not only was sending off his class to face and hopefully conquer new challenges, but his eldest daughter turned 13 on Friday. As the tension built, class monitor Rachel Elliott passed through the young women in their white robes (the boys were a brilliant red) comforting, encouraging and calming as needed. Elliott, too, has been with the class for all four of their years at CHS. By and large, she said the reality of graduation hits them today. Of sudden, They say, OK, this really happening today. Elliott and the other teachers responsible for delivering the students to the ceremony had two inflexible rules: no phones are allowed to leave the library, and no gum chewing is permitted during the ceremony. To ensure that last rule was strictly followed the monitors had a small black plastic wastebasket at the door to the library for any wads of gum. All day, school officials had kept one eye on an unfriendly sky. But when the class left the library at 6:17 p.m. and paraded out behind the cafeteria to await their 6:30 p.m. arrival, the menacing clouds that had blotted the day were swept away and the ceremony took place in bright sun with a steady breeze and virtually no humidity. The soon-to-be graduates were welcomed by Jonathan Tinkham, the CHS teacher of the year, and a clear favorite among the students. He offered the students some advice as they begin to make their lives: Raise your hand and ask for help. Dont be embarrassed to do so. Laugh about it and move on. Tinkham had heard the class express strong opinions about social and political issues. He encouraged them to continue to speak their minds. Stand up and be heard. Shape the world, he said. Open all the doors you are going to encounter in life. Wherever life takes you will always have our support and our love, and we will miss you, he said to students. In his brief remarks, Superintendent of Schools John T. Maloney Jr., held up a diploma. This is the best gift you can give yourself: this is opportunity. This is the ticket. Go out and find more tickets and more opportunities - and be sure to take them, he said. And as they go, Maloney said, You have a community behind you. As she prepared to present the diplomas, Principal Frances G. DiFiore asked the four students in the class who are entering the military after graduation to stand as their names were called out. As they did - two boys going into the Army National Guard, one girl going into the Army, and another boy headed to the Marine Corps, the audience saluted them with a standing ovation. In her remarks, DiFiore told the class, You are really nice people and you were a joy to be around. As they go forward in life, DiFiore told them, Give off Good Vibrations. Reporter Jeff Mill covers East Hampton, Cromwell and Portland for the Middletown Press. Contact him at jeff.mill@hearstmediact.com. US Says it Will Pay the Family of the 10 Afghans Killed in a Failed Drone Strike and Help Them Relocate to US A new Marine Corps family leave policy rolled out at the behest of Congress last week offers parents more flexibility in how they take leave after the birth or adoption of a child. It may also, however, leave some with difficult choices regarding which parent takes the bulk of allowed leave. Under the new policy, rolled out in a Marine Corps administrative message June 12, leave is allotted to a designated "primary caregiver" and "secondary caregiver." Where previously the Marine Corps paternity leave policy allowed up to 10 days of leave, the new policy permits the designated secondary caregiver 14 days off, to be taken within one year of the birth or adoption. For the designated primary caregiver, leave may now be broken up. Mothers will still receive six weeks of maternity convalescent leave immediately following the birth of a baby. But while the previous policy allowed a lump 12 weeks of maternity leave, the new rules give six weeks of leave to the primary caregiver, to be taken any time within one year of adding a child to the family. In another departure from the old policy, unmarried parents now qualify for the same leave allowances as married couples. "Because the family situation varies from Marine to Marine, there is not a 'one size fits all' solution for every birth event or adoption scenario," Maj. Garron Garn, a spokesman for Marine Corps Manpower and Reserve Affairs, told Military.com. "Marines, in coordination with their chain of command, can establish a family care plan that meets their individual needs, personally and professionally." Several Marine officials, however, acknowledged that the language in the new policy had spurred concerns that some military mothers may end up with less leave as a result of the change. While designation of the primary and secondary caregivers is left entirely up to the parents, and birth mothers will receive six weeks off no matter what, the policy may create incentives for mothers in uniform to designate themselves the secondary caregiver, and thus eligible for less leave. In dual-military families, for example, designation of primary and secondary caregivers may be influenced by career requirements, upcoming orders, or the time demands of the parents' jobs, among other factors. Garn acknowledged that some birth mothers could designate themselves secondary caregiver, but he maintained the policy would allow each set of parents to do what was right for them. "While each situation is unique, the Marine Corps' caregiver policy is designed to give Marines the flexibility to determine the best family care plan scenario that meets their personal and professional needs," he said. The Marine Corps changes come as all of the services reissue parental leave protocols in keeping with language in the 2017 defense budget designed to make these policies more flexible. While some elements of the new policies are similar from service to service, the guidelines do vary slightly. The new Air Force parental leave policy, also rolled out this month, offers secondary caregivers up to three weeks off -- a change to which the Navy has also committed. Garn said the Marine Corps settled on 14 days of leave for the secondary caregiver as the number that "balances the personal needs of the Marine and his/her family with the operation readiness requirements of the unit." According to the new guidance, the policy is effective immediately and rules are retroactive to December 23, 2016, meaning some recent parents may find themselves with new available leave as a result of the change. -- Hope Hodge Seck can be reached at hope.seck@military.com. Follow her on Twitter at @HopeSeck. A new documentary on Fred Rogers hit theatres nationwide in time for Father's Day and is just what our torn nation needs. Known to most of us as Mr. Rogers, Won't You Be My Neighbor? begins as the story of a sickly boy confined to his bed for days at a time. All alone, the boy invents imagery friends to keep him company and knights them the keepers of both his dreams and his fears. The boy is depicted as an animated Daniel Tiger, the watch-wearing puppet that was also reportedly Rogers's alter ego. The film is not a biopic, and little is revealed about Rogers's past; it is rather an exploration and testament to a man who only wanted what he felt was best for children. Though he hated television for its depictions of violence, he saw it as the best way to reach as many children as possible. The film is meant for adults, however, and suggests that maybe if we were to remember our childlike tendencies to not judge others, to be a little more like Mr. Rogers that we can start healing as a nation. When Mr. Rogers' Neighborhood debuted in 1968, there was plenty of bloodshed just a click away for children to see, which the show addresses. A lifelong Republican, the children that let Mr. Rogers into their living rooms every day after school didn't care for whom he voted though he often broached political topics. The show was only a few months in when Bobby Kennedy is assassinated on a campaign stump at the Ambassador Hotel. Speaking as most children do with no-filter honesty, Daniel Tiger says to Mr. Rogers, "That man killed that other man. I'd rather talk about it another day." When Mr. Rogers gives Daniel Tiger all the time he needs to express his grief, it reminds audience members that we all grieve uniquely. He reminds us that it's okay to take our time. We're all different. When footage of whites dumping harsh chemicals into segregated swimming pools hit the airwaves, Mr. Rogers responded by inviting Officer Clemmons (Francois Clemmons) to soak his tired feet in a kiddie pool on a hot summer day. Fred Rogers (left) with Francois Scarborough Clemmons (right) from his show Mr. Rogers Neighborhood in WONT YOU BE MY NEIGHBOR? Clemmons was the first African-American to have a recurring role on a kid's show. At the end of the segment, Mr. Rogers, an ordained minister, dries Officer Clemmons's feet taking on the role of the sinner Mary Magdalene who washed Jesus's feet. Mr. Rogers would often ask others to pray for him and when asked why, he stated that he couldn't think of anyone closer to God than a sick child. When angry protests turned bloody on the streets of America in real life, King Friday the 13th built a wall of barbed wire around his castle in the Kingdom of Make-Believe in a statement of fear. The townspeople below sent messages of love attached to balloons and lofted them towards the castle. At first, the king orders the balloons shot down, but then he reads them and takes down the wall. Sound familiar? In 1969 President Nixon moved to cut funding for public broadcasting, prompting Mr. Rogers to go before Congress and urge that the U.S. Senate Subcommittee on Communications keep supporting the format. Speaking succinctly and passionately, Mr. Rogers described the show to Sen. John O. Pastore, who said Rogers gave him "goosebumps." "I am grateful for your goosebumps," said Mr. Rogers. He then recited the lyrics to a children's song he wrote about anger. "I think it's wonderful, just wonderful," said Pastore. "It looks like you just earned your $20 million dollars." The film's takeaway is that we can all try to be a little more Christian, a little more kind, a little more like Mr. Rogers. Gen X kids, take your fathers; millennials take each other; singletons, take a date. Everyone, take a hankie, you're going to need it. Mineral List Rock Types Recorded Note: this is a very new system on mindat.org and data is currently VERY limited. Please bear with us while we work towards adding this information! Select Rock List Type Alphabetical List Tree Diagram Regional Geology Located 45 km north west of Cue.In 1918, the owner of Glen Station, H. Ryan sent a parcel of ore for testing for this copper and silver deposit, 5 kilometres east from the homestead.Explored by Union Oil, Homestake, and Hanna 1969 to 1972, Western Mining Corporation 1972-1974, and Pegmin/Seltrust 1981 to 1986. They described several lenses of polymetallic stratiform sulphides in chert, shale, phyllite and tuff. There were two gossans, 750 metres apart, on the south limb of an east plunging boat shaped syncline.The lens plunge north north-west, the upper part at the basalt contact being sphalerite rich as disseminated and veinlet, while beneath this is pyrite rich.Recently exploration companies have examined the deposit, drilling showing about 4.50% copper and more minor zinc, silver and gold. This was at a spot they call the South Limb Pod, described as shallow with weak weathering only extending a few metres below the surface, of a copper rich polymetallic volcanogenic massive sulphide deposit.9 valid minerals. This geological map and associated information on rock units at or nearby to the coordinates given for this locality is based on relatively small scale geological maps provided by various national Geological Surveys. This does not necessarily represent the complete geology at this locality but it gives a background for the region in which it is found. Click on geological units on the map for more information. Click here to view full-screen map on Macrostrat.org Archean volcanic rocks Age: Archean (2500 - 3200 Ma) Comments: Yilgarn Craton Lithology: Greenstone belt; mafic-ultramafic volcanic rocks Reference: Chorlton, L.B. Generalized geology of the world: bedrock domains and major faults in GIS format: a small-scale world geology map with an extended geological attribute database. doi: 10.4095/223767. Geological Survey of Canada, Open File 5529. [154] mafic intrusive rocks 74270 Age: Paleoarchean (3200 - 3600 Ma) Description: Mafic intrusive rocks, medium to coarse-grained; layered mafic to ultramafic intrusions; metadolerite; medium to coarse-grained metagabbro, dolerite and granophyre, local ultramafic bases Comments: igneous mafic intrusive; synthesis of multiple published descriptions Lithology: Igneous mafic intrusive Reference: Raymond, O.L., Liu, S., Gallagher, R., Zhang, W., Highet, L.M. Surface Geology of Australia 1:1 million scale dataset 2012 edition. Commonwealth of Australia (Geoscience Australia). [5] Data and map coding provided by Macrostrat.org, used under Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License This page contains all mineral locality references listed on mindat.org. This does not claim to be a complete list. If you know of more minerals from this site, please register so you can add to our database. This locality information is for reference purposes only. You should never attempt to visit any sites listed in mindat.org without first ensuring that you have the permission of the land and/or mineral rights holders for access and that you are aware of all safety precautions necessary. References Sort by Year (asc) | by Year (desc) | by Author (A-Z) | by Author (Z-A) The Daily News newspaper (Perth) (1918) Copper Ore from Mt Mulcahy (27 Feb 1918). Ferguson, K.M. (1999) Lead, Zinc and Silver Deposits of Western Australia. Geological Survey of Western Australia, Mineral Resources Bulletin 15. Marston, R.J. (1979) Copper Mineralization in Western Australia. Mineral Resources Bulletin 13, Geological Survey of Western Australia, 208p. External Links How to use the mindat.org media viewer Click/touch this help panel to close it. 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Summary of all keyboard shortcuts The Dodgers have signed right-hander Drew Hutchison to a minor league deal, according to Alex Freedman, a broadcaster for their Triple-A affiliate in Oklahoma City. Hutchison is likely to debut for OKC on Sunday, Freedman adds. Hutchison was previously with the Phillies, who inked him to a minors deal in the offseason. The 27-year-old did well enough in camp to earn a spot on the Phillies season-opening roster, but they ended up designating him for assignment in late May, and he then elected free agency. Hutchison came out of the bullpen during his Phillies tenure and pitched to a 4.64 ERA with 8.02 K/9, 5.48 BB/9 and a 50 percent groundball rate across 21 1/3 innings and 11 appearances. While Hutchison served as a reliever in Philadelphia, hes best known for his tenure as a starter with the Blue Jays from 2012-16. During that 76-appearance, 73-start span, Hutchison tossed 406 1/3 innings of 4.92 ERA ball and notched 8.28 K/9 against 2.84 BB/9. Toronto shipped Hutchison to Pittsburgh in an August 2016 trade, and he hasnt been much of a factor in the majors since. Now a member of the Dodgers, hell once again try to work his way back via the minors. An arbitral tribunal has restrained the Singapore Exchange (SGX) from launching any new derivative products linked to the National Stock Exchange (NSE)'s indices. The restraint would be till three weeks after the arbitration process is completed even as the tribunal allowed continuation of existing SGX-Nifty contracts. Differences between the two bourses emerged after SGX, in April, announced listing of new Indian equity derivative products from this month. Amid concerns over liquidity migrating overseas, the NSE's index company IISL had moved the Bombay High Court, which restrained SGX from launching the new products and referred the matter for arbitration. Against this backdrop, the arbitral tribunal has called for interim arrangements in the dispute through an order passed on June 14. "The injunction against the new products..., first imposed by the Bombay High Court, has been extended and continues until completion of the arbitration proceedings," the NSE said in a statement today. The injunction from the Bombay High Court was against three products that SGX proposed to launch this month. They were SGX India Futures, SGX Options on SGX India Futures and SGX India bank futures. The existing licence for the SGX Nifty contracts stands extended for two successive contract months beyond the arbitration award date, the NSE said. In a separate statement, the SGX said the arbitration proceedings are continuing and the hearings on evidence are expected to commence in early 2019. SGX also said that it has been granted a licence extension to continue the listing and trading of SGX Nifty contracts beyond August 2018. "During the pendency of these proceedings and for a period of three weeks after the date of declaration of the final arbitration award, SGX has been restrained from launching or listing any new derivative products linked to IISL Indices or NSE and NSE IFSC equity derivative products," the NSE said. The arbitration proceedings are going on before Justice Vazifdar, former Chief Justice of the Punjab and Haryana High Court. As per the tribunal, the court's injunction granted on May 29 would continue "to operate for a period of four weeks from the date of the declaration of the final award". The dispute pertains to SGX's proposal to introduce SGX India contracts linked to the NSE's Nifty Futures on Nifty indices. Both exchanges said that they would provide updates to the market in due course. The arbitration is between India Index Services and Products Ltd and Singapore Exchange Derivatives Trading Ltd and others. NEW DELHI, INDIA - MAY 20: Activists of Aam Aadmi Sena shout slogans and hold a large banner against the Delhi government and Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal during their march from Rajghat to Delhi Secretariat on May 20, 2015 in New Delhi, India. AAS members alleged AAP government in Delhi has not fulfilled its election promises including the deployment of marshals on DTC buses. (Photo by Sonu Mehta/Hindustan Times via Getty Images) Accusing the Centre of misusing its powers to stop Delhi government from working, the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) on Saturday said it would lead a massive protest march to the Prime Minister's Office on Sunday evening. The Delhiites will assemble at Mandi House at 4 pm and march to the PMO under the party banner to support Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal and his ministers' sit-in at the lieutenant governor's office for the last six days in their fight against the "dictatorship" of Modi government, the AAP leaders said. "Modi government is shamelessly misusing its powers and institutions to stop Delhi government from working for the people," said AAP national secretary Pankaj Gupta. People are going to protest in favour of the Delhi government which has provided them with free water, low cost electricity and good education system, Gupta claimed. Kejriwal and his Cabinet colleagues are sitting at the office of Lt Governor Anil Baijal demanding his direction to the IAS officers to end their "strike" and approve doorstep ration delivery scheme, since last Monday. "LG has not been able to take out a single minute from his schedule to meet the CM who has been struggling to fight for the rights of the people living in Delhi," Gupta said. The political parties from every part of the country have assured their support to the AAP ministers' strike but the Congress is opposing it, he said. "Surprisingly, the Congress has come in support of the BJP and its Central government by keeping its mouth shut on it" he charged. Gupta claimed the AAP's movement has become a national issue and party will emerge victorious in it with the help of the people. In yet another sign of birth pangs in their coalition, Congress and JDS in Karnataka today differed on the tabling of a new full fledged budget for 2018-19. While the Congress said there was no need for a fresh budget and insisted that a supplementary budget would do, JD(S) asserted that a fresh one was needed to demonstrate the direction of the new government. Strongly pushing for a new budget, Chief Minister HD Kumaraswamy said he would meet Congress President Rahul Gandhi to sort out the issue soon. Former chief minister and Chairman of the Congress-JDS coordination committee Siddaramaiah expressed his strong reservations over presenting a new full fledged budget, saying there was no need for such an exercise. Siddaramaiah, who is also the Congress Legislature Party leader, said he had already tabled the budget as chief minister a few months ago. "Budget has already been tabled. It is a full-fledged budget only. That's why we had taken vote on accounts for fourmonths. It will be there till July end. All the ongoing programmes and new programmes announced in the budget will continue," said Siddaramaiah. He advised Kumaraswamy that if he wants to carry out certain projects and launch some schemes, he can bring out a supplementary budget. Reacting to Siddaramaiah's 'suggestion', Kumaraswamy told reporters in Delhi that the new government has to demonstrate its objectives to the people. "Whenever a new government comes to power, it needs to demonstrate what its goals are. We cannot limit ourselves to presenting supplementary budget because there are many challenges before the government." He also said the Congress as well as the JD(S) made several promises incorporating new programmes. "A supplementary budget would not suffice to incorporate them all," he said. Kumaraswamy reminded Siddaramaiah about his statement in the past that if a new government takes over after the election, a new budget may be presented. "Today Janata Dal (S) and Congress have formed a coalition government. Usually when a new government comes to power, its duty is to present the best budget and send our message to people through it," the chief minister said. In this connection, he said, he would meet Rahul Gandhi in a day or two and sort out the matter. Replying to a question, Kumaraswamy said, "I am not uncomfortable with my coalition government but I have become uncomfortable for my media friends." He conceded that delay in the expansion of cabinet gave room for speculative media reports doubting the longevity of the government. "Let us assume that there is a threat to the government as you are speculating but at least nobody can touch (this government) till the parliament elections. This is what I had said (yesterday)," he said. "After the Congress decided to retain this governmentfor five years, it is their wish to run this coalitiongovernment not just for five years but for 10 to 15 years, just as Congress and Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) ran the coalition government in Maharashtra," he added. Kumaraswamy appealed to the media to allow him to work and said the common minimum programme would be ready in 10 days. Security forces will resume offensive operations against terrorists in Jammu and Kashmir, the Union Home Ministry announced today. Government of India has decided not to extend suspension of the operations in J-K against terrorists announced in the beginning of Ramzan, it said. The announcement comes days after senior journalist Shujaat Bukhari was shot dead in Srinagar. Announcing the decision, Home Minister Rajnath Singh said the government is committed to working for creating an environment free of terror and violence in Jammu and Kashmir. The central government had on May 17 decided that security forces will not conduct offensive operations in J-K during Ramzan. The government commends the role of security forces for having implemented the decision in letter and spirit, in the face of grave provocation, to enable the Muslim brothers and sisters to observe Ramzan in a peaceful manner, he said. It was expected that everyone will cooperate in ensuring the success of this initiative. While the security forces have displayed exemplary restraint during this period, the terrorists have continued with their attacks, on civilians and security forces, resulting in deaths and injuries, the home minister said. The security forces are being directed to take all necessary actions as earlier to prevent terrorists from launching attacks and indulging in violence and killings, Singh said. Government will continue with its endeavour to create an environment free of terror and violence in Jammu and Kashmir. It is important that all sections of peace loving people come together to isolate the terrorists and motivate those who have been misguided to return to the path of peace, the ministry said, adding that operation against terrorists to resume in the state. The Kashmir Valley has witnessed the killings of over 55 militants and the deaths of 27 locals this year. The situation in Kashmir is considered to be turbulent as nearly 80 incidents of violence occurred there in the last four months. Militants had yesterday fired at a security forces party at Lasjan on the outskirts of Srinagar, injuring a CRPF Jawan. (Representat The 5G committee of the telecom ministry has said that around 6000 Mhz of spectrum can be made available without delay for the next generation mobile service. If accepted, the panel's recommendation, which has been submitted to the government, can lead to India's largest ever spectrum allocation for a service. An expert member of the panel, Arogyaswami Paulraj told PTI in an interview that initially the service will enhance mobile data speed in India by up to 50 per cent compared to current levels. Paulraj is Professor Emeritus, Stanford University, and a pioneer of MIMO wireless communications, a technology break through that enables improved wireless performance. MIMO is now incorporated into all new wireless systems, as per Stanford site. The Department of Telecom (DoT) is taking strong initiative to make spectrum available for the new service, Paulraj said. As much as 2,354.55 megahertz (MHz) of frequencies valued at around Rs 5.63 lakh crore were put up for grabs in country's largest ever auction held in 2016. At present mobile phone signals in the country are transmitted in 800 Mhz to 2600 Mhz band. Now, the panel has spotted spectrum for 5G service across 11 bands of which 4 bands -- premium 700 Mhz band, 3.5 gigahertz (Ghz), 24 Ghz and 28 Ghz band can be made immediately available for the service. The panel estimates that 5,250 megahertz of spectrum can be made available for 5G services in higher frequency bands, 300 Mhz in 3.5 Ghz band and 405 Mhz spectrum in sub- 1000 Mhz. Paulraj said: "Spectrum reduces cost of infrastructure. People will benefit from it. Our spectrum release in 5G will be more than spectrum to be released in many countries. "If you have more spectrum you can use less base station to serve more people, the cost goes down. If there is less spectrum, you have to deploy many BTS (mobile sites) and everybody pays the penalty." He said that unlike earlier generation technologies including 3G and 4G, the next gen 5G will not be limited to mobile services but will play an important role in societal transformation with usage in power grids, smartcities, agriculture, banking, railways, healthcare and the like. Telecom Minister Manoj Sinha has set the target for commercial roll out of 5G services in India by 2020 -- at par with advanced countries of the world. Paulraj said: "India has already taken lead over many other countries. Perhaps first country to do spectrum in 5G was US and I would think may be a little bit from Europe. "Otherwise we are ahead of many countries in the world. Bringing spectrum early will enable lot of things. Most important I feel it will enable growth of that manufacturing ability in our country." Padma Bhushan award recipient Paulraj said the panel has not deliberated on spectrum allocation modalities but favoured issuing the radiowaves to telecom operators at rational prices. "To serve people of our country, operators must deploy (5G). For them to be able to deploy, they have to be profitable. So spectrum pricing must understand all this dimensions so that operators can make viable business out of it," he said. He said that spectrum price per unit for 5G service in higher frequency bands cannot be priced at same level as lower frequency band. "Upper bands we will price lower. Also remember in order to deploy in upper band there is much more infrastructure required. It is more expensive for them to deploy in upper band. So obviously spectrum should be cheaper for them," Paulraj said. In lower frequency band like 700 Mhz band the mobile signal can coverage wide area but the coverage shrinks as the frequency band count increase like in 3.5 Ghz, 24 Ghz and 28 Ghz. The base price of one unit of pan-India 700 Mhz spectrum in 2016 was fixed at around Rs 11,000 crore by the government and interested telecom operators were required to buy minimum of five units of radiowaves in this band. There were no bidders for this premium band due to high base price. Paulraj said base station for 5G will have to be deployed at around every 50 metres as coverage of mobile signals in higher bands reduces that will lead to escalation of infrastructure cost. He said that spectrum in E (71-76 Gigahertz frequency and 81-86 Ghz) and V band (57-64 Ghz frequency range), in which data can be transmitted at speed of 1000 mbps, should be allocated as per international norms. "E and V bands, we will do that expeditiously... There are some minor issues to be sorted out. DoT is committed to release E and v band spectrum very quickly. It is essential because in those bands you can do high speed radiolinks. In India 5G will require a lot of backhaul. In 5G we need to have base stations almost at every 50 meters. We don't have fibre every 50 meter here," Paulraj said. The panel has recommended that government should identify spectrum for 5G services in 600 Mhz, 1.4 Ghz, 30 Ghz, 31 Ghz and 37 Ghz band, while exploring the feasibility of 5G spectrum for the service in 500 Mhz and 3.7 Ghz bands. The ISRO has cleared the GSAT-11 for launch after thorough rechecking The 5,700-kg GSAT-11 satellite was slated for launch on May 26 from Kourou, a site in South America which India uses to launch its heavy-weight satellite. In a setback to the ISRO, the space agency lost contact with GSAT-6A after it was launched in March from Sriharikota in Andhra Pradesh. Although the ISRO has been trying to establish with GSAT-6A, a satellite meant for military communication, it has found little success. This also led to the ISRO recalling GSAT-11 for conducting thorough checks. After a thorough check and additional tests, it was found fit for launch, the official said. The space agency is now waiting for a slot from Arianespace, the company which will launch the satellite, the official added. Ratan Tata, chairman of the Tata Group, speaks during the Vibrant Gujarat Global Investors Summit 2011 (VGGIS) at Gandhinagar in the western Indian state of Gujarat January 12, 2011. REUTERS/Amit Dave (INDIA - Tags: BUSINESS HEADSHOT) - GM1E71C1NE301 The Gauhati Medical College and Hospital (GMCH) was today linked with cancer hospitals of the Tatas in Mumbai and Kolkata, enabling doctors to consult their counterparts in the two cities. Tata Trusts Chairman Ratan Tata and Assam Health Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma rolled out a platform, 'Digital Nerve Centre (DiNC)', to connect cancer care unit of the GMCH with with the two other hospitals. The two hospitals are Tata Memorial Centre in Mumbai and Tata Medical Centre, Kolkata. "With launching of this platform, our doctors will be able to discuss cases of patients with those from the Tata hospitals in Mumbai and Kolkata. In many cases, patients will no longer require to travel outside Assam," Sarma told a press conference after launching the project here. The state government and Tata Trusts have proposed to develop 19 cancer care centres across the state and those centres would also be connected to this platform, he added. "Patients' record keeping and consultation will be a seamless affair with this technology. It is developed by the TCS and the Tata Trusts has given it to us free of cost. Assam is the first greenfield project for DiNC," Sarma said. The platform has the potential to connect all the 143 cancer care hospitals under National Cancer Grid in future, the minister said. The Assam government is setting up a 500-bed cancer hospital under the GMCH and it will be the apex centre for cancer treatment, he said. For this, the government is investing Rs 200 crore, of which Rs 180 crore would be given by the Centre, he said adding that this hospital will be known as South East Asian Cancer Research Centre. Assam government yesterday announced 19 cancer care centres, to be set up across the state in partnership with Tata Trusts at an investment of Rs 1,910 crore by mid-2020. The government will lay the foundation stone of the proposed centres at a function tomorrow. The Assam government and Tata Trusts have formed a non- profitable entity Assam Cancer Care Foundation (ACCF) with equal partnership to implement the project and manage the centres, Sarma had said yesterday. New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi shakes hands with Andhra Pradesh CM N Chandrababu Naidu as Karnataka CM H D Kumaraswamy, West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee and Kerela CM Pinarayi Vijayan look on during governing council meeting of NITI Aayog, in New Delhi on Sunday, June 17, 2018. (PTI Photo) (PTI6_17_2018_000093B) West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee said today that the prime minister did not give any assurance when she, along with three other chief ministers, raised the political crisis in Delhi with him. Banerjee, Kerala's Pinarayi Vijayan, Andhra Pradesh's N Chandrababu Naidu and Karnataka's H D Kumaraswamy had a meeting with Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Home Minister Rajnath Singh on the sidelines of the NITI Aayog Governing Council meeting and urged the Centre to resolve the issue. "We have raised the issue with the prime minister as well as the home minister. We told them that the deadlock should be resolved for the sake of the people. The prime minister did not say anything, but Rajnath Singh said that he would look into the matter. We said what we had to, now they have to sort it out. It is their matter now," Banerjee said after the meeting. The chief ministers belonging to the Trinamool Congress, CPI(M), TDP and JD(S) had expressed solidarity with their Delhi counterpart Arvind Kejriwal, visiting his home yesterday and seeking Modi's intervention on issues over which he has been on a sit-in at the Lieutenant Governor's office. Terming the deadlock as "political crisis", the opposition leaders had said that people should not suffer due to any political crisis brought about by any political party. Kejriwal and his three cabinet colleagues have been staying put in a waiting room at Raj Niwas, protesting against what they call a strike by the bureaucrats in the national capital. Corruption Sending out a strong message to erring corporates, Union Minister P P Chaudhary has said autonomy of companies cannot be at the cost of investor interests and indicated that scrutiny of shell firms could unearth "something" about political parties as well as individuals. The Minister of State for Corporate Affairs asserted that the government wants transparency in the functioning of companies and ensure that they are not misused as conduits for money laundering and other illegal activities. Intensifying its efforts to curb illicit fund flows, the corporate affairs ministry has served notices to around 2.25 lakh companies that have not been carrying out business activities for long and depending on their responses, a final decision on deregistering them would be taken. The latest exercise comes after the ministry struck off the names of about 2.26 lakh companies from official records for being inactive and not making statutory filings for a long time. Against this backdrop, Chaudhary said scrutiny of the struck-off companies is going on to understand their financial tracks and how many other entities were linked to them. "I am sure, personally I feel that something will come out once we scrutinise (struck off) companies. It may be (about) political parties, it may be (about) individuals... but certainly it will be (about) those who have ruled the nation for a longer time," he said in an interview. Amid concerns in certain quarters that the crack down on illicit fund flows could also be impacting the autonomous functioning of companies, he said the norms are to ensure transparency and not create impediments for the functioning of corporates. "Autonomy should be maintained but not at the cost of investor interests... We are compelling companies to observe the law," he noted. Blaming the previous UPA regime for allowing shell companies to continue, the minister said the ills are of so many years and that the government is only bringing them out now. "There was no question of allowing them (shell companies) to continue because under the old Act and the new Act, the provisions were there with respect to non-compliance. It was not used and it shows that the UPA government and the Congress allowed such companies to flourish. It shows that unscrupulous people also served their own interest," Chaudhary said. Companies Act, 1956 has been replaced with Companies Act, 2013. Most provisions of the new law came into force from April 1, 2014. About the present round of clamping down on inactive companies, the minister said a decision on whether to deregister them or not would be taken by next month after taking into consideration their responses to the notices. "Approximately, 2,25,000 companies have been identified in the second round of drive for defaults like non-filing of financial statements for last two financial years and not seeking dormant status in case they are not doing any business for some time. "Notices have been issued to such companies to ascertain their true status," he noted. Currently, there are more than 11 lakh active companies in the country. Separately, authorities are working on having a definition for shell companies. As per latest data available with the ministry, out of the 2.26 lakh companies that were deregistered, cash was deposited in the bank accounts of 1.68 lakh firms post demonetisation. "73,000 companies deposited Rs 24,000 crore. Details of 58,000 companies from various banks are under process," Chaudhary said. As many as 68 companies are under probe, with 19 of them being investigated by the Serious Fraud Investigation Office (SFIO). As part of efforts to fight the black money menace, the government had cancelled old Rs 500 and Rs 1,000 as legal tenders in November 2016. Midland Crime Stoppers and Midland County Sheriffs Office seeks information leading to the arrest of person(s) responsible for a burglary of a business. Deputies went to a business in the 13000 block of West Highway 80 on May 19. They found the front glass door was broken. Cigarettes, chewing tobacco and bags of chips had been taken in the burglary. The surveillance video shows two individuals who approach the store, break out the front glass door and go behind the counter and take the merchandise. Whats new at Jacksonville Public Library: ADULT FICTION Killing Pace by Douglas Schofield: After crawling away from a terrible car accident, Lisa is struck with amnesia and her boyfriend, Roland, is nursing her back to health. As time passes, Lisa begins to fear that Roland isnt actually her boyfriend but her captor. ADULT NON-FICTION Mommy Burnout by Dr. Sheryl Ziegler: Modern motherhood has unique challenges that previous generations did not have to face. Ziegler offers advice on how to avoid burnout by relieving the stress and anxiety generated by the expectation of perfection. DVD Dunkirk: This film tells the story of how thousands of Allied and British troops were rescued from the beaches of Dunkirk during World War II. CHILDRENS PICTURE BOOK Red by Jed Alexander: Red is on her way through the woods to visit Grandma when she meets Wolf. What are Wolf and all those woodland creatures up to? A delightful surprise awaits both Red and you. CHILDRENS PICTURE BOOK Hazelnut Days by Emmanuel Bourdier: Its visiting day and Dad smells like peppermint, not the hazelnut that his son prefers. So begins one boys brief weekly visit with his father in prison. This poetic picture book explores the all-too-hidden world of having a parent in prison and about the power of love to bridge the wall that divides us. Did You Know? Jacksonville resident Mason Pohlman will highlight the history and culture of Manchester, England, at 6:30 p.m. Thursday at Jacksonville Public Library as he describes his experience studying in the British city during his just-completed sophomore year of college. Jamie Davis, a housekeeper in the environmental services department, is Passavant Area Hospitals employee of the month. She has been a Passavant employee for two years. In her role as a housekeeper, Davis is responsible for cleaning the emergency department and serving as a team leader. She also assists with cleaning other hospital areas and the building off the Passavant campus. Davis resides in Jacksonville. The Council for Advancement and Support of Education has named MacMurray College a gold award winner of its 2018 Circle of Excellence awards program. MacMurray was recognized for its MacNation Tour 2017. A panel of experts selected the colleges entry in the Special Events: Multi-Day category from among 34 entries. In 2018, more than 675 higher education institutions, independent schools and nonprofits worldwide submitted more than 3,200 entries for consideration in nearly 100 categories. Judges gave nearly 350 awards. The MacNation Tour took President Mark Tierno on an eight-week trek last summer around the nation in a recreational vehicle to rally the alumni as well as connect with current and prospective students. The tour also allowed the president to thank longtime supporters of the college and increase alumni participation. Shopko, in partnership with the Epilepsy Foundation, kicked off its annual Lemonade for Livy campaign this week. Each year, people, families and businesses host lemonade stands, parties and events in their communities to raise epilepsy awareness and support the Epilepsy Foundations work to stop seizures, find cures and save lives. Shopko, the official launch partner of Lemonade for Livy, will collect donations at store registers to July 7 at more than 370 locations. Lemonade for Livy began in 2011 with one lemonade stand in Clearwater, Florida, to honor Olivia (Livy) Scheinman who has been affected since birth by the effects of epilepsy. Livy had her first seizure shortly after she was born and then was diagnosed with a brain malformation that resulted in multifocal partial epilepsy, cerebral palsy and other disabilities. Livy, now 13, continues to have seizures despite two brain surgeries. Compiled by David C.L. Bauer The countdown is on for the official opening of a new Meredosia bridge that has been under construction for months. Gov. Bruce Rauner will attend a ceremony at 1 p.m. Tuesday to celebrate the opening, Meredosia Mayor David Werries said during a village board meeting. Meredosia board members also hired part-time police Officer John Schoney, a full-time police officer with the Brown County Sheriffs office since June 2015. He also works part-time as an officer with the Mount Sterling police department and the Schuyler County sheriffs department. He lives in Brown County. He showed the board his certifications, training, resume and application. There now are five part-time police officers on the Meredosia police force. Board members bought 400 water meters for an $76,000. The village will pay $3,000 a month for the meters. The old meters are about 25 years old and are slow, meaning they dont properly measure water use, board member Ernie Gregory said. John Evans of Illinois Meter said the new meters will be more accurate and village employees no longerwill have to read the meters manually. Instead, they can stay in their vehicle and read them by computer from the street, he said. People also can get a day-by-day read on their water use. The new meter should arrive in four to six weeks and have a five-year warranty. In other business: The board donated $750 from the Fall Festival account to the Meredosia Historical Society. Villagewide clean-up will be June 19-22. The cost of curbside pick up is $30. Police Chief Curtis Williams is having new tires put on the Charger squad car and one or two tires put on the Ford squad car. Board members approved preparation work and installation of seamless gutters on Village Hall at an estimated $2,064. A 17-year resident of a modular home subdivision on the east edge of Jacksonville has collected on a petition the signatures of most of his neighbors, who are opposed to a proposed lot rental increase. Brando Management Services/Time Out Communities recently bought Prairie Knolls and three other modular home communities in Jacksonville, along with one in Woodson. Beginning Aug. 1, Prairie Knolls residents will begin paying depending on lot size anywhere from 41 percent to 59 percent more a month in lot rental than they now pay, said Ron Hoffstadt, the Prairie Knolls resident who started the petition. Time Out understands that nobody likes an increased cost of living, but the reality is that we are a business and must make sound business decisions in how we operate our communities, said Michael Smart, national director of sales and finance for Time Out Communities of Fort Lauderdale, Florida. Sometimes these decisions require an increase in resident monthly rents to a current market rent that is commensurate with the quality of the community being provided to the residents, Smart said in an email to the Journal-Courier. This was the case in the Prairie Knolls community. Prairie Knolls has about 90 modular homes. Residents own their homes and outbuildings and pay the monthly lot rent to the landowner. Hoffstadt said the new company gave Prairie Knolls residents a 90-day notice about the lot rental increase. The lot rental for Hoffstadt and his wife, Bev, will go from $260 a month to $365, which is more than a 40 percent increase. I dont think there is anyone at Prairie Knolls who can afford these lot rental increases, Hoffstadt said. I know for fact that most of the residents that own homes at Prairie Knolls are on fixed incomes, and at least 60 percent of them are elderly and a lot of them are in poor health. In 17 years, Hoffstadt and his wife have only seen three lot rental hikes, each of which was a $15-a-month increase, Hoffstadt said. With the petition, I hope that we can get the new owners to get it down to a reasonable 10 percent increase, which is the norm in the industry, he said. About 1 mile west of Prairie Knolls is Rolling Acres Mobile Home Estates, which also has been bought by Brando and Time Out. Leading a petition drive at Rolling Acres that asks the new owners to reconsider their rate hike is Danny Davison, who has lived at Rolling Acres for 20 years. Davison said he and his neighbors also want Brando/Time Out to consider a 10 percent lot rental increase and a two-year lease. The new owners have proposed increasing Davisons monthly lot rental from $195 to $365, which is an 87 percent rate hike, he said, adding that many of his Rolling Acres neighbors will see similar increases. Many of Rolling Acres residents have lived there for 20 to 30 years and have never seen large increases in their lot rent, Davison said. I am a disabled Vietnam veteran and I feel this proposed increase without major improvements to Rolling Acres is excessive, Davison said. We are not against a reasonable increase in rates, but we would like to see that the new owners will make improvements to the property. If the new owners are determined not to negotiate rates, the huge rate increases that have been announced will cause a hardship for senior citizens and disabled individuals on fixed incomes who live at Rolling Acres. Smart said Time Out Communities is interested in hearing the thoughts and opinions of community residents. With that said, we must continue to run a sound business whether or not our decisions with regard to community operations are popular, Smart said. We will not stray from the principle that a sound business requires sound business decisions, and we would point to previous owners of the Prairie Knolls community as a cautionary tale of the perils that await those who ignore this maxim. Greg Olson can be reached at 217-245-6121, ext. 1224, or on Twitter @JCNews_Greg. Does the NDC have one face ... Stacey Dash, the "Clueless" star turned conservative commentator, is out at Fox News Channel, according to the cable network. Dash, who turned 50 (yes, 50) on Inauguration Day, first made it onto the conservative scene when she endorsed GOP presidential candidate Mitt Romney over President Barack Obama during the 2012 election. At the time, the actress tweeted: "Vote for Romney. The only choice for your future." The backlash was swift, and two years later Fox News swooped in. The first-in-Texas, 2-acre crystal lagoon in the Houston area's new Balmoral subdivision is closer to opening. The massive recreational water feature began filling with water on Thursday. Radio personality and technology expert Michael Garfield, who emceed the brief program at Balmoral, a master planned community near Generation Park in the Summerwood, area pointed out how rare it is to be able to celebrate the first of something in the state of Texas. Following the program, everybody emptied the water bottles that they had received into the lagoon, one of only about 300 worldwide. HOT PROPERTIES: Houston-area communities with the coolest amenities The lagoon will be the social center of the 750-acre, 1,700-home Balmoral community. It will be as deep as eight feet and offer two beaches and opportunities for swimming, kayaking, canoeing, stand-up paddle boarding, and more. When we saw the crystal lagoon, and they came and they pitched to us and showed us how it worked, for us it was a no-brainer, said Tim Johnson, Director of Community Sales and Marketing for Land Tejas the developer of the master planned Balmoral community. We said this is the kind of amenity, the kind of lifestyle we want to offer residents in Land Tejas communities. The crystal lagoon uses an ultrasonic wave pulse filtration system which uses 1 percent of chemicals and 2 percent of the energy of a conventional swimming pool filtration system. The Houston home market is very competitive. Weve got great master panned developers all over Houston that build amazing communities with great amenities, Johnson said. You really have to have something to separate yourself, so the crystal lagoon is a separator for us. Unlike a typical neighborhood pool, which is only open from Memorial Day to Labor Day, the Crystal Lagoon will be open year-round. Johnson said Land Tejas expects the lagoon to be open in late August, though he acknowledged that factors such as weather could change that. elliott.lapin@hearst.com NEW HAVEN In light of another lead poisoning case, the city is being taken to task for its procedures handling discovery of lead in homes. New Haven Legal Assistance attorney Amy Marx filed a lawsuit against the city alleging it failed to follow procedures for lead inspection and abatement in the case of a 2-year-old boy who was found to be lead poisoned. The case is on behalf of Elijah Hall and his mother, Jennifer Williams, who live on the second floor of 75 Sherman Ave., and also names Health Department Director Byron Kennedy and Director of Environmental Health Paul Kowalski as defendants in their professional capacity. Marx and the tenants want the city to take over the lead abatement work required of them in the home and assume responsibility for the citys response to the issue. In the complaint, Marx also argues the city should regain the cost of the abatement work from the landlord by placing a lien on the home. In the complaint, Marx said Elijah was lead poisoned while living at 75 Sherman Ave. in the second-floor unit and the city Health Department has been aware of the lead paint hazard in the apartment since December 2017 but hasnt done anything to resolve the issue. This comes after a months-long lawsuit filed by the landlord Abdullah Soliman against the first-floor tenants Maajid Muhammad and his wife, Raihana Akhdar, in which Soliman sought to evict the Muhammad family when Maajid Muhammad withheld rent in February. Muhammad did so over issues in the apartment such as his 1-year-old son Malik suffering lead poisoning from living there. Malik had been tested in early December 2017 and found to have a dangerously elevated blood lead level of 11 micrograms per deciliter. Guidelines by the Centers for Disease Control say blood levels over 5 mcg/dl are associated with adverse, life-long health effects in children under 6 years of age. After receiving a report of lead poisoning of at least 5 mcg/dl, the city has an obligation under law to notify all the other residents living there that a lead poisoning hazard was detected and inform all the children living in the house they should be tested for lead poisoning. Marx, who also represents the first-floor tenants, alleges the Health Department never informed Elijahs family. During an annual checkup last December, Elijah had a regular blood lead level screening that found him at 6 mcg/dl. The State Department of Public Health sent a notice to the city health department informing them Elijah had elevated lead blood levels, according to Marx, and the city was then obligated to test the apartment for lead within five days of the notification, but never did. His case will be heard at the end of this month. The first-floor apartment wasnt inspected until April, after Muhammad raised his sons lead poisoning as a defense in the eviction lawsuit. During a recent hearing on Muhammads case, a city lead inspector testified that the home had not been properly lead-abated after she was presented with pictures of the exterior, although she had signed off that the apartment was safe for a family to return to it, the Register previously reported. At the end of the testimony, Judge Anthony Avalone, who presided in court during the hearing, deemed the Sherman Avenue house not safe for the family to resume residence there. Soliman dropped his eviction case against Muhammad and Akhdar and it has turned against the city for its lack of abatement and control, Marx is arguing. At the next hearing, Avalone ordered an independent inspection of the property conducted by either a state agency or an independent agency selected by agreement from a list of five eligible independent agencies, according to the court order. Avalone also ordered the city to pay for the propertys re-inspection and for the city to pay for Muhammad, his wife and their four young children to stay in a temporary location, until their apartment, including the exterior and the yard, is lead-free. Throughout that time, the second apartment hadnt received any testing and Elijahs blood lead level has since risen to 7 mcg/dl, having been retested in May. The Health Department finally conducted an inspection of Williams unit May 9, finding toxic levels of lead in 153 locations inside the apartment, according to the complaint, but the outside wasnt tested. Marx argues the city failed to conduct timely inspections, properly review and enforce landlord abatement plans, or take over abatement action as required by city ordinance. Shes calling for an order for the city to prepare a lead abatement plan and properly abate Williams unit, paying for the relocation of the family if necessary. Marx declined further comment and John Rose Jr. of the citys corporation counsel, Kowalski and Kennedy, could not be reached for comment. mdignan@hearstmediact.com Tijuana, Mexico The MS-13 gang made Jose Osmin Aparicio's life so miserable in his native El Salvador that he had no choice but to flee in the dead of night with his wife and four children, leaving behind all their belongings and paying a smuggler $8,000. Aparicio is undeterred by a new directive from Attorney General Jeff Sessions declaring that gang and domestic violence will generally cease to be grounds for asylum. To him, it's better to take his chances with the American asylum system and stay in Mexico if his bid is denied. "Imagine what would happen if I was deported to El Salvador," he said Wednesday as he waited at the border to enter the U.S. The directive announced Monday could have far-reaching consequences because of the sheer volume of people like Aparicio fleeing gang violence, which is so pervasive in Central America that merely stepping foot in the wrong neighborhood can lead to death. The Associated Press interviewed several asylum-seekers this past week at a plaza on the border, and each of them cited gang violence as the main factor in fleeing their homelands. They planned to press on with their asylum requests in spite of the new rule. The decision by Sessions came as the administration faced a growing backlash over immigration policies and practices that human-rights advocates view as inhumane, including separating children from immigrant parents. They leveled similar criticism over the asylum changes, which the White House says are necessary to deter illegal immigration. "The mere fact that a country may have problems effectively policing certain crimes such as domestic violence or gang violence or that certain populations are more likely to be victims of crime, cannot itself establish an asylum claim," the attorney general wrote Monday, overruling a Board of Immigration Appeals decision granting asylum to a Salvadoran woman fleeing her husband. U.S. officials do not say how many asylum claims are for domestic or gang violence, but advocates for asylum seekers said there could be tens of thousands of such cases in the immigration court backlog alone. Many Central Americans seeking asylum say they are fleeing from gangs known as "maras," primarily the Mara Salvatrucha (or MS-13) and Barrio 18 groups. President Donald Trump has condemned those groups and the violence they commit in the U.S., referring to members as "animals." The gangs were formed by young Central Americans mostly in Los Angeles decades ago and spread to the so-called Northern Triangle countries of Guatemala, El Salvador and Honduras when members were deported. Today, Honduras and El Salvador in particular routinely post some of the world's highest homicide rates. In Central America, maras stake out and battle over turf, attacking anyone who unwittingly crosses through their area on the way to school or work as a possible rival. Gangsters sometimes forcibly take over people's homes. They extort bus drivers and small business owners, killing those unable or unwilling to pay. They threaten teens and young men in attempts to recruit them, and force girls and young women to be their girlfriends. Maureen Meyer, director for Mexico and migrant rights at the Washington Office on Latin America advocacy group, said the ruling would "make it very difficult for a lot of the people seeking asylum in the United States." Meyer said Central Americans commonly request asylum for extortion, forced recruitment and violence against women. Where the gangs are prevalent, moving elsewhere is not an option, she said. "People feel very insecure in their homes and continue to see the U.S. as a safe haven in spite of Trump's anti-immigrant rhetoric," Meyer said of the steady northbound flow of Central Americans that began in 2014. More than 100 asylum seekers gathered Wednesday near the entrance to San Diego, the largest crossing on the U.S.-Mexico border. Some Mexicans in the crowd said they were fleeing criminal groups. Holding her 7-month-old daughter and trailed closely by her 5-year-old son, who was on crutches because of a gunshot wound, Maria Rafaela Plancarte said she abandoned their town near the western Mexican city of Zamora after her husband was shot and killed behind the wheel of the family car as they fled a party stormed by gunmen. Her son was wounded in the attack. Plancarte, 34, said she has not considered moving elsewhere in Mexico and hopes to live with an aunt in California. "I will feel more comfortable with a family that I know," she said. San Antonio played host to royalty Sunday, celebrating the community's tricentennial while hoping to boost economic opportunities for the future. King Felipe VI and Queen Letizia arrived in San Antonio late Saturday, and were officially welcomed Sunday morning at a ceremony at the Spanish Governor's Palace, a historic site that links the city's origins to Spanish rule. It was the headquarters and residence of captains of the presidio of San Antonio de Bexar, initially established in 1718 and moved four years later to a location near today's City Hall. The royal couple waved at Canary Island descendants in period dress as they were officially welcomed at the Spanish Governor's Palace. "Your visit to our city, Your Majesties, is an opportunity that further highlights our roots, our friendship and our familial bonds," Mayor Ron Nirenberg said during the ceremony, attended by about 100 local officials and VIPs. "It is these bonds that bring our people closer together, and the same ones that will surely bear fruit far beyond the next 300 years," he added. RELATED: Places you might spot the King and Queen of Spain this weekend in San Antonio Ramiro Cavazos, president and CEO of the San Antonio Hispanic Chamber of Commerce, has previously met the king three times, including once since he assumed the throne four years ago. "He's always the tallest person in the room, at 6-foot-7," said Cavazos. "He's very genial, intelligent and approachable." Sunday's activities listed for the royal couple included a visit at Mission San Jose, a fully restored, federally run mission site known as "the queen of missions" in Texas with an active Catholic parish; a preview of Tricentennial public art mural by Spanish artist Daniel Munoz at the Magik Theatre at Hemisfair; inauguration of the "Designing America: Spain's Imprint in the U.S." exhibit at the Bexar County Courthouse; and a private official dinner at the Pearl Stable. Cavazos said the visit will likely aid a local bid to host the annual international conference of the U.S.-Spanish Council that draws U.S. and Spanish business and political leaders next year. That conference, to be held in Perez, Spain in November, could help attract more Spanish investment in San Antonio and Texas, he said. He estimated that the number of Spanish corporations in Texas have tripled in the past 10 years, from about 20 in 2008 to 60 today. "While this visit will commemorate our history, it's really about the economy and our future 'the next 300 years,' " Cavazos said. A driver has been charged in the death of a 48-year-old man who was fatally struck Friday night by a van on a sidewalk in San Marcos, police say. The pedestrian, later identified as Kyle resident Tyrus Piano, was on a sidewalk near the intersection of Riverside Drive and the Interstate 35 access road around 7:15 p.m. when a Toyota van jumped the curb and struck the man, according to a media report. At least five people were killed when an SUV fleeing U.S. Border Patrol agents crashed near Big Wells, about 100 miles southwest of San Antonio, according to Dimmit County Sheriff Marion Boyd. Boyd said the SUV was packed with 14 people and that 12 of those were ejected when the driver lost control and the vehicle flipped about noon on Texas 85. "From what we can tell the vehicle ran off the road and caught gravel and then tried to recorrect," Boyd said, adding that "caused the vehicle to turn over several times." Boyd said the chase, which also involved a DCSO deputy, reached speeds of more than 100 mph. Of the 14 people involved in the wreck, 12 were undocumented immigrants, including all five who died, Boyd said. "We've seen this many times," Boyd said. "It's a problem. A perfect example of why we need secure borders." Four people died at the scene and another died after being transported to a San Antonio-area hospital, according to Boyd. Several others were also taken to Brooke Army Medical Center and University Hospital in unknown conditions. The driver, believed to a U.S. citizen, was arrested but no information on charges have been released. Another person, also believed to a U.S. citizen, was in the SUV when it wrecked. The status of that passenger is unknown at this time. Boyd did not say what initiated, or how long the agents were chasing the SUV before it wrecked. Attempts to contact Border Patrol officials were unsuccessful Sunday afternoon. This story will be updated as information becomes available. aluna@express-news.net Staff writer Chris Quinn contributed to this report. Re: Rickhoff responds, Your Turn, June 6: I am writing in response to a letter to the editor by Judge Tom Rickhoff. Judge Rickhoff mistakenly wrote that the county generates $1.76 billion in real estate taxes. In fact, the countys total budget is $1.76 billion; only about $435.6 million, or 25 percent, is funded by property tax revenue. He also states that this amounted to a 7.5 percent increase over tax revenues collected last year, when in fact it was a 4.67 percent increase, mostly from new construction, not increased taxes on existing properties. Rickhoff went on to assert that the county increased taxes in 2015, 2016 and 2017. The fact is that Commissioners Court has not increased the county tax rate in more than two decades but instead has lowered the rate by over 20 percent. Few, if any governments in Texas can match this record. Commissioners Court has provided further property tax relief by approving a senior citizen tax freeze and a disabled veterans exemption. Coupled with the consistent reduction in the tax rate, these initiatives saved taxpayers $134.8 million this year alone and more than $1 billion since 1995. Rickhoff also misleadingly states that the county owes $3.6 billion in debt. The county has borrowed about $2 billion, and only a portion of that, $1.67 billion, is backed by property taxes. Its also important to remember what these funds were borrowed to pay for. These funds paid for more than $500 million in life- and property-saving flood control projects and over $470 million in road projects throughout the county. Specifically, the county issued bonds to construct badly needed projects on state roads such as the U.S. 281 expansion and the Loop 1604 expansion, to name a few. If the county had not stepped in to provide this funding, these critical, nontolled mobility projects would still be on the drawing board, not under construction. As the county has funded these and other important projects, we have lived within our means. Bexar County enjoys a AAA bond rating (the highest possible) from all three major bond agencies, which says that lenders view the countys fiscal and management practices as sound and prudent, and our borrowing as well within our ability repay, even while reducing the tax rate by over 20 percent. One way the county has been able to do this is by investing in projects that leverage funding sources other than property taxpayers; in fact, $630 million in county investment has drawn down over $840 million in state and federal funds. That means for every $100 in projects constructed locally, county taxpayers only had to invest about $40. This makes good financial sense. Commissioners Court has improved the countys financial condition, enhanced service delivery and delivered important capital projects, all while consistently lowering the tax rate and exhibiting financial prudence and good stewardship of taxpayer funds. David L. Smith is the Bexar County manager. - The acting director of defense information, Brig Gen John Agim, has tackled the Taraba state govt for rejecting the Army panels report on TY Danjumas allegations - He said the govt refused for the people of the state to surrender their weapons, and pointed out that some politicians in the state use thugs who kill people and then label them as herdsmen - Agim insisted that there is no collusion between the military and herdsmen; stating that a good number of the troops serving in the operation are from the region Brig Gen John Agim, the acting director of defense information, has reacted to Lt Gen Theophilus Danjumas allegation of military collusion with herdsmen in Taraba. In an interview with Punch, Agim tackled the state governments rejection of the Army panels report on Danjumas allegation; pointing out that though the panel conducted interviews with all those involved, it could not get comments from Danjuma. READ ALSO: Refrain from promoting disunity - Emir Sanusi tells politicians Legit.ng notes that Agim also stated that some politicians send thugs to attack people; and then label them as herdsmen. He said: "The panel report interviewed everyone it was supposed to interview. But it was unable to get comments from Lt. Gen. TY Danjuma (retd.). But the panel report was not for the Taraba State Government to agree with or not. Let me assure you that the military is being careful not to bring out a report that will be misinterpreted as political. He continued: The problem which the state government (not only in Taraba) have with the military is that when the military came in, they thought the soldiers were coming to enforce their laws. Is that the militarys responsibility? If the military goes in and says it wants to enforce the states anti-grazing laws, then it means the military is doing the work of the state government. The military is not supposed to enforce those laws. So we told them we are coming to make sure that there is security. It was also discovered that there were a lot of people carrying arms, including the herdsmen. So we said nobody should carry arms; anybody who carries arms shall be arrested. But they (the state governments) dont want their own people to surrender their arms. During this period, we also discovered that some politicians were using their thugs against another community within the same state, and they made it looked as if herdsmen were attacking the people. Some of these people were arrested. For instance, in a local government area, there are two communities fighting against each other and we arrested some people with arms. We did not want to blow it up because it will be misinterpreted. Some of the suspects arrested and stopped from carrying out that vandalism told us that some politicians sent them against another community to carry out those attacks. So the state government said they did not agree with the Army panel, but they have not given any cogent reasons. "The Army panel also included indigenes of that (Taraba) state. The retired general who headed the committee and the members of the panel are from that state; they have something at stake. Agim insisted that there is no collusion between the military and herdsmen. He said: The military has no reason to collude with herdsmen because a good number of the troops serving in that operation are from that region. People should not play politics with security issues because if we do, it will not do anybody any good. PAY ATTENTION: Install our latest app for Android, read best news on Nigerias #1 news app Recall that Legit.ng previously reported that the Jukun Development Association of Nigeria (JDAN) rejected the no guilty verdict of the Gen John Nimyels panel, which investigated former Chief of Army Staff, Lieutenant General Theophilus Yakubu Danjumas allegations of criminal acts of collusion by the Army in the killings of innocent people in the state. JDAN national president, Chief Bako Benjaminin who made this known in Lagos, said the panel's report falls far short of expectations and can at best be described as a shoddy job fit for the waste bin. TY Danjuma, Nigerian Army and the herdsmen crisis - on Legit.ng TV: Source: Legit Jerri-Lynn here. Latest instalment in the war on cash: Consumers display a healthy skepticism towards cashless transactions. By Don Quijones, of Spain, UK, and Mexico, and an editor at Wolf Street. Originally published at Wolf Street. The last month has been an unhappy time for daydreamers of a cashless nirvana. Following weeks of disruptive tech failures, payment outages, and escalating cyber fraud scams, much of it taking place in Britain, consumers have been reminded of one of the great benefits of physical cash: it is accepted just about everywhere and does not suddenly fail on you. The findings of a new study by UK-based online payments company Paysafe, partly owned by US private equity giant Blackstone, confirm that consumers on both sides of the Atlantic continue to cling to physical lucre. For its Lost in Transaction report, Paysafe surveyed over 5,000 consumers in the UK, Canada, the US, Germany, and Austria on their payment habits. One of its main findings is that 87% of consumers used cash to make purchases in the last month, while 83% visited ATMs, and 41% are not interested in even hearing about cash alternatives. Despite the apparent benefits of low-friction payment technologies, these findings suggest many consumers arent ready to lose visibility of the payment process, says Paysafe Group Chief Marketing Officer Oscar Nieboer. Its clear that the benefits are not unilaterally agreed upon, with cultural and infrastructure trends at play, and it may be some time before adoption is widespread. Although consumers continue to cling to cash, they appear to be carrying less of it: 49% overall in the survey and 55% of U.S. respondents said they carry less cash now than they did a year ago. The average American consumer carries $42 today thats $8 less than in 2017. In the UK the average amount carried in 2017 was 33; that has now fallen to 21. But that does not mean that the amount of cash in circulation is dwindling. On the contrary, according to this years G4S cash report, the world average ratio of currency vs GDP continues to rise, reaching 9.6% in 2018. Currency in Circulation vs. GDP is increasing on all continents, indicating a consistent, growing demand for cash across the world, says the report. South America has by far the highest cash dependency relative to its GDP, with an average ratio of over 16%. The study also reveals that in 17 out of 24 advanced economies studied, cash represents more than 50% of all payment transactions. Data drawn from the ECBs Diary Study shows that in Europe cash represents 79% of all transactions in volume and 54% in value. Thats not to say that alternative payment methods debit and credit cards and other forms of electronic payment are not growing in use. In the UK contactless shopping is the most popular payment alternative, with 54% of consumers using it in the last month compared to just 3% of US shoppers. It was largely thanks to this predilection for contactless cards, coupled with the reduced use of cash, that UK consumers were much more severely affectedby the recent 12-hour outage of visa payment services in Western Europe. Most consumers are still loath to use so-called frictionless payments i.e. invisible transactions that take place behind the scenes in apps for in-store purchases. While 50% of respondents to the Paysafe survey said they had used a digital wallet such as Skrill or NETELLER for online purchases, just 9% of them currently use one for shopping in-store. Only 23% of consumers reported using frictionless payments in apps such as Uber, while 65% think voice-activated systems are not secure. The two biggest concerns consumers have with mobile payments are privacy and fraud. Closer examination of the reasons for this low and slow adoption of frictionless payments shows that, once again, fraud is the most widely mentioned barrier, cited by 50% of respondents, the study said. But data security is also a major concern, expressed by 48% of respondents. Given the number of recent scares, its a justifiable concern. Shoppers in Canada and the UK, two of the worlds most cashless economies, reported a rise in fraud in 2017, of 7% and 6% respectively. Its a reminder that the more consumers come to rely on technological solutions in the payment sphere, the more exposed they become to the attentions of highly sophisticated cyber criminals. In Mexico, a haven for the black market of stolen data, reports of data theft have mushroomed by 25% last year, yet the countrys government and banks are determined to plow ahead with plans to harvest and store the biometric data of all bank customers. A recent survey from international law firm Osborne Clarke showed that 79% of the 2,000 people surveyed said they worry they would be sharing too much data if cash were entirely replaced by mobile payments. Respondents to the Paysafe survey also expressed concerns about being charged for things they didnt buy (47%), losing control of their spending (31%), or making inadvertent purchases (28%). The message is clear: for the moment, most consumers are unwilling to accept a wholly cashless economy. And their reservations may have grown in recent weeks, following the outage of Visa services in Europe, which left millions of customers across the region unable to make payments using their cards. In a statement, Visa said the problem was caused by a hardware failure, which hardly inspires confidence it could never happen again. Until a cashless system can be created that is 100% safe from the threats posed by natural disasters, accidents, cyber criminals and basic human incompetence, consumers in most countries, including even less-casheconomies like Sweden, the UK and Canada, would prefer to hold on to their grubby notes and coins. By Don Quijones. A virtual paradise for real bank heists. Read Globalized Digital Bank Robbers Feast on Latin America (Natural News) Theranos founder Elizabeth Holmes was, at one time, on top of the world: With her (now disproven) new blood testing tech, she was heralded as a female Steve Jobs and the mainstream media simply couldnt get enough of their new feminist-approved icon. Its got to be a long, hard fall from such a high pedestal and Holmes certainly knows a thing or two about that, now that the fraudulent tactics used to garner her companys success have been exposed. The company touted their advanced blood testing techniques that would require substantially less blood for hundreds of different types of tests; medical professionals and investors alike were chomping at the bit to see the day they could run a full blood panel with just a finger-stick. But, as it turned out, the product was just too good to be true. But how did one woman fool so many people? Wall Street Journal investigative reporter John Carreyrou first began asking questions about Theranos and their innovation just a few years go in 2015 12 years after the company was founded. In his new book, Bad Blood: Secrets and Lies in a Silicon Valley Startup, Carreyrou reveals that the company had been in trouble from the very beginning. One of the first signs that the technology promised by Theranos was not what it seemed came at a 2006 meeting in Switzerland. Holmes and her team gave pharma giant Novartis a product demonstration but as Business Insider reports, then-Chief Financial Officer Henry Mosley noticed that other Theranos employees didnt seem very excited about showing off their product. According to Carreyrou, this is because their blood testing tech didnt always work and to mask that problem, they had prerecorded results to display during demos for investors. Mosley questioned if this is what happened at the Switzerland meeting. In the book, Carreyrou writes of the 2006 incident: Mosley couldnt get a straight answer from anyone, but he now suspected some similar sleight of hand. And he was right. One of the two readers Elizabeth took to Switzerland had malfunctioned when they got there. The employees she brought with her had stayed up all night trying to get it to work. To mask the problem during the demo the next morning, Tim Kemps team in California had beamed over a fake result. Mosley tried raising the issue with Holmes, but reportedly said she didnt seem to care about the companys fraud. This became crystal clear when Mosley was fired for bringing up the dummy test results in front of investors. Eventually, the now-disgraced startup founder would be charged by the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) for committing massive fraud involved around $700 million. In early 2018, SEC levied their charges against Holmes, fining her to the tune of $500,000 and banning her from leading a public company for the next 10 years. As sources explain, Holmes was ruthless in her efforts to preserve the companys image and was hellbent on ensuring success even if it meant lying to investors and the public. Carreyrou says that after Holmes learned of his investigation, she had him followed, and even tried to get the The Wall Street Journal to quash his earth-shattering story. In addition to Holmes own acts of deceit, the fact remains that until Carreyrou came along, no one was really questioning her products. Even after Theranos had to void two years of test results due to inaccuracy, the media remained faithful to their hopeful star; Holmes wanted to be the female Steve Jobs and the feminist media was willing to give her that title at any cost, and without any proof. Read more stories about scientific fraud at FakeScience.news. Sources for this article include: InformationLiberation.com BusinessInsider.com HartfordBusiness.com CNBC.com (Natural News) In case youve ever wondered why most conservatives say that the mainstream media is now an appendage of the Democratic Party, heres your answer: Fair, impartial journalism that focuses on the facts has been replaced by an insatiable, all-out effort to discredit and destroy the president of the United States. The media, which Trump once correctly labeled as the enemy of the people, has made it abundantly clear that they are more than willing to say just about anything if it means taking down the one man that was able to defeat Hillary Clinton in the 2016 election. Earlier this month, Sharyl Attkisson who decided to step away from her job at CBS back in 2014 after becoming frustrated with the networks Left-wing bias published an entire list of instances where the lying, fake news media attempted (and ultimately failed) to take down Donald Trump. The list contains a total of 50 eye-opening mistakes, and while its certainly worth reading in its entirety, here are the top five. Donald Trump didnt pay his income taxes Throughout his entire presidential campaign, the liberals in the media were obsessed with Trumps taxes, arguing without any evidence whatsoever that he hadnt paid his fair share. However, as Attkisson wrote in her article, tax return pages leaked to MSNBC ultimately showed that Trump actually paid a higher rate than Democrats Bernie Sanders and President Obama. How embarrassing it must have been for the mainstream media to find out that, contrary to the narrative they had perpetuated for months, Donald Trump had paid more than their liberal friends in Washington DC. (Related: Here are the six biggest mainstream media fails and cringe-worthy moments of 2017.) Donald Trumps path to the White House is non-existent Most Leftists in the media, including Stuart Rothenberg of The Washington Post, reported that Donald Trump could not possibly become the 45th president of the United States because it was an electoral impossibility. Even on election night, liberal media networks like CNN and MSNBC were all reporting that Hillary Clinton had a 99 percent chance of winning, which was obviously an effort to discourage and intimidate Trumps supporters. As we all know, these attempts proved futile and the former Secretary of State suffered a major defeat in 2016. (Related: The purpose of the mainstream media is thought control and suppression of the truth.) Trump fired Comey over more resources to investigate Russia Immediately after Donald Trump fired then-FBI Director James Comey, multiple liberal news outlets, including Politico, The New York Times, The Washington Post, CNN, The Wall Street Journal, and the Associated Press, reported that Trump had fired Comey because he had requested additional resources to further the investigation into Russian interference in the election. However, as noted by Attkisson: The Justice Department, Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein and Acting FBI Director Andrew McCabe said the media reports were untrue and McCabe added that the FBIs Russia investigation was adequately resourced. Comey never told Trump that he wasnt under investigation Big names in the liberal media, like Gloria Borger, Eric Lichtblau, Jake Tapper, Justin Fishel and Jonathan Karl, all reported that James Comey was planning on refuting Donald Trumps claim that Comey told Trump on three separate occasions that he was not being investigated. Instead, Comey did the opposite and confirmed that what Donald Trump had said was true. Polands First Lady refused to shake Trumps hand Part of the medias ongoing efforts to discredit Trump includes making him look as bad as possible on the global stage. Newsweeks Chris Riotta and several others claimed that Polands First Lady had refused to shake President Trumps hand, even though a full video of the exchange shows that the First Lady did shake his hand. Newsweek was forced to publish an update and correct their mistake. Sources include: SharylAttkisson.com DailyWire.com (Natural News) The practice of organic farming is becoming increasingly popular. This industry may very well be the rope that pulls the rural regions of the U.S. out of an economic quagmire, an article in Civil Eats stated. Organic agriculture is currently worth $47 billion and shows no sign of petering out any time soon. Certified organic farmers can be assured that health-minded customers will pay premiums for their naturally-grown produce. The main challenge in the Corn Belt is the dearth of organic customers who are near and numerous enough to make the transition worth the trouble. Furthermore, rural regions of states like Iowa are suffering from numerous problems like fewer young families, closure of important facilities, brain drain, and lack of jobs. (Related: Congress is proposing big changes to the National Organic Standards Board and farmers are raising the alarm.) New act could encourage more young people to try organic farming Concerned state politicians are addressing the gap between their states rural residents and their urban and suburban equivalents. Several rural counties in Vermont continue to bleed jobs, while others hunger for the WiFi and cell phone coverage that power modern-day businesses. To this end, congressmen from Vermofarmint and Wisconsin have come up with the Organic Farmers Access Act. This new legislation increases the eligibility of organic farmers for certain rural development programs of the federal government. The Act will not directly provide funding. But it will put organic producers and processors at the head of the line for rural development grants and loans. Farmers who want to switch to organic methods will get first dibs on such loans. Groups such as the Organic Trade Association (OTA) played a big role in shaping the Act. They hope it will draw more attention to organic farming in the next farm bill. The Act will benefit rural states like Vermont, which has hundreds of organic businesses. Organic premiums enable small farmers to compete with Big Agriculture without the need for large acreages. Furthermore, most organic farmers happen to be young people, the demographic cherished by rural states. Premiums that benefit organic farming will increase the number of young people who will want to try it out. A 2016 Penn State study supports organic farming as a way to reinvigorate rural America. It reported that counties surrounded by organic business hotspots saw higher median incomes and lower levels of poverty. The study also added that large numbers of organic producers in a community stimulate the local economy. While most organic hotspots are in urban regions, areas like Rapides Parish in Louisiana have shown that rural areas will benefit from this domino effect. Private companies are helping farmers transition to organic methods Private industry is doing its part to keep rural family farms in business. Companies are working on strategies to make organic farming work for more Corn Belt farmers. Clif Bar is persuading farmers to make the transition to organic agriculture. The organic food and drink producer also provides training and technical support for producers who want better yields or guidance on the organic inputs industry. Other companies are setting up infrastructure that supports organic businesses. Corn and soy farmers can be persuaded to grow organic crops if there is a nearby grain elevator that will buy such produce. Pipeline Foods has bought several grain elevators and processing facilities in North America. The startup hopes these structures will encourage conventional farmers to switch over to organic while also helping established producers expand their acreage. Furthermore, Pipeline Foods is forging links with local banks that are willing to make big investments in the organic sector. The better financial opportunities would encourage more commodity row-crop producers to go organic. Read about the latest developments in the organics industry at CleanFoodWatch.com. Sources include: CivilEats.com OTA.com Thousands of people gathered at the Santa Clara County Fairgrounds Saturday to check out tiny homes at the first-ever Tiny House Festival in San Jose. Most of the homes at the event were less than 300 square feet but the people who live in them said the small spaces offer big rewards. "I think this is the future of living in the Bay Area especially where the price of living is so expensive," said Analuz Acevedo from San Francisco. "This is great for people who can't afford a million dollar home but want the life experience of owning something" One of the concerns about purchasing a tiny home is where they can be put. Some counties, including Alameda and Contra Costa, allow tiny homes in backyards to house caregivers, but the American Tiny House Association is working to allow tiny homes in back yards that are offered to anyone. "Therefore they can be securely housed instead of on the verge of homelessness," said Executive Director of the American Tiny House Association, Kevin Polk. Hilarie Kazihtoe built her own tiny living space for $20,000, and while her bathroom, living room and kitchen are all a step or two from each other, she says she wouldnt trade her 120-square-foot for anything. "It's my dream home, I have enough, it's easier to cook I just turn around and grab something," Kazihtoe said. By the end of summer, the San Jose City Council will decide on final plans to use tiny homes to provide temporary housing for the homeless. The Tiny House Festival will re-open Sunday at the Santa Clara County Fairgrounds. A 17-year-old boy was killed and 11 other people were wounded Saturday in shootings across Chicago. Among the wounded during the 24-year period were two 16-year-olds and a woman. A single shooting on the West Side wounded three people. Saturdays lone homicide happened about 7:30 a.m. in the Garfield Park neighborhood on the West Side. Ladarius Wallace, 17, was shot in the chest in a yard the 3400 block of West Carroll, according to Chicago Police and the Cook County Medical Examiners Office. He was pronounced dead at the scene. An 18-year-old man was wounded in a shooting one block away the night before. The last nonfatal shooting Saturday wounded a 26-year-old in the Little Village neighborhood on the South Side. About 11:30 p.m., the man was standing in an alley when he was approached by someone who shot him in the 2100 block of South Fairfield Avenue, police said. He showed up to Mount Sinai Hospital with a gunshot wound to his face. He was in critical condition. About 10:05 p.m., a 16-year-old boy was wounded in a shooting Saturday night in the Little Village neighborhood. The boy was standing on a sidewalk in the 2300 block of South Sawyer Avenue when someone in a light-colored car drove by and fired shots, according to police said. He was taken to Mount Sinai Hospital with a gunshot wound to his abdomen. His condition had stabilized. [NATL] Top News Photos: Pope Visits Japan, and More Another 16-year-old boy was shot just hours before in the Lawndale neighborhood on the West Side. The boy was riding the moped northbound when a male on the sidewalk fired shots at 8:08 p.m. in the 1800 block of South Ridgeway, striking him in the right foot, according to police. The boy continued northbound to the 2600 block of West 13th Street and was then taken to Mount Sinai Hospital where his condition was stabilized. Hours earlier, a man was wounded in a shooting in the South Side Gresham neighborhood. The 27-year-old was standing on the sidewalk when someone walked up and began shooting at 5:42 p.m. in the 7900 block of South Paulina, according to police. He was shot in the left leg and was taken to Mount Sinai Hospital where his condition was stabilized. A 24-year-old woman was shot in the neck about 1:30 p.m. in the Fernwood neighborhood on the Far South Side. The woman was wounded when a male fired shots at her in the 10200 block of South Normal, according to police. She was taken to Christ Medical Center in Oak Lawn, where her condition stabilized. Minutes earlier, a 19-year-old man was shot in the chest and arm in the Austin neighborhood on the West Side. The man was inside a building about 1:10 p.m. in the 5400 block of West Madison when someone started shooting from a sidewalk outside, according to police. He was transported to Mount Sinai Hospital in serious condition. Police were speaking to a person of interest. A man was in critical condition after he was shot in the back about 10:45 p.m. in the South Shore neighborhood. The 24-year-old was chased by two males in their 20s when one of them opened fire and shot him in the 6700 block of East End Avenue, according to police. The two males then left on foot southbound down East End Avenue. The man was taken to the University of Chicago Medical Center. Three men were wounded in shooting in the Fifth City neighborhood on the West Side. The three were standing on a sidewalk about 2:10 a.m. in the 3300 block of West Monroe Street when someone walked up and fired shots, police said. A 25-year-old man was shot in his back and a 29-year-old man was shot in his chest and groin. They were both taken to Mount Sinai Hospital in critical condition. A 36-year-old man was shot in his legs and right arm, and was taken to Stroger Hospital in critical condition. The first shooting Saturday left a man grazed by a bullet in the Cragin neighborhood on the Northwest Side. About 1:20 a.m., a 55-year-old man was a passenger in a parked vehicle when someone in a passing black car shot him in the 2800 block of North Lamon Avenue, police said. He was taken to Community First Hospital in good condition with a graze wound to his back. Police are searching for a man who attempted to kidnap a 10-year-old boy by forcing him into his van Wednesday morning in Gary, Indiana. The man forced the boy into a black, older model box van, possibly a Ford, in the 700 block of Lincoln Street, according to Gary police. During the attempted kidnapping, the man pulled behind an abandoned residence, got out of the van and left the boy unattended, police said. The boy then managed to escape from the van. The man was described by police as black with a light complexion, standing between 5-foot-8 and 5-foot-10 with a medium build and having dark-colored eyes. He was wearing a full black mask, a gray hooded sweatshirt with black zipper, white pants and black boots with a strap on top. His van has six doors total, with two on each side, and two in the rear, police said. It also has gray running boards on each side, with the running board on the drivers side having a dent. The van has a dark-colored interior, ashtray in the front cupholder and a green tree air freshener hanging from the rearview mirror inside. Anyone with information about the man and attempted kidnapping is asked to call Detective Robin Bolde at (219) 881-7591 or (219) 290-4481. The Mercer County prosecutor and community leaders are meeting Tuesday morning at a Trenton church to talk about ways to move forward after 22 people were shot in suspected gang violence at an arts festival over the weekend. The chaos broke out at the Art All Night festival in downtown Trenton around 2:45 a.m. Sunday, according to investigators. Officials said several fights sparked by disputes between neighborhood gangs broke out prior to the shooting. They also said officers warned that the event needed to be shut down before the shooting took place. "Prior to the shooting, the Trenton Police Department began dispersing individuals," Mercer County Prosecutor Angelo Onofri said. "Those individuals, however, continued to loiter and additional fights broke out and then the shooting occurred." Witnesses told officials they heard people arguing inside the historic Roebling Wire Works venue moments before gunfire erupted. The fight soon spilled out into the street as attendees ran for cover. A suspect was killed while 22 people were hurt following a shooting at a festival in Trenton, New Jersey. Police said multiple people, including Tahaij Wells, 32, and Amir Armstrong, 23, then opened fire at each other. At least 1,000 people were in the area at the time. "Everybody ran," one witness told NBC10. Another witness said he grabbed his girlfriend when the shooting started. "[It] just kept going," Franco Roberts said. Roberts said he helped one of the victims. "I just bent down and grabbed his hand and I was talking to him and I was like, 'Yo bro, don't close your eyes,'" Roberts said. Officials said responding police officers shot and killed Wells. He had been on parole since February for homicide, according to investigators. Armstrong, who is in stable condition, is charged with unlawful possession of a handgun, officials said. Twenty-two people are hurt and one suspect is dead following a weekend shooting at an art show in Trenton. People are still hospitalized Monday as they recover from their wounds. "The street is just flooding with people running, you know, unfortunately there was a girl who was shot in the leg, she was on top of my car," Samuel Kanig, another witness, said of the melee. At least 22 people were injured during the ordeal. Officials said 17 of the victims were shot while others who were hiding behind cars during the shooting were hurt when the vehicles began to move. Police are also investigating an attempted carjacking in an alley behind the venue. Investigators have not yet determined whether it was related to the shooting. Investigators recovered multiple weapons after the shooting. One weapon was a handgun with an extended capacity magazine that contained more ammunition than permitted under New Jersey law, officials said. Irvin Higgenbotham was released from the hospital after suffering multiple gunshot wounds. "I don't wish it on nobody," Higgenbotham said. "The kids out here, these guns and stuff, it's no good." On Sunday morning, hours after the shooting, crime scene tape surrounded the venue, a historic warehouse building that now shares a parking lot with a supermarket, bank and laundry facility. People could be seen dropping off flowers for the victims throughout Father's Day. People are laying flowers at the scene where 17 people were shot in Trenton @NBCPhiladelphia pic.twitter.com/ll0ClexD7e Drew Smith (@drewsmithtv) June 17, 2018 Ernie Rivas has owned a shop near the site of the shooting for 17 years and said he came back from the beach Sunday morning when he heard what happened. "I've never seen this happen. It's bad, I feel bad, especially on Father's Day," Rivas said. Theresa Brown said she's been volunteering at Art All Night for 12 years and has never seen or heard of violence like this. She said she was leaving her volunteer shift around 2 a.m. and heard "pop, pop, pop." "I thought it was a car backfiring," she said. She returned to the scene around 7 a.m. and saw the police. Speaking to reporters on Sunday, New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy said he was troubled the shooting happened just days after he signed tougher gun laws into legislation. "This is yet another reminder of the senselessness of gun violence," he said. "For those responsible, we will bring the full extent of the law and justice to bear on them." Art All Night Trenton began Saturday afternoon and was scheduled to conclude Sunday afternoon. The remainder of the festival, which promoted "community, creativity and inspiration," was canceled. "We're very shocked. We're deeply saddened. Our hearts ache and our eyes are blurry but our dedication and resolve to building a better Trenton through community, creativity and inspiration will never fade. Not tonight. Not ever," festival organizers posted on social media Sunday. Local, state and federal law enforcement officials are working together in what has become a multi-agency investigation. Officials are also looking into whether police fired their weapons during the incident. "My sympathy goes out to the victims and their families," Trenton Mayor Eric Jackson said at a Sunday morning press conference. "All shootings are a crisis. This is not just a random act of violence - this is a public health issue." In the wake of the shootout, Trenton public schools, noting student safety, issued a shelter-in-place declaration until further notice. A biotech billionaire who purchased the Los Angeles Times with an eye toward restoring its independence and vigor will officially take control of the news organization Monday, the newspaper reports. Dr. Patrick Soon-Shiong (soon-shong) is spending $500 million to buy The Times, San Diego Union-Tibune, Spanish-language newspaper Hoy and some community newspapers from Chicago-based Tronc. The deal, announced Feb. 7, returns The Times to local ownership after nearly two decades under rocky Chicago control. The newsroom has been led by three editors in 10 months and five publishers in four years. Soon-Shiong, 65, will become executive chairman of the California News Group. He plans to move the newsroom from its iconic downtown headquarters to a modern building under construction 12 miles (19.3 kilometers) south in suburban El Segundo. The property will include a Times museum gallery, event and retail space. Soon-Shiong takes on a storied yet diminished news organization that once had more than 1,200 journalists and more than 25 foreign bureaus. Now, The Times employs about 400 journalists with bureaus in Sacramento, Washington and some foreign and national outposts. Newspapers across the country have struggled as readers and advertisers flock to the internet. Soon-Shiong has promised to rebuild The Times. "The last three months has been an amazing experience for me to really learn I mean on a steep learning curve about all the elements that are affecting this industry," he said after signing paperwork to finalize the purchase. On Monday, he will wire the money and the sale will be complete. A South African native and son of Chinese immigrants, Soon-Shiong is a former University of California, Los Angeles surgeon who built a fortune by building and selling two biopharmaceutical companies. He owns a nearly 4.5 percent stake in the Los Angeles Lakers and last year purchased six financially strapped California hospitals. What to Know Sunday, June 17 Rodeo Drive, The Paseo, Boomtown Brewery, Santa Anita Prices vary, but Concours and Chalk Fest are free Spending time in the sunshine with your pops? It makes sense, especially if sunbeams and breezes might inhabit some of your very first memories of days with your dear dad. And such beams and breezes may also inhabit your current time spent with your father, if the two of you like to hike, surf, or eat a meal without a roof or walls nearby. There are plenty of Father's Day happenings around Southern California that are all about indoor restaurant meals and special spirit tastings, but if you're craving a day spent under the sky, all in his honor, look to a number of places doing it up, alfresco-style, for the holiday. Those include... Santa Anita Park: What's that in the infield? It's a Family Fun Zone, oh yeah. Look for several large-scale inflatables, plus "face painting, rock wall, and carnival games to pony rides." A Family Fun 4-Pack is $46 and includes hot dogs, carnival vouchers, and more. Where to go? The Arcadia horse landmark, of course. Boomtown Brewery: The downtown brewhouse is going all out on Father's Day afternoon, and by "going all out" we mean the brewery is setting up mini putt-putt, a bouncy house, a petting zoo, and a place to have your face painted. Shall there be BBQ for purchase? It doesn't seem like Father's Day without it. Angel City Brewery: Are you and your dad both over 21? Do you dig live music? Head for the Arts District Brewery & Public House for an afternoon of bands and a pop-up shop from The Bad Dads Club. There shall be food for purchase and interesting brews, like Batch 3 from the brewery's Sunbather series (think "bright" and "tropical"). Irvine Park Railroad: Heading for the Orange attraction, which boasts one of the coolest kid-cute railroads around, as well as a host of other happenings around the shady park area? Look for "exclusive offers just for dads," as well as a sweet Father's Day out. Rodeo Drive: It's the 25th anniversary of the famous Rodeo Drive Concours d'Elegance, and three blocks of the iconic Beverly Hills thoroughfare will be filled with dozens and dozens of top-notch dream cars. The theme? The color silver, in tribute to the anniversary. The June 17 event is totally free, as always. Pasadena Chalk Festival: And speaking of free admission, this biggie, which has been a Father's Day favorite for over a quarter century, is on now at The Paseo. Eye hundreds of on-the-ground artworks, see a police car show, and get to know the chalk-wielding artists who are creating the look-down masterpieces, on June 17. Of course, there are thousands of other outdoor places, literally, you can head around our vast region, from the beaches to the parks to trails in the hills to the Annenberg Community Beach House pool, which is now open daily, to Snow Valley Mountain Resort for some high-elevation downhill mountain biking. Happy Father's Day! Amid gun violence in Liberty City, the community got together for a music festival Saturday, calling for a 24-hour cease fire to the violence that has plagued the neighborhood. Several notable names and faces were in attendance - including Miami Heat star Udonis Haslem. "Me showing these kids that I'm from the same community that you guys are from. I've seen the same things that you've seen, but I made it," he said. "I have a story to tell and you guys can have an even better story." Haslem was just one of the big names doing their part to speak out against gun violence at Liberty City's People Matter Fest, along with Platinum recording artists and local business owners like Wilson Miles. "It's nothing like a good haircut. You know what I'm saying?" said Miles, who works as a barber. "And for the ones that actually need it and may not be able to get it right when they need it, it's awesome to provide the service." The free festivities at Gwen Cherry started Friday with a county wide cease fire campaign. "Hopefully we start with 24 hours and then we see how far we can go from there," Haslem said. Deadly shooting scenes in South FLorida, such as an incident last Sunday involving a 15-year-old victim, have the community wanting less violence and more activism. "We can get together and promote hip-hop and have no violence and that's what we want to show," Haslem said. A man was arrested in Islamorada after allegedly throwing a glass at an employee. Officials said James Brooks, 54, went to the bar to discuss a credit card he left behind several nights before. Brooks then ordered several drinks. Police said he then became upset with the bartender over a discussion about the lost or missing credit card. When the manager arrived to help resolve the matter, Brooks allegedly threw a glass cup containing an alcoholic beverage at his face, causing minor injuries. Brooks claimed the drink toss was in self-defense. But when police reviewed security footage of the incident, they arrested him and took him to jail. What to Know Congressman Adriano Espaillat has asked TLC Commissioner Meera Joshi to step down "immediately" His request follows news that a sixth cab driver has taken his own life Taxi drivers face "excessive fines and [an] oversaturated market," Espaillat said A New York City politician is calling on the head of the citys Taxi and Limousine Commission to resign following a string of driver suicides. Six yellow cab drivers have taken their own lives within the past several months, according to the New York Taxi Workers Alliance including 59-year-old Abdul Saleh, who died by suicide this past week. On Saturday, Congressman Adriano Espaillat, whose district includes parts of upper Manhattan and the Bronx, asked TLC Commissioner Meera Joshi to step down immediately. Too many fathers have taken their lives due to the untenable working conditions, excessive fines and oversaturated market created for New York City taxi and livery drivers, he said. Commissioner Joshi needs to resign now because she has failed to resolve or even address this issue, as we continue to witness more lives come to a tragic end, he added. NYTWA claims yellow cab drivers have been hurt by the citys failure to regulate Uber and Lyfts expansion. Many drivers are struggling financially, as the value of taxi medallions has plummeted The TLC didnt immediately respond to request for comment. The National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-8255 provides people in distress, or those around them, with 24-hour support. The Crisis Text Line allows people to text 741-741 to connect with crisis counselors. What to Know An immigrant with a family fears he'll be deported to China after being arrested when he showed up for a green card interview Xiu Qing You, a 39-year-old Queens resident, is in a New Jersey detention facility He was arrested last month, leaving a 4-year-old son and a 6-year-old daughter A Chinese immigrant with a young American family in New York fears deportation after being arrested when he showed up for a green card interview. Xiu Qing You, a 39-year-old Queens resident, was being held Saturday in a New Jersey facility run by the federal Immigration and Customs Enforcement agency. Also being held there is a pizza shop employee from Ecuador arrested two weeks ago while making a delivery to an Army garrison in Brooklyn. You applied for asylum after he first arrived in the United States 18 years ago, saying he feared being persecuted for his Catholic faith if he returned to China, according to the New York Daily News . When asylum was denied, he was issued a deportation order in 2002 with which he didn't comply. The Trump administration has come down hard on such cases. At home, You has a 4-year-old son and a 6-year-old daughter born in the United States. His wife, Yu Mei Chen, an American citizen, told the Daily News that she's been in touch with her husband by phone, and "I have never seen him cry in my life; he misses the kids so much." You had applied for permanent residency in 2015, and the couple went for an interview on May 23, the day he was arrested. The couple, who run a nail salon in Connecticut, are represented by the Yee Ling Poon Law Offices in Manhattan. There was no response to calls for comment on Saturday. Yee Ling Poon reportedly has asked for a stay of deportation, while also seeking to reopen his asylum claim. ICE officials also were not immediately available. The Ecuadorian pizza delivery worker, Pablo Villavicencio, was granted a stay of deportation last week, pending further court proceedings. What to Know A historic mural at DeWitt Clinton High School in the Bronx was painted over The painting depicted constellations of stars and was created by artist Alfred Floegel as part of the New Deal more than 75 years ago The mural was painted over during repairs, a city spokesman said A mural of constellations in the night sky adorned a third-floor ceiling at DeWitt Clinton High School for more than 75 years, one of thousands of artworks in New York City and around the country supported by New Deal programs to employ artists and beautify public spaces. But Scorpio, Taurus and the rest are now hidden under bright blue paint, slathered on during a repair project, and preservationists say the painting-over of the mural "Constellations" by German-born artist Alfred Floegel was a travesty. "That was an amazing act of vandalism that they had no right to do," said Gray Brechin, the founder of a project called the Living New Deal that catalogs public works funded by the Franklin Delano Roosevelt administration. The mural cover-up was first reported in the Daily News, which said it happened last November. Doug Cohen, a spokesman for the New York City Department of Education, said the mural was painted over during roof repairs at the 89-year-old Bronx school. He said officials are "exploring ways to restore this historic artwork." One art restorer said it would be possible, though expensive, to remove the blue paint from "Constellations." "I would think that it could be done not only safely, it could look perfect," said Scott Haskins of Santa Barbara, California-based Fine Art Conservation Laboratories. Haskins said "Constellations" is not the first historic school mural to be painted over. "Every once in a while you get a dingbat principal that gets a roller out and tells maintenance to give it a fresh coat of paint," he said. "I've seen it happen all over the country." There have been several cases of New Deal murals that were painted over and later restored. Seven murals at New Mexico Highlands University depicting different fields of knowledge were covered with white paint sometime in the 1960s. They were restored in 2011 after the New Mexico New Deal Preservation Association hired an art conservator to uncover them. The Cedar Rapids murals were painted over in the 1950s amid controversy over images depicting justice in what was then a federal courthouse. The murals were restored, then covered up again in the 1960s, then restored again between 2011 and 2013. Brechin and others at the Living New Deal project say the loss of the DeWitt Clinton mural, whether temporary or permanent, shows how the legacy of the Works Progress Administration and other New Deal public art initiatives has been forgotten. "It was a renaissance the likes of which we haven't seen before or since," said Brechin, a visiting scholar the University of California, Berkeley's department of geography. "Roosevelt and Eleanor Roosevelt and the people around them believed that all Americans deserved the right to art." The Living New Deal database includes hundreds of murals at schools, post offices and other government buildings painted between 1934 and 1943, many illustrating scenes from U.S. or world history. There are a number of New Deal murals at New York City public schools, where few people besides students and staff ever see them. Ernest Fiene's monumental "History of the Needlecraft Industry" at the High School of Fashion Industries in Chelsea memorializes the Triangle Shirtwaist fire that killed 146 workers in 1911. The Brooklyn High School of the Arts houses Monty Lewis' double fresco "The Cotton Industry in Contemporary America." "Constellations" isn't or wasn't the only mural at DeWitt Clinton. "The History of the World," also by Floegel, depicts scenes from the Ice Age through the 1930s in 194 feet of wall panels. The DeWitt Clinton photos on the Living New Deal website were shot by researcher Frank da Cruz, who also maintains his own website documenting the New Deal's legacy in New York. Da Cruz said Floegel, who died in 1976, took care to get all the stars in the right place in "Constellations." The mural "must have been just amazing" when it was new but had been damaged by leaks when he photographed it in 2015, he said. "It was in bad condition but obviously they didn't realize that it had a great deal of historical significance," da Cruz said. "What it needed was to be repaired and not painted over." What to Know A police officer fatally shot a man after he advanced on the officer with a knife, officials said Two officers responded to a home in the Village of Warwick for a reported domestic dispute When they arrived, the man advanced toward them with a knife, an official said A police officer shot and killed a man after he advanced on the officer with a knife, officials said. Two police officers responded to a home on Wheeler Avenue in the Village of Warwick, in Orange County, New York, after receiving a report of a domestic dispute, Warwick Police Lieutenant Thomas Maslanka said. When the officers arrived, a man in his 30s advanced toward them with a knife, Maslanka said. One of the officers then shot the man, according to Maslanka. The man was taken to St. Anthony Community Hospital where he was pronounced dead, the police lieutenant said. The officer who discharged the weapon has been placed on administrative leave and an investigation is ongoing, he added. Firefighters say they had to break the windows and run a hose through a car that was blocking a fire hydrant in New Jersey. Firefighters arrived on the scene of a house fire early Thursday on Norway Avenue in the Bromley section of Hamilton, Mercer County. But they found the car parked in front of the hydrant. A picture posted on the Hamilton Township Professional Firefighters' Facebook page shows they punched out the windows and threaded the hose through the car. "This is what happens when you park in front of a hydrant," the post said. "... Reminder, it is against the law to park in front of a fire hydrant." They had the fire under control quickly and no one was injured. The Hamilton Township Professional Firefighters Association represents a combination of professional and volunteer firefighters serving Hamilton Township. A piece of buried treasure was recovered on Sunday after a Suffolk County Police used his personal metal detector to locate a missing engagement ring. McDowell was called in by fellow Marine Bureau Police Officer Robert Warrington, after he spent part of Saturday helping a Pennsylvania woman search for her missing ring. They were unable to locate the ring, despite searching both the Atlantique Beach in Fire Island and a house the woman was staying at. Defeated, the woman returned to Pennsylvania empty handed. Warrington, however, did not give up so easily. He contacted Officer McDowell and asked him to bring in his personal metal detector to help search for the ring. Assisted by the womans friend, McDowell set up a grid pattern around the area where the woman was sitting on the beach. He then began using the metal detector to search the area. After about ten minutes, the detector went off and McDowell dug through the sand to find the ring. He entrusted it to the womans friend who will return the ring to its owner tonight. This is the second missing ring McDowell has been able to locate using his metal detector. A massive fire displaced residents and destroyed units at an apartment complex in Norristown, Pennsylvania, Saturday. The three-alarm fire started Saturday around 2:30 p.m. at the Montgomery Mills Apartment complex on the 7500 block of Kelly Drive, causing flames and billowing smoke that could be seen for miles. Firefighters were able to bring the flames under control. At one point, the heat was so intense the neighboring building's siding melted off. Norristown Fire Chief Thomas O'Donnell told NBC10 24 residents were displaced, ten apartments were destroyed and another ten were damaged. Engineers are monitoring the building due to concerns that it could collapse as a result of the damages. "The cause of the fire is under investigation at this time," O'Donnell said. "We're also in the process of trying to account for any residents that were not home at the time of the fire." One firefighter was hospitalized due to overheating. No other injuries were reported. The American Red Cross is assisting the displaced residents. Two people died following a "heinous" Sunday morning shooting in New Castle County, Delaware, police said. Police were dispatched to a shooting on Lloyd Street in Belvedere around 1:30 a.m. There, they found 15-year-old Doris Dorsey inside a car and a second victim, 35-year-old Vincent DiMenco, a short distance away, officials said. Both people had apparent bullet wounds and were pronounced dead by New Castle County Paramedics. Dorsey was the homeowner's daughter and that DiMenco was the homeowner's friend, police said. There are no suspects at this time, according to police. I want to ensure the residents of New Castle County that our officers and detectives are fully committed to solving this heinous crime, New Castle County Police Col. Vaughn M. Bond, Jr. said. He also reminded residents that solving and preventing crime requires the help of the entire community. We all have a responsibility for the safety and security of our communities, it is not just a police responsibility, it is a shared responsibility between the community and police," he said in an emailed statement. "Together we must send a message to those engaging in criminal activity, especially violent criminal activity, that it will not be tolerated in our neighborhoods." Police are offering up to $10,000 for anyone who provides information that leads to an arrest. If you have any information regarding this investigation please contact Detective E. Reid by phone at 302-395-8110 or by email at EJReid@nccde.org. A man and two teenage girls who spent Friday night stuck on the cliff in the Shelter Cove area of Pacifica have been rescued, according to the U.S. Coast Guard. The Coast Guard worked with Pacifica police and fire department to rescue the 23-year-old man, a 12-year-old girl and a 13-year-old girl Saturday morning. They were not able to rescue them Friday night due to the strong winds and visibility, according to the Coast Guard. Officials initially said the two teens were 13-year-old boys. One of the teens is related to the man. They all went on a hike Friday afternoon and got trapped on the cliff, according to officials. Firefighters kept in contact with the hikers throughout the night and gave updates to the hikers and family, according to fire officials. Rescuers landed a California Highway Patrol helicopter on the cliff, located the three victims on a 600-foot tall cliff and rescued them, officials said. CHP said the hikers were 100 feet up from the shore. "We lowered a 'billy pugh,' a rescue basket," said CHP Officer Shaun Bouye. "You lower it to the person and they sit in it." One by one, the hikers were rescued. "From the time they started the rescue until all three people were off the cliff was 12 minutes," Bouyea said. "We work well with the North County Fire Authority. We do numerous rescues throughout the year." The victims were examined by paramedics at the scene but there were no reports of injuries. "The kids look like theyre ok so were going to make sure theyre alright and take them home," one of the girls' father, Tom Schecter, told NBC Bay Area. Bay City News contributed to this report. Firefighters kept in contact with the hikers throughout the night and gave updates to the hikers and family, according to fire officials. In daylight and with the wind calming down, the CHP helicopter came to the rescue of the hikers. "We lowered a 'billy pugh,' a rescue basket," said CHP Officer Shaun Bouyea. "You lower it to the person and they sit in it." One by one, the hikers were rescued. "From the time they started the rescue until all three people were off the cliff was 12 minutes," Bouyea said. "We work well with the North County Fire Authority. We do numerous rescues throughout the year." Two former Manchester, New Hampshire police officers are reportedly facing serious allegations for behaviors that prompted their dismissal. According to the New Hampshire Union Leader, former undercover Detective Darren Murphy and street-level Detective Aaron Brown were fired earlier this year on accusations of bargaining sex to a woman facing criminal charges in order to get her charges dropped. The alleged victim in the case reportedly filed a claim through her lawyer to Manchester City and Police Department officials on June 1, which alleges Brown forced her and another woman to show him their breasts in order to secure bail back in 2009. The claim further states that Brown once showed up at the womans home in full uniform, ordering her to meet him at a local bar where he bought her drinks and "using his authority, demanded she have sex with him." Years later, the claim reportedly states the woman and Murphy engaged in an intimate relationship spanning October 2017 through April 2018. Murphy reportedly claimed that he could get a prosecutor in Hillsborough County to drop charges against the woman. The Manchester Police Department issued a statement on the matter on Sunday. "The Manchester Police Department has been and will continue to be transparent in each and every incident involving our personnel," the statement reads. "The incident involving Mr. Aaron Brown and Mr. Darren Murphy was investigated immediately once our agency was notified of the allegations. Furthermore, we immediately notified all prosecutorial agencies about the allegations, which included the New Hampshire Office of the Attorney General, the Hillsborough County Attorneys Office and Manchester City Solicitors Office. Chief Nick WIllard took swift and immediate disciplinary action following an internal investigation, which prompted the termination of Mr. Brown and Mr. Murphy. An active and ongoing criminal investigation followed the termination of Mr. Brown and Mr. Murphy. To maintain the integrity of the ongoing criminal and civil investigation, we are unable to make further comments at this time." Kohima: Four Assam Rifles personnel were killed in an ambush by suspected Naga insurgents in Mon district of Nagaland on Sunday, an Assam Rifles official said. Two others have suffered injuries. The incident occurred around 3 pm near Aboi when armed cadres ambushed a team comprising six Assam Rifles personnel, said the PRO to the Inspector General of Assam Rifles. Havildar Fateh Singh Negi and Sepoy Hungnga Konyak died on the spot while four others suffered critical bullet injuries, he said, adding that the injured were hospitalised. The security men retaliated the attack, but casualty on the other side was yet to be ascertained. The PRO said the involvement of suspected Naga underground groups in the ambush was not yet confirmed while there have been no claims made by any group. Kochi: Commissioner of Customs in Kerala Sumit Kumar on Saturday said he has been receiving death threats from smugglers, but asserted he would not be cowed down by such acts. In a Facebook post, Kumar, who has intensified the crackdown on smuggling through airports and sea routes in the state since taking charge here in November, said he was, however, immune to threats. I deal with smugglers on a daily basis... I get direct, indirect threats, pressure to get into passive mode, he wrote on his Facebook page. I am not a careerist or office-seeker...my parents, family have given me far more than I need, I am largely immune to threats, he added. The customs sleuths in the state have made huge seizures of gold, currencies and contrabands after Kumar took over as Commissioner of Customs. When contacted, Kumar said he had written the post on a closed Facebook group and that it was meant for his honest colleagues who resist such tactics from the forces operating in an illegal manner. However, the customs official did not divulge the source of threats he had allegedly received. I want to tell the enemies of the nation that I come from a family of freedom-fighters and acclaimed public servants who gave their all for the nation and the constitution that all public servants are sworn to uphold, he said. The officer said like submariners in ocean, he dives deep, dives silent and goes for the kill. You can get me transferred, kicked out... even take my life, but you cannot buy my silence, and/or push me into passive inaction. I will hit with all the power and terminate your anti-national activities with extreme prejudice. I have Mataram protecting me as an angel 24/7... Jai Hind, said Kumar. New Delhi: Bracing for the upcoming assembly elections and the 2019 General Elections, around 50-60 social media activists of the BJP IT cell attended a strategy meeting in Delhi on Sunday. Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman, MoS External Affairs MJ Akbar and BJP General Secretary Ram Madhav also attended the meeting to decide on the strategy. PMO OSD (Social Media) Hiren Joshi and Arvind Gupta, who heads the My Gov website, also took part in the deliberations. The discussion centred on how to promote government schemes on social media and countering the opposition onslaught on social media. BJP president Amit Shah who also participated in the meeting for a brief period, addressed the gathering. BJP's information technology (IT) cell in-charge in Madhya Pradesh, Shivraj Singh Dabi said about 65,000 'cyber warriors' had been deployed by the party in the last three months and 5,000 more will be deputed shortly. The move is being seen as a tactic to take on the Congress in the virtual space, to promote the partys ideologies and woo young voters on social media platforms. Lately, with the opposition getting an upper hand on social media platforms becoming a major area of concern, BJPs urgent need to device an aggressive social media promotion strategy was evident with Sundays meeting. New Delhi: A month after it launched the ceasefire in Jammu & Kashmir, the BJP-led Union government has decided to not extend it any further. Taking to Twitter, home minister Rajnath Singh credited the armed forces for their restraint and asked them to resume operations against terrorists like before. The home minister added that the government was committed to working to create an environment free of terror and violence in the Valley. It is important that all those who have interests of people of Jammu and Kashmir, and especially the youth, in mind isolate the terrorists and work towards bringing back misguided youth to the right path, he said. Mincing no words, Singh said while the forces had exercised exemplary restraint, terrorists indulged in wanton killing of innocent civilians and attacks on security personnel. The governments decision comes just days after veteran journalist Shujaat Bukhari was brutally shot dead by bike-borne men near his office in Srinagar. The bullet-riddled body of army officer Aurangzeb, who was abducted by militants, was found on the same day. On 17th May 2018, GoI took the decision that Security Forces will not conduct offensive operations in J&K during the holy month of Ramzan. This decision was taken in the interests of the peace loving people of J&K, in order to provide them a conducive atmosphere to observe Ramzan Rajnath Singh (@rajnathsingh) 17 June 2018 It was expected that everyone will cooperate in ensuring the success of this initiative. While the Security Forces have displayed exemplary restraint during this period, the terrorists have continued with their attacks, on civilians and SFs, resulting in deaths and injuries. Rajnath Singh (@rajnathsingh) 17 June 2018 The Security Forces are being directed to take all necessary actions as earlier to prevent terrorists from launching attacks and indulging in violence and killings. Rajnath Singh (@rajnathsingh) 17 June 2018 Berne/New Delhi: The seizure of fake Indian currency in Switzerland, for long perceived an alleged haven for black money, has come down sharply to just three in 2017 after a huge four-fold surge in the previous year. According to the latest annual data released by the Swiss Federal Office of Police (Fedpol), just two fake Rs 100 notes and one Rs 500 banknote was seized during 2017. This followed the fake Indian notes being the third most seized counterfeit foreign currency in Switzerland after euro and the US dollar during 2016. The fake currencies seized during 2016 were in the denominations of Rs 500 and Rs 1,000 both of which were withdrawn by the Indian government from the list of legal tenders towards the end of that year. So far, there have been no seizure of any counterfeit Rs 2,000 note, which were introduced as part of the ambitious demonetisation drive to check the menace of fake notes and the black money problem. According to the Fedpol data, as many as 1,437 fake Rs 1,000 notes were seized in Switzerland during 2016, while there were also five counterfeit Rs 500 notes. This marked a huge surge from 342 fake Indian currency notes seized by Swiss authorities during 2015 five were counterfeits of Rs 500 notes, 336 for Rs 1,000 and one for Rs 100. Over the years, counterfeits have been found in Switzerland mostly for Rs 500 and Rs 1,000 notes, while there have been some instances for other denominations such as Rs 10 and Rs 100 notes as well. As per the latest Fedpol data, the number of counterfeit local currency, Swiss franc, seized during 2017 was 1,990 down from 2,370 in 2016. Among foreign currencies, the maximum amount of counterfeits was found in case of Euro at 3,826 during 2017 though sharply down from 5,379 in the previous year. In case of the US dollar, the number has increased to 1,976 from 1,443. The fake Japanese yen notes seized during 2017 was also high at 2,500. The number of counterfeit British pound found during 2017 was 88, up from 65 in the previous year. An analysis of the counterfeit statistics released by the Fedpol over the years shows that the maximum number of fake Indian currency was seized during the year 2012 when it stood at 2,624, but fell sharply to 403 in the subsequent year 2013 and even further to just 181 in 2014. Earlier in 2011, the number of fake rupee notes was 1,144 up from 212 in 2010. Prior to that, the number were in single digits mostly except for 25 in 2007 and 100 in the year 2000. No such notes were found in the year 1999 and again in 2003. Fake currency has been a major concern for India as well as many other countries, due to which they keep improving security features to make it difficult for them to be counterfeited. Still, there have already been some instances of Rs 2,000 notes getting counterfeited and found in some parts of India. India has also introduced new Rs 200 and Rs 500 notes, among other denominations. According to the Fedpol, counterfeit money is a very seldom occurrence in Switzerland, compared to other countries, because they consider Swiss banknotes to be forgery-proof. Banknote production is state-of-the-art and of a very high international standard. Forged banknotes can often be identified with the naked eye on the basis of various security features, Fedpol said. If suspected forgeries do appear, the police, banks, postal services or other institutions forward them to Fedpol, who examines them and if necessary registers the material that has been used to manufacture them. The total amount of counterfeit money discovered in Switzerland each year remained more or less the same between 2006 and 2017 at CHF 4-5 million involving all currencies and CHF 500,000 involving Swiss francs only. New Delhi: The Supreme Court has taken a serious note of 150 medical students in Bhopal being left in the lurch after permission of a college for admission in the academic session 2017-18 was denied by the Medical Council of India (MCI). The top court has asked the MCI to suggest a solution to thwart the crisis and place on record the details of vacant seats in Madhya Pradesh and adjoining states for the academic session 2017-18. A vacation bench of justices U U Lalit and Deepak Gupta expressed concern of the situation and wondered as what should be the approach to deal with the matter where the students were allocated seat by the central counselling agency to a particular college, which had later ran into difficulties. "It is not as if the admissions in question were not in fair and transparent manner. On the other hand, the state authorities sent or directed the students to this college. Can the students be now left in the lurch," the bench asked. During the hearing, advocate Arjun Garg, appearing for the Madhya Pradesh government, said not a single seat was available in any of the medical colleges in the state for the academic session 2017-18. The bench asked Garg on whose instructions he has been making such a statement and warned that if at a later stage, the submission was found to be wrong, it would haul up the official concerned. Garg said he has instructions from additional chief secretary for medical education in the state and named the official as R S Julani. "The correctness of that statement will certainly be considered but at this stage it must be stated that the status report on record filed on behalf of the state of Madhya Pradesh on May 2, 2018 does not indicate the stand which is now projected on behalf of the state of Madhya Pradesh," it said. It said that the MCI should place its view in the matter and suggest a solution, if any. "We also direct the MCI to place before us the details as to vacant seats available in colleges in state of Madhya Pradesh and adjoining states for the academic session 2017-2018. The MCI shall file appropriate affidavit within two weeks giving complete details of vacancy situation as indicated above," the bench said. It listed the matter immediately on reopening before the appropriate bench and sought response from Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS). The top court was hearing a matter related to RKDF Medical College Hospital and Research Centre which was initially accorded approval by the MCI and the Centre to take admissions for MBBS course for academic session 2014-15. However, after the inspection was undertaken by the MCI for the next academic session (2015-2016), no renewal permission was granted and the college was debarred from making any admissions. The college again was allowed to admit students for academic session 2016-17 but denied permission for academic session 2017-18. However, through an interim order, the apex court granted permission to take admission of 150 students for academic session 2017-18. The entire batch of 150 students was admitted and all admissions were made pursuant to the allocations of seats made by the state authorities through the central counselling agency. "The facts on record indicate that the renewal permission for the academic session 2017-2018 was finally not granted, which has, therefore, left the question to be considered as to the status and the rights of those students who were admitted pursuant to the interim order and who were allocated by the central counselling agency," the bench said. The top court said that one of the terms of essentiality certificate under which a college is allowed to be set up and make admissions is that in case the college runs into any difficulty, the state shall take care of those students who were admitted in such college. The bench said that the top court had expressed its concern over the fate of students through its interim order passed from time to time and said that the students in question must be accommodated in other colleges firstly in Madhya Pradesh and if not, then in the adjoining states. Puducherry: Puducherry Chief Minister V Narayanasamy on Sunday urged the Centre to ensure the Union Territory is granted "statehood with special status." Participating in the fourth governing council meeting of the NITI Aayog in Delhi, the Chief Minister placed before the Council "some of the important and long-pending issues of the Union Territory of Puducherry", which required special attention and immediate resolution by the Aayog and the Centre. A copy of his address at the meeting was released to the media by his office here. After highlighting the performance of the Puducherry government in various sectors, including agriculture and health, the Chief Minister appealed for grant of statehood with special status for the union territory. He also reiterated the demand that Puducherry be brought under the ambit of the Central Finance Commission "for devolution of funds similar to other States." Making out a case for "at least ten per cent hike every year in the Central grants to Puducherry," the Chief Minister stressed the funding pattern for all centrally-sponsored schemes in the union territory be in the ratio of 90:10 in place of the 60:40 adopted now. The territorial government should also be permitted to go in for market borrowing, he said. Narayanasamy also sought special package for industrial development of Puducherry, disposal of land belonging to government-owned AFT mills to clear statutory dues of the workers and banks and development and expansion of the sea port and the airport here. He said "federal polity of our country demands the active participation of states in development process. Factoring the rich and varied experiences of states will pave the way for better policy implementation and equitable growth of the country." During the last five years (up to May this year), the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme (MGNREGS) had been implemented in Puducherry with an investment of Rs 42.66 crore and 22.3 lakh man-days were generated. New Delhi: Inspector Kaushal Gangoli committed suicide by shooting himself in Delhis CR Park police station on May 10 last year. His family accused a senior police officer of humiliation and demanded a CBI enquiry but the case was transferred to the crime branch. A year later, police said they found nothing substantial in the enquiry. They will be submitting the findings of the probe to the Delhi commissioner of police. Last month, Mumbai top cop Himanshu Roy, who was known for his investigation in the 2013 IPL spot fixing scam and the J Dey murder case, shot himself dead with his service revolver. A fitness enthusiast, Roy was suffering from cancer and his suicide note allegedly blamed depression due to the disease as the reason behind the extreme step. Just a fortnight had lapsed that the news of another police official committing suicide sent shockwaves across the country. Rajesh Sahni, additional superintendent of police ATS, UP Police, who was known for his role in cracking the Korasan terror module in Kanpur, shot himself in his office with his service pistol. The list of such incidents, however, does not end here. According to Delhi Polices data, four police officials had committed suicide by June 12 this year. Last year, a total of nine police officials committed suicide. While the UP Police dont have a separate data, this year at least three police officials took the extreme step. According to a report, Tamil Nadu records the highest suicide cases among police officials, followed by Maharashtra and Kerala. The report, which collected data from 2010 to 2014, revealed that 166 police officials committed suicide in Tamil Nadu, 161 in Maharashtra and 61 in Kerala. But what drives tough cops to take such an extreme step? Talking to News18, Rahul Srivastava, additional SP, UP Police, said: Our job is such that we are supposed to act tough and deal with negativities like crime, listen to complainants, their agony and misery. We are exposed to high degree of human misery. There is no denying that police officers of all ranks are exposed to high degree of human apathy as they come face-to-face with brutal crimes on a daily basis. A medical test conducted for the police force in Uttar Pradesh recently revealed that most of the officers suffered from high blood pressure, hypertension and diabetes among other diseases. This analysis is true for other states too. A research conducted by RML Hospital, Delhi, on behalf of Bureau of Police Research and Development (BPRD) suggested that police officials face multiple stress-induced problems such as increased blood pressure, diabetes, higher triglyceride and obesity among others. The reasons behind these diseases are multi-pronged. According to Srivastava, police officials get very few leaves, there is lack of empathy, the force has a high degree of hierarchy and there is absence of communication. Echoing the sentiment, clinical psychologist Rajat Mitra said, Some police officers have told me privately that in their work they reach a point where they feel like ending their life. Mitra, who has counselled several police officers, is of the opinion that cops witness the underbelly of society and the dark side of human nature every day, which makes it difficult for them to retain their sanity. If it is coupled with personal issues, which they are unable to tell anyone, it becomes a major problem and they (police officers) feel a sense of hopelessness, said Mitra, who has worked with the police force for 20 years. Recalling an incident during his work with the inmates of Tihar Jail, Mitra said he came across a DG who would call him regularly to talk about the prison. While the psychologist thought the call was to know about the inmates and their improvement, it turned out to be a counselling session for the then DG himself. When Mitra asked him the reason for the same, he said: Every day, I have to see faces that no one wants to see. After a certain period of time, it affects the mind. Thats why I take a session with you before leaving for home so that I speak normally to my family. The psychologist feels it is time cops are given sessions on channelling their emotions. The Delhi Police recently launched a programme to analyse the mental health of its staff. The exercise began with the staff of the Police Control Room (PCR) as they are the first respondents to a crime. Those found with severe stress symptoms will be given a detailed psychological screening. The Uttar Pradesh Police are planning to sign an MoU with universities that have a psychology department. They will also rope in psychologists to help and counsel cops. Mitra suggests that there is a need to talk about post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and how to handle it. PTSD is defined as a condition of persistent mental and emotional stress occurring as a result of injury or severe psychological shock, typically involving disturbance of sleep and constant vivid recall of the experience, with dulled responses to others and to the outside world. Former Delhi Police commissioner TR Kakkar says there is a need to introduce stress management. According to Kakkar, every profession is stressful but in the police force, the pressure is always high due to strict deadlines. Every investigating officer in this city (Delhi) is handling at least three times the number of cases he should be handling. In our times, we might be handling 80 cases but now a sub-inspector handles 200 cases, said Kakkar, adding that a force like the Delhi Police must have at least eight to 10 psychologists. So, what other steps can be taken to lend a helping hand to the force? The senior officers should promote dialogue, be empathetic to their subordinates and in a scenario of restricted leaves, give one weekly off to all the police officials, suggests Srivastava. In February, OP Singh, the present DGP of UP Police, called a head constable named Bhupen Singh Tomar posted in Saharanpur. Tomar was attending a call regarding a stabbing when he was informed about his daughters death. Sticking to his duty, the head constable first rushed the victim to hospital and then went home. Tomar was hailed as the hero of the department for his professionalism and sacrifice. Many state police chiefs and district heads have now started appreciating and recognising the work of the lower constabulary. Officials often complain that they are pulled up if found guilty, but their good work is never recognised, which demotivates the force. Data shows its mostly lower-rank officials who end their life due to professional and personal issues. What adds to the stress is the fact that police officials are often expected to pitch in for jobs beyond their mandate. The work of a police officer is to register an FIR, arrest the accused and maintain law and order but often, they go beyond the call of duty for instance, going deep into a drain to save a life. Recently, there was much brouhaha over police officials asking the family of a deceased to stitch his body up after probe in an accident case. While the officials were punished for the same, no rulebook actually mentions that its the job of the force to stitch up a body. Keeping in mind the on-field issues, the UP Police are trying to seek professional help and are equipping their teams with body wrappers and stretchers so that cops dont hesitate in lifting bodies. The need of the hour is to clear overdue promotions, recognise the good work being done by the force and provide them a platform to start a dialogue and vent out their frustration so that they can be motivated. New Delhi: Reproaching its unexpected approach of deciding cases, the Supreme Court has asked the Orissa High Court in future to decide the matters by reasoned order strictly in accordance with law. A bench headed by Justice Arun Mishra was extremely critical of certain orders passed by the High Court and went ahead to suggest that the judges there should pass better orders. The High Court incurred strictures over its non-reasoned orders, reducing the compensation under the Workmen Compensation Act and motor accident cases. Recently, when the bench came across one such order by the High Court, it noted that there were no reasons cited why the compensation had to be slashed and that a cryptic order seemed to be have been passed. The High Court has unnecessarily reduced the compensation awarded by the Commissioner for Employees Compensation-cum-Assistant Labour Commissioner, Berhampur, Ganjam. That approach is unexpected from the High Court, said the bench. It pointed out that the High Court is supposed to decide the cases purely after considering the matter in accordance with law. It is surprising that the High Court had not assigned any reason while interfering with the just and appropriate order passed by the Commissioner. This approach of the High Court cannot be appreciated, stated the order. The bench then issued a word of caution for the High Court. We request the High Court in future to decide the matters by reasoned order strictly in accordance with law, not by these kind of orders. It is made clear that it is the duty of the courts to give what is proper and due and courts are not supposed to take away what is just and admissible claim. The approach of the High Court is thus not appreciated at all, said the strongly-worded order by the top court. The bench then set aside the order of the High Court that was passed three years ago and restored the Commissioners order, thereby enhancing the compensation yet again. In the order under challenge, the High Court had not only reduced the compensation but also did away with the interest and penalty to be paid by the insurance company involved in the case. New Delhi: External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj will begin a tour of Italy, France, Luxembourg and Belgium on Sunday with an aim to boost India's strategic engagement with the European countries. The visit, from June 17-23, will provide an opportunity to hold in-depth discussions with the political leadership on a wide range of global, regional and bilateral issues and advance our growing strategic engagement with the European Union, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said. In the first leg of her visit, Swaraj will travel to Italy, which will be the first major political exchange between the two countries after Giuseppe Conte assumed charge as Italy's new prime minister. Swaraj will call on Conte and also meet her counterpart Enzo Moavero Milanesi. The external affairs minister will then visit France from June 18-19. In Paris, Swaraj will meet her counterpart Jean-Yves Le Drian during which both the sides will review the bilateral relations. India and France are celebrating the 20th anniversary of their Strategic Partnership. Swaraj will be visiting Luxembourg from June 19-20 and it will be the first ever visit to Luxembourg by an external affairs minister from India, the MEA said. During her visit, Swaraj will be calling on Grand Duke of Luxembourg Henri Albert Gabriel Flix Marie Guillaume and Prime Minister Xavier Bettel. "Swaraj will also have meetings with Jean Asselborn, Minister of Foreign and European Affairs and Pierre Gramegna, the Minister of Finance. In Luxembourg, she will also interact with the Indian community," the MEA said. On the last leg of her tour, Swaraj will visit Belgium from June 20-23. In Brussels, she will meet Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs of Belgium Didier Reynders. She will also meet President of the European Commission Jean-Claude Juncker and the President of the European Parliament Antonio Tajani. The MEA said Swaraj will also meet her counterpart Federica Mogherini, the High Representative of the European Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, to review the entire gamut of the India-EU relations. She will also deliver a keynote speech at the high-level event Climate, Peace and Security: Time for Action', she will lead the International Yoga Day (IYD) celebrations at the European Parliament and also interact with the Indian community, the MEA said. When Eleven Madison Park was declared the best restaurant on the planet at the World's 50 Best Restaurants gala in Melbourne last year, chef Daniel Humm sprang up from his seat and gave his business partner Will Guidara a bear hug. There was giddy excitement. Earnest and humble thanks. And congratulatory hugs all-round. The lofty title -- the latest in a string of accolades collected over the years -- was affirmation for Humm that he had indeed turned a new page in his culinary career. Because despite the rave reviews, triple Michelin stars, sold-out dining rooms, and to the likely surprise of many in the food world, for years Humm said he felt like the restaurant was floundering, searching for its identity. "It's only in the last two years that we feel very confident in who we are, that we really found ourselves," Humm said during an interview on a balmy May afternoon in Paris. It was also a few weeks away from the 2018 edition of the World's 50 Best Restaurants awards, when Humm and the rest of the world's gastronomic elite will learn if his New York restaurant will hold on to the top spot. Nearly a year into wearing the crown, Humm is decidedly less starry-eyed about the awards, downplaying the title and betraying a dose of disillusionment. "For me, there can never be 'one best restaurant in the world.' It's kind of ridiculous to say that." He's grateful for the number of doors that have opened post-World's 50 Best; for putting a fire under his team; and for filling up the reservation books months in advance. "Of course we were proud to be there, proud to be part of the conversation and be recognized," Humm is quick to add, to soften the blow of his previous assertion. But he's also less convinced that any kind of ranking can make such a lofty, broad claim. "When there is a ranking, of course it's nicer to be at the top rather than the bottom. But there are so many great chefs, so many great restaurants that are adding to the conversation so we understand that our time won't be forever," he says. Humm was in Paris at the invitation of another gastronomic outfit, which flew in some of the top chefs from around the world to help them organize what the group is pitching as the world's first televised restaurant awards night. Next February, the World Restaurant Awards will aim to bring the glamour of the Oscars to the food world, with a red carpet event that will be broadcast out of Paris. But Humm is skeptical here too, saying, "It's a big endeavor, and it's a big world. And if there's one thing I realized when I was in India, it's that the world is a big place," he says, referring to a recent R&D trip to the country. "And the people in that room there, we all eat in the same places." The World's 50 Best Restaurants list will be announced on June 19 in Bilbao. Actor Chris Pratt has revealed his Avengers: Infinity War co-star Tom Holland had spoiled the story of Jurassic World: The Fallen Kingdom for him before he could hear it from the director. In an interview with SiriusXM, Pratt said Holland knew The Fallen Kingdom" director JA Bayona as the two had worked together on the film The Impossible. The director had apparently told the Spider-Man: Homecoming actor the whole story of the film. "The first I heard about the plot was from Tom Holland, weirdly. I think I was shooting the sequel for Guardians Of The Galaxy, maybe, and Tom was doing Spider-Man on the same lot" Pratt said. "He said, 'Hey mate, I just talked to JA, mate. He told me the whole plot of the story,' And I was like, 'What?' He said, 'Yeah, there's like a volcano,' and I said, 'You're messing with me.' He's like, 'No, mate, he told me the whole thing.' So he told me the whole story, so I heard it right from Tom Holland first. And then, when I read the script, I was like, 'he wasn't messing with me. It was all real," he added. During the interview, Pratt also said that his Jurassic World co-star Bryce Dallas Howard knows a lot about upcoming Avengers 4. "She knows the whole thing. When I sign a non-disclosure agreement, at the bottom in parenthesis I say, 'Except for Bryce'," Pratt said. "You guys don't even know what I know, but you'll know pretty soon," he added New Delhi: Calling the Centres response over the stalemate between Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal and Lieutenant Governor Anil Baijal autocratic, actor-turned-politician Shatrughan Sinha has once again lashed out at his own party BJP. Sinha is the latest politician to voice his support for Kejriwal in his fight against the L-G. The two-term BJP Lok Sabha MP from Patna Sahib, in a series of tweets on Sunday, disparaged the Centre on its mulish stand of denying the chief ministers of four states to meet their Delhi counterpart at the L-Gs residence on Saturday. In his first tweet, Sinha said that heavens wouldnt have fallen if the Centre had allowed the CMs of West Bengal, Kerala, Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh to meet Kejriwal. Heavens wouldnt have fallen if you had allowed CMs of West Bengal, Kerala, Karnataka & AP to meet our popular & favorite CM Arvind Kejriwal. Its high time to realize that they are elected (& not selected) CMs by our people of India. This kind of blatant show of autocracy...1>2 Shatrughan Sinha (@ShatruganSinha) June 17, 2018 ...despotism, autarchy & use of power by stopping the meet of elected CMs of states will only ridicule our partys image & give them tremendous sympathy of their followers. Just think of it & take it as Food for Thought - consider the genuine demand by Arvind Kejriwal...2>3 Shatrughan Sinha (@ShatruganSinha) June 17, 2018 The yours, theirs & ours demand of Full statehood for Delhi must be fulfilled in the larger interest of people of Delhi & Nation, sooner the better, before the deterioration of health of leaders (sitting on fast for 05 days) & voices/ demands/sympathy escalates....3>4 Shatrughan Sinha (@ShatruganSinha) June 17, 2018 Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal along with Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia and Cabinet Ministers Satyendar Jain and Gopal Rai, is camping at Raj Niwas since June 11, demanding IAS officers to end what he terms as an undeclared strike. Criticising the BJPs move as a display of despotism and autarchy, Sinha extended support towards Kejriwals demand for full statehood for Delhi and warned the Centre of letting the opposition garner sympathy from their followers. In his last tweet, the BJP rebel appreciated and lauded Kejriwals commitment, determination & image. We appreciate & applaud Arvinds commitment, determination & image. Hope & pray that good sense prevails & administration/bureaucracy does not repeat this. People are getting the impression that the leaders have been blocked from meeting on ur instructions Sir. God bless.Jai Hind, Sinha tweeted. Shatrughan Sinha has time and again found himself at loggerheads with his own party and has been speaking outside party lines for sometime now, giving fodder to speculations of a possible split. Just last week, Sinha attended Tejashwi Yadav Iftaar party, who is the son of his longtime friend Lalu Yadav and in the process ditched ally Nitish Kumars JD(U). New Delhi: The sit-in by Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal and his three cabinet colleagues at the L-G's office has snowballed into a national issue with four non-NDA chief ministers rallying behind the AAP leader amid an impasse between the his government and the Lt Governor over IAS officers strike. Speaking to CNN-News18s Rupashree Nanda, Kejriwal says his government does not have even 10% of the powers Sheila Dikshit had. Taking on the Congress, which has maintained an inconspicuous silence on the crisis in the capital, he says Rahul Gandhi must pick a side. You are the CM of Delhi and have been on dharna since June 11 with three top ministers. It is a drastic step. Why and how did you take that decision? And how long will you persist? I, along with my three ministers, have been here for the past six days. This is not enjoyment for us. We are not enjoying this. We have been compelled to take this step. IAS officers have been on strike for three months. They come to office but only for formalities. They do not attend official meetings. They are never available if contacted for emergency. They do not respond when contacted. They do not go for field inspection. This is not how a government can function. Governance is stalled since the last three months because of the strike. We want to break this deadlock. I have personally met [L-G] four times in the last three months. Manish Sisodia, Gopal Rai, Satyendra Jain; all met him personally. He would always assure us that it will be over in a week. It never happened. Now we are here to make that happen. We also want our proposal of doorstep delivery of ration should be cleared. We are not enjoying. The strike, and not our dharna, is responsible for stalled governance. Did you expect the kind of political support you have garnered? Any surprises there? Are you disappointed with Congress not supporting you? Id like to thank all the opposition parties, their leaders and their chief ministers. Kerala, AP and Mamata Banerjee, all of them. Talking about the Congress, everyone in the nation is asking [party president] Rahul Gandhi if he is with the BJP in Delhi or the people of Delhi. Doesnt it worry you that if your dharna is prolonged, Delhiites may not support you? They expect the CM to work and not sit on dharna. There is a paralysis in governance. Governance is not paralysed because of me but because of IAS officers. We are here to break this deadlock. We want to work; Manish and I want more hospitals and schools, we are not able to do it because IAS officers are not coming to the meetings. One criticism against you is that there has never been such a constitutional crisis in Delhis history... If other CMs could manage, why not you and your government? Who is responsible for this crisis? This question has been asked many times. Talking about [former CM] Sheila Dikshit, the amount of powers she had, I dont have even 10% of those powers the power of transferring/posting and suspending in case of no work, jailing them in case of corruption. Modi government has snatched away all these powers from us. Today, Delhis CM cannot suspend or jail any officer. We need to think why this strike is on for so long. This strike is forced upon them. Some IAS officers are very good. They tell us they are being threatened that if they work, their career will be over. Why is it happening? This is happening because we have worked a lot in last three years; schools, hospitals and Bijli-Pani. Now BJP is pressured because people are asking if Kejriwal can make schools better, why cant BJP do the same in MP in 15 years or Gujarat in 20 years. The BJP thought we cannot do this so let us obstruct Kejriwal from doing this. I am sitting here now because they are obstructing my governance. I wont get up till they end the strike. You are back to targeting Prime Minister Narendra Modi, BJP president Amit Shah and the Centre. The same had not worked for you before, what led to change in strategy? We are not against any individual. I am here to work. Through your channel, Id like to request the PM that he is the Prime Minister of the nation, he is a father-like figure. Delhi is the capital, the pride of the nation. What message is being sent to the world? That officers are sitting on a strike and the CM is sitting on a dharna to break that. And the PM is saying nothing on that. The people are doubting if the PM and the L-G are together doing this. Everyone is saying that strike should be over soon. Your one phone call is enough to end the strike. Yesterday, we received a letter from [former Secretary-General of the United Nations] Kofi Annan that he is coming to see the Mohalla clinics here. It is such a proud moment for you, the nation and Delhi. Please support the good work and end this strike as soon as possible. Any messages for the IAS officers who are with the Delhi government? They say there is an atmosphere of mistrust, they need to be assured that their dignity will be protected. IAS officers are not at fault. They are not doing this deliberately. They are being made to do this. Have you ever heard that if an IAS officer is murdered or whatever, they go on strike? This strike is forced upon them. They are being threatened to not attend my meeting or go to office. The IAS officers are not at fault. Bhopal: Nearly 65,000 'cyber warriors' of the BJP are all set to take on 'Rajiv Ke Sipahi' of the Congress in cyber space to woo young voters on social media platforms in the upcoming Madhya Pradesh Assembly polls. The BJP's state information technology (IT) cell in-charge, Shivraj Singh Dabi, said about 65,000 'cyber warriors' have been deployed by the party in the last three months and 5,000 more will be deputed shortly, The state Congress has set up a team of around 4,000 'Rajiv Ke Sipahi' (named after their leader and former prime minister Rajiv Gandhi credited with the digital revolution in India) to battle it out against the BJP on social media. The Congress will train 5,000 more people for the task, the state party's IT cell in-charge, Dharmendra Bajpai, said."We are going to hold training sessions in the state's revenue divisions from June 25," he said. Both the leaders said they were going to reach out to people on popular social media platforms like Facebook, Twitter. They would specially focus on WhatsApp, owing to its wide reach. "During elections, our biggest weapon is going to be WhatsApp," Bajpai said. On the BJP's strategy, Dabi said, "We are going to be doubly active on WhatsApp as it's the biggest communication tool, specially to reach out to commoners and villagers." He said the party used social media to counter the Congress' 10-day Gaon bandh during the farmers' agitation in MP from June 1 to June 10. The BJP's IT cell highlighted the central and state governments' welfare schemes for farmers during the agitation, Dabi said. He claimed that the party thwarted the Congress' bid to capitalise on the farmers' agitation. In contrast, Bajpai said their 'Rahul with farmers' hash-tag on Twitter was a "huge success". It was trending for 23 hours on Twitter when Congress chief Rahul Gandhi visited MP Mandsaur district and addressed a farmers' rally on June 6, he said. The hash-tag recorded participation of more than 1.25 lakh people on the widely used social networking site, Bajpai claimed. Both the parties said through the use of social media, they would try to dispel misunderstandings and false propaganda of their rivals in the run-up to the state polls. A BJP leader said party president Amit Shah, during his visit to Jabalpur in MP on June 12, held a meeting with 'cyber warriors' and discussed with them on how to take on the Congress in the social media space. New Delhi: A crucial meeting of the NITI Aayog on Sunday may turn out to be a platform for yet another show of strength by the opposition as four non-NDA, non-Congress chief ministers gear up to raise the political impasse in Delhi with Prime Minister Narendra Modi. The full meeting of NITI Aayogs Governing Council will be chaired by Modi and the customary interaction of participants with the Prime Minister may be used by the four chief ministers Mamata Banerjee, Chandrababu Naidu, Pinarayi Vijayan and HD Kumaraswamy to seek central intervention in ending the deadlock between Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal and Lt Governor Anil Baijal over an alleged strike by IAS officers. The four regional heavyweights from West Bengal, Andhra Pradesh, Kerala and Karnataka have rallied behind Kejriwal and sought the Centres intervention to end the constitutional crisis. Their request for permission to meet Kejriwal, who is on a sit-in at the Lieutenant Governor's office for a week, was verbally denied, after which the quartet reached Kejriwals home. The image of the four chief ministers in conversation at the Andhra Bhavan was telling as two of them Trinamools Banerjee and Lefts Vijayan set aside regional differences to show solidarity with Kejriwal. The open support to Kejriwal by the Trinamool Congress, Telugu Desam Party, Communist Party of India (Marxist) and Janata Dal (Secular) comes amid opposition efforts to cobble together a rainbow coalition ahead of the 2019 Lok Sabha elections. We want this problem to be solved. This has become a constitutional crisis. Ultimately, if this problem is not solved, the people will face issues. If this is happening in the capital, then what will happen in other states? We will meet the prime minister tomorrow (Sunday) and request him to intervene and solve the problem," Banerjee said on the eve of the NITI Aayog meeting. The solidarity shown by the four chief ministers is also a message to the Congress, which aims to anchor the non-BJP front in the next general elections. Despite feelers from the AAP, the Congress in Delhi has thus far rejected any offer of a tie-up for the seven Lok Sabha seats in the national capital. All seven seats are held by the BJP currently. The Congress should have been here today, CPI leader D Raja told CNN-News18 as the political drama unfolded in the capital on Saturday evening. Sundays NITI Aayog conference will also be the first meeting between Modi and Chandrababu Naidu after the latters TDP pulled out of the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA) over the demand for special status to Andhra Pradesh. Naidu is expected to reiterate the demand at Sundays meeting. New Delhi: On a day when the standoff between Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal and L-G Anil Baijal entered the seventh day, hundreds of Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) workers and supporters buoyed by a support by CPI(M) and Left workers, trooped into the heart of the national capital to raise support for the protesting cabinet. The rally of thousands, however, failed to reach its destination 7, Lok Kalyan Marg, the Prime Ministers residence. Amid the ongoing sit-in at the lieutenant governor's office, the AAP began the march from Mandi House but were stopped at Parliament Street police station. Five prime Metro stations were shut for several hours in the afternoon in view of the protest march, causing much inconvenience to commuters. With party spokesperson Saurabh Bhardwaj claiming a participation of over 45,000 people, the mega rally was a major show of strength for the AAP as almost all the key party faces, including Rajya Sabha member Sanjay Singh, Kailash Gahlot, Rajendra Pal Gautam took part in the two-hour march. The march concluded peacefully without any untoward incident as AAP workers and leaders lashed out at Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Lt Governor Anil Baijal over a host of issues, including the demand of full statehood for Delhi and condemnation of IAS officers' "strike". In a tweet during the march, Kejriwal said the people were feeling "hurt and humiliated" and asked PM Narendra Modi to allow Delhi government to work. "Sir, not only Delhi, but the entire country is appealing you - please allow the elected government to work and get these IAS officers strike to end. People are feeling hurt and humiliated," he tweeted. Expressing solidarity with the AAP, CPI(M) supremo Yechury joined the march at Mandi House and said, "Joining the protest rally to the Prime Minister's residence today to express serious condemnation over the manner in which federalism, a fundamental feature of our Constitution, is being undermined by this BJP Central government." The AAP took out the protest march amid the police maintaining that no permission was sought for the march and warning protesters of detaining them for breaching prohibitory orders clamped in New Delhi district. "Despite sinister efforts by Delhi Police like closing of Metro stations, seizing of buses and heavy barricading, a total of 538 buses reached the spot. A crowd of over 45,000 people reminds me of 2011-12 movement in Delhi," said Bhardwaj. "The then Congress government too had tried to stop us. The Modi government is trying to do it now. It shows the government is 'scared' of AAP," he said. Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia also claimed that people came on streets despite police stopping the buses and guarding offices of the party MLAs. "Despite all the attempts of Modi government - stopping of buses and guarding of MLAs offices - people took to street. This reminds of 2011 movement, the same spirit and passion," he tweeted. The protest march began around 4.45 pm and reached the Parliament Street police station around 6 pm when it was stopped at a barricade erected by the police. A large number of policemen were deployed at Mandi House and along the route of the march to handle any untoward situation. Hyderabad: Telangana Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao, who is aspiring for a role in national politics ahead of the 2019 elections, utilised the opportunity at the NITI Aayog meeting to project his state as the role model in rolling out farmer-friendly schemes and agricultural initiatives. In his speech, the chief minister, popularly known as KCR, highlighted several welfare schemes and initiatives that were taken up by the state in the agriculture sector. KCR showcased his flagship Rythu Bandhu (Friends of Farmers) scheme that provides Rs 4,000 per acre per crop as agriculture input assistance. The initiative is likely to benefit 58 lakh farmers in the state. The chief minister also spoke about Rythu Bhima Yojana or insurance scheme for farmers, which will be launched on August 15 and will cover about 50 lakh farmers in the state. With public sector giant LIC, our government will insure each farmer aged between 18-60 years. In case of his/her unfortunate death due to any reason whatsoever, Rs 5 lakh will be given. The state government bears the insurance premium costing about Rs 1,000 crore per annum, KCR said. He added, We need to focus on agriculture and allied activities as an integrated sector and dairy, poultry, goat and sheep rearing. Fisheries should also be exempted from income tax. As part of the initiatives for doubling the income of farmers, MGNREGA funds should be tagged to agriculture with 50% contribution from farmers to reduce the cost of their investment. The chief minister also explained how his government had taken up a massive exercise to purify the title of over 50 lakh farm holdings in the state and give them a Pattaadar Pass Book embedded with 17 security features. He made specific mentions about massive investments in irrigation projects and infrastructure development such as construction of godowns to help farmers in the state. Kaleshwaram and Palamoor Ranga Reddy Irrigation Projects, on rivers Godavari and Krishna, will become the life line of Telangana on completion. These projects shall provide new irrigation facilities to farmers in over 26 lakh acres and in stabilisation of 18 lakh acres in 24 districts of Telangana, KCR added. The chief minister also appealed to the Centre that the fast-growing states must be encouraged by tax incentives, if not by additional transfers from central funds. Hyderabad: It was yet another show of opposition unity in the national capital when four chief ministers, all regional titans, extended their support to Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal who has been protesting at the L-Gs office to seek an end to the IAS officers strike. However, despite being in Delhi, Telangana Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao, popularly known as KCR, gave the show of strength a miss. KCRs absence raised eyebrows among political circles because he was the first among opposition leaders to moot the idea of a federal front ahead of the 2019 elections and propose possible grouping of regional forces as an alternative at the Centre to bring qualitative change. Earlier too, the Telangana chief minister had skipped the first big show of opposition unity when he decided to not attend the swearing-in ceremony of HD Kumaraswamy in Karnataka. Telangana also did not participate when finance ministers of various states, with a common ideology on fiscal federalism, met in neighbouring Andhra Pradesh to discuss the concerns and impact of Terms of Reference (ToR) of the 15th Finance Commission. Interestingly, KCR met Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday to discuss various issues related to his state. The chief minister made a representation on 10 issues to which the Prime Minister positively responded. The Telangana Congress has accused the TRS chief of working as an agent of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). TPCC president Uttam Kumar Reddy said, KCRs proposed federal front was aimed at benefitting BJP. KCR has been working as an agent of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and BJP. He is afraid of opening his mouth before Modi. He is only playing gimmicks to divert attention of people from his failures. KCR, a seasoned politician, is known for strategically planning every political move. Professor K Nageshwar, a political analyst, said: Clearly, KCR is not adopting a confrontational stand against the Modi government be it the HD Kumaraswamy oath-taking ceremony or being part of states raising concern over the 15th Finance Commission. In Kejriwals case, all parties that extended support were non-BJP and non-Congress. Given his idea of a federal front, not extending support to this bloc only shows his hypocrisy. He added, In Telangana, the BJP is not a force and the Congress is the main opposition to TRS. So there is some soft corner for the BJP. For obvious reasons, KCR does not want to be seen as part of any alliance with the Congress when the state is scheduled to go into elections next year. Mumbai: In a bid to gain further political support, Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal called up Shiv Sena chief Uddhav Thackeray on Sunday while the latter told the AAP leader that he was disgusted with the situation in the national capital. Thackeray, who often comes out as a staunch critic of his NDA partner BJP, said, "In a democracy like ours, all the elected governments should have a free hand to run the state. After all, they have been elected on the people's mandate. They have popular support. That have to be respected." Although Shiv Sena leaders refused to label the conversation as an implied and understood support to Kejriwal and his ongoing protest, the conversation clearly shows that Thackeray is not particularly pleased with the events unfolding in the national capital. Sena sources, however, confirmed that for all the ten minutes that Thackeray and Kejriwal spoke, the conversation revolved primarily around the existing political happenings in Delhi. Kejriwal, along with three of his cabinet colleagues, have been lodged at the L-G residence since last Monday seeking an end to the IAS officers strike in the Delhi government over the past several months. The AAP chiefs protest has drawn huge support from several non-BJP state chiefs, including Bengal CM Mamata Banerjee, Kerala CM Pinarayi Vijayan, Andhra CM Chandrababu Naidu and Karnataka CM Kumaraswamy, who dropped in to meet Kejriwals wife on Saturday night and even sought a meeting with the protesting AAP chief. New Delhi: A senior Congress leader, when asked about what would be the biggest challenge in creating a Grand Alliance, once said, The biggest issue is managing egos. Will Mamata and Left come together? But the unlikeliest of politicians have done what Congress could not. Four days ago, nobody would have guessed that Mamata Banerjee and Pinarayi Vijayan would meet at Arvind Kejriwals house at 6, Flagstaff Road to express solidarity with the AAP chief. If there is a message in here for the BJP, there is also one for the Congress you, too, are dispensable in a federal front. Five chief ministers from five parties put up a show of unity on Saturday night. Together, these parties have 64 seats in the Lok Sabha. The Congress has 48. The reason Arvind Kejriwal seems like an unlikely linchpin for opposition unity is because, until recently, he was seen as a bit of a political pariah. When then Congress president Sonia Gandhi called for a meeting of opposition leaders to decide a consensus candidate for the presidential elections last year, there was one significant omission in the guest list Arvind Kejriwal. When RJD chief Lalu Prasad Yadav held a massive show of strength with an anti-BJP rally, Kejriwal was again, not invited. The message was always clear and Arvind Kejriwal had no place in this dream of a united opposition. With the exception Mamata Banerjee, Kejriwal seemed largely friendless. Slowly but surely, Kejriwal has been building personal equations with other leaders. In May, the combative AAP chief received a phone call from HD Kumaraswamy. The Janata Dal (Secular) state chief invited the Delhi Chief Minister to his swearing-in ceremony in Bengaluru. In February this year, he flew down to Madurai to be the only other politician at the launch of his friend Kamal Haasans new party, Makkal Needhi Maiam (MNM). When Kejriwal began his indefinite sit-in at the L-Gs house on Monday evening, the Aam Aadmi Party was alone in its endeavor. In its demands, the AAP did not receive any support from the Congress, whose Delhi unit chief Ajay Maken has called out Kejriwal for letting governance suffer. However, other regional players have expressed solidarity with the AAP. Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) Member of Parliament Manoj Jha visited the chief ministers house on Wednesday, where he met senior AAP leaders camped out there. Jha said the RJD supported the AAPs demand for full statehood for Delhi. RJD supports Delhis demand for full statehood. Delhi deserves better than a handicapped government and a truncated verdict. The L-G is just a puppet of Narendra Modi and Amit Shah. Delhi's mandate must be respected. Today, Arvind Kejriwal is the CM, tomorrow it may be someone else. But bureaucrats can't have the highest power. By doing this, you (Centre) are not victimizing Kejriwal or AAP, you are victimizing the people of Delhi, Jha told reporters at Kejriwals official residence on Flagstaff Road. Jayant Chaudhary, vice president of the western UP-based Rashtriya Lok Dal (RLD), tweeted his support for Kejriwal and said, A government-appointed official cant spare five minutes in three days to meet the popularly elected Chief Minister? Without the instructions and shelter of the Centre, such a thing would not be possible. This is governance failure. This is not an insult to Arvind Kejriwal, but an insult to the mandate of the people. Statements of support poured in from the CPI-M, CPI, JDS and SP. Mamata Banerjee, who has become kind of an all-weather friend for Kejriwal, also tweeted her support. On Saturday, Banerjee along with Naidu, Kumaraswamy and Vijayan met Kejriwals family. They requested the L-G to allow them to meet Kejriwal, who has been lodged at the L-Gs house since Monday, but were denied permission. On Monday, Congress leaders mocked Kejriwal for undertaking his dharna. Five days later, this appears to have been a missed opportunity for the Grand Old Party. Congress should have been there, said CPIs D Raja, summing up the turn of events. New Delhi: Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Chandrababu Naidu was locked in an interesting exchange with Union minister Rajnath Singh at a Niti Aayog meeting on Sunday, where the former reiterated his demand for special status to his state. Making a presentation before Prime Minister Narendra Modi, fellow chief ministers and several Union ministers, Naidu exceeded the 7-minute slot allotted for participants. Sources in Naidus office said that when Rajnath Singh tried to point this out to the Andhra CM, he reportedly quipped, Mine is a special state with special problems. I will take more time. Naidu then went onto speak for 20 minutes, sources added. The Chief Minister had prepared a 13-page document to include all his major demands. Naidu demanded a special category status (SCS) for his state focusing on non-fulfilment of assurances made in Rajya Sabha, including Special Category Status and provisions of Andhra Pradesh Reorganisation Act. The Telugu Desam Party (TDP) chief found support for his demand when Bihar chief minister Nitish Kumar vouched for it and took the opportunity to call for a special category status for his state as well. West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee also supported Naidus demand and urged the Prime Minister to grant SCS to Andhra Pradesh. The Andhra chief minister also raised the issue of Polavaram project and claimed that the Centre is yet to reimburse Rs 1,892 crore to the state government. The southern state has also been opposing the terms of reference of the 15th Finance Commission which, they feel, is penalizing states for performing well. Naidu found support from Banerjee on this issue as well. With the country grappling under agrarian crisis and all major farmer outfits demanding adoption of the MS Swaminathan report, Naidu stressed on the need to prepare a roadmap to implement recommendations on land reforms, irrigation, credit, insurance, food security, employment, farm produce and farmers efficiency. The Andhra Pradesh chief minister also opposed the use of socio economic caste census (SECC) for Ayushman Bharat scheme and claimed that it will limit the benefits to only 56 lakh families in the state. Other major highlights of the speech included revenue deficit grant and funds for education institutions. New Delhi: Union minister Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi has said the Narendra Modi government would have to do a lot more to gain the confidence of Muslims "whose minds have been poisoned over the last 70 years". Naqvi also said the BJP government would remind Muslims of the schemes the government started for their development and the efforts it made against 'triple talaq' during the campaigning for the 2019 elections. The minister had recently hosted an Iftar party for Muslim women. A few victims of 'triple talaq' had also attended it. "We have to do a lot more to gain the confidence of Muslims because their minds have been poisoned over the last 70 years. But, the good thing is that the new generation, the women are evaluating the BJP on its merits and demerits. This is a very positive development," Naqvi told PTI. On the BJP's defeat in the recent Kairana by-election, the minority affairs minister said it had not affected the party's "winning spree", but had certainly prompted it to have re-look at its strategy for the Lok Sabha elections. "It does not mean that we will lose all the elections. Now that we know that the opposition parties will stitch an alliance to contest the Lok Sabha polls, we will prepare a strategy to counter them," Naqvi said. Regional heavyweights have been mulling the idea of forming a "united front" to stop the BJP's juggernaut in 2019. The minister alleged that the Congress and other rival parties had "always used Muslims for vote bank politics" and had not done anything for their development. "The Congress and others always feel that Muslims will vote for them out of compulsion. So, they have never focused on their development and empowerment," he claimed, adding that the BJP government had honestly worked for the welfare of the community. The Narendra Modi government had taken various steps for "restoring the dignity" of Muslims and the BJP was not running after votes, he said. "To vote or not to vote is their democratic right," Naqvi added. Patna: In a rare show of strength, Bihar chief minister Nitish Kumar backed his Andhra Pradesh counterpart Chandrababu Naidus demand for according special category status to the southern state. Speaking at the governing council meeting of the NITI Aayog in New Delhi on Sunday, Kumar raised a similar demand for Bihar, saying the state lagged behind on indexes of human development, per capita income, education, health and institutional finance, thus making it a fit case for special status. Kumar said after carving out Jharkhand as a separate state, Bihar was left with very little resources. He also said a special cell under the planning commission, which was instituted to look into the needs of the state, should be revived as the NITI Aayog had replaced the commission. The Bihar chief minister demanded the release of Rs 2,600 crore as Backward Region Grant Fund (BRGF), which he claimed was due to his state. Criticising various centrally assisted schemes such as anganwadis and mid-day meal plans, Kumar said temples of education had been reduced to cooking centres, thereby undermining the quality of education. He said the state government had launched several initiatives for welfare which should be supported by the NITI Aayog. Since his return to the NDA fold, the chief minister has come under fire from the opposition in Bihar that has accused him of forgetting the demand for special status. The Rashtriya Janata Dal and the Congress have alleged that Kumar works under pressure from his alliance partner, the BJP. However, after the BJPs recent debacle in the bypolls and the defeat of the JD(U) candidate in the Jokihat assembly seat, Kumar has become a vocal critic of the Centres policies. New Delhi: A day after coming out in support of Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, who has been sitting on a dharna in L-G Anil Baijals office, four chief ministers Mamata Banerjee, Chandrababu Naidu, HD Kumaraswamy and Pinarayi Vijayan urged Prime Minister Narendra Modi for an immediate resolution to the deadlock. The four chief ministers met Modi on the sidelines of a crucial NITI Aayog meet in the capital. "I along with the Hon'ble CMs of Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka and Kerala have requested Hon'ble PM today to resolve the problems of Delhi government immediately (sic)," Banerjee tweeted after meeting with Modi. I along with the Honble CMs of Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka and Kerala have requested Honble PM today to resolve the problems of Delhi government immediately. Mamata Banerjee (@MamataOfficial) June 17, 2018 The four chief ministers were denied a meeting with Kejriwal on Saturday evening and had announced that they would raise the issue with the Prime Minister. The leaders had termed the situation "unconstitutional" and said the PM should make sure that the problem gets resolved. The open support to Kejriwal by the four regional heavyweights from the Trinamool Congress, Telugu Desam Party, Janata Dal (Secular) and Communist Party of India (Marxist) comes amid opposition efforts to cobble together a rainbow coalition ahead of the 2019 Lok Sabha elections. Kejriwal, his deputy Manish Sisodia and ministers Satyendar Jain and Gopal Rai have stayed put at the L-G office since Monday demanding that Baijal direct IAS officers to end what AAP described as their "strike" and approve doorstep ration delivery scheme. Banerjee also supported Naidu on the issue of 2011 Census being adopted by 15th Finance Commission in the NITI Aayog Governing Council meeting and requested not to penalise the performing states. (With PTI inputs) New Delhi: Just when the Congress was settling down for a quiet weekend, the drama unfolding in Delhi shook the grand old party out of its calm. Four non-NDA, non-Congress chief ministers Mamata Banerjee, Chandrababu Naidu, Pinarayi Vijayan and HD Kumaraswamy rallied behind Delhi counterpart Arvind Kejriwal, who has been sitting on a dharna at L-G Anil Baijals office for a week now. For the Congress, this show of unity by the federal front players is a worrisome prospect. As the race for 2019 heats up, the party seems to be at the tail end. The first tell-tale sign was visible at JD(S) leader HD Kumaraswamys swearing-in as Karnataka chief minister. The opposition put up a grand show of strength at the event, but it was Mamata Banerjee who emerged as the glue and catalyst for this unity. Even though it was a JD(S)-Congress alliance that was taking power, it was clear that other parties were calling the shots. For once, the Congress swallowed it pride and accepted playing second-fiddle. As speculation mounted that it would have to play a similar role in other states with powerful regional satraps, the Congress saw an opportunity in Delhi to assert itself. A long-term plan was drawn up and it was decided that Ajay Maken and Sheila Dikshit must bury their hatchet and join forces. This was almost as unthinkable as CPI(M)s Pinarayi Vijayan and Trinamool Congress chief Mamata Banerjee sharing space. But just as Vijayan and Mamata shared a podium on Saturday, Maken and Dikshit came together last week. The Congress had hoped that Kejriwals dharna would alienate him further and the Congress could benefit in the national capital. This is perhaps why when opposition parties spoke up in Kejriwals support, the Congress kept mum. If we could forgive the DMK in 2004 and go with the Samajwadi Party in Uttar Pradesh, what stopped us from showing support to Kejriwal? The problem is that the Congress failed to choose who was their bigger enemy, the BJP or AAP. They chose AAP as the bigger enemy, says a senior Congress leader. While the drama was unfolding in Delhi, a senior Congress leader called someone close to Rahul Gandhis office and suggested that a statement be issued. The person on the other end said he would discuss and call back. The call, however, never came and the message was clear the AAP was not to be shown any sympathy. The irony is that the Congress is fighting a similar battle in Puducherry, where Chief Minister Narayansamy is at logger heads with Lt Governor Kiran Bedi. On Sunday morning, Maken took on both the AAP and the BJP. BJP ! Ajay Maken (@ajaymaken) June 17, 2018 Still remember the unabashed apology radio ads by Kejriwal after his 49 days gov in 2014. Now-apology from Majithia,Jaitely,Sibbal...Why cant he just offer regrets to the CS and govern Delhi the way he is Constitutionally supposed to?Why should Delhi suffer his inflated ego? Ajay Maken (@ajaymaken) June 17, 2018 The Delhi drama had offered the Congress the perfect opportunity to corner the BJP, but the grand old party did not seem too keen on supporting the AAP. This lost opportunity has made the Congress look weak, selfish and unreliable. We could have played a lead role if we had supported opposition unity even if it meant supporting the AAP. But now, with what face do we go back to the table with other parties, a senior leader close to Sonia Gandhi said. Akhilesh Yadavs Samajwadi Party has Mayawatis BSP. Mamata Banerjees Trinamool Congress has Chandrababu Naidus TDP and K Chandrasekhar Raos TRS. Kejriwals AAP has many others now. But the Congress stands alone and away from a Mahagathbandhan. New Delhi: Criticising the decision of four non-NDA chief ministers to extend support to their Delhi counterpart Arvind Kejriwal who has been protesting at the L-G office, the BJP has questioned why they did not object to the assault on Delhi Chief Secretary Anshu Prakash. Senior BJP leader Vijay Goel said the four leaders "are in the national capital to attend the NITI Aayog meeting and not to do politics. It doesn't suit them". "Where were they when Delhi Chief Secretary Anshu Prakash was assaulted at Kejriwal's residence in his presence? And what will happen if the chief secretaries of their states also come out in support of Prakash," Goel said. West Bengal CM Mamata Banerjee, Andhra Pradesh CM Chandrababu Naidu, Karnataka CM HD Kumaraswamy and Kerala CM Pinarayi Vijayan have rallied behind Kejriwal and sought Prime Minister Narendra Modi's intervention in solving the "constitutional crisis. After their request for permission to meet the Aam Aadmi Party chief at the L-G's office was verbally denied, the four CMs reached Kejriwals home on Saturday evening. The open support to Kejriwal by the four regional heavyweights Trinamool Congress, Telugu Desam Party, Janata Dal (Secular) and Communist Party of India (Marxist) comes amid opposition efforts to cobble together a rainbow coalition ahead of the 2019 Lok Sabha elections. But the Congress, which has been eyeing a grand alliance of opposition parties, has been slamming the Delhi chief minister for the sit-in at Lieutenant Governor Anil Baijal's office. Kejriwal and three Cabinet colleagues have been staying put in a waiting room at Raj Niwas, protesting against what they call is a strike by the bureaucrats in the national capital. The four chief ministers, who are in Delhi to attend a NITI Aayog meeting on Sunday, are expected to take up the matter with the prime minister. "We came here to show our support to Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal. We demand that the prime minister interferes and takes necessary steps to solve the problem," Kumaraswamy said. "I wanted to meet the Delhi chief minister but I was told, verbally, that permission will not be granted. Then four of us wrote to the LG for an appointment, but we were told that he is not there. We were not allowed," Banerjee said. Earlier on Saturday, the four leaders met at Andhra Bhawan. The CMs met Kejriwal's wife, members of minister Satyendar Jain's family and several AAP leaders at the Delhi chief minister's home. We want this problem to be solved. This has become a constitutional crisis. Ultimately, if this problem is not solved, the people will face issues, Banerjee said. If this is happening in the capital, then what will happen in other states? We will meet the prime minister tomorrow (Sunday) and request him to intervene and solve the problem." The bureaucrats in Delhi are not meeting Delhi ministers as part of their protest against an alleged assault on Chief Secretary Anshu Prakash in February. They are demanding an apology from Kejriwal for the incident. (With PTI inputs) Jalalabad: An Afghan government ceasefire with the Taliban was extended on Saturday despite a suicide bombing killing at least 25, which marred an otherwise remarkable Eid holiday that has seen militants hugging security forces and civilians in celebration of the unprecedented truce. President Ashraf Ghani made the announcement in a rare televised address to the nation, in which he also asked the Taliban to extend their three-day ceasefire, which is due to end Sunday night. So far the group has not responded. "I order the security forces to remain on their defensive positions," Ghani said, adding details of the extension would be released later. The government's ceasefire was due to end Tuesday. Ghani's comments came on the second day of Eid, the Muslim holiday that caps the fasting month of Ramadan. It has been marked by incredible scenes of Taliban fighters greeting, embracing and even praying with security forces, politicians, and civilians across the war-battered country, including on the outskirts of the capital Kabul, in a mass outpouring of emotion over the first nationwide ceasefire since the 2001 US invasion. Satrday's attack in Rodat district in the eastern province of Nangarhar was the first major incident of violence since the start of Eid. There was no immediate claim of responsibility for the assault on a crowd celebrating the ceasefire, which provincial governor spokesman Attaullah Khogyani said in a statement killed at least 25 people and wounded 54. "A suicide bomber detonated among people, security forces and Taliban who were celebrating the ceasefire," Khogyani told AFP earlier. An Afghan security source told AFP that the Islamic State group -- which was not part of Kabul's ceasefire -- was to blame. Provincial health director Najibullah Kamawal confirmed the casualty toll. In the contested district of Bati Kot in Nangarhar on Saturday, Taliban fighters carrying assault weapons and rocket-propelled grenade launchers travelled openly by car and motorbike, waving Afghan and Taliban flags. Afghan forces manning checkpoints offered Eid greetings to the fighters, embracing and posing for photos with the same people they are usually trying to kill. Villagers also flocked around the insurgents, hugging them and happily taking selfies with the fighters as they celebrated Eid. Such scenes would have been unthinkable only a few days ago. "I am here to offer greetings to our brothers in the police and army," Taliban commander Baba told AFP. "We have held the ceasefire well so far. Everyone is tired of war and if our leaders order us to continue the ceasefire, we will hold it forever." The Taliban announced their truce for the first three days of Eid, which started on Friday, promising not to attack Afghan security forces for the first time in the nearly 17-year conflict. They said they would continue attacking US-led NATO troops. That came after Ghani announced that police and troops would cease operations against the Taliban for eight days, starting last Tuesday -- though he warned that operations against other militants, including IS, would continue. Ghani's extension of the ceasefire drew immediate international support. NATO's Resolute Support mission in Afghanistan and US Forces said in a joint statement they would respect the announcement. Extraordinary images posted on social media purportedly showing Taliban, security forces and civilians celebrating together served as powerful propaganda for both sides and fanned hopes among ordinary Afghans for the ceasefire to continue. "Look, they are brothers. If their leaders come, sit and talk just like their soldiers we will have peace tomorrow," Said Hasibullah posted on Facebook under a photo purportedly showing a Taliban fighter and Afghan soldier having a cup of tea together. The Taliban had "exploited" the opportunity to show their popularity among ordinary Afghans, a Western diplomat in Kabul told AFP. "(That's) no bad thing if they are able to see the benefits of talking not fighting," he said. The unusual bonhomie between the two sides also came as Ghani confirmed that Pakistani Taliban chief Maulana Fazlullah had been killed in a US drone strike. US forces targeted Fazlullah in a counterterrorism strike on Thursday in eastern Kunar province, close to the border between Afghanistan and Pakistan, US officials said, without confirming his death. Ghani said Pakistani leaders had assured him the strike was a "great step toward building trust between the two nations," while urging them to "bring (the) Afghan Taliban residing in Pakistan to the negotiation table." Pakistan has long been accused of supporting the Afghan Taliban and providing safe haven to its leaders, charges it denies. Domiz Camp: The world is failing to properly invest in the Syrian refugee crisis and families, women, and children are suffering terribly as a result, U.N. refugee agency special envoy Angelina Jolie said on Sunday. The Hollywood actress was visiting at the Domiz Camp, in the semi-autonomous Kurdistan Region of Iraq, which is home to 33,000 Syrian refugees displaced by seven years of civil war. Funding received by the U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) to help refugees from the Syrian conflict fell sharply this year from 2017 when the agency received only 50 percent of the funds it needed, Jolie told a news conference. "There are terrible human consequences. When there is even not the bare minimum of aid, refuge families cannot receive adequate medical treatment. Women and girls are left vulnerable to sexual violence, many children cannot go to school, and we squander the opportunity to invest in refugees," she said. UNCHR will publish figures on Tuesday that show that the number of displaced people globally, and the duration of their exiles, are "the highest they have ever been", she said. "At the same time political solutions seem to be completely lacking leaving a void that humanitarian aid cannot fill. Words like 'unsustainable' don't really paint a picture of how desperate the situation really is," said Jolie. She met families at the camp, including two mothers who are now widows caring for young children after their husbands died from conditions that could have been treated under normal conditions, Jolie said. UNHCR Special Envoy Angelina Jolie meets Falak, 8, during a visit to West Mosul, Iraq. In 2011, Domiz was a small camp housing tents. Now it is a town complete with concrete houses, shops and fast food stalls. Ahmed Hussein, a refugee father of nine children, one of whom died and five of whom are handicapped, said he and other refugees lacked access to basic treatment and could not find jobs. "I wish Angelina had come to my house to meet my handicapped children who need medical treatment," he said in his makeshift house where he has been living since 2015 when he fled the Syrian town of Qamishli with his family. MOSUL DEVASTATED On Saturday Jolie visited Mosul, the biggest city in northern Iraq, which Iraqi forces took back last year from Islamic State militants, who had occupied the city for three years, forcing 900,000 residents to flee. Jolie met families from western Mosul and walked through bombed out streets, video footage and photos provided by the UNHCR showed. Normality has returned to many parts of Mosul, with displaced residents leaving camps nearby to return home, but reconstruction in the Old City in West Mosul has been slow. It was largely destroyed during a campaign by a 100,000-strong alliance of Iraqi government units, Kurdish Peshmerga fighters and Shi'ite militias backed by air support from a U.S.-led coalition. "This is the worst devastation I have seen in all my years working with UNHCR. People here have lost everything," Jolie said in a U.N. statement. "They are destitute. They have no medicine for their children, and many have no running water or basic services," she said. "I hope there will be a continued commitment to rebuilding and stabilising the whole of the city. And I call on the international community not to forget Mosul." Jolie has worked for UNHCR since 2001, visiting uprooted civilians from Iraq to Cambodia and Kenya. This was her fifth visit to Iraq, UNHCR said. Kano, Nigeria: Suspected Boko Haram jihadists killed at least 31 people in a twin suicide bomb attack on a town in northeast Nigeria, a local official and militia leader told AFP on Sunday. Two blasts ripped through the town of Damboa in Borno state on Saturday evening targeting people returning from celebrating the Eid al-Fitr holiday, in an attack bearing all the hallmarks of Boko Haram. Following the suicide bombings, the jihadists fired rocket-propelled grenades into the crowds that had gathered at the scene of the attacks, driving the number of casualties higher. "There were two suicide attacks and rocket-propelled grenade explosions in Damboa last night which killed 31 people and left several others injured," said militia leader Babakura Kolo. Two suicide bombers detonated their explosives in Shuwari and nearby Abachari neighbourhoods in the town around 10:45 pm (2145GMT), killing six residents, said Kolo, speaking from the state capital Maiduguri, which is 88 kilometres from the town. "No one needs to be told this is the work of Boko Haram," Kolo said. A local government official, who spoke on the condition of anonymity, confirmed the death toll. "The latest death toll is now 31 but it may increase because many among the injured may not survive," said the official. "Most of the casualties were from the rocket projectiles fired from outside the town minutes after two suicide bomber attacked," he said. The jihadist group has deployed suicide bombers, many of them young girls, in mosques, markets and camps housing people displaced by the nine-year insurgency which has devastated Nigeria's northeast. On May 1 at least 86 people were killed in twin suicide blasts targeting a mosque and a nearby market in the town of Mubi in neighbouring Adamawa state. Nigerian President Muhammadu Buhari came into power in 2015 vowing to stamp out Boko Haram but the jihadists continue to stage frequent attacks, targeting both civilians and security forces. The militants stormed the Government Girls Technical College in Dapchi on February 19, seizing over 100 schoolgirls in a carbon copy of the abduction in Chibok in 2014 that caused global outrage. Islamabad: In a fresh trouble for Pakistan's ousted prime minister Nawaz Sharif, the anti-corruption body has launched another inquiry against him on a journalist's complaint that over Rs 56 million was sent out of the country by his family between 1988 and 1991, a media report has said. The development assumes significance as Sharif, his sons Hussain and Hassan, daughter Maryam, and son-in-law former army captain Muhammad Safdar are already facing three corruption charges for money laundering and illegal offshore holdings in the Panama Papers scandal. Sharif, 68, is currently in London along with Maryam to see his ailing wife Kulsoom Nawaz, despite the anti-graft body's request to put their names on the Exit Control List fearing they may not return to face corruption cases in court. The fresh inquiry over money laundering allegations was launched by the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) on the complaint of Asad Kharal, a journalist/columnist, an NAB spokesperson was quoted as saying. The complainant has provided details how Sharif and his family members allegedly sent money to foreign countries illegally, the report said. Hawala dealers from Peshawar Khaista Khan and Jamshed Khan were engaged by the Sharif family to siphon-off large amounts of funds through their bank accounts, according to the complaint. It said the Sharif family illegally sent funds converted into foreign currencies abroad regularly. The complaint said Khalid Siraj, a first cousin and business partner of Sharif, had disclosed in a statement recorded before the Federal Investigation Agency in the Panama Papers case, the Sharif family's misdeeds, including transfer of funds aboard and purchase of assets in foreign countries. "Between 1988 and 1991, Rs 56.896 million was sent out of the country," the complaint said. The NAB was informed that in 1988, USD 758,000 was remitted from the Bank of Oman in Sharjah to the bank's Lahore branch and then this money was converted into Foreign Exchange Bearer Certificates worth Rs 145.06 million and was distributed among close relatives of Sharif and partners of his family members, the report said. According to another allegation in the complaint, the Ramzan Sugar Mill owned by the Sharif family obtained USD 30 million from Faysal Bank in 1990 during Sharif's first tenure as prime minister and by misusing his official power. The Supreme Court had disqualified Sharif last year, forcing the three-time prime minister to resign. He, however, has dismissed as "politically motivated" the corruption charges linked to the Panama Papers case. The trial is in final stage as the Supreme Court has directed the trial court to conclude the case by July 10. The corruption references against Sharif and his family were filed after his ouster. Sharif had complained of not getting a "fair trial". He alleged the court had already decided to pass a verdict against him before the July 25 general election. The political future of Sharif, who heads the country's most powerful political family and is the de-facto leader of the ruling PML-N, is uncertain and he could be jailed if convicted. Vatican City: Pope Francis on Saturday called the practice of having an abortion after pre-natal tests have discovered possible birth defects a version of Nazi attempts to create a pure race by eliminating the weakest. Francis made the comparison in a long, off-the-cuff address to a members of a confederation of Italian family associations. "Children should be accepted as they come, as God sends them, as God allows, even if at times they are sick," he said. Francis then spoke of pre-natal tests to determine if a foetus has any illnesses or malformations. "The first proposal, in that case, is 'Should we get rid of it'? The killing of children. And to have a more tranquil life, an innocent is done away with," he said. "I say it with pain. In the last century the whole world was scandalised by what the Nazis did to pursue the pureness of the race. Today, we are doing the same thing, with white gloves." Under Nazi eugenics programmes, hundreds of thousands of people were forcibly sterilised and tens of thousands killed in an attempt to "clean" the chain of heredity of those with physical or cognitive disabilities. Valencia, Spain: Ships in the Aquarius aid convoy docked Sunday at the Spanish port of Valencia, ending a week long ordeal for hundreds of people who were rescued from the Mediterranean Sea only to become pawns in Europe's fight over immigration. The Italian coast guard vessel Dattilo was the first of the three boats bearing the 630 migrants to touch land just before 7 a.m. Sunday. The 270 migrants on board soon began to disembark after medical staff had made a preliminary inspection. The rescue ship Aquarius came in four hours later with another 106 migrants. Aid workers awaiting their arrival clapped and cheered as the first migrants walked down the gangway. Another Italian navy ship, the Orione, came in shortly after 1 p.m. The Aquarius, operated by the aid groups SOS Mediterranee Sea and Doctors Without Borders, was stuck off the coast of Sicily on June 9 when Italy's new populist government refused it permission to dock and demanded that Malta do so. Malta also refused. After days of bickering and food and water running low on the ship, Spain stepped in and granted the rescue boat entry. The 1,500-kilometer (930-mile) journey across the Mediterranean from Sicily to Valencia took nearly a week. David Noguera, the head of Doctors Without Borders in Spain, said he was glad Spain allowed the migrants in but he's worried that more European nations will close their ports to those rescued at sea in the future. "I have mixed feelings," Noguera told The Associated Press as the first boat arrived. "I am happy that the journey (for the Aquarius migrants) is over a journey that was too long and I am worried for the situation in the Mediterranean and the closing of European ports." The migrants were met by emergency workers, health officials, Red Cross volunteers and psychologists at the city's marina. Each were assigned to a translator and authorities worked to determine their identities before they were sent to welcome centers. The first migrant was a 29-year-old man from South Sudan. Valencia emergency official Jorge Suarez said some of the migrants were in a state of shock. "They are very shaken," Suarez said. "Put yourself in their position, you get off a ship and the first people who greet you are wearing masks." He said an examination of the 130 migrants from the Dattilo did not reveal any serious health problems but many passengers showed signs of exposure to high temperatures at sea. Spanish authorities are examining the migrants on a case-by-case basis to see who may qualify for asylum. Due to their ordeal, the migrants from the Aquarius have been granted special authorisation to remain in Spain for 45 days before they must begin resolving their legal situation. "We have to strike a balance between our sensibilities and humanity and our respect for the law," said Spain's migration minister, Magdalena Valerio. "These people could not be left adrift in the Mediterranean, where they would face death," she told Spanish radio Cope. "(The EU) must recognise that it needs an immigration policy that these times require." The migrants reportedly include 123 unaccompanied minors, 11 children and as many as seven pregnant women. After Spain invited the Aquarius to land, Italy sent the Dattilo and Orione to help transport the migrants. Meanwhile, several hundred more migrants were aboard an Italian coast guard vessel off Sicily on Sunday. The passengers came from a series of rescues in recent days, including ones carried out by cargo ships that the Rome-based coordination center asked to aid migrant boats in distress. They also counted 41 migrants who were taken aboard a U.S. Navy vessel on June 12, survivors of a sunken dinghy. A private aid ship said it couldn't assume the unexpected passengers from Trenton because Italy wasn't assigning it a port within its navigational capacity. The rescued people stayed on the Navy boat for several more days before being transferred to the Italian coast guard vessel on Sunday morning. The destination wasn't immediately announced, but the coast guard said it wouldn't dock until at least Tuesday. Italy's new interior minister, Matteo Salvini, thanked Spain for taking in the migrants who reached Valencia and said he wished the country would take in "66,629 more." Salvini, who heads the right-wing League party, said that if France, Malta and Portugal also open their ports to migrants rescued from smugglers' unseaworthy boats, "we'll be happier." The refusal by Italy and Malta to allow the Aquarius to dock has reignited a continentwide battle over how to handle immigration. Under the EU's asylum laws currently the subject of a major political dispute and under revision migrants must apply for asylum in the country where they first enter Europe. In practice, the policy has placed a heavy burden on Italy and Greece, where hundreds of thousands of asylum-seekers have arrived in recent years. Spain's new Socialist government has taken up the cause of the migrants to demonstrate its commitment to protecting human rights. But overall, the European Union's 28 members have not agreed in the least how to handle the influx of refugees and migrants to Europe. The issue has put strong domestic pressure on German Chancellor Angela Merkel, created a spat between France and Italy, and prompted eastern nations like Hungary and Poland to refuse to take in any migrants. Immigration will be a top issue at the EU leaders' June 28-29 summit. In addition, a new populist government in Italy one whose interior minister has vowed to deport tens of thousands of migrants as soon as he can will make any compromises on EU migration policy even more difficult. The warmer weather has caused a spike in migrants taking off from North Africa for Europe. Spain's maritime rescue service pulled 986 people from 69 small smuggling boats near the Strait of Gibraltar between Friday and Saturday, and also recovered four bodies. At least 792 migrants have died crossing the Mediterranean so far this year, according to the United Nations. Through the first five months of 2018, some 35,455 migrants reached European shores. Jalalabad: A suicide attack in restive eastern Afghanistan on Sunday killed at least 18 people and wounded 45, an official said, the second attack in as many days to mar an unprecedented ceasefire. The explosion happened outside the Nangarhar provincial governor's office in the capital Jalalabad, his spokesman Attaullah Khogyani told AFP. It was also close to the Indian consulate. Khogyani said 18 people had been killed and 45 wounded. An Afghan security source confirmed the suicide attack but gave a lower death toll of at least 10. There was no immediate claim of responsibility for the blast. Khogyani said a suicide bomber on foot had targeted Taliban, local elders and civilians as they left the governor's compound where they had attended a special event for the Eid holiday. On Saturday, a suicide attack on a gathering of Taliban, security forces and civilians in a district of the same eastern province of Nangarhar killed at least 36 people and wounded 65 others, provincial health director Najibullah Kamawal told AFP. The Islamic State group's Afghanistan franchise claimed responsibility for that attack. Sorry! This content is not available in your region Contemporary Amperex Technology Ltd. (CATL) has raised nearly $1 billion to fund new battery plants. China will be making 70 percent of the worlds electric-vehicle batteries by 2021, according to Bloomberg New Energy Finance (BNEF). China is already the worlds largest car market. They currently sell only a small fraction of vehicles and components globally. China sees EVs as the way to assert their global dominance in automotive, says Venkat Viswanathan, an assistant professor of mechanical engineering at Carnegie Mellon, whose work focuses on batteries. CATL shares rose by the maximum allowed in each of the first three days of trading, giving the Ningde-based company a value of more than $13 billion by the end of trading on June 13. CATL plans to build two new plants and expand existing facilities, pushing its capacity to nearly 90 gigawatt-hours by 2020. This is up from 17 gigawatt-hours of lithium-ion cells annually today. China has big subsidies for domestically produced electric vehicles. China has started to require higher energy density to qualify for subsidies. Battery makers are pushing their technology. There is a fast shift to a new generation of batteries containing more nickel and less cobalt, a metal that is in increasingly short supply. DANBURY The crime was like something out of a B-movie with a cheesy, cliche of a script. Drug smugglers, including celebrity attorney Todd Macaluso, were ready to use a private jet based out of Danbury Municipal Airport to move more than $13 million worth of cocaine through Central America. But as they were ready to start the first leg of the trip, federal agents tipped off by a confidential informant moved in. Macaluso, made headlines in 2011 when he successfully defended Casey Anthony against allegations that she murdered her 2-year-old daughter in Florida. Anthony was found not guilty after a trial that captivated the nation. Macaluso, 55, made headlines again two years ago when he and his co-conspirators were getting ready to take off in the jet from Haiti for Ecuador, where they were going to pick up the drugs. The cocaine was bound for Honduras and eventually the U.S. A San Diego, Calif., resident, Macaluso was found guilty of participating in the international drug ring after a trial last year. He was recently sentenced to 15 years in federal prison for the crime. The attorney, according to court documents, had agreed to use a Falcon 10 jet that was rented from the Danbury-based Maule Group to transport 1,500 kilograms of cocaine the limit of the planes cargo capacity from Ecuador to Honduras. The jet had been kept at Danbury Municipal Airport before it was confiscated by federal authorities. He had agreed to serve as the pilot for the trip in exchange for more than $150,000, court documents state. While no drugs had actually been transported on the plane, federal agents confiscated the aircraft. James Marquis, the managing director of the Maule Group, confirmed last year that Macaluso had rented the aircraft, a Falcon 10 jet, but did not have permission to fly the plane outside of the United States. Macaluso was a previous owner of the aircraft. Marquis could not be reached for comment this week to see if the plane had since been returned. The Falcon 10 is a popular corporate jet that can accommodate up to eight passengers. dperrefort@newstimes.com WASHINGTON - Democrats expanded their campaign Sunday to spotlight the Trump administration's forced separation of migrant children from their families at the U.S. border, trying to compel a change of policy and gain political advantage five months before midterm elections. Against a notable silence on the part of many Republicans who usually defend President Trump, Democratic lawmakers fanned out across the country, visiting a detention center outside New York City and heading to Texas to inspect facilities where children have been detained. In McAllen, Texas, where several Democratic lawmakers toured a facility, Rep. Vicente Gonzalez of Texas estimated that he saw about 100 children younger than 6. "It was orderly, but it was far from what I would call humane," he said. Seven Democratic members of Congress spent Sunday morning at the Elizabeth Contract Detention Facility in New Jersey, waiting nearly 90 minutes to view the facilities and visit five detained immigrants. "This is unfair and unconstitutional," said Rep. Adriano Espaillat, D-N.Y. Trump has falsely blamed the separations on a law he said was written by Democrats. But the separations instead largely stem from a "zero-tolerance" policy announced with fanfare last month by Attorney General Jeff Sessions. The White House also has interpreted a 1997 legal agreement and a 2008 bipartisan human trafficking bill as requiring the separation of families - a posture not taken by the George W. Bush or Obama administrations. Trump remained silent on the issue Sunday. In a radio address on Saturday, however, he brought up the topic of "unaccompanied alien minors" in a broadside against Democrats who he said had created "glaring loopholes" that let in young members of the MS-13 international gang. "Democrats in Congress have opposed every measure that would close these immigration loopholes and bring this slaughter to an end," he said after recounting a litany of crimes he said were committed by immigrants here illegally. He said he was defending "every American child." White House officials and allies on Sunday dug in and defended the policy, insisting as Trump has that the administration was following existing immigration law. "I don't think you have to justify it," former senior White House adviser Stephen K. Bannon told ABC's "This Week." "We have a crisis on the southern border." "They are criminals when they come across illegally," Bannon said. Senior White House adviser Kellyanne Conway answered critics' complaints by telling members of Congress to change immigration measures on the books. "If they don't like that law, they should change it," Conway said on NBC's "Meet the Press." The divisions between the White House and its critics on both sides of the aisle opened a signal week when it comes to the nation's immigration policies. President Trump was due to speak Tuesday to Republican members of Congress on the issue, which has confounded both ends of Pennsylvania Avenue for a generation. Republicans are considering two measures, both of which give the president much of what he has demanded, including billions for construction of a border wall, sharp curbs on legal immigration and other security mechanisms. But neither a conservative proposal - nor a more moderate one that would allow families to be detained together - was guaranteed enough support among party members who have long been split on how to deal with immigrants in the country or seeking entry. Democrats, actively denouncing the zero-tolerance policy, have remained united against the GOP measures but are pushing a bill by Sen. Dianne Feinstein of California to immediately block family separations. No Republican has publicly supported that option. After equivocating Friday about which of the two Republican immigration measures he would support - and shaking up GOP members seeking signs from the White House - Trump later said he would back either one. White House officials have said the president is betting that by continuing to separate families, he will gain political leverage in negotiations with Congress over a new immigration bill and cause a drop in the number of immigrants seeking entry. Trump cites as a negotiating tool his policy of separating immigrant children from their parents A sign of the difficult balance over which all sides were tussling came Sunday from a statement released by a spokeswoman for first lady Melania Trump. "Mrs. Trump hates to see children separated from their families and hopes both sides of the aisle can finally come together to achieve successful immigration reform," it said. "She believes we need to be a country that follows all laws, but also a country that governs with heart." In another development Sunday, two Republican senators publicly signaled their worry about the president's policy by asking for more information about children who reportedly have been taken from parents seeking political asylum at U.S. ports of entry. Seeking asylum is not a crime. "It is critical that Congress fully understands how our nation's laws are being implemented on the ground, especially when the well-being of young children is at stake," Sens. Susan Collins, Maine, and Jeff Flake, Ariz., wrote in a letter to the secretaries of Homeland Security and Health and Human Services. On CBS's "Face the Nation," Collins said breaking up families was "traumatizing to the children who are innocent victims." "From the experience of previous administrations, it does not act as a deterrent to use children in this fashion," Collins said. "It is inconsistent with our American values to separate these children from their parents unless there's evidence of abuse or another very good reason." At the same time, Collins was critical of Democratic efforts to end the policy, including the Feinstein measure, which Collins called "too broad." U.S. officials have said that the number of families who could be broken up might double and that the number of children who've already been taken from their parents - 2,000 over a six-week period from April to May - may be higher than what the administration has reported. Family separations could double, says Border Patrol chief in Rio Grande Valley Already, the policy has sparked a public relations crisis as the administration has been confronted with photos of young, bewildered children being separated from their parents at the border - a difficult scenario under any circumstances but one that landed with a particular poignancy on Father's Day weekend. Notable Republican allies, such as evangelist Franklin Graham, who has defended Trump at every turn of his presidency, have broken with the administration in recent days. Graham called the family separations "disgraceful." Other religious leaders and a host of child welfare organizations have fiercely criticized it, contending that it will harm the children throughout their lifetimes. Democratic leaders worked to maximize negative publicity over the weekend, hoping to prompt a national push against the policy that would also play to their benefit in November. Appearing on "Meet the Press," Rep. Adam Schiff, D-Calif., likened the president's demands to extortion. "What the administration is doing is, they're using the grief, the tears, the pain of these kids as mortar to build their wall," Schiff said. "It's an effort to extort a bill to their liking in the Congress." Rep. Beto O'Rourke, Texas, was one of several Democratic lawmakers who headed to the border or other detention centers this weekend to mark Father's Day with a public demonstration. He said on CNN's "State of the Union" that House Democrats would introduce legislation this week to ban the practice. "I hope to produce the outrage and the public pressure to force those in power to do the right thing," said O'Rourke, who is challenging Republican Sen. Ted Cruz in November. "This is inhumane. I'd like to say it's un-American, but it's happening right now in America," he added. "We will be judged for what we do or what we fail to do now. This is not just on the Trump administration - this is on all of us." O'Rourke also offered some sympathy to Border Patrol agents, whom "we're asking . . . to solve international problems." At the detention facility outside New York, Democrats challenged Republicans to join them in bringing separations to an end. The lawmakers arrived at 9 a.m. and protested loudly when security guards didn't let them in. The seven were eventually admitted and spent more than an hour looking at the facilities and talking to people who had children they were unable to see. "None of the people we met here had come for economic reasons," said Rep. Frank Pallone, D-N.J., who took notes on the detainees' stories after they were prevented from bringing in cellphones. "They were fleeing violence." When one reporter in the center asked why no Republicans had joined the protest, Pallone suggested that they were afraid to confront the Trump administration. "They won't challenge Sessions," he said. "They may agree with us, but they won't say it." Rep. Albio Sires, whose district includes the center, said he had come to the United States as an 11-year-old. "That's not the country I recognize, in there," said Sires, who was born in Cuba. "They don't even have a procedure in place when they take the kids." Rep. Jerrold Nadler, D-N.Y., said Democrats would introduce legislation to block funds for any family separation tactics, a companion to Feinstein's Senate legislation. "Trump said he's very much opposed to this policy," Nadler said. "So he'd have a chance to prove that." Rep. Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y., attacked Trump for blaming the separation policy on Democrats, and he challenged House and Senate Republicans to allow a vote to change it. "Stop lying to the American people," he said. "This is your policy. You are the ones that we will force to shut this down." As the members of Congress spoke, around 60 protesters joined them, some holding signs with pictures of immigrants who had been detained. --- The Washington Post's Sean Sullivan in McAllen, Texas, contributed to this report. NEW HAVEN It was a made-for-television moment: Wheres Toni? President Donald Trump said, looking around the East Room of the White House for New Haven Mayor Toni N. Harp in January after singling her out among a room of fellow mayors. Toni Harp. Where's Toni? Toni? Toni? Trump said, according to a transcript of the event released by the White House. When Harp wasnt there to stand, Trump joked that she might be a sanctuary city person and thats not possible, is it? Although Harp was in Washington, D.C., she had skipped the meeting because of actions taken by the Trump administration threatening 23 sanctuary cities cities that limit or refuse cooperation with federal immigration authorities. I just felt that it was an inappropriate time to visit the president, Harp told the Register after the Jan. 24 meeting. Four days later, Harp released a statement on behalf of the African American Mayors Association, of which she was president at the time, criticizing the Trump administration for conducting itself like racists and bigots. Mayors have an obligation to defend the cities they are elected to serve, and protect societys most vulnerable citizens. The rhetoric coming out of the White House is disheartening and offensive to the hardworking immigrants living and working legally across the country, Harp said. While the nation is divided over immigration reform and deportation of the undocumented, Harp standing with undocumented immigrants follows a long legacy of immigration to the Elm City, with many waves of ethnic groups making a home in New Haven over the last three centuries, transforming it into the multicultural city it is today; in 2016, a FiveThirtyEight analysis concluded that New Haven is the most demographically representative metropolitan area in the nation. Native Americans and the English According to an ethnic history released by The New Haven Ethnic Heritage Center, the first known people to live in New Haven were the Native American Quinnipiack Tribe. In 1638, 500 English Puritans colonized the area, creating a treaty with the Quinnipiack, which established the first American reservation on New Havens east shore. For the next 200 years, the English were the most numerous nationality in New Haven. It was the English who developed the nine squares downtown, which include the New Haven Green. The history of the plight of Native Americans is well documented. The remaining members of the Quinnipiack tribe left New Haven in the 1760s, according to http://colonialwarsct.org. There are about 17,000 people in Connecticut who are American Indian or Alaska Native, according to www.census.gov. African Americans Mara Lavitt / Journal Register Co. Today, New Haven proudly bears the Amistad Memorial outside City Hall, commemorating the U.S. Supreme Court case argued in New Haven that found Africans on a slave ship in 1839 had a right to mutiny and were acting in self-defense. In 1784, Connecticut passed a bill emancipating black and biracial children born after that date by the age of 25 and in 1820, African Americans were 7.5 percent of New Havens population. Around this time, free blacks began to move to New Haven, moving from the South and the rural North. Connecticut was not always a leader in the abolition movement, however. According to the New Haven Ethnic Heritage Center, Connecticut had the largest number of enslaved people in New England 6,464 people at the time of the American Revolution, and although the importation of enslaved people to Connecticut was outlawed in 1774, emancipation bills were rejected by the legislature in 1777, 1779 and 1780. In 1848, Connecticut was the last state in New England to abolish slavery. Financial opportunities were few, however, and free blacks often were servants whose housing was tied to the wealthy families they served or segregated to the Dixwell area. Black residents quickly became an important part of city life, including establishing churches as segregation kept the faithful from full participation in other congregations. One example of a historic black church is Varick Memorial AME Zion Church on Dixwell Avenue, the second-oldest AME Episcopal Zion parish in the world. It remains a vibrant, active parish to this day. Irish and Germans Contributed / Courtesy of University of New Haven / Around 1846, after many Irish had begun to starve because of a major potato famine, about one million emigrated to America. By 1850, 76 percent of New Havens foreign-born population was Irish. Most of the Irish arriving in New Haven had been unskilled farmers, and they began working as servants. Anti-Irish sentiment rose, as they were viewed by many to be lowering wages and working conditions. New Havens first synagogue, Mishkan Israel, was founded on Grand Avenue in 1840 by German Jews. That year, between 15 and 20 German Jewish families lived in the city. In the late 1840s, skilled Germans seeking to escape proletarian revolts traveled to New Haven for new opportunities. Many of these Germans were Jews, according to the New Haven Ethnic Heritage Center, and they became tailors, merchants, druggists and restaurateurs.. The German and Irish in New Haven predominantly settled in the Hill neighborhood on Congress Avenue. Poles Esteban L. Hernandez / Hearst Connecticut Media / Esteban L. Hernandez / Hearst Connecticut Media Between the 1880 and 1920 Census, the Polish population in New Haven grew from 52 to 3,009. Roughly in that time period, 3 million Poles traveled to America, many of them rural and unskilled. Many found jobs in factories or on Westville and Fair Haven farms. Patty Nuelsen, director of development for the New Haven/Leon Sister City Project, which sends delegations from New Haven to the citys Nicaraguan sister city, said her passion for the cultural exchange is rooted in her own experience growing up in a Polish Catholic community on State Street. I got very attracted to the idea of a sister city with Nicaragua because of that identification of how much it means to be sharing cultures. Nobody is untouched by different cultures that come into their own community, and New Haven is a perfect example of that, she said. In a lot of ways, in a lot of quarters of the city, theres still an attachment to ethnic origins and bringing that into the city. The Sister City Project, she said, exposes people in New Haven to a shared humanity and how differently people live, even in the face of poverty stemming from multiple factors including American imperialism. Nuelsen said she believes her upbringing as a Polish-American in New Haven had a similar effect, being rooted in Polish tradition but also having exposure to other cultures. Italians Greg Morago / Hearst Although immigration by Swedes and Russian Jewry to New Haven swelled by the hundreds in the late 19th Century, the largest wave of immigrants to the city began arriving in the 1880s: the Italians. As Irish immigrants began to acquire more wealth, Italian men looking to earn and save money in America began replacing them around Wooster Square. By 1930, there were more than 14,500 Italian immigrants living in New Haven. In 1925, Italian immigrant Frank Pepe opened the first Frank Pepe Pizzeria Napoletana, arguably the citys most popular attraction besides Yale University. U.S. Rep. Rosa L. DeLauro, D-3, a daughter and granddaughter of Italian immigrants, has represented the Elm City in Congress since 1991. She said the social safety nets of churches and social groups created by early Italian immigrants built strength and community. These were, if you will, places where it was social, but if they lost their jobs or needed help they congregated in specific areas, she said. Wherever they went, they stuck together. They recreated a piece of the old country and they drew on their Italian roots, which helped them to grow strong, and in New Haven it was in Wooster Square. DeLauro said she learned her values from various communities: the church and the kitchen table. The press often asks me, Congresswoman DeLauro, what motivates you to take on the issues you take on and vote the way you do? Quite frankly, its an easy answer, she said. It is about being brought up in an Italian Catholic household in Wooster Square. DeLauro said her grandparents worked hard to sustain their pastry shop Canestris, with her grandfather baking pastries at night and her grandmother selling them during the day. After her grandmother became widowed, she became iconic to the shop, DeLauro said. Her mother worked long hours at a sweatshop, where they turned the needles on at the start of work and did not turn them off until the end of the shift. Her mother, Luisa, went on to be the longest-serving alder in New Havens history, and DeLauro said she never gave up or took no for an answer. The story of her generation is the story of strength, of perseverance and of faith, she said. My mother was a force of nature. She loved politics, she loved government, but most of all she understood what government and politics could do and how it could make a difference in peoples lives. Her father, she said, came to New Haven with his father in 1913 without the ability to read or write in English. He was mocked in the seventh grade when asked to define the word janitor, believing it to mean family for its similarity to the Italian word for parents, genitori. He stopped seeking a formal education, but never stopped learning, DeLauro said. He was self-made. He taught himself and was a great reader of the classics who could quote Emile Zola. He was a great lover of music and the opera and served in the U.S. Army, she said. Now, DeLauro says she feels blessed to have grown up in an immigrant family in New Haven, who could have only dreamed she would serve in the U.S. government. I can emulate them in trying to help those who are less fortunate, she said. Puerto Ricans Peter Hvizdak/Hearst Connecticut Media Already American citizens, Puerto Ricans began moving to New Haven in significant numbers in the 1950s. The number began to grow into the 1960s, and in 1966, the Asociacion Cultural Hispana formed to serve as a coalition for Spanish-speaking New Haven residents. In 1969, Junta for Progressive Action came into existence. Alicia Caraballo, currently interim director of Junta for Progressive Action, is the daughter of one of the organizations founders. My mother was active here back in the late 60s. At the time there was a growing Puerto Rican community here and there were a lot of concerns during that era with civil rights, she said. Although all of New Havens ethnic groups were involved in fighting in World War II and the citys factories were booming with business, by mid-century the factories were once again closing and parts of the city were seeing an increase of crime and poverty. Additionally, many in New Haven joined the anti-war movement in the 1960s and 1970s, bolstered by radical groups with roots in the community such as the Black Panthers. Caraballo said Junta was another community group offering assistance as a culture of community activism formed in the city. Activists made sure there was advocacy and direct services provided not only to Puerto Ricans, but all Latinos in the city, and that has continued to be a priority for this organization, she said. I think right from the beginning there was and continues to this day a feeling about working together and recognizing it doesnt make sense if everyone is out on their own. We can accomplish so much by being together and working together. Caraballo said the spirit continues today, as Junta for Progressive Action has accommodated and assisted nearly 1,000 Puerto Rican evacuees following two hurricanes that struck the island last summer. Sergio Olmedo-Ramirez, a 22-year-old staff organizer for Junta for Progressive Action, said he was led back to the organization and community because of how much it supported him as an undocumented Mexican immigrant coming to New Haven in 2004. I call New Haven my home. This is the community I really identify with, he said. Sanctuary City In 2007, federal immigration officials raided the city and made arrests days after the city unveiled its Elm City Resident Card, the first of its kind in the nation, which was designed to give documentation to all of the citys residents, as many undocumented residents were targeted for crimes and fearful of making reports. The ensuing protests from the community, Olmedo-Ramirez said, stuck with him. I was in the seventh grade, and I felt protected in New Haven, that I could speak out as undocumented and people were not going to turn and treat me differently, he said. Now, Olmedo-Ramirezs job is to assist Latino immigrants in finding resources and offering them help. Its my way of giving back, he said. In this decade, New Havens status as a sanctuary city has been a high-profile feature in its ongoing history of immigration and changing ethnicity. In summer 2017, Norwalk mother Nury Chavarria facing deportation to Guatemala after living in Connecticut for a quarter-century was offered sanctuary in New Havens Iglesia de Dios Pentecostal Church before being granted an emergency stay of deportation. Chavarria was the first of several to seek sanctuary in a New Haven church last year. Nelson Pinos Gonzalez, a New Haven resident, has stayed in First and Summerfield United Methodist Church since November to avoid deportation to Ecuador. He took the place of Meriden resident Marco Antonio Reyes Alvarez, who stayed in the church for three months, avoiding immediate deportation also to Ecuador. Last year, the New Haven Board of Education also developed protocols and guidelines preparing against raids by federal immigration authorities. Following Trumps election after he ran a campaign on fighting illegal immigration, city officials and students at Yale University made demands that the city recommit itself to its sanctuary city policies. Sanctuary cities matter in this country, said New Haven Alder Darryl Brackeen at a Yale protest in favor of making the university a sanctuary campus. We must stand up for what is right; we must stand up for what is true. Kica Matos, director of immigrant rights and racial justice at the of Washington, DC-based Center for Community Change, said New Haven is and always has been a city of immigrants. Wander around the city and you will see how immigrants have shaped and continued to shape our neighborhoods, she said. Take a stroll down Grand Avenue and you will see the contributions of our most recent wave of Latino immigrants. No matter what Trump and his administration want us to believe, we are a nation of immigrants. Successive waves of immigrants from all over the world have shaped our citys diversity, enriched our culture and added to our strength as a city and nation. And that is something we should all be proud of. Reach Brian Zahn at brian.zahn@hearstmediact.com. Ned Coll was walking along the beach in Madison when he encountered a property owner who was standing on a sea wall, staring angrily at the intruder. What are you doing here? the man shouted at Coll. Im walking here! Coll told him. I paid for this wall! the property owner said. I paid for this water, Coll replied. Who cleans up an oil slick here? The state of Connecticut. Thats my tax money. This property is mine and you have no right to it, the man said. (Maybe he was conveniently ignorant of the fact that the beach below the average high tide mark is public.) Coll walked back toward the property man and pointed at the mans American flag. If this is how you feel about freedom, Coll told him, you ought to take down that flag. It was a classic Ned Coll moment and I was there to witness it as a reporter on that hot day in July 1977. The headline on my story in the New Haven Register: Blistered and besieged, Ned Coll forges on. The subhead was what Coll muttered as he stalked away from that angry property owner: They think they own the whole Long Island Sound. I was there for just a small part of that 12-day odyssey; Coll and two of his supporters walked the entire Connecticut shoreline. The hostility toward Coll intensified as he headed west, into the super-wealthy towns of Fairfield County. When Coll had another confrontation with a homeowner, they exchanged blows. Coll got a black eye to go with his blisters. You might be wondering: why bring this up again now? Isnt this just ancient history for us, an odd series of events by a crusader in the 1970s? No, I think its an evergreen issue. Summers here and the time is right for us to start thinking about how we use our beaches and how they might be shared with poor people who are stuck in hot cities such as New Haven, Hartford and Bridgeport. People of a certain age remember how Coll dramatically called attention to the open beaches issue. Coll, a white activist who then lived in Hartford, would bring a busload of black kids and their adult supervisors to a beach in Madison, Clinton, Branford, Old Saybrook or Westport and assert their right to swim below the high water mark. As you might imagine, this did not go over well. They were not welcomed. Many parents rounded up their kids and kept them away from the strange, unknown black children. Others called out racist remarks. There were only a few property owners who dared risk the wrath of their neighbors by saying: Sure, you can come into my house and be my guest. Go ahead and use my bathrooms. Coll had creative ways to attract reporters and shine a light on Connecticuts unequal beach scene. Perhaps his greatest stunt came on July 4, 1974, when he arranged for a parachutist carrying a banner reading Free Americas Beaches to land in the water alongside the Madison Beach Club at the same time Coll and 65 mothers, kids and volunteers from Hartford hopped off three boats and waded ashore. Coll triumphantly planted an American flag in the sand. Scenes such as this are described in detail in a new book by Andrew W. Kahrl, Free the Beaches: The Story of Ned Coll and the Battle for Americas Most Exclusive Shoreline (Yale University Press). Kahrl certainly did his homework. The book provides a record and explanation of how Connecticuts beachfront properties were gobbled up throughout the 20th century by private beach associations and wealthy people who had the money to buy land near the water and build homes there. Then the residents passed exclusionary zoning laws and set up regulations making it all but impossible for poorer out-of-towners to get to the beach. Kahrl also wrote an op-ed for the New York Times, published last month. He titled it The Norths Jim Crow and explained how Connecticut and other parts of the Northeast set up their own version of the Jim Crow laws that discriminated against black people in the South. In his essay and in his book, Kahrl told how Constance Baker Motley, who grew up in New Haven during the 1930s and later became a civil rights icon and judge, accompanied two white teenage friends to a private beach in Milford. Although Motleys white friends were not members (of that beach association), they went there often, Kahrl wrote in his op-ed. But with an African-American joining them, Motley recalled, there was suddenly a membership requirement. The three returned to New Haven, Motley dripping in sweat and stewing in indignation, her white friends having learned an important Jim Crow lesson. In his book, Kahrl often uses the word segregated to describe our Connecticut beaches. He said the many restrictive laws and policies of shoreline towns have made this form of segregation almost impossible to undo. Ned Coll was among the few who tried. Reading Kahrls book didnt make me proud to be a Connecticut resident. Some of the attacks on Coll and his followers were shocking. Example: in 1972 Coll rented a cabin in Old Lyme, using it to gain beach access for those Hartford kids. Throughout the summer, there were frequent harassing phone calls made to the cabin. It was broken into, ransacked and vandalized. After the summer ended, somebody set fire to the cabin and it was destroyed. In the summer of 1973, Coll set up operations in a cluster of cabins in Madison. He and his supporters were regularly subjected to racist epithets. Then, on June 1, two white men invaded a cabin and pounced on one of Colls female volunteers. They punched her and cut her face with a shard of broken glass. Madison police never tracked down the assailants. I also ruefully realized while reading Kahrls book that neither I nor anyone in my family, in all the years we rented cottages on a private beach in Madison (I no longer rent there) ever invited a dark-skinned city kid to join us. Coll labored for many years, well beyond the 1970s, to help poor people by rounding up volunteer tutors, delivering heating oil to cold families, etc.. In 1972, he ran for president, using loopholes in state laws to assemble enough signatures to get onto the ballot. During a presidential debate, he illustrated the problems faced by poor city residents by holding up a large rubber rat. Whatever happened to Ned Coll? I was able to reach him by phone last week at his home, a cabin in rural Barkhamsted, quite a different setting from his longtime inner city Revitalization Corps office and apartment in Hartford. He is now 78, divorced and lives alone in the cabin. But Coll told me Im very upbeat about stuff. He credited Jesus Christ for this and often during our conversation recounted what Kahrl wrote in his book: Coll believes that on Pentecost Sunday of 1990 he had a vision and saw the Virgin Mary. Coll now describes himself as a prophet. Coll told me Christ helped me walk all those miles of shoreline protest. It was all part of Gods plan. He believes his years of effort had an impact on the shoreline issue. But he acknowledged that still only about six miles of Connecticuts 253 miles of shoreline are accessible to the public. As we get into the summer, Coll said, people should share the beach. They could have poor children and their families as guests. Coll seems to still have some fight in him. Im thinking of doing a prayer walk along the Connecticut shoreline this summer, he said. We agreed to keep in touch. As we ended our conversation, Coll signed off by saying; Godspeed. randall.beach@hearstmediact.com This appeared in Sunday's Washington Post. - - - Follow the rules. That's what people fleeing violence or persecution in their home countries and seeking asylum in the United States are being told by the Trump administration under its zero-tolerance immigration policy. Don't cross the border anywhere other than at official ports of entry. If you do, your bid for asylum won't be heard, you will be criminally prosecuted and, if you have children, they will be taken from you. But the real message being sent, judging by troubling reports of asylum seekers being turned away at legal border crossings, is that the administration has undertaken a drastic escalation of its efforts to limit immigration and discourage asylum seekers. No measure, it seems, is too extreme. Getting the most attention, as it should, has been the separation of families that has resulted from the administration's policy of prosecuting everyone (including asylum seekers) who crosses into the United States illegally. Previously, most illegal crossers were paroled while awaiting court proceedings, which allowed families to remain together. Hundreds of children have been taken from their parents, and the accounts of suffering have been heart-rending: toddlers crying themselves to sleep; mothers being falsely told their babies were being taken away only to be bathed; a father killing himself in a detention cell after his child was taken from him. There also have been reports of U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers turning back asylum seekers, mostly from Central America, who try to present themselves, as is their legal right, at El Paso and other legal crossings on the Mexican border. "I wanted to do everything legally, to ask for asylum in the proper way, but this is a setback I did not expect for us," Justo Solval, a 25-year-old laborer who traveled with his 21-month-old son from Guatemala, told The New York Times of having to camp out for more than a week on the streets of Nogales. Asylum seekers are not being told that they can't apply for asylum, just that they have to wait because the port of entry is at capacity and unable to process claims. It's "the immigration equivalent," Robert Moore wrote in The Post, "of a 'no vacancy' light over the Rio Grande." Advocates for asylum seekers are skeptical of those claims, pointing to a lack of data to back them up. We will take the agency at its word about stretched resources and the multiple missions of Customs and Border Protection. But that raises the critical question of why the administration implemented such a drastic policy change affecting asylum seekers - requiring them to present themselves only at official entry points - with so little regard for the consequences. Why, for example, aren't there plans to set up temporary processing facilities, as was done during a surge in asylum requests during the Obama administration? The answer is obvious. Just as the Trump administration doesn't think twice about trampling on American values by separating children from parents, it doesn't mind turning its back on the country's proud tradition of offering harbor to the persecuted. UPDATE: Suspected gunman killed in shooting ID'd as gang member with violent past Twenty-two people were wounded early Sunday - 17 from gunshots - when multiple people started shooting at each other inside the Art All Night event in Trenton. One person, a 32 year-old male, was killed, and suspected to be one of the shooters, Mercer County Prosecutor Angelo Onofri said Sunday morning. Police took a second suspect into custody at the scene. During a press conference Sunday, Onofri said authorities "believe" the alleged gunman who died was shot and killed by police. Among the wounded is a 13-year-old boy in extremely critical condition, the prosecutor said. What started the shooting is under investigation, but Onofri said Art All Night itself does not appear to have been the target. "All indications are that this was a dispute between individuals that occurred at Art All Night," Onofri said. About 1,000 people were at the event when the gunfire erupted. The event, billed as "24 hours of "community, creativity, and inspiration," and held at the historic Roebling Wire Works building on South Clinton Avenue, turned to chaos shortly before 3 a.m. People ran from the event into nearby streets as police descended on the building and alternately looked for shooters and treated victims. Irvin Higgenbotham, a resident who said he comes to the event every year, was shot in the leg early Sunday morning. Higgenbotham said he was walking inside the event with his bike when he heard the shots going off. "It was like, pow, pow, pow and then I was laying down on the ground," he said. A bullet struck his leg, he said, and a woman who was at the event helped him until he was able to be treated. Higgenbotham returned to the scene of the shooting at about 8:45 a.m. Sunday, after being released form the hospital, to find out what happened, and how he got caught in the middle of the shooting, he said. Onofri described a chaotic and confusing scene early on: Trenton police were swamped with 911 calls reporting a shooting inside the venue, and the first police officers on scene radioed they needed critical assistance and backup. Trenton police were working off-duty security at the event, and there were no metal detectors inside the building, authorities said. The event occurs both inside and outdoors. Police later recovered firearms at the scene. Videos posted on social media showed police and attendees huddling behind cars and helping the wounded. Maurice Lennon, 31, said he wanted to get one last look at the art inside the building with his friend early Sunday when he heard gunfire. "We heard the first shots ring out inside the art gallery. The first shot, then the second shot before it resonated that: Wow that's gunfire," Lennon, of Trenton said in a phone interview Sunday. "You saw the doors bust open, everyone starting running out and panicking. I ended up getting tripped and fell and I ended up crawling." Lennon said he has cuts on his legs and arms from crawling and being stepped on by other people fleeing the shooting. "I've gone to this event for several years. I've been going for the past several years, never anything like this," Lennon said. "I've always bragged that this is Trenton's best event ... it's always peaceful I've always felt safe." An Art All Night Facebook page said Sunday it was canceling the rest of the event. Its with great regret that we announce that the remainder of Art All Night has been cancelled due to a tragic incident... Posted by Art All Night - Trenton on Sunday, June 17, 2018 A major police presence remained in the area later Sunday. This is the event's 12th year. Seventeen people, including 13 with gunshot wounds, were taken to Capital Health Regional Medical Center in Trenton, spokeswoman Kate Stier said. Four of the victims are in critical condition; the alleged gunman was declared dead at the hospital. None of the surviving victims had been released as of 11:20 a.m., but Stier said some are expected to be released later Sunday. Outside the event space in Trenton Sunday morning, tables with food and drinks were abandoned and trash cans turned over, with garbage littered around the area as investigators remained on the scene. Trenton Mayor Eric Jackson issued a statement Sunday saying he was saddened that the shooting happened on Father's Day during what is typically a very positive event. "All shootings -- whether multiple or singular, whether in a city or a suburb -- are a crisis," Jackson, a Democrat, said. "In Trenton we have been tackling this issue for quite some time. This can't be discarded as just random violence; this is a public health issue." Trenton's mayor-elect, state Assemblyman Reed Gusciora (D-15th Dist.), issued a statement saying he attended Art All Night Saturday, and was unsure about the popular event's future. "I hope that Art All Night does continue but we are going to have to reevaluate security measures in the future," he said. "It will be a top priority of my administration to make Trenton a safer city." Reporters Karen Yi, Bill Duhart, and Sophie Nieto-Munoz contributed to this report. This post has been updated to reflect the age of the deceased man -- he was 32. Kevin Shea may be reached at kshea@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter@kevintshea. Find NJ.com on Facebook. A 48-year-old Florida Keys man led police on a brief chase Thursday (June 14), which ended with him leaping out of his car and chugging a beer in front of the deputy who tried to pull him over, according to WPLG-10, an ABC affiliate in Miami. Daryl Riedel of Big Coppitt Key told the deputy he tried to flee because he was scared, WPLG reported. Riedel was booked into the Monroe County Sheriff's office jail Thursday evening on three felony charges -- one count each for DUI fourth or subsequent offense, fleeing and eluding police and driving with a suspended license -- as well as two misdemeanor charges -- one count for reckless driving and refusal to submit a DUI test -- according to online court records. Preachers tell the story of the young pastor who launched his first sermon by assailing various sins that his new flock also found abominable. To shouts of "Amen," and "Preach it, brother," the reverend vigorously attacked the sex, drugs and rock 'n' roll that no longer held much temptation for his elderly congregation. But when he turned his focus on the transgressions of gossip, grumbling and failing to tithe, the gathering suddenly turned quiet. "Now," someone could be heard saying in the back, "he's gone from preaching to meddling." That may help explain U.S. Attorney General Jeff Sessions' awkward defense Thursday (June 14) of a new zero-tolerance immigration policy that separates children from their parents at the border and no longer routinely grants asylum to victims of domestic abuse and gang violence. The changes were quickly condemned by the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, the Southern Baptist Convention and even the Rev. Franklin Graham, a usually dependable defender of President Donald Trump. "I think it's disgraceful, it's terrible to see families ripped apart, and I don't support that one bit," Graham said in an interview Tuesday, although he went on to blame previous administrations more than Trump's. Sessions took exception to the "concerns raised by our church friends about separating families," calling the criticism "not fair or logical" and quoting scripture to defend the administration's tough new policies. "Persons who violate the law of our nation are subject to prosecution," Sessions said in a speech to law enforcement officers in Fort Wayne, Indiana. "I would cite you to the Apostle Paul and his clear and wise command in Romans 13 to obey the laws of the government because God has ordained them for the purpose of order. Orderly and lawful processes are good in themselves and protect the weak and lawful." White House Press Secretary Sarah Sanders, daughter of former Baptist minister-turned-presidential candidate Mike Huckabee, later told reporters that it is "very biblical to enforce the law." Well, that's one way to read it. But on the other hand, Moses defied Pharaoh. Daniel refused to fall down and worship the golden image of Nebuchadnezzar. John the Baptist was beheaded for calling out the sins of Herod. And the Apostle Paul, himself, was forced to write Ephesians, Philippians, Colossians and Philemon from prison because of unjust laws. It's never a good idea to justify your point with a Bible verse or two. Just a chapter earlier Paul is urging his readers to reject the views of this world and discern the will of God through their renewed minds in Christ. He exhorts them to "Abhor what is evil; hold fast to what is good. Love one another with brotherly affection." And finally, "Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good." Sessions announced last month a zero-tolerance policy in which the Justice Department would begin prosecuting everyone who illegally crosses the Southwest border. That means that migrants traveling with children or unaccompanied minors are automatically detained instead of released. U.S. immigration law charges adults with a crime, but not the children, which means they're held separately. The Associated Press, citing U.S. Customs and Border Protection figures from two weeks in May, reported that more than 650 children were separated from parents. A thorough reading of the Bible will tell you that qualifies as evil. The Southern Baptist Convention, the nation's largest Protestant denomination with 15.74 million members including many of the white evangelicals who helped elect Trump, made it clear where it stands on the issue during its annual gathering this past week. A resolution passed by the convention notes that, "God commands His people to treat immigrants with the same respect and dignity as those native born (Leviticus 19:33-34; Jeremiah 7:5-7; Ezekiel 47:22; Zechariah 7:9-10) and Scripture is clear on the believer's hospitality towards immigrants, stating that meeting the material needs of 'strangers' is tantamount to serving the Lord Jesus Himself (Matthew 25:35-40; Hebrews 13:2)." The resolution encourages "all elected officials ... to do everything in their power to advocate for a just and equitable immigration system" and affirms "that all immigrants are either brothers and sisters in Christ or people whom God loves and has given us an opportunity to reach with the gospel where otherwise they may never have heard." Christians respect the law, but they also are grateful for mercy. Paul's call to the believers in Rome was to follow the God-decreed government when it is doing good not when it was commanding evil. When Peter and the other apostles were ordered to stop preaching they replied, "We must obey God rather than any human authority." Sometimes preaching feels like meddling to the government. Tim Morris is an opinions columnist at NOLA.com | The Times-Picayune. He can be reached at tmorris@nola.com. Follow him on Twitter @tmorris504. All 100 United States senators voted to award Steve Gleason with the Congressional Gold Medal on Thursday (June 14), putting him on track to receive the highest honor Congress can give civilians. The former Saints player is one of only two nominees to make it this far in the nomination process of the current Congress, according to a news release from Sen. Bill Cassidy. Before being signed by the president, the bill must pass in the House, but it was not immediately clear when the House will take up that vote. Cassidy spoke on the Senate floor Thursday, where he said Gleason's story is compelling and impactful. "He is an example of what makes our country great. He has given hope to many. He gives hope to all those who have ever received a devastating diagnosis, and his message is simple: Your life still has meaning. Your best years can still be ahead of you," Cassidy said. The bill was introduced in April and recognizes Gleason for his work through the Gleason Initiative Foundation to provide individuals with neuromuscular diseases or injuries with the assistance they need to thrive; his advocacy for federal legislation ensuring people living with diseases such as ALS have access to speech generating devices; and his leadership in bringing together the single largest coordinated and collaborative ALS research project in the world. Previous recipients of the award include Mother Teresa, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., Walt Disney, Rosa Parks and Thomas Edison. "I am extremely honored, even overwhelmed, that I've been nominated for the Congressional Gold Medal," Gleason said after hearing the news of his nomination earlier this month. "To be considered for this, alongside people like Martin Luther King Jr, Mother Teresa, the Dalai Lama, the Wright Brothers, and dozens of others is a bit overwhelming. These are are some of the most admirable, noble and revolutionary giants of humanity. These are people whose examples I strive to model my life after. As some slightly less admirable men said in the late 20th century, 'I'm not worthy' of this. I'm honored to even be considered." Last month, Gleason was awarded an honorary degree from Tulane University during the school's graduation ceremony in May. Samsung has updated its Chromebook Plus to Version 2.0. While it picks up some new features, its display gets a notable downgrade from a QHD resolution to FHD. 4 Reviews , News , CPU , GPU , Articles , Columns , Other "or" search relation. 3D Printing , 5G , Accessory , AI , Alder Lake , AMD , Android , Apple , ARM , Audio , Business , Camera , Cannon Lake , Cezanne (Zen 3) , Charts , Chinese Tech , Chromebook , Coffee Lake , Comet Lake , Console , Convertible / 2-in-1 , Cryptocurrency , Cyberlaw , Deal , Desktop , E-Mobility , Exclusive , Fail , Foldable , Gadget , Galaxy Note , Galaxy S , Gamecheck , Gaming , Geforce , Google Pixel , GPU , How To , Human 2.0 , Ice Lake , Intel Evo / Project Athena , Internet of Things (IoT) , iOS , iPad Pro , iPhone , Jasper Lake , Lakefield , Laptop , Launch , Linux / Unix , Lucienne (Zen 2) , MacBook , Mini PC , Monitor , MSI , OnePlus , Opinion , Phablet , Radeon , Renoir , Review Snippet , Rocket Lake , Rumor , Ryzen (Zen) , Science , Security , Single-Board Computer (SBC) , Smart Home , Smartphone , Smartwatch , Software , Storage , Tablet , ThinkPad , Thunderbolt , Tiger Lake , Touchscreen , Ultrabook , Virtual Reality (VR) / Augmented Reality (AR) , Wearable , Windows , Workstation , XPS , Zen 3 (Vermeer) Ticker Samsung has released an updated version of its popular Chromebook Plus Chrome OS-powered 2-in-1. The new Chromebook Plus (V2) comes with a new Intel chip and a new rear camera. Unfortunately, the outstanding 12.3-inch QHD 2400 x 1600 pixel display has been downgraded with a more run-of-the-mill 12.2-inch FHD 1920 x 1080 pixel display. The aspect ratio has also been changed from 3:2 to a more standard 16:10 ratio. Samsung has also completely switched system architectures on the device. Where the original Chromebook Plus was fitted with a hexa-core big.LITTLE ARM-based chip, the new model is fitted with an Intel Celeron 3965Y chip mated to 4 GB of RAM and an integrated Intel HD 615 GPU. Also new is a 13MP camera fitted to the keyboard deck for photos as well as bringing support for AR-based Android apps from the Google Play Store. The rest of the device remains quite similar to the original, including being machined out of aluminum in parts for a more premium look and finish. It differs from the similar Samsung Chromebook Pro in that its keyboard is not backlit, but it is now spill-resistant, making it an attractive option for school students, in particular. It also retains its built-in pen and 32 GB of onboard storage expandable up to 400 GB via microSD. The Samsung Chromebook Plus (V2) goes on sale June 24 at Best Buy for US$499. Roseburg, OR (97470) Today Cloudy with occasional light rain during the afternoon. High near 60F. Winds W at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 80%.. Tonight Rain early...then remaining cloudy with showers overnight. Low near 45F. Winds light and variable. Chance of rain 80%. SYDNEY, Australia On Thursday evening, Australian artist Mike Parr buried himself alive under a busy road in Hobart, the capital of the Australian state of Tasmania. For 72 hours Mr. Parr has been entombed in a 25-square-foot steel box just underneath Macquarie Street, in front of the colonial-era Town Hall. He has water and bedding but no food. Cars, most unaware that he is there, drive right over him. On Sunday night, Mr. Parr, 73, emerged to a cheering crowd. Mr. Parr is no stranger to extreme acts, having once sewn his lips together to highlight Australias treatment of asylum seekers. But Underneath the Bitumen The Artist, his third and final piece for the annual Tasmanian festival Dark Mofo, is his most provocative. The act of performance art, he says, is meant to honor the hardships of both the convicts whom the British brought to Tasmania, and the Indigenous people whom the British slaughtered there. He said the burial symbolizes the burying of Aboriginal history particularly the Black War, a 19th-century conflict fought between British settlers and Indigenous Tasmanians, who were virtually wiped out. "The Affair starts its fourth season with the four main characters drifting apart. And the penultimate episode of Parts Unknown shows Anthony Bourdain celebrating Mardi Gras. Whats on TV THE AFFAIR 9 p.m. on Showtime. The lens of The Affair has slowly zoomed out across three seasons from the sweaty sex of two people in Montauk to their entangled lives across the world, from Los Angeles to Paris. The fourth season starts more muted, and finds the four main characters Noah, Helen, Alison and Cole isolated from one another and involved in their own relationships. But for this petulant group, another midlife crisis is always lurking around the corner. The show gets to have its crazy cake and eat it, too, Mike Hale wrote in his review for The New York Times. They left The Denver Post amid newsroom layoffs and interference in the editorial process by the newspapers hedge-fund owners. And now those reporters and editors are creating their own news outlet, The Colorado Sun. They will be partnering with the Civil Media Company, an ambitious New York start-up that aims to use blockchain technology and crypto economics to start 1,000 publications nationwide by the end of the year. It is absolutely exciting, said Larry Ryckman, a former senior editor at the beleaguered Denver daily, who will serve as the editor of The Colorado Sun. We have been so eager to get moving. The editor has assembled a team of former Post employees, including five reporters Kevin Simpson, John Ingold, Tamara Chuang, Jennifer Brown and Jason Blevins and two senior editors, Eric Lubbers and Dana Coffield. Kevin Johnson has been chief executive of Starbucks for more than a year now, though you wouldnt always know it. For much of Mr. Johnsons tenure, he has been overshadowed by Howard Schultz, the companys former chief executive and departing executive chairman. There was Mr. Schultz in Shanghai in December, opening one of the companys high-end Roastery coffee shops. There was Mr. Schultz at the annual meeting in March, drawing rapturous applause from shareholders. There was Mr. Schultz on TV in April, running damage control after two black men were arrested at a Starbucks in Philadelphia while waiting for a friend and again when the company closed all of its stores on May 29 for racial bias training of its employees. But after several years working in Mr. Schultzs shadow a door connects the two mens offices, and Mr. Schultz often pops in unannounced Mr. Johnson will be on his own. Starbucks recently announced that Mr. Schultz, who has been chief executive or chairman of the company for three decades, will leave at the end of the month, raising speculation that he might be considering a run for president in 2020. [Our photographer drove through parts of Wisconsin, Illinois and Missouri, trying to capture the cultural force that the company has become.] Jasmine Qingni Bernstein Yin and Richard Li were married June 15 at the Manhattan Marriage Bureau. Joey Tai, a staff member of the New York City Clerks Office, officiated. The bride and groom met at Columbia, where she is a fourth-year student in a joint program of Columbia and the Jewish Theological Seminary and from which he graduated. Ms. Bernstein Yin, 22, is the daughter of Min Bernstein Wang and Fu Hui Yin, both of Shanghai. The brides father is a senior director for the Shanghai Municipal Education Commission. Her mother is an education consultant, helping middle and high school children apply to private schools in China. Mr. Li, also 22, is a horticulture intern at the Central Park Conservancy, and works on landscape management and ecological restoration projects. He is the son of Min Xu and Feng Li, both of Forest Hills, Queens. The grooms mother is a librarian at the Metropolitan Museum of Arts Thomas J. Watson Library in Manhattan. His father is a professor of early Chinese history and archaeology at Columbia. Lindsay Rachel Chura and Matthew Craig Mandelberg are to be married June 17 in Warrenton, Va. Rabbi Shira Stutman is to officiate at Airlie, a hotel and conference center. The bride, 33, works in Washington as the chief scientific officer for the Global Council on Brain Health, which was created by AARP in collaboration with Age UK, a charity for older people. She graduated cum laude from Mount Holyoke and received a Ph.D. in psychiatry from the University of Cambridge, where, as a Gates Cambridge Scholar, she performed research that used neuroimaging techniques to investigate brain structure and function in children with autism. She is the daughter of Susan K. Chura and Daniel K. Chura of Slingerlands, N.Y. The brides father retired as a district manager of sales for Brasseler USA, a dental equipment company. Her mother retired as a second-grade teacher at Waterford Halfmoon Elementary in Waterford, N.Y. The groom, 34, is a trial lawyer in the antitrust division of the Justice Department in Washington. He is also an adjunct professor of legal research analysis and writing at Georgetown. He graduated cum laude from Columbia and received a Master of Public Affairs from Princeton and a law degree from Stanford. Orly Tamar May and Zev Michael Karlin-Neumann are to be married June 17 at the Stone Tower Winery in Leesburg, Va. Rabbi Patricia S. Karlin-Neumann, the grooms mother, is to officiate. Ms. May, 29, is an associate at Relman, Dane & Colfax, a civil rights litigation firm in Washington. She graduated cum laude from the University of Pennsylvania, and received a law degree with honors from George Washington University. She is a daughter of Belly Aliphas May and Ernesto May of Potomac, Md. The brides father retired as the director of Poverty Reduction and Economic Management for the South Asia Region of the World Bank in Washington. Her mother is an independent investment manager in Potomac. Mr. Karlin-Neumann, also 29, is the speechwriter for Senator Kamala D. Harris, Democrat of California. Until 2017, he was a National Security Council speechwriter for Susan E. Rice, who was the national security adviser, and President Barack Obama. He graduated with distinction from Stanford. A survey of business owners by the Census Bureau reported a substantial jump in the number of black-owned businesses nationwide between 2007 and 2012, to 2.6 million from 1.9 million. That boom was driven by women, who account for 59 percent of black-owned businesses, compared to 36 percent of businesses nationwide. Of the 35 entrepreneurs profiled by Black-Owned Brooklyn, 24 have been women. In New York, though, black entrepreneurs have grappled with municipal invisibility. City officials in the mayors office and the Department of Small Business Services were unable to provide comparative data on black-owned businesses in Brooklyn or citywide. We dont keep numbers of black-owned businesses, said Meredith Daniels, a spokeswoman for the Brooklyn Chamber of Commerce. Raul Contreras, a spokesman for the mayor, offered as a stand-in the registry of certified city contractors from the Mayors Office of Minority and Women-Owned Business Enterprises; there were 319 black-owned contractors in Brooklyn in 2017, up from 295 in 2015. A lot of people associate contractors with construction and capital work, but we also work with designers and caterers, Mr. Contreras said. The players in Brooklyn arent necessarily local. I came over here on purpose, because of all the gentrification thats happening, said Cindy Morris, who uses the professional name Khane Kutzwell. She owns Camera Ready Kutz, a self-described L.G.B.T.-safe barbershop in Bedford-Stuyvesant, though she lives in the Far Rockaway neighborhood of Queens. We have businesses opening up that look pristine and nice, she added. So I just truly believe we can do that for ourselves. Why cant we do that? Why arent we doing that? What is the excuse now? Shomari Wills, author of the book Black Fortunes and a resident of Bedford-Stuyvesant, said that buying black is a concept that has come in and out of fashion over the years. But today, in a culture that is so polarized and, frankly, racist, there is an urgency to make our dollars socially active, he said. Here in Brooklyn its amazing that you can go to Beyonces hairstylist, in Bed-Stuy, or Erykah Badus hairstylist. Or Carmelo Anthonys fashion stylist. I live near a black-owned feminist clothing shop, Radical Women. Black businesses tend to be intersectional. They are ready for our intersectional future. Economists have a less sunny view of the trend toward more black-owned businesses. Black workers have been harder hit by public-sector cutbacks, said Darrick Hamilton, a professor of economics and urban policy at the New School. Add to that the biases against hiring blacks in the private sector, and the question becomes: Is it a choice to start a black-owned business, or is it blacks being pushed into limited labor choices? Asked to explain the tilt of women in black-owned businesses, Mr. Hamilton was similarly blunt: Black men are busy being incarcerated or, even if they get out, marked by it. For its part, Black-Owned Brooklyn is not without competition. A March GQ cover story revealed a coming app to help locate local black-owned businesses. The app, yet to be named, is being financed by Shawn Carter and Sean Combs better known as the rappers Jay-Z and Diddy. I want to be an authentic, unapologetic warrior for black culture, Mr. Combs told the magazine, adding: This is not about taking away from any other community. Well still go to Chinatown. Well still buy Gucci! But the application will make it possible for us to have an economic community. Its about blacks gaining economic power. Asked about the app, Mr. Alan waved his hands as he crossed Flatbush Avenue between interviews, pointing at himself and screaming with a mix of bravado and humor: Hello, Diddy! Im right here! Say hi! Im ready for you! Unlike many cities, New York, with its 1.1 million students, also has a large base of middle-class families that attend the public schools, said Richard D. Kahlenberg, a senior fellow at the Century Foundation. Screened schools are a way to appeal to them and keep their children in the public schools, especially in a city where public housing projects sit beside million-dollar apartments, he said. But the result has been that New York, in essence, has replaced tracking within schools with tracking by school, where children with the best records can benefit from advanced classes and active parent and alumni associations. According to the city, of the more than 830 middle schools and high schools, roughly 190 screen all of their students. Many of these screened schools are clustered in Manhattan and Brooklyn, with enrollments that are more white, Asian and affluent than the overall school population. Edwin Franco, a father of two girls who lives in the Bronx, said that too many selective schools cherry pick the best students and deprive everyone else of opportunities. Theyre almost like a factory, he said. Theyre churning out high-performing kids who are doing great while the rest of the kids are trying to figure it out on their own because they dont have the same resources. Richard A. Carranza, the schools chancellor, said in an interview that screened schools have a limited place in a public school system, providing an option for those students who want an intense academic environment and can thrive in it. But, he said, the role of those kinds of schools in a portfolio as large as New York Citys is very specific. TRENTON Krystal Knapp was 15 minutes from the end of her shift as a volunteer at the entrance to the Art All Night festival in Trenton when she heard some scuffling. Peering into the long and narrow former factory building where the festival was being held, she saw paintings being knocked to the floor. She heard screams and gunshots as people hurtled toward the exit and she was pushed to the ground and trampled. Ms. Knapp sought shelter behind a car. Then, 15 feet away, one of the gunmen was shot and killed. [Read: Trenton Grieves After Shooting at Event That Was a Beacon] The authorities said the shooting appeared to be gang-related and that 22 people were injured; 17 were shot and the others hurt by being trampled. It happened just before 3 a.m. Sunday at a 24-hour art festival cherished by Trenton residents as a testament to the New Jersey capitals artistic revitalization. He kept his sub underwater during the daylight hours that followed. At nightfall, aided by tourist guidebooks to New York he had brought along, he surfaced and followed the southern shore of Long Island and Queens, glimpsing the lights of homes and cars in the Rockaways and the illuminated Ferris wheel at Coney Island. After getting to the outer reaches of New York Harbor, he returned to deeper waters off Long Island, where he sank the British oil tanker Coimbra about 100 miles from New York. The sinkings of the Norness and the Coimbra, a day apart, made for front-page headlines. Captain Hardegen then headed to Cape Hatteras, N.C., where his submarine sank three more ships before he returned to his base at Lorient, France. On his second war patrol to America, between March and May 1942, his toll including the American oil tanker Gulfamerica off Jacksonville, Fla. But his boat was nearly sunk off St. Augustine, Fla., by a destroyers depth charges before he managed to get away. After leaving the submarine service in May 1942, he held a naval training position and worked on the development of advanced submarine torpedoes. In the winter of 1945, with German forces reeling, he was transferred to land warfare and became a battalion commander. Soon after Germany surrendered, he was arrested by the British, who mistook him for a someone with the same last name who had been a member of the Nazi SS forces. He was held for 16 months before he convinced them that he was a career Navy officer. I was not a Nazi, he told The Atlanta Journal-Constitution in a 1999 interview. I did my duty for my country, not for Hitler. To the Editor: Re Trudeaus Challenge on Trade: Managing Both Trump and Domestic Politics (news article, June 12): A 270 percent Canadian tariff on American milk might seem like a terrible idea to President Trump, but from Canadas point of view it is only trying to avoid the disastrous economic results of persistent and massive overproduction that has plagued American dairy farmers. Dairy farm insolvencies and farm failures in America are at or near record highs, with prices remaining well below the actual cost of production. In contrast, Canadas dairy industry is thriving, meeting but not exceeding market demands, and supporting in the process a wide array of Canadian family dairy farms. But a more compelling reason to keep much of Americas dairy out of Canada is for health reasons. American milk is banned or blocked in Europe, Japan, Australia, New Zealand and Canada if it contains a growth hormone called rBGH (recombinant bovine growth hormone), which for many years (less so today) was injected into cows so they would produce up to 20 percent more milk. The rBGH growth hormones cannot all be destroyed in the milk pasteurization process. And now with the Trump administration weakening or eliminating many food safety provisions, Americas food production is even more suspect. Tim Monti-Wohlpart could see the differences between him and his adoptive family from an early age. He had olive skin and black hair; they were fair. But he wasnt compelled to seek more information about his background until medical issues in his mid-twenties galvanized him to learn more about his birth family. Because he was adopted in New York State in 1971, he had no legal right to such information. It would take Mr. Monti-Wohlpart two years and several thousand dollars in private investigators fees in the late 1990s to find his birth mother and father, and learn more about his history. For years since then, Mr. Monti-Wohlpart, a Brooklyn teacher and co-founder of the New York Adoptee Rights Coalition, has been working to allow adopted New Yorkers access to nearly 650,000 original birth certificates. I believe its a fundamental human right to know where you came from, Mr. Monti-Wohlpart said. Since the 1980s, domestic adoptions in the United States have commonly been open, which means the birth family chooses, and sometimes stays in touch with, the adoptive family. Information is more likely to be exchanged under these arrangements. But for the millions of adoptees born before that time, the identity of their birth parents remains a troubling mystery. The lack of information is a psychological burden, and it also makes medical decisions more difficult, since health histories help guide treatment for conditions like diabetes and breast cancer. Many adoptees seeking information have turned to DNA kits in the hopes of finding a distant relative who may be able to lead them to direct family members. An awful lot of what turns up on runways lately looks less designed than crowdsourced. The street has been calling the shots in fashion for some time now and by street, to be clear, what is meant here is also the old information superhighway. Easier to stop the tide than to resist the influence of Instagram, the effects of which now wash over most every aspect of visual culture. Its old news that designers stage their shows specifically to pop on the screen of a smartphone and strain to come up with looks that are destined to garner the most likes. What feels different is a growing sense that much as has happened in journalism and other forms of media designers messages are not delivered to, but created in collaboration with their consumers. At a piano concert, the performer always has a shadow that moves only when prompted by the score: the page-turner. This person is in full view, yet invisible a situation the writer-performer Alessandro Magania likens to that of an immigrant quietly minding his or her business, or someone deliberately trying to escape attention. In his play Radio Delirio, Mr. Magania narrates the tale of Cristian Leu, a man disguised as a page-turner working hard to not be noticed. But the heavy use of spy tropes only emphasizes how inert and uninvolving the tale is. Mr. Magania starts by sitting next to a stool bench parked in front of an empty grand piano the instrument merely is an outline of itself, the ghostly black frame resting on red carpet. (Simone Peretti did the starkly handsome production design.) Bracketing the central red square are a stage manager (Kim Macron) and a house manager (Mickey Solis), each one at a messy table. They read magazines, snack and chat with each other via their headsets. The page-turner occasionally flips a page from the score, until he spaces out and messes up a cue. Its not a big mistake, but its enough to draw attention. The next day, an audience member recognizes him that was Leu, and we are about to get to know him. Theyd had a plan: Elsa Johana Ortiz Enriquez packed up what little she had in Guatemala and traveled across Mexico with her 8-year-old son, Anthony. In a group, they rafted across the Rio Grande into Texas. From there they intended to join her boyfriend, Edgar, who had found a construction job in the United States. Except it all went wrong. The Border Patrol was waiting as they made their way from the border on May 26, and soon mother and son were in a teeming detention center in southern Texas. The next part unfolded so swiftly that, even now, Ms. Ortiz cannot grasp it: Anthony was sent to a shelter for migrant children. And she was put on a plane back to Guatemala. I am completely devastated, Ms. Ortiz, 25, said in one of a series of video interviews last week from her family home in Guatemala. Her eyes swollen from weeping and her voice subdued, she said she had no idea when or how she would see her son again. As the federal government continues to separate families as part of a stepped-up enforcement program against those who cross the border illegally, the authorities say that parents are not supposed to be deported without their children. But immigration lawyers say that has happened in several cases. And the separations can be traumatic for parents who now have no clear path to recovering their children. This is just an example of them going into our communities on a Sunday morning and picking people up who arent a danger or a threat or a flight risk, she said. But that is the new reality under the Trump administration, she said, adding, Everyone is an enforcement priority. Mr. Garcia was 13 when he came to the United States, traveling from Mexico with his teenage brother, his daughter said. From then on, he worked diligently to achieve the American dream, she said. He picked fruit in fields in Northern California, tried to make it as an amateur boxer and worked as a truck driver. But he has spent most of his career working as a machine operator at a factory, she said. Her father received his green card and became a permanent legal resident in 1988, Ms. Garcia said. In 2001, Mr. Garcia was convicted of a misdemeanor stemming from a dispute with his wife, according to his lawyer and his family. A spokeswoman for the Los Angeles Superior Court said he was sentenced to 25 days in jail and three years of probation. Ms. Garcia said that her father completed probation. It was a domestic dispute they settled years ago, and they are still married to this day, Ms. Garcia said. A spokeswoman for ICE said in a statement that Mr. Garcia was arrested because he has past criminal convictions that make him amenable to removal from the United States. But he did admit that much of his message is designed to outrage to win attention in the news media and to overcome a lack of money in the bank. I am deliberately edgy, Im not going to deny that, he said. To win a successful campaign against an opponent that has a lot more name recognition and a lot more money, I have to be edgy. (Asked if he indeed saw himself in the White House someday, he said: Ill be happy with Senate. And we have a great president.) Mr. Stewart looks unlikely to defeat Senator Tim Kaine, who has more than $10 million on hand and is popular in Virginia. But he could impair the Republican ticket and brand he has vowed to kick Tim Kaines teeth in in his determination to pursue a bomb-throwing strategy in a state that has rapidly shifted from reliably red to safely blue because of the very demographic shifts he outlined in 2016 at what had been Mills E. Godwin Middle School. [For more coverage of race, sign up here to have our Race/Related newsletter delivered weekly to your inbox.] Mr. Stewart, 49, has long eyed higher office. Im an ambitious fellow, Ill be frank about that, he said in 2011, when he was considering an earlier Senate race. And as he pursued those ambitions, he has become a very different kind of politician than when he first ran for local office: an immigrants husband who has bashed undocumented immigrants and embraced white nationalists; a Midwesterner who attended Confederate flag-bedecked balls and defended the controversial rebel statues in his adopted state; and an aspiring politician who has turned on his partys leaders, deeming them flaccid and unable to please their wives. While Mr. Stewarts nomination for Senate was his third try for statewide office in five years he ran for lieutenant governor in 2013 he has found more success in local politics. He has repeatedly won election as a county supervisor on issues like promoting development and building ball fields. But his post in Prince William is also where he discovered the potency of racial politics. Once a sparsely populated enclave and political backwater, Prince William County 30 miles southwest of Washington has grown at a torrid pace in recent decades as families in search of good schools and a front yard pushed into the exurbs. This is my reset for the year, said Maggie Anders, a 19-year-old student at University of Louisiana at Lafayette who described herself as a former radical leftist who had a leftist haircut of bangs and shoulder-length hair. Ms. Anders said that amid what she saw as unwarranted anti-Trump activism sweeping America, people like Mr. Peterson, the controversial psychologist and YouTube star, had helped change her political opinions. Just one crack in the liberal facade is so important, Ms. Anders said. Thats all you need. [Read more about Jordon Peterson here.] Several women described sharing a politics of aggrievement that grew out of their experiences as young conservatives in America today. More than any political ideology, the women at the summit appeared united by their criticism of recent social movements such as the March for Our Lives against gun violence, the #MeToo campaign to raise awareness for sexual assault and harassment, or the Black Lives Matter movement against police brutality. In their view, there was nothing worse than being labeled racist, sexist or homophobic by the left, because liberal name-calling was worse than any sin that could precede it. At the conference, Natalia Mittelstadt, 20, said #MeToo may be turning in to McCarthyism, though she also said it was great that women were speaking out about their negative experiences. Nafisa Kabir, a 20-year-old Bangladeshi immigrant set to receive her American citizenship in two weeks, spoke of her desire to see immigration curbed because a bunch of added people doesnt make things better. One 17-year-old wearing a Make America Great Again hat said she doubted the widely accepted statistic that one in four college women experience rape or attempted rape but if it was true, the reason was because were importing rape culture through illegal immigration and homosexuality. The most important thing we need to do is build the wall, said the teenager, Morgan Tapley. Though there was none of the guttural cheering and angry taunts that often emanate from Mr. Trumps campaign-style rallies, the presidents hallmark rhetoric and propensity to stretch the truth was also ever-present. It was not uncommon in the past for prisons to occasionally call upon support workers as substitute guards, especially in emergencies. The practice, which leaves other prison functions short-handed, came under criticism during the Obama administration, which moved in its final year to cut back. But as the shortage of correctional officers has grown chronic under President Trump and the practice of drawing upon other workers has become routine many prisons have been operating in a perpetual state of staffing turmoil, leaving some workers feeling ill-equipped and unsafe on the job, according to interviews and internal documents from the Bureau of Prisons. Dozens of workers from prisons across the country said inmates had become more brazen with staff members and more violent with one another. At a prison in West Virginia, violent incidents increased almost 15 percent in 2017 from the year before, according to data obtained by The New York Times. Workers blame the problems on their depleted numbers and the need to push often inexperienced staff members into front-line correctional roles, changes not lost on the prison population. When youre an officer and in the units for eight hours a day, you get to know the inmates, said a teacher at a Florida prison who was not authorized to speak to the news media. You can tell when a fight is about to happen. I dont have that background. The teacher added: The inmates see this and they know we are outnumbered. They know we have people working in the units who dont have the slightest idea what to do. CHARDARA, Afghanistan In the end, the truce was too short. At sunset on Sunday, the final day of an unprecedented three-day cease-fire in the bloody Afghan conflict, Mohammed Islam, a Taliban fighter, stopped his motorcycle to say goodbye to Mohammed Edris, the Afghan police officer in charge of the bridge leading to the contested Chardara district in northern Kunduz Province. The two hugged. Soon, these two men will find themselves with orders to attack, and with orders to defend. But for a brief moment, as they said their goodbyes on the bridge, they had experienced the possibilities of a reality other than war. Before he drove off, Mr. Islam, 22, scrawny and with a long nose, described the joys of roaming the urban center of Kunduz city for three days during the Muslim festival of Eid al-Fitr. He has been with the Taliban for three years, and in all that time had not made it to the city. I had the kebabs, I had the sheeryakh ice cream, I hugged the police, I hugged the army ones all of it was pleasant, Mr. Islam said. The people were very happy with the peace. Nothing comes of fighting. Its all loss. SHIMLA, India The people of Shimla havent agreed on much lately. A drought in the Himalayan resort has had residents blaming farmers, the tourism industry and one another for depleting the strained water supplies. And everyones been angry at the key men. Shimlas decrepit network of water pipes, built under British colonial rule more than 70 years ago, depends on the civil servants known as key men to open and close the valves that supply each neighborhood. The current shortage, which in May left some homes without water for 20 days, has led to such fury toward the key men accused, in just about every neighborhood, of depriving it of its fair share that a court ordered police protection for them. I was getting angry phone calls calling me everything stupid, worthless at one or two in the morning, said Inder Singh, 44, who has been a key man for 24 years. I would be mobbed by dozens as I was trying to leave my home for work, he said, inserting his key a meter-long metal contraption into the ground to open a valve. BANGKOK Assets of the Thai royal family that have been managed by an official agency have been turned over to direct ownership by the king, who will be able to manage them as he sees fit but must also begin to pay taxes on them, the agency has said. The wealth of King Maha Vajiralongkorn Bodindradebayavarangkun, including the newly transferred assets, is estimated at more than $30 billion. The transfer of the assets is part of a continuing effort by the 65-year-old king to consolidate his authority since he ascended the throne in 2016. All Crown Property Assets are to be transferred and revert to the ownership of His Majesty so that they may be administered and managed at His Majestys discretion, said an undated statement posted on the website of the Crown Property Bureau, which had long managed them. ATHENS Macedonia signed a landmark agreement on Sunday to change its name to North Macedonia, sealing a deal with Greece that would, if ratified, resolve a decades-old dispute and pave the way for the enlargement of the European Union and NATO. Hailing a patriotic and mutually beneficial agreement for both peoples, Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras of Greece said it was important to see the accord through. The accord must still pass a referendum in Macedonia and ratification in the parliaments of both countries. It is our historic responsibility to ensure that this step we are making is not left up in the air, Mr. Tsipras said. The number of participants was roughly double that of the previous year. The United States ambassador, Marie L. Yovanovitch, and Rebecca Harms of the European Parliament were at the front of the march. Along the way supporters of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender rights were guarded by some 5,000 officers, including mounted police officers. There must always be the police, otherwise someone will come, otherwise someone will interrupt, otherwise someone will attack, said one marcher, Liza, 19. She said, I think this is not the way it should be in a civilized country. BUCHAREST, Romania The powerful leader of Romanias governing party convicted of voter fraud, suspected of stealing millions of dollars of European Union funds, and soon to face a verdict in a case involving abuse of power had a message for the more than 100,000 citizens who gathered in one of the capitals main squares recently: He is the victim. The pro-government demonstrators in Bucharest on June 9 were protesting what they call a parallel state in Romania that they say perverts the rule of law with the aid of the president and the chief anti-corruption prosecutor. If the anti-corruption forces could come for him, Liviu Dragnea, the leader of the governing Social Democratic Party, warned ominously, they could come for anyone. You must not be under the illusion that only high-ranking officials or public servants will be the victims of denunciations and fake evidence, he told supporters. Absolutely everyone today in Romania can be targeted by a denunciation which could lead to an arrest or conviction. MADRID About 600 migrants disembarked from three ships on Sunday in the port of Valencia, Spain, more than a week after they had been rescued at sea only to be turned away by Italy and Malta. Arriving separately, the Aquarius, a rescue ship, and two Italian Navy vessels reached Valencia carrying a total of 630 migrants including pregnant women and children that the Aquarius had originally picked up from six rubber dinghies in the Mediterranean Sea off Libya. After their exhausting journey, migrants shouted with joy as their ships entered Valencias port. Some disembarked singing. The fate of the Aquarius has underlined the deep divisions in Europe over how to handle an influx of migrants mostly from the Middle East and Africa. Bengaluru to face power cuts today: Full list of areas likely to be affected Pramod Muthalik compares Gauri Lankesh to 'dog', clarifies later Bengaluru oi-Deepika By Deepika Sri Ram Sene chief Pramod Muthalik stopped to a shocking new low on Sunday as he slandered the slain journalist-activist and compared her to a "dog." He later clarified his stand. Muthalik was addressing a public gathering where he slammed the critics who have been asking Prime Minister Narendra Modi to break his "silence" over Lankesh's murder. "Two murders happened in Karnataka and two happened in Maharashtra during Congress regime. No one is uttering a word over Congress government's failure. Instead, they are asking why is PM Modi silent and commenting on Gauri Lankesh's death," Muthalik said. "Many wanted PM Modi to react after Gauri Lankesh's death. "Why should Modi react if some dog dies in Karnataka?", Muthalik was quoted saying by a Times of India report. Muthalik's derogatory statements were met with applause from the crowd who also chanted "Jai Shri Ram" as per the video of the event." Recently, a picture of Parashuram, with the Sene's chief Pramod Muthalik is being circulated on social media. The photograph was reportedly taken a few years before. However, Muthalik blatantly refuted allegations that he knewParashuram Waghmore and has even denied that the accused was a part of the Shri Rama Sene. On Satirday, the Special Investigation Team probing the killing of journalist-activist Gauri Lankesh has summoned Rakesh Math, the Vijayapura district president of fringe right-wing outfit Sri Ram Sene, for questioning, a senior police official said. The SIT decided to question Math since the suspected shooter of Lankesh, Parashuram Waghmare, was an active member of the Hindutva organisation linked to moral policing in parts of Karnataka, the official told PTI. Conceding that Math is the district head of Sene, Muthalik said he has been summoned for inquiry because all of them are from Sindagi town and were involved in the Pakistani flag hoisting incident. Lankesh was shot dead at the entrance of her Bengaluru residence on September 5 last year. For Breaking News and Instant Updates Allow Notifications Story first published: Sunday, June 17, 2018, 22:33 [IST] Mumbai drugs case: Anti-drugs officer alleges he is being spied on Drugs case: Aryan Khan speaks to parents via video call from jail; gets Rs 4,500 via money-order 3 Bangladeshis sentenced to 10 years jail term for human trafficking India oi-Oneindia Staff By Oneindia Staff A district court has sentenced three Bangladeshi nationals to 10 years of rigorous imprisonment in a 2012 human trafficking case. District sessions judge S C Khalipe convicted the trio-- Abdul alias Afzal Shaikh alias Gaffar Shafiuddin Shaikh (48), his wife Shivali alias Sangita Abdul Shaikh (36) and her sister Nargis Abdul Hasan Mandal (30). The sentence was awarded on Wednesday. The court also imposed a fine of Rs 26,000 on each convict. The trio was held guilty under the Prevention of Immoral Trafficking Act (PITA) and IPC sections including 366 A (procuration of minor girl), 366 B (importation of girl from foreign country) and 372 (selling minor for purposes of prostitution). On August 21, 2012, the Anti-Human Trafficking Cell of Thane police had conducted a raid and rescued five victims, including two minors. The trio was held from a hotel here, where a deal was being struck to push the women into flesh trade, prosecutors Vandana Jadhav and Rekha Hiwrale told the court. The police had sent a decoy to the hotel to strike a deal and caught the three red-handed. The premises where the flesh trade was being run--a 'chawl'--was also raided by the police. "So it is proved by the prosecution that the three accused persons in furtherance of common intention accepted money for providing girls for prostitution. It is proved that they were living on the earnings of prostitution business," the judge said in the order. "It has also been proven by the prosecution that the accused procured two minor and three major victims for prostitution from Bangladesh. One of the victims was brought from Bangladesh to Mumbai and was left at the house of the accused," it said. The Child Welfare Committee (CWC) had earlier sent 11-year-old son of the convicted Bangladeshi couple to a remand home. The court ordered that the boy be kept in the remand home. For Breaking News and Instant Updates Allow Notifications Story first published: Sunday, June 17, 2018, 11:00 [IST] 4 CMs visit Vajpayee at AIIMS India oi-Oneindia Staff By Oneindia Staff Chief ministers of West Bengal, Bihar, Chhattisgarh and Jharkhand-- Mamata Banerjee, Nitish Kumar, Raman Singh and Raghubar Das -- were among senior political leaders who visited the AIIMS where former prime minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee is undergoing treatment, hospital sources said. Union minister Ravi Shankar Prasad also went to the All India Institute of Medical Sciences, they said. The four chief ministers are here to attend a meeting of the NITI Aayog tomorrow which will be presided over by Prime Minister Narendra Modi. According to AIIMS sources, 93-year-old Vajpayee's condition is improving even though he continues to be in the Intensive Care Unit of the Cardio-Thoracic Centre at the hospital. "Former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee is stable. He continues to show improvement and is being monitored by the team of doctors," the AIIMS said in a statement yesterday. Vajpayee was admitted to the premier hospital on June 11 with a kidney tract infection, chest congestion and the urine output on the lower side. He was immediately evaluated by a team of doctors and put on injectable antibiotics. Vajpayee, a diabetic, has one functional kidney. He had suffered a stroke in 2009 that had weakened his cognitive abilities. Subsequently, he had developed dementia. Prime Minister Narendra Modi, BJP chief Amit Shah, RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat, former prime ministers Manmohan Singh and H D Deve Gowda, Rajasthan Chief Minister Vasundhara Raje and Congress president Rahul Gandhi have visited the AIIMS since the BJP stalwart was admitted there. Vajpayee was thrice elected the prime minister between 1996 and 1999. He is the only non-Congress prime minister to have completed the full term of five years, from 1999 to 2004. As his health deteriorated, he slowly withdrew himself from public life and has remained confined to his residence here for years now. For Breaking News and Instant Updates Allow Notifications Story first published: Sunday, June 17, 2018, 8:20 [IST] Why are menstruating women not allowed in Sabarimala Temple? Centuries old beliefs and customs 'Menstruating women who cook will be reborn as bitch in next life Chhattisgarh: In this village, Women are banished for Menstruating India oi-Madhuri In a number of Indian communities and states, menstruating women are considered impure and become a subject of social apathy. Women are sent to basic huts outside their villages during their periods, as the stigma of menstruation proves hard to overcome. Most recently, women in Vananchal's Sitagaon, Chhattisgarh have been forced to stay in a hut on the outskirts of the village when menstruating as they are not allowed inside homes during this period for fear of god's wrath. Speaking on the incident, Dr Mithilesh Chaudhary, Chief Medical and Health Officer (CMHO) said,''Officials of Health department and Women and child development department visit such villages and try to educate people about diseases & infections caused by these orthodox traditions. We encourage them to use sanitary pads.'' The practice of banishing women and girls is most prevalent among the Gond and Madiya ethnic groups. The Gonds are the largest indigenous group in central India and hail from the states of Maharashtra, Chhattisgarh, Andhra Pradesh and Orissa. According to the custom of the Madiya and Gond tribals in Maharasthra state, girls having their menstruation period have to stay in a hut on the boundary of the village as their touch is considered impure. These huts are called gaokor. No stay on coercive action against Kalra over oxygen concentrators found in hotel Court allows custodial interrogation of journalist Upendra Rai India oi-Oneindia Staff By Oneindia Staff A Delhi court allowed the custodial interrogation of journalist Upendra Rai by the Enforcement Directorate for another five days in a money laundering case related to alleged extortion and dubious financial transactions. Metropolitan Magistrate Bhavna Kalia granted the remand to the agency after Delhi-based scribe Rai was produced before the court on expiry of his seven-day ED custody. Special public prosecutors Nitesh Rana and N K Matta, appearing for the ED, sought extension of Rai's custody by seven more days, saying he was required to be confronted with the evidence collected during his earlier remand. The agency claimed before the court that top secret documents were recovered from Rai's possession and the ED was trying to find out how he procured them. Summonses have been issued to senior government officials and Rai is required to be confronted with them, the agency said in its application moved through advocate A R Aditya. It alleged that the accused had extorted money from various person claiming he had information against them as he was a journalist. Thousands of crore of rupees was extorted, the ED alleged. Rai was arrested on June 8 by the ED under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) at the Tihar jail here, moments after he secured bail in a Central Bureau of Investigation case related to alleged extortion and dubious financial transactions. The agency claimed that a number of documents, both in hard copies as well as in pen drives, had been recovered from Rai. The agency alleged that the scribe frequently travelled abroad to park his ill-gotten money and that his custodial interrogation was needed to unearth the larger conspiracy. The ED's application was opposed by Rai advocate Vivek Sud on the ground that the agency had already been granted enough time to interrogate the accused. He was arrested by the CBI on May 3 for allegedly indulging in dubious financial transactions, getting an airport access pass made by the Bureau of Civil Aviation Security (BCAS) by furnishing false information, alleged extortion and manipulation of an Income Tax Department case against a Mumbai-bound businessman. The Supreme Court had on May 4 refused to interfere with his arrest by the CBI. The ED had registered a money laundering case against him based on the CBI FIR. It had claimed to have recovered, after searches at Rai's premises and those linked to him, call data records of a senior ED official, an IAS officer earlier posted with the Ministry of Corporate Affairs, besides confidential communication between a Singapore-based Indian High Commission official and a former ED chief. The recoveries also allegedly included income tax assessment orders of various companies and suspicious transaction reports of nearly 140 firms generated by the Financial Intelligence Unit (FIU) after joint CBI-ED searches. In his application seeking protection from arrest, Rai had claimed he was framed in the case because of his writings against an ED officer, who was part of the team probing the 2G spectrum allocation scam case. Prasun Roy, chief security officer of Air One Aviation Pvt Ltd, was also booked by the CBI, which had carried out searches at eight locations in Lucknow, Noida, Delhi and Mumbai. In its FIR, the CBI has alleged that going by the value of the transactions of over Rs one lakh during 2017, Rai's accounts received Rs 79 crore while Rs 78.51 crore was debited from it during the same period. For Breaking News and Instant Updates Allow Notifications Story first published: Sunday, June 17, 2018, 11:15 [IST] Daring operation: Navy prevents vessel from drifting into Bangladesh India oi-Oneindia Staff By Oneindia Staff In a daring and complex operation, a Sea King 42C helicopter winched down a Marco officer on a merchant vessel on fire to arrest its drift towards the International Maritime Border Line with Bangladesh. MV SSL Kolkata was abandoned by its 22-member crew on June 14 off the Sagar Island at the mouth of the Ganges Delta after the fire engulfed 70 per cent of the ship carrying containerised cargo in the Bay of Bengal. "The Marine Commando officer ascertained the conditions in the forward part of the ship and later called in the helicopter to lower on board three crew members of the ship," the Navy said in a statement. "The team managed to drop the starboard anchor from the ship to prevent her from drifting any further. Thereafter, the team prepared the seamanship gear for the ship to be towed if required," the statement said. The nature of the threat was evident from the explosion on board in the forenoon which restarted the fire. The helicopter skill-fully recovered all four members of the team and is returning base for turnaround, the statement added. Earlier, Vice Admiral Karambir Singh, Flag Officer Commanding-in-Chief Eastern Naval Command, had directed that the ship's drift towards the Sundarbans delta had to be stopped at all costs notwithstanding the high temperatures on board to avoid an ecological disaster should the ship capsize on the sandbanks causing pollution from oil on board. Accordingly, a Sea King 42C helicopter and a Dornier aircraft were dispatched from Visakhapanam with a core team comprising divers, Marcos, shipwrights and seamanship specialists to stage through the IAF airbase at Kalaikonda. Indian Navy Ship Kadmat, which was exercising in the Bay of Bengal on June 15, was also directed to proceed and arrived on site at first light this morning to augment the onsite support wherein the Indian Coast Guard ships were standing by. The operation this morning has successfully managed to arrest further drift of the ship to enable salvage operations. For Breaking News and Instant Updates Allow Notifications Story first published: Sunday, June 17, 2018, 11:45 [IST] Delhi: Opposition unity at LGs residence minus the Congress India oi-Oneindia Staff By Oneindia Staff Chief ministers of West Bengal, Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka and Kerala rallied behind their Delhi counterpart Arvind Kejriwal, who has been protesting at the Raj Niwas for six consecutive days demanding that the "strike" by bureaucrats in the city be called off. At the press conference at Kejriwal's residence, West Bengal's Mamata Banerjee, Andhra Pradesh's N Chandrababu Naidu, Karnataka's H D Kumaraswamy and Kerala's Pinarayi Vijayan asked the Centre to resolve the "crisis" immediately. The open support to the Aam Aadmi Party chief by the four regional heavyweights - from Trinamool Congress, Telugu Desam Party, Janata Dal (Secular) and Communist Party of India (Marxist) - comes amid opposition efforts to cobble together a rainbow coalition ahead of the 2019 Lok Sabha elections. But the Congress, which has been eyeing a grand alliance of opposition parties, has been slamming the Delhi chief minister for the sit-in at Lieutenant Governor Anil Baijal's office. "We came here to show our support to Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal. We demand that the Prime Minister interferes and takes necessary steps to solve the problem," Kumaraswamy said. The chief ministers went to Kejriwal's home after they were "denied" permission by Baijal to meet Kejriwal at the Raj Niwas. As they arrived, AAP workers raised slogans against Baijal. "I wanted to meet the Delhi chief minister but I was told, verbally, that permission will not be granted. Then four of us wrote to the LG for an appointment, but we were told that he is not there. We were not allowed," Banerjee said. Earlier, the four leaders met at Andhra Bhawan. Banerjee, Naidu, Vijayan and Kumaraswamy are in Delhi to attend a meeting of the Niti Aayog tomorrow. The CMs met Kejriwal's wife and several other AAP leaders at the Delhi chief minister's home. "We were not even given six minutes to meet him. We want this problem to be solved. This has become a constitutional crisis. Ultimately, if this problem is not solved then people will face issues, Banerjee said. If this is happening in the capital then what will happen in other states? We will meet the prime minister tomorrow and request him to intervene and solve the problem," Banerjee said. The bureaucrats in Delhi are not meeting Delhi ministers as part of their protest against an alleged assault on Chief Secretary Anshu Prakash in February. They are demanding an apology from Kejriwal for the incident. The press conference in support of Kejriwal by the four major regional players came a day after the Congress fielded former Delhi chief minister Sheila Dikshit and Delhi Congress president Ajay Maken to attack Kejriwal for his protest, reflecting a clear divide in the opposition on the issue. In Karnataka, Kumaraswamy, who has come out in support of Kejriwal, heads a coalition government with the Congress. For Breaking News and Instant Updates Allow Notifications Story first published: Sunday, June 17, 2018, 6:24 [IST] Did this man kill noted journalist Shujaat Bukhari India oi-Vicky Nanjappa Tayiba terrorist who works along with the Hizbul Mujahideen is one of the key suspects in the killing of noted journalist Shujaat Bukhari. While the sole suspect arrested in connection with the case has failed to provide any vital clue, the police are exploring the role of the ISI, Hurriyat, Hizbul Mujahideen and Lashkar-e-Tayiba in the case. The police had arrested Zubair Qadri after a video of him stealing a pistol from the murder site surfaced. A police official part of the probe informed that he may not be connected with the murder. He does not appear to be connected with the three killers who were caught on camera. The police say that one of the three persons who was part of the murder could be Naved Jutt. It may be recalled that in March, a video of Jutt had surfaced in which he was seen along with operatives of the Hizbul Mujahideen. Jutt it may be recalled had escaped from police custody recently when he was taken to a hospital for a medical check up. This video became a clear indicator that the terrorist groups were working together in Kashmir. Officials say that it is now clear that this entire operation was carried out on the instructions of the ISI. The ISI was upset with Bukhari for his Track-II efforts in which he had sought for an independent Kashmir. The ISI and the Hizbul were unhappy with his comments on the issue. Following his comments, there were various comments on the social media in which he was accused of being a collaborator. Officials also say that there were serious differences on the issue of an independent Kashmir, which may have led to the assassination. Three in one: Since July 2017, the three terrorist groups- Lashkar-e-Tayiba, Hizbul Mujahideen and Jaish-e-Mohammad have been working together. It was in that month that the three groups took a call to operate as one unit. The Hizbul Mujahideen was tasked with logistics and local recruitments while the Jaish and Lashkar-e-Tayiba would carry out attacks and raise funds. The bosses of these groups held a meeting during the early part of 2017 and decided that they would need to come together in order to survive. They were taking this decision in the backdrop of the Indian Army going on the offensive in Kashmir. Further, after a meeting with the top brass of the ISI, it was decided that they could succeed or survive the onslaught only if they worked as one unit. This meant they would wage united jihad in Kashmir. training camp was set up in Deosai Park at Gilgit Baltistan where nearly 150 terrorists of the three groups were roped in. Each one of them trained under one roof and it was decided that they would be stronger if they pooled their resources. As each of the terrorists had finished their training in batches, they were being launched into Kashmir in groups. The three terrorists who carried out the Sunjuwan attack were part of the Deosai camp and were launched into Kashmir a year back. For Breaking News and Instant Updates Allow Notifications Story first published: Sunday, June 17, 2018, 5:58 [IST] Mamata Banerjee heads for victory with record margin in Bhabanipur, TMC ahead in two Murshidabad seats Killing Raj going on in UP: Mamata on Lakhimpur Kheri violence Does loving Hindus mean hating Muslims asks Mamata Banerjee India oi-Oneindia Staff By Oneindia Staff West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee said those who accuse her of appeasing Muslims are friends of neither the Hindus nor the Muslims. "Some accuse me of (doing) Muslim appeasement. My question to them is whether loving Hindus means you have to hate Muslims. I respect and love all communities and religion. This country belongs to everybody," she said. "Those who say I appease Muslims are the friends of neither the Hindus nor the Muslims," Banerjee, also the Trinamool Congress supremo, said while addressing a special prayer gathering on Red Road here to celebrate Eid-ul-Fitr. The BJP and some other organisations have been charging Banerjee with appeasement of Muslims for political reasons. Referring to the general election in 2019, the chief minister also called for an end to communal hatred and lynching in the country. "We have to understand that terrorists don't belong to any religion. We all have to fight together in the 2019 to make this country free from the reign of communal hatred and lynching. Let's work together to build a new India," she said. Her comments comes amid reports of lynching in various parts of the country in recent past. The chief minister said it was due to her protest that the Niti Aayog meeting which was earlier scheduled for today was changed to tomorrow. "My question to the Central government officials is whether they are not aware that Eid is scheduled to be celebrated on June 16. Why was the Niti Aayog meeting kept on that day? I had written to the Central government urging it to change the date so that it doesn't clash with Eid," she said. Banerjee had yesterday confirmed her participation in the Niti Aayog's rescheduled governing council meeting in New Delhi on June 17. The meeting, which will be chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, was earlier scheduled on June 16, the Eid-ul-Fitr day. Banerjee and a few other chief ministers had expressed unwillingness to attend the meeting on the Eid festival day, following which it was postponed by a day to June 17. For Breaking News and Instant Updates Allow Notifications Story first published: Sunday, June 17, 2018, 10:15 [IST] Chandra Shekhar Aazad likely to attend Gauri Lankeshs birth anniversary on Jan 29 in Bengaluru Gauri Lankesh murder: SIT summons Sri Ram Sene district head for questioning India oi-Oneindia Staff By Oneindia Staff The Special Investigation Team probing the killing of journalist-activist Gauri Lankesh has summoned Rakesh Math, the Vijayapura district president of fringe right-wing outfit Sri Ram Sene, for questioning, a senior police official said. The SIT decided to question Math since the suspected shooter of Lankesh, Parashuram Waghmare, was an active member of the Hindutva organisation linked to moral policing in parts of Karnataka, the official told PTI. The official, from the SIT, said they wanted to find out whether Math was involved in Lankesh's assassination and whether he "brainwashed" Waghmare to participate in the plot. Math and Waghmare were allegedly involved in hoisting a Pakistani flag outside the tahsildar office in their hometown Sindagi of Vijayapura district in Karnataka in January 2012. The SIT believes Math has a strong support base in coastal regions, including Mangaluru, and parts of north Karnataka. "We have summoned Rakesh Math. He has not come yet," the official said. Sri Ram Sene founder and chief Pramod Muthalik has distanced himself and his organisation from Waghmare and the killing of Lankesh and other rationalists. Lankesh was shot dead at the entrance of her Bengaluru residence on September 5 last year. "There is no connection between Sri Ram Sene and Waghmare. He is neither our member nor our worker. This I say very clearly," said Muthalik. The Sene chief said when the Pakistani flag hoisting issue had come to light, it was said that Waghmare was a member of Sri Ram Sene. However, he said he has proved that Waghmare was not a member of Sri Ram Sene but of RSS. "I had shared his pictures sporting RSS uniform. I had said at that time that he is an RSS worker and not of Sri Ram Sene," Muthalik said. Conceding that Math is the district head of Sene, Muthalik said he has been summoned for inquiry because all of them are from Sindagi town and were involved in the Pakistani flag hoisting incident. Since both Waghmare and Math were involved in the Pakistani flag case and were from the same town, the police might have summoned the latter for interrogation, he told PTI. "Rakesh Math is our district president. However, the organisation has its own constitution according to which it functions. If somebody does something privately in his personal capacity, it cannot be held responsible," he said. Parashuram Waghmare's father Ashok Waghmare, who had come from Sindagi to Bengaluru to see his son, said he was innocent but could not recall where he (Parashuram) was on September 5, the day Lankesh was shot dead. "I think he was at home," Ashok Waghmare told a Kannada news channel. Math said he came to Bengaluru following a notice to appear for the inquiry. "I received a notice stating that my presence was required for the investigation (of Lankesh murder case)," Math told the channel. He also said he has been Parashuram Waghmare's friend and his arrest was quite shocking. He said he came to know about his (Parashuram Waghmare's) arrest after the police picked him up. Math was confident that his friend would come out clean. He denied his involvement in the killing and said he has only been doing organisational work. For Breaking News and Instant Updates Allow Notifications Story first published: Sunday, June 17, 2018, 10:32 [IST] Touching cheeks of child without sexual intent not offence: Bombay HC while granting bail to 46-year-old man Param Bir Singh plea against Maha govt inquiries can be adjudicated by CAT says HC Astrological incompatibility can't be an excuse to go back on marriage promise: Bombay HC Girl killed for refusing to read holy book: HC order expedition of probe India oi-Oneindia Staff By Oneindia Staff The Bombay High Court has directed the city police to expedite its probe into the death of a girl, allegedly killed by her relatives for refusing to read a holy book and offer prayers. The court in its order passed yesterday also asked the police to file a report of its investigation. A bench of Justices R M Savant and Revati Mohite-Dere directed the Antop Hill police that is probing the incident, to record the supplementary statement of the victim's father. The bench was hearing a petition filed by her father, Hussain Qureshi, seeking the transfer of the probe to another agency. Qureshi told the court that he felt that the police would arrest him too, and therefore, sought protection. A widower, he told the court that while he was out for work, his brother and sister-in-law used to take care of his 15-year-old daughter. On May 4, he was informed by his brother that the girl had died after falling in the bathroom. Additional Public Prosecutor Aruna Pai, however, told the court that the victim had been adopted by her uncle and aunt (Qureshi's brother and sister-in-law) after her mother's death. Pai said the girl was brought dead to Sion hospital by her relatives. Initially, the police believed their version and registered a case of accidental death but the post-mortem report revealed some ligature marks on the victim's neck suggesting that she had been strangulated, Pai said. "Following its initial probe, the police came to the conclusion that the girl had been strangulated to death by her uncle and aunt after she refused to read the holy book and offer prayers," Pai said. While both the accused have been arrested for murder, the police are still probing whether Qureshi had any role to play in the incident. Pai also told the court that the prosecution had sought the trial court's permission to conduct a "narco-analysis test" on him to find the truth but he had refused to appear for it. However, Qureshi denied the allegations and also told the bench that he had never refused for the test. He also alleged that the police's theory of the victim having been killed over prayers seemed far-fetched. At this the bench observed that the case was sensitive in nature and required utmost attention of the probe agency. It directed Qureshi to visit the concerned police station at affixed time and give his supplementary statement. "On what basis have you arrived at this conclusion? We will need a report," the bench asked the prosecution. "After the supplementary statement is recorded, we expect the investigating agency to carry out a fair and proper probe since we are informed that the probe into the case is still in progress,"the bench said. "We also expect that all such requisite measures required to be taken during the course of the investigation will be taken at the earliest in view of the fact that the incident occurred over a month back. We expect a report from the investigating agency on the next date of hearing," it said. The court is likely to hear the matter on June 29. For Breaking News and Instant Updates Allow Notifications Story first published: Sunday, June 17, 2018, 11:30 [IST] Mothers Day 2021: Google Doodle wishes mothers all around the world with adorable pop-up card Google celebrates Father's Day with colorful dinosaur like doodle India oi-Madhuri Google Doodle, the search giant on Sunday celebrated Father's Day with a colorful dinosaur like doodle. This year, it falls on June 17. Father's Day is a celebration honouring fathers and celebrating fatherhood and the influence of dads all over the globe. The day complements similar marking of other family members like- Siblings Day, Grandparents Day and Mother's Day. The day is being celebrated on different days across different countries. India follows the tradition of North American of observing it on the third Sunday of June. 109 years on, Father's Day today has several traditions and forms of celebrations across the globe. The day, dedicated to fathers, gives children the opportunity to honor and pamper their fathers. What is the Father's Day 2018 Google Doodle? The heartwarming design features six painted hand-prints with the colours matching those of the lettering on the search giant's normal logo. With the simple additions of a slender neck and a pair of eyes the prints become a multicoloured herd of diplodocus dinosaurs. India, US have 'one mind, one approach: US Deputy State Secretary on Afghanistan Hope India, US will be able to resolve differences over S-400 deal: Sherman Indians with advanced degree may have to wait for 150 years for green card says report India oi-Oneindia Staff By Oneindia Staff Indians with advanced degrees may have to wait for over 150 years for a green card which authorises them to live and work in the US permanently, according to projections by a think-tank. The new calculation on the Green card wait period by Cato Institute, a Washington-based think-tank, comes after the US Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) recently released number of applicants for such cards. The calculation is based on the number of green card issuances in 2017. As of April 20, 2018, there were 632,219 Indian immigrants and their spouses and minor children waiting for green cards also known as legal permanent residency cards. The shortest wait is for the highest skilled category for EB-1 immigrants with "extraordinary ability". EB stands for employment based. The extraordinary immigrants from India will have to wait "only" six years, Cato Institute said in its latest report. According to the USCIS, there are 34,824 Indian applicants under EB-1 category. Along with their 48,754 spouse and children, 83,578 Indians are in line for green card under EB-1 category. EB-3 immigrants- those with bachelor's degrees- will have to wait about 17 years, Cato Institute said. As of April 20, there were 54,892 Indians in this category. Clubbed with 60,381 spouses and children, the total number of Indians waiting for green card in EB-3 category are 1,15,273. However, the biggest backlog is for EB-2 workers, who have advanced degrees. "At current rates of visa issuances, they will have to wait 151 years for a green card. Obviously, unless the law changes, they will have died or left by that point," Cato institute said. According to the USCIS, there were 2,16,684 primary Indian applicants under EB-2 category and 2,16,684 spouses and children, thus making a total of 4,33,368. This is primarily because of the existing laws which imposes per-country-limit of seven per cent. In all 306,400 primary Indian applicants are waiting for their green cards. Clubbed with their spouses and children numbering 325,819; as many as 632,219 Indians in all are waiting for their green cards. In 2017 only 22,602 Indians were issued the legal permanent residency cards. Of these 13,082 were in the EB-1 category, 2,879 in EB-2 category and 6,641 in Eb-3 category, according to the latest USCIS figures. Cato Institute said the green card allocation is not based on the the backlog, so 69 per cent of the backlog is in the EB-2 category, but it received only 13 per cent of the green cards issued in 2017. There are two reasons for this, it explained. First, each category is guaranteed a minimum of 40,040 green cards, so the allocation between categories does not adjust when one category has higher demand than the others. Second, EB-2 is currently subject to the per-country limits, that prevent Indian immigrants from receiving more than seven per cent of the green cards issued in the category, the report said. Cato Institute notes that that for employment-based green cards, the per-country limit only applies in full force when the category is filled up, meaning that if some green cards would go to waste, Indian immigrants can receive above the per-country limit of 7 per cent. For this reason, Indian immigrants received nearly 18 per cent of the total green cards issued in the EB-3 category in 2017. Referring to the inconsistency in the application of the per-country limit, the report said if the per-country limits end up not applying fully for EB-2 during some future years, they could receive their green cards before the next century. For example, if they received the same number of green cards as EB-3 workers did in 2017, they would have to wait "only" for 65 years, rather than 151 years as projected based on the number of issuances in 2017. On the other hand, if the per-country limits end up applying fully for EB-3 workers after 2018, they could end up having to wait more than 40 years, rather than 17 years, the report said. For Breaking News and Instant Updates Allow Notifications Story first published: Sunday, June 17, 2018, 12:00 [IST] "When Kanisri was born, we were ecstatic. But no one was more excited than our elder daughter. Little does she know the truth about Kanisri's condition. If she knew, she would be heartbroken." Kanisri was born in May 2017. When she was 22 days old, her parents took her for her polio vaccination. Her doctor noted that her heart rate was unusually high and recommended they get her scanned. Around this time, Apollo Hospital was holding health camps in and around Chennai. Since diagnosis costs are generally very high, Rajesh, the father, decided to take Kanisri to one of the camps. "The diagnosis came as a shock to us. Our baby, who was just 22 days old, was already battling a life-threatening heart disease. She needed a heart surgery immediately." Her condition, Fallot Hypoplastic PV, makes it difficult for her heart to pump out clean blood to her body. As a result, her body turns a frightening blue. Kanisri is now 1 year old, and the surgery she needs has been pending for a year. She cries in discomfort all day and night, and is unable to eat properly even now. "Doctors had asked us to get her surgery done last year. But we simply haven't been able to gather the funds. The longer we wait, the worse our little one's condition gets." For the past year, Kanisri has been surviving on heavy medication that helps her heart function. Rajesh has spent around Rs. 70,000 during this time. Her impending surgery will cost him Rs 4 lakh, a large sum for Rajesh, who makes a living working at a small barber shop. "I earn a humble income working at a barber shop. My wife is a housewife. During the past year, we have had to travel over 5 hours to reach Apollo Hospital in Chennai for every check-up Kanisri has needed. This affects my work and already low income severely." Rajesh and his wife have no one to turn to now. Their relatives and friends are no more well off than they are and are unable to help. You can contribute towards Kanisri's treatment and help her family save her life. Even a small contribution could mean a lot for the family. Centre to launch e-SHRAM portal tomorrow for unorganised sector workers: All you need to know Lorry mishap in AP kills 7 farm workers India oi-Oneindia Staff By Oneindia Staff At least seven farm workers, including three women from Tamil Nadu, were killed and 12 others injured when a lorry carrying them rolled down into a gorge at Peddavanka forest near Kuppam, 110 km from here. The mishap occurred late tonight as the driver lost control of the lorry while negotiating a curve, polie said. The rescue operation was underway but hampered by pitch dark conditions in the forest area, police said adding 12 injured people had been rushed to a hospital in Tamil Nadu. More than 20 farm workers were being taken in the lorry to neighbouring Vaniyambadi in Tamil Nadu from Kuppam when the accident occurred. Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu expressed grief over the death of the workers. For Breaking News and Instant Updates Allow Notifications Story first published: Sunday, June 17, 2018, 9:00 [IST] NITI Aayog meet: Naidu demands special status to AP, gets support from Nitish India oi-Madhuri Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar on Sunday backed the demand of Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu for special category status to the southern state. Nitish also demanded 'special category status' for Bihar at the crucial meeting to be presided over by PM Narendra Modi. It is also learnt that the chief Minister of West Bengal Mamata Banerjee also supported Chandrababu Naidu on the issue of 2011 census being adopted by 15th Finance Commission in the NITI Aayog Governing Council meeting & requested not to penalise the performing states. Speaking to media, Mamata said,''I along with the Chief Ministers of Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka and Kerala have requested PM Modi today to resolve the problems of Delhi government immediately.'' The Telugu Desam Party (TDP) has been fighting against the Centre for the rights of people of Andhra, demanding it to fulfil assurances made in the Rajya Sabha including SCS and provisions of Andhra Pradesh Reorganisation Act. In March, the party quit the BJP-led NDA alliance over the same. For Breaking News and Instant Updates Allow Notifications Story first published: Sunday, June 17, 2018, 14:23 [IST] Dr Khan blames BJP MP Kamlesh Paswan hired shooters to attack his brother Kashif Jameel India oi-Madhuri Dr Kafeel Khan, an accused in the Uttar Pradesh's Gorakhpur BRD Medical College case involving the death of 63 children on Sunday said that the Gorakhpur police have not taken any action till now. He further said that no one has been arrested so far in connection with the incident where his brother was shot at by unidentified assailants. Speaking to media, Kafeel Khan said,''It was promised that the culprits will be nabbed within 48 hours. It has been a week now but no action has been taken yet, no arrests have been made yet.''He went on to claim that BJP MP Kamlesh Paswan, who represents the Bansgaon Constituency and Satish Nagalia, owner of Baldev Plaza, hired shooters. He said: "BJP MP Kamlesh Paswan and Satish Nangalia, owner of Baldev plaza, hired shooters for this. Paswan has no personal enmity with my brother. My uncle has a piece of land which Kamlesh and Satish encroached upon in Feb. FIR was lodged and they had sought stay order by HC on arrests." Congress President Rahul Gandhi had recently written to Dr Khan, calling his patience a 'source of inspiration'. Earlier on June 10, Kafeel Khan's brother Kashif Jameel was shot at on Sunday night when he was returning home on his bike near JP Hospital in Humayunpur north area, with three bullets hitting him. One bullet had hit him in the neck and another on the upper arm and he underwent surgery at a private hospital in Gorakhpur. Dr Kafeel Khan had accused police of making unnecessary delay in his brother surgery. Sher Bahadur Deuba to take oath as new Prime Minister of Nepal today Our friendship with India and China remains of 'paramount importance': Nepal at UN Nepal's ruling NCP hopes PM Oli's China visit will deepen ties: report International oi-Shubham By Shubham Nepal's ruling Nepal Communist Party (NCP) has expressed hope that the upcoming visit of Prime Minister Khadga Prasad Oli to China beginning June 19 will be significant for deepening the bilateral relation between the two neighbours, China's Xinhua reported on Sunday, June 17. Xinhua cited NCP spokesperson Narayan Kaji Shrestha as saying that a standing committee meeting of the party held in Kathmandu on Saturday, June 16, discussed Oli's five-day visit to Beijing. "We hope that the visit will be significant to deepen bilateral cooperation between Nepal and China," Xinhua quoted him as saying. Oli, who is known to harbour pro-China sentiments, also termed his visit to China as historic as far as deepening the cooperation between the two nations that have shown enough signs of coming closer in the recent times, much to the dismay of Nepal's age-old friend India. The standing committee met for the first time since the NCP was launched on May 17 following the merger of the two communist parties - CPN(UML) and CPN(Maoist Centre). The communists came to power in Nepal after an overwhelming victory in the elections held last year end. Nepal's Foreign Minister Pradeep Kumar Gyawali briefed about the preparations underway for Oli's visit to China, the Xinhua report added. The visit by Oli and his delegates is taking place at the invitation of Chinese Premier Le Keqiang and it will be the first trip to China by the Nepali PM in his second and current term which started in February this year. Oli had visited China during his first tenure as the PM in March 2016. For Breaking News and Instant Updates Allow Notifications Story first published: Sunday, June 17, 2018, 16:09 [IST] Italy finds patient with new COVID-19 strain which UK said is out of control Outrage as UK excludes Indian students from new relaxed visa rules International oi-Oneindia Staff By Oneindia Staff The UK government has caused outrage with its decision to exclude Indian students from a new list of countries considered "low risk" in order to facilitate an easier visa application process to UK universities. In changes to its immigration policy tabled in Parliament yesterday, the UK Home Office announced a relaxation of the Tier 4 visa category for overseas students from around 25 countries. On a list already covering countries like the US, Canada and New Zealand, the Home Office has added on the likes of China, Bahrain and Serbia as countries from where students would face reduced checks on educational, financial and English language skill requirements to study at British universities. The changes, which come into effect on July 6, aim to make it easier for international students to come to study in the UK. However, India has been left out of this newly expanded list, which means Indian students applying for similar courses will continue to face rigorous checks and documentary requirements. Lord Karan Bilimoria, Indian-origin entrepreneur and President of the UK Council for International Student Affairs (UKCISA), described the move as an "insult" to India and another example of Britain's "economically illiterate and hostile attitude to immigration". "I consider this another kick in the teeth for India... This sends entirely the wrong message to India, to exclude it from these Tier 4 measures. The government has simply got it wrong," said Bilimoria, while welcoming the overall visa relaxation measures introduced by UK Home Secretary Sajid Javid. Bilimoria, the founder of Cobra Beer and founding-chair of UK India Business Council (UKIBC), added, "It is completely hypocritical that this is announced at the same time that Britain is talking about doing a post-Brexit free trade agreement (FTA) with India. If this is the way they treat India, they can dream on about an FTA with India". "India has always been one of Britain's closest allies and an emerging global economic superpower. Excluding India from this list is myopically short-sighted and is damaging what has always been a special relationship between our countries," he said. The National Indian Students and Alumni Union (NISAU) UK also expressed disappointment at India's exclusion from the list, which it said effectively categorises Indian students as "high risk". The representative body for Indian students in the UK said it was unfair that Indian students should be treated differently from Chinese or other nationals on the list. "It is important to note that today's announcement makes no change to the process of application for Indian students, but it is the perception of this message among Indian students that worries us. And, this raises another question - will China continue to get even more favourable actions while India gets the rhetoric," questioned Sanam Arora, president of NISAU UK. According to latest Office of National Statistics (ONS) data, India is among the top three countries from where overseas students come in to study at UK universities, after China and the US. While Indian students registered a hike of 30 per cent to hit 15,171 Tier 4 visas last year, the numbers remain a far cry from around 30,000 six years ago. The latest development will add to growing concern within Indian government circles, given that ministers and diplomats have repeatedly highlighted the need for a more welcoming immigration regime for Indian students. Last week, Indian High Commissioner to the UK, Y K Sinha, held a meeting with the UK's minister for universities, Sam Gyimah, during which he once again raised the issue of "smoother and greater student and faculty mobility between the two countries". "It is unfortunate that in the last six years we have seen a steep drop (in Indian student numbers). What should be troubling universities here is that Indian students are now going in much greater numbers to the US, Australia - even France and Germany," Sinha has said in the past. The UK Home Office said in order to make it easier for students to come and study in the UK's world-leading education sector, it has expanded the list of countries from which students will be able to benefit from a streamlined application process. "Students from an additional 11 countries, including China, will be able to provide a reduced level of documentation when applying for their Tier 4 visa," the Home Office statement notes. On being asked why India had been omitted from this expanded list, a spokesperson said, "We welcome Indian students who want to come to the UK to study at our world-leading educational institutions. We issue more visas to students from India than any other country except China and the USA." The Home Office stressed that 90 per cent of Indian students who apply for a UK visa get one, a figure up from 86 per cent in 2014 and 83 per cent the year before that. It added, "In addition, the proportion of Indian students coming to study in the UK at a university has increased from around 50 per cent in 2010 to around 90 per cent in 2016. Indian student visa applications are up 30 per cent on last year. We continue to have regular discussions with the Indian government on a range of issues including on visas and UK immigration policy," it said. For Breaking News and Instant Updates Allow Notifications Story first published: Sunday, June 17, 2018, 6:06 [IST] Collapse of Kabul will go down as one of the greatest defeats in American history: Donald Trump Trade war with China: Trumps boldest step has rattled Americans, says US media International oi-Shubham By Shubham US President Donald Trump's decision to continue imposing steep tariffs on Chinese imports might have marked his "boldest step so far" to execute his "America First" strategy by reducing a trade deficit worth $811 billion and bringing back the manufacturing jobs back into the US, but at the same time, the aggressive approach has also left the American corporate leaders and the president's Republican friends in the Congress rattled, for China has showed "no sign of capitulating", the Washington Post said in a piece titled 'With tariffs, Trump starts unraveling a quarter-century of US-China economic ties' (https://www.washingtonpost.com/business/economy/trump-imposes-import-taxes-on-chinese-goods-and-warns-of-additional-tariffs/2018/06/15/da909ecc-7092-11e8-bf86-a2351b5ece99_story.html) on Friday, June 15. The WP report came after Trump imposed tariffs on Chinese products worth $50 billion to penalise China for what he feels an unethical business practice. China followed suit by imposing counter tariffs amounting the same. According to the Post report: "It took little more than an hour for the Ministry of Commerce in Beijing to fire back at the president with a late-night statement pledging to erect trade barriers of the "same scale and the same strength." China is targeting agricultural goods, cars and energy in a bid to hit the president's supporters in farm states and the industrial Midwest." China's refusal to get intimidated by the US sanctions shows "it is difficult to see a path to a negotiated settlement that avoids a big hit to trade and investment flows between the two countries," the Washington Post quoted Eswar Prasad, former head of the International Monetary Fund's China division, as saying. According to the report, Trump appeared to be taking a gamble over the imposition of the tariffs thinking it will corner China. Officials of the Trump Administration feel China has more to lose in the trade war with the US for it needs the American market more than it is the other way round and also because of the fact that China has a trade surplus. Chinese experts, on the other hand, doesn't feel that way, said the report. "Unlike Trump, Chinese President Xi Jinping does not have to worry about unhappy constituents complaining about the costs of a trade war. American businesses that experience supply disruptions and farmers who lose export sales as China retaliates will let their congressional representatives hear about it," the Post said. For Breaking News and Instant Updates Allow Notifications Story first published: Sunday, June 17, 2018, 15:42 [IST] India, US have 'one mind, one approach: US Deputy State Secretary on Afghanistan Hope India, US will be able to resolve differences over S-400 deal: Sherman US, South Korea may announce suspending joint military drills this week: Yonhap news agency International oi-Shubham By Shubham Less than a week after US President Donald Trump met North Korean Supreme Leader Kim Jong-un, South Korean government on Sunday, June 17, said Seoul and Washington were expected to suspend their large-scale joint military exercises this week amid talks with North Korea, South's Yonhap news agency reported. The announcement could, however, feature a condition that the exercises would resume if Pyongyang did not meet its promises on denuclearisation, the agency report added. On June 12, Trump said after his historic meeting with Kim that he will put an end to "provocative, inappropriate and expensive" war exercises with South Korea. These drills have also been a reason of the prolonged tension in the Korean Peninsula with the North seeing them with suspicious eyes. On May 16, North Korea had abruptly called off an official-level meeting with South Korea in protest to the US-led air combat drills in the Korean Peninsula and blasted the South Korean government. It raised apprehension about the June 12 summit getting cancelled and although Trump called it off on May 24 citing Pyongyang's "tremendous anger and open hostility", it was reinstated later, thanks to continued diplomatic engagements. "The South Korean and U.S. military authorities have been having close consultations over the combined exercises that U.S. President Donald Trump has said he will stop," Yonhap quoted a source as saying on the condition of anonymity. "This week, the South Korean and U.S. defense ministries will jointly announce the results of their discussions," the report cited the source as adding. As in other issues, Trump's stance on stopping war games with South Korea has caused polarising effects. While some say it is a goodwill gesture aimed at achieving peace in Korean Peninsula, others are suspicious that it could hurt the bilateral alliance between Washington and Seoul. Trump has been sceptical about the cost-effectiveness of maintaining forces in the Far East right from the beginning. He prefers that Washington's allies in that region - South Korea and Japan - who take help from Washington for their security cover against regional threats like China and North Korea should bear more financial burden, even in case there is a military action against North Korea. In 1992, amid talks with North Korea, the US and South Korea scrapped their "Team Spirit" exercise, which resumed a year later, Yonhap informed. The US's allies have defended the regular exercises as purely "defensive", refuting North Korea's charges that they are aimed at threatening it. "The allied exercises are based on a series of joint contingency plans that delineate a series of procedures to handle a wide range of scenarios, such as a full-blown war triggered by attacks or invasion by the North," the Yonhap news agency reported. For Breaking News and Instant Updates Allow Notifications Story first published: Sunday, June 17, 2018, 15:03 [IST] How to Book Sabarimala Virtual Q Tickets Online 2021? Know Date, Price and Other Details AAP Dharna: Delhi minister Satyendra Jains health deteriorates, rushed to hospital New Delhi oi-Deepika By Deepika Delhi Health Minister Satyendra Jain, who has been on a hunger strike since Tuesday over the Aam Aadmi Party government's standoff with Lieutenant Governor Anil Baijal, has been hospitalised for his deteriorating health condition, Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal tweeted late on Sunday. The health minister was taken to the LNJP Hospital, officials said. "Satyender Jain shifted to hospital due to his deteriorating health," Kejriwal tweeted. Satyendar Jain along with Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal, deputy CM Manish Sisodia and Gopal Rai were staging a sit-in protest at L-G Anil Baijal's house. His health summary this morning showed that his sugar level was 64 mg/dL and ketone level in urine was large. The blood pressure level was 96/68 and he weighed 78.5 kg, sources said. Kejriwal, his deputy Manish Sisodia and Jain, have stayed put at the L-G office demanding that Lieutenant Governor Anil Baijal direct IAS officers to end what the AAP described as their "strike" and approve doorstep ration delivery scheme. A matter of immense pride says PM Modi on BJP getting first RS seat from Puducherry Gang targeting rich French nationals in Puducherry: Madras High Court Puducherry oi-Oneindia Staff By Oneindia Staff The Madras High Court has refused to quash criminal proceedings against a couple in a case of alleged land grabbing in Puducherry, observing that they were part of a gang which targeted rich French nationals to usurp their properties by forging documents. Justice P N Prakash, dismissing petitions by the couple, directed a judicial magistrate court in Puducherry, a former French colony, to go ahead with the case, saying there was sufficient material against the two for framing charges. "...the accused in this case are not simple people, but belong to a gang which identifies rich French nationals with huge properties in Puducherry and usurps them by creating fake documents," the judge pointed out in his order, citing arguments during the hearing. The judge said if the accused do not co-operate, they can be remanded to custody. The case was filed on a complaint from Marie Jacques that her father Saint Jacques Antoine's properties across Puducherry was grabbed by using fake documents after he was killed in 2006. Based on her complaint, the police registered a case against 16 people, including the couple -- K Elumalai and E Karpagam -- and filed a final report before the Judicial Magistrate-II, Puducherry. Justice Prakash also wondered how the quash petitions were allowed to be filed without impleading Marie Jacques, the original complainant, as respondent. The petitioners had only cited the police as the respondent. "It is not known as to how the registry numbered the petitions when instructions have been given to the effect that the de facto complainant/victim should be shown as a respondent in quash applications," he said. This aspect would be dealt by the court on the administrative side, he said in the recent order. For Breaking News and Instant Updates Allow Notifications Story first published: Sunday, June 17, 2018, 10:45 [IST] Jailer from Vadodara Central Jail file complaints against seven inmates for jumping 60-day parole Doctor sedates, rapes patient at Gujarat Vadodara oi-Oneindia Staff By Oneindia Staff A doctor who had been on the run after being booked for allegedly sedating and raping a patient in his clinic in Angadh village in Nadesari area on the outskirts of Vadodara was detained on Saturday, police said. Nadesari police inspector JK Patel said that Dr Pratik Joshi, who had been booked for rape on June 11, was detained from a relative's house in Valan village in neighbouring Panchmahal district at 3:30 am. "A woman had filed a complaint that the doctor had injected her with a sedative and then raped her. We detained Dr Pratik Joshi and he will be arrested soon and presented before a magistrate for remand," Patel said. Patel informed that the clinic's compounder, Dilip Gohil, was arrested on June 11 for allegedly filming the act, at the behest of the doctor, in order to blackmail the victim. He said that the video was used to blackmail the victim into having a physical relationship with the doctor. A case was registered against Joshi under section 376 (rape) and 328 (using poison to commit an offence) based on the woman's complaint, Patel said. The incident took place about three months ago, he added. Meanwhile, Joshi has alleged that compounder Gohil, along with two others identified as Mahendra Gohil and Vikram Gohil, were also blackmailing him. The three had kidnapped him on February 22 and had demanded Rs 50 lakh from him, the doctor has stated in his police complaint, Patel said. Patel said that the three had been arrested and the doctor's allegations against them were being investigated. Three others connected to this case are on the run and police was on the lookout for them, the official said. Further investigations into the case were underway following which Dr Joshi would be arrested and presented before court, Patel said. For Breaking News and Instant Updates Allow Notifications Story first published: Sunday, June 17, 2018, 12:30 [IST] Papua New Guinea governments hope to see a clean city in the lead up to the Apec summit in November has met action from the National Capital District Commission.The campaign on anti-graffiti started on Sunday morning to achieve the desired outcome for the meeting and to leave a legacy for the future in which our Cities can all be litter free.It was witnessed by NCD Governor Powes Parkop and other participants of Walk and Yoga for Life today at Paga Hill ring road in Port Moresby.Mr Parkop said its taskforce was already established to partner with the Minister for Lands and Physical Planning and APEC Justin Tkatchenko for the cause.The campaign was coupled with a live painting of the governor showing how the art of graffiti can be used in a good way to beautify the city.The members of the taskforce assured the commission and others that they have got the solution to rid the practice in the city.Governor Parkop said they have tried their best to get rid of it so to achieve a graffiti-free city for all despite its challenges.He admitted that graffiti has defaced properties and the image of the city, reiterating his call for ban on sales of spray painting and tougher penalties for its artists.I will not be submit proposed laws to the NCDC Board to control and regulate can spray can in the City especially small cans. We will see to ban sale of small spray cans in retails outlets and restrict its sale to license premises and holders. Genuine graphic artists and other legitimate users will have to have license to buy. We will also improve surveillance to catch the perpetrators who strike mainly in the night by installing CCTV camera. We will also be asking some residence to change their fence so as to deprive these pest the opportunity to ply their nuisance Thousands of taxpayers money had been wasted to counter it, he said.Crowd drawn by Active City Development programs Walk and Yoga for life provides a forum to do awareness for action on many development issues affecting both the city and the country, he said. This coming weekend the Active City Development Program will focus on activities to promote the World Environment Day. New Italian Government Set to Crack Down on Gambling Advertising Published June 17, 2018 by Ivan P One of four points of a new 'dignity decree' proposes an outright ban on all advertising activities connected to any and all forms of gambling. The new government coalition in Italy seems to have a profound anti-gambling stance and the operators are already starting to feel the consequences of this latest shift. Among other things the country leaders set in motion with regards to the gambling industry is the proposal to ban all forms of gambling advertising, which would undoubtedly have a profound effect on the business. Limiting the Exposure Over the past several years, the gambling industry in Italy has experienced a significant growth. Luigi Di Maio, the new Deputy Premier in the country, believes this is connected to high levels of exposure gambling (online and land-based) has been receiving in the media, primarily through advertising. Although this is good for the industry, Di Maio believes this growth needs to be curbed and much stricter limitations need to be applied, especially in terms of advertising. This is one of focal points of a 'dignity decree' that was proposed a few days ago, suggesting, among other things, a full ban on gambling advertising. Fencing the Industry According to Di Maio, banning gambling outright in the country would be counterproductive as it would only give rise to illegal gambling operations. However, measures need to be taken to fence the industry and limit its popularity, and a ban on advertising would go a long way towards achieving this goal. The ban is just a small part of the anti-gambling movement in the country. There are other legal provisions already in place or in the works that will further limit the gambling operators in Italy. One such provision has to do with operating hours of land-based venues, which would see the working hours reduced to just eight per day. These proposed changes come on the heels of new anti-money laundering laws that have already been introduced, requiring casinos to gather much more information about their customers to help prevent tax evasion, money laundering, and other illicit activities facilitated through the operators. The new government has made it clear that they have a "long list of grievances" with the industry and the ban on advertising might be just the tip of the iceberg. Although the outright ban on gambling doesn't seem to be in the cards, the licensed operators in the country, both online and land-based, seem to be in for a rough ride in the coming months. Would you like to know how many people have read this article? Or how reputable the author is? Simply sign up for a Advocate premium membership and you'll automatically see this data on every article. Plus a lot more, too. The persecution of Julian Assange must end. Or it will end in tragedy. The Australian government and prime minister Malcolm Turnbull have an historic opportunity to decide which it will be. They can remain silent, for which history will be unforgiving. Or they can act in the interests of justice and humanity and bring this remarkable Australian citizen home. Assange does not ask for special treatment. The government has clear diplomatic and moral obligations to protect Australian citizens abroad from gross injustice: in Julian's case, from a gross miscarriage of justice and the extreme danger that await him should he walk out of the Ecuadorean embassy in London unprotected. We know from the Chelsea Manning case what he can expect if a US extradition warrant is successful -- a United Nations Special Rapporteur called it torture. I know Julian Assange well; I regard him as a close friend, a person of extraordinary resilience and courage. I have watched a tsunami of lies and smear engulf him, endlessly, vindictively, perfidiously; and I know why they smear him. In 2008, a plan to destroy both WikiLeaks and Assange was laid out in a top secret document dated 8 March, 2008. The authors were the Cyber Counter-intelligence Assessments Branch of the US Defence Department. They described in detail how important it was to destroy the "feeling of trust" that is WikiLeaks' "centre of gravity." This would be achieved, they wrote, with threats of "exposure [and] criminal prosecution" and an unrelenting assault on reputation. The aim was to silence and criminalize WikiLeaks and its editor and publisher. It was as if they planned a war on a single human being and on the very principle of freedom of speech. Their main weapon would be personal smear. Their shock troops would be enlisted in the media -- those who are meant to keep the record straight and tell us the truth. The irony is that no one told these journalists what to do. I call them Vichy journalists -- after the Vichy government that served and enabled the German occupation of wartime France. Last October, the Australian Broadcasting Corporation journalist Sarah Ferguson interviewed Hillary Clinton, over whom she fawned as "the icon for your generation." This was the same Clinton who threatened to "obliterate totally" Iran and, who, as US secretary of State in 2011, was one of the instigators of the invasion and destruction of Libya as a modern state, with the loss of 40,000 lives. Like the invasion of Iraq, it was based on lies. When the Libyan President was murdered publicly and gruesomely with a knife, Clinton was filmed whooping and cheering. Thanks largely to her, Libya became a breeding ground for ISIS and other jihadists. Thanks largely to her, tens of thousands of refugees fled in peril across the Mediterranean, and many drowned. Leaked emails published by WikiLeaks revealed that Hillary Clinton's foundation -- which she shares with her husband -- received millions of dollars from Saudi Arabia and Qatar, the main backers of ISIS and terrorism across the Middle East. As Secretary of State, Clinton approved the biggest arms sale ever -- worth $80 billion -- to Saudi Arabia, one of her foundation's principal benefactors. Today, Saudi Arabia is using these weapons to crush starving and stricken people in a genocidal assault on Yemen. Sarah Ferguson, a highly paid reporter, raised not a word of this with Hillary Clinton sitting in front of her. Next Page 1 | 2 | 3 (Note: You can view every article as one long page if you sign up as an Advocate Member, or higher). Would you like to know how many people have read this article? Or how reputable the author is? Simply sign up for a Advocate premium membership and you'll automatically see this data on every article. Plus a lot more, too. Gorbachev passing Palestinian torch to Javadi Amoli 1988 (Image by AHTahtribune.com/history/1417-khomeini-gorbachev.html) Details DMCA 1) How do you assess Iran's presence in the region? Could we say the major reason for American hostility against Iran is its strong position in the middle-east? Iran has played a vital role in the Middle East, especially since the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991. The Palestinians lost their superpower support, which had meant that the UN had a balanced voice to counter, at least to some extent, the US imperial objectives of world dominance, and Israel's objective to dominance in the Middle East, serving as a proxy for US interests. The UN resolution of 1975 called Zionism "a form of racism and racial discrimination", which was revoked in 1991 under US pressure. The struggle to liberate Palestine suffered defeat after defeat since then, with the questionable -- and failed -- Oslo peace accords, the second Intifada (2000--05) (along with the first intifada, killing 5,300 Palestinians), the invasions of Gaza (2008, 2014) (3,700 Palestinians). According to official Israeli security data, between 750,000 and 800,000 Palestinians have been arrested and imprisoned by Israel since 1967. This massacre of civilians has taken place with no sanctions against Israel, rarely even a scolding, showing the craven cowardice of the international community ruled by US hegemony. The Saudis provide petro-dollar support to the Palestinian Authority and to Palestinian refugees, but boycott Hamas, which has been held under siege by Israel for a decade, given material aid (mostly confiscated by Israel) only by brave western peace groups. Only Iran has dared to provide military support through Hezbollah in Lebanon. This has left Iran as the victim of unceasing boycotts and scheming by the West, as well as almost daily calls to invade Iran. There is some light on the horizon, despite Arab hostility to Iran and timidity among peace campaigners in the West to openly support Iran. The UN Economic and Social Commission for Western Asia (ESCWA) issued a report in March 2017 calling Israel an apartheid state, recalling the 1975 UN resolution. Since most of the world's states have signed the Convention Against Apartheid, they are now obliged to act to punish instances of apartheid. Recommendations from the report include calls for: " governments to "support boycott, divestment and sanctions activities". " a comprehensive investigation by the International Criminal Court (ICC) of the situation in Israel. ICC Prosecutor Fatou Bensouda had already opened an investigation on Israel's 2014 bombing of Gaza and on the illegal settlements in the West Bank. " 'criminal prosecutions of Israeli officials demonstrably connected with the practices of apartheid against the Palestinian people'. Former Israeli Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni cancelled a trip to Brussels in 2017 when she was alerted that the prosecutors there might arrest her using the principle of universal jurisdiction. It is easy to convince most people in the West in a few moments of sober discussion that Israel is a criminal state and that Iran is doing vital work to support the Palestinians -- without any ulterior motive, something that Arab states, under US hegemony, have neglected to do. The prejudice of an important element of the Arab world against the Palestinians was expressed by the most subservient of Arab states. At a meeting with Jewish leaders in New York in April 2018, Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman castigated the Palestinian leadership for rejecting opportunities for peace with Israel for decades, and said they should either start accepting peace proposals or "shut up." Shocking as this was to hear publically, it shows the hypocrisy of unpopular Arab leaders who are worried more about their own restive peoples, than the noble struggle of the Palestinians to protect Muslim heritage in the epicentre of the Abrahamic faith. Accusations are made against Iran, both from the imperialists and from Arab leaders, jealous of Iran's Islamic revolution, its ability to resist US invasion -- both military and cultural -- and western boycotts and financial pressures. A term 'the Shia crescent' was coined by western analysts to suggest that Iran wants to export Shiism and revolution to the Middle East and wield political power along the lines of the imperialist West. Iran threatens no country or tries to direct political activity of others. The same specious claims were used against the earlier bete-noire of imperialism, the Soviet Union, which did not engage in coups and election interference in dozens of countries since the end of WWII. Such claims are a mere distraction from the aggressive agenda of imperialism to control the world. Next Page 1 | 2 (Note: You can view every article as one long page if you sign up as an Advocate Member, or higher). Would you like to know how many people have read this article? Or how reputable the author is? Simply sign up for a Advocate premium membership and you'll automatically see this data on every article. Plus a lot more, too. From To The Point Analyses Part I -- The Republican Party Falls Apart The Republican Party has been falling apart for at least 54 years. The official start of this process can be dated to 1964, when the conservative Republican Barry Goldwater captured the GOP nomination for president. When asked his plans if elected, he replied, "I do not plan to pass laws. I plan to repeal them." That was a signal that he was intent on changing the role of government. His goal was to narrow the government down to the basic tasks of defending the realm (the military), enforcing a diminishing number of federal laws (the courts), and providing only those few necessary services that the "free market" could not take care of. This goal would, theoretically, reduce taxes to a minimum and increase individual "freedom" to a maximum. Goldwater did not win the election, but he did get nearly 40% of the vote. For those who at the time believed in an active role for government (as Democrats say they do) this should have been a red flag. Goldwater conservatism has survived in the Tea Party phenomenon that has, subsequently, torn the Republican Party apart. The uncompromising nature of Tea Party politics has purged the Republican Party of its moderates -- those willing to meet Democrats halfway so as to keep the federal government viable. However, because the unraveling of the party was an essentially uncontrolled process, it opened the way for more than just those interested in minimalist government. It opened the way into Republican politics for social reactionaries, nascent fascists and unscrupulous opportunists. Along the way, some of the conservative Republican goals and values have been discarded. As Edward-Isaac Dovere notes in his 13 June 2018 Politico piece"This is the New Republican Party": "The party of free trade has gone protectionist. The party of spreading freedom and never negotiating with dictators is now full of praise for chumming it up with Kim Jong Un. The party of fighting deficits has blown a trillion-dollar hole in the budget. Family values and moralizing have been replaced by porn stars and Twitter tantrums." Actually, this is the least of it. As suggested above, Barry Goldwater and some of the Tea Party advocates as well wanted smaller government so as to promote an ideal of greater "freedom." But political vacuums, such as developed in the Republican Party, rarely promote freedom. Thus, a relatively traditional conservative Republican, Rep. Mark Sanford of South Carolina, who lost a recent party primary election to an ally of President Donald Trump now complains, that his defeat was a reflection of people's "disenchantment with the way democracies work." And such discontent has paved the way for "a strongman" to come along and tell you "you've got to give up some freedoms, but if you do, I'll take care of these problems for you." Sanford sees Donald Trump as that strongman -- someone who has little regard for the Constitution and has betrayed the "the democratic principles that our Founding Fathers laid out." This complaint is dismissed by those riding President Trump's coattails. Corey Stewart, who won his primary in Virginia as an ally of Donald Trump, is now that state's Republican candidate for the Senate. He is also a social and political reactionary. He is the kind of guy you see flying a Confederate flag from the back of a pickup truck. His advice to people like Sanford is to "deal with it. This is the new Republican Party." Those who don't like it are "dinosaurs who need to wake up and understand that President Trump has fundamentally remade" the GOP. Actually, Trump has not remade anything -- at least in any organized way. The Republicans were in full disarray by the time he came along and he just stepped in and took over. People like Corey Stewart slipped in at the same time. Essentially, Trump is "winging it" based on intuitive feelings. The secret to the success of people like Trump and Corey Stewart is that most of what they tell us is humbug, or what the philosopher Harry Frankfurt frankly calls bullshit. "Bullshitters seek to convey a certain impression of themselves without being concerned about whether anything [they say is] at all true. They quietly change the rules governing their end of the conversation so that claims about truth and falsity are irrelevant." Trump's simple one-liners and stereotyping cliches, delivered in stump speeches or on Twitter, are perfect examples of Frankfurt's definition of bullshit. There is a subset of every population that is susceptible to this sort of shabby salesmanship, particularly when coming from someone who is a bit charismatic. Combine this susceptibility with the sense that the U.S. political system has become generally unresponsive to its citizens, and what you get is a Trump presidency and radicals like Corey Stewart moving, carpetbagger style, into the Republican Party ranks. Part II -- The Democratic Party Stuck in Rut The attitude of the Democratic Party to all this has been -- well, let's just call it outdated. The Democratic Party has not gone through either a breakdown process like the Republicans, or the reform process advocated by Bernie Sanders. Its party leaders, Nancy Pelosi in the House of Representatives and Charles Schumer in the Senate, are political bureaucrats acting as if nothing has changed. For instance, while millions of Democratic voters are scared of Donald Trump and want to see him confronted and discredited, Pelosi and Schumer have decided that the best strategy is to ignore the president. Thus, the Democrats don't want to focus on or even talk about Donald Trump. The Democrats want to talk about "better jobs." However, with the economy, at least superficially and temporarily, doing well and Trump claiming that he is "making America great again," the rather shopworn notion that people are only interested in their pocketbooks isn't going to cut it now, any more than it did in 2016. Even if Trump could not easily deflect the economic argument, it would not be sufficient for a Democratic comeback. Middle-class economic aspirations are no longer the only deciding factors in U.S. politics. More divisive and ideologically interpreted issues now hold much of the public's attention. The nation is confronted by a serious racist revival, it is awash in guns, foreign policy crises are multiplying, and we have a "thug in a suit in the White House." Pelosi and Schumer are pretending these issues are not very important compared to stereotypical pocketbook ones. Perhaps the real dinosaurs are these Democratic leaders. If you want an historical comparison that might put the present situation in perspective, take the British government of Neville Chamberlain in 1937-1940. At that point Britain had a narrowly competent, wholly unimaginative and uncharismatic leadership who were suddenly faced with an aggressive and lawless adversary. Next Page 1 | 2 (Note: You can view every article as one long page if you sign up as an Advocate Member, or higher). Would you like to know how many people have read this article? Or how reputable the author is? Simply sign up for a Advocate premium membership and you'll automatically see this data on every article. Plus a lot more, too. From Gush Shalom Prime Minister Yitzak Rabin was an Israeli politician, statesman and general. (Image by YouTube, Channel: BillBoggsTV) Details DMCA After commenting on most of the episodes on the first Israeli Prime Ministers in Raviv Drucker's TV series "The Captains," I must come back to the one whose episode I have not yet covered: Yitzhak Rabin. Let me state right from the beginning: I liked the man. He was a man after my own heart: honest, logical, straightforward, to the point. No nonsense, no small talk. You entered his room, he poured you a straight whisky (seemed to me he detested water), got you seated, and asked a question that compelled you to come straight to the point. How refreshing, compared to other politicians. But Rabin was no real politician. He was a military man through and through. He was also the man who could have changed the history of Israel. That is why he was murdered. The salient fact of his life was that, at the age of 70, he completely changed his basic outlook. He was not born a man of peace. Far from it. He was as orthodox a Zionist as they come. He fought Israel's wars, justified and unjustified, without asking questions. Some of his actions were brutal, some very brutal. During the first intifada in the Gaza Strip, he said "break their bones," and some soldiers took this literally. So how did this man come to recognize the Palestinian people (whose very identity was denied), negotiate with the Palestinian "terrorist" leadership and sign the Oslo agreement? I have the singular luck of being, perhaps, the only person in the world who has heard from the two main protagonists of the Oslo drama how they reached that turning point in their lives -- and the lives of their two nations. They told me themselves (on different occasions, of course). Rabin's account went more or less like this: After the 1967 war, I believed in the Jordanian Option, as did almost everybody else. Since nobody believed at the time that we would be allowed to keep the occupied territories, we wanted to return them to King Hussein, provided he let us keep East Jerusalem. One day, the King announced that he was washing his hands of the West Bank. So the Option died. One of our experts advocated setting up "Village Leagues" in the West Bank and negotiating with them. The leagues soon collapsed. In 1993 an Israeli-Arab peace conference was convened in Madrid. Since Israel did not recognize the Palestinians, the Palestinian representatives from the occupied territories were included in the Jordanian delegation. But when the discussion reached the Palestinian issue, the Jordanians got up and left the room, leaving the Israelis face to face with the Palestinians. Next Page 1 | 2 | 3 (Note: You can view every article as one long page if you sign up as an Advocate Member, or higher). Would you like to know how many people have read this article? Or how reputable the author is? Simply sign up for a Advocate premium membership and you'll automatically see this data on every article. Plus a lot more, too. Stephen Miller and Donald Trump (Image by Gage Skidmore) Details DMCA It has become clear that Stephen Miller is behind the despicable, immoral practice of taking children from their parents and putting them in concentration camps. It will cost him his job at the White House. Update: I believe this will happen. But to insure it, we all need to put pressure on the mainstream media to cover this around the clock-- putting on religious experts to refute the Trump message and tying this policy to Stephen Miller. The New York Times says, "...for George W. Bush and Barack Obama, the idea of crying children torn from their parents' arms was simply too inhumane -- and too politically perilous -- to embrace as policy," "But advocates inside the administration, most prominently Stephen Miller, Mr. Trump's senior policy adviser, never gave up on the idea. Last month, facing a sharp uptick in illegal border crossings, Mr. Trump ordered a new effort to criminally prosecute anyone who crossed the border unlawfully -- with few exceptions for parents traveling with their minor children. And now Mr. Trump faces the consequences. With thousands of children detained in makeshift shelters, his spokesmen this past week had to deny accusations that the administration was acting like Nazis. Even evangelical supporters like Franklin Graham said its policy was "disgraceful." "But Mr. Miller has expressed none of the president's misgivings. "No nation can have the policy that whole classes of people are immune from immigration law or enforcement," he said during an interview in his West Wing office this past week. "It was a simple decision by the administration to have a zero tolerance policy for illegal entry, period. The message is that no one is exempt from immigration law." There it is. Miller doesn't care about the moral issues. He doesn't care how horrible it is. The Forward published an article, Stephen Miller Was Driving Force Behind Trump Family Separation Policy. The article fails to condemn the policy, but it does put the blame on Miller. New York Magazine observes, "Trump administration officials continue to defend the policy as nothing more than enforcement of the law, but in the minds of Miller and other immigration hardliners in the White House, the heartlessness of the policy, as well as all the publicity that indifference gets, are exactly the point. That's because their goal is deter other immigrants from attempting to enter the U.S. in the first place, even though the effectiveness of such tactics is often difficult to discern. Despite the fact that Trump had repeatedly demonized and dehumanized immigrants on his way to the presidency, he rejected the policy plan at first, but the true-believing Miller -- who was also instrumental in pushing the administration's Islamophobic travel ban -- never gave up. Finally, sometime this spring, Miller convinced the president to endorse the idea. As a result, nearly 2,000 children were taken away from their parents and placed in makeshift government shelters in less than a month and a half under the new policy, and that number has undoubtedly gone up in the weeks since (and separations could soon double in some areas). The NY Times reports, "Having children does not give you immunity from arrest and prosecution," Attorney General Jeff Sessions said in a speech on Thursday in Fort Wayne, Ind." RT @CNN: AG Jeff Sessions on immigration policy: Illegal entry into the US is a crime; "I would cite you to the apostle Paul and his clear at (@Seaof_umi) June 17, 2018 And The Hill reports, Attorney General Jeff Sessions invoked the Bible on Thursday to defend the Trump administration's immigration policies, including separating families who illegally cross the border into the U.S. "I would cite you to the Apostle Paul and his clear and wise command in Romans 13, to obey the laws of the government because God has ordained them for the purpose of order," Sessions said during a speech in Fort Wayne, Indiana. "Orderly and lawful processes are good in themselves and protect the weak and lawful." Here's the biblical passage, Romans 13, that Sessions is referring to: Let everyone be subject to the governing authorities, for there is no authority except that which God has established. The authorities that exist have been established by God. Consequently, whoever rebels against the authority is rebelling against what God has instituted, and those who do so will bring judgment on themselves. For rulers hold no terror for those who do right, but for those who do wrong. Do you want to be free from fear of the one in authority? Then do what is right and you will be commended. For the one in authority is God's servant for your good. But if you do wrong, be afraid, for rulers do not bear the sword for no reason. They are God's servants, agents of wrath to bring punishment on the wrongdoer. Therefore, it is necessary to submit to the authorities, not only because of possible punishment but also as a matter of conscience. This is also why you pay taxes, for the authorities are God's servants, who give their full time to governing. Give to everyone what you owe them: If you owe taxes, pay taxes; if revenue, then revenue; if respect, then respect; if honor, then honor. (Romans 13:1-7) "Aside from the history of the Roman church, Jesus made it very clear what he thought about inhumane actions, such as separating children from their parents. Look no further then Matthew 25. To ignore the vulnerable, Jesus said, is to ignore and deny Him. In an excellent discussion of the history of the use of citation of Romans 13, the Atlantic informs us in its article, The Fight to Define Romans 13, Next Page 1 | 2 (Note: You can view every article as one long page if you sign up as an Advocate Member, or higher). Would you like to know how many people have read this article? Or how reputable the author is? Simply sign up for a Advocate premium membership and you'll automatically see this data on every article. Plus a lot more, too. by Sandeep Pandey When the two Koreas can end their enmity after almost as long a period as India-Pakistan animosity has existed, why can the two South Asian neighbours not achieve the same feat? The governments of India and Pakistan should create a situation in which ultimately all restrictions on travel across the border are removed and people are allowed to meet freely. This will be a great service to humanity. A India Pakistan Friendship and Peace March is being organized during 19 to 30 June, 2018 from Sabarmati Ashram, Ahmedabad to Nada Bet on Pakistan border, 290 km from Ahmedabad. When European countries, which were so bitter enemies of each other that they converted their wars into World Wars less than a hundred years back, can create a Union in which all restrictions on travel have been removed why can't the same thing be achieved in South Asia? click here Dairy Not Found Sometimes, authors delete their diaries after publishing them. To see if the diary was renamed or re-published, please click here. Quicklink Not Found Sometimes, authors delete their quicklinks after publishing them. To see if the quicklink was renamed or re-published, please click here. Would you like to know how many people have read this article? Or how reputable the author is? Simply sign up for a Advocate premium membership and you'll automatically see this data on every article. Plus a lot more, too. From LA Progressive One of several murals being created by Kabul's 'ArtLords' painters to welcome the Helmand to Kabul peace walkers. (Image by Peace Walkers) Details DMCA This past Friday in Afghanistan's Ghazni province, Hazara girls joined young Pashto boys to sing Afghanistan's national anthem as a welcome to Pashto men walking 400 miles from Helmand to Kabul. The walkers are calling on warring parties in Afghanistan to end the war. Most of the men making the journey are wearing sandals. At rest stops, they must tend to their torn and blistered feet. But their mission grows stronger as they walk. In Ghazni, hundreds of residents, along with religious leaders, showed remarkable readiness to embrace the courage and vision of the Helmand-to-Kabul peace walk participants. It seems likely that ordinary Afghans, no matter their tribal lineages, share a profound desire to end 40 years of war. The 17-year U.S. war in Afghanistan exceeds the lifetimes of the youngsters in Ghazni who greeted the peace walkers. On June 7th, Afghanistan's president, Ashraf Ghani, declared a week-long halt to attacks against the Taliban. Spokespersons representing an undetermined number of Taliban affiliates accepted the ceasefire on June 9th, with the U.S. also agreeing to suspend attacks against Taliban fighters. Can the declared cease-fire lead to negotiations and an end to the war? Given the desperate circumstances I saw during a visit to Kabul in early June, it seems clear that a lasting peace will require finding ways to employ people and enable them to provide food and water for their families. Destitution has caused numerous Afghan people to enlist in military forces, pro-government or insurgent. It's extremely difficult to earn a living wage in Afghanistan, but military and paramilitary units, answerable to various warlords, including the U.S., pay wages which many Afghan families can't afford to dismiss. My young friends in Kabul assure me their family members who joined military groups don't want to cause bloodshed and they don't want to be killed. They simply don't have other viable options. Almost 54 percent of Afghan citizens live below the poverty line, according to Afghanistan's Tolo News coverage of a recent joint survey undertaken by the Central Statistics Organization and an international NGO. The Afghan Peace Volunteers (APV), who welcomed me as their guest last week, want to help build a more egalitarian economy that will provide basic human needs. This year, they're forging ahead in establishing worker cooperatives. During my visit, they celebrated the opening of a shoe-making cooperative. They've also devised a one-year plan for seamstresses to form a tailoring cooperative and explored possibilities for a carpentry cooperative. "Once up-and-running," their blog explains, "these worker cooperatives will pledge part of their earnings to the long-term, self-reliant work of the Afghan Peace Volunteers." The APV find inspiration in the story of Badshah Khan, sometimes referred to as "the Muslim Gandhi." After meeting Gandhi in 1919, Badshah Khan educated and organized members of the Pashtun (or "Pathan") tribe, in an area that is now a border between Pakistan and Afghanistan, steadily building a movement to rebel against British occupation. The "khidmatgyars" -- Servants of God -- refused to cooperate with the British and instead practiced self-reliance. They created their own constructive projects and persisted even when British repression became increasingly brutal. Describing the growth of the "Servants" movement, Michael Nagler writes: "After perpetrating a terrible massacre in 1930 in Peshawar, the British saw the ranks of the Servants swell from several hundred to 80,000." They continued rejecting armed struggle, choosing instead to experiment with Gandhi's methods of nonviolent resistance. To the astonishment of onlookers, they were a key element in the eventual liberation from British rule. Badshah Kahn's preferred method of transportation was walking. He trod along paths linking mountain villages and small towns, relying upon goodwill and the truth of his cause, not on weaponry, for his defense. A likeness of Badshah Khan decorates the entrance to the APV center in Kabul. Stenciled underneath is his fundamental belief: "My religion is truth, love and service to God and humankind." I worry that in my country, the U.S., the dominant religion has become militarism. Rather than extending a hand of friendship to people in other lands and, in the case of Afghanistan, paying reparations for the terrible suffering we've caused, the U.S. continues to seek security through dominance and military might. It's a futile effort. The Helmand to Kabul peace walkers display a better means of securing peace: the path of fellowship with our neighbors on this planet, of living simply so that others might simply live, and of willingness to share, even partially, in the human hardship and precarity others face. I hope those walking for peace, working for equality, and imploring a different way forward can be heard and celebrated not only in Afghanistan, but in every country and amongst every group that has ever caused bloodshed and ruin in Afghanistan. Would you like to know how many people have read this article? Or how reputable the author is? Simply sign up for a Advocate premium membership and you'll automatically see this data on every article. Plus a lot more, too. Image Deleted Because Wiki Page Empty or Removed Image We shouldn't need Cardinal Timothy Dolan to tell us this: "If they want to take a baby from the arms of his mother and separate the two, that's wrong. I don't care where you're at, what time and condition, that just goes against -- you don't have to read the Bible for that. That goes against human decency. That goes against human dignity. It goes against what's most sacred in the human person." Don't get me wrong. I'm glad he said it, as I'm far from sure I could have said it nearly as well. But I'm just completely floored by the idea that, in this day and age, Americans need the Archbishop of New York to remind us of something as obvious as the fact that it's wrong to abduct children. According to the Associated Press, it happened nearly 2,000 times between mid-April and the end of May, with no end in sight. US law enforcement agencies aren't trying to track down the kidnappers and bring them to justice. US law enforcement agencies ARE the kidnappers, and US Attorney General Jeff Sessions pretends, quoting the Bible, no less, that this IS justice. As jaded as we've become since 9/11 -- as accustomed to the government's violations of our own rights and the rights of those abroad, whether it's TSA thugs groping Americans at airports or the CIA torturing foreigners at foreign "black sites" -- surely we can all agree that this time Washington has finally gone too far, right? Well, no. The President of the United States, his chief of staff, the Attorney General, and even some members of Congress are actively defending the abduction of children. Not as an emergency measure for kids in immediate danger, but as policy for the purpose of punishing parents who cross an imaginary line on the ground without politicians' permission. It's an evil policy. Officials who order it are loathsome creatures whose appeals to God in its defense are nothing short of blasphemy. They and those who enforce it are criminals. Both deserve short trials and long sentences. Hint to Republicans: When your best defense of a policy is that you're just escalating a practice that occurred under Democrats as well, you've got no defense at all. Sessions quoted the Bible. Cardinal Dolan retorts. So does Thomas Jefferson: "Indeed I tremble for my country when I reflect that God is just, that his justice cannot sleep forever." Would you like to know how many people have read this article? Or how reputable the author is? Simply sign up for a Advocate premium membership and you'll automatically see this data on every article. Plus a lot more, too. The prominent journalist and editor, Shujaat Bukhari was leaving work when he and his two bodyguards were shot and killed. Suffice to say newspapers are the lifeblood of democracy and Indian administered Kashmir under the decades-long grip of a half-million strong security force has a questionable claim. Yet brave journalists, unafraid, write and sometimes pay the consequences. Following Mr. Bukhari's murder and the thousands attending his funeral, the security services have raided presses shutting down newspapers. The internet is not quite as easily controlled, so some have been busy updating their sites. Since Gauari Lankesh was brutally murdered at her doorstep in September 2017, another four journalists have lost their lives. She, too, espoused views contrary to the ruling party's current philosophy of an India aligned only with the mores of upper-caste Hindus. Jawaharlal Nehru and Gandhi, the principal Indian leaders who fought many decades for independence would have been appalled. Gandhi protected low caste untouchables referring to them as the 'children of god'; they are now known as Dalits. Nehru, a Brahmin by birth, was a socialist in belief. His dream was of a secular, socialist India. The latter is long over, the former under vicious attack as Muslim and Christian minorities are marginalized. In addition to journalists, three heavyweight intellectuals have been killed. All were rationalists, the Indian word for atheists. Gandhi was assassinated less than six months after independence by a right-wing Hindu nationalist who was angry at Gandhi's moderate attitude toward Muslims. The assassin Nathuram Godse was a member of the extreme-right Hindu Mahasabha political party, and had his roots in the paramilitary, Hindutva-promoting Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS). Its militancy has led to its being banned three times: after the Gandhi assassination, during the Indira Gandhi emergency rule in the mid-1970s, and for its role in the Babri Mosque demolition. The British also found its beliefs beyond the pale and banned it during their rule. Not only is the RSS flourishing now but it serves openly as the ideological mentor of the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). Together they continue to push their agenda for a Hindu India tolerating only Hindu culture or beliefs, in other words, Hindutva or Hindu hegemony. Hindutva scholar Shridhar D. Damle confirms what is quite well known, that the RSS is now exerting its influence in academia, government and cultural organizations. The laws restricting cow slaughter are not a Narendra Modi whim. Mr. Modi joined the RSS at the age of eight, was nurtured and nourished by it, the philosophy seeping into his bones like mother's milk; any moderation necessitated only by political considerations. The RSS infiltration of academia is pervasive. Last year, its think tank, Prajnah Pravah, summoned 700 academics including 51 university vice-chancellors (presidents) to Delhi to attend a workshop on the importance of a Hindu narrative in higher education; just one example of influencing what can be taught. A gradual loss of academic freedom has been the frightening consequence of constant interference backed up by its militancy -- frightening because dying with intellectual freedom, journalists, writers and thinkers is also Indian democracy ... slowly but surely, unless the voters stand up to the RSS sharkhas (volunteers) at the next election. Next Page 1 | 2 (Note: You can view every article as one long page if you sign up as an Advocate Member, or higher). Would you like to know how many people have read this article? Or how reputable the author is? Simply sign up for a Advocate premium membership and you'll automatically see this data on every article. Plus a lot more, too. Iowa GOP congressman Steve King has made a political career out of saying the most outrageous, inflammatory racist quips and digs a sitting congressperson could think of. The eight-term incumbent knows two things will happen when he pops off. One is that he'll get loads of press attention and that in turn means lots of chatter about how terrible a guy King is or a wink and a nod that that's just King again. But it's the second thing that's the most telling. That happened again with the latest King racial offense. It was his retweet of a tweet by Mark Collet a long time British white supremacist and Hitler cheerleader. Not one top GOP party leader or elected official uttered a word of disapproval, let alone condemnation of King. Then again, that's been par for the course for the GOP through decades of King' racial broadsides. GOP apologists shrug their shoulders claim that some GOP figures have criticized King. That's true, but the GOP figures they're talking about are GOP outliers. There are no elected officials or top party leaders among the King alleged critics. The other lame explanation for their silence is that keeping their mouths closed about King is the best way to make sure that his racial bile doesn't get any media or public shelf life. This might make some sense except for one thing. Long before King was ever thought of politically, GOP leaders never denounced any of the long line of racial bigots and their bigoted digs and actions. Whether King existed or not, this still won't change for a very good reason. Peddling, pandering to, or ignoring racism and racists within and without the GOP has paid and continues to pay politically well for the GOP. A tip came during a cable talk show appearance in 2010, when Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell flatly refused several direct, angled, and nuanced efforts to discuss racism in the Tea Party. The NAACP had just passed a resolution demanding that the GOP speak out and speak out loudly against the racists among them. But McConnell was having none of it. McConnell's duck and dodge of the issue was no accident. He and the party would cut its throat if it denounced its racists and racism, and really meant it. That was on grotesque display during the Obama white House years. The shouts, taunts, spitting, catcalls, Obama as Joker posters, n-word slurs, Confederate and Texas Lone Star flag waving by some Tea Party activists, and the deafening silence from GOP leaders was an indispensable political necessity for the party. The racial ploy that Trump has used to masterful effect to reignite the GOP's traditional white rural, none college educated and low income blue collar workers he stole from the GOP's ancient playbook. The GOP could not have been competitive during the 2008 and 2012 campaigns, and most importantly the 2016 campaign, without the bailout from these voters. Much has been made that they are a dwindling percent of the electorate, and that Hispanics, Asian, black, young, and women voters will permanently tip the balance of political power to the Democrats in coming national elections. Blue-collar white voters have shrunk from more than half of the nation's voters to less than 40 percent. This is a dangerous assumption. Elections are usually won by candidates with a solid and impassioned core of bloc voters. White males, particularly older white males, vote consistently and faithfully. They vote in a far greater percentage than Hispanics and blacks and that's always been the case in the nation's mid-term elections. GOP leaders have long known that blue-collar and a significant percent of college educated, white male voters, who are professionals, can be easily aroused to vote and shout loudly on the emotional wedge issues, with immigration now front and center on the list. These are the voters who GOP presidents and aspiring presidents, Nixon, Reagan, Bush Sr. and George W. Bush, McCain and Romney, and an endless line of GOP governors, senators and congresspersons have banked on for victory and to seize and maintain regional and national political dominance. There are millions of GOP backers in the South and Heartland, and the gaggle of right-wing webs, blogs, and talk radio jocks that have made it amply clear the GOP's only flub is that it's not truly conservative enough. They have hammered the GOP that any retreat from its core beliefs and message will perpetually doom it to political extinction in national politics. They warn that if the GOP suddenly started pandering to minorities and gays it could kiss millions of their fervent supporter's goodbye. The GOP will need those votes and voters even more in November to stave off the expected big challenge from Democrats to at least take back the House. This is where King and the other King clones in the GOP come in. They'll wave the racial flag high and remind GOP loyalists that the party is still their voice on anything that remotely touches on race. They'll do that as always with their silence. Earl Ofari Hutchinson is an author and political analyst. He is the author of the forthcoming Why Black Lives Do Matter (Middle Passage Press). He is a weekly co-host of the Al Sharpton Show on Radio One. He is the host of the weekly Hutchinson Report on KPFK 90.7 FM Los Angeles and the Pacifica Network. Lighting Controllers Market will Exhibit a Steady Growth of US$ 17,400 Mn by 2025 https://www.persistencemarketresearch.com/samples/21739 https://www.persistencemarketresearch.com/methodology/21739 http://www.persistencemarketresearch.com Persistence Market Research presents a new report titled Lighting Controllers Market: Global Industry Analysis 2012 2016 and Forecast 2017 2025 that studies the performance of the global lighting controllers market over an eight year assessment period from 2017 to 2025. The report presents the value forecast of the global lighting controllers market and provides important insights into the factors driving market growth as well as the factors restricting market growth. As per the assessment of Persistence Market Research, the global lighting controllers market was estimated to be valued at nearly US$ 4,800 Mn in 2017 and is anticipated to touch a valuation of nearly US$ 17,400 Mn in 2025 and in the process exhibit a CAGR of 17.6% during the period of forecast 2017-2025.Request to View Sample of Research Report @Government Spending on Smart City Projects in the APAC Region Boosting Revenue Growth of the Lighting Controllers MarketThe governments in emerging economies such as China and India are focusing on developing smart cities by changing the existing infrastructure, such as old incandescent bulbs and outdated communication systems, and are installing new technologies such as embedded and connected lighting fixtures to impart better living standards to the people. Also, government spending on smart city management services such as road monitoring applications, environment, light sensing, and advanced energy saving is the primary factor which is fueling the growth of the lighting controllers market. For example, in April 2017, the Indian government announced plans to invest in the smart cities initiative. The Indian government has already allocated over US$ 2.3 Bn to this project in the last two budgets.Global Lighting Controllers Market: Segmentation and ForecastThe global lighting controllers market is segmented on the basis of technology, application and region.By technology, the sensor segment was estimated to be valued at nearly US$ 1,400 Mn in 2017 and is expected to reach a valuation of nearly US$ 4,700 Mn in 2025, witnessing significant growth during the forecast period.By application, the commercial segment was estimated to be valued at nearly US$ 2,000 Mn in 2017 and is anticipated to register a CAGR of 17.0% during the period of forecast.By region, the Asia Pacific lighting controllers market was estimated to be valued at nearly US$ 1,550 Mn in 2017 and is likely to reach a valuation of nearly US$ 6,000 Mn in 2025, reflecting a CAGR of 18.5% during the period of assessment.Request Report for Table of Contents @Global Lighting Controllers Market: Competitive LandscapeIn this report, some of the prominent companies active in the global lighting controllers market have been profiled, which include companies such as Hubbell, GE Lighting, LLC, OSRAM Licht AG, Philips Lighting Holding B.V., Acuity Brands Lighting, Inc., Eaton Corporation, Schneider Electric S.E., Honeywell International, Lutron Electronics and CREE, INC.About UsPersistence Market Research (PMR) is a third-platform research firm. Our research model is a unique collaboration of data analytics and market research methodology to help businesses achieve optimal performance.To support companies in overcoming complex business challenges, we follow a multi-disciplinary approach. At PMR, we unite various data streams from multi-dimensional sources. By deploying real-time data collection, big data, and customer experience analytics, we deliver business intelligence for organizations of all sizes.Contact UsPersistence Market Research305 Broadway7th Floor, New York City,NY 10007, United States,Telephone - +1-646-568-7751USA Canada Toll Free: 800-961-0353Email: sales@persistencemarketresearch.comWeb: CCTV Cameras Market will Exhibit a Steady Growth of US$ 29,800 Mn by 2025 https://www.persistencemarketresearch.com/samples/21760 https://www.persistencemarketresearch.com/methodology/21760 http://www.persistencemarketresearch.com Increasing security concerns among people have increased the use of CCTV cameras worldwide. CCTV is the use of video cameras to transmit signals to a specific place on a designated device. It may employ point to point (P2P), point to multipoint or mesh wireless links. Applicable for surveillance in areas that may need monitoring such as banks, casinos, airports, military installations and convenience stores. CCTV systems may operate continuously or only as required to monitor/capture a particular event. A new research report by Persistence Market Research highlights the scenario of the global CCTV camera market the report is titled CCTV Camera Market: Global Industry Analysis 2012-2016 and Forecast 2017-2025.This comprehensive research report highlights the factors that are impacting the growth of the global CCTV camera market. According to the analysis, the global CCTV camera market is expected to reach a market value of over US$ 29,800 Mn by the end of 2025, growing at a stellar CAGR of 15.7% during the forecast period. This exceptional growth is the result of introducing new and advanced technology enabled cameras in the global market and also owing to rising safety concerns in both residential as well as commercial areas.Request to View Sample of Research Report @Trends and OpportunitiesCompanies in the global market are focusing on reaching untapped and rural areas to increase the scope of application for CCTV cameras. This expansion will help companies improve their customer base. The rural markets in developing regions have huge growth potential. In order to target these markets, manufacturers can lower the prices of CCTV cameras, as these are price sensitive markets. There are also increasing safety concerns in various regions. Manufacturers are now focusing on advancing the technologies used in CCTV cameras so as to attract more customers. Among other trends the global CCTV camera market is expected to witness a rise in the usage of IP address based cameras.Segmental AnalysisBased on region, Asia Pacific is way ahead of all other regional markets in terms of market size and growth rate. The APAC CCTV camera market is expected to reach a market value of over US$ 11,800 Mn by the end of 2025, growing at a CAGR of 17.1%. North America takes the second position among the regions and is expected to be an attractive regional market during the forecast period.Based on camera type, dome camera is expected to a highly lucrative segment with an expected market size of over US$ 10,500 Mn by the end of 2025, growing at an exponential CAGR of 17.1% during the forecast period. Bullet camera is also expected to be an attractive segment in the global CCTV camera market.Based on Technology, the IP/Network camera segment dominates the market with the highest growth rate whereas, analog camera exhibits the highest market size during the forecast period.Based on end user, the residential segment dominates the market with the highest growth rate. However, the commercial segment has the highest market size during the forecast period.Request Report for Table of Contents @Competitive LandscapeThe research report consists of a brief profile of all the major players in the industry. Some of these key players included in the report are Hangzhou Hikvision Digital Technology Co. Ltd, Dahua Technology Co., Ltd., Bosch Security Systems, Hanwha Techwin Co. Ltd., FLIR Systems, Inc, Honeywell International Inc, CP PLUS International, Sony Corporation, Digital Watchdog, Axis Communications AB etc.About UsPersistence Market Research (PMR) is a third-platform research firm. Our research model is a unique collaboration of data analytics and market research methodology to help businesses achieve optimal performance.To support companies in overcoming complex business challenges, we follow a multi-disciplinary approach. At PMR, we unite various data streams from multi-dimensional sources. By deploying real-time data collection, big data, and customer experience analytics, we deliver business intelligence for organizations of all sizes.Contact UsPersistence Market Research305 Broadway7th Floor, New York City,NY 10007, United States,Telephone - +1-646-568-7751USA Canada Toll Free: 800-961-0353Email: sales@persistencemarketresearch.comWeb: Future Scope of Medical Ventilators Market | Top Key Players Medtronic, BD, Philips Healthcare, Hamilton Medical, Smiths Medical, Carl Reiner, Dragerwerk, GE Healthcare, Getinge | Forecast till 2025 Medical Ventilators Market https://www.businessindustryreports.com/sample-request/87142 https://www.businessindustryreports.com/buy-now/87142/single https://www.businessindustryreports.com/check-discount/87142 The Medical Ventilators market report gives CAGR value from 2013 to 2018 and how it is expected to reach from 2018 to 2025 with High CAGR. The report provides information by geography, end user, application, competitor analysis, SWOT Analysis, Sales, Revenue, Price, Gross Margin, Market Share, Import-Export, Trends and Forecast.Medical Ventilators market is a mechanical ventilator, a machine designed to move breathable air into and out of the lungs, to provide breathing for a patient who is physically unable to breathe, or breathing insufficiently.While modern Medical Ventilators market are computerized machines, patients can be ventilated with a simple, hand-operated bag valve mask.Ventilators are chiefly used in intensive care medicine, home care, and emergency medicine (as standalone units) and in anesthesia (as a component of an anesthesia machine).Premium Sample Report Available atThis report studies the global Medical Ventilators market status and forecast, categorizes the global Medical Ventilators market size (value & volume) by key players, type, application, and region. This report focuses on the top players in North America, Europe, Asia-Pacific, South America, and Middle East & Africa.The major manufacturers covered in this reportMedtronicBDPhilips HealthcareHamilton MedicalSmiths MedicalCarl ReinerDragerwerkGE HealthcareGetingeMindray Medical International LimitedResMedTeleflexThe regional scope of the study is as follows:- North America, United States, Canada, Mexico, Asia-Pacific, China, India, Japan, South Korea, Australia, Indonesia, Singapore, Rest of Asia-Pacific, Europe, Germany, France, UK, Italy, Spain, Russia, Rest of Europe, Central & South America, Brazil, Argentina, Rest of South America, Middle East & Africa, Saudi Arabia, Turkey, Rest of Middle East & Africa.On the basis of product, this report displays the production, revenue, price, market share and growth rate of each type, primarily split intoICU VentilatorsPortable VentilatorsOn the basis of the end users/applications, this report focuses on the status and outlook for major applications/end users, consumption (sales), market share and growth rate for each application, includingHospitalClinicFirst AidOtherThe study objectives of this report are:To analyze and study the global Medical Ventilators capacity, production, value, consumption, status (2013-2017) and forecast (2018-2025);Focuses on the key Medical Ventilators manufacturers, to study the capacity, production, value, market share and development plans in future.Focuses on the global key manufacturers, to define, describe and analyze the market competition landscape, SWOT analysis.To define, describe and forecast the market by type, application and region.To analyze the global and key regions market potential and advantage, opportunity and challenge, restraints and risks.To identify significant trends and factors driving or inhibiting the market growth.To analyze the opportunities in the market for stakeholders by identifying the high growth segments.To strategically analyze each submarket with respect to individual growth trend and their contribution to the marketTo analyze competitive developments such as expansions, agreements, new product launches, and acquisitions in the marketTo strategically profile the key players and comprehensively analyze their growth strategies.Key StakeholdersMedical Ventilators ManufacturersMedical Ventilators Distributors/Traders/WholesalersMedical Ventilators Subcomponent ManufacturersIndustry AssociationDownstream VendorsComplete report on Global Medical Ventilators Market Size, Status and Forecast 2025 is spread across 93 pages and provides exclusive vital statistics, data, information, trends and landscape details in this niche sector. Get Direct Copy of this Research Report @Major Table of Content1 Global Medical Ventilators Market Research Report 20182 Global Medical Ventilators Market Competition by Manufacturers3 Global Medical Ventilators Capacity, Production, Revenue (Value) by Region (2013-2018)4 Global Medical Ventilators Supply (Production), Consumption, Export, Import by Region (2013-2018)5 Global Medical Ventilators Production, Revenue (Value), Price Trend by Type6 Global Medical Ventilators Market Analysis by Application7 Global Medical Ventilators Manufacturers Profiles/Analysis8 Medical Ventilators Manufacturing Cost Analysis9 Industrial Chain, Sourcing Strategy and Downstream Buyers10 Marketing Strategy Analysis, Distributors/Traders11 Market Effect Factors Analysis12 Global Medical Ventilators Market Forecast (2018-2025 )13 Research Findings and Conclusion14 AppendixKey questions answered in the report:What will the market growth rate of Medical Ventilators market in 2025 ?What are the key factors driving the global Medical Ventilators market?What are sales, revenue, and price analysis of top manufacturers of Medical Ventilators market?Who are the distributors, traders and dealers of Medical Ventilators market?Who are the key manufacturers in Medical Ventilators market space?What are the Medical Ventilators market opportunities and threats faced by the vendors in the global Medical Ventilators market?What are sales, revenue, and price analysis by types and applications of Medical Ventilators market?What are sales, revenue, and price analysis by regions of Medical Ventilators market?What are the market opportunities, market risk and market overview of the Medical Ventilators market?Get a Corporate Discount atAbout usBusinessIndustryReports.com is digital database of comprehensive market reports for global industries. As a market research company, we take pride in equipping our clients with insights and data that holds the power to truly make a difference to their business. Our mission is singular and well-defined - we want to help our clients envisage their business environment so that they are able to make informed, strategic and therefore successful decisions for themselves.Media ContactBusiness Market ReportsPune Indiasales@businessindustryreports.com+19376349940 Worldwide Surgical Lights Market | Top Key Players Stryker, Maquet, Hill-Rom, Steris, Draeger, Philips Button, Skytron, Medical Illumination, Excelitas, Dr. Mach, MINDRAY | Forecast till 2025 Surgical Lights Market https://www.businessindustryreports.com/sample-request/80403 https://www.businessindustryreports.com/buy-now/80403/single https://www.businessindustryreports.com/check-discount/80403 The Surgical Lights market report gives CAGR value from 2013 to 2018 and how it is expected to reach from 2018 to 2025 with High CAGR. The report provides information by geography, end user, application, competitor analysis, SWOT Analysis, Sales, Revenue, Price, Gross Margin, Market Share, Import-Export, Trends and Forecast.Surgical Lights market is a medical device intended to assist medical personnel during a surgical procedure by illuminating a local area or cavity of the patient. A combination of several surgical lights is often referred to as a surgical light system.Premium Sample Report Available atThis report studies the global Surgical Lights market status and forecast, categorizes the global Surgical Lights market size (value & volume) by key players, type, application, and region. This report focuses on the top players in North America, Europe, Asia-Pacific, South America, and Middle East & Africa.The major manufacturers covered in this reportStrykerMaquetHill-RomSterisDraegerPhilips ButtonSkytronMedical IlluminationExcelitasDr. MachMINDRAYSIMEON MedicalKLS Martin GroupWaldmannBeijing Aerospace ChangfenMerivaaraBovie MedicalTrilux MedicalThe regional scope of the study is as follows:- North America, United States, Canada, Mexico, Asia-Pacific, China, India, Japan, South Korea, Australia, Indonesia, Singapore, Rest of Asia-Pacific, Europe, Germany, France, UK, Italy, Spain, Russia, Rest of Europe, Central & South America, Brazil, Argentina, Rest of South America, Middle East & Africa, Saudi Arabia, Turkey, Rest of Middle East & Africa.On the basis of product, this report displays the production, revenue, price, market share and growth rate of each type, primarily split intoLED Surgical LampHalogen Surgical LampOthersOn the basis of the end users/applications, this report focuses on the status and outlook for major applications/end users, consumption (sales), market share and growth rate for each application, includingHospitalClinicThe study objectives of this report are:To analyze and study the global Surgical Lights capacity, production, value, consumption, status (2013-2017) and forecast (2018-2025);Focuses on the key Surgical Lights manufacturers, to study the capacity, production, value, market share and development plans in future.Focuses on the global key manufacturers, to define, describe and analyze the market competition landscape, SWOT analysis.To define, describe and forecast the market by type, application and region.To analyze the global and key regions market potential and advantage, opportunity and challenge, restraints and risks.To identify significant trends and factors driving or inhibiting the market growth.To analyze the opportunities in the market for stakeholders by identifying the high growth segments.To strategically analyze each submarket with respect to individual growth trend and their contribution to the marketTo analyze competitive developments such as expansions, agreements, new product launches, and acquisitions in the marketTo strategically profile the key players and comprehensively analyze their growth strategies.Key StakeholdersSurgical Lights ManufacturersSurgical Lights Distributors/Traders/WholesalersSurgical Lights Subcomponent ManufacturersIndustry AssociationDownstream VendorsComplete report on Global Surgical Lights Market Size, Status and Forecast 2025 is spread across 116 pages and provides exclusive vital statistics, data, information, trends and landscape details in this niche sector. Get Direct Copy of this Research Report @Major Table of Content1 Global Surgical Lights Market Research Report 20182 Global Surgical Lights Market Competition by Manufacturers3 Global Surgical Lights Capacity, Production, Revenue (Value) by Region (2013-2018)4 Global Surgical Lights Supply (Production), Consumption, Export, Import by Region (2013-2018)5 Global Surgical Lights Production, Revenue (Value), Price Trend by Type6 Global Surgical Lights Market Analysis by Application7 Global Surgical Lights Manufacturers Profiles/Analysis8 Surgical Lights Manufacturing Cost Analysis9 Industrial Chain, Sourcing Strategy and Downstream Buyers10 Marketing Strategy Analysis, Distributors/Traders11 Market Effect Factors Analysis12 Global Surgical Lights Market Forecast (2018-2025 )13 Research Findings and Conclusion14 AppendixKey questions answered in the report:What will the market growth rate of Surgical Lights market in 2025 ?What are the key factors driving the global Surgical Lights market?What are sales, revenue, and price analysis of top manufacturers of Surgical Lights market?Who are the distributors, traders and dealers of Surgical Lights market?Who are the key manufacturers in Surgical Lights market space?What are the Surgical Lights market opportunities and threats faced by the vendors in the global Surgical Lights market?What are sales, revenue, and price analysis by types and applications of Surgical Lights market?What are sales, revenue, and price analysis by regions of Surgical Lights market?What are the market opportunities, market risk and market overview of the Surgical Lights market?Get a Corporate Discount atAbout usBusinessIndustryReports.com is digital database of comprehensive market reports for global industries. As a market research company, we take pride in equipping our clients with insights and data that holds the power to truly make a difference to their business. Our mission is singular and well-defined - we want to help our clients envisage their business environment so that they are able to make informed, strategic and therefore successful decisions for themselves.Media ContactBusiness Market ReportsPune Indiasales@businessindustryreports.com+19376349940 This photograph of Ivan Mui outside his family's restaurant, Republic Cafe, is part of Dean Wong's exhibit "Made in Chinatown USA: Portland," at the new Portland Chinatown Museum through Sept. 2. (Courtesy of Dean Wong) When Seattle photographer Dean Wong began documenting Portland's Chinatown a couple of years ago, he thought, "Well, there doesn't seem to be a whole lot going on." But as Wong talked to the business owners who remain in what was once the second-largest Chinatown on the West Coast, he heard a common refrain: "They're all very proud that this is Chinatown, not Southeast 82nd." Their portraits, which Wong called "proud and a little bit defiant," are among 22 photographs lining the walls of the new Portland Chinatown Museum as part of Wong's exhibit "Made in Chinatown USA: Portland," which opened this month and continues through Labor Day weekend. Related: Secret tunnels, not-so-secret gambling, great food: Old Town/Chinatown pics capture dramatic history Don't Edit Photographer Dean Wong's exhibit of photographs he took in Portland's Chinatown is the first exhibit in the new Portland Chinatown Museum. (Amy Wang/Staff) Wong, who grew up in Seattle's Chinatown-International District, has spent four decades exploring that neighborhood and other Chinatowns with his camera. The Portland Chinatown History Foundation invited him to the Rose City "to give Portland Chinatown the Dean Wong treatment," said Jennifer Fang, the foundation's assistant director. He's the museum's first visiting artist in residence. The resulting images depict sympathetically, in Wong's words, "what's left of Portland's Chinatown," including scenes from inside buildings held by the tongs, or community associations, that once supported thousands of Chinese American residents. "To me it's like the Alamo, you know. This is our last stand," Wong said one recent afternoon as workers prepared for the exhibit's opening. Don't Edit Photographer Dean Wong has been documenting Chinatowns on the West Coast for four decades. (Amy Wang/Staff) Portland Chinatown Museum The exhibit serves as the soft opening for the still-incomplete museum, which the foundation had hoped to open last summer. Fang said the museum will present not only historical exhibits but also artistic and cultural events. Wong's exhibit is to be followed by a group show curated by Portland artist Horatio Law and a staged reading of playwright Lauren Yee's 2017 Chinatown comedy "King of the Yees." Meanwhile, the foundation still has a cluster of galleries to fill in the museum's 1920 building on Southwest Third Avenue. The cornerstone will be the "Beyond the Gate: A Tale of Portland's Historic Chinatowns" exhibit that ran at the Oregon Historical Society in 2016. The exhibit's original designer, Portland native and Seattle scenic designer Carey Wong, has redesigned it for its new home, Fang said. And it'll have some new elements. "We have this one vignette that we're really excited about," Fang said. "We were approached after the 'Beyond the Gate' exhibit closed at OHS by this person whose grandfather owned an import-export business down here and he was like, 'Yeah, we had this store in Chinatown and I still have all the inventory from my grandfather's store. Do you want to come down to Salem to look at it?' Don't Edit Jennifer Fang is assistant director of the Portland Chinatown History Foundation, which runs the new Portland Chinatown Museum. (Amy Wang/Staff) Portland Chinatown Museum "And it was like a time capsule of things that would've been in a Chinatown store in the early 1900s. Boxes of embroidered silk shoes, still in the shoeboxes, still in original wrapping. Ceramic jars of candied kumquats that had not been opened. We took a truck down to Salem, we boxed up a good sampling of the things that were in that store and we're recreating that store," Fang said. Other noteworthy attractions will include a visual installation by Portland animator Rose Bond and artifacts from the Kam Wah Chung State Heritage Site, which preserves Chinese American history in eastern Oregon, said Jackie Peterson-Loomis, the museum's executive director. The foundation hopes to have the museum fully open by October. Don't Edit A worker tests a poster's placement in the window of the new Portland Chinatown Museum. (Amy Wang/Staff) "Made in Chinatown USA: Portland" Hours: 3-8 p.m. Thursday, 1-6 p.m. Friday, noon-5 p.m. Saturday-Sunday through Sept. 2 Address: Portland Chinatown Museum, 127 N.W. Third Ave. Admission: Suggested donation of $5 through Labor Day, portlandchinatownmuseum.org or 503-224-0008 Don't Edit It's almost a foregone conclusion that Initiative Petition 37, which seeks to ban taxes on sales of groceries, will go before Oregon voters this November. Supporters have submitted well more than the 117,578 signatures needed to qualify the proposed constitutional amendment to the ballot. The deadline to pull the petition has passed. And the machinery both for and against the proposal is already cranking up, as OPB's Dirk VanderHart reported. The campaign, funded by national retailers, is rolling out videos touting the need to "keep our groceries tax free" while Our Oregon, the political arm of public-employee unions, is prepping its counter arguments. Feel familiar? Just two years ago, voters endured a knock-down, drag-out fight between businesses and public-employee unions over the union-backed Measure 97, which sought to impose a 2.5 percent gross-receipts tax on corporations with more than $25 million in annual Oregon sales. Despite its touted aim of propping up education and health care, the proposed tax was a blunt instrument that would have hit hard businesses and consumers alike, potentially adding costs onto necessities like milk and vegetables multiple times before they even reached store shelves. Oregonians resoundingly defeated it after the most expensive ballot-measure campaign in Oregon history. Now, Oregon seems headed toward a sequel. Only this time, it's corporations pushing the initiative, armed with an unassailable message: Groceries should remain tax free. But while Oregonians need to hear more about the proposal, the initiative petition poses some of the same concerns as Measure 97. As the campaign heats up, Oregonians should evaluate the claims, consider the possible consequences and question the backers with the same thoughtful skepticism that they showed with Measure 97 two years ago. To be sure, Oregonians shouldn't even be in this situation in the first place. This brawl over tax revenue stems directly from the lack of leadership by Gov. Kate Brown, Sen. Peter Courtney and House Speaker Tina Kotek in addressing the glaring dysfunction in Oregon's spending and revenue systems. Oregon just got out of one budgetary crisis and is looking at additional crises for the next few biennia, as spending, driven by pension and health care costs, far outpaces the state's record revenue growth. Yet even with that fiscal reality staring them in the face, the three decided that serious reform could wait until 2019. So instead of leadership, Oregonians are getting a free-for-all. Businesses, unions and others nervous about protecting their interests instead are appealing directly to voters, trying to persuade Oregonians that it's in their interest to take their ideas and vote them into law. Editorial Agenda 2018 Press for a student-focused education system Help defuse Oregon's ticking time bombs Focus attention on the root causes of homelessness ________________________ That might make sense in some instances where the goal is narrowly defined and the mechanics of achieving it are uncomplicated. But tax policy is not that. As Measure 97 showed, the one-size-fits all corporate-tax approach detailed in that ballot measure provided no consideration for the razor-thin profit margins of a grocery retailer, the multi-layered complexity of a supply chain or the constraints of a commodity-based business. Sound tax policy requires an attention to detail that a ballot measure designed around a catchy slogan simply cannot provide. IP 37 doesn't seek to impose a new tax, and backers contend that their proposal is specifically tailored to a narrow set of establishments - grocery stores, farmers markets, convenience stores, food banks and other such outlets that treat food as necessities, said campaign spokesman Dan Floyd. But it still affects tax policy by declaring one element completely off the table. Oregonians should weigh whether it makes sense for voters to jump into the morass of tax law at all, much less issue such a blanket ban. Oregonian editorials Editorials reflect the collective opinion of The Oregonian/OregonLive editorial board, which operates independently of the newsroom. Members of the editorial board are Laura Gunderson, Helen Jung, Mark Katches and John Maher. To respond to this editorial, post your comment below, submit an OpEd or a letter to the editor. If you have questions about the opinion section, email Laura Gunderson, editorial pages editor, or call 503-221-8378. That's especially worrisome considering that the proposed ban on taxing groceries could play out in unintended ways. As VanderHart reported, there's already disagreement between the state justice department and the backers about whether the law would include restaurants. The state says it would, while backers disagree. Opponents, not surprisingly, raise other questions of how broadly the law could apply, and their potential to affect other revenue streams that the state relies on. Oregonians need to hear concrete responses before committing to a constitutional amendment that could only tie elected leaders' hands in addressing the fiscal crisis. That is, assuming that someone in elected office will address the crisis. Which leads to one more question voters should seek to answer for themselves. As they learn more about the proposal, Oregonians should press Brown and her Republican challenger, Rep. Knute Buehler, to weigh in - both on the proposal and on the larger question of how to solve Oregon's recurring fiscal crisis. Because if the current trend of putting off fixes continues, Oregonians will only be seeing more and more of these efforts to legislate fiscal solutions by popular vote. - The Oregonian/OregonLive Editorial Board By Michelle DuBarry Like most people in our community, I breathed a sigh of relief learning that no one was killed in last month's horrific hit-and-run crash in downtown Portland. But as the mom of a 22-month-old boy who was struck by a careless driver in a Portland crosswalk eight years ago, I also know something about the life that awaits these women as they recuperate from life-altering injuries, and I can say with fair certainty that there are no happy endings for victims of auto collisions in Oregon. My son endured two surgeries and a night in intensive care before he died, 27 hours after being admitted to the emergency room. His hospital bills totaled nearly $200,000. But we had good health insurance, and the driver who struck him had auto insurance that included $100,000 in bodily injury protection. I assumed that money was something we wouldn't have to worry about, at least for a little while. I was wrong. Oregon is one of a handful of states whose laws permit health insurance companies to take victims' auto insurance settlement money to cover their accident-related expenditures. The victim is entitled to a bodily injury (also known as "pain and suffering") settlement only after the health insurer is made whole. In cases where hospital stays are involved, there is almost never money left over for victims. States where this practice is illegal include Colorado, which passed a "made whole" statute in 2011. The law simply states that health insurers may not collect bodily injury settlements until the victim is fully compensated for their losses, or "made whole." I believe most people who purchase auto insurance do so thinking they are protecting their personal assets in cases where they are at fault in an accident. But in Oregon, our system forces consumers to pay for insurance that prioritizes health insurance companies over victims and their families. In 2015, I testified before an Oregon legislative committee in favor of a "made whole" bill applying to auto insurance companies. The bill earned bipartisan support and was signed into law by Gov. Kate Brown. I was told by legislators and other experts that such a law would be impossible when it came to health insurers. They said the health insurance lobby is too powerful; the politics are too complicated. But if the politics are complicated, common sense tells us this is not a fair system. Oregonians deserve a made whole law like Colorado's, one that would ensure pain and suffering awards are paid to victims, not to health insurance companies. After my son died, we had thousands of dollars in out-of-pocket medical expenses. My husband, who was also injured in the crash, had ongoing health issues. We both suffered from Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder and needed time off work and therapy. This is why we have insurance. It's why we call it a safety net. In the wake of the recent tragedy at Portland State University, we should all be wondering why Oregonians who are injured in auto collisions do not have meaningful protection from economic ruin. -- Michelle DuBarry lives in North Portland. WARRENTON, Ore. A Coast Guard helicopter crew out of Warrenton plucked a husband and wife off a sailboat 180 miles off the coast of Grays Harbor, Washington, on Saturday morning. The Coast Guard command center in Seattle received an emergency alert from a radio beacon at 5:46 a.m. from the 46-foot sailing vessel Kelaerin. The couple was sailing between Hawaii and Bellingham when they ran into rough weather and seas. The helicopter arrived on scene at 9:33 a.m. and the crew lowered a rescue swimmer to assess the situation. While the boat wasn't actively taking on water, seawater had washed aboard and the aircrew hoisted the husband and wife to safety at their request because of health concerns. They were transported to the Coast Guard base in Warrenton and received treatment for symptoms related to hypothermia. A marine broadcast was sent to warn vessel traffic of the drifting boat. Attempted salvage of the vessel will be at the owners' discretion. - Ted Sickinger 503-221-8505; @tedsickinger SHERIDAN -- They came here from Central America, and Mexico, Brazil, China and India hoping to start a new, better life in the U.S. Then they ran smack into the Trump administration's hardnosed new immigration policy and now find themselves locked up in this tiny Yamhill Valley town. The intense national debate over immigration hit home in Oregon, where 123 would-be asylum seekers have been moved into the Federal Correctional Institution in Sheridan over the last month. Four members of Oregon's congressional delegation, all Democrats, emerged angry and emotional Saturday after touring the detention center. The migrants told the politicians they are locked up 22 to 23 hours a day, three to a cell. It's been difficult to impossible to talk to a lawyer. Those with families say they have no idea where their wives or children are, and they fear they'll be deported and separated from them forever. "This is a shameful hour in U.S. history," said U.S. Rep. Earl Blumenauer. "I don't care what your stance on immigration is, no one should favor ripping children out of their parents' arms ...." Red-faced with tears streaming down his cheeks, Blumenauer couldn't continue. Under President Donald Trump's zero-tolerance policy, the U.S. now prosecutes anyone trying to enter the country illegally, including asylum seekers. Families are split up, with the adults being shipped to jails and children placed in the custody the Office of Refugee Resettlement. Attorney General Jeff Sessions implemented the policy in May, arguing that drastic measures were needed to stem an enormous surge of migrants fleeing their failed states. It's true that in March, April and May, the numbers are way up over 2017. But the complexities of the immigration issue defy easy categorization. Of the 123 people now in Sheridan, the most populous nationality is not Honduran or Guatemalan, it is East Indian. Fifty-two listed India as their home country. Several identified themselves as Sikhs or Christians fleeing religious persecution from the Hindu majority. The East Indians told the delegation that their Hindi and Punjabi translators were the first outsiders they've been able to talk to since they were imprisoned weeks ago. "The number to keep in mind is 2,000," said Sen. Jeff Merkley. "That's how many children have been separated from their parents since the policy began." Sen. Ron Wyden and U.S. Rep. Suzanne Bonamici both mentioned that they are the offspring of immigrants, who too came here seeking a better life. "America is better than this," Wyden said. The delegation was led by Merkley, who made headlines last Sunday when he was blocked admission to a Brownsville, Texas, facility housing immigrant children. He is headed to Texas on Sunday for the second weekend in a row, again in hopes of gaining access to the federal facilities where detainees and their children are being housed. Trump and Sessions claim the separation policy is necessary to stem an alarming surge of illegal crossings by Central Americans across the southern border. They claim many are criminals, drug dealers, gang members and worse. The number of apprehensions has surged in the past three months as Hondurans and other Central Americans flee gang and drug violence. But the policy has drawn protests from the Catholic Church and American Academy of Pediatrics, which says the separations can negatively affect children's health possibly their entire lives. On Friday, the American Civil Liberties Union pleaded with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement to do better. Among other things, ICE needs to make legal counsel easily available. Some of the detainees told the congressional delegation Saturday that they've been told to use a payphone to call a lawyer. But they have no money and they wouldn't know whom to call if they did. Other prisoners said they were given some information about immigration attorneys when they first arrived. But their clothes were then confiscated, the paperwork stuck in the pocket. Lawyers from the office of the Federal Public Defender in Portland have managed to get inside Sheridan to meet with about half the prisoners. Wyden said he's meeting with those attorneys tomorrow in hopes of facilitating further meetings. -- Jeff Manning Hillary Borrud | The Oregonian/OregonLive By Hillary Borrud The Oregonian/OregonLive Kate Brown and Knute Buehler seized on Pride Month celebrations this week to highlight their records of supporting LGBTQ rights. As the countrys first openly LGBTQ governor, Ill never stop fighting for you no matter who you are or who you love, Brown, a Democrat, wrote in the campaign email on Sunday. Will you chip in to help me keep fighting for equality? Buehlers vocal support of the LGBTQ community this weekend is more unexpected given he is a Republican. Unlike many in my party, Ive long supported gay rights, Buehler said in a video posted to Facebook last week. One day soon, I hope it wont be so unusual for a Republican like me to stand with the gay community. The Bend surgeon and lawmaker's enthusiasm does stand out in a nation where others in his party oppose LGBTQ rights. For example, Republican Vice President Mike Pence's opposition to same-sex marriage and LGBTQ rights just drew a "dance party" protest outside his speaking event in Ohio. Don't Edit Courtesy of Knute Buehler campaign Buehler and his family and campaign supporters pose before the Pride Parade on Sunday. Buehler and his family and campaign staff were in the Portland Pride Parade on Sunday. Brown did not participate in the Pride Parade this year but has in the past. Anyone trying to appeal to voters based on LGBTQ issues would have a hard time competing with Brown's personal story. She is the first openly LGBTQ governor in the country and from the start of her political career in the mid-1990s was part of "a pretty impressive but informal lesbian, gay, bisexual caucus of legislators," according to Ron Schlittler, editor of a photographic essay collection about LGBT elected officials called "Out and Elected in the USA." Still, Brown has said many friends and family did not know she was bisexual until The Oregonian mentioned it in a 1994 article headlined "Gays in politics: Uncommon Clout." Brown has been married to a man, First Gentleman Dan Little, since 1997. Don't Edit Stephanie Yao Long | The Oregonian/OregonLive Grand Marshal Gov. Kate Brown rode in the 2015 Pride Parade. Brown's work on LBGTQ rights dates back to the start of her political career in the Legislature. In 1993, she helped pass a bill to stop any government in Oregon from passing laws that singled people out based on their sexuality. Basic Rights Oregon, a significant campaign donor in Oregon politics, cited Brown's role in passing that law in its endorsement of her successful 2016 election bid. Brown was also among the lawmakers who voted in 2007 to pass laws prohibiting discrimination based on sexual orientation and creating domestic partnerships. Both bills grew out of a task force appointed by then-Gov. Kulongoski. Brown, who was Senate majority leader at the time, had co-sponsored a bill to create civil unions in 2005. But it died after the Republican House speaker at the time refused to allow a vote. Don't Edit Courtesy of the Knute Buehler campaign A Buehler supporter decorated a car before the parade. When Brown and Buehler faced off in the 2012 secretary of state race, they didnt focus on same-sex marriage or other LGBTQ issues. Buehler's political record starts during his first term as a state representative in 2015. That year, he joined a handful of Republicans in the House in voting to pass a ban on conversion therapy for anyone under 18 years old. Brown signed the bill into law. Don't Edit Stephanie Yao Long | The Oregonian/OregonLive Gov. Kate Brown greets people during the 2015 Pride Parade. In his video at the kickoff of Portland Pride events last week, Buehler noted that he broke with my party to ban the cruel and indeed sinister practice. Buehler said he had long supported marriage equality, even before it became legal in Oregon and I put it front and center in my very first campaign for the Legislature. A federal judge struck down Oregons ban on same-sex marriage in the middle of Buehlers 2014 campaign for state representative, but his support for marriage equality still held the potential to alienate social conservatives in future Republican primaries. -- Hillary Borrud hborrud@oregonian.com 503-294-4034; @hborrud Don't Edit Guns surrendered by a person under a gun confiscation order, pictured at the evidence locker of the Carlton Police Department in rural Yamhill County. Beth Nakamura/Staff By GORDON R. FRIEDMAN The Oregonian | OregonLive Jason had but one item on his shopping list when he pulled into the store parking lot, rage seething within him: a .40-caliber Smith & Wesson handgun just like his fathers. Jasons life was coming apart. He was 35 and the previous day, his wife of eight months had told him she was having an affair. Stunned, he tried to talk things through with her. She began packing her bags instead. All night Jason stewed. Hed come to get the gun because he wanted to go blow off some steam, he said. Head to the hills near his home in rural Brookings to blast some tin cans. But Jason, who asked to be identified only by his first name, didnt go to the hills that February morning. He drove home where his wife waited and headed inside, carrying the pistol still in its box. An Americans right to own guns is enshrined in the Second Amendment, and broadly speaking, little except a felony, domestic violence conviction or commitment to a mental hospital can block it. But Oregon lawmakers felt a growing sense of unease about people in potentially life-endangering circumstances like Jasons having unfettered access to guns. On the heels of a gun suicide in one lawmaker's family and amid confessions of domestic violence in another's, the Oregon Legislature narrowly passed a law in 2017 giving judges discretion to pry guns from people not convicted of a crime who show signs they might shoot themselves or someone else. Under the new law, police, family members or roommates can petition a judge for an "extreme risk protection order" barring gun possession. If an order is granted, the person named in it has 24 hours to turn over all guns to law enforcement, a qualified third party or gun dealer. The order stands for a year but can be extended indefinitely by a judge. To understand the ramifications of Oregons law since it took effect in January, The Oregonian/OregonLive reviewed hundreds of pages of court filings, listened to hours of courtroom audio and conducted interviews with people who lost their gun rights or tried to get someones weapons taken away. Apart from law enforcement officers, nearly all who spoke on the record did so on the condition that their name not be used, given the personal and sensitive nature of the cases. That analysis revealed that, in the laws first four months, Oregonians in 16 counties used it to try to get weapons out of the hands of nearly 30 people, most of whom were operating at a potentially deadly nexus of substance abuse, anger and gun ownership. Tracking those cases wasnt easy. There is no clearinghouse, and records arent listed on public dockets. The Oregonian/OregonLive filed public records requests with state court administrators, who sought documents from their counterparts in all 36 counties. The news outlet reviewed case files showing 27 instances in which a person sought a no-guns order. They represent all or virtually all cases brought from January 1 through April 30. None of those cases has been previously reported. Judges ordered guns taken away in 24 of them. Judges declined to order guns removed in three cases and reversed the initial decision in three others, citing the high bar necessary to justify taking away a persons guns. Under Oregons law, evidence the person is at risk to harm themselves or others has to be clear and convincing, not merely a preponderance, and must point to likely harm in the very near future. Don't Edit Mark Graves/Staff Details of the cases of people who lost their gun rights paint a disquieting portrait: A Portland man who posed for photos with a semi-automatic rifle and had spoken openly about planning a school shooting. A Beaverton veteran who threatened to gun down people at his church. A Vale man who fired his .357 Magnum into the ceiling of his home, believing he was shooting at people in his attic who were poisoning him. A man in Pendleton stopped by his sister from returning to work to shoot the boss whod just fired him. Most of the people denied the right to own weapons were white men in their 20s through 50s. They live in big cities, small towns and rural hamlets. Nearly all were reported to be drug users or drinkers or face mental health challenges or both. Some were suicidal, as shown in cases from Tillamook to Portland to Redmond. Most, witnesses told judges, were very angry. At a time when many in the nation are searching for ways to stop would-be shooters before they can massacre innocents at a school or at a mall, the Oregon cases suggest preemptive gun removals may prove an effective tool. Of those who lost gun rights so far, at least four had threatened to shoot people in public places. But Oregons law has been used most often to try to preempt shootings that draw far fewer headlines but claim far more lives: suicides and domestic violence. * * * Carrying the gun in its box, Jason entered the house, his wife inside. She got afraid, he said. I started drinking because she didnt want to talk to me. Ten beers later, Jason said, the silence had given way to argument. He unboxed the gun. Don't Edit Source: An extreme risk protection order petition filed in Jason's case by a Brookings Police Department officer. Jason relinquished a .40-caliber handgun similar to the one pictured. Jasons wife texted her new boyfriend, further enraging Jason. He pulled out an empty magazine and loaded it. The argument was spiraling out of control, he recalled. He put the magazine in the gun. His wife called her boyfriend, telling him Jason wouldnt let her leave. Jason snapped. He grabbed the phone, yelled into it that he was going to kill the boyfriend and broke it in two over his knee. Minutes later, police arrived. * * * Don't Edit Gun-toting demonstrators pictured rallying outside the Oregon Capitol in 2013. Thomas Boyd/Staff Despite its promise to prevent mass shootings and suicides, Oregons gun confiscation law is not without potential flaws. The law allows a judge to order guns seized without the gunowner being so much as notified that a gun-removal petition has been filed and a court hearing scheduled. Thats atypical for court actions, but mirrors what happens in elder abuse, stalking and domestic violence cases, in which only the accusing side is present at the initial court hearing. A review of case records shows only a single gun owner was present or had their side represented when a judge first decided how much of a risk they posed. If the judge orders guns taken away, the affected person is told he or she can challenge the decision. But so far, few affected gunowners have done that. They are not provided government-paid lawyers if they wish to. Before the law passed, lobbyists for the National Rifle Association and Oregon Firearms Federation questioned whether it is legal to seize guns from people without their knowledge. (The NRA reversed its position this year, and its top lobbyist, Chris Cox, declared "we need to stop dangerous people before they act" and called for Congressional funding for state risk protection orders systems.) In one case, Linn County Judge Daniel Murphy echoed the concerns about the lack of notice to gun owners, declaring from the bench that our court has a serious question about the constitutionality of seizing weapons when only one side is present in court. No Oregon court has ruled on the constitutionality of the new gun confiscation law, but the Oregon Court of Appeals mentioned it in footnotes to three April opinions, noting it as a possible less-onerous alternative to involuntary commitment to the state mental hospital. Murphy granted a gun removal order nevertheless in a case in which police accused a man who owns an AK-47 rifle of suicidal and stalking behavior. At the time, Murphy said he realized it could be easily thrown out. Ill have to admit its a close case. If he challenges it theres a good likelihood it could be set aside, the judge said. The man did challenge the case, and Murphy dismissed the order after finding no compelling evidence the man was a serious threat to himself or others. At the hearing, state troopers testified about the mans concerning Facebook posts, but Murphy said the posts were somewhat vague, adding, Unfortunately, people make all kinds of outrageous and bizarre comments on Facebook. Two of the mans family members testified about behavior they found alarming but conceded those events were years ago. Pro-gun lobbyists also complained that the new law does not connect people who have their guns taken to social services that may help with underlying problems. Connecticuts law, by contrast, requires the state health agency to be notified of those served with a no-guns order so they can give them mental health advice and a list of places to turn for help. Kevin Martinez, chief of the rural Carlton Police Department, raised yet another concern. In his view, he said, Oregons law allows too much time for a person to turn over their guns. A lot can happen in 24 hours, he said. There probably needs to be a little more work on how thats addressed. * * * Don't Edit Officers working out of the police station in rural Calrton, Oregon handled one of the state's extreme risk protection order cases. Beth Nakamura/Staff Among the bucolic vineyards of Yamhill County, the tiny town of Carlton sits placid, its Main Street quiet but for an occasional truck hauling hay bales to market. The town police force is just three people: the chief and two officers. One of them, Officer Tim Jordan, filed a petition for an extreme risk protection order in January, just four days after the law took effect. According to the affidavit Jordan wrote, a Carlton man had threatened to kill his dog and then himself and later texted his girlfriend, OK, murder suicide it is. While at home with the man, the girlfriend tried to call 911 and the man reacted violently, the affidavit said. He retrieved a loaded pistol, it said, and cornered her in their bathroom between a wall and the toilet in a tussle to grab her phone. Don't Edit Don't Edit Source: An extreme risk protection order petition filed by Officer Tim Jordan of the Carlton Police Department. The department seized a gun like the one pictured in connection with the case. At one point, he pounced on top of her while holding the gun, the document says. The woman, who sustained bruises in the struggle, managed to get away. That same night, the man shot their television with a shotgun. Police officers arrived at the home and, with the mans permission, seized 10 guns for safekeeping. The extreme risk protection order Jordan filed and won days later kept the man from getting them back. Don't Edit Officer Tim Jordan of the Carlton Police Department wrote an extreme risk protection order petition. Beth Nakamura/Staff It was really good timing, Jordan recalled in a recent interview at the towns tiny police station. He had just been trained on the new no-guns orders at a meeting of local law enforcement officials, he said. Such a good tool. Kevin Martinez, the town police chief, said he believes a life was saved by its use in the case. * * * Don't Edit The grasslands near Redmond in Deschutes County, Oregon, where one extreme risk protection order case was filed, but ultimately failed. Terry Richard/Staff Not all who seek to confiscate guns under Oregons new law are successful. In Jackson County, a judge denied a petition brought by a man who sought to confiscate the guns of a California man who worked for him. A Marion County judge denied a mothers petition to remove her sons guns after the woman left nearly all the required paperwork blank. The only denial so far of a petition brought by a police agency occurred in Deschutes County, in the heart of central Oregon. In February, police in the city of Redmond were alerted to a suicidal woman. Officer Dex Dickson arrived at her house and reported hearing a gunshot which came from the residence, according to police records. Although the woman wasnt injured in that instance, the officer was troubled by her behavior. The case was forwarded to Steven Binstock, a detective in the small-town police departments investigative unit. Hed recently been trained on the new no-guns law, he said, and thought the case now on his desk would be a smart place to apply it. He filled out the forms and filed them with the court. Things went downhill from there. Binstock appeared before Judge Walter Randy Miller, himself a former police officer. Courtroom audio recordings indicate the judge was displeased Binstock was before him rather than Dickson, the officer who had been on scene with the suicidal woman. You werent there for any of this? the judge asked Binstock. I was not, the detective replied. So its all hearsay? Correct, from other officers. Everything you have here is hearsay. You have not witnessed a single thing? Correct. The judge asked Binstock for details about the situation with the armed woman. The detective hesitated in his answer. Are you guessing, or do you know? Dont assume, the judge admonished. Youve sworn an oath to tell the truth and to tell me what you know. That doesnt include assumptions. The judge declared Binstocks proof that the woman was imminently dangerous to herself or others hearsay within hearsay and concluded the 18-minute hearing by denying his request for a no-guns order. Days later, Deschutes County prosecutors charged the woman under a law that bars people from firing guns in residential areas, court records show. The felony charge was reduced to a misdemeanor when she pleaded guilty. A judge sentenced the woman to two days in the county jail and a year of unmonitored probation with a special condition: no guns. * * * Don't Edit Oregon was the fifth of nine states to adopt a law allowing guns to be taken from people showing signs of risk. Connecticut was first in 1999, following a shooting massacre at the state lottery building. Indiana passed a similar red flag law in 2005, after the shooting of an Indianapolis police officer. Later California passed one after a mass shooting in a beachside community, Washington voters adopted a similar law by citizen initiative, then Oregon passed its own law, based on Washingtons. * * * Don't Edit A portion of the first extreme risk protection order granted in Oregon, in Columbia County. One woman directly affected by Oregons new no-guns law says she found herself in a relationship that, with little warning, turned abusive and potentially deadly, given her boyfriends caustic combination of alcohol and guns. Things reached their worst when he introduced a loaded gun to an argument they were having. The woman left her home, running as fast as she could. I have never been more terrified in my entire life, she said. Its debilitating. Its absolutely debilitating, that kind of fear. The woman spoke to The Oregonian/OregonLive on the condition that her name not be used and certain identifying details about her case also be withheld. She spoke out despite intense fear of her ex-partner, she said, to highlight what she feels is an important tool other men and women at risk of gun violence should know about and use. I just dont want this to happen to anyone else, she said. Days after she fled her house, a judge ordered her ex to turn in his guns. With the weapons stored safely in a police locker, she said she feels safer. I feel empowered, she said, because I feel safe enough to walk out my door every morning. She added, I think this law is fantastic. Today, she manages her anxieties the best she can. I feel like Im putting one foot in front of the other, she said. Im trying not to let this change my life. But the calm she projects to the world belies a persistent fear beneath. I look over my shoulder every second of every day, she said. Don't Edit Don't Edit Source: An extreme risk protection order affidavit filed by a Malheur County Sheriff's Office deputy in Billy's case. The Vale man who police accused of shooting into his attic to repel intruders he said had poisoned him sees the law very differently. Billy, who asked that only his first name be used, maintained in an interview that there was in fact an armed man in his attic, that intruders were poisoning him and that he poses no danger when armed. He said the judges and sheriffs decision to confiscate his .357 Magnum was illegal. Its unconstitutional what they did, he said. It has nothing to do with justice. It has nothing to do with anyones protection. Billy faces misdemeanor and felony charges of disorderly conduct, unlawful use of a weapon and bringing a Magnum cartridge into the county jail. He also faces a hate crime charge for allegedly threatening the Indian owner of a motel that mental health professionals placed him in as a condition of release from jail. Billy, who said hes always had a gun my whole life, denied the charges as a farce. For a Portland woman whose ex-partner was served with a no-guns order, the law offers reassurance her ex will stay safe. She said he slept each night with a loaded pistol on his bedside table, and mental health problems and drug use had made him suicidal. Police became involved after he called 911 and threatened to shoot himself and their young son over a $300 child support bill. The woman, who asked not to be named, said she felt a wave of solace wash over her upon learning that the gun confiscation order was granted. I literally burst into tears because I was so relieved, she said. I sleep a little better at night knowing that he cant just reach over and grab a loaded gun and end it, she said. * * * Editor's note: Why we didn't name people who had guns taken away Read our rationale. (Story continues below.) * * * Don't Edit Sara Cowley, right foreground, of Miami, holds a candle during a vigil at the University of Miami campus, April 18, 2007, for the 33 people who died in the Virginia Tech massacre. AP Photo/Wilfredo Lee A recent study of Indiana's gun seizures law by a forensic psychologist at the University of Indiana found that in the decade since its enactment, the law accounted for a 7.5 percent reduction in firearm suicides. Researchers found the law became even more effective after the massacre at Virginia Tech in 2007, when Indiana officials stepped up enforcement of the law. Another team of researchers, led by Duke University professor Jeffrey Swanson, studied Connecticut's law and estimate that, on average, one suicide has been prevented for every 15 people who had guns seized under it. Swanson also acknowledges red flag laws are not a panacea to gun violence. The man who killed 26 people at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Connecticut had access to guns, despite the gunmans acquaintances reporting he showed troubling signs prior to the massacre. * * * Don't Edit Jason, pictured in a photo he provided to The Oregonian/OregonLive, lost his gun rights after an extreme risk protection order was issued against him. With police at his home, Jason knew he had to calm down. The officers came inside, he said, and made sure he and his wife were OK. Jason had already stowed the gun in the trunk of his car. He told officers they could take his gun for safekeeping, according to a police report describing the incident. I said, Yeah of course, if you feel better, take it.'" His wife, still reeling from the encounter, was in the garage crying, according to the police report. The report said Jason assured police he had "no intention of hurting anyone" but "was just really upset" his wife was leaving him. Just before midnight the next day, a sheriffs deputy arrived with paperwork an order, issued by a judge that morning, telling him he could no longer have or buy deadly weapons for a year. Soon after, Jason gathered his slingshot and a 10-inch hunting knife hed gotten as a birthday gift and gave them up to a neighbor friend. Looking back, Jason said he feels his threat was blown out of proportion. Sure, he said he would kill his wifes boyfriend and admitted as much to the police. I said some stupid things, he conceded. But if he was really going to hurt someone, he said, he wouldnt shoot them. Its more fun to beat the shit out of somebody if youre angry at them, he said. Jason, speaking in a genial tone, explained, If you shoot somebody you dont have that much fun. Hes dead right away. And youd get in trouble. Big trouble. Jason said he feels extreme risk protection orders and the really stupid law that created them are far from foolproof. You cant keep a person from kitchen knives or scissors or the myriad household items that could be wielded to inflict harm, he said. And in a nation awash with guns, Jason said, theres never one far from reach. If I really wanted to kill somebody I could go out and get a pistol from somebody. He added later, If I really wanted to have a gun, its no problem to get one. -- Gordon R. Friedman GFriedman@Oregonian.com 503-221-8209 Twenty-two people were wounded early Sunday - 17 from gunshots - when multiple people started shooting at each other inside the Art All Night event in Trenton. One person, a 33 year-old male, was killed, and suspected to be one of the shooters, Mercer County Prosecutor Angelo Onofri said Sunday morning. Police took a second suspect into custody at the scene. During a press conference Sunday, Onofri said authorities "believe" the alleged gunman who died was shot and killed by police. Among the wounded is a 13-year-old boy in extremely critical condition, the prosecutor said. What started the shooting is under investigation, but Onofri said Art All Night itself does not appear to have been the target. "All indications are that this was a dispute between individuals that occurred at Art All Night," Onofri said. About 1,000 people were at the event when the gunfire erupted. The event, billed as "24 hours of "community, creativity, and inspiration," and held at the historic Roebling Wire Works building on South Clinton Avenue, turned to chaos shortly before 3 a.m. People ran from the event into nearby streets as police descended on the building and alternately looked for shooters and treated victims. Irvin Higgenbotham, a resident who said he comes to the event every year, was shot in the leg early Sunday morning. Higgenbotham said he was walking inside the event with his bike when he heard the shots going off. "It was like, pow, pow, pow and then I was laying down on the ground," he said. A bullet struck his leg, he said, and a woman who was at the event helped him until he was able to be treated. Higgenbotham returned to the scene of the shooting at about 8:45 a.m. Sunday, after being released form the hospital, to find out what happened, and how he got caught in the middle of the shooting, he said. Onofri described a chaotic and confusing scene early on: Trenton police were swamped with 911 calls reporting a shooting inside the venue, and the first police officers on scene radioed they needed critical assistance and backup. Trenton police were working off-duty security at the event, and there were no metal detectors inside the building, authorities said. The event occurs both inside and outdoors. Police later recovered firearms at the scene. Videos posted on social media showed police and attendees huddling behind cars and helping the wounded. Maurice Lennon, 31, said he wanted to get one last look at the art inside the building with his friend early Sunday when he heard gunfire. "We heard the first shots ring out inside the art gallery. The first shot, then the second shot before it resonated that: Wow that's gunfire," Lennon, of Trenton said in a phone interview Sunday. "You saw the doors bust open, everyone starting running out and panicking. I ended up getting tripped and fell and I ended up crawling." Lennon said he has cuts on his legs and arms from crawling and being stepped on by other people fleeing the shooting. "I've gone to this event for several years. I've been going for the past several years, never anything like this," Lennon said. "I've always bragged that this is Trenton's best event ... it's always peaceful I've always felt safe." An Art All Night Facebook page said Sunday it was canceling the rest of the event. Its with great regret that we announce that the remainder of Art All Night has been cancelled due to a tragic incident... Posted by Art All Night - Trenton on Sunday, June 17, 2018 A major police presence remained in the area later Sunday. This is the event's 12th year. Seventeen people, including 13 with gunshot wounds, were taken to Capital Health Regional Medical Center in Trenton, spokeswoman Kate Stier said. Four of the victims are in critical condition; the alleged gunman was declared dead at the hospital. None of the surviving victims had been released as of 11:20 a.m., but Stier said some are expected to be released later Sunday. Outside the event space in Trenton Sunday morning, tables with food and drinks were abandoned and trash cans turned over, with garbage littered around the area as investigators remained on the scene. Trenton Mayor Eric Jackson issued a statement Sunday saying he was saddened that the shooting happened on Father's Day during what is typically a very positive event. "All shootings -- whether multiple or singular, whether in a city or a suburb -- are a crisis," Jackson, a Democrat, said. "In Trenton we have been tackling this issue for quite some time. This can't be discarded as just random violence; this is a public health issue." Trenton's mayor-elect, state Assemblyman Reed Gusciora (D-15th Dist.), issued a statement saying he attended Art All Night Saturday, and was unsure about the popular event's future. "I hope that Art All Night does continue but we are going to have to reevaluate security measures in the future," he said. "It will be a top priority of my administration to make Trenton a safer city." UPDATE: Suspected gunman killed in shooting ID'd as gang member with violent past Reporters Karen Yi, Bill Duhart, and Sophie Nieto-Munoz contributed to this report. Kevin Shea may be reached at kshea@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter@kevintshea. Find NJ.com on Facebook. Since 2002, the organization has helped 2,310 fathers prepare to meet the material, emotional, and spiritual needs of their children, the group says. In 1972, President Richard Nixon signed a proclamation making Father's Day a national holiday. A passage from the proclamation continues to hold true today: "To have a father- to be a father- is to come very near the heart of life itself. In fatherhood we know the elemental magic and joy of humanity." Jamar Thrasher (PennLive file True-- the unconditional love that fatherhood affords is magical and joyous, but fatherhood is not complete without its challenges. Parents consistently struggle in the throes of crises when making decisions about how best to raise their children. As the definitions and roles of families continues to expand and be redefined, it is best that fathers focus intently on reevaluating if what they consider fatherhood is actually healthy fatherhood. Healthy fatherhood would make the nation a better place, and the statistics to prove it. According to the National Responsible Fatherhood Clearinghouse, the presence of a responsible father promotes improved academic performance and reduces disciplinary problems among children. Also, children with actively involved fathers display less behavior problems in school. There is even proof that preschoolers with actively involved fathers have stronger verbal skills. Simply put: actively engaged fathers will create a well-behaved and intelligent generations. Children flourish socially and mentally with the input of a father, but fatherly input does not automatically equate to a positive influence. Fathers should check themselves to make sure they are giving themselves and their children a healthy start by reevaluating how they are approaching fatherhood. Every father should do this. Global Wellness, a holistic wellness center, headquartered in Pittsburgh, with several offices in places including, Los Angeles, Paris, and South Africa, offers several programs, including a fatherhood program. Global Wellness provides its clients with individual and group workshops that emphasize its holistic modality of mental exploration, adaptation training, and physical/spiritual counsel. This holistic method connects individuals, families, and organizations to their defined wellness, according to the Global Wellness website. The fatherhood program engages a community of fathers to express the joys and woes of fatherhood and develop strategies on how best to navigate their fatherhood journey. The program is guided by Global Wellness founder, David A. Burton, LCSW. I joined the Global Wellness fatherhood program because I wanted to interact with other fathers and push the limits on my own fatherhood journey to become a better father. It was not an easy decision, but I had too much at stake: my daughter's well-being. I want her to be successful and critically thinking of the world around her. I want her to embrace all people with kindness and fiercely oppose and overcome any obstacles she will encounter in life. The fatherhood program provides me with necessary feedback that I can apply to my own fatherhood journey. To the fathers who think they're doing fine as fathers and don't need help I will share this: even the brightest students benefit from additional resources. Healthy fathers are able to humble themselves and receive feedback that will help them become effective fathers. There is not one definition or identity of a father, but one crowning principle of healthy fatherhood is the willingness of fathers to raise children to enter into adulthood successfully. Healthy fathers are accessible and available to their children regardless of their circumstances. All fathers, even those with limited physical presence with their children, for example, incarcerated fathers or fathers who travel for work or out-of-state divorced fathers, can find time to write or call their children. In addition to the fatherhood program, I am blessed to have tremendous resources supporting me on my fatherhood journey, including my daughter, her mother, my parents, my grandparents, aunts, uncles, and other family, and friends. Resources are all around for fathers, but they must be willing to identify them and use them. Fathers are important. We play a critical role in the lives of our children. I am open to resources available to me on my fatherhood journey, because the better I am as a father, the better I can be for my daughter. I encourage all fathers to invite more people with them on their fatherhood journey, because their children, and the nation overall, would greatly benefit from this. Father's Day is upon us. And what may seem like yet another Hallmark created holiday wherein a million ties and dad gadgets are sold and gifted, actually has a rather rich history. Kirstin Snow (PennLive file) There are two stories of when the first Father's Day was celebrated. According to some accounts, the first Father's Day was celebrated in Washington state on June 19, 1910. A woman by the name of Sonora Smart Dodd was struck with the idea of honoring and celebrating her father while listening to a Mother's Day sermon at church in 1909. She felt as though mothers were getting all the acclaim while fathers were equally deserving of a day of praise. Turns out, Sonora's dad was quite a man. William Smart, a veteran of the Civil War, was left a widower when his wife died while giving birth to their sixth child. He went on to raise the six children by himself on their small farm in Washington. To show her appreciation for all the hard work and love William gave to her and her siblings, Sonora thought there should be a day to pay homage to him and other dads like him. She initially suggested June 5th, the anniversary of her father's death to be the designated day to celebrate Father's Day, but due to some bad planning, the celebration in Spokane, Washington was deferred to the third Sunday in June. The other story of the first Father's Day in America happened all the way on the other side of the country in Fairmont, West Virginia on July 5, 1908. Grace Golden Clayton suggested to the minister of the local Methodist church that they hold services to celebrate fathers after a deadly mine explosion killed 361 men. While Father's Day was celebrated locally in several communities across the country, unofficial support to make the celebration a national holiday began almost immediately. William Jennings Bryant was one of its staunchest proponents. In 1924, President Calvin "Silent Cal" Coolidge recommended that Father's Day become a national holiday. But no official action was taken. In 1966, Lyndon B. Johnson, through an executive order, designated the third Sunday in June as the official day to celebrate Father's Day. However, it wasn't until 1972, during the Nixon administration, that Father's Day was officially recognized as a national holiday. I have very specific memories of my own father while growing up, and thankfully I will get to celebrate with him in person on Sunday. My dad is a mechanical engineer by trade. Anyone with a creative side who has grown up with an engineer for a dad understands how frustrating that can be. I'll never forget packing up the family station wagon to go on our once a year trip, always to Cape May NJ- an event that still takes place to this day. Back then, however, dad would get out the graph paper and measure the trunk. He then measured the items to be placed in said trunk, laid it out on graph paper, and thus packing commenced in the most neat, orderly and maddening way. We always left at the crack of dawn to avoid traffic. Dad would get me ready in the morning for preschool when my mom was still working. I have fond memories of jelly sandwiches washed down with dark chocolate milk- the perfect breakfast for a then hyperactive three year old. There was also that one time when he dressed me with cute little bloomers that had ruffles on the back... except he thought they went in the front, and against the skin. That wasn't a very comfortable day as I recall. Then came third grade and learning my times tables. I was a good student, but memorizing those tables proved daunting and nearly impossible for me. Dad had a hard time understanding how I just couldn't 'get it'- after all, he was a math whiz, so it was simple to him. There were lots of my tears shed at our dining room table once we got to the 12x12s. The point here is that dad never stopped until I got it right. It instilled in me the same ethic. Also instilled by dad (and mom) was a call to activism and letting my voice be heard at a young age. My dad marched proudly against nuclear power in the wake of the TMI near-meltdown, and also supported my mother and me at pro-choice marches in Washington D.C. He was always there with us supporting us as equals and standing for our rights. He served our country during the Vietnam War- something to this day he'd rather not discuss. Into my teen years I'm fairly certain he would head home from work with trepidation to see what the tone of the house was, because as this point I hit the period where I was not a very nice person to my mom. I fully admit I was a terror, mostly because mom and I are so much alike. It wasn't uncommon for dad to come home to see me having locked myself in our old honda civic hatchback to infuriate my mom. I often joke that I'm the son my dad never had. He is the original owner of a 1962 Austin Healey 3000. He's won more awards than could fit in a warehouse for auto-crossing and drag racing at the old York Route 30 Speedway. As soon as I hit 16, I was racing that car too, and still do to this day. We are a team- he always wins his division and I normally come in second. I'm not sure I want to see the day when I actually best him. He's never treated me like a prima donna, and knows I can roll with the big boys. Before I got my license I knew how to change the oil, change a tire, and pop-clutch start cars. Even now I change my own tires. My dad is a quiet soul. I inherited his bone dry sense of humor. So has my son- his 'Poppi' is the favorite person in his life. There are so many more stories to share, but column inches restrain me. May you take the time this holiday if you're able to share stories and create memories with whomever it is that fills the dad role in your life. PennLive Opinion contributor Kirstin Snow is the principal of Snow Public Affairs in Harrisburg. Her "Donkeys & Elephants" column appears weekly opposite conservative commentator Charlie Gerow. After 23 years, 9&10 News' Adkins still loves to 'tell a good story' With over two decades of traveling around Northern Michigan, 9&10 News special projects executive producer Corey Adkins says he has the best job. Some famous faces chilling at the Sram pits. The sum of the square routes of any two sides of an isosceles triangle is equal to the square root of the remaining side. This was the very first Crankworx for Alex Alanko. After he won the wild card at FISE, he was able to compete at this pinnacle of dirt jumping contest. As he said, the size of the jumps were intimidating at first, but with each practice run, the tricks started to seem easier to him. He may not have the dream result here, but it definitely was a day to remember for this young Swede. Jakub Vencl looked solid and composed during the practice, but sadly he lost the mojo during the finals and was unable to put his top run together. Ryan Nyquist spinning into the warm up session off the opening drop. And he kept on spinning like a mad man in the finals, too. Simon Pages feels like a fish in the water on dirt jumps. Having a sick backyard to ride and practice tricks in undoubtedly helps. Messere tail-whipping the boner log for the fans. With a front flip no hander off the first double, Lukas Knopf didn't come here to mess around. Lukas Knopf was in all in for the podium, but it wasn't meant to be. Still, clean and very technical riding as expected from the young, German rider. Flip-can dropping with Szymon Godziek. Maximum superman steeze from Godziek. An incredbile run slipping through Godziek's fingers. Fire in the whole, Tommy G, ready to drop. After the nasty injury Thomas Genon had at FISE, it's was great to see him healthy and going big here in Innsbruck. Matt Jones loves a flip-tuck no hander, who doesn't? Matt Jones is in fine form, looking precise and going huge. Matt Jones surely earned a few extra points for the amplitude and extension. Spreading wings in front of the crowd. Erik Fedko is more and more confident with his riding at the big, slopestyle courses with every next event he goes to. Remember his name, you'll be hearing it much more often... Tomas Lemoine had a very busy weekend. But all this effort paid off handsomely. He repeated his success in Speed 'n Style, however, he wasn't able to keep or improve on his position from last year in slopestyle. Yet, he missed the podium by only one spot... Diego Caverzasi had the run of his life to land on the podium in 3rd place. Diego Caverzasi aka Mr. Frontflip in full force - Fearless frontflip out of the whale-tail. Brett Rheeder had his ups and downs this weekend, but he overcame all the struggles and put up a hell of the show. That flat drop flip-whip was just mental. Brett Rheeder was still hurting from a huge wipe-out on the first drop in training the other day but you wouldn't know it. Rheeder completes his second run with all the steeze, already knowing it was Rogatkin's day. Nicholi Rogatkin mid huge cash-roll. Rogatkin bossed a perfect cork 7 off the whale-tail. The one and only, Nicholi Rogatkin. He did it again - won the battle of the tricks and nerves against all the other riders of Crankworx Innsbruck. The Rheeder, Rogatkin battle continues. On his day Rogatkin takes some stopping and no one could hold him back from the top step for the second year in a row here in Innsbruck. Look forward to Rheeder bouncing back next weekend. Rogatkin, Rheeder and Caverzasi in the medals here in Austria. 703 SHARES Facebook Twitter Whatsapp Pinterest Reddit Print Mail Flipboard During the first six weeks of the Trump Administrations zero tolerance immigration policy nearly 2,000 children were separated from their parents at the U.S. border with Mexico. A spokesperson for the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) said on Friday that the separations took place from April 19 to May 31 of this year. The zero tolerance policy was announced by the Department of Justice in April. It requires that children be separated from their parents or legal guardians when the adults have been referred to the DHS to be prosecuted for entering the United States illegally. Various news reports have been critical of the policy and especially the way that the separations were done. A CNN story said that babies were taken from mothers while they were breast feeding their infants. During Fridays briefing with the news media the DHS officials complained that news reports were exaggerated and inaccurate. We do not separate breastfeeding children from their parents. That does not exist, thats not a policy, thats not something that DHS does, a DHS official said during the briefing. DHS officials then said that they had no choice but to separate parents and children at the border because the law required it. The Trump Administration has consistently told the public that they are legally required to separate children from parents but this is false. It is not a law but a Trump policy being implemented and enforced by Attorney General Jeff Sessions. Previous presidential administrations have found ways to keep families together without taking away children form their parents. It is possible that children stay with parents who have been detained for immigration violations even while they work their way through immigration courts. Until now, separating parents from children was rare. It was used in the past only for cases where the safety of a child was threatened. The new policy has been heavily criticized by almost everyone: Democrats, Republicans, Christian groups and medical doctors, who said that when children are taken away from their parents they are likely to suffer permanent damage. Sessions spoke to a group of law enforcement officers on Thursday and told them that the migrant families were to blame for their children being taken away. He said that his departments actions were not unusual or unjustified. He even claimed that the Bible gave him authority to do what he was doing. If you cross the southwest border unlawfully, then the Department of Homeland Security will arrest you and the Department of Justice will prosecute you. That is what the law calls for and that is what we are going to do, Sessions said. President Donald Trump on Friday tried to distance himself from his own policies. He also once again tried to put the blame on Democrats in Congress for causing the problem. This claim is a very clear falsehood that has been put forth many times before by him and other members of his administration. I hate children being taken away. Thats the Democrats, the president lied, while standing on the White House lawn. 1.2k SHARES Facebook Twitter Whatsapp Pinterest Reddit Print Mail Flipboard Joe Scarborough used to be a Republican Congressman from Florida, but now the co-host of the popular MSNBC show Morning Joe is one of President Donald Trumps strongest critics. On Friday, Scarborough lambasted Trump, Jeff Sessions and immigration enforcement officials for their new policies and practices used in dealing with undocumented immigrants entering the United States from Mexico. In his latest criticism, Scarborough seemed to liken federal immigration officials to Nazis, and that didnt go over too well in the White House. After his show was over the White House press office called his comments horribly insulting and said that he was placing a target on the countrys great law enforcement. In his Friday morning show, the popular TV host strongly denounced Trumps immigration officials for their heartless new practice of separating children from their families when the adults are taken into custody for violation of U.S. immigration laws. Medical experts have said that this practice is likely to result in permanent damage to the children who are forcibly removed from their parents without any explanation. Scarborough cited several news reports that said Border Patrol agents were tricking parents, and misleading them about what would happen to their children. He said that U.S. Border Patrol agents have been falsely telling migrant families that their children were being taken away for a bath. In fact, the children are not given baths but are taken into custody and incarcerated. The parents are not told what happened to their children, and they are not even allowed to say goodbye to them. I know children are being marched away to showers, marched away to showers, being told they arejust like the Nazis said that they were taking people to the showers and then they never came back, Scarborough said. You think they would use another trick like hey, got a slurpee room over there were going to take them to get a slurpee, Scarborough continued. That would be better than were marching them to the showers and well be right back and they never come back. White House deputy press secretary Hogan Gidley issued a statement slamming Scarborough. It is appalling that Joe Scarborough would compare sworn federal law enforcement officerswho put their lives on the line every day to keep American people safeto Nazis, she said. Then she added, This is the type of inflammatory and unacceptable rhetoric that puts a target on the backs of our great law enforcement. It is also horribly insulting to the memory of the 6 million Jews who perished in the Nazi Holocaust. Not only is Scarboroughs rhetoric shameful, but his facts are categorically false. Scarboroughs statements were not false, and clearly the Trump administration doesnt like it when the truth comes out about their inhumane and cruel policies that separate children from their parents. 878 SHARES Facebook Twitter Whatsapp Pinterest Reddit Print Mail Flipboard One way to measure the immense failure of the tenure of Paul Ryan as Speaker of the House is how little he was able to accomplish with respect to his pet project of reforming Medicare. Before running for Vice President with Mitt Romney Ryan was in charge of the budget for the House of Representatives and he was seen as the person who knew more about the federal budget than anyone. And he always said that Medicare was going to be a huge problem and something needed to be done about it. So what Paul Ryan has done for Medicare as Speaker is worse than nothing: he has made Medicares fiscal situation much worse than it was before he became speaker. Not only has he failed to control the skyrocketing costs of the health insurance program but by passing unneeded tax cuts on the wealthy he has taken away much of Medicares future funding. And new projections that just came out show that the separate trust fund established to fund Medicares hospital benefits only has enough money to last eight more years. While Republicans try to ignore the Medicare funding crisis caused by tax cuts, this new report has brought the issue to the forefront and is pointing out both the hypocrisy and the irresponsibility of the Republicans. Ryan even admitted that the tax cuts were not needed and his long term goal was to raise the federal deficit to such a high level that it could no longer to pay for Medicare, Medicaid, and other entitlements. In the meantime, the kleptocracy in Washington has let greed run wild. A person could argue that since Republicans took over control Washington is being run by greed and nothing else. Drug companies, health insurance companies, medical companies, doctors they are all making record profits while the federal government is spending over $1.5 trillion per year on healthcare. The greed would stop if single payer healthcare went into effect, but thats the last thing the current vested interests want. Stock prices would plummet even though the federal budget could be balanced. Republicans of course blame Democrats for the problem, saying that Ryan and Republicans in Congress are not responsible. It takes two houses of Congress and a president to want to do that, said Sen. Roy Blunt (R-Mo.), speaking about Medicare reform. No matter whos been in the House or whos been speaker, we have not been able to get entitlement reform done. The reason is that Democrats want to limit corporate profits and increase taxes to secure funding for Medicare, while Republicans want to let greed run abated while taxes are cut which will require them to take away health benefits from tens of millions of Americans. Republicans spent the eight years of the Obama administration calling for major reforms and now theyve gone completely silent. Their tax cut bill is adding $1.5 trillion to the deficit and they have been forced to admit that theyve put Medicare on on increasingly unstable financial ground. But many Republicans believe in a future (not supported by the facts) where economic growth will make up for the deficits caused by the tax cuts, and this will allow Medicare to be funded. Obviously, theyre not taking into consideration what were already seeing, which is additional growth, said Sen. John Thune of South Dakota. Its going to be a lot easier to solve entitlement reform in a growing economy than in an economy thats in recession. Democrats have in the past been against the GOPs Medicare reform plans because they involve cutting taxes and benefits while doing nothing to reign in the rampant greed (as well as fraud) that is bankrupting the government. Now Democrats are pointing out that Republicans have gotten rid of their fiscal concerns in order to accomplish their most important priority, tax cuts for the rich. When Republicans want to cut taxes but dont want to contain health care spending, they are yanking Medicare three years closer to insolvency, said Oregon Sen. Ron Wyden, the top Democrat on the Finance Committee. 2.5k SHARES Facebook Twitter Whatsapp Pinterest Reddit Print Mail Flipboard The problem according to Kellyanne Conway isnt immigrant kids are being taken away from their parents, but that Democrats wont give Trump the money to build more prisons for immigrant children. Video: Transcript: CHUCK TODD: You can keep the families together. Why cant you find a way to still KELLYANNE CONWAY: Do you want the child in jail? As opposed to a facility CHUCK TODD: You keep the families together. Why dont you create a family detention center? KELLYANNE CONWAY: Well, we had those under President Obama but the Democrats are holding up the funding to expand those. The President had a 70 point immigration plan, this was included in it, Chuck, that expanding, really doubling the detention center capacity, hiring more ICE agents we dont have the capacity. Those brave men and women at the border who are trying to do their jobs as best they can. This is an issue. And, and if the Democrats are serious, and if a lot of Republicans are serious, theyll come together. They wont just talk about this week, the dreamers, or just the wall, or just catch and release. Its all of the above. And there are ways to repatriate these families back into their home countries expeditiously. The problem is that Democrats wont let Trump build more kid prisons Family detention centers arent the answer either, because while the children would still have their parents, they would also be in prison. According to Kellyanne Conway, this would all be solved if Democrats would just vote to give Trump the money to build more prisons. Of course, the other idea that doesnt involve wasting taxpayer money is that Trump stops treating every immigrant like they are a criminal. In other words, Trump could stop throwing children and their parents into prison. The White House is tying itself into knots trying to blame Democrats for a policy that has become a political and a humanitarian disaster. Trump could end this with one phone call. He isnt gaining leverage. Trump is handing the House, Senate, and maybe even the White House back to Democrats in 2018 and 2020. For more discussion about this story join our Rachel Maddow and MSNBC group. 2.5k SHARES Facebook Twitter Whatsapp Pinterest Reddit Print Mail Flipboard Donald Trumps policy of ripping children away from their parents at the U.S.-Mexico border was supposed to push Democrats to negotiate in Congress so he could get tougher immigration laws and his beloved border wall. But instead it may end up costing Republicans their majorities in Congress. Even as the president has tried to pin the blame for his policies on Democrats, and even while he and his press secretary lie to the public by saying the laws require separation of children from parents, more and more people are coming to the conclusion that Trump himself is responsible, and the Republicans who control both houses of Congress are doing nothing to stop him. One GOP operative whose job is to elect Republicans in November said, The issue will absolutely be a factor in the midterm elections. The images are devastating for Republicans. Even former White House communications director Anthony Scaramucci went on Fox News to say that Trump will be losing a lot support with voters if he doesnt fix the controversy. My recommendation is, lets fix this immediately because what we have to stand for in our society is American values, Scaramucci said. I recognize that people should not break the law, but theres a lot of desperate people that want to enter this country and we have to take a humane approach to those people. On Saturday he tweeted, Separating innocent children from their families is not the Christian way, the American way, nor what @POTUS wants. Congress must act to stop this madness. Separating innocent children from their families is not the Christian way, the American way, nor what @POTUS wants. Congress must act to stop this madness. https://t.co/dSZo4XxFjs Anthony Scaramucci (@Scaramucci) June 17, 2018 Despite Trumps tweets about the issue, nobody but his most hard core supporters believe what he wrote on Twitter Saturday, blaming Democrats: Democrats can fix their forced family breakup at the Border by working with Republicans on new legislation, for a change! This is why we need more Republicans elected in November. Trump tried the same thing last year with the Dreamers when he revoked an executive order that gave them protected status. This was his lame attempt to force Congress to approve funding for his border wall. It didnt work then, and its not working now either. Opinion polls show that the majority of the public do not support the presidents position on any of these issues. Now Democrats are sending out emails to supporters and organizing trips to detention centers and finding the issue is raising them a lot of money and it is resonating with voters. They are reminding voters that Trump and Sessions, with the approval of the Republican Congress, separated 2,000 children from their parents in just the first six weeks And now, finally, Republicans in Congress are starting to make public statements showing their concerns about the policy, which really shows just how worried they are about the impact on the fall elections. Speaker Paul Ryan said he doesnt like children being separated from their families and it needs to be addressed with legislation. Its not clear that he will do anything about it, however. Rep. Mark Meadows of North Carolina, chairman of the conservative Freedom Caucus, said: I am 100 percent supportive of keeping families together. Most of my constituents are pro-family constituents who believe keeping a family unit together is always best. Another Republican operative lamented that Republicans will be hurt politically by what is going on. The media will broadcast these images of brutality and chaos and the public will associate them with the Republicans that run the House and the Senate but most of all with President Trump, she said. House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi of California said the separation policy was shameful. Hes using children, whether theyre Dreamers or whether theyre little children at the border now, for a political purpose, Pelosi said. Pelosi also knows that this issue might help make her Speaker of the House again. A group of House Democrats of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus and Pelosi are traveling to the border on Monday to raise attention to the issue which is sure to garner more media attention. This is really about our values as a country. Its who we are as a country, Sen. Dianne Feinstein, of California, said. And were here to say this is just simply wrong and weve got to put an end to the taking of minor children from their parents at the border. If Republicans dont put an end to the taking of children from their parents then they might be putting an end to their majorities in Congress. These communities are absorbed into mainstream culture but are rarely depicted in film and TV with the same verve and reverence. When I was young, I would not leave the house unless I was wearing my favorite dressa white ballerina midi with a tulle skirt sewn around the waistline. I would throw fits and tantrums when my mother would try to make me wear something else. In retrospect, the dress made me feel like a princess, like the ultimate kid version of a woman I wanted to be, but it also was my first attempt at performing my femininity and what I perceived to be the cornerstone of womanhooddresses, makeup, and heels included. These days, I'm still mostly found wearing dresses and heels in the most impractical of times. But that's the thing. I know the commercial and economic realities of my femininity; I know my deodorant is more expensive than men's deodorant and I know none of my dresses or pants have pockets. I know that makeup, bras, and heels for many feminists symbolize oppression and the infantilization of our bodies. I know why those dresses were special to me as a kid and why they are special to me as an adult. And despite these realities, I know why they still bring me pleasure as a queer woman. FX's Pose, a sequin-embroidered paean to New York City's drag ball culture and gay/transgender communities, is a show that TV needs right now. It's also the type of show that fervently screams at the camera, "We are who we are!" Based in the 1980s, its dialogue mirrors a Twitter feed and remains culturally immersive, each character showing a walk of life not often depicted on TV. Co-created by Ryan Murphy (Glee, American Horror Story, Feud), Pose is FX's inclusive glitter baby, a show heavily promoted and celebrated by the network, and rightfully so. And though a show like this succumbs to camp by its mere existence, it's triumphant in its depiction of black and Latinx men and women and NYC's trans subculture. These communities are absorbed into mainstream culture but are rarely depicted in film and TV with the same verve and reverence. But if there's anything Pose celebrates, it's the unequivocal power of youth culture, and the beautiful ways people come together to celebrate the freedom of sex, fashion, and personal liberation. Each character, however, is struggling to define what femininity looks like when assigned to the wrong body, the wrong sexual orientation, or the wrong family. There's the House of Abundance, led by the stunning, scene-stealing Elektra (Dominique Jackson), with cheekbones as sharp as knives. There's the House of Evangelista led by Elektra's former student and "child," Blanca (Mj Rodriguez), who dreams of starting her own house following a rather terrifying diagnosis. Angel (Indya Moore) is a sex worker who abandons the House of Abundance to live with Blanca. She's a lost romantic who keeps pairing with straight men who are ashamed of their attraction to her, specifically Stan (Evan Peters), a married man and father who works for Trump Organization. Damon (Ryan Jamaal Swain) is a dancer estranged from his parents for being gay. Swain's doe eyes show the vulnerability of his character, the passion he has for dancing and the fear he has to accept his own sexual orientation. Part family drama, part vogue fest, Pose breathes life into drag culture, reclaiming the colloquialisms that are commercialized in mainstream media, white neighborhoods, and liberal art colleges. The show features the largest cast of LGBTQ actors on scripted series and is one of the first TV offerings to include transgender activists and performers in the writers' room. (Janet Mock and Our Lady J co-wrote some of the episodes.) Pose is a beautiful moment in TV history. It's a reminder to everyone that our freedoms and pleasures in this life shouldn't be measured by our bodies, but by our communities and the families we create for ourselves. And it's a reminder that something as simple as a dress can feel like liberation when worn for oneself. Covering another artists song is a fantastic way for someone to demonstrate his or her musical skill in light of anothers. It seems that the notion of deconstruction is quite an accurate description of a song, for now a song written in one genre can be entirely re-interpreted in another. The Eagles Hotel California, a song coming mostly from the white-dominated 70s California rock, was masterfully re-interpreted this year in the song American Wedding by Odd Future crooner Frank Ocean. Ocean took the music of Hotel California, a classic image of American societal decay, and sung over it lyrics about the decay of American romance. Though technically not a cover, that track nonetheless demonstrates the malleability of a song once it has been released. The following 10 songs are prime examples of tracks that not only stand as great songs in their own right, but also as powerful re-interpretations of already great tunes. Ranging from folk to psychedelia to piano confessional, these songs all attest to the ability of music to unite people with distinct voices. As it turns out, unplugged covers arent just for bad coffee houses. Note: Some of these tracks are not entirely acoustic, but in the cases in which there are non-acoustic instruments, they are not the central instrument in the song. I based my picks on songs that were either (a) entirely acoustic or (b) dominated by and large by acoustic instrumentation. 10. Ray LaMontagne Crazy (Unreleased) Gnarls Barkleys soul-laden 2006 hit Crazy was an instant smash upon its release, which no doubt contributed to the large number artists who chose to cover it, the Violent Femmes most notably. Folk balladeer Ray LaMontagnes version of the song remains the best of the covers, having much to do with the emotive power present in his re-interpretation. Theres a longing in the song as a result of LaMontagnes slightly husky delivery as well as the key change, which shifts the tunes tone from soulful to yearning. The high-pitched falsetto in the chorus of Gnarls Barkleys version is replaced by LaMontagnes more inquisitive turn; here, it sounds much more like hes seriously wondering if he is crazy. Given how good this is, the clear answer to that question is no. 9. John Mayer Free Fallin' (Where the Light Is: John Mayer Live in Los Angeles, 2008) Free Fallin' is something of a classic rock standby, which means that more artists than one could count have probably covered it. But when John Mayer performed it in this 2007 Los Angeles concert, he took a somewhat worn (but nonetheless great) piece and put an entirely different spin on it. For this concert, Mayer began with a brief, five-song acoustic set, putting incredible turns on his own tracks like Neon. The set concluded with this Tom Petty cover, and Mayers subdued performance turned the song into something quite new. By slowing the initial versions tempo down and including a slide guitar, Mayer transformed Free Fallin' utilizing a bluesiness that he did so brilliantly on 2006s Continuum. Mayers career has had ups and downs, but in those five acoustic songs he may have been at his peak. 8. Bon Iver I Cant Make You Love Me/Nick of Time (Calgary single, 2011) Bonnie Raitts 1991 soft-rock single was no doubt a product of its time, and as a result it now sounds more than a little bit faded. Soft-rock, at least on the mainstream radio, has lost the popularity it once had. As a result, the song has taken the form of the piano-led confessional by PopMatters top two artists of 2011: Bon Iver and Adele. Though both are brilliant covers, the best of the two is Bon Ivers. Justin Vernons famed falsetto is back at it again with this rendition; his gorgeous vocal adds a much needed power to the unrequited love of the songs lyrics, which were initially dampened by the genres cheesiness. The covers emotional nakedness is what made Vernons breakthrough debut For Emma, Forever Ago so good, and its equally resonant here. 7. The Mars Volta Things Behind the Sun (The Bedlam in Goliath, 2008) Admittedly, the initial recording of Nick Drakes Things Behind the Sun was quite stripped-down. This cover actually adds a few extra instruments to that recording, but in doing so the song becomes something quite haunting. The Bedlam in Goliath is emblematic of the Mars Voltas excessiveness at close to an hour-and-a-half of crazed, time signature-shifting prog, the record is a wearing listen. The iTunes edition of the album, however, closes with this track, which serves both as a good calming down of the records grandstanding and as a captivating cover version. The recording is not entirely acoustic; there are some psychedelic guitar washes that add to the dark allure of the track, but the song is predominately occupied by Cedric Bixler-Zavalas falsetto and Omar Rodriguez-Lopezs fingerpicking. Drakes original version is a gorgeous folk ballad, but these Mexican proggers took the already great song and made it so that its dark echoes will ring in the brain days after hearing it. 6. Bruce Springsteen My Rides Here (Enjoy Every Sandwich: The Songs of Warren Zevon, 2004) Warren Zevon will go down in the books as one of Americas most underrated songwriters. His brand of literary cynicism is something that few have come close to matching. However, despite his brilliance, it was often the case that Zevons music couldnt match up to his lyrical prowess. Case in point: the title track of 2002s My Rides Here. The lyrics captured Zevons humor in the face of death (the song documents a rather strange run-in with Jesus and John Wayne at a Marriott hotel), a theme that would later be fully expounded upon in his final album, the 2003 masterpiece The Wind. The music to My Rides Here wasnt as good, unfortunately; in context of the album it ended the LP musically in an anticlimactic fashion. Bruce Springsteens moving cover for the 2004 tribute record Enjoy Every Sandwich remedies that problem. Recorded right after Zevon died, Springsteen transforms the song from the Eagles-esque rock of the initial recording into an accordion-backed folk piece. Springsteens voice may have distinctive differences from Zevons, but here he captures the spirit of Zevons words as only an old friend and fellow songwriter could. 5. Nickel Creek I Shouldve Known Better (This Side, 2002) Nickel Creeks 2002 release This Side had a few excellent covers, as well as some fantastic new arrangements of traditional folk hymns. In the former category, there was a cover of Spit on a Stranger by legendary indie rock group Pavement; in the latter, a memorable rendition of the traditional English folk track House Carpenter. The best of these various covers is an interpretation of Americana songstress Carrie Newcomers I Shouldve Known Better, a cut that stands as one of the now-defunct bluegrass bands most angry tracks. With an almost head-banging arrangement, fiddle player Sara Watkins delivers lines like All alone in my kitchen / All alone in my head / Some things you cant take back / Once theyve been said with incredible power. Nickel Creeks career may have been cut far too short (the band has been on indefinite hiatus since the release of its third studio record Why Should the Fire Die?), but its gems like this one that still keep people coming back. 4. Johnny Cash Hurt (American IV: The Man Comes Around, 2002) The prospect of Johnny Cash covering a Nine Inch Nails song may have seemed like an absurdity prior to the release of American IV, but given how absolutely dead-on this performance is, its as if this song was written just for him. Upon hearing this cover, NINs Trent Reznor went so far as to the say that the song wasnt even his anymore. That may be an extreme concession for an artist to make, but Cashs well-documented troubled past makes the lyrics of Hurt ring far more deeply than the original, which is still an excellent track in its own right. The song is in equal measures beautiful, painful, and heart-rending, sometimes all at once. Its a track that, despite the pain it brings to mind, is impossible to turn away from. The music video adds even more to this effect; the clips nostalgic, lamentful retrospective speaks more volumes about Cashs life than full-length films like Walk the Line did. Hurt has been upheld as Cashs epitaph, a fitting title for a track as masterful as this. Cash remains one of Americas most important songwriters, and Hurt is an incontestable testament to that fact. 3. Obadiah Parker Hey Ya! (Obadiah Parker Live, 2007) OutKasts Hey Ya!, one of the most popular tracks of the last decade, is well-known for how infectiously buoyant it is from the get-go; its catchy and incredibly easy to sing along with. While those traits are part of what makes the song great, they can at times mask the brilliant lyrics that also add to that greatness. For that reason, Obadiah Parkers acoustic guitar and piano-backed cover is a brilliant interpretation. The lyrics are put much more at the forefront, and in doing so the song becomes a gorgeous meditation on love unlike the jubilant original. The key change Parker does in Hey Ya! also adds to the tunes emotive quality; this cover has a highly reflective and ponderous spirit that really bring out the best in the songs lyrics. Best of all, the Shake it like a Polaroid bridge morphs incredibly in its acoustic setting. Though in the context of this more somber take that phrase could elicit multiple meanings, it doesnt sound out of place, which it could have easily done given its usage in Outkasts original. Whether bouncy or ruminative, Hey Ya! retains its brilliance. All that remains to do is shake it like a Polaroid. 2. Feist and Ben Gibbard Train Song (Dark Was the Night: A Red Hot Compilation, 2009) While not a bad track, Vashiti Bunyans Train Song is not a stand-out by any means. Its amazing then, how spellbinding it becomes in this version, a haunting duet between Feist and Ben Gibbard. Leslie Feist has one of the most powerful female voices in music today, and here shes enchanting as she harmonizes with Gibbard, who also knocks it out of the park. The meaning of the songs lyrics is highly interpretive: where are the lovers in the song headed? Are they lovers at all? How long is many hundred miles? There are multiple meanings that could be read into the words, but in any case the song never loses its allure. Dark Was the Night, a charity release that avoided superficiality in lieu of fantastic songwriting, had many fine covers, but Train Song towers above them all. 1. Steven Wilson The Day Before You Came (Cover Version II, 2004) Like Train Song, the choice of The Day Before You Came as a song to cover is an odd one, given the far better options present in the entirety of ABBAs discography. In the scheme of all of the singles ABBA released, this tune is a minor one. Despite those options, however, The Day Before You Came becomes something of a masterpiece in Steven Wilsons interpretation. With just his voice, an acoustic guitar, and a Mellotron (what prog cover doesnt have a Mellotron?), Wilson transforms ABBAs synthpop into a stirring reflection on the intrusion of love into a mundane life. Wilsons fascination with creating choir-like effects with his own voice (he cites the Beach Boys as an influence for that effect) is especially powerful here; it creates the feeling of someone breaking free from his ordinarily isolation, as all of the voices in his head are becoming focused on the object of adoration. Oh yes Im sure my life was well within its usual frame / The day before you came, Wilson sings, pondering on the implications of love. His life may have been in a usual frame, but this song is anything but. Its extraordinary. A project to deepen Charleston Harbor to 52 feet is designed to let large container ships traveling through the Panama Canal visit the Port of Charleston regardless of tidal conditions. The Army Corps has set aside $49 million this year toward the $558 million project. Provided/State Ports Authority Get the SC business stories that matter. Our newsletter catches you up with all the business stories that are shaping Charleston and South Carolina every Monday and Thursday at noon. Get ahead with us - it's free. Mary Katherine, who also goes by MK, covers health care for The Post and Courier. She is also pursuing a master's degree in data science. She grew up in upstate New York and enjoys playing cards, kayaking and the Blue Ridge Mountains. Columbia/Myrtle Beach Managing Editor Andy Shain runs The Post and Courier's newsrooms based in Columbia and Myrtle Beach. He was editor of Free Times and has been a reporter and editor for newspapers in Charlotte, Columbia and Myrtle Beach. HUGER Elizabeth Singleton began to cry as she sat inside the auditorium at Cainhoy Elementary/Middle School watching a slideshow of her son's life. Singleton, family members, friends and numerous Berkeley County officials had gathered on Saturday for a day they all said was a long time coming: the naming of Cainhoy Road in memory of her son, Staff Sgt. Earl Singleton, who was killed in a plane crash while returning from a deployment in 1985. "He gave his life for his country," Singleton said, of her son. On Saturday, S.C. Rep. Joe Jefferson, D-Pineville read from a declaration that officially named the portion of Cainhoy Road between the school 2424 Cainhoy Road and S.C. Highway 41 to be the "Sergeant Earl Singleton Memorial Highway." A bill paving the way for the designation was introduced by Jefferson and passed in March. Jackie Singleton, one of five siblings including Earl, said having the highway named after her brother was a true honor for her family. She followed in his footsteps and served in the Army, retiring two years ago after serving just over 20 years. "Earl was the oldest and only son," Jackie Singleton said. "(He) truly loved being in the military. He was my inspiration." Singleton served for 9 years and was on his way back to Fort Campbell, Kentucky after taking part in a peacekeeping mission in the Sinai Peninsula with the 101st Airborne Division. The airplane he was on crashed after taking off from Gander International Airport in Newfoundland on Dec. 12, 1985. All 248 service members and eight crew were killed. Singleton was a Huger native, and for many of the family friends and community members present, having a road named after one of their own was a deeply-humbling honor. Charleston NAACP President Dot Scott, who reached out to Jefferson and suggested a project to recognize Singleton's service, said honoring the sacrifice and accomplishments of lesser-known African-Americans is just as important as remembering black leaders. "Some of the youth think of Black History Month as just (Martin Luther King Jr.) and Rosa Parks," Scott said. "At a time when we are looking at so many ills with our young black men ... we need to be telling our kids the story." And for Fred Lincoln, a family friend and Huger area resident, Singleton's story is one that should be held up as an example of service, patriotism and sacrifice. "He died trying to bring peace into the world," Lincoln said. Joseph Cranney is an investigative reporter in Columbia, with a focus on government corruption and injustices in the criminal legal system. He can be reached securely by Proton mail at jcranney@prontonmail.com or on Signal at 215-285-9083. Syndicated and guest columns represent the personal views of the writers, not necessarily those of the editorial staff. The editorial department operates entirely independently of the news department and is not involved in newsroom operations. Editorials represent the institutional view of the newspaper. They are written and edited by the editorial staff, which operates separately from the news department. Editorial writers are not involved in newsroom operations. Political Reporter Caitlin Byrd is a political reporter at The Post and Courier and author of the Palmetto Politics newsletter. Before moving to Charleston in 2016, her byline appeared in the Asheville Citizen-Times. To date, Byrd has won 17 awards for her work. SC Governor Republican Runoff Debate Details on the only debate planned between Gov. Henry McMaster and Greenville businessman John Warren before the June 26 runoff. Sponsors: S.C. ETV, The Post and Courier and the S.C. Republican Party When/Where: 7 p.m. Wednesday at the Newberry Opera House Watch: S.C. ETV Listen: S.C. Public Radio Stream: scetv.org Media panel: Charles Bierbauer, former CNN correspondent and University of South Carolina journalism school dean, and Post and Courier Columbia Bureau Chief Andy Shain To strengthen public safety and security, the Office of the Attorney General made an online Guam Family Violence Registry available to the public following the enactment of Public Law 31-103 the Family Violence Registry Act in 2011. The registry, free of cost to the community, lists the islands offenders who have repeated convictions of family, domestic, or dating violence; and, or, stalking what is classified as a Level 1 offender along with information of the convict's criminal history records. The registry does not require first-time offenders, or defendants who agree to a deferred plea and are entered into the Superior Court of Guam family violence treatment program, according to AGS office spokeswoman Carlina Charfauros. However, if a person is convicted of such offenses with the special allegation of the use of a deadly weapon, an additional charge of criminal sexual conduct against a minor, or an additional charge of any sex offenses against a family member, then only one offense is required for that person to be included on the registry classified as a Level 2 offender according to Title 9, Section 30.200 of the Guam Code Annotated. There are currently 93 convicts listed on the registry, offenders convicted since 2011 when the law was created. The database is required to list, to the extent to which the information is available, the convicts full name; aliases; date of birth; last known address; physical description and recent photograph; list of offenses; and an indication of whether the convict was discharged, on probation or community supervision, or released on parole. Despite the public availability, family violence offenders will stay on the registry for only 10 years, Post files state. Though the registry is public record, those on the list shall be permitted to petition the attorney generals office to remove their name from the registry, Title 9 GCA also states, so long as a court order of expungement is issued, and the individual has not been convicted of an offense during the 10 years prior to the petition. According to Charfauros, the most recent update to the registry was on April 17 of this year, with three defendants added. She stated that there is no set time for the registry to be routinely updated, but that new information is uploaded once the AGs office receives judgments of convictions related to repeat family violence offenders. Success! An email has been sent to with a link to confirm list signup. Error! There was an error processing your request. The Guam Family Violence Registry webpage notes that information contained on the site regarding any statutes or laws is not intended to be a substitute for a thorough reading of the law or statute, and that any legal questions should be directed to an attorney. Furthermore, the information on the website relating to the offender is public record, and a request to review the records can be made at the Superior Court of Guam. This information will ensure the publics protection from repeat offenses, and the prevention of further victimization, the website states. Public Law 31-103 was introduced by Sen. Dennis Rodriguez Jr. The website was launched in April 2014 by Attorney General Leonardo Rapadas, with an initial listing of 10 level-one offenders and three level-two offenders, Post files state. Those visiting the website will be faced with a disclaimer to which viewers are asked to agree or disagree. The website provides various links to other resources, including the requirements for a petition for removal of a name from the family violence registry, a form to petition for removal of a name from the family violence registry, the Unified Courts of Guam website, the Guam Legislature website, the Guam Sex Offender Registry, and the National Domestic Violence Registry. The Guam Family Violence Registry and its resources can be found at www.guamag.org/guamfvr.html. If errors are believed to have been found within the registry, please contact the AGs office Prosecution or Family Division at 475-3406. Information in the Guam Code Annotated can be searched at www.guamcourts.org/justicedocs. Lt. Col. Robert M. Barnhart Jr., a Guam son, assumed command of 1st Battalion, 7th Marines at the Marine Corps Air Ground Combat Center in California on June 4, the Marine Corps announced. In addition to the official Marine Corps announcement outlining his career, Barnhart's family issued a release describing his roots on Guam. Barnhart, a native of Agat, is a graduate of the Oceanview High School Class of 1995, according to his family. He spent two years at the University of Guam before transferring to the University of Idaho, graduating in 1999 with a bachelors degree in environmental science. Barnhart holds a master's in operational studies from Marine Corps University in Quantico, Virginia. He served in Okinawa, Japan, and Guantanamo Bay, Cuba; and served as a weapons company executive officer during Operation Iraqi Freedom in 2003. In April 2005, he served as an intelligence officer and was deployed in support of Operation Enduring Freedom-Afghanistan in January 2006, and went for another deployment to Iraq in 2008. Success! An email has been sent to with a link to confirm list signup. Error! There was an error processing your request. In 2010, he served another deployment in Afghanistan. In July 2017, he assumed duties as the regimental operations officer for 23rd Marine Regiment, San Bruno, California. On June 4, 2018, he assumed command of the 1st Battalion, 7th Marines aboard the Marine Corps Air Ground Combat Center, Twentynine Palms, in California. He is married to the former Darlene Cruz Terlaje of Agat, and they have two daughters, Kaylyn and Emma. He is the son of Robert M. San Nicolas Barnhart, a retired Navy chief warrant officer 3, and Lucy Onedera Maanao Barnhart of Agat, Guam, according to his family. He's the brother of Army Maj. James P. Barnhart, Jonathan G. Barnhart, and Matthew Barnhart. He is the son-in-law of David Acfalle and Rose Cruz Terlaje of Agat. His grandparents are George Alfred and Rosalia Cruz San Nicolas Barnhart of Asan, and Jesus Atoigue and Agueda Santos Onedera Maanao of Tumon. There are about two months left before the primary election is held Aug. 25. Here are some updates from the campaign trail: A candidate packet has been picked up for Paul L.G. Reyes, for senator, as a Democrat; A candidate packet has been picked up for Winnie Diego Santos, for public auditor; A candidate packet has been picked up for Stephen J. Guerrero, for senator; A candidate packet has been picked up for Darryl A. Taggerty, for senator, as a Democrat; A candidate packet has been picked up for Kelly G. Marsh, for senator, as a Democrat; A candidate packet has been picked up for Michelle Hope Taitano, for senator. She has previously run for senator as a Republican. Candidates who have filed paperwork and nominating petitions: Jeffrey C. Wheaton filed his senatorial candidacy papers, running as a Republican. Success! An email has been sent to with a link to confirm list signup. Error! There was an error processing your request. Former Sen. Telo T. Taitague, a special assistant to Gov. Eddie Calvo, filed her senatorial candidacy papers, running as a Republican. James C. Moylan, who manages the government accounts for NetCare Life and Health Insurance Company, filed his senatorial candidacy papers, running as a Republican. William M. Parkinson, filed his senatorial candidacy papers, running as a Democrat. Vice Speaker Therese M. Terlaje filed her senatorial candidacy papers, running as a Democrat. Jermaine Alerta, former Guam Legislature executive director, filed his senatorial candidacy papers, running as a Democrat. Harold J. Cruz, chief of staff to Sen. Wil Castro and former chief of staff to the late Sen. Angel L.G. Santos, filed his senatorial candidacy papers, running as a Republican. Ryan J. Calvo filed his senatorial candidacy papers, running as a Republican. Lasia A. Casil, president of Save Southern Guam, Guam Pride and the Chamorro Village merchant association, filed her senatorial candidacy papers, running as a Democrat. Javier M. Atalig Jr. filed his senatorial candidacy papers, running as a Republican. The deadline to file nominating petitions and candidate packets is June 26. The failure of the Nigerian government to review its fiscal policies governing the exploration of oil in deep, offshore waters has caused the country a loss in oil revenue amounting to trillions of Naira, PREMIUM TIMES can report. A calculation of the royalty payments on four randomly selected deep offshore oil blocks Bonga, Agbami, Akpo, and Erha showed that Nigeria would have, at a conservative three per cent royalty, netted just over N1 trillion between 2010 and 2017. And at a five percent royalty the rate currently being proposed by lawmakers at the House of Representatives the revenue over the same eight-year period will rise to almost N2 trillion. Nigerias Deep Offshore and Inland Basin Production Sharing Contract Act (1993) is the legislative framework guiding deep offshore oil production, covering acreages greater than 200 metres in water depth. Enacted in 1993, the fiscal policy stipulates a zero per cent royalty from oil companies for explorations above 1,000 metres water depth. Prior to the period, oil exploration and production operations were mostly on land, swamp, and shallow offshore. At the time the Act was enacted in 1993, then as a Decree, deep offshore oil exploration and production were uncharted territories in Nigeria and, as a result, there was a need to encourage upstream investors to put risk capital in that direction. The first commercial deepwater discovery in Nigeria, the Bonga oil field, was awarded to Shell Nigeria Exploration and Production Company (SNEPCO) in 1993, but production did not start till 2005. Drilling at a water depth of 1,030 metres, the Bonga field (Oil Mining Lease, OML, 118) is operated by SNEPCO (55 per cent) under a production sharing contract with the Nigeria National Petroleum Corporation. Other partners include Esso (20 per cent), Eni (12.5 per cent), and Elf Petroleum Nigeria (12.5 per cent). According to Shell, the Bonga oil field has produced over 600 million barrels of oil to date. After Bongas success, several other deepwater oil explorations followed in quick succession including Agbami (Chevron), Erha (ExxonMobil), and Akpo, Egina, and Usan (Total) among others. But the inability of the Nigerian government to collect royalty payments from deepwater oil operations has seen the country miss out on key sources of revenue even as it struggles to fund its annual budget. India, for instance, collects five per cent royalty on deepwater offshore production for the first five years of commercial operation and ten per cent thereafter. Analysts say the 1993 Deep Offshore contract was entered into at a time Nigeria, under the late dictator Sani Abacha, was burdened by sanctions and needed money for key infrastructure projects. It may not have been the best approach but you may want to look at the rationale for setting that, said Dauda Garba, an expert in resource governance. At the time those contracts were signed, offshore oil prospecting and exploration and production were very novel in Nigeria. The granting of Production Sharing Contracts in the deep offshore saw Nigerias crude oil reserves increase to 36 billion barrels (bbls), with production now averaging 548,000 bbls/day. There were, indeed, efforts to amend the decree in 1999, when the sanctions on Nigeria were lifted after Mr Abachas demise, to reflect that if crude oil exceeds $20 to a barrel or after 15 years after the initial contracts were signed, the agreement should be renegotiated in a manner that will be favourable to Nigeria. Crude oil prices averaged $16.33 in 1993 and had risen to $17.44 by 1999. Royalty payable in respect of deep offshore production sharing contracts Oil-rich Waters In January 1999, Chevron struck oil at the Agbami OML 127 and 128, some 113 kilometres offshore the Niger River Delta at a water depth of 1,372 metres. But commercial production did not start until July 2008. Operated by Star Deep Petroleum Limited, a Chevron affiliate, alongside a consortium of other firms, the Agbami field is the largest deepwater discovery to date in Nigeria with estimated recoverable reserves of 900 million barrels. One month after Chevron struck oil, and at a water depth of 1,200 metres, ExxonMobil struck oil in the Erha oil and gas field. Commercial production began in March 2006 at a rate of 190,000 barrels of oil per day. By 2000, Total E&P had discovered the Akpo field situated on OML 130 about 200 kilometres from Port Harcourt. Drilling is at a water depth of 1,100 to 1,700 metres. As the oil companies continued to hit more oil in the deep waters, analysts say a review of the countrys offshore regulations to reflect the current times would see more revenue accrue to the government. Infograph: Oil production by stream For instance, in 2011 when crude oil price averaged $113 per barrel, these four deep shore fields produced 271,000 barrels. At a three per cent royalty rate, that would have seen, at least, N215 billion remitted to the government coffers. That N215 billion accounted for five per cent of Nigerias 2011 budget. But beyond the review of the royalties, the Deep Offshore Act has other provisions that the government had failed to utilise to shore up its revenue base. One of such provisions allows the Nigerian government to charge oil companies a premium for the share of sales once the price of crude exceeds $20 a barrel. In December last year, Ibe Kachikwu, Nigerias minister of state for petroleum, bemoaned the loss of close to $21 billion extra revenue for the country due to the non-review of the Act. From 1993 to now, we have lost a total of $21 billion just because government did not act. We did not exercise it, the Reuters news agency quoted Mr Kachikwu as saying. There are, at least, four bills to amend the Deep Offshore and Inland Basin Production Sharing Contracts before the National Assembly. One of them, sponsored by Victor Nwokolo, a member of the House of Representatives, seeks to extend Nigerias royalty regime for petroleum and gas to areas in excess of 1,000 metres water depth. The lawmaker proposed a three per cent royalty on explorations beyond 1,000 metres. Weeks of efforts to interview Mr Nwokolo (PDP, Delta) for this article were unsuccessful as he did not respond to phone calls, text messages, or requests for an audience. Another lawmaker in the House of Representatives, Samuel Ikon (PDP, Akwa Ibom), is also proposing a five per cent royalty for 1,000 and beyond water-depth. In the Senate, Ben Murray-Bruce (PDP, Bayelsa) and Theodore Orji (PDP, Abia) are also pushing for a five per cent royalty in areas excess of 1,000 metres water depth. Attempts to speak to the senators were also unsuccessful. Infograph: Oil production by stream But, it is not just the lawmakers who are interested in the amendment, the state-owned Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation, NNPC, have also begun moves to amend the Deep Offshore Act. In January last year, it announced a proposal for some key amendments to the Deep Offshore and Inland Basin Production Sharing Contract (PSC) Act to enable the federal government to optimise the collection of royalties and other revenue in deepwater oil production activities. Bello Rabiu, NNPCs Chief Operating Officer, Upstream, said in a presentation to a joint House of Representatives Committee that it was imperative to effect increment in royalties across all categories to increase government take. It is our opinion that the proposal to increase the royalty rate for terrains beyond 1000 metres, from zero per cent to three per cent, is commendable but it is necessary to also make corresponding adjustments in other categories, he said. Under the proposed PSC royalty regime, the calculation of what is due to the government shall be based on production and price to guarantee fairness and balance between PSC contractors and government, the NNPC said. For royalty based on production within a tranche of 50,000 barrels of crude per day, the NNPC proposed a royalty tranche rate of eight per cent. Under a production tranche of 50,000 to 100,000bopd (barrels of oil per day), the royalty tranche rate would increase to 15.5 per cent and would rise to 28 per cent once the production surpasses the 100,000 bopd mark. To calculate royalty based on price, NNPC proposed that under a $50 per barrel price regime, the tranche incremental royalty rate shall be zero per cent but the rate would increase to 0.30 per cent if the price hovers between the $50 to $100 mark. Also, a price regime of $100-$130 would attract royalty of 0.20 per cent while an increase of price between $130 -$170 translate to royalty rate of 0.10 per cent. A price regime of $170 and above would attract zero per cent royalty payment. The NNPC argued that in the alternative, the graduated royalty scale as provided in the Act should be removed while the Minister of Petroleum Resources should be empowered to intermittently set royalties payable for acreages located in deep offshore and inland basin production sharing contracts through regulations based on established economic parameters. Extra Revenue Stream Last year, the United States government raked in $7 billion in royalties and fees from energy production on federal and tribal lands and waters, more than half of the revenue coming from offshore oil and gas production, according to the Department of Interior. The U.S. collects 18.75 percent royalty for fields deeper than 200 feet (60.96 metres). In Egypt, the national oil company, the Egyptian General Petroleum Corporation (EGPC) pays royalties of ten per cent, from its share of production to the state. In Kuwait, the government collects 15 per cent royalty on all deepwater explorations and productions. Ayodele Oni, a specialist on Energy and Natural Resources, said the Kuwaiti example if applied in Nigeria would go a long way towards increasing government revenue. Economic yields from royalties at a flat rate would be valuable for a number of reasons, said Mr Oni, a partner at Bloomfield Law Practice. It can be utilised to offset cost of refining overseas as Nigeria still pays to have final fuel products imported which is a drain on the currency reserves. The yields can also be apportioned to offset the imminent cost of completing the refinery which has dragged for years. Mr Garba also agreed that a flat-rate royalty regime would be suitable for the country. For instance, Iran has a flat rate, where you will not even belabour yourself calculating because sometimes if you go into the issues existing between some of the oil companies and the government, there are disagreements about the depths too, he said. And you know, when there are disputes over these things, you cannot collect until such disputes are resolved. So those who advocate for a flat rate may not have to worry about such issues. Infograph: Oil production by stream Successive Nigerian annual budgets over the years had always recorded a deficit and analysts say opening up an extra revenue source would go a long way in closing the gap as well provide more funds for capital projects. For instance, a conservative three per cent royalty on oil explorations in water depths of 1,000 metres and beyond in 2017 would have earned at least N300 billion to the governments coffers, enough to fund the Second Niger Bridge and finish the Lagos-Ibadan Expressway reconstruction. Olanrewaju Suraju, the head of the Human and Environmental Development Agenda, said the government should have the muscle to not just collect the royalties but penalise the oil multinationals for violating their terms of the agreement. They are not just meant to pay the royalties, they are also meant to pay penalties for the periods in which they failed to pay those royalties, Mr Suraju said. That is where the civil society and the media will come in. We need to hold the National Assembly not only responsible but accountable. If it is expected that such amendment to the law or an enactment of a new one is meant to pass through the legislative process within an expected period and it doesnt happen, we are meant to speak out loudly, we are meant to also monitor the process, that law and the resources that would be attracted by the review of that process are more than sufficient to fund the basic infrastructural needs of the country. The Swiss parliament has voted for gender quotas in the boardrooms of large publicly-traded companies. The vote in the House of Representatives, led by Justice Minister Simonetta Sommaruga, was tense and tight, reported the Swiss News Agency, SDA-ATS, with the result swung by a single vote (95 for, 94 against, with three abstentions). The companies concerned have between five and ten years to make the changes. However, the result may be more symbolic than concrete as no sanctions are attached to non-adherence, rather an order to explain any failure to comply. But, the mere mention of the word quota represents a leap forward, Sommaruga told Swiss public broadcaster, RTS. The conservative-right Swiss Peoples Party opposed the proposal and said it would vote against the entire package of business reform legislation within which the quotas are contained. The center-right Radical-Liberal party was also against the proposal, mainly for reasons of free-market integrity and the insult implied by reducing woman to quotas in the words of one of its members. The decision will affect the largest publicly-traded companies in the country, potentially some 250 businesses. They must ensure that 30 per cent of the Board of Directors in the next five years and 20 per cent of the Executive Board is female over the next ten years. Currently, said Sommaruga, the corresponding figures are stuck at 10 per cent and 20 per cent. (Xinhua/NAN) The Taliban have banned their fighters from attending public gatherings, going into cities and meeting with the Afghan public, as well as officials and security forces, during the three-day ceasefire, according to a statement by the militants. The statement by Zabihullah Mujahid, a spokesman for the militant group, said that the move is to cause less harm to civilians after 65 people were killed in a suicide bombing in eastern Nangarhar province during such a gathering on Saturday. Officials should ban all Mujahideen [fighters] under their command from participating in such crowds and gatherings, and rigorously deal with cases of violation, the Taliban said. The incident took place as Afghan President Ashraf Ghani announced that the governments eight-day ceasefire with Taliban militants will be extended. Mr Ghani said the truce will now continue beyond the Eid holiday, with Afghan security forces halting all offensives against the Taliban. He did not say how much longer the governments unilateral ceasefire would last. Its original eight-day ceasefire is set to end Wednesday. Mr Ghani also requested that the Taliban extend their ceasefire, during which the Afghan government will provide medical assistance to wounded Taliban fighters and allow militant fighters to visit their families. The Taliban has only agreed to a three-day cessation of hostilities, which began late Thursday to coincide with Eid celebrations and is to end on Sunday. It has yet to comment on the new offer by the Afghan president. Mr Ghani made a comprehensive peace offer in February. However, the militants have only increased their attacks. In his televised address on Saturday, Mr Ghani also said he is open to the presence of international forces in Afghanistan The Afghan government is ready to discuss the roles of neighbouring countries and the presence of international forces, their roles and the future destiny of them, Mr Ghani said. The U.S. State Department welcomed Ghanis remarks. We support President Ghanis offer to extend the ceasefire and begin peace talks, it said in a statement. As President Ghani emphasised in his statement to the Afghan people, peace talks by necessity would include a discussion of the role of international actors and forces. The United States is prepared to support, facilitate, and participate in these discussions. The European Union also said it supports the extension and called on the Taliban to reciprocate, as the move makes way for peace negotiations in the war-torn country. (dpa/NAN) The foreign ministers of Greece and Macedonia signed an accord on Sunday to rename the former Yugoslav republic the Republic of North Macedonia. The landmark accord follows decades of inconclusive talks which had soured relations between the two countries and held up the admission of the Balkan state into the EU and NATO, of which Greece is a member. The agreement still requires the approval of both parliaments and a referendum in Macedonia. We have a historic responsibility that this deal is not held in abeyance, and I am confident that we will manage it, Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras said as he and his Macedonian counterpart Zoran Zaev received a standing ovation from guests at a lakeside ceremony. Mr Tsipras survived a no-confidence vote mounted by Greeces opposition in parliament on Saturday, but the depth of public emotion against the deal is strong. Up to 70 per cent of Greeks object to the compromise, an opinion poll by the Proto Thema newspaper showed on Saturday. Under the deal, Greece will lift its objections to the renamed nation joining the EU and NATO. Our two countries have to turn from the past and look to the future, Mr Zaev said. We were bold enough to take a step forward. Greece has been in dispute with Macedonia since 1991 over the former Yugoslav republics name, arguing it could imply territorial claims over the Greek province of Macedonia and an appropriation of ancient Greek culture and civilisation. The subject is an emotional one for many Greeks. On Saturday, thousands of protesters outside the parliament building shouted Traitor, traitor! as lawmakers debated inside. Greece and Macedonia have been at odds over the latters name since Macedonia emerged from the disintegrating former Yugoslavia in 1991. Negotiations took place under UN auspices beginning in 1995. Greece insisted that the name Macedonia belongs to its northern province and accused Skopje of usurping Hellenic history and even territorial aspirations. Athens allowed the country to join the UN only with the provisional name of Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia. Under the new deal announced on Tuesday by Messrs Tsipras and Zaev Greece allowed its neighbour to retain the key part of its name, but with a geographic qualifier: After a complex procedure, which will take months, the country will become the Republic of Northern Macedonia. Greece will also immediately lift its veto on an invitation for Macedonia to join NATO and also allow the European Union to open membership talks with Skopje. The UN envoy who mediated the talks for 23 years, Matthew Nimetz, was joined by EU chief diplomat Federica Mogherini and Enlargement Commissioner Johannes Hahn at the signing ceremony. Mr Hahn tweeted that the agreement would contribute to peace and stability and hopefully to tangible progress for the EU perspective of Macedonia. A day earlier, Mr Tsipras survived a no-confidence motion the opposition launched over the name deal, and Mr Zaev will have to push aside the veto on the ratification by President Gjorge Ivanov. Macedonia now needs to ratify the deal in the parliament and confirm it with a referendum, presumably in September, and cement the name change into its constitution. Only after that will Greece also ratify it, as well Macedonias membership in NATO. The agreement enraged nationalists in both countries, who feel that their side has conceded too much. Conservative Macedonian President Gorge Ivanov has promised to veto the agreement even if parliament ratifies it. A second vote from parliament would allow the vetoed motion to become law. Greeks opposing the deal protested in Athens on Friday and Saturday, while the Macedonian nationalists scheduled a rally against it in the south-western city of Bitola. (Reuters/NAN) A former Abia State governor Orji Kalu, has told former Jigawa State governor, Sule Lamido, the reasons why he is not supporting his presidential ambition. He said he is supporting the reelection ambition of President Muhammadu Buhari instead for the sake of the unity of Nigeria and to enable Mr Buhari complete the good work he has started. He also said he was not supporting Mr Lamidos ambition because the latter belongs to the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), a party he said looted the Central Bank when it was in power. Mr Lamido is seeking the presidential ticket of the PDP while Mr Kalu is a member of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC). Both men are being prosecuted separately by the anti-graft agency, EFCC, for alleged corruption while in office. We are good friends but I cant worship two gods at the same time. You didnt even inform me formally that you are contesting the way President Buhari informed me, Mr Kalu told his host on Saturday. I dont have anything against Sule Lamido. As you can see, Im here with him at his house eating and relaxing, he told journalists. If not because of the dinner arranged for me at Dutse, I could have slept here in his house. Mr Kalu, who was in Jigawa State to canvass support for Mr Buharis reelection, aimed several jibes at former President Olusegun Obasanjo over the public letter he wrote to criticise President Buhari. He also hurled attacks at Mr Lamidos PDP. Responding to his guests remarks, Mr Lamido challenged President Buhari to sack Mr Emefiele the way the PDP-led federal government sacked Lamido Sanusi as Central Bank Governor. Former President Goodluck Jonathan had sacked Mr Sanusi following some allegations against the then CBN governor. According to Mr Lamido, the APC administration should also sack Mr Emefiele if it is sincere in its claims of wrongdoings by the CBN governor. I dare President Buhari to sack him if he is not going to use him the way they claimed PDP used him in 2015 election, Mr Lamido said. President Muhammadu Buhari speaking But Mr Kalu responded with laughter in defence of President Buhari, saying Mr Buhari is not the kind of person that will order money from CBN illegally the way PDP did without receipts. Mr Kalu also spoke on the threat by the New PDP block (nPDP) to quit the APC. He said he does not belong to the nPDP even though he too was once in the PDP. I left (PDP) in 2006 for PPA (Progressive People Alliance) and in 2016 I defected to APC because Nigeria had two serious political parties. I have conscience, it is either I play where I am playing now or I dont play. I will never quarrel with any of my friends or brothers because of political party affiliation. Im a bridge builder to everybody, I dont care what people will say about me because your friend must not be my friend, likewise your enemy. You cannot see me in between warring parties. But what is certain is that iIwill never reveal your secret to favour the other party. Even President Buhari and former President Babangida are friends apart, but I am a friend in between them. I can recall I made peace for them in 2005 in my village; they are not quarreling now. Supporters of warring parties might be unhappy because they see me everywhere, but for me, I am not afraid of what people will say. Im only afraid of my conscience. At least 31 persons were killed and about 48 others injured after suspected Boko Haram suicide bombers on Saturday attacked Abachari village in Damboa Local Government Area of Borno State, residents and witnesses have said. The suicide bombers, said to be six by the army, reportedly targeted people returning home after a Sallah fair in Damboa. The police put the casualty at 20 persons, saying 48 others were injured. The Borno State Emergency Management Agency (SEMA) spoke on the rescue efforts following the attack. Yabawa Kolo, the chairperson of SEMA, said the agency had deployed its personnel to evacuate wounded persons to the hospital for quick medical attention. Our team has been deployed to render life saving support to the victims of the blast. As you can see, they have been tirelessly working with ICRC since morning to evacuate the injured from the airport to the hospital. We are all saddened by the unfortunate incident that occured in Damboa, she said. The Borno State commissioner of police, Damian Chukwu, told journalists in Maiduguri that the explosion occurred at Abachari town, in Damboa Local Government Area, on Saturday evening. At about quarter to nine, yesterday (Saturday) night, a loud explosion was heard at Abachari village, along Damboa/Chibok road, he said. The DPO mobilised our men from the SARS and the Civilian-JTF to the scene and found 20 people dead and 48 others injured. FILE: Nigerian Army in Damboa, Borno state (Photo Credit: Sahara Reporters) Some of the bodies were found shattered, indicating that the explosion came from an explosive device, Mr Chukwu said. The police have not been able to provide details on how the attack was carried out. A medical personnel from the University of Maiduguri Teaching Hospital confirmed to PREMIUM TIMES on phone that some of the victims were brought to the hospital. Other victims with less critical cases, we learned, have been taken to the Biu General hospital while some were admitted at the Damboa general hospital, said the source who refused to be named because he is not permitted to speak with the press. An official of the Civillian-JTF told PREMIUM TIMES that the total number of persons that died is 31; if we must say the truth. But it is now difficult for one to come out and contradict what the police is saying that only 20 people died. If you want to know the truth, you can go to Damboa and find out the number of persons that have been buried today it is not less than 31, said the source who asked not to be named for security reasons. Locals Blame Military The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that some locals alleged that the deaths arose from a misfiring by the Nigerian Armys artillery. The army, however, denied the claim. Buba Shettima, a witness, said two separate bomb blasts occurred in Shuwari and Abachari. The whole of Damboa was shaken by the unfortunate incident. We all scampered for safety as the blasts were coming from different directions. There were bodies everywhere. We suspected that the many deaths recorded were a result of the military artillery, he said. Mohammed Hassan, another local from the area who corroborated the claim, said: At about 8:30 pm of on Saturday night, an attack suspected to be from an artillery killed 31 innocent people in Damboa Shehuri and Abachari. The attacks came from two separate directions. My house was among some of the houses destroyed. However, Rogers Nicholas, commander of Operation Lafiya Dole, denied the claim, saying the killings were caused by suicide attacks and not military artillery. There was nothing like an attack from the military artillery. You can see the pictures of six female bombers who detonated their explosives and as a result, 20 persons were killed while others were injured, he said. Mr Nicholas, a major general, urged people to disregard the claim that the victims were killed by the military and not by suicide bombers. The Theatre Commander of Operation Lafiya Dole, Rogers Nicholas. [Photo credit: TheCitizen] The District Head of Damboa, Modu-Zannah Maina, who described the incident as shocking and disturbing said the attack was perpetrated by female suicide bombers. Mr Maina lamented that a lot of people that were affected were mostly children adding that many victims were injured. We are here in this hospital to check our people affected by Saturdays bomb blasts. So far, the victims have been responding to treatment, he said. The Borno State government had on Thursday announced a half day vehicular curfew from 6 p.m. to 12 noon on Friday to prevent Boko Haram attacks. The curfew restricted Islamic worshipers to pray at Eid prayer grounds near their homes. The Sallah celebration went on without any ugly incident in Maiduguri, the Borno State capital, as well as other major communities in the state. The Damboa incident came as an isolated incident that eventually marred the celebration. Damboa is the closest local government area to Sambisa forest where Boko Haram used to have its largest and strongest fortress. The community is one of the most affected by the insurgency in Borno State. A former Kaduna State governor, Ahmed Makarfi, says he will contest for Nigerias presidency in 2019. Mr Makarfi, immediate past national caretaker committee chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), made the disclosure in an interview with journalists in Kaduna on Sunday. According to him, he consulted widely before arriving at the decision though he had not received endorsement from party members. Mr Makarfi said the consultation gave him an opportunity to feel the pulse of Nigerians. The consultations have been quite positive and I believe it is fair enough to come to the conclusion that one should join other equally capable party men and women who have shown interest in seeking the partys nomination for the 2019 presidential election. At this stage, it is to seek for the partys nomination. The successful nominees will become the candidates that will stand for the election. But first thing first. If ones party does not put him forward, you cant say you are contesting for presidency yet. At this stage, I have come to the conclusion that it is okay, based on the consultations that I have had, he said. The ex-governor said he has what it takes to govern Nigeria, after successfully governing a complex state like Kaduna for eight years. I have known governance for sometime at state level. I served Kaduna for three years as commissioner for finance and economic planning. I came in from the private sector. I have private sector experience, especially banking. I governed this complex state for eight years. I have legislative experience, having been in the Senate for a two-term of eight years. I got a bonanza when the party leadership fell on my laps, to know about managing political party. If you cannot manage your party, even if you are elected, you will have problems governing. If you cant manage the legislature and build cordial relationship such that key legislations that can take this country forward are passed, then governance becomes complex for you. If you cannot manage complex society such as Kaduna, which is a mini Nigeria, you cannot manage Nigeria. God has so designed that one has passed through all these processes, he said. Mr Makarfi said these experiences are advantages but of course it does not mean that it is a forgone conclusion. I believe I have these advantages. Managing complex security issues is not new to me. Managing complex people of societies is not new to me. If you look at it from that perspective, I am prepared for the job. I served as the Governor of Kaduna State where I was able to mobilise the citizens of Kaduna State, irrespective of where they came from in Nigeria, earned their confidence and they worked with me and supported me and we were able to restore normalcy that people thought was impossible, he said. He explained his plans for Nigeria if elected. If I am nominated and eventually get elected, my philosophy will not be to go after the opposition. It is to see how I will work with the opposition in any area for the good of all of us while maintaining our independent political opinion over any matter. That is how you can bring Nigerians together. And that is when people will not even have any need to cross-carpet. If I get nominated and get elected and I find somebody in APC who can help me do what I want to do, I will look for you without demanding that you join the PDP. On his chances of clinching his partys nomination and the partys success in 2019, Mr Makarfi said the crisis rocking the ruling party (APC) is an advantage for his party. He said the PDP needed to thank APC for refusing to govern well and mismanaging its internal crises. We must also thank the APC for working for us because they have been working for us. They have refused to govern well, they have been fighting each other. There are many things for which we can thank them for. There is no way the executive and the legislature can work again as one . There is no way the party can be cohesive again. There are elements in government fighting each other and there is nobody to call them to order. We should not expend our energy when somebody is working for us. The APC was made up of different parties but they came together for 2015 election. I am sure we will come together. It may be an alliance, it can be anything and when that is done, then you will see the direction the opposition will be taking to legitimately wrest power from the APC. We dont want power through illegitimate ways. We want to legitimately wrest power from the APC. He also said the PDP is waiting for the rift threatening to tear the APC apart. We heard they are thinking of postponing their conventions. They can postpone but it must certainly come. Afterall, the court says extension is illegal and if you want to postpone now, you will be doing an act of illegality. They would have made it easy for us because they will end up without a valid candidate. Whichever way they go, something must give. When we reap that windfall, we will see how strong we are and chart the way forward. Mr Makarfi now joins other PDP presidential hopefuls like ex-Vice President Atiku Abubakar, ex-Jigawa governor Sule Lamido, and Governor Ayo Fayose of Ekiti State. The Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project (SERAP) has sued the Minister of Power, Works and Housing, Babatunde Fashola, over failure to account for the spending on the privatisation of the electricity sector and the exact amount of post-privatisation spending on generation companies (GENCOS), distribution companies (DISCOS) and Transmission Company of Nigeria to date, and to explain if such spending came from budgetary allocations or other sources. In the suit number FHC/L/CS/972/18 filed last week at the Federal High Court, Ikoyi, Lagos, SERAP is seeking an order for leave to apply for judicial review and an order of mandamus directing and/or compelling Mr Fashola to provide specific details on the privatization of the electricity sector, the names of all the companies and individuals involved; and to publish widely including on a dedicated website any such information. The suit followed SERAPs Freedom of Information request dated May 7 to Mr Fashola giving him 14 days to provide information on the status of implementation of the 25-year national energy development plan, and whether the Code of Ethics of the privatization process which bars staff of the Bureau of Public Enterprises (BPE) and members of the National Council on Privatization (NCP) from buying shares in companies being privatized were deliberately flouted. The suit filed on behalf of SERAP by its counsel, Bamisope Adeyanju, read in part: Publishing the information requested and making it widely available to the public would serve the public interest and provide insights relevant to the public debate on the ongoing efforts to prevent and combat a culture of mismanagement of public funds, corruption and impunity of perpetrators. Most of the companies that won the bids had no prior experience in the power sector and little or no capacity at all to manage the sector. The privatization of the Power Holding Company of Nigeria (PHCN) have yielded the country total darkness. The gains of privatization have been lost through alleged corruption, manipulation of rules and disregard to extant laws and lack of transparency in the exercise. To further highlight the seriousness of the situation, several years after the countrys power sector was privatized, millions of Nigerian households particularly the socially and economically vulnerable sectors of the population continue to complain about outrageous bills for electricity not consumed, and poor power supply from distribution firms. Millions of Nigerians continue to be exploited through the use of patently illegal estimated billing by DISCOs. One wonders the essence of the privatization if there has been no corresponding improvement in power for Nigerians. Enforcing the right to truth would allow Nigerians to gain access to information essential to the fight against corruption and provide a form of reparation to victims of grand corruption in the power sector. The UN Committee on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights in its General Comment 3 has implied that privatization process should not be detrimental to the effective realization of all human rights, including access to regular electricity supply. SERAP has the right to request the information under contention on the basis of several provisions of the Freedom of Information (FOI) Act, 2011. By Section (1) of the FoI Act, SERAP is entitled as of right to request for or gain access to information, including information on post-privatization spending by the Federal Government and accounts of spending on the private entities such as GENCOS and DISCOS. The suit is seeking the following reliefs: 1. A declaration that the failure of the Respondent to furnish the Applicant with information on specific details on the spending on the privatization of the electricity sector, the exact amount of post-privatization spending to date and the names of all the companies and individuals involved; as well as explain if such spending came from budgetary allocations or other sources is unlawful as it contradicts and in conflict with the obligations of the Respondent under the Freedom of Information Act 2011. 2. A declaration that the failure of the Respondent to furnish the Applicant with information on the details of spending on and status of implementation of the twenty-five (25) year national energy development plan is unlawful as it contradicts and in conflict with the obligations of the Respondent under the Freedom of Information Act 2011. 3. A declaration that the failure of the Respondent to clarify to the Applicant the degree of compliance with the Code of Ethics of the privatization process which bars staff of the Bureau of Public Enterprises (BPE) and members of the National Council on Privatization (NCP) from buying shares in companies being privatized is unlawful as it contradicts and in conflict with the obligations of the Respondent under the Freedom of Information Act 2011. 4. An order of mandamus directing and/or compelling the Respondent to furnish the Applicant with information on specific details of spending on the privatization of the electricity sector, the exact amount of post-privatization spending to date and the names of all the companies and individuals involved; as well as to explain if such spending came from budgetary allocations or other sources, and to publish widely including on a dedicated website any such information. 5. An order of mandamus directing and/or compelling the Respondent to furnish the Applicant with information on the details of spending and status of implementation of the twenty-five (25) year national energy development plan, and to publish widely including on a dedicated website any such information. 6. An order of mandamus directing and/or compelling the Respondent to clarify the degree of compliance with the Code of Ethics of the privatization process which bars staff of the Bureau of Public Enterprises (BPE) and members of the National Council on Privatisation (NCP) from buying shares in companies being privatised. The privatization of power assets has already caused major crises, ranging from illiquidity, load rejection, metering problems, corrupt practices, lack of gas to power the stations, disinterestedness of investors, lack of injection of fresh capital after acquisition of financing, tariff interest, consumer apathy, foreign exchange hostilities, and a host of other sundry issues associated with it. Furthermore, Article 14(2)(h) of the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW) to which Nigeria is a state party explicitly recognises electricity as a human right. Similarly, the United Nations Commission on Sustainable Development has argued that sustainable development is attainable through universal access to cost-effective energy sources, while the African Commission on Human and Peoples Rights has adjudged the failure of States to provide basic services as electricity as violating the right to health. No date has been fixed for the hearing of the suit. Minister Nirua and team with the Minister of Education from Nauru, Mrs Scotty met in Port Vila to continue discussions on the possibility of recruiting teachers from Vanuatu to Nauru The Emir of Kano, Muhammad Sanusi ll, has urged Governor Abdullahi Ganduje to call a meeting of political leaders to develop a framework for peaceful 2019 elections in the state. Mr Sanusi made the appeal on Sunday at the Hawan Nassarawa Durbar, an occasion when the emir customarily pay Sallah homage visit to the state governor. We have a single request to the governor on security. We are appealing to governor to invite all state chairmen of political parties to work out how to conduct violence-free elections. People should also understand that calling politicians under one umbrella for the purpose of putting things in good shape doesnt mean calling people to switch over to other political parties. This is not what we are saying. We only need people with good character to be piloting the conduct and affairs of our political parties, the emir said. On drug abuse, Mr. Sanusi called on people to be vigilant and pray for divine intervention. He also charged people to pay attention to education and healthy lifestyle. In his remarks, Mr Ganduje said the state government would partner with the media in Kano, especially radio and television stations to work against hate speeches in political programmes. On the call by the emir for the governor to promote peaceful behaviour among politicians across political parties, Mr Ganduje said the government had reached an advanced stage along that line. We are putting in place an effective mechanism to check unwanted political behaviours. That is why we have in the pipeline a plan to include media practitioners, especially from radio and television stations to see how they can help our society through cleansing all media contents against hate speeches. The governor lamented that some politicians were using the media to make unguarded political utterances. We will continue doing our best in curtailing such hate speeches that are not good but detrimental to democratic development. Personal attacks in the radio are negatively affecting the political development of Kano, as it excluded intellectuals and technocrats from joining politics. In some states intellectuals, seasoned administrators and technocrats represent their states and serve the country diligently in the National Assembly, the governor said. He said during the Ramadan, the government invited members of about 53 political parties and urged them to play politics without rancour. He also used the occasion to list some of the achievements of his administration, including giving loans across the state to boost businesses. Apart from the completion of many projects he inherited from past administrations, he also mentioned many he initiated, some of which have been completed. Hawan Nassarawa Durbar was started by Emir Abbas, the first emir of Kano appointed by British colonial masters. During the ceremony, the emir is accompanied by traditional title holders to pay Sallah homage to the governor. This years event was attended by the British High Commissioner to Nigeria, Paul Arkwright, representative of the European Union, consulates of Pakistan, Sudan and Chad; as well as the Oluwa of Iwo in Osun State, Abdulrasheed Akanbi. INDIANAPOLIS, June 17, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- Today, IMA (Institute of Management Accountants) began the celebration of its 100th anniversary year at its 2018 Annual Conference & Expo (ACE2018), held at the JW Marriott in Indianapolis from June 16 to June 20. At the conference, IMA announced its centennial tagline, "100 Years and Counting," along with many initiatives designed to support management accounting professionals through the next 100 years. IMA released an exposure draft of its enhanced Management Accounting Competency Framework, which includes skills that finance professionals will need to remain relevant as new technologies such as blockchain, machine learning, and robotics process automation impact the profession. The framework is the first product of IMA's new research initiative focused on identifying how management accounting is changing and the new skills professionals need. "When I reflect on how far we've come, it's clear that IMA's longevity and strength come from continuously innovating new programs and services that benefit members," says Jeff Thomson, CMA, CSCA, CAE, IMA president and CEO. "It's inspiring that many of these innovations are owed to the engagement and expertise of our vibrant IMA community." Additionally, IMA announced its Century Student Scholarship Fund, an initiative to support students in the pursuit of their education as they embark on their accounting and finance career paths. Funding recognizes high achieving students and paves a way for them towards rewarding careers in management accounting. IMA's centennial celebration will culminate at the next Annual Conference, to be held in San Diego in 2019. More information about IMA's year-long centennial celebration can be found at ima100years.org. About IMA (Institute of Management Accountants) IMA, named 2017 Professional Body of the Year by The Accountant/International Accounting Bulletin, is one of the largest and most respected associations focused exclusively on advancing the management accounting profession. Globally, IMA supports the profession through research, the CMA (Certified Management Accountant) program, continuing education, networking and advocacy of the highest ethical business practices. IMA has a global network of more than 100,000 members in 140 countries and 300 professional and student chapters Headquartered in Montvale, N.J., USA, IMA provides localized services through its four global regions: The Americas, Asia/Pacific, Europe, and Middle East/India. For more information about IMA, please visit www.imanet.org. SOURCE IMA (Institute of Management Accountants) Related Links http://www.imanet.org AMMAN, Jordan, June 17, 2018 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- An AJC delegation conveyed Eid al-Fitr greetings to senior Jordanian officials and discussed regional political and security challenges as a new government was sworn in following weeks of protests over the country's economic conditions. The group, led by Board of Governors Chair Harriet Schleifer and Associate Executive Director for Policy Jason Isaacson, consulted with Chief of the Royal Hashemite Court Dr. Fayez Tarawneh and Foreign Minister Ayman Safadi on the U.S.-Jordanian strategic partnership, vital to the fight against terror and extremism; the kingdom's relationship with Israel, strengthened with the arrival two months ago of an Israeli ambassador after an almost nine-month absence; and the burden of hosting more than 1 million refugees, most of them Syrian, in a population of some 9.5 million. The delegation's itinerary included an audience with His Royal Highness Prince El Hassan bin Talal, a longtime leader in efforts to promote interfaith understanding and international peace, and meetings with U.S. and Israeli diplomats, and civil society and business leaders. "AJC recognizes both the significant contribution the Kingdom of Jordan makes to regional security, in cooperation with the United States and with Israel, and the significant strains caused by the ongoing crisis in Syria and the effects of continued instability in Iraq and Iranian encroachment in the Levant," said Isaacson. "With all its challenges, we look to Jordan to play a critical role in stabilizing this troubled region and, with the expected announcement of a U.S. framework on Israel-Palestinian peace, to work with all affected parties toward a resolution of this bitter conflict." A new Jordanian government was sworn in June 14, on the eve of the Eid festival, following mass protests over a planned tax increase and cutbacks in government subsidies, part of an economic package designed to meet requirements of an international financial assistance program. Safadi, Foreign Minister since January 2017, was among the cabinet members whose mandates were renewed. The 16-person AJC delegation traveled to Jordan for four days after participating in the AJC Global Forum in Jerusalem the first time the 112-year-old organization's signature annual event was convened outside the United States. AJC travels to Jordan routinely for consultations on issues of mutual concern, maintains close contact with the Jordanian Embassy in Tel Aviv, and meets periodically with Jordanian diplomats and visiting officials in the United States. SOURCE American Jewish Committee Related Links http://www.ajc.org GUANGZHOU, China, June 17, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- On June 14, 2018, Press Conference of 2018 China Innovation and Entrepreneurship Fair (hereinafter referred to as CIEF) was held in Guangzhou successfully with attendees including Zhang Jianhua (Deputy Secretary General of the People's Government of Guangzhou Municipality), Li Jiang (Deputy Counsel of Guangzhou Science Technology and Innovation Commission), Dai Xiaochun (member of Communist Party of China and Secretary General of Guangzhou Association for Science & Technology), Orient Zhu (Vice President of IDG China and representatives of Australian Consulate-General Guangzhou China and Consulate General of New Zealand in Guangzhou as well as media representatives. 2018 CIEF will be held in Guangzhou on June 22-24, 2018. 2018 CIEF will offer a display and exhibition area of over 21,000m2 and accommodate 20+ theme exhibition areas with 1000+ innovation projects to be displayed. Concurrently, more than 30 special events (including theme forum, roadshow contest and project matchmaking meeting, etc.) will be carried out and over 200 domestic and overseas guests in such areas as IAB (new generation technologies, artificial intelligence and biomedicine), NEM (new energy, new material), military-civilian integration and VR/AR, 20+ academicians and 100 guests from venture capital institutions will be expected to attend these activities. Innovation and Entrepreneurship shines Guangzhou CIEF is an important practice of Guangzhou to highlight innovation drive, promote mass entrepreneurship and innovation, actively carry through the national development strategy and try its best to realize the goal of "taking the lead in China in four respects." On the day of Press Conference, Zhang Jianhua, Deputy Secretary-General of People's Government of Guangzhou Municipality introduced general information about 2018 CIEF and Innovation China Guangzhou. With the theme of "New momentum for innovation and entrepreneurship to lead new leap," 2018 CIEF will always stick to continue to be market-oriented, use transaction display as the means, take implementation and achievements conversion as the goal, and feature all-round service, gather domestic and international technological achievements, and essential elements for innovation and entrepreneurship such as technology, capital, talent and information, thereby building an internationalized, specialized and marketized innovation & entrepreneurship platform. Nationwide Mass Entrepreneurship and Innovation Week organized by National Development and Reform Commission and China Association for Science and Technology holds the warm-up event "Innovation China" with local characteristics in different cities every year. Since 2016, CIEF, as part of Innovation China, has become the landmark event of Innovation China Guangzhou, and this year is no exception. The kickoff ceremony of CIEF and the kickoff ceremony of Innovation China Guangzhou will be held simultaneously. During CIEF, all exhibition halls will present various types of innovation and entrepreneurship activities with unique characteristics, such as "Final of The 5th Guangzhou Youth Innovation and Entrepreneurship Competition", the First "Guangzhou Craftsman Cup" Staff Innovation and Entrepreneurship Competition for Staff and other series of innovation and entrepreneurship events with Guangzhou characteristics. All exhibition halls will also have "Innovation and Entrepreneurship" Policy Publicity Zone where related units directly subordinated to the People's Government of Guangzhou Municipality such as Guangzhou Municipal Development and Reform Commission, Guangzhou Science Technology and Innovation Commission, and Guangzhou Municipal Human Resources and Social Security Bureau, will provide policy consulting, question answering and other services by setting up their respective booths. It is the third year that CIEF and Innovation China Guangzhou have been combined and organized jointly. It is believed that CIEF and Innovation China will interact with each and present more splendid activities. Great breakthroughs in "Never-closed" CIEF In 2015, The First China Innovation and Technology Achievement Exchange Conference was held jointly by China Association for Science and Technology and the People's Government of Guangzhou Municipality. In 2016, it was officially renamed to China Innovation and Entrepreneurship Fair and officially approved by the state and settled in Guangzhou in 2017. In the same year, the office of the Organizing Committee of CIEF proposed the mode of "1+1+N" (i.e. a large-scale exhibition, an online achievement conversion platform and N achievement conversion bases) for the purpose of building and operating the "Online CIEF" achievement conversion platform which, to date, has included 8000+ project achievements collected in previous CIEFs with 8 achievement conversion bases established, including South China Advanced Materials Innovation Park, Guangzhou Higher Education Mega Center Health Industrial Science and Technology Park, Guangzhou TusPark Zhonghai, Sci-Tech Finance Service Center of Guangzhou Development District, and Guangzhou Productivity Promotion Center. According to statistics, CIEF, in the past three years, has presented over 4400 projects, and over 140 projects have been converted for implementation, with a transaction amount being approximately RMB 6.9 billion. According to our finding, 2018 CIEF changes the previous pattern of dividing exhibition zones by geographical location and specialty. This year, 2018 CIEF will have feature exhibition zones and comprehensive exhibition zones to display various achievements by segmenting specialized areas and improve the specialized concentration of all exhibits, thus highlighting the feature of each exhibition zone. When it comes to the setting of exhibition zone, in addition to those exhibitions closely associated with global hot industries, such as AIworld artificial intelligence exhibition, intelligent health and biomedicine exhibition, new generation information technology exhibition and automotive technology innovation brand exhibition, the newly set military-civilian integration exhibition zone and Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macau Great Bay exhibition zone is also in line with the strategic layout of current national development. CIEF aims to help project achievements converted for implementation. With IDG's participation, a lot of domestic and international famous investment institutions, including Sequoia, Nokia Growth Partners, SAIF Partners, Qualcomm, SB China Venture Capital, HG Capital, Anrich Capital Asia Limited, Happen Capital and InnoAngel, will also send their respective representatives to attend the fair and conduct close negotiation with excellent projects. According to Orient Zhu, Vice President of IDG China, he hopes that the fair can provide investment opportunities to excellent projects while helping investors discover more excellent projects in the market. Global "super brains" gather to enlighten innovation and entrepreneurship The list of participants disclosed by the sponsor include many famous figures, academician representatives including Zhou Fulin, Zhong Nanshan, and Liu Renhuai, all being academician of Chinese Academy of Engineering (CAE), enterprise representatives including Hugo Shong, Global Chairman of IDG Capital, He Xiaopeng, Xpeng Motors, Du Lan, Senior Vice President of iFlytek, Shen Jin, Global Vice President of Qualcomm and Managing Director of Qualcomm Ventures, representatives from foreign embassies and overseas institutions such as Royal Norwegian Embassy and EU SME Centre. In the same time, "Super brains" such as Major General Xu Guangyu, Major General Yuan Wenxian and Major General Jiang Chunliang will also attend this fair. Moreover, 18 academicians and their teams will present the pre-production or sample objects or models of 22 significant technological achievements, and make sufficient combination of technological innovation, business and market demands by setting out the breakthrough of industrial key technologies, understanding customers' demands and solving users' pain points. For instance, Liu Yunjie, Academician of CAE, and her team presents the high-power semiconductor laser chip project which may solve such pain points of semiconductor laser industry as low cost, high efficiency and low power consumption; Liu Changxiao, Academician of CAE, and his team presents modern Chinese medicine and big health products of Baiyunshan Hutchison Whampoa which concentrate on the need for upgrade of traditional Chinese medicine industry; Tang Benzhong, Academician of Chinese Academy of Sciences, presents AIE biotechnology which makes the breakthrough in the application of aggregation-induced emission materials in biology. In view of innovation-driven development and talent-guided innovation, these academicians and their teams turn theories into samples and turn samples into products, thereby converting scientific research achievements into new momentum with social benefit and economic benefit. According to the sponsor, these academicians and other 200+ speakers as well as honorable guests in venture capital will participate in 30 special activities of CIEF. In such special activities concentrating on global industrial and economic development trends, participants will carry out in-depth discussion with respect to current industrial changes and technological breakthroughs. For instance, the main forum, Future Tech Summit, will focus on the latest development trends in such areas as new generation information technology, biomedicine, artificial intelligence (AI), new material, and new energy, and explore industry-university-research-government-user multilateral integration. With respect to technological industrialization and issues found in industrial development, representatives from domestic and international leading enterprises, leading roles of new industry, and capital experts will be invited to interpret latest achievements of domestic and international industrial technologies, development strategies and major innovation changes; the sub-forum IntegrationFissionEmpowering the Industry with AI will focus on the following questions, i.e. how AI can empower the industry in such areas as travel, retail, healthcare and manufacturing and what kind of significant achievements have been made; what imagination space has AI development brought about in such industries; what kind of effects continuous capital investment has caused to AI. In Military-Civilian Integration Information Matchmaking and Product Promotion Meeting, participants will better learn the latest related policies of the state, Guangdong Province and Guangzhou Municipality regarding military-civilian integration projects, and find partners through on-site promotion of new technologies and new products of military-civilian integration; The Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macau Great Bay Area Sci-Tech Finance Forum will concentrate on the development course of sci-tech finance in the Great Bay Area and possible opportunities and issues during the development, such as how to build the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macau Great Bay Area into a world-class finance and sci-tech center. It will also identify the entrance to development, explore Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macau collaboration mode, and analyze such issues as regional integration and development of finance and science & technology. 2018 is China's 40th anniversary of the reform and opening up. Since the implementation of strategic decision-making of "Conduct the reform internally and open up to the outside world" in 1978, China's open economy has achieved significant development. In view of rapid economic development in China in the past 40 years, the tide of "innovation and entrepreneurship" has come over and innovation is found everywhere in Guangdong Province, leading to vigorous development of innovation and entrepreneurship. Guangzhou with a thousand years' reputation of being a business city is spreading more innovation seeds to South China with the help of CIEF for implementation and conversion, and evolving into a city of innovation, allowing for achievement conversion and capital layout at CIEF. SOURCE CIEF MELBOURNE, Australia, June 17, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- StudyCo is expanding all over the globe, continuing its commitment to the service of finding students universities that match their educational qualifications. Besides partnering with more than 200 universities, they have teams placed all over the world and they execute all the student recruitment services efficiently. Now study abroad with StudyCo. StudyCo is a professional student recruitment agency providing students and parents with current information about studies offered globally. The study destinations StudyCo covers are Australia, New Zealand, the United States, United Kingdom, Canada as well as Europe, Asia, Middle East and South America. Having almost 20 years of experience in this field, StudyCo is one of the first companies in Australia to promote higher education to international students. StudyCo is certified by the American International Recruitment and Australian Agency for Education and Training. StudyCo is also ISO 9001:2008 certified which vouches that their services are safe, reliable and of good quality. StudyCo's education information which goes out to students from any country seeking it has come to a point where it's considered as one of the best overseas education consultants by many. This trust is forged by StudyCo's operations. They offer comprehensive information to students about the selected destination, university, programs, admissions services, accommodations and even student visa services. Representing 200+ universities worldwide, they take care of the application processes and provide education consultation. Besides filling up university admission forms, StudyCo also follows up on the offer to study in the university, smoothing the road to education acquiring abroad for international students. StudyCo's strength lies in their pool of information specifically gleaned to help international students get the best of what is available and matching in terms of education abroad. With their global reach, StudyCo teams hope to facilitate growing numbers of students getting their desired education in institutions overseas. Contact here for more information. About StudyCo StudyCo was established in 1997 with a longstanding reputation as one of Australia's leading University education Representatives and Student Recruitment Agencies for Study Abroad Services. Headquartered in Melbourne, Australia, StudyCo is an award-winning agency for its excellence in service of supporting students from different countries and diverse cultural backgrounds find their most suitable universities abroad and acquire education there. StudyCo provides a full-service experience developed over years to help students make their dreams of studying overseas a reality. Related Links Universities under Studyco Why choose StudyCo? Related Video http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IolN_ZzeKfQ SOURCE StudyCo Male, June 17 : A top Maldivian official has said that the island nation and China have always enjoyed a healthy, mutually beneficial relationship, which has reached to a historic level over the past few years. "In the future, with sky being the limit, infinite possibilities lie in the cooperation between the two countries," Vice President of Maldives China Trade and Cultural Organization (MCTCO) Midhuam Saud told Xinhua news agency. Midhuam said the Maldives is cooperating with China in a wide range of platforms, from co-building the multi-national Belt and Road Initiative, to joining China-proposed financial institutes like the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank, to several culture exchange programmes. The cooperation between the Maldives and China has yielded fruitful results and indeed brought benefits to the Maldivians, said the top official. "For instance, the China-Maldives Friendship Bridge is realised under the Belt and Road Initiative; the ambitious social housing project in the Maldives' Hulhumale island is realised under Chinese finance. And over 300 Maldivian civil servants went to China for professional training last year alone. "In addition to the Chinese government scholarships, China Maldives Cultural Association and MCTCO, both registered NGOs in the Maldives, are now working closely with the Chinese side in promoting all kinds of exchange programs to strengthen people to people relationships," Midhuam said. The Maldives is a young country, with the median age less than 30 years old. By quoting legendary US political activist Malcolm X's saying "the future belongs to those who prepare for it today", Midhuam called on the youths in the Maldives to be ready for the opportunities brought from the cooperation with China. "Economically, 35 per cent of the world growth from 2017 to 2019 will come from China according to statistics; environmentally, China has promised to achieve blue skies in all major cities, and China is already equipped with state-of-the-art solar energy technology now. The rise of China is dominating the world picture today. "It is necessary that our youths understand the opportunities they get today through the Maldives, China cooperation will help them to be well prepared for tomorrow. The future does belong to those who prepare for it today," Midhuam added. Seoul, June 17 : South Korea asked North Korea in military talks last week to move its long-range artillery away from the border area to lessen tensions, authorities said on Sunday. Seoul proposed that Pyongyang redeploy its artillery to a zone 30 to 40 km away from the border. "We conveyed our position to the North that in light of consultations between the North and the US over the denuclearization issue, we have to craft measures to drastically reduce military tensions by removing practical threats," an informed official told Yonhap News Agency. North Korea has 14,100 artillery pieces and a majority of them are based close to the border, a South Korean defense report said in 2016. Seoul is within the range of North Korean artillery. The military talks on Thursday were held as a follow up to the Panmunjom Declaration adopted at the summit between the leaders of the two Koreas on April 27, reports Efe news. The document called for measures to reduce tensions between the two states that fought the Korean War of 1950-53. New Delhi, June 17 : The Centre on Sunday decided not to extend the unilateral ceasefire against militants in Jammu and Kashmir, declared on May 16 in order to provide a conducive atmosphere in the state during the holy month of Ramadan. The announcement comes a day after Eid festivities. "The government of India decides not to extend the suspension of operations in Jammu and Kashmir announced in the beginning of Ramadan," a Home Ministry statement said. It said the "security forces are being directed to take all necessary actions as earlier to prevent terrorists from launching attacks and indulging in violence and killings. "The government is committed to working for creating an environment free of terror and violence in Jammu and Kashmir. It is important that all those who have interests of people of the state and especially the youth in mind to isolate the terrorists and work towards bringing back misguided youth to the right path," the statement said. The Home Ministry appreciated the security forces in Jammu and Kashmir for showing "exemplary restraint" during Ramadan despite grave provocation by the terrorists. The government decision follows a high-level meeting chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi with Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh, National Security Advisor Ajit Doval and others on Friday in the wake of ongoing terrorists activities in Jammu and Kashmir during Ramadan and the killing of Shujaat Bukhari, the editor of "Rising Kashmir", and his two personal security officers on Thursday. Srinagar, June 17 : A policeman injured in a militant attack and a civilian injured in clashes with security forces in Srinagar continued to be in critical condition on Sunday. Police said the policeman was injured in Kaka Sarai area of Srinagar on Friday. The civilian was injured in Soura area on Saturday. Clashes erupted in many places in the Kashmir Valley after the congregational Eid prayers on Saturday. Stone-pelting youths engaged the security forces in pitched battles in Eidgah and Soura areas of Srinagar and in Anantnag, Pulwama, Shopian, Baramulla and Sopore towns on Saturday. Over two dozen civilians and 11 security personnel were injured in the clashes. Jammu, June 17 : The body of a 50-year-old man who came home from Dubai to celebrate Eid was found on Sunday in Jammu and Kashmir's Rajouri district. Police said the body of Muhammad Sadiq of Dhegrote village was found in a stream in Manjkote area. "He had reportedly come from Dubai to celebrate Eid with his family," a police officer said. "Relatives of the victim said he left his home on Saturday morning to offer Eid prayers but did not return." An investigation is on to find out what happened to the man. United Nations, June 17 : UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has welcomed the Afghan government's announcement of a unilateral extension of the ceasefire with the Taliban. Guterres on Saturday urged the Taliban to heed the call for peace from the Afghan people and reciprocate the gesture, Xinhua news agency reported. The UN chief said he believes that the only solution to the conflict in Afghanistan is through an inclusive political process and urged both sides not to let those trying to derail the peace efforts to prevail. He also condemned Saturday's attack targeting Eid celebrations in Nangarhar province in which 26 people were killed. The government had announced a seven-day ceasefire from June 12 to encourage the Taliban to support the national reconciliation process. Reciprocating the step, the armed group announced a three-day truce from the first day of Eid-ul-Fitr till Sunday. The ceasefire was extended on Saturday unilaterally by the Afghan government despite the bombing, through a rare televised address by President Mohammad Ashraf Ghani. He asked the Taliban to extend their three-day ceasefire too but the group has not responded so far. Phonm Penh, June 17 : Cambodian Prince Norodom Ranariddh's wife was killed on Sunday in a road accident in Sihanoukville province, police said. "The prince's wife died due to severe injuries," Xinhua news agency quoted a police officer as saying. He added that the 74-year-old prince was airlifted to a hospital in Phnom Penh for medical treatment. The accident took place at 9 a.m. in Prey Nop district when a taxi coming from the opposite direction crashed into the prince's car. Five passengers in the taxi were also injured. Prince Ranariddh is also the President of the Supreme Privy Advisory Council to King Norodom Sihamoni, his half-brother. The prince was co-prime minister from 1993 to 1997 and president of the National Assembly from 1998 to 2006. Kabul, June 17 : The Taliban on Sunday ordered its fighters not to visit areas controlled by the Afghan government, a day after an attack by the Islamic State terror group against a gathering of insurgents and civilians left 25 dead. The attack cast a shadow over the rapprochement between the Taliban and the Army after Afghan President Ashraf Ghani announced a unilateral truce, which was followed two days later by the announcement of a three-day ceasefire by the Taliban marking the end of the holy month of Ramadan, reports Efe news. "Yesterday, a mysterious explosion took place at a park in Rodato district of Nangarhar province resulting in a number of countrymen embracing martyrdom and sustaining injuries," Taliban spokesperson Zabihullah Mujahid said in a statement. "In order to prevent such events from re-occurring, the Islamic Emirate (the Taliban) orders all its Mujahideen to remain in their trenches and areas of control and to not venture into enemy controlled areas or cities even briefly." Since Friday, for the first time in 17 years of conflict, Taliban fighters and security force members had been praying together in the same mosques in different parts of the country, visiting areas controlled by the opposite side and even had photos taken that showed them hugging each other. A large number of insurgents entered Kabul on Saturday with the government's permission after leaving behind their weapons with the security forces and were welcomed by Interior Minister Wais Ahmad Barmak near the western entrance to the capital. The joy was cut short by an attack by the Islamic State in Nangarhar province, where the Taliban and civilians had gathered to celebrate the ceasefire, which caused 25 deaths and left 54 wounded. New Delhi, June 17 : Targeting the Narendra Modi government, the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) on Sunday said that when a government starts fearing its own people, it is time for it to go. The observation came just hours before AAP's proposed march towards the Prime Minister's residence for which the Delhi Police has denied permission. AAP spokesman Saurabh Bhardwaj said that it "felt like everything has gone five years back" when the then Congress-led United Progressive Alliance (UPA) "felt threatened and used its police force to stop Delhi citizens from protesting against it (during Lokpal agitation)". "I feel when a government starts fearing its own people, then it is time for that government to go," Bhardwaj told the media here. AAP ministers, workers and supporters will gather at 4 p.m. at Mandi House and march towards Modi's residence by 5.30 p.m. Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia and Cabinet ministers Satyendar Jain and Gopal Rai have been camping at LG Anil Baijal's office since June 11 to push for their three demands including an end to the IAS officer's "strike" of four months. The police have deployed heavy barricades and force and advised Delhi Metro to shut entry and exit in five stations. Bhardwaj said AAP's Ministers were being "threatened and enquired" about the route of the march and the MLAs' offices were being continuously monitored. "They are trying their best to stop the people at the AAP MLAs' offices, not allowing the buses to move from their localities and not allowing people to reach the Prime Minister's residence," he said. Bhardwaj, as an elected representative, asked the IAS association to "show him one line in their association's code of conduct which empowers them to decide which meeting of an elected minister or Chief Minister they can attend or boycott. "They can approach any court but the taxpayers of Delhi want to know why they are not working since the past four months, why are not they attending any Delhi government's meetings," he added. Sanaa, June 17 : Houthi rebels on Sunday recaptured the airport in Yemen's port city of Hudaydah, hours after government forces backed by a Saudi-led coalition had it under their control. Hundreds of Houthi militias forced the government troops to withdraw after intense clashes on Saturday night, reports Efe news. The trrops withdrew to the south and east of the airport. The development took place on the fifth day of a government offensive to seize the strategic city, whose port is one of the main entry points for essential supplies to the country. Los Angeles, June 17 : Dev Patel-starrer "Hotel Mumbai", about the November 2008 terror attack in Mumbai, is now free from the clutches of The Weinstein Company as its producers have reclaimed its distribution rights in a settlement for an undisclosed sum. The deal, made public on Saturday, states that the project's producers Hotel Mumbai Pty Ltd can now take the film elsewhere for distribution, reports deadline.com. A motion put into the federal court docket on Saturday read: "The parties have since entered into the stipulation resolving the disputes and issues related to the Picture and the License Agreement, and any ownership and/or distribution interests with respect thereto, all as more fully described in the Settlement Motion. "The Stipulation requires, among other things, that the Debtors seek relief from this court to seal or otherwise redact the confidential terms and provisions contained therein." "Hotel Mumbai" producers had filed an adversary case alleging Weinstein obtained a license through fraudulent means. This had come once The Weinstein Company declared Chapter 11 bankruptcy after the fallout of sexual misconduct allegations against Harvey Weinstein. Earlier, the "Hotel Mumbai" producers had announced that they had rescinded their distribution and marketing agreement with TWC in February, following months of allegations and investigations of sexual misconduct by Weinstein. Still, in March, the movie was included among the assets for bidders to grab, a line point that its producers felt needed correcting. Hotel Mumbai Pty Ltd said it was promised delivery of the picture by April 30, plus $10 million in marketing. But it received neither. The producer also said TWC's officers knew about Weinstein's sordid history of sexual abuse and that the issue "was effectively a ticking time bomb that would decimate TWC when the full extent of Harvey Weinste'n's illegal actions became known to the general public". Directed by Antony Maras, the movie also features Armie Hammer, Jason Isaacs and Nazanin Boniadi. New Delhi, June 17 : CPI-M General Secretary Sitaram Yechury on Sunday accused the Modi government of using the Governors office to destabilise the non-BJP state governments as well as to install BJP governments despite the saffron party not winning the mandate. Yechury's statement came ahead of his joining a protest march to the Prime Minister's residence organised by the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) on Sunday against the alleged high-handedness of the central government and direct interference in Delhi administration. "Joining the protest rally to the Prime Minister's residence today to express serious condemnation over the manner in which federalism, a fundamental feature of our Constitution, is being undermined by this BJP central government," Yechury said in a statement. "Utilising the office of the Governors and Lt. Governors, the BJP central government is seeking to destabilise non-BJP democratically elected state governments. This is happening with the democratically elected governments in Delhi and in Puducherry," he said. Yechury said the office of the Governor was sought to be utilized "to hijack people's mandate in Karnataka" which was thwarted. He pointed out that the Governor's office was used to "install BJP governments" even after they have "lost the elections", like in Goa, Manipur and Meghalaya. "The Governor's office has been misused in Bihar to allow the BJP to enter the government through the backdoor after losing the Assembly elections comprehensively," said the leader of the Communist Party of India-Marxist. Yechury said such efforts were "destroying the already fragile Centre-state relations", which is the backbone of the federal content of the Indian Constitution. "This must not be permitted." He said the Communists in India were the "first victims of such central authoritarian misuse of constitutional provisions" when the elected government in Kerala was "undemocratically" dismissed in 1959. "This has happened with Left-led governments repeatedly in Kerala and West Bengal subsequently," he said. Mumbai, June 17 : Actor Karan Kundra, who plays a character that he describes as "popular with the ladies" in "Dil Hi Toh Hai", acknowledges his real life female fan following, but says too bad that he isn't single anymore. Talking about his "Dil Hi Toh Hai" role, Karan told IANS: "He is young, he is successful, he is popular with the ladies. He enjoys himself like any other boy in that category would. It's not like how we have typical heroes in television, and stereotype them that if he is nice, he won't ever do XYZ thing. "This character is always surrounded by women and he enjoys the fact that he gets the attention. A lot of youngsters will relate with this." What about his own female fans in real life? "Well, unfortunately, I am not single anymore. I have been there, done that. For any young and successful person, it's a good thing. Like any boy of that age, I have also had my share of fun," said Karan, who is in a relationship with popular TV host and video jockey Anusha Dandekar. Jalalabad (Afghanistan), June 17 : At least 15 people were killed and 45 others wounded as an explosion rocked a provincial governor's office after a meeting between Afghan officials and Taliban members here on Sunday, a security official said. "The initial information found a terrorist blew his explosive jacket up at the gate of the building roughly at 3.15 p.m. local time when people were leaving the building when the meeting ended," a security source told Xinhua news agency. The death toll was likely to go up as many of the injured were in critical condition, the source added. The government announced a seven-day ceasefire from June 12 to encourage the Taliban to support the national reconciliation process. Reciprocating the step, the armed group announced a three-day truce from the first day of Eid-ul-Fitr, Friday, to the end of Sunday. Provincial Governor's spokesman Attahullah Khogyani confirmed the incident to Xinhua. He said a probe was on and information about the identity of the victims would be shared with media later in the day. On Saturday, 25 people were killed and 54 others wounded in another similar incident on the outskirts of Jalalabad, capital of Afghanistan's eastern Nangarhar province, for which the Islamic State militants claimed responsibility. Afghan President Ashraf Ghani on Saturday extended the ceasefire for an unknown period of time. Hyderabad, June 17 : In a shocking incident, a block-level public representative in Telangana kicked a woman after she hit him with a 'chappal' over a land issue on Sunday. Mandal (block) Parishad president (MPP) Immadi Gopi kicked the woman in full public view. The video clip of the incident which has since gone viral on social media shows A. Rajavva falling on ground after the public representative kicked her in the chest. The incident took place in Indalwai block headquarters in Nizamabad district. The woman and her family members were staging a protest in front of Gopi's house over the delay in handing over the possession of a land they had bought from him. The family had purchased the land for Rs 33 lakh about 10 months ago but Gopi did not hand over the possession of the property and demanded an additional Rs 23 lakh. Rajavva and her family members had been demanding him to honour the original agreement by handing over the property. The two sides had a minor scuffle last week. The family again approached Gopi with their request. When he refused to listen, the woman picked up her 'chappal' and slapped him. He retaliated by kicking her in the chest. The woman's relatives then pushed down Gopi. Police registered a case against Gopi for the assault. A police officer said they will conduct an investigation before taking further action. Srinagar, June 17 : The central government's decision on Sunday not to extend the Ramadan ceasefire in Jammu and Kashmir evoked mixed reactions, with the ruling PDP expressing its unhappiness. Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) spokesman Rafi Ahmad Mir said the party was not happy with the decision announced by the Union Home Ministry in view of the unending violence during Ramadan, blamed mostly on militants. Former Chief Minister Omar Abdullah said: "The ceasefire was the Centre's initiative ... Its failure is the failure of everyone who wanted to give peace a chance." Refuting that the end of ceasefire indicated a failure of peace efforts, Deputy Chief Minister and BJP leader Kavinder Gupta said: "This was just suspension of operations. A befitting reply will be given to everyone who indulged in such activities." The Minister of State in the Prime Minister's Office, Jitendra Singh, said the priority for the government was to conduct the upcoming Amarnath Yatra and the decision not to extend the truce followed inputs from security forces and intelligence agencies. CPI-M leader Muhammad Yusuf Tarigami said: "Whatever the compulsions and the provocation, the decision not to extend the ceasefire is unfortunate. The common Kashmiri had heaved a sigh of relief and that hope has now vanished." The ceasefire was announced on May 16 to provide a conducive atmosphere during the Muslim holy month of Ramadan. But the separatists had not favourably responded to it from the very beginning. "It was nothing more than temporary suspension of the killing spree of Kashmiris by Indian armed forces," said an activist of the separatists who did not want to be identified by name. Some Kashmiris argued that the resumption of offensive operations against militants only proved that there had been no serious application of mind when the ceasefire was announced. "The ceasefire had given a ray of hope to us that the common man would be allowed to live without fear," said a Srinagar resident, Javaid Ahmad, 48. "Its withdrawal only proves that we are back to square one," he added. Jaipur, June 17 : Hitting out at Rajasthan's Vasundhara Raje government for only being engaged in accepting the fitness challenge passed on by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, state Congress chief Sachin Pilot said that if the Chief Minister is serious on accepting any challenge, it should be of putting a complete check on farmers' suicide. He termed it as a sad situation that right from the Prime Minister to Central Ministers to state ministers, everybody seems engaged in passing the fitness challenge, just to garner publicity, while the critical issues of the nation are being put aside. Pilot also slammed the "insensitivity" of the state government, holding it responsible for the recent suicide committed by two farmers in Hadoti region. "In the election year, the government has promised to waive off farmers' loan worth Rs 50,000 which in general is too less an amount as they (farmers) have huge loans on their shoulders. The government has failed to arrange the promised funds of Rs 8,000 crore to waive off the loans and hence now loans worth Rs 200 crore can only be waived off with the limited funds," he added. Pilot said that this "double-faced" attitude of the state government is triggering more suicides in the state, and also the government has failed to provide fair price to farmers' garlic yield which is yet another factor for the farmers committing suicide in big numbers. Claiming that in the last one month, nine farmers have committed suicide in Hadoti region, which is the Chief Minister's constituency, he said that these have revealed the reality of tall claims made by the ruling government. Guwahati, June 17 : Tata Trusts Chairman Ratan Tata and Assam's Finance Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma on Sunday launched the first 28 branches of the North East Small Finance Bank (NESFB), the region's first small bank. "If India has to grow as a prosperous place, we need to create opportunities and entrepreneurship," Tata said at the function here. The Tata Trusts Chairman, through the investment arm RNT Associates, has invested Rs 40 crore in the bank. "Most of us who have seen the growth and prosperity in India have to admit that it has been easy for borrowers to find funds to grow. However, there is a vast number of people in India who have been either under served or not served at all and finance is not available. "I wish the bank every success and the Tata Trusts has been very happy to participate and play a role in spreading prosperity to millions of people who do not have access to funds and the opportunity," said Tata. RGVN (North East) Microfinance Ltd got the Reserve Bank of India's Small Finance Bank license on March 31, 2017 mandating it to carry out banking services in remote and "unbanked" areas of the eight states of northeast India, as well as in West Bengal and registered a public limited company by the name of North East Small Finance Bank Ltd. "We are starting with 28 branches and will soon add another 80 branches. After that (we plan to) have branches in all the northeastern states," the bank's Managing Director Rupali Kalita said at a press conference earlier in the day. The North East Small Finance Bank Ltd which has a net worth of Rs 300 crore is supported by infusion of funds from domestic and overseas investors. "During the years of operation RGVN (NE) MFL got equity investment and able support from Small Industries Development Bank of India (SIDBI), the North Eastern Development Finance Corporation Ltd, Opportunity International, Australia (through DiaVikas Capital Pvt Ltd (India), Brahmaputra Community Development Trust, Norways's Nordic Microfinance Initiative, and Oiko Credit Netherlands," a bank official said. Fresh equity for strengthening the capital base to promote the banking company was received from the SIDBI as well as SIDBI Venture Capital, RNT Associates Pvt Ltd, Pi Ventures LLP, Bajaj Allianz Life Insurance Company, Nordic Microfinance Initiative, and DiaVikas Capital. NITI Aayog Vice Chairman Rajiv Kumar along with CEO Amitabh Kant and other members and senior officers, addresses a press conference after the conclusion of fourth meeting of the Governing ... Image Source: IANS : New Delhi: NITI Aayog Vice Chairman Rajiv Kumar along with CEO Amitabh Kant and other members and senior officers, addresses a press conference after the conclusion of fourth meeting of the ... Image Source: IANS New Delhi, June 17 : The Central government is mulling to link MNREGA with the agriculture sector in a way that the rural employment scheme and the demands of labour in agriculture complement each other, NITI Aayog Vice Chairman Rajiv Kumar said here on Sunday. The government has formed a seven-member committee of the Chief Ministers to examine the feasibility of the idea and the way to implement it, he said. "The committee would examine the feasibility of using the employment generated under the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MNREGA) in agriculture related activities both pre-harvest and post-harvest," Rajiv Kumar said. The committee, headed by Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan and comprising his counterparts Mamata Banerjee (West Bengal), Vijay Rupani (Gujarat), Nitish Kumar (Bihar), Yogi Adityanath (Uttar Pradesh), N. Chandrababu Naidu (Andhra Pradesh) and Pawan Chamling (Sikkim), would be notified on Monday. Under MNREGA, the Central government has to provide at least 100 days of guaranteed employment involving unskilled manual work in a financial year to every household in rural areas as per demand. Trenton (Us), June 17 : At least 22 people were injured early on Sunday when some gunmen opened fire at a crowd at a 24-hour art festival in Trenton, New Jersey, authorities said, ruling out a terror angle. Among the injured is a 13-year-old, who is in extremely critical condition, while four others are critical, CNN reported quoting the Mercer County Prosecutor's Office. Police are believed to have killed one suspect, a 33-year-old man, while another was taken into custody, prosecutor Angelo Onofri said, adding multiple weapons were recovered. "It absolutely could have been worse given the confined space and the number of shots that appear to have been fired." The shooting, which appears to be the result of a "neighbourhood beef", took place around 2.45 a.m. at the Art All Night-Trenton festival at the Roebling Wire Works Building. Police are investigating to determine if there were more suspects. Washington, June 18 : US First Lady Melania Trump has called for an end to the policy of separating parents and children illegally entering the country from Mexico. "Mrs Trump believes we need to be a country that follows all laws, but also a country that governs with heart," her spokeswoman said. Her comments follow growing controversy over President Donald Trump's "zero-tolerance" policy, a BBC report said. In a recent six-week period there were nearly 2,000 family separations. Adults who try to cross the border, many planning to seek asylum, are placed in custody and face criminal prosecution for illegal entry. As a result, hundreds of minors are now being housed in detention centres, and kept away from their parents - a policy which rights groups have criticised as unprecedented. In her rare intervention, Melania Trump said she "hates to see children separated from their families and hopes both sides of the aisle [Republicans and Democrats in Congress] can finally come together to achieve successful immigration reform". The President has blamed a law "Democrats gave us" for the policy, but it is unclear what law he is referring to. In a tweet on Saturday, Trump urged Democrats to work with Republicans to create new laws: "Democrats can fix their forced family breakup at the Border by working with Republicans on new legislation, for a change! This is why we need more Republicans elected in November. Democrats are good at only three things, High Taxes, High Crime and Obstruction. Sad!" However, critics have pointed out that detaining children apart from their parents was a policy announced by US Attorney General Jeff Sessions last month and does not require congressional action to stop. The policy has divided Republicans, with its defenders pointing out that children are routinely taken from parents accused of crimes. The additional child detentions - reportedly including babies and toddlers - have resulted in some shelters and foster homes reporting that they are running out of space. On Sunday, Democratic members of Congress paid a "surprise Father's Day visit" to an Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) detention centre in New Jersey, demanding to see detainees separated from their children. Candidates and residents listen as Quay County Clerk Ellen White, right, reads off the elections totals for Logan during the June 5 Primary Election in Quay County. There weren't many contested races during Tuesday's Quay County primaries. The ones that were, weren't all that close. Incumbents Franklin McCasland and Timothy O'Quinn scored easy victories in their Republican primary races, with results declared official after Friday's canvassing. Neither winner faces general election opposition. McCasland took the primary nod for Quay County Commission District 3 with 563 votes to Bryan Rinestine's 400. "It was a good clean race and the people made their choice," Rinestine said. Rinestine said he appreciated the support from the voters during this primary election. He said McCasland will do a fine job of representing the residents. "I want to thank the voters for trusting in me to serve as their commissioner," McCasland said. "I want to thank Bryan for running a good, clean race. I look forward to serving the residents for the next four years to the best of my ability." Quinn took the magistrate judge nomination with 588 votes, more than Paula Chacon (220) and Patricia Lopez (171) combined. "I want to thank the voters for getting out to cast their ballot and show me support," Chacon said. "I want to congratulate Judge O'Quinn on the victory." Lopez said she enjoyed meeting with the residents of the rural communities of Logan, San Jon and Nara Visa. She said she wanted to make sure that the entire county had a chance to meet her as she campaigned to be their judge. "I appreciate the support of the residents who cast their vote for me," Lopez said. Attempts to contact O'Quinn were unsuccessful at press time. There will be a general election race for sheriff, as Russell Shafer and Reyes Gonzales took the Republican and Democratic nominations, respectively. Janie Hoffman, running for county assessor, and Nelda Burson, running for probate judge, ran unopposed in the Democratic primary. Six provisional ballots were submitted on election day, with four meeting the criteria to be counted, County Clerk Ellen White said. White said some voters were unaware their registrations were altered to decline a party preference. "These residents' parties were changed while they were renewing their license at the Motor Vehicle Department," White said. "The Secretary of State is aware of this situation and has reported it is an issue that impacted voters across the state." All four provisional ballots were approved by the Quay County Commission. Voter turnout was highest among Republicans at 41 percent (996 of 2,419 eligible), followed by Democrats at 24 percent (582 of 2,395) and Libertarians at 8 percent (2 of 25). The Libertarian ballot had no candidates for local races and only unopposed or write-in candidates at the state level. The following are the results from Tuesday's primary: Democrat Ballot United States Senator Martin T. Heinrich 441 United States Representative Ben R. Lujan 484 Governor Michelle Lujan Grisham 306 Jeff Apodaca 123 Joseph Cervantes 117 Lieutenant Governor Howie C. Morales 210 Rick S. Miera 122 Billy G. Garret 193 Secretary of State Maggie Toulouse Oliver 452 State Auditor Bill McCamley 216 Brian Colon 287 State Treasurer Tim Eichenberg 442 Attorney General Hector Balderas 466 Commissioner of Public Lands Stephanie Garcia Richard 241 Garrett O Veneklasen 110 George K. Munoz 173 State Representative Mark D. McDonald 440 Public Regulations Commissioner Kevin J. Sanders 431 Judge of the Court of Appeals Position 1 Kristina Bogardus 429 Judge of the Court of Appeals Position 2 Jacqueline R. Medina 425 Judge of the Court of Appeals Position 3 Briana Zamora 430 Judge of the Court of Appeals Position 4 Megan P. Duffy 420 Judge of the Court of Appeals Position 5 Jennifer L. Attrep 406 County Assessor Janie L. Hoffman 486 County Sheriff Reyes Gonzales 461 Probate Judge Nelda A. Burson 469 Republican Ballot United States Senator Mick Rich 729 United States Representative Jerald Steve McFall 707 Governor Steve Pearce 791 Lieutenant Governor Michelle Garcia Holmes 711 Secretary of State Johana Cox 698 State Auditor Wayne A. Johnson 708 State Treasurer Arthur L. Castillo 691 Attorney General Michael Euguene Hendricks 697 Commissioner of Public Lands Patrick H. Lyons 752 State Representative Jackey O Chatfield 738 Public Regulations Commissioner Jefferson L. Byrd 571 Jerry W. Partin 301 Judge of the Court of Appeals Position 1 Stephen G. French 688 Judge of the Court of Appeals Position 2 Hank Bohnhoff 677 Judge of the Court of Appeals Position 3 Emil J. Kiehne 676 Judge of the Court of Appeals Position 4 Daniel Jose Gallegos 673 County Magistrate Judge Timothy James O'Quinn 588 Patricia J. Lopez 171 Paula J. Chacon 220 County Commissioner District 3 Franklin D. McCasland 563 Bryan M. Rinestine 399 Libertarian ballot County Sheriff Russell D. Shafer 825 United States Senator Aubrey Dunn 2 United States Representative Christopher Manning 2 Secretary of State Sandra D. Jeff 2 Attorney General A. Blair Dunn 2 Commissioner of Public Lands Michael G. Lucero 2 Robert Munoz was on campus for public forum. One of two potential candidates for Mesalands Community College's president position visited the campus Monday for a public forum. "Being a president of an institution has been a goal of mine, on my journey as a vice president I am seeking a place to grow and expand my skill sets," said Robert Munoz from Fort Worth, Texas. Munoz said there are some very unique programs at Mesalands, including ferrier science and silver smithing. He said these two programs are appropriate for the region and capable of producing graduates that can find jobs with their skill sets. "One of the main programs that stands out is the wind energy programs at the North American Wind Research and Training Center," Munoz said. "It is fantastic that the college has agreements with corporations and train and educate students to enter a field with high-paying jobs." Munoz said the faculty at Mesalands has a vested interest in the lives of their students. He said the faculty has a family oriented atmosphere geared towards the student's success. "What it really comes down to is if this is the right fit for my wife (Kristi) and I," Munoz said. Munoz said there are trade-offs, such as Tucumcari being a smaller and rural community. "We knew Tucumcari was a rural community coming into this tour," Munoz said. "There is something to be said about that, as we didn't have to deal with the oppressive humidity like that in Fort Worth, Texas." Munoz said the college is very much engaged in the community, and Mesalands sets the tone what it can do with its resources. He said the staff and faculty was engaged when asking about his qualifications and his visions for the college. "It is very difficult to give my plus and minuses of the institution in the short time I've had to visit the college," Munoz said. "No leadership coming in should try to create change right away." Munoz said he wants to be ingrained in the culture, to see what makes Mesalands so unique and has people wanting to stay. He said he was also asking questions of the group. "I'm interviewing about the community and college just as well," Munoz said. Munoz said he was very impressed after touring the campus and the facilities located off campus. "The dinosaur museum blew my mind; as a kid I read a lot of books on dinosaurs and paleontology," Munoz said. "The work they are doing and the facilities are impressive." Munoz said the wind energy center has greatly skilled instructors who are vested in the students' success. He said the wind center gives students an opportunity to obtain the skills to enter a high paying and competitive field. Munoz said one of the most impressive statistic for Mesalands is the student retention rate. He said at 70 percent Mesalands has a higher retention rate than most colleges that are struggling in the 40 percent range. The two candidates selected by the college's board of trustees were Munoz and John Groesbeck from North Ogden, Utah. Groesbeck will tour the college on Thursday and will take part in a public forum at 1 p.m., also at the NAWRTC's lecture hall. June 1969 Tucumcari hosted the annual state 4-H horse show and rodeo for the eighth straight year. Several days of heavy rains sent water 18 inches deep over the spillway at Ute Lake Dam. Conchas Lake had risen 3.7 feet, and was raising a tenth of a foot every hour. Pajarito Creek was full from bank to bank and running strong. Construction on the Quay apartments was 40 percent complete, with tenants expected to be able to move in by mid August. The Pinata Festival committee was given permission to lay out a motorcycle track at the Metropolitan Park, for races during the festival. Just when you think the level of discourse and civility in this country cant get any lower, you are proven wrong as illustrated by two stories that have competed for headlines this month. The first was an incredibly offensive tweet by Roseanne Barr who managed to sink her hit new television show in which she played essentially herself, a Trump supporter. She one-upped her previous history of obnoxious behavior in just 53 characters by referring to Obama confidante and former adviser Valerie Jarrett as a product of the Muslim Brotherhood and Planet of the Apes. Why she would tweet out this racially offensive diatribe about Jarrett, who is African American, is anybodys guess, and it really doesnt matter. Her words do. Yes, she apologized and said it was just a bad joke, but ABC quickly pulled the plug on her show. The company president called it abhorrent, repugnant and inconsistent with our values. Fair enough. Shed no tears for Roseanne, but you can feel some sympathy for all those employed on her show. The week didnt get any better in terms of arguing that civilization is, in fact, advancing. Over at TBS, Samantha Bee in her show Full Frontal ripped into Ivanka Trump, calling her a feckless c during a segment about President Trumps immigration policies, including the separation of children from parents who are taken into custody by border agents. Bee then urged her to put on something tight and low-cut and tell your father to f stop it. She did not, of course, use ellipses to edit herself. And neither did the network. Barrs was a spontaneous racist blast while Bees was written out ahead of time and placed on the Teleprompter. Bee quickly apologized which sounds phony since the comments were planned and faced zero consequences from her employer, which praised her for apologizing. ABC and TBS both made choices; both were well within their rights. That, however, hasnt shut off the debate and argument. No one is really defending Roseanne, but many have called out TBS, urging some kind of parity. One of those was Ari Fleisher, former U.S. Sen. Pete Domenici staffer and White House press secretary under President George W. Bush. He tweeted theres a double standard in action when you compare the mainstream medias reactions to the two events. Why? he asked. Because shes a liberal. Perhaps. It would be hard to imagine a talk show host getting away with using that language to describe, say, Michelle Obama. Be that as it may, this much is clear: Our discourse wont get any better from the president to Hollywood until the public demands it. Albuquerque Journal Netflix first original Korean variety show Busted! I Know Who You Are will return for a second season, the US streaming giant has announced. Produced once again by South Koreas Company SangSang, the show is hosted by comedian Yoo Jae-suk of Infinite Challenge, actor Lee Kwang-soo, EXO member Sehun, and Kim Se-jeong of Gugudan. The all-star cast also includes Kim Jong-min, Ahn Jae-wook, and Park Min-young.The 10-episode first season debuted on Netflix on 4 May, with two episodes being released each week. The last two episodes are set to stream from 1 June.Busted! I Know Who You Are mixes variety with drama, including elements of mystery solving and suspense. The premise sees seven celebrity sleuths discover that they are a part of an operation called Project D, in which they are implanted with a chip containing the DNA of famous detectives throughout history. They each become private detectives, with a new case to solve each episode.The shows producers are Cho Hyo-jin, Chang Hyuk-jae and Kim Ju-hyung of Company SangSang, whose founders were responsible for Korean variety shows Running Man and Family Outing. SPI subsidiary Kino Polska TV has acquired from Agora 41% of shares in Polish terrestrial film channel Stopklatka TV, giving it a total stake holding of 82.6%. Stopklatka TV has 11.4 million active subscribers in Poland and is available in DTT (MUX-1), as well as in most TV offers from major cable networks and DTH platforms. Kino Polska TV is already owner of television networks Kino Polska, Filmbox, Kino TV and Zoom TV, and says that after the share purchase its position as one of the largest media groups in Poland has been strengthened considerably adding an advertising-funded business to its pay-TV portfolio.Kino Polska TV has been a Stopklatka shareholder since the channel was first broadcast in March 2014. The new deal follows a letter of intent signed in March 2018 giving Kino Polska TV the option of acquiring Agoras entire stake in Stopklatka.I am glad we have successfully completed this transaction. F or us this is an important step in the implementation of the KP Group's strategy , which is to become one of the five biggest media groups in Poland, commented Kino Polska TV Chairman Boguslaw Kisielewski.Taking over Stopklatka will result in a significant increase in the group's consolidated revenues and will present a number of benefits in such aspects as cost synergy, as well as in other areas including future negotiations with content suppliers. Stopklatka TV ideally fits our portfolio which features mostly movie channels. Thanks to Kino Polskas television experience and its resources, the network leads the movie channel rankings. I feel joy Stopklatka is under our wings. Our primary objective is to grow our viewership and advertising sales from the DTT segment. It took two years after the signing of the Emancipation Proclamation in 1863 for the slaves of the South to be told that they were free. The two years of additional bondage was finally broken on June 19, 1865 when slaves in Texas were made aware of their freedom. Word then traveled swiftly through the southern region, making slaves all across the South aware of their freedom. If you want to brush up on what to expect from the Amazing Acro-Cats, heres a rundown of the cats (and a few other animals) you might get to see on stage! The Acro-Cats will be performing at the Morton Theatre on Tuesday, June 19. It was 17 years ago that inventor Dean Kamen rolled his Segway onto the set of Good Morning America and into the annals of entrepreneurial infamy. Legendary venture capitalist John Doerr and Amazon.com founder Jeff Bezos were ebullient at the time about the market opportunity for the electric, two-wheeled vehicle. Doerr predicted that Segway would hit $1 billion in sales as fast as any company in history. He was notoriously wrong about that. With an original price tag of $5,000 to cover all those expensive motors and gimbals (turns out humans are pretty good at balancing all by themselves), the Segway didn't make it beyond mall cops, tourist companies and the punchline of jokes. But were Kamen and Co. just ahead of their time on two-wheeled personal transportation and its potential to relieve traffic and remake cities? That's a possibility I'm considering after watching Silicon Valley investors rush headlong into the brand new field of electric-scooter companies. Bloomberg reported last week that San Mateo, California-based Lime has raised $250 million from a group led by Alphabet's GV at a $1 billion valuation. Bird Rides, a rival based in Santa Monica, California, is raising $150 million in a round led by Sequoia Capital at about the same valuation. These unicorns didn't exist 18 months ago. Meanwhile, both Uber Technologies and Lyft have applied to introduce e-scooters in San Francisco, where the local government is set to authorize a pilot program after temporarily clearing the city of scooters last month. There's plenty to question in what Kevin Roose of the New York Times last week affectionately dubbed "tech hubris on wheels." Riders generally don't wear helmets, which is worrisome, and most cities are fretting about scooters littering sidewalks, waiting for users to unlock them with their smartphones. Leaving those issues aside for now, I've wondered about the economics that are drawing savvy investors into the scooter fray. Why are scooters suddenly and inexplicably the Next Big Thing? I talked to some investors in the field to get a sense for the math. Bird and Lime scooters cost $1 to unlock, and then 15 cents a minute to ride. Let's assume for the sake of simplicity that the length of an average trip is a mile, with the scooter traveling at 10 miles per hour. A trip lasts an average of six minutes and (rounding up!) nets the company $2 per trip. Consider that each scooter gets about five rides a day before it runs out of juice and has to sadly wait for its gig-economy collector to retrieve and recharge it at night. Our scooter has thus fetched $10 per day for the company. Ignoring bonuses and starter incentives, those contract workers appear to be paid $5 per recharged scooter. So our scooter is now earning $5 per day. If we assume the scooter costs $300 to buy and another $50 to outfit with GPS and security features, the scooter has paid for itself in a little over two months. Wholesale prices will come down over time; on the other hand, there are fees for maintenance and vehicles that the scooter-hostile hurl into the Bay. Still, this sudden, strange market looks pretty attractive through the eyes of a venture capitalist. People in cities like Santa Monica, Denver and Nashville have embraced the convenience of two-wheeled scooters with the kind of fervor they once showed for ride-hailing services. If you can deploy 10,000 scooters in a city, per our math, you have a business easily generating $100,000 a day in revenue, $3 million a month or $40 million a year-per city! So a nascent industry that is very easy to ridicule can be generating $500 million in revenue in the blink of an eye. There are regulatory challenges, for sure, with many cities hitting the pause button while they work out the new rules of the road. But this is why so many veteran executives and investors from the Uber-Lyft wars are drawn to the space. They believe they have seen this exact movie play out before. LITCHFIELD Sarah and Chad Melisky have always had a passion for Amish furniture and now they have satisfied their dream of turning that passion into a reality a shop where they can share their enthusiasm with the public. I was born and raised in Waterbury and Sarah is from Maine. We met in school and our interest in Amish furniture started when we bought our first house and started furnishing it, Chad said. We have a friend who introduced us to Amish design and we admired the way it was made, the process involved, and the lifestyle of the people who make it. Both Meliskys are in the medical arena, he as a nurse and she as an interventional radiologist. For the time being they will continue to work in that field, but they are both excited about presenting products made by the Amish craftsmen. The term Amish is used generally to describe several types of furniture, all with similar traits: Shaker, Colonial, French Country, Queen Anne, Mission, and Windsor. The pieces are made by Amish followers from Pennsylvania, Indiana, and Ohio. They share some of the same distinctions: the furniture is made completely out of wood with no particleboard, laminates, or filler. The woods used include northern red oak, quarter-sawn white oak, cherry, maple, beech, elm, mahogany, walnut, hickory, cedar, and pine. The Mission and Shaker styles have straight lines and are considered to be clean and modern in design and offer functionality and durability. While the Meliskys have not had a retail shop before, they have done local fairs in Bethlehem, Goshen and Harwinton. We knew that we wanted to be in Litchfield County, Chad said. We visited various vendors we had met and approached with the possibility of working with us and they all said yes. So we have a variety of fine furniture makers from Lancaster County, Pennsylvania. Country Primitives occupies the space on West Street that was once R. Derwin Womens Shop and the interior has been altered to accommodate its new tenant. It was a fairly narrow space, Chad said. an full of cabinetry and shelving for all the clothing. We took out the railing at the window and had an Amish ironworker create a new one. The floors have been redone and the entire place has been repainted. We applied tin roofing material to some of the walls to give it some individuality. We also have the space directly above the first floor that will follow the same idea. We will have the larger pieces of furniture displayed as you walk in. The Amish are noted for their handcrafted dining tables. We are working with some of our vendors to supply special finishes and colors. In addition to stock, we will also produce custom pieces. Our main intent is to present to the public the best of Amish furniture, from dining sets to bedroom suites, cupboards, shelving, side tables and chairs. In addition to the Amish furniture in various finishes and colors, the Meliskys will offer other items as well. There will be a collection of candles and room sprays, stars and decorative berries in different colors and sizes, a variety of wall signs, a selection of clay pots from Farmhouse Pottery in Vermont, lamps and chandeliers, wall cabinets, shelves, coat hooks, and candle holders. Country Primitives will also carry goat milk soaps and lotions from Guardians Farms in Naugatuck, and will have gift cards for undecided shoppers. Our goal is to offer beautifully made furniture and decor for anyone who is decorating or redoing their home. We will also be able to tell the buyer something about the piece and where it came from. We are looking forward to being part of the Litchfield community and to share our love of all that the Amish produce. Country Primitives is located at 43 West Street, Litchfield and officially opened on June 2. For more information and hours, call 860-361-9355 or visit www. mycountryprimitives.com. FALLS VILLAGE Six students from Housatonic Valley Regional High School attained national recognition for excellent performance on the National French Contest, according to a press release from French teacher Christiane Morel Olson. Le Grand Concours is a national competition sponsored by the American Association of Teachers of French. Students were evaluated for their written, oral and listening comprehension skills in French. More than 74,000 students in all 50 states competed in the 2018 event. Amnesty International has warned that Iranian authorities are about to execute a man convicted of killing three police officers during clashes involving members of a Sufi order. The British-based rights group said in a statement on June 17 that relatives of Mohammad Reza Salas had been summoned to the prison where he is being held for a final visit. Amnesty said this suggests he could be executed within hours. During clashes in Tehran in February, Salas rammed a bus into a group of police officers during battles between security forces and followers of the Sufi Gonabadi order, known as dervishes. The dervishes were protesting the arrest of members of the sect, as well as rumors that their 90-year-old leader would soon be detained by police, despite assurances by the authorities that they had no such intention. During court hearings in March, Salas said repeatedly that he did not kill the police officers intentionally, according to local media. Two members of the paramilitary Basij force were also killed in the skirmishes, authorities said. Some 300 dervishes were reportedly arrested following the violence. Sufism, a mystical branch of Islam, is not illegal in Iran, but rights groups accuse the Iranian government of harassment and discrimination against their followers, including the Gonabadis, one of the largest Sufi sects. Officials said a suicide bomber attacked a crowd leaving a governor's compound in eastern Afghanistan, killing at least 18 people in the second such bombing in two days. The June 17 bombing in the city of Jalalabad came as Afghans celebrated a three-day cease-fire marking the Eid al-Fitr holiday that ends the Muslim holy month of Ramadan. Attaullah Khogyani, spokesperson for the provincial governor, told RFE/RL that 49 people were also wounded. No one claimed responsibility for the attack, though suspicion fell on Islamic State militants, who were not included in the cease-fire between Taliban fighters and Afghan security forces. Islamic State extremists claimed responsibility for a similar attack on June 16 in the Nangarhar region, in which at least 36 people were killed and 65 others wounded at a gathering of Taliban and government armed forces. Nangarhar Province is the main base of IS militants in Afghanistan. The group has clashed with the Taliban in the past. The suicide bomber in Jalalabad blew himself up at around the time President Ashraf Ghani announced an extension of the cease-fire with the Taliban and urged the militant group to extend its truce beyond June 20. Ghani's office on June 17 said the truce would be extended by another 10 days. In a televised address, Ghani said he was prepared to discuss Taliban demands, including the status of foreign forces in the future. "I order the security forces to remain on their defensive positions," Ghani said, adding that details of the extension would be released later. A spokesman for the Afghan Taliban, however, said on June 17 that it has no intention to extend its truce. Zabihullah Mujahid also said the group banned its fighters from attending public gatherings, going into cities, and meeting with the Afghan public, as well as officials and security forces, during the cease-fire. In a statement, U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said Washington was ready to work with the Afghan government, the Taliban, and all the people of Afghanistan to reach a peace agreement and political settlement. "The United States is prepared to support, facilitate, and participate in these discussions," Pompeo said in a statement. The United Nations' mission in Afghanistan said it welcomed Ghani's announcement on extending the truce beyond Eid. Earlier on June 16, dozens of unarmed Taliban entered the Afghan capital to celebrate Eid. Videos and photos posted on news sites and social media showed soldiers and Taliban greeting and hugging each other and taking selfies in several provinces. Reuters reported that Afghan Interior Minister Wais Ahmad Barmak met Taliban fighters in the capital on June 15. Despite more aggressive military operations against the Taliban under a new approach adopted by U.S. President Donald Trump last year, the Taliban still holds large swaths of the country. With reporting by AP, Reuters, dpa, and AFP An award-winning teacher in St. Petersburg is facing a test of his own after doing what he thought was a favor to his fellow educators and principled students across Russia. Math teacher Dmitry Gushchin uncovered evidence that questions to a key section of this year's national high-school graduation exam had been published in advance on the Internet. In response, the Russian state agency charged with administering the Unified State Examination (YeGE) said on June 6 that it will sue Gushchin. "We are preparing the necessary lawsuit so that in the future no one would disgracefully make such unconfirmed statements at the moment of the most important event in the life of every school student," said Sergei Kravtsov, director of the Federal Monitoring Service for Education and Science, known as Rosobrnadzor. Gushchin, who was Russia's Teacher of the Year in 2007, argues that the incident and the government's response point to a major systemic problem with far-ranging consequences. Such a failure would mark the latest blow to the foundations of academic integrity in Russia under President Vladimir Putin, who has been accused of cheating on his own dissertation in the 1990s and was a driving force behind the idea of the new, standardized national test. I'm not going to argue about the meaning of the word 'leak.' I'm just saying that before the exam a list of 30 questions appeared that, to a significant extent, matched what was on the exam." "The main problem is not that a certain number of students cheated on the examination," Gushchin told RFE/RL, acknowledging that it's "a huge personal tragedy for the children and their parents and teachers" when "unscrupulous students" beat out honest, hard-working applicants for university spots. "But we face an even greater problem with the overall attitude of students who are still in school. The leaks give them a completely incorrect focus." Gushchin emphasized his point in a post on the VK social-media site: "Either society is set up so that you have to study in school and so that smart and honest people get into institutes, or it is set up so that success means buying stolen questions on the Internet a week before the examination." Do The Right Thing? On May 31, Gushchin posted on VK that he had been informed that questions from the second, most heavily weighted, section of the YeGE mathematics examination had appeared on the Internet. He said that such information appears almost every year and each year it turns out to be false. Crucially, he also posted some of what he was seeing online the day before the test as evidence that it was available in advance. On June 2, the day after the mathematics exam, more than 400 people commented on a separate Gushchin post on VK. They confirmed that some or all of the leaked questions had appeared on their test, although some in slightly altered forms. Each year, the test varies from time zone to time zone to prevent the students who take it first from informing their colleagues to the west. "I think it is really important that Rosobrnadzor, instead of issuing daily statements denying these materials reached any students, should be seriously thinking about how the questions for various time zones could end up in a single list and how it ended up on the Internet," Gushchin told RFE/RL. The leak allowed some people to prepare ahead of time. And when it comes to admission to medical school, a few points can be decisive." All of the students from several Russian regions contacted by RFE/RL confirmed that at least some of the questions on their examination were on the list that Gushchin published. (All of them asked that their names be changed to avoid repercussions.) Dmitry, a student in the Far Eastern city of Komsomolsk-on-Amur, said several of the questions on his exam broadly matched the leaked questions, although some of the precise numbers were different. He said that in his preparation for the exam, he worked through at least 50 of the sample questions that are on the YeGE website. "But nonetheless, there were several questions on the test that I'd never seen before," he added. "It turns out that a person who studied for six months for the exam could be less prepared than someone who saw [Gushchin's list] the day before he sat for it." Sergei, from Vladivostok, said five of the questions from his exam matched the leaked paper. He said several contained subtle tricks that would be much easier to handle if the questions were known in advance. There have been other reports of leaks from the chemistry portion of the YeGE. Those questions and the solutions were reportedly posted on Telegram and VK ahead of the test. Karina, a student from St. Petersburg, said she heard about the leak after she took the exam and, when she checked it out, the questions matched her exam exactly. There was one question, she noted, about electrolysis that she had never seen before in any of the preparation materials or old exams. However, it appeared in the leaked material exactly as it was on her test. "Chemistry is a key subject for entry into medical schools," Karina said. "There is a lot of competition, and a lot of people who get in have maximum points. The leak allowed some people to prepare ahead of time. And when it comes to admission to medical school, a few points can be decisive." 'This Is Just Sophistry' Gushchin suggested the testing authorities were stuck in denial in a way that ignores the concerns of students like Karina in a hypercompetitive environment. "Rosobrnadzor says there was no leak because a leak means that the published material corresponds to the test 100 percent," Gushchin said. "They claim that all these questions are of a 'type' and variations appear in all sorts of preparatory programs. But this is just sophistry. I'm not going to argue about the meaning of the word 'leak.' I'm just saying that before the exam a list of 30 questions appeared that, to a significant extent, matched what was on the exam.... These problems were not in any open databases." The Russian government under Putin has been accused of undermining academic integrity in the past and of turning a blind eye to strong evidence of corruption. A group of U.S. academics in 2006 documented extensive plagiarism in Putin's own graduate dissertation. In addition, there have been credible claims that Putin's dissertation was written by the head of St. Petersburg's National Mineral Resources University, which conferred Putin's degree. When asked about the charges, Putin's spokesman, Dmitry Peskov, said: "There is nothing to comment on here." The nongovernmental organization Dissernet has documented dissertation plagiarism cases involving many Duma deputies, Russian government officials, and leading businesspeople. Based in part on Dissernet's work, more than 20 top members of the Russian Academy of Sciences signed a petition in October 2016 calling for Culture Minister Vladimir Medinsky to be stripped of his academic degree because his dissertation "stands outside the realm of scholarship." A few days later, Russia's Higher Attestation Commission dismissed the allegations and upheld Medinsky's degree. Written by RFE/RL senior correspondent Robert Coalson based on reporting by RFE/RL Russian Service correspondent Alina Pinchuk Hollywood actress and activist Angelina Jolie has visited the northern Iraqi city of Mosul and urged the international community not to forget the residents now that actual fighting has ended. This is the worst devastation I have seen in all my years working with UNHCR, said Jolie, who has served as a special envoy for the UN refugee agency since 2001. People here have lost everything. Their homes are destroyed. They are destitute, she added, speaking in front of the Al-Nuri Mosque on the second day of Eid al-Fitr -- a holiday marking the end of the Muslim holy month of Ramadan. I call on the international community not to forget Mosul, and not to turn their attention away from its people. We have learned in Iraq before and elsewhere in the region the dangers of leaving a void, the American actress said. Jolie met with displaced families and walked among bombed-out buildings that line the streets of the crowded Old City. Many of the estimated 900,000 residents who fled during fighting have attempted to reestablish their lives in the ruins of the city. The UNHCR said many of the residents suffered nearly unprecedented levels of psychological trauma from the air strikes, artillery barrages, snipers, and cross fire during the battles and continue to suffer to this day. The visit was Jolies fifth to Iraq and her 61st mission for the UNHCR, the agency said. Gay-rights activists marched through the center of Ukraine's capital, Kyiv, for an annual pride rally, amid increased police presence. The June 17 March of Equality took place without serious incident, but police said they detained 56 members of radical groups who tried to disrupt the event. Police said several thousand people attend the march, which started near Taras Shevchenko Park and lasted more than one hour. KYIV -- Thousands of activists have marched in Ukraine's capital, marking an annual celebration of gay and lesbian rights that has been marred by violence in the past. The June 17 March of Equality in Kyiv, which took place amid an increased police presence, was one of the largest such events staged in Ukraine in years. Clashes broke out early in the morning when riot police dispersed more than 150 far-right protesters seeking to block off the route of the march, police said in a statement. But no serious incidents occurred during the march, and Kyiv police chief Andriy Krischenko said 57 members of radical groups were detained. Police said about 3,5000 people attended the march, which started near Taras Shevchenko Park and lasted less than one hour. Organizers said there were at least 5,000 participants. Roads were closed for cars in the city center, and 5,000 police and soldiers from the National Guard were deployed to protect the marchers. During the early morning clash, the ultranationalist group C14 said police officers surrounded its protesters attacking them with batons and tear gas. Police said they detained more protesters in an altercation near the Opera House. The organizers of the march, who received threats from far-right groups, had advised the participants not to hold posters, banners, or symbols of the LGBT (lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender) community until they arrived at the event area. We want to feel free in our country, said Tymur Levchuk of Kyiv Pride, a nine-day series of events in Kyiv, including conferences, movie screenings, and artistic performances that ended with the march. Kyiv is a city where there should be no discrimination, violence, or alienation, he said. This is a city where everyone can be themselves. Kyiv held its first major pride march in 2016 after a pro-Western government that came to power in 2014 sanctioned such events. In 2015, the march was called off when right-wing activists pelted participants with smoke grenades. At last year's march, thousands also participated, but a counterdemonstration by a few hundred ultranationalists degenerated into scuffles with police. With reporting by Reuters, Interfax, and the Kyiv Post The latest Majlis podcast looks at recent reports on Tajikistan by the Organized Crime and Corruption Reporting Project (OCCRP). On June 5, the OCCRP released four reports that dealt with how Tajik President Emomali Rahmons government has been able to neutralize political opposition inside Tajikistan, and how members of Rahmons family have been able to gain control over businesses in the country. More than 20 people took part in researching these detailed reports, and some of the leading authorities on events in Tajikistan were consulted. RFE/RL's media-relations manager, Muhammad Tahir, moderates a discussion on the findings of the reports. From Sarajevo, two people from the OCCRP who were involved in preparing the reports, Miranda Patrucic, Central Asia regional editor, and Ilya Lozovsky, managing editor, joined the talk. And I had a few things to say on this topic, too, of course. Listen to the podcast above or subscribe to the Majlis on iTunes. SKOPJE, Macedonia -- Hundreds of protesters took to the streets of the Macedonian capital, Skopje, after the foreign minister signed a landmark agreement with Greece over the countrys name, suggesting a long road ahead before the 27-year dispute is finally settled. The protests erupted on June 17 as the foreign ministers of Macedonia and Greece signed the agreement that would modify the name of the former Yugoslav republic to the Republic of North Macedonia. The agreement, signed at Lake Prespa along the border separating the countries, could pave the way for Macedonia to seek membership in the European Union and NATO. But nationalists in both Macedonia and Greece have bitterly opposed the change. The two countries' parliaments must still ratify the deal, and Macedonias president has split with his prime minister and says he will veto the deal if it is ratified by parliament. Late on June 17, police fired flash grenades and tear gas near Macedonias National Assembly building in Skopje after reports of protesters pushing through barriers and attacking officers. A1 TV reported that some of the demonstrators threw rocks and bottles at police attempting to secure the parliament building. The crowd chanted "Macedonia: We won't give up the name" and sang patriotic songs. Earlier on June 17, some 5,000 people had rallied in southwestern Macedonia in an event organized by the opposition nationalist VMRO-DPMNE party, which has vehemently opposed the name change. The two countries prime ministers -- Zoran Zaev of Macedonia and Greeces Alexis Tsipras -- attended the signing ceremony in the Greek fishing village of Psarades, along with United Nations and European officials. "Our peoples want peace...We will be partners and allies," Zaev said Tsipras, who survived a no-confidence vote by Greek opponents of the deal, described the agreement as a "brave, historic, and necessary step for our peoples." "We are here to heal the wounds of time, to open a path for peace, fraternization, and growth for our countries, the Balkans, and Europe," he added. The AFP news agency reported that Greek riot police blocked a few hundred protesters several kilometers away from the ceremony. Macedonian government officials have said that, with the deal in hand, they hope to secure a date to begin EU accession talks at a summit later this month and an invitation to join NATO by mid-July. The name dispute between Skopje and Athens dates back to 1991, when Macedonia peacefully broke away from Yugoslavia, declaring its independence under the name Republic of Macedonia. Greece had objected to the name Macedonia, fearing territorial claims on its eponymous northern region. Because of Greek objections, Macedonia was admitted to the UN under a provisional name, the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia. Greece, an EU and NATO member, has also cited the dispute to veto Macedonia's bid to join the two organizations. The Macedonian parliament is scheduled to start debating the agreement the upcoming week. According to some polls, about 45 percent of Macedonians would sacrifice NATO and EU membership to keep the Macedonia name, while nine out of 10 ethnic Albanians -- who make up more than one-quarter of the country's 2.1 million population -- would not. With reporting by Reuters, AFP, dpa, and AP Private boat goes up in flames in Cancun waters Cancun, Q.R. A short circuit is being blamed for a fire that broke out on a small private vessel in Cancun waters Saturday. The captain and two Argentinian passengers were forced to jump ship Saturday as the boat, Tango, became completely engulfed in flames. Photo: PGR/Cancun Fire Department The fire happened Saturday afternoon at the Embarcadero near the Calinda Bridge at Playa Linda in the Cancun Hotel Zone. Firefighters and nearby tourist police attended to the fire and its small crew. The boats captain, 30-year-old Jose Manuel Munoz Herrera, was taken to Amerimed hospital to be treated. Both his passengers were able to jump into the water and swim to shore. There was no report of injuries to either man. ATMs to soon reach far-flung tribal areas The tribal people, who are generally on the margins of the financial system, will soon have easy access to ATM services in Gujarat. Around 40 locations have been identified in Gujarat's tribal belt where ATMs (automated teller machines) will be installed by banks in the coming months, state tribal development department secretary Ramesh Chand Meena told PTI. "Our aim is to provide the basic banking facilities to those living in some of the most remote pockets of the tribal-dominated districts, where ATMs are not available. The survey found that one ATM can serve a population living around 20 km Advertisement A large population is these areas are forced to travel a great distance to deposit or withdraw cash," he said. The state government has signed memorandums of understanding (MoU) with leading banks to set up ATMs at 40 locations in remote places of the tribal belt, which stretches from Tapi district in south Gujarat to Sabarkantha district in the north, Meena said. "We conducted a survey and found that one ATM can serve a population living in its vicinity of around 20 km. This way, these 40 ATMs would cover a large population. The ATMs will solve their problem of getting instant cash and also allow them to deposit cash," he said. These ATMs, he said, will be located near 'haats', the traditional marketplaces thronged by tribals frequently. Since wages under the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MNREGA) and other subsidies are deposited directly in bank accounts by the government, the tribals will soon be able to withdraw it directly through ATMs without visiting banks, the official said. Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act Advertisement One of the key features of this financial inclusion initiative is the overdraft facility of Rs 2,000, wherein the tribal account holders can withdraw that much cash more than the actual deposits in their account, he said. For this Rs 10 crore project, the state and the Centre have allocated Rs 5 crore each, he said, adding that tribals in the remote pockets were recently imparted training by banks on how to operate ATMs. "As per our agreements with banks, the state government will bear 50 percent infrastructure cost of setting up the ATMs. The government will also support banks in maintaining these devices for five years," he said. The government will also provide space to open ATM centres at state-run schools or panchayat offices, thus saving banks from the hassles of finding locations in the remote pockets, Meena said. Some of the remote talukas and towns in Sabarkantha, Dahod, Chhota Udepur, Narmada, Tapi and Dang districts will be among the places covered under the project, he added. A suicide bomber blew himself up in a crowd of Afghan Taliban A suicide bomber blew himself up in a crowd of Afghan Taliban, security forces, and civilians celebrating an unprecedented ceasefire in the war-torn country, killing at least 20 people, officials said. The attack came as President Ashraf Ghani announced an extension of the government's week-long ceasefire with the militant group after both sides agreed to halt hostilities for Eid. There was no immediate claim of responsibility for the blast that also wounded at least 16 others marking the suspension of fighting in Rodat district of Nangarhar province, but an Afghan security source told AFP that the Islamic State group was to blame. "A suicide bomber detonated among people, security forces and Taliban who were celebrating the ceasefire," provincial governor spokesman Attaullah Khogyani told AFP. Advertisement President Ashraf Ghani He said at least 20 people had been killed and 16 others wounded. Provincial health director Najibullah Kamawal confirmed the death toll but said 25 wounded had been taken to the hospital. Ghani made his announcement in a rare televised address to the nation, in which he also asked the Taliban to extend their three-day ceasefire which is due to end tomorrow. "I order the security forces to remain on their defensive positions," Ghani said, adding details of the extension would be released later. The government's ceasefire, which was due to end on Tuesday, did not include the IS. On the first two days of Eid, Taliban fighters, Afghan security forces and civilians hugged and took selfies with each other across the country, in an outpouring of emotion over the ceasefire. In the contested district of Bati Kot in Nangarhar, Taliban fighters carrying assault weapons and rocket-propelled grenade launchers traveled by car and motorbike, waving Afghan and Taliban flags. Advertisement Afghan forces manning checkpoints offered Eid greetings to the fighters, embracing and posing for photos with the same people they are usually trying to kill -- a scene that would have been unthinkable only a few days ago. Villagers also flocked around the insurgents, hugging them and happily taking selfies with the heavily armed fighters as they celebrated the Muslim holiday capping the holy month of Ramadan. 20 people had been killed and 16 others wounded "I am here to offer greetings to our brothers in the police and army," Taliban commander Baba told AFP. "We have held the ceasefire well so far. Everyone is tired of war and if our leaders order us to continue the ceasefire, we will hold it forever." The Taliban announced a ceasefire for the first three days of Eid, which started yesterday, promising not to attack Afghan security forces for the first time since the 2001 US invasion. They said they would continue attacking US-led NATO troops. Advertisement That came after Ghani announced that police and troops would cease operations against the Taliban for eight days, starting last Tuesday -- though he warned that operations against other militants, including IS, would continue. Bati Kot is on the highway connecting the Nangarhar provincial capital of Jalalabad with Torkham, one of the major border crossings into Pakistan, which has long been accused of supporting the Taliban and providing safe haven to its leaders, charges it denies. Afghans shared photos on social media purportedly showing Taliban fighters around the country gathering with security forces and locals for the holiday. The bizarre images served as powerful propaganda for both sides and have fanned hopes among war-weary Afghans for the ceasefire to continue. "Look, they are brothers. If their leaders come, sit and talk just like their soldiers we will have peace tomorrow," Said Hasibullah posted on Facebook under a photo purportedly showing a Taliban fighter and Afghan soldier having a cup of tea together. US-led NATO troops Advertisement The Taliban had "exploited" the opportunity to show their popularity among ordinary Afghans, a Western diplomat in Kabul told AFP. "(That's) no bad thing if they are able to see the benefits of talking not fighting," he said. The unusual bonhomie between the two sides came as Ghani confirmed that Pakistani Taliban chief Maulana Fazlullah had been killed in a US drone strike. How you perceive someone who is multiracial matters. Historically, the answer to that question for someone who was black-white multiracial had repercussions for who that person could marry, what school he or she could attend and other forms of discrimination the individual might experience. Today, the United States is becoming increasingly multiracial, but social psychologists are just beginning to understand how multiracial individuals are perceived and categorized. A new study suggests that the so-called "minority bias" exerts a powerful influence -- important since one in five Americans is expected to identify as multiracial by 2050. University of Utah psychology professor Jacqueline M. Chen, lead author of the study published by the Journal of Experimental Social Psychology, that found observers were most likely to categorize someone who is black-white multiracial as non-white. The findings are the first to document minority bias as a guiding principle in multiracial categorization. "The question of how perceivers racially categorize multiracial individuals is important because it impacts other social perceptions, like stereotyping, and interactions," Chen said. "The bottom line is that we find people tend to see racially ambiguous, multiracial people as racial minorities." Previous studies have suggested that hypodescent -- a practice historically incorporated in law of assigning someone with part-black ancestry to the racial category black -- still plays a role in race perception. But in the new study, the researchers found that is not the only categorization rule at work. They found that when encountering someone whose racial background was unknown, observers exhibited a minority bias in placing a multiracial person in a different non-White racial category such as Latinx, Middle Eastern or South Asian. The study consisted of three different experiments in which participants used diverse methodologies to categorize facial portraits of individuals who were black, white or black-white multiracial. "Our findings show that the categorization processes applied to multiracial faces are much more complex than a straightforward application of the hypodescent rule," Chen said. "We have found that perceivers quickly categorize multiracial faces as non-white and apply a wide range of minority categories to these individuals." Chen said the study's findings have implications for phenomena such as stereotyping of and discrimination towards multiracial individuals; they also might explain how social expectations and interactions are shaped. "The ways in which perceivers negotiate the increased multiracialism in their social environments will have important implications for multiracial individuals' social experiences and for the maintenance or evolution of existing social hierarchies," Chen said. "The minority bias may lead perceivers to be less motivated to pay attention to, get to know, or remember multiracial individuals because they categorized them as members of stigmatized racial groups," she said. "These potential implications of our findings are important for understanding race relations in the U.S. and the multiracial experience in America." Co-authors of the study are Kristin Pauker of the University of Hawaii; Sarah E. Gaither of Duke University; David L. Hamilton of U.C. Santa Barbara; and Jeffrey W. Sherman of U.C. Davis. Stress in early childhood leads to faster maturation of certain brain regions during adolescence. In contrast, stress experienced later in life leads to slower maturation of the adolescent brain. This is the outcome of a long-term study conducted by researchers of Radboud University in which 37 subjects have been monitored for almost 20 years. The findings will be published in Scientific Reports on 15 June. In 1998, the group -- which then comprised 129 one-year-olds and their parents -- was tested for the first time. Over the past 20 years, researchers studied, inter alia, their play sessions and interactions with parents, friends and classmates. The children were also subjected to MRI scans. This wealth of data has enabled Karin Roelofs, Professor of Experimental Psychopathology, her PhD student Anna Tyborowska and other colleagues of Radboud University to investigate how stress in various life stages affected the adolescent brain of these children. More specifically, they looked at the effects on cerebral maturation. During adolescence, our brain experiences a natural pruning process in which previously made connections between brain cells are refined, allowing the creation of more useful and efficient networks. More pruning due to early life stress The researchers investigated two types of stressors -- negative life events and negative influences from the social environment -- in two life stages of their subjects: early childhood (0-5 years) and adolescence (14-17 years). They related these stress levels to the maturation of the prefrontal cortex, amygdala and hippocampus. These brain regions play an important role in functioning in social and emotional situations and are known to be sensitive to stress. Stress due to negative experiences during childhood , such as illness or divorce, appears to be related to faster maturation of the prefrontal cortex and amygdala in adolescence. However, stress resulting from a negative social environment during adolescence, such as low peer esteem at school, is connected to slower maturation of the brain area hippocampus and another part of the prefrontal cortex. 'Unfortunately, in this study we can't say with certainty that stress causes these effects. However, based on animal studies we can hypothesize that these mechanisms are indeed causal,' Anna Tyborowska says. Loss of flexibility 'The fact that early childhood stress accelerates the maturation process during adolescence is consistent with theories of evolutionary biology,' says Tyborowska. 'From an evolutionary perspective, it is useful to mature faster if you grow up in a stressful environment. However, it also prevents the brain from adjusting to the current environment in a flexible way. In other words, the brain become "mature" too soon.' The researchers were surprised to find, however, that social stress later in life seems to lead to slower maturation during adolescence. Tyborowska: 'What makes this interesting is that a stronger effect of stress on the brain also increases the risk of developing antisocial personality traits'. Tyborowska is now conducting the eleventh round of measurements, with the subjects now being in their twenties. 'Now that we know that stress affects the maturation of brain regions that also play a role in the control of emotions, we can investigate how this development continues later in life'. Longitudinal study from Nijmegen The Nijmeegse Longitudinale Studie (Nijmegen Longitudinal Study) was initiated in 1998. This study aims to investigate how the development and functioning of children at various ages is influenced by their interactions with parents and peers and how this relates to their disposition and personality. Several research groups have access to the data collected from the subjects (at present about 100). Other research topics include mother-child relationships, bullying and risk behaviour. This long-term study is one of the few worldwide in which so many measurements are taken over such a long period. With vector-borne diseases posing an increasing public health threat to communities in South Florida and elsewhere, a new study led by public health researchers at the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine has revealed that ornamental bromeliad plants contribute to breeding of the Aedes aegypti mosquito -- a key culprit for the Zika outbreak that hit Miami-Dade County and other areas of Florida and the Americas in 2016. In addition to Zika, bites from the Aedes aegypti mosquito can cause dengue, yellow fever and chikungunya. Zika has been linked to microcephaly and other birth defects in unborn babies when pregnant women contract the disease. The family of diseases linked to the Aedes aegypti can cause other severe symptoms, and yellow fever can be fatal. The study, published in the journal Parasites & Vectors, showed that water retained in the bromeliads' leaf axils becomes breeding sites for mosquitoes. The study titled "Ornamental bromeliads of Miami-Dade County, Florida Are Important Breeding Sites for Aedes aegypti," also showed that the Aedes aegypti was the most dominant species of mosquito in the study's test sites. "In South Florida, there were older reports that bromeliads contributed to mosquito breeding, but supporting evidence was minimal," said the study's lead author John Beier, Sc.D., a Miller School entomologist, professor of public health sciences and director of the Division of Environmental and Public Health. A variety of bromeliads are common throughout South Florida and are a popular choice for landscaping projects since they do not require much care. Beier urged against destroying the plants but said the new knowledge on the plant's role in mosquito breeding will help tailor mosquito control efforts. "People should be aware that bromeliads are producing mosquitos so that they can treat the plants," he said. advertisement In collaboration with Miami-Dade County Mosquito Control, the researchers surveyed ornamental bromeliads for the presence of immature mosquitoes at 51 locations across 11 neighborhoods in Miami-Dade, including three neighborhoods (South Beach, Little River and Wynwood) where the Zika virus was reportedly transmitted. The plants were surveyed during the summer of 2017. Researchers drained the reservoirs of the plants and screened the water for larvae. The plants yielded a total of 765 immature mosquitoes from five species: Aedes aegypti, Wyeomyia mitchellii, Wyeomyia vanduzeei, Culex quinquefasciatus and Culex biscaynensis. "Aedes aegypti was the most abundantly collected species, as well as the most present, contrasting with previous studies, which do not consider bromeliads as important potential breeding sites for Aedes aegypti, including for South Florida," said study co-author Andre Barretto Bruno Wilke, Ph.D. a post doctoral research associate with the Miller School's Department of Public Health Sciences. Beier added that the dominant presence of the Aedes aegypti mosquito was unexpected since the mosquito did not have as great a presence in bromeliads in prior years. As more diseases caused by the Aedes aegypti mosquito emerge, Beier said that more research and operational control should be focused on the highly-adaptive mosquito. "The larger problem is with the Aedes aegypti, not the disease," he said. The Miami-Dade County Mosquito Control and Habitat Management has greatly intensified vector-mosquito suppression efforts since the Zika outbreak in 2016. UM has been a major partner in research, including mosquito mapping, surveillance and trapping. The collaboration is supported by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Similar to the sudden Zika outbreak in 2016, researchers said vector-borne diseases are spreading to new areas due to urbanization, human movement and global warming. "Changes in the environment made by humans have a substantial impact on the ecology of mosquitoes, mainly due to a decrease in the number of species and an increase in the abundance of Aedes aegypti," said Barretto Buno Wilke. "As a result, Aedes agypti becomes more present and can be found in greater numbers." A volcano in Ecuador with a deep cylindrical crater might be the largest musical instrument on Earth, producing unique sounds scientists could use to monitor its activity. New infrasound recordings of Cotopaxi volcano in central Ecuador show that after a sequence of eruptions in 2015, the volcano's crater changed shape. The deep narrow crater forced air to reverberate against the crater walls when the volcano rumbled. This created sound waves like those made by a pipe organ, where pressurized air is forced through metal pipes. "It's the largest organ pipe you've ever come across," said Jeff Johnson, a volcanologist at Boise State University in Idaho and lead author of a new study detailing the findings in Geophysical Research Letters, a journal of the American Geophysical Union. Listen to Cotopaxi's unique organ pipe sounds here. The new findings show the geometry of a volcano's crater has a major impact on the sounds a volcano can produce. Understanding each volcano's unique "voiceprint" can help scientists better monitor these natural hazards and alert scientists to changes going on inside the volcano that could signal an impending eruption, according to the study authors. "Understanding how each volcano speaks is vital to understanding what's going on," Johnson said. "Once you realize how a volcano sounds, if there are changes to that sound, that leads us to think there are changes going on in the crater, and that causes us to pay attention." The ongoing eruption of Kilauea in Hawaii could be a proving ground for studying how changes to a crater's shape influence the sounds it makes, according to Johnson. advertisement The lava lake at Kilauea's summit drained as the magma supplying it flowed downward, which should change the tones of the infrasounds emitted by the crater. Listening to Kilauea's infrasound could help scientists monitor the magma depth from afar and forecast its potential eruptive hazards, according to David Fee, a volcanologist at the University of Alaska Fairbanks who was not connected to the new study. When magma levels at Kilauea's summit drop, the magma can heat groundwater and cause explosive eruptions, which is believed to have happened at Kilauea over the past several weeks. This can change the infrasound emitted by the volcano. "It's really important for scientists to know how deep crater is, if the magma level is at the same depth and if it's interacting with the water table, which can create a significant hazard," Fee said. Detecting a new kind of sound Cotopaxi was dormant for most of the 20th century, but it erupted several times in August of 2015. The eruptions spewed ash and gas into the air, endangering the more than 300,000 people who live near the volcano. A massive eruption could melt Cotopaxi's immense snowcap, which would trigger massive floods and mudflows that could reach nearby cities and towns. advertisement The 2015 eruptions were relatively minor but triggered an explosion that caused the crater floor to drop out of sight. That was when Ecuadorian researchers monitoring the volcano noticed weird sounds coming from the crater. The frequency of the sound waves was too low for humans to hear, but they were recorded by the scientists' instruments. The researchers dubbed the sounds tornillos, the Spanish word for screws, because the sound waves looked like screw threads. They oscillated back and forth for about 90 seconds, getting smaller each time, before fading into the background. Johnson likens it to the "old Western bar door" that once opened, swings back and forth several times before coming to rest. But because of the crater's size -- it's more than 100 meters (300 feet) wide and about 300 meters (1,000 feet) deep -- it takes five seconds for the sound waves to go through one full oscillation. "It's like opening a bar door that goes back and forth for a minute and a half," Johnson said. "It's a beautiful signal and amazing that the natural world is able to produce this type of oscillation." Pipe organ players create sounds with similar characteristics by using a keyboard to force air through pipes of differing lengths. This is the first time volcanologists have recorded sounds of such low frequency and with this dramatic reverberation coming from a volcano, according to Johnson. The crater produced tornillo sounds about once a day for the first half of 2016, before they stopped. Johnson and his colleagues are unsure exactly what caused the sounds, but they know it had something to do with the volcano's activity and not just wind blowing across the top of the crater. Each tornillo was associated with gas coming out of the vent, Johnson said. The researchers suspect one of two things could have excited the volcano into producing the tornillos. Part of the crater floor could have been collapsing, as can happen when magma moves under a volcano, or an explosion was taking place at the bottom of the crater. Explosions are common in open-vent craters like Cotopaxi, where gas accumulates until it reaches a pressure high enough to explode. Giving personal genomic information to individuals can have a major, long-term effect on their lifestyle, researchers have found. The Finnish GeneRISK study, providing information on the risk of cardiovascular disease (CVD) based on their genome and traditional risk factors to 7,328 people inspired changes for the better in areas such as weight loss and smoking cessation. Nearly 90% of them said the information had made them take better care of their health, the annual conference of the European Society of Human Genetics will hear today (Saturday). Although there is plenty of evidence that genomic factors have an important impact on the risk of common diseases, to date there has been little use of this information in prevention. Elisabeth Widen, MD, a senior scientist at the Institute for Molecular Medicine, University of Helsinki, Finland, and colleagues have developed a web-based tool that allows patients and doctors to see and manage genomic information based on 49,000 disease-associated genetic variants and lifestyle-associated risk factors. " Delivering the results of the tool KardioKompassi directly to patients, they were able to see their 10-year risk for ischemic heart disease. The tool combines risk information based on traditional risk factors such as age, sex, cholesterol levels and blood pressure with a polygenic risk score. Where a patient's overall disease risk was elevated, KardioKompassi advised the participant to contact their doctor in order to discuss how best to reduce it, " Dr Widen will say. When reassessed eighteen months later, the results were impressive. Compared with a 4% smoking cessation rate in the general population, 17% of smokers in the study had given up, and sustained weight loss had been achieved by 13.7% of participants. Overall, risk-reducing behaviour such as weight loss, giving up smoking, or visiting a doctor was 32.4% in those with a predicted CVD risk of more than 10% and 18.4% in those at lower risk. " As many as 40% of participants with a high risk of CVD were smokers at the start of the study, so these results are encouraging. We believe that giving information on their genetic profile to individuals is particularly motivating, perhaps simply because it is new information. For example, many of the participants already knew that they had high levels of cholesterol. But it was receiving information on their personal genetic risk that triggered changes, " Dr Widen says. GeneRISK participants will be recalled for follow-up studies over the next 20 years and their health status will be closely followed. The researchers believe that those who have already made lifestyle changes are likely to continue them. " Since they have managed to maintain these changes for 1.5 years, we expect them to persist, " says Dr Widen. The general trend towards patient participation is particularly important in disease prevention, say the researchers. Empowering individuals by giving information on their personal risk of disease, as opposed to something more generalised, is clearly effective in encouraging them to follow healthier lifestyles. " Our results show that this approach to managing and interpreting genomic data for individuals is feasible and effective. We think that our study provides a model for the use of such data in healthcare that can be easily adapted to other diseases, where we believe that it is likely to be equally valuable, " Dr Widen will conclude. Chair of the ESHG conference, Professor Joris Veltman, Director of the Institute of Genetic Medicine at Newcastle University, Newcastle, United Kingdom, said: "It is impressive to see how genomic information can be used successfully to promote a healthier lifestyle in people at higher risk of developing heart disease. Clearly in the population there will also be many people with a relatively lower genetic risk of developing common diseases, and I do wonder what would happen if these people are informed about this; would they start showing an unhealthier lifestyle? This field of predictive genomic medicine is only just emerging, with lots of opportunities for further research." While a many Danes question whether genetically modified foods are unnatural, this concern is much less apparent among politicians, according to Professor Jesper Lassen at the University of Copenhagen's Department of Food and Resource Economics. Lassen has investigated Danish attitudes about genetically modified foods since the early 90's. His most recent research has demonstrated that there is little or no correlation between the general public's reservations about genetically modified foods and what Danish politicians bring up for parliamentary debate. "That people do not like genetically engineered foods is etched in stone. And, one of the main arguments is that they are perceived as unnatural. However, the question of perceived naturalness is never raised in Danish parliamentary debate. Politicians should never resort to populism and placate voters. They should take the public seriously and consider their arguments," he says. His study looks at parliamentary debate about EU legislation that addresses genetic engineering, and compares this with studies of public perceptions of genetically modified foods. "There is an obvious disconnect between public concerns and how politicians debate genetically modified foods. There are numerous indications that elected officials live in a political bubble, where certain types of risk v. benefit arguments are important, while arguments about naturalness, for example, which are of important for the population, are never advanced," says Jesper Lassen. Danes care about ethics Jesper Lassen elaborates that there is skepticism among Danes and other Europeans about genetically modified foods with regards to whether they are ethically and morally sound. "While questions of risks and benefits are important for people, so are the moral and ethical dimensions. In relation to genetically modified foods, for example, the concern is whether something is unnatural in such a way that it transcends species barriers or creates new types of organisms. These concerns overshadow all other reservations and serve as a moral veto," he says. In his analysis of the political debates, Jesper Lassen concluded that politicians are far more focused on the benefits and risks of genetically modified foods. "For example, politicians discuss genetic engineering technology as a source of more robust crops, and whether the cultivation of genetically modified crops affects organic agriculture, or potential long-term environmental risks. In doing so, they ignore the ethical issues, which is what people care about most," emphasizes Jesper Lassen. Primates are fascinating. They are intelligent, live in complex societies and are a vital part of the ecosystem. Lemurs, lorises, galagos, tarsiers, monkeys and apes are our closest biological relatives and just like them, humans are also primates. However, while the human population spread to all corners of the earth, many of our closest relatives are under serious threat. An international team of leading primate researchers, including Christian Roos of the German Primate Center (DPZ) -- Leibniz Institute for Primate Research, has analyzed and evaluated the situation of many endangered non-human primate species in Brazil, Madagascar, Indonesia and the Democratic Republic of the Congo in a review article published today. In their study, the researchers investigated the influence of human activities on wild primate populations. The destruction of natural forests and their conversion into agricultural land, threatens many species who thereby lose their habitat. However, hunting and the bushmeat trade also lead to a massive and rapid decline of many populations. A simulation of agricultural land expansion by the end of the century showed a decline of up to 78 percent in the distribution areas of many primate species. In their study, the scientists ask for immediate measures to protect the endangered primate species and supply recommendations for the long-term conservation of primates and to avert primate extinction (Peer Journal 2018). Primates live in tropical and subtropical areas and are mainly found in regions of Africa, South America, Madagascar and Asia. The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) currently lists 439 species. 65 percent (286) of these are located in the four countries Brazil, Indonesia, Madagascar and the Democratic Republic of Congo. Around 60 percent of them are threatened by extinction. Particularly dire is the situation in Indonesia and Madagascar, where 90 percent of primate population declined and more than three-quarters of species are endangered. In a comprehensive literature review, the authors of the study analyzed the major threat factors for primates in four countries. In Brazil, Madagascar and Indonesia the increasing destruction of their habitats is a stressor for the animals. In the Democratic Republic of the Congo, the bushmeat trade is the biggest threat. In addition, primates are sold illegally as pets or used in traditional medicine. Poverty, the lack of education, food insecurity, political instability and corruption further encourage the depletion of natural resources in the countries concerned and make it more difficult to protect the animals. "The destruction of the natural environment through deforestation, the expansion of agricultural land and infrastructure development to transport goods has become a major problem," says Christian Roos, a scientist in the Primate Genetics Laboratory at the DPZ and co-author of the study. "The main contributors of this development are the industrial nations. There is a high demand for raw materials such as soy, palm oil, rubber, hardwood or fossil fuel. The four primate-rich countries cover 50 percent of these export goods to China, India, the US and Europe." The scientists combined data from the United Nations and World Bank databases to simulate the estimated spread of agricultural land in the four countries until the turn of the century. Assuming a worst-case scenario, the researchers were able to predict a decline in the geographical range of the primate populations. Accordingly, by the year 2100 78 percent of the primate habitats in Brazil, 72 percent in Indonesia, 62 percent in Madagascar and 32 percent in the Congo could have disappeared. At the same time, the authors investigated the size and distribution of protected areas. Their estimates show that Brazil and Madagascar have around 38 percent, Indonesia 17 percent, and The Democratic Republic of Congo 14 percent of primate habitats in protected areas. The majority of the distribution areas are without protection status and primates are therefore under threat. The authors call for the extension of protected areas, the reforestation of forests and the planting of corridors as important measures to preserve primate populations. In addition, the local population must be made aware of the precarious situation. Governments, scientists, conservation organizations and economists need to work together to promote sustainable, organic farming while preserving traditional lifestyles. In addition, the governments of the countries concerned should work harder to combat illegal hunting, forest destruction and primate trade. "Primates are like canaries in a coal mine," says Christian Roos. "They are invaluable for tropical biodiversity as they are vital for the regeneration of forests and stable ecosystems. Their extinction will serve as an alarm bell for humans and an indication that these habitats will become unusable in the long run." London Breeds historic ascent to the mayors office has sent currents of optimism and hope rippling through San Franciscos African American community. After decades of political disenfranchisement and displacement years that have seen the African American population in San Francisco shrink to 5.4 percent of the citys total Breeds rise from public-housing poverty to become the first black woman elected mayor is a beacon of inspiration for many people of color. It actually makes me feel like I could do anything, said Jasmin Corley, 18, who had a front-row seat as Breed delivered her victory speech last week at Rosa Parks Elementary, the school the 43-year-old mayor-elect attended. When you have someone from your own community and your city be the mayor, you believe theres hope for you, said Lisa Williams, who grew up in Breeds old neighborhood and watched her change from a boisterous kid into a community leader. My family started off no different than London in public housing, Williams said. No matter whats going on in the world, when you see someone like London become the mayor, it makes you feel like you can also be the mayor. And not just the mayor anything you that you want to be. Elation over Breeds victory is particularly palpable in the Western Addition, where Breed was born and raised. A chick from the hood got elected mayor. That means anything is possible, said Fillmore neighborhood native Khalilah Mitchell. Faces tend to light up and warm stories start to unspool when Breeds name is mentioned among staffers at the Ella Hill Hutch Community Center, a neighborhood hub named after the first black woman to be elected to the Board of Supervisors. London makes my job easy. I always use her as an example for the kids If London can do this, then you can do this, said James Spingola, facilities director for Collective Impact, a nonprofit that hosts services and activities for children and young adults at the center. Santiago Mejia / The Chronicle For Spingola, Breeds victory transcends race. He expects her to be a mayor with an understanding of what it means to struggle with poverty and how, with the support of a community, people can be pulled out of it. Its not about the color of her skin its about where she came from, Spingola said. She does a lot for us in this community, but now she can expand that work to the whole city and make San Francisco a better place. Many Western Addition residents remember how Breed rejuvenated the African American Art & Culture Complex during the decade she served as executive director, before her 2012 election as supervisor from District Five. But people are just as apt to recall smaller, more personal gestures: times when Breed checked in on them when a relative was ill, or helped them find a job. Shes always personally connected to her people, and that speaks volumes about who she is, said Adrian Owens, community relations director at Success Center San Francisco, which provides education and employment opportunities for youth and young adults. On a recent afternoon, Owens was overseeing a career services table set up at the Fillmore and Turk Mini Park. Stephen Lam / Special to The Chronicle A lot of folks have that connection with her. We all grew up together, Owens said. Those of us that are still here definitely stay connected. Barbara Henry, who spent nearly six months volunteering on Breeds mayoral campaign, hopes the citys young African Americans will be inspired to become more involved politically because of what Breed has been able to do. Young adults from voting age, especially our young, black Democrats in San Francisco, they need to take a look at this, Henry said. She described a vicious circle in the African American community: one in which people are marginalized politically, which makes them apathetic, which marginalizes them all the more. They need to see that now you have a candidate thats willing to support you and your needs. Come forward. Make your needs be known, Henry said. John William Templeton, a historian specializing in African Americans in California and co-founder of National Black Business Month, is hopeful that Breeds victory is a turning point for the citys black population. Santiago Mejia / The Chronicle One person can make a difference, he believes. The visibility shes going to have is going to make other people say, Wow, whats going on in San Francisco? I need to be out there, Templeton said. For years, he added, the black community has received vocal support from city leaders and promises of inclusion, but the issue has always been in the fine print. This time, we got to make sure as a black community that we actually benefit, Templeton said. Its not about the ability of individuals to rise into positions of authority. It is not even the policies. Its now about the implementation we as a community, we got to work just as hard now. Still, Templeton believes Breeds victory will be a symbol to young people. Weve got seven black elected officials in the city, and they are all graduates of San Francisco Unified, he said. We need to really stress to our young people that where you start doesnt determine where you wind up. Drought Map Track water shortages and restrictions across Bay Area Check the water shortage status of your area, plus see reservoir levels and a list of restrictions for the Bay Areas largest water districts. Time and again, those following Breeds rise point to her background, growing up in the old Plaza East public housing complex and living through the changes the city has undergone. We need somebody to understand what weve gone through for many decades, said Betty Wilson, an 80-year-old native of San Francisco who lives in the historically African American Bayview neighborhood. We want somebody who knows, whos been there, and doesnt just talk about it but has experienced it. Weve been so underserved for so many years, it just seems like its time, Wilson said. We were born here, lived here, and we cant enjoy the boom in the economy, and its sad. Maybe now, we have a chance for everybody to understand and see what can be done by somebody whos experienced it and been there. Dorothy Neal, a Bayview resident since 1974, said she hopes Breeds election will stir up the African Americans who have stayed in the city as the black population has dwindled from its peak of more than 13 percent in the 1970 census. Theres not a whole lot of us left, and Im happy to see that London has stayed and wants to be a part of whats happening here in San Francisco, said Neal, 68. I just dont see a lot of us, and Im hoping that this will encourage the black community to try to stay put and continue to band together. Its not just numbers that African Americans miss its the communitys vibrancy. Kali ORay, co-director of the San Francisco Black Film Festival and a Fillmore resident, has seen one business after another owned by black people close its doors. Theres just something about seeing yourself, seeing success walk down the street instead of despair This persons gone, this persons gone, ORay said. At least we have this, where shes mayor, and will make some moves or at least look out not just for blacks, but for what San Francisco used to be. Lorin Eleni Gill / Associated Press ORay said Breed has often shown up for his film festival. She wasnt too big for that its the little things that help, he said. Last year, when ORay couldnt find a venue to screen the movies, Breed helped secure him a spot. I wanted to cry. Its like, damn someone out there gives a damn that can do those power moves, and it really helped. Im not the only one, ORay said. Well see what happens. I have faith in her. Dominic Fracassa and Hamed Aleaziz and are San Francisco Chronicle staff writers. Email: dfracassa@sfchronicle.com, haleaziz@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @dominicfracassa, @haleaziz A water main from 1930 broke Saturday night in Oakland, shutting off the supply to roughly 100 nearby homes, officials said. The pipe rupture happened on Seventh Avenue near Park Boulevard, said Alison Kastama, a spokeswoman for the East Bay Municipal Utility District, which was working to fix the pipe and restore service late Saturday. A man and woman were arrested Friday after deputies found methamphetamine, 77 stolen credit cards and 10 identification cards in her San Carlos hotel room, authorities said. Kaylee Kunce, 31, of Stockton and Hanschris Ballente, 37, of Modesto were arrested on charges including suspicion of stealing a vehicle and possession of 10 identification cards belonging to other people, tear gas and illegal substances, according to the San Mateo County Sheriffs Office. The incident unfolded about 10:40 a.m. when a hotel attendant called authorities to report a suspicious vehicle belonging to one of the guests, police said. Officers responded to the Americas Best Value Inn at 1562 El Camino Real, police said. Now Playing: Comparison of 2016's violent crime stats from major Bay Area cities Video: Ted Andersen, SFGATE The car was later determined to be stolen. After officers checked the identification of the hotel guests, they determined that Ballente was wanted for a probation violation, police said. Kunce also was on probation. When officers knocked on the door of the hotel room, Ballente jumped out of the hotel window and escaped, police said. Kunce opened the door and was arrested after deputies searched the room. Deputies uncovered stolen mail, 77 stolen credit cards, 10 identification cards, checks, a collapsible baton, pepper spray, a digital car key chip machine and a baggie containing what appeared to be methamphetamine, police said. Kunce was booked into the womens jail in Redwood City. Drought Map Track water shortages and restrictions across Bay Area Check the water shortage status of your area, plus see reservoir levels and a list of restrictions for the Bay Areas largest water districts. Shortly after her arrest, a sheriffs sergeant spotted the stolen vehicle and attempted to make a traffic stop, police said. Ballente jumped out of the back seat and attempted to outrun officers again. The Redwood City Police Department responded to the scene as backup and cornered Ballente in a nearby alley. He was arrested and booked into jail. Sarah Ravani is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: sravani@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @SarRavani Rebecca Kaplan was furious. The Oakland councilwoman wanted to talk about the city Department of Transportations June 7 decision to close more than 1,000 citizen requests for service that were more than 30 days old. Its such an insult to the public, Kaplan told me Thursday morning, as she revved up. The city has a complaint-driven strategy for clearing garbage and responding to other problems. Kaplan has called for the city to dump its current system, which she believes is inequitable. Shes pushed for a system to address repairs and cleanup that assigns workers to zones. When you fix things based on complaint rather than need, you tend to default to the wealthier neighborhoods, she said. So then to say were just deleting over a thousand complaints from the system, I want to know who authorized that. Is this this administrations policy that after you tell people to file their complaints by these various methods, the department heads are just allowed to delete them? Kaplans fury was short-lived. On Thursday afternoon, the transportation department announced on social media it will reopen the closed cases. Regardless, Kaplan sounds, at times, like shes on the campaign trail. Thats where she was expected to be this fall on a third campaign for mayor. But to the surprise of many, Kaplan announced at the Joyce Gordon Gallery in downtown Oakland this month that she will not mount a third campaign for mayor. Instead, she endorsed the nascent campaign of Cat Brooks, the former co-host of KPFAs UpFront morning news show. Brooks is a co-founder of the Anti Police-Terror Project, a community activist group that can often be found on the front lines of protests against police brutality. Like Kaplan, Brooks has a powerful voice, which is often amplified by a megaphone or speakers anchored on a flatbed truck. Like Kaplan, when Brooks is inspired by an issue like displacement and homelessness, her exuberance can be captivating. And, like Kaplan, Brooks isnt shy about criticizing Oakland Mayor Libby Schaaf. Brooks announced her candidacy in May, and it seems to me that shes putting together a grassroots campaign to attract disenfranchised voters who arent plugged into the citys economic boom, the people who cant afford to pay market rate for the housing units being built around the city. From what Ive seen, her campaign will be a referendum on what Schaaf hasnt accomplished in Oakland. That made me wonder: Why isnt Kaplan running when the person shes endorsed is using her blueprint to thwart Schaaf? Kaplan said she saw the turnout and excitement at Brooks campaign events. I came over that period of time to be convinced that her campaign ... as a manifestation of activism and community engagement, was one that I felt I should be supporting and that I feel can win, Kaplan said. Kaplan said she also looked at the performance of Pamela Price in the Alameda County district attorney race this month. Sure, Price lost to Nancy OMalley, but she also dominated in Oakland, which suggests to Kaplan that a black progressive candidate could have a strong showing in the mayoral election. Prices grassroots, people-movement campaign very much focused on issues of police accountability, and kicked butt in Oakland, Kaplan said. That also strengthens my feeling about the power of the Cat Brooks campaign. In November 2010, Kaplan placed third in ranked-choice voting for mayor, behind Jean Quan and runner-up Don Perata. In 2014, she finished second in a field of 15 candidates, but well behind Schaaf. Drought Map Track water shortages and restrictions across Bay Area Check the water shortage status of your area, plus see reservoir levels and a list of restrictions for the Bay Areas largest water districts. Schaaf will be campaigning with momentum. In February, she used her office to alert the public to a federal immigration sweep, which immediately made her a target of the presidents supporters. Rep. Steve King, R-Iowa, introduced the Mayor Libby Schaaf Act of 2018, which proposes prison terms for officials who disclose Immigration and Customs Enforcement sweeps. These days, getting hated on by the president and his supporters is a stamp of approval for Democrats. Schaaf has gained a national profile, emerging as a critic of the administrations anti-immigration policies, while cementing her status as a fierce defender of a sanctuary city with a large immigrant population. In a column my colleagues Matier & Ross published before Kaplan announced her decision not to run, Doug Linney, an East Bay political consultant who ran two of Kaplans campaigns for City Council, said Schaaf was made a hero to a lot of people who may not have paid attention to what she was doing. Still, Kaplan is not buying that Schaafs popularity is insurmountable, especially with the growing number of homeless people crowding sidewalks and streets in Oakland. Kaplan pointed out that data released by Schaafs campaign showed that 49 percent of voters would vote for the mayor, which she thinks proves Schaaf is vulnerable. Its interesting that a majority of voters are not with her for a sitting incumbent whos not yet in the heat of the campaign, Kaplan said. I certainly think the signs are not actually particularly favorable for her, as well as the actual tangible results of the failures on police accountability and homelessness and anti-displacement funding. In response, Ace Smith, Schaafs campaign spokesman, said: Being at or (near) 50 percent for an urban mayor in America today is pretty damn spectacular. You know what would really be spectacular? If Oakland made significant strides toward solving its displacement and homelessness crisis. That, of course, will take much, much more than words. San Francisco Chronicle columnist Otis R. Taylor Jr. appears Mondays and Thursdays. Email: otaylor@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @otisrtaylorjr The 2017 fire season, the deadliest in California history, spurred widespread calls for reducing wildfire risk. In response, several changes have been made to how local, state and federal agencies prepare and respond to fire. Federal budget U.S. lawmakers approved a wildfire disaster fund this year to cover the increasing cost of fighting fires. The background: The new reserve, primarily for the U.S. Forest Service, eliminates the longtime problem that the nations largest wildland fire agency has had paying for firefighting out of its annual budget. While firefighting costs were historically less than 20 percent of Forest Service expenditures, theyve soared to more than 50 percent in recent years, forcing cuts to other programs, notably fire prevention. The fix: Under the federal spending deal approved this spring, the Forest Service will be able to tap a fund to pay for fire suppression above its annual budget. The reserve, which would make $20 billion available over 10 years, doesnt kick in until 2020. Firefighting Cal Fire is hiring 2,300 seasonal firefighters this year, bringing the total to 7,200, while the U.S Forest Service will have 5,000 firefighters in California. The numbers arent much different than past years, but fire agencies are making staffing adjustments and equipment upgrades to improve their response. Highlights: Pre-positioning Cal Fire crews in areas with high fire danger. Opening a new training center in Ventura to certify state parolees for firefighting, with $19 million in the state budget for the coming fiscal year. Adding 11 new helicopters, Sikorsky S-70s or Fire Hawks, to Cal Fires air fleet over the next six years, at about $25 million apiece. Fire prevention Cal Fire and the U.S. Forest Service are planning to do more tree-thinning and prescribed burning to reduce the buildup of combustible vegetation. The efforts will focus largely on the tens of millions of trees that died during the recent drought, mainly in the Sierra Nevada. But the vegetation programs will go beyond that. Highlights: Doubling the amount of land managed through controlled burning and thinning to 500,000 acres, per Gov. Jerry Browns executive order. Funding is in next years state budget and Californias cap-and-trade program. Doing more outreach to private landowners to promote vegetation removal, per Browns executive order. Establishing a fund to help pay for local fire prevention projects, as proposed in AB1956 by Assemblywoman Monique Limon, D-Santa Barbara. Designating six Cal Fire crews to do forest management work. Emergency alerts The California Office of Emergency Services is updating statewide standards for how fire agencies issue warnings to residents. Many of the changes are likely to be mandated through legislation. The background: Problems with alert systems became apparent last year when Sonoma Countys emergency managers failed to send an Amber Alert-style message called a Wireless Emergency Alert, or WEA to residents during the Wine Country fires in October. A state review found that county officials didnt fully understand the technology, prompting demands for reform. The fixes: Every county must adopt the WEA system, as proposed in SB833 by state Sen. Mike McGuire, D-Healdsburg. All communications sent out by emergency officials would have to be both in English and the areas second most common language, as proposed in AB1877 by Limon. The maximum length of a WEA text will increase from 90 characters to 360 by May 2019, at the direction of the Federal Communications Commission. Land-use planning Several bills have been introduced in the state Legislature to encourage housing to be more fire resilient. The legislation deals mainly with where homes should be built, the materials that go into the construction and how vegetation is managed around them. Drought Map Track water shortages and restrictions across Bay Area Check the water shortage status of your area, plus see reservoir levels and a list of restrictions for the Bay Areas largest water districts. Highlights: Giving the state Board of Forestry and Fire Protection more say over city and county general plans, which govern new development, as proposed in AB2911 and SB1260 by Assemblywoman Laura Friedman, D-Glendale (Los Angeles County), and Sen. Hannah-Beth Jackson, D-Santa Barbara, respectively. Updating the list of fire-safe building materials required of new homes, as proposed in AB2911. Hiring 15 new state inspectors to ensure sound construction, with $4 million in next years state budget. Utilities With downed and damaged power lines blamed for starting many of the October blazes in Northern California, PG&E is changing many of the ways it manages the energy grid. Highlights: The utility has taken several voluntary steps to improve fire safety, including: Establishing a wildfire operations center in San Francisco, as well as a network of weather stations to better monitor fire threats. Hiring private firefighters to accompany employees when theyre doing work, like welding, that could set off sparks. Lawmakers in Sacramento also have proposed several mandates for utilities, including: Requiring more fire-resilient electric infrastructure to be put in place, as proposed in SB1088 by state Sen. Bill Dodd, D-Napa. De-energizing electric lines when utilities like PG&E forecast high fire risk, as proposed in SB901 by Dodd. Additional information Find out what property owners can do to reduce fire risk: www.sfchronicle.com/survival-guide When Anne Faught got a knock on her front gate recently, she was surprised to find two uniformed men at her rural Marin County property, one with a clipboard. The firefighters had come to her home for an impromptu safety inspection. They were making sure she had cleared hazards like flammable brush and overgrown trees, both common in the small town of Woodacre, where houses like Faughts nestle against a landscape of picturesque but perilous fire-prone hills. I just did $3,000 worth of tree work, Faught said, pointing to two compost bins stuffed with leaves and branches. We all saw what happened last year. In the wake of the most destructive fire season in California history, peaking with the fast-burning Wine Country blazes that killed 41 people and wiped out nearly 9,000 homes and other buildings, pressure to reduce the risk of catastrophic wildfire has been immense. And in many ways, the response has been proportionate. The state stands on at least slightly safer footing this year as a new and perhaps equally challenging fire season approaches. More firefighting power is in place as California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection crews are repositioned to hazard areas and equipped with new suppression gear, including a fleet of civilian Black Hawk helicopters. Large-scale tree removal and prescribed burns are in the works with new funding from state and federal coffers. PG&E is expected to face new sanctions, including the possibility of having to de-energize power lines on windy days, after the utilitys electrical equipment was blamed for sparking several of last years blazes. And fire warning systems are better. State emergency officials are making sure more people will be alerted by phone of an approaching wildfire, having learned from Sonoma Countys failure to send out Amber Alert-style messages as Octobers Wine Country fires bore down. Weeks after the disaster, when fires broke out in Southern California, notification to residents there already was improved. But as significant, and plentiful, as the new fire-protection measures are, they merely nip at the edge of an underlying issue: that fire is a constant in California, and as long as people choose to live in and around the states wildlands, experts say, the threat remains. I would not be surprised if we have another big fire, said Bill Stewart, forestry specialist at UC Berkeley. I just dont think were where we need to be. Short of keeping people from living in high-risk areas, which is hardly possible as Californians seek the space and serenity of life outside cities, experts say the most effective strategy for minimizing danger is hardening vulnerable communities to wildfire much like what Marin County is trying to do, with firefighters going door to door to make sure every property is prepared to withstand the inevitable. Its not an easy task, especially in the Bay Area. Unlike national forests in the High Sierra, where government agencies can reduce the severity of potential fire by logging or burning large tracts of unpopulated land, coastal areas consist mostly of smaller, inhabited parcels. That puts the onus for maintaining safe surroundings on untold numbers of private landowners. Not only are property owners often lax in securing their lots, experts say, but theres too little regulation and enforcement of sound land use, namely where houses should be built, what they can be made of and how much vegetation must be cleared around them. The Wine Country firestorm underscored these problems. The deadliest of the blazes, the Tubbs Fire that devastated Santa Rosa, blasted through well-known hazard spots, some of which had burned before. Still, homes were developed there, often lacking modern fire-resistant materials and without adequate fuel breaks. We really havent put together the pieces of a resilient fire strategy in local areas, Stewart said. A handful of policies have been drafted, although not yet put into law, in the aftermath of last years devastation to improve how lands susceptible to fire are managed. But none will completely eliminate the danger. At least two bills in the Legislature seek to discourage homes from being built in fire-prone forests and grasslands. Both propose giving the state Board of Forestry and Fire Protection more say on the general plans of cities and towns. These plans, which are done periodically, guide where new houses and subdivisions take shape. The legislation, though, doesnt necessarily require the communities to do what the state fire experts recommend, whether its refraining from developing in a wooded area or requiring more protective open space around homes. One of the bills, by Assemblywoman Laura Friedman, D-Glendale (Los Angeles County), calls for updating statewide standards for fire-safe building materials required of houses in high-risk areas, items like ignition-resistant roofs and tempered-glass windows. Already, the state is planning to add staff to work with cities and counties to enforce these building codes. But like the provisions on where homes can be built, requirements on what homes should be made of apply only to new housing, meaning most structures wouldnt be covered by the regulation. According to the state Department of Insurance, about 3.6 million homes in California, more than a quarter of the total, stand within or near fire-prone areas. Nearly 1.3 million are located in high-risk spots. Santiago Mejia / The Chronicle A recent executive order by Gov. Jerry Brown on fire safety reaches out to those living in hazardous wildlands. It seeks to streamline permits for landowners who want to reduce fire danger by clearing trees and brush, and calls for the state to provide assistance with such projects. Tens of millions of dollars in the state budget for next fiscal year and in Californias cap-and-trade program, which generates revenue by charging businesses for polluting, are earmarked for vegetation management. Also, the finances of the U.S. Forest Service are being restructured to enable more thinning and burning. Most of the new state and federal money, though, is likely to go toward big swaths of public land. Resources are an issue, said Stephen Gort, executive director of the California Fire Safe Council, which focuses on community-level vegetation projects, often on private parcels. There just may not be enough chain saws available in the state to make a difference. Drought Map Track water shortages and restrictions across Bay Area Check the water shortage status of your area, plus see reservoir levels and a list of restrictions for the Bay Areas largest water districts. Gorts neighborhood north of Napa organized years ago, and came up with the money, to create a 3-mile fuel break around homes. All of the properties there survived the October fires. Additional legislation in Sacramento seeks to fireproof the states energy infrastructure. Bills introduced by Sen. Bill Dodd, D-Napa, would require utilities to upgrade equipment so its less likely to spark and to de-energize transmission lines when fire danger is high. Already, PG&E has taken voluntary steps to improve safety, such as establishing a wildfire operations center in San Francisco, along with a network of weather stations, to better anticipate risk. Whatever changes are made to safeguard Californias wildlands this year, theyre likely to come up against another difficult fire season. The National Interagency Fire Center is expecting above-average fire potential for much of California through fall. Late-season rains this spring have spawned a bounty of combustible brush and grass, and the summer is expected to be hot and dry, according to the federal forecast. The fire threat is greatest in the East Bay and Sierra foothills, as well as along the Southern California coast, the report shows. Were already seeing brushfires and the size of the fires increasing, said Steve Leach, a meteorologist with the Bureau of Land Management in Redding. I wish I could put out a below-normal (forecast), but we just dont have a situation like that. Christie Neill, a battalion chief for the Marin County Fire Department, said landowners seem to be bracing themselves for the elevated risk, at least in the North Bay. I think people are just really more alert this year, Neill said. The fires (last year) were so close to us. People were either impacted or they had friends who were impacted. Hopefully, theyll work with us to take action. That appeared to be the case in Woodacre. After firefighter Cole Rippe finished his inspection of Faughts property, he advised her to sweep some leaves off the roof and remove brush around a propane tank. Otherwise he applauded her for the amount of vegetation she had cleared. It needed to be done, Faught said as she looked out at some pruned bushes. Id been meaning to do it for a long time. But after what happened in Sonoma (County), I knew it had to happen now. Kurtis Alexander is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: kalexander@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @kurtisalexander Some of the most influential players in Californias primary campaign were super PACs that collectively spent more than $30 million. But little of that was spent on getting more voters to the polls, even during an election when advocacy groups were trying to increase Californias historically abysmal midterm primary turnout particularly among young and Latino voters. Instead, these political action committees independent groups that can spend unlimited amounts devoted millions of dollars to TV and digital ads, many with the intention of suppressing the vote for another candidate. So while the 35 percent turnout rate in this months California primary was far better than the record low 25 percent in the 2014 midterm primary and will climb some more, as the last votes are counted it is still bad by any measure. Its not surprising, but its a sad thing, said Mindy Romero, director of the California Civic Engagement Project at UC Davis and an expert on young and Latino voters. The way our electoral system is designed, candidates and campaigns are the principal supporters of voter education and mobilization. When theyre not trying to get out the vote or (they) suppress the vote, our democratic system loses. The super PAC that spent the most in the primary was Families and Teachers for Antonio Villaraigosa for Governor 2018, which was run by the California Charter Schools Association Advocates. Funded largely by pro-charter billionaires including Netflix founder Reed Hastings and entrepreneur Eli Broad, the organization devoted roughly $1 million to get-out-the-vote operations out of $22 million in overall spending, said Gary Borden, executive director of the charter schools group. That is more than wed typically spend in a statewide primary, Borden said. Privately, several Democratic strategists not affiliated with the campaign wondered why the pro-Villaraigosa group didnt devote more money toward turning out voters. Villaraigosa is Latino and the former mayor of Los Angeles, and his campaigns strategy revolved around getting Latino and working-class voters in Los Angeles County and the Central Valley to cast ballots. But election law forbids the campaign from communicating or coordinating with a super PAC, so each organization was left to make its own decisions on how to run the race. The pro-Villaraigosa super PAC poured money into TV and digital. It spent more than $1.1 million on ads attacking Republican John Cox, who for much of the race was locked in a struggle with the Democrat Villaraigosa for second place and a spot in the November election. The strategy didnt work. But Borden said TV and digital ads are the most cost-effective way to communicate with voters in a state the size of California. I dont know if we should have spent more on field operations, Borden said. Were going to sit down over the next several weeks and review the campaign. Several new organizations hope to boost November turnout among young voters and people of color. Among them is progressive billionaire Tom Steyers NextGen America, which has been partnering with labor and community organizations for several months on get-out-the-vote efforts. We found that our niche was talking to 18- to 35-year-olds nobody is communicating with them, said Ben Wessel, NextGens deputy political director. The group spent $350,000 on ground operations in three Orange County and one Central Valley congressional district held by Republicans where Hillary Clinton won more votes than Donald Trump in 2016. In those districts, NextGen operatives knocked on 17,902 doors and made 81,053 calls to potential voters, according to the organization. Turnout spiked tenfold in one targeted precinct near California State University Fullerton and increased up to 10 percentage points in other places NextGen focused on, according to an early postelection analysis by the organization. A lot of young people dont even watch TV, so those ads arent reaching them, Wessel said. They want to talk to someone in their neighborhood who looks like them, smells like them, talks like them. Joe Garofoli is The San Francisco Chronicles senior political writer. Email: jgarofoli@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @joegarofoli The idea of retiring on a Greek island conjures images of white sandy beaches, calm blue waters and easy living. But for a group of educators from the Bay Area, retirement on the Mediterranean isn't exactly what you'd expect. Former San Francisco State mathematics professor Cecelia Wambach first decided to change up her Golden Years two years ago and has been fishing for others to join her ever since. Her story began as she watched the refugee crisis unfold on the Greek island of Lesbos from her television set in the East Bay community of Rossmoor. Lesbos is near Turkey and has been hard hit by waves of rafts overflowing with mostly Syrian refugees seeking asylum in Europe. "When I saw it, I said to myself I need to go there," she said. "Lots of people go on cruises or they travel I wanted to do retirement differently." So, she picked up the phone and called her longtime Greek-American friend Barbara Karvelis from Redwood City. Also a retired Bay Area educator, Karvelis wanted to help as well but her husband feared for her safety traveling to Greece during such a chaotic time. "He said there are riots you can't go or you're are going to be killed," Karvelis said. "But I thought about it and decided I really wanted to do this, and I didn't want Cecelia to go alone." Wambach and Karvelis convinced three other likeminded educators to join them on their first self-funded trip to Lesbos in September 2016, where they gained access to refugee camps on the island by donating 50 loaves of bread and offering to cook. From there the group connected with the non-profit Save the Children and began leveraging their education backgrounds to help unaccompanied minors in the camps. "The kids were actually sitting down on dirt reading and learning grammar," Karvelis said. "We weren't really set up. We just went over there to see if we could help and it evolved." Since then, the volunteers have assisted the Greek instructors in finding engaging classroom activities to teach science, math, technology and language to the children. In one exercise, Karvelis said volunteers used the cut-out Styrofoam from discarded lifejackets on the beach to create props for a math lesson. But most of all, the volunteers just want to keep the children positive about their futures. "They all have PTSD. Many of them have seen their parents killed in front of them," Wambach said. "The stories are heartbreaking and the kids are magnificent." The Moria refugee camp was built to hold fewer than 2,000 refugees but now holds more than 6,000, Karvelis said. People live in tents and small metal units, and about 500 unaccompanied minors live in the camp, 150 of whom attend two schools where the women volunteer. "The kids from Syria and Afghanistan are go-getters," Wambach said. "They are grateful for every little thing they get. They are not spoiled. They don't have everything they want and need." Only 29 percent of the 12,000 school-age refugee and migrant children in Greece received formal education during the 2016-2017 school year, according to UNICEF, and refugee and migrant children have missed on average two and a half years of school due to conflict and displacement. After the group of educators returned to the US, one of the first places they went for support was San Francisco's Greek community, where Wambach delivered an impassioned speech at the Annunciation Cathedral on Valencia Street, spurring the church's longtime priest, Father Stephen Kyriacou, into supporting their efforts. "My hope is that we will partner with these people and help them along," Kyriacou said. "While we can't save the world, each of us can do one thing in our own way to help a child, and there is nothing more worthy in my opinion than helping children." Kyriacou's family was originally from northern Cyprus but were forced off their land when it was annexed by Turkey in 1974, a life-changing event he says has made him empathetic to the plight of refugee children. "Most of my family there are refugees they lost everything," he said. "This intensifies my desired to help children who have been deprived of their lives and their homeland." Kyriacou said he mentioned the project to the consul general of Greece, who was somewhat guarded about the issue, arguing that well-meaning people often come from all over but can sometimes interfere with official Greek efforts. Wambach said she has heard similar criticisms in the US. "People say: 'There's so much need here why do you go there?' I feel that in this country we are equipped to volunteer. But it's not the same in Greece," she said. "They are in a horrible financial crisis themselves. If they work, they need to get paid." And as such, the Bay Area volunteers have pledged themselves to helping, not stepping on toes. Instead of trying to dictate terms of classroom dynamics, Karvelis and Wambach said their efforts are focused on providing support for the overwhelmed Greek teachers, many who haven't been paid in months. This includes pedagogical techniques in dealing with a complex student body who speak neither Greek nor adequate English. "We've all taught in SF so we know how to work with multi-lingual and multi-cultural classrooms," Wambach said. Wambach said she recently completed her paperwork for a nonprofit organization, REAL International (Refugee Education and Learning), which recruits volunteer educators to help teach the refugee children in Lesbos. REAL now has more than 60 volunteers from around the world on its roster, including about a dozen East Bay residents, who travel to Lesbos at different times of the year, paying their own way. Wambach said she raised about $10,000 at a Rossmoor fundraiser in late May and said the group's next goal is setting up early childhood centers for mothers and their children. Meanwhile, Karvelis has set up a GoFundMe account in an effort to raise money for books and educational supplies. REAL is making another trip to Lesbos this summer with more retired Bay Area volunteers now joining the effort and looking to reshape their retirement. "It's amazing the amount of people who want to help," Karvelis said. "For us, the cruise ship is not the end of the line." St Lowitsch / Getty Images Firefighters battled a 32-acre fire off of Rocky Creek Road at Morgan Valley Road in Lake County, officials said. Cal Fire officials reported the fire just before 3:30 p.m. Saturday. A 51-year-old man died Saturday afternoon during a diving incident in a cove off Salt Point State Park in Jenner, Sonoma County authorities said. The Fremont resident was scuba diving with a friend at around 2:40 p.m. about 200 feet from the shore in Gerstle Cove, said Lt. Orlando Rodriguez, a spokesman for the Sonoma County Sheriffs Office. For reasons not yet known, the man lost consciousness in the water, Rodriguez said. When his diving partner swam over to help him, the man was partially submerged and unresponsive, Rodriguez said. His friend tried to pull him to shore, but was unable to when the man sank to a depth of about 50 feet. A California State Parks lifeguard and rescue divers found the unconscious diver, Rodriguez said. The rescuers brought him to the surface and the Sonoma County sheriffs rescue helicopter then airlifted the man to shore, Rodriguez said. The man was pronounced dead several minutes later at 3:38 p.m. His name was not disclosed pending notification of family. Sarah Ravani is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: sravani@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @SarRavani Videos Sorry, there are no recent results for popular videos. John Storey/Special to the Chronicle Alex Washburn/Special to The Chronicle A man and woman were arrested Friday after deputies found methamphetamine, 77 stolen credit cards and 10 identification cards in her San Carlos hotel room, authorities said. Kaylee Kunce, 31, of Stockton and Hanschris Ballente, 37, of Modesto were arrested on charges including suspicion of stealing a vehicle and possession of 10 identification cards belonging to other people, tear gas and illegal substances, according to the San Mateo County Sheriffs Office. The incident unfolded about 10:40 a.m. when a hotel attendant called authorities to report a suspicious vehicle belonging to one of the guests, police said. Officers responded to the Americas Best Value Inn at 1562 El Camino Real, police said. The car was later determined to be stolen. After officers checked the identification of the hotel guests, they determined that Ballente was wanted for a probation violation, police said. Kunce also was on probation. When officers knocked on the door of the hotel room, Ballente jumped out of the hotel window and escaped, police said. Kunce opened the door and was arrested after deputies searched the room. Deputies uncovered stolen mail, 77 stolen credit cards, 10 identification cards, checks, a collapsible baton, pepper spray, a digital car key chip machine and a baggie containing what appeared to be methamphetamine, police said. Kunce was booked into the womens jail in Redwood City. Shortly after her arrest, a sheriffs sergeant spotted the stolen vehicle and attempted to make a traffic stop, police said. Ballente jumped out of the back seat and attempted to outrun officers again. The Redwood City Police Department responded to the scene as backup and cornered Ballente in a nearby alley. He was arrested and booked into jail. Sarah Ravani is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: sravani@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @SarRavani A vice chancellor and a part-time college professor walk into a bar. They have a drink and start talking about work. Both have tough jobs and hectic schedules. Both have Ph.Ds and both are public servants. But when it comes to pay, the joke is on the part-time teacher. The part-time professor earns about $30,000 annually and pays for health benefits while the vice chancellor makes a six-figure salary with full benefits. Earning more than $70 per hour, it appears part-time college instructors are well paid. But this rate is misleading because only classroom hours are counted, not actual time spent on prep, grading and district administrative work. The result is a two-tier system with little upward mobility for those at the bottom. Far from the comfort of an ivory tower, the world of academia has led many Bay Area part-time college instructors into secret lives of hardship. Brad Balukjian is an adjunct biology instructor at Laney College in Oakland. He has a Ph.D and earned just under $25,000 from teaching in 2017. To survive at age 36 in the Bay Area, he rents a room with a senior couple in Alameda. "Is that where I want to be in my life right now? No," said Balukjian, who is also the union representative for part-time faculty at the Peralta Community College District. Hai Nguyen teaches six classes between five campuses in three South Bay college districts. He works every day and often grades more than 200 student papers during each test cycle something he says he is not compensated for. On the weekends, Nguyen works at a supermarket. All together, working seven days a week, he says he cobbles together about $70,000 annually while his wife works one job in marketing and makes $75,000. "Sometimes I feel embarrassed, not with my wife, but with the students because students have this perception of a professor," Nguyen said. "A while back, my worst fear was to bump into one of my students at Safeway for them to see me in my Safeway uniform." What makes Balukjian and Nguyen's stories unique is that unlike many private sector jobs, a master's degree or higher is required to work in college academia, and both men were forced to spend years of their lives and thousands of dollars on higher education just to qualify. At Peralta, part-time instructors comprise two-thirds of all faculty, Balukjian said, yet they have no guarantee of employment semester to semester and often find work in multiple districts for balance or just to make ends meet. "The reality is that a lot of our part-timers are freeway flyers. They may work in three districts. They may have trouble paying their rent," Balukjian said. "You can get unemployment, but this is where you get into situations where part-timers are living out of their car." A quarter of all part-time college faculty and their families are enrolled in some form of government assistance program, according to a 2015 nationwide study by the UC Berkeley Center for Public Relations. On top of this, more instructors are being priced out of the Bay Area, said Peter Brown, a full-time machine technology professor at Laney College who worked for eight years as a part-timer. Brown said he knew of one part-time teacher who was evicted and ended up living in a closet. "These people don't want to go in front of students knowing that they are in this plight," he said. "It creates an uncomfortable dynamic with the students." A part-time faculty member makes less money per hour than a full-time faculty member at every step of the salary schedule in the Peralta District, a parity problem Balukjian says could be fixed with only $1.15 million each year. Full-time community college professors can make anywhere from $70,000 to $120,000 depending on experience, and they are paid for classroom instruction, grading and administrative time. Administrative managers, such as vice chancellors and deans, can make anywhere from $100,000 to $200,000 annually, while several Bay Area chancellors earn more than $300,000. Former US Secretary of Labor and current UC Berkeley professor Robert Reich told SFGATE disparity exists because of the unique job market for each position based on supply and demand. Reich said adjunct faculty, who are plentiful, do not benefit from this economic situation. "Unfortunately, it doesn't make any difference whether we are talking about public colleges or private colleges the fact of the matter is that every bit and every part of the labor market is in its own bubble," Reich said. "Morally it's wrong. It's unfair. But that's what the economy is doing." The national trend in recent years has reflected a significant increase in top administrative salaries and a reduction in total money spent on instructional salaries, according to Howard Bunsis, former chair of the American Association of University Professors, who recently performed an analysis of higher education salaries across the country. "I see this at institution after institution," he said. "The number and salaries of instructors is flat or down; the number and salaries of admins goes up." The ballooning of the administration's budgets and salaries is a problem that started in the private sector and has infected higher education, Balukjian said. "I have a moral problem when it's a public district and taxpayer money." Even at private Bay Area colleges, part-time instructors must supplement with other income to survive, said David Kersten, an adjunct professor of public policy at the University of San Francisco. "I don't believe that many adjunct professors can make a living on teaching full-time at USF," Kersten said. "I just don't believe it's possible, unless you teach for various colleges and institutions." So what is the future of the career adjunct teaching in multiple districts? Not plausible, says part-time Merritt College biology instructor Daniel Edelstein, whose teaching earns him a fraction of what consulting business does. "Working at 3 districts is too hard today that would be a recipe for a heart attack at the age of 45," he said. "If you don't have a Ph.D, you'd better be prepared to market yourself. A person who thinks they can rely on teaching alone is not in tune with the contemporary paradigm." As for Hai Nguyen, who is working seven days a week and is expecting his first child in February, slowing down is not an option even though he has admittedly grown jaded of the system. "As a student I had such a glorious perception of what it was like to teach, and now I'm actually up there and I see the other side," he said. "We are still in it because we love our students and we love what we do and that is the only thing that is keeping me going right now." From far away, it could have been any crowd on Ocean Beach on Saturday afternoon, but up close, the beach swarming with stumpy dogs, the air full of a chorus of barks, the event was unmistakable: Corgi Con was back. Many attendees had no corgis of their own. They'd come to live vicariously. They came to the right place. "If I had a corgi, I would name him Corgi Bryant, and I would buy him a jersey with the number 24," one such aspiring owner said loudly as the onlookers waited for a corgi costume contest to begin. MORE DOGS: Rescue dogs dress up and party at Bay to Barkers "This is the happiest I've been all summer," said Disha Jain, a college student from the University of Virginia who is working in the city for the summer. "THIS IS THE BEST DAY OF MY LIFE," another young woman shouted to the sky, in ecstasy. It wasn't all rosy. Some people thought the beach had too much sand. "It's really annoying," one attendee loudly complained of the sand. Ten-month-old Wally the corgi, a resident of San Jose, had no such complaints. It was first time at the beach on Saturday, and he appeared to be loving it. His owner, 32-year-old Phillip De Castro, commemorated the occasion with the perfect shirt, patterned with corgis on surfboards. "I've worn it to other stuff, but it seemed appropriate for the event," he said. There were corgis dressed as dinosaurs, Instagram-famous corgis, a corgi dressed as the pope, and a corgi named Corgan Freeman. ALSO: This is officially SF's most popular dog breed The day also brought out many budding entrepreneurs, like Yany Meza and David Escalante, who sell sunglasses for dogs. It all started, they said, when they put sunglasses on a pitbull. People couldn't get enough of the sunglasses; they were bombarded with questions from people who wanted to know where to get dog sunglasses of their own. And so, a business was born. Corgis are ideal models for the product, they said. "We really love corgis," said Meza. "They're pretty chill, so they like to wear the glasses." Some were casual fans, but many of the people on Ocean Beach were serious about corgis, like Agnes Wong, who lives in the East Bay but said she's traveled to the Los Angeles area for their Corgi Con. Wong enjoyed the company of her 11-year-old corgi, Cuddles, under the shade of a tent decorated with British flags and a cardboard cutout of Queen Elizabeth, a tribute to the heritage of the breed. "It's important to remember where they come from," she said. Wong said she has to travel for a wedding soon, but isn't sure she'll be able to leave Cuddles; Corgis don't always live long, and she wants to enjoy the time they have together. "She protects me, I think," she said of Cuddles. "She's always been so loving." Filipa Ioannou is an SFGATE staff writer. Email her at fioannou@sfchronicle.com and follow her on Twitter Gyorgy Ligetis Violin Concerto, which he completed in 1993 after several revisions, is a work of eclecticism and wonder, full of beauty and surprises. It deserves a soloist in tune with its playful fearlessness, and Patricia Kopatchinskaja who gave a magnificent account of the work in Berkeleys Zellerbach Hall on Saturday, June 16 is just that artist. Kopatchinskajas performance was the capstone of a three-day Bay Area visit as part of Ojai at Berkeley, Cal Performances annual sampler of the full schedule from the Ojai Music Festival in Ventura County. Her tenure as the festivals music director, a position that rotates each year, seems to have been infused with a spirit of serious exuberance. That spirit the sense that many more things are possible under the sun than tradition and dogma tell us animates Ligetis buoyant masterpiece, as indeed it does his entire catalog. To listen to this music, in a vivacious reading by Kopatchinskaja with the Mahler Chamber Orchestra and conductor Philipp von Steinaecker, was to be continually filled with delight and amazement. The surface effects are at once obvious and deceptively deep. Ligeti calls, for example, for a quartet of ocarinas to pop up and deliver a tootling chorale at two key junctures in the piece. Yet the effect, though funny, is far from a Spike Jones sound effect, because the chordal writing for the instruments is so richly textured. Similarly, the expansive cadenza for the soloist that comes right before the end, and is abruptly quashed by an orchestral outbreak, is both a deliciously absurd bit of stage business and a loving nod to the centuries-old dramaturgy of the concerto tradition. With Ligeti, that loving nod to the past is always there. The concertos symmetrical five-movement formal plan is a clear homage to Bartok, who practically patented it; the 14th century French master Guillaume de Machaut gets a shout-out as well. The trick is to treat these invocations with respect but not blind reverence, which was precisely what made Kopatchinskajas rendition so engrossing. When the music called for straight-up tenderness, as in the still-voiced instrumental aria that opens the second movement, she responded with a luminous hush. The breathless contortions of the first movement and the stratospheric writing of the third sounded as flashy as the solo part of any Romantic showpiece, yet with a tongue-in-cheek veneer that made the whole thing just a bit more engaging. The entire days programming was a lead-up to the concerto, laying out like a list of ingredients all the musical flavors that would infuse it. A short and exquisite afternoon program featured Kopatchinskaja alongside her parents in a program dedicated to the sort of Romanian and Moldovan folk music that tinges Ligetis writing. Her father, Viktor Kopatchinsky, is a ferocious virtuoso of the cimbalom, a hammered dulcimer, and her mother, Emilia Kopatchinskaja, is a fellow violinist or perhaps we should say a fiddler. The folk dances and instrumental tunes that the three played together, with bassist Maria Krykov, fell on an American ear with some of the boisterous rhythmic fleetness of Appalachian music, but with a distinctive harmonic twist. Pianist Amy Yang also chipped in with more learned folk-themed works by Kurtag, Enescu and Radelescu. The evening concert brought other kinds of preparation a vivid rendition by the orchestra of Bartoks Divertimento for Strings, and Kopatchinskajas arrangement for four strings of a mass movement by Machaut. (There was also a flat, colorless account of Stravinskys LHistoire du Soldat Suite that didnt serve much point at all.) With the audience suitably primed, the final arrival of the Ligeti landed like an incendiary musical firework. Joshua Kosman is The San Francisco Chronicles music critic. Email: jkosman@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @JoshuaKosman A neighborhood dispute led to gunfire early Sunday at an annual all-night arts festival in Trenton, N.J., leaving one person dead a man suspected of being a gunman and 22 others injured. Police were shutting down the Art All Night event at a warehouse during escalating altercations between several visitors when at least two men started shooting around 2:45 a.m. Police said there was gunfire inside and outside the building. About 1,000 people were still at the event when the shooting began, causing a stampede of panicked patrons. Prosecutor Angelo Onofri said two men were arrested and that a 33-year-old man was fatally shot by police. He said a neighborhood beef was behind the shooting. At a news conference, authorities identified the dead man as Tahaij Wells, who had been on parole since February on homicide-related charges. Amir Armstrong, 23, who was in critical condition, was charged with weapons offenses, including having a handgun with an extended capacity magazine. A third unidentified suspect was also hospitalized in critical condition with gunshot wounds, authorities said. The violence was presaged on social media Saturday, said Jerell Blakeley, a councilman-at-large, who pointed to a Facebook post that said: Please. Please. Please. Do Not Go to the Art All Night. They will be shooting it up. The head of the New Jersey police union said the shooters fired with no care for innocent people around them. Officers engaged the active shooters to stop the senseless violence, Patrick Colligan, president of the New Jersey State Policemens Benevolent Association, said in a statement. Mayor-elect Reed Gusciori said the shooting appears to be a turf war between neighborhood gangs. Its a concern, he said. We are about to enter the summer, and we have to change the mindset of Trenton so that people dont solve things with violence, particularly gun violence. Before the shootings, there were several physical altercations inside and outside the venue, and police instructed organizers to shut down the event. Police had begun to disperse the crowd, though many were loitering, Onofri said. He said 17 people were shot, and several were in critical condition. Others were injured in the chaos and panic that followed the shooting. Andrew Maykuth, Bob Fernandez, Stacey Burling and Cassie Owens are Philadelphia Inquirer writers. Takeisha Saunders was browsing Fathers Day cards at a Target store in Dallas in late May, looking for something special for her husband of two years, when she found one that didnt sit right. The card said Baby Daddy in pink cursive script and featured a black couple kissing. Saunders, 35, said it was the only Fathers Day card she saw with a black couple a feature she was looking for to reflect her own family. The card perpetuated a stereotype, Saunders said. Baby daddy is a phrase commonly used to refer to a father who is not a husband or current partner of the childs mother. My reaction was just, This is my only option?' Saunders said Saturday. I dont view him as my baby daddy. I would not call him that. Thats offensive to him and me. Saunders shared her frustration with her husband, who encouraged her to complain about it on social media, setting off criticism that led to both Target and then American Greetings the company that designed the card to pull it from stores. After Target started to see concerning conversation on social media about the card, it decided last week to pull it from stores, according to Joshua Thomas, a Target spokesman. The card had been available in about 900 Target stores in the United States, he said. More for you Dads of Bay Area icons: How many do you recognize? We really do appreciate the opportunity to get feedback from our guests, and its never our intent to offend customers, he said. American Greetings instructed other retailers to remove it from thousands of other stores across the country, The Washington Post reported. The company, which did not immediately respond to a request for comment Saturday, addressed the issue in a Twitter post Wednesday. This card was intended to be a playful husband card, but we have notified the product team that it missed the mark, the company said. Please accept our sincerest apologies and know we will do better in the future. The inside of the card says: Youre a wonderful husband and father and Im so grateful to have you as my partner, my friend, and my baby daddy! Happy Fathers Day. Saunders, a biomedical engineering technician and mother of a toddler, said her intent in posting about the card was not necessarily for Target to remove it but to recognize a problem with diversity in their card selection. Ultimately, Saunders said she wasnt able to find the right Fathers Day card for her husband but she was glad she started the conversation. The real issue is inclusion, she said. I didnt call for them to pull the card. I just wanted options. This article originally appeared in The New York Times. A scuba diver was pronounced dead Saturday afternoon after something caused him to lose consciousness as he was diving in a cove at Salt Point State Park, Sonoma County sheriff's officials said. First responders were dispatched at 2:27 p.m. to Gerstle Cove South where they learned that a 51-year-old diver had been diving about 200 feet from shore when something happened that no one observed apparently. Sheriff's officials said the diver's buddy swam to help him and found him unconscious, unresponsive, partially submerged with his face under water. A rescue attempt by the friend was unsuccessful and the man sank out of sight in about 30 to 50 feet of water. At about 3:30 p.m. a rescue diver found the submerged man and brought him to the surface with the help of rescue swimmers. A body was found Saturday evening in the Berkeley Marina near Cesar Chavez Park, a U.S. Coast Guard lieutenant said. The body was reported at 5:40 p.m. by a bystander on the shore who spotted an empty outrigger canoe, Lt. Rachel Thomas said. The person who died was in the canoe, which had overturned. Coast Guard Air Station San Francisco is trying to recover a gear bag that was in the vessel to help identify the person. Thomas said Coast Guard officials don't believe anyone else was in the canoe when it overturned. A motorcyclist died in a crash Saturday evening in Santa Clara, police said. The crash was reported at 6:03 p.m. on northbound Lawrence Expressway north of Stevens Creek Boulevard. A man died after a vehicle struck him early Saturday morning in Sunnyvale, public safety officials said. Officers and firefighters responded at 5:15 a.m. to a report that a man was down on El Camino Real between Henderson and Poplar avenues. Public safety officials said life-saving efforts were unsuccessful. The vehicle that struck the man was traveling west on El Camino Real. The driver, a 67-year-old woman, suffered minor injuries. She is cooperating with investigators, public safety officials said. The man's name hasn't been released by the county medical examiner. Three hikers stranded on a cliff near Pacifica were rescued by a California Highway Patrol helicopter Saturday morning, CHP and fire officials said. The saga began around 9:30 p.m. Friday when a man and two teenagers got stuck about 800 feet down the side of a steep cliff near Blackburn Terrace and Kent Road in San Mateo County, according to the North County Fire Authority. Firefighters, rescue units and officers from the fire authority responded. Because of the darkness and other adverse conditions, the firefighters couldn't rappel down the cliff to rescue the hikers, who weren't hurt, just trapped, fire officials said. Firefighters kept in contact with the hikers throughout the night and gave updates to the hikers and family, according to fire officials. In daylight and with the wind calming down, the CHP helicopter came to the rescue of the hikers. A 25-acre, 2-alarm grass fire was mostly contained Saturday afternoon in unincorporated Contra Costa County, a fire captain said. The fire was reported just after 3 p.m. behind a gas station at Evora Road and Willow Pass Court, just off state Highway 4. Fire Captain George Laing said the fire grew quickly to 5 to 6 acres. A second alarm was called because it was reported that a structure was threatened, but it's unclear whether any structure was actually threatened, Laing said. Water service was restored Saturday afternoon to dozens of customers after two water mains broke early Saturday morning in the Walnut Creek area, an East Bay Municipal Utility District spokeswoman said. Repairs were completed at about 2:30 p.m. on a 6-inch cast iron main on Newell Avenue in unincorporated Contra Costa County just outside of the Walnut Creek city limits, EBMUD spokeswoman Tracie Morales said. The repairs restored service to 36 customers, Morales said. Repairs were finished at about 4:30 p.m. on a main near the intersection of Walnut Boulevard and Ygnacio Valley Road in the city limits of Walnut Creek. Service to 18 customers was restored. Walnut Creek's Diablo Ballet has been granted nearly $25,000 by the California Arts Council to help incarcerated teen girls learn to express their emotions through movement and teamwork, the ballet company said Friday. The $24,608 grant will pay for weekly classes for 10 months for 45 girls ages 15 to 18 incarcerated at John A. Davis Juvenile Hall in Martinez, according to Lauren Jonas, the ballet's artistic director. This is the fourth year the California Arts Council has funded the endeavor through its JUMP StArts program. The classes at juvenile hall are part of a larger program at the ballet, the PEEK Program. The juvenile hall classes are known as the PEEK Extension Program. "(The grant) enables us to work in juvenile hall with at-risk teenage girls," Jonas said. "We teach them to express themselves through movement and get them on a better path. We've been very successful in the last three years. "Since we have been (at juvenile hall), we saw only four returned detainees, which apparently is remarkable because it's usually a revolving door. We're really proud of the girls and the program," Jonas said. Copyright 2018 by Bay City News, Inc. Republication, Rebroadcast or any other Reuse without the express written consent of Bay City News, Inc. is prohibited. DALY CITY (BCN) Firefighters extinguished a fire in an apartment located above a dry cleaning business that displaced three people in Daly City on Friday night, fire officials said. Smoke was coming from the second floor of the two-story building when firefighters arrived to 6842 Mission St. around 9 p.m., according to fire officials. Using hose lines, the firefighters were able to confine the fire to a bedroom, which sustained heavy fire damage, with smoke damage to the rest of the apartment, fire officials said. The cause of the fire is under investigation. Copyright 2018 by Bay City News, Inc. Republication, Rebroadcast or any other Reuse without the express written consent of Bay City News, Inc. is prohibited. WASHINGTON A top White House adviser distanced the Trump administration Sunday from responsibility for separating immigrant children from their parents at the U.S.-Mexico border, even though the administration put in place and could easily end a policy that has led to a spike in cases of split and distraught families. President Trump has tried to blame Democrats, who hold no levers of power in the government today, for a situation that has sparked fury and a national debate over the moral implications of his hard-line approach to immigration enforcement. Nobody likes breaking up families and seeing babies ripped from their mothers arms, said Kellyanne Conway, a counselor to the president. Nearly 2,000 children were separated from their families over a six-week period in April and May after Attorney General Jeff Sessions announced a new zero tolerance policy that refers all cases of illegal entry for criminal prosecution. U.S. protocol prohibits detaining children with their parents because the children are not charged with a crime and the parents are. The administration wants to send a message, said Maine Sen. Susan Collins, a Republican critic of the policy, that if you cross the border with children, your children are going to be ripped away from you. Thats traumatizing to the children who are innocent victims, and it is contrary to our values in this country. Trump plans to meet with House Republicans on Tuesday to discuss pending immigration legislation amid an election-season debate over an issue that helped vault the New York real estate mogul into the Oval Office in 2016. The House is expected to vote this week on a bill pushed by conservatives that may not have enough support to pass and a compromise measure that includes key proposals supported by the president. The White House has indicated Trump would sign either of those. Conway rejected the idea that Trump was using the children as leverage to force Democrats to negotiate on immigration and his long-promised border wall, even after Trump tweeted Saturday: Democrats can fix their forced family breakup at the Border by working with Republicans on new legislation, for a change! Conway, too, put the onus on Democrats, saying if there are serious about overhauling the system, theyll come together again and try to close these loopholes and get real immigration reform. To Rep. Adam Schiff, D-Burbank, the administration is using the grief, the tears, the pain of these kids as mortar to build our wall. And its an effort to extort a bill to their liking in the Congress. Even first lady Melania Trump, who has tended to stay out of contentious policy debates, waded into the emotional issue. Her spokeswoman said the first lady believes we need to be a country that follows all laws but also one that governs with heart. The House proposals face broad opposition from Democrats, and even if a bill does pass, the closely divided Senate seems unlikely to go along. Rep. Michael McCaul, R-Texas, who helped write the conservative version with Rep. Bob Goodlatte, R-Va., said he had spoken to Trump on Saturday and that the president is fully committed to both of these bills. Hes put the full weight of his office behind it. Without him coming to Capitol Hill on Tuesday, I dont think wed have that sort of maximum pressure, if you will, to get us across the goal line, and I anticipate on Tuesday that hes going to be the leader he is and were going to get something passed out of the House, said McCaul. Trumps former chief strategist said Republicans would face steep consequences for pushing the compromise bill because it provides a path to citizenship for young Dreamer immigrants brought to the country illegally as children. Steve Bannon argued that effort risked alienating Trumps base and contributing to election losses in November, when Republicans hope to preserve their congressional majorities. I strongly recommend that we just wait until 2019, right, to address this, he said, while defending the administrations practice of separating parents from children as an example of Trump making good on a key campaign promise. Conway and Schiff appeared on NBCs Meet the Press, Collins was on CBS Face the Nation, Bannon spoke on ABCs This Week, and McCaul was on Foxs Sunday Morning Futures. Jill Colvin is an Associated Press writer. MADRID More than 600 migrants disembarked from three ships Sunday in the port of Valencia, more than a week after they had been rescued at sea only to be turned away by Italy and Malta. Arriving separately, the Aquarius, a rescue ship, and two Italian navy vessels reached Valencia carrying a total of 630 migrants including pregnant women and children that the Aquarius had originally picked up from dinghies in the Mediterranean Sea off Libya. After their exhausting journey, migrants shouted with joy as their ships entered Valencias port. Some disembarked singing. The fate of the Aquarius has underlined the deep divisions in Europe over how to handle an influx of migrants mostly from the Middle East and Africa. The Aquarius is operated by two European humanitarian groups, SOS Mediterranee and Doctors Without Borders. David Noguera, president of the Spanish branch of Doctors Without Borders, said Sunday that the blockade of European ports sets a very negative precedent. The landing in Spain opens a new chapter in a saga that began a week ago, when Italys new populist government followed through on anti-immigration campaign promises by refusing to let the Aquarius dock at an Italian port. Italys interior minister and the leader of the anti-immigrant League, Matteo Salvini, had argued that an army of fake refugees had long exploited what he called the countrys lax rules. That left the ship, which at the time was overburdened with the rescued migrants, stranded at sea in dangerous conditions. The migrants will be granted a special humanitarian permit to stay in Spain for 45 days while authorities review their cases and give them medical attention. The Spanish government said it would review all of the cases to decide whether to grant them asylum. Those who do not fulfill the criteria would face deportation. Italys decision to bar the migrants drew a furious reaction from humanitarian groups and other European countries. Spain brought an end to the standoff when its new Socialist government offered to let the migrants land there instead. During the standoff, Italy allowed emergency services to board the Aquarius to check on the migrants. The Italian government also sent two navy ships to escort the Aquarius to Spain and to help transport the migrants to reduce overcrowding. Raphael Minder is a New York Times writer. BOGOTA, Colombia Ivan Duque, the conservative protege of a powerful former president, was elected Colombias next leader Sunday after promising to roll back a fragile peace accord that has divided the South American nation. Duque captured almost 54 percent of the vote, putting him 12 points ahead of former leftist guerrilla Gustavo Petro in a tense runoff election that had appeared to be tightening in recent days. In the end, the 41-year-old sailed to victory, promising to change parts of the accord with leftist rebels but not shred it to pieces as some of his hawkish allies had been urging. The peace we all dream of demands corrections, he told hundreds of jubilant supporters. So that victims are the true center of the process and so that there is justice, reparations and no repetition. The new president will inherit a country still scarred by five decades of bloody armed conflict and grappling with soaring cocaine production. Former guerrillas of the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia are struggling to reinsert themselves in civilian life in a nation where many people remain hesitant to forgive. It was the first presidential election since the signing of the 2016 peace agreement ending Latin Americas longest-running conflict and was ultimately just as much about the divisive accord as it was deeply entrenched issues like persistent corruption and high levels of enduring inequality. Petro energized young voters and drew millions to public plazas with his fiery speeches vowing to improve the lives of poor, disenfranchised Colombians. Perhaps as time passes people will be less scared about voting for left-wing politicians, said Jorge Gallego, a professor at Colombias Rosario University. Although with this result, its proven that Colombia is still a right-wing country. Colombias peace process to end a conflict that killed more than 250,000 people is considered largely irreversible. Most of the more than 7,000 rebels who have surrendered their weapons have started new lives as farmers, community leaders and journalists. But the accord remains contentious, and Duque pledged throughout his campaign to make changes. Through constitutional reform or by decree, he could proceed with proposals such as not allowing ex-combatants behind human rights abuses to take political office until they have confessed their war crimes and compensated victims. The current agreement allows most rebels to avoid jail, a sore point for many. Duque is the protege of powerful former President Alvaro Uribe. Critics are wary that his limited experience in politics could leave him dependent on Uribe, who is the leader of his partys bloc in the Senate. Christine Armario is an Associated Press writer. ATHENS, Greece Macedonia signed a landmark agreement Sunday to change its name to North Macedonia, sealing a deal with Greece that would, if ratified, resolve a decades-old dispute and pave the way for the enlargement of the European Union and NATO. Hailing a patriotic and mutually beneficial agreement for both peoples, Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras of Greece said it was important to see the accord through. The pact must still pass a referendum in Macedonia and ratification in the parliaments of both countries. The Greek and Macedonian foreign ministers signed the agreement on the banks of the Prespa Lake District in northern Greece, which the two countries share along with Albania, in a ceremony attended by Tsipras and Prime Minister Zoran Zaev of Macedonia. For decades, Greece has objected to the former Yugoslav republics use of the name Macedonia, arguing that it implies territorial aspirations against a northern Greek region with the same name. Athens also claimed that using the name was an attempt to appropriate the ancient civilization of Macedonia, a Greek kingdom ruled by Philip II and Alexander the Great. Successive Greek governments have used the countrys veto to keep Macedonia out of the European Union and NATO until a resolution of the name dispute. Now, assuming the deal is formally ratified, Tsipras has pledged that Greece will lift its objections to Macedonia joining those alliances. Despite the signing of the agreement, there was acrimony about the deal on both sides of the border. Late Saturday, Tsipras survived a no-confidence motion against his government brought by Greeces main opposition party in protest at the Macedonia deal. Many regular Greeks are also unhappy about the deal, calling it a national capitulation and betrayal. Thousands of protesters rallied outside Parliament on Saturday. The again rallied near the site of Sundays signing, and police fired tear gas. Niki Kitsantonis is a New York Times writer. PARIS A woman crying Allahu akbar God is great in Arabic injured two people with a box cutter Sunday at a supermarket in southern France before she was detained. A customer in the store in the maritime town of La Seyne-sur-Mer was injured in the chest and hospitalized. A cashier was hurt less seriously, French radio station Europe 1 quoted the prosecutor in nearby Toulon as saying. Page Content CHICAGOFew states regulate hiring the way that California does, so it's critical for employers to keep up with the growing legal obligations in the state, said Jonathan Siegel, an attorney with Jackson Lewis in Irvine. Recently, there's been a proliferation of laws restricting the hiring process, such as city and statewide "ban-the-box" laws and bars on salary history inquiries, he said during a preconference workshop at the SHRM 2018 Annual Conference & Exposition. Additionally, there are more protected characteristics under California's anti-discrimination laws than there are in other states. Sexual orientation, gender identity, political affiliation, veteran and military status, and marital status are all protected, just to name a few. Multistate employers can't simply use the same hiring forms, policies and processes that they do in other locations. Jen Gere, a conference attendee from Irving, Texas, attended the workshop to get a fresh perspective on the changing laws in California and insight on what might be coming down the pike. She is the director of HR operations for Epsilon, a global marketing company that has multiple offices in California. [SHRM members-only HR Q&A: What questions are employers in California prohibited from asking applicants?] The state's abundance of employee-friendly laws make compliance difficult. Here are some common mistakes that employers should avoid in California's unique employment landscape. 1. Misclassifying New Hires Is a worker an employee or an independent contractor? This is the No. 1 issue in the state right now, Siegel said. The California Supreme Court's recent ruling in Dynamex Operations West v. Superior Court fundamentally changed the law and made it extremely difficult to establish an independent-contractor relationship, he said. Under the new California analysis, all three of the following factors must be met for a worker to be properly classified as an independent contractor: The employer can't control how the individual performs the work. The worker must be providing a service that is not part of the employer's usual business. The worker must customarily engage in an established business, trade or profession that is independent of the employer's business. Unless workers are clearly independent contractors, employers should classify them as employees, Siegel noted. Misclassification lawsuits can be time-consuming and costly to defend. 2. Asking About Prior Salary Employers in California can no longer ask job applicants about their past salary and benefits. The theory behind the law is that using prior compensation to determine a new hire's starting salary may perpetuate pay disparities that were based on gender, race or other discrimination, Siegel explained. Employers also need to share the pay range for a job opening if an applicant requests it. This was incorporated into the law to create pay transparency. Hiring managers should base starting pay on the salary range for the job and the candidate's qualifications, rather than trying to "get someone on the cheap," he said. 3. Asking About Criminal History Under California's "ban-the-box" law, employers can't ask about an applicant's criminal history until a conditional offer has been madealthough there are exceptions for positions that legally require a criminal background check. Furthermore, if an employer decides not to hire someone because of his or her criminal history, it must follow notice requirements under the ban-the-box law as well as the federal Fair Credit Reporting Act and California's Investigative Consumer Reporting Agencies Act. 4. Failing to Comply with City Laws Compliance in California doesn't end with federal and state laws. Employers must also understand any local ordinances that affect the hiring process. For example, some cities have their own ban-the-box, minimum-wage and pay-equity laws. These ordinances are usually similar to state law, but they may have some additional requirements or exceptions. Local laws are common in Emeryville, Los Angeles, Oakland, San Diego, San Francisco, San Jose and Santa Monicabut other cities have them, too. Some local laws are limited to the city's borders, so make sure to check whether the business is technically in the relevant city, Siegel said. 5. Failing to Revise Forms Multistate employers usually can't use the same forms in California as they do in other states. Job postings, applications and new-hire forms must be reviewed for compliance with California law. Make sure job applications don't have impermissible questions about salary history, criminal background or other topics that are regulated in the state, Siegel said. Employers need to train everyone who is interviewing and hiring workers in California, he added. Many state agenciessuch as the Employment Development Department, the Department of Fair Employment and Housing, and the Division of Labor Standards Enforcementhave helpful training resources and templates available on their websites. STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. -- The 25-year-old driver who struck and killed a pedestrian early Sunday morning in Stapleton was arrested for driving while intoxicated (DWI), said a police spokeswoman. While official charges are still pending, police said the man was intoxicated when he struck the victim, a 32-year-old male, with his 2015 Nissan Altima on Tompkins Avenue, near Broad Street at about 4:40 a.m. Sunday. Police have yet to release the name of the driver or the victim. A witness said he watched firefighters pull the victim from the windshield of an unoccupied jeep, that was parked on Tompkins Avenue prior to the crash. "I saw half of the body," said Hector Sanchez, 62, who was buying coffee within 50 feet of the incident when he heard a bang, followed by screaming. "His head was inside the jeep and his legs were sticking out," he said. The owner of the jeep arrived on scene shortly after, said Sanchez. The driver was traveling westbound on Tompkins Avenue when he struck the pedestrian, said the police spokeswoman. The windshield of the Altima also was smashed, as police towed it from the scene Sunday morning. Witnesses said firefighters pried open the roof of the jeep in order to pull the body from the vehicle. Police said the victim was pronounced dead on the scene. Advance Reporter Kyle Lawson contributed to this report. The In Class education column will be published regularly to highlight area school happenings, and we want to hear from you. STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. -- Notre Dame Academy High School seniors showed their pride -- college pride, that is -- recently when they proudly donned the sweatshirts and T-shirts of their future schools. Seniors received offers from various schools, including: Cornell University, Georgetown University, University of Notre Dame, Boston College and Villanova University. According to Notre Dame, the Class of 2018 earned more than $33 million in scholarships to colleges and universities across the country. View the gallery above to see the seniors wearing their future college sweatshirts. As part of our education column, In Class, we are highlighting some of the activities Staten Island students are engaged in -- both inside and outside the classroom. Here's a look at some additional recent education-related happenings. CYCLING FOR CANCER RESEARCH Students and staff at Edwin Markham Intermediate School (I.S. 51) are riding their bikes to raise money for kids with cancer. The school is participating in the Great Cycle Challenge USA in June to support the Children's Cancer Research Fund. The challenge encourages each rider to set a personal mileage goal for the month and ask their friends, family and colleagues to sponsor them to support their challenge. The effort is being organized by Assistant Principal Andrew Cataneo and teacher Erica Sadagursky, who lost her brother to cancer at 22 years old. "Kids should be living life, not fighting for it," Sadagursky wrote on her fundraising page. "As most of your know, I lost my brother at the young age of 22 to childhood cancer. Too many kids are diagnosed with this horrible disease each year. Many of the drugs they currently use are too strong for children and are not made to target specific types of cancer." The team boasts about 100 members, including students and staff. The members have ridden more than 300 miles combined, and the goal is to ride a total of 1,000 miles. The school has raised more than $14,000 and hopes to reach its goal of $17,500. "This June, I am taking part in the Great Cycle Challenge to fight kids' cancer!" Cataneo wrote on the fundraising page. "If we all give a little we can make a big difference. The cure is out there. We just have to discover it. Help us be part of the change." To learn more about the I.S. 51 team, you can go to their fundraising page. STUDENT LEADERS HONORED Students and staff from Dreyfus Intermediate School (I.S. 49) beacon program during the JCC's annual Honorable Mentschion Awards Dinner. (Photo courtesy of Ruth Lasser) Student leaders who demonstrate enthusiasm, kindness and support for their peers were honored recently at the Jewish Community Center (JCC). Twenty-two young people were recognized at the JCC's annual Honorable Mentschion Awards Dinner, which took place in the Stolzenberg Social Hall at the Joan and Alan Bernikow JCC in Sea View. The honorees who participate in the organization's beacon programs include: Tina Tamba, Israel Electorio and Toniyya Brundage of Dreyfus Intermediate School (I.S. 49); and Samantha Del Rio, Nicholas Santo and Alyssa Santo, of Tottenville High School. Additional honorees include: Jonathan Plaza, Dylan Casey, Nicholas Christophersen and Anthony Spennato, JCC Department for People with Disabilities; Zachary Dalton, Eitan Halvei, Daniel Kascle and Aidan Levine, JCC Trident Aquatics; Jason Foxman and Antonio O'Connor, Kidz Klub Afterschool Bernikow; and Camila Barros, Somar Elvir, Kit Gerney, Mia Nelson and Vitalina Paknis, PS 65 JCC COMPASS. SCHOOL REWARDS Stop & Shop recently presented a check of more than $20,000 to the St. Charles School for participating in the A+ School Rewards program. Cindy Carrasquilla, manager of public relations and community relations for Stop & Shop Metro New York, presented the check of $20,278 to Sister Jeanine Conlin, former principal of the St. Charles School. Sister Jeanine, 74, who retired as principal 13 years ago, has spearheaded the Oakwood school's involvement in the program with current Principal J.C. Kiernan. The rewards program offers Stop & Shop royalty card users the ability to earn funds for St. Charles School programs and enrollment activities every time they make a purchase. The customers designate St. Charles as the beneficiary of these funds. Through the years, Sister Jeanine has raised more than $150,000, which the school has used to upgrade its computer lab, purchase tablets and maintain affordable tuition prices. This year, Stop & Shop distributed a total of $2,450,000 to more than 3,300 schools in the New York area. Stop & Shop presented a check of more than $20,000 to the St. Charles School for participating in the A+ School Rewards program. L to R: From Left Standing: Michele Mankin, Stop & Shop Store Manager; JC Kiernan, Principal of the St. Charles School; Ed Diantonio, Stop & Shop Store Manager; Larry Diantonio, Stop & Shop Store Manager; Sister Jeanine Conlon; TJ Mcleod, Store Manager. (Photo courtesy of Stop & Shop) Do you have a story idea for the new In Class education column? Email education reporter Annalise Knudson at aknudson@siadvance.com. FOLLOW ANNALISE KNUDSON ON FACEBOOK AND TWITTER. STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. -- Normally, the Advance does not endorse in political party primaries, respecting the independence of the party faithful and their decisions as to who should represent them in a general election. However, every once in a while there is a primary fight that is out of the ordinary. Last we recall was 2004 when longtime Assembly member Robert Straniere squared off against GOP Party nominee Vincent Ignizio and former Borough President Guy Molinari's man, Mario Bruno, for Mr. Straniere's seat in the state Assembly. In that race, on the South Shore, we felt the winner of the primary was guaranteed a win in the general election. That proved true when Mr. Ignizio went on to win the primary and the general. Not surprisingly in this era of out-of-the-ordinary phenomena on America's political landscape, we have something of an extraordinary race going on within the Republican Party for Staten Island's congressional seat, which is also shared by a slice of Brooklyn. Current Congressman Dan Donovan, the party's nominee, is challenged by former Congressman Michael Grimm, the man who resigned the same congressional seat after pleading guilty to tax fraud and serving seven months of an eight-month federal prison sentence. For us, there is no question: Dan Donovan deserves to be the Republican nominee. He has served Staten Island with distinction and sensitivity, despite accusations to the contrary tossed about by Mr. Grimm. And Mr. Donovan's service is not only tied to Congress. He served Staten Islanders as deputy borough president, and then district attorney. Despite all the rhetoric, the race has boiled down to President Donald Trump and who can work with him best. Since Day One of his Second Coming, Mr. Grimm boasted that he and the president are in lockstep. He was never able to garner the president's attention, it seemed, but did manage to sidle up with Trump allies Steve Bannon and Anthony Scaramucci -- both hired and fired by the president. In fact, Mr. Trump admired Mr. Scaramucci's work so much, he fired him within a week. Then, in what many considered a political bombshell dropped on the Grimm campaign, the man Mr. Grimm boasted could only work with him endorsed Mr. Dononvan -- in glowing terms. "There is no one better to represent the people of N.Y. and Staten Island (a place I know very well) than @RepDanDonovan, who is strong on Borders & Crime, loves our Military & our Vets, voted for Tax Cuts and is helping me to Make America Great Again," Mr. Trump tweeted. "Dan has my full endorsement!" In addition to thinking he was the best man to work with Mr. Trump, Mr. Grimm is focusing his campaign on three issues: Mr. Donovan's refusal to vote with Mr. Trump on Obamacare repeal, the tax bill and slashing federal aid to sanctuary cities. Obamacare and the tax bill are such complicated issues, we doubt many voters comprehend them fully. Punishing sanctuary cities is more straightforward. Mr. Grimm maintains he would have stood by the president on each bill. Mr. Donovan maintained he did not because he felt the bills would be bad for the people of Staten Island, Brooklyn -- and really, all of New York. In a nutshell, on Obamacare, the congressman said older Americans would see a 25 percent increase in their insurance premiums, New Yorkers appeared ineligible for tax credits because state insurance plans must cover abortions, four hospitals in his district would lose federal funds, and a Medicaid provision would have saved counties all over the state money but excluded New York City. On the tax bill, Mr. Donovan objected to losing state and local tax deductions and while the plan says taxpayers can still claim a deduction for mortgage tax and charitable donations, he feared language requiring people to choose one or the other would be in the final bill. On punishing sanctuary cities, Mr. Donovan objected to the NYPD potentially losing federal funding. Ironically, Long Island Republican Congressman Peter King -- a celebrated right-winger who has been around since the '70s -- voted NO with Mr. Donovan on two of the three -- the tax bill and Obamacare repeal. That's the politics of it all. But what troubles us most is Mr. Grimm's manipulation of the facts, and the truth -- a man who feels whatever goes awry is someone else's fault. In 2014, while Mr. Grimm was facing a 20-count indictment -- something he calls an "Obama Justice Department Witch-hunt" -- he pledged to the voters and the Advance Editorial Board that he would be found innocent of all accusations against him. Within months after he was first elected, it seemed, there were accusations of wrongdoing swirling around him. The New York Times churned out story after story alleging irregular fundraising tactics and when they did not materialize, it was alleged he hid more than a million dollars in sales taxes and wages at a restaurant in which he was partner. The voters placed their faith in Mr. Grimm -- many say "everyone" in the business world hires undocumented immigrants -- and the Advance endorsed him for reelection in a race with former City Councilman Domenic Recchia. There is no doubt Mr. Grimm made an impact as a congressman. He was out front after Hurricane Sandy, both on the ground in Staten Island's East Shore neighborhoods and in Washington carrying a bill successfully that helped Sandy victims with flood insurance. Perhaps his "in-your-face" style doesn't appeal to everyone -- just ask the reporter who thought he was about to sail off a balcony -- but it appeals to many on Staten Island, if you believe the polls. Although there are dueling polls out there for Mr. Donovan and Mr. Grimm, the latest NY1/Sienna poll had Mr. Grimm ahead by 10 points. There is, however, some debate on when that poll was taken -- before, during or after Mr. Trump's Twitter bombshell. But the Advance did encourage voters to send Mr. Grimm back to Congress in 2014 despite the cloud of a federal indictment hovering over him. "On [Election Day] Mr. Grimm is still the best practical choice for Staten Island," read the editorial on Oct. 30, 2014. "Our system of justice calls for us to wait ... when he faces trial, to discover the rightness or wrongness of that decision." On Dec. 22, 2014 -- just 53 days later -- Mr. Grimm pleaded guiltily to one count of felony tax fraud. "What is your plea to count four of the indictment, guilty or not guilty," the judge asked. "Guilty," Mr. Grimm replied. "While operating a restaurant we underestimated the gross receipts, used some of that money to pay employees off the books, as well as to pay other expenses of the restaurant," he said. There is no doubt many businesses hire undocumented immigrants. By extension, they too are hiding money. But that does not make it OK. And that does not make it OK for a candidate to lie to the electorate in his quest to hold on to his congressional seat. Voters of all stripes should find that behavior troubling. Mr. Grimm might be correct when he insists he was the victim of a "witch-hunt." But let us not forget there was something to hunt down. He suggests he is the only person in America who was jailed for hiring undocumented instead of facing a civil penalty. Again, perhaps true. But he did it. He pleaded guilty. The Obama administration did not make it up. We should hold the people in whom we place our trust to lead our nation to the highest level. Admittedly, it doesn't always happen. Lately, we might go as far to say it rarely happens. Look north to Albany. Voters have an opportunity in the upcoming Republican Primary on June 26. We discovered the wrongness of our decision in 2014. Let's not make that mistake again. Dan Donovan has represented our community with honor and integrity. That is what the Republican Party deserves. Mr. Donovan is a good man. He deserves Staten Island Republicans' support. To continue, please log in, or sign up for a new account. We offer one free story view per month. If you register for an account, you will get two additional story views. After those three total views, we ask that you support us with a subscription. A subscription to our digital content is so much more than just access to our valuable content. It means youre helping to support a local community institution that has, from its very start, supported the betterment of our society. Thank you very much! AGL has called on the government and industry to work together to solve a substantial domestic gas supply shortfall, rejecting claims by Energy Minister Josh Frydenberg that it was to blame for higher prices caused by local supply being moved offshore. The Sydney-based AGL has been the subject of intense criticism by Mr Frydenberg over the past year over its decision to close the ageing Liddell power station in NSW and the $2 billion sale of a large quantity of gas to an export terminal in 2015. AGL chief Andy Vesey, who has been the target of personal attacks by tabloid media outlets, told Fairfax Media solving the forecast domestic gas shortage in eastern Australia required collaboration and openness between key players. What happens in times of what people perceive as a resource crisis is theres a lot of whos at fault, but the problem is that you dont solve it by that," Mr Vesey said. By the time she converted them into shares in December 2015, the stock was already above $1. Morphet picked up another 100,000 shares last week at $2.50 a share as part of the latest capital raising to buy up a swathe of Specialty Fashion Groups brands like Millers, Katies and Rivers. Morphet's stock pot is now worth $7.4 million, her initial share options alone have delivered a $5 million bonanza. It is one hell of a payday for someone who, unfairly or not, was remembered as the CEO who got a massive pay rise at Pac Brands while sacking thousands of workers to move its manufacturing base to China. Pony up The case has finally closed on our favourite pharmacist/colourful racing identity, Rohan Aujard. The Australian Financial Security Authority (AFSA) confirmed this week that Aujard has been convicted of making false declarations in relation to his 2012 bankruptcy. Illustration: John Shakespeare Aujard paid costs of $183.29 to AFSA and was put on a $500 good behaviour bond for 12 months because - as the judge put it - he would be unable to pay a significant fine. "The bottom line is you should have told the truth and you didn't, and now you are here facing criminal matters," said Magistrate Metcalfe. The AFSA statement reported that Magistrate Metcalfe "took into account the delay from the time from the commission of the offences to prosecution, stating that a penalty more severe than a conviction bond was not appropriate". Aujard is also considered unlikely to reoffend - which might be on the basis that you could only have one corporate collapse in your life that matches the spectacle of his Pulse Pharmacy debacle. The good news is that the AFSA statement details some of the false declarations that got Aujard into trouble after he declared bankruptcy in 2012. This includes the failure to declare he had been the owner of a property in Hawthorn, Victoria. Aujard also mistakenly told his trustee that Commonwealth Bank account held $179.37 balance, when it fact it was $101,263.14. He also failed to declare that he handed the shares in horses he owned to Ballymore Stables - the Moroney family trainers who looked after Aujard's Group 1 winner Brazilian Pulse. It was to settle payment of a $132,360.23 debt he owed to them. Aujard's trustee, Norman Jones, was not available to say whether the pony stakes had been regathered from the Moroney clan. But it might explain why Aujard was forced to find gainful employment this month with another well-known crew - the Corsten familys Malua Racing stable and Flemington Bloodstock - not Ballymore. He also sold 70,000 shares in an undisclosed company for $42,263.04. Aujard is currently expected to be discharged from bankruptcy on September 20, 2020. Tax Trumped While the storm rages on local shores to give our multi millionaires - and big business - the tax cuts they deserve, it is comforting to know that the scourge of rampant taxation still blights the land of the free. Donald Trump seems determined to start a trade war. Credit:AP State taxes in Donald Trumps not-so United States accounts for a massive movement of economic refugees across state borders, and now it appears that the Aussie founders of Stonepeak Infrastructure Partners, Mike Dorrell and Trent Vichie, are joining the flight. According to US reports, the Macquarie alumni are extending their $US15 billion infrastructure investment shop to Texas to avoid a potential rise in New York state taxes. And would you believe Trump is to blame. The US Presidents tax overhaul is meant to include a $US10,000 cap on state tax deductions. Apparently this is a great way for high-flying executives to ease the pain of living in high taxing states like New York by writing of hundreds of thousands of dollars in property taxes and the like. Not any more. Australian performance artist Mike Parr has resurfaced after spending 72 hours without food in a steel container buried beneath one of Hobart's busiest roads. A cheering crowd met Parr, 72, as he climbed a ladder out of the container (4.5m x 1.7m x 2.2m) on Sunday night, three days after he was entombed in it on Thursday night. Mike Parr emerges after spending three days buried underneath a road in Hobart. Credit:Melanie Kembrey Parr's piece, Underneath the Bitumen the Artist, has seen Macquarie Street, outside Hobart's Town Hall, shut to traffic and excavated and resealed three times in the past two months. For the three days that Parr was entombed traffic zoomed above him as per normal, with only a slight discolouration in the bitumen to mark the location where he was buried. Pedestrians were spotted jumping up and down, and posing for photographs, on the spot. "It feels like a massive weight has been lifted off our shoulders. It's been almost a year since the initial decision was made and it has been a stressful time." A Bauer insider told Fairfax Media: "It wasn't as big as you might expect, but we had a drink and celebrated the feeling of relief and we raised a glass to the whole magazine and the legal team. Rebel Wilson has vowed to appeal the Court of Appeals decision to slash her payout from Bauer. Credit:AP While most media outlets were breathing a sigh of relief this week at the news that Rebel Wilson's defamation payout from Bauer Media was slashed by $3.9 million, a celebratory toast was being raised over at the Woman's Day offices on Park Street. The actor, 38, best known for playing university student Fat Amy in Pitch Perfect, has won $600,000 instead of the $4.5 million that she was initially awarded, after she sued the publishers of Woman's Day, Australian Women's Weekly, NW and OK magazine over a series of articles in 2015 that she said painted her as a serial liar. Wilson, who was born Melanie Bownds, was particularly offended by claims she lied about her age (she explained she stopped disclosing her age in 2009 because the "mystery" surrounding it suited her), that she grew up in a "middle-class family" (her mother testified that the family were indeed "bogans") and whether she is related to Walt Disney (she's maintains that she is). Wilson was asked by Fairfax Media, whom she blocked from her last red carpet, for comment on the decision, but a spokesperson replied: "There will be no comment from Rebel to any publications regarding the court case." Instead the Bridesmaids star took to Twitter to say she plans to appeal the "flippant" decision by Victoria's Court of Appeal. The Murray-Darling Basin Authority has been accused of withholding information about how it manages the nation's biggest river system as it resists disclosures to the Senate and a Royal Commission that gets underway on Monday. The authority, along with the Turnbull government, applied last week to have an injunction preventing officials from giving evidence at the South Australian Royal Commission. Former authority staffers are understood to have been told by the commission to seek legal advice before becoming witnesses. Rex Patrick, a South Australian Centre Alliance senator, who has issued several orders for the production of documents, said the authority had "not been forthcoming with information". "It's been like pulling teeth - actually, more like major surgery for a wisdom tooth," Senator Patrick said. Eurydice Dixon, whose body was found on a soccer field in the city\'s inner north. Theres another vigil in Melbourne tonight. Another young woman who had too much life yet to live is dead. All we can do is mourn Eurydice Dixon and remember her; celebrate her too short life and its not enough. A bright, talented, brave, hilarious woman is dead and nothing we can do will give back the long, full life she should have had. Its unimaginable what all the people who knew her and loved her must be feeling right now. Now and for the rest of their lives. We grieve with them and for them as well as for her. And for ourselves because we know one of us will be next, we just dont yet know who. Semantic saturation is the term for a word or phrase that loses its meaning when its repeated too often. One woman is killed in Australia every week. Firefighters battled two separate kitchen fires in south Canberra on Sunday afternoon. The first fire, in a three-storey apartment on State Circle in Deakin, was called in just after 4.20pm. Fire fighters battled two separate kitchen blazes on Sunday afternoon in Canberra's south. Credit:Tanya Lake At 4.40pm firefighters were called to the second fire, at an apartment complex on Cunningham Street in Griffith. Both fires involved unattended cooking, the Emergency Services Agency said. It is a popular dining spot for the city's barristers but Rockpool's Fratelli Fresh eatery in Macquarie Street has found itself at the centre of a legal stink over a grease trap neighbouring barristers' chambers complain is on the nose. Counsel's Chambers Limited, which owns the prestigious Selborne and Wentworth chambers on Phillip Street and Lockhart Chambers in Macquarie Street, claims Fratelli is "guilty of nuisance by causing the emission of odours" from a grease trap in the basement of its Macquarie Street outlet. Fratelli Fresh Parlamento on Macquarie Street has raised the ire of nearby barristers' chambers thanks to an odour-emitting grease trap. Credit:Peter Braig The company filed proceedings against Fratelli Fresh Holdings in the NSW Supreme Court last month and is seeking a permanent injunction to stop it using the malodorous grease trap at its Fratelli Fresh Parlamento outlet on Macquarie Street, a short walk from NSW Parliament, "in such a manner as to unreasonably interfere" with CCL's "use or enjoyment" of its premises. It is also seeking an order that Fratelli - owned by the Rockpool Dining Group behind a raft of eateries, including Rockpool Bar & Grill, Spice Temple and Burger Project - "take all steps necessary" to fix the grease trap within seven days of the court's order. Residents have been warned to keep clear of a fire in Sydneys inner west because the smoke may contain asbestos. The large blaze started at a factory on Australia Street in Camperdown about 9.30am on Sunday morning and continued to burn for several hours, with 55 firefighters and 12 fire trucks responding to the scene. Superintendent Norman Buckley from Fire and Rescue NSW said three people were inside the building but they evacuated on their own and were not injured. The fire was contained to a single-level workshop and did not spread to neighbouring homes, but the building was significantly damaged with parts of the ceiling and the roof collapsing. A coroner's inquest into the 2016 Dreamworld theme park tragedy that saw four people killed will begin on Monday, June 18. Cindy Low, Kate Goodchild, her brother Luke Dorsett and his partner Roozi Araghi all died when the Thunder River Rapids ride malfunctioned on October 25, 2016. Dreamworld CEO Craig Davidson (second left) arrives with lawyers to the pre-inquest hearing into the fatal accident at the Dreamworld theme park, at the Brisbane Coroners Court in Brisbane, Tuesday, April 3, 2018. Credit:AAP/Glenn Hunt The four were killed instantly from compression and crushing injuries when their raft hit another raft and flipped over: Ms Goodchild's 12-year-old daughter and Ms Low's 10-year-old son were also on the ride, but survived. The inquest, conducted by Coronor James McDougall, will take place at Southport Magistrates Court, scheduled to run from Monday, June 18, to Friday, June 29. The Brisbane Bushwalkers out abseiling at Watsons Falls. Club president Chris Hall is bringing the organisations 70-year history into one place for its anniversary dinner in July. A great folder full of calendars and photos, handwritten descriptions of bushwalks posted to the Queensland Parks and Wildlife Service to inform them of changes to tracks and needed repairs, logos and postcards they tell a story of an organisation still going strong, predicated on community and adventure. Its still a very social club, Mr Hall said. We still have social outings to movies just like they used to do. In those old monthly newsletters youd see where theyd all gone to see Cat on a Hot Tin Roof or similar, and we still do that. People like that camaraderie, and they get that on day walks, but the better way you get that is what we call through-walks, or overnight walks. You really get to know people when youre sitting around having dinner at night. The skills developed by these walkers, most in their 40s and over, are far more than simply stretching their legs. When the clubs social coordinator Anna-Lena Moore joined several years ago, she certainly did not expect to become an abseiler, climber, orienteer, and search and rescue operative. But the club performs all those tasks, from a casual day walk through Mt Coot-tha to dispatching their most experienced walkers on search and rescue missions into patches of forest even park rangers dont venture into. Far more than simply walking, the club has a host of training sessions for members to learn how to navigate their surroundings safely. A written history of the clubs first 50 years, compiled by the clubs first vice-president, Cecily Fearnley, noted that the club was founded by South African bushwalker John Taylor, who arrived in Brisbane midway through an around-the-world walk. Mr Taylors comments to the Courier-Mail about his surprise at the lack of a bushwalking club in Brisbane sparked the clubs birth. Just a few years later, the Womens Weekly wrote a feature article commenting on the number of young women bedecked in shorts and boots, lugging metal-framed packs up and down the mountains around Brisbane. [Women] have always comprised a strong majority of the club; the clubs got well over 50 per cent women, Mr Hall said. Mr Hall is now working with the State Library of Queensland to digitise these precious records of Brisbanes lifestyle from the late 1940s on. The paperwork holds some remarkable pieces of information about long-serving club members, many of whom are respected walkers and known for their achievements outside the club. They also show the context of a time gone by, when walkers wrote into the club newsletter noting they had witnessed Halleys Comet. During that project were reading some of the stuff as were scanning it, and you see references to when Halleys Comet passed over, references to the Korean War and members who have come back from that, Mr Hall said. All those parts of history that filter into the club. The original calendars issued by the club showed 10 or 20 planned walks scattered throughout the year. There were no cars or trains, so walkers would write in to indicate they wanted to join the walk, and then all pile into a tram to reach the end of the line. Sometimes local farmers could be prevailed upon to lend out their trucks to ferry a band of 20 or 30 walkers out to the slopes of a mountain, but wherever they went, there had to be plenty of pre-planning. Australia's higher education regulator has revealed it is investigating two universities and demanding information from at least another four on their responses to allegations of sexual assault and harassment. The Tertiary Education Quality and Standards Agency this week confirmed it had made inquiries of every university outlined in February media coverage of hazing rituals, while the two higher-level investigations were triggered by complaints. Nina Funnell, author of The Red Zone report. Credit:James Brickwood The agency has the power to revoke a university's registration should it be found in breach of federal legislation, part of which relates to student safety and wellbeing. The University of Tasmania is one institution under investigation following a complaint from advocacy group End Rape on Campus about the enrolment of a convicted sex offender. Revelations in Saturdays Herald of a cancer crisis at a high school in the US state of Minnesota have resonated half a world away in Australia with good reason. At least 21 children who have attended Tartan High School have battled cancer over the past 15 years in the town of Oakdale in Americas upper mid-west, where the water supply was contaminated by toxins belonging to the PFAS family of chemicals for years. Minnesota. Katie Jurek, who died of osteosarcoma in 2007. The revelations strike a chord particularly in Williamtown near Newcastle, where Fairfax Media last year revealed at least 50 cancer cases over 15 years on a five-kilometre stretch of road. But as the Herald has detailed today, more than 90 sites in Australia, 25 in NSW and 10 in Sydney are being investigated by authorities for contamination by PFAS chemicals. The chemicals were manufactured for decades by $US120 billion corporate giant 3M, whose global headquarters in Minnesota is just blocks from Tartan High School. 3M is the maker of retail brands such as Scotchguard, which formerly contained PFAS chemicals as a key ingredient, while they were contained in fire-fighting foam that was exported around the world. Following the hysteria surrounding the Ramsay Centre for Western Civilisation and the decision by the Australian National University to reject its offer that would have funded a new course I think its time for everyone to take a deep breath. Theres not enough philanthropy in Australia. If someone offers to donate millions of dollars, I completely understand why universities would want to say yes please. Unless, of course, that donation could compromise academic freedom. The Australian National University rejected the Ramsay Centre offer. Credit:Louie Douvis The Ramsay Centre is still looking for a tertiary home for its donation, that is linked to the running of a course on Western civilisation. But given academic freedom is one of the foundations of Western civilisation, the Ramsay Centre should make clear to any university they are talking to what the intentions of its bequest are, then allow their partner university the freedom to appoint staff and develop a curriculum that reflects the intention of the bequest. Clive Palmer has again signalled a return to federal politics, changing his party's name from the Palmer United Party to the United Australia Party. In February, Mr Palmer said his party would make a run for the next federal election in both the House and Senate, a move he confirmed on Sunday. Clive Palmer has announced his party's name will change from the Palmer United Party to the United Australia Party. Credit:Glenn Hunt/AAP The Palmer United Party disbanded in 2017 after its last sitting member was not returned in the last election. The United Australia Party name is not listed as enrolled on the Australian Electoral Commission website. Treasurer Scott Morrison is accusing Labor of indecision on income tax cuts worth $144 billion as he insists the government will not succumb to Senate pressure to split its policy when it goes to a vote in the next two weeks. Mr Morrison is citing Labor's vote to pass the tax package in the lower house last month as the reason it should allow the reform through the Senate in full, warning that to do otherwise would be to breach trust with voters. Treasurer Scott Morrison. Credit:Alex Ellinghausen Parliament resumes on Monday with a crucial vote looming on the income tax cuts as well as $35.6 billion in company tax cuts, as Opposition Leader Bill Shorten and his shadow cabinet colleagues make a decision on how they will vote. Mr Morrison told Fairfax Media the government was willing to use its majority in the House of Representatives to reject changes made by the Senate, regardless of amendments pursued by Labor, the Greens and others. Former treasurer Wayne Swan is poised to take over the national presidency of the Labor Party, a position the political veteran will use to highlight economic inequality as his two-decade parliamentary career comes to a close. With the count of almost 20,000 ballots submitted by rank-and-file Labor members continuing into Sunday night, the Right faction-backed Mr Swan held a commanding lead over Left-aligned Mark Butler, the opposition frontbencher and incumbent president who has campaigned for party democratisation. Former treasurer Wayne Swan. Credit:AAP Mr Swan first entered Parliament in 1993 and, as treasurer in the Rudd and Gillard governments, helped steer Australia through the global financial crisis. Since going to the backbench when the Coalition won government in 2013, he has emerged as a strident critic of big business and neoliberal economics. As of 8.15pm on Sunday, with nearly all of the approximately 10,000 postal ballots counted, Mr Swan had attracted about 48 per cent of the vote to Mr Butler's 36 per cent, according to multiple sources. The paper ballots were counted first, to be joined by almost 9000 online votes. Opposition Leader Bill Shorten has warned that the Liberal Party would be emboldened by an election victory to sell the ABC, seizing on a Liberal policy vote on the weekend as a key issue at the federal byelections on July 28. The move came after cabinet ministers poured cold water on the idea on Sunday, with Finance Minister Mathias Cormann ruling it out and Energy Minister Josh Frydenberg declaring it would never happen. The Liberal Partys peak federal council of 110 delegates from across the country voted on Saturday to call on the government to privatise the ABC, passing a motion by a majority of roughly 2:1 on a show of hands. Mr Shorten warned voters that a Liberal government would act on that call if Mr Turnbull won the next election, saying the Prime Minister was being dragged to the right and could not stare down conservatives who want the public broadcaster sold. Eventually the penny drops that the numbers agreeing with you on one issue may think very differently or disagree among themselves on another. Without the sort of common philosophical base that the major parties enjoy, you have nothing that binds your supporters and parliamentary colleagues, if you have them, together across issues. Being a parliamentarian requires a lot more than just having a few ideas that you think are popular. The volume and breadth of legislation that comes before Parliament seems to both surprise and overwhelm some new members. One doesnt get to be involved in just the few issues that are dear to your heart. In fact the likelihood is you will get little chance to indulge yourself on them. Parliament is not there as a stage for you to pronounce on your issues; its there to resolve, among the people Australians elect to represent them, whatever issues confront our nation. You and your views are not high on that agenda. Life, the full catastrophe of it, throws up to governments, and thus Parliaments, issues that are often unforeseeable. You cant just sit this one out as though its a game. The issues are real and what laws are made affect peoples lives. Equally, the people who garner protest votes to get themselves in perhaps dont realise how tough life in Parliament can be. Being the protester might be a bit of fun; being protested against does not usually lighten the spirit in quite the same fashion. For survivors in politics it usually strengthens resolve, but many find it all too intimidating. Then there is the attitude of some in the media and the public. We say we want better parliamentarians. Great. But its unlikely to happen when we keep abusing them. How often do you hear a joke about politicians lying? It's an easy joke to make but, in fact, it's not the reality I experienced. Berlin: Rap lyrics are sometimes controversial: References to sex and violence, along with the fluid use of profanity, offend some. But German rappers Kollegah and Farid Bang took offensive to a level leading to criminal investigation. Ahead of Germany's biggest music awards ceremony in April, the pair were nominated for two awards. But controversy emerged over lyrics from the duo's newest record, "Jung, Brutal, Gutaussehend 3," (Young, brutal, good-looking 3). The album included references to the Holocaust, saying their bodies are "more defined than those of Auschwitz inmates," and that they will "make another Holocaust." German rappers Kollegah and Farid Bang, whose song refers to my bodys more defined than an Auschwitz inmates receive the "Hip-Hop/Urban national" award during the 2018 Echo Music Awards ceremony in Berlin. Credit:AP A number of people filed complaints to the police over the lyrics, saying they violated German laws concerning hate speech and anti-Semitism. But on Saturday, the Dusseldorf prosecutor's office issued a statement saying the lyrics were "neither an endorsement nor a trivialization of the Nazi regime and its genocide". The prosecutor acknowledged the lyrics are misogynistic and violent, but said that does not offer him grounds to prosecute the rappers. Athens: Greece's left-led coalition government has survived a no-confidence vote in parliament brought over a deal to end a decades-old dispute with neighbouring Macedonia concerning the latter's name. But the government suffered a loss in its parliamentary majority after MP Dimitris Kammenos of the nationalist Independent Greeks, the government's junior coalition partner, voted in favour. He was kicked out of the party immediately after the vote, leaving the governing coalition with a three-member majority. MPs voted 153-127 in the 300-member parliament against the motion brought by the conservative main opposition party over the deal to rename the former Yugoslav republic North Macedonia. In the agreement, Athens would drop its objections to the country joining NATO and the European Union. Thousands of protesters rallied outside parliament during the debate, waving Greek flags and chanting anti-government slogans. Scuffles broke out, with riot police firing tear gas to stop protesters from breaching police lines. Berlin: Greece and Macedonia signed an agreement on Sunday to resolve one of Europe's longest-running international disputes. At Lake Prespa, on the border between the two countries, the Greek and Macedonian foreign ministers signed a deal they hoped would bring an end to 27 years of enmity over who are the true heirs of Alexander the Great. Riot Police clash with protesting opponents of the deal between Greece and Macedonia in northern Greece on Sunday. Credit:AP However, hundreds of Greek nationalists voiced their opposition to the deal as they clashed with riot police near the village of Pisoderi, 25 kilometres away from the ceremony. Macedonians also protested the deal in the southern Macedonia town of Bitola. London: British Prime Minister Theresa May has agreed to pour an additional 600 million ($1.1 billion) a week into the National Health Service after Brexit - almost doubling the amount mooted by the official Leave campaign and potentially locking the UK into leaving the EU. The major boost for the health service, which the Prime Minister will set out in a speech on Monday, is intended to mark the 70th anniversary of its creation, partly by drawing on the "Brexit dividend" that will arise from the country ceasing payments to the EU. The Health Secretary, Jeremy Hunt, who campaigned for Remain during the 2016 referendum, says the Brexiteer pledge of extra funding for the NHS "can now unite us all". In a heavily criticised slogan, the Leave campaign had said that the UK sent 350 million per week to the EU, which could be spent on the NHS instead. May's decision to fund the increase partly from the Brexit dividend signals an insistence that the UK will leave the EU next year, and is likely to frustrate pro-Remain MPs and peers pushing for the country to stay within the bloc or retain the closest possible ties. Aden: Houthi forces fought to keep control of the airport in Yemen's main port city of Hodeidah on Sunday as Saudi-led coalition air strikes struck the compound, in an offensive that could be a turning point in the three-year conflict. Losing Hodeidah would deal a serious blow to the Iran-aligned Houthis, cutting supply lines from the Red Sea to their stronghold in the capital Sanaa. Saudi-led forces near the airport in the port city of Hodeida. Credit:AP It could also give an edge to the Western-backed military alliance which, despite superior weaponry and firepower, has failed to defeat the Houthis in a war that has killed 10,000 people and created the world's most urgent humanitarian crisis. "Coalition airplanes carried out more than 20 raids until now and shook the city," resident Akram Yihya said by telephone. "We can clearly hear fighting and missiles landing in an area near the airport." She later questioned whether the character's sleeping with sources to obtain story ideas was ethical, asking her followers to weigh in. "So on a scale of 1 to ethical, how does everyone feel about pulling a @RealZoeBarnes for story ideas? #Totally kidding @HouseofCards." After Wolfe's arrest, fans went back to the tweet to respond, with some posting pictures of Wolfe, others noting "Who would have though that you'd actually go and do it". Last week, the Times said it was reviewing Watkins' work history. Watkins and Wolfe, 57, had an extended personal relationship that ended last year. Prosecutors suspected that Wolfe had leaked classified intelligence to reporters, a claim that he denies. The review of Watkins' involvement in the case, including the nature of her relationship with Wolfe and what she disclosed about it to her prior employers. Watkins informed the Times about the prior relationship after she was hired by the paper and before she began work in December. She has said that Wolfe did not provide her with information during the course of their relationship. James Wolfe leaves a federal courthouse in Baltimore after a hearing on June 8. Credit:AP Wolfe was one of the highest-ranking aides on the Senate Intelligence Committee, which Watkins covered extensively at Politico, BuzzFeed News, The Huffington Post and the McClatchy, where she started as an intern in 2013. At theTimes, Watkins has covered federal law enforcement, the paper said, but her Twitter profile still describes her beat as national security. Watkins joined the Times in December, after her relationship with Wolfe had ended. She told the paper about the relationship when she was hired, according to the Times. But it appears Watkins left previous employers in the dark about her relationship with Wolfe even while she was reporting on the intelligence committee. Editors at McClatchy have said they were not aware of Watkins' relationship with Wolfe while she was with the news organisation's Washington bureau, first as an intern and stretching from mid-2013 to the end of 2014. During that time, Watkins was part of a team of three reporters that produced a series of stories about the intelligence committee's investigation of the CIA and its "enhanced interrogation" or torture program. The series was a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize in national reporting in 2015. "We were not aware of these allegations that Mr Wolfe had a relationship with Ali Watkins until the news of the indictment broke," said Tim Grieve, vice president of news for McClatchy. Grieve, who joined McClatchy after Watkins left the company, said he did not know whether Watkins used Wolfe as a source in her stories. "We need to figure that out," he said. "We just don't know" whether Wolfe provided information to her. But he added, "It's clearly inappropriate for a reporter to be in a relationship with a source and to be reporting on him." McClatchy's series, which was published throughout 2014, was chockablock with revelations about the internal workings of the intelligence committee. Among other stories in its Pulitzer package were stories headlined, "Senate intelligence panel staffer took secret CIA papers years before agency discovered them missing" and "FBI probing alleged removal of documents from CIA by Senate staffers." Watkins learnt of the seizure of her email and mobile phone data in a letter sent from the Department of Justice in February, but she didn't notify the Times of the investigation at the time, according to the newspaper. Watkins' reporting for the Times is not part of the leak investigation. When asked about the delay between Watkins' receipt of the FBI letter and the notification of the Times, Eileen Murphy, a Times spokeswoman, said it was up to Watkins to respond. She added, "We obviously would have preferred to know." The story under scrutiny in the Wolfe indictment was written while Watkins worked at BuzzFeed in early 2017. "A former campaign adviser for Donald Trump met with and passed documents to a Russian intelligence operative in New York City in 2013," the story began. The indictment of Wolfe noted that the investigation sought to learn how Watkins had learnt that Russian spies had tried to recruit the former adviser, Carter Page. The indictment notes the relationship between Wolfe and Watkins between 2014 and 2017 involved the exchange of "tens of thousands of electronic communications, often including daily texts and phone calls, and they frequently met in person at a variety of locations including Hart Senate Office Building stairwells, restaurants, and [the reporter's] apartment." Ben Smith, the editor of BuzzFeed News, praised Watkins as a reporter. "The way the indictment is written is clearly aimed at launching a disgusting smear of a reporter, and it has had that effect," he said. Smith also tweeted his concern about the Justice Department's investigation: "We are deeply troubled by what looks like a case of law enforcement interfering with a reporter's constitutional right to gather information about her own government," he wrote. Watkins has had a stunning rise through the ranks of Washington news organisations and developed a track record of breaking stories. Even before her graduation from Temple in 2014, she was involved in McClatchy's reporting on the intelligence committee. A spokesman for Politico, which Watkins joined in May of last year and left in December, said she didn't disclose her relationship when she was hired. Upon learning of the relationship a month into her tenure, she was "managed accordingly," the spokesman said, meaning she was kept from reporting any stories involving the committee. Watkins covered national security and law enforcement for Politico, including topics relating to China, international espionage and Cuba. On December 14, days before she began working at The Times, Watkins was approached by FBI agents, who asked about her contact with Wolfe; she said she did not answer their questions at the time. She was also approached last June, shortly after she was hired at Politico, by a man who identified himself as a government agent and brought up Wolfe, according to several people familiar with her description of the interaction, who requested anonymity to discuss a sensitive matter. The man contacted Watkins and offered to meet as a potential source for her reporting, these people said. During a meeting in Washington, he told Watkins that he was aware of her personal relationship with Wolfe and knew about their travel abroad together. He asked if she would assist him in ferreting out government leakers and the journalists they worked with. It is unclear whether he was working alone or as part of a larger effort. On Tuesday, The Washington Post reported that the man who had approached Watkins was Jeffrey Rambo, whom the paper identified as a Customs and Border Protection agent. In a statement, the agency said that its Office of Professional Responsibility would review the matter. "CBP takes all allegations of employee misconduct seriously," the statement read. "The allegation has been immediately referred to CBP's Office of Professional Responsibility." Watkins declined to comment on Tuesday. Her lawyer, Mark MacDougall, also declined to comment. The DOJ, under its own guidelines, is to exhaust all other means of obtaining information before seizing a reporter's phone and email records. "It's hard to imagine that the Justice Department did that in this case," said Matthew Miller, the former chief spokesman for the Department of Justice. Jameel Jaffer, executive director of the Knight First Amendment Institute at Columbia University, said in a statement: "Government surveillance of a reporter's communications would be concerning under any circumstances, but it is especially so here. It is unclear whether the government exhausted other options before seizing Watkins' phone and email records. It's also not apparent why it was necessary to collect years' worth of sensitive information. Finally, there is a question whether Watkins was notified in a timely way of the surveillance. It is thus unclear whether the search complied even with the Justice Department's own guidelines relating to surveillance of the media." Watkins received a letter in February from the Justice Department informing her it had obtained her records. She consulted her lawyer about the letter at the time and on his advice did not tell The Times about it until late last week. Watkins is set to go on leave on a previously planned holiday, said Eileen Murphy, a Times spokeswoman. Los Angeles: Actor Mary McCormack has shared video of her husband's Tesla car shooting flames while in Southern California traffic. McCormack said in an accompanying tweet that there was "no accident" and the incident was "out of the blue". Sheriff Lieutenant William Nash in West Hollywood said on Saturday that deputies saw smoke coming from the electric vehicle and then fire. Deputies requested help from firefighters who quickly extinguished the flames. Trenton, New Jersey: Krystal Knapp's shift at an annual arts and music festival in Trenton, New Jersey, was nearing its end when the commotion began. People pushed and shoved one another. Several began running in Knapp's direction, so she stood up from her chair and rushed toward the door. A police officer stands in a lot near evidence markers outside the warehouse building where the Art All Night Trenton 2018 festival was being held. Credit:AP About 2.45am on Sunday local time, gunshots erupted inside a historic building where a large crowd had gathered for Art All Night, an annual 24-hour festival that draws thousands of people. In the ensuing chaos, Knapp, an event volunteer, was knocked down as she headed for the exit, she later wrote in a Facebook post recapping the horror. "A kind woman pulled me up and over to the side and told me to stay down with her," Knapp wrote. "A woman three feet from us was shot in the leg. I'm not sure how many people were shot." A company that aims to change the way small satellites get to orbit has secured $40 million to continue developing its technology. Silicon Valley startup SpinLaunch snagged $35 million in "Series A" funding from some big-name investors, including Airbus Ventures, GV (previously Google Ventures) and Kleiner Perkins, the company announced Thursday (June 14). Another group of investors had already chipped in $5 million. "SpinLaunch has the potential to be highly disruptive for launching small and medium sized payloads and is uniquely positioned against traditional rocket-based methods for space launch," GV partner Shaun Maguire said in a statement. "The company's cost-effective approach will enable the expansion of space-based telecommunications constellations in a way that has never been possible before." The details of that approach remain mysterious; SpinLaunch has been in stealth mode since its 2015 founding. (The company's website requires a login.) But the basics involve accelerating "the launch vehicle to hypersonic speeds using ground-based electricity," SpinLaunch CEO Jonathan Yaney said in the same statement. "Applying the initial performance boost from a terrestrial-based launch platform enables us to lower the cost by orders of magnitude and launch many times per day," he added. Yaney declined to speak with Space.com for this story. But he did grant an interview to TechCrunch several months ago. During that discussion, he described SpinLaunch's concept as a "rotational acceleration method" that harnesses angular momentum (which makes sense, given the startup's name). Yaney also told TechCrunch that SpinLaunch is aiming for a per-launch price below $500,000, which would be much lower than a launch with the cheapest rockets. In yesterday's statement, SpinLaunch representatives said they're targeting 2022 as a first-launch date. The company has not yet chosen a launch site; it's considering locales in four different U.S. states. Series A funding, by the way, is the round of financing that follows initial "seed capital." A $35 million haul in this round is impressive but not unprecedented. For example, in December, the Japanese company ispace announced that it had pulled in $90 million in Series A money to help develop its robotic lunar-transportation architecture. Follow Mike Wall on Twitter @michaeldwall and Google+. Follow us @Spacedotcom, Facebook or Google+. Originally published on Space.com. Tidally-locked planets in the habitable zone of stars may be able to avoid global ice ages, according to a study that models the interplay of where ice forms and how it reflects sunlight. Meanwhile, a second study has found that planets that are strongly tilted are more likely to experience sudden ice ages. The "habitable zone" around stars, where it's warm enough for liquid water to exist on an Earth-like world's surface, has long been the gold standard in assessing the potential for life on other worlds, but as our understanding of astrobiology deepens, scientists are looking for other clues to habitability. The kind of days, nights and seasons that shape conditions on alien worlds can differ radically from Earth's, even when a planet or moon is situated within the habitable zone. [Infographic: How Habitable Zones Around Stars Work One qualifier is a planet's axial tilt, also known as its obliquity. The Earth spins at an angle of 23.5 degrees relative to the sun, meaning most sunlight hits the equator, while the poles are so cold they form ice caps. However, a planet tilted over by more than 55 degrees could potentially form an equatorial ice belt, as well as poles that would be incredibly hot during the summer and extraordinarily cold during the winter, and so life living in polar regions would have to adapt to both extreme heat and cold. Or, an alien planet or moon might be trapped in a resonance with whatever body it is orbiting, such that the length of time it takes to make one rotation is exactly the same amount of time it takes to orbit its parent body. The consequences of this is that the planet or moon becomes "tidally locked," and has one frozen side that always faces away from its star and one side that is in constant sunlight. Our moon, for example, is tidally locked to Earth, which is why we always see the familiar "Man in the Moon" on its nearside. Such differences influence whether these worlds are warm enough to possess flowing water, or whether they are instead frozen snowballs experiencing global ice ages. Even planet Earth, the only world known to have life on it, has teetered toward frozen extremes in its geological history. The icy archipelago of Spitsbergen in the Norwegian Arctic. Snowball worlds could have icy terrain like this across their entire surface. (Image credit: Thomas A. Brown and Simon T. Belt) Planetary scientist Jade Checlair of the University of Chicago and her colleagues investigated whether tidally locked planets in habitable zones could ever enter snowball states in which ice covers their entire surface. They focused on the small, dim stars known as red dwarfs, which are the most common stars in the cosmos. Because red dwarfs, also known as M-dwarfs, are cool stars, their habitable zones are relatively close, often much nearer than even Mercury's distance (~58 million kilometers) from the sun. When a planet orbits very near a star, the star's gravitational pull can force the world to become tidally locked. "A large percentage of the planets that we expect to find and be able to study are going to be orbiting M-stars," says Checlair. "Many of them will host at least one Earth-sized planet." Checlair said that although going through a snowball state would likely "eradicate pre-existing complex animal life" on a planet, Earth's experience with this dramatic turn of affairs between roughly 750 million and 635 million years ago brought about an increase in both oxygen and complex life. "The increase in complex life is thought to have happened both due to the rise in oxygen and to the evolutionary pressure created by a snowball state," she says. For instance, the freezing temperatures and other harsh conditions during a snowball state on Earth likely exerted a strong pressure on life to either adapt or die. This evolutionary pressure probably led to the development of complex organisms, who then competed with each other for resources, exerting still more pressure to adapt or die. However, Checlair and her colleagues found that tidally-locked planets in habitable zones may be unlikely to enter a snowball state. The scientists detailed their findings in Astrophysical Journal. To reach their conclusions, the researchers developed a global climate model of a tidally locked Earth-like planet in a habitable zone. They focused on how much light the planet absorbed from its star and how much bounced back into space with highly-reflective ice cover. The scientists found that because of the way that ice accumulates across the surface of this planet, the snowball state would not just suddenly happen. Instead, their model suggested it would smoothly transition from partial to complete ice coverage and back. Furthermore, an active carbon cycle carbon being a powerful greenhouse gas could help tidally-locked planets avoid complete glaciation. "It is not clear yet whether a snowball state is more detrimental or more beneficial to the possibility of life on habitable planets," says Checlair. "It definitely has an effect on habitability, but further study is required to determine whether this effect is positive or negative." Planets orbiting in the habitable zones around red dwarfs are frequently found to be tidally-locked, so that their day is as long as their year, and their rotation rate means they always show the same face to their star. (Image credit: David A. Aguilar (Harvard CfA)) Axial tilt on alien worlds In a different study, Brian Rose, a climate dynamicist at the University at Albany in New York, examined alien planets in habitable zones with a range of axial tilts. He and his colleagues wanted to see if worlds with high obliquities in habitable zones could possess stable, long-lived ice belts around their equators, as well as other consequences that would have major impacts on those planets. For instance, the polar regions of high-obliquity planets would experience constant sunlight for days during the summer and perpetual darkness for days during the winter, so that "all photosynthetic life would have to be well-adapted to this strongly seasonal regime," he says. Rose's team developed a global climate model that could simulate many different obliquities. These models also simulated the way that snow, ice, water and land reflect light at different latitudes, and the way that atmospheric and ocean currents move heat from warm to cold regions of the planet. The researchers discovered that it may be rare for any habitable world to possess an equatorial ice belt. They also found that potentially habitable planets with high obliquities of 55 degrees or more could swing from completely ice-free to completely ice-covered states. Rose and his colleagues also detailed their findings in a paper published in Astrophysical Journal. "What's exciting about these results is really the simplicity of the model, which lets us explore really wide variations in possible planetary characteristics in a simple and organized way," Rose says. The scientists found that on high-obliquity worlds, ice-free polar caps usually absorbed more light than the ice-covered equatorial regions reflected, which caused warming that easily destabilized the ice belts, says Rose. They found that the number of those worlds with polar ice caps should outnumber those with equatorial ice belts by three- to four-fold. "Stable ice belts are possible but relatively rare, requiring a 'just right' combination of planetary characteristics," Rose said. According to Rose, potentially habitable planets with high obliquities might be prone "to violent climatic swings between global snowball and completely ice-free conditions." "Is this hypothetical planet more or less suitable for harboring life than Earth?" asks Rose. "I don't have a good answer to that question. I think the community is still grappling with these concepts." Rose's co-author Cecilia Bitz was partially supported by funding from the NASA Astrobiology Institute element of the NASA Astrobiology Program. Meanwhile, Checlair's work was supported by NASA's Habitable Worlds program. NASA Astrobiology provides resources for Habitable Worlds and other Research and Analysis programs within the NASA Science Mission Directorate (SMD) that solicit proposals relevant to astrobiology research. This story was provided by Astrobiology Magazine, a web-based publication sponsored by the NASA astrobiology program. This version of the story published on Space.com. Thanks to Ron for the heads up. Per TVGuide, AMC has halted Talking with Chris Hardwick which Chris Hardwick hosts in light of the allegations of sexual and emotional abuse he's been accused of by ex-girlfriend Chloe Dykstra. In addition to that, he will not be moderating the Doctor Who and The Walking Dead panels for San Diego's upcoming Comic-Con. If you're interested in reading Chloe's account, of which she doesn't name Chris but leaves hints towards it being him, the account of that is here on Medium. Source: TVGuide "We have had a positive working relationship with Chris Hardwick for many years. We take the troubling allegations that surfaced yesterday very seriously," the network said in a statement Saturday. "While we assess the situation, Talking with Chris Hardwick will not air on AMC, and Chris has decided to step aside from moderating planned AMC and BBC America panels at Comic-Con International in San Diego next month." When we were living together, I found out that Chloe had cheated on me, and I ended the relationship, Hardwick asserts. For several weeks after we broke up, she asked to get back together with me and even told me she wanted to have kids with me, build a life with me and told me that I was the one, but I did not want to be with someone who was unfaithful, he added in the carefully crafted response. Im devastated to read that she is now accusing me of conduct that did not occur. l was blindsided by her post and always wanted the best for her. As a husband, a son, and future father, I do not condone any kind of mistreatment of women. Source: Read More on Deadline These are very serious allegations and not to be taken lightly which is why Ive taken the day to consider how to respond, said Hardwick in a statement Friday night. I was heartbroken to read Chloes post. Our three year relationship was not perfectwe were ultimately not a good match and arguedeven shouted at each otherbut I loved her, and did my best to uplift and support her as a partner and companion in any way and at no time did I sexually assault her.When we were living together, I found out that Chloe had cheated on me, and I ended the relationship, Hardwick asserts. For several weeks after we broke up, she asked to get back together with me and even told me she wanted to have kids with me, build a life with me and told me that I was the one, but I did not want to be with someone who was unfaithful, he added in the carefully crafted response. Im devastated to read that she is now accusing me of conduct that did not occur. l was blindsided by her post and always wanted the best for her. As a husband, a son, and future father, I do not condone any kind of mistreatment of women. Per Deadline , Chris Hardwick has denied these claims. SHERLOCK AND HIS FATHER, MORLAND HOLMES, ATTEMPT TO REPAIR THEIR STRAINED RELATIONSHIP UPON LEARNING OF A DEATH WITHIN THEIR FAMILY, ON ELEMENTARY, MONDAY, JULY 2The Adventure of the Ersatz Sobekneferu Sherlock and his father, Morland Holmes (John Noble), attempt to repair their strained relationship upon learning of a death within their family. Also, Holmes and Watson discover a link between their latest case and the world of Egyptian antiquities when they search for a killer who tried to mummify his victim, on ELEMENTARY, Monday, July 2 (10:00-11:00 PM, ET/PT) on the CBS Television Network. Lucy Liu directed the episode.CHEAT TWEET: A family affair! @thejohnnoble returns as #MorlandHolmes, Sherlocks father, on an episode directed by @lucyliu! @Elementary_CBS 7/2 at 10pm http://bit.ly/2t8ZuEEREGULAR CAST:Jonny Lee Miller (Sherlock Holmes)Lucy Liu (Joan Watson)Aidan Quinn (Captain Tommy Gregson)Jon Michael Hill (Detective Marcus Bell)Desmond Harrington (Michael)GUEST CAST:John Noble (Morland Holmes)Julian Sands (Jasper Wells)Stephen Spinella (Merrick Hausmann)Dion Graham (Hakeem)Jimmie Saito (Blaine Geary)Dylan Baker (Armand Venetto)Fedna Jacquet (Ricky)Kyle Vincent Terry (Angelo)Nadia Gan (Kezzy)Will Blum (Melville)Lisa Tharps (Female Surgeon)Pawel Szajda (Vanja Borozan)WRITTEN BY: Robert Hewitt WolfeDIRECTED BY: Lucy Liu Its not a do-over unless we make different choices Shades of Blue is back for one final season and it looks like it's all about redemption, but not surprisingly there are going to be a few bumps in the road first, so get ready for a thrilling ride because this show is in full force once again keeping us glued to our seats and hold on tight because the fighting gets low and dirty. This season the bad guys are a lot closer, and there are many similarities: characters seeing themselves in other people, others not wanting to see the resemblance, tables are turned in more than one ocasion, and there's a specific scene that is very much a callback to the Pilot, and it's all just so good, so intriguing, just like last season the writing and the performances are amazing.Now, about that cliffhanger, I think we all knew neither would die and if you did at first, the promotional photos fixed that. I have to say I wondered why they would put both these characters' lives on the line given neither of them is expendable, most likely it was to generate buzz for the show, and if it worked so we'd get this last season, I'm cool with it. Especially since they are using it as part of the story in a very smart way, and for that they definitely get props, there is a clear parallel here of what each wants to do with their second chance at life, but the thing is, those two paths look very different. Now, we wouldn't have Shades of Blue if those two paths didn't clash, and boy do they. You cant stand where youre standing and pretend its high-ground! Im not standing, Woz, okay? Im underwater, I cant breathe, I cant even reach the surface! Then let me make the decisions until you figure out which way is up! We begin with a flashforward that makes us wonder what the heck is going on and it will give us information to piece it all together along the road. After what happened the crew is broken and getting it back together might prove harder than some would want but The chemistry of the group is just as strong as ever, and we get to see pairings we havent seen a lot of before. The writing is still as gripping ad brilliant as ever, and the performances shouldnt be a surprise but theyre always outdoing themselves.To those interested in the role played by Nick Wechsler (Revenge), Cole is an officer from the NWPD Intelligence unit run by Ramsey (Bruce McGill - Rizzoli & Isles) whose character is described as someone who's "not burdened by an over-active moral compass" if you get the meaning. So Cole finds himself in a Harlee situation, and I have to say, maybe this is just my own personal bias, but I just love the guy and I can't wait to see more of him, so if this ends up with him as part of the team (sooner rather than later), I'm all for it. Ill stand alone The final season of Shades of Blue premieres on NBC tonight, SUNDAY, JUNE 17 AT 10 P.M. Are you excited? Let me know in the comments. I could stand in the middle of Fifth Avenue and shoot somebody, then presidential candidate Donald J. Trump told the crowd at an Iowa campaign rally on Jan. 23, 2016, and I wouldnt lose any voters. The assertion, shocking at first, has become normalized like the rest of the campaign Trumpery: maligning Mexicans, vilifying Muslims, mocking the disabled, degrading women, denigrating a war hero. This president crosses boundaries that should never be crossed, negates norms that should be upheld, and smashes rules of conduct that should be unbreakable. Weve allowed it. We barely blinked two weeks ago when Trumpist spokesman Rudy Guliani claimed Trump could have shot former FBI director James Comey in the Oval Office without indictment, while Trump could pardon himself. We show an ever-increasing tolerance for this assault upon the foundations of our democracy. Congressional Republicans Trumps enablers must accept the lions share of blame. Tweet from Steve Schmidt, Republican strategist and former aide to U.S. Sen. John McCain, June 10: Very nearly every elected member of the Republican Congress has chosen Trump and party over our country. It is shameful. They have embraced illiberalism, assaults on the rule of law, attacks on objective truth and staggering corruption. They betray their oaths with complicity. Greenwich Republican leaders and Indivisible Greenwich, a grassroots organization committed to counter the Trump Agenda, are engaged in an exchange that raises important questions regarding the normalization of Trumpism. It began with an op-ed article by Republican First Selectman Peter Tesei and Greenwich Republican Town Committee Chair Richard DiPreta (June 7) that called out Indivisible Greenwich for its claim to be nonpartisan. What is the Trump agenda in Greenwich, Tesei and DiPreta asked? They accused Indivisible Greenwich of advancing a progressive agenda for the town, based on a partisan and divisive national strategy. By contrast, their Republican vision for Greenwich was purely local, devoid of Trump. Indivisible Greenwich countered (op-ed, June 10), defining the Trump agenda: failure to unequivocally condemn neo-Nazis and racist organizations responsible for the racism manifest in Charlottesville; tearing children from parents at the Mexican border and holding them in detention centers; deregulation that threatens health and the environment; attacks upon voting rights, civil rights, and womens health care; labeling unpatriotic those exercising First Amendment rights; undermining institutional foundations; fostering corruption; and holding the president above the law. Can an anti-Trump movement like this be nonpartisan? We are non-partisan because we are neither controlled by, nor beholden to, any political party, says Indivisible Greenwich. Or does anti-Trump activism advance an agenda that is, by its nature, politically partisan? Under the guise of opposing the Trump agenda, a very partisan statement in itself, Indivisible Greenwich should stop pretending to support a nonpartisan agenda. It is the opposite and promotes a progressive agenda for our town, say Tesei and DiPreta. Does Republican failure to call out Trump at the local level amount to mute complicity in the evils of Trumpism? Trumpism transcends borders and has as much to do with Greenwich as it does every other part of this great country all the more so when local leaders stand mutely complicit, says Indivisible Greenwich. Local Republicans fail, for example, to make clear that the hate displayed in Charlottesville will not be tolerated in Greenwich. But already in March 2017, with hate crimes increasing after the election, the Greenwich Board of Selectmen issued a statement affirming zero tolerance for such behavior. Absolutely, it goes without saying, Tesei said during an interview Wednesday when asked if he condemns the Charlottesville neo-Nazis. Calling it abhorrent behavior, he countered Trumps fine people on both sides response. No, theyre not equivalent, he emphasized. Full disclosure: Tesei is a longtime friend; I serve on his Diversity Advisory Committee that seeks to combat all forms of bigotry, also addressing local immigration issues; and Im an Indivisible supporter. Our interview covered local initiatives from combatting bigotry to environmental protection, all inconsistent with the Trump Agenda outlined by Indivisible Greenwich. No, theres no local Trump Agenda. Yes, its a partisan exchange between Indivisible and local Republicans. And yes, Americans, regardless of partisan politics, must unite against the Trumpist threat, lest we normalize governance in which the president really can kill anyone with impunity. Alma Rutgers served in Greenwich town government for 25 years. Her blog is at blog.ctnews.com/rutgers/ Editors note: This is the fourth in a series of profiles of candidates for the U.S. House of Representatives from Connecticuts 5th Congressional District At an Elks Lodge in Middletown, Manny Santos stood at a small podium and preached to his base. We see the progress that our country is making, and it is all due to this president and the Republican-controlled Congress, Santos told about 50 members of a Second Amendment rights group, mostly men over 60 in blue jeans and T-shirts. Santos, the Republican endorsed candidate in the 5th U.S. House District race, is very clear: he is team Trump. The former one-term Meriden mayor supports President Donald Trumps idea of building a wall along the countrys southern border. He wants to repeal Obamacare. He favors a rollback of business regulations. He loved the federal tax reform adopted in December, dominated by breaks for wealthy people. The only time Santos, 49, who immigrated with his family from Portugal as a child, has disagreed with Trump was after one comment the commander-in-chief made on gun laws, Santos said. When he suggested raising the age of owning long guns to age 21... its just, its a non-starter for me, he said. Santos recognizes that the presidents rhetoric and tweets can be blustering and sometimes offensive, but what he cares about is that, in his view, Trump gets the policies right. Now, he and his supporters who hope to flip the seat to Republican are gambling that enough Democrats and unaffiliated voters will agree to elect him in November even though he lost his last two campaigns in his home city. The district is about 25 percent Republican, 30 percent Democrat and 45 percent unaffiliated. In 2016, 50 percent of voters went for Democrat Hillary Clinton, 46 percent for Trump, according to political blog Daily Kos. I think a lot them understand now whats at stake and they see the policies do work, Republican policies do work, Santos said. The country economically even the mood is much, much different now than it was in 2016. An immigrant Mr. Smith State Sen. Len Suzio, R-Meriden, thinks Santos very appealing background could catapult him to a win. Manny is kind of the quintessential American story, Suzio said. Its like a Mr. Smith goes to Washington story. At five years old, Santos immigrated to the U.S. from a small village in Portugal, where his parents were subsistence farmers. Santos, his parents and his three siblings moved to Hartford in 1973. Santos says hes not bothered by Trump talking about further restrictions on legal immigration even though such limits might have barred his own family. Presidents for decades have adjusted quotas of people coming into the country, he said. As for illegals, as his campaign literature calls undocumented immigrants, more efforts are needed to deter them from coming to the U.S. in the first place, Santos said. DACA recipients, brought into the U.S. illegally as children, should be ineligible for citizenship, said Santos, who had a green card until age 18. He called no citizenship for DACA recipients a workable compromise compared with deportation. A changed race The states most competitive Congressional district, the 5th is where a Republican has the best chance of being elected to Congress. A look at the districts history shows a checkerboard of red and blue. The seat has been held by Democrats U.S. Rep. Elizabeth Esty, and before her Chris Murphy, now a U.S. senator since 2007. Murphy unseated former Rep. Nancy Johnson, a more moderate Republican who had held the old 6th District seat, later merged with the 5th, since 1983. Regardless of whether Santos is right about the national mood, the landscape in the 5th District was markedly different when Santos, a product engineer and former Marine, declared his candidacy back in February. At the time, only Republican Craig Diangelo of New Britain who has since dropped out of the race was also opposing Esty. Then, news of Estys mishandling of an office abuse scandal ended her re-election plans, and more candidates came flooding into the race. It complicated things, Santos said. Santos asserts that voters will see other candidates late decisions to run as a sign of weaker commitment, however. If they are communicating that they are fighters, he said, referring his primary challenger Republican Ruby ONeill, who called herself a fighter in a Hearst Connecticut Media story, they werent fighting before Esty decided not to run for re-election. Principled people fight whether it is easy or not, he said. He will also face Republican Rich DuPont of Watertown in the primary. Santos has challenged DuPont and ONeill to debates. A placeholder After high school in Hartford, Santos joined the Marines for four years, where his political ideology as a Republican congealed. President Reagan had a tremendous impact on me because thats when I was in the service, Santos said. Once again we had a president who communicated convincingly his love for military and for the country... that probably played a role. Trained as a fighter jet mechanic and expert rifleman, he served in Operation Desert Storm in the Persian Gulf. He remembers the sound of missiles flying toward his base at night. Watching engineers work on jets motivated him to seek a degree in the field from UConn after his service. He spent 15 years employed as a process and products engineer designing goods such as hand tools or airplane systems. Santos became a member of his local Republican town committee, but was never interested in elected office. Then, in 2013, everything changed when Meriden Republicans needed a placeholder. As secretary of the town party, Santos allowed his name to be submitted as a candidate for mayor until Republicans could find another candidate. I didnt want to do it to be honest, said Santos. I thought I wasnt ready, but once my name was submitted, people started encouraging me to actually do it. Suzio was at a Long Island vineyard, when he got a call from Santos who said he had decided to make a real run for mayor. I was totally shocked, Suzio said. Thinking it was impossible that Santos would change his mind and run, Suzio concluded he must be intoxicated. Thats it. Im not drinking any more, he told his wife. I think I had too much. Two losses Santos defeated incumbent Democrat Michael Rohde to become the first Republican mayor of Meriden since 1983. Two years later, he lost a re-election bid to Kevin Scarpati, who is unaffiliated, by 78 votes. The experience taught Santos politics is nasty but persistence can get things done. He saw first-hand the challenges poor cities face, he recalls. In 2017, he ran for a seat on the city council a mostly Democratic board that he tangled with as Republican mayor but was not elected. He is now works as a business consultant, analyizing companies staffing and production. Now, seven months after his latest loss, Santos says hes ready for a November win that will bring him to the federal stage. At the Elks Lodge Tuesday, he presented the election stakes to Connecticut Citizens Defense League members in apocalyptic terms. We have a president who finally supports this military and this country, he said. If we lose control of the House or Senate, everything you and I hope for, is gone. emunson@hearstmediact.com; Twitter: @emiliemunson S cotland Yard today admitted there is more work to be done as it emerged only about one in 20 burglaries in London are solved. The Metropolitan Police said sanction detection rates, the way it measures cases that are solved, were 5.5 per cent for burglary and 7 per cent for robbery between April 2017 and April 2018. That compared to an overall rate of 13.2 per cent for all offences included in the statistics. The force also said it is putting a "huge amount of effort" into tackling a rise in moped-related crime after The Sunday Times revealed two streets in London are the worst-affected in the UK. Holloway Road and Highgate Hill, both in north London had the highest number of moped crimes between 2012 and 2017. Holloway Road saw 111 robberies last year, only one of which has been solved, while Highgate Hill saw 48, with none solved. It came as Home Secretary Sajid Javid revealed he fell victim to thieves on a moped who stole his phone near Euston station while, earlier this month, comedian Michael McIntyre was robbed of his watch by moped-riding crooks in a violent incident. A Scotland Yard spokeswoman said the Met is doing all we can to cut crime, pursue offenders and support victims to make London even safer. She added: "Burglary presents particular challenges in regard to identifying those responsible and we accept there is more work to be done - and are always seeking ways to increase the number of these crimes we solve. "A number of robbery offences can be attributed to scooter-related crime. The Met has been putting a huge amount of effort into stemming the rise in these offences and bringing offenders to justice." According to the Sunday Times, national police data shows the proportion of suspects who are caught and punished for all crimes has more than halved to 9% over the past five years. The figures also suggested only 4% of robberies were solved in England and Wales in 2017, while it was 9% in 2013. Data for the same period indicated the burglary detection rate halved from 6% to 3%. The National Police Chiefs' Council's spokesman on crime recording and statistics, Chief Constable Bill Skelly, told the Sunday Times there had been improvements in how police record their crimes. T he mother of a severely epileptic boy has called for a meeting with the Home Secretary to discuss re-thinking "massively outdated" laws on medical marijuana so other children can receive treatment. Charlotte Caldwell also said on Sunday she wanted them to assure her she would not face "another battle" for 12-year-old Billy when the 20-day supply returned by the Home Office runs out. Ms Caldwell uses the oil as his anti-seizure medication and she wants to be able to treat him with it at home, the BBC reported. The Government's initial refusal, and then its change in stance, has prompted renewed debate on legislation, with a Conservative MP who leads a drug policy parliamentary group saying existing laws are "frankly absurd". Ms Caldwell has called for a meeting with the Home Secretary to change the law / REUTERS The boy is being treated at Chelsea and Westminster Hospital in London. Ms Caldwell, 50, said: "I want nobody in Government, and nobody who has been impacted by massively outdated laws, to be under any impression that this is job done. This is just the start. "I want to meet the Home Secretary and Health Secretary (Jeremy Hunt), urgently, this week, to get assurance that not only will Billy's meds never again be removed, but to call for an urgent review of the overall policy on medical cannabis as it affects everyone who could benefit." Ms Caldwell, of Castlederg in Co Tyrone, Northern Ireland, had seven bottles confiscated at Heathrow Airport customs on June 11 after she brought them in from Toronto. The emergency measure allowed for one to be returned and Ms Caldwell reported an improvement in her son's condition after taking the drug, but when this runs out a new application will have to be made for a licence. "He has 20 days worth of anti-epileptic seizure drugs. What happens after that? Another battle?" Ms Caldwell said. Many other countries, including much of the US, Germany, Italy and the Netherlands, have legalised the substance's use medicinally. But the UK has not, leading Ms Caldwell to claim Britain is "stuck in the 1970s" in its attitude to drug policy. Ms Caldwell credits the oil with keeping the boy's seizures at bay, saying he was seizure-free for more than 300 days while using it, but it contains tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), which is restricted in the UK. Crispin Blunt, an MP who co-chairs an all-parliamentary group on drug policy reform, has described the current stance on marijuana's medicinal properties as "crazy". "We need to get serious now about getting the benefits of these medicines, and move to change the frankly absurd position we are in," he said, according to the BBC. Former drugs minister Norman Baker has described the confiscation as "cruel and inhumane", and renewed calls for a law change. "It became very clear to me in my time as drugs minister that cannabis has useful medical properties and, indeed, that it is the only substance that works for some people, a situation widely recognised in other countries," the Liberal Democrat said. The child, from Castlederg in Co Tyrone, started the treatment in 2016 in the US, where medical marijuana is legal. He became the first person in the UK to receive a prescription after his local GP in Northern Ireland, Brendan O'Hare, began writing scripts. However, there is no record of a health service prescription being dispensed. D avid Dimbleby is to step down from the BBC's Question Time after 25 years on the political programme. The presenter, who will leave the show at the end of the year, said he planned "to return to my first love: reporting". The 79-year-old, who has chaired the show since 1994, said it was "the right moment to leave". His final broadcast of Question Time will be on December 13 this year. But he stressed he is "not giving up broadcasting" as he thanked the team at the show. David Dimbleby is to step down as chair of the BBC's flagship political programme / BBC Dimbleby started broadcasting for the BBC more than 57 years ago as a news reporter in Bristol. During his BBC career he has presented political programmes such as Panorama and chaired many debates including the Party Leaders debates in the run up to General Elections since 2010. Paying tribute to his stewardship of the programme, Director General, Tony Hall said he ensured Question Time has stayed "a must watch for those interested in politics and current affairs". Dimbleby said: At the end of the year I will have been chairing Question Time for a quarter of a century and I have decided that this is the right moment to leave. David Dimbleby raps about Brexit to Eminem track "It has been a privilege to work for a programme which brings voters face to face with those in power. I am grateful to the production teams and to the BBC who have made this possible. "It has been exhilarating following the twists and turns of British politics from John Major in 1994, through the Blair and Brown years to Cameron and May. "I am not giving up broadcasting. Instead, after years in the studio, I now plan to return to my first love: reporting. Mr Hall said: David has been at the helm of Question Time for over 25 years: a brilliant champion of the public and the audiences friend - getting the answers they want on the big and difficult issues of the day. "Always a commanding figure, David has ensured Question Time has not only stayed relevant through the years, but a must watch for those interested in politics and current affairs. David may be stepping down from Question Time, but he isnt stepping down from broadcasting. He is a titan in British broadcasting. A section of Regent's Canal in Tower Hamlets is the cleanest it has been in years thanks to dedicated work by a group of volunteers who snared piles of rubbish with grappling hooks. Ross Fogden, Canal & River Trust volunteer team leader, said the water in the Mile End section of the canal has seen dramatic improvement thanks to the tireless efforts of a team of dedicated volunteers. The Canal & River Trust has been working with across London's entire canal network, with the section in Mile End seeing significant benefit from their work. According to the charity, volunteers have spent 37,143 hours working on the capitals canal over the past year. Joe Coggins from The Canal & River Trust told the Standard: Quite often well go down there with volunteers and well pull out all sorts. I remember going down there years ago and we pulled out motorcycles. "I couldnt believe it. I saw someone pull out a moped which took quite a few people to pull it out, it turned out that we pulled out five or six and I couldnt believe that happens. More people are using and living on the canal network / PA Archive/PA Images He added: I was speaking to the guys down there the other week, they say its getting to the point where were getting volunteers down to come and help us but were not pulling out much at the moment. The Mile End section of the canal was drained a few years ago to repair the walls which has helped with the clean-up. Its a case of keeping of top of it because people still unfortunately dump things into the river general plastic things including packets and crisp bags. The clean-up has been boosted by an increase in volunteers who target specific spots of the canal which are usually local to them. Many use grapple hooks to collect large items left in the water while others have taken the initiative to fill in potholes enabling people with prams to go down it. T he first Italian government ship accompanying the migrant aid boat Aquarius has docked at the Spanish port of Valencia. The Italian coastguard vessel Dattilo arrived just before 7am on Sunday. It will be followed by the Aquarius and another Italian navy ship, the Orione. The Aquarius and the two Italian boats are carrying the 630 migrants rescued by the Aquarius while attempting the perilous crossing of the Mediterranean last week. The Aquarius, a boat operated by the aid groups SOS Mediterranee Sea and Doctors Without Borders, was stuck off the coast of Sicily last Saturday when Italy refused it permission to dock and demanded Malta do so. Malta refused and Spain stepped in and offered to grant them entry some 930 miles away. The migrants were met by emergency workers, including health officials and psychologists, at the city's marina. David Noguera, the head of Doctors Without Borders in Spain, said he was glad that Spain allowed the migrants in but said he was worried that more European nations would close their ports to those rescued at sea in the future. "I have mixed feelings," he said. "I am happy that the journey (for the Aquarius migrants) is over - a journey that was too long - and I am worried for the situation in the Mediterranean and the closing of European ports." Valencia emergency official Jorge Suarez said some of the migrants were in a state of shock. "They are very shaken," Suarez said. "Put yourself in their position, you get off a ship and the first people who greet you are wearing masks." Spanish authorities have said they will examine the migrants case by case to see if they qualify for asylum according to the country's regulations. Spain's minister of public works, Miguel Angel Abalos, said on Saturday that the migrants from the Aquarius would be granted a "special authorisation" to remain in the country for one month before "they will be dealt with according to our laws without exception". Abalos said the Spanish government "will act with sensitivity and at the same time within the law, and with a message to Europe that it doesn't have an immigration policy up to the challenge at hand". The boatload of migrants that was forced to spend days crossing the western Mediterranean includes 123 unaccompanied minors, 11 children and as many as seven pregnant women, according to Valencia's regional authorities. Spain has accepted the French government's offer to take in those migrants who want to go to France "once they have fulfilled the protocols established for their arrival". The refusal by Italy and Malta to allow the Aquarius to enter their ports has created a row between EU members over how to handle immigration. Under the EU's asylum laws - currently the subject of a major political dispute and under revision - migrants must apply for asylum in the country where they first enter Europe. In practice, the policy has placed a heavy burden on Italy and Greece, where hundreds of thousands of asylum-seekers have arrived in recent years. Spain's new Socialist government has taken up the cause of the migrants' plight to demonstrate its commitment to protecting human rights and respecting international law. The arrival of the Aquarius convoy comes during a spike of seaborne migrants crossing from African shores to southern Spain. Spain's maritime rescue service pulled 986 people from 69 small boats its rescue craft reached in waters in or near the Strait of Gibraltar between Friday and Saturday. It also recovered four bodies. At least 792 migrants have died crossing the Mediterranean so far this year, according to the United Nations. Although the New York Times says that President Donald Trump lies vastly more than did President Barack Obama, the definite liar in that comparison based on the factual record, to be presented here is the New York Times itself. It lies in alleging this, which isnt to say that either President lies more frequently than the other, but instead, that the Timess calculation fails to count, at all, but instead altogether ignores, some of President Obamas very worst lies ones that were real whoppers. These were lies that were essential to his maintaining support among Democrats (such as the owners of this corporation, the NYT, are), and that would keep Democrats support only if they failed to judge him by his actual decisions and actions (such as the NYTs owners do or else they secretly know the truth on this, but prevent this truth from being published by their employees). Even to the present day, Obama is evaluated by Democrats on the basis of his lies instead of on the basis of his actions. Hes admired for his stated intentions and promises, which were often the opposite of what his consistent actual decisions and actions turned out to be on those very same matters, on which he had, in retrospect, quite clearly lied (though that was covered-up at the time and still is). For example, among the list of lies that the NYT counts from Obama, is excluded Obamas having asserted on 20 May 2009, at the signing into law of both the Helping Families Save Their Homes Act and the Fraud Enforcement and Recovery Act: This bill nearly doubles the FBIs mortgage and financial fraud program, allowing it to better target fraud in hard-hit areas. Thats why it provides the resources necessary for other law enforcement and federal agencies, from the Department of Justice to the SEC to the Secret Service, to pursue these criminals, bring them to justice, and protect hardworking Americans affected most by these crimes. Its also why it expands DOJs authority to prosecute fraud that takes place in many of the private institutions not covered under current federal bank fraud criminal statutes institutions where more than half of all subprime mortgages came from as recently as four years ago. Also not counted, but excluded, by the NYT, as having been an Obama lie, was his 24 January 2012 State of the Union Address assertion: Tonight, Im asking my Attorney General to create a special unit of federal prosecutors and leading state attorneys general to expand our investigations into the abusive lending and packaging of risky mortgages that led to the housing crisis. (Applause.) This new unit will hold accountable those who broke the law, speed assistance to homeowners, and help turn the page on an era of recklessness that hurt so many Americans. Now, a return to the American values of fair play and shared responsibility will help protect our people and our economy. But both statements were lies. The Inspector General of the U.S. Department of Justice issued on 13 March 2014 its "Audit of the Department of Justice's Efforts to Address Mortgage Fraud," and reported that Obamas promises to prosecute turned out to be just lies. DOJ didn't even try; and they lied even about their efforts. The IG found: DOJ did not uniformly ensure that mortgage fraud was prioritized at a level commensurate with its public statements. For example, the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) Criminal Investigative Division ranked mortgage fraud as the lowest criminal threat in its lowest crime category. Additionally, we found mortgage fraud to be a low priority, or not [even] listed as a priority, for the FBI Field Offices we visited. Not just that, but, Many Assistant United States Attorneys (AUSA) informed us about underreporting and misclassification of mortgage fraud cases. This was important because, Capturing such information would allow DOJ to better evaluate its performance in targeting high-profile offenders. Privately, Obama, early in his Administration, had told Wall Street executives that he would protect them. That statement, made in private to the leaders of Wall Street, turned out to have been honest. Though he lied often to the public, he never (so far as the available public record has shown) did so in private (except that he lied in private to Vladimir Putin, but neoconservatives such as the NYTs owners and executives and editors dont mind that at all but they also dont count it, at all). On 27 March 2009, Obama assembled the top executives of the bailed-out financial firms in a secret meeting at the White House, and he assured them that he would cover their backs; he promised them "My administration is the only thing between you and the pitchforks". It was never on the White House website; it was leaked out, which is one of the reasons Obama hates leakers (such as Chelsea Manning, Edward Snowden, and Julian Assange). What the DOJ's IG indicated was, in effect, that Obama had kept his secret promise to them. Here is the context in which he had said that (from page 234 of Ron Suskind's 2011 book, Confidence Men, with boldfacings by me): My administration is the only thing between you and the pitchforks. It was an attention grabber, no doubt, especially that carefully chosen last word. But then Obamas flat tone turned to one of support, even sympathy. You guys have an acute public relations problem thats turning into a political problem, he said. And I want to help. But you need to show that you get that this is a crisis and that everyone has to make some sacrifices. According to one of the participants, he then said, Im not out there to go after you. Im protecting you. But if Im going to shield you from public and congressional anger, you have to give me something to work with on these issues of compensation. No suggestions were forthcoming from the bankers on what they might offer, and the president didnt seem to be championing any specific proposals. He had none: neither Geithner nor Summers believed compensation controls had any merit. After a moment, the tension in the room seemed to lift: the bankers realized he was talking about voluntary limits on compensation until the storm of public anger passed. It would be for show. Obama said Everyone has to make sacrifices, but he was talking to people who simply refused to be included in that everyone. As the mega-crooks who had been profiting from the crimes that had brought about the global economic collapse, those sacrifices should have been life-imprisonments. Only by means of such accountability, would their successors not try anything of the sort that these banksters had done. But such was not to be the case. So, the crimes continued. Obama kept his word to them. The banksters got off scot-free, and kept their personal hundreds of millions of dollars earned. He had been lying to the public, all along. Not only would he not prosecute the banksters, but he would treat them as if all they had was an acute public relations problem that's turning into a political problem. And he thought that the people who wanted them prosecuted were like the KKK who had chased Blacks with pitchforks before lynching. According to the DOJ, their Financial Fraud Enforcement Task Force (FFETF) was established by President Barack Obama in November 2009 to wage an aggressive, coordinated and proactive effort to investigate and prosecute financial crimes. But, according to the Department's IG, it was all a fraud: a fraud that, according to the DOJ, itself had been going on since at least November 2009. The IG's report continued by pointing out the Obama-appointed Attorney Generals lies, noting that on 9 October 2012, the FFETF held a press conference to publicize the results of the initiative, and: The Attorney General announced that the initiative resulted in 530 criminal defendants being charged, including 172 executives, in 285 criminal indictments or informations filed in federal courts throughout the United States during the previous 12 months. The Attorney General also announced that 110 federal civil cases were filed against over 150 defendants for losses totaling at least $37 million, and involving more than 15,000 victims. According to statements made at the press conference, these cases involved more than 73,000 homeowner victims and total losses estimated at more than $1 billion. Shortly after this press conference, we requested documentation that supported the statistics presented. Over the following months, we repeatedly asked the Department about its efforts to correct the statistics. Specifically, the number of criminal defendants charged as part of the initiative was 107, not 530 as originally reported; and the total estimated losses associated with true Distressed Homeowners cases were $95 million, 91 percent less than the $1 billion reported at the October 2012 press conference. Despite being aware of the serious flaws in these statistics since at least November 2012, we found that the Department continued to cite them in mortgage fraud press releases. According to DOJ officials, the data collected and publicly announced for an earlier FFETF mortgage fraud initiative Operation Stolen Dreams also may have contained similar errors." Basically, the IGs report said that the Obama Administration had failed to enforce the Fraud Enforcement and Recovery Act of 2009. This bill had been passed overwhelmingly, 92-4 in the Senate, and 338-52 in the House. All of the votes against it came from Republicans. (Perhaps Obama was secretly a Republican.) The law sent $165 million to the DOJ to catch the executive fraudsters who had brought down the U.S. economy, and it set up the Financial Crisis Inquiry Commission, and had been introduced and written by the liberal Democratic Senator Patrick Leahy. President Obama signed it on 20 May 2009. At that early stage in his Presidency, he couldnt afford to display publicly that he was far to the right of every congressional Democrat, so he signed it. Already on 15 November 2011, Syracuse University's TRAC Reports had headlined "Criminal Prosecutions for Financial Institution Fraud Continue to Fall," and provided a chart showing that whereas such prosecutions had been running at a fairly steady rate until George W. Bush came into office in 2001, they immediately plunged during his Presidency and were continuing that decline under Obama, even after the biggest boom in alleged financial fraud cases since right before the Great Depression. And, then, on 24 September 2013, TRAC Reports bannered "Slump in FBI White Collar Crime Prosecutions," and said that prosecutions of white collar criminals recommended by the FBI are substantially down during the first ten months of Fiscal Year 2013. This was especially so in the Wall Street area: In the last year, the judicial District Court recording the largest projected drop in the rate of white collar crime prosecutions 27.8 percent was the Southern District of New York (Manhattan). On 29 July 2015, Syracuse Universitys TRAC Reports headlined Federal White Collar Prosecutions At 20-Year Low, and linked to their full study, which showed that, whereas in fiscal year 2004-2005, under George W. Bush, Bank Fraud had been the #1 most-prosecuted of all white collar crime matters, it was, in the latest fiscal year, 2014-2015, only #3. These were extremely serious crimes: they crashed the worlds economy in 2008. But there was no White House interest in pursuing them. Instead, the Obama Administration blocked any such prosecutions, or even investigations into specific cases. So: if these sorts of lies werent outright frauds against the American public, then what could possibly be? But thats not all of what belongs in the whopper or Big Lie category from Obama: he lied constantly about Ukraine, and about Syria, and about Russia and about his intentions toward Russia, and about his proposed international-trade treaties: TPP. TTIP, and TISA. None of these whoppers was included in the listing that the NYT presented in their 14 December 2017 article Trumps Lies vs. Obamas. I am nonpartisan toward persons and toward political parties, and consider all of Americas Presidents since 1981 (if not since 1968, but with the exception of Carter) to be and have been loathsome people (not even well-intentioned), but newsmedia such as the New York Times arent any more trustworthy (nor more honest) than these Presidents have been, and the pontifications from such newsmedia (in both their news-reporting and opinion-pieces) are just propaganda, mixtures of truths with lies and more and more of the public are coming to recognize this disgusting fact, so these medias pretenses to honesty and trustworthiness are having fewer and fewer believers. But these media claim that fake news comes only from their non-mainstream competitors (some of which are actually far more honest than they). Preserving their cartel is crucial to them. And its crucial to the people who benefit from this cartel. Only days after coming to power, Italys new populist government has won in an early showdown with the European Union establishment over the contentious issue of migration. This week, Italy refused to let a search-and-rescue ship dock in Sicily with over 600 refugees onboard. The stranded people mainly from Africa had been picked up in the coastal waters off Libya and were being transported to Italy. Italys interior minister Matteo Salvini pointedly refused to let the ship disembark. He said: Saving lives at sea is a duty, but transforming Italy into an enormous refugee camp is not Italy is done bowing its head and obeying. This time theres someone saying no. After a 24-hour period of uncertainty over the destiny of the wretched passengers including pregnant women and children the vessel was in the end agreed to be received by Spain at its port of Valencia. One may surmise that the European Union establishment in Brussels intervened hurriedly to avert a public relations disaster from a ship crowded with refugees being stranded on the high seas. In that way, Salvini, the leader of the League party which is a coalition partner in the new Italian government was fulfilling one of its main election promises: ending the flow of migrants into Italy. Since 2104, Italy has received some 600,000 refugees who have come to its shores from the Middle East and North Africa after making perilous journeys across the Mediterranean. Thousands have died from drowning while trying to make the crossing in overcrowded and leaky boats. When Salvini refused the docking of the vessel this week in Sicily, media reports initially portrayed the response as heartless and a transgression of international maritime law. His party is routinely described as being far-right and anti-immigrant. It seems those sinister epithets are used in the media as a way to undermine Salvini and the new government in Rome from holding their objections to the influx of refugees. But lets look at the issue from a broader point of view as the Italian government seeks to do. Salvini and his coalition partner Luigi Di Maio, of the Five Star Movement (M5S), contend that Italy is bearing the burden of receiving unprecedented numbers of migrants, numbers that are way beyond what other EU countries are accepting. Geographically, Italy sits as a frontline state on the route for refugees from the Middle East and Africa. Under EU rules, the country which is the first point of arrival is obliged to accommodate the refugees. The Italian government argues that those rules are null and void given the unprecedented numbers, and given that the 28 EU member states should allocate a fairer distribution of refugees. Also, and this point is badly overlooked in media coverage, the vast majority of migrants are the result of wars and conflicts that have been sponsored by NATO powers, either directly or covertly, as well as by illegal human trafficking networks which have metastasized out those wars. The context is therefore not one of a simple humanitarian dislocation being met by a heartless xenophobic government. It is more a question of why one, or a few, European countries should be saddled with attending to such disproportionate human needs while other EU member states close their doors. Especially when those member states like Britain and France have taken such a prominent role in engaging in illegal US-led NATO wars that have led directly to the surge in refugees to Europe. In other words, it seems grossly unfair, not to say futile, that some countries like Italy are being obliged to cope with a refugee crisis on a national basis when that crisis has been engendered on an international basis through NATO wars in Central Asia, the Middle East and Africa. There is also a big unasked question about illegal human trafficking. We are dealing here with systematic collusion between human traffickers, governments and so-called humanitarian NGOs which are aiding and abetting the flow of migrants to European frontline states like Italy. This author personally learned of the plight of Ethiopian refugees who were being held in a Libyan state military camp in Sabha. The refugees ended up there after being passed on by trafficking gangs. The detainees were eventually released after families back in Ethiopia paid out ransoms a few thousand dollars which is huge money for these people. The released migrants then end up being taken to Italy under the auspices of the UN. In the latest episode this week, the Aquarius search-and-rescue ship with over 600 refugees onboard is co-owned reportedly by a Franco-German civic group called SOS Mediterranee and Doctors Without Borders (Medecins Sans Frontieres, or MSF). The latter is funded by the shady multibillionaire financier George Soros who seems to have an agenda of promoting large migration flows into Europe. Several other so-called rescue NGOs operating in the Mediterranean are funded by Soros Open Society Foundations. Surely a question is: by what authority are self-appointed private groups picking up refugees off the coast of Libya and then transporting these wretched people to Italy? Surely an international response must be organized to stabilize countries racked by war and other deprivations by mobilizing massive debt-free financial investment; just as importantly, where NATO powers have been involved in waging wars and conflict as in Libya, Mali, Ivory Coast, Central African Republic, and covertly in Syria, those perpetrators must be prosecuted and compelled to pay reparations. Italys new government has right. Why should one country be forced to become a dumping ground for refugees from illegal wars and illegal human trafficking? In particular, when there is a collective responsibility of culprit states, like the US, Britain and France, which skulk off into the shadows. The showdown this week between Italy and the EU establishment was an important victory. Not a victory about spurning humanitarian need, but rather about overhauling the narrative of the refugee crisis to a more accurate perspective of what it is really about, who is really to blame and who should be really held to account? Former Punjab CM and Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) president Shehbaz Sharif on Saturday said that former first lady Begum Kulsoom Nawaz was still on ventilator and the decision whether to remove her life support or not will be taken on Monday. Talking to media outside Harley Street Clinic in London on Saturday, he said that the doctors will have a detail check up on Monday and will decide whether to remove Kulsoom Nawaz from life support or not. The PML-N president said that the aim of his visit was to inquire about the health of former first lady. Shehbaz further prayed for her sister-in-laws quick recovery. Talking to media, former prime minister and PML-N supremo Nawaz Sharif thanked the entire nation for praying for her wifes recovery. Earlier, Nawaz Sharifs daughter Maryam Nawaz had said that she hasnt seen her mother regained consciousness since she arrived in London. She said that the doctors werent saying anything about her mothers condition. Maryam Nawaz while praying swift recovery of the former first lady said that she was still on ventilator (life support machine). Previously, the health of former prime minister and Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) supremo Nawaz Sharifs wife Begum Kulsoom Nawaz had deteriorated following a cardiac arrest at a hospital in London, where she was undergoing treatment following throat cancer surgery. The former first woman she suffered cardiac arrest and fell unconscious after suffering large pulmonary embolism. On Wednesday, she was readmitted to the Londons Harley Street Clinic after her condition deteriorated, due to which she was taken to the emergency unit where she was being constantly monitored. The ex-premier, his sons Hassan Nawaz and Hussain Nawaz and his daughter Maryam Nawaz were also present in the hospital. Meanwhile, the Sharif family including Maryam Nawaz, Hussain Nawaz and PML-N president Shehbaz Sharif had appealed the nation for his mother. Shehbaz Sharif said on twitter that Begum Kulsoom had collapsed in the ICU and not regained consciousness since. In 2017, Kulsoom Nawaz was diagnosed with throat cancer after which she was undergoing treatment in London. Saudi-led forces leading an assault on Yemens Houthis-held port city of Hodeida have seized control of its international airport. Fierce fighting continued around what is the main gateway for food and aid supplies into Yemen, which is on the brink of famine. The media office of the pro-alliance Yemeni military said on Twitter: Army forces backed by the resistance and the Arab alliance freed Hodeida international airport from the grip of the Houthi militia. Fighting in the airport area has led to the closure of the northern entrance of Hodeida, which leads to Sanaa, residents said. This has blocked a key exit out of the city and made it more difficult to transport goods from the port. The number of dead rose to 280 by the fourth day of the campaign which is aiming to drive out Houthis, from the Red Sea port of Hodeida. The Saudi-led coalition began its assault on Wednesday and Emirati forces are leading ground forces combined with their own troops, irregular militiamen and soldiers backing Yemens exiled government. Saudi Arabia has provided air support with targeting guidance and refuelling is being supplied by the US. The coalition says it had no choice but to launch the assault as the port provided millions of dollars for the Houthis through customs controls. In occupied Kashmir, Eid-ul-Fitr was marked by killing of two Kashmiri youth by Indian troops, forceful anti India and pro freedom demonstrations and use of brute force by Indian army personnel against peaceful protesters. One youth identified as Sheraz Ahmad Naikoo of 18 years age was killed after the troops opened indiscriminate fire on worshipers following Eid prayers at Ashajipora in Islamabad. Another 15-year old boy Waqas Ahmad Rather was killed in indiscriminate firing of the troops at Nowpora in Pulwama district. Thousands of people including APHC leader Bilal Siddiqi participated in the funeral of martyrs. Immediately after Eid prayers, today, people in large numbers took to the streets and shouted high-pitched slogans, Jeevei-Jeevei Pakistan, and We Want Freedom in Srinagar, Islamabad, Shopian, Pulwama, Trail, Sopore, Palhalan, Kupwara, Kishtwar and other parts of the occupied territory. Pakistani flags were hoisted in several areas of the valley. Dozens of protesters were critically injured after Indian police personnel used brute force, pellets and teargas shells to quell demonstrations. The chairman of the Hurriyat forum, Mirwaiz Umar Farooq addressed a mammoth Eid congregation at Eidgah in Srinagar. Other Hurriyat leaders including Qazi Yasir Ahmad, Mukhtar Ahmad Waza, Abdul Ahad Parra and Muhammad Ahsan Untoo also addressed big gatherings. The leaders sympathized with the families of Kashmiri martyrs and expressed solidarity with the detainees. They urged the international community and other world human rights organisations to build pressure on India to stop war crimes and rights abuses in Jammu and Kashmir. The authorities had placed All Parties Hurriyet Conference Chairman, Syed Ali Gilani under house arrest in Srinagar and did not even allow him to join Eid-ul-Fitr prayers at Eidgah in Srinagar. The Joint Resistance Leadership comprising Syed Ali Gilani, Mirwiaz Umar Farooq and Muhammad Yasin Malik condemning the killing of two youth said that Indian forces were continuously carrying out the genocide of Kashmiri youth. The leadership urged people to offer funeral in absentia for the martyred youth and register their protest against the brutal killings. Afghanistan has extended its unilateral ceasefire with the Taliban following an initial truce observed by both sides over the Eid festival period. President Ashraf Ghani appealed to the militants to follow the government's lead and enter peace talks. In extraordinary scenes, militants have been embracing security force members and taking selfies with citizens. However 25 people died in a suicide attack on one gathering of Taliban and government officials in Nangarhar. Taliban members and local residents were among the victims of the attack, province spokesman Attaullah Khogyani told the BBC, adding that 54 people were wounded. The Islamic State group, which is active in the area, said it carried out the attack. What did President Ghani say? In a TV address Mr Ghani said the government was ready for "comprehensive negotiations" with the Taliban. "All those issues and demands that have been put forth we are ready to discuss them at the peace talks," he said. The past day - where Taliban and government forces and officials mingled during Eid al-Fitr, the end of the holy fasting month of Ramadan - "proved that we are all for peace", Mr Ghani said. During the ceasefire Taliban militants could receive medical and humanitarian assistance and Taliban prisoners could see their families, he added. The government has also released some Taliban prisoners, he said. US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said peace talks would have to include a discussion on the role of "international actors and forces". "The US stands ready to work with parties to reach a peace agreement and political settlement that brings a permanent end to this war," he said. Earlier this month the Taliban denied that they were in secret talks with the Afghan government. Mr Ghani has also confirmed the death of the commander of the Pakistani Taliban, Maulana Fazlullah, in a US drone strike in Afghanistan on Thursday. SYRACUSE, N.Y. -- A Syracuse man was arrested after trying to use a dog to prevent officers from arresting him, according to Syracuse police Eddie Robles, 25, of 112 South Alvord Street in Syracuse, was charged Thursday with criminal possession of a weapon, criminal possession of a firearm, menacing a police officer, resisting arrest and possession of an open container, police said in a news release Saturday. Robles was walking a dog in the 100 block of Barrett Street at 6:14 p.m. Thursday when officers saw him and recognized he fit the description of a man who had been involved in a shots fire incident earlier on Thursday near Gifford and South Geddes streets, police said. Officers saw an open container in Robles' sweatshirt pocket and tried to talk to him, police said. He picked up his dog and held it in front of himself to prevent officers from engaging him, police said. Officers asked him to put the dog down, but he refused, police said. As officers tried to arrest Robles, he let go of the dog and tried to run, police said. The officers stopped him but he began to fight with them, police said. During the fight, an officer felt a gun in Robles' waistband, police said. He tried to pull the gun out and Robles and an officer struggled with it, police said. The officer eventually took the gun from Robles, police said. The officers recovered a Smith and Wesson .38 special revolver and found ammunition for the gun in Robles' fanny pack, police said. Robles is being held at Onondaga County Justice Center, pending his arraignment, police said. The week's editorial cartoons are dominated by the historic summit held in Singapore between President Donald Trump and North Korean dictator Kim Jong Un. After it was over, the argument began over whether Trump made more concessions than Kim. The summit came on the heels of Trump's attendance at the G-7 economic summit in Canada, where the president unleashed tariffs on U.S. allies. He later blasted Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau for saying Canada would not be pushed around. Other topics in the cartoons: protests over the Trump administration's new policy of separating children from their parents who are seeking to cross the border illegally; actor Robert DeNiro's profane denunciation of Trump at the Tony Awards; the FBI inspector general's report on the Hillary Clinton email investigation; and primary elections where loyalty to the president was a boon to Republican challengers. Cartoons were drawn by Chan Lowe, Dan Wasserman, Dana Summers, Drew Sheneman, Scott Stantis, Walt Handelsman, David Horsey, Phil Hands and Joel Pett of Tribune Content Agency; Tim Campbell, Mike Lester, Darrin Bell and Jeff Danziger of the Washington Post Writers Group; and Tom Toles of Andrews McMeel Syndication. Bottom line: Government ministers in Japan are calling for an investigation into an incident that saw a high-speed bullet train traveling to Tokyo hit and kill a man who had entered the tracks. The apparent suicide wasnt discovered until authorities found human body parts inside a crack in the trains nose, some 20 miles from where the collision took place. Japans Transport and Tourism Minister, Keiichi Ishii, has ordered the West Japan Railway Company to look into why the driver never reported hearing an unusual sound on June 14. The train operator said he did hear a strange noise when the train was in the tunnel but assumed it had hit an animal. Believing there was no threat to passengers, he decided a safety inspection wasn't necessary and failed to follow procedure by not sending a report to the ops center, reports the Japan Times. After another driver noticed a huge crack in the nose of the train and reported it to operations, the center ordered the 700-series to make an emergency stop. Police investigated the damage at the Shin-Shimonoseki Station in Shimonoseki, Yamaguchi Prefecture. They discovered body parts inside the crack, and later found more in an area near a tunnel in the city of Kitakyushu. An empty minivan was parked at a nearby road. Police later confirmed it belonged to a 52-year-old caregiver from Nogata, Fukuoka Prefecture. Police matched his fingerprints from the body parts found in the nose of the train. The driver decided on his own that the case didnt apply to things that must be reported, a Fukuoka branch official told The Asahi Shimbun. Thats the point we should examine. The decision comes following the extradition of diplomat and member of the delegation Alex Saab to the U.S by Cape Verde authorities on Saturday. | Read More Manyu Elites and Chiefs entering meeting ground W. Musa Elites and Chiefs of Manyu Division, South West region have appealed on the Head of State, President Paul BIYA, to grant amnesty to all those arrested within the Anglophone crisis, consider the convening of an all-inclusive, broad-based dialogue to examine urgent questions of national interest. This was part of the resolutions arrived at in a meeting held Saturday June 16, 2018 in Yaounde grouping all Chiefs and Elites from the Division. The Yaounde meeting was also an opportunity for the, to decry what they described as the manipulation of youths through social media postings emanating both internally and externally, particularly from the Diaspora, pushing them towards radicalization, drug abuse and endangering their lives through armed confrontations with security forces. The meeting took place under the chairmanship of His Excellency Victor ARREY-NKONGHO MENGOT, Minister in charge of Special Duties at the Presidency of the Republic and Patron of the Manyu Elements Cultural and Development Association,MECDA. THE MANYU COMMUNIQUE RECALLING past initiatives undertaken to bring about peace and a return to normalcy in Manyu Division, notably through: Advocacy campaigns to educate and raise awareness to the benefits of education and economic activities to the community, Open political discussion forums attracting broad participation, Direct contact and exchanges with local socio-economic professional and cultural groups, Town Hall meetings with the population of the 4 Subdivisions, Appeasement missions across the Division. DEEPLY REGRET the dislocation of economic activity and the disruption of community life in Manyu Division the dislocation of economic activity and the disruption of community life in Manyu Division VEHEMENTLY CONDEMN the killings, violence, kidnappings for ransom, and destruction of public and private property across the Division the killings, violence, kidnappings for ransom, and destruction of public and private property across the Division DECRY the manipulation of youths through social media postings emanating both internally and externally, particularly from the Diaspora, pushing them towards radicalization, drug abuse and endangering their lives through armed confrontations with security forces the manipulation of youths through social media postings emanating both internally and externally, particularly from the Diaspora, pushing them towards radicalization, drug abuse and endangering their lives through armed confrontations with security forces TAKE STRONG EXCEPTION to the emerging culture of hate speech which is setting youths and communities against one another to the emerging culture of hate speech which is setting youths and communities against one another ENCOURAGE our internally and externally displaced brothers and sisters and children to return home NOTE WITH SATISFACTION that although the functioning of schools continued to be disrupted in some parts of the Division, effective presence of candidates for the 2018 GCE examination reached the commendable rate of 94% CONSEQUENTLY EXTEND an olive branch to our youths who have taken up arms and urge them to drop their weapons and return to their respective communities. an olive branch to our youths who have taken up arms and urge them to drop their weapons and return to their respective communities. CALL on our youths to contribute to the creation of an enabling environment favorable for the construction of the Mamfe-Akwaya , and the Bakebe-Menji-Dschang Roads. on our youths to contribute to the creation of an enabling environment favorable for the construction of the Mamfe-Akwaya , and the Bakebe-Menji-Dschang Roads. APPEAL to the Head of State, President Paul BIYA, to consider the convening of an all-inclusive, broad-based dialogue to examine urgent questions of national interest. to the Head of State, President Paul BIYA, to consider the convening of an all-inclusive, broad-based dialogue to examine urgent questions of national interest. APPEAL to the Head of State, President Paul BIYA, in promoting the spirit of national reconciliation, to show clemency to all those imprisoned in connection with the Anglophone Crisis. to the Head of State, President Paul BIYA, in promoting the spirit of national reconciliation, to show clemency to all those imprisoned in connection with the Anglophone Crisis. APPEAL to the Head of State, President Paul BIYA, to envisage the implementation of an Emergency Reconstruction Plan to rebuild villages and other infrastructure destroyed during the Anglophone Crisis. to the Head of State, President Paul BIYA, to envisage the implementation of an Emergency Reconstruction Plan to rebuild villages and other infrastructure destroyed during the Anglophone Crisis. APPEAL to the Head of State, President Paul BIYA, to contemplate the urgent creation of a Special Rehabilitation and Reinsertion Fund to assist the return of internally and externally displaced persons to their respective communities, and in facilitating the resumption of their normal lives through agricultural and economic activities. AND FINALLY Reaffirm our unflinching support and attachment to the Head of State President Paul BIYA and the Republican Institutions he incarnates. Done in Yaounde this 16th June 2018. It is rare to obtain this powerful insight into a paedophiles secret confessions. The "good" priest will not tell and neither will the criminal priest usually. We must learn from it. In his affidavit McArdle stated about his crimes: I was devastated after the assaults, every one of them. So distressed would I become that I would attend confessions weekly. After each confession he said, "It was like a magic wand had been waved over me. The confessional forgiveness gave him a clean slate, which allowed him, within the week, to reoffend - a cycle which lasted for 25 years. The problem was not just the offender but the priests supporting a system which is profoundly flawed and has protected priests who should have been reported to the police, not forgiven and sent home to reoffend for the next 25 years. During my 32 years of confession I was never once told to, Go home and pray. Is this something priests are taught at the seminary to say to fellow priests under such circumstances? How else could they all say the same unusual thing? Why did not one of those non-offending good" priests protect the children? When they saw McArdles face yet again why didnt they say, Before I can forgive you, you must get help, or, You have to stop this, or, I cannot forgive you, instead of enabling him to go off and reoffend the following week. Congratulations to the government for coming up with a great spin on its new childcare package (''Coalition push to get mums back to work", June 10). Mothers and other carers are vital servants of the economy god. We need them to bring their offerings and do their bit to appease this ever-vengeful, temperamental deity. Even so, one hopes the government's incentive package will include equal pay for equal work, better remuneration and conditions for childcare employees, due recognition for the grand workforce and a future apology to the generation of children it regards as a hindrance to their parents "committing more time and effort". Because right now this government wants to prioritise the taxpayer as the basic unit of the economy over the family as the foundation of society. Meredith Williams, Dee Why In terminal decline Little did I know when the email message arrived from our local medical centre that the online booking service was in ill-health ("GP reviews sanitised", June 10). The message itself was benign, simply stating: "Health Engine has temporarily been removed as an online booking option from our website until further notice due to unforeseen glitches that have resulted in on-line bookings not being recorded. This is a system failure from Health Engine." Now the seemingly terminal condition of the Health Engine convinces me more than ever that feedback is used and abused. Allan Gibson, Cherrybrook School of life After reading almost daily in the newspaper about the failing school performances in Australia, maybe it's time to change it radically. The remarkable class division that already occurs in early school years with private Catholic/public/selective/co-ed schools, really shows in daily life and especially in politicians and the so-called 'big end of town'. Reading the article by Steve Biddulph about manhood says it all quite clearly men don't grow up very well with the division of the sexes. When they go out of university straight into politics or business, they have no idea of how the world works outside the school grounds especially when it comes to respect and understanding women. We also have brains so be aware. Division is unhealthy whenever and wherever it happens Agnete Engqvist, Brooklyn Farmers needs a hand A man is in a critical condition in hospital after he was allegedly punched in the head by an unknown person during a fight in Sydney's west on Saturday night. Police and paramedics were called to a home on Chiltern Road in Guildford about 7.20pm. Upon arrival they found a man, 52, lying unconscious. Police have been told that three men had been arguing in the street, believed to be over a neighbourhood dispute. A police spokeswoman described the incident as "a verbal altercation during which a wrestle has ensued". A 26-year-old man from Sydney has been arrested and charged with terrorism offences after he allegedly tried to travel overseas to meet with people who support extremist ideology. Nowroz Amin, an Australian citizen from Ingleburn, was arrested on Saturday after an investigation by the NSW Joint Counter Terrorism Team. He did not appear at Parramatta Bail Court on Sunday where the prosecutor indicated Mr Amin would not be applying for bail and it was formally refused. He'll appear in court again on August 14. Police allege Mr Amin tried to travel to Bangladesh in February 2016 but was stopped by Border Force officers who examined his luggage. They allegedly found "items that indicated his support for extremist ideology", including clothing and material on electronic devices. This newspaper has argued for years that the treatment by successive Australian governments of people seeking asylum will come to be seen as one of the most shameful chapters in our history. Our resolve to advocate for the end of needlessly punitive, even inhuman, treatment of desperate and vulnerable people has been reinforced by fresh evidence of neglect and cruelty. A report by the Public Interest Advocacy Centre a mainly government-funded organisation that seeks to improve community access to justice, ameliorate social problems and reduce disadvantage says there has been routine denial of antiviral treatment to people in immigration detention in Australia. People with hepatitis C have been blocked from readily available and effective treatment of this life-threatening virus. That is a disgrace, and is utterly unworthy of a nation that claims to value fairness and decency. The report, In Poor Health: Health Care in Australian Immigration Detention, also admonishes the federal government for dishonouring its common-law duty of care. It records failure to properly physically and psychologically treat suicidal asylum seekers. Tragically, another asylum seeker reportedly took his own life on Friday on Nauru. A Swedish man has been charged after the death of Melbourne man Kai Foley in Gothenburg last year, local police have confirmed. The man, 25, was arrested in January and has now been charged with murder. West Sweden police spokesperson Tommy Nieman said the suspect was due to face court next week. Swedish newspaper GT said the man denied the charges. UPDATE: Monday, 10am. Shaye-Lee has been found safe and well. Police are searching for a 13-year-old girl after she didn't come home after finishing school on Friday afternoon. Shaye-Lee was dropped off at her school in Middle Swan at around 8.15am, but she failed to return later that afternoon. Shaye-Lee. Credit:WA Police Shaye-Lee was reported missing to police on Saturday morning, and it's believed she may be in the Perth CBD area. Former Victorian premier John Brumby says diplomatic tensions between Canberra and Beijing need to be resolved or the Australian economy could face long-term damage, warning there is a particular danger of isolation if the United States and China ultimately settle their own economic and strategic differences. As a trade war beckons between the US and China after President Donald Trump announced new tariffs on $50 billion worth of Chinese imports, Mr Brumby, the national president of the Australia China Business Council, said companies were nevertheless predicting the world's top two economies will come to an accommodation that would present a bonanza for American businesses and hurt Australian rivals. "I think there's a prevailing view that, one way or another, the US and China will come to some agreement. They have to come to some agreement. They are the two biggest economies in the world and I think both their leaders understand that, for the world economy to do well, those two economies need to co-exist," Mr Brumby told Fairfax Media. Former Victorian premier John Brumby. Credit:Paul Jeffers "There is a growing concern that, if there is an accommodation, who might lose out? And, obviously, we wouldn't want that to be Australia ... I think the conclusion that's drawn from that is that it's all the more important for the Australian government to try and reconcile its current differences with China and find a way to move forward on mutually beneficial and respectful terms." | BY Ricki Green | Toby Talbot, chief creative officer at Saatchi & Saatchi NZ, is representing New Zealand on the Cannes Radio + Audio Lions jury. Talbot , along with most of the other NZ and Australian jurors writes exclusively for CB. One of the upsides of judging in Cannes is where you get to rest your weary head every night. They tend to put the juries up in very nice hotels. Well I can categorically say that ours is. Having spent three days painstakingly getting to a shortlist, occasionally stumbling across some hidden gem only to find out that it ran once in the middle of the night on Facebook (note: the media plan is included with the ad when you judge now) the emotional turmoil of it all means the plump feathery pillows of my well-appointed room do come as a welcome relief at the end of every day. And so it has been against the run of play at the newly refurbished Hotel Martinez, that certain members of the jury have fallen foul to what has become known as toothbrush gate. This toothbrush greeted me when I got back to my room yesterday. It had certainly seen a lot of action. Witness those worn-down bristles. What kind of action, I wasnt entirely sure. But its close proximity to the toilet concerned me. I complained to the immaculate man at the front desk who sent a fruit basket and publicly flogged one of the staff to appease me (I told him the fruit basket was a completely unnecessary gesture). Sharing the sordid episode with my jurors, it turns out that some of them have also either lost or gained toothbrushes. And upon seeing a picture of the evidence, it turns out this toothbrush belongs to one of my fellow jurors, Hugo Delgado, who lost his faithful friend two days ago. Its a little unsettling and suffice to say, each jurors room safe has become the go to spot for their toothbrushes now. I am tempted to suggest the good people of the Hyatt, instead of spending many hours rearranging Lamborghinis out front, get down to more important business like investing in some proper toilet brushes. Moving on to other matters than the thought of fecal matter, my jury has been great. They come from all over: South Africa (a hotbed of great radio writing for many years), Spain, Germany, the States, the UK, Brasil, Peru and Canada. And of course, little old New Zil. The effervescent Jo McCrostie has been a fine Jury President and the last two days, the business end of the judging, will no doubt prove that being ask to judge at Cannes with such a diverse and clever bunch of people is indeed a great honour. Professor Stewart said at the moment the effective marginal tax rate for a second earner with two young children paying for childcare at that rate was 65 per cent when returning to work one day a week, 85 per cent on the second day, 95 per cent on the third day and 140 per cent and 160 per cent on days four and five, meaning those families lost income when mothers moved from working part time to full time. "It was extraordinary that second earners went back to work full time at all," she said. "The reality has been that a proportion of women do go back to work, and the family is essentially bearing the net cost, unless they can use grandparents or friends for care or a cheaper option such as family day care. The combination of the new childcare system and the first wave of the promised tax cuts would bring down the effective marginal rates to 45 per cent for day one, 65 per cent for day two, 90 per cent for day three, 95 per cent for day four and 90 per cent for day five. "It means the returning mother will still only be able to keep $10 out of every $100 earned on day three, $5 on day four, and $10 out on day five," Professor Stewart said. "It will certainly be worthwhile for a second earner, usually a mother, returning to work with young children to go back two days a week; however, for her to work three, four or five days a week would produce a negligible financial benefit." Domiz Camp, Iraq: The world is failing to properly invest in the Syrian refugee crisis and families, women, and children are suffering terribly as a result, UN refugee agency special envoy Angelina Jolie says. The Hollywood actress was visiting the Domiz Camp, in the semi-autonomous Kurdistan Region of Iraq, which is home to 33,000 Syrian refugees displaced by seven years of civil war. Special Envoy of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), Angelina Jolie, gives a press conference in the Domiz camp for Syrian refugees. Credit:AP Funding received by the UN High Commissioner for Refugees to help refugees from the Syrian conflict fell sharply this year from 2017 when the agency received only 50 per cent of the funds it needed, Jolie told a news conference on Sunday. "There are terrible human consequences. When there is even not the bare minimum of aid, refuge families cannot receive adequate medical treatment. Women and girls are left vulnerable to sexual violence, many children cannot go to school, and we squander the opportunity to invest in refugees," she said. Every summer, some of New York City's best and brightest theater artists head upstate to the Vassar College campus in Poughkeepsie, New York, for a few weeks of grown-up theater camp. Vassar & New York Stage and Film's annual Powerhouse season supports artists in the development and production of new works and has served as a launching pad for notable contributions to the theater from Lin-Manuel Miranda's Hamilton to Sarah DeLappe's The Wolves. Why is Powerhouse's past covered with so many glowing achievements? According to playwright and Powerhouse veteran Geoffrey Nauffts, "It's such a luxury to be able to go someplace, anyplace, where there are no distractions except for the birds and the bees and the people reciting lines as you walk past them. Where you're solely living, breathing, and eating your creativity for the time that you're up there." "I never want to do the 87th reading of something just for the sake of it," said Powerhouse's artistic director Johanna Pfaelzer at a press event for the upcoming season. "It's, 'where can we be useful to you?' And then it is a conversation to figure out how we can best be of service." Read about a selection of this year's most exciting upcoming projects below, straight from the mouths of their creators. The Pain of My Belligerence Trip Cullman, director of Halley Feiffer's The Pain of My Belligerence ( David Gordon) Trip Cullman: I'm working on Halley Feiffer's play The Pain of My Belligerence, which is coming to Playwrights Horizons in the winter. The show is an absolutely harrowing and funny in the way that only Halley can write. It's an account of a sort of doomed love affair between a guy who exhibits all the traits of toxic masculinity, and a younger woman. The first scene is on the eve of Obama's election, the second scene is on the eve of Trump's election, the third scene is on the eve of Trump's reelection. It's a #MeToo play for sure. She wrote it before this year and all that exploded, but it is absolutely of the moment. Alice by Heart Alice by Heart creators Jessie Nelson and Duncan Sheik ( David Gordon) Duncan Sheik: It's using some of the elements of Alice in Wonderland, but there's a meta narrative that's woven through it. It's set in the London Underground during the Blitz in 1941 down the hole so to speak. And I think Stephen and Jessie have found a really great way of using those elements and telling this really powerful story. Jessie Nelson: It's about the power of imagination to transcend even the darkest of times. So it's particularly timely right now. Melissa R and Dorothy Sue Melissa R and Dorothy Sue playwright Geoffrey Nauffts ( David Gordon) Geoffrey Nauffts: It's about two women who, at 40 years old, find out that they were switched at birth. And it's about them sort of piecing their lives back together again, trying to figure out who it was they were meant to have been. You know it happens from time to time. We read a lot about different situations and we're doing our own spin on it. The Waves The Waves creators Lisa Peterson and Adam Gwon ( David Gordon) Lisa Peterson: This is an adaptation of the Virginia Woolf novel The Waves, and in fact this is kind of a revisit of a version that I made 30 years ago at New York Theater Workshop with a composer named David Bucknam. I think it's fair to say that it became sort of a cult thingso I've always been wanting to take a new look at it. David sadly passed away quite young, so how to do that without him was a mystery, but then I met Adam Gwon, so now Adam and I are going back into this adaptation to really examine it and shave things and explore new parts of the story. It's about six friends who grow up together and lose each other and then come back. But it's also a novel about experience and how human beings experience the natural world and each otherMuch of the language is pure Virginia Woolf. So it is this editing process actually of picking and choosing what to use from the novel because it is really rich. Little Orphan Danny Little Orphan Danny creator Dan Finnerty ( David Gordon) Dan Finnerty: It's called Little Orphan Danny because I was adopted and grew up in a small farm town in upstate New York in a happy family. It was a great little life. But I always wanted to find my birth mother, and when I was 29 we ended up finding her on a fluke because my wife secretly put an ad in the paper in the town where I was born. My birth mother ended up seeing the ad only because she was looking for Celine Dion tickets, so f*cking Celine Dion brought us together. And that would seem like the happy ending. After that it became figuring out how to navigate these two moms and convincing my mom who raised me that she's my mother to me and it doesn't change anything, and still wanting to have a relationship with my birth mother, this awesome person who was there when it started with me. Radio Island The cast and creative team of Radio Island. ( David Gordon) Liza Birkenmeier: I'm working on Radio Island which is a play about a crisis negotiator in her hometown dealing with her ailing and estranged mother while she's also dealing with an international hostage crisis. Jaki Bradley: It sort of lets us address the idea of negotiation or how negotiations play out in the political, professional realm and also the personal realm. Pascale Armond: She's working on this international hostage situation but then also negotiating and trying to deal with her home life, her crumbling love life, her mom that she's helping after she had an accident. And then there's this lurking visitor, and we're trying to figure out who he is while trying to keep the family safe. Adina Verson: Underneath all of it are many different kinds of danger. It's a very scary play all these dangers that you can't quite name. This station is the first of three sites that Shell and HTEC plan to open in Vancouver CALGARY, June 15, 2018 /CNW/ - Today, Shell and Hydrogen Technology & Energy Corporation (HTEC), launched Canada's first retail hydrogen refuelling station for hydrogen fuel cell electric vehicles, located at 8686 Granville Street. This is the first retail hydrogen vehicle refuelling station in Canada open to the public, and the first of three sites that Shell and HTEC plan to open in Vancouver. "After bringing hydrogen refuelling sites to other markets globally, we are excited to work with Vancouver-based technology provider, HTEC, to add even more locations to our growing network," said Oliver Bishop, GM of Hydrogen for Shell. "This is early days for hydrogen in Canada, but we believe hydrogen fuel cell electric vehicles have the potential to be an important part of a future low-carbon transport system." Hydrogen fuel cell electric vehicles convert hydrogen into electricity and produce only heat and water when driven. They offer an alternative to the conventional internal combustion engine, a driving experience similar to battery electric vehicles, and zero local emissions. Hydrogen vehicles can drive up to 700 kilometers and can be refuelled in a few minutes at a standard station with a hydrogen dispenser. The launch of the Vancouver station follows similar openings in the UK, California, and in Germany, where Shell is part of a joint venture with the ambition to open a network of up to 400 hydrogen sites by 2023. Shell is also assessing the potential of future projects in the United States, Switzerland, Austria, France, Belgium, Luxembourg, China and the Netherlands. "Working with HTEC to bring hydrogen refuelling to Vancouver is one of many exciting ways we are advancing cleaner energy solutions and evolving to meet the changing expectations of customers," said Michael Crothers, Shell Canada President and Country Chair. "Canada is well suited to capitalize on the energy transition thanks to the ingenuity of Canadians and our willingness to work together. We're grateful for the collaboration between industry and government that was instrumental in making this station a reality." Critical investment in the station comes from LGM Financial Services, along with funding from both the Provincial and Federal governments, through the BC Ministry of Energy, Mines and Petroleum Resources and Western Economic Diversification Canada's WINN initiative respectively. "HTEC is proud to be partnering with Shell to build three retail hydrogen stations as part of a six-station network in Greater Vancouver and Victoria," said Colin Armstrong, CEO of HTEC. "Refuelling infrastructure must be in place to support hydrogen fuel cell electric vehicle rollouts and it's exciting to see Canada's first wave of retail hydrogen refuelling stations being built here in BC." Shell is investing in the development of new fuels. We believe that all fuel and vehicle options will be required over the coming decades to meet growing demand for transport, reduce CO2 emissions, improve air quality and respond to changing customer needs. NOTES TO EDITORS: About hydrogen and fuel cell electric vehicles: Hydrogen fuel cell electric vehicles are one of the technological innovations that help reduce emissions and address air pollution while offering convenience for motorists. Hydrogen fuel cell electric vehicles are powered by electricity and only produce water vapour, helping to improve local air quality. Hydrogen technology has potential to store energy easily and hydrogen fuel cell electric vehicles do not produce CO2, or other harmful emissions from their tailpipe. Energy is stored in compressed hydrogen fuel, rather than in a battery. Hydrogen mobility is a partnership journey between energy infrastructure providers, automotive OEMs and government funding bodies. Hydrogen fuel cell electric vehicles will only be bought by customers if there is a refuelling infrastructure. Establishing and maintaining investment in fuelling infrastructure is only commercially attractive and sustainable if there are enough hydrogen fuel cell electric vehicle customers and appropriate government and funding support to start installation of the infrastructure network. About Shell Canada Limited: Shell has been operating in Canada for over 100 years and employs more than 4,000 people across the country. Our business is providing energy to Canadians and people around the world, and we are one of the few truly integrated oil and gas companies in Canada. Learn more at www.shell.ca. Follow us on Twitter: @Shell_Canada About HTEC: HTEC is unlocking the potential of hydrogen to reduce urban air pollution and the impacts of climate change by designing and building hydrogen fuel supply solutions to support the deployment of hydrogen fuel cell electric vehicles. Partnering with government, industrial gas companies, key equipment suppliers, automotive companies, and energy companies, HTEC is delivering safe, reliable, convenient, sustainable and low-cost hydrogen to customers and consumers, how, when and where they need it. HTEC: Fuelling the Drive to Hydrogen. www.htec.ca Cautionary note The companies in which Royal Dutch Shell plc directly and indirectly owns investments are separate legal entities. In this release "Shell", "Shell group" and "Royal Dutch Shell" are sometimes used for convenience where references are made to Royal Dutch Shell plc and its subsidiaries in general. Likewise, the words "we", "us" and "our" are also used to refer to Royal Dutch Shell plc and its subsidiaries in general or to those who work for them. These terms are also used where no useful purpose is served by identifying the particular entity or entities. 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All statements other than statements of historical fact are, or may be deemed to be, forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements are statements of future expectations that are based on management's current expectations and assumptions and involve known and unknown risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results, performance or events to differ materially from those expressed or implied in these statements. Forward-looking statements include, among other things, statements concerning the potential exposure of Royal Dutch Shell to market risks and statements expressing management's expectations, beliefs, estimates, forecasts, projections and assumptions. 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There are a number of factors that could affect the future operations of Royal Dutch Shell and could cause those results to differ materially from those expressed in the forward-looking statements included in this release, including (without limitation): (a) price fluctuations in crude oil and natural gas; (b) changes in demand for Shell's products; (c) currency fluctuations; (d) drilling and production results; (e) reserves estimates; (f) loss of market share and industry competition; (g) environmental and physical risks; (h) risks associated with the identification of suitable potential acquisition properties and targets, and successful negotiation and completion of such transactions; (i) the risk of doing business in developing countries and countries subject to international sanctions; (j) legislative, fiscal and regulatory developments including regulatory measures addressing climate change; (k) economic and financial market conditions in various countries and regions; (l) political risks, including the risks of expropriation and renegotiation of the terms of contracts with governmental entities, delays or advancements in the approval of projects and delays in the reimbursement for shared costs; and (m) changes in trading conditions. No assurance is provided that future dividend payments will match or exceed previous dividend payments. All forward-looking statements contained in this release are expressly qualified in their entirety by the cautionary statements contained or referred to in this section. Readers should not place undue reliance on forward-looking statements. Additional risk factors that may affect future results are contained in Royal Dutch Shell's Form 20-F for the year ended December 31, 2017 (available at www.shell.com/investor and www.sec.gov). These risk factors also expressly qualify all forward-looking statements contained in this release and should be considered by the reader. Each forward-looking statement speaks only as of the date of this release, May 31, 2018. Neither Royal Dutch Shell plc nor any of its subsidiaries undertake any obligation to publicly update or revise any forward-looking statement as a result of new information, future events or other information. In light of these risks, results could differ materially from those stated, implied or inferred from the forward-looking statements contained in this release. We may have used certain terms, such as resources, in this release that the United States Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) strictly prohibits us from including in our filings with the SEC. U.S. Investors are urged to consider closely the disclosure in our Form 20-F, File No 1-32575, available on the SEC website www.sec.gov SOURCE Shell Canada Limited RELATED LINKShttp://www.shell.ca MARKHAM, ON, June 15, 2018 /CNW/ - Today Hyundai Auto Canada Corp. participated in the official opening ceremony of Canada's first retail hydrogen fuelling station accessible to the general public. Operated by Shell and Hydrogen Technology & Energy Corporation (HTEC), the station is located at 8686 Granville Street in Vancouver, BC. "Hyundai Auto Canada has long believed that Hydrogen is the best way forward to a greener future of transportation. As it only takes five minutes to fill up and has a range of nearly 600 km, Hydrogen is the alternative fuel that best fits the lives of Canadians," said Don Romano, President and CEO of Hyundai Auto Canada. The first of three sites that Shell and HTEC plan to open in the Vancouver area, the Granville Street location will also host a media ride-and-drive of Hydrogen vehicles from 11 am to 12 pm. Hyundai will be present with the all-new NEXO, its second-generation fuel cell electric vehicle. In solidarity with other like-minded manufacturers, Hyundai is also a founding member of the Canadian Hydrogen Fuel Cell Electric Vehicle (FCEV) Coalition of automakers. Efforts such as this highlight the need for more infrastructure to support Hydrogen-powered vehicles, as well as the importance of having continued support from government and industry-leaders, as automotive manufacturers such as Hyundai work towards creating a more sustainable future. Fuel cell vehicles don't require gasoline, but instead run on advanced fuel cell technology that uses Hydrogen. When Hydrogen and Oxygen from the atmosphere are combined into the fuel cell stack, electricity is produced via an electrochemical reaction. The only by-products of this process are electricity and water vapour, resulting in vehicles that yield zero-emissions. About Hyundai Auto Canada Corp. Hyundai Auto Canada, established in 1983 and headquartered in Markham, Ontario, is a subsidiary of Hyundai Motor Company of Korea. Hyundai vehicles are distributed throughout Canada by Hyundai Auto Canada and are sold and serviced through more than 210 dealerships nationwide. Hyundai will also be the first to offer a second-generation zero-emissions Fuel Cell Electric Vehicle to Canadian customers, called the NEXO. More information about Hyundai and its vehicles can be found at www.HyundaiCanada.com. SOURCE Hyundai Auto Canada Corp. CONTACT: about Hyundai and its products, please visit www.hyundainews.ca or contact: Maxine Roy, Corporate Communications Specialist, Hyundai Auto Canada Corp., Office: (905) 948-6837, Mobile: (416) 859-3301, Email: mroy@hyundaicanada.com; Jean-Francois Taylor, Product Public Relations Specialist, Hyundai Auto Canada Corp., Office: (905) 948-6754, Mobile: (416) 770-0842, Email: jftaylor@hyundaicanada.com RELATED LINKShttp://www.hyundaicanada.com Ford Motor Company Acquires Iconic Michigan Central Station; Will Outline Vision for New Corktown Campus on Tuesday DETROIT June 17, 2018; Ford Motor Company has acquired the iconic Michigan Central Station and plans to transform it into the centerpiece of a vibrant new campus in Detroits Corktown neighborhood that will serve as an innovation hub for Fords vision for the future of transportation. The acquisition of Michigan Central Station comes alongside the companys purchase of the former Detroit Public Schools Book Depository, two acres of vacant land, the site of an old brass factory and the recent purchase of a refurbished former factory in Corktown, now home to Fords electric vehicle and autonomous vehicle business teams. Highlights of Fords new Corktown campus include: The campus will be comprised of approximately 1.2 million square feet of property in Corktown This new development will serve the community with a mixed-use space including office space for office and retail space, and some residential housing Initial plans include locating approximately 2,500 Ford employees, most from the mobility team, to call Corktown their work home by 2022 There will also be space to accommodate 2,500 additional employees of partners and other businesses amongst Michigan Central Station and the other developments Ford will share many more details about the Corktown project, as well as early visual renderings, at its event Tuesday. Event details Who: Bill Ford, Jim Hackett, Ford employees, government officials and community members Where: Michigan Central Station, 2001 15th Street, Detroit When: Tuesday, June 19, 11 a.m. (check-in opens at 10 a.m.) Media registration: Email asalceda@ford.com or khenkel1@ford.com Guest registration (limited space available): https://fordcorktowncelebration.splashthat.com/ Livestream link: http://www.dtvn.net/fordcorktown Ford will also host a community Open House on Friday, June 22 Sunday, June 24 for a rare, inside look at Michigan Central Station before renovations. Details of the open house will be shared Tuesday. Michigan Central Station is a powerful symbol of Detroits struggles and now its resurgence, but Fords investment in Corktown is far from symbolic, said Bill Ford, the companys executive chairman. We arent just making a bet on Detroit. We are making a big bet on the future for Ford and the future of transportation. Its exciting to imagine whats possible as we build tomorrow, together. About Ford Motor Company Ford Motor Company is a global company based in Dearborn, Michigan. The company designs, manufactures, markets and services a full line of Ford cars, trucks, SUVs, electrified vehicles and Lincoln luxury vehicles, provides financial services through Ford Motor Credit Company and is pursuing leadership positions in electrification, autonomous vehicles and mobility solutions. Ford employs approximately 202,000 people worldwide. For more information regarding Ford, its products and Ford Motor Credit Company, please visit www.corporate.ford.com. 40-Year-Old Ugly Spinster Offered Herself to the King There was an ugly woman in the state of Qi during the Warring States Period (475221 B.C.) who was still single at the age of 40. One day, she came to the kings palace and asked to marry the king. The strangest thing was, the king did marry her and even made her the queen. Wuyan is the name of a place as well as a woman. Historian Liu Xiang of the Western Han Dynasty (206 B.C. to A.D. 24), in the Biographies of Exemplary Women, Zhongli Chun of Qi that he edited, described Wuyan as having unparalleled uglinessa protruding forehead, a jutting chin, sunken eyes, an upward-tilted nose, a thick neck, little hair, a pigeon chest, a hunched back, and a dark complexion. But Wuyan was not bothered by her looks. Neither did she care that she was still a spinster at 40. One day, Wuyan left her hometown by herself and came to the capital of the state of Qi, Linzi, which is present-day Zibo. She went up to the palace door and said to the guards, Im a Qi woman who cannot find a husband. I hear that the king is wise. Id like to work as a cleaner in the harem. Ill be waiting humbly right outside the kings door. Please grant me my wish. This was during the reign of King Xuan of Qi. He was about to have a feast with his officials when the guards informed him that an ugly woman was offering herself to be a cleaner in the harem. Everybody roared with laughter. What an eccentric woman! they said. The offer to clean the harem was not to be interpreted literally. What Wuyan meant was, I want to marry King Xuan. The king summoned Wuyan out of curiosity. He asked Wuyan: You cannot find a husband in your hometown, yet you want to marry the king. What talent do you have? Wuyan answered: I have no talent. Its just that I admire Your Majestys virtues. King Xuan said, Still, I want to know what youre capable of. Wuyan paused for quite some time before she said, I can become invisible. King Xuan became fascinated. He said: Im keen to see it. Can you show it to me? Before he could finish speaking, Wuyan had vanished into thin air. The king was dumbfounded. He lost no time in finding books on invisibility, and he started studying them. But he could not figure out how Wuyan had disappeared. He summoned Wuyan the following day, and she came. Wuyan did not answer King Xuans queries about invisibility. Instead, with widened eyes and clenched teeth, she raised her hands and touched her knees and repeated several times, Danger! Again, King Xuan was enthralled. He said, Please tell me more. Wuyan said, The state of Qi is facing four crises. The first crisis, she said, was that Qi was confronted by formidable foes, but King Xuan had not yet established credibility as a leader. If anything happened to the kingdom, morale would be threatened. The second crisis was that the people were weary from the building of the majestic terrace. The third crisis was that people of virtue were living in seclusion, and those by the kings side were traitorous and disloyal. The fourth crisis was that the king indulged himself in making merry instead of devoting all his time to running the state. Danger lurked beneath the surface. King Xuan began to take Wuyan seriously. This was not an ugly woman left on the shelf, but an absolute godsend. He had the five-story terrace demolished, stopped making merry, and dismissed people who curried favor with him. He also proclaimed his son as the crown prince and was even more filial to his mother. Wuyan was invited into the palace, not to be a cleaner or a concubine, but the queen. Since Wuyan came from Wuyan (which literally means no salt), she came to be known as Zhong Wuyan (no beauty). According to historical books, her real name was Zhongli Chun. The Biographies of Exemplary Women describes her as Zhongli Chun, a woman from Wuyan of Qi. Queen of King Xuan. In Chinas history, Qi was one of the seven states during the Warring States Period, and it was the last state Qin destroyed to unify China. It had over 10,000 chariots, and it was the national university of Qi from which the Contention of a Hundred Schools of Thought stemmed. According to the Biographies of Exemplary Women, Zhongli Chun was an upright person who spoke with eloquence. It was to her credit that King Xuan was able to transform Qi into a strong state. Solomon Islands President Manasseh Sogavare (R) and Taiwan President Tsai Ing-wen (L) inspect an honor guard during a welcome ceremony in Taipei on Sept. 26, 2017. (Sam Yeh/AFP/Getty Images) Beijing Pushing Taiwan and US Allies out of the Pacific Islands, Says Congressional Report The Chinese regimes increasing involvement in the Pacific Islands region is squeezing Taiwans already limited international space while also posing security challenges to the United States and its allies Australia and New Zealand, a Congressional report says. The Pacific Islandsa region in the vast Pacific Ocean that contains 14 countries, 7.7 million square miles of space, and the U.S. territories of Samoa, the Northern Mariana Islands, and Guamtend to receive less attention among observers of the Asia-Pacific. The Peoples Republic of China, however, is rapidly moving to establish a political, economic, and military presence across the region, particularly through its Belt and Road Initiative, a massive diplomatic and economic development policy designed to assert Beijings strategic interests across the world. A new report published by the congressionally mandated U.S.-China Economic and Security Review Commission (USCC) says that Beijings design for the Pacific Islands aims at reducing Taiwans international space and gaining access to raw materials and natural resources. Six of the 14 countriesKiribati, the Marshall Islands, Nauru, Palau, the Solomon Islands, and Tuvaluhave formal diplomatic relations with Taiwan. They are some of Taipeis few remaining diplomatic allies in the international arena who could formally speak on the island nations behalf and support its participation in major international organizations. Beijing is now using economic incentives as a tool to entice or coerce these countries to abandon Taiwan, the USCC report said. Palau, for example, has seen its important tourism industry hit hard after Beijing banned Chinese tour groups from visiting the country, following its hosting of Taiwanese President Tsai Ing-wen in November 2017. Taiwan is not the only one under threat. Australia and New Zealand, two other key U.S. partners in the Pacific that have extensive historical and current ties with the Pacific Islands, also see their presence there under threat as Beijing aggressively asserts its influence across the region. As Beijing increases its comprehensive engagement in the region, the United States and its allies and partners involved in the regionnotably Australia, New Zealand, and Taiwanface increasing challenges in ensuring a free and open environment and preserving their interests, the report says. The USCC cited an April 2018 report by the Sydney Morning Herald that alleges that a Chinese state-owned enterprise has approached the Pacific Islands nation of Vanuatu about building a Chinese military base there. The rumor was vehemently denied by both the Beijing and Vanuatu governments, but observers say the allegation is consistent with Beijings ambition to extend the overseas force projection of its Peoples Liberation Army (PLA) onto the Pacific Islands region. Although the size or scope of a potential base in the Pacific Islands is unclear, it would serve several of Chinas security interests, the USCC report says. It would provide the PLA with a strategic outpost beyond the Second Island Chain, expanding its force projection capabilities in the Western Pacific. Obama's economy stumbled along at a 1 1/2% growth rate for 8 years....the slowest recovery from an economic crash in our history...the only reason it was not worse was because of the domestic oil industry Bush did not cause the Great Recession of 2007 to 2008....It was caused by politicians of both stripes who thought they had invented the solution to the business cycle with it's booms and shake-outs by making credit so loose anybody could borrow whether the could pay or not.. Bailing out Detroit Auto Companies was a stupid idea...It only benefited the UAW...who votes Democrat.. A booming economy is created by one thing. CONFIDENCE ... The people who actually create the jobs are those who risk their money in new plants, to train new workers and promote their ideas... They had no confidence in Obama, with his regulations, taxes and ill-advised health insurance for employees....That killed growth......Today Joe Baggadonuts the Plumber has faith and CONFIDENCE in Trump... That is the reason we are looking at 4% growth now.... Obama has nothing to do with it.... Learn it!! F-35B Lightning II fighter jets arrive at the Royal Air Force Marham airbase in Kings Lynn, England on June 6, 2018. A former British engineer is suspected of transmitting technology related to the jets to China. (Christopher Furlong/Getty Images) Former Rolls-Royce Engineer Suspected of Passing Fighter Jet Tech to China A former engineer for British multinational Rolls-Royce was arrested on June 12 after for allegedly passing military trade secrets to China. Bryn Jones, a former chief combustion technologist employed by Rolls-Royce from 1968 to 1996, was arrested at his home in the United Kingdom, British newspaper The Sun first reported. He is suspected of giving away technological know-how related to a newly purchased Royal Air Force F-35 stealth fighter jet that cost 100 million pounds ($132.7 million). The 73-year-old engineer was arrested after British intelligence agency MI5 received intelligence that classified information had been passed onto Beijing. He has since been released pending investigation. Jones is currently a visiting professor of gas turbine combustion at Xian Aeronautical University in Xian City, Shaanxi Province, according to The Sun. Rolls-Royce-developed technology is behind the F-35s lift system that lets it hover and land vertically on aircraft carriers. British police confirmed on June 14 that a man had been arrested in connection with an investigation under the Official Secrets Act, a British law against espionage. They seized computers and USB drives from Jones home. Police are also looking into whether other information regarding Rolls-Royces defense contracts was put at risk, according to The Sun. The British company is one of the worlds largest defense contractors and a top manufacturer of aircraft engines. Developed by U.S. defense manufacturer Lockheed Martin, the F-35 fighter jet is among the most expensive weapons programs in history, at nearly $400 billion, according to the U.S. Defense Department. Acording to Lockheed Martin, about 15 percent by value of each F-35 aircraftwhich the company plans to expand to an over 3,000 global fleetis manufactured in the United Kingdom. The supersonic F-35 uses stealth technology to avoid being detected by radar and allows pilots to conduct attacks electronically. The UK plans to buy 138 of the F-35 jets, according to British newspaper The Telegraph. The Chinese regime has a history of stealing military technology. The Chinese air forces J-20 fighter jet is widely believed to be a knockoff of the F-35. In 2014, Su Bin, a Chinese national, pleaded guilty to conspiring with Chinese military officers to steal design information and manufacturing technologies for the F-35 and other American fighter jets. Su assisted military hackers to access the computer networks of major U.S. defense contractors, such as aircraft manufacturer Boeing. In 2016, he was sentenced to 46 months in federal prison. In 2008, the Chinese regime acquired British tech firm Dynex Semiconductor, via a state-owned firm. Dynex manufactures an advanced chip that enables the launching of aircraft from an carrier flight deck using electromagnetic technology. The Chinese navy now employs that same technology. Opioid Crisis Takes Toll on Small Businesses as Unemployment Drops Increases in drug addiction worsens workforce shortage and skills gap problem WASHINGTONWith unemployment being at an 18-year low, small businesses are struggling to fill job openings and retain workers. Mounting opioid usage in the country is making the situation even worse, as in some areas, only 25 to 30 percent of job applicants can pass a drug test, said a small-business owner. The U.S. job market is booming with low unemployment, strong job growth, and increasing wages. While this benefits American workers, a shortage of workers limits the ability of businesses to expand and grow. There are no words that can describe the harm opioids and other drugs are having on our area in rural Ohio, said Angela Dine Schmeisser, president and CEO of St. Marys Foundry, a small business located in St. Marys, Ohio. Couple this with the perception or stigma that manufacturing is outdated and legacy work, the shortage of skilled and unskilled workers has turned into a perfect storm, she said at a June 14 hearing on workforce shortages before the Economic Growth, Tax, and Capital Access Subcommittee of the House Small Business Committee. St. Marys Foundry is a family-owned business that produces metal castings for various sectors, including natural gas compression, pumps and valves, municipal water, and energy transmission. The company employs 160 workers and has recently advertised 16 job openings. But of the 76 job applicants, 46 failed the onsite drug test, said Schmeisser. The company ended up hiring 24 of the applicants but the problems did not end. Eight didnt attend the plant orientation, three didnt show up on the first day of work, and nine were terminated because they missed work or stopped coming to work altogether. Today, out of the 76 applicants, only four individuals remain at our facility, Schmeisser said. The labor shortage is a big challenge for employers like Marys Foundry, with the local unemployment rate reaching record low levels. Finding drug-free applicants is a real struggle, according to Schmeisser. Typically, only 25 to 30 percent of prospective employees can pass the drug test, she said. Given the fact we have heavy equipment and molten metal in foundries, it is critical that our workers are drug-free. In addition, most applicants have poor work ethics, creating a challenge for small-business owners. Many of our applicants lack basic life-skill knowledge about how to be a good employee. They struggle with coming to work every day, as opposed to most days, Schmeisser said. There are nearly 30 million small businesses in the country and they employ almost half of all private sector workers and create roughly two of every three new jobs. Although small businesses are a significant component of the workforce, they generally lack the resources to compete with larger companies during periods of low unemployment. Job vacancies have become one of the major concerns of many small-business owners. According to the National Federation of Independent Business (NFIB) April 2018 report, 57 percent of small-business owners either hired workers or were planning to hire workers in April, but a large majority (88 percent) of them had trouble finding qualified candidates. The shortage of qualified workers is clearly holding back even stronger economic growth, stated Bill Dunkelberg, NFIBs chief economist. The high demand has real impacts. In some industries, nearly half of the firms have unfilled openings. Improving the Education System The opioid epidemic is having a negative impact on local businesses throughout the country. Thats a recurring story were hearing from everybody, said Rep. Dave Brat (R-Va.), chairman of the Small Business Subcommittee on Economic Growth, Tax, and Capital Access. According to Brat, it is important to solve the problem early in the K12 and motivate children, particularly those who are not on the college track, to learn certain job skills. We have pushed the every kid goes to college model for too long and thats not serving everybody, he said. If you dont get kids into the job pipeline then theyre going to have a housing problem, a transportation problem, and maybe a drug problem. The labor shortage is especially severe in the construction and manufacturing sectors. According to Schmeisser, altering public perceptions about manufacturing jobs is also critical to addressing the worker shortage in the sector, especially among millennials and this requires improving the education system. Many of the vocational and technical programs available to high schools around the country have been reduced or outright eliminated, she said. Companies have scaled back or eliminated apprenticeship programs that were prevalent in the 1940s, 50s, and 60s. To help address this problem, President Donald Trump signed an executive order last year to reform education and expand access to apprenticeships and workforce-development programs in the country. The plan aims to ease the regulatory burden on apprenticeship programs and integrate classroom learning with on-the-job training. The president has also proposed to reform the Carl D. Perkins Career and Technical Education (CTE) program in order to provide skills-focused education to more students. Trump argues that Congress needs to improve the CTE program so that federal funds can go to career education programs. The House unanimously passed an update to the Carl D. Perkins Career and Technical Education Act, but the Senate hasnt taken any action yet. This legislation enables resources for secondary schools and community colleges to teach manufacturing skills among other technical trades, Schmeisser said. We hope that legislation will pass when it is brought to the Senate floor. With the increase in job creation, the number of job openings and unfilled positions is currently at its highest level since 2000. The increase in unfilled jobs hinders business growth, and therefore, economic growth, say experts. Watch Next: US Border Patrol: There is no policy to separate families The United States Border Patrol on Sunday allowed reporters to briefly visit the facility where it holds families arrested at the southern US border, responding to questions over the Trump administrations zero tolerance policy. Servers Play Key Role in High-Profile Investigations: Clinton Emails, DNC, House Hacking News Analysis A yearlong investigation by Department of Justice Inspector General Michael Horowitz detailed the FBIs investigation into Hillary Clintons use of a private email server to send classified information while serving as secretary of state. Tens of thousands of e-mails sent by then-Secretary of State Hillary Clinton hosted on a private server were permanently deleted by her lawyers, making it impossible for law enforcement to retrieve them. However, since this controversial investigation, servers have played a key role in two other high-profile investigations. In 2016, the Democratic National Committee (DNC) hired private security company CrowdStrike to investigate a potential hack of their server. Crowdstrike, in a June 15, 2016, report, attributed it to hackers affiliated with the Russian government. Key parts of the investigation, including the hacking styles Crowdstrike attributed to the Russian hacking groups, were discredited or disputed. The FBI for months attempted to gain access to the DNC email servers to conduct its forensic investigation. However, to this day the DNC has not granted access to the FBI. We did not have access to the devices themselves, former FBI Director James Comey said under oath before the Senate intelligence committee on June 8, 2017. Instead, Comey said, we got relevant forensic information from a private party. But despite that, the FBI never received access to the content of the server itself. When asked by Sen. Richard Burr (R-N.C.) whether the content was an important part of the forensics from a counter-intelligence standpoint, Comey responded, It is. Nevertheless, the alleged hack of the DNC became a core argument to support the theory that Russia tried to influence the 2016 elections through hacking and, by extension, that then-candidate Donald Trump had colluded with Russia to win the election. While evidence has been found that Russia tried to influence the election through the use of social media, no evidence has been found that supports the theory that Trump colluded with Russia. House Democratic Caucus Server Another high-stakes investigation in which a server plays a key role involves alleged hacks by five IT aides into congressional systems. The House Office of Inspector General had found by September 2016 that the IT aides, four of whom belonged to the Awan family, had made thousands of suspicious and in some cases unauthorized logins to congressional systems. Besides the 44 offices of House Democrats the IT aides worked for, the aides made unauthorized logins to the systems of 15 other House Democrats. A server belonging to the House Democratic Caucus was accessed thousands of times, and the IT workers had taken steps to conceal their suspected activity. Excessive logons are an indication that the server is being used for nefarious purposes and elevated the risk that individuals could be reading and/or removing information, the House IG said in a presentation, which was not released publicly. Computers could be used as a launching point to access other systems for which access may be unauthorized. After the server had been identified by the House IG as key evidence in the investigation, it mysteriously disappeared. Three government sources familiar with the matter told the Daily Caller News Foundation that the server had been physically stolen. Violations of Government Email Policies Rampant Under Obama Administration A report by the Department of Justice Office of the Inspector General reveals that Hillary Clinton directly communicated with 13 individuals using her private email account while serving as secretary of state. Clinton used an account on her domain clintonemail.com to conduct official government business while secretary of state, including sending and receiving classified information, in violation of government policy. Government officials are required to use government email accounts to conduct official business, and for the emails to be retained. In the case of Clinton, the emails were stored on a private server, which was vulnerable to hacking, and tens of thousands of emails sent on the server were later deleted by Clintons lawyers. The IG report reveals that then-President Barack Obama communicated with Clinton on this unsecured email server that violated government policy. FBI analysts and Prosecutor 2 told us that former President Barack Obama was one of the 13 individuals with whom Clinton had direct contact using her clintonemail.com account, the IG report states. The IG report also said that Obama used a pseudonym in his communications with Clinton. It is unclear what pseudonym Obama used. It was earlier revealed that Obamas Attorney General Loretta Lynch also used an alias for email communicationsin her case, on her official DOJ account. The use of aliases makes it more difficult for reporters or other groups to obtain documents using Freedom of Information Act requests. The IG report also revealed that Obama-appointed FBI Director James Comey created a personal Gmail account around the time he was appointed, which he at times used to conduct official government business. According to Comeys former chief of staff, Jim Rybicki, Comey had not sought or received advice from the DOJ on the use of these accounts. The IG report states that Comeys use of the private email account to conduct official government business is inconsistent with the DOJ Policy Statement. Woman Arrested After Destructive Fit of Rage at Fitness Center Police arrested a 20-year-old woman who unleashed a tirade of abuse at a Michigan fitness center, Fox News reported. The incident, which was caught on camera, occurred at around 1:30 a.m. on June 12. The woman can be seen hurling verbal abuse at employees, before throwing a computer monitor at the front desk worker, damaging it and a phone in the process. The woman also damaged a parking sign outside the gym, Fox News reported. At one point, the woman can be heard saying, Ill come back and Ill kill you! The woman also declared she was pregnant before unleashing more fury at employees. According to police, the woman is being charged with malicious destruction of property to the value of $200-$1000. The employee who was attacked is not pressing charges, according to police, however Planet Fitness will be pressing charges for property damage. Video Credit: Fox News via VideoElephant Watch Next: Surveillance Footage Shows Robber Attack Virginia Store Employee More doctors are needed to assess claims of torture and persecution made by those seeking asylum from violence in such places as Central America. Thats according to a new paper, authored by researchers from three universities, including Yale University and the University of Connecticut. The practice of asylum medicine is crucial to carrying out laws designed to protect people fleeing persecution and torture, said Dr. Katherine McKenzie, director of the Yale Center of Asylum Medicine and corresponding author of the paper published in the Journal of General Internal Medicine. We need doctors who perform these evaluations to tell their stories to the public, advocate to elected officials, and train young doctors in the practice of asylum medicine, McKenzie said in a news release. In 2016, 65 million people worldwide were displaced from their homes in places such as Honduras, El Salvador and Guatemala due to human rights abuses. That same year, about 262,000 applied for asylum in the United States. These abuses have included torture, rape, repeated physical abuse, prolonged imprisonment, severe mental or emotional abuse, imminent and menacing death threats, and extreme economic punishments. A medical forensic exam is often crucial in deciding whether applicants will be granted asylum, the authors note. Doctors who understand these issues will be better able to help applicants they are assessing navigate the process, McKenzie said. The paper states that widespread gang and domestic violence assures demand for doctors to help enforce the law, despite new restrictions imposed on June 11 by Attorney General Jeff Sessions. The restrictions stated that victims of domestic abuse and gang violence no longer qualify for asylum, and limits protections to those seeking refuge from ethnic, political or religious persecution. The papers authors that that, despite years of international treaties and domestic law supporting asylum for individuals suffering persecution in their home countries, the Trump administration has continued to introduce new executive branch restrictions on asylum seekers, according to a news release. In addition to McKenzie, the paper is co-authored by Jon Bauer, clinical professor of law and director of the Asylum and Human Rights Clinic at the University of Connecticut and Dr. P. Preston Reynolds, professor of medicine and nursing at the University of Virginia School of Medicine. Royal Dutch Shell plc operates as an energy and petrochemical company worldwide. The company operates through Integrated Gas, Upstream, Oil Products, Chemicals segments. It explores for and extracts crude oil, natural gas, and natural gas liquids; markets and transports oil and gas; produces gas-to-liquids fuels and other products; and operates upstream and midstream infrastructure necessary to deliver gas to market. The company also markets and trades natural gas, liquefied natural gas (LNG), crude oil, electricity, carbon-emission rights; and markets and sells LNG as a fuel for heavy-duty vehicles and marine vessels. In addition, it trades in and refines crude oil and other feed stocks, such as gasoline, diesel, heating oil, aviation fuel, marine fuel, biofuel, lubricants, bitumen, and sulphur; produces and sells petrochemicals for industrial use; and manages oil sands activities. Further, the company produces base chemicals comprising ethylene, propylene, and aromatics, as well as intermediate chemicals, such as styrene monomer, propylene oxide, solvents, detergent alcohols, ethylene oxide, and ethylene glycol. Royal Dutch Shell plc was founded in 1907 and is headquartered in The Hague, the Netherlands. Read More 2 hours ago In quiet debut, Alzheimer's drug finds questions, skepticism The first new Alzheimers treatment in more than 20 years was hailed as a breakthrough when regulators approved it more than four months ago, but its rollout has been slowed by questions about its price and how well it works. Several major medical centers remain undecided on whether to use Biogens Aduhelm, which is recommended for early stages of the disease. Read Article Government incapable of ending graft, says poll BANGKOK: Almost half of the Thai population think the government will be unable to solve the corruption problem that has plagued government offices and the monastic circle and another third are unsure because the problem is so deep-rooted in Thai society, Suan Dusit Poll suggested today (June 17). corruptioncrime By Bangkok Post Sunday 17 June 2018, 01:10PM Asked which corruption cases have most alarmed them, 42.03% cited corruption in the school lunch programme; 40% the embezzlement of temple funds; 37% the embezzlement of funds for low-income earners; 21.06% government spending on various projects; and 20.68% corruption in various Education Ministry programmes. Asked for the main causes of corruption, a majority of respondents 68.35% mentioned greed and selfishness; 28.42% loopholes in the audit system; 19.30% leniency in penalties on wrongdoers; 17.11% change in social values; and 14.83% a stagnant economy and low salaries. Asked whether the government will be able to solve the corruption problem, almost half of respondents 47.50% said No, because corruption is so ingrained in Thai society; 32.54% were uncertain; and 19.96% said the government could tackle graft effectively if it's serious about it, because a number of corruption cases have been solved. The poll was conducted on 1,122 people throughout the country on June 12-16. Read original story here. Killer of wife, father-in-law in hospital shooting dies NAKHON PATHOM: The man who killed his wife and father-in-law before shooting himself in Nakhon Pathom Hospital on Friday succumbed to serious injuries this morning (June 17), according to media reports. By Bangkok Post Sunday 17 June 2018, 01:27PM Chaiyaporn Chaowanakamol, 31, who shot his wife and father-in-law before shooting himself at Nakhon Pathom Hospital on Friday, has died from his injuries.Photo: Tescue volunteer Chonyuen Wisutthipat Facebook page via Bangkok Post Chaiyaporn Chaowanakamol, 31, was pronounced dead at 9:47am at Nakhon Pathom Hospital where he had been put in an intensive care unit. The shooting occurred on June 15 when Chaiyaporn accompanied his wife Thanyamas Thanamsri, 29, and father-in-lw Samphan Thanamsri, 60, to the hospital. Thanyamas, who was sufferring from a medical problem, went to the hospital to see an obstetrician after giving birth to a child six months ago. Chaiyaporn pulled out a gun and opened fire, killing Thanyamas and Samphan. He then turned the gun on himself and was severely injured. On June 16, Chaiyaporn was reported to still be in a coma. Chaiyaporn and Thanyamas deaths left their six-month-old child without parents. Read original story here. Phuket History: Sex in early Siam Many early observers of local culture in Phuket and the surrounding areas noted that women played the dominant role in commercial trade as well as within their private households. By Colin Mackay Sunday 17 June 2018, 11:00AM This dominance by women extended to sex and relationships. Stamford Raffles in 1815 explained that, among Malays, If a man was absent for the space of seven months on shore, or one year at sea, without sending any subsistence the woman could dissolve the marriage and move in with whomever she chooses without any further process. Women were usually free to choose their partners. The Sejarah Melayu (Malay Annals) mention one local fighter, Hang Tuah, who was so handsome that if Hang Tuah passed, married women tore themselves from the embraces of their husbands so that they could go out to him. Duarte Barbosa, a sailor on Magellans world expedition, thought that Malays were fond of music and given to love. Edmund Scott, an early British spice merchant who travelled to the East in 1604, described the Siamese as very lasciviously given, both men and women. The Austrian visitor in 1623, Christoph Carl Fernberger, though he only visited Ayutthaya in Siam, where commercial prostitutes worked near the docks, felt the Siamese women were excessively lewd they are always approaching the men and urging them to go with them into their houses and have sex with them. He also visited Muslim Patani and mentioned that the women there also enjoyed many liberties. Hans Morgenthaler, another Austrian, a geologist who came to work in southern Siams tin mines in the late 19th century, recalls suddenly becoming the hero of all womankind whereas I was formerly only one of the crowd this sympathy which every brown woman betrays in such an unmistakable manner is at first surprising then agreeable. This sexually open culture for women stems primarily from the Indian heritage in the peninsula where, since the earliest times, Hindu sculptures publicly depicted overt and often taboo sexual acts, even on temple walls. Indian texts such as the Kamasutra also promoted a more lascivious sexuality in which sex could be enjoyed by both sexes for its own sake. This power of women may account for the willingness of men in the peninsula and Phuket to undertake the painful insertion of penis balls and bells. Ma Huan, a Chinese visitor in 1434, explains: When a man has attained his twentieth year, they take the skin which surrounds the membrum virile and with a fine knife they open it up and insert tin beads inside the skin and heal it with medicinal herbs the beads look like a cluster of grapes if it is a great chief or a wealthy man, they use gold and make hollow beads inside which a grain of sand is placed, making a tinkling sound and this is regarded as beautiful. In 1604 the Dutch explorer Jacob Van Neck, a little confused by this custom, was told it was because the women obtain inexpressible pleasure from it. The early English trader Ralph Fitch agreed, women do desire them. In 1515 the Portuguese diarist Tome Pires tells us that men from Pegu (Burma) would have up to nine penis balls made into bells with different notes, beautiful treble, contralto and tenor ones Malay women rejoice greatly when Pegu men come to their country and are very fond of them. The reason for this must be their sweet harmony. Men and women endured another painful form of cosmetic enhancement having their teeth blackened. Nicolas Gervaise, a Frenchman, noted in 1685, The Siamese women cannot bear to see our white teeth for they believe the devil has white teeth and it is shameful for a man to have teeth like those of beasts. Both girls and boys aged around 15 had to endure a painful three-day tooth-blackening ceremony using lemon juice and burnt coconut. Unlike today however, many visiting foreign men were quite un-enchanted by these black-toothed Siamese ladies who wore more or less the same clothes and hairstyles as men. Fred Arthur Neale, a 19th century British doctor who worked in the Siamese kings medical service, felt that: Siamese ladies may, without the smallest fear of competition, proclaim themselves to be the ugliest race of females upon the face of the globe. With their hair worn in the same fashion as the men (a porcupine cut or top knot) the same features and the same clothing, the man must be a gay Lothario indeed who would be captivated by their leering glances. "But as though nature had not formed them sufficiently ugly [they] dye their teeth and lips of a jet black colour and in order that their gums be of a brilliant red they resort to chewing betel from morning to night and as they never swallow the juice, the results are very detrimental to the cleanliness of the floors of their houses and of themselves generally. Edmund Roberts, an American ambassador to Siam in 1832, held a similar opinion, saying Siamese ladies were excessively ugly; and when they open their mouths, truly hideous; resembling the inside of a black painted sepulcher. Many European observers commented on how young children were when they became sexually active and got married or bore children usually in their early teens. (This however, was not much different from Europe; in Britain, for example, 12 was the age of consent until 1885.) The Frenchman Pallegoix felt that: This is very wise because if one delays too long, young girls let themselves be debauched by young men and flee far from the paternal nest with their lovers these flights of their daughters with their lovers are a very common thing. Premarital sex was regarded indulgently and virginity at marriage was not expected of either party. However, if a pregnancy came of it, the couple was expected to marry. Virginal blood was in fact seen as unclean and we are told there were men whose official job was to ritually deflower young virgins. One wonders whether they were paid for this, or did the job out of the goodness of their hearts. There are reports of foreigners in the peninsula being asked to perform this service. The early Bolognese traveller Ludovico de Varthema, while passing through Tenasserim province, north of Phuket, tells us that his partner was requested by a local merchant to deflower his virgin bride, but we were afraid it was a mockery. The merchant however assured them, do not be dispirited for all the country follows this custom My companion said to the merchant he would be willing to undergo this fatigue he did himself well, as he told me later, and had wished that the one night would have lasted a month. She was a pretty brown child of sixteen years. But after this night if found with her again he would have forfeited his life. According to the English sea captain Daniel Beckman, who came to the region in 1718, married women appear to have been chaste, honourable and were very constant when married but very loose when single. In 1544 a visiting Portuguese, Antonio Galvao, noted how chaste Malay and Siamese wives were, Although they always go round among the men nearly naked [they] do not fail to be very chaste and good which seems to be quite impossible amongst such a debauched people. In 1865 John Cameron, who took over as editor of the Singapore Free Press newspaper, notes that Malay marriages were affectionate due to the ease of divorce. Generally marriage was monogamous, though richer men often had several wives. The Frenchman Gervaise felt that in Siam the wives of polygamous men and nobles: are accomplished and full of sense. It is rare to find among them flirts and unfaithful ones, either because adultery does not go unpunished, or because they are of a temperament altogether different from that of European women. Adapted with kind permission from the book A History of Phuket and the Surrounding Region by Colin Mackay. Available at bookshops and Amazon.com. You can order the softcover 2nd edition directly at: www.historyofphuket.com Phuket Opinion: Window dressing PHUKET: This week various Phuket officials took pains to reassure foreign ambassadors and diplomats that everything that can be done to protect tourists, increase road safety and reduce plastic rubbish, is being done. This is a common refrain from the islands officials whenever concerns are raised by foreign governments about Phukets terrible record in these areas. opiniontourismtransportSafety By The Phuket News Sunday 17 June 2018, 09:00AM Less than 24 hours after Phukets top-ranking police and other officials assured Ma Cuihong, the Deputy Consul-General of the Chinese Consulate-General in Songkhla, that steps were being taken to improve the safety of Chinese tourists on the island, this minivan carrying Chinese tourists slammed into power pole at speed. Photo: Eakkapop Thongtub Sadly, it seems as though many of the measures employed by the local government are merely window dressing that do little to address the root causes of these problems. For example Phuket Provincial Police commander Maj Gen Teeraphol Thipjaroen recently assured Ma Cuihong, the Deputy Consul-General of the Chinese Consulate-General in Songkhla, that Chinese-language advertising boards, warning signs, guide books were being put in place across the island and that stricter control measures on vehicle rentals have been put in place. While a necessary measure in any program aimed at reducing tourists deaths and injuries, such warning signs put the onus back on to the tourists and do nothing to improve the general safety standards in the tourism industry. Readers will no doubt remember that there are still no lifeguards stationed on many of the islands most popular beaches a situation the government seems unable or unwilling to address. This fact is surely a major threat to the safety of tourists as we come into the monsoon season of rough seas and the inevitable increase in drowning deaths that accompanies it. Putting up a few more warning sign will have much less effect than, say, ensuring that beaches are patrolled by lifeguards. The Dutch Ambassador to Thailand Kees Pieter Rade last Thursday (June 7) met with Phuket Vice Governor Thawornwat Kongkaew to raise his concerns about road safety in Phuket. The vice governor assured him that police are strictly enforcing penalties on tourists who do not have a valid license to ride their hired motorbike. He also said that rental companies would be under scrutiny for renting bikes to unlicensed tourists. Again, even if they were actively enforced (which is somewhat doubtful) the actions avoid addressing the root causes poor road safety. Its time for the government to stop window dressing these serious issues and begin to create effective policies that target their systemic causes. Sure, it is much more difficult to do this, but with greater effort comes greater reward. Police hunt mature-age jealous ex, age 51, for suspected car arson PHUKET: Police are looking for a man suspected of setting on fire the car of his ex-partner of two years in an arson attack in the early hours of this morning (June 17). crimepolice By Eakkapop Thongtub Sunday 17 June 2018, 03:31PM The car was destroyed by the fire. Photo: Eakkapop Thongtub The car was destroyed by the fire. Photo: Eakkapop Thongtub The car was destroyed by the fire. Photo: Eakkapop Thongtub Police and rescue workers were called to Baan Nakok, in Moo 5, Chalong, after receiving a report of a car on fire there at 2:28am. Officers from the Chalong Police along with Chalong Municipality firefighters soon arrived, with the fire team taking about 20 minutes to put out the blaze. The car, a Nissan March, was destroyed by the fire. The owner of the car, named by police only as Ms Somsri, 48, from Roi-Et, told police that she believed the car was set on fire a a jealous ex-boyfriend she had recently separated with. Mrs Somsri told police that she had recently ended a relationship with a man who she named only as Mr Lhao, 51, whom she had been living with for about two years. Mr Lhao was extremely jealous, she said. He forbid her interacting with any other men, not even allowed her to travel together on the same vehicle and had threatened to kill her if she did, Ms Somsri said. In a previous state of extreme jealousy, Mr Lhao had driven her to a secluded location and threatened harm himself, she explained. Ms Somsri finally called an end to the abusive relationship on about June 6, but Mr Lhao continued to threaten and harass her, she added. Lt Sakarin Sangjaroen, Deputy Chief of Investigation of the Chalong Police, said officers were now in the process of tracking down Mr Lhao. It shouldnt be too difficult. Our officers might already know where to find him, he said. Forensic Police were at the scene this morning to gather evidence to be used in pressing charges, he added. Storm lashes Phuket PHUKET: Heavy rain and strong winds lashed Phuket overnight and continued this morning (June 17), bringing down trees and causing blackouts across the island. weather By Eakkapop Thongtub Sunday 17 June 2018, 02:06PM Winds gusting more than 16km/h along with minor flash floods across roads have disrupted traffic flow, causing long traffic tailbacks on major arteries, incuding near the Darasamut Underpass. The storm followed the Thai Meteorological Department (TMD) issuing a warning yesterday cautioning any persons in or near the sea to beware strong wind and waves over the Andaman Sea. (See story here.) TMD Director-General Wanchai Sakudomchai re-issued the warning at 5am this morning, warning that the heavy weather is forecast to continue until Wednesday (June 20). The southwest monsoon across the Andaman Sea and the Gulf becomes stronger leading to rough sea continuing during 17-20 June. 2-4 meters of waves will be likely in the Andaman Sea and 2-3 meters in the Gulf offshore from Surat passing north. All ships should proceed with caution, and small boats keep ashore. People along the coast should beware of inshore surges, TMD Director-General Wanchai noted. Police and rescue workers were called for assistance after a large tree fell onto a moving car at Ban Pru Jampa in Tambon Thepkrasatrri at about 8:30pm last night, cracking the windscreen and causing heavy damage to the roof of the car, a Honda Civic. The occupants in the car, Mr Piyanat and Ms Naknapha Ruen-ngern, both 26, were not injured in the incident. Mr Piyanat, who works at Phuket International Airport nearby, and Ms Naknapha explained to police that they were returning from exploring houses in the area to buy when the storm hit. More trees across the have been brought down by the strong winds. The Phuket Provincial Electricity Authority (PPEA) has called for patience while their workers brave the storm to make repairs and restore power supply to affected areas. Thailand leads MICE surge The Thailand Convention and Exhibition Bureau (TCEB) has released the results of its recent market survey conducted in 20 countries showing that Thailand has been rated the most preferred MICE destination which the survey participants would like to revisit for their future business/MICE trips. tourismeconomics By The Phuket News Sunday 17 June 2018, 10:00AM Sukit Tanskul, CEO of Custom Asia Co Ltd, said that the survey also shows interesting results about main criteria in selecting MICE destinations. Photo: TCEB Thailand secured the top spot with the delight factors in hospitality, value for money, good variety of international and local cuisine and MICE activities. Meanwhile, TCEB also announced that Thailand is chosen to be the host country for the international conferences organised by the worlds leading associations in events and travel incentive industries, namely UFI and SITE. These events, to take place in Bangkok next year, will be emphasising Thailands potential and the position as leading MICE destination in the region. The news also follows Thailand maintaining its title as the top conference destination of the Asean region for the second year in a row. According to the latest International Congress and Convention Association (ICCA) Country and City Rankings Report 2017 released last month, Thailand hosted a total of 163 conferences in 2017, the highest among the countries in the Asean region. Singapore came second with 160 conferences, Malaysia third 112 conferences, Indonesia fourth 89 conferences, Vietnam fifth 64 conference and the Philippines sixth 56 conferences. TCEB President Chiruit Isarangkun Na Ayuthaya explained that with the TCEB tasked with promoting and developing business events in Thailand, the bureau has been working toward establishing Thailand as premier MICE destination and elevating the country to be the Top of Mind Destination for MICE. In order to identify the strengthens of Thailand to better attract the overseas MICE markets, the TCEB needs to study key factors that influence the destination choice, evaluate Thailand MICE destination image, and measure the competitiveness of Thailand when compared to other MICE destinations, he said. To this end, the TCEB recently commissioned Custom Asia Co Ltd a member of Global Market Research Association, which has a network in 39 countries to conduct a market survey on Thailands brand image as a Destination for MICE. The research, which took place in 20 countries, focused on global MICE professionals and their outlooks on Thailands MICE brand. A total of 40 MICE professionals participated the online bulletin board, and 649 took part in the online survey. These survey participants comprised of four segments: 1) MICE Players; 2) Business Travellers; 3) MICE Visitors; and 4) Association and Organization related to MICE. Thailand is ranked a top list as a preferred destination which more than 85% the survey participants who have travelled to Thailand on business/MICE trips would like to revisit for their business/MICE trips in the future, said TCEB President Mr Chiruit. Meanwhile, the participants see that when compared Thailand against the other MICE destinations, Thailands delights factors are great hospitality, value for money, and a good variety of international and local cuisine, he added. In addition, the result shows that Thailand secured the first rank as the choice for MICE destination, Mr Chiruit said. According to the survey, the Top 10 Preferred Choices for Revisit MICE Destination were: 1 Thailand; 2) Japan; 3) Singapore; 4) Hong Kong; 5) Australia; 6) United States; 7) Germany; 8) Switzerland; 9) United Kingdom; and 10) China According to the survey, the country features strengths in three areas: 1) Basic Requirement: connection hub, international standard accommodation, and great facilities; 2) Delight Factors: great hospitality and delicious local cuisine; and 3) Unique Experience: culture & heritage and the abundance of nature, explained TCEB President Mr Chiruit. Further, the destination also offers a wide variety of activities beyond MICE, good accessibility to/from destination, endless business opportunities, and the uniqueness, he added. Sukit Tanskul, CEO of Custom Asia Co Ltd, noted that the survey also showed interesting results about main criteria in selecting MICE destinations. These criteria can be considered as important factors which MICE destination needs: value for money, international standard accommodation, good accessibility, English proficiency, and compliance with corporate governance, he said. When analysing the criteria by segments, the survey showed that MICE players look for ease of travel within the country. MICE visitors look for hospitality and value for money, business travellers look for good destination image and reputation, while MICE associations also look for within the budget accommodation choices, English proficiency, and unique destination. Further, when considering activities highlighting the business/MICE trip, MICE visitors say that top three activities are pre-arranged business meeting at the events, gala dinner at the convention, and cultural shows at the MICE venue. The result can be implied that MICE operators should focus on these activities to impress the MICE visitors. Meanwhile, the TCEB can strengthen the communications activities by highlighting the key areas which are: the ease of travel within the country; good business opportunities; activities beyond MICE; world-class cuisine; and world-famous attraction, in order to match with the ideal brand image as the Top of Mind Destination for MICE, said Mr Sukit. From the survey, we proposed the recommendation that Thailands MICE industry should focus on the current strengths. These strengths are: Offering with Convenience, Business Opportunity, and Uniqueness which include Service and Hospitality, Thai culture, and Thai cuisine, he said. Streak busters Webster Area, Deubrook Area lead top football performers for week ending Oct. 16 Even if winning isnt everything, its still better than losing isnt it. Photo: Contributed A ticket sold in Ontario claimed Saturday night's $7 million Lotto 649 jackpot. And the guaranteed $1 million prize went to a ticket holder in the Prairies. The jackpot for the next Lotto 649 draw on June 20 will be approximately $5 million. CALGARYConcerned members of Calgarys Chinese community rallied against proposals for recreational cannabis stores in Chinatown, saying it goes against traditional Chinese values. A group of about 50 residents and businesses owners gathered outside James Short Park downtown on Saturday collecting signatures for a petition asking the city to consider the Chinese communitys culture before approving any cannabis shops in the area. There are two proposed applications for cannabis stores in Chinatown. Jason Luan, a Chinese-Calgarian whos seeking the UCP nomination in Calgary-Foothills, said the community is concerned about the proposals. Our stand is that this is not a healthy lifestyle, this is not something we should promote, Laun said. For a community that promotes positive contributions to Canada, this is not something we want to have. May Han with the Calgary Chinese Union said they dont mind cannabis for medical use, but that the business does not align with Chinese values. Talking about business, we dont think a cannabis store is aligned with all the other businesses in Chinatown, said Han. We dont assume (cannabis) will bring unsavoury elements, but we do propose no cannabis stores because it does not align with our culture. Han said a lot of the concern boils down to the safety of the elderly and children. In Chinatown we have senior homes and they want to live in a cannabis-free environment, said Han. There is a nursery and a Chinese school here, just 100 metres away from the applied cannabis store. The Calgary Chinese Union said they were not consulted or engaged by the city over the issue. Byron Price, one of the protesters, doesnt think a cannabis store would fit in Chinatown. Although he is not Chinese, he said its important to support their concerns. We can see that there is a lot of concern from the older generation and their children, said Price. Theres lots of cannabis shops all over the place, why does there have to be one here? Read more about: CALGARYBesides serving up tasty treats, Fiasco Gelato has also perfected the recipe for something else: Getting noticed. The Calgary-based company has won Startup Canadas High-Growth Entrepreneurship Award in the Prairie region division. Were really excited about their story because theyre not a tech company and (it shows) that you dont have to be a tech entrepreneur in order to create something important for Canada, said Victoria Lennox, co-founder and CEO of Startup Canada. Lennox said candidates for the award are peer-nominated: The whole community saw Fiascos great work and said, These guys know what theyre doing, and theyre growing. Fiasco will be off to Startup Canadas national awards in Ottawa on Oct. 18 and CEO and chief idea officer James Boettcher knows the importance of the exposure. (At the Prairie awards in Winnipeg in May) we were getting a chance to share the Calgary spirit there with those fans, said Boettcher. Its definitely humbling and rewarding, kind of at the same time. Were kind of at the core of what it means to be a community-centric business in Calgary and I think our success is Calgarys success as well. Were getting to encourage other new businesses or small businesses starting out that regardless of circumstance, you can still win. Boettcher said getting Fiascos products in grocery stores and coffee shops across Canada has been an important part of the companys success and doing it with people and purpose at the centre of it has been our most important ingredient. Boettcher said most of the challenges he faces in running Fiasco are on the operational side such as invoicing but coming up with new ideas for Fiasco to work as a team has been easy. You know, you never set out to kind of do these things, but as they occur, you realize that kind of anythings possible. We have a saying here, that If we can dream it, we can do it, so we just have to keep dreaming, he said. Startup Canada is a national network for the countrys 2.3 million entrepreneurs, and Lennox said the groups High-Growth Entrepreneurship Award is not easy to win candidates need to show quantitative proof-points on how fast theyre growing. Whats really cool about what Fiascos doing is theyve really built a brand that is gaining so much traction that all of the food retailers cant get them into their stores quick enough. Its leading to a really big opportunity for the region. Read more about: After five days languishing on the Mediterranean, the Aquarius, a migrant rescue boat, finally sailed into port in Valencia, Spain. The ship, carrying hundreds of mostly North African migrants, had been turned away by Italian and Maltese authorities. In Italy, the mayor of Palermo offered to open his citys port, as did mayors in Naples, Messina and Reggio Calabria. However, Matteo Salvini, a leader within the far-right League party and the countrys interior minister, said all of Italys ports would remain closed to the Aquarius. Speaking to NPR, Dr. Berversluis with Doctors Without Borders, who was on the boat said, To me of course, Europe needs to have a system that accepts asylum-seekers. And the system is broken. The migrants who braved crammed rafts, boats and dinghies in order to be rescued are survivors of a journey that, according to the IOMs Missing Migrant project, has taken the lives of at least 792 migrants in 2018 who attempted the Mediterranean crossing. Globally, over 1,400 have died since the beginning of this year. The journey of the Aquarius is a galling one. It is part of ongoing institutional cruelty towards migrants that has a chilling historical precedent. In 1939, Canada, Cuba and the United States all refused landing to a ship called the St. Louis. The ship carried 937 passengers, mostly Jewish, who were fleeing the anti-Semitic and genocidal rule of the Nazis in Germany. Few were able to disembark on the safer side of the Atlantic; four European nations Britain, France, the Netherlands and Belgium accepted the remaining refugees as the ship returned to Europe. Two hundred and fifty-four people from the St. Louis died during the Second World War and in the Holocaust. Canada is set to apologize for its role in failing to safeguard the refugees of the St. Louis. Yet as Sean Rehaag and Sharry Aiken wrote in the Toronto Star in May, For an apology to be meaningful, however, there must be a sincere commitment not to repeat the offence. In their piece they also noted that Canada is world leader in developing and deploying tools to prevent migrants, refugees especially, from arriving to our shores. The hostility faced by migrants crossing the Mediterranean, as well as the Rio Grande from Mexico into the United States, is a deadly one and a global one. Far too many nations including Canada are failing to learn the lessons of history. In Canada, the prime minister is quick to tweet that refugees are welcome but there has been no marked uptick in making welcome spaces for them. Nonetheless, they are arriving. The formerly quiet overland migration route through the United States is now a popular one. In the first five months of this year, 9,481 migrants have been intercepted by the RCMP while walking across the border. The private-sponsorship system, unique in the world, works incredibly well but only if the backlog can be cleared. There is demand from both sides sponsors and refugees but administrative hurdles are keeping refugees in limbo. Moreover, Canadas much-lauded openness may yet diminish. Despite repeated requests and much advocacy by refugees and advocates for Canada to suspend the Safe Third Country Act, the federal government has instead approached the American administration to help Canada tighten the borders. In so doing, Canada would have another avenue to keep refugees out. (The present situation benefits the Trump administration, so they have not engaged on the subject.) The global migrant crisis has revealed the character of so many nations and leaders. The Germans have taken in a sizable portion of refugees. The Australians have maintained a hard anti-migrant stance, imprisoning people on offshore islands. Authorities in Libya have looked away as a slave market has taken root. The white supremacist Trump administration has expanded deportations and separated children from their families, placing hundreds in detention facilities. Still, character precedes the crisis. At a time when nations are closing in on themselves, becoming angry and insular, there is another way. Canada and Canadians must decide whether we would turn the boats away. Clarification- June 22, 2018: This article was edited from a previous version to make it clear that at least 792 migrants who attempted the Mediterranean crossing died in 2018 alone, according to IOMs Missing Migrant project, and to make it clear that figures for migrant deaths are a low estimate. OTTAWAWanted: social media celebrities to warn teens of the risks of vaping. Health Canada is looking for a contractor to develop, implement and report on a national vaping awareness program, including finding social media influencers that teens might be willing to listen to. Canadians look for information from a variety of sources, and youth in particular are more likely to engage with other influencers beyond government, or health professionals, said a spokesperson from Health Canada. One of the goals of the contractor is to find social media trendsetters with a lot of followers and influence who can encourage youth and young adults to attend events and spread Health Canadas message online about the risks associated with vaping. The search for a contractor comes just one month after the federal government passed a new law formally legalizing and regulating vaping, or e-cigarettes, which also aims to stamp out any lifestyle aspects of vaping that might appeal to teens. The Tobacco and Vaping Products Act prohibits the sale of vape products to minors, bans flavours aimed at young people and prohibits marketing that features testimonials, health claims or lifestyle themes. Read more: Edmonton Public School Board trustee looks to add joints and e-cigarettes to school smoking restrictions Feds hope legislation makes vapings appeal go up in a puff of smoke Health minister favours warnings on individual cigarettes as Ottawa outlines tobacco plan It also allows the legal manufacture, import and sale of vaping products, both with and without nicotine. Finding online celebrities wont be the contractors only job. In fact, they will be responsible for developing a strategy and plan for a national marketing events program and for developing, implementing and managing the awareness campaign. TOP STORIES. IN YOUR INBOX: For the days top news from the Stars award-winning journalists, sign up for our daily headlines newsletter. Health Canada considers vaping products to be harmful, although not as harmful as smoking cigarettes. It is concerned about the particular appeal of vaping to teens and its potential to promote tobacco use. And the department says there is clear evidence that exposure to nicotine adversely affects cognitive function in the developing brains of adolescents. The Canadian Tobacco, Alcohol and Drugs Survey from 2016-17 shows 23 per cent of students in Grades 7-12 have tried e-cigarettes up from 20 per cent in 2014-15. Ten per cent of students, or 206,000, had used an e-cigarette in the previous 30 days, an increase from 6 per cent in 2014-15. Of those who had used e-cigarettes recently, 17 per cent were also cigarette smokers, 12 per cent were former smokers, 35 per cent were experimental smokers or puffers, and 36 per cent never smoked a cigarette, not even a puff. The national vaping campaign will target youth aged 15-18 and non-smoking young adults aged 19-24 to help them understand the risks and to help parents and teachers with resources they need to have conversations about the health risks of vaping products. Health Canada says the contract is expected to start in the fall. KENORA, Ont.Researchers were in northwestern Ontario over the weekend spilling diluted oilsands bitumen and crude oil into a lake to study how the ecosystem, from microbes to fish, responds. The pilot project, known as Freshwater Oil Spill Remediation Study, is being done at the International Institute for Sustainable Development Experimental Lakes Area, southeast of Kenora, Ont. Vince Palace, the scientist who is leading the study, said the area is typically known for experiments involving a whole lake, but this work is different. Were using small enclosures to contain that oil, he said. The oil was spilled inside four yellow floating boomed rectangles, each along 2.5 metres of shrub and sphagnum moss at the shoreline. The enclosures stretch 10 metres into the lake and contain 20,000 litres of water. Curtain-like sides extend down and are carefully affixed to the lake bottom with lines of sandbags filled at the local gravel pit and placed by a small army of students in waders and wetsuits. Read more: Edmonton environmentalists fighting pipelines and perceptions in the heart of oil country Ottawa spending $80M for research on preventing, studying oil spills New technology converting crude oil into solid pellets may prevent oil spills from pipelines The spills were 1.25 litres each and were to be left for 72 hours before being cleaned up by professional oil-spill responders. With any oil spill, even after cleanup, there is residual contamination. Were interested in looking at the impact of residuals, Palace said in an interview before the experiments were conducted. His team will study the effects on microbes, algae, zooplankton, insects, wood frogs and fathead minnows by sampling soil, water and sediment before and after the spill and cleanup. Theyll look for direct impacts from fouling and poisoning, but also indirect effects on fish survival and reproduction. Palace noted that when oil spills occur, social pressure and regulatory commitments create a huge drive to clean it up. The problem is in the shoreline environment, when you spill oil, oftentimes the removal of it can be just as damaging as the impact of the oil on the shoreline environment itself, he said. Soil removal, compaction and moving heavy equipment into remote areas are ecologically destructive. In marine environments, there are microbes present that will respond to the presence of oil to degrade it. So it may be that there is a benefit to leaving the oil in place to degrade, Palace said. The researchers hope to find out if such oil-eating microbes exist in the freshwater environment of oil-naive Boreal Shield lakes. Diluted bitumens behaviour in freshwater has been studied extensively in laboratories. Project collaborator Heather Dettman, senior scientist with Natural Resources Canada in Alberta, has simulated spills in laboratory wave tanks using North Saskatchewan River water. Her studies have manipulated such variables as wave action and temperature, but not things like wind, rain and sun. So when it comes to understanding how oil behaves in a lake, maybe were missing something, Dettman said. This is the next step up from the lab. MONTREALThe criminal proceedings against Quebec Citys mosque shooter provided a glimpse into how police use computers to extract information about a suspect, even if that data has been erased. Alexandre Bissonnettes seized laptop was forced to reveal its secrets through a specialized internet evidence finder software called IEF, created by Canadian company Magnet Forensics, which was founded by former Ontario police officer Jad Saliba. Bissonnette, 28, pleaded guilty earlier this year to six charges of first-degree murder and six of attempted murder. His sentencing arguments are set to begin Monday. The demand for such software services is exploding, according to Genevieve Lajeunesse of Crypto.Quebec, an independent media focusing on digital security, information technology and intelligence. There isnt a single crime scene today that doesnt have a technological element, she said. IEFs client list includes the FBI, the Danish and UK governments, as well as police in Lima, Peru, and other Western countries. In Canada, prosecutors in the case of Guy Turcotte used internet search data to show the former cardiologist had looked up methods of painless suicide before killing his two young children. The information gleaned from computers is vital for mounting the prosecutions case. In Bissonnettes case, the police looked for evidence that the murders were premeditated, and if they had been committed in the name of an ideology. Concretely, the software provides access to the contents of zip files, RAM memory, directories, social media chat data, P2P file sharing, web mail, videos on YouTube, photos, the use of USB keys, how the info was shared, and the history of the internet browser even if it has been deleted. These digital research tools can save hours of work by sparing police officers the job of having to read everything on Skype, Facebook or web browsers. The amount of data can be imposing: in Bissonnettes case, the software detected 31,895 web links, 4,742 Google searches, 3,388 Facebook links and 60,417 images. The tool finds everything, even data that is invisible to the human eye or seemingly irrelevant. The RCMP investigator tasked with investigating Bissonnettes laptop was able to see not only potentially incriminating videos of executions, but also searches for Halloween costumes or a recipe for vol-au-vent. The data is also precise: it showed investigators that only an hour and a half before he gunned down six worshippers in a Quebec City mosque, Bissonnette had viewed a video on how to operate the Glock handgun he would use in the slaying. While they save time, theres a risk that the results of searches can be taken out of context, Lajeunesse said. As an example, what do 20 searches on bombs mean, compared to a thousand for recipes? My internet search history looks quite a bit like Alexandre Bissonnettes, she said, noting that part of her job involves researching far-right groups. Police forces are reluctant to discuss their investigation methods, in order to not divulge their methods to criminals. RCMP declined to comment on the subject other to confirm it used certain tools by Magnet Forensics. Quebec provincial police would not say what technology it used to uncover evidence. Spokesperson Hugo Fournier did say the force has a technology support unit comprised of some 40 police officers who, with support from computer scientists, target mainly organized crime. Police forces arent the only ones to use the technology. Hexigent Consulting, a private specialty firm, is hired by lawyers and occasionally police to extract potentially incriminating information from cellphones and computers and pass it on to clients. Founder Ryan Duquette, a former Ontario police officer, said criminals are increasingly learning new ways to cover their digital footprints, which increasingly makes investigators jobs harder. But not impossible, he said. We have to get more creative. Lajeunesse, for her part, believes that its impossible for someone to truly eliminate all traces of their history. Most people end up making mistakes, she said, noting that the founder of AlphaBay, one of the worlds biggest darknet website AlphaBay, was brought down after sending an email from a personal hotmail address. To connect is to commit, she said. Amid calls for roadway redesign and red-light cameras, some Torontonians efforts to use simpler and more immediate ways to help save cyclist and pedestrian lives have been stymied. A Star story about calls for solutions following the fourth cyclist death this year a woman in a protected Bloor St. bike lane triggered emails from Torontonians citing bureaucracy, budgets and an apparent lack of urgency thwarting their attempts to make streets safer. Their stories raise questions about how the current city council and staff will plan, fund and most importantly implement, major new initiatives when tools and rules already on the books are not being used. Leigh Pilgrim and her husband, Ian Warren, parents of a 5-year-old girl, tired of watching cars race up and down their straight, wide residential East York street. Everything from people using us as a cut-through to a guy with a sporty car who will boot it at 60 or 70 km/h at least, Pilgrim says. At the very least they wanted a speed limit sign, like the ones on most of the streets around Fairside Ave., which offers motorists a straight shot north from Michael Garron Hospital to Cosburn Ave. Without a sign, they learned, the default limit is 50 km/h 20 km/h faster than similar side streets and even 10 km/h per hour faster than Cosburn and busy Coxwell Ave., just east of them. They reached out to their city councillors office in December 2015 and have since circled back, and talked to city transportation staff, and 311, and the Toronto Police Service. Read more: John Tory to seek another $13M for road safety plan Opinion | Edward Keenan: We know how to make roads safer. We just have to do it Amid wave of Toronto deaths, cyclists hold first of four ghost bike rides They have received assurances, target dates, a traffic study, and a lesson in city budget restraint. But no speed limit sign. I just feel kind of ignored, Pilgrim told the Star on her porch as cars sped by on a recent evening. Warren added: Its great to have these grand visions and plans, but when you want to execute something pretty simple to make the street safer, its like pulling teeth. Councillor Janet Davis noted many limit signs have to be replaced since community council voted in 2015, with her enthusiastic support, to drop the default speed for Toronto and East York residential streets from 40 km/h to 30 km/h. The citys roll out (of new signs) has taken three years a year longer than expected, despite the best efforts of residents and her office, Davis wrote in an email. Apparently it has been delayed because there was not enough budget. I was told the money was there. I am disappointed and surprised that they have not all been installed considering the recent events. We have once again requested that the sign be installed. City staff said 900 40 km/h signs have been replaced, while 50 km/h streets without signs are taking longer because there are no posts to put them on. Fairside, however, already has wooden poles with No parking signs on them. Fairside Ave. and the surrounding area will be retrofitted with new signs and posts this summer, Cheryl San Juan, speaking for the transportation department, told the Star. Pilgrim says city staff should have prioritized her small street because no sign gives motorists permission to bomb up a street full of families with kids and seniors visiting the nearby hospital. As for assurances of a speed limit sign this summer, Warren says: I think this is the second or third time weve heard something like that. While riding his bike down Front St. near Union Station in March, Brandon Driscoll was clipped by a driver trying to merge into his lane. The drivers mirror collided with his elbow. After the driver fled the scene, Driscoll believed he was doing the right thing when he reported the incident and cars licence plate number to police. I thought it was important police knew it had happened. Id assume for every death theres 100 near misses to be learned from, said Driscoll, who for the past year has cycled to and from Union Station to work at a hospital near College St. and University Ave. Three weeks after he filed the report, he said he got a call from an officer who told him police wouldnt pursue the matter. Toronto police confirmed to the Star the matter is closed and no further action will be taken. I was surprised, Driscoll said, of how police dealt with his complaint. Theres this push to get to zero casualties, but I see all these accidents and the citys main enforcement agency doesnt seem to care, or at least thats how it felt to me. Read more: Walk, ride, drive for your life: A pedestrian, a cyclist and a driver share their views of the crisis on Torontos streets When asked how many charges are laid or calls police respond to involving incidents between cyclists and drivers, Const. Clinton Stibbe said the Star would have to file a freedom of information request. I do not have the capability of performing such a search, said the traffic operations constable. Toronto polices open data provides statistics for cyclist fatalities and serious injuries, but not for incidents that dont result in injuries, or if injuries are minor, Stibbe said. According to the data set, there were 14 collisions involving cyclists in 2017 and 23 in 2016 that resulted in non-fatal injuries. The Star has counted four cyclist deaths this year; police have counted three, excluding the March 20 death of a cyclist who hit a parked car in North York. The city and police can learn from hospitals where an enormous amount of effort is put into reporting every near miss, for incidents as trivial as tripping over a cord in a hallway, Driscoll said. The hospital looks at all the small incidents and determines if theres a larger systemic issue that could lead to serious injuries or death. Every one of them is a learning experience, Driscoll said. If the police let people get away with minor offences like mine, its only a matter of time before they have a major one. Traffic death numbers compiled by the Star are higher than the official police count. Thats in part because Toronto police figures for traffic fatalities dont include deadly collisions that happen on private property, such as in the parking lots of apartment buildings or malls, or on provincial 400-series highways within Toronto, which are the jurisdiction of the Ontario Provincial Police. Neither tally includes victims of homicide, such as those killed in the Yonge St. van rampage. Lynn Francis doesnt let her 11-year-old twins walk to school unaccompanied down the streets of their peaceful, tree-lined Lawrence Park neighbourhood. With no sidewalks, she said shes terrified theyll be hit by a car if theres no adult to pull them over to the side of the road. To improve the safety of her neighbourhood, Francis said she has pushed the city to install sidewalks in the area since 2013, speaking out at public meetings and sending letters to committees, councillors and Mayor John Tory. Last year, council had the chance to make this change through the Lawrence Park road reconstruction plan. Instead, councillors, including ward Councillor Jaye Robinson, approved a version that will add sidewalks to only five streets, leaving about 20 without pedestrian infrastructure. Tory was absent for the vote. Robinson, who is also the ward councillor and public works and infrastructure chair, was unavailable for comment. Read more: For Torontos cyclists, the fear is real, and its holding them back Its time to declare a state of emergency: Anger, calls for change follow deaths on Toronto streets Mayor Tory announced Vision Zero two years ago Wednesday. 93 pedestrians or cyclists have died on Toronto streets since that date The approved Lawrence Park reconstruction plans lack of sidewalks contradicts Torontos Vision Zero, Francis said. Under Vision Zero, the city has said it will, install sidewalks in areas that have no sidewalks or sidewalks on only one side of the road during road reconstruction. Connected and continuous sidewalks provide a safer and more accessible walking environment. Right now the city is faced with a total of 1,216 kilometres of streets that dont have adequate sidewalks. Through road reconstruction plans, it says it will address this gap and add, a critical piece of infrastructure, which provides accessibility and safety for all, including our most vulnerable road users, according to a staff report presented to North York community council in December 2016. To install sidewalks in Lawrence Park, the city suggested it would have to cut down hundreds of trees, which sparked outrage with some residents, the Star reported in 2015. Protecting trees was part of the citys decision not to install sidewalks on most streets. I want my neighbourhood to have beautiful trees, but the protection of trees doesnt come before the protection of children, Francis said. We are waiting for a death to happen and it feels like esthetics won. She has filed an appeal with the Ministry of the Environment and Climate Change, which has received five such requests between February and March. It is now reviewing the citys reconstruction plan. An American auto racer died after crashing on a track in Bowmanville, Ont., on Saturday afternoon. The driver was identified by race organizers as Jeffrey Green, 61, of Peoria, Ill. According to Durham Region police, the driver collided with a wall after losing control around a corner and leaving the track. He was participating in the VARAC (Vintage Automobile Racing Association of Canada) Vintage Grand Prix on Saturday at Canadian Tire Motorsport Park. We are deeply saddened by the passing of Jeffrey Green, said Myles Brandt, president and general manager of the park, in a news release Sunday. We offer our deepest condolences and prayers to his family, friends and fellow competitors. A police news release said safety staff at the track including a doctor treated the driver. He was taken to hospital, where he was pronounced dead. The news release also said the drivers car, a 1972 Lola T300, passed a safety inspection before the race. The car was in a class of racing car popular in the 1970s and used by racing legends like Mario Andretti. Ten years ago, another racer, Dino Crescentini of Michigan, also died while racing in the VARAC festival on June 22, 2008. Crescentini was driving a 1977 Wolf Dallara Can-Am when he crashed. Correction: An earlier version of this story incorrectly identified the victim in Saturdays crash as NASCAR Xfinity Series driver Jeff Green. That is a different Jeff Green. The earlier version also misstated the drivers age as 55. Read more about: A teenage boy was taken to the hospital unconscious and in life-threatening condition after a medical incident at a public pool near High Park. Emergency services were called to the Sunnyside pool near Lakeshore Blvd. and Parkside Dr. on Saturday around 6:40 p.m. The boy was found without vitals signs and rushed to the hospital with police assisting the paramedics. Toronto paramedics initially said the victim suffered a head injury. However, a spokesperson for the city said the victim became unconscious while swimming and did not sustain any head injury. Staff from the pool performed first aid before the boy was rushed to hospital. Sunnysides popular Gus Ryder outdoor pool is part of Sunnyside Park, which runs along a vast expanse of Lakeshore Blvd. from Humber Bay to Exhibition Place. TOP STORIES. IN YOUR INBOX: For the days top news from the Stars award-winning journalists, sign up for our daily headlines newsletter. A 41-year-old Brampton man has been charged with second-degree murder in the death of a Toronto woman last week. Toronto police were called to the scene of a suspicious death on the fifth-floor of an apartment building on Richmond St. W., in the area of Queen St. and Strachan Ave. around 5:14 p.m. on June 12. When officers arrived, a woman was found with obvious signs of trauma. She was pronounced dead at the scene. The pathologist ruled the death a homicide. The victim has been identified as Victoria Selby-Readman, 28. She is the citys 40th homicide victim of 2018. Police are not releasing the cause of death. In a news release on Sunday, police alleged that the suspect, Richard Isaac, met Selby-Readman through social media websites. Isaac was arrested and charged on Saturday. He appeared in court at Old City Hall on Sunday. Investigators believe other woman may have been contacted by Isaac through various social media platforms. They are asking anyone who was contacted to call Det. Paul Worden of the homicide unit. Anyone with information is asked to contact police at 416-808-7400 or Crime Stoppers. The outgoing Liberal government has described its plan to study hydrogen trains for the GO Transit network as a bold and visionary exercise. But soon after the transportation minister announced the initiative last year, senior figures at Metrolinx privately expressed serious concerns, with one board member describing the effort as a folly that could endanger the public, and the agencys new CEO doubting the unproven technology would be ready in time for a major expansion of GO service. On June 15, 2016, Steven Del Duca, who was Liberal transportation minster at the time, made the surprise announcement that the province and Metrolinx, the provincial agency responsible for transportation in the GTHA, would look into using hydrogen-powered trains as part of the GO expansion program called regional express rail (RER). Estimated to cost $13.5 billion, RER is supposed to be complete by 2025. Using hydrogen train technology, or hydrail, as part of the program would be ambitious, to say the least. Although French manufacturer Alstom said last year it plans to launch a fleet of 14 hydrogen trains in Germany by 2021, the technology has never been deployed on the larger type of bi-level cars GO operates. Metrolinx estimates deploying hydrail for RER could require at least 70 hydrogen locomotives and 84 sets of four hydrogen-powered self-propelled carriages by 2025. It would be the first use of hydrogen trains on such a scale anywhere in the world. According to documents obtained by the Star through a freedom of information request, one day after Del Ducas announcement, Howard Shearer, a Metrolinx board member, sent agency chair Rob Prichard a blistering email warning that the hydrogen project must be taken seriously for the folly it represents. Read more: Province moves ahead with pursuit of trains powered by hydrogen fuel cells for GO Transit Presto to cost TTC millions more than current fare system New TTC and GO stations difficult, dangerous for people with disabilities, advocacy group says in new video It is simply madness that the Ontario government is seriously considering this, wrote Shearer, who is also chief executive of Hitachi Power Systems Canada and a board member of the Energy Council of Canada. One accident in the implementation of this technology presents grave risk to government, public confidence and Metrolinx, he said, arguing the storage and distribution of hydrogen could be dangerous. He predicted it would take years beyond the planned RER completion date of 2025 for hydrail to accumulate a safety record Metrolinx could trust, and argued the governments rush to use the technology was reckless and would put lives at risk. Shearer doesnt appear to have ever made his concerns public. He didnt raise the safety issue when hydrail was discussed at a public Metrolinx board meeting two weeks after Del Ducas announcement. In an email to the Star last week, Shearer said he was satisfied with how Metrolinx handled his concerns because the agency acted on his recommendation to have the Canadian Nuclear Laboratories, which has experience with hydrogen technologies, take part in the study. He added that his concerns about the early adoption of hydrogen technology remain the same. Although Transport Canada has yet to develop specific safety regulations for hydrail, Metrolinx says hydrogen fuel technology is safe. A feasibility study the agency published in February determined that while there are potential hazards, including the risk of combustion, the technology presents no unresolvable safety issues. Metrolinx CEO Phil Verster also expressed reservations about hydrail, not about safety but about the wisdom of potentially pinning the success of RER on an unproven technology. Weeks before Verster officially took office on Oct. 1, 2017, he received an update on the hydrail program from Metrolinx staff. Afterward, he sent an email to two Metrolinx executives. I sense that there may be a fundamental stumbling block the application is untested in a train application, without a reference system and without the development kinks ironed out? he wrote on Sept. 11, 2017. This is in itself a showstopper because we cannot risk the annual benefit from RER on a belief the train builder will resolve such issues on time. He noted that train builders often struggle to deliver standard, existing technology trains. I therefore cannot see how we can include this in the RER scope as it is simply not ready as an application and it is unproven, he wrote. In an interview with the Star last week, Verster said he wrote the email to express concern about potentially committing to hydrogen for the GO expansion. Instead, Metrolinx has decided it will leave it up to the companies bidding on RER whether to propose hydrogen or stick with conventional electrification. Metrolinx plans to issue the request for proposals to design, build and operate RER in early 2019. Verster said he supports this more cautious approach, and backs the hydrogen initiative as due diligence to ensure Metrolinx doesnt miss out on potentially transformative technology. If theres an opportunity for something, for this technology to prove feasible, it is worth considering, he said. Verster described the September 2017 email as consistent with his public statements on the issue. He told reporters last fall we are not going to take risks and jeopardize (RER) with technology that isnt fully proven. As part of its assessment, Metrolinx is planning to pay three manufacturers up to $1 million each to develop a concept for a hydrogen-powered locomotive and has contracted Alstom and Siemens at $1.5 million each to design self-propelled carriages. The companies are expected to complete the work this year. Metrolinx will also pay Hydrogenics, a Mississauga-based company that is supplying hydrogen fuel cells for the trains Alstom plans to operate in Germany, up to $970,000 to provide support to the manufacturers. Including the design work, feasibility study and a hydrail symposium Metrolinx hosted last fall, the entire assessment project is expected to cost at least $10.9 million. The involvement of a GTA-based hydrogen company was central to Metrolinxs plans, with the agency stating one of the goals of the project was to help position the province as a global leader in hydrogen technology. In a speech at the hydrail symposium in November, Del Duca said hydrail was a win for Ontario-based know-how. And thats good news for our provinces economy. This is about vision. This is about aspiration. This is about innovation, he said. Critics of the plan say its not Metrolinxs responsibility to foster economic activity in the province. RER would involve nearly quadrupling weekly GO trips by 2025, and electrification is a vital component of the plan. Electric trains can accelerate and decelerate faster than diesels, and are necessary to run the more frequent service. Until Del Ducas announcement last June, the province had planned to electrify large sections of the GO network using the traditional system of overhead wiring, called a catenary. Metrolinx considers hydrail a form of electrification because hydrogen fuel is produced through electrolysis, a process that uses electricity to separate water into hydrogen and oxygen. An on-board hydrogen fuel cell powers the train, and the only exhaust is steam and condensed water. Hydrail could potentially offer many benefits compared to a traditional catenary system, including eliminating the need for the disruptive implementation of an overhead wire system along hundreds of kilometres of track. Metrolinxs study concluded it should be technically feasible to build and operate a hydrail system for the GO network but said pursuing the technology carried risks, including potential delays to RER and high costs caused by fluctuating electricity prices. It is critical for us to understand where technology and innovation is leading worldwide and to undertake appropriate due diligence, said agency spokesperson Suniya Kukaswadia in an email. If a hydrogen powered train can meet the highest of safety standards, our service needs and reduce costs, we should be looking at it as other countries have done. The incoming Conservative government has not said whether it plans to make changes to the hydrogen project. Read more about: A 29-year-old Oakville man is facing multiple charges including attempted murder after a shooting on King St. West early Friday morning. Toronto police were called around 2:50 a.m. in the area of King St. W. and Portland St. after someone shot twice at a large crowd. No one was injured. Police said two suspects fled on foot, northbound on Portland St. and west on Adelaide St. W. Police said they believed the suspects left the area in a black, four-door sedan with dark-tinted windows. Jefferson Morgan was arrested on Saturday and charged with uttering death threats, attempted murder, point firearm, discharge firearm with intent to wound or kill, possess weapon dangerous to public space, carry concealed weapon, and breach of probation. He has also been charged with possess of firearm while prohibited, possess firearm other than restricted or prohibited firearm without holding a licence, and possess firearm other than restricted or prohibited firearm knowingly not holding a licence. Morgan appeared in Old City Hall court on Sunday. Investigators are still looking for a second man, who was with Morgan. He is described as 56 or 57, with short, dark hair that is thinner on the sides, clean-shaven with thick eyebrows. He was last seen wearing a dark jacket, jeans, two-tone sneakers and carrying a dark satchel across his body. Anyone with information is asked to contact police at 416-808-1400 or Crime Stoppers. A woman in her 30s is in critical condition after a two-alarm fire in an apartment building in Scarborough Sunday morning. Toronto fire was called just before 11 a.m. in the area of Bellamy Rd. N. and Cedar Brae Blvd., near Eglinton Ave. E. and McCowan Rd., after heavy smoke was seen coming out of a second-floor balcony. District Chief Stephan Powell said 45 firefighters quickly extinguished the fire. It was knocked down just before 11:20 a.m. Powell said the victim was pulled from the apartment without vital signs. CPR was performed at the scene before she was transported to Scarborough General hospital with life-threatening injuries. Four other people were assessed by paramedics at the scene, said Powell. Toronto police spokesperson Gary Long said they received several reports that an explosion was heard inside the apartment just before the fire. Fire investigators are on the scene to determine the cause and origin of the fire. The Office of the Fire Marshal has also been notified. Several road closures were in effect in the area immediately after the fire, but all have since reopened. Voters desire for change not only swept in a new provincial government this month, but also sent a record-breaking influx of female MPPs to Queens Park. Of the 124 ridings in Ontario, 49 will be represented by women. At 39.5 per cent, thats the highest of any provincial legislature across the country. Its always encouraging to see the numbers go up, said Nancy Peckford, executive director of Equal Voice, a non-partisan organization that works to boost the number of females elected to all levels of political office. This is a historic high for the Ontario legislature and I believe a historic high for any legislature in Canada. Before the election, when Ontario had 107 ridings, about 35 per cent of MPPs were women. The new percentage of 39.5 is slightly higher than British Columbia, at 38.5 per cent. Twenty of the NDPs 40 MPPs coming to Queens Park are women, something Leader Andrea Horwath noted during her first meeting with them last week in Toronto. Read more: Opinion | Vicky Mochama: Black women are getting more political than ever and its good for all of us Editorial | Getting more women into politics must be a priority for all parties Torontos female elected officials face sexual harassment, threats on job This dynamic team truly reflects the prospects of Ontario and the amazing diversity of this province, said Horwath, the incoming leader of the official Opposition. We have more women than the Ontario NDP has ever elected before. Women make up about one-third of the PC caucus (25 of 76 MPPs), and the Liberals have four female MPPs among their seven. Peckford said 30 per cent is considered an important benchmark, and with Ontario near 40 per cent she considers that more of a tipping point. The difference that it makes I think people have underestimated how important representation is, said the NDPs Laura Mae Lindo, elected in Kitchener Centre. If I didnt see the number of women that were actually running, I wouldnt have run, said Lindo, who credits NDP MPP Catherine Fife (Waterloo) for tapping her on the shoulder and being persistent in urging her to seek office. My hope is that more people will start running because they actually see that not just that Im a woman, but Im a woman of colour. Incoming PC MPP Effie Triantafilopoulos (Oakville NorthBurlington), who has years of experience as a chief of staff for several federal Conservative ministries, said bravo and its about time that more women were elected to office. Im just absolutely thrilled by the number of female MPPs heading to Queens Park, she said. A record number of women means that, collectively, we all bring something to the table thats sometimes lacking. Peckford said the record number of women in the house really sets the bar and she expects to see a strong representation of women in Premier-designate Doug Fords cabinet. Though the Tories have the lowest percentage of women of the three main parties, whats nice to see about this dynamic is you have at least 30 per cent women in every major party caucus, Peckford said. Thats a good news story. She noted the trailblazing of PC MPP Lisa MacLeod, whose efforts led to more family-friendly hours for MPPs, something the Nepean politician was honoured for this spring. But its still not an easy road, added Peckford, and the 40-per-cent mark doesnt mean the work is done. The NDPs Doly Begum, elected in Scarborough Southwest, said there were moments during the campaign when she felt like an outsider. If you see a picture of our debates, you see me in the middle, surrounded by older men, Begum said. During one of the debates, I texted my brother and said, I dont think I belong here. He said, You are doing a good job. The room seems to love you. Being at the NDP caucus meeting last Thursday felt real, given the diversity around the table, she added. Looking around the room, I felt like I belonged. Progressive Conservative Amy Fee, elected in KitchenerSouth Hespeler, believes the influx of women at the legislature is bound to encourage more to seek public office. The mother of two daughters said it is gratifying because youre able to say, Look at what you can do and make your voices be heard. Read more about: HODEIDA, YEMENFighting raged Saturday around the international airport outside the Yemeni port of Hodeida as fighters with a Saudi-led Arab coalition pressed their four-day-old offensive to seize control of the rebel-held city that is the gateway for food supplies to famine-stricken Yemen. Officials loyal to Yemens exiled government claimed that the coalition had seized the airport and deployed engineers to clear explosives. But Iranian-backed Houthi rebels launched a counteroffensive amid reports of heavy fighting at the airport gates and inside the sprawling compound, which has been closed since 2014. By Saturday afternoon, warplanes had struck Houthi targets on the edge of the city and fighting spread to a major road leading to the Houthi-held capital, Sanaa, blocking a key exit from the city. Hundreds of thousands of residents trapped in the city huddled in their homes, many wondering nervously if the fight will reach them. The United Nations and international aid agencies are warning of dire consequences if the fighting stops operations at Hodeida port, which is the entry point for 70 per cent of food and fuel supplies in a country where 8 million people are teetering on the brink of starvation. As the fighting escalated, the UN special envoy to Yemen, Martin Griffiths, landed in Sanaa in an effort to broker a ceasefire. The United Nations hopes to persuade the Houthis to cede control of the port to an international committee to avert disruption to aid supplies and further bloodshed. Ahmed Abdu, 39, a father of four who would normally have taken his family to the beach or park to celebrate Eid al-Fitr, said they were sheltering in their house, fearing the fighting could reach them at any moment. This our home, he said. We have nowhere else to go. If the Houthis can be forced from the port, a vital supply line and source of income for the rebels, it could force them to the negotiating table. But a protracted fight with heavy civilian casualties would be disastrous for the Saudi-led coalition, which has faced a wave of international criticism for its role in fomenting what is widely described as the worlds worst humanitarian crisis. Read more about: PORTLAND, MAINEA set of retaliatory tariffs released by China on Friday includes a plan to tax U.S. lobster exports, potentially jeopardizing one of the biggest markets for the premium seafood. Chinese officials announced the planned lobster tariff along with hundreds of other tariffs amid the countrys escalating trade fight with the United States. China said it wants to place new duties on items such as farm products, autos and seafood starting on July 6. The announcement could have major ramifications for the U.S. seafood industry and for the economy of the state of Maine, which is home to most of the countrys lobster fishery. Chinas interest in U.S. lobster has grown exponentially in recent years, and selling to China has become a major focus of the lobster industry. Maines lobster industry is an irreplaceable piece of our states economy that supports thousands of jobs and entire coastal communities, the states congressional delegation said in a statement. Just two weeks ago, the Maine delegation heard directly from our states lobster industry about the economic hardship a trade war with China would cause them. The delegation Republican Sen. Susan Collins, Independent Sen. Angus King; Democratic Rep. Chellie Pingree and Republican Rep. Bruce Poliquin said they plan to outline their concerns to federal trade officials. Hopefully cooler heads can prevail and we can get a solution, said Matt Jacobson, executive director of the Maine Lobster Marketing Collaborative. Its a year round customer in China. This isnt good news at all. A Chinese government website on Friday posted a list of seafood products that will be subject to the tariffs, and it included live, fresh and frozen lobster. The website stated that the items would be taxed at 25 per cent. The announcement came in response to President Donald Trumps own increase in tariffs on Chinese imports in the United States. The Republican president announced a 25-per-cent tariff on up to $50 billion worth of Chinese goods on Friday. The news raised alarms around the Maine lobster industry, as Chinas an emerging market for U.S. lobster, which has gained popularity with the growing middle class. Maine lobster was worth more than $430 million (U.S.) at the docks last year, and the industry is a critical piece of the states economy, history and heritage. The U.S. isnt the only country in the lobster trade. Canada also harvests the same species of lobster and is a major trading partner with China. China is the second biggest importer of Canadian lobster after the U.S. Demand for the crustacean in China has more than quadrupled since 2011, going from buying about $27.5 million (Canadian) worth of lobster that year to about $162.8 million in 2016, according to the CBC. Anything that affects the supply chain is obviously not a great thing, said Kristan Porter, president of the Maine Lobstermens Association. The lobstermen obviously are concerned with trade and where they go. The value of Chinas American lobster imports grew from $108.3 million in 2016 to $142.4 million last year. The country barely imported any U.S. lobster a decade ago. China and the U.S. are major seafood trading partners beyond just lobster, and the new tariffs would apply to dozens of products that China imports from the U.S., including salmon, tuna and crab. The U.S. imported more than $2.7 billion in Chinese seafood last year, and the U.S. exported more than $1.3 billion to China. Read more about: WARSAWFor six weeks, Jaroslaw Kaczynski kept up the charade. By day, he appeared at political rallies, campaigning in mourning clothes as a stand-in for his twin brother, Lech, who had been running for a new term as Polands president before he died in a shocking plane crash near the Russian city of Smolensk in 2010. By night, he took off his black tie, went to the bedside of his ailing mother and told her lies. Lech was on a trip to Peru and Argentina. A volcanic eruption in Iceland had slowed his return. He even printed fake newspaper articles chronicling the fake journey, which a former associate saved and showed to The New York Times. Only after Lech was buried and his mother had recovered did Jaroslaw Kaczynski tell her what had really happened. There were moments that I wanted to believe those stories myself, Kaczynski said in a rare interview the year after the crash. That Lech was alive. It is an aching testament to filial duty and sibling devotion, if also to dark personal obsession. Eight years later, Kaczynski is the dominant political figure in Poland, an enigmatic man operating mostly in the shadows. His Law and Justice party has eroded democratic freedoms and weakened the rule of law in Poland, while pushing the country into an increasingly acrimonious dispute with the European Union. The confrontation between Warsaw and Brussels is another major challenge for a European Union already under siege from anti-establishment, populist parties across the Continent partly because of Polands economic and military importance, partly because of the symbolic blow of seeing a country once synonymous with democratic yearning to turn the opposite way. It is also part of a broader pattern in Central and Eastern Europe, where Kaczynski has formed an alliance with Hungary and its populist leader, Viktor Orban. Their nationalist rhetoric has found emulators in neighbouring countries. When Europes leaders gather in Brussels this month to discuss whether Poland should be penalized for changes to its judicial system that many experts say undermine the rule of law, other nations will be watching closely. Failure to take action, critics worry, may embolden nations like Slovakia and Romania that are flirting with their own brands of illiberal democracy. What complicates the situation further is Kaczynski, and how he has blended the personal with the political. From the moment of his brothers death, he has nurtured a mythology of martyrdom and aggrieved nationalism around the Smolensk crash, using the tragedy as a narrative to try to reshape Polish identity, even as two independent inquiries placed blame on bad weather and human error. The government has opened a new investigation and hauled up political enemies for questioning even as his party is tightening its grip on the judiciary. His critics say he is using Smolensk as a pretense to arrest political enemies before elections in 2020. Others wonder if he is simply gripped by anguish, vengeance and paranoia, and is dragging his country along with him. Or, perhaps, it is both. It is impossible to overestimate the significance of the Smolensk crash in the life of Jaroslaw Kaczynski and in the life of Polish politics in general, said Marek Migalski, who ran for the European Parliament as a Law and Justice candidate in 2010 and is now a lecturer at the University of Silesia in Katowice. For Kaczynski, he added, public debate is no longer a political one between people of different values; its an eschatological war between good and evil. For years, Kaczynskis party has pointed to a host of possible devious scenarios a thermobaric bomb that blew up the plane without leaving evidence; assassins using artificial fog to obscure the runway. But the heart of the narrative boils down to two basic unproven accusations: The Russians did it, and Polish political opponents of Lech Kaczynski deliberately conducted an inadequate investigation to cover up their own negligence. For Jaroslaw Kaczynskis supporters, it has become an article of faith that the crash was no accident. Instead, it reinforces ancient realities: that Poland still faces a threat from Russia to the east and should remain wary of the great powers to the west that have betrayed Poland in the past. When the governing party declares that Polands sovereignty is under threat, the smoking plane wreckage in the Russian woods is considered proof. A few weeks ago, tens of thousands of supporters gathered in Pilsudski Square in Warsaw to commemorate the eighth anniversary of the crash. A new monument to the 96 people killed in the crash was unveiled a block of solid black granite, with 18 stairs carved into the stone, a symbol of both the stairs leading onto the plane and of a stairway to heaven. The Law and Justice party has spent years trying to discredit the findings of the earlier inquiries and, since taking power, government prosecutors have ordered the remains of nearly all the victims of the crash exhumed sometimes without even informing the families of the victims. As the anniversary approached, officials promised that they would present new evidence that would reveal the truth. The anniversary came and went with no new details made public. The faithful, however, remained unshaken. The Kaczynski model of political strategy, within his own party and for the country as a whole, has always been ruling through division and conflict, said Marcin Buzanski, a senior adviser at the Casimir Pulaski Foundation, an independent, non-partisan research institute. During a heated session of parliament in 2017, the depth of Kaczynskis anger was captured on video. I know youre afraid of the truth, but do not wipe your treacherous mugs with my late brothers name, he said, banging his hand on the podium. You destroyed him! You murdered him! You are scoundrels! It was a rare public outburst from a man who apparently prefers to wield power from behind the scenes. He holds a seat in parliament but is neither prime minister nor president. He does not use email, nor carry his own mobile phone or wallet. He rarely holds anything resembling a news conference and gets most of his news filtered through aides. He has never married, has no children and lives alone with his cat. Yet, as leader of the Law and Justice Party, his power is unquestioned. If he thinks a law needs to be passed, it is usually passed. His control is not total there are factions even within his party that he must contend with but it is sweeping, according to friends and foes alike. For years, the one person who could persuade Kaczynski that he was veering off course was his twin brother, Lech. They had once starred together as child actors, appearing in a 1962 hit movie, The Two Who Stole the Moon, in which they played mischievous twins who set out to capture the gold moon and sell it. Of the two, Lech grew to be the more outgoing, public figure, while Jaroslaw was regarded as brilliant but also mercurial, largely keeping his own counsel. No one doubts Jaroslaws grief over his brothers death. On the day of the crash, Lech was flying to visit a memorial in the Katyn Forest, a place haunted by history, killing grounds where more than 20,000 Poles were slaughtered by Red Army soldiers in the early days of the Second World War, a crime that the former Soviet Union long denied and outlawed Poles from discussing. In the plane crash, Lech died along with the top ranks of the Polish military and members of parliament. But whether Kaczynski truly believes the conspiracy theories that he promotes is harder to know. Joanna Kluzik-Rostkowska, who served as Kaczynskis campaign manager in 2010, spent nearly every day with him immediately after the crash. The first thing he said to me, unasked, was: Dont think for even a second that I believe this business about it being an assassination, recalled Kluzik-Rostkowska, who is now aligned with the political opposition. She says she does not know what he truly thinks anymore, even as the question has taken on far greater significance. Migalski, another former ally, does not have a definitive answer either. Does Jaroslaw really believe the Russians assassinated his twin brother? he asked. If he truly believes that, then Poland is in great danger. Because if there was a crime there must be a punishment. The government is moving to settle scores. Bronislaw Komorowski, who became acting president after the plane crash, was summoned to the prosecutors office the week of this years anniversary and asked about government negligence in the investigation. Donald Tusk, who was Polands prime minister at the time of the crash, has been repeatedly summoned for questioning in two separate Smolensk investigations, most recently in the trial of his former chief of staff, Tomasz Arabski. Arabski and four other government officials who played roles in organizing the trip are facing charges of negligence. If Arabski is convicted, it could pave the way for prosecuting Tusk, who is president of the European Council, which represents the leaders of the European Union. Tusk is widely expected to be the main rival of Kaczynskis party in the 2020 presidential elections in Poland. One of the reasons Kaczynski is so eager to commandeer the Polish judiciary may be that he wants to use it against Donald Tusk, said Marcin Matczak, a law professor at Warsaw University. Indeed, many say that Kaczynski is trying to use the Smolensk crash to reshape historical memory, placing his dead brother at the centre of the countrys hard march to freedom, and himself as the guiding force leading it into its next chapter, what he calls the Fourth Republic. Behind the conspiracy theories is a deeply held belief of Kaczynskis that when Poland first emerged from communist rule to form its Third Republic, it did not properly cast out all those who had helped the communists keep their grip on power. Those people, in his view, still infect the system. That belief has fuelled the growing battle between Kaczynski and the man widely hailed as the hero of the Solidarity movement, Lech Walesa, who has been a vocal critic of the mythologizing of Smolensk. Walesa has posted messages on Facebook condemning the spread of Smolensk monuments, and he was going to take part in protests in summer 2017 at one of the monthly marches that were held to mark the crash. But in response to growing demonstrations against the marches and the politicization of the tragedy, the government passed a law limiting where protesters could gather a law widely criticized as undemocratic and added hundreds of police officers to the route of future marches. Kaczynski has become more strident in his accusations that Walesa, who was imprisoned for leading striking workers during the Solidarity movement, had ties to communists. He claims it was his twin brother, Lech Kaczynski not Lech Walesa who was the real leader of Solidarity. For outside observers, the different views on Smolensk reveal how Poland, once a pillar and paragon in the defence of democracy, has become a land divided. Graffiti in a bar in Warsaw summed up the debate: Smolensk lesson, tragedy, or the first Polish fake news. EVERETT, WASH.A Washington state trucker who authorities say was linked by DNA evidence to the 1987 deaths of a young Canadian couple has been charged with two counts of aggravated first-degree murder. William Earl Talbott II, 55, of SeaTac, a Seattle suburb, was charged Friday in Superior Court, the Daily Herald reported. Authorities say they used information from public genealogy websites to pinpoint Talbott as a suspect, then arrested him after getting a DNA sample from a cup that fell from his truck. Talbott is charged in the killings of 18-year-old Tanya Van Cuylenborg and Jay Cook, 20. In May, he had been charged with the murder of Van Cuylenborg. Officers then had said they would charge Talbott with Cooks murder once the investigation into additional evidence was finished. From all available information, these acts of violence were as random as they were savage, Craig Matheson, Snohomish Countys chief criminal deputy prosecutor, wrote in court documents. Talbott is being held in the Skagit County Community Justice Center with no bail. It wasnt clear if he has an attorney. Van Cuylenborg and Cook left their homes in Saanich, B.C., for an overnight trip to Seattle to buy furnace parts for Cooks family business. When they failed to return home, their families filed a missing persons report. Their bodies were found days later. Van Cuylenborg had been sexually assaulted, bound with plastic ties and shot in the head. Investigators say the assault evidence provided a direct link to Talbott. Cooks battered body was found about 120 kilometres away. Police say he was beaten with rocks and strangled. Police say a genealogist used the DNA evidence and worked with a lab to build a family tree for the suspect. Police say the genealogist used information uploaded by distant cousins to narrow their search to Talbott. Police kept him under surveillance and finally got his DNA when a cup fell from his truck. Photo: The Canadian Press A wounded man is brought by stretcher into a hospital in Jalalabad city, capital of Nangarhar province, east of Kabul, Afghanistan, Saturday, June 16, 2018. (AP Photo/Mohammad Anwar Danishyar) A suicide bomber struck in Afghanistan's eastern city of Jalalabad on Sunday, killing at least 18 people in the second attack in as many days targeting Taliban fighters, security forces and civilians celebrating a holiday cease-fire. Najibullah Kamawal, director of the provincial health department, said another 49 people were wounded in the attack, which struck a crowd of people as they left the governor's compound. Saturday's attack, which also took place in Jalalabad, killed at least 36 people and wounded 65, according to Kamawal, director of the provincial health department. No one has claimed the attacks, but they appear to be the work of the Islamic State group, which is not included in the cease-fire and has clashed with the Taliban in the past. The local IS affiliate has a strong presence in the province. The bomber on Saturday targeted a gathering of Taliban fighters who were celebrating a three-day truce coinciding with the Eid al-Fitr holiday. After the attack, Afghan President Ashraf Ghani announced a nine-day extension of the cease-fire. There was no immediate word from the Taliban on whether they would observe the extension. The three-day holiday and the cease-fire end Sunday. The chairman of the High Peace Council, a government body charged with negotiating an end to the nearly 17-year war, called on the Taliban to accept the extended cease-fire and join the peace process. "We hope that the extension of the cease-fire will be announced by the leadership of the Taliban," Mohammad Karim Khalili told a press conference in the capital, Kabul. He said there had been an "exchange of views" between the government and the Taliban over the past week, without elaborating. The Taliban have steadily expanded their presence in recent years, seizing a number of districts across the country and carrying out near-daily attacks on Afghan security forces. But over the past two days Taliban fighters could be seen celebrating the truce alongside Afghan troops and other people in a number of locations. Taliban leaders have at different times expressed interest in holding peace talks to end the conflict. But they have refused to meet with the U.S.-backed government, saying they will only negotiate with the United States directly. They have also demanded the withdrawal of all foreign forces. TRENTON, N.J.Gunmen opened fire at an all-night arts and music festival early Sunday morning, sending people running over each other in the scramble to safety, authorities said. One suspect was killed and 22 people, including two suspects, were injured. Of 17 people treated for gunshot wounds, four of them, including a 13-year-old boy, were critically injured but three had been upgraded to stable by evening, leaving only one man believed to be a suspect in critical condition, Mercer County Prosecutor Angelo Onofri. The shots rang out around 2:45 a.m. Sunday as an estimated 1,000 or more people were attending the Art All Night Trenton festival that showcases local art, music, food and films. Onofri said numerous fights inside and outside had prompted police to tell organizers that the event needed to be shut down because there was a report that the mood inside the venue had been changing. Organizers were in the process of doing that when the shooting started, he said. Authorities believe several neighbourhood gangs had a dispute at the venue, and multiple suspects began shooting at each other, with police returning fire, Onofri said. Tahaij Wells, 33, the suspect who was killed, had recently been released from prison and was on parole since February on homicide-related charges, Onofri said. Amir Armstrong, 23, listed in stable condition, was charged with a weapons offence. It was not immediately known if he had an attorney who could comment. Multiple weapons were confiscated, including a handgun with an extended capacity magazine containing more ammunition than is allowed under New Jersey law, Onofri said. On Sunday, crime scene tape surrounded the site of the historic Roebling Wire Works Building that now shares a parking lot with a supermarket, bank and laundry. Police were also investigating an attempted carjacking that occurred in a nearby alley. Onofri said police were working to determine if its connected to the shooting. Gennie Darisme was getting ready to leave the festival when she heard shots and saw people running. There were people trampling other people, cars hitting other cars, she said. When she was walking back to her car after the shots stopped, Darisme said she saw someone bleeding on the ground, in handcuffs. People were running to him, trying to see his face, to see if hes a family member or a friend, she said. Theresa Brown, who has been volunteering at Art All Night for 12 years, said she was leaving her volunteer shift when she heard pop, pop, pop. I thought it was a car backfiring, she said. The remainder of the two-day festival has been cancelled. Were very shocked. Were deeply saddened. Our hearts ache and our eyes are blurry but our dedication and resolve to building a better Trenton through community, creativity and inspiration will never fade. Not tonight. Not ever, festival organizers posted on social media. The injured were taken to area hospitals, where some had been treated and released. Trenton Mayor Eric E. Jackson said the violence cant be discarded as just random violence; this is a public health issue. BOGOTAIvan Duque, the young conservative protege of a powerful former president, was elected Colombias next leader Sunday after promising to roll back a fragile peace accord that has divided the South American nation. Duque captured almost 54 per cent of the vote, putting him 12 points ahead of former leftist guerrilla Gustavo Petro in a tense runoff election that had appeared to be tightening in recent days. In the end, the prematurely greying 41-year-old sailed to victory, promising to change parts of the accord with leftist rebels but not shred it to pieces as some of his hawkish allies had been urging. When he takes office in August, he will be Colombias youngest president in more than a century. Ive come here to fulfil a dream, Duque said outside his polling centre. For Colombia to be governed by a new generation, one that wants to govern for all and with. One that unites the country and turns the page on corruption. The new president will inherit a country still scarred by five decades of bloody armed conflict and grappling with soaring cocaine production. Former guerrillas of the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia are struggling to reinsert themselves in civilian life in a nation where many people remain hesitant to forgive. Vast swaths of remote territory remain under the control of violent drug mafias and residual rebel bands. Undoubtedly, for the peace process, this is an important test, said Patricia Munoz, a professor of political science at the Pontifical Xavierian University in Bogota. It was the first presidential election since the signing of the peace agreement ending Latin Americas longest-running conflict and was as much about the accord as it was deeply entrenched issues such as corruption and inequality. Petro galvanized young voters and drew millions to public plazas with his fiery speeches vowing to improve the lives of poor, disenfranchised Colombians. And though he failed to catch Duque, his more than 8 million votes marked the biggest ballot box success for a leftist presidential contender in a country where leftist politicos were stigmatized over fears of potential ties to guerrilla causes. He took his loss in stride, refusing to call it a defeat and saying that for now he and his supporters wont form a government echoing the words used by socialist revolutionary Hugo Chavez following his failed 1992 coup against Venezuelas government. Six years later Chavez was elected president, setting the stage for a surge of the left throughout Latin America. I dont think there is a single Colombian who thinks things are going well today, Petro said after casting his ballot with his young daughter in hand. Colombias peace process to end a conflict that left more than 250,000 people dead is considered largely irreversible. Most of the more than 7,000 rebels whove surrendered their weapons have started new lives as farmers, community leaders and journalists. Last year the rebels launched a new political party and will soon occupy 10 seats in congress. But the 2016 accord remains contentious and Duque pledged throughout his campaign to make changes that would deliver peace with justice. Through constitutional reform or by decree, he could proceed with proposals such as not allowing ex-combatants behind grave human rights abuses to take political office until they have confessed their war crimes and compensated victims. The current agreement allows most rebels to avoid jail, a sore point for many. But Duques detractors warn that his victory could throw an already delicate peace process into disarray. Duque is the son of a former governor and energy minister who friends say has harboured presidential aspirations since he was a child. The father of three ago entered public service almost two decades as an adviser to then Finance Minister Juan Manuel Santos, who he will now replace as president. Duque later moved to Washington, where he spent more than a decade at the Inter-American Development Bank, first as an adviser for three Andean countries and later as chief of the institutions cultural division. It was during that time that Duque forged a close relationship with former president Alvaro Uribe, the torchbearer of conservatives who is both adored and detested by legions of Colombians. Duques low-profile life as a Washington suburbanite came to end in 2014, when with Uribes backing he was elected to Colombias Senate. Seated beside his mentor in the opulent Senate chamber, Duque earned a reputation as a like-minded security hawk who did his homework and earned the respect of colleagues across the political spectrum. He quickly climbed the ranks of Uribes Democratic Center party, clenching the groups presidential nomination just four years later. Through his campaign, Duque was dogged with accusations that he would be little more than a puppet for Uribe, who is constitutionally barred from seeking a third term. Though praised for boosting Colombias economy and weakening the FARC, Uribe presided over the government at a time when military officers killed thousands of civilians who were then dressed up as rebels to inflate body counts in exchange for vacations and bonus pay. Critics fear Uribe will use his leverage over his star pupil to retaliate against political enemies and sideline investigations against him and his family for suspected ties to right-wing paramilitaries. Duques supporters say that he will chart his own course and that Uribe wont be a frequent guest at the presidential residence. However he proceeds, Duques tough stance on the nations peace accord could be tested once he is draped in the presidential sash. Though he could implement changes by decree or constitutional reform, he would likely encounter pushback against any major changes that would imperil an agreement that took four years to negotiate and has widespread international support. The outlook today indicates the peace process is not reversible, said Munoz, the political science professor. We have a society that does not want the FARC to return to armed conflict. KABULA suicide bomber struck in Afghanistans eastern city of Jalalabad on Sunday, killing at least 19 people in the second attack in as many days targeting Taliban fighters, security forces and civilians celebrating a holiday ceasefire. The Taliban later rejected an extension to the ceasefire. Najibullah Kamawal, director of the provincial health department, said another 60 people were wounded in the attack, which struck a crowd of people as they left the governors compound. Saturdays attack, which also took place in Jalalabad, killed at least 36 people and wounded 65, according to Kamawal, director of the provincial health department. No one has claimed the attacks, but they appear to be the work of Daesh, also known as ISIS, which is not included in the ceasefire and has clashed with the Taliban in the past. The local Daesh affiliate has a strong presence in the province. The bomber on Saturday targeted a gathering of Taliban fighters who were celebrating a three-day truce coinciding with the Eid al-Fitr holiday. After the attack, Afghan President Ashraf Ghani announced a nine-day extension of the ceasefire. Read more: Unprecedented Afghanistan ceasefire joins Taliban, citizens in Eid celebrations The chairperson of the High Peace Council, a government body charged with negotiating an end to the nearly 17-year war, called on the Taliban to accept the extended ceasefire and join the peace process. We hope that the extension of the ceasefire will be announced by the leadership of the Taliban, Mohammad Karim Khalili told a press conference in the capital, Kabul. He said there had been an exchange of views between the government and the Taliban over the past week, without elaborating. But on Sunday, the Taliban announced that their ceasefire had ended and they have no intention of extending it. The ceasefire was announced by the Taliban for just the three days of the Eid holidays which have come to an end this Sunday evening, said Taliban spokesperson Zabihullah Mujahid in a statement. All Mujahidin (Taliban) should continue their operations against foreign invaders and their puppets, The Talibans statement added that their ceasefire for their fighters to celebrate the holiday peacefully and not in response to the governments ceasefire announcement. The Taliban have steadily expanded their presence in recent years, seizing a number of districts across the country and carrying out near-daily attacks on Afghan security forces. But over the past two days, Taliban fighters could be seen celebrating the truce alongside Afghan troops and other people in a number of locations. Taliban leaders have at different times expressed interest in holding peace talks to end the conflict. But they have refused to meet with the U.S.-backed government, saying they will only negotiate with the United States directly. They have also demanded the withdrawal of all foreign forces. Read more about: WASHINGTONWhite House lawyer Rudy Giuliani suggested Sunday that U.S. President Donald Trump might pardon his former campaign manager Paul Manafort if he is convicted but only after special counsel Robert Mueller has completed his investigation. When its over, hey, hes the president of the United States, he retains his pardon power, nobodys taking that away from him, Giuliani said on CNNs State of the Union when asked whether Trump would pardon Manafort should he be convicted. I couldnt and I dont want to take any prerogatives away from him. But Giuliani stressed that Trump has not issued, would not issue and should not issue any pardons related to the Mueller probe while it is still ongoing, so as not to give the appearance that he has anything to hide. The president has not issued pardons in this investigation. The president is not going to issue pardons in this investigation, and my advice to him as long as I am his lawyer is not to do it because you just cloud what is becoming now a very clear picture of an extremely unfair investigation with no criminality involved of any kind, Giuliani said. Manafort was jailed last week over charges that he attempted to tamper with witnesses related to his pending trial on federal conspiracy and money-laundering charges. Trump reacted by playing down Manaforts role in his campaign. But the president has issued several pardons in recent weeks, which some have interpreted as a signal to affiliates being targeted by Muellers probe not to co-operate with the investigation. Read more: Talking to Americans about Trumps attacks on Canada Opinion | Robin V. Sears: Trump forcing old allies into new alliances Opinion | Olive: Trump may be a buffoon, but the dangers of his trade war are real Even members of the presidents own party have urged him to stop talking about pardons. I think it would be more helpful if the president never mentioned the word pardon again with respect to the investigation, Sen. Susan Collins said Sunday on CBSs Face the Nation. Giuliani pushed back Sunday on the notion that in discussing his pardon power, the president had been suggesting doing anything untoward. Youre not going to get a pardon just because youre involved in this investigation you probably have a higher burden if youre involved in this investigation compared to the others who get pardoned, he said. But youre certainly not excluded from it if the president and his advisers, not me, come to the conclusion that youve been treated unfairly. Giuliani said he would not be advising Trump on pardons, noting, I shouldnt be involved in that process because Im probably too rooted in his defence. But he did accuse the Mueller investigation yet again of being political and rife with unfairness, perhaps unfair enough to merit pardons for those who get caught by it. Going back to Nixon, Ford ... even Bush and Clinton ... these pardons happened in these political investigations, Giuliani said. That mean theyre going to happen here, doesnt mean anyone should rely on it. But there is a lot of unfairness out there, he continued. We dont know the full scope of it. The president weighed in Sunday on Twitter with his opinion of the Mueller probe, again calling it a WITCH HUNT! and declaring that law enforcement officials had a Double Standard! in their investigations of him and Hillary Clinton. There was no Russian Collusion. Oh, I see, there was no Russian Collusion, so now they look for obstruction on the no Russian Collusion, Trump wrote. The phoney Russian Collusion was a made up Hoax. Too bad they didnt look at Crooked Hillary like this. Trump has not yet spoken to Mueller as part of the probe, and Giuliani suggested Sunday that he should not do so under oath pointing to Trumps recent backpedaling on how he characterized his son Donald Trump Jr.s 2016 meeting with a Russian lawyer as evidence of why its hard to sort out a lot of different recollections. Thats why you dont want to go under oath, Giuliani said. Appearing on Face the Nation, Giuliani said Trumps legal team nonetheless owed it to him to sort through the options of how an interview with Mueller could proceed, because the president wants to do it. He stressed that the Trump team was not trying to delay an interview but that the president had had other priorities namely, the North Korea summit. I couldnt possibly justify troubling the president when he was working on peace with North Korea, Giuliani said, accusing the Mueller team of being responsible for three months of delays. Giuliani added that Trumps legal team would try to limit any interview with Mueller to some specific questions about the heart of the probe that they think could be answered quickly in about three hours, he said. But he added that he couldnt possibly agree to an interview with Mueller until we know how badly this investigation was affected by bias among FBI agents castigated in the recently released inspector generals report. Giuliani also called on the Justice Department to investigate the Mueller probe, not because of Mueller but because of its genesis, he said, referring to a report the inspector general put out last week on the FBIs Clinton email probe. Several officials who worked on the Clinton probe also worked on the bureaus Russia investigation, but the report found no evidence that political leanings affected any decisions made during the Clinton probe. Yet the report did accuse five FBI officials, including former top counter-intelligence officer Peter Strzok and former FBI lawyer Lisa Page, of exhibiting anti-Trump bias and former FBI director James Comey of insubordination and poor judgment. We want the Mueller probe to be investigated the way the Trump investigations been investigated, and wed like to see a report with the conclusions, Giuliani said. Giuliani added that he thought certain FBI officials should be fired for taking bribes from journalists in exchange for information though he acknowledged that there is nothing in the inspector generals report that accuses FBI agents of taking bribes. The inspector generals report said it would continue investigating FBI officials who received tickets to sporting games and other things of value from reporters. Read more about: Former Walmart now home to 1,400 children, June 15 The saying is, Evil prospers when good people do nothing. Taking children away from their parents and holding them in detention centres is an incredible evil. Isnt this one of the things we as Canadians fought against and died for in the Second World War? Canada must speak up now and do so very strongly against Trump and his cronies. Recall the American ambassador immediately and send a message to the world that we will not tolerate this kind of behaviour. Paul Kahnert, Markham Read more about: The results of the provincial election delivered a devastating blow to the Ontario Liberal Party. This week, the remaining members of caucus met and unanimously endorsed John Fraser as interim leader as the party embarks on its rebuilding process. After 15 years spent sensibly building the province of Ontario, the Ontario Liberal Party now enters a chapter of deep self-reflection in preparation for the way forward. This is a process I hope the party takes its time with, carefully and inclusively. While Premier Doug Ford goes about dismantling some of the proudest accomplishments of our previous governments, the Liberal caucus will have to work alongside its progressive colleagues in the legislature to hold Ford accountable to the needs of every Ontarian. It will be important to cut through the distractions, observe carefully and remain critical of each decision made by this new government. In Kathleen Wynnes emotional and captivating speech on election night, one line stood out as she spoke of the partys leadership transition: There is another generation and I am passing the torch to that generation. That generation has waited patiently for the torch. Premier Dalton McGuinty would consistently remind young liberals that they carried an important function in the party of rocking the boat without tipping it over. Well, we capsized. And today the youthful voice of the Ontario Liberal Party has an opportunity to share an equal part in modernizing the ship. There is no need to rush into the formal leadership process. There are intergenerational and regional dialogues that should take place first, in order to connect, share and align a variety of visions as we embark on this new chapter. Who are Liberals? Builders. Forward thinkers. Fairness seekers. A family of political organizers and supporters who believe better is always possible and who set out to improve our province through the system. There is a quote by Les Giblin Ive used to guide my approach to political organization that says: You cant make the other fellow feel important in your presence if secretly you feel they are a nobody. With that in mind, I hope those who enter the permanent leadership race bring a key quality to the table: humility, with an ability to empathize with Ontarians from all walks of life. We have a great many relationships to heal and cultivate. Each Liberal ambassador, and the leader especially, will need to undertake this process humbly to earn back the trust of the electorate. I remember the first time I voted Liberal. At 18 years old, my mother reminded me it was a secret ballot and refused to share her decision so I could independently come to my own. She encouraged me to look at the values of each party and the track record for delivering on their promises. She made sure I researched the local candidates and understood the role they played in advocating for our communitys needs. Over the years, and especially during this most recent election, there have been moments when I disagreed with decisions and directions being set by the Liberal party. But that is the beauty of political discourse the avenues in place to fight for our beliefs while shaping the way forward. Our leaders cant be afraid to innovate, while cultivating a culture of inclusivity and respect for the ideas brought forward by our wide range of supporters. Further, they must work diligently to address the issues facing us today with a steady eye on the challenges of the future. Ontario has elected a government aiming to turn back the clock on climate change initiatives while offering no plans to address the local economic impacts brought by automation and rapidly changing technologies. In four years time, more than ever, Ontario will require a government willing to tackle our biggest challenges with balanced, creative and cutting-edge approaches. With his grassroots organizing experience, Fraser is an excellent choice for a difficult role, and its a difficult task that lies ahead of him as interim leader. But he doesnt stand alone. In the coming months and years, over the course of the rebuild, the voice and future of the Ontario Liberal Party will be heard and felt from all corners of the province. Tiffany Gooch is a Liberal strategist at public affairs firms Enterprise and Ensight and an advocate for increased cultural and gender diversity in Canadian politics. Read more about: The spectacle of the royal wedding last month, viewed by countless millions around the globe, didnt reflect reality, not of times past and definitely not of today. Bride and groom come both from broken homes. The bride had been married before. The pledge on the altar till death do us part may be an ideal, but is today, and perhaps has always been, far removed from reality. A good number of those attending the ceremony, including three of the Queens four children, arent with the spouses to whom they originally made that pledge. According to a recent Angus Reid poll, only less than half of Canadians think that its important to have a formal marriage ceremony. I know of people whove embraced the faith of their spouses in order to give their children a unified and stable religious background, yet refuse to be married religiously. Even if theyre not opposed to religion as such, they may still shun its ceremonial trappings. The Swedes, who have a reputation for being progressive in such matters, even have a word to describe an unmarried couple living together (sambo) as well as a term for a couple living apart, married or not (sarbo). And even Israel, where its dominant ultra-Orthodox rabbinate is anything but progressive, tolerates legal recognition of unmarried couples living together. Reluctance to subject relationships to conventional rituals shouldnt be seen as evidence that people have given up on love or on religion. They seem to be as much in search of both now as people have ever been. But many are obviously determined to celebrate it differently. To love someone is to regard that person as being more important to me than I am to myself. I hope that women and men who decide to live together and form a family aspire to this kind of relationship with or without a religious ceremony. Most of us cannot be happy without a loving spouse and children, and being loved by them. Id like to think thats what Michael Curry, the presiding bishop and primate of the Episcopal Church who preached at the royal wedding, wanted to convey in his fiery rhetoric. Perhaps it would have been more obvious had he actually addressed the couple at the altar, but that may not be his style. Ive officiated at Jewish marriage ceremonies for some 40 years before retirement and Ive always seen it as my duty to help people to find and celebrate happiness by pointing to ways of cementing family relationships and turning the home into a holy place where love is being celebrated. This was my way of trying to do Gods work no less than by teaching and preaching. The most important prayer in Judaism has at its core the words, You shall love the Eternal your God with all your heart, with all your soul and with all your might (Deuteronomy 6:5). To be religious is to accept God as being more important than anything or anybody else, including myself. Building a home together should be a manifestation of that love. Thats how a home becomes a holy place. The Prophet Hosea taught that the relationship between wife and husband is the most apt metaphor for the relationship between a human being and God. When Jews don phylacteries at prayer and bind one of the straps around a finger, they quote Hoseas words to God: I will espouse you forever (Hosea 2:21). The trappings of religion, even when manifest in a royal wedding, may belong to the past, but the message of religion is as important and as relevant as it has always been. In the spring of 1985, as a young staffer, I accompanied former West German Chancellor Willy Brandt to Moscow. He led the first delegation of foreign leaders to meet with the new Soviet leader, Mikhail Gorbachev. As soon as our days of negotiation on disarmament and security issues wound up, we headed to Washington to meet Vice President George H.W. Bush, and his national security team. That was routine in those years. Foreign leaders always included both Moscow and Washington in any high level talks. Today, Moscow rarely gets that level of priority. Tomorrow, I wonder whether visits to Washington will decline in importance as well. If a delegation such as that in 1985 made up of European party leaders and heads of government were to undertake a similar mission today, Beijing would head the list of stops, probably followed by Brussels and perhaps Berlin and Paris. We may be about to witness a shakeup of global alliances, thanks to Donald Trump. Already we have seen both Angela Merkel and Emmanuel Macron publicly signal that an Eu-centric foreign policy, not one led by the U.S., is their vision of the future. China, less adroitly, continues to attempt to build an Asian sphere of influence. Their military advances in the South China Sea and the Indian Ocean have stimulated a budding South Asian strategic partnership. Nominally led by India, it is an attempting to unite all the nations of the region from Malaysia to Sri Lanka, in response to Chinese ambition. The old club of like-minded nations in Northern Europe are reviving their common cause on issues from climate change to the refugee crisis. This places Canada in a new and possibly important new place. Managing the relationship with the United States will always be a priority, but unlike the past two years, it should not be the foreign policy priority. We are alone among the advanced Western democracies not to carry any colonial baggage in our relations with China, Japan and Korea. As members of the Commonwealth, the Francophonie, the OAS and NATO, we have an uniquely wide array of organizations and alliances through which to advance Canadian interests and policy goals. NAFTA deepened and enriched our relationships in North America for the past two decades. However the fiasco of Trumps neurotic negotiating strategy ends, NAFTA will no longer play such a central role. In its place TPP to the East and CETA across Europe are sure to rise in economic and political impact. Our commercial and political engagement with China seems certain to keep growing. The Trump soap opera will enter its, hopefully, final act after November. Having likely lost control of one or both houses of Congress, his ability to wreck the existing international order will be weakened. Together, with a carefully selected group of partners, it might be wise for Canada to set out an agenda that encompasses a new 21st century set of shared policy goals, early in the New Year. Canada is well-equipped to play a role in United Nations and global finance reform, unfreezing the paralyzed WTO and giving the G20 a new injection of political energy. Many laughed at Paul Martins vision of a more representative global form than the Group of Seven, but he left an important legacy in the creation of the G20. As Fen Hampsons new examination of the foreign policy legacy of Brian Mulroney, Master of Persuasion makes clear, when a Canadian prime minister has a focused agenda and supportive partners we can make a big impact on the global stage. Two achievements of those years little known to most Canadians may point a path for another internationally engaged prime minister. Mulroney played an important role in helping Helmut Kohl to overcome French and British resistance to German unification at a very delicate moment. He was also one of the pivotal players in imposing the sanctions on South Africa that led to the release and election of Nelson Mandela. We are perhaps at a moment where Canada can once again play a broader strategic role on todays global crises. Robin V. Sears, a principal at Earnscliffe Strategy Group, was an NDP strategist for 20 years. Read more about: The fact Doug Ford won a majority government is now old news, so lets turn to why he won. In the days after the polls closed, my firm, Navigator, undertook a research study to determine why voters made the choices they did. The research was based on a simple premise: If we could figure why voters made the choices they did, we could be well on our way to predicting how the new government will act. The top-line results: Ford won because voters were in a self-interested mood. It will come as little surprise that one of the common denominators across the province was acute voter fatigue with the Liberal party. Some of it was the natural fallout of 15 years in office. However, much of it came from the perceived sense of Liberal overreach and the partys stubborn disregard of voters interests. So, with a government that was not only long in the tooth but that was viewed as out of touch with the priorities of everyday voters, the election became a stark choice between the New Democrats and the Progressive Conservatives. While Andrea Horwath and the NDP displayed more discipline than ever, they simply were not a viable option for many voters. Some voters remained uncomfortable with the New Democrats and the cost of their social policies. Their leaders insistence on never using back-to-work legislation reminded many of a rigid, doctrinaire approach to governing. In fact, many referred to the party as radical, a direct echo of the messages the Liberals and Conservatives drove in their advertising. It turns out this election was not about who had the best vision for the province, nor was it about which leader was the most premier-like. This election was not about the macro; it was all about the micro. Voters wanted immediate relief, not grandiose promises for the future. They wanted policy that would positively impact them now. Doug Ford and the Progressive Conservatives understood that. Voters pointed to four policies that allowed the PCs to claim they were on the side of regular voters. First, an immediate 10-cents-per-litre reduction in the cost of gas. Of all the policies Ford put on offer, nothing said I get it like this one. Thats why it was a shrewd decision for the PC party to announce on Wednesday that Premier-designate Ford would recall the legislature for a brief summer session specifically to deal with gas prices. Second, relief from the ballooning price of hydro power. Unsurprisingly, voters expressed dissatisfaction with the way the current system works, and indicated they were deeply skeptical about its fairness. Voters expect action on the hydro front, but they arent expecting miracles. They want a clean sweep of utility board members and executives as long as the cost to do so is not exorbitant. Third, a solution to the ever-increasing tax burden. Reducing the tax burden for middle-class Ontarians emerged as core to the new governments mandate. Voters expect the level of taxation to decline, and to decline swiftly. Finally, scrutiny of government waste and the deficit. There was widespread support for Fords promise of a full external, line-by-line audit of the government, with the belief it will uncover considerable waste. Businesses and organizations can glean many lessons from this research. For those seeking to work closely with the new government, it is important to understand that it will be relentlessly focused on helping people who are struggling. Organizations should now frame their case in a manner that demonstrates how it will help everyday Ontarians. They should understand that this is a government that will be extremely sensitive about undertaking any projects that harm the pocketbook or affect voters perceptions that the PCs are there for the little guy. Put another way, much of the way organizations have been dealing with government for the last 15 years must be thrown out the window. In other words, the past is not prologue. Thats because, at its core, the government will be going back to basics: providing tax relief for Ontarians, focusing on reducing the debt, and sticking to its knitting. Voters want and crucially expect the PCs to govern for the people. Jaime Watt is the executive chairman of Navigator Ltd. and a Conservative strategist. Read more about: VANCOUVER B.C.s forests ministry is investigating logging practices on Haida Gwaii after the islands First Nation presented evidence alleging monumental, centuries-old cedar trees were being cut down without authorization. The evidence was submitted as part of a petition from Haida Nation to the B.C. Supreme Court, seeking an injunction to halt logging by Husby Forest Products in five designated areas on Haida Gwaii. None of the allegations have been proven in court. Husby declined comment except to say its lawyers will present their evidence in court on Monday. We disagree with a lot of the information thats been provided by the CHN (Council of the Haida Nation) and their affidavits, said Husby vice-president Rob Sandberg. The Haida allege the company has already over-cut its allowed portion this year by 12,858 cubic meters of mainly old-growth cedar, about the equivalent of nearly 1,300 large cedar trees, according to court filings. Additionally, the B.C. Ministry of Forests, Lands, Natural Resource Operations and Rural Development said it is investigating non-compliance allegations that Husby felled 99 monumental cedars many of them trees larger than 120 centimetres in diameter, which are generally centuries-old. Such trees are considered protected by the Haida Nation. But those between 100 to 120 centimetres in diameter can be legally cut only in some circumstances, according to the Haidas filed evidence. Husby was required to tag and track monumental cedars, the Haida Nation alleged, but the band claimed Husby identified only two of a size qualifying for protected status. The nation alleges at least 99 monumental cedars of varying sizes were harvested. The ministry said unauthorized timber harvesting could result in an administrative hearing and penalties. As a result, an investigation has been started, and is ongoing, to determine if there is any non-compliance relative to the Haida Gwaii Land Use Order, reads a statement from the ministrys compliance and enforcement branch. Compliance and enforcement staff is investigating complaints related to the licensees logging practices. This investigation is independent and separate from any injunction or court application process initiated by the Haida, the statement says. The Haida Nation filed its court petition on May 28, arguing the cedars in a significant portion of the island known as Collision Point would be depleted in two decades, based on B.C. timber supply estimates and current logging rates. Many cedars currently harvested on Haida Gwaii have been standing for at least 200 years, according to evidence the Haida filed. There is a shortage of younger trees, and current tree-planting efforts are not expected to replenish the supply quickly enough. Part of the issue is how the provincial government has established cedar-cutting limits on the island. These limits are not legally enforceable without an order signed by forests minister Doug Donaldson. His ministry said a ministerial order is on its way. This type of order, called a partition, would provide a legally enforceable limit on cedar harvest. How such a limit might be implemented is now being considered. The Minister has decided to issue a partition order, a ministry statement said. Discussions are occurring with the Council of Haida Nation and licensees. Haida Nation vice-president Trevor Russ said the nation met with Donaldson in-person earlier this month. In an interview, he said Haida survey crews discovered the monumental cedars had been cut this spring. The Haida have traditionally made giant cedars into dug-out canoes, totem poles, long houses, construction beams and posts, along with many other uses. It sounds as though (Husbys) staff had done the work, they didnt see any issues, they didnt identify the monumentals, Russ said, so they went ahead. Our staff luckily enough had gone in and done the work while they were on a bit of a hiatus and came across the monumentals on the ground. Russ said the Haida have felt the negative impact of B.C.s forestry industry for more than 100 years. He said the First Nation has only become involved in the forestry industry itself in the past decade. It hurts culturally, but also a lot of the concern raised by the community is just the damage felt watching barges continuously leave the island with very little return over time, Russ said. There is going to be a big gap in between the amount of usable cedars today and in the future. Monumentals are going to be very hard to come by. Passing on the traditional use of the tree is going to be very difficult. Read more about: Photo: The Canadian Press Iqaluit, Nunavut is shown in a Saturday, April 25, 2015 file photo. The world's only northern nation without some form of Arctic university may soon have three of them. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Paul Chiasson The world's only northern nation without some form of Arctic university may soon have three of them. There are plans in all three of Canada's territories to give their residents a better shot at higher education. Yukon, the Northwest Territories and Nunavut all have different approaches but similar goals. All want to give their youth a chance to learn without having to travel thousands of kilometres. All want to focus on the needs of their particular jurisdictions. And all believe the North has characteristics from language diversity to climate change that could make an Arctic university a draw for students and researchers from around the globe. "We have a lot to offer," said Caroline Cochrane, the N.W.T's minister of education. The idea of a northern university has been kicked around since at least 2007 when a pan-territorial survey found residents wanted more influence over Arctic research. Northern First Nations have been asking for one for 50 years. Arctic colleges offer northern students degree programs such as education and nursing. But the programs are run and degrees awarded by southern institutions. Now, northerners are taking control of their own post-secondary education. Yukon is likely to be first out of the academic gate. "We've got three degrees lined up," said Karen Barnes, president of Yukon College, soon to be Yukon University. This September, the institution will offer its first three bachelor's programs under its own name instead of those brokered through another university. One will be in Indigenous governance, taking advantage of expertise in Yukon's 11 self-governing First Nations. The second will be a business degree focused on operating in remote communities. The third will be in northern studies traditional knowledge, culture, history and current situation of northerners. "A lot of universities have offered degrees in northern studies but this will be the first one actually offered in the North," said Barnes. Also this fall, the N.W.T. legislature will consider an extensive report on the territory's Aurora College that recommends a Northern Canada Polytechnic University that would combine bachelor's and applied studies with a community college to support secondary schools. A search is on for someone to lead that transition, said Cochrane. "I think a university is needed within the N.W.T.," she said. The Eastern Arctic is also moving ahead. By October, Nunavut Arctic College hopes to announce a partnership with a southern institution. It wants to broaden the college's current offerings with a view toward the administrative needs of government and the technical requirements of the resource industry. Eleven southern universities have applied to be that partner, said Jesse Jacobs, the college's director of planning. "What we're really looking for in a partner institution is to take Inuit traditional knowledge and ensure that we are able to put it into credentials that are recognized nationally," he said. Cultural relevance is prominent in the plans of all three institutions. Often, southern course materials just don't work in the North. When Cochrane took her social-work degree in the south, she was taught that privacy concerns meant she shouldn't get personal with her clients or acknowledge them in the street. "You go into a community of 100 people and you don't shake hands in the store, you don't have a job pretty soon," she said. Language will be a big part. Jacobs said his college's partnered programs will be taught in Inuktut, the term used for all dialects spoken by the Inuit. Just offering post-secondary courses in the North is a big deal. Travel to study elsewhere is a major cost and cultural disincentive for potential students, Cochrane said. "A lot are intimidated by southern universities. It's hard when you come from a (tiny) community to all of a sudden walk into a community of millions." Universities, however, are expensive. Financing the territories' post-secondary plans remains unsettled, although Cochrane said one source of income could come from research partnerships in areas such as climate change. The Yukon government has topped up its annual $27 million grant to it Yukon College by $1.5 million to help with the transition to a university. The college is also about to begin a campaign to raise about $65 million over the next 10 years, Barnes said. Things are starting to happen, said Jacobs. "It's an exciting time to be in post-secondary education in the Arctic." ALTON The temperatures were warm but so were the friendships that were made at the annual family-friendly Alton Juneteenth Celebration on Saturday in Killion Park. You cant be unhappy here when this is going on, because there are a lot of people that you can meet here, said ten-year-old Lyric Lunsford of Alton. Fun, friends and happiness are everywhere. Saturday marked Lunsfords second visit to the annual event. She likes how the yearly celebration brings people of all races together. I like everybody here because when everybody is nice its fun to be around them, Lunsford said. Its just cool being around all types of people. The Juneteenth celebration featured live music and dance by area performing groups, a petting zoo and horseback rides, rock climbing, games, and numerous other family activities. Visitors could browse through hand-crafted wares and enjoy the smells and tastes offered by numerous food vendors. I like when they do stuff like this for the families. It makes it feel like the city is coming together, said first-time visitor Kandazah Adams of Alton. Its a day for family fun, to enjoy the day with your kids, eat good, ride horses, face painting, its nice for the kids to be able to have something like this to do. Darrell Booth of Alton agreed the Juneteenth celebration was ideal for children. Its a great thing to have the kids come to stay out of trouble, give them something to do, Booth said. You see a lot of kids who would have nothing to do if this wasnt here today. We need more stuff like this every weekend for the kids. The multi-racial attendance on Saturday was also a good sign. Its always encouraging, Booth said. The city is diverse, so why wouldnt we come up here and enjoy the day together? Alton resident Antoinette Frazier has attended Juneteenth in previous years and joined the large crowd in Killion Park on Saturday. I think its great that Alton does this, brings out all the different cultures and we get to learn about our heritage, Frazier said. I think it brings all people together. Its awesome. Saturday marked the 27th year that Alton has hosted its Juneteenth celebration, and the goal of organizers was to make it the biggest and best ever. We like to take Juneteenth to another level, said event co-chair Lee Barham. We are very proud of the fact that we have worked every year to make it even bigger and better than what it was. We love our sponsors that continue to support us, but most of all we love the community that is embracing us for more than 27 years. Its about the celebration of the slaves freedom, but its also a celebration of people coming together as one, as a brotherhood, Barham said. Its important that visitors come here because to understand a person you have to embrace their culture. Theres a lot of people who dont understand what Juneteenth is, but coming out here and embracing it and asking questions, they can understand whats going on. Juneteenth commemorates the June 19, 1865 order by Union Army General Gordon Granger that enforced the provisions of the Emancipation Proclamation in Texas. Texas had ignored President Abraham Lincolns Proclamation and many southern plantation owners fled to that state after the Civil War with their slaves. Gordons order effectively eliminated the last bastion of slavery in the United States. In 1980, Texas became the first state to designate Juneteenth as a state holiday. I think its an amazing way to celebrate freedom and what the country is really supposed to be about, said first-time Juneteenth celebration visitor Kenya Newsome of Alton. Its a day to celebrate our freedom, coming together as a community. ALHAMBRA - Chad W. Vaughn, 33, of the 9600 block of Conrad Road, Alhambra, was charged Friday with aggravated unlawful use of a weapon by a felon, aggravated unlawful use of a weapon, unlawful possession of methamphetamine and driving on a revoked license. He allegedly possessed a handgun Wednesday after having been convicted of aggravated driving under the influence of alcohol on June 5, 2017. He was also accused of possessing the weapon without the required license. ALTON One mans unwavering loyalty inspired his son to follow in his footsteps. GB Grill owner James Jimmy Angelo Boukas is celebrating his 50th year working at the business at 1858 E. Broadway, but the 1950s-style diner is more than 108 years old. Boukas great uncle, Gust Boukas, started the business in 1910 and it flourished, eventually having seven locations, each run by his nephews. He and his wife couldnt have children, so he hired his nephews, said Boukas son, Angelo James Boukas. GB Grills former locations include two in East St. Louis; and, storefronts in Collinsville, Granite City, Alton and Moline. The current location is the last one standing, which is for sale as Jimmy Boukas reluctantly prepares to retire. Hes sad about it, but also hes 78 years old, his son said. He still has the old menu up, under the grills current menu board. Its all hand-painted. He doesnt have the heart to tear it down. On Jan. 7, 1990, Boukas bought his cousin John Boukas share of the business, which included two Alton storefronts and a warehouse. I love my customers, Boukas said. And, we are always number one with the Madison County Health Department, since we started. GB Grills customers have become family, even taking their own plates, cups and silverware back to the grills sink when finished with their meals. Regular patrons call Boukas wife, Joann, Mamma. A few weeks ago Alton Steels coiler project team and the companys primary shareholder, John Simmons, selected Boukas sons restaurant, Jimmy the Greeks, adjacent to GB Grill, to give out awards to 19 individuals. The company also gave Boukas a plaque of appreciation. In the 1980s and 1990s, lines of customers waited outside GB Grill. Through 1984, there were 10,000 jobs filled on Broadway, where industry boomed. There was Olin Illinois glass mold shop, Alton Box Board (later it became Smurfit), a lead factory and a Pepsi-Cola plant. Alton Plaza was filled with popular stores, including P.N. Hirsch, Thrifty, Montgomery Ward and Boukas favorite grocery store, Kroger. Boukas still seeks out Kroger products to purchase because the company is close to his heart. Boukas served Alton workers thousands upon thousands of blue plate lunches. In and out, in and out, in 10 minutes, theyd eat fast to get back to work, Boukas recalled. Hed have 15 to 20 salads ready to go, except for the dressing, for students of a beauty school just down the street. Car dealerships used to line Broadway, including Sweeney Chrysler Plymouth, Roberts Motors and Grimley Chevrolet (now Quality Buick GMC). Commercial coffee makers and QuikTrip didnt exist in the 1960s and early 1970s, so dealerships picked up hundreds upon hundreds of cups of coffee at GB Grill, each company with its own monthly account to pay the tab. The secret is, dont give someone something to eat that you dont like yourself, Boukas said recently to The Telegraph in between the breakfast rush and serving lunchtime regulars. Now GB Grill is a destination for regulars and by word of mouth, since Altons industry bust. They come in to see mom and dad; he is more of a father to some than their own father, his son said. We love Alton and want to see this city thrive. We want to see this end of Broadway revived. We think the Small Business Revolution will help that with the selection of Bluff City Outdoors. We were lucky when the locks and dam were going in, there were a lot of workers. In all, Jimmy Boukas owns seven acres on which GB Grill, his sons restaurant, Jimmy the Greeks, named for Boukas, and the family home sits. His son and grandson, James Angelo Boukas, 23, grew up on the acreage, all of which is for sale. Whenever it happens, its no hurry, his son said. My mom has helped my dad for 28 years, so have I, off and on. Boukas finally gave himself a break, taking off the month of August, each year since 2005. He rebuilt certain areas and added compresses, but GB Grills last remodel was in 1954. It retains its authentic look today. He hopes the propertys next owner will love and care for it the way he does. It was 35 years before he took a vacation. He never missed a day, Angelo Boukas recalled. One year, during a month off, he built a 50-foot deck, and another time built a bathroom. He takes care of his property. Its a matter of pride with him. His father has visited Greece only three times since becoming an American citizen, to see his mother and father, as they were aging; ailing siblings; and, his wifes parents. Joann Boukas is one of four siblings; her husband is the youngest of seven siblings, two of whom still live in Greece a brother and a sister. Jimmy Boukas, also the youngest of his great uncles nephews, came from Greece to the United States in 1968 with his wife, his 1-year-old son, two suitcases and $200 in his pocket. This is the greatest country in the whole world, Boukas said. The very next day, upon arriving in his new country, Boukas registered for the draft. It was the Vietnam era and Boukas already served in a Green Beret contingent with his native country, an ally of the United States. Hes such a true patriot. When he came to this country he signed up the very next day, his son noted. His great uncle Gust came to this country to search for new opportunities in life, like all immigrants in the late 1800s. Angelo Boukas opened Jimmy the Greeks, next door to GB Grill, Nov. 11, 2011, which he will continue, even upon his fathers retirement. Angelos son graduated from Bellarmine University in Louisville, Kentucky, with a degree in psychology; and, went on to graduate from St. Louis University (SLU). Though he chose not to be the fourth generation operating GB Grill, he continues his education at SLU, pursuing a career in the medical field. My dad instilled in me a work ethic and honesty, to work hard, to be loyal to this country and good things will come your way, Boukas said. And, education he sent me to college. I came home for two weeks and ended up staying and I made sure my son went to college. Reach Jill Moon at 618-208-6448 and Twitter @jill_moon. A fourth member of Illinois House Speaker Mike Madigans inner circle is now the subject of allegations involving inappropriate behavior at the workplace. In each case all this year the speakers office has punished the accused, paid lip service to the victim and promised to do better. But how many more women must will themselves in front of a microphone before the speaker himself is held to account? Madigans chief of staff, Tim Mapes, resigned Wednesday from his posts as Madigans chief of staff, the clerk of the House of Representatives and the executive director of the Democratic Party of Illinois. A longtime worker for the speakers office in Springfield, Sherri Garrett, alleged Mapes has made repeated, inappropriate comments to me, and around me, both in the office and on the House floor. They should be held to the highest standard, Garrett said. Instead they behave like theyre above reproach and the speakers office is a locker room. Among other claims regarding inappropriate comments, Garrett said that when she brought to Mapes attention a young woman who had been sexually harassed by a member of the House Democratic caucus, Mapes allegedly responded, Are you reporting the situation because you are upset the representative isnt paying attention to you? Madigan claimed Mapes resigned at my direction. His former chief of staff will almost certainly collect a six-figure pension in his first year of retirement, as he has clocked decades of service in the states pension system and took home a $200,000 salary from the state in 2017, according to the comptrollers office. While Mr. Mapes resignation is an important symbolic and substantive change, however, the conditions that led to my harassment and the mistreatment of so many others have not changed, Garrett said in a press release after Mapes stepped down. Garrett is right on the money. Indeed, her allegations came the same day Madigans legal team asked a federal judge to dismiss a lawsuit brought by former campaign worker Alaina Hampton, who in February provided evidence of inappropriate and persistent text messages from state worker and Madigan political operative Kevin Quinn. Quinns brother, a Chicago alderman, shares his ward office with Madigan. Days after Madigan parted ways with Quinn, he also severed ties with Democratic Party lieutenant Shaw Decremer, citing inappropriate behavior by a volunteer toward a candidate and staff. And its not just Madigan staff members who are problematic, but one of his top allies in the General Assembly as well. Illinois House Deputy Majority Leader Lou Lang resigned from his leadership post May 31 amid sexual harassment allegations from a female medical marijuana advocate. Lang claimed the allegations were absurd. Lang also stepped down from the Legislative Ethics Commission, which recently endured criticism after it came to light that the office of the legislative inspector general responsible for investigating sexual harassment claims went unfilled for three years. Some female Democratic lawmakers stood with Lang at the press conference rebuking the allegations against him, including Sara Feigenholtz, Fran Hurley, Linda Chapa LaVia, Natalie Manley and Kathleen Willis. In contrast, state Rep. Kelly Cassidy, D-Chicago, who has been a vocal critic of the speakers handling of sexual harassment in the Statehouse, faced what she claims were intimidation tactics from Mapes regarding her part-time job in the Cook County sheriffs office. A few brave souls have come forward with their stories about the behavior under Madigans dome. But how many still feel powerless? Lawmakers passed House Bill 138 to Gov. Bruce Rauners desk June 5, the eve of Mapes resignation. The bill improves some of the shortcomings of the states severely limited legislative inspector general post, which has been filled, but the fact that a panel of lawmakers the Legislative Ethics Commission retains considerable sway over the General Assemblys watchdog remains a cause for concern. With improvements to oversight, will drips finally become a flood? Some might say they have already. Austin Berg is a writer for the Illinois Policy Institute. He wrote this column for the Illinois News Network. Austin can be reached at aberg@illinoispolicy.org. The adage that failures can teach many lessons seems quite... And this has what to do with the article? The topic of the article is did a political operative, and one of the sleaziest political operatives by multiple observations, tied to the Trump campaign, aid a foreign government in attacking United States Marines on foreign soil, as claimed by a source tied to the military, with an actual account of the event, as published in a respectable military publication? This does not require nuance, and is not a question of comparing values. I would find it equally appalling no matter what the politics of the person involved in such an allegation. I wonder what the response of the right would be if this was a political operative tied to the Clinton campaign? Photo: Feeditforward.ca There's a reason you don't often see a pay-what-you-can grocery store, say marketing experts intrigued by a Toronto venture billed as the first of its kind. But chef Jagger Gordon says it's an experiment he's eager to try with his Pay It Forward Grocery Store, which opened Saturday with many of the typical staples you might find in a conventional supermarket. The difference is that visitors are encouraged to take just what they need, and only pay what they can, even if that's no money at all. Gordon doesn't expect to make a profit from this project, which includes a bakery and cafe and is the latest endeavour from his zero-waste and food security campaign, dubbed Feed It Forward. He says the goal is to feed the hungry with food that he's "rescued" from food terminals, supermarkets and bakeries that would otherwise go to waste. "It's a simple procedure of taking those trucks that are destined for landfills and hijacking them and giving them to people in need," says Gordon, who last year helmed a pay-what-you-can restaurant that made soup and sandwiches from discarded produce that might have a bruise or blemish. "There's more of a demand for food that is needed by Canadians than people know." You'd be hard pressed to find critics of such a worthy mission. The sliding scale concept, however, is more often applied to arts events like theatre, dance or museums, notes marketing professor Claire Tsai of the University of Toronto's Rotman School of Business. And generally speaking, it's not something she expects would translate well to shopping for fruits and vegetables. "When people think about groceries, people want to save money," Tsai says. "It's not the same as going out to eat. Going out to eat is a time for us to enjoy ourselves people are more generous in buying alcohol, buying drinks. When you are in this mindset of shopping for groceries, people look for savings." The charitable aspect in this case could affect that, she allows, as would peer pressure to do your part if the neighbourhood is tight-knit. But the pay-what-you-can-model is a tricky one to get right, she says, noting it often fails to offset costs. Tsai points to the pay-what-you-can days at New York museums, which she describes as free-for-alls for many tourists. "You need a relationship with the buyer and seller. You cannot have everyone who just wants to come and get a freebie ... and at least a group of high-income people who are willing to support this cost." There will undoubtedly be some who take advantage of the system, adds marketing expert Brent McKenzie at the University of Guelph. But he suggests this venture is buffered by a uniquely altruistic spirit. Public perceptions certainly play a role, too. "They've had studies, too, like in an office setting, where people pay for coffee or snacks and things," McKenzie notes. "When it was a specific price and you had to put your money in, they actually found they made more money when they just said, 'Put in what you think you can today.'" Gordon certainly has faith in people with means to cover those who don't. He says his eight-month run with a pay-what-you-can restaurant "balanced out" in the end. There are limitations to Feed It Forward, however. He notes visitors can only take one day's worth of food for a family, or choose a bi-weekly box of pre-packaged food and recipes. And checking out involves providing your name, contact information and details on what was taken. Gordon adds that costs are relatively low since food is donated and labour is volunteered. He expects to cover overhead through fundraisers, online donations and revenue from his catering business, Jagger Gordon Catering. He says he's also in the process of registering the project as a charity, and pursuing corporate backers and sponsorships. Still, suggesting pay-what-you-can risks turning some potential benefactors off, says food industry expert Robert Carter, noting the fear of paying too much, or too little, can lead some uncertain shoppers to go elsewhere. "I could see that being a bit of a challenge," says the NPD Group executive. "It's such a different mindset for consumers." Nevertheless, he pointed to millennials as a socially conscious generation that is changing the way consumers assess value and spend money. "If you look at the younger cohort today, rather, the millennial cohort, we know that they're very much motivated by cause-based situations," says Carter. "If they know this is going to help the community, (they're more likely to say), 'Then I should be spending my money here instead of going to a corporate store." Illustration: Job P.K. On October 6, 2016, the Supreme Court pulled up the Delhi High Court over a plea filed by Barkha Gupta, a judicial officer from a lower court in the capital. She had challenged the inferior grading she was given in her Annual Confidential Reports (ACRs are used to decide on promotion and transfer); Gupta was given a C, which stood for integrity doubtful. The two-judge Supreme Court bench, comprising Justices Ranjan Gogoi and Prafulla C. Pant, said the remarks recorded in her ACRs between 1999 and 2004 were wholly unsustainable in law. Even as she was given a C grading, she was continued in service and promoted as additional district judge. The grading was given to her, as is the practice in Delhis judicial setup, by a full bench of the High Court. The Annual Confidential Reports involve a three-step mechanismthe judicial officer makes a self-assessment which is then evaluated by a reporting authority, who is a senior judge in the lower court, and, finally, an accepting authority, who is a judge of the High Court, makes the final assessment. The Union ministry of law and justice has asked research institutions to formulate a more scientific method to evaluate judicial performance. The government is for a uniform system to be put in place across the country. In June 2015, Additional District and Sessions Judge Sujata Kohli moved Delhi High Court, challenging the non-transparent criteria adopted by the High Court. Kohli, who joined the Delhi Judicial Services in 2002, standing third in the merit list, was agitated over being ignored for promotion and her juniors getting promoted as district and sessions judges. She said that the High Court had repeatedly changed the criteria for promotion and not informed judicial officers about it. In 2009, the Delhi High Court had laid down that a judicial officer must have at least one A rating in the ACR in five years to be considered for promotion. It was changed in 2010 and again in 2011 to make it five As in five years. The HC has not given due weight to seniority, which was a criterion when petitioner was appointed/selected to the cadre of district judge. Unfortunately, over the last few years, the HC has been continuously altering the criteria for promotion... which are not even communicated to the additional district judges, Kohli said in her petition. Such cases are filed in the High Courts and the Supreme Court on a regular basis. While the focus now is on the elevation of judges in the higher judiciary, the manner in which the lower judiciary is evaluated leaves a lot to be desired. The process is described as being non-transparent, open to manipulation and mismanaged. The subordinate judiciary, with a strength of more than 16,000 judges, is evaluated through ACRs, which is a three-step mechanismthe judicial officer makes a self-assessment which is then evaluated by a reporting authority, who is a senior judge in the lower court, and, finally, an accepting authority, who is a judge of the High Court, makes the final assessment. The template of ACR, which is controlled by the High Court, differs from state to state, but in general it is seen as relying too much on subjective criteria such as quality of judgments, knowledge of law, demeanour in court, relationship with the court staff and members of the bar, and reputation. Among the objective criteria are the rate of disposal of cases and punctuality. Laws, lows: The District and Session Courts, Tis Hazari, Delhi. The norms of evaluation in lower judiciary are said to lack objectivity | Sanjay Ahlawat The norms of evaluation in lower judiciary lack sufficient objectivity, said Dr Rangin Tripathy, assistant professor, National Law University, Odisha. Tripathy, who was part of an NLU team that studied the evaluation system under a project sponsored by the Union ministry of law and justice, said the inherent subjectivity of the ACR parameters points out the lack of transparent guidelines on performance evaluation of subordinate judges. There are also complaints of the bar exerting its influence on how judicial officers are assessed. It is alleged that since most of the High Court judges are drawn from the bar, they carry that baggage to the bench and have a bias against lower judiciary. ACRs are manipulated, it is alleged, to either hold back judicial officers or hasten their elevation. Retired Delhi High Court judge Justice S.N. Dhingra recalled how his elevation was delayed because his decisions as a lower court judge were not liked by the High Court. I joined as an additional district sessions judge. For five years, I got an A rating. And then, I got riot cases in my court. I took decisions that were not liked by the High Court. So, for three years I did not get any grading at all. And then, I was given a B+ grading for all three years together, he recalled. Judicial officers, it is alleged, are targeted by High Court judges through their damning observations on their judgments. In 2012, Chief Justice of India Dipak Misra had observed in the Amarpal Singh vs the state of Uttar Pradesh case that the judge may regret having made disparaging remarks when apprised of the overall meritorious performance of the judicial officer in service-related issues. Also, a few months ago, 17 judges of the Chhattisgarh subordinate judiciary, who belonged to Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes, complained of caste-based discrimination by the supervising judge. The judges, who were compulsorily retired, appealed against the decision. Another major complaint is that the present system is unorganised and mismanaged. The ACRs are recorded in a hurried manner, sometimes even after the assessment period is over. It is said that reports are accepted mechanically by High Court judges, who have packed schedules. On an average, there are two or three sessions courts under one High Court judge. This would translate into the senior judge supervising the work of around 50 judges a year. The High Court is so heavily loaded, it is not possible for the judges to inspect the trial courts, said K.K. Manan, senior advocate in the Delhi High Court. The present evaluation system has a demoralising effect on the lower judiciary, said experts. The judges lack incentive to perform better, and this, in turn, affects the efficiency of the institution, said Prashant Narang, assistant professor, Faculty of Law, Delhi University. On the other hand, according to insiders, the present system has promoted a culture of sycophancy. Subservience creeps in as enormous discretion rests with the High Court judges. The way appraisal is currently done also affects the functioning of lower court judges as they try to play safe, fearing adverse remarks from the High Court that could be noted in their ACRs. A related issue is that High Court judges do not treat lower court judges with respect. In a meeting with High Court judges, the lawyers were asked to sit whereas the subordinate judges stood. It is like a caste system, said a senior lawyer. The Supreme Court has asked the High Courts to make the process more transparent, fair and efficient. Adjudicating in the Registrar General, Patna High Court vs Gajendra Prasad Pandey and others, the Supreme Court in 2012 said, Experience has shown that it [ACR] is deficient in several ways, being not comprehensive enough to truly reflect the level of work, conduct and performance of each individual on one hand and unable to check subjectivity on the other. Judicial officers said that the delay in reform of the present system shows a general apathy towards their issues. I gave up a lucrative job opportunity to come to the bench. However, it is frustrating to see the manner in which the authority of the lower judiciary is being undermined. I could have protested, but it would not be in good taste, said a judicial officer of a Delhi court. Justice Hariharan Nair, retired judge of the Kerala High Court, said that while he did not face any problems with the process of appraisal, the system should ensure that judges like Justice C.S. Karnan do not reach high positions. Whatever be the caste or community of the person, he or she should be discouraged, he said. The judiciary is highly respected by the public. People should not be let down by behaving in the manner Justice Karnan did. The main problem, according to Harish Narasappa, lawyer and cofounder of NGO Daksh, is that the issues of the lower judiciary are dealt with in a top-down approach. The prescriptions come from the top, he said. The system should be reworked in consultation with what the lower judiciary wants. Also, redressal of grievances against the appraisal system is not easy. If the matter is brought to court, it takes years to adjudicate. Judicial officers say it is not easy for them as they are fighting against the system. The aggrieved officers do not even find good lawyers to fight their cases. There is a demand that there should be a separate mechanism, such as a tribunal of judges, to deal with such grievances in a time-bound manner. The Union ministry of law and justice has asked research institutions to formulate a more scientific method to evaluate judicial performance. According to an official in the department of justice, the government is for a uniform system to be put in place across the country. However, the High Courts have to take a decision in this regard, the official said. Vidhi Centre for Legal Policy, which was roped in by the law ministry to study the evaluation system, recommended appraisal of lower judiciary by an independent entity. It suggested that objective evaluation criteria such as timesheets, decisions and outcomes must be evolved, and collection of information must be automated and external professional managers could be engaged to coordinate the process. ACRs are meant to help identify areas for improvement of each judge and aid their development in these areas, said Sumathi Chandrashekaran, senior research fellow at Vidhi Centre for Legal Policy. Tripathy said the assessment of a judicial officers performance should not be excessively dependent on the subjective views of a superior officer. I think the solution lies in developing verifiable and measurable indicators of performance and a transparent mechanism of assessment, he said. As long as performance evaluation is dependent on perceptual and subjective parameters, it is more than likely that the system will accommodate inequitable results. The judicial officers of Delhi have taken up the issue with the High Court, demanding that the criteria be reworked. They said efficiency should be about disposal of cases, rather than the judge being punctual. They have urged that no judgment of a judicial officer that has been set aside by an appellate court be placed on the personal file of the judge, unless the order clearly smacks of corruption or is patently absurd and questions the integrity of the officer. Among the suggestions made by lower court judges is that evaluation committees should be formed, comprising retired High Court judges. The help of judicial academy, which comes under the High Court, could also be taken. But, like former chief justice of India Justice K.G. Balakrishnan said, It is for the High Courts to make the system healthier, more open, and one which shows better or equal treatment of individual officers.. William Lyon Homes (NYSE:WLH) posted its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, November, 6th. The construction company reported $0.37 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the Thomson Reuters' consensus estimate of $0.30 by $0.07. The construction company had revenue of $466.90 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $487.15 million. William Lyon Homes had a trailing twelve-month return on equity of 6.98% and a net margin of 3.04%. The business's quarterly revenue was down 12.7% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm earned $0.68 EPS. View William Lyon Homes' earnings history. Genworth Financial, Inc. is a financial services company, which engages in the provision of insurance, wealth management, investment and financial solutions. It operates through the following segments: U.S. Mortgage Insurance, Australia Mortgage Insurance, U.S. Life Insurance, and Runoff. The U.S. Mortgage Insurance segment offers mortgage insurance products predominantly insuring prime-based, individually underwritten residential mortgage loans. The Australia Mortgage Insurance segment offers flow mortgage insurance and selectively provides bulk mortgage insurance that aids in the sale of mortgages to the capital markets and helps lenders manage capital and risk. The U.S. Life Insurance segment offers long-term care insurance products as well as service traditional life insurance and fixed annuity products in the United States. The Runoff segment includes the results of non-strategic products which are no longer actively sold but continue to service its existing blocks of business. Its non-strategic products primarily include variable annuity, variable life insurance, institutional, corporate-owned life insurance and other accident and health insurance products. The company was fo Read More First Data Corporation provides commerce enabled technology and solutions for merchants, financial institutions, and card issuers in the United States, Canada, Europe, the Middle East, Africa, Latin America, and the Asia Pacific. The company operates through three segments: Global Business Solutions, Global Financial Solutions, and Network & Security Solutions. The Global Business Solutions segment provides solutions to merchants, such as retail point of sale merchant acquiring, e-commerce, and mobile payment services, as well as cloud based point of sale operating system that include a marketplace for proprietary and third party applications. The Global Finance Solutions segment provides technology solutions for bank and non-bank issuers, such as credit, retail private label, commercial card, and loan processing, as well as licensed financial software systems; suite of account services that include card personalization and embossing, customer communications, and professional services; and call center solutions and back office processing. The Network & Security Solutions segment offers EFT network, stored value network, and security and fraud solutions, as well as other value added solutions to its clients in GBS and GFS segments, smaller financial institutions, and other enterprise clients. First Data Corporation was founded in 1971 and is headquartered in Atlanta, Georgia. Read More The following companies are subsidiares of Quest Diagnostics: AmeriPath, AmeriPath Cincinnati Inc. (OH), AmeriPath Cleveland Inc. (OH), AmeriPath Consolidated Labs Inc. (FL), AmeriPath Florida LLC (DE), AmeriPath Hospital Services Florida LLC (DE), AmeriPath Inc. (DE), AmeriPath Indianapolis PC (IN), AmeriPath Kentucky Inc. (KY), AmeriPath Lubbock 5.01(A) Corporation (TX), AmeriPath New York LLC (DE), AmeriPath Texas Inc. (DE), AmeriPath Tucson Inc. (AZ), American Medical Laboratories, American Medical Laboratories Incorporated (DE), Associated Clinical Laboratories L.P. (PA), Associated Clinical Laboratories of Pennsylvania L.L.C. (PA), Athena Diagnostics, Athena Diagnostics Inc. (DE), Blueprint Genetics, Blueprint Genetics FZ-LLC (UAE), Blueprint Genetics Inc. (DE), Blueprint Genetics Oy (Finland), California Laboratory Associates, Cape Cod Healthcare - Business, Celera, ClearPoint Diagnostic, Clearpoint Diagnostic Laboratories LLC (TX), Cleveland HeartLab, Cleveland HeartLab Inc. (DE), Clinical Laboratory Partners, Colorado Pathology Consultants P.C. (CO), ConVerge Diagnostic Services, Consolidated DermPath Inc. (DE), DFW 5.01(a) Corporation (TX), DGXWMT JV LLC (DE), Dermatopathology of Wisconsin S.C. (WI), Diagnostic Laboratory of Oklahoma LLC (OK), Diagnostic Pathology Services Inc. (OK), Diagnostic Reference Services Inc. (MD), ExamOne Canada Inc. (New Brunswick), ExamOne LLC (DE), ExamOne World Wide Inc. (PA), ExamOne World Wide of NJ Inc. (NJ), Focus Diagnostics, HemoCue, Hoffman M.D. Associated Pathologists Chartered (NV), Institute for Dermatopathology Inc. (PA), Isabella Street Urban Renewal LLC (NJ), Kailash B. Sharma M.D. Inc. (GA), Kilpatrick Pathology P.A. (NC), LabOne, LabOne LLC (MO), LabOne of Ohio Inc. (DE), Laboratorio de Analisis Biomedicos S.A. (Mexico), Lancet Labs, MACL, Med Fusion LLC (TX), Med fusion, MedPlus, Mid America Clinical Laboratories LLC (IN), Nomad Massachusetts Inc. (MA), Nuclear Medicine and Pathology Associates (GA), Ocmulgee Medical Pathology Association Inc. (GA), Pathology Building Partnership (MD) (gen. ptnrshp.), PeaceHealth Laboratories, PhenoPath Laboratories, PhenoPath Laboratories PLLC (WA), Q Squared Solutions Holdings LLC (DE), Q Squared Solutions Holdings Limited (UK), Quest Diagnostics (Shanghai) Co. Ltd. (China), Quest Diagnostics Brasil Holdings Ltd. (UK), Quest Diagnostics Clinical Laboratories, Quest Diagnostics Clinical Laboratories Inc. (DE), Quest Diagnostics Domestic Holder LLC (DE), Quest Diagnostics HTAS India Private Limited (India), Quest Diagnostics Health & Wellness LLC (DE), Quest Diagnostics Holdings Incorporated (DE), Quest Diagnostics Holdings Ltd. (UK), Quest Diagnostics Incorporated (MD), Quest Diagnostics Incorporated (NV), Quest Diagnostics India Private Limited (India), Quest Diagnostics Infectious Disease Inc. (DE), Quest Diagnostics International Holdings Limited (UK), Quest Diagnostics International LLC (DE), Quest Diagnostics Investments LLC (DE), Quest Diagnostics Ireland Limited (Ireland), Quest Diagnostics LLC (CT), Quest Diagnostics LLC (IL), Quest Diagnostics LLC (MA), Quest Diagnostics Massachusetts LLC (MA), Quest Diagnostics Mexico Holding Company Trust (Mexico), Quest Diagnostics Mexico S de RL de CV (Mexico), Quest Diagnostics Nichols Institute (CA), Quest Diagnostics Nichols Institute Inc. (VA), Quest Diagnostics Receivables Inc. (DE), Quest Diagnostics Subsidiary Holdings Ltd. (UK), Quest Diagnostics TB LLC (DE), Quest Diagnostics Terracotta LLC (DE), Quest Diagnostics Venture LLC (PA), Quest Diagnostics Ventures LLC (DE), Quest Diagnostics do Brasil Ltda. (Brazil), Quest Diagnostics of Pennsylvania Inc. (DE), Quest Diagnostics of Puerto Rico Inc. (PR), Quest HealthConnect LLC (CA), ReproSource, Reprosource Fertility Diagnostics Inc. (MA), Solstas Lab Partners, Sonora Quest Laboratories LLC (AZ), Specialty Laboratories Inc. (CA), Summit Health, UMass Memorial Medical Center - Anatomic Pathology Outreach Laboratory Business, Unilab Corporation, and Unilab Corporation (DE). Wall Street analysts have given iShares MSCI Sweden ETF a "N/A" rating, but there may be better buying opportunities in the stock market. Some of MarketBeat's past winning trading ideas have resulted in 5-15% weekly gains. MarketBeat just released five new stock ideas, but iShares MSCI Sweden ETF wasn't one of them. MarketBeat thinks these five companies may be even better buys. View MarketBeat's top stock picks here. Annabelle Duffy and Brandon Sarti are Broadway bound. The pair in May won best actress and best actor in the High School Musical Theatre Awards, which featured productions from 23 Capital Region districts and was held at Proctors in Schenectady. On Monday, Duffy and Sarti head to Manhattan for nine days of attending performances and taking classes with Broadway professionals. They are among 80 high-schoolers nationwide who will be participating in the National High School Musical Theatre Awards, all invited after winning top awards in their regional competitions. The week will culminate with a performance and awards ceremony on June 25 at the Minskoff Theatre on Broadway. Laura Benanti, who won a Tony Award for her performance in the 2008 Broadway revival of "Gypsy," will host. "I've never been more excited in my life," said Duffy, who in the fall will be a senior at Albany High School. She won best actress at Proctors for her performance in the school's "Hairspray." She said, "I mean, the host is Laura Benanti, for crying out loud. She is one of my idols!" Sarti, who will miss his graduation ceremony from South Glens Falls High School while he is away, said, "I didn't know I could sing at all until fourth grade. I thought I was into sports, but I turned out not be be any good at any of them. ... I tried theater, stuck with it, worked at it, and here we are." He will attend SUNY Fredonia in the fall to study musical theater. Sarti won at Proctors for his performance as Sam Wheat, the dead boyfriend who communicates with his beloved girlfriend through a medium in "Ghost the Musical," a stage adaptation of the 1990 movie starring Patrick Swayze as Sam. Duffy said that she, too, intends to pursue musical theater in college, though she has another year of high school to decide where. She said she expects the experience in New York will further fortify her resolve to become a professional performer. Referring to a theater magazine's website, she said, "Playbill just released a slideshow of the headshots of everyone who's going to be there, and I was looking through and thinking those could be some of my friends next week." She added, "I keep using the word 'crazy' when I talk about winning (at Proctors) and then being able to go next week, but I really can't think of any other way to describe it." Sign up for The Knick Get the latest news and some area history with our afternoon newsletter. Among the activities of participants in the National High School Musical Theatre Awards -- known as the Jimmys, after revered theater owner and producer James M. Nederlander -- will be dinner at Sardi's. The restaurant is located in the heart of Manhattan's theater district and has been a fabled destination for almost a century for Broadway stars and audiences, including Nederlander, who died two years ago at age 94. Happily noting the similarity between the restaurant's name and his own, Sarti, who has not been there before, said, "In middle school I really wanted to be a CSI investigator, but I got over that because I figured out I could die or something. ... Next week, I'm going to be part of the Jimmy's and a Sarti eating at Sardi's." The Capital Region High School Musical Theatre Awards are cosponsored by Proctors and the Times Union. It launched in 2017 with judges evaluating productions from 16 districts, growing to 23 for this year. The third annual HSMTA will be held at Proctors next May. America Says GSN, 5 p.m. New Series! Hilarious character actor John Michael Higgins (Pitch Perfect's smarmy acappella commentator) hosts this new Family Feud-like competition. Two teams vie for a $15,000 prize as they each guess how Americans responded to various survey questions. Supergirl: "Battles Lost and Won" The CW, 8 p.m. Season Finale! Season 3 of Supergirl ends tonight, and in the shocking season finale, Supergirl (Melissa Benoist) and team take on Selena in an epic battle for Earth. But never fear The CW has renewed the superheroine-centric series for a fourth installment, which will likely premiere this fall. It Will Be Chaos HBO, 8 p.m. In this harrowing documentary, life in southern Italy is thrown into a tailspin when refugees arrive by the thousands and the locals are left to fend for themselves. Eritrean survivor Aregai, trapped in the faltering Italian immigration system, goes underground to reach Northern Europe. Through his journey, intercut with the road trip to Germany of a Syrian family, the clash between the newcomers and the locals escalates in real time. Running Wild With Bear Grylls: "Don Cheadle" NBC, 8 p.m. Dropped from a helicopter into unyielding terrain in the mountains of New England, Bear and actor Don Cheadle get creative to cross a raging river, rappel a massive cliff and attempt a commando-worthy climb to the top of a towering railroad bridge. The Untold Story of the '90s: Part 2 A&E, 9 p.m. The conclusion of A&E's groundbreaking two-part special begins with the advent of partisan politics and the unexpected origins of the Monica Lewinsky scandal, then explores the rise of gay rights, the fall of traditional media via the digital era and the emergence of a global terror network. Live PD Presents: Women on Patrol Lifetime, 9 p.m. New Series! This sister series to the popular, live-action A&E hit Live PD follows brave, badge-wearing women as they patrol communities across the country. 2018 MTV Movie & TV Awards MTV, 9 p.m. Comedian Tiffany Haddish hosts this annual celeb-packed tribute to the current MTV generation's favorite big- and small-screen stars. HBO's Game of Thrones is up for three of the coveted golden popcorn trophies, including Best Show, Best Performance in a Show (Maisie Williams) and Best Hero (Emilia Clarke). Their fate is uncertain, but there's one person definitely making it to the dais: Lena Waithe the Master of None writer and creator of The Chi who was the first black woman to win an Emmy for comedy writing will collect the 2018 Trailblazer Award. American Ninja Warrior: "Indianapolis City Qualifiers" NBC, 9 p.m. In Indy, competitors face two new obstacles among the six they must tackle, including the Wheel Flip and the Spin Hopper. Season 7 champ Isaac Caldiero returns to the show after a two-year hiatus, and he is joined by ninja veterans Brian Arnold, Jimmy Choi and Jesse "Flex" Labreck, as well as notable guests including IndyCar driver Scott Dixon and Olympic gold medalist Kendall Coyne. Who Do You Think You Are?: "Jean Smart" TLC, 9 p.m. Season Finale! Jean Smart was working on the film Senior Moment when she heard a visitor talking to Lisa Kudrow on the phone. "I asked the woman to tell Lisa that her show on TLC is great," says Smart, referring to Who Do You Think You Are?, the genealogy series Kudrow produces. "Instead, she handed me the phone and Lisa invited me on. I said, 'I'd love to!' and then started worrying that my family would be too boring to be included." Hardly. The Proposal ABC, 10 p.m. New Series! If The Bachelorette is too cerebral for your summer tastes, then cleanse the palate with this dating series featuring a new batch of singletons each week competing for the heart and hand in marriage of someone they've never even met. Elementary: "Sand Trap" CBS, 10 p.m. In the new episode "Sand Trap," Holmes (Jonny Lee Miller) and Watson's (Lucy Liu) search for the killer of a woman found encased in cement takes them inside the clean technology industry. Escaping Polygamy Lifetime, 10 p.m. Season Premiere! Lifetime's eye-opening docuseries follows sisters Andrea, Jessica and Shanell, who escaped the Kingston Clan, a powerful polygamous group based in Salt Lake City, and now help friends and strangers who are in various stages of leaving polygamy. X Company: "Black Flag" Ovation, 10 p.m. Tension within the team explodes when Harry (Connor Price) defies Aurora's (Evelyne Brochu) orders and sets a plan in motion to assassinate a high-ranking German general. POV: "Quest" PBS, 10 p.m. Watch an intimate film capturing eight years in the life of a black family from Philadelphia. Follow Christopher "Quest" Rainey, and his wife, Christine'a "Ma Quest," as they raise a family and nurture a community of hip-hop artists. Evidence of Innocence: "Richard Miles" TV One, 10 p.m. Nineteen-year-old Richard Miles was walking home one night in 1994 when he was suddenly surrounded by police and inexplicably accused of murder. After a swift conviction, he was sentenced to life in the Texas Department of Corrections. There, his faith was tested as he learned the harsh realities of the legal system. With the help of his father, the guidance of a prison mentor and the strength of his religious principles, Richard continued his fight for freedom on the inside. American Ninja Warrior: Ninja vs. Ninja USA Network, 11:05 p.m. Season Finale! Find out which ninja becomes the ultimate champion as the third season of this American Ninja Warrior spinoff concludes. Brought to you by the publishers of TV Guide. TV Guide 2018 Later this summer, when his peers are decorating dorm rooms and exploring campus, Ben Molloy hopes to be dangling from a rock face in Chile. Molloy, 17, will graduate with the class of 2018 at Queensbury High School on Friday He's been accepted and put down deposits at both Clarkson University and the Colorado School of Mines. He will go to one of the schools but not until fall 2019. Molloy is among an increasing number of American teenagers who will take a gap year between the end of high school and the beginning of college. The purpose of a gap year is as simple as the name: It's a pause, a breath, a gap in one's academic career, meant to be filled with exploration of another country, a volunteer opportunity, a job, one's own head. The number of gappers in America is growing but still small compared to Europe, where the practice took root decades ago. According to data gathered by the Oregon-based Gap Year Association, there have been year-over-year increases in the number of American gappers, including a 22 percent jump in 2015 compared to 2014. According to the association's surveys, 30,000 to 40,000 students take gap years. Molloy is following in the footsteps of his brother, John, who discovered scholarships available for travel through Rotary and spent a year in Italy. Molloy chose Chile for its rock climbing opportunities and will live with a host family. The trip will be paid for in part by Rotary and by Molloy's family. He is looking for an immersive experience, a thought that struck him during a family trip to Ireland. "We were walking and two men passed us, speaking Gaelic. I remember thinking the only way to truly know a place is to learn the language," he said. "There are so many places I want to travel to, and I want to have real relationships you can't get that from being a tourist." In 2016, President Barack Obama's daughter, Malia, put off Harvard University to take a gap year. It sparked interest and conversation about the practice, but Ethan Knight, executive director of the Gap Year Association, said it was merely part of the larger growth in the gap year movement. "I think there are several major reasons why gap years are starting to become more commonplace," Knight said. "Students are saying that burnout from the competitive pressures of getting into college was one of the most significant factors in taking a gap year. They're in need of a little time to explore and recharge. Students also more commonly question the lore that college is automatically a good value as the costs continue to rise, quite frankly, the running joke that most students 'take a gap year ... it's just called their freshman year" is an indication that paying full-fare tuition for at least that first year of tuition should be better spent in an experiential environment and not putting in one more year of classroom learning that just begins to feel less and less relevant to the outside world." More Information Send photos of your gap year to submit@timesunion.com: Include your name, destination and year of your gap experience. Where do they go? The most common destinations of more than 500 gap students who participated in a survey. LocationStudentsPercent United States 7514% Ecuador 5711% Israel 5711% India 418% Australia 265% Senegal 183% Thailand 163% Fiji 143% France 143% Peru 143% Nepal 122% South Africa 122% Chile 112% Germany 112% Brazil 102% Mexico 102% New Zealand 92% Nicaragua 92% Uganda 92% Costa Rica 81% Guatemala 81% Tanzania 71% Canada 61% Italy 61% China 51% Indonesia 51% Morocco 51% Spain 51% Source: American Gap Association National Alumni Survey, 2015. See More Collapse New York state does not track gappers. About three-quarters of high school graduates in 2017 said they were going to college 50 percent to a 4-year college and 28 percent to a two-year school. Seven percent said they were going straight to work, 2 percent were military-bound and 10 percent fell into the "plans unknown category." Data going back to 2012 show similar responses. The Gap Year Association says the benefits of a gap include increased maturity, greater ownership of one's education, increased self-awareness, greater global awareness, fluency in a foreign language and self-confidence. Most colleges have a deferral policy, Knight said, but some actively encourage gap years, Harvard University (where Malia Obama is now a student) and Yale among them. At Middlebury College in Vermont, dean of admissions Greg Buckles said the school doesn't endorse a specific gap year program but supports the concept. "It's a chance to step off the academic treadmill. If a student has what it takes to get accepted here, they might be wired tight and stressed," Buckles said. "A gap year can help a student gain footing in his or her life, and a year of volunteering, working or traveling gives them a chance to grow and mature." Over the last 10 years, gappers have made up 5 percent of each incoming class at Middlebury, Buckles said about 30 to 35 students. Closer to home, about a dozen students per year who have been admitted to Union College are gappers. Matt Malatesta, Union's vice president for admissions, financial aid and enrollment, said deferring students are expected to send a letter to admissions outlining their plan, and he can't remember a time in 10 years any of the reasons have been rejected. Financial aid awards are carried over until the following year unless something dramatic happens to the family's finances.ma Although the number of gappers at Union is small, Malatesta said they are showing up at Union in a better place emotionally. The gappers currently enrolled at Union have a higher GPA than the college average. World travel isn't cheap, but Knight said there are a lot of options for lower-income students to finance a gap year, including Americorps, which is hard to get into but pays its participants. An organization called Omprakash charges $750 for its program, which pairs gappers with international internships. There is also scholarship money. In 2016, various programs gave away more than $4 million in need-based aid. The Gap Year Association has a page dedicated to financial aid and resources. "We always encourage students to access their individual resources for a portion, so my gap year was seven months traveling through India, Nepal and Tibet, followed by five months working back home to resupply my savings," Knight said. "Many students are cobbling together their own gap years leveraging family relationships overseas, host families, or service-exchanges such as WWOOF, HelpX, Servas, etc." After Madeline Blaha graduated from Saratoga Springs High School last year, she got a job busing tables at a restaurant to save money for a cross-country road trip that would kick off her gap year. She was accepted at Bryn Mawr College in Pennsylvania and deferred for a year. Blaha chose a gap year because she wasn't sure what she wanted to study, and she wanted a break from school. Her parents, Laura Rappaport and Scott Blaha, were a little nervous she wouldn't go to college at all. Madeline says she never doubted she would go, but she wanted to explore first. In September, she and boyfriend, Miguel Martinez, packed up her father's 10-year-old Prius and hit the road. They drove north to Montreal, then west to Niagara Falls and Toronto before heading south, making stops along the way they planned out on the back of an envelope. They planned to camp but slept in the Prius most nights. In Texas, they stayed for a couple weeks with Martinez's family, and then visited his extended family in Mexico. Eventually, they made it to California before returning home. Rappaport said she supported her daughter's gap year. She did one, too. After two years at Yale University, Rappaport lived in Israel for six months, then backpacked through Europe before coming home to finish her degree at Yale. Sign up for The Knick Get the latest news and some area history with our afternoon newsletter. "I knew she needed to get out of her head and do something creative and not academic and see some of the world," Rappaport said. But it was still scary to watch the Prius roll out of the driveway. Rappaport said she felt a mixture of excitement and worry. Blaha promised to check in every week, and she did. After the cross-country road trip, Blaha worked at a hotel in Saratoga Springs before embarking on another adventure. In February, she went to Puerto Rico to help with cleanup following Hurricane Maria. It was there, while helping doctors who were hosting a clinic in a remote, coastal town, that Blaha found what she hopes will be her career. She wants to help people access medical care not as a provider but an advocate. She doesn't know what her major will be at Bryn Mawr, but she knows she will go for a master's in public health after undergraduate school. The final trip of Blaha's gap year was to Peru, through a program called Projects Abroad. She volunteered at an archaeological site for three weeks. Now back home in Saratoga Springs, she's looking for a summer job and ready to start college. Rappaport said her daughter seems more settled in herself. "She saw so many different things and ways the world works, and reasons for going to school rather than going to school because that's what you do," she said. Jill Martin didn't take a gap year between high school and college. Her gap was the solution to a crisis. Martin graduated from Emma Willard School in 2013 looking forward to going to college in Washington, D.C. Every adult she knew was in a science and technology field, so it seemed natural that's what she would do, too. Except, deep down, it's not what Martin wanted. She didn't have the courage to say it. But by her sophomore year, Martin had been diagnosed with depression. She withdrew from American University and came home to Niskayuna, where her brother was about to graduate from high school. Instead of going straight to college, he was taking a gap year. When Martin's parents asked if she wanted to take a gap year, too, she had a plan immediately: go back to Africa, and work with children. When she was 11, the Martin family traveled to Tanzania, where they visited an orphanage for a day. Martin was face to face with children her own age, living a very different existence than the one she knew as an upper middle class kid from an American suburb. A 3-year-old girl, whose name Jill still remembers, climbed into her arms and Martin carried her around all day. "It changed me. I went as one person and came back as another," she said. Martin signed up with Cross-Cultural Solutions, which placed her at a preschool in Tanzania where she taught 2- and 3-year-olds colors, shapes and numbers in English. Afterward, she traveled to South Africa, where she volunteered at a wildlife refuge. She came home for a few months in the fall and early winter, then returned to the refuge. She has a scar on her left arm the size and shape of a lion claw, where a frisky teenage lion sliced open her arm. Jill was unfazed; she cleaned it out with a water hose and carried on. All the volunteers some Americans and a lot of Europeans lived in a lodge. After the workday, they all hung out together, sharing stories. Martin traveled around the area, too, soaking in the culture. "In Niskayuna, never once has a guy approached me and offered to give my father 50 cows for my hand in marriage," she said. "I said, OK, let's talk about my dowry. My father doesn't have the land for 50 cows. What about an elephant? Oh, three elephants? You just negotiated yourself up!" The experience gave Martin more confidence. She came home with new purpose and enrolled at the University at Albany in 2016. She is majoring in globalization, an intersection of geography and international politics. She's applying to graduate schools and plans to get a doctorate in geography and then become a professor. "I figured myself out in Africa," Martin said. "I stopped caring what other people thought of me and I let go of the idea I have to look like I have it all figured out." lhornbeck@timesunion.com 518-454-5352 @leighhornbeck EAST GREENBUSH - A town police officer was able to rescue a crash victim just before the car went up in flames early Friday, police said. Here's how the rescue unfolded, according to a police press release: At about 12:45 a.m. a Third Avenue resident heard a crash outside his home and went outside to investigate. He saw a four-door Kia that had left Third Avenue Extension, traveled across the front lawns of several homes, crashed into a tree and started burning. The resident flagged down Officer Trevor LaGrave, who was on patrol, and showed him where the car landed. LaGrave saw that the engine compartment was on fire and grabbed his cruiser's fire extinguisher. As he approached, he encountered an injured young man lying on the ground who said he was a passenger and that the driver was stuck inside. LaGrave used the fire extinguisher, which briefly eased the flames. The driver was screaming that he couldn't get out. The driver's door was jammed. The officer was able to open the rear driver's side door and from the back seat pulled the injured man up out of the driver's seat and out the back door. Moments later, the Kia went up in flames. Sign up for The Knick Get the latest news and some area history with our afternoon newsletter. Police said both occupants of the car and LaGrave were taken to Albany Medical Center. LaGrave was treated for smoke inhalation and released. The others, who were not named, were hospitalized. The cause of the accident is under investigation; however excessive speed appears to be at least one factor, police said. No charges had yet been filed. Assisting were the Bruen Rescue Squad, Clinton Heights Fire Department and police from Rensselaer, North Greenbush and Schodack. The street was closed for much of that morning. NEW YORK In 1990, Alain Kaloyeros was a 34-year-old assistant professor of physics at the State University of Albany committed to teaching. "I love academics," he told the Times Union that December. "I don't love industry." Over the next three decades, Kaloyeros became the face of the semiconductor industry in New York state and, now, its scandal. On Monday, Kaloyeros, the founding president and former CEO of SUNY Polytechnic Institute, will stand trial with three co-defendants in U.S. District Court in Manhattan charged with secretly rigging the bids of state contracts worth hundreds of millions of dollars to be awarded to two allegedly favored companies, COR Development in Syracuse and LPCiminelli in Buffalo. Kaloyeros, 62, of Slingerlands, allegedly engaged in the bid-rigging through his control over projects funded by the Fort Schuyler Management Corp., a nonprofit development arm of SUNY Poly that receives substantial state funding. A charismatic figure Kaloyeros drove a Ferrari and was among the state's highest paid annual employees; at times he made more than $801,000 in state pay and another $507,413 from the Research Foundation of the State University of New York. Unlike many political corruption cases, which are centered on allegations that an official took payoffs, Kaloyeros is not accused of enriching himself. Rather, federal prosecutors for U.S. Attorney Geoffrey Berman contend Kaloyeros, known as "Dr. K," took part in the alleged bid-rigging for self-preservation and to maintain his status with Gov. Andrew Cuomo. Kaloyeros "understood that he was at risk of being fired and losing his highly paid position," the prosecutors said in pre-trial court filings. They said that's why in 2012, Kaloyeros sought out and hired lobbyist Todd Howe, a former aide to late Gov. Mario Cuomo and later his son when Andrew Cuomo served as the federal housing secretary. "When the administration first came in, they viewed Dr. Kaloyeros skeptically," Assistant U.S. Attorney David Zhou said at a pre-trial hearing on June 6. Kaloyeros hired Howe "to serve as kind of a link with the governor's office," the prosecutor said. Prosecutors say Howe counseled Kaloyeros that LPCiminelli and COR developers were "friends" who had contributed large amounts of money to the governor's re-election campaign. The companies had hired Howe and were paying him for his services. In December 2013, COR was awarded a contract with the Fort Schuyler Management Corp. to be the "preferred developer" for SUNY Poly projects around Syracuse, including $15 millon to build a film studio and another $90 million to build a manufacturing plant. In January 2014, LPCiminelli similarly became the "preferred developer" for SUNY Poly projects around Buffalo, which included a contract at Buffalo's Riverbend site that became worth $750 million and is now a SolarCity facility, the indictment said. It was all part of money dubbed the "Buffalo Billion" to boost economic development upstate. Depending on who's talking, it either became a major success, albeit with a black eye, or a giant boondoggle. Prosecutors allege Kaloyeros and Howe had Fort Schuyler secretly give advance copies of request-for-proposals (RFPs) to the executives in Buffalo and Syracuse so they could get information that no other companies could get. The RFPs became tailored to those companies' specifics and would have the appearance of being part of an open competition, they said. "We anticipate proving at trial that part of the motivation for rigging the bid in favor of LPCiminelli and COR Development was because those companies were clients of Todd Howe -- as well as major contributors to the governor," Zhou said. "We don't intend to put in anything other than his salary -- as part of his motivation for keeping his job," he said, "and, actually, we'll have testimony that Dr. Kaloyeros was very motivated to become a president of a SUNY university rather than just the head of a college within the University of Albany. Other than his compensation, we're not planning to introduce any evidence of wealth." Kaloyeros, COR Development executives Steve Aiello, 60, and Joseph Gerardi, 58, and LPCiminelli chairman and CEO Louis Ciminelli, 62, are being tried before Judge Valerie Caproni in a trial expected to last up to five weeks. All four defendants are charged with wire fraud and conspiracy to commit wire fraud. Gerardi is also charged with making false statements to federal officers. It is the second of two corruption trials this year before Caproni involving ex-aides to Cuomo, who has not been accused of any wrongdoing. The first trial ended in the convictions of Joseph Percoco, the governor's former top aide, Aiello on a count of conspiracy to commit honest services wire fraud and the acquittal on all charges of Gerardi. Peter Galbraith Kelly, a former executive with Competitive Power Ventures, had a mistrial but later pleaded guilty. The biggest difference between the first trial and this one is Howe, the star witness last winter, will not be called to testify. Prosecutors instead are relying evidence such as emails, a major part of the first trial, and testimony from Kevin Schuler, a former vice president at LPCiminelli who pleaded guilty in May to wire fraud and conspiracy to commit wire fraud. Sign up for The Knick Get the latest news and some area history with our afternoon newsletter. Schuler and Michael Laipple, another former LPCiminelli, were both to be tried alongside Kaloyeros, Aiello, Gerardi and Ciminelli, but Schuler cut his deal and federal prosecutors dropped all charges against Laipple. The government's decision to not call Howe carries pluses and minuses. Howe, a Troy native, worked closely with Kaloyeros and even had his own office and parking spot on the SUNY Poly campus. Howe could walk the jury through the alleged bid-rigging schemes and directly implicate each of the defendants. About the trial This is the second in a series of stories highlighting the issues surrounding next week's bid-rigging trial. See the previous story here Defendants: SUNY Polytechnic Institute founder and CEO Alain Kaloyeros of Slingerlands, COR Development president Steven Aiello and COR Development general counsel Joseph Gerardi, whose company is in Syracuse, and LPCiminelli CEO Louis Ciminelli, based in Buffalo. Charges Count 1: Conspiracy to Commit Wire Fraud From 2013 to 2015, Kaloyeros, Aiello, Gerardi and Ciminelli allegedly used electronic email and telephonic communications to conspire to defraud the Fort Schuyler Management Corp. of its right to control its assets and exposed it to economic harm when they represented to Fort Schuyler that the bidding process in awarding hundreds of millions of dollars in state contracts was fair and open and competitive when they allegedly used their official positions to rig the bids for contracts so COR Development and LPCiminelli could be awarded them. Count 2: Wire Fraud From 2013 to 2015, Kaloyeros, Aiello and Gerardi allegedly engaged in wire fraud in connection with a scheme to rig the bid for SUNY Poly projects in the Syracuse area, which included $15 million to build a film studio and $90 million to build a manufacturing plant. Count 3: Wire Fraud From 2013 to 2015, Kaloyeros and Ciminelli allegedly engaged in wire fraud in connection with a scheme to rig the bid for SUNY Poly projects in the Buffalo area, including a contract for $750 million at what is now a SolarCity facility. Count 4: False Statements to Federal Officers On June 21, 2016, Gerardi allegedly made materially false, fictitious and fraudulent statements and representations to federal officers in denying involvement in tailoring the Syracuse RFP for the benefit of his company. Venue: U.S. District Court in Manhattan Prosecution lawyers: Assistant U.S. Attorneys Robert Boone, David Zhou and Matthew Podolsky. Defense attorneys: Kaloyeros' lawyers include Michael Miller, Reid Weingarten and Michael Scavelli; Aiello is represented by Stephen Coffey, Pamela Nichols and Scott Iseman; Gerardi by Milton Williams, Avni Patel and Jacob Gardner; Ciminelli by Paul Shechtman, Jessica Masella and Tim Hoover. For daily updates and coverage by Robert Gavin, see www.timesunion.com and tweets from the Times Union and @robertgavinTU See More Collapse Howe also is a convicted felon being jailed at the Metropolitan Correctional Center -- even the judge referred to him as a "scoundrel." Howe has been at MCC since being arrested in mid-trial last time when it was revealed that, as he was negotiating his deal with the federal government, he stiffed his credit card company the $600 cost of a night stay at the Waldorf Astoria Hotel. Howe's absence from the witness list notwithstanding, Kaloyeros' attorney Michael Miller made it clear in pre-trial statements and filings that he plans to focus on the former lobbyist. Miller subpoenaed the MCC to try to obtain all information the facility had about "visits, statements, monitored telephone conversations, emails, and other communications" of Howe. "Todd Howe is a serial fraudster who was never fully honest with his clients, including Dr. Kaloyeros, about who he was doing business with and whose interests he was representing at a particular moment," Miller wrote to the judge. "In short, Dr. Kaloyeros has a right to seek and offer evidence tending to prove that Mr. Howe's version of events adopted by the Government and its witnesseswas at odds with the truth. The Subpoena is a good faith effort to gather that evidence." Prosecutors opposed the effort. Caproni did not entirely agree with the government's argument but quashed the subpoena Thursday. Stephen Coffey, the Albany-based attorney for Aiello, and Milton Williams, the lawyer for Gerardi, argued at the June 6 hearing that it was not uncommon for developers to give input on RFPs. "What they did not know and how they were duped is they did not know that Howe was doing other things unbeknownst to them that were illegal," Williams told the judge. Ciminelli is being represented by attorney Paul Shechtman. The trial is not Kaloyeros' first fight. He survived attacks in the 1970s while in Beirut, where he attended the American University. He left Lebanon in 1980 and in 1988, he received his doctorate from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. Kaloyeros chose the University at Albany because it offered a chance to teach, not just do research. "This is the only place where I spent as much time interviewing about teaching as about research," he said at the time. At the time, he said, "I love teaching." KEENE - The congressional campaign path being plotted by Democrat Katie Wilson doesn't follow the traditional party road map. But that's what the 34-year-old first-time candidate believes it will take to win an "uphill challenge" in November against two-term Republican incumbent Elise Stefanik, who first won in 2014 by more than 20 percentage points and amassed more than 65 percent of the vote in her 2016 re-election. Wilson is one of five Democrats competing in the Tuesday, June 26 primary to be the party's nominee in the 21st Congressional District, which stretches across the Adirondacks and into the northern half of Saratoga County. She is also the Working Families Party candidate. She launched her bid almost one year ago because she felt the district needed an independent representative. She was already engaged in the local Democratic committee and had taken part in liberal protests, when it became clear that her energy should be channeled into a congressional run. "I recognized that this was a really unique moment," she said. Her message to voters in the district is that she is just like them, with experience tackling the same day-to-day challenges. She isn't a career politician and she isn't wealthy. She is a single mother of two trying to make a living from a consignment shop she owns in her hometown. "I'm the person who has been in the trenches with my neighbors," she said, pointing to her experience navigating government programs like Medicare and Medicaid and dealing with student loans. It's these types of experiences, she maintains, which are more important than a lengthy resume. Her argument is that Congress is filled with candidates cut from the same mold and it hasn't been working for ordinary Americans. She said people with her background don't usually have a voice i Congress and they're shut out of the political process. "I think it's important to bring new demographics into the fold," she said. Since her campaign began, Wilson has tried to bring this message to voters on both sides of the aisle in order to create a coalition that can overcome Stefanik's party enrollment and campaign finance advantages. With less than five months until Election Day, she believes they're heading in the right direction, claiming that 20 percent of her supporters are Republican or independent voters. She also highlights their emphasis on bringing new voters to the polls, which runs counter to the traditional idea that you want to target your base, especially in a primary. "We're rolling out a strategy for a November," she said. This plan is not from the playbook that was laid out to Wilson last year when she met with national Democratic operatives about her campaign. She said they preached a formulaic effort that she didn't feel would connect with voters in her region. Sign up for The Knick Get the latest news and some area history with our afternoon newsletter. And she hasn't shied away from criticizing the party establishment, which she faults for lacking a broad vision or an appealing alternative for voters. The same blunt honesty was evident at a recent Democratic campaign forum, when she jokingly questioned the number of volunteers one candidate has, stressed that she isn't running for the "DC cocktail circuit" and urged primary voters not to pick the candidate "who is just winning a beauty pageant among Democrats." Wilson also hasn't been afraid to speak about the realities of accomplishing change in the federal government, which sometimes puts her in the unenviable position of talking about incremental progress to primary voters who are used to being told anything is possible. Wilson wants to overturn the campaign finance ruling in Citizens United with a constitutional amendment, but stresses that changing the laws governing political contributions and expenditures would be a positive interim step. She champions legislation letting anyone buy into the Medicare system because it can be done quickly while a larger fight over "Medicare for All" is waged. "I'm so sick of the campaign platitudes ... and the candidates who just say the things that make the heads nod and people cheer," she said. When asked about addressing gun violence at a candidate forum, she didn't point to a single answer as an easy solution, instead noting that mass shootings haven't been prevented by assault weapons ban and called for a comprehensive approach to the problem. "There is no silver bullet answer for this issue," she said. David.Lombardo@timesunion.com - 518.454.5427 - @Poozer87 A Niskayuna man is facing multiple felonies after he allegedly ran up more than $29,000 charges using a womans identity. Asif Ismail, 32, was charged with identity theft and grand larceny, State Police said. A Brunswick woman told State Police that several accounts had been opened in her name without her consent. Two congressional hopefuls from Woodstock, David Clegg and Jeff Beals, may not be able to invoke their five-generation family roots in the 19th Congressional District like some of the other candidates, but in a crowded field of Democrats, they stand out as the most firmly planted in the district. Clegg and Beals are both seeking the Democratic nomination to take on Rep. John Faso in highly competitive, politically divided region. There are seven Democrats in the June 26 primary, but while others have moved back home from New York City and Washington, D.C., Clegg and Beals settled in Ulster County towns years ago to raise their families and are deeply invested in their communities. Beals and Clegg both have intriguing resumes that reveal a passion for public service. Clegg is a trial attorney and ordained deacon, who has worked as an Ulster County public defender. Beals is a former intelligence officer and U.S. diplomat who now teaches history at a Woodstock high school. Both candidates vow to fight for Medicare for All and to stand up to special interests. In fundraising, they lag significantly behind the three perceived front runners in the race, attorney Antonio Delgado, corporate executive Brian Flynn, and tech entrepreneur Pat Ryan, but their idealism and proven commitment to the district are likely to win over many voters. During debates, Beals and Clegg are often grouped together and appear to share a rapport, but while one has devoted a large portion of his life to ending the world's conflicts, the other has pursued a similarly ambitious goal of ending poverty and injustice here in the United States. Beals has made waves as the Democrat in the race most aligned politically with U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders, vowing to take on big corporations and fight for the "99 percent." He has scooped up endorsements from actress and outspoken Sanders supporter Susan Sarandon, Justice Democrats, and various factions of the People for Bernie. But while Sanders, during his 2016 bid for president, was criticized for having a thin foreign policy platform, Beals' resume reveals an obsessive interest in foreign affairs. As a former U.S. diplomat, Beals served in Middle East under both Democratic and Republican administrations, pushing for peace in the West Bank and Gaza Strip. He served Iraq in 2004 and was decorated for his service by the U.S. Army and the State Department. He says he helped unite warring factions and negotiate a constitution for Iraq's fledgling democracy. Beals often references his four holocaust survivor grandparents, who came to the U.S. as refugees, when talking about his immigration platform and his inspiration for running. "To me this country was the savior of my family and all I wanted to do was be part of serving the American dream because my family lived it," Beals said. In 2011, he and his wife decided to settle in Hudson Valley region to raise their two boys, now 3 and 5. He also says he grew disillusioned with militaristic direction the country was moving in. Now, as a high school teacher, he said he imbues in his students a sense of social justice and civic responsibility. It was his students, he said, who inspired him to run for office. "I didn't expect the class to take the turn it took, but I ended up taking he class to the Women's March," Beals said. It occurred to him, when asking the kids what are they going to do fix the political system, that he should be asking himself the same question. Sign up for The Knick Get the latest news and some area history with our afternoon newsletter. Clegg's contribution to 19th Congressional District is wide-ranging. While working as a county public defender in Ulster County for nine years, during the 1980s and 1990s, he fought to rehabilitate non-violent offenders and pushed for treatment over jail time for people suffering from addictions. He currently serves as chairperson of the Ulster County Human Rights Commission, as well as on a legislative task force to draft a comprehensive Human Rights Law for Ulster County at the request of the Ulster County Legislature. He served two terms on the Ulster County health board. Clegg is a 1974 graduate of SUNY New Paltz and a 1977 graduate of the University of Buffalo Law School. He became an ordained deacon in 2011, through the United Methodist Church after obtaining a master's degree from Yale Divinity School, a position he uses for his social justice work. He believes his "love thy neighbor" ethos is one that can appeal to voters throughout the district, regardless of politics. "There are so many people of faith throughout this community who are independent, and Republican who can hear a voice that comes from that place. I want to get back to seeing each other as neighbors, instead of the hate and fear mongering that's going on," Clegg said. More Information This is another story in a series of profiles on candidates in the congressional primary to be held Tuesday, June 26. See More Collapse While he has been successful in his life, growing up poor, he said, has given him an ability to relate to people from all walks of life, he said. "My father only had a sixth-grade education. My sister had Down syndrome," Clegg said. "We were lucky with the G.I. benefits to get a house, but we almost lost it many times. His interest in civil rights dates dates to the 1970s, when in law school and he clerked for National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) civil defense fund to challenge the death penalty which was disproportionately being applied to black people. Later, as a young trial lawyer, he worked as a VISTA volunteer, representing Native Americans in Nebraska and South Dakota. SARATOGA SPRINGS The trees will come down, but their stumps will remain. That's the latest plan from developer John Witt who is proposing a 31-home Cedar Bluff subdivision on a ridge above Saratoga Lake. With the trees from the forest down, luxury homeowners will have a sweeping view of the water. At the same time, Witt's attorney Libby Coreno, told the town Planning Board in March, that stumps will stay "along the ridgeline in order to preserve soil integrity." Neighbor Tom Yannios called the plan to stabilize the soil "ridiculous." And scientists agree. Gary Lovett, a forest ecologist with the Cary Institute of Ecosystem Studies in Millbrook, said that leaving the stumps will not hold up the ridgeline. It will only delay its destruction. "It's is better than pulling them, but it won't stave off damage to the soil," Lovett said. "Removing the trees damages the soil." Lauren Axford, the executive director of the Pine Hollow Arboretum in Slingerlands who holds a degree in agri-environmental science, said that the stumps can only hold the soil in place for a short period of time. "The root network will die and decompose," Axford said. "It won't provide the same type of stabilization as a living tree." Coreno did not mention to the Planning Board what guarantees will be put in place to ensure the homeowners do not remove the stumps, nor did the minutes reflect the Planning Board's reaction to the proposal. Planning Board Chairman Ian Murray did not return Times Union numerous phone calls for comment this matter. Neither did Coreno nor Witt. Please allow ads as they help fund our trusted local news content. Kindly add us to your ad blocker whitelist. If you want further access to Ireland's best local journalism, consider subscribing to our ePaper and/or free daily Newsletter . Support our mission and join our community now. It saddens me to write what I am about to, but its a harsh reality that we must face and fight, or, if we are the unpatriotic cowards many believe we are, then we might consider joining millions of others across the world who abandon all hope in their native lands and become refugees, moving like nomads anywhere the wind and fellow refugees take them. The worst and rude security staffs I have ever come across in Schiphol Airport. Have traveled to many places with carry on luggage and well understand that one is not allow to carry liquid more than 1L plus you need to put it in one plaster bag. I really didnt hear the security staff asked if I have liquid in my carry on. After gone through the X-ray, 2 of the security staffs almost shouted at me and asked why I said no liquid inside my bag even I have explained to them I really didnt hear and Im fine to go through the X-ray again if needed. They just simply ignore me and asked me to open my bag. When they see the plastic bag the lady shouted again : see its liquid and then they let me go. I dont know whats wrong really and if its a MUST in Netherlands to put the plaster bags with liquids on your bag please put a clear sign to let the travelers know. Wont visit Netherlands again and definitely wont recommend friends to visit. Ruined my holiday by the security staffs. Hiya thanks for the response! Sounds like a good plan! Seems like its pretty expensive ($350aud) to get flights(to get flights that don't have crazy stop overs) from Sydney to Alice Springs? Do you think its worth it for 4 days? Also worth regards is it worth booking with like a tour group to do say the great ocean road or the blue mountains? I'm very much in the camp about trying to see the sights when i'm away, so very much a tourist, like the stuff that would be real hard to be able to see anywhere else. I haven't done a sunny beachy country in a good few years so that stuff could be fun too, normally I do quite intense trips to fit everything in but I hope I could come back to do the road trip around side of the country again so I'm less in a rush to do 'everything' and find a little time to relax, but I don't want to be sitting around too much. (hope that makes sense) I'm not that interested in the Shopping or anything like that, just more like experiences. Thanks again for your help and the flights link too! Well there is no such thing as Scottish currency, we use GBP, aka pounds sterling in Scotland. Scottish bank notes are promissory notes issued by 3 Scottish banks which are widely accepted in the U.K. as though they were legal tender but actually they arent. Only Bank of England notes issued by our Central Bank are legal tender. Some nearby countries where they have a lot of Scottish tourists accept them but most places wont. If you can avoid trying to change them in Australia, that would be best. If youre an Australian who has ended up with them and neither you nor family or friends are planning a trip to the U.K., then I suggest you start with your own bank. They may accept them on a collection basis. I think its unlikely that any currency exchange in Perth will accept them. They will likely never have seen them before. Which is a better base over the New Year's period? Which is a better base over the New Year's period? Hi everyone! We're going to be travelling to Japan over the New Year period. I understand that travelling from about 28 Dec - 4 Jan is difficult for visitors who aren't able to pre-book their train reservations. The general advice seems to be to pick a base for that time period and stay put. If that's the case, which city do you think would be a good option? I have a couple of alternative itineraries in mind, but I'd like to pick my New Year base first and build my itinerary around it. My thoughts at the moment include: 1)Tokyo - although we've visited before, there will probably lots of things still open for tourists, with interesting day trips possible to Kamakura, Nikko, Hakone (I assume these day trips would still be ok at that time of year?) 2)Osaka - same as for Tokyo, except perhaps less scope for day trips as we've explored quite a lot of the surrounding area already 3) Fukuoka - never been, so everything would be new. Is there enough in the local area + day trips for a 6-day stay? Can day trips to Nagasaki or Kagoshima be considered during the period given we wouldn't be able to pre-book trains far ahead? Your opinion and any alternative suggestions would be very much appreciated. Help appreciated. Need a base near Hakone-machi or Lake Ashi for 2 nights, hoping for a ryoken with private onsen with a view experience (doesn't have to be in the room). But somewhere easy to get to from Tokyo airport on the day we fly in. We arrive in Tokyo mid Oct - 5am. My husband is thinking we might get out of Tokyo all together and go to Hakone-machi or Lake Ashi for our first 2 nights. (prefer being out of the cities). We'd like to do the lake tour and ropeway. Of course, his heart's desire is to see Mt Fuji if it is obliging. This is where we would like to have an onsen experience, if possible in the place we are staying. Don't mind splurging a bit for these 2 nights. He's pretty good with the train options, but main concerns: - Is is easier/more accessible to stay in Hakone-machi? Will local transport to Lake Ashi be tricky? I know trip times aren't that great, but we'll be tired and I don't want to take all day to get there! He was also wondering about Gora. - I'll admit it! His dream would be to stay on edge of a lake, overlooking Mt Fuji in a private onsen. It's not a bad fantasy :) Is that feasible in this are or do we need to go to the areas further in? Or will we need to mortgage the house? - any recommended ryokan with private onsen? (doesn't have to be in room, but outside or with views would be lovely). - I probably need western bed option for bad back Putting together an itinerary at short notice, and confused with information overload on the net. It's always been most helpful to just ASK the people who've done it before. Thanks - and you'll probably be getting more questions for the next leg! It's not quick getting to either the mountains or Kiso valley area for Tokyo or Kyoto so yes you may end up a bit rushed. We moved around quite a bit (without our main luggage - make sure you forward that on from Tokyo or Kyoto if you are village hoping) as we found we didn't need a lot of time at any of the wee village destinations. We had most of one day in the Okuhida area (an early bus from Matsumoto to the area, then stayed the night in Hirayu Onsen), then on the second day we went to Kamikochi for the day. It wasn't busy while we were there so felt relaxed. We had 1.5 days in Takayama, arrived late afternoon in Shirakawa and left the next morning, so a half day there in total. 3 full days in Kanazawa itself. it took us a half day to get to Kiso valley - we arrived Magome about 11.30am, had lunch there but not time to look at museums or anything. about 3 hours walking to Tsumago, arriving about 3.30pm. We left 10am the next day, though could have amused ourselves there easily until lunchtime, so at least a half day in Tsumago if you want to look around shops, museums etc. So you could easily fill 2 days in Kiso Valley, getting there, looking around, walking and getting away. We liked Kanazawa but it isn't dramatically different than Kyoto. The small villlages are a very different experience. It's totally doable to do both Okuhida and Kiso Valley, but you need to be prepared for a few hours travelling to and from each place i think. You could always do both with a stop in Matsumoto (half day is enough for Matsumoto, coming from Tokyo). So Tokyo to Matsumoto on day 1, stay Matsumoto, day 2 early bus to Okuhida area, spend a couple of days and 2 nights in that area, day 4 make your back to Tokyo (or on to Kyoto?). Or otherwise go Takayama on your way to or from Kyoto, base yourself in Takayama and do day trips to Shirakaw-go and Okuhida, both of which are readily accessible and you could include an overnight easily enough. It'll take you a half day to get to and from Takayama to either Kyoto or Kyoto, so day 1 to Takayama in the morning and the afternoon exploring. stay Takayama, day 2 go to Okuhida area, stay overnight at ryokan then day 3 stay in the area but go back to Takayama in the evening. Day 4 -you could fit in a trip to Shirakawa-go in the morning then back to Takayama and on to Tokyo/Kyoto in the evening, but it might be a bit of a rush. Better probably to spend the morning in Takayama (maybe the folk village) then head onwards. So many options! At Hirayu we stayed at Hirayu no Mori, which i wouldn't recommend for a mountain ryokan experience - it's more of an onsen resort. We did stop at Yarimikan for a soak in the Okuhida area which is more of what you are looking for. I'd recommend both Magoemon in Shirakawa and Fujioto in Tsumago for a traditional accommodation experience that won't completely blow the budget. If it's of any interest to you, PM me your email address and i can link you to our holiday photobook which i've just finished. I'm looking for suggestions for bars/clubs/jazz places for us We're married, early 30s, like to drink, like a little dance, like to chill, like most music types (not so much heavy metal, headbanging etc) - think the sardine rammed, sweaty grinding days are past us now But we're staying in Midtown, and every club or bar recommendation I am looking at is either too young/sweaty vibe or it's too far out for us - a lot of the places I like the look of have been in Brooklyn, but I don't fancy that trek home one night It doesn't have to be in Midtown, just not too much of a stretch to get home, especially if it's a late one, if that makes sense, and we're a tad worse for wear We'll be there 4th-11th December, so any suggestion would be greatly appreciated! Thank you! Happy Travels! :0) - Murkomen said Uhuru's directive will expose some politicians who have been living a lie - He said the audit will see some "rich" leaders "lose" their priced properties such as helicopters - The senator pleaded with the president to allow politicians to continue 'deceiving' Kenyans Elgeyo Marakwet Senator Kipchumba Murkomen is a troubled soul if his reaction about President Uhuru Kenyatta's directive to conduct a lifestyle audit on top politicians is anything to go by. The Head of State offered himself to be the first leader to undergo the audit saying leaders would have to undertake the compulsory process as a way of accounting for their sources of income as the fight against graft intensifies. Send 'NEWS' to 40227 to receive all the important breaking news as it happens Taking to his Twitter account on Friday, June 15, the outspoken senator expressed his apprehension with the president's directive saying it would expose the real picture of politicians who have always beguiled Kenyan voters with their perceived 'rich' status. READ ALSO: Mpenzi wa rubani aliyeaga kwenye ajali ya ndege aomboleza Elgeyo Marakwet Senator Kipchumba Murkomen said the audit will expose politicians who have been living a ie. Photo: Kipchumba Murkomen/ Facebook "I have only one problem with lifestyle audit. It will expose some of us who are enjoying perceived status of rich men,"read Murkomen's post. The senator further disclosed the move will undoubtedly see leaders "lose" some of their priced investments leaving them broke much to the chagrin of electorate in the country. He pleaded with Uhuru to allow politicians to continue with their 'deception'. READ ALSO: Nairobi church where gays and homosexuals are highly welcome "We will lose our helicopters,high rise buildings, NYS tenders etc.There is nothing a Kenyan voter hates than a poor politician," "Just let us fake it till we get it," he said in jest. Murkomen's remarks evoked mixed reactions with a section of netizens applauding Uhuru for the command saying it would help Kenyans to finally unmask rogue leaders. Speaking in Mombasa on Thursday, June 14, Uhuru said all public servants would be asked to explain the source of their wealth and all those found to have plundered public coffers be put to task. You must be able to explain how you got your car, your house and land in comparison to what you earn, he said. The latest move comes in the wake of runaway graft scandals that have marred the country particularly in the National Youth Service (NYS) since May 2018. Do you have a hot story or scandal you would like us to publish, please reach us through news@tuko.co.ke or WhatsApp: 0732482690 and Telegram: Tuko news. NYS Scam probe | Tuko TV: Source: Tuko Breaking News Latest -Kapseret MP Oscar Sudi said move will ensure no illegally acquired property is concealed within family circles - He said political dynasties should be entirely subjected to the lifestyle audit - Sudi said he is ready to have his parents undergo lifestyle audit - The legislator challenged the president to have his family members audited - Sudi said he can account for his wealth since he began working as a tout Kapseret MP Oscar Sudi supported President Uhuru Kenyatta's call to have all public officials undergo a lifestyle audit as a measure of fighting corruption. The MP went further and asked the president to direct all members from politicians' families to be subjected to the dreaded audit to ensure all corruptly acquired property his laid bare and returned to the public. Send 'NEWS' to 40227 to receive all the important breaking news as it happens Speaking to the press in Kesses Uasin Gishu in an interview monitored by TUKO.co.ke on Saturday June, 16, a wealthy Sudi well remembered for building a KSh 100 millon mansion in his Kapseret home said he was ready to prove he acquired his property genuinely. READ ALSO: Kipchumba Murkomen expresses fears over lifestyle audit ordered by Uhuru Kapseret MP Oscar Sudi has called for the lifestyle audit jto be extended to family members of politicians. Photo: Oscar Sudi/Facebook. The legislator was however critical that it will not be enough for only politicians to be audited without subjecting their relatives to the vetting process. "The audit on politicians should involve their relatives because we know some who acquired their wealth by stealing from the government have rushed to register the properties under names of their relatives. Auditing the entire family will help secure corruptly acquired resources hidden within family circles," he said. The MP observed that politicians from political dynasties should allow the audit to be backdated to their parents' days to prove they are not beneficiaries of fraudulently acquired wealth, challenging the president to set precedent. READ ALSO: Uhuru, Ruto to undergo lifestyle audit as war on corruption intensifies "I support the lifestyle audit call and I am happy the president has offered to go first. I urge him to let the audit cover not only him but be extended back to his family tree to the era of his fore bearer Mzee Jomo so that other leaders follow suit," he said. Kapseret MP Oscar Sudi has asked for the lifestyle audit to cover family members of politicians. Photo: Oscar Sudi/Facebook. Sudi a strong Jubilee lieutenant said he was ready to have himself and his parents taken through the audit process to clear the air on how he ascended from poverty to an affluent status. READ ALSO: Alfred Mutua commends Uhuru for taking up lifestyle audit as tool to curb corruption "I am ready to explain through credible documents how I ascended economically from being a matatu tout to the MP that I am now. I will be glad if the audit covers my father from the days he was a cook at Moi University and how he raised us in support of the war against corruption. Everyone must show how they acquired what they own," added Sudi. He said there was no need for anyone to fear the lifestyle audit if they honestly acquired what they own and live according to their means. Do you have a hot story or scandal you would like us to publish, please reach us through news@tuko.co.ke or WhatsApp: 0732482690 and Telegram: Tuko news. NYS Scam probe | Tuko TV: Source: Tuko.co.ke - Huddah Monroe said she likes the idea of getting married and having kids with a Tanzanian man - The socialite said Tanzania is near she wouldn't need to put a lot of effort in travelling - She also revealed that countless men have proposed for marriage but she turned them down Kenyan socialite Huddah Monroe has claimed that she is on a race to find herself a Tanzanian lover, and possibly a husband who she will sire kids with. Huddah also revealed her plans to settle down in future with a man who will see more on her than just her celebrity status and lifestyle. Send 'NEWS' to 40227 to receive all the important breaking news as it happens Speaking in an interview with Times FM's presenter Lil Ommy, the socialite confirmed that she has received countless marriage proposals from men but none interested her. READ ALSO: Akothee torments fans yet again, promises to wear more raunchy clothes on next international show READ ALSO: Diamond melts fans' hearts as he reveals plan to take children with Zari to USA According to the hot Kenyan girl, most men who wanted and still want her didn't really love her but just wanted to prove that they could score such a hot babe. Answering to questions on whether she will settle down soon, the King Huddah affirmatively said yes, adding that marriage is every girl's dream. READ ALSO: Kenyan man makes himself custom-made Bugatti and its the best thing you will see ''Yes, definitely, that's something I always think about because at the end of the day I feel like after the life am living right now I will get to that point when I will want to settle down, married with kids and it will be an amazing thing,'' She said. Huddah went ahead to reveal how much she would want to have a baby with A Tanzanian man, citing less hassles in travelling since it is just neighbouring. READ ALSO: Hamisa Mobetto sets record straight about rumored pregnancy ''I dont mind getting a Tanzanian baby, because its just here. All I will need to do is just cross the border. There is no need of going far. I mean I want a collabo, betweent Kenya and Tanzania it will be great,'' she said. Huddah was in Tanzania to attend Wasafi and Harmonize's event dubbed Kusi Night. It should be noted that Huddah has a massive following in Tanzania and her reception was one of its kind with the media giving her all the attention. Do you have a hot story or scandal you would like us to publish, please reach us through news@tuko.co.ke or WhatsApp: 0732482690 and Telegram: Tuko news. Ringtone Disses Diamond Platinumz, Maintains His Love for Zari Hassan | Tuko TV Source: Tuko Kenya - Lucy Gichuhi was accused of using about KSh 216, 327 (USD 2139) on plane tickets for her family - Gichuhi celebrated her 50th birthday in Adelaide when he billed taxpayers - She has accepted to refund the amount explaining it was an administrative error - The senator said she had already raised an invoice to settle the amount Barely six months into office, Kenyan-born Australian politician Senator Lucy Gichuhi is fighting off claims of misuse of public funds. Gichuhi who represents South Australia won the February election on the Liberal Party. Send 'NEWS' to 40227 to receive all the important breaking news as it happens According to reports by the Daily Telegraph on Sunday, June 17, Gichuhi used part of taxpayers' money amounting to about KSh 216, 327 (USD 2139) on plane tickets for her two family members to Adelaide for her 50th birthday celebrations. READ ALSO: Huyu ndiye afisa wa polisi mrembo zaidi Afrika? According to reports by the Daily Telegraph, Gichuhi used part of taxpayers' money on plane tickets for her family to Adelaide for her 50th birthday celebrations. Photo: Lucy Gichuhi/Facebook. READ ALSO: Uhurus appeal to first Kenyan to be elected Australian Senator But on a quick rejoinder, the 50-year-old leader said the expenditure was brought about by administrative error and she has since offered to repay in full. This was an administrative error involving misunderstanding of travel rules. Ihave raised an invoice from the department to pay the costs of $2139 in full, tweeted the senator on Sunday, June 17. The family reunion travel entitlement is provided to allow senators and members to balance their work and family responsibilities, and to reconcile the need for them to be away from home for long periods with their family obligations, reads Australian parliamentary travel rules. READ ALSO: After Obama, Kenyan born woman elected Senator in Australia The entitlement however is not intended to provide a general travel entitlement for a senator or members spouse or nominee, dependent children or designated persons. Away from the travel expenses scandal, speculations Gichuhi remained a dual citizen even after venturing into politics resurfaced recently with reports indicating she may not have renounced Kenyan citizenship. In 2015, Bronwyn Bishop, the longest serving female member of the Liberal Party was forced to resign after being caught up in a travel expenses scandal. Do you have a hot story or scandal you would like us to publish, please reach us through news@tuko.co.ke or WhatsApp: 0732482690 and Telegram: Tuko news. Peter Pepe Interview: From a Conductor to 13.5 Million Business Owner - On Tuko TV Source: Tuko.co.ke - The ODM leader said task force he formed with Uhuru post hand-shake will advise on proposed referendum - He said if the 14-member team say constitutional amendment is the way to go, then no body will stop it - Raila had proposed for constitutional amendment that could also change the country's governance structure - DP Ruto and several leaders in the Jubilee camp opposed the proposed amendment Orange Democratic Movement (ODM) party leader Raila Odinga has once again taken a swipe at Deputy President William Ruto over the proposed constitutional amendment that could see Kenyans go to another referendum. Constitutional review was one of the issues the former prime minister raised in his peace agreement with President Uhuru Kenyatta on March 9, 2018, at Harambee House. Send 'NEWS' to 40227 to receive all the important breaking news as it happens READ ALSO: Huyu ndiye afisa wa polisi mrembo zaidi Afrika? Deputy President William Ruto (left) rejected proposal by Raila (L) to amend the Constitution. Photo:William Somoei Ruto/Facebook. READ ALSO: Constitutional amendment will take place whether you like it or not - Raila's camp tells Ruto Addressing members of the Muslim community during the Eid festivities in Mombasa on Sunday, June 17, the former prime minister said the 14-member task-force he had named with Uhuru to lead implementation of their peace pact will also look into the referendum issue and advise on way forward. "We formed a committee to deliberate on the issues among them the referendum. If the committee recommends for a referendum, then we shall support it. Who are you to tell Kenyans there will be no referendum? Raila posed. The opposition chief urged the Muslim faithfuls to rally behind his build-bridges initiative with Uhuru for the sake of peace and unity in the country. READ ALSO: Raila meets Uhuru, agree to end dissent Opposition leader Raila Odinga (right) and Governor Ali Hassan Joho during Eid Baraza in Mombasa on Sunday, June 17. Photo: KCB/Twitter. Raila had earlier proposed for major constitutional amendment including a three-tier system of governance, which TUKO.co.ke understands would require a referendum. Deputy President William Ruto however sharply differed with Raila over the proposal to change Kenya's governance structure. READ ALSO: William Ruto angered by calls for fresh referendum to create new positions in government Ruto said there was absolutely no need for a new system because, in his view, the current one had not failed. The DP urged the former prime minister to be satisfied with the 2010 Constitution and abandon his fresh quest for constitutional change. "Use the current Constitution to bolster Devolution. There is no need for introduction of 14 administrative units," he said during the 5th Devolution Conference in Kakamega County on April 26, 2018. Do you have a hot story or scandal you would like us to publish, please reach us through news@tuko.co.ke or WhatsApp: 0732482690 and Telegram: Tuko news. Islamic Holy Month of Ramadan Begins - On Tuko TV Source: Tuko - The politicians said Raila was insincere in his push for national unity - They claimed Raila is looking for the perfect opportunity to sink the Jubilee boat - The former premier has cautioned politicians against engaging in premature 2022 politics A section of Jubilee politicians from Mt Kemya have turned the heat on ODM party leader Raila Odinga over his push in unifying the nation. The leaders who accompanied Deputy President William Ruto to a church service at Thika PCEA on Sunday, June 17, said the opposition chief is hell-bent on creating division in the ruling party and by extension Kenya. Send 'NEWS' to 40227 to receive all the important breaking news as it happens Led by Kikuyu MP Kimani Ichung'wa and Kiambu Governor Ferdinand Waititu, they said it is none of Raila's business to question why Ruto is hopping from one place to another. READ ALSO: Huyu ndiye afisa wa polisi mrembo zaidi Afrika? Jubilee politicians said it is none of Raila's business to question why Ruto is hopping from one place to another. Photo: William Samoei Ruto/Facebook. READ ALSO: End of rivalry? DP Ruto in rare meeting with ex-Kiambu governor Kabogo By incessantly seen to be fighting Ruto, Ichung'wah claimed Raila is looking for the perfect opportunity to sink the Jubilee boat the same way he 'killed' National Super Alliance (NASA). "There is no opportunity to come and divide Jubilee the way he divided NASA. The only person who should have a problem with where you are going is Rachel Ruto. The deputy president is not Raila's wife." said Kikuyu lawmaker. READ ALSO: Ruto afflicted with malady of idleness ODM MP On his part, Governor Waititu assured the deputy president the region will return favours when the right the right time comes in 2022 politics. Other key figures present at the Sunday mass service were Taita Taveta Governor Granton Samboja, Kiharu MP Ndindi Nyoro, former Tigania East legislator Mpuri Aburi and Kiambu Woman Representative Muthoni Wamuchomba. On Saturday, June 16, while speaking at a function in Siaya county, the former premier cautioned politicians against engaging in premature 2022 succession politics. He challenged politicians from both political divide to direct their energy in nation building rather than policking day in day out. Do you have a hot story or scandal you would like us to publish, please reach us through news@tuko.co.ke or WhatsApp: 0732482690 and Telegram: Tuko news. Peter Pepe Interview: From a Conductor to 13.5 Million Business Owner - On Tuko TV Source: Tuko.co.ke Nauert said OSCE SMM risk their lives to protect civilians. Spokesperson for the U.S. Department of State Heather Nauert has said Russia should stop its deplorable behavior, commenting on warning shots on the part of Donbas militants toward the OSCE SMM patrol. Read alsoDonbas update: Ukraine reports 2 WIA's amid 27 enemy attacks "I'm seeing reports Russia-subordinated personnel fired a weapon to intimidate unarmed OSCE_SMM monitors in eastern Ukraine. OSCE_SMM risk their lives to protect civilians. Russia should stop this deplorable behavior before more SMM personnel are killed & get out of Ukraine," Nauert wrote on Twitter. As UNIAN reported earlier, the OSCE Special Monitoring Mission to Ukraine in its daily spot report on Friday said its patrol was harassed by warning shots on the part of Donbas militants. The organizers expect about 5,000 people to attend the June 16 March of Equality. Gay-rights activists are gathering in the center of Ukraine's capital, Kyiv, for a pride rally, amid stepped-up security. Read alsoEquality without bragging: Kyiv hosts another LGBT Pride The organizers expect about 5,000 people to attend the June 16 March of Equality, which was due to start near Taras Shevchenko Park and last for about one hour, RFE/RL reports. Roads were closed to cars in the city center, where some 5,000 police and soldiers from the National Guard have been deployed to protect the marchers. The organizers, who have been receiving threats from far-right groups ahead of the march, advised the participants not to hold posters, banners, or symbols of the LGBTI (lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and intersex) community until they are at the event area. There have been no casualties among Ukrainian troops for the current day. Russia's hybrid military forces mounted 13 attacks on Ukrainian army positions in Donbas on Saturday, using weapons banned by the Minsk accords in two instances. The situation in the area of the Joint Forces Operation remained controlled, the press center of Ukraine's Joint Forces Operation (JFO) said in an update on Facebook as of 18:00 Kyiv time on June 16, 2018. Read alsoRussian-led militants shell residential buildings in Novotoshkivske, use 80mm mortars (Photo) Using mortars and cannons of infantry fighting vehicles, the militants tried to improve their tactical position near the town of Zolote in the Luhansk sector. However, the JFO units opened return fire suppressing the occupiers' attempts to move towards their positions. The militants also targeted the area on the outskirts of Avdiyivka and Zaitseve in the Donetsk sector, the report said. In the Mariupol direction, the invaders fired grenade launchers and small arms at the villages of Vodiane and Shyrokyne. The Ukrainian units fired back if needed to deter the enemy's firing activity, but without violating the Minsk accords. There have been no casualties among Ukrainian troops for the current day. The enemy's losses are being clarified. As UNIAN reported earlier, Russian-backed militants violated the ceasefire 36 times in the past day, using heavy weapons in nine instances. According to an intelligence report, one occupier has been killed for the past day. Russia's hybrid military forces mounted 27 attacks on Ukrainian army positions in Donbas in the past 24 hours, with two Ukrainian soldiers reported as wounded in action (WIA). "The situation remains tense in the Mariupol sector, where fighting continues near the villages of Talakivka, Vodiane, Lebedynske and Shyrokyne," the press center of Ukraine's Joint Forces Operation (JFO) said in an update on Facebook as of 07:00 Kyiv time on June 17, 2018. Read alsoJFO: Russia-led forces violate ceasefire in Donbas 13 times June 16 "Under the cover of fire from mortars and grenade launchers, the enemy tried to seize our advanced positions. An adequate response from the JFO units prevented the enemy from advancing, not a single piece of Ukrainian land was lost," the report says. In the Luhansk sector, there is a partial escalation of the situation near the village of Novotoshkivske and the town of Zolote, as well as near village of Troyitske, which is in the direction of the town of Debaltseve. In the Horlivka and Donetsk sectors, short-term fire contacts with the enemy with the use of small arms continued near the villages of Zaitseve and Verkhniotoretske, and the towns of Avdiyivka and Maryinka. According to an intelligence report, one occupier has been killed for the past day. The Trilateral Contact Group's Framework Decision on the disengagement of troops and weapons along the contact line in Donbas was signed on September 21, 2016. Russian-backed forces have disrupted the disengagement of troops near the village of Stanytsia Luhanska in Donbas. "The Russian occupation forces have once again disrupted the disengagement of troops near the village of Stanytsia Luhanska, having opened fire from small arms at 22:00 on June 16. The Joint Forces adhere to their commitments to ensure the decisions of the Trilateral Contact Group," representative of the press center of Ukraine's Joint Forces Operation (JFO), Senior Lieutenant Mykola Bondarchuk, said at a briefing on Sunday. Read alsoUkraine ready for disengagement near Stanytsia Luhanska on April 10 amid full ceasefire As UNIAN reported earlier, during a meeting of the Trilateral Contact Group in Minsk on June 13, the Ukrainian side said the ceasefire should be observed within seven days for the disengagement of troops and military hardware near Stanytsia Luhanska. UNIAN memo. The Trilateral Contact Group's Framework Decision on the disengagement of troops and weapons along the contact line in Donbas was signed on September 21, 2016. The document mentions three local settlements Zolote, Petrovske and Stanytsia Luhanska. The sides managed to disengage their forces and military hardware in Zolote on October 1, 2016, and in Petrovske on October 7, 2016. Disengagement near Stanytsia Luhanska was scheduled for October 9, 2016, but it failed because of shelling by the Russian occupation forces. Another deadline for Stanytsia Luhanska was set on March 5, 2018, but it also failed. According to information, the Joint Forces did not fire back. Russia's hybrid military forces fired small arms at the village of Lebedynske in Donbas on Sunday, June 17. Read alsoRussian-led forces disrupt disengagement near Stanytsia Luhanska JFO "From 07:00 to 18:00, the enemy opened a provocative fire from small arms once at our positions near the village of Lebedynske, which is in the Mariupol sector," the press center of Ukraine's Joint Forces Operation (JFO) said in an update on Facebook as of 18:00 Kyiv time on June 17, 2018. According to information, the Joint Forces did not fire back. "There have been no casualties among our troops for the current day," reads the report. The agreement still requires the approval of both parliaments and a referendum in Macedonia. The foreign ministers of Greece and Macedonia signed an accord on Sunday to rename the former Yugoslav republic the "Republic of North Macedonia." The landmark accord follows decades of inconclusive talks which had soured relations between the two countries and held up the admission of the Balkan state into the EU and NATO, of which Greece is a member, as reported by Reuters. The agreement still requires the approval of both parliaments and a referendum in Macedonia. "We have a historic responsibility that this deal is not held in abeyance, and I am confident that we will manage it," Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras said as he and his Macedonian counterpart Zoran Zaev received a standing ovation from guests at a lakeside ceremony. Tsipras survived a no-confidence vote mounted by Greece's opposition in parliament on Saturday, but the depth of public emotion against the deal is strong. Up to 70 percent of Greeks object to the compromise, an opinion poll by the Proto Thema newspaper showed on Saturday. Under the deal, Greece will lift its objections to the renamed nation joining the EU and NATO. "Our two countries have to turn from the past and look to the future," Zaev said. "We were bold enough to take a step forward." Greece has been in dispute with Macedonia since 1991 over the former Yugoslav republic's name, arguing it could imply territorial claims over the Greek province of Macedonia and an appropriation of ancient Greek culture and civilization. The subject is an emotional one for many Greeks. On Saturday, thousands of protesters outside the parliament building shouted "Traitor, traitor!" as lawmakers debated inside. HODEIDAH, (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News / WAM - 17th Jun, 2018) Under the directives of President His Highness Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan, and with the support of His Highness Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and Deputy Supreme Commander of the UAE Armed Forces, and the supervision of H.H. Sheikh Hamdan bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Ruler's Representative in Al Dhafra Region and Chairman of the Emirates Red Crescent (ERC), ERC yesterday commenced distribution of urgent humanitarian aid to people in liberated areas of Hodeidah. The distribution of humanitarian aid in the liberated areas is aimed at easing the suffering of the brotherly people of Yemen. Most of the families in Hodeidah are going through severe economic hardships due to the depredations of the Houthi militias, living in appalling conditions. The move coincided with the celebrations of Eid al-Fitr, bringing happiness and joy to the Yemeni people. The aid distributed is helping improve the living conditions in liberated areas in Hodeidah, as in other areas on the Red Sea Coast no longer under Houthi control. Dr. Al Hassan Ali Taher, Governor of Hodeidah, said in a statement to the Emirates news Agency (WAM) that the UAEs significant efforts to support Yemen, its people and its legitimate government are noble and reflect the policies of its wise leadership, led by President His Highness Sheikh Khalifa. He added that the UAEs ongoing support for Yemen, especially for the residents of the Red Sea Coast, has never slacked. The UAE and its leadership have always stood by Yemen and offered all support to its people, he added. "The UAE is doing all it can to liberate Yemen from the control of the Iran-backed Houthis. It is providing the necessary aid to alleviate the hardship caused by the militia. The UAE is also engaged in massive efforts to rebuild the countrys infrastructure, especially hospitals and schools. Its efforts to bring life back to normalcy in liberated areas are commendable. The UAE's humanitarian initiatives have had a great positive impact on the living conditions of the Yemenis," the Governor explained. Hareb Al Awani, Member of the ERC Team on the Red Sea Coast of Yemen, said that the ERC, which began its relief efforts yesterday in Hodeidah, was also backing up the operations to liberate the city by way of launching development projects for the peoples welfare. He added that the Emirati relief bridge would help the Yemeni people overcome the suffering unleashed on them by the Houthis. The people of the liberated areas of Hodeidah expressed their happiness at the arrival of the urgent humanitarian aid and thanked the UAEs wise leadership for their care and support. They added that the Yemeni people will never forget the support of the UAE, which came to their help in their hour of need. They said that it testified to the solid foundations on which the ties between the two countries have been built. The ERC dispatched an emergency relief bridge consisting ten UAE vessels carrying 35,000 tonnes of foodstuffs, as well as an emergency aid airlift that includes seven flights carrying 14,000 food parcels to the Yemeni people. Also dispatched are 100 convoys carrying aid purchased from local markets. UAE aid to Yemen between April 2015 and May 2018 reached US$3.77 billion, which went to sustainable projects in healthcare, education, security, public facilities, infrastructure and reconstruction, directly benefiting 13.8 million Yemenis, including 5.3 million children. The UAE has also pledged US$500 million to support the UN Humanitarian Response Plan for Yemen in 2018, in addition to US$ 70 million to renovate seaports and airports. The UAE has set up humanitarian assistance office in Yemen to provide field support to the international aid organisations in expediting emergency response to the needs of the affected people. (@ChaudhryMAli88) BEIJING, (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 17th Jun, 2018 ) :The Pakistani community living here in the Chinese capital and other cities observed Eid-ul-Fitr on Saturday with religious fervour and enthusiasm. Pakistan's Ambassador to China Masood Khalid, diplomats, officials, businessmen, teachers and students offered the Eid prayer at the mosque in Pakistan Embassy premises. About 10,000 local Muslims, expatriates from Muslim countries and students from Pakistan, Afghanistan, Indonesia, Malaysia and Bangladesh offered the Eid ul-Fitr prayer at Niujie Mosque, the oldest and largest mosque in the Chinese capital. A student from Pakistan, who offered the Eid prayer at Niujie Mosque, said, "I along with some other students have come from nearby district and very happy to see the Muslims in such a large number. " "This is a very important holiday for Muslims. I have invited some other students to enjoy the lunch on this auspicious occasion," another student studying at Peking University said. Muslims in Beijing, the Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region, Gansu province, Qinghai province and other parts of the country celebrated the festival. The emphasis was on family reunions, meeting friends, enjoying meals and wearing new clothes. China is home to about 20 million Muslims from more than 10 ethnic minorities. The largest group is the Hui minority, who largely hail from northwest China's Ningxia Hui and Xinjiang Uygur autonomous regions. Missed Delivery? If missed delivery or wet paper please call our office 909-628-5501 ext 110 Leave a detailed message with name, address, and phone number. Readers must call before 1 p.m. on Saturday. Re-deliveries are available for Chino residents until 1 p.m. Saturdays. Click Here PESHAWAR, (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 16th Jun, 2018 ) :Hazara Police and district administrations Saturday has made special security and traffic arrangements for Eid-ul-Fitr prayer and tourists. In most places including Haripur, Abbottabad, Manshera, Havelian, Battagram and other towns of Hazara region Eid-ul-Fitr prayer was offered at 7.00 am where thousands of Muslims gathered and offered eid pray. The largest Eid-ul-Fitr congregation prayer held at Markazi Jamia Masjid Abbottabad at 7.00 am and Jamia Masjid Mandian Abbottabad. Eid prayer was also held in open place in many parts of the city where the number of people was in thousands. Hazara police have chalked out special security programme for the Eid-ul-Fitr and deployed police force on all mosques during the time of congregation pray. The police force was also deployed in major areas of the city including Bazar, park and picnic spots to avoid any untoward situation. Keeping in view of tourists influx, Hazara traffic police also made special arrangements to cope with the traffic rush and bifurcated the Karakoram Highway (KKH) in two lanes with barricade from Havelian to Abbottabad, Public school, to Manshera and onward. (@ChaudhryMAli88) PESHAWAR, (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 16th Jun, 2018 ) :The forces of Pakistan and Afghanistan Saturday exchanged sweets and bouquets as a goodwill gesture at the Pak-Afghan border Torkham marking Eidul Fitr being observed in both the countries. The Commandant Khyber Rifles presented sweets and bouquets to Afghan Border Police on behalf of Commander 11 Corps and Inspector General Frontier Corps Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (North) at Torkham Border, an official release here said. He expressed good wishes for peace and prosperity for Afghanistan and on a reciprocal basis Lt Col. Sadiq from Afghan Border Police also extended good wishes for Pakistan. QUETTA, (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 17th Jun, 2018 ) :Security forces arrested one suspected terrorist during encounter at Saryab road, Quetta, on Sunday. According to police sources, terrorists opened fire at security forcesnear University of Balochistan at Saryab road. As a result security personnels also started firing and arrested one terrorist in injured condition. Sydney, (APP - UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 17th Jun, 2018 ) :A Sydney man has been charged with allegedly planning terrorism acts after he was stopped from travelling to Bangladesh following a luggage search, police said Sunday. Nowroz Amin, 26, was blocked from flying in February 2016 after officials at Sydney Airport found clothing and material on electronic devices that "indicated his support for extremist ideology", the Australian Federal Police said. After a "lengthy" and "complex" investigation, he was arrested on Sydney's outskirts by counter-terrorism officers on Saturday. Police allege Amin was "planning to travel to Bangladesh to meet with people who held similar beliefs and to possibly engage in terrorist acts outside of Australia". He was charged with three offences, including preparing for incursions into foreign countries for the purpose of engaging in hostile activities, and acts done in preparation for terrorist acts. Two of the charges carry maximum penalties of life imprisonment. Amin did not apply for bail in a Sydney court Sunday. He is due to return to court in August. Police did not say where Amin had allegedly planned terrorist acts, but said there was no current threat to the community. Managua, (APP - UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 17th Jun, 2018 ) :At least eight people were killed Saturday in Managua, police sources said, raising to 178 the number of deaths in anti-government unrest that began two months ago in Nicaragua. Six of the dead were members of a single family whose home was burned down at dawn after a group of hooded armed men threw a Molotov cocktail, while the other two were attacked while clearing road barricades, police said in a statement. Two inhabitants of the house survived by throwing themselves from a balcony, one of them a woman in serious condition and the other a child admitted to the hospital with burns, according to neighbors. "This act of terror is a crime against humanity and cannot go unpunished," tweeted Luis Almagro, head of the Organization of American States. Protests for two months have escalated in a bid to pressure President Daniel Ortega to exit -- upheaval the government has met with brutal repression. The latest violence comes as the country's Catholic bishops attempt to reboot fragile negotiations between government and civil society representatives. In a surprise announcement late Friday, the clergy said rival government and civil delegates had agreed to create a "verification" commission and invite independent international bodies to probe the violence. Under the new agreement, Managua would urge the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights -- an autonomous branch of the Organization of American States -- to investigate "all deaths and acts of violence, the identification of those responsible and a comprehensive plan for the victims so that effective justice is achieved," Cardinal Leopoldo Brenes said. - Expedite elections? - Bishops reconvened government and civil representatives to discuss "the process of democratization of the country. " The talks ended with plans to meet again Monday and discuss a "timetable of reforms" that would include consideration of "advancing the elections from 2021 to March 2019," Catholic bishops said. Brenes said the Church had asked Ortega to move up the next general election -- a key demand of activists. The president refused to answer directly, instead telling the bishops "we reiterate our full readiness to listen to all the proposals within an institutional and constitutional framework." The leftist leader has in the past expressed no intention of stepping aside. Nicaragua's descent into chaos was triggered on April 18, when relatively small protests against now-scrapped social security reforms were met with a government crackdown. Those demonstrations mushroomed into a popular uprising, with anti-government protesters facing off against police and pro-Ortega paramilitaries. Activists have erected blockades on more than two thirds of the country's roads in a bid to fend off Ortega-backed forces. The makeshift roadblocks have wreaked economic havoc, halting the delivery of goods and thwarting regional trade. The Nicaraguan Foundation for Economic and Social Development (FUNIDES) estimates the country could lose up to 150,000 jobs by the end of the year if the crisis persists. The church had launched earlier talks with Ortega but called them off after a march led by victims' mothers last month turned deadly at the hands of Ortega-backed forces. The embattled president's Sandinista guerrilla forces ousted the Somoza dictatorship in 1979, and the leftist leader has remained a major political force ever since. He is currently serving his third consecutive executive term, due to expire in 2022. Logo of the visit of Pope Francis to the WCC in Geneva on JUne 21, 2018 Pope Francis is visiting Geneva on June 21 to join in the celebration of 70 years of the World Council of Churches (WCC). By Robin Gomes The visit of Pope Francis to Geneva next week will be his 23rd foreign trip. Even thought it is primarily an ecumenical pilgrimage, the Pope is also visiting his flock in Switzerland. The daylong visit to the Swiss city intends to to be a step forward in the Churchs continuing quest for unity among Christians, and to confirm the faith of the Catholic faithful of Switzerland who form 38% of the population. WCCs 70 years and ecumenism Pope Francis is going to Geneva to join in the celebration of the 70th anniversary of the World Council of Churches (WCC), an event that he considers of great ecumenical importance given the good relations between the WCC and the Catholic Church through the Vaticans Pontifical Council for Christian Unity. With 350 member Churches in more than 110 countries and territories, the WCC, founded in 1948, is the largest umbrella group of Christian denominations in the world. The WCC represents over 500 million Christians and includes most of worlds Orthodox Churches, a large number of Anglican, Baptist, Lutheran, Methodist and Reformed Churches, as well as many United and Independent Churches. Even though the Catholic Church is not a member of the WCC, they maintain good relations between them with exchange of visits and sending observers to their respective meetings and events. One important ecumenical activity in which they come together in a special way is the annual Week of Prayer for Christian Unity in January. Since 1968, the resources and material used in the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity have been jointly prepared year by the Vaticans Pontifical Council for Promoting Christian Unity and the Faith and Order Commission of the WCC. Geneva has a special place in the history of the Protestant Reformation, where John Calvin, the French theologian and pastor led the reformation in the 16th-century. Today the Swiss city is the centre of encounter and dialogue, home to the second largest United Nations office after the New York headquarters, as well as numerous international organizations, including the Red Cross. Next weeks visit is yet another step by the Argentine Pope on the ecumenical path, in line with his trip to Lund, Sweden in 2016, to commemorate the 500th anniversary of the Lutheran Reformation, with the ongoing fraternal relations with Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew of Constantinople, the spiritual leader of the worlds Orthodox Christians, or with the historic meeting with Russian Orthodox Patriarch Kirill of Moscow in Havana, Cuba on 12 February 2016. Popes in Geneva June 21 trip will be the 4th time a pope is visiting the Swiss city. It will also be the third time that the WCC will become the destination of a papal trip. Blessed Paul VI visited Geneva on June 10, 1969, on the occasion of the 50th anniversary of the International Labour Organization (ILO) but he also visited the WCC headquarters. Pope St. John Paul II visited Geneva on June 15, 1982, during which he visited the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) and representatives of the Conference of International Catholic Organizations. Two years later, on June 12, 1984, he visited the WCC and the Ecumenical Institute of Bossey. Christians from North Korea During his visit to the WCC, Pope Francis will also meet a delegation from North Korea which, together with the Christians of South Korea, are participating in the great Central Committee meeting, June 15-21. The Korean Christians will be present when the pope arrives. Swiss Catholics As the spiritual head of the worldwide Catholic Church, Pope Francis will also have time for the Swiss Catholics. He will celebrate Mass at the Palaexpo for Catholics from all over Switzerland. Pope Francis is scheduled to deliver three speeches during the June 21 visit, including his homily at Mass. Division among Christians What started as a small undivided community in the eastern Mediterranean soon after the Ascension of Christ into heaven, Christianity quickly grew in size and influence to become the dominant religion within the Roman Empire. Long after Emperor Constantine transferred the capital of the Roman empire to Constantinople, the Roman Empire's Greek East based in Constantinople, and the Latin West centered in Rome, began drifting apart. The growing estrangement from the 5th to the 11th century, between the two centres came to a head in 1054 in what is known as the Great Schism, which split the followers of Christ into Eastern Orthodoxy and Western Catholicism. This bitter split resulted in mutual excommunication or expulsion of the other from their respective communions. Later in the 16th century, another major split came about in the form of the Protestant Reformation within the Catholic Church spearheaded by Martin Luther, John Calvin and others. The bitterness and animosity of the East-West Schism of 1054, continued for more than 900 years. The desire to heal the bitterness and animosity of the past, came from the Catholic Church in the 20th century. Its commitment to re-establish unity among Christians was launched by the Second Vatican Council, 1962 to 65. Since then, great leaders from either side of the divide, particularly Blessed Paul VI and Ecumenical Patriarch Athenagoras of Constantinople, the spiritual head of Orthodox Christians worldwide, played important roles in healing the past. Today, the three largest groups in Christianity are the Roman Catholic Church, the Eastern Orthodox Churches and the various Protestant Churches. Pope Francis on June 16 met the Theatine Sisters of the Immaculate Conception and urged them to be attentive to the existential peripheries and care for community life. By Robin Gomes If you are open to the action of the Spirit, He will guide you to respond creatively to the cry of the poor and of the many who hunger and thirst for God. This was one of the exhortations of Pope Francis to 100 Theatine Sisters who met him on Saturday in the Vatican. The sisters are marking the 4th death centenary of their Italian foundress, Venerable Orsola Benincasa, this year. Logic of the Gospel You find life by giving life, find hope by giving hope, and find your reason for being in the Church and in the world, by loving and living always according to the logic of giving, the logic of the Gospel," the Pope told the nuns whose apostolate include education and training of young people, and recently they took to caring for the sick and the disabled. Pope Francis particularly urged them to reach out to the existential peripheries. Together with people in material poverty, he said, there are many who have lost the meaning of life, hearts parched and thirsty for good bread and living water, that even without realizing it, are waiting to meet Jesus. He said Jesus today says them: Give them something to drink and to eat, that bread that satiates, the water that slakes thirst. He urged them to be open to the Holy Spirit who will guide them in this task. Fraternal community life Pope Francis also told the Theatine Sisters the world also needs their testimony of fraternal life in community, which he acknowledged is not easy. There is always something to argue about, to speak badly about gossip. But there is a very good cure and medicine for this, which is biting your tongue. It will swell up, but it will not speak badly. He told them that banishing criticism, gossip, rivalries, and instead welcoming and giving mutual attention, sharing material goods, respect for the most fragile people will help them build the spirituality of communion, the spirituality of living together, so that the community journey becomes a holy pilgrimage. The elderly In special way the Holy Father urged them to care for their elderly nuns saying they are the memory of the congregation. Dont leave them there in the infirmary, abandoned, no. Go to them, let them speak they are the memory caress them. Do not forget the elderly. The Pope encouraged the Theatine sisters to love and respect one another and seek the good of the other as their foundress taught them, saying this is a good path to holiness. On Thursday evening, Tropicana Las Vegas celebrated the kick-off of the 12th annual Las Vegas Restaurant Week with its Summer Cookout featuring Robert Irvine at Robert Irvines Public House (Photo credit: Powers Imagery). The iconic property partnered with Three Square Food Bank to host a summer camp-inspired affair for adults and raised over $18,000 allowing Three Square to provide more than 54,000 meals to food insecure residents of Southern Nevada. Locals and tourists spent the evening inside with Celebrity Chef Robert Irvine at Robert Irvines Public House at the Tropicana Las Vegas. Guests were able to sample a variety of summertime inspired dishes, prepared by restaurants such as Oakville Steakhouse, Robert Irvines Public House, and the all-new Red Lotus Asian Kitchen. Highlighted dishes included Blackened Mahi Sliders; Assorted Signature Wood-Fired Pizzas; Prime Cowboy Sushi Nigiri; Thai Veggie Egg Rolls; Smashed Cucumbers and more. Adding to the evening festivities, guests were able to mix and mingle with Chef Irvine himself, including two lucky fans who won a Summer Cookout contest put on by the property were treated to a private meet and greet experience prior to the event. From floor games to photo booths, plus a decked out silent auction station, guests were able to make it a night to remember. Chef Irvine kept guests on their toes with pop up activations throughout the event, including a special cocktail face-off between him and Aaron Rosenthal, VP and General Manager for Tropicana Las Vegas, as well as a surprise live auction of his very own chef coat. It was truly an honor to be able to host the Summer Cookout at Robert Irvines Public House at Tropicana Las Vegas, said Chef Irvine. Its a very special event to me, and it was definitely a cookout to remember! Three Square Food Bank is an amazing charity, one that I have fallen in love with here in Las Vegas, and to see the Las Vegas community come together to raise over $18,000 amounting to 54,000 meals just melts my heart and makes the event worth it. Sponsors included 21st Amendment Brewery, Boardroom Spirits, Bocelli Family Wines, Hampton Water Wine Company, Sierra Nevada Brewing Co., The Keaton Red Wine,Ainsworth Game Technology, Dyntek, Ecolab, Elite Media Inc., GeoTab, Hosts Las Vegas and Style Event Design, ShutterBooth, Southern Glazers Wine & Spirits and WAXIE Sanitary Supply. Proceeds from the evening benefited Three Square Food Bank in its fight to end hunger in Southern Nevada. Now in its 12th installment, Las Vegas Restaurant Week gives restaurants in the local community the opportunity to give back through the culinary arts. Since 2007, more than 2.5 million meals have been provided for those in need through Restaurant Week. Las Vegas Restaurant Week 2018 will run June 18 through June 29. Masso Osteria at Red Rock Resort is pleased to announce the appointment of Emily Hansen (pictured) as the restaurants executive chef and Christian Pollock as the general manager. The all-new duo brings a lively, modern energy to the Masso team, and will work alongside celebrity chef Scott Conant in elevating the Italian restaurants high standards of hospitality and service. When I decided to open Masso, I knew exactly what I wanted to deliver: A convivial energy within a vibrant yet classic osteria setting that would bring people together to experience delicious food, said Chef Scott Conant. In order to deliver on that atmospheric style, and maintain the high quality of food and beverage, I had to recruit some of the best in the industry. Im excited to welcome both Chef Hansen and Pollock to the team and know our guests will love being served by them. In addition to being one of the foremost female leaders in her industry, Chef Emily Hansen has over a decade of impressive culinary experience. The San Francisco Bay-area native joins Masso Osteria following six years operating her own business as a private chef. In 2016, Chef Hansen appeared as a finalist on Food Networks Chopped, which features Chef Conant among its panel of judges. Prior to owning her own business, Chef Hansen worked under various highly esteemed chefs such as Chef Tyler Florence at El Paseo in Mill Valley, California and Wayfare Tavern in San Francisco, as well as Chef Daniel Humm at New Yorks acclaimed Eleven Madison Park and Executive Chef Mark Ladner at New Yorks Del Posto, to name a few. Hansens appointment to executive chef is the fulfillment of a career-long dream of hers to work with chef Scott Conant, as she oversees the kitchen and menu of the Summerlin-based restaurant. She plans to utilize her impressive culinary skill set and passion for the job to serve as an ambassador of the refined offerings and exceptional service Masso Osteria offers to its guests. To pair with the new executive chef, Masso Osteria also welcomes General Manager Christian Pollock. Bringing a plethora of five-star management experience from the Las Vegas Strip, Pollock boasts an impressive resume ranging from managing at Tom Colicchios Craftsteak at MGM Grand, to Jean-Georges Vongerichtens Prime Steakhouse and Julian Serranos Picasso at Bellagio Las Vegas. As GM of Masso, Pollock will lead the team and strive to offer the best service in the energetic environment that the restaurant has come to be known for. In celebration of Flag Day, Kyle Larson, driver of the No. 42 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 for Chip Ganassi Racing, showed his support to veterans with the help of Credit One Bank. Larson kicked off the festivities yesterday by unveiling a new patriotic paint scheme on the No. 42 Credit One Bank Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 that he will race during the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series Overtons 400 at Chicagoland Speedway on Sunday, July 1. Following the reveal, Larson announced a fundraising campaign, in conjunction with Chicagoland, supporting U.S.VETS and local Chicago veteran organizations. Credit One Bank stepped up with a donation of $25,000 to U.S.VETS-Las Vegas. While in Chicago, Larson visited the Edward Hines, Jr. VA Hospital where he met with veterans while assisting with food distribution. Fifty veterans received tickets to the NASCAR Xfinity Series Overtons 300 and special Credit One Bank apparel. One lucky veteran received a special surprise when Larson invited them to be a VIP guest of the team at the upcoming Cup Series race at Chicagoland Speedway. National security concerns are likely to result in Chinese telecom giant Huawei being blocked from a major 5G mobile wireless project in Australia, according to local media reports. They say that intelligence sources believe the company is a cyber espionage risk. Analysts believe the move could further aggravate tensions between Australia and China, its biggest trading partner. Australias The Financial Review is reporting that Huawei will be stopped from helping to develop the next-generation mobile phone network. The newspaper says that intelligence agencies are warning ministers in Canberra about the security implications of allowing a company with suspected links to the Chinese government to be involved in a project of such national importance. There has been no official comment from the Australian government, but the Federal Attorney-General Christian Porter says laws are in place to ban companies from sensitive ventures. There is a process in place and there is an ability to exclude an organization or organizations from taking part in that process on national security grounds, he said. It was concerns of that type that prompted Australia to ban Huawei from taking part in Australias new National Broadband Network in 2012. The Chinese technology giant has insisted it is independent from authorities in Beijing. Huawei Australian Chairman John Lord says the company remains in talks with Canberra about the 5G project. Government officials have raised no real concerns other than to seek more information from us about the way 5Gs being formed, its similarities to 4G, how Huawei intends to take 5G forward, so we are not really getting any concerns expressed to us at all other than reports in the media, he said. Huawei has also lost a contract to build a 4000km cable between the Solomon Islands, a South Pacific island nation, and Sydney following rare intervention by Australian spy chiefs. They were worried about a Chinese company gaining access to Australia's internet infrastructure. Canberra is also hoping to pass foreign interference laws to counter alleged meddling by governments and individuals. The move comes amid rising fears in Australia over the influence of China in its domestic affairs. Earlier this month media reports detailed allegations allegedly contained in a top-secret document that China had tried to influence Australia's political parties for the past decade, as well as every level of government. In response, Beijing has previously accused Australia of being anti-China. For 25 years, Patrick Matondo has earned a living buying and selling monkeys, bats and other animals popularly known as bush meat along the Congo River. Standing on the riverbank in this city affected by the deadly new outbreak of the Ebola virus, the father of five said that for the first time he's worried he won't be able to support his family. "Since Ebola was declared, business has decreased by almost half. It's really, really bad," the 47-year-old said, hanging his head. Congo's latest Ebola outbreak, declared in May, has 38 confirmed cases, including 14 deaths. The discovery of a handful of Ebola cases among Mbandaka's more than 1 million residents also has hurt the economy, especially among traders of meat from wild animals. The virus, which spreads through bodily fluids of those infected, has been known to jump from animals such as monkeys and bats to humans. In the West Africa outbreak four years ago that killed more than 11,000 people, it was widely suspected that the epidemic began when a 2-year-old boy in Guinea was infected by a bat. Usually the wild animals are highly sought-after as popular sources of protein, along with beef and pork, and cargo ships carrying the smoked meat arrive daily in the city, the trade hub for Congo's northwestern Equateur province. Meanwhile, bush meat markets still see locals bartering for the animals, both dead and alive. Prospective buyers pause at tables piled with monkey meat, picking up blackened chunks one by one for a closer look. "Meat is very important for people here. It's one of the biggest industries in Mbandaka," said Matondo, a leader in the city's bush meat association. Dr. Pierre Rollin, an Ebola expert with the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, said the virus gets killed if the meat is cooked, smoked or dried. The people at greatest risk are hunters and butchers who process the meat, he said. The World Health Organization has advised against trade and travel restrictions because of the current outbreak, which is mostly in remote areas. Boats with bush meat continue to depart for the capital, Kinshasa, 600 kilometers (323 miles) downstream and for villages tucked deep in the rainforest up and down the river. Disease experts warned, however, that precautions are still necessary as monkeys and bats are sold live throughout the region. Traders said demand has dwindled because of Ebola, with sales for many dropping from about 100 animals a day to about 20. "Kinshasa and Brazzaville told us to stop sending monkeys and bats," said another trader in Mbandaka, Willy Taban, who said his business has been cut in half in recent weeks. He was referring to buyers in the capital of the nearby Republic of Congo, which is across the river from Kinshasa. Congo's health minister, Dr. Oly Ilunga Kalenga, said there are no plans to ban sales of bush meat in the province since bush meat is not the primary way the Ebola virus spreads. Instead, the government is focusing on good hygiene practices such as hand-washing, he said. Health officials are also tracking down anyone who had close contact with anyone infected by the virus, offering an experimental vaccine and promoting safe burials and other practices. Such health efforts can be challenging in communities where many people consider Ebola to be witchcraft. Others are skeptical that the disease exists, even though this is the Central African country's ninth outbreak. One Mbandaka trader, Gamo Louambo, said he's still shipping 100 wild animals to Kinshasa daily and said he won't stop eating them as they're his main source of food. "I don't see Ebola. It isn't here," he said. In West Africa, where there had never been an outbreak before 2014, getting people to accept that Ebola was a real disease was key, said WHO's Jonathan Polonsky. For those in Kinshasa, "Ebola is very far away," said Defede Mbale, immigration chief at the capital's port of Maluku. On his desk is a poster of safe Ebola practices. Pointing to it, he said the government has provided extra resources to patrol the river and take people's temperatures as they arrive by boats, checking for fevers. He doesn't doubt the deadly virus exists, but Mbale said there's only so much that he's willing to change. "We have our customs and they won't change because of Ebola," he said. "We'll eat all foods." Police in Greece and Macedonia used tear gas Sunday to break up marchers against a deal settling the long dispute over who gets to use the name Macedonia. Police in the Macedonian capital of Skopje clashed with rock-throwing protesters who tried to march on the parliament building. Greek police also needed tear gas to disperse an angry mob in the village of Pisoderi, close to the border with Macedonia and near the town of Psarades, where the agreement was signed. At least six people were hurt. The Greek and Macedonian foreign ministers signed the deal Sunday with Prime Ministers Alexis Tsipras and Zoran Zaev, respectively, looking on. The former Yugoslav republic of Macedonia would be known as the Republic of North Macedonia while Greece would stop blocking its neighbor's efforts to join NATO and the European Union. Both countries have been feuding over the name since Macedonia the country became independent in 1991. Macedonia is also the name of an ancient historic region of northern Greece. Many Greeks say allowing their neighbor to use the name insults Greek history and implies a claim on Greek territory. Some Macedonians say changing their country's name or even modifying it in a deal with Greece is treason. Both countries' parliaments must ratify the agreement and Zaev said he will also put it to a referendum. The outcome is far from certain because of opposition in both countries. Right-wing lawmaker Ivan Duque won Colombia's presidential election Sunday, promising to rewrite the government's 2016 peace accord with former FARC rebels. Duque defeated leftist former guerrilla and ex-Mayor of Bogota Gustavo Petro 54-42 percent in Sunday's second and final round of voting. Petro supports the peace deal with FARC. He also campaigned on redistributing unused lands to poor farmers and turning the country away from fossil fuels and toward renewable energy. But Duque promised a more business-friendly environment for Colombia's struggling economy. He also wants to make changes to the peace deal to require former Marxist FARC rebels, if they committed crimes against humanity, to serve prison time before entering politics. The 41-year-old Duque cast his ballot Sunday surrounded by his children. He said he wanted to make sure that those who committed crimes during the five-decadelong conflict in Colombia "pay for them." "I've come here to fulfill a dream: for Colombia to be governed by a new generation, one that wants to govern for all and with. One that unites the country and turns the page on corruption," he said. The 58-year-old Petro was the first leftist to reach a presidential runoff in Colombia. He said this shows the country has rid itself of fears of the left that had been marked by 50 years of conflict until the peace accord was reached. The MS-13 gang made Jose Osmin Aparicios life so miserable in his native El Salvador that he had no choice but to flee in the dead of night with his wife and four children, leaving behind all their belongings and paying a smuggler $8,000. Aparicio is undeterred by a new directive from Attorney General Jeff Sessions declaring that gang and domestic violence will generally cease to be grounds for asylum. To him, its better to take his chances with the American asylum system and stay in Mexico if his bid is denied. Imagine what would happen if I was deported to El Salvador, he said Wednesday as he waited at the border to enter the U.S. The directive announced Monday could have far-reaching consequences because of the sheer volume of people like Aparicio fleeing gang violence, which is so pervasive in Central America that merely stepping foot in the wrong neighborhood can lead to death. The Associated Press interviewed several asylum-seekers this past week at a plaza on the border, and each of them cited gang violence as the main factor in fleeing their homelands. They planned to press on with their asylum requests in spite of the new rule. The decision by Sessions came as the administration faced a growing backlash over immigration policies and practices that human-rights advocates view as inhumane, including separating children from immigrant parents. They leveled similar criticism over the asylum changes, which the White House says are necessary to deter illegal immigration. The mere fact that a country may have problems effectively policing certain crimes - such as domestic violence or gang violence - or that certain populations are more likely to be victims of crime, cannot itself establish an asylum claim, the attorney general wrote Monday, overruling a Board of Immigration Appeals decision granting asylum to a Salvadoran woman fleeing her husband. U.S. officials do not say how many asylum claims are for domestic or gang violence, but advocates for asylum seekers said there could be tens of thousands of such cases in the immigration court backlog alone. Maras Many Central Americans seeking asylum say they are fleeing from gangs known as maras, primarily the Mara Salvatrucha (or MS-13) and Barrio 18 groups. President Donald Trump has condemned those groups and the violence they commit in the U.S., referring to members as animals. The gangs were formed by young Central Americans mostly in Los Angeles decades ago and spread to the so-called Northern Triangle countries of Guatemala, El Salvador and Honduras when members were deported. Today, Honduras and El Salvador in particular routinely post some of the worlds highest homicide rates. In Central America, maras stake out and battle over turf, attacking anyone who unwittingly crosses through their area on the way to school or work as a possible rival. Gangsters sometimes forcibly take over peoples homes. They extort bus drivers and small business owners, killing those unable or unwilling to pay. They threaten teens and young men in attempts to recruit them, and force girls and young women to be their girlfriends. Maureen Meyer, director for Mexico and migrant rights at the Washington Office on Latin America advocacy group, said the ruling would make it very difficult for a lot of the people seeking asylum in the United States. Meyer said Central Americans commonly request asylum for extortion, forced recruitment and violence against women. Where the gangs are prevalent, moving elsewhere is not an option, she said. People feel very insecure in their homes and continue to see the U.S. as a safe haven in spite of Trumps anti-immigrant rhetoric, Meyer said of the steady northbound flow of Central Americans that began in 2014. More than 100 asylum seekers gathered Wednesday near the entrance to San Diego, the largest crossing on the U.S.-Mexico border. Some Mexicans in the crowd said they were fleeing criminal groups. Holding her 7-month-old daughter and trailed closely by her 5-year-old son, who was on crutches because of a gunshot wound, Maria Rafaela Plancarte said she abandoned their town near the western Mexican city of Zamora after her husband was shot and killed behind the wheel of the family car as they fled a party stormed by gunmen. Her son was wounded in the attack. Plancarte, 34, said she has not considered moving elsewhere in Mexico and hopes to live with an aunt in California. I will feel more comfortable with a family that I know, she said. Alejandro Arroyo said he fled Apatzingan in western Mexico with his wife and their 14-year-old son, hoping asylum would bring them to his wifes family in Gilroy, California. The 48-year-old said criminal gangs killed his nephew and brother-in-law, and he feared he and his son would be next. They initially sought refuge in Tijuana, but requested U.S. asylum after being robbed by local police. I do not feel safe in Apatzingan, Arroyo said, and I do not feel safe here. Aparicio, from El Salvador, is caught in the middle of the change in asylum policies. His wife requested asylum about a month ago with three of their children - ages 2, 10 and 12 - and they were released to a family in Maryland while their cases wind through immigration court. Aparicio stayed in Tijuana to seek asylum with his 17-year-old son, hoping to reunite with the family later. Sessions subsequently made his ruling on gang violence, but Aparicio is still pursuing asylum and hoping to get into the U.S. Jewish artifacts, including ancient parchment torahs from one of the worlds oldest synagogues, have gone missing from the Syrian capital amid the tumult of ongoing civil war, with some precious items reportedly surfacing abroad. Activists say the artifacts, moved from the now-destroyed Jobar Synagogue in Damascus eastern Ghouta suburb when it was taken by rebels, were allegedly put into safekeeping to avoid theft and damage in 2013, but twice since then local officials have discovered some are missing. The main missing cache, they say, contained torahs written on gazelle leather as well as tapestries and chandeliers, and was given to a militia by a local council for safekeeping when rebels surrendered the neighborhood to government forces earlier this year. That group, the Islamist-inspired Failaq al-Rahman brigade, later said that it was not in possession of the items after the council arrived at a new rebel base in Syrias north after evacuating earlier this year. Another set of objects appears to have been stolen by a Syrian guardian entrusted by the local council to hide the items in his home. The man, who officials declined to name, disappeared with the artifacts in 2014 before some allegedly resurfaced in Turkey. Antiquities theft Activists say antiquities theft is rife in Syria, and some even cast doubt over whether the missing items, including the valuable torahs, were even original works. Some of the items that went missing in 2014 and this year have started surfacing now in Turkey, said an activist who lived his entire life near the synagogue until fleeing the area in March after a crushing government offensive. The man, who goes by the name of Hassan al-Dimashqi, said the ensuing government airstrikes and bombardment destroyed most of the synagogue and the surrounding neighborhood, although some of the buildings pillars remain standing. The synagogue, also known as Eliyahu Hanavi, is one of the few Jewish places of worship in Syria that was functioning until shortly before conflict began in March 2011. Residents of the neighborhood remember how fewer than a dozen Jews, most of them older than 50, came quietly once a week to pray. Videos and photographs from the synagogue taken before the war show a main hall of arches lined with seats and tapestries. Chandeliers and lanterns hang from the ceiling as well as a marble stone with writing in Arabic, Hebrew and Latin. During a visit by an Associated Press photographer to the synagogue in January 2000, Youssef Jajati, a Jewish community leader in Syria at the time, showed the torahs stored in a silver container inside a cupboard. Entrusted to militia, man Al-Dimashqi said that for months after rebels seized the neighborhood in 2013, the synagogue was protected by the main local force in Jobar, known at the time as the Haroun al-Rashid Brigade. Later that year local officials formed a committee that decided to empty the building and hide its contents, he added. Some local officials say the man who disappeared in 2014 reached Europe and the artifacts he took ended up in Israel, according to al-Dimashqi, although his ultimate fate and that of the antiquities remain unknown. The whereabouts of the items entrusted with Failaq al-Rahman have not been verified, although al-Dimashqi and the Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, a war monitor, say some of the pieces, including carpets, chandeliers and historical scripts, have surfaced in Turkey. Turkish state media reported in May that authorities had detained five people in the countrys northwest who were trying to sell two old Torahs for 8 million Turkish lira ($1.7 million). It said the manuscripts were written on gazelle leather. Maamoun Abdul-Karim, who until recently was Syrias director-general of antiquities and museums, has publicly urged the Turks to verify the manuscripts authenticity. In the 1990s, rumors circulated in Damascus that the originals had been stolen, switched with copies, and smuggled to Israel, he added. Failaq al-Rahman has denied having any role in the artifacts disappearance, challenging accusers to present proof that would show otherwise. Meanwhile two officials from Jobars Local Council, which had initially organized the hiding away of the artifacts, refused to speak to the AP, fearing for their safety. Syria and Jews In the Middle Ages, Syria was home to one of the largest Jewish settlements in the world, with most living in the Damascus area. The community dates back to Elijahs Damascus sojourn nearly 3,000 ago, but Jewish life really blossomed in the city after 1099, when Christian armies conquered Jerusalem in the First Crusade and massacred the citys inhabitants. Historians say 50,000 Jews fled to Damascus, making almost 1in 3 Damascenes Jewish almost overnight. Some became government ministers and advisers, and the community grew to around 100,000 by the turn of the 20th century. Tens of thousands of Jews fled following Israels creation in 1948, while others held in Syria against their will finally emigrated once they were allowed to when Middle East peace talks began in the 1990s. Syria has accused Israel, with whom it has been in a state of war for 70 years, of stealing the artifacts with the help of Turkey, a more recent enemy. Syrias ambassador to the United Nations, Bashar al-Jaafari, publicized the accusation with a letter in March, saying the two countries intelligence services worked with the rebels to smuggle them to Istanbul, where experts confirmed them as extremely valuable, then New York. Israel denies involvement and accuses Syria of trying to distract world attention away from the civil war, where the Jewish state has intervened with several strikes that have killed Syrian troops. The people of Texas are informed that in accordance with a Proclamation from the Executive of the United States, all slaves free. That proclamation, June 19, 1865, was the spark for a day that has come to be known in the United States as Juneteenth, the oldest known celebration commemorating the end of U.S. slavery. The proclamation in Texas actually came 2 years after slavery ended with President Abraham Lincolns Emancipation Proclamation. That document, which made emancipation effective in slaveholding states January 1, 1863, was signed in the middle of the Civil War. But it was not until federal troops arrived thousands of kilometers west in Texas, two months after the official end of the war in 1965, that many Texas slaves were informed that they were free. The reason for the delay in notification of the slaves is unclear. It could have been slow communications at a time when telephones and email did not exist; it could have been that such a proclamation could not have been enforced until federal troops arrived in Texas after the war. Life for freed slaves The proclamation did not immediately make life easy for freed slaves. They had to find their own work for wages and grapple with prejudice that causes racial divides in the United States today. But emancipation was a legal victory that came as welcome news to the 250,000 African-Americans who had been illegally enslaved in Texas for 30 months after the signing of the document that was meant to free them. Today, Juneteenth supporters are still working for recognition of the holiday, which is celebrated with picnics, parades, prayer and public celebrations of African-American culture. The holiday was once celebrated mostly in the western United States. Texas-dwellers took the holiday with them as they followed job opportunities west. But the Civil Rights Movement in the 1960s brought a new surge in interest in the holiday in the East, and now 45 out of 50 states have designated the mid-June celebration as an official state holiday or day of observance. Texas was the first state to make Juneteenth a state holiday. Community celebrations This Saturday and Sunday, many Juneteenth celebrations are taking place before the official June 19 anniversary of the proclamation. In Salisbury, Maryland, close to the eastern U.S. coast, residents held an outdoor festival featuring dancing and local crafts at a cultural center. Community organizer Amber Green told a reporter that Juneteenth is basically Black Independence Day. Juneteenth celebrations tend to be generated by the community, highlighting ties among family and friends. Today is our festival, Green said. We have local artists, local vendors, local music, and we are just bringing the community together through good food, good music and good fun. German Chancellor Angela Merkel, struggling to avert a crisis within her coalition on migrant policy, is trying to set up a meeting of some EU states to discuss the issue before a leaders summit June 28-29, a German newspaper reported on Sunday. Citing government sources from representatives of several EU states, Bild reported on its website that Merkel wanted to discuss possible solutions with Greece, Italy and Austria. It is not yet agreed, we are in the planning phase. It is also unclear exactly when this special summit would take place, a member of the Italian government told Bild. A German government spokesperson was not immediately available to comment. Divided EU EU states are deeply divided on how to deal with large numbers of people fleeing conflict, especially from the Middle East. The issue has come to a head in the last week with a new Italian government refusing to let a ship carrying hundreds of migrants dock at its ports. Merkel is adamant that migrant policy can only be effectively agreed and implemented at the European level and is at loggerheads with her own conservative Bavarian allies and her Interior Minister who want unilateral action. Bavaria's threat The Bavarians have threatened to defy Merkel and proceed Monday with plans which she has sought to block. Under the ministers proposal, Germany would send back migrants who have registered in other EU countries. This would undermine Merkels authority as it represents a reversal of her 2015 open-door approach and would also be a blow to the EUs Schengen open-border system. Merkel has asked the Bavarian conservatives to give her two weeks to come up with bilateral deals with some countries, like Italy and Greece, similar to one agreed between Turkey and the EU in 2016. Bild said it was unclear whether Spain and countries from the Balkans would take part in Merkels meeting. A deep rift over migration policy between Angela Merkel and a rebellious interior minister is threatening to upend the German chancellor's fragile governing alliance formed earlier this year after weeks of laborious talks. The German chancellor's 13-year rule will be on the line in the event Horst Seehofer, a member of the Bavaria-based Christian Social Union, a junior partner in the coalition government, defies Merkel by ordering border guards to turn back migrants arriving Monday at German borders. Neither the chancellor nor minister appeared Sunday to be in any mood to compromise. Seehofer blamed the chancellor in remarks to German newspapers for the crisis, saying it is a consequence of her 2015 decision to adopt an "open border" policy that has allowed more than a million migrants and refugees to enter Germany. CSU's top official in Bavaria, Markus Soder, tweeted: "We must finally secure our borders effectively. This, of course, includes rejection. Asylum tourism must be terminated." Analysts say Merkel would likely have no choice but to fire Seehofer for his open revolt against her if he goes ahead with his threat to shutter the border for migrants, collapsing the coalition as a consequence and triggering likely elections. Merkel fears an abrupt shutting out of asylum-seekers by Germany will prompt other EU countries to follow suit, imperiling an orderly negotiated EU-wide deal. The stakes are high not only for her, but also for the bloc as it searches to craft a migration policy all its fractious states can agree to, and for the CSU, which faces elections in October in its home region of Bavaria and fears the rising support for the far-right AfD party. In her weekly podcast, Merkel acknowledged the need for changes, but said, "This is a European challenge that also needs a European solution. And I view this issue as decisive for keeping Europe together." At the moment the member states are anything but united over migration, and in the words of British commentator and historian Niall Ferguson, the EU melting pot is at risk of melting down. The German crisis is playing against the backdrop of drama in the Mediterranean, where Rome is refusing to allow NGO ships carrying migrants rescued at sea to dock at Italian ports. It comes as the nationalist populist-led governments of Italy, Austria and Hungary are negotiating what they are terming an "axis of the willing," an alliance of anti-migration member states that will adopt a hard collective line on asylum-seekers in order to provoke a confrontation with EU leaders later this month. In 2016, 2.4 million migrants entered the European Union, bringing the total of the foreign-born population in the bloc to nearly 40 million. Having ridden into power on a tide of anti-migrant sentiment, populists in Central Europe have been further galvanized by Italy's coalition government formed by Matteo Salvini's far-right Lega and Luigi Di Maio's Five Star Movement (M5S). The new Italian government increased the political temperature over migration earlier this month when Interior Minister Salvini announced a ban on humanitarian rescue ships docking at Italian ports after picking up migrants in the waters off Libya. Salvini argues the rescue ships are indirectly encouraging smugglers and migrants and are in effect in league with traffickers. On Sunday three ships, an NGO vessel and two Italian naval ships, carrying more than 600 migrants docked in the Spanish port of Valencia. They were rescued a week ago off the coast of Libya and have remained at sea while the European Union insisted Italy had a duty to admit them. The ban prompted an exchange of insults between Paris and Rome. Speaking Friday in Paris after meeting with French President Emmanuel Macron, Italian Prime minister Giuseppe Conte said EU rules have to change with a re-writing of the Dublin Treaty that requires migrants to claim asylum in the first country they arrive." The concept itself of the 'state of first entry' must be rethought," he said. President Macron argued against any unilateral action by individual member state, saying there had to be an overall European response to migrants. But Macron accepts change is needed, saying "the existing European response has not adapted." In Valencia, the Spanish Red Cross set up a reception center staffed by more than 1,000 volunteers and 400 translators. More than 23,000 migrants have reached European shores this year, with about 42 percent arriving in Italy from Libya. Thirty-eight percent arrived in Greece from Turkey and 20 percent arrived in Spain from Morocco, according to the International Organization for Migration. Following a red carpet arrival Saturday at the New Orleans Museum of Art, King Felipe VI and Queen Letizia of Spain enjoyed music by a jazz group and a cultural performance by Mardi Gras Indians as they ended a visit to the city celebrating its tricentennial. After a private lunch with New Orleans Mayor Latoya Cantrell, Louisiana Lieutenant Governor Billy Nungesser and other dignitaries and officials, the royals departed New Orleans for San Antonio, Texas, which is also celebrating 300 years of existence. "It was a great and amazing weekend for the city, our residents and the king and queen for them to come back to a former Spanish colony,'' said Trey Caruso, a spokesman for Cantrell's office. Musical connections Clarinetist, music historian and Xavier University Spanish professor Michael White said he and his Original Liberty Brass Band played two pieces with a connection to Europe and New Orleans at the New Orleans Museum of Art. The first piece was Panama, a march in the traditional European style. "It was published in 1911, and all over the country it was played by and read by brass bands,'' White said prior to the performance. "But in New Orleans they kind of threw away the sheet music and improvised, and therefore made it personal. I think it's a good way to show the interaction between European culture and New Orleans culture.'' The second piece, Andalusian Strut, was one of White's compositions. It combines a common flamenco structure and flamenco-type rhythms and melodies with classic New Orleans jazz style and improvisation, he said. "That one went over really, really well,'' White said after the event. "The king and all of the people there really loved it.'' White said their third song was When the Saints Go Marching In, which White described as "probably the most famous song in New Orleans history.'' "We surprised them by singing the chorus in Spanish,'' he said. The Mardi Gras Indians, groups of African-Americans who create elaborate feathered and beaded costumes in which they strut and dance through the streets on Mardi Gras, performed as well. "Though the program was relatively short, I think overall it gave a good idea of New Orleans' culture,'' White said. Arrived Thursday Felipe and Letizia flew in Thursday evening to Louisiana, which was a Spanish colony from 1763 to 1802. They arrived at New Orleans' airport at sunset and were greeted by several officials, including Louisiana Governor John Bel Edwards and Cantrell. They saluted New Orleans' centuries-old Spanish heritage at an event Friday at Gallier Hall, a former City Hall opened in 1853 and renovated for the city's 300th anniversary. That evening, they visited two buildings erected under Spanish rule: St. Louis Cathedral and the Cabildo, the Spanish government seat in Louisiana. On Monday they'll go to Washington for a White House visit Tuesday with President Donald Trump and first lady Melania Trump. Eight people died Saturday in a shootout and fire that shattered a truce struck hours earlier between President Daniel Ortega and protesters, and civic leaders condemned the violence while vowing to continue talks with the government. Nicaraguas crisis, the countrys bloodiest confrontations since a civil war ended in 1990, has spanned two months and claimed at least 170 lives. The unrest in the morning came hours after Ortega and protesters struck an agreement to end hostilities, clear roadblocks and allow a foreign inquiry. Michael Healy, president of the agriculture producers union, blamed the government and law enforcement for the deaths of six people, including two children, as flames consumed their house in Managua after a confrontation with police. Two others died in the shootout. We were going to sleep in peace and tranquility. And whats sad was waking up to the death of this family, how they were burned, Healy said at the conclusion of talks with the government moderated by the Catholic Church. The government wants us to leave this table, and were not going to let that happen ... its the only way to put an end to this, he added. Talks go on The dialogue proceeded as scheduled, with the government and civic leaders agreeing to set up working groups to debate proposals, including democratic reforms, mediators said in a statement. Talks will resume Monday. Responding to Saturdays unexpected flare-up, the national police in a statement attributed the mornings gunfire to protesters, and said two men had died. Local media reported that police and pro-Ortega masked gunmen had fired at protesters guarding the roadblocks. Police also said that firefighters battling the blaze came under attack from masked delinquents, and that they would investigate the cause of the fire. The government did not reply to a request for comment on the reports. A massacre, a barbarity The head of the Organization of American States, Luis Almagro, said in a tweet that his organization condemns this act of terror that is a crime against humanity. Local television showed images of firefighters carrying two soot-streaked toddlers in diapers from the burning building. This is a massacre. A barbarity. These police surrounded the house and burned it after my nephew refused to let them put snipers on the roof, Jose Maria Hernandez, 63, uncle of the buildings owner who died in the blaze, told Reuters outside the smoking wreckage. Ortegas surprise decision in April to slash pension benefits to cover a widening social security gap triggered demonstrations that quickly turned fatal and led to demands for his resignation. The Nicaraguan Center for Human Rights said at least 170 people were killed in eight weeks of clashes between pro-Ortega forces armed with assault rifles and pistols and protesters armed with rocks, slings and homemade mortars. Pope Francis denounced abortion on Saturday as the "white glove'' equivalent of the Nazi-era eugenics program and urged families to accept the children that God gives them. Francis spoke off the cuff to a meeting of an Italian family association, ditching his prepared remarks to speak from the heart about families and the trials they undergo. He lamented how some couples choose not to have any children, while others resort to prenatal testing to see whether their baby has any malformations or genetic problems. "The first proposal in such a case is, 'Do we get rid of it?' '' Francis said. "The murder of children. To have an easy life, they get rid of an innocent.'' Francis recalled that as a child he was horrified to hear stories from his teacher about children "thrown from the mountain'' if they were born with malformations. "Today we do the same thing,'' he said. "Last century, the whole world was scandalized by what the Nazis did to purify the race. Today, we do the same thing but with white gloves,'' Francis said. The pope urged families to accept children "as God gives them to us.'' Francis has repeated the strict anti-abortion stance of his predecessors and integrated it into his broader condemnation of what he calls today's "throwaway culture.'' He has frequently lamented how the sick, the poor, the elderly and the unborn are considered by some to be unworthy of protection and dignity. He has also decried how women are often considered part of this "throwaway culture,'' sometimes forced to prostitute themselves. "How many of you pray for these women who are thrown away, for these women who are used, for these girls who have to sell their own dignity to have a job?'' Francis asked during his morning homily Friday. Francis has dedicated much of his pontificate to preaching about families, marriage and the problems that families today encounter. He is expected to highlight these issues during his August trip to Ireland, where he'll close out the Catholic Church's big family rally. British Prime Minister Theresa May announced plans Sunday to increase spending on health care by 20 billion pounds ($26.6 billion) annually by 2023/24, funded by money no longer spent on membership of the European Union and increased taxation. By the end of five years, in 2023/24, the NHS (National Health Service) will be getting 20 billion pounds more in real terms that year, than it is today, May told LBC Radio in an interview, confirming overnight media reports. We take the advantage that weve got of the money were no longer sending to the European Union, but also in putting the amount of money we want to put into the NHS for the future, I think we do have to look at contributing more. The announcement, timed to mark the 70th anniversary of the NHS, which delivers care for free to everyone living in Britain, aims to foster unity in the government and the country after two years of bitter divisions over Brexit, the reports said. An official spokeswoman from May's No. 10 Downing Street said she did not have the details available. She said the reports were the result of unofficial briefings by special advisers. Downing Street had earlier said May would deliver a speech about the NHS on Monday, giving no further details. Special advisers are known to sometimes brief the content of speeches to newspapers ahead of time for their own purposes. The NHS budget increase was expected to take place over five years, reaching the full amount in 2023-24, the newspapers said. Britain's official exit date from the European Union is March 29, 2019. Pro-Brexit claim During the 2016 referendum campaign on EU membership, the pro-Brexit camp claimed that Britain was sending 350 million pounds a week to the EU and should spend that money on the NHS instead. The claim was controversial because the figure of 350 million pounds did not take into account Britain's sizable rebate or the payments that were flowing back from the EU to Britain, so it was widely seen as overstating Britain's contribution to the bloc. The newspapers said the 384 million-a-week pledge was politically significant from May who campaigned against Brexit in 2016 and has been under pressure from hard-line Brexiters ever since to prove her conversion to the cause because it went above and beyond 350 million. Jeremy Hunt, the health minister who also campaigned for Britain to remain in the EU, was quoted by the Sunday Telegraph as saying that the new pledge "can now unite us all." The newspaper said the precise details of how the spending increase would be funded would be disclosed in a future government budget. More than 600 men, women and children, mostly from Africa, had hopes for a better life rekindled Sunday when their rescue ships were allowed to dock in Spain. The Aquarius, operated by Doctors Without Borders, pulled into the port of Valencia. The passengers were greeted by more than 2,300 Red Cross volunteers and other humanitarian workers, including police, doctors and translators. A huge banner reading "Welcome Home" in several languages filled the arrivals with optimism and a feeling that they are wanted and welcome in Europe, a week after Italy and Malta turned them away. About 100 of the migrants were on board the Aquarius. The others had been transferred to two Italian military ships to avoid overcrowding. "The sad odyssey of the people on the Aquarius is another reminder that all people, regardless of their nationality or immigration status, should have access to basic assistance and protection," Elhadj As Sy, secretary general of the International Federation of the Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies, said. "No human being is illegal," Sy added. Initial medical examinations show no serious injuries or illnesses among the refugees. Most are adult men and women, including seven pregnancies. The others include children and teens. Doctors Without Borders said the migrants come from 26 countries, mostly from sub-Saharan Africa, but also from Afghanistan, Bangladesh and Pakistan. Spain will offer them humanitarian stays of 45 days while their requests for asylum in Spain or France are considered. The Aquarius picked up the 630 migrants off the Libyan coast last week. But the new right-wing Italian government refused to let the ship dock. Malta also sent it away. But Spain's new prime minister, Pedro Sanchez, announced the Aquarius and the two Italian military vessels would be welcome there, saying, "It is our duty to help avoid a humanitarian catastrophe and offer a safe port to these people to comply with our human rights obligations." Italian officials said their country has taken in enough migrants and have long complained other European Union members do not do enough. WATCH: Europe migrants Italian Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte has proposed the EU set up asylum processing centers in Africa to prevent what he calls "voyages of death" across the Mediterranean or migrants falling victims to criminal human traffickers. Italy and Greece have been the most popular and closest destinations for those seeking to escape war, poverty and terrorism. But Spain is fast becoming another port of refuge because of the crackdown by Italy and crowded conditions on refugee camps in Greece. European Union leaders meet later this month and migrant reform is expected to be the main topic. A suicide bomb attack has killed at least 19 people and wounded more than 50 others in eastern Afghanistan, a day after a deadly attack in the same area targeted government soldiers and Taliban insurgents celebrating a temporary cease-fire during the Muslim festival Eid al-Fitr. Sunday's attack happened in central Jalalabad, capital of the Nangarhar province, where government offices are located. Soldiers and Taliban rebels were jointly celebrating the last day of the Eid al-Fitr festival that marked the end of Muslim fasting month of Ramadan. There was no immediate claim of responsibility. Health officials and rescue workers expected the death toll to increase. A day earlier, Islamic State claimed responsibility for a suicide blast that killed at least 35 people on the outskirts of Jalalabad. Officials said that Afghan security personnel, Taliban fighters and civilians were among the victims. Nangarhar province is where Islamic State has established its strong bases and its militants routinely carry out targeted killings and suicide bombings. Shortly before Sunday's bombing, the Taliban ordered all its fighters to strictly remain in their trenches and areas of control and not to venture into enemy controlled areas or cities to avoid incidents like Saturdays deadly bombing in Jalalabad. In a statement released to media Sunday, the insurgent group said field commanders have been asked to ban Taliban fighters from participating in ceasefire-related celebrations to deter the enemy from misusing the events to harm Afghans. Meanwhile, the Taliban has formally announced its three-day ceasefire will end Sunday night and vowed to resume battlefield attacks from Monday morning against U.S.-led foreign forces. The insurgent announcement has dealt a blow to renewed hopes for long-sought Afghan peace talks. Mujahideen [Taliban fighters] all over the country are being asked to resume their operations against foreign invaders and their local puppets, the statement said. The insurgent group insisted the brief cessation of hostilities across Afghanistan has established the Taliban is a "united force not being backed by any foreign nation and it is capable of implementing all key decisions like the Eid ceasefire. The Taliban also clarified that its suspension of insurgent activities had nothing to do with that of the governments ceasefire and it was meant only to enable Afghans to peacefully celebrate their Eid festivities. On Saturday, Afghan President Ashraf Ghani, praised the government's and the Taliban's mutual cease-fire and unilaterally extended the period of the governments cease-fire. To respect the public's wishes and to support their demands about peace, I am ordering the security and defense forces to extend the cease-fire from the fourth day of Eid. We will soon share the details of the proposed cease-fire with the nation, Ghani said. He went on to urge the Taliban to extend its cease-fire, and he offered medical assistance to wounded insurgents. The Afghan government and the Taliban for the first time in more than 17 years mutual observed the cease-fire that had gone into effect on Friday, the opening day of the three-day Eid festival. The temporary cessation of hostilities was widely welcomed in and outside war-shattered Afghanistan. The government reiterated that its weeklong cease-fire that began last Tuesday was with the Taliban and did not include U.S. counterterrorism efforts against IS, al-Qaida, and other regional and international terrorist groups. President Ghani reiterated his offer of direct talks with the Taliban to resolve mutual differences and end the conflict. We are ready for comprehensive negotiation, all those issues and demands that have been put-forth we are ready to discuss them at the peace talks, Ghani said. The U.S. State Department responded to Ghani's announcement Saturday with a statement that it stands with Ghani and his offer. "We support President Ghani's offer to extend the cease-fire and begin peace talks," Secretary Mike Pompeo said in a release on Saturday. "Peace talks by necessity would include a discussion of the role of international actors and forces. The United States is prepared to support, facilitate, and participate in these discussions," he said. American forces and NATOs non-combatant Resolute Support in Afghanistan welcomed an extension of the cease-fire by Ghani and his offer to begin peace talks with the Taliban. The United States is prepared to support, facilitate and participate in these discussions, said the international military mission in a statement. One of U.S. President Donald Trump's lawyers said Sunday he is advising him to not pardon anyone linked to the year-long investigation into Russian meddling in the 2016 election because it would "just cloud" the perception that there was wrong-doing. Rudy Giuliani, a former New York mayor and part of Trump's legal team, told CNN, "You're not going to get a pardon because you're involved" in the investigation by special counsel Robert Mueller. But he said that in the months to come pardons were "certainly not excluded" if Trump concluded "you've been treated unfairly." The president has issued no pardons in this investigation," Giuliani said. "The president is not going to issue pardons in this investigation." And my advice to him, as long as Im his lawyer, is not to do it," he said. "Because you just cloud what is becoming now a very clear picture of an extremely unfair investigation with no criminality involved of any kind. I want that to come out loud and clear and not get clouded by anybody being fired or anybody being pardoned. Trump has pardoned several conservative icons in recent weeks, but Giuliani said no one being investigated by Mueller "should rely on it." Even so, he said, "When its over, hey, hes the president of the United States. He retains his pardon power. Nobodys taking that away from him. He can pardon in his judgment based on the Justice Department, counsels office, not me. Im out of it. And I shouldnt be involved in that process because Im probably too rooted in his defense, but I couldnt and I dont want to take prerogatives away from him. Former Trump campaign chairman Paul Manafort was jailed last week, prompting new questions whether Trump might pardon him. Manafort is accused of witness tampering in a criminal case that stems from his lobbying efforts for Ukraine years before he was a top Trump aide for nearly five months during the 2016 campaign. Trump attacked Manafort's jailing, saying on Twitter, "Wow, what a tough sentence for Paul Manafort .... Didnt know Manafort was the head of the Mob.... Very unfair!" There is no indication when Mueller's investigation might end. He is probing whether the Trump campaign colluded with Russian interests to help him win and whether Trump obstructed justice by firing former Federal Bureau of Investigation director James Comey when he was leading the agency's Russia investigation before Mueller, over Trump's objections, was appointed to take over the probe. In a new broadside against the investigation, Trump tweeted, "WITCH HUNT! There was no Russian Collusion. Oh, I see, there was no Russian Collusion, so now they look for obstruction on the no Russian Collusion. The phony Russian Collusion was a made up Hoax. Too bad they didnt look at Crooked Hillary like this. Double Standard!" His reference to "Crooked Hillary" is his oft-repeated pejorative for his 2016 challenger, Democrat Hillary Clinton. Giuliani called for investigation of the origins of the Mueller investigation, contending it was "premised on Comey's illegally leaked memo" about the FBI's director's private conversations with Trump. "There's a lot of unfairness out there, but we don't know the scope of it," Giuliani said. A Turkish presidential candidate made his campaign speech Sunday from jail. Selahattin Demirtas of the pro-Kurdish People's Democratic Party spoke on television from his cell in western Turkey. Turkish law grants all presidential candidates 20 minutes of television time. Demirtas said he was illegally jailed 20 months ago, not because of any crime but because the Turkish government "fears" him. He warned voters against casting a ballot for President Recep Tayyip Erdogan to prevent a "one-man regime." He said under the new Turkish law, no government institution would be able to oversee Erdogan or limit his rule. Demirtas told viewers that voting for him and the People's Democratic Party for parliament would be a vote for peace. Demirtas was arrested on allegations of being a threat to national security. His party is accused of having ties to Kurdish rebels, whom the government regards as terrorists. The party disputes the charge and Demirtas says he will be acquitted. Turkey is holding early presidential and parliamentary elections on June 24. Voters approved a referendum changing the constitution to scrap the office of prime minister and granting the president executive powers. Concerned by the lack of any reference to human rights in the joint statement issued at the historic summit between Washington and Pyongyang, the United Nations special rapporteur on North Korea says this is the time for the U.S. to pressure North Korean leader Kim Jong Un to engage in a dialogue with the international community to improve the lives of North Koreas people. Any reference to human rights was absent, said Tomas Ojea Quintana, special rapporteur on North Korea for the United Nations based in Argentina. The only term in the joint statement that I could associate with human rights is the word prosperity where the two leaders [agreed to] commit to peace and prosperity and security in the Korean Peninsula. The joint statement issued by Trump and Kim at the summit Tuesday on Singapores Sentosa Island, contained four stipulations: Washington and Pyongyang agreed to normalize the relations between the two countries and pursue peace on the Korean Peninsula, affirmed North Koreas commitment toward complete denuclearization, and decided to recover and repatriate the remains of the POWs and MIAs during the Korean War. But it lacked any mention of North Korea taking action to address its human rights situation. Quintana said the momentum generated by the summit must bring North Koreas human rights situations to the fore. This is the time. This is the time, he said. Now the North Korean leadership and the government want to normalize the country, want to become a respectable member of the United Nations. Well, they will have to change their stance in regard to human rights questions and start the process of dialogue and engagement. Trump priority: denuclearization While Quintana said he understands President Donald Trumps priority is denuclearizing North Korea, the U.N. official is concerned that unless the human rights situation in North Korea improves, it will become an obstacle for any agreement to be implemented and effective. During a press conference after the summit talks, Trump downplayed reporters questions on human rights, saying only that he brought up the issue to Kim. When VOAs Greta Van Susteren asked Trump about human rights in an interview right after the summit, Trump replied human rights were mentioned during the discussion on denuclearization. Touting Kim as someone who loves his people, Trump said, Look, hes doing what hes seen done, when Susteren underlined the regimes brutality against its people. Marked change of tone Trumps comments after the summit showed a marked change from his State of the Union address in January when he said, no regime has oppressed its own citizens more totally or brutally than the cruel dictatorship in North Korea. He cited the shameful trial of American college student Otto Warmbier who was detained in North Korea and horribly injured before he died days after his return to the U.S. And Trump described the saga of North Korean defector Ji Seong-ho who, during his search for food, lost a leg before escaping on crutches. Today he lives in Seoul, Trump said, where he rescues other defectors, and broadcasts into North Korea what the regime fears the most the truth. Hoped for opportunity Quintana, who reports on the situation of human rights in North Korea and on the governments compliance with its obligation under the international human rights law, had hoped the summit would open up an opportunity to evaluate conditions in North Korea. Instead, I dont see a strategy to effectively assess the problem of a serious human rights situation on the ground in North Korea, said Quintana. In this regard, I am concerned. Quintana said the U.S. delegations to the U.N. in Geneva and in New York, his two formal channels of communication with U.S. officials, had stressed to him that human rights remain a concern and will be included with any engagement with North Korea. He said, How did the dynamics unfold in the context of the summit and the leaders that might be something different. Quintana also continues to seek official communication with North Korean authorities to discuss human rights, but because North Korea denies allegations of human rights violations and opposes on-the-ground investigations, the U.N. special rapporteur has to assess the situation through civil organizations in South Korea or through people who defected the North. The government of North Korea stated the human rights issue has been used politically by different states, Quintana said. In their case, [a] double standard was applied. These are the kind of arguments that the North Korean government presents to oppose any negotiations or engagements or conversations with me, with my mandate. Report to UN In his Report of the Special Rapporteur on the Situation of Human Right in the Democratic Peoples Republic of Korea made to the U.N. Human Rights Council in March 2018, Quintana describes some of the conditions of detainees in political prison camps. A female detainee in one of the labor camps, known as kyohwaso, run by North Koreas Ministry of State Security and the Ministry of Peoples Security is quoted in the report on the difficulties of gaining access to basic necessities such as water: The heads of cells, inmates selected by prison officials according to the extent to which they have a clean record could wash, not the rest of us. Another woman who was detained after being repatriated to North Korea from China said, You cant imagine if you havent experienced it. We were treated like animals, given only corn to eat or a poorly made soup of dried radish greens. She continued, The toilet is located inside a room that hosted a dozen of people. Youre not allowed to move. If you move, they beat you. North Koreas regime could begin to address the economic and cultural rights of its people as an entry point of addressing human rights, if sanctions are relaxed and Pyongyang starts receiving economic support, Quintana said. If North Korean authorities open up to the system of the United Nations, Quintanna said it would be a very good sign of credibility, reliability from North Korea that would say that, We are ready to open up our frontiers. We are ready to start conversations, to have human rights dialogue which has been absent for many, many years. Human rights dialogue Quintana expects the U.S., as well as South Korea, China and Russia, to encourage and urge the leadership of North Korea to engage on a human rights dialogue, which he said will be a very important step forward that will go in parallel to the negotiations on peace, security, and denuclearization. There is a need of a concrete political decision from North Korea at this juncture, Quintana said. From President Trumps press conference he said Mr. Kim Jong Un is willing to do something Kim Jong Un cares about the people and willing to show something in regard to the people. I hope thats connected to human rights dialogue. The world is failing to properly invest in the Syrian refugee crisis and families, women, and children are suffering terribly as a result, U.N. refugee agency special envoy Angelina Jolie said on Sunday. The Hollywood actress was visiting the Domiz Camp, in the semi-autonomous Kurdistan Region of Iraq, which is home to 33,000 Syrian refugees displaced by seven years of civil war. Funding received by the U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) to help refugees from the Syrian conflict fell sharply this year from 2017 when the agency received only 50 percent of the funds it needed, Jolie told a news conference. "There are terrible human consequences. When there is even not the bare minimum of aid, refuge families cannot receive adequate medical treatment. Women and girls are left vulnerable to sexual violence, many children cannot go to school, and we squander the opportunity to invest in refugees," she said. UNCHR will publish figures on Tuesday that show that the number of displaced people globally, and the duration of their exiles, are "the highest they have ever been", she said. "At the same time political solutions seem to be completely lacking leaving a void that humanitarian aid cannot fill. Words like 'unsustainable' don't really paint a picture of how desperate the situation really is," said Jolie. She met families at the camp, including two mothers who are now widows caring for young children after their husbands died from conditions that could have been treated under normal conditions, Jolie said. In 2011, Domiz was a small camp housing tents. Now it is a town complete with concrete houses, shops and fast food stalls. Ahmed Hussein, a refugee father of nine children, one of whom died and five of whom are handicapped, said he and other refugees lacked access to basic treatment and could not find jobs. "I wish Angelina had come to my house to meet my handicapped children who need medical treatment," he said in his makeshift house where he has been living since 2015 when he fled the Syrian town of Qamishli with his family. Mosul devastated On Saturday Jolie visited Mosul, the biggest city in northern Iraq, which Iraqi forces took back last year from Islamic State militants, who had occupied the city for three years, forcing 900,000 residents to flee. Jolie met families from western Mosul and walked through bombed out streets, video footage and photos provided by the UNHCR showed. Normality has returned to many parts of Mosul, with displaced residents leaving camps nearby to return home, but reconstruction in the Old City in West Mosul has been slow. It was largely destroyed during a campaign by a 100,000-strong alliance of Iraqi government units, Kurdish Peshmerga fighters and Shi'ite militias backed by air support from a U.S.-led coalition. "This is the worst devastation I have seen in all my years working with UNHCR. People here have lost everything," Jolie said in a U.N. statement. "They are destitute. They have no medicine for their children, and many have no running water or basic services," she said. "I hope there will be a continued commitment to rebuilding and stabilizing the whole of the city. And I call on the international community not to forget Mosul." Jolie has worked for UNHCR since 2001, visiting uprooted civilians from Iraq to Cambodia and Kenya. This was her fifth visit to Iraq, UNHCR said. A woman crying "Allahu akbar" "God is great" in Arabic injured two people with a box cutter Sunday at a supermarket in southern France before she was detained. A customer in the store in the maritime town of La Seyne-sur-Mer was injured in the chest and hospitalized. A woman working the cash register was hurt less seriously, French radio station Europe 1 quoted the prosecutor in nearby Toulon as saying. Prosecutor Bernard Marchal said the suspect may have mental health problems. She has not been identified. Police were searching her home. "It's apparently an isolated case involving a person with psychiatric issues," the prosecutor told Le Monde newspaper quoted the prosecutor as saying. However, that does not exclude the possibility that the suspect was radicalized, Marchal added. "There is a presumption of attempted murder and ... of a crime with terrorist implications," Marchal was quoted as saying. Regional newspaper Nice-Matin, which first reported the 10:30 a.m. attack, quoted an unidentified witness as saying that people in the store stopped the woman from cutting anyone else. A sense of edginess has been with France since a murderous series of killings in 2015 in the name of the Islamic State group. Adding to concerns are the hundreds of French who have traveled to the Iraq-Syria war zone, or are returning as IS crumbles. In March, an hours-long attack and hostage-taking in a supermarket near the southern French town of Carcassonne left four people dead. A man attacked people near the Paris Opera house in May, killing one person and injuring four, an action claimed by the Islamic State Last week, a man who took hostages in a Paris building was hospitalized in a psychiatric unit. Reuters Staff * Company sees early mover advantage * Elections next month could unleash more mineral investment By Barbara Lewis LONDON (Reuters) - South African miner Tharisa has deepened its exposure to Zimbabwe, saying it had bought a 26.8 percent stake in platinum group reserves for $4.5 million and could increase its presence greatly if conditions are right. Tharisa has made clear its interest in moving into Zimbabwes Great Dyke region, which is considered to have chrome and platinum reserves comparable to those it mines in the Bushveld region of South Africa. In May it bought a 90 percent stake in a Zimbabwean chrome. It has added to that with a deal that gives it access to an area covering 23,903 hectares on the Great Dyke of Zimbabwe, containing an estimated 96 million ounces in platinum group metals, including platinum and palladium. Both assets have been acquired from holding companies owned by the Pouroulis family that leads Tharisa. The familys Cyprus-based Karo Resources signed a $4.2 billion outline deal in March to develop a platinum mine and refinery in Zimbabwe, although it was not clear when the full investment would be made. Tharisa CEO Phoevos Pouroulis on Wednesday told Reuters Tharisa would adopt a phased approach and could increase its exposure further. Its a once in a lifetime opportunity, he said, adding the company was getting early mover advantage as Zimbabwe opens up to international investment. Zimbabwe in July is set to hold its first election since Robert Mugabes downfall in November after nearly 40 years in power. Analysts say many in the mining community excited by the countrys mineral wealth are waiting for the results of that vote before making decisive moves. Tharisa says the platinum group reserves it is acquiring are a tier one resource, a term used in mining to refer to assets that are large enough to be mined over decades, although the extent of them still has to be formally proven. They are richer in palladium than platinum, a metal that has outstripped platinum in value as the market for diesel vehicles a prime use for platinum has been hit by concerns about pollution. Karo Holdings deal with Zimbabwe in March over time aim to establish a mine, treatment plants and power generation. Tharisa is taking a step by step approach and so far has bought into the project at a discount, analysts said. Peel Hunt in a note said the modular approach was wise. Importantly these come on a case-by-case basis, not all-or-nothing, it said. (Reporting by Barbara Lewis; editing by Jason Neely) Click here to search our database for earlier earthquakes in the same area since 1900! Please wait while we search through millions of records.This can take up to 20-30 seconds. Contribute: Leave a comment if you find a particular report interesting or want to add to it. Flag as inappropriate. Mark as helpful or interesting. Send your own user report! User reports estimate the perceived ground shaking intensity according to the MMI (Modified Mercalli Intensity) scale Info: The more agencies report about the same quake and post similar data, the more confidence you can have in the data. It takes normally up to a few hours until earthquake parameters are calculated with near-optimum precision. If you felt this quake (or if you were near the epicenter),Other users would love to hear about it!although you were in the area,! Your contribution is valuable to earthquake science, seismic hazard analysis and mitigation efforts. You can use your device location or the map to indicate where you were during the earthquake. Thank you! Support us - Help us upgrade our services! Maintaining our website and our free apps does require, however, considerable time and resources. We're aiming to achieve uninterrupted service wherever an earthquake or volcano eruption unfolds, and your donations can make it happen! Every donation will be highly appreciated. Improved multilanguage support Tsunami alerts Faster responsiveness Earthquake archive from 1900 onwards Detailed quake stats Additional seismic data sources Download and Upgrade the Volcanoes & Earthquakes app to get one of the fastest seismic and volcano alerts online: Android | IOS to get one of the fastest seismic and volcano alerts online: We truly love working to bring you the latest volcano and earthquake data from around the world.We need financing to increase hard- and software capacity as well as support our editor team.If you find the information useful and would like to support our team in integrating further features, write great content, and in upgrading our soft- and hardware, please PayPal or Online credit card payment )., these features have been added recently: Stratovolcano 4835 m (15,863 ft)Kamchatka, 56.06N / 160.64E(1 out of 5)1697-98, 1720-21, 1727-31, 1737, 1740, 1762, 1767, 1770, 1772, 1785, 1787, 1788, 1789-90, 1791, 1807, 1812, 1813, 1819-22, 1829, 1840, 1848, 1852, 1853-54, 1865, 1877, 1878, 1879, 1882, 1883, 1890, 1896-97, 1890, 1896-97, 1898, 1904, 1907, 1909, 1910, 1911, 1913, 1915, 1922, 1923, 1925, 1926, 1929, 1931, 1932, 1935-36, 1937-39, 1944-1945, 1946, 1948, 1949, 1951, 1953, 1954, 1956, 1957, 1958, 1959, 1960-63, 1963-64, 1965-1966, 1967, 1968, 1969, 1970, 1971, 1971-73, 1974, 1977-80, 1981, 1982, 1982-83, 1984-85, 1986, 1986-90, 1991, 1992, 1992-93, 1994-95, 1996-97, 1998, 1999, 2000, 2002, 2002-04, 2005 - ongoingDominantly explosive, strombolian and vulcanian activity, sometimes lava flows from fissure vents. At present in a phase of near-persistant activity.(volcano expedition to Kamchatka) If you havn't done it yet,to get one of the fastest volcano news online: Kliuchevskoi is Kamchatka's highest and most active volcano. Since its origin about 6000 years ago, the beautifully symmetrical, 4835-m-high basaltic stratovolcano has produced frequent moderate-volume explosive and effusive eruptions without major periods of inactivity. Kliuchevskoi rises above a saddle NE of sharp-peaked Kamen volcano and lies SE of the broad Ushkovsky massif. More than 100 flank eruptions have occurred at Kliuchevskoi during the past roughly 3000 years, with most lateral craters and cones occurring along radial fissures between the unconfined NE-to-SE flanks of the conical volcano between 500 m and 3600 m elevation. The morphology of its 700-m-wide summit crater has been frequently modified by historical eruptions, which have been recorded since the late-17th century. Historical eruptions have originated primarily from the summit crater, but have also included numerous major explosive and effusive eruptions from flank craters. NASA photo of the eruption of Klyuchevsky volcano on 30 September, 1994, the volcano's largest explosion in 40 years. The large We offer you a fine selection of photo tours to exceptional places guided by experienced photographers. These tours are ideal if you are interested in learning or improving photography or, if you are an experienced photographer yourself, to get to the best locations at the best times. 11-16 Feb 2019: short-notice special tour to see the ongoing eruption of Karangetang volcano in northern Indonesia. Starting and ending in Manado. Small group 2-6 people, experienced volcano expedition leader from our team (Andi). Several magnitude 7 quakes occurred in 2016 (but none above M8): Papua New Guinea, NZ, Ecuador, Solomon Islands, Sumatra, Chile, Alaska and others - nearly all major earthquakes were located near active subduction zones.See the top 20 list of largest quakes in 2016 with this map. We have traveled all over Greece, in particular on its active volcanic areas such as Santorini, Nisyros, Milos, Methana. Support us - Help us upgrade our services! Maintaining our website and our free apps does require, however, considerable time and resources. We're aiming to achieve uninterrupted service wherever an earthquake or volcano eruption unfolds, and your donations can make it happen! Every donation will be highly appreciated. Improved multilanguage support Tsunami alerts Faster responsiveness Earthquake archive from 1900 onwards Detailed quake stats Additional seismic data sources Download and Upgrade the Volcanoes & Earthquakes app to get one of the fastest seismic and volcano alerts online: Android | IOS to get one of the fastest seismic and volcano alerts online: We truly love working to bring you the latest volcano and earthquake data from around the world.We need financing to increase hard- and software capacity as well as support our editor team.If you find the information useful and would like to support our team in integrating further features, write great content, and in upgrading our soft- and hardware, please PayPal or Online credit card payment )., these features have been added recently: If you havn't done it yet,to get one of the fastest volcano news online: Satellite image of Langila volcano (image by Google Earth View) Langila volcano stratovolcano 1330 m / 4,363 ft New Britain, Papua New Guinea, -5.53S / 148.42E Current status: minor activity or eruption warning (3 out of 5) Langila volcano eruptions: 2009-2013, 2002-08, 1973-2000, 1971-72, 1970, 1969, 1967-68, 1964-66, 1962-63, 1960-61, 1958, 1956, 1955, 1954, 1942 (?), 1907, 1900, 1890, 1884, 1878 Typical eruption style: explosive Last nearby quakes Latest satellite images stratovolcano 1330 m / 4,363 ftNew Britain, Papua New Guinea, -5.53S / 148.42E(3 out of 5)2009-2013, 2002-08, 1973-2000, 1971-72, 1970, 1969, 1967-68, 1964-66, 1962-63, 1960-61, 1958, 1956, 1955, 1954, 1942 (?), 1907, 1900, 1890, 1884, 1878explosive Background Langila volcano, whose activity record goes back to the 19th century only, is one of the most active volcanoes of New Britain, Papua New Guinea. Langila's frequent activity consists typically of mild-to-moderate explosive eruptions, that are sometimes accompanied by lava flows. The volcano consists of four small overlapping cones on the lower eastern flank of the extinct Talawe volcano,- the highest volcano in NW New Britain. The rectangular, 2.5-km-long crater of Talawe has a large gap to the SE; the younger Langila volcano formed NE of Talawe's breached crater. Extensive lava flows have reached the sea from the N and NE flanks of the volcano. Since observations have begun, 3 summit craters have been active. The youngest and smallest of these, with a diameter of 150 m, was formed in 1960. NASA Earth Observatory Explosion of Langila volcano 1985 Futuristic machines that rely on quantum mechanics to solve complex problems, known as quantum computers, have been touted as technology disrupters that could one day transform entire industries. Some of the worlds biggest companies say they are developing such systems IBM, Google and Lockheed Martin, to name a few though they say they are years away from being able to use them for practical purposes. Several days before our planned departure, one person backed out because a relative was near death, and she needed to fly across country to be with him. When the remaining two of us asked her to pay her portion of the hotel bill, she refused. She played the "sympathy" card saying she was already out the train and theater tickets as well as the cost of flying to see her relative, and we should have empathy and not expect her to pay her part of the room. We told her we were sorry for her situation, but she had made a commitment and we expected her to honor it. Now she has severed our friendship. How do I handle this? She lives next door! First, he says, get as close to the overall, big-picture truth as possible right away. (Thus the gist of the Trump-in-Singapore story: Little of substance was accomplished in the summit with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, despite the pageantry.) Then report what Trump is claiming about it: achievement of world peace. And then, in the same story or broadcast, fact-check his claims. We know that when we produce more units and people earn more money we will have a city where more and more Washingtonians can participate in the prosperity that we are building in our city right now, she said. Not only should you go out and vote, you need to call 10 people . . . and tell them go to their polling place on Tuesday. So the Army estimates that less than 1 percent of U.S. youth who are eligible are both qualified and want to serve. That is about 144,000 people, who are far from being the lowest of our low. Most will stay in the military four or five years and find when they enter college that on average they do better than traditional students, according to the Army. Todays Headlines The most important news stories of the day, curated by Post editors and delivered every morning. Email address By signing up you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy The tunnel uses massive 400 horsepower fans to drive air and create the sensation of free-falling. Answer Man thought they must be in the ground pointed up, but Owens explained that the fans four of them, each six feet in diameter are at the top of the building. Air is forced around the edges of the building, across the lower level and then up into the vertical cylindrical tunnel in which customers float. We have a president right now who is tearing apart families who are coming to seek refuge in this country, Kaine said. On the night before Fathers Day, thats what this nation has come to with this president. . . . Is there any doubt that if these children had light skin and were speaking English that they wouldnt be loaded into cells and rooms in a windowless Walmart in the hundreds and the thousands on the southern border of this country? I have had no complications. I was released from the hospital nine days after surgery and then stayed in an apartment nearby for another 11 days. Then the staples from my 12-inch scar were removed and I went home to celebrate Christmas with my family. Sardi said there were only about 10 facilities in the world that did CRS/HIPEC when he began doing it in 1994. While many more places offer it now, it is still not mainstream. The two-hour conversation circulated among the three groups on the stage: Those from Parkland, those from Chicago, and four teenagers from the Naperville area. Each speaker delved into their personal experience with gun violence, whether they knew someone directly who was killed or if they were feeling anxious because their high school was suddenly going through more lockdown drills. They spoke of the importance of encouraging friends and family to vote, and of learning more about candidates, especially on the local level. The audience of about 400 people frequently responded with finger clicks and standing ovations. The summit did result in a shift in attitudes on the question of whether North Korea will ever give up its nuclear weapons. In April, 30 percent of Americans said it was likely that there would be an agreement leading to that outcome, while 67 percent said it was unlikely. In the new Post-ABC survey, 41 percent now say they think it is likely as a result of the summit, while 53 percent say it is unlikely. It came in the same time period as other episodes in which Russian interests approached the Trump campaign. A few weeks earlier, Trump campaign foreign policy adviser George Papadopoulos was told in London that the Russians had dirt on Clinton. And it was two weeks before the sit-down at Trump Tower between Donald Trump Jr. and a Russian lawyer who he had been told could offer information that would hurt Clinton as part of a Russian government effort to help his father. Before the various visits, Health and Human Services Deputy Secretary Eric Hargan said he hoped that congressional groups will see the facilities for what they are intended to provide: safe and healthy environments for children and teenagers to reside until such time as they can be released to an appropriate sponsor, while their immigration cases are adjudicated. The president has not issued pardons in this investigation. The president is not going to issue pardons in this investigation, and my advice to him as long as I am his lawyer is not to do it because you just cloud what is becoming now a very clear picture of an extremely unfair investigation with no criminality involved of any kind, Giuliani said. One of the few voices calling for caution in regard to the cease-fire Sunday morning was Amrullah Saleh, a former head of the national intelligence agency, who tweeted early in the day that if this ceasefire ends 4 any reason, it will mean a TALIBAN TET OFFENSIVE. That was a reference to the push by communist forces who struck unexpectedly throughout South Vietnam 50 years ago, in a move that ultimately failed militarily but was a decisive moment in turning public opinion against the war there. There are needs at every level in North Korea. So, of course, this is making companies, especially those in South Korea, very interested to move if Kim Jong Un allows it, said Kim Byung-yeon, an economics professor at Seoul National University. But this is also the concern. North Korea is so unknown and so in need that there could be serious problems if companies just rush in. Strzok had a leadership role on both the investigation of Hillary Clintons use of a private email server while she was secretary of state, as well as the probe into whether the Trump campaign coordinated with Russia to influence the 2016 election. That investigation is now being led by special counsel Robert S. Mueller III, who once considered Strzok a key member of his team but removed him once informed of the anti-Trump messages. The Australian government is aggressively defending a growing number of class actions from towns where the chemicals were used for decades in fire retardants on military bases, the runoff tainting the soil and water of surrounding homes. The Department of Health maintains there is no consistent evidence that the chemicals can cause important health effects such as cancer. In arguing this, its experts have made reference to the work of 3M scientists, who insist the chemicals are not harmful at the levels found in the blood of humans. A 3M advertisement for fire-fighting foam. Credit:Photo supplied On Saturday, Fairfax Media exposed cancer cluster fears centring on a high school in Oakdale, Minnesota, in Americas upper mid-west, a few blocks from 3Ms global headquarters and where the water was contaminated with PFAS. 3M has vigorously denied the allegations. It did not accept liability in February, when it reached a settlement on the courthouse steps over alleged damage to Minnesotas natural resources and drinking water. A spokesperson said: The vast body of scientific evidence, which consists of decades of research conducted by independent third parties and 3M, does not show that these chemistries negatively impact human health at current exposure levels. But several leading public health agencies in the United States have sounded warnings to the contrary. In 2016, the United States Environmental Protection Agency found the weight of evidence supported the conclusion that the chemicals were a human health hazard, warning that exposure over certain levels could result in immune and developmental effects and cancer. The US National Toxicology Program found they were presumed to be an immune hazard based on high levels of evidence from animal studies and a moderate level from humans. Immune suppression - usually as a result of conditions such as organ transplant or HIV - is known to increase the risk of several types of cancer by making the immune system less able to detect and destroy cancer cells or fight cancer-causing infections. DuPont, which used PFAS chemicals in the manufacture of Teflon, reached a $US670 million settlement with residents living near its manufacturing plant in Ohio, West Virginia, last year, after an expert health panel conducted a large-scale epidemiological investigation. It concluded that residents drinking water, tainted with one of the chemicals called PFOA, had a probable link to six health conditions, including kidney and testicular cancer. One of 3Ms own material data safety sheets for a PFAS chemical included a warning that it could cause cancer in 1997 - that was subsequently removed - according to the Minnesota case. Professor Philippe Grandjean of Harvard University echoed health warnings in giving expert testimony for the State of Minnesota The chemical of greatest concern in Australia is perfluorooctane sulfonate, or PFOS, arguably the most toxic of the chemicals studied. This was widely used in Scotchgard and fire-fighting foams. Last month, there was a storm of controversy amid claims that the US EPA and the White House blocked the publication of a health study on PFAS carried out by the countrys Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry. In emails leaked to Politico, a Trump administration aide warned that the report would be a public relations nightmare because it would show that the chemicals endangered human health at far lower levels than what the EPA had previously deemed safe. Health warnings were echoed by Harvard Professor Philippe Grandjean and Professor Jamie DeWitt of North Carolina State University in their expert testimonies for the State of Minnesota. Professor Grandjean argued that PFAS chemicals pose a substantial present and potential hazard to human health, including to immune, thyroid, liver, endocrine, cardiovascular and reproductive functions, and by causing or increasing the risk of cancer. Both PFOA and PFOS show convincing associations with these outcomes, he said, adding that risks to human health had been identified at very low exposure levels. Watching 'bad papers' To the outside world, Professor Giesy was a renowned and independent university academic. But privately, he characterised himself as part of the 3M team, alleged the State of Minnesota. Despite spending most of his career as a professor at public universities, Professor Giesy has a net worth of approximately $20 million. This massive wealth results at least in part from his long-term involvement with 3M for the purpose of suppressing independent scientific research on PFAS. Professor Giesys consulting company appears to have received payments from 3M between at least 1998 and 2009. One document indicated his going rate was about $US275 an hour. In an email to a 3M laboratory manager, Professor Giesy described his role as trying to keep bad papers out of the literature, because in litigation situations they can be a large obstacle to refute. Professor Giesy was an editor of several academic journals and, in any given year, about half of the papers submitted on PFAS came to him for review. Some journals for conflict-of-interest issues will not allow an industry to review a paper about one of their products. That is where I came in, he wrote in another email. In time sheets, I always listed these reviews as literature searches so that there was no paper trail to 3M. Professor Giesy is alleged to have passed confidential manuscripts on to 3M, as well as an email from an EPA scientist detailing its latest PFAS investigations in Athens, Georgia. He allegedly bragged about rejecting the publication of at least one paper containing negative information about PFAS. In another email chain, a 3M manager was concerned that a study Professor Giesy had drafted was suggestive of possible PFAS health hazards and should be cushioned with an accompanying document on the health effects. This paper could set off a chain reaction of speculation that could reopen the issue with the media and move it back to a health story; something up to now we have avoided, he wrote. Professor Giesy is based at the University of Saskatchewan in Canada, but he also holds positions with the University of Michigan and several Chinese universities. An internal 3M document referred to him needing to buy favours when developing joint projects with Chinese colleagues over whom he can exert some influence. A spokesperson for the University of Saskatchewan said it had conducted two reviews of Dr Giesys conduct. We found nothing out of the ordinary or evidence of conflict of interest, she said. The university stressed that the vast majority of Professor Giesys work for 3M was conducted while at Michigan State University, despite evidence of 3M payments to Professor Giesys consulting company after he arrived in Canada. Professor Giesys explanations included that these were possibly payments for previous work or studies by other employees of his consultancy. He cannot be absolutely sure of the timing, the university spokesperson said. With respect to the emails Dr Giesy explained to us that bad papers referred to bad science or inaccurate papers or poorly conducted research and no paper trail to 3M was due to the sensitivity of research findings conducted on PFAS produced by companies, primarily in foreign countries, other than 3M. But several academics were furious with the universitys position. Professor Arthur Schafer, an expert in applied ethics at the University of Manitoba, slammed the explanation for the no paper trail comment as ludicrously implausible. I dont think it matters a hoot whether Giesys ethically questionable activities all took place prior to his coming on staff at the University of Saskatchewan or whether they continued, he said. The evidence points to deeply troubling conduct which, if confirmed by a proper investigation, should lead to disciplinary action - probably termination, given the seriousness of the behaviour. One of the universitys council members, Professor Len Findlay, was unconvinced by the universitys reviews. A key question remains: If the University of Saskatchewan had known much sooner about those emails between Giesy and 3M, would they still have recruited him? If so, what does that say about their desperation to buy a more illustrious institutional reputation and ranking through hires? Professor Findlay said. And what about 3Ms agreement to settle out of court, after delaying that action until the very last minute? What does that suggest about the nature of work undertaken on their behalf? Court hears how a Fortune 500 company doctored the science: The actions of Professor Giesy were a jigsaw piece in a much broader puzzle, according to the State of Minnesota. It alleged that 3M: Formed an internal team to command the science on the chemicals, erect defensive barriers to litigation and ensure scientific papers did not include information contrary to the companys business interests Funded friendly research, on the condition the company could edit the draft scientific papers and, on occasion, control whether they were published at all Referred reporters to independent third party experts who were actually carefully vetted, paid for their services and signed confidentiality agreements Destroyed documents, told staff to stamp all documents relating to PFAS as attorney-client privileged, throw away pencil notes from meetings and not to jot down thoughts because of how they could be viewed during legal discovery. One employee made a note to clean out computer of all electronic data on the chemicals. Decades of inaction When 3M announced the voluntary phase-out of PFOS in 2000, it was presented as an environmentally responsible decision - costing the company $US480 million in annual revenue - and based on concerns over the discovery of PFOS in the blood of the general population in 1997. But according to internal documents, the company had actually made that discovery decades earlier, in the 1970s. Just before the phase-out announcement, the US EPA reviewed a PFOS study in rats, in which all of the offspring of the first generation died and many offspring of the second generation. It is very unusual to see such second-generation effects, the director of its Chemical Control Division wrote. About that time, scientist Richard Purdy quit 3M and copied the agency in on his resignation letter. He expressed outrage that his colleagues wanted to avoid collecting data on PFOS, which he described as the most insidious pollutant since polychlorinated biphenyl (PCB) and probably worse. PCB was an industrial chemical that was banned when it was found to be a human carcinogen. I have worked to the best of my ability within the system to see that the right actions are taken on behalf of the environment, he wrote. Yet I see slow or no results. I am told the company is concerned, but their actions speak to different concerns than mine. The failure of 3M to report information to the EPA on the adverse effects of the chemicals ultimately resulted in a $US1.5 million fine. In his testimony, Professor Grandjean argued that 3M had documented adverse effects in animals as early as the 1970s, with one researcher warning that PFOS was certainly more toxic than anticipated. 3M did not pursue findings of PFAS in the breast milk of animals, and published some of its studies after lags of 25 years, Professor Grandjean found. More concerning were several 3M-sponsored studies of its own exposed factory workers that showed elevated rates of prostate cancer, including statistically significant findings. One paper put the spike in prostate cancer deaths down to chance or because of the higher prevalence of prostate cancer in Minnesota. Subsequent analyses provided to 3M indicate that prostate cancer was actually less prevalent in Minnesota than in the US, Professor Grandjean wrote. Early studies of worker health inappropriately sought to explain away any possible associations with ill health. In 1979, renowned scientist Dr Harold Hodge warned the company that if the chemicals were found to be widespread in the blood of the general population and had long half-lives, we could have a serious problem. The phrase was removed in a later document referring to the conversation. In another internal email, a 3M scientist wrote that one consideration as to whether a study should be done on reproductive effects was the possibility of finding reproductive effects when conducting such a study. Another controversy arose surrounding the work of a University of Minnesota thesis student, Frank Gilliland, who did early studies on 3Ms exposed factory workers. He found signs of hormonal and immune system abnormalities in males. But follow-up studies authored by 3M undermined these findings, Professor Grandjean said. Professor Grandjean has pioneered research into the effects of the chemicals on childhood vaccines, finding that as PFAS exposure doubled, vaccines were about half as effective in children in the Faroe Islands. A substantial number of children had such low levels of antibodies that they had virtually no protection against the diseases. He expressed concern about the scarcity of research into the effect of chemicals on infants and unborn children, who were exposed through cord blood and breast milk and were likely more vulnerable to toxic effects. 'A dirty game of survival' It is no secret that 3M has poured significant funds into sponsoring PFAS research by consultancies and academic institutions. But the court documents indicate the company may have gone further - influencing studies but keeping its fingerprint hidden. According to court documents, the use of a ghost writer was floated at a 3M meeting in 2008. Professor Lisa Bero, of the University of Sydney, is internationally renowned for her investigations into the influence of industry on scientific research, as one of the first authors to scrutinise the tactics used by the tobacco and pharmaceutical companies. Much of her work has been based on documents that have come to light through litigation. Its directly parallel, I would have to say - the strategies that were used in the PFAS case are really all the same as weve seen used across the other industries, she said. Even the wording was identical. Loading One of the most interesting elements, she said, was that they all referred to scientific publication strategies. That is all about generating evidence to either protect them from litigation or to market their products. Its not about creating new scientific knowledge. The key witness for 3M in the Minnesota case was Ellen Chang, a principal scientist at scientific consultancy Exponent. In her testimony, she argued that the weight of epidemiological evidence did not prove a causal link between exposure to PFAS and specific adverse health outcomes in humans. Exponent, based in California, has courted controversy on several occasions in the US, with some critics labelling it a hired gun producing science to meet the needs of corporations in messy courtroom battles. The firm has come under fire for casting doubt on studies linking second-hand smoke with cancer, as well as rates of lung cancer among mechanics exposed to brakes containing asbestos. That criticism is quite simply factually wrong, an Exponent spokesperson said. We provide our clients with our engineering and scientific findings, which are frequently not what they would like to hear but rather what they need to know. A 2016 study authored by Ms Chang reviewed all available evidence and concluded that PFAS exposure did not increase the risk of cancer in humans. The study was cited by toxicologists working for Australias Department of Defence as part of a human health risk assessment on exposed populations in Australia. It was also included in a report by the Department of Healths expert panel on PFAS, which concluded that the current evidence did not support a large impact from PFAS exposure on a persons health. However, the panel did admit that important health effects cannot be ruled out, and there was fairly consistent evidence linking PFAS exposure with changes in immune response, altered sex hormones, increased cholesterol, reduced kidney function and low birth weight. Professor Nicholas Buckley, of the University of Sydney, who chaired the panel, defended the use of Ms Changs studies in its review and argued that the most important guidance came from other independent studies. The major potential conflicts of interest for Changs 3M-funded reviews were noted in the PFAS report on multiple occasions, and the likely impact of that was considered, he said. Their results get summarised on about half-a-dozen pages in a 400-page report. But lawyer Robert Bilott, who led the successful class action against Dupont in West Virginia, criticised the decision. Papers prepared years after the fact to serve to manufacture doubt or perpetuate a false perception of uncertainty with respect to PFOA should not be relied upon or cited as a basis for minimising or ignoring potential health risks, he wrote. Dr Fardin Oliaei did not pause when asked whether 3Ms studies on the chemicals could be trusted, responding of course not. As a scientist with the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency, she was one of the first to begin investigating the spread of PFAS chemicals in the state. She alleges she was blocked from conducting her research and eventually forced out of her job, at a time when the agency was headed by Commissioner Sheryl Corrigan, a former high-ranking 3M manager. The detective also revealed new details surrounding events on the weekend before the murder. He said a farewell party was held on the Friday at the Malabar RSL Club where Maria had worked part-time as a bar attendant. Her husband had also worked in the bar and restaurant. Maria Smith, 20, who was found dead in her Randwick unit in Sydney on Monday, April 22, 1974. Homicide Unit has established Strike Force Auris to reinvestigate. Credit:NSW Police The Friday night party had moved on to a pub in Randwick and then back to the couple's first floor apartment in St Marks Road, Randwick. Speaking this month, Mr Smith revealed he wasn't home that night because he attended a Japanese film as part of his university studies in engineering. Detective Kelly said, with her husband absent, a male at the party made strong advances to Mrs Smith. They were firmly rejected. Following the discovery of Mrs Smith's body three days later, police said there was no way to say how the murderer entered the premises. A neighbour said there was no knock at the door. There was no sign of forced entry. Detective Kelly said: There's a balcony. You'd have to climb up. Then there's a sliding door. When the police got there it was locked. That's not to say it wasn't open at some point although Steve said he locked it. That's a line of inquiry. Police are now also interested in a mustard-coloured Ford Capri seen at the units on the morning of the murder. Concerns were raised when Mrs Smith failed to arrive at Brigidine Convent School in Randwick where she was a trainee teacher. She would normally catch a bus by about 8.15am. The post mortem supports that being about the time of death. An inquest in 1975 found she had been strangled by an unknown person. Stephen Smith, husband of Maria Smith. He asked not to be identified. Credit:Janie Barrett Reflecting on their relationship, Mr Smith said he had just left school when he met Maria. They met at Coogee beach. He would have been 18 or 19, Maria would have been 17. When they married in February 1974 Steve was 22. In their eight weeks of marriage he said there wasn't a lot of money but it was comfortable. They had discussed starting a family but not for two or three years as they were still at university. I didn't earn a huge amount of money but enough to cover the bills, he said. Maria decided the week before to stop working at the club to concentrate on her studies. I don't recall the colour but I did see the car we are talking about. Stephen Smith She had finished working at the club on the Friday before and I had finished working there in December. I was not too popular there because I caught someone rifling the till and I did something naughty. I slammed the till on his fingers. He continued: We went to a party on Saturday night. I had too much to drink. I didn't have an alcohol resistance in those days because alcohol cost money so it didn't take much to get me drunk. We slept in the next day. We didn't do very much on the Sunday. We had dinner and went to bed early. I wasn't feeling very well. On the Monday I had to be in North Sydney by 8.30. I just remember getting up early and driving to work. I had breakfast and took off. I would have left before 7.30, maybe 7 because of the traffic. Maria was organising herself to go and teach at Brigidine that morning. Below our first level unit there is car parking. Asked about the mustard-coloured car, he said: I don't recall the colour but I did see the car we are talking about. A Capri? Yes I saw it. It was a car that I hadn't seen there before. He said he was going to uni on Monday night but decided to go home beforehand for dinner. Asked what he saw on entering the flat he broke down and said he couldn't continue. Mustard Capri Mk 1 (with stripe digitally added) of interest to police. One report at the time said he had touched Maria on shoulder. Another said he gave her a push and her body fell on the floor from the bed. He said: Between the two. I didn't push, I didn't push but she fell on the floor. Had he put her back on bed? No. I went out to the kitchen and I think I rang my parents. I rang the police. They turned up. They asked me to stand outside which I did. Next thing I was in Randwick police station. They took me out the back. I was there until about 8am in the morning. I felt as though I was a suspect but a couple of days later they [police] told me I was not on any suspect list. I have always assumed it [the murder] was associated with the Malabar , only because of the people that were there. There were some shady characters, that's the best way of describing it. Stephen Smith, husband of eight weeks of Maria Smith. Credit:Fairfax He suggested his wife may have known her killer. She knew him, recognised him, maybe, I am only guessing, because, no offence, but police have kept a fair bit back from me because, I assume, they would be worried that I might do something. That's not the case. Mr Smith said that after the murder he met someone else and got remarried in 1977. They divorced in about 1996. It wasn't a successful marriage at all. Two wonderful boys who I talk to every couple of days. I remarried in 2005 and very successfully. I'm still working as an engineer. Life's OK, it's comfortable, nothing stressful. My wife likes to travel, so do I. It probably took me more than 10 years to get over the financial disaster of the divorce that left me technically bankrupt. I just keep working. He said he was talking publicly now because of the reward and because of Detective Kelly's positive attitude. Year 10 nothing was happening. Year 20 nothing was happening. I just assumed that the guy had died, gone overseas or was in jail. I am assuming that somebody knows something. And they are not coming forward. Now's the time. The investigation has been hampered because exhibits collected at the crime scene had been misplaced. Appeal to the public Detective Kelly said no particular person from Malabar RSL was being looked at. We don't have all the names of the people that Maria and Steve interacted with. That would be one of the appeals to the public, people that regularly went to the Malabar, if they noticed if there was anyone who was strange or friendly with Maria. Of the Friday night party, he added: People went back to the unit. Guys and girls. Some, not necessarily well-known to Maria. That is a strong line of inquiry that we need more information about, who might have been at that party. There were about 15 people there. They must know who they are. More of them need to come forward. It was a strong unwanted advance. It is definitely one of the lines of inquiry that need to be fully exhausted. We only have another guy who was at the flat saying this individual was there. The informant has since committed suicide. The suicide note recently recovered made no mention of the murder. Detective Kelly said he learned more about the case listening to Mr Smith's interview with The Sun-Herald. Ben Smith was fobbed off when he told his GP about the hard lump on his left testicle in December. When the lump swelled and started causing him considerable pain, the 25-year-old was told it was probably just hormonal. Cancer survivor Ben Smith is lucky to be alive. Credit: Steven Siewert "The GP said it didn't present like cancer and I thought, 'Well, he knows best.' " By mid-January, when the pain had become "horrific", he had to ask his GP to send him for a scan. "Ex-husband, Aaron Cockman to have house content." The devastating handwritten suicide note left behind by Peter Miles, the man who killed himself, his wife, his daughter and four grandchildren in the Margaret River murder-suicide that rocked Australia in May, has for the first time been revealed. While investigators are still trying to establish exactly why Miles committed such a heinous crime, Aaron Cockman, the children's father, has spoken out, telling the Seven Network's Sunday Night program that he believed his father-in-law, Miles, wrote the note to send a final message. Mr Cockman had been estranged from the family for several years, but relations were not always so strained. A Perth woman has been arrested after bizarre attack on Northbridge diners on Saturday night. At around 9.30pm on Stirling Street, the woman walked through an outdoor dining area of a restaurant. The woman walked into an alfresco dining section before she attacked. Without warning, she sprayed a number of people sitting in the dining area with capsicum spray. A woman who had been at the restaurant was rushed to Royal Perth Hospital by St John Ambulance officers where she was treated for the poisoning. Chinese communications giant Huawei has launched a political blitz to shore up support against attempts to stop it providing equipment to Australias 5G mobile networks, warning every federal MP of higher prices for consumers if the ban goes ahead. In a dramatic escalation of the dispute over Chinese technology, the company has assured MPs from across all major parties that it is willing to undergo evaluation and testing by security agencies to prove it can be trusted. The move comes as federal parliament prepares to vote on two bills intended to curb foreign interference in Australia, heightening concerns over Chinese access to the heart of the new mobile networks. Fairfax Media understands the national security committee of federal cabinet has not considered a formal proposal to block Huawei from bidding for the 5G projects but key agencies have similar concerns to those that saw the company barred from the national broadband network in 2012. Clive Palmer is back to remind us that in politics, megalomania never gets old. This time, hes added a dash of Trumpery, complete with Make Australia Great billboards littering the nations landscape and the charge that reporters make up their own version of the news, particularly about him. Palmers announcement in a Parliament House courtyard that he was establishing a new party United Australia didnt go particularly well, however. The champion windbag had barely got out of first gear trying to defend himself from a spray by Queensland Labor MP Cathy OToole about the plight of former workers at his collapsed company's closed-down nickel works in North Queensland when the Parliament House sprinkler system revolted and set about wetting him from the cuffs of his pants up to his belly. Courage is one of the most rarest [sic] commodities in politics, hed said. It is very hard to find it, especially in this place. Quite. The sprinklers defeated him. We have got to call it quits, he said, scuttling away across the courtyard in the midst of a second spray. See you later. Bye. He might have saved his dignity if hed called it quits before he started. Read on here. Every time you leave a comment about yourself on a public Facebook post, you're unwittingly giving ammunition to data harvesters, hackers and other malicious actors looking to gain a backdoor into your online accounts. The social network is absolutely littered with seemingly innocuous posts asking users to comment and share what was the name of your first pet? what was the make and model of your first car? what was the name of the street you grew up on? and it's not uncommon to see that thousands of people have obliged. But a lot of these personal, quirky details are the same as those used by sites when you need to reset your password or prove your identity. More than 25 thousand people posted about their first concert under one of these posts. The post about cars, from the same page, drew almost six thousand answers. Since there are so many Facebook pages that do nothing but pose these sorts of questions and spread the posts as wide as possible, would-be attackers just need to follow along and harvest the data. Even worse, by commenting on such a post you're flagging that you're not opposed to giving this kind of historical information away, and an attacker could click through to your public profile and collect an entire cache of security question answers, along with potentially your full name, date of birth and email address. "It seems pretty clear that criminals (and a whole host of other, perhaps not totally nefarious groups and individuals) are indeed harvesting such info from Facebook," security researcher Brian Krebs, who recently wrote a blog post on the subject, told Fairfax Media. Kind and caring Breda was always thinking of others Agilent Technologies, Inc. engages in the provision of application focused solutions for life sciences, diagnostics, and applied chemical markets. It operates through the following segments: Life Sciences and Applied Markets; Diagnostics and Genomics; and Agilent CrossLab. The Life Sciences and Applied Markets segment offers application-focused solutions that include instruments and software that enable to identify, quantify, and analyze the physical and biological properties of substances and products, as well as the clinical and life sciences research areas to interrogate samples at the molecular and cellular level. The Diagnostics and Genomics segment consists of activity providing active pharmaceutical ingredients for oligo-based therapeutics, as well as solutions that include reagents, instruments, software and consumables. The Agilent CrossLab segment includes startup, operational, training and compliance support, software as a service, and asset management and consultative services. The company was founded in May 1999 and is headquartered in Santa Clara, CA. Read More Royal Bank of Canada operates as a diversified financial service company worldwide. The company's Personal & Commercial Banking segment offers checking and savings accounts, home equity financing, personal lending, private banking, indirect lending, mutual funds and self-directed brokerage accounts, guaranteed investment certificates, credit cards, and payment products and solutions; and lending, leasing, deposit, investment, foreign exchange, cash management, auto dealer financing, trade products, and services to small and medium-sized commercial businesses. This segment offers financial products and services through branches, automated teller machines, and mobile sales network. 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The company's Capital Markets segment offers corporate and investment banking, as well as equity and debt origination, distribution, sale, and trading services for corporations, institutional investors, asset managers, governments, and central banks. Royal Bank of Canada has a strategic partnership with Royal College Of Physicians & Surgeons Of Canada to support the needs of Canada's medical specialists. The company was founded in 1864 and is headquartered in Toronto, Canada. Read More BlackRock MuniAssets Fund, Inc. is a closed ended fixed income mutual fund launched by BlackRock, Inc. It is managed by BlackRock Advisors, LLC. The fund invests in fixed income markets. It seeks to provide current income exempt from federal income taxes by investing primarily in a portfolio of medium-to-lower grade or unrated municipal obligations the interest on which is exempt from federal income taxes. The fund was formerly known as MuniAssets Fund, Inc. BlackRock MuniAssets Fund, Inc. was formed on June 25, 1993 and is domiciled in United States. Read More The following companies are subsidiares of American International Group: AGC Life Insurance Company, AIG APAC HOLDINGS PTE. LTD., AIG Advisors S.r.l., AIG Aerospace Insurance Services Inc., AIG Asia Pacific Insurance Pte. Ltd., AIG Asset Management (Europe) Limited, AIG Asset Management (U.S.) LLC, AIG Assurance Company, AIG Australia Limited, AIG Brazil Holding I LLC, AIG CIS Investments LLC, AIG Canada Holdings Inc., AIG Capital Corporation, AIG Capital Services Inc., AIG Claims Inc., AIG Egypt Insurance Company S.A.E., AIG Employee Services Inc., AIG Europe (Services) Limited, AIG Europe Holdings S.a.rl., AIG Europe S.A., AIG Federal Savings Bank, AIG Financial Products Corp., AIG General Insurance Co. 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Ltd., American Home Assurance Company, American Home Assurance Company Escritorio de Representacao no Brasil Ltda., American International Group Inc., American International Group UK Limited, American International Overseas Association, American International Overseas Limited, American International Realty Corp., American International Reinsurance Company Ltd., American International Underwriters del Ecuador-Holding S.A., American Security Life Insurance Company Limited, Arthur J. Glatfelter Agency Inc., Avondhu Limited, Blackboard Customer Care Insurance Services LLC, Blackboard Insurance Company, Blackboard Services LLC, Blackboard Specialty Insurance Company, Blackboard U.S. Holdings Inc., Chartis Takaful Enaya B.S.C. 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Conagra Brands, Inc. engages in the manufacture and sale of processed and packaged foods. It operates through the following segments: Grocery and Snacks; Refrigerated and Frozen; International; and Foodservice. The Grocery and Snacks segment includes branded, shelf stable food products sold in various retail channels in the United States. The Refrigerated and Frozen segment comprises branded, temperature controlled food products sold in various retail channels in the United States. The International segment consists branded food products, in various temperature states, sold in various retail and foodservice channels outside of the United States. The Foodservice segment focuses in the branded and customized food products, including meals, entrees, sauces, and a variety of custom-manufactured culinary products packaged for sale to restaurants and other foodservice establishments in the United States. The company was founded by Alva Kinney and Frank Little in 1919 and is headquartered in Chicago, IL. Read More Lincoln National Corp. is a holding company, which operates multiple insurance and retirement businesses through its subsidiary companies. It provides advice and solutions that help empower people to take charge of their financial lives with confidence and optimism. The company operates through the following segments: Annuities, Retirement Plan Services, Life Insurance, Group Protection, and Other Operations. The Annuities segment provides tax-deferred investment growth and lifetime income opportunities for its clients by offering fixed and variable annuities. The Retirement Plan Services segment includes employers with retirement plan products and services, primarily in the defined contribution retirement plan marketplaces. The Life Insurance segment focuses on the creation and protection of wealth for its clients by providing life insurance products, including term insurance, both single and survivorship versions of universal life insurance, variable universal life insurance, and indexed universal life insurance products. The Group Protection segment offers group non-medical insurance products, which includes term life, disability, dental, vision and accident and critical illness Read More Essentra plc provides essential components and solutions worldwide. The Components division manufactures and distributes plastic injection molded, vinyl dip-molded, and metal items for equipment manufacturing, automotive, fabrication, electronics, and construction industries; and component solutions comprising caps and plugs, wire and cable management products, flange protection products, knobs, handles and grips, PCB and electronics hardware, and tools and precision instruments for a range of applications and industries that are used in protection and finish products. The Packaging division provides cartons, leaflets, self-adhesive labels, and printed foils for use in blister packs; and packaging and authentication solutions to the health and personal care sectors. The Filter division offers filters and packaging solutions to the roll your own segments; analytical laboratory services; and e-cigarette and heat not burn solutions for next generation products. The company was formerly known as Filtrona plc and changed its name to Essentra plc in June 2013. Essentra plc was incorporated in 2005 and is based in Milton Keynes, the United Kingdom. Read More She is known to frequent the area of 56th Street and Emerald Avenue, police said. She is black with brown eyes and black hair, about 4 feet, 9 inches tall and 150 pounds, according to police. She has been reported missing before. We sincerely apologize for this unintended disclosure and ask that you please delete the information in question, the email read. We are taking this matter very seriously, and a review of this incident is underway to determine how this breach occurred and ensure a similar matter does not occur again. Wall Street analysts have given Marijuana Company of America a "N/A" rating, but there may be better buying opportunities in the stock market. Some of MarketBeat's past winning trading ideas have resulted in 5-15% weekly gains. MarketBeat just released five new stock ideas, but Marijuana Company of America wasn't one of them. MarketBeat thinks these five companies may be even better buys. View MarketBeat's top stock picks here. Morgan Stanley Emerging Markets Fund, Inc. is a closed ended equity mutual fund launched and managed by Morgan Stanley Investment Management Inc. The fund is co-managed by Morgan Stanley Investment Management Limited and Morgan Stanley Investment Management Company. It invests in the public equity markets across the global emerging markets. The fund invests in stocks of companies operating across diversified sectors. It invests in companies across all market capitalizations. The fund benchmarks the performance of its portfolio against the MSCI Emerging Markets Net Index. Morgan Stanley Emerging Markets Fund Inc. was formed on August 27, 1991 and is domiciled in the United States. Read More Sanchez Energy Corporation, an independent exploration and production company, focuses on the acquisition and development of U.S. onshore unconventional oil and natural gas resources. It engages in the horizontal development of resources from the Eagle Ford Shale in South Texas. It also holds an undeveloped acreage position in the Tuscaloosa Marine Shale (TMS) in Mississippi and Louisiana. As of December 31, 2017, the company had assembled approximately 285,000 net acres in the Eagle Ford Shale; and owned approximately 37,000 net acres in the TMS. Sanchez Energy Corporation was founded in 2011 and is headquartered in Houston, Texas. Read More Nuveen New Jersey Quality Municipal Income Fund is a closed ended fixed income mutual fund launched by Nuveen Investments, Inc. The fund is co-managed by Nuveen Fund Advisors LLC and Nuveen Asset Management, LLC. It invests in the fixed income markets of New Jersey. The fund invests in undervalued municipal securities and other related investments that are, exempt from regular federal and New Jersey income taxes that are rated Baa or BBB or better. It employs fundamental analysis with bottom-up stock picking approach to create its portfolio. The fund benchmarks the performance of its portfolio against the Standard & Poor's (S&P) New Jersey Municipal Bond Index. The fund was formerly known as Nuveen New Jersey Dividend Advantage Municipal Fund. Nuveen New Jersey Quality Municipal Income Fund was formed on June 1, 1999 and is domiciled in the United States. Read More In court, prosecutors recounted how McMath entered the train station by hopping over the turnstile at the Red Lines Berwyn station and boarded the northbound train. McMath, who prosecutors said wore distinctive clothing the day of the attack, stood near the victim, who sat near a door with her head down reading a Kindle until the train reached the Jarvis stop. Everest Re Group Ltd. is a holding company, which engages in the provision of reinsurance and insurance services. It operates through the following segments: U.S. Reinsurance, International, Bermuda, and Insurance. The U.S. Reinsurance segment writes property and casualty reinsurance and specialty lines of business, including marine, aviation, surety, and accident and health business, on both a treaty and facultative basis, through reinsurance brokers, as well as directly with ceding companies primarily within the U.S. The International segment offers foreign property and casualty reinsurance through Everest Re's branches in Canada and Singapore and through offices in Brazil, Miami, and New Jersey. The Bermuda segment comprises reinsurance and insurance to worldwide property and casualty markets through brokers and directly with ceding companies from its Bermuda office and reinsurance to the United Kingdom and European markets through its UK branch and Ireland Re. The Insurance segment writes property and casualty insurance directly and through brokers, surplus lines brokers, and general agents within the U.S., Canada, and Europe. The company was founded in 1999 and is headquartere Read More Wall Street analysts have given iShares MSCI Spain ETF a "N/A" rating, but there may be better buying opportunities in the stock market. Some of MarketBeat's past winning trading ideas have resulted in 5-15% weekly gains. MarketBeat just released five new stock ideas, but iShares MSCI Spain ETF wasn't one of them. MarketBeat thinks these five companies may be even better buys. View MarketBeat's top stock picks here. Colon, who is known by the street name Dirt, according to police, had become convinced that the 42-year-old victim, whom hed known since childhood, had begun an affair with an ex-girlfriend and the mother of his children, prosecutors said. Webcam hosting service will be discontinued on October 21, 2021. Read more about our decision here. Penny Hawthorne, 20, of Oak Park, is charged with a single count of misdemeanor battery making physical contact. She is accused of spitting on the officer at about 11 a.m. May 23 during a public demonstration involving the Fraternal Order of Police, according to Chicago police spokesman Officer Patrick McGinnis. About 9:45 p.m. Friday, a group of men started arguing in a basement in the 5000 block of North Bernard Avenue in the North Park neighborhood, police said. Someone took out a handgun and shot the 26-year-old man in the head, police said. He was pronounced dead at the scene. Police first released information about the shooting Sunday. But thanks in part to self-taught seekers like Stanford, "there's been an absolutely huge renaissance," he said. "Maryland is a really good example. Here we have a place where prior to the 1990s there were no fossil footprints at all, and then a guy who is an amateur, who is observant, goes out and he's finding them in the middle of a high-security federal facility. ... This stuff is right at our feet, and we didn't even know it was there." The 37-year-old reality star has aspirations to be an attorney and hasn't said no to running for office. President Donald Trump today... Kim Kardashian in the White House tomorrow? The 37-year-old reality star told CNN's Van Jones that she isn't completely ruling out a future presidential run. "I guess never say never," she responded to Jones' query about running for office, just before adding, "But that's not going to be like, 'Kim's running.' That's not what I'm going for." Kardashian added that part of Trump's appeal to her husband Kanye West is "the idea that anything can happen." The Keeping Up With the Kardashians star's interview on The Vans Jones Show comes just a few days after she played a key part in granting clemency for Alice Marie Johnson, a mother of five who served 22 years of a life sentence in prison for a first-time, nonviolent drug offense. "I honestly saw that if I could use my platform just to do something for one person, that it opens the conversation for so much more and for other people to want to do the same thing," she shared of her meeting last month with Trump. "If more people would just put their personal feelings aside and talk about really important issues that have to be discussed, then so much more can get done." Kardashian admitted that Johnson's story struck a chord with her, so she felt compelled to do whatever she could to help. "I felt like she's a good person, you can see that in her," the mother of three shared of coming across the 63-year-old's story. "She lost her longtime job, got a divorce, her son died. Everything was going bad for her, and she got desperate and had four other babies that she had to take care of. Maybe not to that extreme, but when you're in a desperate situation, you'll do whatever you have to do to take care of your kids. And I know that I would do anything for my kids, so I just felt this connection to her. Like instantly, I just wanted to help her." Story continues She added that "if there wasn't the long college process," she would absolutely be an attorney, noting, "I researched that in the state of California, I could assist an attorney for three years and just make the bar. The star also elaborated on her marriage to West, who has been an avid supporter of Trump and some of his policies, which Kardashian doesn't always agree with. "Even if you dont see eye to eye and theres a lot going on, I think always be real," she noted. "We have really good communication. No matter what it is, if I agree, if I dont agree, Im always there. I think that is just really important to be supportive. Its kind of a no-brainer for me just to be there and help be that sounding board if he needs advice on anything. For more on how Kardashian's marriage to West, watch the video below. RELATED CONTENT: Kim Kardashian Emotionally Gushes Over Alice Marie Johnson in First Joint Interview Kim Kardashian Has Considered a Career Change -- But There's One Thing Holding Her Back Kim Kardashian Talks Whether Shes Getting Into Politics Following Alice Marie Johnsons Pardon Related Articles: Owen (CHRIS PRATT) reconnects with Velociraptor Blue in The second installment of the Jurassic World trilogy has finally arrived, and it's wild. From a stirring speech by Jeff Goldblum's Dr. Ian Malcolm on people's bad habit of playing god with technology to a mission to save the dinosaurs from their impending doom that's fraught with danger, betrayal, and staggering twists, Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom is a lot to take in. So it's understandable that you would take the time to stick around after the credits to gather your thoughts and hopefully see an extra scene. Well, you're in luck: Fallen Kingdom has exactly one postcredits scene, and though it's less than a minute long, it's enough to get you pumped for Jurassic World 3, which you have plenty of time to get excited for since it doesn't come out until June 11, 2021. Warning: Major spoilers for Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom ahead! To give this some context, Fallen Kingdom ends on a hopeful, but also terrifying, note: Claire Dearing and Owen Grady have rescued the remaining dinosaurs from the erupting volcano and from being sold by Eli Mills to be biologically weaponized, but the underground compound they're in is being filled with poisonous gas that can kill them all. The only way to save them would be to let them loose, but that means letting them loose on the general population of the United States. Though Claire can't bring herself to press the button and let them free, Maisie Lockwood, who we learn is the clone of Benjamin Lockwood's deceased daughter, releases the dinosaurs, stating that "They're alive, just like me." The dinosaurs rush to freedom and scatter, even Owen's beloved Blue, who, despite a touching moment or two, seems to reject the idea of letting him cage her once again. Claire, Owen, and Maisie leave the Lockwood mansion and compound as we hear the tail end of Dr. Malcolm's speech where he ominously warns that we're all in Jurassic World now. The last scenes we see before the credits begin to roll are the dinosaurs that weren't able to escape being sold by Ellis being carted away in moving trucks to their destinations, the T. rex getting into a roaring contest with a lion (pretty sure he's not gonna win that one), the genuinely terrifying mosasaur looking ready to chow down on some surfers, and finally, Blue looking out over what appears to be a residential neighborhood in the desert. Now again, this postcredits scene is very short, but just like the last few shots of the movie, it perfectly sets us up for the key plot in Jurassic World 3. Once the credits scroll by, a scene opens up on some pterodactyls flying around what looks like a radio tower. As the shot widens up, we see that they're actually flying around the Eiffel Tower on the Las Vegas Strip as the people below continue to go about their lives, completely oblivious to what flies above. This may seem terribly underwhelming, but it does hammer home the aftermath of Fallen Kingdom, as humans will soon realize they have to coexist with these dinosaurs and live in a truly Jurassic world. Stephen Hawking, a giant of science and celebrated British physicist who died in March, was honored Friday before more than 1,000 people at Londons Westminster Abbey, where his ashes were buried. Hawking, who died at 76 after a lifelong battle against terminal motor neuron disease, was a groundbreaking physicist and mathematician. Studying at Oxford and Cambridge University, he was diagnosed with the debilitating illness at age 21. At the time, doctors expected him to be dead in another two years. More than 3,000 people have been buried or commemorated at Londons Westminster Abbey, one of the capitals most historic and recognized landmarks. In a section of the Abbey lies Poets Corner, where a number of distinguished poets and playwrights are buried, and nearby is Scientists Corner where some of Britains greatest scientists and thinkers are buried. Sir Isaac Newton and Sir Charles Darwin are buried in Scientists Corner, and it is between their graves that Hawkings ashes were buried beneath a stone seal engraved with his most famous equation describing the entropy of a black hole with the words, Here lies what was mortal of Stephen Hawking, 1942-2018. More than 100 nationalities were represented among the congregation for the service, and more than 25,000 applied for the lottery of 1,000 tickets to attend. The ceremony featured readings from British actor Benedict Cumberbatch, who played Hawking in a 2004 biopic, and the British astronaut Maj. Tim Peake. As part of the ceremony, a recording of Hawkings words was set to music by Vangelis, the Greek composer who created the theme music for the 1981 film Chariots of Fire. The broadcast is to be beamed into the nearest black hole, 1A 0620-00, by the European Space Agency via a satellite in Spain. His daughter Lucy said his words were a message of peace and hope, about unity and the need for us to live together in harmony on this planet. Among his work, Hawking was best known for his research on black holes, and his theory that they emitted radiation that came to be known as Hawkings radiation. Story continues His landmark book, A Brief History of Time, has sold more than 10 million copies. Hawking wrote the book in order to help explain the structure and origin of the universe to everyday readers with little background knowledge of physics or cosmology. Among the guests who attended Friday were volunteers from the opening ceremony of the London 2012 Paralympic Games, and a number of disability activists, who paid tribute to Hawkings fortitude, perseverance and unerring dedication to science as the disease slowly claimed all use of his limbs and muscles, eventually leading him to rely on a synthesizer to communicate. One guest was Rose Brown, a student from the National Star College in England, which is for young people with disabilities. She, like Hawking, spoke through a synthesizer and paid tribute to the late professor: Im going to be an actress; everybody who puts their mind to something gets to be it. Stephen Hawking proved that more than anyone. James Clapper (Photo illustration: Yahoo News; photos: Andrew Harnik/AP, Getty Images) WASHINGTON U.S. intelligence officials last year identified a suspect who served as the cut-out for Russian intelligence to funnel thousands of Democratic National Committee emails and documents to WikiLeaks, according to former Director of National Intelligence James Clapper. In an interview for the Yahoo News podcast Skullduggery, Clapper told Chief Investigative Correspondent Michael Isikoff and Editor in Chief Daniel Klaidman that intelligence officials were pretty confident that they had identified the conduit for the hacked emails to WikiLeaks by the time he left office in January 2017. He declined, however, to provide any details about the suspects identity. We had a suspect, said Clapper. I dont know whether the suspicions we had at the time were conveyed [to Justice Department special counsel Robert Mueller] or whether they were validated. U.S. intelligence officials were pretty confident at the time but not sufficient enough to publicize it, he said. The precise means by which DNC emails that had been hacked by Russian intelligence made their way to WikiLeaks for public consumption has never been publicly revealed by the U.S. intelligence community. Nor has it ever been clear that U.S. officials had figured it out. That gap in the story of the Russian attack on the U.S. election has fueled conspiracy theories that the hackers were not in fact Russian state-sponsored hackers as the intelligence community has firmly concluded. Instead, the conspiracy theorists have claimed, the emails were given to WikiLeaks by a disgruntled Democratic party insider or even a spy planted inside the party. WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange himself has given credence to such theories, repeatedly insisting that he did not get the DNC emails from Russian intelligence. (Our source is not the Russian government, he told Fox News Sean Hannity.) At one point, Assange inexplicably offered a reward for information about the murder of DNC staffer Seth Rich, who, according to Washington, D.C., police, was likely killed in a botched robbery with no connection to the DNC hack. Story continues But Clapper told Skullduggery that the WikiLeaks transfer cut-out was selected by the Russians for a reason so that Assange could tell the world he did not get the DNC emails from Russian intelligence. The real point was it was an attempt to ensure [Assange] plausible deniability, Clapper said. Clapper was responding to questions about a little-noticed passage in his new book, Facts and Fears: Hard Truths From a Life in Intelligence. In the book, Clapper recounts how the U.S. intelligence community concluded that Russian President Vladimir Putin and the Russian leadership had publicly dumped the DNC emails after they decided in March 2016 that it was worth the risk of diplomatic blowback if they were caught hacking the DNC. This gave the green light to Russias military intelligence agency, the GRU, to go on the offense, exfiltrating emails and large volumes of data. Then, Clapper added: In April, Russia used a third party cut-out to send more than 19,000 DNC emails and more than 8,000 documents to WikiLeaks and Julian Assange, attempting to cover its tracks and to give WikiLeaks some degree of deniability in knowing the source of the leaks. Download or subscribe on iTunes: Skullduggery by Yahoo News In the interview, Clapper also defended the controversial decision that he and other top U.S. intelligence officials made in January 2017 to have FBI Director James Comey brief then President-elect Trump on the so-called dossier prepared by a former British spy alleging that the Kremlin had kompromat compromising material on the newly elected American leader. And Clapper repeated a previous statement that he never saw any evidence certainly no smoking gun evidence of collusion between the Trump campaign and the Russians. But Clapper said he did find what he portrayed as an alarming degree of what he called parallelism between Trump and the Russians. There is striking I found, we found, parallelism between what the [Trump] campaign was doing and saying and what the Russians were doing and saying, said Clapper. It was almost like an echo chamber, particularly with respect to Hillary Clinton personally, and her alleged scandals and her alleged maladies, physical and mental. There were a lot of very similar themes that came ultimately from the Russians and the campaign. More Skullduggery from Yahoo News: Photo credit: Getty Images From Harper's BAZAAR At the recent North Korea summit, Kim Jong-un was accompanied by four women, including his own sister. People unfamiliar with North Korea might hope that portends good things regarding gender equality in North Korea. Bustle reported that, The presence of these four women is intriguing, but some speculate that their participation could be a strategy primarily intended to impress other world leaders and change how they perceive North Korea. Im hardly a world leader, but Im not that impressed. Thats because the lives of women in North Korea are hellish, waking nightmares (albeit, if Trump is to be believed, with great views of the beach). Photo credit: Getty Images Those cute cheerleaders for North Korea that people loved at the Olympics? The ones whose outfits inspired such complimentary news posts when they performed at the opening ceremony? Theyre sex slaves. Lee So-yeon, a North Korean military musician who escaped the country in 2008, explained that, it might seem like a fancy show on the outside. However, they also have to go to parties and provide sexual services, that sort of pain also follows. They go to the central Politburo partys events, and have to sleep with the people there, even if they dont want it. At least the women in The Handmaid's Tale dont have to cheer in between rapes. Theyre not alone. One defector describes teenagers being pulled out of school to serve as Kim Jong-uns sex slaves, remarking, Officials came to our schools and picked out teenage girls to work at one of his 'hundreds' of homes around Pyongyang. They take the prettiest and ensure they have straight, good legs. They learn to serve him food like caviar and extremely rare delicacies. They are also taught how to massage him and they become sex slaves. Yes, they have to sleep with him and they cannot make a mistake or object because they could very easily simply disappear. Photo credit: Getty Images One woman who claimed an official raped her when she spoke to him about housing options explained, In North Korea, a womans dream cannot be achieved without being raped or without selling her body. Story continues Thats true whether her dream is obtaining a home or serving in the military. A female military official who defected describes how a company commander would stay in his room at the unit after hours and rape the female soldiers under his command. This would happen over and over without an end. While rape is illegal in North Korea, its so widely accepted that most women are afraid to report it. If, indeed, they know what it is. A survey of defectors intended to assess the rate of sexual violence in North Korea had to be told what sexual violence was because, the publisher remarked, They thought it was just normal male behavior. "While rape is illegal in North Korea, its so widely accepted that most women are afraid to report it. If, indeed, they know what it is." While the stories regarding rape are horrific, its not the only hardship women in North Korea face. Domestic violence is condoned, and one defector claims, if husbands are violent towards their wives the government doesnt interfere In my hometown, Id say domestic violence occurred on a daily basis in three out of 10 households, and less often in others. Some people escape, typically to China and South Korea. Its estimated that 85 percent of escapees are female which seems to speak to the particular horror of their lives. However, escape carries with it a risk of trafficking. Men posing as helpers often rape or sell those women into sexual slavery. China also forcibly repatriates defectors, so North Korean women are often afraid to speak with the police. If those women are pregnant when theyre found and brought back to North Korea, a forced abortion is performed upon them. A memo from Christian Solidarity Worldwide to Parliament describes how, Witnesses spoke of women detained with them who were pregnant being taken away and coming back without their baby, complaining of the heartbreak, pain and abuse of having a forced abortion. One witness described how she personally saw a prisoner giving birth to a baby and the nurses cutting the umbilical cord and then smothering the baby with a wet towel. Life in prisons is even worse. One report presented to the War Crimes Committee in Washington D.C. in 2016 describe not just frequent rapes, but one prisoners newborn child being fed to the dogs. "When Trump refers to Kim Jong-un as very honorable it should make you deeply uncomfortable." Despite all of this, when the UN reported North Korea had committed human rights violations, the regime issued a reply declaring that North Korea is Heaven for women. Its not any kind of heaven wed be familiar with. Democratic leaders often have to work with authoritarians to ensure peace around the world. Certainly, we should hope that Trumps talk with Kim Jong-un decreases the risk of nuclear war. However, when Trump refers to Kim Jong-un as very honorable it should make you deeply uncomfortable. Very honorable people dont keep sex slaves. They dont have regimes where infants are taken from their mothers and murdered. When Trump similarly submits films showing himself and Kim Jong-un as similar-well, for the sake of American women, we can only hope not. You Might Also Like Charlie Gao Security, Asia A rifle whose time has passed. This 1 Photo Is the Japanese Self-Defense Forces Big Problem (Or The Gun In It) The standard issue rifle of the average soldier tends to be among the oldest equipment issued by a military. Russian Ground and Airborne Troops use variations of a rifle designed in the 1970s, the U.S. military uses variations of a design from the late 1950s. Japan stands in contrast, using a rifle designed in 1989 (albeit based on an earlier American design from the 1960s). But despite their usage of recent designs, the Japan Self-Defense Forces (JSDF) have fallen behind their Western and even Russian counterparts in updating their rifles to modern standards. The primary rifle in JSDF service is the Howa Type 89. This rifle is roughly based off and uses the same operating system as the Armalite AR-18, a 5.56mm rifle designed as an alternative to the AR-15 family of rifles. Unlike the AR-15, in which gas travels all the way to the upper receiver to impinge on a piston inside the bolt carrier group, the AR-18 utilizes a short-stroke gas operating system where the gas impinges on a tappet which then pushes the bolt back to cycle the action. Like the AR-18, the Type 89 is made primarily from sheet metal due to its ease of manufacture and cost effectiveness. Despite being a stamped gundue to strict Japanese export laws and limited demand from the JSDFthe per-unit cost of the Type 89 is rather high. The rifle comes in two variants, the standard Type 89 and the folding stock Type 89F. The rifle was adopted in 1989 following development throughout the 1980s and was a joint development of Toyo Corporation and the Defense Agency. Interestingly, the rifle features three fire modes: semi-automatic, three-round burst and fully automatic. The Type 89 has some minor ergonomic problems. The rifle is hard to reload rapidly since the stamped steel construction of the magazine well doesnt have a taper like the magazine well lower receiver of an M4 or M16. While shorter than the M16, the Type 89 is still long compared to the carbines that are becoming standard issue in Western militaries. The most glaring issue with the Type 89 is the JSDFs lack of commitment to a real program to put modern accessories on their rifle. The standard Type 89 only has provisions to mount an optical sight (with an adapter), a brass catcher bag, a bipod and a bayonet. Story continues In contrast, the standard U.S. Army M4 or Marine Corps M4, M16A4, or M27 will have provisions to mount optical sights, lasers, handgrips and lights in a modular manner. The upper receiver of these rifles have a built in rails and dont require an adapter plate to mount optics. Both the Army and Marine Corps have adopted standardized optical sights. The JSDF has not standardized any sighting system. Sights have been reported from older Aimpoint models, to Trijicon ACOGs, to indigenous Japanese red dots. These sights require an additional adapter plate to be attached to the receiver of the rifle, adding additional weight and height over bore. Recently, Japanese soldiers have been seen with Low-Power Variable Optics (LPVOs) similar to those favored by American competitive shooters and Special Operation Forces. These are indigenous designs that appear to mount directly to the upper receiver without the need for an adapter plate. They appear to be distributed by a company called Operation Training Service (OTS), as they show up in their catalog. Handguard rails for the Type 89 that would allow for easy mounting of lights, lasers, and other components also appear to be distributed or made by OTS, but they appear to be extremely rare in usage. The lack of a standardized optic and modern rail for the Type 89 limits their usability in a modern environment. Almost every major Western military has fielded a combat optic as a standard on their service rifle since the 2000s, and Japans lack of ability to standardize puts them behind the curve. Optics increase accuracy, magnified optics also increase the ability for a soldier to engage at range and identify and spot targets. There appeared to be a standard new rail and stock package along with a bulky optic that was planned to be procured with the Japanese Future Soldier program in 2014, but this program has appeared to be axed. On top of that, the reliability of the Type 89 has been reported by some servicemen to be inferior to American service rifles. Special units in the JSDF have adopted foreign weapons instead of sticking with the Type 89 as a result of these shortcomings. The problem is even worse for some of Japans other infantry arms. The standard designated marksman rifle, the Howa Type 64 lacks the sight mounting plate found on the Type 89. The solutions to mount sights have proven incredibly janky, albeit creative. Notably, one soldier was found using a Russian ZenitCo B-12 mounting system that was originally designed for AK-type rifles to mount an optical sight on his Type 64. Other mounting systems for the Type 64 mount the sight incredibly high up on the rifle, making it hard to maintain a solid cheek weld, which is considered to be important for long distance shots. The situation for the JSDFs standard light machinegun appears to be better. A copy of the FN Minimi, it has a Picatinny rail on the dust cover and appears to be used frequently with an LPVO. As Japan bolsters its military to deter China and other regional rivals, it should formulate a plan to comprehensively bring their infantry arms up to the Western standard. When the JGSDFs new Amphibious Rapid Deployment Brigade was activated in April 2018their first marine unit since WWIIthe soldiers participating were seen only with iron sights. The average U.S. Marine rifleman qualifies with a 4x optic on his rifle. Charlie Gao studied Political and Computer Science at Grinnell College and is a frequent commentator on defense and national security issues. Image: Wikimedia Commons Read full article Strzok had a leadership role on both the investigation of Hillary Clinton's use of a private email server while she was secretary of state, as well the probe into whether the Trump campaign coordinated with Russia to influence the 2016 election. That investigation is now being led by special counsel Robert Mueller III, who once considered Strzok a key member of his team but removed him once informed of the anti-Trump messages. By Rupam Jain and Qadir Sediqi KABUL (Reuters) - The Afghan Taliban said their three-day Eid ceasefire, which ends on Sunday, proved the unity of their movement and its "wide national support" as the presidential palace extended its own ceasefire with the militants by 10 days. Taliban fighters headed into cities across Afghanistan over the weekend as they celebrated their Eid cessation of hostilities with feasts, hugs and selfies, raising questions about what happens when their ceasefire ends at midnight (1930 GMT) on Sunday. "Mujahideen throughout the country are ordered to continue their operations against the foreign invaders and their internal puppets as before," they said in a statement. "The announcement (of the ceasefire), implementation and the wide national support and welcome of the Mujahideen by the people proves that the demands of the Islamic Emirate and the nation are identical all want the withdrawal of foreign invaders and establishment of an Islamic government," they said. "...Our enemies used to propagate that 20 different groups operate against them in Afghanistan or that the Islamic Emirate is not cohesive and unified. But it has now become abundantly clear to everyone that this assertion is baseless..." President Ashraf Ghani said on Saturday he would extend the government ceasefire beyond June 20 and on Sunday the presidential office said it would be extended by 10 days. Some have criticized his move, which allowed the Taliban to flow into cities across the country, though the militants said they would withdraw by sunset on Sunday. "I have seen several Taliban vehicles and motorcycles leaving the city today in the afternoon," Sohrab Qaderi, provincial council member of Nangarhar province in the east, told Reuters. Ghani had committed "a grave mistake" by allowing Taliban fighters to enter government-controlled areas, said Amarullah Saleh, a politician and former head of the National Directorate of Security. "We don't have mechanisms in place to mitigate the breach of ceasefire by the Taliban," Saleh told Reuters. Members of parliament opposing Ghani's move said he had not consulted politicians and would be left with no recourse if the Taliban rejected his impromptu request. A senior Western diplomat in Kabul earlier said Ghani's decision was "a bold move" but questioned what happens if the Taliban do not extend their halt in hostilities against government forces. "The consequences could be disastrous," he said. A suicide bombing in Jalalabad, close to the governor's office in Nangarhar province, killed at least 18 people on Sunday and wounded scores, an official and doctor said. No group immediately claimed responsibility. A car bomb killed 36 people at a gathering of Taliban and Afghan armed forces in the same province on Saturday. Islamic State, not covered by the government ceasefire, claimed responsibility for that attack. "NO CLUE HOW MANY TALIBAN IN CIVILIAN AREAS" Western diplomats based in Kabul said they were issuing fresh travel warnings for the country. "The Taliban can always use a ceasefire as an opportunity to attack foreigners," one Western diplomat said. "Nobody has any clue how many Taliban militants are now hiding in civilian areas." The Taliban also said the "entire nation" should realize that there are "no public or secret talks taking place with the puppet Kabul regime". "All the baseless propaganda and attempts to confuse public opinion by the opposition in this regard only serves to complicate the ongoing crisis and negatively impacts efforts for peace," the group said. U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, echoing Ghani's announcement on Saturday, said peace talks would have to include a discussion on the role of "international actors and forces". "Ghani has full blessings of the U.S. administration and it is crucial for the U.S. officials to prove that (U.S. President Donald) Trump's policies are working and talks with the Afghan Taliban are imminent," said a senior diplomat who met Afghan officials on Sunday to discuss the chance of back-channel talks with Taliban leaders. The United States wants Pakistan, which it accuses of harboring Afghan Taliban commanders, to exert more influence on the group to bring it to the negotiating table. The only time direct talks between the Afghan government and the Taliban have been held, in 2015, they broke down almost immediately. The Taliban are fighting U.S.-led NATO forces combined under the Resolute Support mission, and Ghani's U.S.-backed government to restore sharia, or Islamic law, after their ouster by U.S.-led forces in 2001. But Afghanistan has been at war for four decades, ever since the Soviet invasion in 1979. "What we witnessed over the last two days was an overwhelmingly positive response by all Afghans to peace," Lt-Colonel Martin O'Donnell, a spokesman for Resolute Support and U.S. Forces-Afghanistan, told Reuters. "Not even the attack on peace yesterday in Nangarhar by the enemies of Afghanistan will slow the nationwide momentum or quiet the celebration of a long-overdue cessation of hostilities and a chance for lasting peace." The Taliban roam huge swaths of the country and, with foreign troop levels of about 15,600, down from 140,000 in 2014, there appears little hope of outright government victory. (Additional reporting by Qadir Sediqi and Ahmad Sultan; Writing by Nick Macfie; Editing by Ros Russell) Mountain View California David Paul Morris/Getty Images This week, the Seattle City Council repealed a $275 per-employee tax for larger companies amid pressure from Amazon. Mountain View, Cupertino, and San Francisco, California the homes of Google, Apple, and Twitter are considering similar head taxes. Mountain View Mayor Lenny Siegel predicts that his city will pass the tax, which would fund primarily fund public transit projects. Siegel believes that Cupertino could see more pushback from Apple. Amazon is the largest property taxpayer and private employer in Seattle. Since 2000, the metro area has added nearly 100,000 new jobs, leading to an influx of high-skilled workers and a thriving tech industry. But some residents and local officials believe Amazon's growth has been the catalyst for several problems, including affordable housing and homelessness crises, since its arrival in the late 1990s. To ease those issues, the Seattle City Council unanimously passed a "head tax" in May requiring large businesses to pay $275 per employee for the next five years. The money would go toward affordable housing and homelessness projects. The city received pushback from Amazon, which at one point threatened to halt construction of a 405,000-square-foot office tower. Following the tax's passage, Amazon, Starbucks, and other large companies also quietly poured hundreds of thousands of dollars into a signature-gathering campaign, called No Tax on Jobs, for a referendum against the tax on November's ballot. Fearing this and more pushback from Amazon, the city repealed the tax. While Amazon may have won its battle, there could be more Big Tech head taxes to come. Multiple Silicon Valley cities are considering similar taxes, and Amazon's win in Seattle doesn't seem to be stopping them. The decision to repeal could set an anti-tax precedent in Silicon Valley cities that are considering similar legislation. Story continues Mountain View, California the home of Google, LinkedIn, and Symantec may tax big companies like Google, which has 23,000 workers in the city, $150 per employee. In late June, its city council decided that the initiative will appear on the November ballot. Less than 10 miles away, Cupertino the city that houses Apple's headquarters is also polling the public on reopening a head tax proposal after one was shut down by business interests in 2016. And in November, the city of San Francisco will vote on a business tax to address the city's worsening homelessness crisis. (Although, some tax experts predict the measure would impact retailers more than tech firms.) Mountain View Mayor Lenny Siegel a proponent of the proposed head tax told Business Insider his city is dealing with affordability issues that mirror what's happening in Seattle. Mountain View's tax would go primarily toward transit projects, and a sliver of the revenue would help finance affordable housing developments. "It's hard for people in other parts of the country to visualize what our situation is," he said. "Everyone else wants to be in a position of having lots of good jobs, but they bring their own problems. And it's up to cities working with our business communities to solve those problems or we will kill the goose that laid the golden egg." Google logo HQ Mountain View Justin Sullivan/Getty Images If the head tax passes in Mountain View, Google would need to pay up to an additional $3.45 million annually, based on its current number of employees. The rate for large companies in Cupertino is not set yet, but in 2016, former Mayor Barry Chang angled for a $1,000-per-employee tax that was struck down. Siegel considers these figures a drop in the bucket for the two companies, which collectively generate more than $300 billion in revenue each year. Siegel predicts that Mountain View will pass the tax, since Google its largest taxpayer has not tried any intimidation tactics in the city. Since the city has been considering the tax for three years, Siegel said it's hard to compare what happened in Seattle to the debate in Mountain View. However, an earlier version of Mountain View's head tax would have required Google to pay $300 per employee double what the city is planning now. In early June, after Amazon halted construction on a Seattle office tower pending a vote on the tax, City Council members decided to lower the rate to $150 per Googler (The timing may be coincidental). Google has stayed silent on the tax According to Siegel, city officials have a relatively pleasant relationship with Google, which has a history of funding public works projects. Since 2014, the tech giant has given more than $14 million to Mountain View nonprofits, including a $1 million grant for homelessness prevention and rehousing. In 2017, Google funded 2.5 miles of bike, pedestrian, and infrastructure improvements in the city. In September, Mountain View's city council had a brief spat with the company over an approval to create nearly 10,000 units of affordable housing on Google property. The next morning, an executive from Google called Siegel to apologize. Siegel said Google has stayed silent on the subject of a head tax, which he interprets as an optimistic sign. (Google declined to comment on its policy position to Business Insider.) "They just keep saying, 'We'll get back to you,'" he said. Siegel acknowledges that other large, local employers have openly opposed the tax. "Although we don't agree on everything, we have a long history of working with employers." Apple Park Google Earth Siegel argues that Google and other Silicon Valley giants could benefit from the legislation, because it would allow more workers to commute into the city from elsewhere. One project Mountain View may pursue is a bus line that would connect downtown to Google's campus, he said. When asked whether he fears Google would move if Mountain View passed a version of the tax, Siegel said it would be unlikely. In any case, Siegel said, Mountain View's housing and infrastructure struggles are acute enough that "it wouldn't hurt if [Google] moved." Apple has a history of pushing back against Cupertino In Cupertino, Apple has not been as accommodating to the city, according to Siegel. The company has made few announcements of local philanthropy beyond its "Global Volunteer Program," which launched in 2011 to encourage employees to volunteer in local communities. The company has also planted over 9,000 trees at its headquarters. Cupertino may have fewer bargaining chips than Mountain View in a head tax battle, because Apple accounts for an even larger share (three-fourths) of the workforce. That means the city is more dependent on the company for tax revenue. Cupertino has paid a firm to begin polling residents about the tax and explore how the city could spend the revenue, City Manager David Brandt told The San Francisco Chronicle. Steve Jobs cupertino City of Cupertino/YouTubeAfter former Cupertino Mayor Chang's head tax proposal was struck down in 2016, he told The Guardian that the legislation faced a great deal of opposition from Apple. "Apple is not willing to pay a dime [for public projects]," Chang said. "Theyre making profit, and they should share the responsibility for our city, but they won't." Siegel shares a similar view. "Apple, unlike Google, doesn't donate a lot to the community," he said. Apple did not respond to Business Insider's request for comment, but the company's past views on corporate-civic responsibility may offer a clue regarding its future attitude on a head tax . In a now-infamous video from 2011, Steve Jobs presented his vision for a new headquarters (which opened in January 2018) to Cupertino's City Council. At one point, a council member asked how Cupertino residents would benefit from the campus, and whether Apple would consider granting the city free public wifi. Jobs denied the possibility. "As you know, we're the largest taxpayer in Cupertino, so we'd like to continue to stay here and pay taxes," he said. "Because if we can't, we'd have to go somewhere like Mountain View, and we'd take our current people with us and over the years sell the land here. The largest tax base would go away. That wouldn't be good for Cupertino, and that wouldn't be good for us either." NOW WATCH: I tried the newest BlackBerry phone for a week See Also: More than 11,000 migrant children are estimated to currently be in the custody of the US Department of Health and Human Services: (Photo by John Moore/Getty Images) A prominent doctor has spoken out against the Trump administration's policy of separating migrant children from their parents at the US border. saying it could have a 'devastating' long-term effect on their emotional well-being. Dr Colleen Kraft, president of the American Academy of Pediatrics, visited a shelter for children under the age of 12 that runs along the Texas border with Mexico. The shelter in question held 60 beds and had a little playground for children. Rooms are equipped with toys, books and crayons. To Dr Kraft, it looked like a friendly environment for children - a place where they could be happy. But the child who caught the paediatricians attention during a recent visit was anything but happy. This little girl - no older than two - was screaming and pounding her fists on a mat. Yet staff members could not comfort the infant because of the rules prohibiting physical contact. The really devastating thing was that we all knew what was going on with this child. We all knew what the problem was, Dr Kraft said. She didnt have her mother, and none of us can fix that. Nearly 2,000 immigrant children were separated from their parents during six weeks in April and May, according to the Department of Homeland Security. The little girl is among the multitude of immigrant children who have been separated from their family as part of the Trump administrations zero-tolerance policy, meaning any adult who crosses the border illegally will face criminal prosecution. That also means parents were taken to federal jails while their children were sent to shelters. It is believed 11,432 migrant children are in the custody of the Department of Health and Human Services - an increase of nearly 3,000 from beginning of May. These numbers include children who arrived at the border without a relative and children separated from their parents. The policy so far has pushed shelters to their capacity. Trump administration officials are making preparations to hold immigrant children on military bases. On Thursday, the Trump administration said it will house children in tents in the desert outside El Paso. Story continues The really basic, foundational needs of having trust in adults as a young child was not being met. That contradicts everything we know that the kids need to build their health, said Dr Kraft after her visit to the Texas shelter. Video: Kellyanne Conway on Family Separations at Border For more news videos visit Yahoo View. Such a situation could have long-term, devastating effects on young children, who are likely to develop what is called toxic stress in their brain once separated from caregivers or parents they trusted. It disrupts a childs brain development and increases the levels of fight-or-flight hormones in their bodies, added Kraft. This kind of emotional trauma could eventually lead to health problems, such as heart disease and substance abuse disorders. Kraft and her organisation are not alone in this opinion. Nearly 4,600 mental health professionals and 90 organisations have signed a petition urging Trump and attorney general Jeff Sessions to stop the policy of parental separation. It says: To pretend that separated children do not grow up with the shrapnel of this traumatic experience embedded in their minds is to disregard everything we know about child development, the brain, and trauma. While not all of the children we are ripping from their parents will suffer the full consequences of toxic stress, many may, said child psychologist Megan Gunnar of the University of Minnesota. Although the policy is being implemented by his own administration, Mr Trump has avoided publicly owning it and. Instead, he blamed Democrats for forcing the breakup of families at the border with their horrible and cruel legislative agenda. Health and Human Services blames Congress, saying its inability to pass legislation on border security created perverse and dangerous incentives for illegal border crossings and child smuggling. For Dr Kraft, the partisan finger-pointing means politicians run the risk of obscuring the impact the parental separation policy will have on children. As partisan and as divisive as the whole topic of immigration is, we need to start with whats right, she said. Can we start with just keeping parents and children together while we figure out some of the other details? The kids need to come first, she added. America is better than this. Washington Post News Service Angelina Jolie made her 61st mission as a UNHCR Special Envoy for the UN Refugee Agency on Saturday, visiting West Mosul, Iraq, less than a year after the city was liberated from three years of a brutal ISIS occupation. While there, the Oscar-winning actress, 43, met with a local father and his three children, including his two young girls. In a photo exclusive to PEOPLE, the girls can be seen proudly showing off their school reports to Jolie. The girls I met talked about the years of not being able to go to school, and of seeing people killed, and of feeling too afraid to leave their houses, Jolie said of meeting the family while speaking in front of the ruins of the Al-NuriMosque. It is deeply upsetting that people who have endured unparalleled brutality have so little as they try, somehow, to rebuild the lives they once had. The conflict has devastated Mosul. The hundreds of thousands of people of the city were subjected to the horrors of war including explosions and shootings, and many residents were used as human shields and became targets as they tried to flea the city. Buildings among the narrow streets were bombed out while others were flattened. Overall, it was the largest and longest urban battle since World War II, UNHCR reported. Jolie emphasized the need for recovery and reconstruction so that the people of Mosul Iraqs second-largest city wouldnt be forgotten. Story continues UNHCR reports that at least 40,000 homes need to be restored or rebuilt. Over 2 million people have been displaced and 3.8 million are counted as returnees. This is the worst devastation I have seen in all my years working with UNHCR, Jolie said. People here have lost everything: their homes are destroyed. They are destitute. They have no medicine for their children, and many have no running water or basic services. They are still surrounded by bodies in the rubble. After the unimaginable trauma of the occupation, they are now trying to rebuild their homes, often with little or no assistance. RELATED VIDEO: Angelina Jolie Visits Kenya on Humanitarian Trip Condemning Sexual Violence as She Meets Young Survivors Saturdays trip was Jolies fifth visit to Iraq since 2001. Her arrival in the Old City coincided with Eid al-Fitr, the Muslim holiday which makes the conclusion of Ramadan. Angelina Jolie is continuing her humanitarian work overseas. The 43-year-old actress paid a visit to West Mosul in Iraq on Saturday as part of her trip with UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency. UNHCR Special Envoy Jolie was visibly emotional as she walked through the city's destruction, nearly one year after it was liberated from ISIS occupation. This is the worst devastation I have seen in all my years working with UNHCR," she said in front of the ruins of al-Nuri Mosque. "People here have lost everything: their homes are destroyed. They are destitute. They have no medicine for their children, and many have no running water or basic services. They are still surrounded by bodies in the rubble. After the unimaginable trauma of the occupation, they are now trying to rebuild their homes, often with little or no assistance." I have no words for the strength it must take to rebuild after loss like this. But that is what the people of this city are doing. They are grief-stricken and traumatized, but they are also hopeful. They are clearing their homes with their own hands, and volunteering and helping each other," she added. "But they need our assistance." Andrew McConnell / UNHCR via Getty Images Andrew McConnell / UNHCR via Getty Images Jolie's trip marked her 61st mission and fifth visit to Iraq with the UN Refugee Agency since 2001. The visit came just days after ET learned she and Brad Pitt were ordered a new temporary custody agreement by the court. According to court documents obtained by ET, Jolie was ordered by a judge to help repair her children's relationship with Pitt. A judge determined that the kids "not having a relationship with their father is harmful to them," and the 54-year-old actor will now have more time with his minor children -- 14-year-old Pax, 13-year-old Zahara, 12-year-old Shiloh and 9-year-old twins Knox and Vivienne -- over the summer. A source told ET on Wednesday that the new agreement is a "breakthrough" for Jolie and Pitt, explaining that the two have had little communication with one another leading up to it. Story continues "Angelina and Brad have had to come to terms with the fact that their marriage didnt work and have had to attempt to let their anger go for the sake of the kids," the source said. "The new custody plans have had a positive effect on how Angelina sees this situation. She loves the kids and she doesnt want to lose them, so she seems to have started communicating with Brad to make things run smoothly. It's actually a breakthrough after having little to no communication for so long." See more in the video below. Angelina Jolie Ordered to Give Brad Pitt More Time With Kids Watch Entertainment Tonight on Yahoo View. RELATED CONTENT: Billy Bob Thornton Reveals the 'Only Reason' He and Ex-Wife Angelina Jolie Aren't Still Together Angelina Jolie Ordered to Give Brad Pitt More Time With Kids in New Temporary Custody Agreement Why Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie's New Custody Agreement Is a 'Breakthrough' for Them (Exclusive) Related Articles: Bogota (AFP) - Ivan Duque's election victory in Colombia makes him the youngest president in his country's modern history, and gives him a strong mandate to overhaul the government's fragile peace deal with the former rebel group FARC. He campaigned on a ticket to rewrite the peace deal signed with the FARC by outgoing center-right president Juan Manuel Santos. His vanquished leftist opponent, Gustavo Petro, supports the deal. A lawyer with a degree in economics, Duque represents many Colombian voters who were outraged by concessions given to the former rebels, including reduced sentences for those who confessed to their crimes. He has vowed to make "structural changes" to the 2016 agreement, which led to the group's disarmament and conversion into a political party. "What we Colombians want is that those who have committed crimes against humanity be punished by proportional penalties... so that there is no impunity," Duque told AFP during the campaign. He will succeed Santos on August 7, a few days after his 42nd birthday. Latin America's longest-running conflict left more than 260,000 people dead, nearly 83,000 missing and some 7.4 million forced from their homes. - Uribe puppet? - Duque has railed against the Colombian left, voicing fears that it would drag the country into the same economic quagmire in which neighboring Venezuela is mired. The left in turn accuses him of being a puppet of Alvaro Uribe, the former two-term president who took a hard line against the left when he was last in power eight years ago. "Nobody knows if he has his own criteria or if he will obey orders," Fabian Acuna, a political analyst at Cali's Javeriana University, said of Duque. Although a newcomer to politics -- he has been a senator since 2014 -- politics is in his blood. Born in Bogota on August 1, 1976, his father was a liberal politician. But it was Santos, the outgoing president, who took Duque under his wing in the 1990s as a financial advisor. Later, he worked for 13 years for the Washington-based Inter-American Development Bank. Story continues Today, Duque finds himself in opposition to Santos over the peace deal. "He is very dynamic when it comes to public relations, very clever," said a former co-worker at the IDB. While working in the United States, Duque met Uribe, who persuaded him to run for the Senate. "Ivan is very intelligent and I'm sure he has a bright future ahead of him," wrote Uribe in his 2012 book "No Lost Causes." But for Roy Barreras, a senator from Santos's party, "a president must have experience, autonomy, political capacity -- all missing with Ivan, who is, as everyone admits, a good little guy." A father of three, Duque used to play bass in a rock band, but his relaxed image contrasts sharply with his conservative ideals -- he is a staunch opponent of gay marriage, euthanasia and the decriminalization of drugs. He has strong support from the far-right as well as an increasingly influential evangelical Christian bloc. President called North Korean leader a strong head and said Obama had been essentially ready to go to war with the country An antsy and bored Donald Trump reportedly attempted to bring his summit with Kim Jong-un of North Korea forward by a day, asking aides after his arrival in Singapore last Sunday: Were here now. Why cant we just do it? The one-day summit, aimed at reducing the threat from nuclear-armed North Korea, went ahead as planned on Tuesday. But on Thursday night, citing two people familiar with preparations for the event, the Washington Post said the presidents impatience and a tense staff meeting with North Korean officials left left some aides fearful that the entire summit might be in peril. In a Friday morning interview on the White House lawn with Fox & Friends, meanwhile, Trump risked provoking critics when he said the North Korean dictator was the strong head of his country. He speaks and his people sit up at attention, Trump said. I want my people to do the same. The president also claimed his predecessor in the White House, Barack Obama, had been essentially ready to go to war with North Korea, and claimed to have solved the problem of the nuclear threat from Pyongyang. The Post cited people familiar with the talks in reporting how Trumps request to move the summit was parried by senior members of his administration. Ultimately, the Post wrote, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and White House press secretary Sarah Sanders persuaded Trump to stick with the original plan, arguing that the president and his team could use the time to prepare. They also, the report said, warned him that he might sacrifice wall-to-wall television coverage of his summit if he abruptly moved the long-planned date to Monday in Singapore, which would be Sunday night in the United States. On Friday Trumps remarks and a video statement issued later had to compete for TV attention with the presidents fierce criticism of a Department of Justice report, the FBI and its former director James Comey; the jailing of his former campaign manager, Paul Manafort; and the presidents announcement of tariffs against China, prompting retaliatory measures from Beijing. Story continues Trumps preparation for the meeting with Kim was long a point of contention. In May, after North Korea criticised his vice-president, Mike Pence, Trump said the summit was cancelled. He later said his approach was not about preparation but about attitude, then told a press conference in Canada he would know within the first minute if the summit would be a success. After meeting Kim, he told reporters he and the dictator got to know each other well in a very confined period of time. The Trump-Kim summit has been widely criticised in the US, in most part for the failure to secure written commitment to North Korean denuclearisation, which the Trump administration has repeatedly demanded. Trump told Fox on Friday its in the agreement, it says he will denuclearise after a summit from which we get everything. Sanctions on North Korea would be off when were sure theres no more nuclear, he said. In fact, the agreement says only that North Korea commits to work towards complete denuclearisation of the Korean peninsula. Pompeo this week angrily told reporters the signed agreement did not contain all that was agreed in Singapore. In his video statement on Friday, Trump insisted: This is the beginning of the process towards denuclearisation of North Korea. I sometimes say, the de-nuking of North Korea and those are beautiful words. In Singapore, Trump also signalled a major concession to Pyongyang when he said he would cancel US-South Korean military exercises to the surprise of South Korea and the US defense department. The Post report also said Trump laughingly praised North Korean state TV, joking that even Fox News was not as lavish in its praise. Footage of the president saluting a North Korean general has also been widely criticised, as has Trumps apparent dismissal of human rights concerns. The president repeatedly praised the North Korean leader for being tough. Trump told Fox on Friday: Hes the head of a country, hes the strong head, dont let anyone think anything different. He speaks and his people sit up at attention. I want my people to do the same. He later told a reporter he had been kidding. The reporter didnt understand sarcasm, he said. Speaking to Fox, Trump also said: When I was talking to President Obama, he was essentially ready to go to war with North Korea. I did ask him: Have you spoken to him? He goes: No. I said: You think it would be a good idea to speak to him, maybe? OK? Speaking to reporters, Trump said Obama told him North Koreas nuclear weapons were the most dangerous problem facing the US. I have solved that problem, Trump said. Now were getting it memorialized and all but that problem is largely solved. He also said he had given Kim a very direct number which meant the dictator could call me if he has any difficulty. People are shocked, the president said, boasting about talks that followed abuse and threats between Washington and Pyongyang. They thought Trump was going to get in, hes going to start throwing bombs all over the place. Its actually the opposite. Asked about his reluctance to criticise Kims human rights record, he said: You know why? Because I dont want to see a nuclear weapon to destroy you and your family. Trump also told Fox of his request for the return of remains of probably 7,500 US soldiers killed in the Korean war, which he claimed was already producing results. He said again that parents of such soldiers had appealed to him. The Korean war took place between 1950 and 1953, which would make the survival of any parents of soldiers killed in the war highly unlikely. More than 4,000 Greek nationalists, who oppose another country having the Macedonia name, instead gathered near Pissoderi, a village 40 kilometers (25 miles) away. Banners in the crowd read "There is only one Macedonia and it is Greek" and "Macedonian identity can't be given away." Angelina Jolie visited West Mosul on Saturday, during the Muslim holiday of Eid al-Fitr, which marks the end of Ramadan. Her visit to what was recently a war-torn city comes nearly a year after Mosul was liberated from three years of ISIS control. Jolie a special envoy for UNHCR, the United Nations Refugee Agency called on the international community to help rebuild and stabilize the Iraqi city, where she said many people still have no running water, medicine or assistance to rebuild their homes. This is the worst devastation Ive seen in all my years with UNHCR, Jolie said in a video shared by the organization. These people have lost everything, and the trauma and the loss that theyve suffered is unparalleled. Theyre here on their own with very little support next to nothing. And theyre rebuilding themselves with their bare hands. Theyre moving the rubble with their bare hands. Angelina Jolie visits Mosul, urges world not to forget the people of the city and warns of the danger of delay in reconstruction and recovery https://t.co/KcMvyFqC32 UNHCR News (@RefugeesMedia) June 16, 2018 There are bodies in this rubble that stay here, and you can smell the bodies, and some of them have family members that are here, and theyre unable to move them. And there is unexploded ordinance, Jolie said. And yet they are so happy because the last Eid, they were under occupation and suffering. And this Eid, they have nothing, but theyre free. After more than 30 years of working with NASA, astronaut Peggy Whitson is retiring, the agency announced Friday. Whitson, whose retirement was effective Friday, tweeted, Its been the greatest honor to live out my lifelong dream of being a @NASA astronaut. Whitson did three long-stay missions on the International Space Station (ISS) during her time with NASA and logged thousands of hours of research. During her time with the agency, she spent 665 days in space altogether. Peggy Whitson is a testament to the American spirit," NASA Administrator Jim Bridenstine said in a release. "Her determination, strength of mind, character, and dedication to science, exploration, and discovery are an inspiration to NASA and America. We owe her a great debt for her service and she will be missed. We thank her for her service to our agency and country. Trending: Marco Rubio Weighs in on Kanye West, Pusha T and Drake Beef Whitson started her career with NASA doing research at the Johnson Space Center in Houston. It wasnt until 1996 that she was selected for the astronaut corps. Her first trip to the station happened in 2002, on Expedition 5. Her second trip was Expedition 16 in 2008, when she served as commander of the station. Her last mission spanned a total of three expeditions, 50, 51 and 52, during 2016 and 2017. She set the highest standards for human spaceflight operations as well as being an outstanding role model for women and men in America and across the globe. Godspeed, Peg, said Brian Kelly, director of flight operations at Johnson. During her time with NASA, astronaut Whitson broke multiple records, a few of which appear below. Don't miss: Man Threatening to Commit Mass Shooting at Disney World If He Got Enough Facebook Likes Arrested Six records Peggy Whitson broke: Whitson holds the record for most days in space by a NASA astronaut, and is ranked eighth in the world for most time spent by an astronaut in space. Whitson was the first female to lead the Astronaut Office as chief, and the first to lead it without being in the military. On her first trip to the ISS, Whitson made history as the first NASA science officer on the station. Most popular: Poll: Americans Like Trudeau More Than Trump When it Comes to Trade Policy Whitson was the first female commander of the ISS. She was also the first woman to command the ISS twice. Whitson holds the record for the most space walks done outside of the ISS by a female NASA astronaut: She did 10 space walks during her multiple trips to the ISS. peggy whitson NASA/Joel Kowsky Story continues This article was first written by Newsweek More from Newsweek Kinshasa (AFP) - Former Democratic Republic of Congo vice president Jean-Pierre Bemba "can return" home if he wants to, following his acquittal on appeal of war crimes, Kinshasa said Sunday. Foreign minister Leonard She Okitundu did not however specify whether the one-time rebel leader will face prosecution by DR Congo authorities. "Jean-Pierre Bemba left of his own will. If he wants to return, he can return," Okitundu told the French language 'Internationales' television programme. "I am not able to answer you. I have not been informed that Jean-Pierre Bemba has a judicial record here," Okitundu added, referring to a possible arrest warrant. Bemba, who had already spent a decade behind bars, was "released provisionally under specific conditions," the Hague-based International Criminal Court said on Friday. In a surprise decision, judges last week overturned the 2016 verdict against Bemba and quashed his 18-year prison sentence, saying he could not be held criminally liable for crimes committed by his troops in the Central African Republic in 2002-2003. Bemba's wife and children are believed to be living in a villa in the suburb of Rhode-Saint-Genese, 15 kilometres south of Brussels, where he was originally arrested in May 2008 at the ICC's request. Judges had initially found Bemba guilty on five counts of warcrimes and crimes against humanity committed by his private army during a five-month rampage in the neighbouring CAR where they committed murder, rape and looting. The 18-year sentence was the longest ever to be handed down by the court and was the first trial to determine whether a military commander bore responsibility for the conduct of troops under his control. Bemba's interim release relates to a separate case in which he was handed a one-year jail sentence and fined 300,000 euros ($350,000) in 2017 for bribing witnesses during his main war crimes trial. He lost an appeal against that sentence and the ICC is yet to decide on any new jail term, with the possibility of a maximum of five years. A black woman said she and her daughter experienced blatant racism when a white man posing as a health inspector asked them if they had showered before using a pool at a hotel in Pasadena, California, during their vacation. The incident occurred on Monday at The Westin hotel. Carle Wheeler posted a video of the incident on Facebook on Wednesday, claiming she and her daughter were at the pool when they were approached by a white man. The man claimed to be a health inspector who asked them if they had showered before entering the swimming pool. The man asked if me and my little girl had showered before getting into the pool because people carry diseases into the pools and he doesn't want the health department to shut the pool down, Wheeler wrote on Facebook. Trending: Ivanka Trump Keeps Sharing Pictures of Her Children as White House Takes Immigrant Kids Away from Parents Wheeler was able to capture the incident on camera. In the video, the man is being confronted by hotel staff and Wheeler, and he apologizes for asking them the question. I simply asked them if theyd showered. Im sorry, the unidentified man says in the video. Don't miss: Dogs Might Have the Secret to Losing Weight The man continues to say that he asked Wheeler and her daughter if they showered because it was part of the rules and he was tired of getting in pools people consider baths. Wheeler said he did not ask anyone else who was in the pool if they had showered. Google it! Google the diseases in pools, the man said. A man who identified himself as the manager of the hotel then asked the man to step to the side. He apologized and said the unidentified man was a guest of the hotel and that he would speak to him. A spokesperson from the Pasadena Health Department told KTLA that they did not recognize the man and said no health inspectors were at the Westin pool that day. Most popular: Marco Rubio Weighs in on Kanye West, Pusha T and Drake Beef Story continues The video already has over 1.9 million views on Facebook. Newsweek has reached out to Wheeler and the hotel for comment but did not hear back in time for publication. 497401142 Justin Sullivan/Getty Images Its sad that I had to explain to my beautiful little five-year-old brown skinned girl why in 2018 a white man would think its OK to ask a little girl and her mom if we showered our presumably dirty black skin before entering a swimming pool, Wheeler wrote. In a statement to CBS Los Angeles, the management team confirmed the incident happened and said they do not condone the mans behavior. In light of recent events, we feel it important to share that we do not condone the comments or behavior directed toward our pool guests. The safety and security of our guests is our top priority, and we strive to maintain an environment where our guests feel welcome and are treated with equal respect and attention from our team, the statement read. This article was first written by Newsweek More from Newsweek Buick buyers may be in for some sticker shock after President Donald Trumps tariffs on $50 billion in Chinese imports. The General Motors Co. brands Envision sport utility vehicle, which starts at $31,995, is among the handful of autos imported into the U.S. from China. With the Trump administration planning to impose 25 percent duties on products including motor vehicles, each of the SUVs could be subject to levies of about $8,000. A GM spokesman confirmed that the Envision will likely be affected by the tariffs and didnt have immediate comment. The automaker sold 41,040 units in 2018, the Envisions first full year in the U.S. market. By comparison, Chevrolet delivered seven times more Equinox SUVs. Read more: Tariffs may end Chinese car imports before they really start Other cars potentially subject to U.S. tariff include Volvo S60 sedans, which the Chinese-owned Swedish automaker started importing to the U.S. in 2015. A spokeswoman for the company declined to comment. The U.S. imported only 58,437 passenger vehicles from China last year, a sliver of the 8.27 million shipped to America from the rest of the world, according to the Commerce Departments International Trade Administration. Ottawa (AFP) - Canadians approve of Justin Trudeau's response to President Donald Trump's personal attacks as well as his countervailing tariffs on US imports - and the prime minister's popularity is up, poll results released Friday showed. Trump slammed Trudeau as "dishonest" and "weak" after the Group of Seven summit last week, incensed by a news conference at which the Canadian premier termed the US president's decision to use national security to justify steel and aluminum tariffs as "insulting." Sixty-two percent of Canadians "say he has handled his spat with Trump well," while 59 percent support "his government's countervailing tariffs in retaliation to Trump's on steel and aluminum," the Angus Reid Institute said. After falling for a year, Trudeau's overall popularity is up 12 points from March, with 52 percent of Canadians approving of his job, it said. The data comes from two studies by the Angus Reid institute: one that spanned the period before, during and after the G7 summit, and the second after its conclusion. Trump aides piled on the day after the summit, with one saying that Trudeau "stabbed us in the back" and another stating that there is a "special place in hell" for people who conduct diplomacy like he allegedly did. Trudeau sought to focus attention on the G7 summit instead of engaging in a war of words with Trump. By Andrew Galbraith SHANGHAI (Reuters) - China responded vigorously in state media on Saturday after the administration of U.S. President Donald Trump said it would impose tariffs on $50 billion of Chinese imports, but some commentary left room for further negotiations. Late on Friday, China said it would impose additional 25 percent tariffs on 659 U.S. goods worth $50 billion, in response to the U.S. imposition of tariffs. "The wise man builds bridges, the fool builds walls," the official Xinhua news agency said in an editorial, echoing official comments that China would defend its interests in a trade war. "Following the path of expanding and opening up is China's best response to the trade dispute between China and the United States, and is also the responsibility that major countries should have to the world," it added. An editorial in the ruling Communist Party's official People's Daily condemned what it called the Trump administration's "obsession with playing the disgraceful role of global economic disruptor". It added, "There is no winner in a trade war, and the U.S. instigation of a trade war is extremely destructive to global trade, economic globalisation, multilateral trade systems and global production supply chains. "The whole world will be picking up the bill for the mistaken acts of U.S. unilateralism." The Global Times, a tabloid run by the People's Daily, called the U.S. move "an irresponsible act on behalf of the White House to disrupt international trade just to appeal to American voters who are convinced their president is fighting for them." In an editorial, the official English-language China Daily said the measure was "a stark violation of the core spirit of recent trade talks between China and the United States and is set to backfire if Washington doesn't back off from its dangerous adventurism." While calling Trump's administration "inconsistent and precarious," it expressed hope a trade war might yet be averted. Story continues "Given the frequent flip-flopping of the Donald Trump administration, it is still too early to conclude that a trade war will start," the editorial said, adding that China's stance had been consistent. "(China) welcomes dialogue and is not afraid of trade war threats." The reaction to the U.S. tariffs was muted on Chinese social media, failing to break into the top 100 trending topics on the country's Twitter-like Weibo. TARIFF LIST Friday's list of goods on which China is to impose tariffs is longer than an initial list of 106 published on April 4, but their total value remains unchanged, at $50 billion. China will first impose tariffs on 545 U.S. goods worth $34 billion on July 6. Affected products include beef, pork, poultry, fish and seafood, dairy products, vegetables, mushrooms, fruits, nuts, sorghum, other grains, soybeans, whiskey, orange juice, tobacco, and conventional, hybrid and electric passenger vehicles. The country has not yet announced an effective date for tariffs on the remaining 114 goods worth $16 billion, which include crude oil, natural gas, coal, some refined oil products and medical equipment. Aircraft featured on the April list but were not on the revised list. (Reporting by Andrew Galbraith; Editing by Clarence Fernandez) Al Duraihmi (Yemen) (AFP) - Yemeni pro-government forces traded mortar fire Sunday with rebels near Hodeida airport, military sources said, on the fifth day of an offensive to seize back control of the strategic port city. More than 70 percent of Yemeni imports pass through the docks of Hodeida port, controlled by the country's Huthi rebels. The fighting between the Iran-backed rebels and a pro-government alliance, led by Saudi Arabia, has raised UN fears of humanitarian catastrophe in a country already teetering on the brink of famine. Yemen's military forces have closed in on areas south and west of Hodeida port, sources in the army said. Yemen's army on Saturday claimed it had seized the defunct Hodeida airport, held by the Shiite rebels since 2014. The Huthis, however, denied the news in a statement on their Saba news agency on Sunday. Yemen's government and its allies launched the offensive on Hodeida on Wednesday. At least 139 combatants have been killed, according to medical and military sources. The Huthi rebels drove Yemen's out of the capital, Sanaa, in 2014, pushing President Abedrabbo Mansour Hadi into exile and sparking an intervention by Saudi Arabia and its allies the following year. The Saudi-led coalition earlier this year imposed a near-total blockade on Hodeida port on allegations it served as a major conduit for arms smuggling to the rebels by Riyadh's regional arch rival Iran. The capture of Hodeida would be the coalition's biggest victory of the war so far. Rebel leader Abdul Malik al-Huthi has urged his forces to put up fierce resistance and turn the region into a "quagmire" for the Saudi-led coalition troops. The Yemen war has claimed some 10,000 lives since the coalition intervened in 2015. More than 22 million Yemenis are in need of aid, including 8.4 million who are at risk of starvation, according to the UN, which has described the conflict as the world's worst humanitarian crisis. Al Duraihmi (Yemen) (AFP) - Yemeni pro-government forces, backed by Saudi Arabia, battled Huthi rebels around the key port city of Hodeida on Sunday, as a top UN envoy held crisis talks with the insurgents in the capital. Saudi Arabia and its allies in a regional military coalition on Wednesday launched an offensive aimed at retaking the Red Sea city of Hodeida, home to the country's most valuable port which is controlled by the Iran-backed Huthis. The United Nations has warned the offensive could spark a fresh humanitarian crisis in a country already hit by war and impending famine, sending its envoy for Yemen to the capital Sanaa in a bid to come to a solution with the rebels. The Huthis, who accuse the UN of bias, however said there were major obstacles to any peace talks shortly after meeting with envoy Martin Griffiths on Sunday. The United Nations and relief organisations have warned that an all-out assault on Hodeida by the Saudi-led coalition, which commands a massive joint air force, would put hundreds of thousands of people at risk. Nearly 4,500 households have been displaced in Hodeida province so far this month, the UN said Sunday. Yemen's military forces have closed in on areas south and west of the port, pushing closer to an airport just south of the docks, sources in the army said. More than 70 percent of imports to all of Yemen pass through the docks of the Hodeida port. The army on Saturday claimed it had seized the defunct Hodeida airport, which has been in Huthi hands since 2014. The Shiite rebels, however, denied the claim in a statement on their Saba news agency on Sunday. They have also reported Saudi air strikes on Huthi outposts across Hodeida, with the insurgents' representative Hisham Sharaf pointing to the raids as a major obstacle to peace talks. The highway between Hodeida and the government-held port of Mokha was cut off Friday in battles between the two warring sides, disrupting precious supply lines to the military. Story continues The fighting is already nearing densely populated residential areas, rights groups have warned, and aid distributions have been suspended in the west of the city. At least 139 combatants have been killed since the launch of the operation on Wednesday, according to medical and military sources, most of them rebels. - Closely guarded UN talks - The Huthi rebels drove Yemen's government out of Sanaa in 2014, pushing President Abedrabbo Mansour Hadi into exile and sparking an intervention by Saudi Arabia and its allies the following year. The Saudi-led coalition earlier this year imposed a near-total blockade on Hodeida port, alleging it served as a major conduit for arms smuggling to the rebels by Riyadh's regional arch rival Iran. The potential capture of Hodeida would be the coalition's biggest victory of the war so far. Rebel leader Abdulmalik al-Huthi has urged his forces to put up fierce resistance and turn the region into a "quagmire" for the Saudi-led coalition troops. UN envoy Griffiths arrived in rebel-held Sanaa on Saturday for a second round of talks since taking the post in February. Huthi representative Sharaf, however, accused the Saudi-backed government of "obstructing negotiations", saying the Hodeida offensive had foiled any potential peace talks in a statement carried by the rebels' Saba news agency. Multiple rounds of UN-brokered talks between the rebels and the Hadi government have failed to find a solution to the conflict. Griffiths, whose talks in Sanaa have been largely kept under wraps, is believed to be pressing the Huthis to cede control of the Red Sea port to a UN-supervised committee that would allow deliveries of commercial goods and aid to continue to flow. On Saturday he called for restraint and said he was in contact with all the warring parties in a bid to halt the fighting. The UN Security Council on Thursday demanded that Hodeida port be kept open to vital food shipments but stopped short of backing a Swedish call for a pause in the offensive to allow for talks on a rebel withdrawal. The Yemen war has claimed some 10,000 lives since the Saudi-led coalition intervened in 2015. More than 22 million Yemenis are in need of aid, including 8.4 million who are at risk of starvation, according to the UN, which has described the conflict as the world's worst humanitarian crisis. Tahaij Wells, 33, the suspect who was killed, had recently been released from prison and was on parole since February on homicide-related charges, Onofri said. Another suspect, 23-year-old Amir Armstrong, remained hospitalized in stable condition and was charged with a weapons offense. It was not immediately known if he had an attorney who could comment. A third suspect remained in critical condition. By Julia Symmes Cobb BOGOTA (Reuters) - Colombians will choose either a business-friendly protege of a powerful ex-president or a leftist former guerrilla as their new head of state on Sunday, with the future of a historic peace accord and the nation's economic model hanging in the balance. Ivan Duque, hand-picked by former hardline president Alvaro Uribe, is predicted to win Sunday's runoff as he is polling about 20 points ahead of Gustavo Petro, a former mayor of Bogota and one-time member of the now-defunct M19 rebel group. At stake is the implementation of a 2016 peace agreement with the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC), which brought an end to five decades of conflict with the Marxist rebel group, and whether Latin America's fourth-largest economy will abandon its traditionally market-friendly posture. "A Duque victory wouldn't mean the end of the peace agreement, but it could mean it's reduced to a minimum," said Yann Basset of Rosario University. "A Petro victory would probably mean a difficult period of economic uncertainty." The 41-year-old Duque made a name as senator for his staunch opposition to the peace deal negotiated by outgoing President Juan Manuel Santos, who once counted Uribe among his backers before falling out with him over the talks. Duque has promised changes to the accord, which he slams as far too lenient on former rebels. His pledge to jail commanders for war crimes has sparked concern among some Colombians that he could upset the deal and send fighters back to the trenches. Petro has criticized the deal as not resolving deep rural inequality but says he will keep it intact. It remains to be seen what changes, if any, Duque can make to the deal, which was upheld by the constitutional court. Whoever takes office as president on Aug. 7 faces a tough time. The $320 billion economy remains weak, a new wave of drug trafficking crime gangs have moved into areas once controlled by the FARC and almost a million Venezuelan migrants have crossed into Colombia, looking for food and work. https://www.reuters.com/investigates/special-report/colombia-peace ECONOMIC CHALLENGES Though he was never a combatant, Petro belonged to the M19 urban rebel group, which demobilized in 1990. He has been hailed as an example of how ex-rebels can transition to politics but his tenure as mayor was criticized and he failed to win over Bogota voters in the May 27 first round. He was ousted from office for allowing garbage to pile on Bogota's streets when he was mayor, before being reinstated. "He was a very bad leader. Bogota was too big for him to govern; the whole country would be too," said Fidel Hernandez, 43, standing outside a Bogota bicycle shop where he works. His opponents accuse him of wanting to turn Colombia into socialist Venezuela, which is suffering a punishing economic crisis. The 58-year-old denies his plans to redistribute land amounts to expropriation and says power has remained too long in the hands of elites. Petro would likely struggle to get his policies through a conservative congress. Duque, who worked at the Inter-American Development Bank until 2014, is considered by some to be too inexperienced and beholden to Uribe. The former president is loved and hated in equal measure by millions who either believe he safeguarded Colombians by crushing the FARC or supported right-wing paramilitary death squads that killed thousands. "Duque is counseled by Uribe. He's his puppet," said deliveryman Francisco Roballo, 50, who plans to vote for Petro. Colombia may struggle to maintain its prized investment grade credit rating whoever wins. Petro's pledges to hike taxes on the rich and raise social spending have unsettled investors but there are concerns that Duque's agenda of cutting taxes could also worsen the deficit. Duque has promised policies friendly to the oil and mining industries, Colombia's top exporters, in a bid to revive production. Petro wants to ban open-pit gold mining and not renew coal contracts, as well as transition state-run oil company Ecopetrol to renewables. (Reporting by Julia Symmes Cobb, Additional reporting by Steven Grattan and Dylan Baddour; Editing by Helen Murphy, Daniel Flynn and Marguerita Choy) Sebastien Roblin Security, Middle East A scary account of a battle that could have ended in a showdown like no other. Did Russia and America Almost Go to War in Syria? On May 24, 2018, the New York Times ran an article by Thomas Gibbons-Neff detailing an intense battle between U.S. special forces and Syrian government-allied troops and Russian mercenaries for control of the Conoco gas field east of Deir ez-Zor. The article supported a statement made by Secretary of State Pompeo in a confirmation hearing that the U.S. military had killed a couple hundred Russians in the engagement. Similar claims had been swirling in Russian media as well. However, the New York Times article appears to contradict earlier claims from sources within Syria that the majority of losses were suffered by Iranian-backed militias rather than Russian mercenaries, particularly cited in an investigative report by Christoph Reuter published by Der Spiegel on March 2. This article will explore what these and other sources claim about composition and motivation of the opposing forces, the manner in which the battle unfolded, and the casualties suffered by various parties in what may have been the bloodiest battle between U.S. and Russian troops since World War I. Recommended: Why an F-22 Raptor Would Crush an F-35 in a 'Dogfight' Recommended: Air War: Stealth F-22 Raptor vs. F-14 Tomcat (That Iran Still Flies) Recommended: A New Report Reveals Why There Won't Be Any 'New' F-22 Raptors Dividing Line on the River Euphrates The Euphrates River cuts across eastern Syria into Iraq, forming part of the Fertile Crescent from which the earliest human civilizations arose. In the last few years of the Syrian Civil War, most of Syria east of the Euphrates has fallen under the control of Kurdish militias and their Arab allies, collectively known as the Syrian Defense Force (SDF). The U.S. military allied with the SDF due to its effectiveness in combating the strong ISIS presence in eastern Syria. Starting in 2014, Central Command deployed assets ranging from attack helicopters to special forces operators and Marine artillery. This contingent reported having killed a staggering twenty-one thousand ISIS fighters by 2017 while directing air and artillery strikes and engaging on ground raids. However, this apparently long-term U.S. presence on Syrian soil is vexing to Syrian dictator Bashar al-Assad and Moscow, though the SDF itself is not high on the list of the Assads many enemies. Story continues Deir ez-Zor, a city of two hundred thousand (in 2004) located on the western bank of the Euphrates, is the largest city in sparsely populated eastern Syria. Government forces on the western bank had withstood besieging ISIS forces for several years. On the eastern, SDF-controlled side of the Euphrates, there are three smaller towns running northwest to southeast named Marrat, Khasham and Tabiyah. The river thus served as a deconfliction line separating American and SDF forces on the east bank, and pro-Assad forces on the west. In 2017, the SDF captured the lucrative Conoco natural gas field east of Marrat, which had been under the control of ISIS, and established a forward outpost in the town of Khasham, supported by American special forces. However, the SDF permitted a pro-Assad militia to deploy a maximum of four hundred soldiers in Tabiya, apparently including Russian mercenaries. The nearest ISIS forces were located southwest of Deir ez-Zor. U.S. Forces in Khasham SDF dispositions in Khasham are unclear, but the New York Times details that around thirty U.S. Army Rangers and Delta Force operators were deployed there. The Rangers are an elite light infantry force trained for larger-scale infiltration operations and airborne raids, while Delta Force is a more secretive unit trained for smaller-scale counterterror operations. U.S. Air Force JTACs (Joint Terminal Air Controllers), specialists in calling in air support, were also embedded with the SDF. The operators at the outpost were reportedly well entrenched and disposed of machineguns, motor transport, and Javelin anti-tank missiles for self-defense. If necessary, the operators could call for backup from a mission-support site twenty miles away occupied by a platoon of U.S. Marines and a team of Army Green Beretsa special operations unit specialized in training, advising and fighting alongside local forces. There was also a Marine HIMARS battery in range. The lightweight truck-mounted multiple-rocket launcher system can rapidly spit out a barrage of six 227-millimeter rockets at distant targetsor fire individual, more advanced munitions with greater precision. You can see a HIMARS drill in Syria here. However, U.S. air power was undoubtedly the deadliest weapon at the outposts disposal. The Buildup at Deir ez-Zor Early in 2018, pro-Assad militias unsuccessfully negotiated with the Kurds for a handover of the Conoco field. Then, in February, U.S. intelligence observed an ominous buildup of troops and armored vehicles at the Deir ez-Zor airport which suggested a possible offensive aimed at the Conoco oil field. U.S. military personnel contacted their Russian interlocutors to discuss this concerns over a deconfliction phone line. The Russian high command in Syria assured us it was no their people, Defense Secretary James Mattis later told U.S. senators. However, Russian language speakers were frequently overheard on the local radio nets. Der Spiegel reports that an assortment of Assad allies was mustering in Deir ez-Zor, including a battalion of the Baqir Brigade, a 2,500-strong militia originally from Aleppo. The unit had close ties with the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps, and incorporated the local tribal fighters under Sheikh Nawaf al-Bashir. Elements of two other another Iranian-backed unit, the Fatemiyoun and Zainabiyoun Brigades were also reportedly present, the former composed of Hazara refugees from Afghanistan recruited by Iran (at times forcibly from prison) to fight in Syria, the latter is a unit of Pakistani Shias, who per their advertisements, were fighting in Syria for $1,200 a month. Troops from the Syrian Arab Armys 4th Armored Division were also present, as well as the ISIS Hunters, an ostensibly elite special forces unit reportedly tasked (contrary to its name) with seizing and guarding profitable oil installations in Eastern Syria. This unit was primarily trained and equipped by Russia, and may have had Russian mercenaries embedded or leading it. The Wagner Connection However, the Washington Post and the Russian newspaper Kommersant both revealed that in January the United States intercepted communications between Russian oligarch Yevgeniy Prigozhin late in January informing the Syrian government that the Russian officials had given him permission to undertake fast and strong measures that would deliver a good surprise between February 6 and 9. Prigozhin, who has also been indicted for U.S. election manipulation, is the owner of Evro Polisa shell company contracting the Wagner Group, a private mercenary company (PMC) formed by Russian Lt. Col. Dmitry Utkin. Though PMCs are illegal in Russia, both Prigozhin and Utkin are apparently close to Putin, and Wagner mercenaries have played an important role in Russias hybrid warfare strategy in Ukraine and Syria. Because they are not officially Russian soldiers, their actions can be dissociated from the Russian states, and casualties can be concealed from the public. Indeed, Russian mercenariesrecruited from military veterans and Russian nationalistshave suffered hundreds of casualties serving as shock troops on brutal Syrian battlefields. Morale is reportedly low, and demand for additional recruits high. A veteran interviewed by Radio Svoboda boasted that they had a specialist trained in removing the eyeballs of prisoners using two teaspoons. These volunteers are reportedly payed between 150,000 to 200,000 rubles ($2,400 to $3,200) per month of service. If killed, their families receive $48,000, contingent on their adherence to a nondisclosure agreement. Though originally furnished with Russian military weapons, the group reportedly had a falling out with Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu, and has since been employed directly by the Syrian government. Reportedly, Evro Poliss latest contract includes a promise for 25 percent of the revenue from any gas fields seized by Wagner forces. In all, the Assad-aligned forces reportedly mustered nine tanks, including dated T-55s and better protected T-72 tanks, as well as armored personnel carriers and 4X4 BRDM-2 amphibious armored cars. In terms of artillery, there was battery of model 1938 M-30 122-millimeter field howitzers, a World War II-era weapon which still packs a punch, multiple-rocket launchers (most likely BM-21 Grad) which can shower a broad area with unguided rockets, and heavy mortars. Wagner mercenaries claim to have operated the T-72s, BRDM-2s and howitzers. February 7: Crossing the Euphrates According to Der Spiegel, at 5 a.m. on the morning of February 7, a mixed force composed of roughly 250 Syrian 4th Division soldiers, Albu Hamad militia, and Zainabiyoun and Fatimbiyoun advanced across a pontoon bridge south of Tabiya. However, American troops fired warning shots towards the bridge and they retreated. At 3 p.m., a new column composed of between three hundred and five hundred men, some mounted on twenty-seven SUVs, tanks and APCs, began advancing north from Deir ez-Zor airport and crossed the Euphrates west of Marrat. Russian mercenaries sources claim there were three companies of Wagner troops involved in the engagement. Der Spiegel claims they were bystanders to the action in Tabiya. The advance of this force was monitored by American troops, as described by the New York Times, prompting urgent calls to the deconfliction line. The Russian military denied the presence of any Russian troops in the area. The column of tanks and vehicles obscured their approach by snaking through Marrat with their headlights off under the cover of darkness, emerging into view a mile or two away from Khasham at 10 p.m. At 10:30 p.m., tank, howitzer, heavy mortar shells and rockets began raining down around the base at Khasham. The Pentagon claims thirty rounds landed within five hundred meters. The Rangers and Delta Force operators returned fire with machine guns and Javelin missiles, which penetrate the thin top armor of a tank. Russian mercenary accounts claim that at this time the Syrian attack force chased away a forward screen of SDF defender. Around the same time, Der Spiegel claims that Baqir Brigade militias in Tabiya to the south launched a separate northward thrust, apparently placing the SDF base at Khasham in a pincer. Death from the Sky Even after the shooting started, the U.S. military supposedly placed a final call on the deconfliction hotline asking for confirmation that there were no Russian forces amongst the attackers. Once so assured, the JTAC teams called in the full extent of U.S. air power, which had been on standby the entire time. Meanwhile, a sixteen-man relief force of U.S. Marines and Green Berets began rolling towards Khasham in four mine-resistant trucks known as MRAPs. These were likely M-ATV or Cougars, boxy 4x4 all-terrain vehicles weighing fourteen to sixteen tons each with remote weapon stations and V-shaped hulls affording them greater survivability than a Humvee. However, war-torn roads slowed the progress of the relief column. An hour into their advance, they found artillery fire and tanks on over-watch barring their advance. It fell to air and artillery support to clear the way. The Marine HIMARS battery unleashed at least twelve rockets targeting Syrian artillery. F-22A Raptor stealth fighters soared overhead to provide air defense, while thirty-six-foot-long MQ-9 Reaper drones spied out ground targets with their sensors and destroyed them with missiles. Twin-engine F-15E Strike Eagle jets capable of lugging over eleven tons of weapons screamed over the battlefield, while huge B-52H bombers manufactured in the 1960s flew high above, dropping precision-guided bombs onto targets designated by observers. The deluge reportedly destroyed the artillery and twenty vehicles, including nine tanks, including three T-72s. The Pentagon later released footage of air strikes annihilating a T-72 tank just after it fired a shell and smashing an M-30 howitzer. A Russian mercenary claimed that only a single tank and BRDM-2 survived the assaultthe rest destroyed in the first minutes of the fight. However, according to U.S. accounts, the attackerswho advanced within three hundred to seven hundred meters according to Russian mercenariesdismounted to launch an infantry assault. However, the air strikes had cleared the way for the relief force, which arrived at Khasham at 1 a.m. and quickly resupplied the defenders with machine gun rounds and Javelin missiles. Remotely operated heavy machine guns mounted on the vehicles soon began blazing at the attackers. Though facing hundreds of Syrian attackers possibly stiffened with Russian mercenaries, the roughly forty U.S. operators and the orbiting warplanes and drones were lavishly equipped with night vision goggles. With their armor and artillery destroyed, the Kalashnikov-armed attackers would have been reduced to blindly firing at distant troops well entrenched in foxholes or taking cover behind vehicles and sand berms. Only one SDF fighter and no U.S. soldiers were wounded. The U.S. Special Forces also called upon their own specialized AC-130W Stinger II or AC-130U Spooky gunships. These are lumbering Hercules transport planes carrying rapid-fire automatic cannons and even a 105-millimeter howitzer, all of which could be precisely targeted at personnel at night using infrared sensors. (The Stinger II can also launch missiles.) By 2 a.m., the Syrian militias were in full retreat as U.S. air attacks continued to scourge them. According to profanity-laden mercenary accounts, the worst fire came from four U.S. Army AH-64 Apache helicopters that circled the battlefield like vultures, raking retreating fighters with thirty-millimeter chain guns in a fing merry-go-round. Reportedly, the attackers lacked anti-aircraft weapons with which to return effective fire. While the New York Times characterized the engagement as lasting four hours, Syrian militia sources told Der Spiegel that the attacks continued until 4:30 a.m. and that several men approaching out of Tabiya were killed attempting to recover the dead and wounded. SDF General Hassan recalled receiving a telephone call requesting a ceasefire to allow the recovery of the deadfrom an officer who had said there were no Russian soldiers in the area. Fighting erupted several more times in subsequent days and weeks. An MQ-9B Reaper drone destroyed a T-72 tank with a missile the area on February 9 after receiving fire from Assad-aligned forces. On February 15, an apparently booby trapped warehouse exploded in Tabqah, reportedly killing more than a dozen Wagner mercenaries. Then in March 2, a renewed Syrian attack was apparently averted only after the Pentagon observed the buildup and made calls over the deconfliction line. The United States, SDF and Syrian forces fought smaller-scale skirmishes in April and May. However, the mystery remainsjust who exactly had attacked the U.S. base in Khasham February 7-8, and how many perished in that attempt? Sebastien Roblin holds a masters degree in conflict resolution from Georgetown University and served as a university instructor for the Peace Corps in China. He has also worked in education, editing and refugee resettlement in France and the United States. He currently writes on security and military history for War Is Boring. Image: Reuters Read full article For weeks, a chorus of protesters, religious groups, Democrats, and others have spoken out against the Trump administrations zero-tolerance policy of separating the children of illegal immigrants from their families. Now they are finding a vocal ally: medical professionals. The American Psychological Association wrote an open letter to Donald Trump imploring his administration to reconsider the policy and to commit to the more humane practice of housing families together pending immigration proceedings to protect them from further trauma. The letter cited a mental health crisis many families are suffering because of the administrations policy. The APAs letter outlined several adverse outcomes the policy may have that could lead to long-lasting psychological damage, including stress and emotional trauma. Sudden and unexpected family separation, such as separating families at the border, can add to that stress, leading to emotional trauma in children, it said. Research also suggests that the longer that parents and children are separated, the greater the reported symptoms of anxiety and depression are for children. As psychologists, we have documented multiple harmful effects of parent-child separation on children's emotional and psychological development and wellbeing and urge that the current policy of family separation be reversed." #FamiliesBelongTogether Read the full letter below: pic.twitter.com/7K90VkMub4 APA Public Interest Directorate (@APAPublicInt) June 15, 2018 On Friday, the Department of Homeland Security confirmed that the U.S. government has separated nearly 2,000 children from their parents in a little more than two months as part of the Trump administrations policy on immigration. Attorney General Jeff Sessions has said the separations are intended as a deterrence to illegal immigration. Story continues Also on Friday, the American Public Health Association issued its own statement decrying the separation of children from families as inhumane, warning it would have a dire impact on their health, both now and into the future. The APHA said the trauma from such separation could lead to alcoholism, substance abuse, depression, obesity, and suicide. More alarming is the interruption of these childrens chance at achieving a stable childhood, the APHA said. Decades of public health research has shown that family structure, stability and environment are key social determinants of a childs and the communities health. Separating parents and children at the border is bad for health and violates fundamental human rights, say APHA and @HealthyAmerica1 #FamiliesBelongTogether #SpeakForHealth pic.twitter.com/aBdkEKWwjj APHA (@PublicHealth) June 15, 2018 Meanwhile, the American Academy of Pediatrics also spoke out in reaction to a House immigration bill drafted this week and expected to be put up for a vote next week. Instead of putting children first by ending the harmful policy of family separation at the border once and for all, this legislation strips children of protections designed for their safety and well-being and exposes more children, not fewer, to detention, including long-term detention, the AAP said in a statement. "We must remember that immigrant children are still children. Protections for children in law or by the courts exist because children are uniquely vulnerable and are at high risk for trauma, trafficking, and violence, the statement said. Statement from @AAPPres Dr. Colleen Kraft opposing the Border Security and Immigration Reform Act: Family separation causes irreparable harm. https://t.co/8kcgN0YPZ0 #ProtectFamilies Amer Acad Pediatrics (@AmerAcadPeds) June 15, 2018 In recent weeks, a number of leaders in the medical profession have individually spoken out after visiting facilities housing children who were separated from their parents at the border. The American College of Physicians issued its objection to the practice on May 31. Reports about the way government officials have handled the separations have also fueled the outrage, including an infant who was seized from her mother during breastfeeding, as well as a woman seeking asylum who chronicled the trauma of being separated from her child. In its letter, the APA also cited incidents of adult trauma, such as a Honduran man who killed himself after being separated from his wife and child. See original article on Fortune.com More from Fortune.com Paul Manafort, arriving at court in Washington DC on Friday morning - Bloomberg Donald Trump's former campaign manager Paul Manafort has been sent to jail, after a judge in Washington DC revoked his bail. Mr Manafort, 69, who led the campaign from March until August 2016, was accused of witness tampering while awaiting trial set for September on federal conspiracy charges. The charges were brought by special counsel Robert Mueller, who is currently investigation Russian meddling in the 2016 election and possible collusion between Mr Trump's campaign and Russia. Mr Manafort, a well-known Washington lobbyist, asked to post a $10 million bond and end seven months of home detention. His lawyers called the accusation of witness tampering very specious, and said it was a not-too-subtle attempt to poison the potential jury pool against Mr Manafort. Mr Trump described it as "very unfair", pointing out that at Mr Manafort had worked for Ronald Reagan and Bob Dole, and joked bitterly: "Didn't know Manafort was head of the Mob." Wow, what a tough sentence for Paul Manafort, who has represented Ronald Reagan, Bob Dole and many other top political people and campaigns. Didnt know Manafort was the head of the Mob. What about Comey and Crooked Hillary and all of the others? Very unfair! Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) June 15, 2018 And, hours after three US marshals led Mr Manafort out of the courtroom into the prisoner holding area, Rudy Giuliani, Mr Trump's lawyer, said that the Russia investigation could get "cleaned up" with presidential pardons. When the whole thing is over, things might get cleaned up with some presidential pardons, the former New York mayor told the New York Daily News. Mr Giuliani again called for the Mueller investigation to be immediately halted. Theyre out of control, he said, of the prosecutors. Paul Manafort arriving at court in Washington DC on Friday Credit: Bloomberg Judge Amy Berman Jackson refused to allow his bail to continue, and sent him to jail. Story continues She said she had "struggled" with the decision but she couldn't "turn a blind eye" to his conduct. "You have abused the trust placed in you six months ago," she said. "This hearing is not about politics, is not about conduct of the office of the special counsel." It was not immediately clear when Mr Manafort would be imprisoned or where. Mr Trump on Friday morning attempted to downplay the role of his campaign manager, saying he was a peripheral figure. "Paul Manafort worked for me for a very short period of time. He worked for me, what, for 49 days or something?" Critics pointed out that it was 144 days. Kevin Downing, Mr Manafort's lawyer, leaves court in Washington DC on Friday, after his client was detained Credit: AP Prosecutors made the request to detain Mr Manafort on June 4, when they argued in court papers that he tried to tamper with two witnesses after he was indicted in Washington for a second time on February 23. He is accused, along with his associate, Konstantin Kilimnik, of contacting the two witnesses this year, hoping to persuade them to testify that Mr Manafort had never lobbied in the United States for Viktor Yanukovych, the pro-Moscow president of Ukraine who fled to Russia in 2014 after he was ousted from power. This week, prosecutors submitted as evidence a four-page memo that Mr Manafort wrote to Mr Yanukovych detailing his campaign to convince members of Congress, the state department and the Western news media that Mr Yanukovych was a champion of democratic reforms. Mr Manafort is charged with failing to register as a "foreign agent" and disclose those lobbying efforts to the justice department, as required, and with lying to department officials who questioned him. Four days after the prosecutors accused him of witness tampering, a grand jury indicted him. Mr Manafort has pleaded not guilty. Kathleen Manafort leaves court after her husband was detained Credit: AP Judge Jackson said she had no way to stop Mr Manafort from contacting people while he remained free on bail. This is not middle school, she told lawyers. I cant take his cellphone. He is also accused of laundering more than $30 million in income he received over a nine-year period for lobbying for Mr Yanukovych and his political party and its successor. Mr. Manafort faces additional federal charges in Northern Virginia of tax evasion, bank fraud and failure to report foreign bank accounts, also arising from the same activities. That trial is scheduled for late July. Donald Trump with Shinzo Abe and Angela Merkel at the G7 - AFP Donald Trump reportedly told Shinzo Abe, the Japanese prime minister, that he could send 25 million Mexicans to Japan and make him lose an election. The alleged comment came during the fractious recent G7 meeting in Canada when Mr Trump disagreed with allies over issues including trade. Mr Trump said migration was a problem for Europe, according to a senior European Union official who was present and briefed The Wall Street Journal. He then reportedly said: "Shinzo, you dont have this problem, but I can send you 25 million Mexicans and youll be out of office very soon." Mr Trump and Mr Abe at the White House in June According to the report Mr Trump made another controversial comment to Emmanuel Macron, the French president, when the discussion turned to terrorism. "You must know about this Emmanuel because all the terrorists are in Paris," Mr Trump was reported to have said. The EU official told the Wall Street Journal: "A sense of irritation with Mr. Trump could be felt, but everyone tried to be rational and calm." Mr Trump was also reported to have called Jean-Claude Juncker, the European Commission president, a "brutal killer" over the EU's treatment of US technology companies. The US president also objected to not being able to talk directly to Germany and France about trade deals. Mr Juncker said he believed Mr Trump meant the remark as a compliment. The long-awaited U.S.North Korea summitwhich was canceled and then reinstatedwas nearly upended altogether less than two days before the meeting because President Trump was reportedly bored upon arriving in Singapore and wanted to alter the summit schedule. Two sources familiar with preparations for the meeting told The Washington Post that after arriving to Singapore on Sunday, Trump wanted his aides to push the meeting up from Tuesday to Monday because he was antsy and bored. Were here now, the president said, according to the Post. Why cant we just do it? Trending: Trump Lawyer Rudy Giuliani Says Joe Biden is a Mentally Deficient Idiot Who Would Be Easily Beaten in 2020 Election Trump reportedly had to be talked out of changing the summit date by Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and White House press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders for fear the entire meeting would be in jeopardy. They argued that Trump and his team could use the time to prepare. Related: Donald Trump says he wants to be like Kim Jong Un and have his people sit up in attention when he speaks Pompeo and Sanders also told the president that if he abruptly moved up the summit to Monday, which would be Sunday night in the U.S., he might forego wall-to-wall TV coverage of the event, sources told the Post. Trump ultimately stuck with the original schedule and emerged from the meeting saying he and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un signed an agreement that stated Kim would be committed to complete denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula. Trump said that in return, the U.S. would end its very provocative and "tremendously expensive" war games with longtime ally South Korea. Don't miss: Trump Administration Uses Japanese Internment Example to Deny Rights to Detainees Trump continued to tout his newly formed relationship with the North Korean dictator on Fox and Friends Friday morning, and later told reporters he even gave Kim his direct number. Story continues We had a good chemistry. During the meeting we really did hit it off, Trump said. We have a really great relationship for the first time ever. I gave him credibility. When asked if Kim could soon expect an invitation to the White House to meet again with the president, Trump said its possible because Kim is a strong leader. Most popular: Will Tropical Storm Carlotta Hit Mexico? Path, Forecast Map Shows Storm Hitting Soon It could happen. Yeah, I think its something that could happen, Trump told Fox and Friends. Hes the head of a countryand I mean he is the strong head, dont let anyone think anything different. He speaks, and his people sit up at attention. I want my people to do the same. Minutes later Trump told reporters that he was "kidding" and that they "don't understand sarcasm." When asked by a reporter why he continues to praise the North Korean dictator and ignore Kim's human rights record, Trump said because "I don't want to see a nuclear weapon destroy you and your family." This article was first written by Newsweek More from Newsweek Elon Musk is leveraging Teslas best talents to get The Boring Company on the move. On Thursday, the CEO confirmed that the electric car company will build the pods that will shuttle 16 passengers at a time from Chicagos international airport to its city center in just 12 minutes, around half the time it takes to complete the same journey by car. During a joint press conference with Mayor Rahm Emanuel, Musk said the tunnel will be significantly less difficult than what we do at SpaceX or Tesla, noting that we will be using some technologies and engineering talent from SpaceX and Tesla to make the system work as well as we possibly could. Musk confirmed that this collaboration will mean that the high-speed pods that will be in the tunnel will be made by Tesla, so I think thats something where weve got the most advanced electric vehicle and autonomy technology in the world, and then we can apply that to operating in the tunnel, and that gives us a significant advantage. Musk has leveraged the talents of the two companies before, using Teslas electric cars for a demonstration of The Boring Companys concept skate. These sleds, demonstrated at the California test tunnel in December, drop cars down through parking bay-sized holes in the ground and whisks them across at speeds of 125 miles per hour. The Boring Company released a new sled video on the same day as the Chicago tunnel announcement: Green lights to Malibu pic.twitter.com/wsBcE2FwTe The Boring Company (@boringcompany) June 14, 2018 The Chicago tunnel will whisk passengers across the 16 miles in a mass transit configuration of the skate, moving passengers from OHare International Airport at speeds of up to 150 miles per hour to Block 37. The block was constructed over a decade ago, at costs of around $400 million, for a fast connection to the airport. If all goes to plan, the route could be the first to use Musks mass transit skate in a public setting. Story continues The Boring Company plans to start digging in three to four months, assuming they get regulatory and environmental approval. The company aims to open the tunnel within 18 to 24 months, but while it could take longer, Musk said that it was unlikely to stretch past three years. It could be the start of even bigger things. On The Boring Companys FAQ, the company states that it plans to use similar pod configurations of mass transit and passenger vehicles for hyperloop. More From Inverse London (AFP) - Stung by an attack on Muslims in London a year ago, Britain is facing a growing threat from far-right extremists fuelled by online hate speech, forcing the authorities to react. In a country hit by five attacks in the space of six months in 2017 that killed 36 people, "the biggest threat is from Islamist terrorism", Home Secretary Sajid Javid said earlier this month. But "extreme right-wing terrorism is also an increasing threat", the interior minister added as he unveiled a new counter-terror strategy. A government report found that four attacks have been carried out in Britain over the past five years "by lone actors motivated to varying degrees by extreme right-wing ideologies". Among them was Darren Osborne, a 48-year-old from Cardiff, who a year ago on Tuesday drove his rented van into a group of Muslim worshippers near Finsbury Park Mosque in north London, killing one man and injuring 12 others. The father-of-four's radicalisation ramped up in a matter of weeks, fed by compulsive reading of hate material online. In February, Mark Rowley, the then head of counter-terrorism policing, said that four extreme right-wing plots were foiled last year and described the trend as "worrying". Matthew Henman, from the Jane's Terrorism and Insurgency Centre database, told AFP: "There is a clear increase in both the tempo of attacks conducted by right-wing extremists and in the seriousness, lethality, of such violence." - Emergence of neo-Nazi groups - In recent decades, extreme right-wing activity in Britain had been confined to small, established groups with an older membership, which promoted anti-immigration and white supremacist views but presented a low risk to national security. But the emergence of the neo-Nazi group National Action in 2014, and similar fringe outfits like Generation Identity, has helped forge a new, younger pool of extremists, according to the "2018 State of Hate" report by the anti-racism organisation Hope Not Hate. Story continues The report's "online hate" section cited prominent British figures among those with the biggest reach on social media. They included Stephen Lennon -- known as Tommy Robinson -- founder of the English Defence League, which he left in 2013. They also included Paul Joseph Watson, whose videos have been viewed hundreds of thousands of times, and commentator Katie Hopkins, who in 2015 compared migrants to "cockroaches". "The authorities are failing to appreciate or deal with this growing far-right online threat and anti-Muslim hatred in general," Hope Not Hate's report concluded. The Muslim Council of Britain, a national representative umbrella body, has also denounced an Islamophobic climate, blaming elements of the governing Conservative Party. However, Henman said he had seen "encouraging signals" from the government and security services, such as disrupting plots and banning National Action in December 2016 after the assassination of opposition Labour MP Jo Cox by a neo-Nazi sympathiser. The killing, which shocked Britain, was carried out in the build-up to the June 2016 referendum on Brexit. However, National Action continues to operate in the shadows. On Tuesday, Jack Renshaw, 23, one of its alleged members, pleaded guilty in court in London to planning to assassinate another Labour lawmaker, Rosie Cooper. "As with the fight against militant Islamism, these policies treat the symptoms of right-wing extremism and not the cause," said Henman, calling for a more "comprehensive approach". He added the spike in far-right activity was "not occurring in a bubble". "There is a broader role played by prominent elements in the right-wing media and elements of hardline government policy that have help foster and create an environment in which right-wing extremism can take root and spread," Henman said. The government has pledged to act upstream, identifying young people sensitive to propaganda and developing "alternative speeches" to those of extremists -- whether they come from radical Islam or the extreme right. As Javid noted in his speech, the two camps are "more similar than they might like to think". "They both exploit grievances, distort the truth, and undermine the values that hold us together," he said. (Jorge Duenes / Reuters) As elementary school teachers in South Williamsburg, we see the trauma that President Donald Trumps policies inflict on immigrant communities on a daily basis. We are intimately familiar with the damage that separation from a parent can do to a child. We are also trained to put the needs of our children first, and on Fathers Day, that means speaking out against the Trump administrations anti-immigrant agenda. It means saying loud and clear that immigration policies that result in family separation whether at the border or within the United States are needless, shortsighted and cruel. Right now, two of our students are experiencing a family separation that offers a glimpse into the everyday tragedy our broken immigration system creates. Cristian is 11, and his brother Daniel is 8. They are both good-natured, diligent students, easygoing and always smiling. Cristian loves math, and Daniel is a talented artist. Both are U.S. citizens. Their father Benjamin had been living and working undocumented in the United States for the past twenty years. In March, he traveled to Mexico City to apply for permanent residency and was told he could not return to the U.S. He shared the news with his wife, Maria, moments after she left Daniels third-grade parent-teacher conference. She was shocked and heartbroken. Two of our students are experiencing a family separation that offers a glimpse into the everyday tragedy created by our broken immigration system. Maria is a U.S. citizen, and she has stage 4 breast cancer. Because of her illness, she cant work, so Benjamin was the familys primary breadwinner and Marias main caregiver. She undergoes regular chemotherapy treatments and blood transfusions in the afternoons, so he used to pick the children up from school. But suddenly, he was gone. As soon as our school heard the news, we shifted into gear; we made sure there was someone to take the boys home to East New York that day and found phone numbers for lawyers and elected officials. We reached out to New York Senator Kirsten Gillibrands office, which immediately offered to help. We were told there was little legal recourse beyond an application for a humanitarian visa which, according to one attorney, would have been granted under former President Barack Obama, but was less likely now. Story continues Meanwhile, two parents of Daniels classmates collected donations, so that, at the very least, Maria would be able to pay her rent and put food on the table while undergoing chemotherapy. One of Daniels former teachers raised funds for the family to visit Benjamin in Mexico. As of this writing, the community has raised more than $43,042. Thanks to this effort, the boys were able to visit their father in Mexico over spring break. It was the first time Daniel and Cristian had ever been to Mexico. Daniel said it was fun to see his dad, even though the food made his stomach hurt. He came back to school sunburned, the skin peeling off his nose. When children experience trauma like family separation, it alters their cognitive and emotional development, making it harder for them to focus, learn and grow. Maria now has enough money to pay her rent and care for her kids while she undergoes further treatments. She doesnt need to worry about buying groceries while battling cancer alone, and she can even pay for childcare in case of emergency. Daniel and Cristian will be able to get new school uniforms, bring snack money to school and pay for field trips. But they dont have their father. He isnt waiting to pick them up from school every afternoon, and he isnt with them on Fathers Day. And they may never live with him again as predicted, Benjamins humanitarian visa application was denied on June 6. He is forced to stay in Mexico, away from his sick wife and two sons, indefinitely. When children experience trauma like family separation, it alters their cognitive and emotional development, making it harder for them to focus, learn, manage their emotions, socialize and grow into happy, productive adults. When family members disappear, it doubles the financial and emotional burden on the adults who remain, making an already traumatic experience all the more stressful. No matter how much support Maria gets from our school community, the separation from their father will impact Daniel and Cristian forever, and even more so as her illness worsens. This is just one story, about one family and one community. Like our colleagues in schools across New York City and across the country we have other students who are living different versions of this nightmare. We, like so many other teachers, have students whose parents are facing deportation hearings and could be indefinitely detained and separated from their children. We serve even more children from families that fear encounters with law enforcement and Immigration and Customs Enforcement. Take this one story and multiply it by the thousands, and you can start to see the devastation wrought on immigrant communities and on our entire nation. Take this one story and multiply it by the thousands, and you can start to see the devastation wrought on immigrant communities, and on our entire nation, by a politics of fear and exclusion. And then, remember that Daniel and Cristians story pales in comparison to the cruelty inflicted on the children who seek asylum from violence and poverty and are separated from their parents at the U.S.-Mexico border. The immigration question is not just one of law or policy, it is a question of morality. Family separation is morally wrong. Targeting immigrant communities of color is morally wrong. Deporting people who have lived here for decades back to a life of poverty and violence is morally wrong. Denying a humanitarian visa to a father whose wife has stage 4 cancer is morally wrong. Our students matter and our children matter. As teachers, we dont care about our families status, we care about their humanity. Daniel and Cristian deserve to be with their father this Fathers Day, as do all the children across the country who have been separated from their parents. This is not what America is or should be. We can all do better for our children. Liat Olenick and Abby Loomis are elementary school teachers in Williamsburg, Brooklyn. McAllen (United States) (AFP) - When they took his son away from him at an immigrant detention center in Texas, Edilberto Garcia thought he would lose the teen forever. "I felt a lot of fear," Garcia recalled. Garcia can't stop crying, still shaken by the terrifying ordeal and the relief he felt when he got his boy back four days later. Father and son had traveled overland from Honduras so that Kevin, 17, could pursue his dream of becoming a mechanic. They crossed the chest-deep water of the Rio Grande together on Monday, but were stopped by US Border Patrol, and Kevin was separated from his father. "For me, that was one of the hardest of days because I felt I was losing my son," said Garcia, a 46-year-old textile worker. Kevin smiled and patted his father's back to console him. "I don't know where they held him. Even the younger children were taken from their parents," Garcia said. Four days later, the pair were together again in a Catholic refuge in McAllen, a poor, hot, dusty city in southeastern Texas, where the influence of Mexican culture can be seen in the quinceanera gowns and cowboy boots on display in shop windows. Garcia had never heard of US President Donald Trump's "zero tolerance" policy, which has led to 2,000 children being separated from their immigrant parents over a recent six-week period. Attorney General Jeff Sessions, who announced the new policy in May, has presented it as a deterrent to illegal immigration. "There's only one way to stop this and that is for people to stop smuggling children. Stop crossing the border illegally with your children," Sessions said in a speech on Thursday. But the process is not so simple. Manoj Govindaiah, an immigration lawyer at the Refugee and Immigrant Center for Education and Legal Services (RAICES), says the new policy is going beyond the law. "The government is taking children who have been with their parents, who are with their parents and whose parents are physically inside the United States and then changing their classification to an unaccompanied child," he charged. Story continues The parents are then placed in adult detention and the children are transferred to the custody of the Office of Refugee Resettlement, which is responsible for taking care of unaccompanied children. "It's terrifying, absolutely terrifying," he said. Some 1,500 boys are housed in a building that was once a Walmart store in Brownsville, Texas, a border town near McAllen. The government, bracing for more, plans to build camps at military bases in Texas to house additional children. The Garcias were relatively lucky: an immigration court decided quickly to move their case to Idaho, where Edilberto has a cousin, so Kevin was not sent to a camp or foster home. - Information void - Volunteers at the Humanitarian Respite Center, a refuge in McAllen, put together care packages for immigrants who have just been released: soup, infant formula, personal hygiene items and clothes. A bus arrives with 30 Mexicans and Central Americans with their children. Babies are crying as the adults disembark, wearing GPS ankle bracelets. From here, they will be sent to live with relatives in the United States. Each holds an envelope containing instructions and a message on it: "Please help me, I do not speak English. What bus do I need to take?" Misinformation and uncertainty seeps into the life of immigrants on the border like a stain. The lawyers and activists don't have ready answers because the situation is new and changing. "Those families that actually get permission to travel and they are able to come here, those families will reunite with those kids. They will be allowed to go together as a family unit," said Norma Pimentel, a nun who runs the refuge. But she adds that most children who are separated will not be returned while their parents are being processed for entering the country. "It is a very cruel action to use a child's pain to send a message of deterrence. It's not good, it's not right," she says. On May 31, lawyers and NGOs led by the Texas Civil Rights Project asked members states of the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights, a body of the Organization of American States, to take action against what they regard as "torture." - Asylum seekers - US authorities avoid the press, adding to the uncertainty. Spokespeople for US Immigration and Customs Enforcement and Border Patrol did not respond to repeated requests for information by AFP. A spokesman for the Department of Health and Human Services, which is responsible for the children, declined to discuss the issue. Under the "zero tolerance" policy, lawyers say, immigrants who request asylum are being separated from their children, along with those who enter the country illegally, even though the former have committed no crime. Govindaiah notes that it is not illegal to request asylum, but to do so one has to do some from a border point. "This is the way you seek asylum, you flee to another place and you ask for it. Our law requires people to do this and then we are penalizing them for doing it," he said. Sessions and HHS Secretary Alex Azar maintain that only those who enter the country illegally are detained. But the lawyers say that is not true. The Migrant Center for Human Rights, for example, is handling the case of a Guatemalan who asked for asylum in Texas but was detained and separated from his three daughters. "Prosecuting asylum seekers for illegal entry has exponentially increased family separation," said lawyer Sara Ramey. "Forcibly taking children without letting the parents know where their children are being held and if they are okay, and not telling the children what is happening, is one of the most disturbing aspects of this policy and legally constitutes enforced disappearance and torture under both domestic and international law." "These children are thrust into detention centers often without an advocate or an attorney and possibly even without the presence of any adult who can speak their language. We want you to imagine for a moment what this might be like for a child: to flee the place you have called your home because it is not safe to say and then embark on a dangerous journey to an unknown destination, only to be ripped apart from your sole sense of security with no understanding of what just happened to you or if you will ever see your family again. And that the only thing you have done to deserve this, is to do what children do: stay close to the adults in their lives for security." Chicago (AFP) - A boisterous Chicago rally and march kicked off a national gun-reform tour on Friday by students from Parkland, Florida, site of one of the worst US school shootings. The students-turned-activists have become powerful national voices with their "March For Our Lives" campaign pushing for reform of gun laws, following the February 14 mass shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School which killed 17 students and school staff. The students began what they promise will be a 50-stop summer bus tour across more than 20 states, with the goal of registering young people to vote and advocating for tougher gun control measures. The students chose Chicago for their first stop because of its runaway gun violence. There were 950 shootings in the Midwestern city so far this year and more than 220 murders. The Parkland students said they wanted to highlight not just headline-grabbing mass shootings but daily violence that contributes to 33,000 gun deaths in the US annually. "Our voices, your voices united are stronger than anything else," Parkland student Kyrah Simon told the crowd of more than 1,000 gathered for the rally, many of them young people. The Parkland students have become a potent political force, reinvigorating the US gun control debate which had stalled between entrenched sides. They have inspired demonstrations around the globe and pressured companies to stop supporting candidates and causes aligned with the powerful National Rifle Association. They also pressured Florida state lawmakers to tighten gun laws by, among other things, raising the legal age to buy a firearm from 18 to 21. But the Parkland students kept a low profile at the Chicago rally, allowing the city's own youth to speak out. "People lose their lives every day in Chicago, and it's not because they are doing anything wrong," said Trevon Bosley, whose brother was killed at a church parking lot. Celebrities joined in, as well. Story continues Chicago-born Chance The Rapper, along with Jennifer Hudson, led the march following the rally, and Will.I.Am of The Black Eyed Peas called for "proper gun laws so psychos don't walk around with military weapons." The annual end-of-school-year rally to highlight gun violence in Chicago was a friendly stop for the Parkland students. They will head on Saturday to the conservative Chicago suburb of Naperville, where gun control is a less welcomed topic. Future stops are planned in Kansas, Iowa and Wisconsin, among other states. Paris (AFP) - Paris and Berlin are very close to an agreement on eurozone reform after months of divisions, French Finance Minister Bruno Le Maire has said. "An agreement is close at hand," Le Maire said on Twitter late Saturday after final negotiations on the subject with this German counterpart in the northern German city of Hamburg. The minister added that he hoped an agreement could be finalised on Tuesday, when German Chancellor Angela Merkel and French President Emmanuel Macron are scheduled to meet near Berlin. Paris and Berlin are racing to bridge the gap between Macron's vision of grand European Union reforms and Chancellor Angela Merkel's more prudent approach by a crunch eurozone summit on June 29. "There are two or three remaining issues" to sort out, a European source close to the negotiations told AFP. "But these are clearly defined and limited." The source added that "real progress had been made on the sensitive issues that remained to be decided, especially regarding the eurozone budget." Germany and other northern European states have baulked at Macron's calls to give the eurozone its own big budget, fearing the more fiscally prudent north will have to pick up the tab for overspending by the more profligate south. Earlier this month, Merkel made some concessions, agreeing to support Macron's call for an investment fund to help poorer European countries catch up in the areas of science, technology and innovation. But the size of the fund remains a major bone of contention, with Merkel saying it should be "at the lower end of the double-digit billions of euros range", while Macron has called for a budget amounting to "the equivalent of several points of the GDP of the eurozone". The French president is on a drive to reconcile Europeans with the EU after years of austerity and mass migrant flows have helped fuel the rise of anti-immigrant and nationalist parties. He has championed EU reform proposals such as a common finance minister and budget. Otesevo (Macedonia) (AFP) - Greece and Macedonia on Sunday signed a historic preliminary agreement to rename the small Balkan nation the Republic of North Macedonia, ending a row that has poisoned relations between the two neighbours since 1991. "This is a brave, historic and necessary step for our peoples," said Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras. "We are here to heal the wounds of time, to open a path for peace, fraternisation and growth for our countries, the Balkans and Europe," he said. "Our two countries should step out of the past and look to the future," said Macedonian Prime Minister Zoran Zaev. "By signing the agreement... we have really moved mountains." But as the two countries' foreign ministers signed the deal Greek protesters clashed with riot police, who beat them back with tear gas near the small village of Pisoderi, 25 kilometres (16 miles) away. Six policemen and six protesters were injured, police said, as around 500 demonstrators waving Greek flags tried to approach the ceremony. The accord aims to start unravelling one of the world's longest diplomatic disputes, which began 27 years ago with Macedonia's declaration of independence but dates back centuries. "The time has come again to sing happy songs in the Balkans," Tsipras said, moments before the document was signed by the foreign ministers. Zaev and several of his ministers arrived by speedboat at the picturesque fishing village of Psarades under a sunny sky, on the southern bank of Lake Prespa, one of the natural boundaries between the two countries. Tsipras and Zaev embraced on the village dock and were treated to a standing ovation by gathered dignitaries. UN under-secretary-general for political affairs Rosemary DiCarlo, longterm UN negotiator Matthew Nimetz, EU diplomatic chief Federica Mogherini and EU enlargement commissioner Johannes Hahn were on hand, snapping pictures with their smartphones. Story continues Nimetz, who turned 79 on Sunday, and was given a birthday cake, has been trying to broker a solution since 1994, first as a US envoy and subsequently on behalf of the UN. But it was the election of Zaev in 2017, replacing nationalist prime minister Nikola Gruevski, that proved crucial. An economist and former mayor of Strumica, Zaev made a rapprochement with Greece a priority to secure his country's membership of the European Union and NATO, blocked by Athens for years. After the signature, Tsipras crossed over to the Macedonian side of Lake Prespa for lunch, becoming the first Greek prime minister to visit the neighbouring state. Since 1991, Athens has objected to its neighbour being called Macedonia because it has its own northern province of the same name, which in ancient times was the cradle of Alexander the Great's empire -- a source of intense pride for modern-day Greeks. The two premiers, born just months apart in 1974, have bucked strong hostile reactions at home to push ahead with the agreement. - Accusations of treachery - Tsipras has been accused of treachery by Greek hardliners, and on Saturday defeated a vote of censure against his government amid protests and clashes with police outside parliament. In Macedonia, President Gjorge Ivanov plans to exercise a one-time veto option to block the deal that the nationalist opposition has called a "capitulation". The Macedonian parliament is scheduled to start debating the agreement the coming week. The accord still needs to be approved by Macedonia's parliament and then pass a referendum. The constitution must also be revised by the end of the year, before Greece's parliament is called to ratify it. On Sunday, some 5,000 people marched peacefully against the name deal in Bitola, in southwestern Macedonia, an event organised by the main opposition VMRO-DPMNE party. But in Skopje special police fired tear gas after some among 2,000 people protesting in front of the parliament hurled stones and flares and attempted to break through a police cordon. The protestors, who organised themselves through social networks, chanted "Zaev traitor". The state-run MIA news agency reported that 10 people including seven police officers were injured. - 'Brave steps' - Tsipras' domestic critics say he has bargained away Greece's diplomatic advantages -- the power of veto over EU and NATO accession -- for a deal that could backfire. Specifically, by officially recognising a Macedonian language and nationality, it is almost certain that the country will be called Macedonia by the broader world, instead of North Macedonia, opponents of the deal argue. Officials in Athens insist the deal will help stabilise the historically volatile Balkan region, permitting Greece to focus on other regional challenges, Turkey among them. Macedonia was admitted to the UN in 1993 under the provisional name of the "Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia", but more than 120 countries including Russia and the United States have recognised the Balkan country under the name of "Republic of Macedonia". "It is indeed a historic day... I believe this will be inspiration for many in the region and Europe to make brave steps," Mogherini said. Skopje hopes to secure a date to begin EU accession talks at an EU summit in late June and an invitation to join NATO in mid-July. strs/jph/ljv Guatemala City (AFP) - Authorities on Sunday called off a search for the nearly 200 people missing since Guatemala's Fuego volcano erupted earlier this month, devastating the surrounding countryside. Officials have confirmed the deaths of 110 people as a result of the volcanic eruption on June 3, but another 197 remain unaccounted for. A spokesman for the government's civil protection agency, David de Leon, said the agencies involved decided to end the search "due to the fact that the area is uninhabitable and of high risk." The volcano, 35 kilometers (about 22 miles) southwest of the capital, is still generating four or five weak explosions an hour, sending a column of gray ash more than 3,000 feet (1,000 meters) into the sky. Guatemala's south-central region was also shaken on Sunday night by a 5.8-magnitude earthquake with its epicenter at Iztapa, on the Pacific coast near neighboring El Salvador, the civil protection agency said. There were no reports of injuries or damage. Additionally, rains were forecast for Sunday, posing a danger of volcanic mudflows. More than 3,600 villagers have been forced to take temporary refuge in schools and community halls. The suspended search had been focused on the hardest-hit communities of San Miguel Los Lotes and El Recreo. The only exception to the suspension is in the area of Alotenango, where volunteer firefighters continued to search for two colleagues who went missing on the day of the disaster. The world's wealthiest inhabitants are being offered the chance to live in space for 10 days aboard the International Space Station in a Philippe Starck-designed habitation module, wearing Moncler-designed flight suits. The cost for this all-inclusive, luxury package to space? A princely $55 million per passenger. Houston-based Axiom Space, a privately-owned space exploration company, recently released new details on their 'vacation package' that would shuttle guests into orbit as soon as 2020. Axiom is currently building the world's first commercial space station, the Axiom Space Station. "The interest in space tourism for private individuals has gained momentum as our capabilities of exploration continue to develop," said Axiom Space president and CEO Michael Suffredini in a statement. Suffredini served as NASA's program manager for a decade before retiring in 2015 and has more than 30 years of experience in human spaceflight, according to his bio on the Axiom website. For the habitation module, Axiom tapped French creator Philippe Starck, who sought to create a "fetal universe" and nest-like environment for the private cabins. Walls are covered in an eggshell-colored, quilted, suede-like texture to impart softness and roundness, while hundreds of nano LED lights that change color throughout the day. "This is a dream project for a creator like myself with a genuine fascination for aviation and space exploration," added Starck in a press release. "The greatest human intelligence in the world focuses on space research, and I believe space is the intelligence of the future. My vision for the Habitation Module on Axiom Space Station is to create a comfortable egg that is inviting with soft walls and a design perfectly in harmony with the values and movements of the human body in zero gravity." The Starck-designed modules are expected to launch by mid-2022. Another luxury brand, Moncler, was commissioned with creating the custom flight suits that allow for ease and agility while floating around in zero-gravity conditions in orbit. Story continues Other features of the space station will include the largest window observatory constructed for space, offering sweeping views 400 km above the blue planet, and a high-speed internet connection for connecting with family back on earth -- and for posting Instagram pics. Along with wealthy, intrepid travelers, the space travel packages could also be used for conducting medical research and exploring communication and manufacturing capabilities, says Axiom. Meanwhile, Axiom is in competition with another aerospace company. Bigelow Aerospace also has plans to launch a pair of inflatable, inhabitable space pods by 2021, as part of a larger vision to make commercial space habitat a viable and imminent reality. Bigelow Aerospace was founded by Robert T. Bigelow, who also owns the hotel chain Budget Suites of America. Jerusalem (AFP) - Israeli ministers on Sunday backed a draft law carrying a jail term of up to 10 years for those who film or photograph soldiers with harmful intent, the justice ministry said. Critics say the law, which will now face a series of parliamentary debates, could be a threat to free speech. The ministerial committee on legislation endorsed the bill against "people who film, photograph or record soldiers performing their duties in order to demoralise soldiers and Israeli civilians". The draft law would give courts the power to imprison those found guilty for five years, although a 10-year sentence would apply to defendants convicted of trying to "harm the state's security". The same prison terms would apply to people sharing such images or recordings on social media or through traditional media. Explanatory notes of the bill say that local "anti-Israeli" NGOs, as well groups affiliated with the "Boycott, Divestment, Sanctions" (BDS) movement, spend days around "soldiers eagerly awaiting activity that could be documented in a biased way and used to defame them." The BDS movement leads a global campaign against Israel, targeting the country's economy, art scene and sports. "Most of these organisations are supported by foundations, organisations and governments with a clear anti-Israel agenda, which use this biased content to harm Israel and its security," the notes said. An Israeli soldier was recently released from prison after serving nine months behind bars for shooting dead an injured Palestinian, an act which was caught on video by a human rights group and spread widely online. The draft law was sponsored by the nationalist Yisrael Beitenu party led by Defence Minister Avigdor Lieberman. Following the ministerial approval, Lieberman said in a statement he would end attempts by "terror supporters" to "humiliate, degrade and harm" soldiers. Story continues Ksenia Svetlova, an opposition lawmaker with the centre-left Zionist Union, slammed the bill as "dangerous and anti-democratic," warning it would "harm the media and civil society organisations". "Whoever's conduct is good doesn't need to hide anything," she wrote on Twitter. The Israel Democracy Institute, a liberal think-tank, said the bill's ambiguous wording could prevent anyone besides the army from documenting soldiers, and expose Israeli soldiers to legal proceedings in international forums. A political source told AFP the wording of the bill was expected to change during the legislative process. Jerusalem (AFP) - Nearly a dozen Israeli police officers were injured in clashes Sunday as they began evicting Jewish settlers from an outpost in the occupied West Bank, police said. Police spokesman Micky Rosenfeld said that 11 officers were "injured lightly" during the eviction of 10 buildings in the Tapuah West outpost in the northern West Bank. Israel's supreme court had in February 2017 ruled that part of the settlement outpost must be removed since it was built on private Palestinian land. According to Rosenfeld, six protesters were arrested. Honenu, a pro-settler legal advocacy group, said 40 youths were removed from the area by police. One was said to be lightly injured. Rosenfeld said the eviction was expected to last the entire day. On Tuesday, police evicted settlers from 15 homes in a separate outpost north of the West Bank city of Hebron that was deemed illegal. All Israeli settlements are viewed as illegal under international law, but Israel differentiates between those it has approved and those it has not. Israel occupied the West Bank in the 1967 Six-Day War. Settlements there are seen as major stumbling blocks to a peace deal since they are built on land the Palestinian wants for their future state. Some 600,000 Israeli settlers live among nearly three million Palestinians in the West Bank and east Jerusalem. Istanbul (AFP) - Turkey's leading Kurdish politician Selahattin Demirtas on Sunday appeared on state television from his prison cell to denounce the government's "repressive regime", ahead of the presidential election next weekend. Demirtas, a former co-leader of the People's Democratic Party (HDP) and presidential candidate, has been held since November 2016 on charges of links to outlawed Kurdish militants. Wearing a dark suit, he appeared on state-run TRT in a pre-recorded speech from his prison cell in the northwest province of Edirne, after Turkish authorities barred him from going to the broadcaster's headquarters in the capital Ankara. "The only reason why I am here is that the AKP is scared of me," Demirtas said, referring to Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan's ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP). In the run up to the election campaign, TRT has been criticised for giving full coverage for Erdogan's speeches while ignoring other party candidates, in particular Demirtas. The 45-year-old, who was chosen by his party to challenge Erdogan in the June 24 elections and is often dubbed as the Kurdish Obama, is accused of being member of the outlawed Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK), designated as a terror group by Ankara and its Western allies. Complaining of a "repressive regime" led by Erdogan, the Kurdish leader said: "What we are passing through is only one fragment of a one-man regime." "The scary part of the movie has yet to start." - 'Edge of a cliff' - He told the electorate that they would decide with their vote whether or not to be in favour of freedom. "I have no doubt that you will be on the side of freedom ... We will get hold of our country from the edge of a cliff," he said. Demirtas claimed he would be acquitted of all charges as soon as possible, adding that he was not the only victim of "lawlessness." Story continues "You are victims of this oppression in your daily life," he said. If convicted Demirtas risks up to 142 years in jail. The HDP put up a giant screen in the Kurdish majority city of Diyarbakir where hundreds gathered to watch his speech. "I was touched by his speech," said supporter Belkin Gulen. "We miss him. I hope God will open a door for him and he will be free." "The opposition has one single candidate who is Selahattin Demirtas. He is our hope," Cengiz Akkos added. Several thousand supporters also gathered at Istanbul's Bakirkoy district on the European side of the city to watch the appeal, holding aloft flags and masks of the politician's face. Erdogan has in recent days mounted attacks against Demirtas, accusing him of being a "terrorist" responsible for the deaths of dozens by calling protests in October 2014 that turned violent. Until his jailing, Demirtas was seen as the only Turkish politician to match the rhetorical skills and charisma comparable to Erdogan. But in recent weeks Muharrem Ince of the secular Republican People's Party had proved tough opposition for the president, who is still favourite to win. Erdogan, along with opposition candidates Ince and Meral Aksener of the Iyi Parti (Good Party), refused to appear on the TRT broadcast. The Madison Police Department says officers were dispatched to a residence just after noon Saturday after one woman reported she had been stabbed. The officers arrived to find two "uncooperative" sisters ages 24 and 23 with stab wounds on their arms. Istanbul (AFP) - Turkey's leading Kurdish politician Selahattin Demirtas on Sunday appeared on state television from his prison cell to denounce the government's "repressive regime", ahead of the presidential election next weekend. Demirtas, a former co-leader of the People's Democratic Party (HDP) and presidential candidate, has been held since November 2016 on charges of links to outlawed Kurdish militants. Wearing a dark suit, he appeared in a pre-recorded speech shown by state-run TRT from his prison cell in the northwest province of Edirne, after Turkish authorities barred him from going to the broadcaster's headquarters in the capital Ankara. "The only reason why I am here is that the AKP is scared of me," Demirtas said, referring to Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan's ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP). In the run up to the election campaign, TRT was criticised for giving full coverage for Erdogan's speeches while ignoring other party candidates, in particular Demirtas. The 45-year-old, who was chosen by his party to challenge Erdogan in the June 24 elections and is often dubbed as the Kurdish Obama, is accused of being member of the outlawed Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK), designated as a terror group by Ankara and its Western allies. Complaining of a "repressive regime" led by Erdogan, the Kurdish leader said: "What we are passing through is only one fragment of a one-man regime." "The scary part of the movie has yet to start." - 'Edge of a cliff' - He told the electorate that they would decide with their vote whether or not to be in favour of freedom. "I have no doubt that you will be on the side of freedom ... We will get hold of our country from the edge of a cliff," he said. Demirtas claimed he would be acquitted of all charges as soon as possible, adding that he was not the only victim of "lawlessness." Story continues "You are victims of this oppression in your daily life," he said. If convicted Demirtas risks up to 142 years in jail. The HDP put up a giant screen in the Kurdish majority city of Diyarbakir where hundreds gathered to watch his speech. "I was touched by his speech," said supporter Belkin Gulen. "We miss him. I hope God will open a door for him and he will be free." "The opposition has one single candidate who is Selahattin Demirtas. He is our hope," Cengiz Akkos added. Erdogan has in recent days mounted attacks against Demirtas, accusing him of being a "terrorist" responsible for the deaths of dozens by calling protests in October 2014 that turned violent. Until his jailing, Demirtas was seen as the only Turkish politician to match the rhetorical skills and charisma comparable to Erdogan. But in recent weeks Muharrem Ince of the secular Republican People's Party had proved tough opposition for the president, who is still favourite to win. Erdogan, along with opposition candidates Ince and Meral Aksener of the Iyi Parti (Good Party), refused to appear on the TRT broadcast. UPDATE: 3:31 p.m. ET One Wyandotte County sheriff's deputy was killed and another was in critical condition Friday after a shooting in which an inmate allegedly overcame the officers in a transport vehicle outside a courthouse in Kansas City, Kansas. Wyandotte County sheriffs spokeswoman Major Kelli Bailiff said the suspect was also injured in the shooting and was having surgery performed, via the Associated Press. Police plan to review video of the incident to determine what happened. "There are witnesses we are speaking with," said Zac Blair, a spokesman for the Kansas City police department, according to the Kansas City Star. "This is a courthouse building, there is video. We will be looking at that video." Trending: Ivanka Trump Keeps Sharing Pictures of Her Children as White House Takes Immigrant Kids Away from Parents Original story: Two sheriff's deputies were shot near a courthouse Friday in Kansas City, Kansas, reported CBS News. The Associated Press reported that one sheriff's deputy had been killed and another was in critical condition. Wyandotte County sheriffs spokeswoman Major Kelli Bailiff told AP that the sheriff's deputies were shot after being overcome by an inmate in a transport vehicle and that their own weapons could have been used against them. Don't miss: Dogs Might Have the Secret to Losing Weight "It is very possible that with their own firearm they were both shot," Bailiff said during a press conference at the University of Kansas Hospital, via the Kansas City Star. Bailiff was not immediately available to comment further when called by Newsweek. Details on the identity of the suspect have yet to be released. Police did, however, tell AP that the suspect was injured in the incident. Police Officer Zac Blair told the newswire that no other suspects were being sought. Most popular: Marco Rubio Weighs in on Kanye West, Pusha T and Drake Beef This story is developing and will be updated as more information becomes available. Story continues BREAKING NEWS PIC Newsweek This article was first written by Newsweek More from Newsweek Mr Trump's confidant Roger Stone made contact with a Russian national offering damaging information on Hillary Clinton: Reuters The Trump-Russia saga has taken another twist after the revelation the president's longtime confidant, Roger Stone, made contact with a Russian national during the 2016 presidential election. The man, who called himself Henry Greenberg, offered damaging information to Mr Stone about Hillary Clinton, Mr Trumps presumptive Democratic opponent in the upcoming presidential election. The meeting took place two months earlier than federal officials have said a counterintelligence operation was officially opened and before WikiLeaks began releasing hacked Democratic emails. It came in the same time period as other episodes in which Russian interests approached the Trump campaign. A few weeks earlier, Trump campaign foreign policy adviser George Papadopoulos was told in London that the Russians had dirt on Ms Clinton - two weeks before the sit-down between Donald Trump Jr. at Trump Tower with a Russian lawyer. Greenberg, who did not reveal the information he claimed to possess, wanted Mr Trump to pay $2 million for the political dirt, Stone told the Washington Post. You dont understand Donald Trump, Mr Stone recalled saying before rejecting the offer. He doesnt pay for anything. Later, Stone got a text message from Michael Caputo, a Trump campaign communications official who arranged the meeting after Mr Greenberg had approached Mr Caputos Russian-immigrant business partner. How crazy is the Russian? Mr Caputo wrote. Noting that Greenberg wanted big money, Mr Stone replied: waste of time. Two years later, the brief sit-down in Florida has resurfaced as part of special counsel Robert Muellers sprawling investigation of Russian interference in the 2016 presidential campaign, according to Mr Caputo. Mr Caputo said he was asked about the meeting by prosecutors during a questioning session last month. Mr Stone and Mr Caputo, who did not previously disclose the meeting to congressional investigators, now say they believe they were the targets of a setup by US law enforcement officials hostile to Mr Trump. Story continues Their interactions with Mr Greenberg mean that at least 11 Trump associates or campaign officials have acknowledged interactions with a Russian during the election season or presidential transition. Those interactions have become public a year and a half after a Trump spokeswoman said that no one associated with the campaign had communications with Russians, or other foreign entities. Interviews and additional documents show that Mr Greenberg has at times used the name Henry Oknyansky. Under that name, he claimed in a 2015 court filing related to his immigration status that he had provided information to the FBI for 17 years. Mr Greenberg also attached records showing that the government had granted him special permission to enter the United States because his presence represented a significant public benefit. Mr Greenberg says he stopped his FBI cooperation sometime after 2013, and denied that he had been acting on the FBIs behalf when he met with Stone. There is no evidence that Mr Greenberg was working with the FBI during his interactions with Stone. An FBI spokeswoman declined to comment, as did a spokesman for special prosecutor Robert Mueller - the man charged with investigating the Trump campaign's alleged collusion with Russia. Mr Trump and his allies maintain that the meetings were inconsequential, and there was no collusion. It is not clear how seriously investigators are taking the Florida meeting. Mr Caputo said that prosecutors took an "intense" interest in the interaction during his questioning last month. The Florida meeting adds another layer of complexity to Mr Stones involvement in the Russia probe. For months, it has been clear that the special counsel has been scrutinising repeated claims by Mr Stone that he communicated with WikiLeaks via a back-channel source before the groups 2016 release of hacked Democratic party emails. Mr Stone - who long urged Mr Trump to run for president - has mooted the possibility he will be indicted, speculating that Mr Mueller might charge him with a crime unrelated to the election in order to "silence" him. He said he anticipates that his meeting with Mr Greenberg could be used in an attempt to pressure him to testify against President Trump something he says he would never do. Washington Post News Service Consumer Reports has no financial relationship with advertisers on this site. Consumer Reports has no financial relationship with advertisers on this site. The next time you go for a routine breast cancer screening, you may find that your clinic offers you a range of options, including the standard mammogram, a 3D mammogram, an ultrasound, or even a breast MRI. Which breast cancer screening is best for you? That's a challenging question to answer. Due to conflicting recommendations from different medical organizations, its complicated enough knowing when and how often to get breast cancer screening. (For help, see our report on when to get a mammogram.) Now, say some experts, the growing number of ways you can be screened can make the breast screening process even more confusing. Its really difficult to navigate and feel like, I know the right answer for me, says Tracy Onega, Ph.D., associate professor in the department of biomedical data science and of epidemiology and the Dartmouth Institute for Health Policy and Clinical Practice. To help you figure out whats best for you, CR looked at the research and talked with experts in breast cancer screening about the pros and cons of the tests you may be offered. Standard Mammography This is a low-dose x-ray used to detect abnormalities in the breast that could indicate cancer. Today, most mammograms are performed digitally, rather than using film images. How well does it work? Not all medical experts agree on how effective mammography is at finding cancer. At its best, mammography can reveal potentially dangerous tumors before you experience symptoms, when theyre small and presumably much easier to treat. In some instances, however, the test can result in false positives (false alarms) that require follow-up tests, or it might find small tumors in the breast that get treated with surgery or radiation even though they're unlikely to ever be harmful. Story continues The U.S. Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF), an independent panel of medical experts that evaluates preventive medical services, estimates that as many as 1 in 8 cancers diagnosed through mammography would never have caused any harm, though other interpretations of existing data put the estimate lower. Is this screening test right for you? For women at normal risk, most experts say yes, but differ on when and how often. The USPSTF, the American Cancer Society (ACS), and American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG) recommend that women begin regular mammography screening at least by age 50, but can choose to start as early as age 40. The Task Force recommends standard mammograms every two years, while ACS says that women should receive them yearly between ages 45 and 55, and every other year after age 55. ACOG says women should have the choice to screen every year or every other year. Note that a 2017 study published in the journal Cancer found that screening annually, starting at age 40 led to more cancers being detected, but also led to more women receiving false positive results. When deciding at what age to start and how often to get a mammogram, consider your willingness to put up with the possibility of a false positive or overtreatment, and your personal risk factorswhich may change over time, Onega says. 3D Mammography Like standard digital mammography, 3D mammography, or digital breast tomosynthesis, is an x-ray test. But instead of taking flat images of the breast, it takes many pictures of the breast from different angles. This gives radiologists a three-dimensional picture of the breast, and, in theory, a more accurate picture. How well does it work? Some studies suggest that 3D mammography finds more cancers than the standard test. But the USPSTF says there's insufficient evidence to recommend 3D mammography as the primary breast cancer screening tool, mainly because there havent yet been studies on whether it reduces breast cancer deaths. It is great to find more cancers, but we want to see if the new technology improves on our ability to find more of the aggressive cancers early, says Robert A. Smith, Ph.D., vice president of screening with the American Cancer Society. What we need is additional evidence on, how much of an overall advantage 3D offers compared with conventional mammography, he adds. One pro is that 3D mammography may reduce the need for followup mammograms. Two analyses published in 2016 found that 3D mammography plus standard digital mammography cut the number of women who had to return for more tests. We feel its a better mammogram because it has the ability to detect more cancers while calling back fewer women for more testing, says Sally Herschorn, M.D., division chief and medical director of breast imaging at the University of Vermont Medical Center in Burlington. Is this screening test right for you? Maybe. If your insurance covers 3D mammography it likely has some advantages over standard mammography. But until scientists determine how significant those advantages are, If the facility you use for screening does not have 3D yet but is a high-quality screening center that also has all your prior images stored for comparison, you can feel confident that you will still receive a good screening test, Smith says. For advice on how to find a good screening location, see our report on where to get a mammogram. And if youre concerned about radiation exposure, note that depending on the type of 3D technology used, this test may deliver a higher dose of radiation than standard mammography alone. Ultrasound In ultrasound, sound waves are used to produce images of the inside of the breastand detect any masses there. During this painless test, a technician passes a scanning wand over the breast area or a machine scans most of the breast. Ultrasound is often done as a follow-up test, giving doctors a better look at a suspicious abnormality found on a mammogram. But some facilities also offer it as a first screening test in addition to routine mammography. How well does it work? According to Herschorn, ultrasound may detect more cancers than standard mammography, but the false alarm rate is also probably higher. This is because there are many abnormalities in the breast that are not cancer and can be seen with ultrasound, Herschorn says. Is this screening test right for you? If you have dense breastsa lot of fibrous tissue in the breast that can make cancers harder to see on a mammogrammaybe. Having dense breasts does raise your risk of breast cancer, but only by a few percentage points. And its only one possible factor out of more than a dozen, including a family or personal history of breast cancer. So even if your breasts are dense, your overall risk may be low. (According to the nonprofit group Are You Dense, more than 30 states now require radiologists to inform women of their breast density status.) Some research, such as a 2015 study in Annals of Internal Medicine, suggests that adding ultrasound screening to mammography may be most beneficial for women who are already at high risk of breast cancer within five years. Talk to your doctor about your risk for breast cancer, and whether you might benefit from ultrasound. You can also try using a risk calculator like the one offered by the National Cancer Institute. Getting an ultrasound along with a mammogram may be a good alternative for women whose breast cancer risk level is high enough that they would qualify for MRI screening (see below), but who are claustrophobic and cant tolerate an MRI, Smith says. MRI Magnetic resonance imaging, or MRI, uses strong magnets and radio waves to create a detailed image of the breast. Often, a dye is injected into your breasts to enhance the image. How well does it work? While screening with MRI may be more likely to cause a false alarm than a standard mammogram, evidence also suggests that MRI may detect substantially more cancers than mammograms or ultrasound. MRI may also be better at picking up cancers that are more likely to be aggressive, says Smith. That's because the test can reveal how active a tumor is and the extent of its spread inside the breast and the existence of other, smaller tumors that mammography may not have detected. Is this screening test right for you? Breast cancer screening with MRI is usually only indicated in conjunction with mammogram for women with a very high lifetime risk of breast cancerat least 20 percent. You may be in this category if you carry a genetic mutation (especially BRCA1 or BRCA2) that predisposes you to cancer; have a parent, sibling, or child with such a mutation; have a strong family history of breast cancer; or received radiation therapy to the chest between ages 10 and 30. If youre unsure, you doctor can help you figure out whether your personal level of risk reaches the threshold for screening with MRI. The test can be very expensive, but according to the ACS, most private insurance plans cover the test for those at high risk. Other Screening Options You may have heard ofor even been offeredstill other newer screening tests, such as molecular breast imaging, or optical imaging tests. But it may be best to skip these for the moment. Women should know if theyre offered one of these that we know very little [about them], says Dartmouth Institute's Onega. Theyre untested in general populations. They're also unlikely to be covered by insurance. Editor's note: This piece incorrectly referred to the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force as a "government group." The task force is an independent panel of medical experts. More from Consumer Reports: Top pick tires for 2016 Best used cars for $25,000 and less 7 best mattresses for couples Consumer Reports is an independent, nonprofit organization that works side by side with consumers to create a fairer, safer, and healthier world. CR does not endorse products or services, and does not accept advertising. Copyright 2018, Consumer Reports, Inc. WASHINGTON/MOSCOW (Reuters) - U.S. President Donald Trump said on Friday it was possible he could meet Russian President Vladimir Putin this summer, and Moscow did not rule out a meeting. Asked whether he was planning to meet with Putin this summer, Trump said it was possible. "Its possible that well meet, yeah," Trump told reporters. Moscow does not rule out a meeting between Putin and Trump this summer, RIA news agency reported on Friday, citing Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov. Interfax news agency quoted Peskov as saying there were no concrete details on the time frame for a meeting. While speaking with reporters, Trump also appeared to blame former President Barack Obama for Russia's annexation of Crimea from Ukraine in 2014. "President Obama lost Crimea ... Obama lost Crimea because President Putin didnt respect President Obama, didnt respect our country, and didnt respect Ukraine, Trump said. Speaking at a Naval War College graduation on Friday, U.S. Defense Secretary Jim Mattis was more critical of Russia. "For the first time since World War Two, Russia has been the nation that has redrawn international borders by force of arms in Georgia and Ukraine," Mattis said. Earlier this year, the U.S. military said in a new national defense strategy that countering Russia would be a priority. "Putin seeks to shatter NATO, he aims to diminish the appeal of the western democratic model and attempts to undermine America's moral authority," Mattis said. "His actions are designed not to challenge our arms at this point, but to undercut and compromise our belief in our ideals," he added. (Reporting by Idrees Ali in WASHINGTON and Polina Devitt in MOSCOW; writing by Polina Nikolskaya; editing by Catherine Evans and James Dalgleish) The death of restaurateur and author Anthony Bourdain devastated many in the culinary world, including sushi legend Masa Takayama. Takayama, renowned chef and owner of the Michelin three-star sushi restaurant Masa in Manhattan, talked through tears as he reflected on Bourdains life in an interview with BBC. He just started an amazing show, amazing stuff, Takayama says in the video, weeping. Im so upset. Hes a great man. I will miss him very much. Wiping away tears, the chef added that he felt Bourdain went more deep into a culture behind all the cuisine and that the CNN host explored real stuff in a real way. Bourdain featured Takayama in a 2016 episode of his show Parts Unknown, during which the pair toured outdoor food markets in Kanazawa, Japan, and enjoyed a meal cooked over an irori, a traditional Japanese sunken hearth. He went from being an apprentice in Japan to a sushi legend. Meet Masa Takayama on #PartsUnknown tonight at 9p ET/PT. pic.twitter.com/lCsV7XAXTp CNN (@CNN) November 13, 2016 Like Takayama, many others have lauded Bourdain for his respect for the cultures and food he featured. Many have pointed out how the TV host often helped introduce cuisines, like Filipino food, to Western audiences and made it a point to address the political and social climate in countries he visited. Bourdain never treated our food like he discovered it, comedian Jenny Yang tweeted. He kicked it with grandma because he knew that HE was the one that needed to catch up to our brilliance. Love HuffPost? Become a founding member of HuffPost Plus today. This article originally appeared on HuffPost. Jeffrey Stacey Security, Middle East Anti-Gaddafi fighters fire a multiple rocket launcher near Sirte, one of Muammar Gaddafi's last remaining strongholds, September 24, 2011. Libyan provisional government forces backed by NATO warplanes swarmed into the city of Sirte on Saturday but weathered heavy sniper fire as they tried to win control of one of deposed leader Muammar Gaddafi's last bastions of support. REUTERS/Goran Tomasevic NATO and the EU have been formally requested by Libya to mount civilian stabilization operations. Libya: Intervention by Invitation President Macron appears to be gradually positioning France as a global leader now that Americas President Donald Trump has lapsed into a proto-isolationist grand strategy. The latest example is Libya. With Macrons help, Libyas factional leaders have agreed to hold fresh presidential and parliamentary elections in December, which the United Nations Security Council just endorsed unanimously. However, conditions in Libya remain acutely fragile, with fighting continuing and no current peace agreement in place. With a serious risk of foreign meddling from western adversaries looming in the background, France and its allies risk a mini Syria if they do not act in concert to augment their Libyan stabilization efforts. Libya is at a crucial crossroads. In some ways, it is closer to the stability that evaporated two years after western intervention overthrew Gaddafi, but in other ways less so as indicated by the recent large-scale bombing in Tripoli. It is incumbent on the allies working with Libyathe U.S., France, Italy, and the UAE to rid the country of extremism. Furthermore, the allies must band together to persuade the various Libyan parties to agree to a new UN-backed power-sharing agreement. The North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) and the European Union (EU) also need to move forward on the delayed deployments of civilian stability operations Libya has requested. Additionally, all concerned parties need to prevent Russia from intervening further to the detriment of Libyas security. The main sticking point in the negotiations over the UN Special Representatives power-sharing proposal is whether the Defense Minister position should be held by a civilian or whether a general could hold it. There is widespread expectation that General Haftar, leader of the so-called Libya National Army (LNA), would take up the position after the agreement of a deal. Haftar has just returned from a stint in a French hospital, and he wasted no time in harshly criticizing the coming election. While the UN has made considerable progress in the past six months, different Libyan factions continue to engage each other militarily, imperiling the likelihood of an agreement that will be adhered to by all parties. Story continues Prime Minister Fayez al-Sarraj leads the Government of National Accord (GNA), but at the moment Libya has been suffering through a triad of mid-level instability. First there is the presence of ISIS in Sirte, second an attempt by the LNA to take the country by force in the east, and third the political instability that features rival parliaments in Tripoli and Benghazi. For some time it appeared as if Haftar and the LNA were likely to be successful in their drive to overtake the whole of the country, but more recently the GNA and its allies have made modest gains, while several militias previously loyal to Haftar no longer are. In part because of this, there is a legitimate window of opportunity for a successful power-sharing agreement to be reached at the behest of the dogged UN Special Representative of the Secretary-General (SRSG) Ghassan Salame. At a time when the Trump Administration appears to have taken its eye off the ball in Libya, Russia has ramped up its intervention in Libya. Moscow has undertaken a full-fledged backing of Haftars forces in an attempt even to replace the UN as the broker among the various parties. This Russian intervention has all staged from a Russian base in western Egypt where special forces and military advisors are deployed. Russian efforts have even recently moved more into the open, including a port of call from a Russian aircraft carrier that gave Haftar a ceremony and a secure phone call with the Russian Defense Minister. Yet there is still ample time for NATO and the EU to upgrade their efforts to aid the GNA, in particular now that Italy has committed troops to help stem refugee flows from Libyas coastal areas. NATO and the EU have been formally requested by Libya to mount civilian stabilization operations, and both have accepted and committed informally to coordinating their operations. However, in part because of Libyan instability and in part because of Europes keen focus on the Libyan refugee situation, neither the EU nor NATO has fully deployed their operations. European governments have been consumed with viewing Libya through the refugee prism, understandably in part due to the incipient challenge of integrating refugees in their societies and the acute domestic political fallout. However, it is imperative for the EU and NATO to move forward. It is critical to get their deployments in ahead of any deeper Russian incursion, or a renewed threat from the LNA. Doing so will augment the UNs sharpened lead approach, as well as help to prevent refugees from migrating en masse to Europe. The imperative for action has grown with the stalled UN attempt to broker greater stability and with the U.S. appearing to sit this simmering crisis out. The best hope the UN has to achieve even a marginal degree of stability is for the EU and NATO operations to proceed. This is because such operations would have a timely impact in helping the UN create more sustained stability. In essence, the western powers should be playing a more prominent role in notoriously unstable Libya because at this moment there is a legitimate opportunity to turn the corner in a more stable direction. This is also important because although some observers have called for Egypt to play a prominent role alongside the western tandem, this is less advisable in light of how closely Egypt is now working with Russia. Libyan leaders have spent the last several years sparring, politically and militarily, but lately, there has been sustained talk of a basis on which to come together and unify the disparate parts of Libya. For example, the large-scale Tripoli bombing aside, there has been measurable progress in registering Libyans for the next national election with over 2.5 million Libyans registered. Moreover, the U.N.-backed GNA government and the central bank in Tripoli have just agreed on public spending of 42 billion Libyan dinars ($31 billion) for 2018, an increase from 37 billion last year. For its part, the UN views this embryonic stability as a critical juncture and has re-launched an updated version of its efforts to broker stability among the competing factions in Libya. Thus far, the most important actors on the ground have positively received the initiative, although Haftar recently commented that the UN-backed government was now void and expired. In fact, technically speaking this is true, for the formal mandate has expired, thereby galvanizing the UN into active mode to get a new agreement in place for the GNA. The most compelling question in this context is whether General Haftar of the east-based LNA will compromise with the UN and the West-backed GNA, and in particular whether he will accept a civilian defense role as opposed to a military one. Recently he has swung between being supportive of the diplomatic path being spearheaded by the UN SRSG and rejecting it. With the EU and NATO operations in place and joining the UN to form a kind of UN-led triumvirate, Haftar is more likely to compromise and consent to becoming a civilian defense minister. Over the past several years the Libyans have repeatedly made formal requests of NATO and the EU to mount civilian stabilization operations in Libya, and both organizations now need to accede to these requests and set near-term dates taking action. For example, while the EU has approved both, they have been slow in proceeding toward full deployment. In addition, although technically the EU mission exists, it is not even headquartered inside Libya. One of the most important reasons for the West to get its collective act together is to secure a solid western operational foothold ahead of any additional moves by Russia. The danger is that Russia has gradually been consolidating its position for months now. Also, Russia has been courting Haftar for the past year, by hosting him in Moscow and directly funding the LNA in addition to also supplying it with weapons and logistics assistance. Western civilian operations in Libya also represent a compelling opportunity for the EU and NATO not only to coordinate their operations, but actually to go so far as to engage in joint planning and fully conjoinedas opposed to merely complementaryoperations on the ground. These two pivotal overlapping western security organizations have recently been attempting to overcome their long-running tensions and jealousies. For example, staff to staff meetings in Brussels have been making marked progress in working together both in Brussels and in the field. In fact, a broad contingent of current and former EU and NATO officials believe Libya amounts to an important test case for deploying conjoined operations. But by far the most crucial reason for western operations to be deployed forthwith in Libya is to shore up the tentative progress the UN is making for establishing a new unity government. According to conventional wisdom, Libya has been an unstable basket case ever since the NATO operation removed the Qaddafi regime during President Obama's first term in 2011. In reality, there were over two years of relative stability. However, gradually an eventually acute problem metastasized with no actor ever figuring out how to deal with the strong presence of well-armed militias in Libya. Over time, those militias gradually achieved superiority over the politicians in Tripoli. It was not until the summer of 2014 that Libya descended into full-fledged instability and actual civil war. Things remained relatively unstable until the UN managed to stand up the GNA government in 2017. President Obama has described the failure to follow up the air campaign and Gaddafis removal with a post-conflict stability operation as the worst mistake of his presidency. However, this failure was also Europes for there were European leaders who had to be prodded by America into supporting a European stability operation in Libya. The U.S. push for this Germany-spearheaded effort was viewed as the price to be paid for Germany having abstained on the UN Security Council resolution that gave legitimacy to the allied intervention in Libya. However, the EU was unable to achieve the consensus required to move forward, and as a result, Libyas descent ensued. Although NATO and EU civilian operations have been delayed, there is a general understanding of what the overlapping EU and NATO missions should comprise, both in Brussels and in Tripoli. NATO could deal more with training the military and aiding in securing Libyas borders, while the EU could zero in on training the police and paramilitary forces. The EU could also focus its efforts on Tripoli, Benghazi, and Sirte through Rule of Law capacity building with the GNA government. Two imperatives are essential here, first, that both civilian operations should be conjoined (i.e., jointly planned and operated by NATO and the EU) and, second, that both operations should be implemented in sync with the overall leadership of the UN and its Special Representative. Again, the necessity of these operations to provide crucial assistance to the UNs efforts to broker a new government agreement cannot be overstated. Libya also features in the newfound hot peace between Russia and the West, with Russia systematically intervening around the globe to the detriment of the western security alliance. Most recently, Russia has harmed core U.S. national security interests by bombing the U.S.-backed moderate rebel forces in Syria, thereby allowing President Assad to retain power and steadily retake territory with the help of Iran. Russia likely sees in Libya a chance to weaponize additional refugees for the further destabilization of Europe. It has been unhelpful that Europeans have been overly focused on stemming the tide of refugees from Libyas shores. Surprisingly, the EU even flirted with the idea of reaching out to Russia to assess if Russia could be helpful to the EU with reducing the migrant flow to Europe. It is not entirely clear why High Representative Mogherini broached this topic in recent months, for this would play right into Putins hands and bring Russian malfeasance into the Libyan theater sooner and with greater confidence. In conclusion, stability in Libya is worth expending considerable western operational capital, as the price of instability would be ISISs return, greater refugee flows, further populism in Europe, and the realistic prospect of a second Syria. Dr. Jeffrey A. Stacey was a State Department official in the Obama Administration. Author of Integrating Europe by Oxford University Press, Stacey is an international development consultant residing in Washington, D.C. Image: Anti-Gaddafi fighters fire a multiple rocket launcher near Sirte, one of Muammar Gaddafi's last remaining strongholds, September 24, 2011. Libyan provisional government forces backed by NATO warplanes swarmed into the city of Sirte on Saturday but weathered heavy sniper fire as they tried to win control of one of deposed leader Muammar Gaddafi's last bastions of support. REUTERS/Goran Tomasevic Read full article It came in the same time period as other episodes in which Russian interests approached the Trump campaign. A few weeks earlier, Trump campaign foreign policy adviser George Papadopoulos was told in London that the Russians had dirt on Clinton. And it was two weeks before the sit-down between Donald Trump Jr. at Trump Tower with a Russian lawyer who he had been told could offer information that would hurt Clinton as part of a Russian government effort to help his father. Beijing (AFP) - China has launched a corruption investigation into the general manager of the state-owned firm responsible for building aircraft carriers, a potential complication in ambitious plans to modernise its navy. Sun Bo is being probed for "suspicion of serious breach of the party discipline and the law", Communist Party watchdog the Central Commission for Discipline Inspection said in a brief online statement late Saturday. Sun, 57, is second-in-command of China Shipbuilding Industry Corporation. The country's first domestically built aircraft carrier started sea trials last month. The carrier, known only as "Type 001A", is expected to be commissioned by 2020, giving China a second aircraft carrier as it asserts its extensive claims in the South China Sea and seeks to deter any independence movements in Taiwan. It is unclear whether the investigation into Sun will have an impact on the new carrier's status. China's first carrier, the Liaoning, is a secondhand Soviet ship built nearly 30 years ago and commissioned in 2012. President Xi Jinping has pursued a highly-publicised anti-corruption drive since taking office in 2012, vowing to go after both senior "tigers" and low-level "flies". Madina Basaeva (Photo: Instagram courtesy dina_saeva) Madina Basaeva, a Moscow-based blogger, shared an innocent video of herself dancing in a crop top and matching shorts on Instagram about a week ago. But, apparently because she is Muslim, Basaeva has received death threats in the comments on the video, the Daily Mail reports. Basaevas Instagram account and the target of all the fury appears to be @dina_saeva, though it looks as if there are multiple accounts impersonating the blogger on Instagram. The post, shared a week ago, had 95,000 likes as of this writing. According to the Mirror, this all may be due to the fact that Basaeva showed her stomach in the video. As the Mirror explains, Basaeva is part of the Tadzhiki Muslim community. Many of the comments on Basaevas Instagram post are in Russian. But according to both the Daily Mail and the Mirror, the comments include various death threats, including one that reportedly reads, When will you finally die? Both U.K. outlets also report that Basaeva has responded to online backlash in the past by saying the commenters dont like anything she does. You dont like if I am dressed, you dont like if I am undressed, you dont like the new content, finding a new song and coming up with choreography is that you dont like either, Basaeva has said, according to the Daily Mail. It is impossible to satisfy you. Each and everyone of you. Do you understand? The outlets didnt say whether or not Basaeva reported the comments to the police, but threatening someone online can constitute criminal activity. And even for those who dont agree with Basaevas actions, its not OK to threaten her life. Religious disagreements can be the source of productive dialogue and conversations, but comments like these should never be tolerated. Story continues Read more from Yahoo Lifestyle: Follow us on Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter for nonstop inspiration delivered fresh to your feed, every day. The mother of a woman fatally shot by police after she broke into a home wielding a sword has said officers murdered her only daughter. Ashley Dean Fulkerson, 28, broke into a house in Kansas City on Thursday, The Kansas City Star reported. The report referred to her as Ashley Simonetti, the name used on her Facebook profile. Fulkerson climbed out of a window to escape police, and ran across the lawn of a neighboring property in a bridesmaid dress and wielding a decorative Japanese sword she took from the property. Police officers shot bean bags at Fulkerson, Grant Braaten, whose yard she ran across, told The Star. Trending: NXT Takeover Chicago: Match Results and Everything That Happened She then tried and failed to enter other homes, and eventually hid in a garage behind a burned-out home. Police attempted to reason with her, and deployed a robot, tear gas to lure her from the garage. But following a two-and-a-half hour standoff, officers opened fire on Fulkerson after they tried to enter the garage with a battering ram, and she crept out from under the door. Simonetti died at around 4 p.m. Police confirmed her identity as Ashley Dean Fulkerson on Friday and said they had recovered a sword beside her. Don't miss: White Woman Honors Selena By Singing in Spanish, Faces Backlash For 'Cultural Appropriation' Kansas City Police Chief Rick Smith told reporters at the scene officers did what they thought was necessary. He said they negotiated with Simonetti for a long time. "I may see it differently if it was 15 minutes, but they tried for a long time. It comes at a time when she is running around wielding a sword," Smith said. "They tried, they really did try. She couldn't be reasoned with." Most popular: Thai King Given $30 Billion for Being Born Into Royal Family In a Facebook post, her mother Janna Fulkerson shared an image of the family showing Ashley as a child. The KCPD murdered my only daughter, she wrote, arguing she doubted the police officers feared for their lives during the incident. Story continues They should have to pay for just killing whoever they feel like killing at the time, she said. My daughter probably weighed about 90 pounds, they could of shot her in the leg or anything but this! [sic]. I am totally devastated...I will never get to hug her or tell her I love her or anything ever again! Kaleb Galloway, 33, a neighbor told Kansas City she was obviously scared and something was wrong with her. This article was first written by Newsweek More from Newsweek Valencia (Spain) (AFP) - The head of the Red Cross urged European Union member states Sunday to follow Spain's example of welcoming a rejected migrant ship and "put into practice" the humanitarian values promoted by the bloc. Spain has "opened its arms at a time when many reject (refugees) and are not showing solidarity," Elhadj As Sy of the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies told AFP in the Spanish port of Valencia, where he was overseeing the arrival of 630 migrants from the Aquarius rescue boat. "There are 66 million people right now seeking refuge and some of them are coming of course to Europe like they are going to other places because they are looking for support, they are looking for solidarity," he added. "Those are values that Europe is promoting. And we also expect from Europe to put those values into practice like we are seeing here today." The Aquarius migrants rescued off Libya's coast last weekend were left in high-seas limbo after Italy and Malta bickered over who should accept them, sparking a major migration row. Spain eventually agreed to take them in. "We call on all other countries to follow suit in helping those in need in the name of the one fundamental principle, which is one humanity which we all share," As Sy said. He recalled that one-third of Lebanon's population is made up of refugees, with another one million refugees in Jordan and three million in Turkey. - Game changer? - Spain's new Socialist Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez offered Monday to allow the Aquarius to dock in Valencia "to help avoid a humanitarian catastrophe" and "comply with our human rights obligations". The migrants, most of them from Africa, were welcomed by a team of more than 2,000 people, including 470 translators and 1,000 Red Cross volunteers who distributed basic items such as blankets, clothes and hygiene kits. Story continues As Sy said the Aquarius case could change the way Europe handles migration. "If people sustain the efforts that are being made and we do not see a one-off operation, it could be a game changer," he said. "Be it in Valencia or anywhere else where we have witnessed people arriving, we have seen people spontaneously come out to help. I think when people see more and more the benefit of helping others, that can alleviate fears and misunderstandings, and misinterpretations for political... games," he added. "What matters at the end of the day is the humanitarian support and assistance." He also hailed France's offer to accept Aquarius migrants who meet the criteria for asylum. "That is of course welcome. I hope that they can continue and do more and that other countries will follow suit as well," he said. - 'Symbol of many others' - Hundreds of international journalists were accredited to cover Sunday's arrival of the migrants in Valencia. "We are happy that this is being covered because it is a symbol of (the fate of other migrant ships)... Attention should be drawn to the fact that this situation has to be managed and responded to in a humane way," As Sy said. "There should be space for people to feel safe, where people should have the opportunity to develop themselves and care for themselves and their families," he added. He stressed more needed to be done to avoid that migrants "do not fall in the hands of traffickers and smugglers". Countries have an obligation to host and protect asylum-seekers "according to international law for refugees but also according to the principles of humanity," As Sy said. Refugees arrive in Valencia on board the Aquarius The Aquarius enters the port of Valencia. (Photo: Jose Colon for Yahoo News) The first rays of dawn were just breaking through when the small speck was spotted in the Mediterraneans turquoise waters off eastern Spain. It was the first of a three-vessel flotilla that for the past week has captured the worlds attention, triggering harsh words from European leaders, threatening to fracture alliances, provoking upheaval and illustrating how immigration, a polarizing topic in the U.S., is becoming the most fiery issue in Europe. Shunned by other Mediterranean countries, the Aquarius rescue boat, accompanied by two Italian military vessels, was finally, after a week on the high seas, headed for port in Valencia, an elegant city famous for oranges, paella and its annual festival of Las Fallas, in which oversized effigies are set alight, covering the city in smoke. This weekend it was the site of a raucous gay pride festival with concerts and celebrations in all corners and spilling into the square in front of City Hall, which for days had been festooned with a banner: Valencia: City of Refugees! On board the three ships were refugees from 26 countries escaping kidnappers, blackmailers, torturers, and groups such as ISIS and Boko Haram as well as poverty and chronic food shortages. Many of the 630 onboard, including 100 children and teenagers and seven pregnant women, had come from West and sub-Saharan Africa, some trekking for weeks, some paying to cross in open trucks, having been recruited by shady agencies for nonexistent jobs. Some of those who set out on the journey died along the way as they crossed deserts where temperatures sometimes reach 120 degrees. Read more by Melissa Rossi for Yahoo News >> Photography by Jose Colon for Yahoo News See more news-related photo galleries and follow Yahoo News Photo on Twitter and Tumblr. By Tom Miles GENEVA (Reuters) - Europe's physics research center CERN launched an upgrade of its Large Hadron Collider (LHC) on Friday, six years after the huge particle accelerator solved an enduring riddle by confirming the existence of the elusive Higgs boson. Staff said the overhaul will boost the "luminosity" of proton-smashing experiments at the LHC, a 27-km (17-mile) ring under the Swiss-French border, increasing the number of particle collisions tenfold and producing a clearer picture of the sub-atomic world. "This will allow us to address new questions, the outstanding questions in fundamental physics, with more opportunity to find answers," CERN Director-General Fabiola Gianotti told Reuters at the opening ceremony. The decade-long upgrade, involving a materials budget of 950 million Swiss francs ($953 million), will allow the LHC to churn out more data about particle collisions every year than it has since its working life began in 2010, experts there said. The upgrade will focus the beams of the protons that are smashed together - increasing luminosity - meaning more collisions and more chance of spotting something unusual. Last year the LHC produced about 3 million Higgs bosons, the long-sought particle which, along with an associated forcefield, provided the answer to the question: where does matter get its mass from? After the upgrade, CERN said the LHC will be producing at least 15 million Higgs bosons per year, allowing physicists to get better acquainted with one of their most recent discoveries. They will also be seeking other particles, and looking for answers about anti-matter and the Big Bang at the start of the universe. Gianotti said her hope was that the upgrade - akin to replacing your dingy 60-watt bedside lamp with an industrial floodlight - would provide answers about "dark matter", which has never been seen but is known to exist because of its effect on the visible material around it. "For me personally, solving the mystery of the dark matter of the universe would be something great," she said. "Of course it would be fantastic to produce the dark matter particle in the collision of LHC beams." The value of the discoveries cannot be predicted, but they are expected to provide a boost to science and technology in future, potentially speeding up manufacturing processes or improving computing power. Even the technologies needed to upgrade the LHC will break new ground, because focusing the proton beams that are smashed together will require new super-conducting magnets and electronics that have never been developed before, with potential spin-off benefits for society, Gianotti said. Another unknown is whether the upgrade could bring more Nobel prizes for physics, which Peter Higgs and Francois Englert won in 2013 when the LHC vindicated their 50-year-old theory of a missing boson. "We will see," said Gianotti. "Were in the hands of nature." ($1 = 0.9968 Swiss francs) (Reporting by Tom Miles; Editing by Andrew Heavens) The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge frequent the racing event. [Photo: Getty] Each June, Ascot Racecourse, located in its namesake town in Berkshire, holds a week of special races known as Royal Ascot. Britains most valuable racecourse attracts around 300,000 visitors including the top of British society for the annual racing spectacle. The races, which spawn over five days, get their royal name thanks to the presence of the Queen and members of the royal family who attend each year. The event is known famously for its formal guests, with strict rules upholding its long-standing dress code. Aside from the fascinators and stilettos, racegoers have the chance to bet on horses who compete for the 7.3 million prize money. Royal Ascot is said to be the first event that the Queen puts down on her calendar every year thanks to her lifelong love of horses, but where did it all begin? The Queen and Prince Phillip at Ascot in 1973. [Photo: Getty] How did Royal Ascot start? The now-reknowned Ascot Racecourse was founded by Queen Anne in 1711, and since, its received the financial backing of eleven monarchs including the current Queen. Due to its royal sponsorship, the names of the weeks races have a royal theme, such as King George V Stakes, Diamond Jubilee Stakes and Windsor Castle Stakes. The Queens love of horses has a lot to do with her passion for the event. Her Majesty has loved horses since she was a young girl and much of her leisure time involves around breeding of thoroughbreds for horse racing. By 2013, horses owned by the Queen had won over 1,600 races and even many have even won races at Royal Ascot, such as Irish-bred thoroughbred horse, Estimate, who won the Gold Cup in 2013. The Queen pats her horse, Estimate, in the winners enclosure after it won the Gold Cup on the third day of Royal Ascot in 2013. [Photo: Getty] What involvement do the royals have in Royal Ascot? Each day of the week begins with the Royal Procession, whereby the Queen and fellow members of the royal family arrive up the racing track in horse-drawn landaus. The Queen mother with Princess Diana during the Royal Procession in 1984. [Photo: Getty] Staple attendees include senior members of the royal family such as the Queen and Prince Phillip, Prince Charles and the Duchess of Cornwall, the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge, Princess Eugenie and Princess Beatrice, Prince Edward, Earl of Wessex and Sophie, Countess of Wessex, Zara and Mike Tindall and Peter and Autumn Phillips. Story continues For the 2018 races, the newly-married Duke and Duchess of Sussex are expected to attended. The royals then watch the races from the top-tier viewing area, the Royal Enclosure, which is reserved for the royal family and invitation-only invited guests. Amenities of the exclusive area include a champagne bar, Michelin-starred restaurants, luxury afternoon teas and the best views of the track. Senior members of the family such as the Queen and the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge often leave the enclosure during the day to give trophies and meet officials. Originally, the Royal Enclosure was exclusively reserved for the guests of King George III. Sophie, Countess of Wessex and Crown Princess Mary of Denmark watch the racing as they attend Royal Ascot in 2016. [Photo: Getty] What are they other areas at Royal Ascot like and what are the dress codes? The second-tier area at Royal Ascot is the Village Enclosure, an exclusive area which also boasts fantastic hospitality experiences, but is located on track level. Finally, theres the Windsor Enclosure, the area used by the majority of racegoers, which includes a grass area where people can watch the races and lay picnic blankets. The Windsor enclosure also boasts a slightly more relaxed dress code, simply asking guests to dress in a manner as befits a formal occasion. However, the Royal Enclosure boasts a far stricter one. Synonymous with sartorial elegance, the enclosures formal dress code stipulates that men must wear morning suits and womens dresses must fall below the knee. In 2017, Ascot updated its 306-year-old dress code by allowing jumpsuits and trouser suits (matching only) inside the Royal Enclosure. This years Royal Ascot kicks off on Monday 18th June check back for all the coverage. Follow us on Instagram and Facebook for non-stop inspiration delivered fresh to your feed, every day. For Twitter updates, follow @YahooStyleUK. Read more from Yahoo Style UK: The best of Royal Ascot style: From the Duchess of Cambridge to Princess Diana A Royal Ascot fiasco: Duchess of Cambridge catches Sophie, Countess of Wessex as she falls Royal Ascot 2017 fashion: The hats, dresses and all the must-see outfits At times, some current and former administration officials said, Pruitt's frequent presence in the West Wing resembles the HBO sitcom "Veep," in which the vice president keeps trying to draw the president's attention. Pruitt has dined often at the White House Mess, which allows him to buy discount meals and offers him the chance to wander the West Wing. Sometimes, he tells people to let the president know he is in the building, or he calls Trump's personal aides on their cellphones so he can speak directly to the president. Rudy Giuliani speaks with reporters on May 30. (Photo: Al Drago/Bloomberg) Former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani thinks that the ongoing probe into Russian interference with the 2016 U.S. elections and potential links between Donald Trumps campaign and Moscow should itself be investigated. Giuliani, who joined President Trumps legal team in April, told CNNs State of the Union that former FBI Director Robert Mueller did not necessarily do anything wrong but that the probe he leads has become unethical and possibly illegal calling for an investigation into its origins. I believe that the Mueller investigation should be investigated, not because necessarily of Mueller, but because of its genesis in this very, very now completely almost illegal and unethical probe, this Russian probe, that began with Peter Strzok in charge. And he didnt leave it until July of last year, Giuliani said in an interview with CNN host Jake Tapper on Sunday. Peter Strzok, the FBI agent who oversaw the investigation into Democrat Hillary Clintons personal email server during her tenure as secretary of state, worked on the Russia probe but was taken off the investigation after his personal criticisms of Trump in text messages to a colleague were published. Tapper asked Giuliani to clarify whether he was in fact calling for a special counsel to investigate the special counsel eliciting laughter from the Republican New Yorker. Its not so unorthodox. I mean, its happened, Giuliani replied. No, Im saying the Justice Department should do it. And Im not really saying the special counsel. Im saying what led up to the special counsel. I dont think Mueller and his people need to be investigated unless something comes out of that. So, what should be investigated? According to Giuliani, there was a series of odd, unethical and illegal actions as the Justice Department shifted its focus from Clintons emails to Russian interference. Giuliani offered his opinion, citing Inspector General Michael Horowitzs report, that the people handling the Clinton investigation had done almost everything incorrectly and are now focused on the Russia probe. Story continues Echoing Trump, Giuliani said that the Russia probe was based on documents that former FBI Director James Comey had illegally leaked. Tapper countered that Horowitz concluded Comey did not break the law a point Giuliani acknowledged without argument. Nevertheless, Giuliani supports the idea of having Horowitz investigate the origins of the Russia probe to determine whether its trustworthy. I just said a bunch of illegal things, Giuliani said. That usually leads a court to say, The thing is tainted. They may come out with a lot of problems if they dont get this resolved right now. _____ Read more from Yahoo News: This past April marked the 25th anniversary of The Sandlot hitting movie theaters. On Saturday night, the Los Angeles Dodgers celebrated that milestone with an awesome reunion. Several cast members, including the actors who played Bertram, Ham, Repeat, Smalls, Squints, Timmy, Yeah-Yeah and DeNunez came together at Dodger Stadium for the event. They were joined by the films director/writer David Mickey Evans. [Yahoo Fantasy Football leagues are open: Sign up now for free] As we saw on the Dodgers twitter feed, they all appeared to have a great time. They werent the only ones. The cast mingled with Dodgers players Dodgers players had a great time too just hanging out with the actors who brought the film to life and in their own way helped to inspire a new generation of players. Saved the best for last. Met my ginger brother @redturn2 ! Good win today! Just saying @dodgers #sandlot25th may be a good luck charm pic.twitter.com/eQOJIJDs4K Patrick Renna (@PatrickRenna) June 17, 2018 Were not sure which group had more fun. Story continues Pregame and postgame festivities The Sandlot Night events featured a fantastic pregame ceremony where the cast members were introduced to the crowd and lined up along the third base line. Thats an awesome shot. After the Dodgers topped Madison Bumgarner and the rival San Francisco Giants 3-1, fans were invited to stick around and watch the movie on the videoboard. The team also did that five years ago for the 20th anniversary. Coming to a ballpark near you The Dodgers are one of several teams that have held or will hold an event honoring the film. Be sure to check your favorite teams schedule to see if theyre among them. Its fitting though that the Dodgers did it bigger than those before them, and we assume better than those that will follow. Dodger Stadium played host to an awesome reunion of The Sandlot cast. (Getty Images) More from Yahoo Sports: Fatherhood might impact LeBron James free agency Report: Cristiano Ronaldo avoids jail time in tax fraud case Former NFL TE Kellen Winslow Jr. facing rape, kidnapping charges How Vladimir Putin is already winning the World Cup Saudi-led forces backed by the United States reportedly seized control of Yemens international airport in the port city of Hodeida on Saturday. Officials with Yemens exiled government said engineers worked to clear mines from areas around Hodeida International Airport, according to The Associated Press. The armed forces, which are supported by the Arab coalition have freed the al-Hodeida International Airport from the Houthi militias and the engineering teams have started to clean the airport and its surroundings from mines and bombs, the military said on its official Twitter account. Trending: Mexico Fans Caused Artificial Earthquake' Celebrating Game-Winning Goal Against Germany The port city, which is the entry point for 70 to 80 percent of the food, medicine and aid supplies that enter Yemen, was previously controlled by Iranian-backed rebel forces. In 2011, Yemen President Ali Abdullah Saleh was forced out of office and power was handed over to his deputy, Abdrabbuh Mansour Hadi. Hadi fled the country after separatist movements and military disloyalty allowed the Iranian-backed Houthi rebel movement to gain control over parts of the country, including the capital city of Sanaa. Don't miss: Final Fantasy XIV and Monster Hunter Collaboration Details Emerge Map of Yemen showing control zones and ethno-religious areas, locating city of Taiz where Houthi fighters seized the military airport from local authorities on Saturday. RNGS Reuters Neighboring Saudi Arabia, along with intelligence support from the U.S., France and United Kingdom, has worked to regain power to Hadis regime. The United Nations has called the Yemen war the worlds worst humanitarian crisis. United Nations Secretary General Antonio Guterres said more than 22 million people 75 percent of the countrys population needs immediate humanitarian aid and protection. Most popular: 'F*** You Melanie': Kathy Griffin Blasts 'Complicit' Melania Trump For Family-Separating Immigration Statement Story continues Some 18 million people are food insecure, Guterres said during a UN meeting in April. Every ten minutes, a child under five dies of preventable causes. U.S. senators Mike Lee (R-UT) and Bernie Sanders (I-VT) sent a letter to Defense Secretary James Mattis on Friday calling on the Pentagon to immediately disclose the full extent of the U.S. military role in the Saudi-led war against Yemens Houthis. Sanders also wrote on Facebook that the UN has warned that Hodeida is a key entry point for humanitarian supplies and that an assault could result in as many as 250,000 deaths. The U.S. must stop backing this war and support the UNs effort to get a cease-fire, Sanders wrote. No child should have to live like this. This article was first written by Newsweek More from Newsweek Psarades (Greece) (AFP) - The small fishing village of Psarades is about to make history Sunday when the leaders of Greece and Macedonia meet to bury a 27-year-old name row, but many locals are seething. "I would not call it a pleasant day," says Achileas Papadopoulos, a 60-year-old fisherman on the banks of Lake Prespa, a natural boundary between the two countries. "We are giving away the name 'Macedonia', and we're supposed to be happy?" he says. Greece and Macedonia later today will sign a preliminary accord to rename the small Balkan state the Republic of North Macedonia, ending a dispute dating to 1991. Security is intense, with police cordons in place many miles (kilometres) from the village. Anybody seeking to approach has to pass through successive identity checks. Protests against the agreement are expected in the area on Sunday. On Saturday, as the government defeated a censure motion against the accord in Athens, clashes broke out between protesters and police outside parliament. Officials later blamed the incident on far-right supporters of Greek neo-Nazi party Golden Dawn, some of whom attacked the cars of lawmakers after the vote. - Bloody history - Opposition is even stronger in Greece's north, where Greek and Bulgarian guerrillas fought a bitter four-year war in the early 20th century for predominance among Orthodox Christians in then Ottoman-held Macedonia. Two short wars were then fought in 1912 and 1913 between the Balkan states and the Ottoman Empire to end six centuries of rule from Istanbul, with atrocities committed by both sides. "This land has been watered with blood," says a 22-year-old Psarades local, who declined to give her name. "Our grandfathers talk about the past and cry," says this Greek woman. The deal, brokered after months of intensive talks, is touted as a vital step for stability and economic development in the Balkans. "Signing the deal will mean opening the border soon I guess. It means a lot, for us it is a huge thing," says Bosko Dimovski, a 60-year-old from Dolno Dupeni, the first village on the Macedonian side of the border. Story continues "This used to be one of the richest regions in the Balkans, and after the border was closed it became one of the poorest. Imagine what (the deal) will mean, just for the flow of people... local business, revival of tourism," says Dimovski, who runs a beach bar just 50 metres from the border. Greek Foreign Minister Nikos Kotzias and Nikola Dimitrov of Macedonia will sign the historic accord, with Prime Ministers Alexis Tsipras and Zoran Zaev in attendance, joined by officials from the United Nations and the European Union, who have welcomed the move. Once ratified by the countries' respective parliaments and confirmed by a referendum in Macedonia by the end of the year, the agreement will also enable the landlocked state to eventually join the European Union and NATO. strs/jph/bmm Zachary Keck Security, North America The weaponization of space is inevitable, but theres still time to make it as peaceful as possible. Space Is Truly the Final Frontier (For the Next Great War) The weaponization of space is inevitable, but theres still time to make it as peaceful as possible. Those are the major conclusions that can be taken from a new study by Brian Chow published in Strategic Studies Quarterly, the strategic journal of the United States Air Force. Chow is formerly a senior physical scientist for twenty-five years at the RAND Corporation and described the inevitability of space weaponization in his article Space Arms Control: A Hybrid Approach." He argues that this will be the result of spacecraft that can remove debris and service existing satellites. These dual-use spacecraft are necessary for peaceful space activities. However, they can be quickly refashioned for military purposeswith devastating consequences. The first type of dual-use spacecraftcalled active debris removal (ADR)are designed to deal with the rapidly growing problem of space debris. One preliminary ADR example came from China in June 2016 when it launched the "Aolong-1" spacecraft, which was a demonstrator device. These ADR spacecraftwhich are also being developed by the United States, European Union, and Russia can retrieve debris floating in space. Then, the ADR spacecraft bring the debris down to re-enter the atmosphere, destroying it by the intense frictional heat. Alternatively, they can also instead place the debris in graveyard orbits to reduce the probability of colliding with operational satellites. Recommended: How an Old F-15 Might Kill Russias New Stealth Fighter Recommended: How China Plans to Win a War Against the U.S. Navy Recommended: How the Air Force Would Destroy North Korea ADR spacecraft are unavoidable given the growing nature of the space debris problem. Previous estimates have suggested that starting in 2020 the world would need to remove an average of five massive objects (such as decommissioned satellites and derelict rockets) from low earth orbit (LEO) each year to deal with the problem. Others have estimated that the number is closer to ten that will need removal. However, as Chow points out, these estimates fail to consider the massive expansion in the number of LEO satellites entering space. As of August 31, 2017, only 1,071 LEO satellites were orbiting the earth. Over the next decade, however, between 14,000 and 16,000 additional LEOs are expected to be launched. This makes the space debris problem more difficult, and debris removal spacecraft that much more important. Story continues The problem is that the same spacecraft that can remove debris can also be used as space stalkers. Space stalkers, as Chow previously described them, "could be placed on orbit in peacetime and maneuvered to tailgate U.S. satellites during a crisis. At a moment's notice, they could simultaneously attack multiple critical satellites from such close proximity that the United States would not have time to prevent damage." Since ADR spacecraft are designed to get close to and remove debris, they necessarily have the capability to get close to and snatch essential satellites that U.S. military relies on. Additionally, ADR spacecraft are not the only dual-use problem. Many of the same countries developing ADR capabilities are also building maintenance spacecraft. These spacecraftcalled on-orbit servicing (OOS)also maneuver themselves to be in physical contact with satellites to perform any number of maintenance tasks. These tasks include, "high-resolution inspection; correction of some types of mechanical anomalies, such as solar array and antenna deployment malfunctions; relocation and other orbital maneuvers; installation of attachable payloads to enable upgrades or new capabilities; and refueling to extend the service life of satellites." Once again, the issue is that these OOS spacecraft can be quickly repurposed to take out critical satellites during a crisis or conflict. In fact, these OOS spacecraft are even better space stalkers than ADR ones because they have more advanced rendezvous and robotic capabilities. This is not some distant problem. Chow notes that the first ADR and OOS spacecraft are likely to become operational sometime in the early part of the next decade. In effect, he writes, weaponization of space will happen by default in the early 2020s and beyond and will be unavoidable and irreversible. It will only grow worse with time as more countries launch ADR and OOS spacecraft and their capabilities for rendezvous and proximity operations improve. The current space control treaty is unable to deal with this emerging threat. This treaty prohibits parties from placing weapons of mass destruction into orbit, which is important but does not deal with the growing conventional threat. Even the different proposals being floated by countries like China and Russia are unable to deal with the space stalker problem because it comes from dual-use spacecraft. A distinction between ADR and OOS spacecraft on the one hand, and space weapons on the other, cannot be made. Moreover, a ban on ADR and OOS spacecraft is not feasible. So how can the world proceed? Chow proposes a hybrid space treaty that takes the best from previous approaches and updates it to deal with the dual-use challenge. To deal with the latter, Chow argues that "space stalkers can be controlled by prohibiting them from being simultaneously placed too close to and threatening another country's satellites." An example would be that countries agree not to place any satellite within a certain distance (0.2 degrees in longitude or inclination, for instance) to another country's geosynchronous Earth orbit (GEO) satellites. If a country did move too many satellites too close, "the defender would also have the right to exercise self-defense as a last resort even before an actual attack." This would require recognizing the right to preemptive self-defense in space. In a SpaceNews commentary, Chow points out that President Trumps America First National Space Strategy unveiled on March 23 declares a new self-defense doctrine, which is based on counter threats and is different from those of the Obama administration and its predecessors. Chow observes that countering threats means we have the right to exercise self-defense when the threat is imminent but before the attack has occurred. Most importantly, preemptive self-defense proposed by Chow almost three years ago is consistent with Trumps new doctrine, emphasizing the timeliness and relevance of considering Chows analyses and recommendations. Finally, the benefits of this hybrid approach are that it allows for verification (simply by verifying where the satellites are positioned) while allowing for ADR and OOS spacecraft to perform their important peacetime missions (although Chow is also in favor of agreeing on limits to the number of ADR and OOS spacecraft in orbit at any given time). Chow also believes, given their current plans for space operations and goals of space arms control, this hybrid approach could get buy-in from China, Russia, and the United States. However, if Moscow and Beijing refused to go along, the United States would have no choice but to switch to unilateral space arms control measures to ensure space security and stability. In sum, Chow should be commended not only for identifying an underappreciated but immensely important challenge. He also takes the much rarer step of proposing a sensible solution. Space planners can use his new study as a point of departure in meeting this urgent challenge of keeping peace in an increasingly weaponized space. Zachary Keck (@ZacharyKeck) is the Wohlstetter Public Affairs Fellow at the Nonproliferation Policy Education Center. Image: Wikimedia Commons Read full article By Costas Pitas LONDON (Reuters) - The voice of Stephen Hawking was beamed into space with a message of peace and hope on Friday as the British physicist, who gained international acclaim for his work on black holes, was laid to rest during a service at London's Westminster Abbey. The wheelchair-bound scientist who died in March aged 76 after a lifetime spent probing the origins of the universe, suffered from motor neurone disease which forced him to use an electronic voice synthesiser. His ashes were interred between major British scientific figures Isaac Newton and Charles Darwin at the abbey, a 1,000-year-old location made famous worldwide for generations of royal coronations, weddings and funerals. Members of the public from over 100 countries, selected by a ballot, joined friends and family for the service which included a reading from actor Benedict Cumberbatch, who played Hawking in a 2004 BBC film. The physicist's voice set to a piece by Greek electronic music composer Vangelis, who created the soundtrack for the 1981 film Chariots of Fire, was sent from the European Space Agency's Cebreros station in Spain. The sound was beamed towards the nearest black hole, 1A 0620-00, which lives in a binary system with a fairly ordinary orange dwarf star, his daughter Lucy Hawking said in a statement. "It is a message of peace and hope, about unity and the need for us to live together in harmony on this planet," she said. "This is a beautiful and symbolic gesture that creates a link between our father's presence on this planet, his wish to go into space and his explorations of the universe in his mind." Hawking will rest between Newton, who formulated the law of universal gravitation and laid the foundations of modern mathematics and Darwin, whose theory of evolution was one of the most far-reaching scientific breakthroughs of all time. Interment inside Westminster Abbey is a rarely bestowed honour. The most recent burials of scientists there were those of Ernest Rutherford, a pioneer of nuclear physics, in 1937, and of Joseph John Thomson, who discovered electrons, in 1940. Around 25,000 people applied to attend the Service of Thanksgiving, according to the Hawking family. (Editing by Stephen Addison) Kano (Nigeria) (AFP) - Suspected Boko Haram jihadists using young girls as suicide bombers killed 31 people in an attack on a town in northeast Nigeria, a local official and a militia leader told AFP on Sunday. Blasts ripped through the town of Damboa in Borno state on Saturday evening targeting people returning from celebrating the Eid al-Fitr holiday, in an attack bearing all the hallmarks of Boko Haram. Following the suicide bombings, the jihadists fired rocket-propelled grenades into the crowds that had gathered at the scene of the attacks, driving the number of casualties higher. "There were two suicide attacks and rocket-propelled grenade explosions in Damboa last night which killed 31 people and left several others injured," said local militia leader Babakura Kolo. The suicide bombers detonated their explosives in Shuwari and nearby Abachari neighbourhoods in the town around 10:45 pm (2145GMT), killing six residents, said Kolo, speaking from the state capital Maiduguri, which is 88 kilometres (55 miles) from the town. "No one needs to be told this is the work of Boko Haram," Kolo said. A local government official, who spoke on the condition of anonymity, confirmed the death toll. "Most of the casualties were from the rocket projectiles fired from outside the town" after the bombings, he said. "It was later realised the suicide attacks were carried out by six underage girls whose decapitated heads were found at the scene by rescue teams. They were between seven and 10 years, from their looks," said the official. The gruesome attack is the latest example of Boko Haram's continued threat to Nigeria and the Lake Chad region, said Ryan Cummings, Africa analyst at the Signal Risk consultancy in South Africa. "Boko Haram still maintains both the intent and operational capacity to launch mass casualty attacks in parts of northeastern Nigeria," Cummings said, despite the government's repeated claims that the group is on the back foot. Story continues The use of the rockets is "particularly conspicuous," Cummings said, as it "indicates that the sect continues to have access to military-grade weaponry." "The Boko Haram insurgency is not showing any immediate signs of easing," said Cummings. - Suicide bombings - The jihadist group has regularly deployed suicide bombers -- many of them young girls -- in mosques, markets and camps housing people displaced by the nine-year insurgency. On May 1 at least 86 people were killed in twin suicide blasts targeting a mosque and a nearby market in the town of Mubi in neighbouring Adamawa state. The attacks have devastated Nigeria's northeast, one of the country's poorest regions where illiteracy and unemployment are rampant. Seeking purpose and money, disillusioned and jobless young men have turned to the radical Islam of Boko Haram, which decries Western colonialism and the modern Nigerian state. In their quest to carve out a caliphate, the jihadists have razed towns to the ground, kidnapped women and children and slaughtered thousands of others, putting many more on the brink of starvation. Nigerian President Muhammadu Buhari came into power in 2015 vowing to stamp out Boko Haram, but the jihadists continue to stage frequent attacks, targeting both civilians and security forces. The militants stormed the Government Girls Technical College in Dapchi on February 19, seizing over 100 schoolgirls in a carbon copy of the abduction in Chibok in 2014 that caused global outrage. The deadly violence has put Buhari under pressure as elections approach in February next year. Along with Boko Haram, Buhari faces the continued threat of militants in the oil-rich south, separatists in the southeast and an upsurge in communal violence in the country's central region. Kabul (AFP) - The Taliban refused to extend their ceasefire beyond Sunday night, dampening hopes for peace after jubilant scenes over the Eid holidays in Afghanistan. The announcement came after a suicide attack in the restive eastern part of the country on Sunday killed at least 18 people in a crowd celebrating the Muslim holiday, the second assault in as many days to mar the unprecedented ceasefire. Kabul extended its ceasefire with the Taliban by 10 days but said security forces would defend themselves if attacked, a spokesman for President Ashraf Ghani tweeted. The Afghan leader also requested the militant group halt hostilities but the Taliban said fighting would resume. "The ceasefire ends tonight and our operations will begin, inshallah (God willing). We have no intention to extend the ceasefire," Zabihullah Mujahid, the group's spokesman, told AFP in a WhatsApp message. He made no reference to Ghani's announcement. The announcement has raised concern among some Afghans over the number of Taliban who have taken advantage of the ceasefire to enter cities around the country, including the capital Kabul, and may still be there when the truce ends. The Islamic State group, which was not part of the truce, claimed it had carried out its second suicide attack in two days in the province of Nangarhar. Provincial health director Najibullah Kamawal put the toll from Sunday's blast in Jalalabad city, outside the office of the Nangarhar provincial governor, at 18 dead and 49 wounded. "Some of the wounded are in a serious condition," Kamawal added, suggesting the death toll could rise. The governor's spokesman, Attaullah Khogyani, put the death toll slightly higher at 19. He said a bomber on foot blew himself up among a crowd of Taliban fighters, local elders and civilians leaving the governor's compound after attending a special event for Eid. On Saturday, a suicide assault on a gathering of Taliban, security forces and civilians in the province killed at least 36 people and wounded 65, Kamawal told AFP. Story continues The Islamic State's Afghanistan franchise, which is particularly active in the east, claimed responsibility for that attack. The group has killed hundreds of people in multiple attacks across the country since it first emerged in the region in 2014. It has also fought the Taliban in some areas. - No surprises - The first formal nationwide ceasefire since the 2001 US invasion had been widely welcomed across the country as Afghans -- Taliban, security forces and civilians -- celebrated Eid, the holiday that caps the fasting month of Ramadan. Taliban fighters and security forces embraced and took selfies with each other over the first two days of the Muslim holiday. Civilians also flocked to greet the militants, who had left their posts or areas under their control to celebrate the halt in hostilities, fuelling hopes among war-weary Afghans that peace was possible. Ghani's extension of the government's eight-day ceasefire, which had been due to expire Tuesday night, drew immediate international support and calls for the Taliban to follow suit. The Taliban had agreed to a truce but only for the first three days of Eid, which started Friday, promising not to attack Afghan soldiers or police. They would, however, continue attacking US-led NATO troops. Adding to unease among ordinary Afghans, who have borne the brunt of the nearly 17-year war, is the number of Taliban fighters now inside cities around the country. "Seeing all the strange face(s) on the streets of Kabul, I am concerned. I hope there is not deception at work," Mohammad Saber wrote on Facebook. A user who went by the name Kargar posted: "There is word that hundreds of Taliban fighters have come to Kabul, but only a small number have left. Can Kabul police guarantee our security?" Before the Taliban's ceasefire had even started, analysts had expressed cautious optimism that the truces, if successful, could help build trust between the government and the Taliban and lay the groundwork for peace talks. But it was clear that not everyone in the Taliban approved of the bonhomie between their fighters and security forces. Following Saturday's attack, the Taliban ordered their fighters to avoid gatherings of security forces and civilians, ostensibly to avoid further civilian casualties. "The enemy has misused the ceasefire issue and there is a chance of more such bad incidents happening," the group's spokesman Mujahid said in an earlier message. But some Taliban commanders also told AFP they disapproved of their fighters visiting government-controlled areas and celebrating with police and troops. The Taliban's decision to resume fighting came as no surprise to several Western diplomats in Kabul. "If they extend the ceasefire they will be compelled to talk, which I think the Taliban isn't interested in. They're looking for an outright victory," one diplomat told AFP on condition of anonymity. The government of Venezuela has said 17 people were killed Saturday night at a nightclub brawl in Caracas, Venezuela that led into a stampede, the Associated Press reported. Venezuelas Interior Minister Nestor Reverol said a tear gas device exploded inside the Los Cotorros club, where a fight also broke out during a graduation party of about 500 people, Reuters UK reported. The device went off around 3 a.m. during the fight and caused a stampede of people running to the exit, the Interior Minister said on state TV, according to Reuters UK. The government of the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela, led by President Nicolas Maduro, deplores this unfortunate event. We send our condolences to the families, Reverol said. Trending: Colombia Presidential Election Results: Meet Ivan Duque, The Conservative Who Rose To Power 975533800 Carlos Becerra/Bloomberg via Getty Images Noris Villanueva, an autopsy assistant at the local Perez Carreno Hospital, said eight people suffocated to death from the gas. It is still unknown how the other six people died, Villanueva told Reuters. Eight of those people who died were under the age of 18-years-old and another five people remain injured, according to Reverol. Authorities have arrested seven people and the investigation is still ongoing, Reverol said. The AP reported that the owner of the club has also been arrested, as well as the person who supposedly set off the tear gas device. Don't miss: World of Warcraft Exclusive Classic Server Is Based on Patch 1.12 Homicide rates in Venezuela have risen due to the countrys political and economic troubles. In a 2018 crime and safety report by the United States Department of State Bureau of Diplomatic Security (OSAC) gave Caracas a level 3 travel advisory, which means those thinking about visiting the country should reconsider. Story continues The U.S. Department of State has assessed Caracas as being a CRITICAL-threat location for crime directed at or affecting official U.S. government interests, the report states. Most popular: Octopath Traveler Prologue Demo Available on Switch eShop In 2017, Caracas was listed as the number one dangerous cities in the world, according to the Citizens Council for Public Security and Criminal Justice listed in the OSAC report. The Venezuelan NGO Observatory of Violence (OVV) also listed Venezuela second as the most murderous nation, right behind El Salvador, the OSAC report stated. This is a developing story and will be updated as more information becomes available. This article was first written by Newsweek More from Newsweek China unveils own set of levies of similar size and intensity Trump calls USs trade relationship with China no longer sustainable A crane loads shipping containers on to a vessel at the Port of Savannah in Georgia. Photograph: Stephen B Morton/AP China has accused the United States of igniting a trade war, firing back against Donald Trumps move to slap tariffs on tens of billions of dollars in Chinese imports. Trump announced a 25% tariff on $50bn of Chinese goods on Friday, prompting China to retaliate with a similar-sized set of levies, and calling on other countries to take collective action against the US. The moves, after a long war of words, increase the possibility of a full trade war between the worlds two leading economies. In a statement, the White House said the tariffs would apply to goods that contain industrially significant technologies. The administration warned it would pursue further levies if China retaliates. Trump said the USs trade relationship with China was no longer sustainable. My great friendship with President Xi [Jinping] of China and our countrys relationship with China are both very important to me, said Trump. Trade between our nations, however, has been very unfair, for a very long time. The United States can no longer tolerate losing our technology and intellectual property through unfair economic practices. China hit back with 25% tariffs on $50bn-worth of US goods, including agricultural produce, autos and seafood. In a statement on its website, the Chinese commerce ministry said: China is unwilling to have a trade war, but the Chinese side has no choice but to strongly oppose this, due to the United States myopic behaviour that will harm both parties. The measures harm the interests of both countries and disrupt world trade, the statement said, adding: We will immediately introduce tariff measures of the same scale and strength. All the results from the negotiations previously reached by the two parties will be invalid. It also called on other countries to take collective action against this outdated and backwards behaviour. Story continues It is deeply regrettable that in disregard of the consensus between the two sides, the US has demonstrated flip-flops and ignited a trade war, the ministry said. A list of targeted products issued on Friday by the US Trade Representatives Office (USTR) focuses on products that contribute to Chinas Made in China 2025 initiative Beijings ambitious plan to upgrade its manufacturing and technology base and grow its own pharmaceutical sector. The plan, which relies heavily on state subsidies, has called an existential threat to US technological leadership, by the Council of Foreign Relations thinktank. Critics charge it relies on the theft of intellectual property and unfair trade practices by the Chinese, and the White House trade adviser, Peter Navarro, a persistent critic of China, has called it a plan to dominate every single emerging industry of the future. Made in China 2025 was mentioned 100 times in the USTRs March report on Chinas trade practices, which formed the basis for Fridays announcement and was highly critical of China. USTR said $34bn worth of imports from China in aerospace, automobiles, communications tech, new materials and robotics would be subject to tariffs from 6 July. Another $16bn of imports are undergoing further review. Trump met his top trade advisers on Thursday to decide when to activate the tariffs, which come as relations with other major trading partners, Canada, the EU and Mexico, have worsened following a fractious meeting of the G7 leaders. Earlier this week, Trump told Fox News he was very strongly clamping down on trade with China. Speaking to Fox & Friends on Friday, he said: Were getting on great with China, probably until this morning because we just did a big tariff on China, but thats OK because I have a wonderful relationship with President Xi. Well all work it out. He understands its unfair. They cant believe they got away with it for so long. They cant believe it. They got away with it for 25 years. Im not just blaming Obama Im blaming many presidents and leaders. It shouldve never happened. The move is aimed at cutting the US trade deficit with China. China attempted to lessen the levies earlier this month by offering to purchase about $70bn worth of commodities and manufactured goods. The advisory firm Oxford Economics said the tariffs came at a bad time for the world economy. Oxford Economics calculates that the short-term economic impact of the dispute is likely to be modest, lowering growth by a fraction of a percent in both countries. However, such numbers still matter, and the increased uncertainty and risks will weigh on business confidence and investment, especially cross-border investment. Thus, there will be an impact on growth, in China, the US and elsewhere, at a sensitive time for the global economy, they wrote. The escalating trade spat comes as farmers and others are increasingly concerned about the impact of a trade dispute both with China and the the USs other major trading partners. It comes after a contentious meeting of the G7 world leaders in Canada last week that ended with Canadas prime minister, Justin Trudeau, calling the USs recently imposed tariffs on steel and aluminum insulting to the countries longstanding alliance. In retaliation the US refused to sign a joint communique following the meeting and Navarro said there was a special place in hell for any leader who engaged in bad faith diplomacy with Trump. He later apologised. Rudy Giuliani also renewed his call for an end to Robert Mueller's investigation: REUTERS/Ronen Zvulun Donald Trumps attorney Rudy Giuliani said the president could use his pardon power to ensure the consequences of special counsel Robert Muellers investigation would be cleaned up. When the whole thing is over, things might get cleaned up with some presidential pardons, Mr Giuliani told the New York Daily News. Speaking hours after former Trump campaign manager Paul Manafort was ordered jailed pending his trial on fraud charges brought by Mr Mueller, Mr Giuliani offered the latest signal that the presidents legal team believes Mr Trump has broad legal authority to respond to an ongoing probe of Russian election interference and potential ties to the Trump campaign. The former New York mayor and campaign surrogate said that he did not understand the justification for incarcerating Mr Manafort, who faces charges related to allegations that he concealed the proceeds from political work for foreign entities from the US government (Mr Manafort has pleaded not guilty and denied wrongdoing). A judge ordered Mr Manafort to jail after prosecutors said he had sought to tamper with witnesses. You put a guy in jail if hes trying to kill witnesses, not just talking to witnesses, Mr Giuliani told the News. A Wall Street Journal reporter said Mr Giuliani subsequently walked back his remarks, writing in a text message that Mr Trump will not pardon his associates based on my advice and all our team. Since joining the president's legal team in April Mr Giuliani has faced pushback for his public pronouncements, notably when Mr Trump said last month that Mr Giuliani needed to get his facts straight on a 2016 payout to adult film actress Stormy Daniels. The role of presidential pardons has become a recurring topic of discussion as multiple members of Mr Trumps campaign have been indicted and Mr Muellers team angles for an interview with the president himself. After the publication of a memo from Mr Trumps attorneys that outlined an expansive view of presidential power, Mr Giuliani pushed back on the suggestion that Mr Trump might pardon himself if he were convicted. While he said Mr Trump probably does have the ability to pardon himself, Mr Giuliani said that Mr Trump has not committed any crime necessitating a pardon - and acknowledged it could be politically fatal regardless. Story continues The president of the United States pardoning himself would just be unthinkable, Mr Giuliani said on Meet the Press earlier this month, and it would lead to probably an immediate impeachment. But Mr Trump has shown few qualms about wielding his pardon powers to clear his political allies, including conservative author Dinesh DSouza - who was convicted of violating campaign finance law - and former Maricopa County, Arizona sheriff Joe Arpaio, who was convicted of criminal contempt for disregarding a court order to stop racially profiling suspects. President Trump gives a thumbs-up. (Photo: T.J. Kirkpatrick/Bloomberg via Getty Images) As other politicians prepared for Sunday morning talk shows, President Trump circumvented the traditional press circuit once again by tweeting a blue streak on the North Korea summit and, from his perspective, the medias failure to properly acknowledge his successes. He repeatedly defended the highly publicized meeting in Singapore last week with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un against criticisms that it was primarily a spectacle that yielded few tangible results. Trump said Kim agreed to stop testing nuclear weapons and rockets and to return hostages. Funny how the Fake News, in a coordinated effort with each other, likes to say I gave sooo much to North Korea because I met. Thats because thats all they have to disparage! We got so much for peace in the world, & more is being added in finals. Even got our hostages/remains! Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) June 17, 2018 Trump specifically pushed back against Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., who said on the Senate floor that the summit was more show than substance. To make his point, Schumer used an old Texas phrase all hat, no cattle but got the order wrong hence, all cattle, no hat. Trump, not one to let the mistakes of his opponents slide, quoted the error back to Schumer while defending the summit. Chuck Schumer said the Summit was what the Texans call all cattle and no hat. Thank you Chuck, but are you sure you got that right? No more nuclear testing or rockets flying all over the place, blew up launch sites. Hostages already back, hero remains coming home & much more! Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) June 17, 2018 Trump claimed there was a coordinated effort among news outlets to insist that Trump gave up sooo much in the negotiation process by meeting with Kim, and he said they focus on this point because they have nothing else to criticize. He also elaborated on his proposal for the United States and South Korea to stop running war games in the region, which he called needlessly provocative and expensive when trying to conduct negotiations in good faith. Pyongyang has long asked for an end to the war games, which are joint military exercises to prepare South Korean and American forces for the possibility of actual warfare. Story continues Holding back the war games during the negotiations was my request because they are VERY EXPENSIVE and set a bad light during a good faith negotiation. Also, quite provocative. Can start up immediately if talks break down, which I hope will not happen! Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) June 17, 2018 Trump suggested that the agreement to denuclearize the Korean peninsula is being celebrated throughout Asia and that only political partisans in the United States would rather see this deal fall through than see the president succeed even if it saves millions of lives. The denuclearization deal with North Korea is being praised and celebrated all over Asia. They are so happy! Over here, in our country, some people would rather see this historic deal fail than give Trump a win, even if it does save potentially millions & millions of lives! Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) June 17, 2018 Throughout the morning tweets, Trump boasted about how well the economy has been doing under his watch, claimed that he has a wonderful relationship with German Chancellor Angela Merkel despite news coverage, and reiterated his accusation that Robert Muellers investigation into Russian interference in the 2016 presidential election is a witch hunt. Read more from Yahoo News: President Donald Trump tweeted Saturday morning to praise his Republican supporters and disparage Democrats, calling them good at only three things: High Taxes, High Crime and Obstruction. The president, upset about press coverage around his administrations policy to separate migrant children from their parents at the Southern border tweeted that, Democrats can fix their forced family breakup at the Border by working with Republicans on new legislation, for a change! This is why we need more Republicans elected in November. Trending: Colombia Presidential Election Results: Meet Ivan Duque, The Conservative Who Rose To Power A few moments later, the president added a follow-up tweet praising his own supporters. My supporters are the smartest, strongest, most hard working and most loyal that we have seen in our countries [sic] history, he wrote. It is a beautiful thing to watch as we win elections and gather support from all over the country. As we get stronger, so does our country. Best numbers ever! The series of tweets revealed that Trump views the ongoing separations of migrant families as a negotiating tool for tougher immigration policy and funding for a new wall between the United States and Mexico. The Department of Homeland Security confirmed Friday that at least 2,000 children have been separated from their families in the last six weeks. There is currently no reunification process and the president is considering setting up tent cities near El Paso, Texas to hold the minors. Don't miss: World of Warcraft Exclusive Classic Server Is Based on Patch 1.12 A negotiating tool!! Are you kidding me!! This is important, wrote Congressman John Delaney on Twitter. Trump separating children from parents at the border isnt some unintended consequence of principled policy. Its intentionally cruel. All to give Trump a stronger negotiating hand! Truly unconscionable. Story continues Prior to Trump, presidential administrations would typically keep families crossing the border with minors together and issue them a hearing date in immigration court. In a media call held by Homeland Security Friday, the department acknowledged the separation policy would not only continue but would also eventually be ramped up. The goal, Homeland Security explained, is to prosecute 100 percent of adults who enter the United States illegally. "We make decisions based on the ability to detain and the ability of courts to take these cases, but we no longer exempt categories or classes of individuals," a Department of Homeland Security official said on the call. It remains unclear what numbers President Trump is referring to in his praise of his supporters, but the tweets appeared to be a rallying cry for the upcoming Midterm elections. This article was first written by Newsweek More from Newsweek Washington (AFP) - By inflicting tariffs on the steel and aluminum of his allies, and then on tens of billions of dollars in goods from China, US President Donald Trump has quickly moved to fulfill the tough campaign pledges he made on trade. During his first year in office, Trump and his top economic aides made repeated threats and warned that preliminary investigations were launched into whether certain imports were being unjustly subsidized. But no concrete steps were taken. That all changed in March, when the "America First" president went on the offensive. "What happened for a period of time is the president was constrained by different members" of his administration, said Edward Alden, a specialist on US economic competitiveness at the Council on Foreign Relations. "But the president has become increasingly confident in his own judgment on these issues... He is willing to do radical things he promised during his campaign and for many years before that." In its latest move, the White House on Friday announced stiff 25 percent tariffs on Chinese imports, sparking immediate retaliation from Beijing. The move, which Trump justified as payback for the theft of American intellectual property and technology, reignited a trade spat between the world's two largest economies, spooking markets and worrying business leaders. It came on top of the tariffs on Chinese steel and aluminum that went into effect in late March -- measures that prompted Beijing to slap punitive duties on 128 US goods, including pork, wine and certain pipes. Since June 1, steel and aluminum imports from the European Union, Canada and Mexico have been hit with tariffs of 25 percent and 10 percent, respectively. Trump has seemingly opted to go with his gut, sometimes over the protestations of his closest aides. On the metal tariffs, he ignored the warnings of then chief economic advisor Gary Cohn, who was against the move. Cohn has since left the administration. Story continues And though the US and China reached a "consensus" at high-level trade talks led by US Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin in May, Trump did not hesitate to trample on it. China had offered to ramp up purchases of American goods by only $70 billion to help cut the yawning trade imbalance with the United States, whereas Trump had demanded a $200 billion deficit cut. When he didn't get it, he made good on his threat to unleash a raft of tariffs. "It is an extremely dangerous and provocative strategy," says Alden. - 'Significant collateral damage' - Trump and his most hardline advisors -- led by Peter Navarro, who is openly hostile to China -- are convinced that the US will win a trade war. Their argument: Washington's trade partners, especially Beijing, have much more to lose than the United States, given their dependence on selling to the US market. On Friday, the unorthodox Republican president reiterated that he is unafraid of a trade war -- for him, the war is already lost when a country posts a massive trade deficit, so it cannot get worse. In 2017, the US exported $130.4 billion worth of goods to China, the world's second biggest economy. It imported $505.6 billion worth of Chinese goods, according to Commerce Department statistics. Eswar Prasad, a China specialist and professor of trade policy at Cornell University, said that while the overall impact of an open trade war on the two economies "is likely to be modest, there could be significant damage inflicted on specific export-oriented firms and industries caught up in the battle." He added that many sectors of the US economy, from agriculture to aircraft manufacturing, "could suffer significant collateral damage" from a trade war. This week, the director of the International Monetary Fund, Christine Lagarde, issued a warning about protectionism. If there is tit-for-tat retaliation from US trading partners, which they have threatened, there will be "losers on both sides," Lagarde told reporters. The IMF has said for months that the prospect of a sweeping trade war could derail global growth, which struggled after the 2008 financial crisis but is now boosted by the worldwide exchange of goods and services. Washington (AFP) - Donald Trump's personal lawyer on Sunday called for an investigation into special counsel Robert Mueller's Russia probe, claiming it was tainted from the outset under former FBI director James Comey. "We want the Mueller probe to be investigated the way the Trump administration has been investigated," Rudy Giuliani said on CNN's "State of the Union." "This is a case where it's crying out for someone to investigate the investigators," he later told CBS. Giuliani's comments were the latest in a barrage of attacks on the probe by the president and his lawyers as Mueller appears to be nearing a conclusion to his investigation into possible collusion between Trump's campaign and Moscow. "WITCH HUNT! There was no Russian Collusion. Oh, I see, there was no Russian Collusion, so now they look for obstruction on the no Russian Collusion. The phony Russian Collusion was a made up Hoax," Trump tweeted on Sunday. "Too bad they didn't look at Crooked Hillary like this. Double Standard!" he added, referring to his 2016 Democratic presidential rival Hillary Clinton. The Washington Post reported Sunday that Mueller is pressing to wrap up his findings by the end of summer and, in the words of former Republican leader Newt Gingrich, Trump and his allies were "prepared for war." "We want to see if we can have the investigation and special counsel declared illegal and unauthorized," Giuliani, a former New York mayor and federal prosecutor, told the Post in an interview Friday. Mueller has been investigating possible obstruction of justice as well as contacts between Trump campaign officials and a Russian effort to sway the 2016 presidential race in Trump's favor. So far, 20 people have been indicted and at least four are cooperating with Mueller's investigators. The Post reported Sunday that Roger Stone, a onetime Trump advisor, has acknowledged meeting a Russian national who was offering dirt on Clinton in May 2016, but said the man wanted money and nothing came of it. Story continues In his appearance on CNN, Giuliani argued that the Mueller probe was tainted from the start, thanks to Comey. "I believe that the Mueller investigation should be investigated not because necessarily of Mueller but because of its genesis in this very, very now completely almost illegal and unethical probe, this Russian probe," he said. "I'm saying what led up to the special counsel. I don't think Mueller and his people need to be investigated, unless something comes out of that," he said. Trump fired Comey in May last year, later admitting that the Russia probe was on his mind when he did so, which in turn ramped up suspicions of obstruction of justice. - Comey memo - Giuliani argued, however, that the Mueller probe was based on Comey's contemporaneous notes of his private meetings with Trump before his firing, which the lawyer claimed was "illegally leaked." "That usually leads the court to say the thing is tainted. They may come out with a lot of problems if they don't get this resolved," he said. Giuliani also pointed to a Justice Department inspector general's report as vindication of the president's position. That report criticized Comey's decision-making involving a probe into Clinton's use of a private email server. But while it found instances in which FBI investigators expressed bias against Trump in private emails, it concluded there was no evidence that the sentiments played into the investigation itself. In a subsequent interview on Sunday with CBS's "Face The Nation" show, Giuliani said the Mueller probe should face both an internal government investigation by the Justice Department's inspector general and a grand jury probe. Rudy Giuliani doubts president knew about 2016 meeting in which Russian demanded $2m for damaging information Roger Stone, a sometime adviser to Trump, has said he expects Mueller to indict him in order to silence him. Photograph: Joe Raedle/Getty Images Donald Trumps lawyer said on Sunday he doubted the president knew about a newly reported May 2016 meeting between sometime adviser Roger Stone and a Russian offering damaging information about Hillary Clinton, then Trumps rival for the White House. I doubt it, Rudy Giuliani told CNNs State of the Union. I certainly didnt know about it. Its news to me, I just read it here in the Washington Post. The Post reported the meeting on Sunday. It named the Russian as Harry Greenberg, a resident of Florida, and said he demanded $2m for the purported information. Stone, a Republican operative since the Nixon era who at the time of the meeting was not a formal member of the Trump campaign, had denied meeting any Russians in connection with the election. He told the Post he rejected the offer and told Greenberg: You dont understand Donald Trump. He doesnt pay for anything. The Post also reported text messages between Stone and Michael Caputo, then a Trump communications official who arranged the meeting. How crazy is the Russian? Caputo wrote. Noting that Greenberg wanted big money, the Post reported, Stone replied: waste of time. Greenberg described to the Post details of the meeting and conversation which were similar to those provided by Stone. Caputo told the paper he has been asked about the meeting by investigators working for Robert Mueller, the special counsel investigating Russian election interference and alleged collusion between Trump aides and Moscow. Stone has said he expects Mueller to indict him, in order to silence him. On CBSs Face the Nation, Giuliani said: Roger Stone met apparently met with them, I dont know. I havent talked to Roger. Hes never talked to the president about it. So wheres the collusion? And he said it was a waste of time. So yeah, sure there was contact as there was in that meeting. But that meeting led to nothing. This led to nothing. So if anything its proof there was no collusion. Story continues The Post also cited court records it said showed that Greenberg, also known as Henry Oknyansky, has worked as an FBI informant. Nothing, it said, indicated he was working with the FBI at the time of the meeting with Stone. Trump and aides including Giuliani have attacked the FBI over a Department of Justice report into the former director James Comeys handling of the investigation into Clintons use of personal email. The president continued to do so on Sunday. Caputo and Stone claimed to have been framed, the former telling the Post: If you believe that [Greenberg] took time off from his long career as an FBI informant to reach out to us in his spare time, I have a bridge in Brooklyn that I want to sell you. However, Stones investigation of an offer of information occurred shortly after a foreign policy adviser, George Papadopoulos, was told Russians had dirt on Clinton. Shortly after Stones meeting, Donald Trump Jr, Trumps son-in-law Jared Kushner and his then campaign manager Paul Manafort met at Trump Tower in Manhattan with Russians who Trump Jr was told also had such information. A statement dictated by Trump about that meeting and proven to be false has become the focus of speculation about potential obstruction of justice. Speaking to reporters at the White House on Friday, Trump claimed that as the statement was made to the phoney, failing New York Times and not a high tribunal of judges, its lack of veracity was not a problem. Giuliani defended that claim on Sunday. Paul Manafort arrives at court in Washington on Friday. Photograph: AFP Contributor#AFP/Getty Images Papadopoulos is cooperating with Mueller. So is former national security adviser Michael Flynn, who resigned over meetings with a Russian official. Manafort, whose former deputy Rick Gates is also cooperating, was jailed on Friday to await court proceedings over financial charges he denies, after allegations of witness tampering. Speculation continues about the intentions of Michael Cohen, Trumps personal lawyer whose work premises and home were raided by the FBI in a separate case in April, on referral from Mueller. It was reported this week that a law firm representing Cohen will no longer do so and that Cohen, who has not been charged, is considering cooperation. Giuliani told CBS negotiations for an interview between Trump and investigators were continuing, the White House preferring something in writing responded to in writing and it can be under oath. However, he also said: Think weve already agreed that it should be just audio recorded. Any interview would be time-limited too, he said: We think two hours, they probably think four, so lets settle with three. Trumps intentions regarding potential pardons have also been widely discussed. Giuliani told CNN the president was not going to issue pardons in this investigation. And my advice to him, as long as Im his lawyer, is not to do it, he said. Because you just cloud what is becoming now a very clear picture of an extremely unfair investigation with no criminality involved of any kind. That did not mean, Giuliani said, that pardons would not be possible after the Mueller investigation was over. When its over, hey, hes the president of the United States, he said. He retains his pardon power. Nobodys taking that away from him. Trump returned to the issue later, tweeting: WITCH HUNT! There was no Russian Collusion. Oh, I see, there was no Russian Collusion, so now they look for obstruction on the no Russian Collusion. The phony Russian Collusion was a made up Hoax. Too bad they didnt look at Crooked Hillary like this. Double Standard! More succinctly, Giuliani claimed to CBS: Mueller has no evidence of collusion. How about this? There was none. The president of United States did nothing wrong. He was not involved with Russians. They can investigate from here to Timbuktu. Theyre not going to find a darn thing. Administration reverses course after president tells Fox News he wouldnt sign carefully negotiated Republican measure I certainly wouldnt sign the more moderate one, Donald Trump told Fox & Friends Friday morning when discussing two immigration measures. Photograph: Andrew Harnik/AP Hours after Donald Trump plunged congressional Republicans into chaos by declaring his opposition to their carefully negotiated immigration proposal, the White House announced he would support the effort. House Republican leaders had planned to hold votes next week on two immigration measures: a hardline proposal authored by the House judiciary committee chairman, Bob Goodlatte, and a plan touted as a compromise between the moderate and conservative factions of the Republican party. Im looking at both of them, Trump said during an interview with Fox and Friends on Friday morning. I certainly wouldnt sign the more moderate one. But by Friday afternoon the White House had reversed course and said the president supported both measures. The President fully supports both the Goodlatte bill and the House leadership bill, the White House deputy press secretary, Raj Shah, said in a statement. In this mornings interview, he was commenting on the discharge petition in the House, and not the new package. He would sign either the Goodlatte or the leadership bills. The discharge petition refers to an effort led by a group of rebellious Republicans who attempted to circumvent House leadership in an effort to force a series of immigration votes and win protections for young undocumented immigrants known as Dreamers. That rebellion was averted when the House speaker, Paul Ryan, agreed to hold votes next week on the two immigration bills. Trumps commitment to sign either bill should inject new life into the effort that appeared certain to fail without the presidents support. Immigration hardliners prefer the more conservative proposal but had signaled an openness to consider the alternative measure, which strictly adheres to Trumps vision for a sweeping overhaul of the US immigration system. Without the presidents endorsement, that bill almost certainly would not have been able to win over enough conservatives to pass the House. Story continues The presidents morning remarks upended weeks of delicate negotiations between House moderates and conservatives. They had been seeking an agreement linking protections for Dreamers, whose fate is in limbo, with billions of taxpayer dollars for a border wall and new restrictions on legal immigration. On Friday morning, it was unclear if the House still planned to vote on a pair of immigration measures next week. Why are children being separated from their families? In April 2018, the US attorney general, Jeff Sessions, announced a zero tolerance policy under which anyone who crossed the border without legal status would be prosecuted by the justice department. This includes some, but not all, asylum seekers. Because children cant be held in adult detention facilities, they are being separated from their parents. Immigrant advocacy groups, however, say hundreds of families have been separated since at least July 2017. More than 200 child welfare groups, including the American Academy of Pediatrics and the United Nations, said they opposed the practice. What happens to the children? They are supposed to enter the system for processing unaccompanied alien children, which exists primarily to serve children who voluntarily arrive at the border on their own. Unaccompanied alien children are placed in health department custody within 72 hours of being apprehended by border agents. They then wait in shelters for weeks or months at a time as the government searches for parents, relatives or family friends to place them with in the US. This already overstretched system has been thrown into chaos by the new influx of children. Can these children be reunited with their parents? Immigration advocacy groups and attorneys have warned that there is not a clear system in place to reunite families. In one case, attorneys in Texas said they had been given a phone number to help parents locate their children, but it ended up being the number for an immigration enforcement tip line. Advocates for children have said they do not know how to find parents, who are more likely to have important information about why the family is fleeing its home country. And if, for instance, a parent is deported, there is no clear way for them to ensure their child is deported with them. What happened to families before? When an influx of families and unaccompanied children fleeing Central America arrived at the border in 2014, Barack Obamas administration detained families. This was harshly criticized and a federal court in 2015 stopped the government from holding families for months without explanation. Instead, they were released while they waited for their immigration cases to be heard in court. Not everyone shows up for those court dates, leading the Trump administration to condemn what it calls a catch and release program. By Amanda Holpuch Read more As House Republicans scrambled for more details, Trump appeared to encourage the Republican immigration effort, though he did not clearly endorse either plan. Any Immigration Bill MUST HAVE full funding for the Wall, end Catch & Release, Visa Lottery and Chain, and go to Merit Based Immigration. Go for it! WIN! Trump wrote on Twitter. Weeks of negotiations among House Republicans have coincided with painful stories about children being separated from their parents at the US-Mexico border. I hate the children being taken away, Trump told reporters after his interview with Fox. But he again falsely blamed his administrations policy of forcibly removing migrant children from parents on Democrats. Thats the law and thats what the Democrats gave us, he said, adding a claim that the opposition party would not negotiate on immigration because they were afraid of security for our country. There is no such law that requires the government to separate families. The increasing number of families separated at the border is largely the result of the zero tolerance policy, announced by Trumps attorney general, Jeff Sessions, in which migrants entering the US illegally are referred for criminal prosecution. Previously, the US allowed children to remain with their parents by releasing families while they awaited civil deportation proceedings. Now the administration releases the children to relatives or foster care. Republicans touted a provision in their compromise immigration proposal that they said would keep families together by clarifying a 1997 court ruling that prevents undocumented children from being held in custody for long periods. Legal experts and immigration advocates say that would still allow the administration to separate families at the border while the parents await criminal proceedings. The change would allow the administration to reunite parents and children in immigration detention facilities that house families, a controversial practice opposed by Democrats. There is absolutely no provision in here that says families will not be separated, said Kerri Talbot of Immigration Hub. The zero tolerance policy that results in the prosecution for the parent and separation from their child remains in place. The House minority leader, Nancy Pelosi, called the plan to, in effect, offer protection for Dreamers in exchange for funding the wall and new immigration restrictions totally unworthy of America and said the presidents opposition to the measure was an indicator of how low his standards are. US Ambassador to Canada Kelly Craft received a threat in the mail that contained a suspicious white powder just as trade tensions between the two countries are high: REUTERS/Chris Wattie The US Ambassador to Canada received death threats after tensions increased between US President Donald Trump and Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau over the issue of tariffs. Ambassador Kelly Craft received a package containing a death threat and white powder. The package was addressed to the US Embassy in Ottawa, however, it was discovered at her residence. The package came with a note, filled with expletives, that also threatened Mr Trump and his family in addition to Ms Kraft, according to reports. The Secret Service, Ottawa police, and the US Embassy did not publicly addressed the matter or respond immediately to a request for comment. Police are investigating and a test of the powder determined it was not harmful. Mr Trudeau and other officials have reached out and offered support to Ms Kraft and her family. Canadas Minister of Foreign Affairs Chrystia Freeland tweeted that it was wholly unacceptable and that Ms Kraft does an essential and difficult job and Canada respects her service. The pair had just held a meeting regarding US tariffs. 2/2 I also expressed my support for the Ambassador following the wholly unacceptable threat made against her. She does an essential and difficult job and Canada respects her service. @USAmbCanada Chrystia Freeland (@cafreeland) June 15, 2018 The threat, first reported by Bloomberg News, comes as Mr Trump and Mr Trudeau just attended the Group of Seven (G7) summit in Quebec, after which Mr Trump said his Canadian counterpart was dishonest and weak. Mr Trudeau had expressed anger that tariffs had been placed on the longtime US ally and neighbours steel and aluminium under the guise of national security concerns. The US has also placed duties on Canadian softwood lumber and Mr Trump has repeatedly complained that dairy imports are harming the US sector. Story continues In turn, Canada has placed a dollar-for-dollar tariff on US steel, aluminium, and whiskies, Bloomberg reported. Mr Trump had said originally that he would sign on to the joint communique issued after every G7 meeting, but rescinded just before departing for his Singapore summit with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un. Adding fuel to the fire, White House trade adviser Peter Navarro went on Fox News and said there was a special place in hell for Mr Trudeau. He later apologised. Larry Kudlow, Mr Trumps economic adviser, said Canada had kind of stabbed [the US] in the back. The threat also comes at a time when some Canadian politicians have said they will boycott Ms Krafts 4 July celebration in honour of American independence, typically the largest event the envoy hosts annually due to the dispute over tariffs and the ongoing re-negotiations for the North American Free Trade Agreement (Nafta). Multiple people were injured after a roller coaster in Daytona Beach, Florida, derailed on Thursday night, sending two riders plunging over 30 feet to the ground, the Daytona Beach Fire Department confirmed. A total of ten passengers were rescued from the Sand Blaster roller coaster, with six being taken to Halifax Health Medical Center for treatment, the department said on Twitter. At least two of those passengers were ejected from the ride and fell 34 feet before hitting the ground below. The extent of their injuries remains unknown. Footage shared on twitter shows Daytona Beach firefighters working swiftly with a ladder truck to rescue riders who were stuck in the dangling car. Images from the scene: Daytona Beach Fire Department spokeswoman Sasha Staton described the scene as "chaotic." "The riders were very frightened and the firefighters were doing a great job of trying to make sure that everyone stayed calm so the rescue could go off successfully," she told reporters at the scene. The cause of the derailment is currently under investigation. BEIRUT (Reuters) - Syrian state media, citing a military source, reported on Monday that U.S.-led coalition aircraft had bombed "one of our military positions" in eastern Syria, leading to deaths and injuries, but the U.S. military denied carrying out strikes in the area. The strike took place in al-Harra, southeast of Albu Kamal, Syrian state media said. There were no immediate details on casualties. A commander in the military alliance backing Syrian President Bashar al-Assad also told Reuters that drones, "probably American," had bombed positions of Iraqi factions between Albu Kamal and Tanf and Syrian military positions. "No member of the U.S.-led coalition carried out strikes near Albu Kamal," Major Josh Jacques, a U.S. Central Command spokesman, told Reuters. The U.S.-led coalition is supporting an alliance of Syrian Arab and Kurdish militia fighting Islamic State northeast of Albu Kamal. The Syrian army, alongside allied Iran-backed militias including Lebanon's Hezbollah and Iraqi groups, drove Islamic State from Albu Kamal and its environs last year, but the jihadists have since staged attacks in the area. U.S. forces are also based in Tanf, southwest of Albu Kamal in the Syrian desert near the borders of Iraq and Jordan. Last week, Assad said he regarded the United States as an occupying power in Syria and that the position of his state was to "support any act of resistance, whether against terrorists or against occupying forces, regardless of their nationality." (Reporting By Laila Bassam and Angus McDowall, additonal reporting by Idrees Ali in Washington; Editing by Cynthia Osterman and Daniel Wallis) A nuclear deal with North Korea must not replicate these five flaws. According to Pompeo, it will not. There will be in-depth verification of the Norths compliance, the secretary said recently. The United States, he said, has assembled a team of more than 100 experts who will be charged with the task of dismantling North Koreas weapons programs. Any agreement, Pompeo also said, will cover North Koreas chemical and biological weapons program. And he assured that until such time as we get the outcome that were demanding, economic relief is not going to be provided. Finally, Pompeo declared, in contrast to the previous administration, we want to include Congress as a partner in this process. We want our efforts to have broad support with the American people and endure beyond the Trump administration. A treaty would be our preferred way to go. By Ulf Laessing DOMIZ CAMP, Iraq (Reuters) - The world is failing to properly invest in the Syrian refugee crisis and families, women, and children are suffering terribly as a result, U.N. refugee agency special envoy Angelina Jolie said on Sunday. The Hollywood actress was visiting the Domiz Camp, in the semi-autonomous Kurdistan Region of Iraq, which is home to 33,000 Syrian refugees displaced by seven years of civil war. Funding received by the U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) to help refugees from the Syrian conflict fell sharply this year from 2017 when the agency received only 50 percent of the funds it needed, Jolie told a news conference. "There are terrible human consequences. When there is even not the bare minimum of aid, refuge families cannot receive adequate medical treatment. Women and girls are left vulnerable to sexual violence, many children cannot go to school, and we squander the opportunity to invest in refugees," she said. UNCHR will publish figures on Tuesday that show that the number of displaced people globally, and the duration of their exiles, are "the highest they have ever been", she said. "At the same time political solutions seem to be completely lacking leaving a void that humanitarian aid cannot fill. Words like 'unsustainable' don't really paint a picture of how desperate the situation really is," said Jolie. She met families at the camp, including two mothers who are now widows caring for young children after their husbands died from conditions that could have been treated under normal conditions, Jolie said. In 2011, Domiz was a small camp housing tents. Now it is a town complete with concrete houses, shops and fast food stalls. Ahmed Hussein, a refugee father of nine children, one of whom died and five of whom are handicapped, said he and other refugees lacked access to basic treatment and could not find jobs. "I wish Angelina had come to my house to meet my handicapped children who need medical treatment," he said in his makeshift house where he has been living since 2015 when he fled the Syrian town of Qamishli with his family. MOSUL DEVASTATED On Saturday Jolie visited Mosul, the biggest city in northern Iraq, which Iraqi forces took back last year from Islamic State militants, who had occupied the city for three years, forcing 900,000 residents to flee. Jolie met families from western Mosul and walked through bombed out streets, video footage and photos provided by the UNHCR showed. Normality has returned to many parts of Mosul, with displaced residents leaving camps nearby to return home, but reconstruction in the Old City in West Mosul has been slow. It was largely destroyed during a campaign by a 100,000-strong alliance of Iraqi government units, Kurdish Peshmerga fighters and Shi'ite militias backed by air support from a U.S.-led coalition. "This is the worst devastation I have seen in all my years working with UNHCR. People here have lost everything," Jolie said in a U.N. statement. "They are destitute. They have no medicine for their children, and many have no running water or basic services," she said. "I hope there will be a continued commitment to rebuilding and stabilizing the whole of the city. And I call on the international community not to forget Mosul." Jolie has worked for UNHCR since 2001, visiting uprooted civilians from Iraq to Cambodia and Kenya. This was her fifth visit to Iraq, UNHCR said. (Reporting by Ulf Laessing; writing by Ahmed Aboulenein; editing by Jason Neely and Susan Fenton) By Brendan Pierson NEW YORK (Reuters) - Federal prosecutors investigating U.S. President Donald Trump's longtime personal lawyer Michael Cohen have extracted more than 700 pages of messages sent using encrypted programs like WhatsApp and Signal on phones seized from Cohen, according to a court filing on Friday. The prosecutors also said they had reconstructed 16 pages from the contents of a shredding machine taken during raids on Cohen's home, office and hotel room in April. The prosecutors said in their filing in Manhattan federal court that they had turned the materials over to Cohen's lawyers. Prosecutors are investigating Cohen for possible crimes related to his business dealings, a source familiar with the investigation told Reuters in April. He has not been charged. The probe stems in part from a referral by Special Counsel Robert Mueller, who is investigating whether there was any coordination between associates of Trump's 2016 election campaign and Russia. Trump has repeatedly said there was no collusion, and Russia has denied election meddling. Roughly 3.7 million files were seized in the April raids and are being reviewed to determine which ones may be subject to attorney-client privilege. The review is overseen by former federal judge Barbara Jones. At a May 30 court hearing, U.S. District Judge Kimba Wood had given Cohen's and Trump's lawyers until Friday to finish reviewing the documents they had received from prosecutors, which at the time did not include the encrypted messages or shredded papers. Jones recommended in a filing on Friday that the deadline for the entire review be changed to no later than June 25. Lawyers for Cohen and Trump could not immediately be reached for comment. Michael Avenatti, who represents Daniels in separate civil litigation against Cohen and Trump, on Friday tweeted that the encrypted messages and reconstructed documents "could pose a huge problem for Mr. Cohen and ultimately Mr. Trump." Daniels, whose real name is Stephanie Clifford, has said she had sex with Trump in 2006 and that Cohen paid her $130,000 to keep the encounter secret shortly before his election. Cohen has admitted making the payment, but Trump has denied the encounter with Daniels. (Reporting by Brendan Pierson in New York; editing by David Gregorio and Grant McCool) By Estelle Shirbon LONDON (Reuters) - Britain's interior minister used an exceptional power on Saturday to release medicinal cannabis oil that had been confiscated from an epileptic boy who was later hospitalised suffering from seizures. Billy Caldwell, 12, had travelled to Canada with his mother, Charlotte, to get the cannabis oil after Billy's doctor was ordered to stop prescribing it, but when they flew back into London on Monday customs officials confiscated their supplies. The boy was hospitalised on Friday after suffering several seizures. His case has stirred debate on the therapeutic use of cannabis, with politicians from different parties backing the family and campaigners calling for changes to the law. "This morning, I've used an exceptional power as Home Secretary to urgently issue a licence to allow Billy Caldwell to be treated with cannabis oil," the minister, Sajid Javid, said in a statement. "My decision is based on the advice of senior clinicians who have made clear this is a medical emergency." Charlotte Caldwell, who says Billy was free of seizures when he was using the cannabis oil, made a statement to reporters outside Chelsea and Westminster Hospital, where her son was being treated. She called for the law to be changed. "No other family should have to go through this sort of ordeal, travelling halfway around the world to get medication which should be freely available to our desperately ill children," she said. "This is a wake-up call for our country. In the 21st century we need to have a more humane policy, not panic measures. I hope the government reflects upon what happened and what they've put our family through these last few days." The Home Office had previously said that while it was sympathetic to the child's plight, it had a duty to stop banned substances from entering Britain. Under British law, cannabis is listed as a schedule 1 drug, meaning that it is not recognised as having a therapeutic value. Schedule 1 drugs can be used for research purposes and clinical trials, but only under a Home Office licence. Story continues The Caldwell family, who normally live in Northern Ireland, have received support from several members of parliament from different political parties, including Dan Poulter of the ruling Conservative Party. Billy Caldwell had been receiving medicinal cannabis oil on prescription by his family doctor for over a year, but supplies ran out after the Home Office ordered the doctor to stop prescribing it. (Reporting by Estelle Shirbon; Editing by Ros Russell, Larry King) The US and South Korea are reportedly set to halt joint military exercises as early as this week, just days after Donald Trump promised to halt something he said was both costly and very provocative to Kim Jong-un. During his summit with the North Korean leader last week in Singapore, Mr Trump said he wanted to halt the exercises and even suggested he wanted to bring home the 28,000 US troops stationed on the peninsula. Under the circumstances that were negotiating a very comprehensive, complete deal I think its inappropriate to have war games. It is something that [North Korea) very much appreciated, he said. Referring to the cost of the exercises, he added: We fly in bombers from Guam. Thats a long time for these big massive planes to be flying to South Korea to practice and then drop bombs all over the place and then go back to Guam. I know a lot about airplanes. Its very expensive. While some critics of Mr Trump he had given up the concession long demanded by North Korea with nothing in exchange, others said it was worth it to continue to negotiate with Pyongyang. Both South Korea and the US military seemed caught off guard by the announcement, but secretary of state Mike Pompeo subsequently flew to South Korea to brief officials on Mr Trumps summit with Mr Kim. On Sunday, the South Korean news agency Yonhap said an announcement on the exercises suspension was expected to be made this week. It said they would be restarted if North Korea failed to press ahead with its undertaking to work towards denuclearisation. The denuclearization deal with North Korea is being praised and celebrated all over Asia. They are so happy! Over here, in our country, some people would rather see this historic deal fail than give Trump a win, even if it does save potentially millions & millions of lives! Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) June 17, 2018 Holding back the war games during the negotiations was my request because they are VERY EXPENSIVE and set a bad light during a good faith negotiation. Also, quite provocative. Can start up immediately if talks break down, which I hope will not happen, Mr Trump tweeted. Story continues He added: The denuclearisation deal with North Korea is being praised and celebrated all over Asia. They are so happy! Over here, in our country, some people would rather see this historic deal fail than give Trump a win, even if it does save potentially millions & millions of lives. Reuters said that immediately after Mr Trump announcement last Tuesday, US forces in Korea said they had received no guidance on stopping any drills, and South Korean officials said they were trying to figure out which exercises Trump was referring to. However, in a sign Seoul may be open to suspending drills, South Korean President Moon Jae-in said on Thursday that his government would need to be flexible when it came to applying military pressure on North Korea if it was sincere about denuclearisation. Mr Moon said South Korea would carefully consider joint military drills with the United States and he asked his officials to cooperate with the United States on the issue, his office said in a statement at the time. Yonhap also reported on Sunday that during military talks between the two Koreas on Thursday, South Korean officials asked their northern counterparts to relocate artillery 25 miles away from the heavily fortified military demarcation line that divides the two countries. Marseille (AFP) - Two people were hurt in a town in southern France on Sunday when a woman shouting "Allahu akbar" (God is greatest) attacked them in a supermarket with a boxcutter knife, prosecutors said. A customer was struck in the chest during the late-morning assault in La Seyne-sur-Mer, outside the Mediterranean port of Toulon, but the wound is not life-threatening, prosecutor Bernard Marchal told AFP. A woman working at a checkout counter was also cut over her eye. Both casualties were taken to hospital. "It appears to be an isolated case by a person with known psychological problems," Marchal said, "though that doesn't exclude the possibility that she may have been radicalised." "Several witnesses have quoted her as saying it was Allah who told her to do it, that they were all miscreants and that she wanted the police to kill her," the prosecutor said. He added that "contrary to what was said at the start, she was not wearing a veil, but a black tunic over black trousers and black glasses." France has been on high alert following a string of jihadist attacks since early 2015, often by people who have become radicalised or claim to have acted in the name of the Islamic State group. The 24-year-old assailant, who did not have a police record, was overpowered by a customer and two supermarket employees and taken into custody. "I grabbed her wrists to get hold of the cutter," said the customer, an electrician who gave only his first name, Sebastien. "I asked her 'Why did you do it.' She did not answer." The woman "was in a panic, she was afraid, she did not understand what was happening to her, she had no strength left," Sebastien said. Police later searched her home to determine if she had any links to the Islamic State group, but Marchal said they found only an old Koran and an Algerian flag. A computer was seized from the studio where she lived a few kilometres (miles) from the shop. Story continues "We don't yet know if this is a terrorist act, but in any case it was terrifying," Marchal said. The woman, who carried a physical handicap card, would undergo a psychiatric assessment. More than 240 people have been killed in jihadist attacks since the massacre at the Charlie Hebdo satirical magazine in Paris in January 2015. Last month a knifeman shouting "Allahu akbar" killed one person and wounded four others during a Saturday night attack in central Paris. In March, a Franco-Moroccan man shot dead three people, including a policeman, at a supermarket in the southern town of Trebes before being killed by police. He had also killed the passenger of a car he hijacked in nearby Carcassonne. The IAF attacked the vehicle of one of the leaders of the incendiary kites and balloons cells early Sunday morning in the northern Gaza Strip. The IDF Spokesman's Office said the strike was in response to the incendiary and explosive balloons and kites being launched at Israel from the Gaza Strip, and after several warning shots at terror cells responsible for the fires in Israel. Palestinian media, meanwhile, reported the vehicle attacked by the IAF was empty. The IAF attacked the vehicle of one of the leaders of the incendiary kites and balloons cells in the northern Gaza Strip early Sunday morning. Follow Ynetnews on Facebook and Twitter Palestinian media reported the vehicle attacked by the IAF was empty. The IDF Spokesman's Office said the strike was in response to the incendiary and explosive balloons and kites being launched at Israel from the Gaza Strip. "The IDF is determined to continue acting with increasing force against these terror activities for as long as it takes and with a variety of tools. The Hamas terror organization is responsible for everything that happens in and from the Gaza Strip, and it will suffer the consequences." The IAF fired warning shots Saturday at a cell launching incendiary balloons, wounding two of them On Friday, IAF also fired warning shots at a group of Palestinians flying incendiary balloons and kites near the Bureij refugee camp, near the same spot where Israeli jets hit infrastructure a day earlier. The IDF is expected to continue firing warning shots at cells flying incendiary and explosive balloons and kites. If these warnings don't suffice, the IDF might escalate further and carry out direct and accurate strikes against them. The incendiary balloons and kites caused 20 fires in Israeli communities near the Gaza border on Saturday, with the sweltering heat further exacerbating the blazes. No one was hurt in any of the fires, but damage was caused to crops. One fire broke out in the Kissufim area and spread to nearby groves, drawing near an IDF base. Firefighters and security coordinators were able to stop the flames at the last moment. Several months ago, I visited the former countries of Yugoslavia to try to understand what had led to the collapse of the idea of one state with many nationalities living in it. Follow Ynetnews on Facebook and Twitter Yugoslavia was a relatively successful country, with the ethos of a Slavic, Pravoslav, Catholic and Muslim unification. It collapsed into itself in a quick and violent manner which the world had never imagined, and brought to Europefor the first time since World War IIa genocide committed by the Serbs against Muslim Bosnians. The series of reports I filmed for Channel 10 News from there generated responses from all sides of the political spectrum. One of them came from Knesset Member Eitan Cabel (Zionist Union), who asked to talk and told me he was working on a peace plan. From my experience, Cabel is a politician with good intentions, and I was happy to discuss my impressions from Yugoslavia with him. The Abbas era will soon be over, but Israel isnt doing anything about it (Photo: AP) When I saw a recent op-ed he published about his peace plan, which includes an annexation in Area C, I was forced to reach the conclusion that he had not accepted, or had not understood, the bottom line. And this is the bottom line: The senior Serbian officials I spoke to, all self-proclaimed friends of Israel, including Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic, issued a serious warning against a reality of mixing different ethnic-religious populations. Vucic, who has been a right-wing nationalist most of his years in politics and a friend of politicians from the Israeli Right, begged the Israelis to reach a diplomatic solution and divide the land. He wasnt the only one. Again, I stress, these are people who are known to be pro-Israel. Cabel presented a plan seeking to embrace and turn at least 200,000 Palestinians into Israeli citizens, and to create a Balkan territorial reality. Cabel should be given credit, however, for sparking some kind of debate. Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas was discharged from hospital recently, but his era will soon be over, and the clear sign of that isnt his health but rather his recent anti-Semitic speech. There havent been free elections in the Palestinian Authority for years, and the historic confrontation between the two movementsHamas and Fatahhas never been more dangerous. Official Israel isnt dealing with the new era about to arrive. It is mainly addicted to kicking the PAs weakening body. Lets imagine that the world came over to Israel today and said: The West Bank wont get a Palestinian state at this stage, but rather a limited autonomy. It will mainly control the Palestinian city centers, with civilian and police authorities only. It wont have an army or border crossings, and it will establish a police and intelligence force that will cooperate, most of the time, in the war on terror. At the same time, the IDF will have an almost free hand in all of Judea and Samaria, and Israel will keep 60 percent of the territory, including the Jordan Valley, and of course the settlement blocs where it will be able to build. The security situation will be far from perfect, but much better than in most of the years since the first intifada in 1987. As for the permanent solution, well see what happens later on, and the Palestinians' economic situation will improve considerably in any event. If the reality on the ground is pretty good as far as the current government is concerned, what is it doing to maintain it? (Photo: Marc Israel Sellem) Lets assume that the world offered Israel this arrangement today. Sounds pretty good, right? Well, that has been the situation in the West Bank for the past decade. Thats the situation that has been created here. It has to do with a lot of components: With the defeat of the second intifada; with the rise to power of Abbas, who kept the PA away from terror; with the Palestinian force build by the Barack Obama and George W. Bush administrations; with the Palestinian split; etc. Unintentionally, the situation created in the West Bank serves Israel, at least in the short run. In the long run, many people warn, it will lead to a binational state. A Yugoslavian state, which will mean the end of the Jewish and democratic state. Lets cancel this argument for a moment. Lets do the unbelievable and put it aside for a short moment. If we put it aside, there is only one question: Why isnt the Netanyahu government doing everything in its power to maintain the current situation, which serves it in almost every sense? If the goal is a stalemate and status quo, if the desire is to keep pulling an Oslo-style Palestinian autonomy to eternity, Israel should warmly help the PA in every possible way, and even bolster it. Its pretty clear: If the reality on the ground is very bad, Israel should change it, and then the question is how. If the reality is pretty good as far as the current government is concerned, what is it doing to maintain it? These are critical questions ahead of the expected changes in the Palestinian society. The prime ministers son Yair Netanyahu is apparently the one responsible for the controversial tweet from Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's account in support of US President Donald Trump's plans to build a border wall with Mexico in order to stop illegal immigration, testimony gathered by the police indicates. Follow Ynetnews on Facebook and Twitter The tweet, posted in January 2017, enraged the Mexican government, which demanded an apology and summoned Israeli Ambassador in Mexico Jonathan Peled for a reprimand. This isn't the first time allegations emerge that the younger Netanyahu has been behind some of the most controversial political and security decisions made by his father the prime minister. Trump is right...Great idea, tweeted Netanyahu. The America president wasted no time, retweeting the message shortly after. In Mexico, however, the tweet caused an uproar and was labeled as aggressive. According to testimonies gathered by the police, the contentious tweet was posted despite opposition from the prime ministers advisors. Among those who opposed the tweet were Netanyahu's former foreign policy adviser Dr. Jonathan Schachter and current chief of staff Yoav Horowitz, as well as senior advisors Topaz Luk and Jonathan Urichwho is considered Netanyahu's closest advisoryet their objections fell on deaf ears. Eventually the tweet was published, leading to a diplomatic storm. This was an unnecessary tweet, published against the recommendations of all professional advisers, said an inside source. Although it is not criminal, it adds up to yet another questionable decision by Netanyahu, some of which have been security related, added the source. (Photo: Motti Kimchi) During the investigation of prime ministers affairs, police investigators have gained access to differents witness reports detailing Netanyahus decision-making process, indicating that some of the decisions were made under pressure from family members, especially from Yair. Nir Hefetz, a former Netanyahu communications chief and now a state's witness, told police how Yair pressured his father to install metal detectors on The Temple Mount , which led to widescale rioting, and how he encouraged his father to meet and take photos with a security guard who shot dead two people at the Israeli Embassy in Jordanwhich enraged the Jordanian government and king The opinion of the security services was clear, but Bibi went the other way due to pressure at home, especially from Yair, Hefetz said, using the prime minister's nickname. Following Hefetzs testimony, police garthered testimonies from other sources who have been involved in the making of the aforementioned decisions. Responding to the report, Yair Netanyahu said through the familys official spokesperson, It never happened. More fake news. Eleven policemen and five settlers were hurt in clashes during the evacuation of 10 illegal structures in the Tapuach West outpost in the Samaria region of the West Bank on Sunday. Follow Ynetnews on Facebook and Twitter During the evacuation, forces faced other violent forms of resistance from some 20 settler youth, being hit with stones, bleach, sticks, eggs and other objects. Police forces face resistance during evacuation (: ) X Several other youths were clashing with security forces near the buses at the entrance to the outpost. Settlers attack police during the evacuation (Photo: Israel Police) The officers, who were lightly hurt, were treated on the scene and did not require hospitalization. Most of the settler youth who were hurt were in light condition as well, and they were all removed from the area. Six people were arrested on charges of assaulting a police officer and violent rioting. While the settler youth were rioting, the families residing in the illegal structures were evacuating peacefully. Security forces began the evacuation late Saturday night, closing off the area and removing 1,000 settler youths from it in buses. So who pays the tariff? The end user thats us, and we keep paying it as long as that tariff is in place. Given that the price of a product goes up, it probably costs some jobs on both sides of the border as well. If less of a product is sold, the usual result of price increases, less labor is needed, profits are smaller, and staff cuts are inevitable. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Sunday he had a conversation with the Russian President Vladimir Putin and United States Secretary of State Mike Pompeo regarding the situation in Syria. I reiterated our guiding principles regarding Syria. First of all, Iran needs to withdraw from all of Syria. Second, we will take action and are already taking action against efforts to establish a militarily presence by Iran and its proxies in Syria both close to the border and deep inside Syria, asserted the prime minister at the beginning of a cabinet meeting. Whatsapp messages written by Shaul Elovitch, the majority shareholder of the Eurocom Groupwhich owns Bezeq and Walla! Newsrevealed his deep ties with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, both of whom are suspects in Case 4000 Follow Ynetnews on Facebook and Twitter According to a report on Channel Ten, in January 2015, a complementary article on MK Tzipi Livni was published on Walla! News, accompanied by quote from her. Following the publication, Elovitch sent a Whatsapp message to Walla! News CEO Ilan Yeshua, asking him Why are you quoting Tzipi? Its bad for Netanyahu. Yeshua replied that Its impossible to ignore the leaders of other parties and focus only on Netanyahu. I have to mention Tzipi. (: , , ") Elovitch responded, saying But Tzipi doesnt have to approve anything. While he didnt specify what Netanyahu had to approve for him, it's important to note that at the time talks on the purchase of telecommunications giant Bezeq were still ongoing. Case 4000, an investigation conducted by the Israel Police and Israel Securities Authority on the Bezeq-Walla deal, questions whether Netanyahu, during his tenure as communications minister, promoted the financial interests of Elovitch and Bezeq in exchange for a favorable coverage of him and his wife on the Walla! News website. The police and the State Attorneys Office consider the correspondence highly important, and Elovitch was confronted with this evidence in the investigation room. Tzipi Livni said in response, This is another corrupt attempt by Netanyahu to take control of the Israeli media and win the election using non-kosher methods. We saw it happen in real time, me and Herzog even conducted a meeting with Walla! News editors, since it was truly biased, added Livni. Elovitchs attorney Jack Chen said, Were talking about a malicious leak. The false details which have been forwarded to us for a response completely change the meaning of things and take them out of context. Leaking materials from the investigation crosses all the red lines and our right for due process has been trampled over. According to Channel 2 News, in 2014, when the position of the communication minister became available at the end of the year, Elovitch had another problematic outburst. When asked who will be appointed as the next communications minister, Elovitch exclaimed I am a communications minister, a witness told police. In response to this allegation, Elovitchs attorney claimed It never happened. Another malicious leak designed to put pressure on Mr. Elovitch and to destroy the possibility of due process." Jewish artifacts, including ancient parchment torahs from one of the world's oldest synagogues, have gone missing from the Syrian capital amid the tumult of ongoing civil war, with some precious items reportedly surfacing abroad. Follow Ynetnews on Facebook and Twitter Activists say the artifacts, moved from the now-destroyed Jobar Synagogue in Damascus' eastern Ghouta suburb when it was taken by rebels, were allegedly put into safe keeping to avoid theft and damage in 2013, but twice since then local officials have discovered some are missing. The main missing cache, they say, contained torahs written on gazelle leather as well as tapestries and chandeliers, and was given to a militia by a local council for safekeeping when rebels surrendered the neighborhood to government forces earlier this year. That group, the Islamist-inspired Failaq al-Rahman brigade, later said that it was not in possession of the items after the council arrived at a new rebel base in Syria's north after evacuating earlier this year. Another set of objects appears to have been stolen by a Syrian guardian entrusted by the local council to hide the items in his home. The man, who officials involved declined to name, disappeared with the artifacts in 2014 before some allegedly resurfaced in Turkey. Activists say antiquities theft is rife in Syria, and some even cast doubt over whether the missing items, including the valuable torahs, were even original works. "Some of the items that went missing in 2014 and this year have started surfacing now in Turkey," said an activist who lived near the synagogue his whole life until fleeing the area in March after a crushing government offensive. The man, who goes by the name of Hassan al-Dimashqi, said the ensuing government airstrikes and bombardment destroyed most of the synagogue and the surrounding neighborhood, although some of the building's pillars remain standing. The synagogue, also known as Eliyahu Hanavi, is one of the few Jewish places of worship in Syria that was functioning until shortly before conflict began in March 2011. Residents of the neighborhood remember how less than a dozen Jews, most of them over 50, came quietly once a week to pray. Videos and photographs from the synagogue taken before the war show a main hall of arches lined with seats and tapestries. Chandeliers and lanterns hang from the ceiling as well as a marble stone with writing in Arabic, Hebrew and Latin. During a visit by an Associated Press photographer to the synagogue in January 2000, Youssef Jajati, a Jewish community leader in Syria at the time, showed the torahs stored in a silver container inside a cupboard. Al-Dimashqi said that for months after rebels seized the neighborhood in 2013, the synagogue was protected by the main local force in Jobar, known at the time as the Haroun al-Rashid Brigade. Later that year local officials formed a committee that decided to empty the building and hide its contents, he added. Some local officials say the man who disappeared in 2014 reached Europe and the artifacts he took ended up in Israel, according to al-Dimashqi, although his ultimate fate and that of the antiquities remain unknown. The whereabouts of the items entrusted with Failaq al-Rahman have not been verified, although al-Dimashqi and the Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, a war monitor, say some of the pieces, including carpets, chandeliers and historical scripts, have surfaced in Turkey. Turkish state media reported in May that authorities had detained five people in the country's northwest who were trying to sell two old Torahs for 8 million Turkish lira ($1.7 million). It said the manuscripts were written on gazelle leather. Maamoun Abdul-Karim, who until recently was Syria's director-general of antiquities and museums, has publicly urged the Turks to verify the manuscripts' authenticity. In the 1990s, rumors circulated in Damascus that the originals had been stolen, switched with copies, and smuggled to Israel, he added. Failaq al-Rahman has denied having any role in the artifacts' disappearance, challenging accusers to present proof that would show otherwise. Meanwhile two officials from Jobar's Local Council, which had initially organized the hiding away of the artifacts, refused to speak to the AP, fearing for their safety. In the Middle Ages, Syria was home to one of the largest Jewish settlements in the world, with most living in the Damascus area. The community dates back to Elijah's Damascus sojourn nearly 3,000 ago, but Jewish life really blossomed in the city after 1099, when Christian armies conquered Jerusalem in the First Crusade and massacred the city's inhabitants. Historians say 50,000 Jews fled to Damascus, making almost one in three Damascenes Jewish almost overnight. Some became government ministers and advisers, and the community grew to around 100,000 by the turn of the 20th century. Tens of thousands of Jews fled following Israel's creation in 1948, while others held in Syria against their will finally emigrated once they were allowed to when Middle East peace talks began in the 1990s. Syria has accused Israel, with whom it has been in a state of war for 70 years, of stealing the artifacts with the help of Turkey, a more recent enemy. Syria's ambassador to the United Nations, Bashar al-Ja'afari, publicized the accusation with a letter in March, saying the two countries' intelligence services worked with the rebels to smuggle them to Istanbul, where experts confirmed them as "extremely valuable," then New York. Israel denies involvement and accuses Syria of trying to distract world attention away from the civil war, where the Jewish state has intervened with several strikes that have killed Syrian troops. The Ministerial Committee for Legislation approved on Sunday a bill proposal seeking to bar the filming and photography of IDF soldiers, which could completely change the nature of military coverage. Follow Ynetnews on Facebook and Twitter Deputy Attorney General Raz Nizri said during the Ministerial Committee discussion that barring the filming and photography of IDF soldiers would not pass legal scrutiny. "We could go for a more moderate proposal, while drawing the comparison to police officers, but the problem is that it would set a minimum for punishment," Nizri said. "This means there will be no choice but to have criminal record." Under the proposed bill, photos like this would be illegal (Photo: B'Tselem) Defense Minister Avigdor Lieberman, meanwhile, welcomed the advancement of the legislation, writing on Twitter, "IDF soldiers are under attack from within by Israel haters and terror supporters who seek to humiliate, disgrace and harm them. We'll put an end to that." Meretz leader Tamar Zandberg slammed the decision, saying "If the government wants to take care of IDF soldiers so much, perhaps it should start by handling the settlers who dismantle military vehicles, wound police officers and throw stones at soldiers." The legislation will be brought to the Knesset for a preliminary reading on Wednesday. The bill, sponsored by Yisrael Beytenu MK Robert Ilatov and backed by Defense Minister Avigdor Lieberman, targets anyone who documents IDF soldiers on duty and distributes the materials. Defense Minister Avigdor Lieberman (Photo: Motti Kimchi) Under the original version of the bill, offenders could face anywhere between five and ten years in prison if the documentation is found to be "undermining the spirit of IDF soldiers and Israeli citizens" or harming state security. "This decision aims to cover up crimes committed by Israeli soldiers against our people, and to free their hands to commit more crimes," Deputy Palestinian Information Minister Fayez Abu Aitta said. The phrasing of the bill stops short of a blanket ban, aiming instead at "anti-Israeli and pro-Palestinian organizations" which spend "entire days near Israeli soldiers waiting breathlessly for actions that can be documented in a slanted and one-sided way so that soldiers can be smeared". Naming B'Tselem and several other left-wing groups, the bill says many of them are supported by organizations and governments with "a clear anti-Israel agenda" and that the videos are used to harm Israel and national security. The ban would cover social networks as well as traditional media. B'Tselem shrugged off the bill. Attorney General Avichai Mandelblit was able to soften the legislation, setting the punishment from anywhere between two weeks and three years. But even if a more moderate version of the bill is eventually passed into law, it would still limit media coverage in the West Bank and on Israel's borders, as the Israeli media gets photos and videos of many incidents from the Palestinians or from left-wing organizations. Diplomatic officials expressed concern that the attempt to prevent the filming and photography of soldiers in the public sphere in the West Bank could damage to Israel's image. Attorney General Avichai Mandelblit (Photo: Yair Sagi) "We're fighting about Israel's image as a democratic country that acts with transparency, and the initiative to prevent documentation (of soldiers) could present us in the opposite lightas a country that has something to hide," one official said. Despite Mandleblits softening of the punishment stipulated in the bill will be compared to a large extent to the prohibition against disturbing police officers while performing their duties, meaning that the decision to prohibit the use of cameras would be left to the discretion of the soldier, who would be authorized to limit photographers and to remove protesters causing disruptions. The implementation of the bill would depend to large extent on instructions received by soldiers in the field. The vague wording in the current bill will likely have to be brought before the High Court of Justice. However, the bill may not only be applicable to left-wing organizations, which for years have sought to capture violent incidents involving the IDF in the West Bank on camera and disseminated the recordings in a negative light, which supporters of the army say stains its image. Elor Azaria was filmed by B'Tselem shooting dead an already neutralized terrorist who moments earlier had stabbed an IDF soldier. (Photo: Imad Abu Shamsiya) While the bill received Liebermans blessing, officials in the army have yet to state their position. MK Ilatovs office has not rejected the possibility of widening the bill to also include Israeli journalists who regularly cover what is taking place in the various sectors, and it has not yet been made clear whether it will apply to Area A, which is controlled by the Palestinian Authority. At the same time, right-wing activists also often use their cameras to document violent skirmishes with Israeli security forces during court-ordered evacuations of illegal outposts. It remains unclear whether they, too, would be forbidden from using recording the incidents. The majority of photographers at BTselem are Palestinian volunteers who permanently carry a camera. Violent outbreaks, pursuits against terrorists, raids in villages and other IDF operation on the Gaza or Lebanese border are almost invariably filmed live by the Palestinians and foreign photographers. The footage and photographs are then transferred to Arab and international television networks. The videos are then distributed on Facebook and other social media outlets. Yoav Zitun, Shahar Hay, Itamar Eichner, Tova Tzimuki and Attila Somfalvi and Reuters contributed to this story. An American teacher who together with his students shed light on the story of a Polish woman who saved hundreds of Jewish children during the Holocaust has been honored with the award that bears her name. Follow Ynetnews on Facebook and Twitter Irena Sendler and her story were largely unknown until Norman Conard and his high school students in rural Kansas began producing a play about her, Life in a Jar, in 1999 as part of a history project on unsung heroes. The play has since been performed 375 times around the world, movies have been made, schools in Poland and Germany have been named after her and she was nominated for the Nobel Peace prize. Holocaust survivor Irena Sendler (Photo: AP) Polands Culture Ministry and the San Francisco-based Taube Philanthropies presented Conard with the 2018 Irena Sendler Memorial Award in Warsaws Royal Castle. Poland has designated 2018 the Year of Irena Sendler, to mark the 10th anniversary of her death at the age of 98. Culture Minister Piotr Glinski described Sendler as a symbol of the many other brave Poles who risked their lives for others during World War II, many of whose names will never be known. A social worker, Sendler directed an underground network that saved Jewish children by placing them in orphanages, convents and with Christian families. In many cases, the networks volunteers smuggled children out of Warsaws ghetto after convincing parents it was the childrens only chance of survival. Sendler and her collaborators buried the names of the children in jars, hoping to later reunite them with their parents. In most cases the parents were murdered in Treblinka. Though recognized by Yad Vashem in 1965, Sendler was largely unknown before Conard became involved. Polands chief rabbi, Michael Schudrich, said Sendler credited Conard and his students with the recognition she obtained late in life and often referred to the American students as her children. In a chilling coincidence, the Kansas students began researching Sendler on the same daySept. 23, 1999that Sendlers beloved son Adam died of heart failure, Conard said. In letters to the students, Sendler used to address them as my dear and beloved girls, very close to my heart. Conard described Sendler as a woman of courage and humility who always sought to deflect attention from herself. She would want all of her network to be recognized. And she also said that the real heroes were the Jewish parents and grandparents, who were making decisions that no one should have to make, Conard told The Associated Press before the ceremony. Some of the parents refused to give their children up, and when she went back to talk to them again, the children and parents had been taken away on the trains, he said. This is her award, and its to recognize her, said Conard, now the director of the Lowell Milken Center for Unsung Heroes in Fort Scott, Kansas. An IAF aircraft fired warning shots near a cell launching incendiary balloons and kites towards Israel from the southern Gaza Strip. Follow Ynetnews on Facebook and Twitter Four fires broke out Sunday as a result of incendiary kites, with the main entrance to a kibbutz in the Eshkol Regional Council closing because of one of the blazes. Early Sunday morning, the IAF attacked the vehicle of one of the leaders of the incendiary kites and balloons cells in the northern Gaza Strip. Palestinian media reported the vehicle attacked by the IAF was empty. Results of early morning attack on cell leader's car The IDF Spokesman's Office said the strike was in response to the incendiary and explosive balloons and kites being launched at Israel from the Gaza Strip. "In recent days, the IDF warned and carried out several attacks near the cells responsible for the arsons and destruction of lands in Israel. These are terror attacks that endanger the residents of southern Israel," the IDF said in a statement. "The IDF is determined to continue acting with increasing force against these terror activities for as long as it takes and with a variety of tools. The Hamas terror organization is responsible for everything that happens in and from the Gaza Strip, and it will suffer the consequences." The IAF also fired warning shots Saturday at a cell launching incendiary balloons, wounding two of them. IAF attack of cell on Saturday On Friday, IAF also fired warning shots at a group of Palestinians flying incendiary balloons and kites near the Bureij refugee camp, near the same spot where Israeli jets hit infrastructure a day earlier. The IDF is expected to continue firing warning shots at cells flying incendiary and explosive balloons and kites. If these warnings don't suffice, the IDF might escalate further and carry out direct and accurate strikes against them. The Shin Bet, IDF and Israel Police recently exposed a Hamas terror cell operating in the Nablus area which was planning to carry out attacks in the center of Israels main cities, including in Tel Aviv and Jerusalem. Follow Ynetnews on Facebook and Twitter During the investigation that has taken place in recent months, security forces found explosive devices, one of which was considered to be of a significantly high quality, weighing 10kg and which could be detonated remotely. Controlled explosion of materials found by Israeli security forces ( : , ") X In addition, 15kg of explosive materials were also discovered in the terror cells possession, along with other materials required for producing explosives.A firearm and bomb-manufacturing instructions were also found by the Israeli security forces, who disposed of the materials in a controlled explosion. The terror cell had been operating since October last year until its members were arrested at the end of April two months ago. (Photo: IDF Spokesperson's Unit) Consisting of more than 20 terrorists, the majority of the terrorists in the cell were affiliated with Hamas, while some had a long history of taking part in terror activities, including the assembling of explosive materials and bombs. The Shin Bet investigation revealed that the terrorists had conspired to carry out bombings in central cities throughout Israel, including in Tel Aviv and a suicide bombing in the capital. They also planned to bomb the Itamar settlement and commit shooting attacks in the Samaria region of the West Bank. In addition to the central terror cell, security forces uncovered and foiled as part of their investigation another Hamas cell which was plotting to carry out attacks. Two of the Hamas activists from Nablus who headed the main cell were responsible for producing the bombs and attempted to conscript more terrorists into their ranks. They were identified as Mutassem Salem, 35, and Fares Zawidi, 33. An indictment will be submitted against Zawidi in the near future, but Salem has already been charged. (Photo: IDF Spokesperson's Unit) According to his indictment, the idea to carry out the attacks was conceived when Zawidi spoke to a member of the Al-Nusra Front in Syria using the Telegram messenger service. The member is believed to have offered Salem $100,000 to produce a bomb and detonate it next to Israelis or IDF facilities. He is also charged of planning to shoot Israelis, and stands accused of obstructing justice and bringing enemy funds into the West Bank. The exposure of this affair demonstrates, once again, the will and the effort that Hamas invests in terror infrastructure in Judea and Samaria in order to promote serious terror attacks in Israel, a senior Shin Bet official said. The exposure of the infrastructure teaches us about the continued desire by Hamas to carry out terror attacks against Israeli targets, while undermining the relative calm that has been taking effect in recent days, he went on, adding that the security forces will continue to act to prevent all terror-related acts being carried out against Israel (Photo: IDF Spokesperson's Unit) We will continue, together with our partners in the IDF and the Israel Police, to act with determination to preemptively thwart terror infrastructure and the murderous intentions of Hamas and to bring members of the infrastructure to account. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu also issued a statement, saying that the incident illustrated Israels need to maintain security control throughout the West Bank. The Shin Bet, the IDF and the Israel Police thwarted a Hamas terror cell which tried to carry out explosive attacks in Jerusalem and Tel Aviv from Nablus from inside Judea and Samaria, the statement said. Hamas is trying to harm us both from Gaza and from Judea and Samaria. That is the reason that we will continue to maintain security control over the entire area west of the Jordan. South Korea and the United States are expected to announce the suspension of "large-scale" military drills this week, with the provision that they would restart if North Korea failed to keep its promise to denuclearize, news agency Yonhap said on Sunday. Citing an unnamed government source, the South Korean news agency said the suspension was likely to affect only major joint exercises, not more routine military training. US President Donald Trump surprised officials in Seoul and Washington when he pledged to end "war games" after his summit with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un in Singapore last week. Police sappers were called to a home in the moshav of Beit HaGadi in south Israel on Sunday evening after two balloons carrying objects suspected of being incendiary devices landed in a residential backyard tree. Follow Ynetnews on Facebook and Twitter An initial investigation revealed that the objected attached to the balloons, which were likely flown from the Gaza Strip into the moshav near Netivot, were incendiary devices. Incendiary balloon in Netivot moshav X Three more balloons, also affixed with incendiary devices that were flown into Israel from Gaza at around the same time, were found in a tree in the suburbs surrounding the southern city of Sderot. Firefighters and security forces were called to the scene. Shortly after, the IDF announced that Israeli jets had fired warning shots at a group of Palestinians who were flying balloons carrying incendiary devices from south Gaza into Israel. (Photo: Israel Police) Palestinian reports claimed that a military drone had attacked a military outpost belonging to one of the military arms in central Gaza. However, it was not immediately clear whether the report was connected with the same attack. Over the last few hours alone, 17 fires broke out in southern Israel as a result of the incendiary kites and balloons being launched from the Hamas-ruled coastal enclave. Incentiary balloon found in Netivot (Photo: Israel Police) Firefighting services said that three of the fires had erupted in the Kissufim Forest, situated in the northwestern Negev desert, with one breaking out on the Gaza border. By 6:30pm, firefighters had not managed to contain the flames. (Photo: Barel Efraim) Hundreds of turkeys were also said to have choked to death in south Israel due to smoke inhalation caused by the infernos. Earlier, four fires broke out as a result of the kites that have ravaged thousands of acres of Israeli farmland in recent months, with the main entrance to a kibbutz in the Eshkol Regional Council closing because of one of the blazes. (Photo: Israel Police) Also early Sunday morning, the IAF attacked the vehicle of one of the leaders of the incendiary kites and balloons cells in the northern Gaza Strip. Palestinian media reported the vehicle attacked by the IAF was empty. The IDF Spokesman's Office said the strike was in response to the incendiary and explosive balloons and kites being launched at Israel from the Gaza Strip. "In recent days, the IDF warned and carried out several attacks near the cells responsible for the arsons and destruction of lands in Israel. These are terror attacks that endanger the residents of southern Israel," the IDF said in a statement. Fire in Gaza region (Photo: Eshkol Regional Council) "The IDF is determined to continue acting with increasing force against these terror activities for as long as it takes and with a variety of tools. The Hamas terror organization is responsible for everything that happens in and from the Gaza Strip, and it will suffer the consequences." The IAF also fired warning shots Saturday at a cell launching incendiary balloons, wounding two of them. The family of a female Palestinian lawmaker who has been held without charge for nearly a year over security-related offenses says that Israel has extended her detention by four months. Follow Ynetnews on Facebook and Twitter Khalida Jarrar was scheduled to be released on June 30. But her husband, Ghassan, said Sunday that her lawyer was informed of the extension by Israeli authorities. In 2017, the Shin Bet internal security service said Jarrar was arrested, along with a Palestinian activist near the West Bank city of Ramallah, for "promoting terror activities," without elaborating. Khalida Jarrar (Photo: AP) In 2015, she served 15 months after being convicted of incitement to violence and promoting terror activities. Jarrar, a senior member of the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP), was arrested again last year and has remained in administrative detention. The United States, Canada, Australia, and the European Union all have designated the PFLP as a terrorist organization. The group was involved in hijackings and other major attacks in the 1970s. Her husband calls it a political detention. Jarrar, 55, is a popular figure among Palestinians and is known for fiery speeches against Israel. Among other things, Jarrar has called for the kidnapping of Israeli soldiers. "It's also good for young people who are struggling with their identity for us to be a good example, and to let them know we are here for them," Corti said prior to the parade stepping off. The indictment that has been submitted against a ringleader of a Nablus-based Hamas terror cell that was planning to carry out bombings in Jerusalem, Tel Aviv and a West Bank settlement, details how he and his co-conspirators were controlled by an operator in Syria and how they plotted to lure Israeli soldiers to a decoy explosion before detonating a powerful bomb. Follow Ynetnews on Facebook and Twitter Two of the Hamas activists from Nablus who headed the cell were responsible for producing the bombs and attempted to recruit more terrorists into their ranks. They were identified as Mutassem Salem, 35, and Fares Zawidi, 33. An indictment will be submitted against Zawidi in the near future, but Salem has already been charged. (Photo: IDF Spokesperson's Unit) The indictment details how Salem agreed to the proposal offered by an Al-Nusra Front activist in Syria of $100,000 in exchange for carrying out multiple attacks in Israel. The Al-Nusra member then sent him a list of chemicals required for producing a bomb. At a later date, Salem approached another activist who was part of the terror network and convinced him to assist him in preparing the bomb in exchange for money. Shortly after, according to the indictment, the defendant visited a number of pharmacies in Nablus and purchased 40 liters of hydrogen peroxide and 20 liters of acetone. Ten liters of acid that he bought in a site that sells car batteries was then added to the lethal concoction. The chemicals were then given to two other activists who were in on the plot, but when it proved difficult for them to convert them into bombs, Salem gave them to Mahadi al-Qaabia teacher who specialized in chemicals who agreed to help. Last November, the members of the cell, which was headed by Salem, began working on their bombs in a laboratory that was set up in an abandoned building in Nablus. (Photo: IDF Spokesperson's Unit) According to the indictment, the terror cell members began producing a bomb made from chemical substances and Salem was asked to provide Salicylic acid and fertilizer. The terrorists shared files on the internet while searching for information on how to assemble bombs intended to be strapped to explosive belts. In an attempt to avoid surveillance by Israeli cyber security teams, the indictment continues, the cell members copied documents and videos onto a USB stick using codes. Only afterwards, after being aided by their online preparation lists, did they actually begin working on producing the explosives. Moreover, the indictment says that Salem recruited a man in eastern Jerusalem who volunteered to carry out the suicide bombing. Taking extra precaution, he is believed to have used a third party to coordinate with the volunteer, who was asked to proceed with caution. The indictment details how at a later date, the cell decided to recruit another suicide bomber and to obtain firearms (two M-16 machine guns) with the intent of carrying out attacks against other targets. Eventually however, a dispute developed between the members, some of whom insisted that the suicide bombing had to be carried out in Jerusalem or Tel Aviv, while others argued that a Jewish settlement in the West Bank should be the target. (Photo: IDF Spokesperson's Unit) The whole time, the Al-Nusra Front activist continued to issue instructions from Syria and promised to send them all $5,000 in order to add another 25kg of explosive materials to the charges and 300 liters of nitric acid. As the cell was in the middle of planning the attack, the suicide bomber from east Jerusalem decided to back out, leading the terror masterminds to switch up the plan and instead detonate the bomb remotely. According to the new plan, the first bomb that they assembled would be placed next to the Itamar settlement and would be detonated from afar, causing noise only as a decoy. Only when IDF soldiers arrived at the scene would the powerful and lethal explosive be detonated. The indictment says that one of the heads of the terror cell attempted to draw inspiration for the attack by viewing a video and pictures of the terrorists who murdered Rabbi Raziel Shevah at the beginning of the year. A CNN reporter was given a tour of a Palestinian Islamic Jihad terror tunnel in the Gaza Strip, providing the US network with an up-close glimpse into the workings of the subterranean network created in the Hamas-ruled enclave. Follow Ynetnews on Facebook and Twitter We use them as a shield against heavy missiles fired by F-35 and F-16 aircraft, as well as helicopters, so that our fighters can move and play their role to defend the Palestinian people one Islamic Jihad member, Abu Abdallah, tells CNN, with his face covered. Clip from CNN report on Islamic Jihad tunnel ( CNN) X Dont be afraid. God is with you, Abdallah is filmed telling fellow terrorists, before reciting verses from the Qur'an. Ian Lee blindfolded by Islamic Jihad terrorist (Photo: CNN) The reporter, Ian Lee, also gives his impression of the tunnels, which have been dug by terror groups to carry out attacks in Israel and have also proven effective conduits for smuggling arms. Its hot, humid, narrow and low-hanging. It feels claustrophobic Israel has a different name for them: terror tunnels, Lee says in the video that was published on Sunday. The reporter is then blindfolded before being driven on to the next site of his tour. Standing beside a mortar launching system, Lee is briefed by Abdallah. Abu Abdallah (Photo: CNN) Hes telling me this weapons system here has the range of about 4-6 kilometers. It was recently used against Israel, Lee says, before Abdallah is then interviewed again. The world hears the conflict only through Netanyahus voice. We try to make it hear us through the sound of these simple missiles, to say that we are here, we have land, we are human beings. We want to live in dignity, he says. After highlighting a recent incident in which an Israeli kindergarten was struck by one of the projectiles from Gaza , Lee asks Abdallah why his organization targets Israeli civilians. The world needs to know, that the resistance never plans to target children, Abdallah says, later adding that his terror movement receives support from Iran. Israel is proud of its support from the United States, and we are proud of Irans support of the Palestinian resistance on the moral and logistical level. There is nothing wrong with it and it not a secret, he says. Shuva Malka, an 18-year-old high school student who was wounded in a terror stabbing attack in Afula last week, has expressed her gratitude to Israeli security forces and medical teams who helped save her life, and has called on the nation to pray for her. Follow Ynetnews on Facebook and Twitter Thank you to the master of the world who really did give us a huge miracle, the teenager said, bedbound but in upbeat spirit while in HaEmek Medical Center in Afula on Sunday. Malka was stabbed in the northern city of Afula on Monday in what security forces were initially unsure whether it was a terror attack. Shuva Malka (Photo: Gil Nechushtan) The following day, the Shin Bet said in a statement that the suspect, Nur Shinawi of Jenin, had confessed to this involvement in the attack and concluded that it was terror-related. Every second in which I am alive and strong, thank God, is not to be taken for granted at all, said Malka, who was transferred from the intensive care unit following an improvement in her situation. And thank you to the security forces. We have no anger. We are sure that the security forces are capable and that the people are doing all that they can, she said. Shuva Malka with her mother in hospital (Photo: Gil Nechushtan) I feel like this stabbing was not something that is personal to me. It is against the entire people of Israel. It is a reminder that we must move forward, grow from this, work harder and move up a gear. Pray, she urged. The nation of Israel is strong and we have huge strength and that is what will really strengthen me. Thank you to everybody who has supported us, to the medical staff, to my friends and to the entire people of Israel. What a wonderful people, she continued. Professor Doron Kopelman, who manages the surgical ward where Malka is now recovering, described her current medical state and progress. Shinawi and the car he tried to escape in (Photo: Tomer Mazal Tov) Shuva needs to recover from extremely dramatic and critical wounds. There is no threat to life greater than this, he explained. Fortunately for us, she is getting stronger and will be with us for a few more days. I hope that she will be able to return to her regular life shortly. Migdal HaEmek Mayor Eli Barda also delivered his own statement on the matter. We are here to say thank God who saved this girl. Thank God she was saved by the parents and their actions. We are supporting the parents and are praying for Shuva, he told journalists at the hospital. We must thank the security forces who acted swiftly, we must thank the hospital which treated her wonderfully and the people of Israel who are keeping the family strong. She was extremely moved by the love that she received from all the people of Israel, he added. Police officers arrest the terrorist Shinawi was discharged from hospital on Thursday and was taken in for questioning. The stabbing took place at a bus station in the northern city. Shuva managed to take a few steps before collapsing near a cafe in the city center. Shinawi attempted to flee the scene in a taxi after stabbing his victim, but the driver took him back. Attempting to escape once again, this time on foot, the terrorist was shot by the police and arrested. After the Shin Bets announcement that the attack was terror-related, the Israel Police outraged the Malka family by refusing to define it as such. On Tuesday, Shuvas parents demanded that the incident be defined as an attack by the police. Any other reference to downplays and belittles the incident, the girls mother said at the hospital. News Buffalo, New York - Arafat M. Nagi, 47, of Lackawanna, New York, was sentenced to 15 years in prison, to be followed by 15 years of supervised release, for attempting to provide material support and resources to the Islamic State of Iraq and al-Sham (ISIS), a designated foreign terrorist organization. Assistant Attorney General for National Security John C. Demers, U.S. Attorney James P. Kennedy, Jr. for the Western District of New York and Special Agent in Charge Gary Loeffert of the FBIs Buffalo Office made the announcement after sentencing by U.S. District Judge Richard J. Arcara. On Aug. 28, 2014, a community member advised the FBI that the defendant spoke about violent jihad to various people in the Lackawanna community and it was common for Nagi to get into verbal complaints over his jihadi beliefs. Further investigation determined that the defendant pledged allegiance to ISIS and the leader of the terrorist group, Abu Bakr al Bagdadi. Investigators learned that the defendant traveled to Turkey on two occasions, in October 2012 and July 2014, with the intention of meeting with members of ISIS. Prior to traveling to Turkey, the defendant purchased a large number of military combat items, including a tactical vest, army combat shirt, body armor, Shahada Flag, combat boots, backpack, burn kit, a hunting knife, machete and night vision goggles. Once in Turkey, Nagi purchased a SIM card and activated a Turkish cell phone number. Facebook messages showed that the defendant contacted other individuals, who were prepared to help the defendant enter Syria to join ISIS, and exchanged Turkish cell phone numbers. In addition, evidence seized from the defendants electronic devices showed that the defendant, while in Turkey, was researching how to travel from Istanbul to cities close to the Syrian border. During follow up interviews in December 2014 and March 2015, the community member who alerted the FBI regarding Nagis actions stated that the defendant still possessed radical political and religious views. According to the individual, Nagi was angry about the killing of rebels in Yemen which he blamed on the United States; pledged an oath to ISIS leaders; expressed agreement with ISIS tactics, including the killing of innocent men, women and children. The individual further reported that defendant planned to travel to Yemen and Turkey again soon. This case was investigated by the FBI Joint Terrorism Task Force, and assistance was provided by the New York State Attorney Generals Office. The case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Timothy C. Lynch and Joel L. Violanti of the Western District of New York, and Trial Attorney Paul Casey of the National Security Divisions Counterterrorism Section. News Milwaukee, Wisconsin - A Wisconsin man was charged in an indictment Tuesday with the crimes of producing and possessing child pornography and engaging in illicit sexual conduct in a foreign place, announced Acting Assistant Attorney General John P. Cronan of the Justice Departments Criminal Division and U.S. Attorney Matthew D. Krueger of the Eastern District of Wisconsin. Jeffrey H. Ernisse, 61, is currently incarcerated for state offenses related to child exploitation at the Red Granite Correctional Institution in Wisconsin. A grand jury in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Wisconsin indicted Ernisse on two counts of producing child pornography, two counts of producing child pornography outside of the United States, one count of engaging in illicit sexual conduct with a minor in the Philippines and one count of possessing child pornography. According to the indictment, on or about March 10, 2015 and then again, on or about April 7, 2015, Ernisse used a minor to engage in sexually explicit conduct for the purpose of producing child pornography. Between approximately June 17, 2014, and approximately April 11, 2015, Ernisse engaged in illicit sexual conduct with a minor in the Republic of the Philippines. And on or about Dec. 18, 2015, Ernisse possessed child pornography. The charges contained in the indictment are merely allegations. The defendant is presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law. U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcements Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) is investigating this case with the cooperation of the Sheboygan, Wisconsin, Police Department. Trial Attorney William M. Grady of the Criminal Divisions Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section (CEOS) and Assistant U.S. Attorneys Megan J. Paulson and Penelope L. Coblentz of the Eastern District of Wisconsin are prosecuting the case. This investigation is a part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice. Led by U.S. Attorneys Offices and CEOS, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to better locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the Internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims. News Houston, Texas - Weldon Marshall, 43, of Sherman, Texas, was sentenced Wednesday to 41 months in prison, to be followed by one year of supervised release, for unlawfully retaining national defense information. Marshall pleaded guilty on March 5. Assistant Attorney General for National Security John C. Demers and U.S. Attorney Ryan K. Patrick of the Southern District of Texas made the announcement, after sentencing by U.S. District Judge George Hanks. In handing down the sentence, the court noted how Marshall violated an important trust the military had placed in him. From the early 2000s, Marshall unlawfully retained classified items he obtained while serving in the U.S. Navy and while working for a military contractor. Marshall served in the U.S. Navy from approximately January 1999 to January 2004, during which time he had access to highly sensitive classified material, including documents describing U.S. nuclear command, control and communications. Those classified documents, including other highly sensitive documents classified at the Secret level, were downloaded onto a compact disc labeled My Secret TACAMO Stuff. He later unlawfully stored the compact disc in a house he owned in Liverpool, Texas. After he left the Navy, until his arrest in January 2017, Marshall worked for various companies that had contracts with the U.S. Department of Defense. While employed with these companies, Marshall provided information technology services on military bases in Afghanistan where he also had access to classified material. During his employment overseas, and particularly while he was located in Afghanistan, Marshall shipped hard drives to his Liverpool home. The hard drives contained documents and writings classified at the Secret level about flight and ground operations in Afghanistan. Marshall has held a Top Secret security clearance since approximately 2003 and a Secret security clearance since approximately 2002. Previously released on bond, Marshall was taken into custody following the sentencing today where he will remain pending transfer to a U.S. Bureau of Prisons facility to be determined in the near future. The Armys 902d Military Intelligence Group and the FBI conducted the investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorney (AUSA) Alamdar Hamdani and former AUSA Andrew Leuchtmann of the Southern District of Texas prosecuted the case, along with Trial Attorney Matthew Walczewski of the National Security Divisions Counterintelligence and Export Control Section. Border News Arivaca, Arizona - A U.S. Border Patrol agent was injured in the early morning hours of Tuesday, June 12, while investigating sensor activity on foot near Ruby Road and Chimney Canyon, south of Arivaca, Arizona. At approximately 4:30 a.m., the agent called for emergency assistance from his patrol vehicles service radio. Initial indications are that the agent was attacked by an unknown number of assailants, one of whom fired several shots at the agent in close proximity. The agent was struck several times and it is believed that he returned fire. The agent, a 21 year Border Patrol veteran and experienced paramedic, was able to administer self-care and reach his vehicle. Responding agents coordinated his emergency evacuation via air ambulance to a local hospital. The Border Patrol Tactical unit was immediately deployed by Air and Marine aircraft to the area where they located and arrested multiple subjects illegally present in the United States, though it is unknown if the subjects are connected to this incident at this time. This area is characterized as rural and mountainous, with limited infrastructure and technology. The FBI is leading the investigation with the assistance of DHS Office of Inspector General, CBP's Office of Professional Responsibility and the Santa Cruz County Sheriffs Office. If anyone has information believed to be relevant to this incident, please call your local FBI office or report it to tips.fbi.gov Border News San Luis, Arizona - U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers arrested a man in connection to a failed smuggling attempt at Arizonas Port of San Luis. Officers referred a 65-year-old man for additional questioning as he attempted to enter the U.S. from Mexico Sunday afternoon in his Chevy van. Following an alert by a CBP canine to a scent its trained to detect, officers discovered more than 46 pounds of meth, worth more than $138,000, and 2.5 pounds of heroin, worth more than $44,000 from within the vehicles roof. CBP officers seized the drugs and vehicle and the subject was arrested and turned over to U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcements Homeland Security Investigations. Border News Nogales, Arizona - U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers at Arizonas Port of Nogales apprehended a Mexican national in connection with a failed attempt to smuggle cocaine, into the United States Tuesday. Officers working at the Dennis DeConcini Crossing referred a 37-year-old Mexican man who is part of CBPs Secure Electronic Network for Travelers Rapid Inspection (SENTRI) for further inspection of his Ford truck. After a CBP narcotics detection canine alerted to a scent it had been trained to detect, officers removed more than 32 pounds of cocaine, worth almost $364,000 from the spare tire. Officers seized the drugs as well as the vehicle. The mans SENTRI privileges were also revoked. The subject was arrested and then turned over to U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcements Homeland Security Investigations. Hack first led the way to a small conifer just off a sidewalk leading north from the Frick Center. The tree is a yew tree, but unlike other American yews, Hack said. So unusual in fact, that it has been named the Elmhurst yew. Hack said work is continuing to analyze the trees DNA to learn more about its heritage. Border News San Luis, Arizona - U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers arrested a Mexican national, in connection to a failed smuggling attempt amounting to more than 54 pounds of cocaine at Arizonas Port of San Luis Wednesday. Officers referred a 43-year-old Mexican man for additional inspection as he attempted to enter the U.S. from Mexico yesterday morning in his Ford SUV. After an alert to the presence of what it is trained to detect by a CBP canine, officers discovered cocaine within the vehicles dashboard area, worth more than $613,000. CBP officers seized the drugs and vehicle, and the subject was arrested and turned over to U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcements Homeland Security Investigations. Border News Nogales, Arizona - U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers at Arizonas Port of Nogales apprehended a Mexican national involved in connection with a failed attempt to smuggle fentanyl into the United States Thursday. Officers at the Mariposa Crossing referred a 44-year-old Mexican woman for further inspection of her Nissan SUV. A search led to the discovery of nearly 7.5 pounds of fentanyl, worth more than $117,000, inside of a backpack. Officers seized the drugs as well as the vehicle. The subject was arrested and then turned over to U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcements Homeland Security Investigations. Border News San Luis, Arizona - U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers arrested a U.S. citizen Thursday, in connection to an unsuccessful Methamphetamine smuggling attempt resulting in the seizure of nearly 97 pounds at Arizonas Port of San Luis. Officers referred a 28-year-old San Luis, Arizona woman for additional questioning as she attempted to enter the U.S. from Mexico last night in her Jeep SUV. After an alert to the presence of what it is trained to detect by a CBP canine, officers discovered more than 90 packages of meth within the vehicle as well as in the spare tire, worth almost $290,000. CBP officers seized the drugs and vehicle, and the subject was arrested and turned over to U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcements Homeland Security Investigations. Latest News New York - On June 12, Thomas Ressler, 66, of Whitehall, Montana, was sentenced by the U.S. District Court in Helena to serve 36 months in prison for designing dozens of fraudulent solicitations used in an international mail-fraud scheme. On February 22, 2018, Ressler pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit mail fraud. This defendant used his artistic abilities to advance a scheme that defrauded thousands of elderly victims, said Acting Assistant Attorney General Chad Readler, head of the Justice Departments Civil Division. The Department of Justice will continue to hold accountable those who knowingly facilitate fraud against Americas seniors. Ressler created more than 200 fraudulent sweepstakes and prize-notification letters that falsely informed recipients they could claim cash or other valuable prizes by submitting a processing or delivery fee. The letters appeared to come from official-sounding but fictitious entities with names like Cash Payout Disbursement Advisors, Progressive Winners Guarantors, and Vehicle Transport Company. Many of the letters included the name and signature of a purported officer or representative of the fictitious entity. Resslers co-conspirators, Ryan Young and Ercan Barka, used the solicitations Ressler created to perpetrate their large-scale scheme, sending Resslers designed solicitations to victims throughout the United States and numerous foreign countries. Although the solicitations appeared personally directed to each recipient, Barka and Young actually sent them to thousands of recipients identified on mailing lists bought from list brokers and corporate entities. No victim who submitted a fee in response to a solicitation ever received the large cash prize or other valuable items touted in the solicitations. At most, some victims received a report listing unrelated sweepstakes or a worthless piece of jewelry. Ercan Barka and Ryan Young previously pleaded guilty in the Eastern District of New York to conspiracy to commit mail fraud. They are awaiting sentencing. The United States Postal Inspection Service investigated this case. Trial Attorney John W. Burke of the Civil Divisions Consumer Protection Branch is prosecuting it. It was a sea of unexpected reactions as social media users responded to a question posed by dancehall artiste, Shatta Wale, on Facebook. The musician sought to find out where people with strong relationship purchase materials for such bonds. Interpreting his statement from different perspectives, social media users very likely gave him responses he never expected: Shatta Wale Source: Instagram READ ALSO: I am Ghana's spiritual father; I work closely work with the physical president Nana Addo - Bishop Obinim One user asked him to seek answers from his master, Stonebwoy Another recommended cement mixed with something else A third directed him to Togo. Another promised to search for the materials for him. To yet another a particular company could assist him. This user was convinced there were materials available at Chorkor. And this user instead sought to direct his attention to Shatta Michy Another had information available for him with respect to where he last saw her. Shatta Wale is one of Ghana's most popular dancehall artists. The musician shot up to fame in 2004 with his hit single "Bandana from Ghana", which made tremendous hits on the Ghanaian airwaves. His influence with his large fan base makes him one of Ghanas highly favored celebrities READ ALSO: Shatta Wale's curses on Tic Tac coming true? Ghana Trends: How Anas Aremeyaw Anas caused a Stir With Latest Investigation | Yen.com.gh: Do you have a hot story or scandal you would like us to publish on YEN.com.gh? Please contact us on Facebook or Instagram now! Source: Yen.com.gh - The Hare Krishna Movement in Ghana is warning that, Bishop Daniel Obinim is operating with 'demons' - The PRO for Hare Krishna says Obinim's Nimokafrim, Aytfrm are dwarfs and not angels as he claims The Director of Communications for Hare Krishna Movement in Ghana, is warning those mocking self-acclaimed angel, Bishop Daniel Obinim to quit because he has the ability to change their destinies. According to Jnana Chaksus Das, the founder and leader of International Godsway Church, Bishop Obinim is operating with some demons and not the Holy Spirit. The the founder and leader of International Godsway Church was recently in the news for claiming that two of his angels Nimokafrim and Aytfrm had wanted to punish some Ghanaian pastors on his behalf for talking evil about him, but he [Obinim], had to intervene and stop them. Jnana Chaksus Das (Photo credit: Adomonline.com) READ ALSO: Gospel musician OJ reveals why he scrubs the bathroom at home Daniel Obinim who was recently spotted on a video speaking to his congregation, narrated that he was going to a meeting with his angel friends, Nimokafrim and Aytfrm when they revealed to him about their plans to punish the said Ghanaian pastors. But he [Obinim], pleaded with them to abort their plans because he felt they were equally in the same ministry of God. The self-styled Bishop added that he even told his wife about his spiritual encounter he claimed his friends belonged to the Cherubim and the Seraphim group of angels. Daniel Obinims weird video account to his church members stunned many Ghanaians, where he was heavily mocked on various social media platforms. READ ALSO: Sarkodie speaks in latest video; calls on fans to vote for Kwesi Arthur Daniel Obinim (Photo credit: Google Images) However, the Communications Director of Hare Krishna, Jnana Chaksus Das in an interview with Adom FM disclosed that Bishop Obinim is using the name of God as a cover up for his evil deeds. Mr Jnana Chaksus Das explained that, Nimokafrim and Aytfrm are dwarfs with white beard and marble feet and not angels as Obinim claims. Jnana Chaksus Das described as blasphemy Bishop Obinims assertion that he has seen God. The Hare Krishna man buttressing his point with Exodus 33:20 and 1 Timothy 6:16 insisted that, Moses saw Gods form, but didnt see His full glory because no mortal man can see God and live, READ ALSO: Sarkodie is a refined gentleman Ghanaian minister speaks Check out some of the trending news in Ghana in YEN.com.gh's video below: Yen.com.gh is building a platform where Ghanaians can share local news and own experiences with each other. Witnessing an incident? Want to tell about a local problem? Know someone who is extremely talented and needs recognition? Your stories and photos are always welcome. Message us on Facebook or Instagram Source: Yen.com.gh Hotels tend to cluster, she said. The companies do market studies before they consider placing a hotel in a particular location, and can be particular about which of their brands they put near different competitors. The public is entitled to the information, and we're really not trying to withhold it, Morris said. It's just such a daunting task to get it done. Sometimes, if we can isolate a topic or isolate a time frame, we can reduce that mass into something that's manageable. The 21st Shanghai International Film Festival kicked off at the Shanghai Grand Theatre last night with star-studded red carpet signaling its ambition to be the top film fest in the world. In an action plan released by the Shanghai government in April, it clearly stated the local government would help promote the film festival to be one of the top three film festivals in the world within three years, which means it will have to be up to the standard of, or surpass, Cannes, Berlin and the Venice film festivals. With the festivals growing influence, its competition section attracted filmmakers from around the world. According to the organizing committee, a total of 3,447 films from 108 countries and regions were submitted to the festival, among which, 13 films were eventually shortlisted for the finals of the Golden Goblet Awards. "When we enter a new era, the film festival should seize the opportunity to restart itself and became one of the best internationally, working hard to make itself a world-class film culture fest," Shanghai mayor Ying Yong said at the opening ceremony of the festival. Jiang Wen, a predominant Chinese filmmaker and actor, will chair the 7-member jury this year, which includes Chinese actor Chang Chen, Japanese filmmaker Naomi Kawase and American producer David Permut. Two Chinese films, "Ala Changso" by Sonthar Gyal and "Lost, Found" by Lyu Yue, are in the race with other international productions including Florian Gallenberger's "As Green As It Gets"(Germany), Isshin Inudou's "The Cat in Their Arms"(Japan), Ramtin Lavafipour's "Hattrick" (Iran) and Ole Bornedal's "The Way to Mandalay"(Denmark). The awards will be unveiled and handed out at the award ceremony to be held on June 24 in Shanghai. "In 1995, when I first came here, the festival was not as international as what it is today," Jiang said, who has attended the festival five times as director or as actor before being the jury chairman this time, "Today, since we have so many real professional and international fellow jurors, we will try to do our job well." Jiang will also have his classic films specially screened at the festival, including "In the Heat of the Sun," "The Sun Also Rises" and "Let the Bullets Fly," all of which had been sold out. His new film "Hidden Man" will hit Chinese screens in July. For that, he walked twice yesterday on the red carpet, one time as jury chair and again as director and actor for his new film with his cast. Movie fans were star struck by yesterday's red carpet with film stars and filmmakers such as Carina Lau, Li Bingbing, Li Yifeng, Xu Zheng, Tsui Hark, Ning Hao, Yao Chen, Nicolas Cage and Jason Statham appearing in person. But at the opening ceremony, the organizing committee also paid tributes to those who worked behind-the-scenes: Hu Yu'e, a 4K resolution restoration master of old films, Zhang Guohui, a film subtitle translator, and Li Shude, a film poster illustrator invited on stage to receive applause. Director Han Yan's new film "Animal World," starring Li Yifeng, Michael Douglas and Zhou Dongyu, served as the opening film of the festival and received rave reviews yesterday. Zhou said at the opening ceremony that she is really grateful to an era that gives them so much space and so many opportunities. "We will spare no efforts to be the new power and mainstay for the Chinese films," she said. During the festival, more than 500 films of various genres will be exhibited in 45 appointed theaters in Shanghai, including Hirokazu Kore-eda's latest Palme d'Or-winning "Shoplifters," James Cameron's sci-fi blockbuster "Avatar" and 4K high-definition restored version of "2001: A Space Odyssey" by Stanley Kubrick. The festival's first jury chair, the late director Xie Jin, will also be remembered with some of his most famous films to be screened here. Most of film festival screenings have been sold out. To allow fans to get closer to the the festival, more than 100 meet-and-greet events will be held after screenings where filmmakers will appear in person to have exchanges with the audience. Furthermore, 10 major film forums will invite top filmmakers, actors and industry professionals to discuss and share their experience and insights on various subjects regarding the film industry and filmmaking. The 21st Shanghai International Film Festival will be held from June 16 through June 25 in Shanghai. To find trees in the desert, we often have to go up in the mountains. I grew up in the Midwest, so every once in awhile I get a yearning to ... You are here: Business China's securities regulator has approved new IPO applications from two companies, which will raise no more than 1 billion yuan (about 155 million U.S. dollars) in the A-share market. Zhejiang Xinneng Solar Photovoltaic Technology Corporation Limited and Xinjiang East Universe Gas Corporation Limited will be listed on the Shanghai Stock Exchange, according to the China Securities Regulatory Commission (CSRC). The two companies and their underwriters will confirm IPO dates and publish prospectuses following discussions with the exchanges. Under the current IPO system, new shares are subject to approval from the CSRC. China is gradually switching from an approval-based IPO system to one based on registration. China's after-school education service provider Puxin Limited debuted on the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) on Friday, trading under the ticker symbol of "NEW." Puxin priced its initial public offering (IPO) of 7,200,000 American Depositary Shares (ADSs) at 17.00 U.S. dollars per ADS, for a total offering size of 122.4 million dollars, assuming the underwriters do not exercise their option to purchase additional ADSs. Each ADS represents two ordinary shares of the company. The underwriters have been granted an option, exercisable within 30 days from the date of the final prospectus, to purchase up to 1,080,000 additional ADSs at the initial public offering price less the underwriting discount. Puxin said that 70 percent of the proceeds from the IPO will be used for financing potential strategic acquisitions and launch of new schools in China. In addition, 15 percent would be applied to technology systems and online platforms, 10 percent to marketing and 5 percent for working capital and other purposes. Citigroup Global Markets Inc., Deutsche Bank Securities Inc., Barclays Capital Inc., Haitong International Securities Company Limited, and China International Capital Corporation Hong Kong Securities Limited are acting as joint bookrunners for the offering. Puxin started trading at 17.00 dollars per share on Friday, the same as its IPO price, and jumped above 21 dollars apiece around midday. "By listing on the NYSE, we hope Puxin can acquire extra credibility besides the proceeds, as the exchange has a history of more than 220 years, so that the company can attract more talented people to help us develop the business," Peng Wang, chief financial officer of Puxin, told Xinhua after the opening bell. Founded four years ago, the Beijing-based company is now the third-largest education service in China by student enrollments, according to a report by Frost & Sullivan. Puxin had acquired 48 schools and built a nationwide network of 397 learning centers across 35 cities in China as of March 31, 2018, the company said in the prospectus. Puxin's net revenues increased 192 percent to 204.5 million dollars in 2017, and for the three months ended March 31, 2018, its net revenues reached 79 million dollars, an increase of 150 percent from a year ago. The company's net loss was 63.3 million dollars and 56.6 million dollars in 2017 and the first quarter of 2018, respectively. Flash Head of China's top political advisory body Wang Yang paid an official visit to Uganda from Wednesday to Saturday, calling for closer cooperation between the two countries. During his four-day stay in the eastern African country, Wang, chairman of the National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC), met Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni, Speaker of National Assembly of Uganda Rebecca Kadaga and Vice President Edward Kiwanuka Ssekandi, and held talks with Ugandan Prime Minister Ruhakana Rugunda. When meeting Museveni, Wang said Chinese President Xi Jinping and President Museveni have met several times and charted course for the future development of bilateral ties. Wang welcomed Museveni to attend the Beijing Summit of the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation (FOCAC) to be held this September. "As the chairman of the CPPCC National Committee, I paid my first visit to Uganda to implement the important consensus reached by both presidents and promote the development of bilateral ties," Wang said. China is currently striving for the realization of "Two Centenary Goals" under the guidance of the Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era, while Uganda is committed to its national development plan "Uganda Vision 2040," Wang said, calling on both countries to dovetail their development strategies and cooperate under the framework of the FOCAC and the Belt and Road Initiative. Calling China and Africa a community with a shared future and shared interests, Wang said China firmly supports African countries' choices of development paths that are suitable to their national conditions, including that of Uganda. Hailing the traditional deep-rooted friendship between Uganda and China, Museveni said the older generations of Chinese leadership had always stood together with the Ugandan people in the process of anti-colonial struggles and national independence. The 10 cooperation projects announced by Xi during the FOCAC Johannesburg Summit in December 2015 have provided new opportunities for Uganda to realize economic transition and medium- and long-term development, said Museveni. Expressing his satisfaction with the Uganda-China cooperation, Museveni said he looks forward to meeting Xi during the FOCAC Beijing Summit to draw the blueprint for the bright future for Africa-China relations. After the meeting, Wang and Museveni jointly cut the ribbon at a commissioning ceremony of the Kampala-Entebee expressway. Built by a Chinese company, it is Uganda's first-ever national expressway. During his talks with Rugunda, Wang said as a good friend, partner and brother of Uganda, China is glad to see progress achieved by Uganda in various areas, which make it well deserve the title of "Pearl of Africa." China and Uganda have maintained close exchanges of visits and increased mutual trust, understood and supported one other on issues concerning each other's core interests as well as major concerns, Wang said, adding that China is happy to see Uganda play an important role in regional affairs. The economic cooperation between China and Uganda has maintained a robust momentum, with new highlights in the areas of investment and infrastructure construction, he said, calling for more cooperation in areas such as airports, expressways, industrial parks and agriculture so as to lift bilateral ties to a higher level. Hailing the deep friendship between Uganda and China, Rugunda said his country has gained a lot from its cooperation with China. Uganda is willing to continue to learn from China to speed up its economic and social development, said Rugunda. During his meetings with Kadaga and Ssekandi, Wang said the CPPCC stands ready to establish long-term relations with the parliament of Uganda, exchange experience in governance and encourage people-to-people exchanges and cooperation at local levels. The Ugandan officials spoke highly of China's progress since the 18th National Congress of the Communist Party of China in 2012, appreciated China's assistance to Africa and expressed the willingness to enhance exchanges with the CPPCC so as to consolidate the foundation of Uganda-China friendship. Wang also had an in-depth exchange of views with Justine Lumumba Kasule, secretary-general of Uganda's National Resistance Movement, on cooperation in the area of poverty alleviation. During his four-day stay in Uganda, Wang also visited the Chinese-invested Liaoshen Industrial Park, a Chinese medical team in Kampala and the network operation center of the Uganda National Backbone Infrastructure built by a Chinese telecommunications company. On Saturday, Wang attended the opening ceremony of a local dragon boat race, a traditional event during China's Dragon Boat Festival, which falls on June 18 this year. At the invitation of the Ugandan government, Wang arrived in Kampala on Wednesday from Brazzaville, the Republic of Congo. He will head for Kenya on Saturday to continue his first overseas visit since becoming China's top political advisor in March. Flash Wang Chen, a member of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee, visited the United States from June 13 to 16 at the invitation of the U.S. Congress to promote bilateral ties. Wang, also vice chairman of the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress (NPC), met separately with U.S. House of Representatives Speaker Paul Ryan, president pro tempore of the Senate Orrin Hatch, and House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi. He also held meetings with Congressman Rick Larsen and other members of the U.S.-China Working Group, U.S. senators including Steve Daines of Montana, as well as Deputy Secretary of State John Sullivan. In the meetings, Wang dwelt on China's principles and positions on issues of trade and economy, intellectual property rights, and related legislation, among others, expressing the hope that Washington could treat the China-U.S. relations from the perspective of strategic and overall picture and properly manage sensitive issues and differences. The two sides should stick to mutual respect and win-win cooperation, Wang said, urging to strengthen communication, mutual trust and collaboration between legislative bodies of the two countries. The U.S. side said it attached great importance to the development of U.S.-China relations and was ready to enhance exchanges to increase mutual understanding and cooperation. In his four-day trip, Wang also visited Boston, where he met with lawmakers of the state of Massachusetts, and held talks with scholars of Tufts University. You are here: World Flash At least 26 people were killed after a suicide car bombing struck a crowd celebrating ceasefire during Eid festival in Afghanistan's eastern province of Nangarhar on Saturday, a provincial official said. The Islamic State-linked "Amaq" news website has claimed in an online Arabic language statement that an IS fighter launched the attack which occurred during the gathering on the outskirts of provincial capital Jalalabad city. Those among the victims were Taliban militants, civilians and members of Afghan security forces. Some 54 people were wounded. The Afghan government and Taliban agreed for a temporary ceasefire during Eid-ul-Fitar, the second largest Muslim festival. Earlier on Saturday, in a surprise move, hundreds of Taliban fighters entered big Afghan cities to visit and celebrate Eid with their relatives. Afghan Interior Minister Waiz Ahmad Barmak also met and talked with Taliban militants in western Kabul on Saturday, according to local media reports. Also on Saturday, Afghan President Ashraf Ghani decided to extend the ceasefire, which was expected to end on Tuesday, for an unknown period of time. Flash U.S. President Donald Trump and Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban had discussed two-way ties as new U.S. ambassador to Budapest will take his post next week, a Hungarian minister said Saturday. Hungarian Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade Peter Szijjarto detailed the content of the phone call, quoted by Hungarian news agency MTI. "According to Trump, the new Ambassador, David Cornstein, is a great man, whose arrival provides an opportunity to further improve bilateral relations," Szijjarto said. Trump and Orban, known for their tough stance against migration, also discussed the importance of the protection of borders, and agreed that a "country that could not defend its own borders could no longer be called a country", according to Szijjarto. Szijjarto said that Trump had encouraged Orban to defend the southern border of Hungary. After the 2015 migration crisis, Orban ordered the erection of a protection fence along the border with its southern neighbor Serbia, to halt any further possible migration wave. Orban told Trump that Hungary was committed in continuing its migration policy and defending the borders of Hungary. The European Union is deeply divided on the management of migrants, with countries such as Germany, France and the Netherlands more favorable to a relocation scheme of refugees whereas Central European countries such as Poland, Hungary and Slovakia were against such a policy. Flash Nepal's ruling party, the Communist Party of Nepal (NCP) expressed the hope that the upcoming visit of Prime Minister K.P. Sharma Oli to China will be significant to deepen bilateral cooperation between the two countries. Party Spokesman Narayan Kaji Shrestha told Xinhua that a standing committee meeting of the party held in the Capital Saturday discussed the five-day official visit of Prime Minister Oli to China beginning from June 19. "We hope that the visit will be significant to deepen bilateral cooperation between Nepal and China," he said. On the occasion, Prime Minister Oli, who is also the chairman of the party, told the party leaders that his upcoming visit to China will be historic to enhance cooperation between the two countries. This was the first ever meeting of the party standing committee since the launching of the Nepal Communist Party, a new communist party in the country, with the merger of the two leftist parties CPN (UML) and CPN (Maoist Centre) one month ago. Foreign Minister Pradeep Kumar Gyawali, who is also one of the senior leaders of the party, briefed about the ongoing preparations for the visit of the prime minister to China. "The visit will help to deepen cooperation with China while side by side promoting our national interests," he told the leaders. Leading a high-powered delegation, Nepali Prime Minister Oli is embarking on a five-day visit to China on June 19 at the invitation of his Chinese counterpart Li Keqiang. This is going to be the first visit of the prime minister to China since he came to power in February this year. I am a retired newspaperman. I live in Poca, WV, with my wife of 44 years, Lou Ann. I grew up in Cleveland. Three kids. Grandfather. Report all errors to DonSurber@GMail.com There are no guarantees in electoral politics, but right now the smart bet would be that the Democrats win a majority in the House, maybe even substantial majority. The Senate is a lot tougher. Winning back the Senate, means that the Democrats keep all the red state seats that Trump won that they hold and pick up 2 more, bringing their caucus to 51 and redicinging the Republicans' down to 49. Some of the Trump states look pretty safe for the Democratic incumbents: Pennsylvania, Ohio, Wisconsin, Michigan, North Dakota, Montana, West Virginia, perhaps even Indiana and Missouri. Democrats even look competitive in 3 or 4 Republican-held Trump states: Nevada, Arizona, Tennessee, possibly Texas. So what's missing from this picture? One purple state with a Democratic incumbent: Florida. Bill Nelson has held the seat for 18 years. Trump didn't wipe out Hillary the way he did in some of these other seats. He only won 4,617,886 (49.0%) to 4,504,975 (47.8%). Last time Nelson ran (2012) he trounced Republican Connie Mack IV, 4,523,451 (55.2%) to 3,458,267 (42.2%). Nelson out-spent Mack $17,125,413 to $7,508,151. As of March 31 of this year Nelson had already raised $13,466,786 and his presumptive opponent, Governor Rick Scott hadn't started raising yet-- but is wealthy enough for it not to matter. He can self-fund whatever he needs to outspend Nelson. Yesterday, Marc Caputo took a look at the Florida race forand it didn't look good for the Democrats . Caputo starts with a bad omen: "Rick Scotts Senate campaign has a Spanish-language web page. Sen. Bill Nelsons doesnt. Scott is advertising in Spanish. Nelson isnt. Scott is learning Spanish and does interviews with Spanish-language media about once a week. Nelson isnt and doesnt. For Democrats who recognize protecting Nelsons seat is essential to their hopes of winning a Senate majority this fall, the veteran senators lackluster outreach to one of the fastest-growing voting blocs in the nations largest swing state is causing alarm." And Caputo's report gets worse. The depth of Nelsons troubles-- and Scotts advantage-- came into sharp focus last month in four focus groups conducted in Central Floridas influential Puerto Rican community, where few knew who Nelson was, despite his three Senate terms and holding elected Florida office for 41 years. Theres a lot higher awareness of Rick Scott. Hes got much higher name recognition. And people associate him with trying to do something for Puerto Rico, said Marcos Vilar, director for United for Progress PAC, which had the focus groups conducted for it by the polling firm Latino Decisions. Bill Nelson has very little name recognition, Vilar said. The people who know him dont know what hes done. They dont know him in the community. They dont see him out to the community as much. Party insiders and Latino activists -- in Washington, Miami, Orlando and Tallahassee-- fret that its a serious problem against Scott, who is expected to spend tens of millions of dollars out of his own pocket to knock off Nelson. They say the two-term Republican governor is running a robust campaign thats pandering to Hispanics but drowning out Nelsons support of issues important to the community-- from his clear support for comprehensive immigration reform to advocacy for Medicaid expansion to criticizing the Trump administrations underwhelming response to Hurricane Maria in Puerto Rico. At the end of the day, he can be great on all the issues but if people dont know that thats happening, it almost doesnt matter, said Mayra Macias, political director for the group Latino Victory and a former political director for the Florida Democratic Party. There seems to be a disconnect between the outreach to the community and the policy work that hes doing, the advocacy for our community-- hes been spot-on on our issues. ...The panic surrounding Scotts possible inroads with Hispanic voters-- who account for about 15 percent of the voter rolls-- results from their role as part of the diverse coalition the Democratic Party relies on to win in Florida. With the notable exception of GOP-voting older Cuban Americans, Hispanics tend to vote Democratic, but their turnout has tended to be abysmal in midterm elections-- which Democrats have consistently lost here. Nelson has been the exception, in part because he has faced historically weak opponents. Recent polls show Scott leading Nelson largely on the strength of a $12 million ad campaign thats about to grow to nearly $17 million spent between his campaign and his allies. Nelson, by comparison, was quiet on air until the Senate Majority PAC announced a $2.2 million ad campaign last month. The ad, a Nelson bio, did not have a Spanish-language version. But all is not lost for Nelson when it comes to Puerto Rican voters, United for Progress PACs Vilar said. In the PACs focus groups, one fact sharply turns sentiment against Scott: the governors association with President Donald Trump, whose handling of Hurricane Maria has earned him widespread condemnation by Puerto Ricans. The mere mention that Scott raised money for Trumps election-- and that Trump encouraged Scott to run for Senate-- was a potent message. Vilar said the only subset of Puerto Ricans it didnt work with were registered Republicans he observed in yet another focus group, in Tampa. In Orlando at least, its a very effective argument: a vote for Scott is a vote for Trump, Vilar said. Its gold. Everyone in doubt completely flipped. For people leaning for Scott, Trump is toxic. ...Asked about the differences between the Scott and Nelson campaigns, Roberto R. Tejera, a veteran political commentator and host of The Roberto Rodriguez Tejera Show on Actualidad Radio in Miami, joked: Who is Bill Nelson? Another reporter for a national Spanish-language network couldnt recall any recent high-profile Latino-focused Nelson events in South Florida either and said that Scott, Sen. Marco Rubio and even New Jersey Sen. Bob Menendez are more active in Florida than Nelson in reaching out about Latin American issues of importance to the networks viewers. [Scott] also learned Spanish which is pretty amazing, the reporter, who could not speak on the record under company policy, told Politico in a text message. Scott, at the event for Colombian-American voters, said Nelsons outreach was indicative of the Democrats campaign more broadly: I havent seen him reach out in the last six years, either. I havent seen him around the state. Nelsons campaign disputes that claim and pointed to more than two dozen dates when he met with Hispanic leaders and Puerto Rican officials, activists and evacuees. The list also includes two meetings with Venezuelans in Miami. Nelsons predicament doesnt surprise Democrats familiar with Latino outreach in Senate campaigns and Nelsons successful 2012 election, when he faced a weak opponent and rode President Obamas coattails to an easy win while doing relatively little Hispanic-centric campaigning. At the time, some faulted Nelson for not doing enough and since then, they say, neither he nor the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee has taken Latino outreach seriously enough. Two operatives said the DSCC has ignored repeated entreaties to fix the situation. You do things necessary to mobilize the community and to communicate, said one Democrat who didnt want to be identified for fear of political retribution. And the fact you dont have that in Florida set up, you dont have that in DC set up-- its baffling. And people are taking notice. ...Juan Escalante, an undocumented DREAMer from Venezuela who grew up in Florida and is now communications director for the immigrant-rights group Americas Voice in Washington, said Latino activists and Democratic insiders worry that the party is in denial about the effectiveness of Scotts outreach and the relatively low-key campaigning by Nelson. When it comes down to it, Scott seems more willing to speak to Latino audiences-- going to where they are and speaking their language and showing a vested interest in what they care about, said Escalante, criticizing Nelson for not embracing DREAMers and Latinos in the same way that former Nevada Sen. Harry Reid did. Its rather unfortunate that we dont have the senior senator of Florida embedding himself in that energy, he said. We may end up with a Rick Scott as a junior senator and a Marco Rubio as a senior senator. And I dont want to see that. 1 Send The Aliens The Whole Damn Internet If we do wind up contacting aliens, it's best we make a good first impression before their proton cannons make the impression for us. To do that, we have to present them with the best of what humanity has to offer. So do we show them our science? Our art? Maybe some Brahms will lighten the mood? No. The most promising way to draw in aliens is not by cherry-picking our best moments, but simply dumping every single bit of dumb information about of our existence into their laps at once. We're talking, of course, about the internet. Continue Reading Below Advertisement Arguing the case for sending our cat GIFs into the beyond is Seth Shostak, the director of the Center for SETI Research, who argues that the internet has become the most complete documentation of the culture and history of planet Earth (for better or worse). We could literally shoot the internet into space with a laser beam which could send out all of this data in a matter of days. It's also self-decoding; the amount of written and spoken language is repeated millions of times over, so it can be used to translate itself, sort of like a Rosetta Stone of dank memes. Ivan Kopylov /Adobe Stock Counter-proposal: Simplify the whole thing by sending this, which is a pretty spot-on summary. Continue Reading Below Advertisement Why is this such an attractive option to scientists? For one, it doesn't make any declaration of intent, and it doesn't invite any kind of response, meaning aliens would be much less likely to misinterpret it. It would also put an end to the endlessly debatable dilemma of what message to send by just saying, "Screw it, send them everything and let them figure it out." And for those of us worried about shouting millions of racist Facebook rants to alien races, it's unlikely that Gleep Glorps from the Crab Nebula will have any way of relating to our culture in such a detailed way with their wholly incomprehensible alien minds. Still, we should at least cut out all those forum posts making fun of the aliens in Independence Day to be safe. Continue Reading Below Advertisement You can find Marina Reimann at Gamefully Unemployed on Twitch (@gamefully_Un), as well as various podcasts about movies, games, and unpopular opinions. The best aliens we'll ever see are from the 1979 classic. Support Cracked's journalism with a visit to our Contribution Page. Please and thank you. For more, check out 6 Space Projects That Will Guarantee Aliens Will Hate Us and 5 Insane Theories About Why We Haven't Discovered Alien Life. Follow us on Facebook, why don't ya? Suspected Boko Haram terrorists killed at least 31 people in a twin suicide bomb attack on a town in northeast Nigeria, a local official and a militia leader told AFP on Sunday. (AhlulBayt News Agency) - Suspected Boko Haram terrorists killed at least 31 people in a twin suicide bomb attack on a town in northeast Nigeria, a local official and a militia leader told AFP on Sunday. Two blasts ripped through the town of Damboa in Borno state on Saturday evening targeting people returning from celebrating the Eid al-Fitr holiday, in an attack bearing all the hallmarks of Boko Haram. Following the suicide bombings, the terrorists fired rocket-propelled grenades into the crowds that had gathered at the scene of the attacks, driving the number of casualties higher. "There were two suicide attacks and rocket-propelled grenade explosions in Damboa last night which killed 31 people and left several others injured," said local militia leader Babakura Kolo. Two suicide bombers detonated their explosives in Shuwari and nearby Abachari neighbourhoods in the town around 10:45 pm (2145GMT), killing six residents, said Kolo, speaking from the state capital Maiduguri, which is 88 kilometres (55 miles) from the town. "No one needs to be told this is the work of Boko Haram," Kolo said. A local government official, who spoke on the condition of anonymity, confirmed the death toll. "The latest death toll is now 31 but it may increase because many among the injured may not survive," said the official. "Most of the casualties were from the rocket projectiles fired from outside the town minutes after two suicide bombers attacked," he said. The attack is the latest example of Boko Haram's continued threat to Nigeria and the Lake Chad region, said Ryan Cummings, Africa analyst at the Signal Risk consultancy in South Africa. "Boko Haram still maintains both the intent and operational capacity to launch mass casualty attacks in parts of northeastern Nigeria," Cummings said, despite the government's repeated claims that the group is on the back foot. The use of the rockets is "particularly conspicuous," Cummings said, as it "indicates that the sect continues to have access to military-grade weaponry." "The Boko Haram insurgency is not showing any immediate signs of" easing, said Cummings. The terrorist group has regularly deployed suicide bombers -- many of them young girls -- in mosques, markets and camps housing people displaced by the nine-year insurgency. On May 1 at least 86 people were killed in twin suicide blasts targeting a mosque and a nearby market in the town of Mubi in neighbouring Adamawa state. /257 Sometimes, in the midst of the Brexit controversy, we forget that the country still needs to be governed. Even while she tries to craft a wise and prudent departure from the European Union, the Prime Minister has many other major tasks to tackle. So today let us cautiously welcome her decision to announce an ambitious and much-needed boost for the National Health Service as it approaches its 70th birthday. The sums involved, like the NHS itself, are huge. The commitment stretches out for many years ahead. The Mail on Sunday has supported the idea of taking the NHS out of political controversy, perhaps through a Royal Commission. It is still a good idea. Constructive politicians from all parties will want to applaud what is undoubtedly a major commitment to this valued and much-loved national institution. The Government has a clear and well worked-out idea of how to spend the huge resources it intends to deploy on the NHS between now and 2023. Early diagnosis and treatment of cancer, overcoming the neglect of mental health, and more resources for social care all urgent and important seem most likely to benefit from this. Today let us cautiously welcome her decision to announce an ambitious and much-needed boost for the National Health Service as it approaches its 70th birthday (file photo) But the Prime Minister and her colleagues must be careful not to be carried away by these laudable desires into uncontrollable spending. Better to be cautious, and to be sustainable over the long term, than to overdo it and then be forced to slam the brakes on later. Mrs Mays concern for the hard-pressed, hard-working citizen is one of her strongest points as a politician. So is her sensibly Tory dislike for placing too much of a tax burden on productive individuals and businesses. She must remember that her ultimate duty is to keep the national books balanced and to keep taxes as low as reasonably possible. The supposed Brexit Bonus is highly unlikely to square that circle. In the end, only a prosperous economy can pay for a first-rate health service. And it is vital to remember now that such an economy cannot easily survive unless we take a sensible and cautious route out of the EU. This means that those who care about the NHS, about our schools and about our national defences, all have a stake in ensuring that we negotiate a pragmatic Brexit. The best way of achieving that is for Tory MPs to resist calls to rebellion and ensure that the Prime Minister stays firmly in control in the turbulent months ahead. All other roads lead to chaos and, worse still, the danger of chaos with Jeremy Corbyn in charge of it. Another press success Once again persistent and well-informed campaigning by a free press has produced a good outcome for the nation as a whole. All the indications are that the HPV vaccine is to be made available to boys as well as girls, so protecting them from needless disease and saving the nation badly needed money. The Mail on Sunday marshalled the facts and arguments. The long-serving Health Secretary, Jeremy Hunt, studied the research carefully. Now it seems certain that the right decision will soon be taken. That is democracy and free speech in action. The Conservative MP Nicky Morgan spoke last week of the relief at no longer being a Minister: she gets far less online abuse. Fair enough, I suppose. Some people just arent cut out for frontline politics and (never mind about making peoples lives better) at least the comments on Instagram about your new hobby knitting field mice will be kinder. But she added something even stranger: she also gets far less abuse since avoiding setting foot in Nottingham. Gosh, I wonder why? Was she unable to buy paracetamol in Boots when the pharmacist was at lunch? Did a conker fall on her head from all those trees? Does she believe Robin Hood to be the worlds first terrorist? No. She just hates what that citys small, regional TV station, with its Neanderthal-like cameramen and malicious lighting technicians, does to her face. It is deeply unflattering in how you look, and actually thats why I now dont go and do TV from regional offices because particularly at Nottingham they get you to perch on a little chair, bright lights, really unflattering and then I get just a whole load of social abuse afterwards about how ugly I am. The Conservative MP Nicky Morgan spoke last week of the relief at no longer being a Minister: she gets far less online abuse. Fair enough, I suppose Im puzzled by her outburst. Shes 45, so surely should have got over the fact that she will never be mistaken for Keira Knightley. She is a feminist, not a contestant on Love Island, so her prime objective on these broadcasts is to display the size of her brain, not the blush of her beauty. I am all for women and men at least looking as though they exercise for a bit in the morning before they exercise power. Didnt the way Obama rocked a slim black suit inspire confidence? And even Margaret Thatcher was concerned about her appearance. Aboard that Challenger 1 tank, she insisted on a headscarf to protect her hair, and on a flight she wore her headset upside down so as not to disrupt that hairdo. But the difference is that her particular brand of vanity was about being in control, not looking dewy. She didnt care too much about her face, and was so busy that make-up was allowed to wear off. These days, when everything is so polished and stage-managed, the ether abrim with perfect, pouting bimbos posting selfies, I tend to yearn for the next Ann Widdecombe, waiting in the bingo wings. A female politician who is too pert, such as the aptly named Priti Patel, puts voters backs up. At least the bags for life beneath the eyes of Theresa May mean shes losing sleep over everything. But the difference is that her particular brand of vanity was about being in control, not looking dewy And even if you are like Nicky Morgan, and cant stand the TV sniping, then do what I do whenever Ive appeared on Good Morning Britain or Celebrity Big Brother (sans make-up and in a bathing suit, I hasten to add!) avoid wading in the Twitter cesspool afterwards. Dont bleat. Even if you did have to watch your appearance on Look North through your fingers with your lenses out, just swallow your pride and get on with your job. In the grand scheme of national crises, who cares that the camera adds 10 lb (I love Chandlers line in Friends to Monica about her wideness of girth in her prom video: So how many cameras are actually on you?). Yes, we want women being listened to rather than leered at, but flouncing out of BBC North East because you look a bit pasty aint the way to advance the cause. We cant shout Me Too! and My left side really is my best one! in the same breath. Is this the maddest new trend ever? Last week, Corinthia Hotels in Lisbon and Malta launched spa treatments for children: parents can book a Doll Face Facial, a Unicorn Massage or a Superhero Foot Massage. You can even book a Mummy And Me: bubble bath, massage and facial for two at 190. But you never know, it might be money well spent. Maybe one of these primped princesses will grow up to be prime minister? Three years ago, Stefanie Schwartz had just given birth to her second baby. The clinical psychologist, from Bondi Beach, was on maternity leave and wanted to start working again but didn't want to return to a full-time job. 'I wanted a day job that I could fit in around being a full time mum and at the end of the day something I had fun with too,' Ms Schwartz tells FEMAIL. 'I also wanted to explore doing something creative.' Despite working as child and adolescent clinical psychologist before starting a family, Ms Schwartz decided to launch a fashion accessories brand called Chuchka [meaning trinket or collectible], featuring neoprene totes and round towels. Mother-of-three Stefanie Schwartz (pictured) launched her fashion accessories business Chuchka in 2015 while she was on maternity leave 'I studied for six years, I worked in the public sector before I had my babies and I loved working with children and their families,' says the 33-year-old. 'After I had my own children, however, I had a pull to move in a different direction so I wanted to use my maternity leave as a ''test period'' to see whether it was something I could do and actually enjoyed.' While Ms Schwartz - now a mother to three boys aged six, four and six months - admits that success didn't happen overnight, the business began to expand rapidly in less than 12 months. Chuchka features a wide range of neoprene totes and round towels, which are stocked in more than 100 boutiques and David Jones department stores 'Within one year of opening I was stocked in over 100 boutiques, within 18 months I was stocked in major department stores and within two years I had my own brand pop-up shop over Summer in Bondi Beach,' she recalls. 'Looking back, it's not all together surprising because I really think Chuchka fills a gap in the market for affordable, on trend, trans-seasonal fashion accessories. 'You can buy new Chuchkas every season, be fashion forward, all without breaking the bank,' she explains. 'I really think Chuchka fills a gap in the market for affordable, on trend, trans-seasonal fashion accessories,' says Ms Schwartz (the bags pictured at Australian Fashion Week) The bags, which come in a variety of colours and styles, are machine washable and easy to store 'Our Chuchkas are also incredibly practical (machine washable, easy to store, high quality fabrics) which is important to our customers.' Ms Schwartz's products are now stocked in David Jones after signing an agreement in January 2017, but she plans to grow the business globally too. 'My vision has always been to create and source products that I myself as a working, young mum who likes to be on trend would want to purchase and so far that hasn't failed me,' she says. Ms Schwartz (pictured) plans to grow the business both here in Australia and globally too 'My brain is never 100 per cent switched off. I'm always thinking of new ideas, creating a to-do list of tasks that need to be done, going to meetings, writing emails to buyers, manufacturers and agencies, planning the next season's photoshoot, sourcing innovative materials and it goes on and on. 'I want Chuchka to continue growing here in Australia and overseas,' she adds. 'Every time I have a goal that I think is unachievable, we seem to somehow smash it out of the park and I look back and am so incredibly proud.' Everyone wants to look their best but not everyone has the bank account to do so. Luckily there are certain ways you can make your wardrobe look like its come straight off the runway without spending an entire pay check. The stylish cousin duo behind States of Style, Nikki Pash, 31, who resides in Melbourne, and Michelle Rimmer, 32, who lives in Perth, have revealed their top secrets. 'Firstly, you need to decide where your money is best spent. These pieces need to theoretically last the next five years, in order to be considered a true investment,' they told FEMAIL. 'From here, you can pepper your wardrobe with those additional items that transform your look into something a bit extra.' Stylish cousin duo behind States of Style , Nikki Pash, 31, (right) who resides in Melbourne, and Michelle Rimmer, 32, (left) who lives in Perth have revealed how you can be stylish all year round To transform your wardrobe without dropping your life savings, they recommend you predominantly focus on the standout items, such as handbags, heels and accessories. These are the pieces that can be easily interchanged, and the ones that tend to be noticed most. 'Regardless of price, these dominate wardrobe items are ones that can transform and be worn along with your wardrobe staples,' they said. 'Think a solid red ankle boot, an oversized denim jacket, a signature Missoni striped hair scarf tied in a bow.' 'Firstly, you need to decide where your money is best spent. These pieces need to theoretically last the next five years, in order to be considered a true investment,' they told FEMAIL To transform your wardrobe without dropping your life savings, they recommend you predominantly focus on the standout items, such as handbags, heels and accessories 'Regardless of price, these dominate wardrobe items are ones that can transform and be worn along with your wardrobe staples,' they said SUNGLASSES The duo explained that you don't always need to spend a lot of money on a pair of sunglasses but they can make or break an outfit. Their main caution when buying a pair though is to not buy into a trend. 'If youre afraid of looking back on 2018 and regretting those skinny sunnies, avoid them completely and buy what actually suits you,' the duo explained. The duo explained that you don't always need to spend a lot of money on a pair of sunnies but they can make or break an outfit STATEMENT JEWELLERY Jewellery is another way that people can make a powerful statement with their wardrobes. Keeping an eye out for unique pieces, whether it be from a chain store or a designer, more often than not people can't tell the different between which are more or less expensive. 'Whether its gold hoops or the Saint Laurent-esque chain earrings, jewellery is vital for finalising the look,' the cousins said. 'The market is flooded with incredible pieces which dont have to break the bank.' Jewellery is another way that people can make a powerful statement with their wardrobes Keeping an eye out for unique pieces, whether it be from a chain store or a designer, more often than not people can't tell the different between which are more or less expensive HANDBAGS The cousins explained that if there is one time you should spend some cash, it is when you're buying a handbag. 'There is no better time to park some coin here, especially during this time of logo resurgence,' they said. 'But hey, is there a bad time to showcase a Gucci, Louis Vuitton or Fendi? 'Additionally, avoid the trends and go for a simple yet timeless Prada Dual handbag in black or tan.' The cousins explained that if there is one time you should spend some cash, it is when you're buying a handbag SHOES A simple shoe swap can completely transform a look and mood to suit the weather, occasion, or accommodate a sudden change of plans. They are an important part of every wardrobe and buying a pair that are unique can add 'Buy a good leather pair that you can re-shine and re-sole when needed. A pump will dress up any outfit and can get you through all seasons,' they said. A simple shoe swap can completely transform a look and mood to suit the weather, occasion, or accommodate a sudden change of plans BLAZERS Adding a blazer to an outfit can help add a chic twist that isn't necessarily expensive. The stylish duo explained that they're a fan of including blazers to their wardrobe as they're an inexpensive to make an outfit look stylish with ease. 'Who doesnt look smart in a blazer? Were not talking mathematician smart, we mean that even if you didnt quite get to iron all of that slogan tee you love, your new bestie will help to hide your secrets for you,' they said. All parents lose their patience with their children from time to time - but yelling could be as bad as smacking, a parenting expert has claimed. Australian parenting author and father of six, Dr Justin Coulson, revealed how adults can discipline their kids without raising their voice. 'Yelling unfortunately seems to have similar effects, especially if it's pervasive enough and ongoing, to hitting,' he told The Today Show. 'The same parts of the brain are activated, the same fear mechanisms as smacking, the same neurotransmitters are released and it leads to some fairly harmful psychological effects over time.' Here, Dr Coulson shared the three steps he follows to ensure his kids listen to him, without him having to raise his voice. Scroll down for video Australian parenting author and father of six told The Today Show how parents can discipline their kids without shouting at them STEP 1: SPEAK SOFTLY Surprisingly, Dr Coulson said children are most likely to listen to them if they whisper. He explained the problem isn't that kids can't hear their parents so speaking louder isn't going to solve the problem. 'The best thing to do, rather than speaking louder, they can already hear you, speak softly,' he said. 'When we speak softly it actually brings more attention to what we're saying, people focus so much more carefully because we're speaking so softly. When we're speaking loudly there's almost no need to listen.' 'Yelling unfortunately seems to have similar effects, especially if it's pervasive enough and ongoing, to hitting,' Dr Coulson said STEP 2: CONSIDER YOUR TIMING 'Often our children are doing something that to them seems like it's really important,' the father-of-six explained. 'They feel like it's the most important thing they could be doing right now, even if it's trivial. 'We should at least be respectful of what they're doing, but I'm not saying we need to pander to that, but rather, if we go to them, speak softly, look into their eyes, and recognise that this may or may not be the best time.' All parents lose their patience with their children from time to time but not many know that yelling is just as bad as smacking STEP 3: GENTLE REMINDER Dr Coulson said that you want to discipline your child respectfully, no matter their age. He explained that the best thing to do is walk over to them, grab their hand and say something like, 'I just said something to you three times and I wonder if you can tell me what it was'. The reason he believes parents should do this is because it activates their brain as they try and remember what they might have missed. 'If they can't answer you, and most often they won't be able to, you can say to them, "let me say this one more time nice and softly so you can go and do it",' Dr Coulson said. 'It's a way of saying, "this is what I expect, and I know your brain is working right now". It saves yelling and it gets an incredible amount done.' Dr Coulson said that you want to discipline your child respectfully, no matter their age BUT... Of course, Dr Coulson isn't putting an entire ban on yelling as he understands that now and again it will happen, and occasionally needs to. 'There are some things where you need their attention and you need it now,' he explained. 'If you have a child who is wandering to the road while you're in the park or reaching up to touch something hot and they'll burn themselves, or a child who simply needs to be verbally reefed out of the situation before something concerning happens, then of course you raise their voice and grab their attention. 'But once that's done you revert back to, "I was really worried about you, let's talk about this to keep you safe".' The Duchess of Sussex came seconds from disaster when she tripped on her way into the wedding of Princess Diana's niece yesterday. Meghan, 36, narrowly avoided taking a tumble as she teetered in sky-high stilettos at the entrance to a village church. Fortunately Prince Harry, 33, had a firm hold of his wife's hand and helped her steady herself within moments. The newlyweds were on hand to watch Prince Harry's cousin Celia McCorquodale tie the knot with George Woodhouse at St Andrew and St Mary's Church in Stoke Rochford, Lincolnshire, on Saturday. Bride Celia, daughter of Lady Sarah McCorquodale, Diana's eldest sister, looked radiant in a white princess-style dress and the Spencer tiara, which was worn by her late aunt on her own wedding day in 1981. The Duke and Duchess of Sussex at the wedding of Celia McCorquodale yesterday Celia, daughter of Lady Sarah McCorquodale tied the knot with George Woodhouse, pictured Celia wore the Spencer tiara, which was worn by Princess Diana when she married Prince Charles in 1981 D&G model and muse Lady Kitty Spencer, pictured, also attended the family wedding Meghan looked at ease as she greeted Harry's cousin Louis, Viscount Althorp, at the wedding The Spencer clan turned out in force for the traditional church service, with D&G model Lady Kitty Spencer and Diana's siblings Earl Spencer and Lady Jane Fellowes among the congregation. The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge did not attend. All eyes were on the new Duke and Duchess of Sussex as they arrived alongside the bride's brother and Prince Harry's cousin, George McCorquodale. Meghan, who this week made her first joint appearance with the Queen, showed off her signature laid-back style in a 3,922 patterned shirt dress by Oscar de la Renta. She finished the look with a white mirrored clutch, white fascinator and delicate pointed-toe stilettos. The elegant heels were the perfect addition to the outfit but proved problematic when Meghan had to walk down the grassy slope into the churchyard. Newlywed Meghan looked stylish in a draped blue and white dress for the occasion The couple held hands as they walked into the church ceremony in Linolnshire yesterday Princess Diana's brother, Earl Spencer, attended with his wife Karen Gordon Mother-of-the-bride Lady Sarah McCorquodale, right, sister of Princess Diana at the wedding Princess Diana's sister Lady Jane Fellowes, pictured, opted for a playful coat for the event Newlyweds Celia and George, centre, with parents Sarah and Neil McCorquodale, right, sister Emily, far right, and members of the wedding party outside St Andrew and St Mary's Church Meghan struggled with her footing and at one point leaned back as if she might fall. Luckily she was able to right herself and barely broke her stride as she walked hand-in-hand into the church with her husband. Prince Harry, 33, who remains close to his mother's side of the family, matched his wife's outfit with a vibrant blue tie. The couple invited Celia, 29, and her now husband to their wedding four weeks ago and appeared delighted to return the favour. The new Duchess of Sussex stunned in a long-sleeved blue-and-white shirt dress and white fascinator Harry and Meghan arrived alongside his cousin, George McCorquondale, far left The newlyweds arrived hand-in-hand for the wedding in Lincolnshire yesterday Prince Harry's wedding band was on show as he arrived for the church service on Saturday The bride and groom beamed at the entrance to the church after exchanging vows Celia, cousin of Prince William and Harry, was the picture of happiness on her wedding day The bride and groom kissed at the entrance to the church after the short service The Spencer Tiara: Diana's heirloom wedding piece The Spencer Tiara was worn by Princess Diana at her wedding to Prince Charles in 1981, and worn by her on numerous occasions after her big day. The tiara is a family heirloom that was also worn by all of Diana's sisters on their wedding days. The headpiece, which was made by Garrads, has an elaborate design of stylised flowers decorated with diamonds in silver settings. Said to date back to the 18th century, it was given to Dianas grandmother, Cynthia, Viscountess Althorp, by a distant relative called Lady Sarah Spencer as a wedding gift in 1919. Heirloom: Princess Diana of Wales chose the Spencer tiara for her July 1981 wedding day and numerous times since then Diana wears the Spencer Tiara on tour in Australia and New Zealand in 1983 (left) and again in Australia in 1985 (right) The tiara was remounted and sections were added in the Thirties, with the oldest pieces said to be at either end. It features large gold scrolling foliage adorned with tulips, stars and a central heart, each decorated with diamonds and set in silver. Its curved shape and whimsical design make it different to the more formal style of royal headpieces. Reportedly Dianas favourite, it was worn by her older sisters, Jane and Sarah, on their wedding days (in 1978 and 1980 respectively). Diana, as bridesmaid to both, had longed for the day she might wear the sparkling headpiece as a bride, and on her wedding day it served as a fitting something borrowed. The tiaras value is unknown, but earlier this year the Spencer family sold another headpiece, set with more than 800 diamonds, for 185,000 to a mystery bidder at auction. The tiara is now owned by Diana's brother, Earl Spencer, and has been in the Spencer family in various guises for more than 90 years. Advertisement They arrived at the venue alongside George McCrorquodale, who appeared to be making Meghan laugh with his jokes. The royal couple, who appeared keen to keep a low-profile, were greeted by the Spencer family outside the church. Prince Harry's cousin, Louis Spencer, 24, son of Earl Spencer, gave the couple a warm welcome, kissing Meghan on the cheek and embracing Harry in a hug. The dashing Louis, Viscount Althorp, was recently dubbed Britain's most eligible bachelor after turning heads at the royal wedding. George McCorquondale appeared to make a joke as the group made their way inside The smiling duchess navigated the grass in a pair of white pointed heels The prince looked back to make sure his wife was managing to walk on the grass Harry looked proud to have his new wife on his arm as they made their way into the church The couple, pictured at the wedding, tied the knot themselves four weeks ago yesterday The duchess opted for a draped blue and white shirt-style dress for the wedding The colour of the royal's relaxed maxi dress matched her husband's blue tie The bride, Celia, arrived at the church in a vintage 1910 Rolls Royce Silver Ghost and walked into the church on the arm of her father, Neil McCorquodale. Her bridal train was carried by a pretty flower girl and she was accompanied by an array of bridesmaids. She carried a bouquet featuring white roses. Other guests included Princess Diana's brother Earl Charles Spencer and her sister Lady Jane Fellowes, who did a reading for Prince Harry and Meghan Markle at their wedding. Viscount Althorp, son of Earl Spencer, greeted Harry and Meghan outside the church The duchess beamed as she was kissed on the cheek by Louis, Prince Harry's cousin Louis was a guest at the wedding of the Duke and Duchess of Sussex in Windsor last month Viscount Althrorp appeared relaxed as he chatted with the duchess, making them both smile Louis then greeted his cousin Prince Harry with a warm embrace outside the church, pictured Prince Harry's cousin, Lady Kitty Spencer, 27, was also at the wedding and looked stunning in a floral dress. The ceremony lasted around 45 minutes and afterwards the wedding guests were invited back to a reception at Celia's parents' home nearby. The Spencer Tiara was worn by Princess Diana at her wedding to Prince Charles in 1981, and worn by her on numerous occasions after her big day. The Canadian-born Countess Spencer opted for a flattering blue dress and white hat Earl and Countess Spencer spoke to Lady Jane Fellowes, right, outside the church Lady Kitty, 27, donned a floaty floral-printed dress, believed to be by Dolce & Gabbana The society beauty styled the dress with a burgundy hat embellished with purple and gold The tiara is a family heirloom that was also worn by all of Diana's sisters on their wedding days. The headpiece, which was made by Garrads in the 1930s, has an elaborate design of stylised flowers decorated with diamonds in silver settings. The tiara is now owned by Diana's brother, Earl Spencer. The beautiful bride was escorted to the church by her father Neil McCorquodale The father-of-the bride held his daughter's hand as they made their way into the church The family looked delighted as they emerged from the church following the ceremony Lady Sarah McCorquodale was every inch the proud mother at her daughter's wedding Newlywed Celia beamed as she waved to waiting crowds outside the village church The bride showed off her million-dollar smile as they left the church on Saturday Well-wishers and local residents gathered to take photos of the newlyweds' big day Sheikh Mohammad Khojasteh described this actions of the Bahraini and Saudi rulers in normalizing relations with Israel as a clear betrayal of Islam. (AhlulBayt News Agency) - In an exclusive interview Sheikh Mohammad Khojasteh, a member of Bahrains al-Wefaq National Islamic Society, referred to the issue of normalizing relations with the Zionist regime, saying, The establishment of relations with Israel is not a new issue but rather this relationship has existed for a long time, however, the reality of this issue has only recently been uncovered. Along with some Arab countries, the Al Khalifah regime has also taken steps on a path that is contrary to the conscience and beliefs of the Bahraini people and has progressed towards the normalization of relations with Israel. The member of the Assembly of Islamic Scholars of Bahrain added, The people of Bahrain, despite all the difficulties and suffering imposed by the rulers, continue to address the issues of the Islamic ummah, such as the Palestinian issue. The holy month of Ramadhan is over but the Bahraini revolutionaries are still in jail. The Bahraini people, despite all the pain and suffering and severe repression by the government, will not stop their demonstration of support for the oppressed Palestinian people. He explained the necessity of distinguishing between the position of the government and that of the people and said, The actions of the Al Khalifah regime must not be considered as the opinion of the people. The Al Khalifah only takes the only seat of government, personal interests and profits into consideration and their normalization of relations with the ruthless Zionist regime was also on the orders of the United States. In another part of his speech, Sheikh Khojasteh referred to the support of the Arab officials for the Zionist regime on social media and said, The tweets of officials from the Persian Gulf kingdoms demonstrate that they are mercenaries for Israel. Sayyid Hasan Nasrallah [the secretary-general of Lebanons Hezbollah] has called these individuals traitors of the Islamic ummah, which means the minimum action is that the name of the traitor is forged for them but these approaches represent the position of the government not that of the people of Bahrain. The revolutionary Bahraini cleric and activist said the Bahraini Foreign Minister [Khalid ibn Ahmad Al Khalifah] has not acted with a diplomatic approach to this day, but rather he has acted with an unstable, unclear and false approach and this arises from a false education and said, When a minister, with complete ignorance, does not regard the events in the Golan Heights as an occupation and condemns the actions of the Islamic Resistance Axis, it must be accepted that the Arab rulers are the only players in the hands of the states of Israel and the United States. /129 WHAT TO DO If you have saggy skin around the knees, try a seated leg lift to strengthen your quad muscles, says celebrity personal trainer Nadya Fairweather (u-shape.co.uk). You can do this at home, using a chair. Sit with both legs at a 90-degree angle. Extend your left leg in front, until you feel the muscle is activated. Keep it straight and tight. Hold for three to five seconds, then lower. Repeat on the right leg. Try for 12-15 repetitions. Do three to five sets. Celebrity personal trainer Nadya Fairweather advises exercising quad muscles to reduce saggy skin around the knees WHAT TO EAT Nutritionist Shona Wilkinson recommends a diet rich in antioxidants to reduce the signs of ageing (file image) To tone and tighten the skin around your knees, nutritionist Shona Wilkinson (shonawilkinson.com) recommends the following skin-tautening foods. Peppers are a great source of vitamin C, which helps promote the production of collagen needed to tighten skin. It doesnt matter what colour you eat. Blueberries are rich in antioxidants, which help fight the signs of ageing, so increase your intake early on to stop skin sagging. Oysters contain selenium and zinc. These help to increase our skins elastin content. Plus, they have a high level of antioxidant protection. WHAT TO WEAR By 1989, Dina Glouberman was 44, married with two children, living in London and had the sort of career she had always dreamed of as a child. She had a PhD and was a lecturer and a psychotherapist. Dina had written her first book and founded a holiday centre with her husband on the Greek island of Skyros, which attracted such luminaries as Margaret Drabble, Hilary Mantel and Sue Townsend. Dina had come a long way from the nebbish kid with a stammer. And then the pain started, like workmen drilling in my head. When she glanced at the television she had the sensation people were moving very slowly. The next day she couldnt write an email or make a business call. Whenever she tried, her mind ground to a halt. She buckled under the exhaustion and, though in no way an invalid, had to stay in bed for hours on end. It took seven years to recover. The term burn out was almost unknown then. She called it a health breakdown. Her epiphany came more than ten years later when a friend mentioned the phrase. I thought, thats it. Thats what happened to me! Lecturer and a psychotherapist Dina Glouberman, 72, (pictured) shared her experience of suffering from burn out at age 44 whilst living in London with her then husband and their two children in 1989 Burn out can come along with depression, cynicism, emotional deadness and a deep exhaustion that isnt alleviated by sleep. But it is not a psychotic state, she says. After being wholehearted, your heart has gone out of what youre doing for some reason and yet you keep driving on, divided against yourself, until you burn out. Its like driving a car with the accelerator and the brake on at the same time. Its not that youre crazy or that you dont know whats real or unreal, she continues. Its that you really cant do all the things you associate with being you. People who burn out are often high energy, high givers, high achievers, and all of a sudden they cant do anything. Nowadays, burn out is everywhere. In 2016-17, 12.5 million working days were lost to work-related stress, depression or anxiety in the UK, according to the Health and Safety Executive. An epidemic of stress is blamed for 3,750 teachers on long-term sick leave, say teaching unions. And a new scheme from NHS England offering support for burn out, and other mental health issues, fielded calls from nearly 1,200 GPs in its first year. The real numbers are likely to be higher, says Dina, who wrote The Joy Of Burnout in 2002, before her current book Into The Woods And Out Again: A Memoir Of Love, Madness And Transformation. We dont have a medical category called burn out, she explains. Your doctor might diagnose depression or chronic fatigue. They see the symptoms, not the cause. Dinas doctor prescribed a holiday. Her homeopath said: My dear, your heart is tired. I ask why Dina thinks so many of us are suffering from burn out today. We have more choices now. If youre not happy, its your fault because you made the wrong choice. In some ways life with less choice protected us. Dina (pictured right with with former husband Yannis in 1979) believes beating burn out allows you to step into your most authentic self She says burn out happens when your life has lost meaning within the structures you have committed to. Take teaching. A teacher wants to teach, loves the kids, wants to make a difference. Suddenly most of their life is filling out paperwork. My daughter was a teacher in London. She was working 11-hour days. Youve got to drive yourself just to keep up. Its not a life. Her daughter has now left teaching. Dina says burn out can happen at any age, but midlife can be a particularly difficult time. People aged 40 to 59 are least happy, according to recent figures from the Office for National Statistics. You suddenly think, my life is in place and its not the place where I want it to be. Whereas when youre younger you are still thinking, I am going somewhere, says Dina. The way we work is also taking a toll. As Arianna Huffington, the entrepreneur who suffered burn out a decade ago, has said: The current male- dominated model of success which equates success with burn out, sleep deprivation and driving yourself into the ground isnt working for women, and its not working for men either. How common is burn out? 51 per cent of full-time UK employees have experienced burn out Advertisement Dina agrees: The demands on women are very high because youve got to do all the things youre supposed to do as a woman love, please, support plus all the things that make you a person and enable you to compete in the male world. There is no respite. Today, Dina seems back to her old self: warm, direct, correcting me on the pronunciation of her name Dina (like Nina) in a New York accent thats still strong despite nearly 50 years of living in London. At 72, she is good-looking and energetic; a tiny woman with incredible drive. She still works as a psychotherapist, co-directs Skyros Holidays, runs courses, gives talks and is, surprisingly, keen to stress the positive implications of her breakdown. Burn out was my gift, she says. It saved my life. Beating burn out requires that you step into your most authentic self. For women, this can mean fighting deep-seated beliefs. Dina says that when she was about six she decided to be a good girl because good girls are more loveable. My mother was upset and disappointed with something I did, and said, But I thought you were the good girl. Her role model was Beth from Little Women, who was so good she died young, before she had to separate from her parents or become sexual or aggressive. The image continued into adulthood. Dina would walk around being wonderful to everyone. Dina claims burn out occurs when your life loses meaning within the structures you've committed to (file image) But Beth wasnt the person I really was, Dina says. She was more like Beths sister Jo brave, determined, independent. But Dina became preoccupied with the idea shed be called selfish unless she did everything for anybody and nothing for herself. When she was at the height of labour pains, giving birth to her son, she asked her husband, Yannis, if he was all right. She also has a perfectionist habit another way of trying to prove to myself that I was what I was supposed to be. Her PhD, which took seven years to write, was like completing three PhDs in one. She beat herself up for not being able to get things right, even if it was something as trivial as packing a suitcase. If she took a big suitcase and anyone else had a smaller bag she felt clunky, uncool. If she travelled light when anyone else had a heavy case, she suspected she had forgotten something. When I packed the suitcase I wasnt thinking, what will I need? I was thinking, what would the perfect packer pack? Dina was born into a traumatised family in 1945. She grew up in Brooklyn, New York, where her parents were teachers: her father in adult education, her mother a Hebrew teacher. Dina believes her life would've been easier if she had understood what was going on in her family when she was younger (file image) She was the youngest of three.When she was about 12, I asked my mother: Why is there two years between me and my brother and four years between my brother and my sister? And she said: You had a sister. Ora was almost four when she died. Her parents were hazy about the cause of death. Dina discovered only last year it was gastroenteritis, after a friend found Oras death certificate online. This wasnt the only surprise. I thought Ora had died quite a lot before I was born. She actually died the month I was conceived. So where would my mother have been with me, her new baby? She was gone. She was mourning her almost four-year-old child. Was she upset by this revelation? I was happy, she replies. I am always happy to find the truth. It made sense. The neglect started very early. My mother, totally understandably, couldnt relate to me because she was so busy dealing with the death of my sister. She explains her interest in psychology simply. My life would have been a lot easier if Id understood what was going on in my family, which is why I have devoted my life to understanding the truth and to teaching people how to communicate these deeper things. Dina studied psychology before moving to London in 1968, where she worked as a lecturer at Kingston Polytechnic, studied for her PhD, then worked as a psychotherapist. Dina has developed coping mechanisms to avoid suffering burn out again including visiting her local cafe every morning (file image) She met her husband Yannis, a Greek journalist, soon after she arrived in London. Dina calls it a powerful, creative partnership for 25 years, by which she means they had a family. Ari is 41; Chloe, 39. They have three grandchildren, aged ten, seven and four. They founded the centre in Skyros, which started as a place for personal development holidays and broadened out to offer activities such as windsurfing and writing workshops. In autumn 1989, Yannis wanted her to help him start a general interest magazine. It was at a time when I was ready to go inward and focus on my own life. I said yes and I should have said no. She says the offer was dripping with everything I was addicted to doing the right thing and pleasing my husband. Their home became a temporary office and filled with people sitting at computers. The couple took out an enormous mortgage to finance the magazine. It was the start of her seven-year burn out. The couple separated about four years later, part of wide-reaching changes Dina made in her life, along with cutting back on work and having a retreat in Hastings. They are still on good terms. Yannis lives on the Isle of Wight with his partner; Dina is in a long-term relationship with an engineer. She has suffered mini relapses, although the last was more than ten years ago. It starts physically. My head begins to hurt. And her blood pressure goes up. But she now has coping mechanisms, which can be as simple as visiting her local cafe. Having a coffee there every morning is my joy. One of the terrible symptoms of her burn out was tossing and turning in the early hours, worrying shed got it all wrong. Sometimes I still wake up, but now I say: OK, this is my 3am freak-out and Ill make myself a hot chocolate. I used to believe in the stuff that was on my mind. Now I know its not true. Into The Woods And Out Again: A Memoir Of Love, Madness And Transformation is published by Sphinx Books at 9.99. dinaglouberman.com TVs Steph and Dom Parker, 51 and 53, draw on their 20 years of marriage to solve your relationship problems.. Q: Im 54 and recently split from my partner. It was definitely the right decision: things were awful towards the end. The problem is that Ive also lost my relationship with his lovely 16-year-old daughter (from his first marriage). When we met, she was only six, but over the past ten years, she became a huge part of my life. She spent every other weekend with us I dont have children, so I treated her like my own. Now her father doesnt want me to communicate with her. The worst part is I havent been able to see her since the split, so Im worried she thinks Ive abandoned her. I feel like I am grieving. What can I do? Steph says: My instinctive response is that the animosity your ex is now showing means youve had a lucky escape. A nasty ending is never pleasant, but for most of us, its far harder to go than it is to stay. So well done for getting out. An anonymous reader asked TV's Steph and Dom Parker for their advice on maintaining a relationship with her stepdaughter following a break up (file image) However, while you feel sure its the right decision, it does mean youre enduring a world of pain. Its important you acknowledge that. You say you feel like youre grieving. Well, Im sure you are. What youre going through must be agonising, not to mention terrifically lonely. You have treated this girl as your own for ten years. Thats ten years of presents, pick-ups from parties, pizzas on the sofa and pure, unadulterated love. You are not her mum, but it doesnt mean you dont love her, and it doesnt mean she doesnt love you. Your relationship is valid and valuable and you have every right to fight for it and for her. You are, quite rightly, worried about her. She is only 16 and we all know how delicate the emotional and mental health of teenagers can be. Especially teenage girls. Her father may have a callous and cavalier attitude towards her relationship with you, but thats no reason for you to back down. However, theres no point in creating extra tension and difficulty, so Id cut him out of the loop. He hasnt shown any respect towards your relationship. Theres no reason for you to kow-tow to him. Shes 16, so Id imagine shes a prolific social media user why not send her a message on Facebook? That way, youll know shes read it. Tell her all the things you want her to know. That shes the daughter you never had. That you love her. That you havent just left her. Whatever you do, do not be disrespectful to her father, or bad-mouth him in any way, but do make it clear that it wasnt your decision not to see her. Then, its up to her to choose. She might decide to continue chatting to you on social media, she might not. She might even tell her father, causing all manner of fireworks. Fine. What matters is that she will know you havent abandoned her. Your stepdaughters well-being is your goal. The last thing this young woman needs is to feel youve dropped her and couldnt care less. Let her know this couldnt be further from the truth. Dom and Steph (pictured) advised the woman to try contacting her stepdaughter and her former partner whilst also getting on with her life Dom says: The end of any relationship is always difficult, especially one thats lasted for a decade, so Im sorry youre in such a miserable place. And Im also sorry your relationship didnt end on amicable terms. The loss of a partner is one thing, but the loss of your stepdaughter quite another. While your relationship with your ex-partner is over, your relationship with his daughter is not necessarily over. It is on hold, though. You should be very honest with yourself about your predicament. This may be unpalatable, but you simply have to leave well alone. You must write two letters. First, to your former partner. Be honest, but pleasant. Tell him you hope things wont always be acrimonious between you. That you hope in time to become friends and to be given a window back into his daughters life. Explain that you still love her very much. Write a second letter to his daughter, care of her mother. Tell her you love her and miss her. Explain to her how sad you are that things have fallen apart in the way they have and make it clear that you hope that in time she will approach you. Tell her you will always want to rebuild your relationship, if and when she is ready. Then sit back and wait; it may be some years. Perhaps it will help to remember that the late teens and early 20s are, naturally, the growing-apart years. Even if you were still with her dad and spending every other weekend with her, that would diminish over time. Her hormones and emotions will be everywhere and shell be putting distance between her parents and herself. But she will, of course, still love them. You will do well to remember that when you write: the father-daughter dynamic is precious and fraught with pitfalls. Do not go anywhere near it! If you say anything detrimental about her father at all, youll be on a hiding to nothing. So be calm, write carefully and keep your focus on your relationship with your exs daughter. This, Im afraid, is a waiting game. Get on with your life, build yourself back up, focus on making yourself happy and expanding your social circle. Hopefully, in time, this lovely girl will become part of it again. The imaginary world of Willy Wonka is what every sweet-tooth's dreams are made of and it's now a reality thanks to a vegan chocolate shop. Treat Dreams is allowing customers to create a chocolate bar out of whatever their heart desires when they walk into their Sydney store. When chocoholics step inside they will be able to create decadent and nostalgic treats out of a variety of goodies, such as Oreo, skittles and popcorn. The imaginary world of Willy Wonka is what every sweet-tooth's dreams are made of, and it's now a reality, thanks to a vegan chocolate shop Treat Dreams is allowing customers to create a chocolate bar out of whatever their heart desires when they walk into their Sydney store The yummy additions don't stop there, as those with a hankering for sweets can run wild with a variety of sweet and sour lollies that will assist them in making a wacky creation. Goodies such as Sour Patch Kids, chocolate biscuits and wafers are also available. If customers are more of a health-nut they can choose healthier mix-ins, such as nuts, granola and seeds. Adventurous eaters can try out salty additions including potato chips, fried noodles and cereals. The yummy additions don't stop there, as those with a hankering for sweets can run wild with a variety of sweet and sour lollies that can help them make a wacky creation They are sold in lots of three bar, which will set chocolate fans back $30 The chocolate bar runs every Saturday and it only takes 25 minutes for customer's chocolates to come to life. Once they have chosen their inclusions an expert chocolatier will work hard to make sure they create the bar that they imagined. They are sold in lots of three bar, which will set chocolate fans back $30. Treat Dreams has proven that it is a force to be reckoned with in both the vegan and sugary treat community. If customers are more of a health-nut they can choose healthier mix-ins, such as nuts, granola and seeds The chocolate bar runs every Saturday and it only takes 25 minutes for customer's chocolates to come to life Treat Dreams has proven that it is a force to be reckoned with in both the vegan and sugary treat community The company was founded by foodie Lis Armstrong who was sick of the dairy free options only being a plain chocolate bar. She identified a gap for gooey filled vegan treats that weren't pretending to be healthy, just decadent and delicious. The team's main focus is to maintain the rich, decadent tastes of non-vegan treats but replacing animal ingredients with plant based ones. Adventurous eaters can try out salty mix-ins including potato chips, fried noodles and cereals The team's main focus is to maintain the rich, decadent tastes of non-vegan treats but replacing animal ingredients with plant based ones This has meant that their taste testing starts with non-vegans, and if they believe it tastes the same, it goes on the menu. They also offer chocolate workshops for those who want to roll up their sleeves and get in the kitchen. Now Treat Dreams has taken the industry by full force, with celebrities like Ruby Rose, James Cameron and Lisa and Jess from The Veronica's considering themselves fans. Despite the fact that 650 flights land at Heathrow every day, with at least one death on board every month, I never really got used to it. It wasnt the death part that unsettled me as a doctor you become fairly immune to that it was everything that went with it. Boarding a plane full of people to do my job was like performing in front of an audience: a couple of hundred troubled eyes boring into me. I was holding a planeload of passengers against their will. When there was a body on board, no one was allowed to leave their seats until I had confirmed the death, and that it was not from something that could threaten the health of others. Ruling out the scary stuff was paramount: lassa fever, marburg disease or even ebola. The most common diseases I came across were chickenpox and malaria, but I also dealt with more serious infections such as typhoid and rabies. In 2005, I got a call to say a young woman had been taken ill with flu-like symptoms on a plane coming in from China, which was worrying because the bird flu epidemic was rife there. The passenger had also indicated to the crew that she might have come into contact with the virus. It was time to don my doctors superhero get-up: white paper jumpsuit, face mask and protective kit. I was never keen on wearing it because I felt a bit ridiculous, plus I worried that I would frighten the passengers. 'Despite the fact that 650 flights land at Heathrow every day, with at least one death on board every month, I never really got used to it,' says Heathrow Airport doctor Stephanie Green Given the hysteria at that time around bird flu, it was understandable that passengers might not be keen on being cooped up with someone showing symptoms. The behaviour of passengers seemed to depend on how much control the crew wielded. On some airlines, a simple request for everyone to remain in their seats was futile. I recall on one occasion fighting my way down the aisle to get to a man whod been taken ill when, despite my strident request over the speaker system that everybody remain seated, I was virtually trampled underfoot. But on that day I just saw a sea of faces blinking at me. I would have to check everyone on the plane and that was going to take a while. I didnt want to be the one who missed the bird flu virus and let it run riot in the UK. The sick passenger was a British woman called Jennifer who had been working close to a market where birds were kept. Her temperature was high. A quick burst of coughing sent her violently forward in her chair and a woman on the opposite side clapped her hands over her mouth. Doctor, you think I have it, dont you? Well, we need to get you checked out but its more likely that you have a nasty cold. I always try to put people at ease and to focus on a positive outcome. The ambulance arrived and took Jennifer to nearby Hillingdon Hospital. Onward addresses were taken for each of the other passengers and they were given instructions on what to do if they developed symptoms. Later that day I called the hospital. Most of the time were not party to the outcome of cases but this was different. When the lab told me that Jennifer was clear, the rush of relief surprised me. I did my best on a daily basis to push all the stress and worry deep down because thats the best way I knew of dealing with it. But on this occasion I was anxious to make sure that I had handled the situation correctly. ***** There is an extraordinary energy to Heathrow thats so different to a hospital where the atmosphere can sometimes wear you down. Even on quiet days I loved being there. A lot of the work was fairly routine forms had to be issued and we would check anyone arriving in the UK for more than six months from a country where TB was endemic, which meant examining 60 to 100 X-rays a day. Dr Green recalls one flight when 'the familiar call of "chicken or fish" along the aisle that day was more culinary Russian roulette than a meal preference' But bizarre things often happened, such as the day I was told there was blood leaking out of a suitcase on one of the baggage carousels. By the time we arrived, the suspect Samsonite was the only case left on the belt and nobody had turned up to claim it. I pulled on a pair of surgical gloves and slowly began to unzip it (no locks, thank goodness). As I peeled back the top of the case, a pungent smell hit me. Inside was a lot of screwed up newspaper and a large paper parcel from which the blood was seeping. God, is that some sort of meat? I said, stepping back. I pulled out the parcel, revealing what looked like a furless, mutilated animal of some sort. Not nice. Whatever it was, it hadnt been particularly well wrapped. I leaned in for a closer inspection. I think its some sort of monkey. The baggage supervisor rolled her eyes as if she wasnt the least bit surprised. People try to bring all sorts of strange things through customs. On another occasion, a distraught young Jamaican woman was brought into the Health Control Unit to be X-rayed. None of this was my choice, she said as she sat in her hospital gown waiting to be examined. It wasnt my choice to bring in the drugs. It was unusual for someone to offer up this information voluntarily, but she knew what the X-ray could show up. I rarely got into detailed conversations but this time I felt compelled to. A drug dealer made me do it. He threatened my family with a gun. I have two children. Her tears told me that she was telling the truth but it was hard to bear. I looked into her eyes, trying to put myself in her place. I would have done the same in her shoes what choice did she have? So shed boarded a plane for England with a stomach full of condoms each containing enough cocaine to stop her heart instantly if it burst. A week later I boarded a flight from Kingston, Jamaica to record the death of a young woman whod been taken ill mid-flight. Shed confided in a stewardess that she had drugs in her stomach but there was nothing anyone could do to help her. One of the packages had burst and was seeping into her system. She never made it to London. Her heart just stopped. When I was pregnant with my first child, I had to attend one of the saddest cases during my time at Heathrow: the death of a sick baby en route from Portugal for life-saving treatment in the UK. But the poor mite never made it. I asked Father Donovan, the airport chaplain, to accompany me to the plane. I thought he could be of some comfort to the family while I recorded the death, hopefully making it less clinical. I was steeling myself to face distraught, even hysterical parents, but when I stepped on board I was met by a scene of hushed serenity. 'On some airlines, a simple request for everyone to remain in their seats was futile,' writes Dr Green The cabin lights were dimmed and everything was so calm and quiet (the other passengers had been allowed to disembark) that it was hard to imagine such a tragedy had taken place. At the back of the plane the babys mother was cuddling her while her father was stroking her face. As I got closer, the man looked up at me but the mother wouldnt take her eyes off her daughter. She looks so peaceful, I said, gently. She is now, she replied. At their side were a couple of cabin crew who were clearly taking the most wonderful care of them. It was an uncomplicated, almost beautiful scene: a mother cradling her precious daughter as if she were sleeping. Eventually the woman looked up at me, her eyes wet, and I smiled back. That was all I could do. Shed done her best all she could have done and even now, after her daughter was gone, her quiet dignity in the face of such sadness was quite remarkable. ***** Terminal 5 is separate from the others so getting there by car took some getting used to. Negotiating the various routes was so tricky there was a special training video and then a test you had to pass. There were strict rules about speed limits and where you could park, but the first and most important rule was always give way to aircraft. As if there was ever going to be a situation where you might think twice about giving way to an Airbus A380. I had to learn all the different parts of the apron (where the plane sits as passengers get on and off) because if I parked in the wrong place I might well have been blasted by an aircrafts engine exhaust. The problem was that every bit of the road looked exactly the same and the map we were issued with was impossible to decipher. I remember one poor Spanish doctor on a six-month secondment who was permanently lost the whole time he was there. He regularly called up in despair and the conversation would go: I have no idea where I am! Well, what can you see from where you are? Planes! 'There is an extraordinary energy to Heathrow thats so different to a hospital where the atmosphere can sometimes wear you down,' writes Dr Green One night when I was on call, I couldnt get to sleep. I was overtired from a taxing day shift that had felt eternal. After an unusually large glut of Xrays that had thrown up two cases of TB, Id spent a good part of the evening trying to calm a young man whod been bitten by a monkey in North Africa and was convinced he had rabies. I cant say what time I eventually dropped off, but at 4.30am I was woken by a call to tell me that a flight was coming in from Los Angeles with about a dozen sick passengers. Sarah and Sinead from the Health Control Unit came with me and, as usual, we were met at the door of the plane by a bevy of cabin crew who, despite having flown through the night, were bright and breezy and looking top-to-toe perfect. There didnt seem to be any sickness when we took off, the purser said. A tall passenger in a suit made his way towards me from the front of the plane. He didnt look sick, but he didnt look happy either. Can I have a word, doctor? Are you ill, sir? No, but whatever this sickness is, I think you could at least let the first-class passengers off. I opened my mouth to reply but Sinead got there first: Oh, breathing different air up there are we, sir? The man blushed and turned back to his seat. I headed down the plane to set up my ad-hoc medical station, as sick passengers hurtled to and from the toilet. I only had to examine a couple of them to reach a diagnosis. As Id suspected, the familiar call of chicken or fish along the aisle that day was more culinary Russian roulette than a meal preference. These passengers had a nasty case of food poisoning, which meant that Environmental Health had to be informed right away. Luckily, the crew had been savvy enough to save some of the suspect chicken, unopened, so it could be sent off to be tested. I made my way slowly through the queue of patients, some more sick than others, the smell by now disgusting and the sound of retching ringing in my ears. As usual, everyone who wasnt stricken was desperate to get off the flight, having boarded some 11 hours earlier. I felt as if I was in a race against time before all the healthy shut-ins stormed the doors. Mercifully they didnt and an hour and a half later our work was done. I was beyond exhausted when I got home at 11am. It was one of those rare times when I asked myself, should I still be doing this? Was this really the best job for a mum with two young boys? YOU's editor reveals her favourite under-the-radar brands 1. Arket My obsession with this Swedish brand is becoming a problem. This floral dress is a great example of its simple but chic approach. Dress, 99, arket.com 2. Sezane The epitome of Parisian chic, this bohemian blouse from Sezane will bring effortless freshness to anything I wear with it. Blouse, 90; trousers, 95; earrings, 35; pendant necklace, 45, and chain, 55, sezane.com/en 3. A Weathered Penny The styles and prices on this site are irresistible. These big, bold numbers dress up jeans and a T-shirt perfectly. Earrings, 17, aweatheredpenny.co.uk 4. Charles and Keith Tracking down the perfect shoe can be tricky, but the Charles & Keith site always saves the day with the most stylish and affordable designs. Ill be wearing these with cropped jeans all summer long. Shoes, 39, charlesandkeith.com 5. Staud You couldnt move at Fashion Week without seeing Stauds iconic bucket bag adorning the arms of the fash sets biggest stars. Dont limit yourself to the Californian brands stellar accessories, though its classic linens are so chic. Dress, 255, staud.clothing Working-mums guilt, ageism and sexism actress EMILY MORTIMER is questioning everything she once felt she had to put up with. But, she tells Jane Mulkerrins, she has high hopes for her daughters generation. EMILY wears DRESS, Zimmermann No one considers anyone elses opinion any more, laments Emily Mortimer. Particularly on the internet and Twitter. Everyone is so convinced that theyre right and are appalled by anyone not thinking exactly what they think. Theres no acknowledgement that life isnt black and white. Were in a cavernous studio beside the Hudson River in New York, where British-born Emily, has been based for 15 years. Five minutes into our conversation, the polarised state of the internet and society comes up. The fact that weve got this philosophical this fast speaks volumes about our current cultural context in an era of Donald Trump and Brexit, many feel social media has become a bloody battlefield but its also highly pertinent to Emilys latest film The Bookshop. Who says that a man of 50 is still sexy but a woman of 50 isnt? Adapted from the novel by Penelope Fitzgerald and set in 1959, its the story of Florence Green, played by Emily, a middle-aged widow who opens a bookshop in a small Suffolk seaside town. Her efforts, however, are thwarted by intransigent, narrow-minded locals. Shes very English in that she doesnt have an ounce of self-pity but is quietly subversive, says Emily of Florence, who stocks Vladimir Nabokovs controversial novel Lolita (a literary classic about a mans sexual attraction to a 12-year-old girl) in her shop. Theres nothing show-off about her, but shes a brave fighter. Her main opposition is the malevolent Violet Gamart, played by Patricia Clarkson, a wealthy aristocrat who wields her social sway without mercy and who, to Emily, represents any sort of authority that doesnt want to let someone else do something sometimes for no good reason. But there is some support for the shop in the shape of the reclusive Edmund Brundish, played by Bill Nighy (whom Emily calls a matinee idol and admits she fell madly in love with on set). Emily stars as store-owner Florence in The Bookshop The tale is not your typical Hollywood fare with a neat, predictable ending. Even the locals reasons for objecting to the shop are ambiguous. Its a sort of anti-American-dream story: you can try and try, and still fail and, in fact, thats the experience for most of life. People dont always triumph over adversity. Emily says all this, as Florence no doubt would, cheerfully. There arent nearly enough stories told about the courage that it takes to admit defeat and move on. Books can help with that, she believes: I think of reading as a kind of medicine, a comfort, thats just as important as going to the gym or seeing a shrink, she says. Its a way of saving your sanity and your soul. Books also symbolise freedom, she continues. Nobody is telling you what to think. Youre getting to grips, often, with the grey areas of life, thinking about things in a complex, detailed way, and making up your own mind. All this as opposed to the moral certitude those polarised opinions she finds online. TOP AND SKIRT, Dior Emily and I have met several times over the past few years, including for Doll & Em, the satirical comedy she wrote and starred in with her best friend Dolly Wells who also played her best friend and personal assistant and for The Newsroom, West Wing creator Aaron Sorkins drama set in a fictional cable news station. We reflect on how prescient that series, which started in 2012, seems now. It was so ahead of its time, says Emily, who played MacKenzie McHale, a foreign correspondent turned producer with a steadfast belief in journalistic integrity. Dad said that theres no problem that cant be solved by a glass of champagne At the time we were giving Aaron such grief about it every episode was a tirade against social media and we would call him a grumpy old man. She sighs. As it turns out, he was on to fake news before it became a thing. She had a line in the shows first episode, she recalls: Theres nothing more important in a democracy than a well-informed electorate. We didnt realise how in jeopardy that was. We were all whats that awful word nowwoke? She pulls a face at the grammatical inaccuracy of the popular phrase, which means being fully engaged with current affairs. We were all so unwoke. We were asleep at the wheel. Thats something Trump understood, she continues. There was an arrogance, a feeling that the liberal agenda was complete, and everyone could be happy and equal; that all we needed was a few transgender bathrooms and less police brutality. Obviously, we were very wrong. Emily with mum Penelope, dad John and sister Rosie Emily and Alessandro with their children Sam and May Emily was, she says, always a big reader, though ironically studying literature at Oxford University, where she began acting, turned her off books for a while. You had to do Jane Austen in a week, George Eliot in a week. You got two weeks for Charles Dickens. Reading became work. There are also times in your life when reading becomes more difficult. When youve got young children you can barely brush your teeth, let alone start a book. She speaks from experience: she and her husband, the US actor Alessandro Nivola, have two children: Sam, 14, and May, eight. But once youve got reading in you, then its always there. Its no surprise that Emily had books in her from an early age, given that her late father was Sir John Mortimer, lawyer, novelist and creator of the TV series Rumpole of the Bailey. He was a Dickens fanatic and so am I because of him, she says. I remember him reading A Christmas Carol to me, and a lot of P G Wodehouse as well. Its a habit she has continued with Sam and May: I feel that it somehow connects my kids to my dad, who they never met. Emily with Ben Whishaw in the upcoming Mary Poppins Returns John also instilled in his daughter a love of the theatre. He always wished hed been an actor himself, she says. He wanted to be Fred Astaire and come down a staircase with a silver-topped cane in a top hat and tails, but he didnt quite have the leap or the natural rhythm to do that. So he took me to the theatre. I saw a lot of Shakespeare before I was too old to be scared of it. Emily grew up in London and Oxfordshire, and in spite of her many years in the US, has managed to retain her essential Britishness. Shes wry, self-deprecating and admits to an intense fear of ever being perceived as cringey. I miss cynicism. British people are much less polite and much less reverent, she says. Her mum Penelope still lives in Oxfordshire and her younger sister Rosie is in London. Can she see herself moving back? I think it probably is where I belong, she says. I used to find it heartbreaking when I had to leave to come back to the US, but I dont mind so much these days. Thats the way my life has gone and its great. Emily (second right) with the cast of The Newsroom She has, however, been thinking a lot about where shell end up as in, finally. I think about where Im going to be buried and what will happen when I die: will I get flown to the UK in a body bag? she wonders out loud. I will need to decree where I want to go, wont I? But if I die first and my husband wants us to be together, he might have to get buried next to me in England. I would have the last laugh then. Any residual homesickness has also been helped by the fact that Dolly Wells, Emilys lifelong best friend, moved to Brooklyn five years ago with her own family, and lives ten minutes away. She relocated temporarily to make Doll & Em, but it quickly became permanent. Weve already got traditions such as Sunday lunches together and Easter Egg hunts. Our children are really close and love each other madly, she beams. Working together on Doll & Em marked the beginning of a new phase of both their careers. Its not that you feel as though youre a grown-up, but that you realise no one else is either, says Emily. No one knows what theyre doing, so why not join in and try to do things? Emily with her Doll & Em co-stars Ewan McGregor and Dolly Wells, and her husband Alessandro Emily is now also producing her own films under the production company she has set up with Alessandro, King Bee Productions. Their latest film, To Dust, a black comedy about grief and unlikely friendships, recently won a coveted audience award at the Tribeca Film Festival. Later this year she will be in the eagerly anticipated Mary Poppins Returns. A sequel to the 1964 classic, the film stars another British Emily, Emily Blunt, as the worlds most famous fictional nanny. Emily (Mortimer) and Ben Whishaw play Jane Banks and her brother Michael, the children who were in Marys care in the original, now in their 40s. The role required a little bit of flying. But Ben and I play the non-magical people, so we mainly stay on the ground, she says. There was also some singing required, the mention of which prompts some epic eye rolls from Emily. I think Ive got quite a good voice, but no one Im related to agrees, she says, mock indignantly. Alessandros really musical and so are Sam and May, and they are so snooty about my musical talents that Ive got really neurotic about it. DRESS and BELT, Michael Kors Collection She is also afraid of heights and I had to sing while on this wire a hundred feet in the air. I was thinking, I feel like Im in a horror film, she laughs. Even trickier than singing while flying, however, were the domestic logistics presented by having a household of two in-demand actor parents. It was a summer of horrible absence, she says. I was doing Mary Poppins and then Alessandro was in London filming Disobedience [alongside Rachel Weisz and Rachel McAdams], and we only crossed over for a week. I have a pretty equal work-life relationship with my husband, but Ive bought into the feeling that when he goes off to work its a noble thing, and when I go its a guilty pleasure that I shouldnt be indulging, she admits. EASY FOR EMILY Book or Kindle? Book. Each title on my shelf brings to mind a particular relationship or period of my life. You can remember your life by the coffee stains on a book. Last great book you read State of Wonder by Ann Patchett. I am desperately trying to get the rights to adapt it. It would be like the Apocalypse Now for girls and set in the Amazon. Favourite author Charles Dickens. Lots of his books are about identity, such as trying to find out who your parents were and who you are as a result of them. Series youre binge-watching I tend to watch one or two episodes, get the gist and then stop. I still need to finish The Handmaids Tale, which I do think is amazing. Dinner party or restaurant? Restaurant. My dad trained me to like restaurants and hotels because thats what his favourite things were. He said that theres no problem so great that it cant be solved by a crisp white tablecloth and a glass of champagne. Describe yourself in three words Gosh, I dont know. Not very woke, but waking up? Actually, lets say that: Im waking up. Advertisement That feeling, however, has been challenged since the rise of the Me Too and Times Up movements, which demand an end to pay inequalities in the industry, as well as highlighting a culture of abuse and harassment. Im realising that all the rules that I took for granted are fake and arbitrary. Of course you feel guilty about leaving your children, but why is it worse for me than it is for Alessandro? Who wrote that rule? And why am I too old to play the wife of a man whos the same age as me? Who says that a man of 50 is still sexy but a woman of 50 isnt? Thats b******t. Like so many women since the Me Too movement gained traction with the downfall of Harvey Weinstein, Emily has been walking back through previous encounters. When it all first emerged, I kept saying, Ive never been sexually harassed. And then I was having conversations with people, saying, All Ive had happen is blah blah blah comments and put-downs and jokes and then I suddenly realised, wait, yes, that is harassment. Its strange, suddenly feeling very empowered, she reflects. Its like learning a whole different way to breathe. But its exciting it feels like a revolution, and I hope my daughters generation is not even going to have to think about it. The only potential downside Emily can see, however, is that the moral certitude might lead to a new sort of puritanism and censorship. Would Lolita even get published today? she wonders. I dont know that it would. The Bookshop will be in cinemas on 29 June Styling: Chloe Hartstein. Make-up: Genevieve Herr at Sally Harlor. Hair: David von Cannon at the Wall Group. Producer: Ester Malloy H.O. writes: I took up an unsolicited offer from Sainsburys Bank of an interest-free loan with just a 3 per cent set-up charge. But Sainsburys linked the 4,000 I borrowed to my Sainsburys credit card. I am now charged interest at 16.94 per cent on all purchases unless I pay off the full amount on the monthly statement, including the 4,000. Though I am sure this is legal I regard it as unfair trading. For many years I have used the card for all my purchases and paid the full balance by the due date to avoid paying interest. Sitting target: Adverts for the Sainsburys balance transfer offer Tony Hetherington replies: The letter you received from Sainsburys Bank looked straightforward. It uses terms such as interest-free, pay no interest and 0 per cent interest. But it is not the kind of loan that hands over 4,000 for you to spend in any way you wish. It is a way for you to transfer the balance on a rival credit card, so it becomes part of the balance on your Sainsburys credit card. The advantage of this is you stop paying interest on the 4,000. But as you found, there is a sting in the tail. You have always paid off the balance on your Sainsburys card each month rather than face interest charges. Yet now, you suddenly face such charges. You sent me your card statement showing a balance due of 4,810 including the 4,000 balance transfer. You paid exactly 1,000 which more than covers the amount you spent on purchases, but you faced an interest charge of more than 13. Tony says the letter one reader received from Sainsburys Bank was misleading When you protested, Sainsburys told you: The only way you can stop interest being applied is to pay off the whole balance including the balance transfer. This is correct. The explanation lies in the small print on the back of the banks letter offering you the 4,000. There are 11 points listed as conditions. The ninth of these says: If you make purchases, these wont be interest-free unless you pay off your entire balance each month (your balance includes any balance transfers). In other words, there are just two ways you can avoid paying interest. The first would have been to stump up 4,810 to clear your card in full. But if you had been able to do this, why would you have bothered paying a 3 per cent fee to transfer the debt from your other card? Surely you would simply have paid off that card in full? The other way to avoid paying interest is to accept the 4,000 transfer to the Sainsburys card, make the minimum repayments, but lock the card away and do not use it until the interest-free period on the 4,000 has expired. If you still had your other credit card, you could use this for shopping and pay off each months balance in full. Or you could apply for another card and stop using the Sainsburys card. I approached Sainsburys Bank and it told me: Mr H.O. has opted for one of our balance transfer credit cards where we offer zero per cent on the transferred balance with a 3 per cent fee. The zero per cent remains on the transferred balance for the duration of the offer period, in this case 18 months. The customer is still required, however, to pay interest on any new purchases. We make this clear in our terms at the point of purchase. All this is true. But equally, the only reason you have been charged interest on your purchases is because of the 4,000 balance transfer. Not because you failed to pay for the purchases themselves. The balance transfer scheme may well work for lots of people, but as gift horses go it is worth taking a close look in its mouth. Your letter helps thwart fraudsters D.M. writes: I wonder if you could offer some advice. I have been approached by Portland Investment Group of Sheffield, saying it can sell my carbon credits for 9.50 each, giving a return of 13,347. It looks attractive, but it wants me to pay 2,100 to reformat the credits, though it says this fee is refundable. Have you come across this company and do you think I would lose the 2,100 if I go ahead? Yes, I have come across these crooks and yes, you would lose your money. I warned last month that the real Portland company in Sheffield runs a recruitment business. The people who have stolen and misused its name are fraudsters. They have got hold of lists of victims of past scams, including investors in carbon credits and plots of land. The crooks claim they can magically market such investments for a profit, but everyone has to pay an up-front fee. There is no way to turn your carbon credits into a different investment and your 2,100 would be lost. But you have helped lots of other potential victims by telling me that if you had fallen for this scam, your 2,100 would have gone to bank sort code 40-09-00 and into account number 84009789 in the name of E Simpson. This is an HSBC account so I contacted the bank which moved into action fast. HSBC told me: We are extremely grateful for the information. The account has been inhibited so no more victims funds should be lost. Read Tony Hetheringtons case files at thisismoney.co.uk/hetherington If you believe you are the victim of financial wrongdoing, write to Tony Hetherington at Financial Mail, 2 Derry Street, London W8 5TS or email tony.hetherington@mailonsunday.co.uk. Because of the high volume of enquiries, personal replies cannot be given. Please send only copies of original documents, which we regret cannot be returned. Although some 6,000 miles separate their working desks, Richard Titherington and Ayaz Ebrahim seem to make a good investment partnership. For the past year, these two executives of investment manager JPMorgan Asset Management assisted by video technology and conference calls have been jointly running the companys Asian Investment Trust. Titherington from London where he is now based after a long stint working out in the Far East. Ebrahim from Hong Kong where he was born and has spent the past 30 years working in investment management. Team work: Ayaz Ebrahim, left, and Richard Titherington, right, are both executives of investment manager JPMorgan Asset Management So far all seems to be going well in this investment marriage judging by the results with the trust recording overall returns for the past year of 16 per cent, figures better than the average of their peers. It is working, said Ebrahim last week, in between meetings in London as part of a four-day trip to the UK where he was taking the opportunity to see some of the trusts key shareholders as well as pop in and say hello in person to his co-pilot on the fund. We have informed debates over what stocks to hold and which ones to sell. But he also confirmed that it was his head on the proverbial chopping block if things ever started to go awry. Yes, ultimately, it is my call. I have the ultimate decision over what goes. Richard has made that fact very clear. In point of fact, the trust is far more than these two influential JPMorgan executives Titherington is the asset managers head of emerging markets and Asia Pacific equities while Ebrahim chairs the Asia Pacific asset allocation committee. It draws upon the companys vast pool of analysts, economists and strategists who all have an input over the stocks that get bought and sold and the trusts exposure to individual stock markets. The result is a 64-stock portfolio with holdings in ten countries the trust does not invest in either Australia or Japan as some rivals do. It is the economists and strategists that influence the trusts country exposure, grading each stock market between one to five, one being most attractive. This is done according to factors including company valuations, currency weakness or strength and the performance of the underlying economy. The holdings are based on ideas provided by the analysts who come up with potential stock picks in three classifications premium, quality and companies that can be traded profitably over an 18-month to two-year period. Ebrahim is insistent it is the stock picking which provides the potential for greatest investor rewards. The trusts key holdings are familiar names Chinese internet giants Alibaba and Tencent as well as South Korean electronics firm Samsung. But among its smaller stakes are positions in Indonesian companies Bank Central Asia, Astra International and Telkom Indonesia. Ebrahim is optimistic about the economic outlook for the Asian region. He also thinks the agreement struck between President Trump and Kim Jong Un, leader of North Korea, on denuclearisation is good news although he is not confident North Korea will stick to its side of the bargain. Yet he also has some concerns, namely the debt overhang in China (nevertheless, the trusts largest country position at 34 per cent) and the negative impact of rising oil prices on the Indian economy. While he believes both issues should not become serious ones, they have the potential to unsettle stock markets. Two Bahraini female detainees Fatima Dawood Hassan and Zakiya Issa Al-Barboury were finally permitted to see their families after being subjected to incommunicado detention for weeks. (AhlulBayt News Agency) - Two Bahraini female detainees Fatima Dawood Hassan and Zakiya Issa Al-Barboury were finally permitted to see their families after being subjected to incommunicado detention for weeks. The family of 31-year-old Al-Barboury reported that she had lost weight following a 30-minute visit on Friday at the Isa Town Womens Detention Center. Meanwhile, 19-year-old Hassan was granted her family visit on Saturday morning. The pair was arbitrary detained in the Bahraini village of Nuwaidrat on May 17 before being charged with terrorism a few weeks later. Their families had repeatedly expressed concern that the kingdoms security forces may have subjected the women to physical and psychological torture. /257 Boss: Prashant Khemka runs the Ashoka Trust The Ashoka tree is recognised throughout India as a sacred species with health-giving, life-enhancing properties. Ashoka the Great was one of Indias most powerful emperors, dating back to 250BC but remembered to this day. Now UK investors have the chance to see whether this revered name in the subcontinent will work for them, with the launch of the Ashoka India Equity Investment Trust, a new company expected to list on the stock market early next month at 100p a share. Ashoka India is the brainchild of Prashant Khemka, a highly experienced fund manager with a track record of success. Born and raised in Mumbai, Khemka spent ten years running a multi-billion-dollar Indian fund for top US investment bank Goldman Sachs. During his tenure the fund delivered a return of 118 per cent, outperforming its peers by a significant margin. Now Khemka intends to do the same or better with Ashoka. Indian companies have had a chequered history on the London market, often disappointing investors and failing to live up to expectations. Ashoka, however, has several advantages on its side. Khemka has assembled a team of seven specialists with more than 80 years of experience between them. Their task is to scour the Indian stock market for undervalued, mid-sized companies with significant growth potential. The choice is wide. The Indian stock market is one of the largest in the world with thousands of listed companies, including 800 to 1,000 that are large and established enough for Ashoka to consider. Khemka and his team will invest in 20 to 40 firms that they believe will deliver substantial rewards in time. Khemka is a strong advocate of long-term investing so he is looking at companies that should generate returns over a five to ten-year period. However, investors who subscribe to Ashoka now could be rewarded rather sooner. Sacred: A complex built by Emperor Ashoka. Ashoka the Great was one of India's most powerful emperors, dating back to 250BC but remembered to this day India is in the throes of an economic transformation. In 2010, it was the ninth largest economy in the world. This year, it will be the fifth and it is likely to move to third place in the next few years, overtaking Japan in the process. This year alone, the Indian economy is expected to grow by 7.5 per cent, outstripping the UK, as well as the US and even China. Prime Minister Narendra Modi has instituted a number of far-reaching reforms, the Indian middle-class is expanding fast and, as people become wealthier, they spend more. This directly benefits Indian companies, many of which are highly entrepreneurial with exceptionally hard-working staff. Unlike many emerging market countries, India also benefits from a strong democratic tradition, an independent judiciary and robust property rights, cemented in law. The Ashoka team are all based in India and have developed a wide network of relationships so they are well placed to find companies likely to deliver strong returns. Khemka is mindful of corruption too, steering clear of firms with weak governance, dodgy accounting methods and any hint of past misconduct. His group is looking for firms that are clearly focused on their shareholders, and are often family-run concerns, whose founders own shares alongside other investors. Khemka and his colleagues believe stock selection to be paramount. They expect to attend about 2,000 meetings a year, not just with managers but also with suppliers, customers, employees, regulators and policymakers essentially anyone who might influence an individual companys success. Encouragingly, too, the Ashoka team do not receive an annual fee simply for managing the fund. They are only paid if they deliver sustained outperformance over several years. Midas verdict: The Ashoka India Equity Investment Trust hopes to raise between 100 million and 200 million, listing in the first half of July at 100p a share. The shares will be offered via intermediaries, the money will be invested within the first few weeks and the shares should prove rewarding. Khemka and his team are knowledgeable, experienced and have been highly successful to date. With India going from strength to strength, Ashoka offers a good opportunity for British investors to access the Indian market. To be traded on: Main market Ticker: Not yet assigned Contact: ashokaindiaequity.com or FTI Consulting at 020 3727 1051 When British Telecom was privatised in 1984, it was the largest share sale in the world. More than three billion shares were sold at a price of 130p, many of them to individual investors. At the time, BT was valued at 7.8 billion and the sale, representing a 51 per cent stake, was intended to boost competition and allow BT to expand and develop. Millions more shares were issued after 1984 and today BT is valued at 21 billion. About 725 million shares are still owned by private investors, including me. We have not done very well. Trading trends: Today BT is valued at 21 billion with around 725 million shares still owned by private investors BT closed last week at 210p, having fallen from a high of more than 1,000p in 1999. The firm has faced a rapidly changing market, stringent regulation and an onerous pension deficit. Since privatisation it has seriously underperformed the FTSE 100 index of leading shares. A 1,000 investment in that index would be worth 17,772 today if all dividends were reinvested. That same investment in BT would be worth 9,872 a hefty sum, but dwarfed by the Footsies returns. According to broker AJ Bell, only one of BTs recent chief executives, Ian Livingston, delivered a rise in the share price. The rest presided over declines, especially Gavin Patterson, who took the helm in 2013. Earlier this month, BT chairman Jan du Plessis announced that Patterson would be leaving this year and that BT had already started looking for his successor. The news came shortly after BT revealed disappointing results for the year to March 2018, including a year-on-year fall in turnover and underlying profit. An Italian accounting scandal erupted 18 months ago. There were fines and profit cuts, issues with the regulator and criticism of Pattersons decision to pay almost 1 billion to screen Premier League matches. So what must shareholders do now? Should we hang on, hoping for better times, or sell now, having endured years of underperformance? On the same day as those sub-optimal results were released last month, BT announced a comprehensive strategy designed to deliver growth. Over the next three years, the firm will remove 13,000 middle managers equivalent to a chunky 13 per cent of the workforce. At the same time, du Plessis intends to hire 6,000 new staff, mainly to work in call centres in Britain, and as engineers to roll out super-fast broadband. BT also hopes to cut costs by 1.5 billion, improve customer service and turn the business from a lumbering giant to a nimble communications group fit for the 21st century. The task is huge, but BT has taken some steps in the right direction, particularly with the acquisition of mobile phone network EE. Relations with regulator Ofcom have improved, a long-term plan is now in place to address the pension deficit, the Premier League costs have gone down and a partnership has been agreed with arch-rival Sky. The dividend is another point in BTs favour. Yes, it was announced that it would stay at 15.4p during the release of the recent results, but that still makes BT one of the highest yielding shares on the stock market, at more than 7 per cent. BT has also pledged to maintain the dividend for the next two years, hoping to increase it thereafter. Midas verdict: BT has been a dog but, with the price at 210p, now is not the time to sell. Long-suffering shareholders should stick with the group and see if the price improves once a new boss is appointed. Several top stockbrokers even rate the shares a buy. Traded on: Main market Ticker: BT.A Contact: btplc.com or 0808 100 4141 New age: Hambro says he likes bringing a bit of grey hair to the tech world Rupert Hambro, now halfway through his 70s, is the fifth generation of one of the most distinguished City dynasties. But far from fading into fusty retirement, he and his much younger business partner Dominic Perks, 40, are backing a wave of start-ups, including a dry cleaning app for busy people and a dating agency for Muslims. He sees it as fusing the traditional Square Mile with the brave new world of tech. I like bringing a bit of grey hair to young people setting up as entrepreneurs, he says, in his glass-walled modern office near Londons Victoria Station, itself a blend of the modern and the traditional. Young, casually dressed members of staff mill about and sit in earnest huddles, overlooked by a magisterial gilt-framed portrait of Ruperts grandfather Olaf, whose own grandfather, Carl-Joachim, was a Danish merchant who founded the Hambro financial empire. Rupert, who is part of a family worth around 150 million according to the Rich Lists, could afford to take it easy. But deal-making is in his veins, so instead he is on his third career as a start-up investor after merchant banking and asset management. Which is all very well but Britain has fallen well behind in creating the tech titans that have come out of the US. So does Hambro really think we can build businesses in the UK to rival the likes of Facebook and Amazon? Yes, if we are not short-termist and we dont sell out too soon. Businesses like Facebook are not built in five years. There is a terrible ailment in this country. I call it Rectory Syndrome, where everyones aspiration is to buy a nice house in a village and that is as far as their ambitions go. It is an English disease. Isnt it sad that ambition, wealth and business have become dirty words? Its certainly not an ailment that afflicts him. Ive worked all my life and Im not ready for the rectory. Hambros fateful meeting with Dominic Perks came when the latter arrived in his office in 2012 looking for financial backing with a pitch that didnt go down too well. THE LIFE AND TIMES OF RUPERT HAMBRO Name: Rupert Hambro Age: 75 Family: Wife Robin, children Jonathan and Flora, grandchildren Oliver, Archie and Willem. Lives: Pimlico/Belgravia border. Car: BMW 5 series. Day in the life: Wake up at 6am, take the dogs for a walk in Battersea Park, have breakfast then get to the office by 8.30am for meetings with shareholders and on potential investments. Have lunch in our family restaurant, Wiltons on Jermyn Street, which was bought by my grandfather Olaf, then meetings and correspondence before heading home for 6.30 or 7pm. Favourite book: The Cruel Sea by Nicholas Monserrat. Favourite film: A Man And A Woman by Claude Lelouch. The best advice you have ever received: Think every time you use the word I. Your best tip for the top: Listen, although my wife might disagree. Hambro's favourite book, The Cruel Sea by Nicholas Monserrat I didnt like his investment proposal at all, but I was impressed with him personally there was something very special about him. He is 40, I am 75, but we get on incredibly well. Perks agrees: Rupert and I just clicked when we met, we share similar views and values. We have an incredibly harmonious relationship, we never row. Perhaps the age difference helps. There is very little ageism in the tech sector, which is inherently quite liberal. Our portfolio has amazing diversity that isnt a policy, it is just a reality. Life now, for Rupert as an elder statesman surrounded by much younger people, is almost the exact opposite of the early 1960s when he joined the family bank in the City when it was still a clubby place infested with affable gents who liked their long lunches. I couldnt understand how people could drink sherry, wine and port and not fall asleep in the afternoon, he says. After a boardroom shuffle in 1983, Rupert found himself, aged just 39, running the business, in charge of much older men, some of whom rather resented it. Realising the margins in merchant banking were being squeezed, in 1986, in the middle of the Big Bang revolution that smashed the old City institutions, he struck out on his own with JO Hambro, a private client investment management business. We started out on the top floor of the old futures exchange. There was nothing just a load of telephones on the floor. So I rang my friend Jennifer DAbo. She was famous then for having turned around Rymans in the 1980s, when there werent that many prominent businesswomen. She said, Dont worry darling, Ill be around. She arrived at lunchtime in a van from Rymans and kitted us out. We were in business, with one secretary and one office manager. It has given me empathy with the start-ups we back now, I know what its like. He acquired the taste for start-ups in the mid-1990s. It turned out he had an eye for profitable ideas cooked up by a younger generation of entrepreneurs, including the children of friends. New ventures: Hambro and his much younger business partner Dominic Perks, 40, (pictured) are backing a wave of start-ups, including a dry cleaning app for busy people and a dating agency for Muslims One early business he backed was The Long Shot, co-founded by Jennifer DAbos son Joel Cadbury. It bought the legendary Groucho club in Soho, the Goat in Boots pub on the Fulham Road, and Vingt-Quatre, Londons first 24-hour restaurant. We had the Bank of Scotland, who didnt seem to mind how much they lent us. I think we were one of the few people to pay them back, he says, referring to the banks reckless pre-crisis lending spree. But the gamble paid off, with every 1 invested growing to 45. Another early investment was in posh drinks business Sipsmith, set up by two young men, one of whom was also the son of a friend. The craft gin maker was sold to Suntory of Japan for more than 50 million. We have now done 40 start-ups. Four of them we have generated ourselves, he says. History: Wiltons restaurant, which is located on Jermyn Street in London, was bought by Hambro's grandfather Olaf We formed a business called Laundrapp because Dominic was very angry about his dry cleaning. He could never get it done because they were never open when he wasnt at work. We will pick up your dry cleaning from 6am and will drop it off until 11pm. The technology, he says, has been sold on to firms in Australia, New Zealand, the US, Brazil and Russia. Hambro Perks is offering a tax-efficient Enterprise Investment Scheme fund that allows private investors to co-invest alongside the firm, with a minimum stake of 25,000. Other businesses they are backing include a private care business, Vida, and Muzmatch, set up by a former investment banker to help single Muslims find their perfect marriage partner. Its a varied bunch of ventures, so how does he decide who to support? The important thing is the people. Who are they, what are they like, how committed are they? We turn down most since the start of September we have had 900 opportunities and have only done five. Shareholder rebellion: Tory donor and scion of the KP Nuts dynasty, Sir Michael Heller A Tory donor and scion of the KP Nuts dynasty is embroiled in an extraordinary row over the fat-cat pay handed to two of his sons. Sir Michael Heller is this week under fire for the second time in a fortnight for the rewards that are being lavished on his own offspring at companies he chairs. The latest showdown is at London & Associated Properties, where the 82-year-old is chairman and his son John, 52, is chief executive. Shareholders plan to stage a rebellion over Johns near 500,000 pay packet. The latest revolt comes hot on the heels of an angry protest by investors over a 900,000 package handed to his younger son Andrew, 50, who is managing director of Bisichi Mining, where Heller senior is also the chairman. Nearly a third of the shareholders voted against Andrews pay. Although the sums handed to the Heller siblings are not immense by FTSE 100 standards, investors are annoyed as they believe their rewards are too large in proportion to the value of the companies they lead. John has been paid 6.7 million over the past decade at LAP, the listed shopping centre owner that sold Brixton Market earlier this year for 37 million. Last night, investor Andrew Perloff, who separately owns the department store group Beales, urged fellow LAP shareholders to vote against the firms pay plan at its annual meeting on Tuesday. Sir Michael and the Heller family controls LAP which in turn has a large stake in Bisichi. Perloff, a Ukip donor who has a 3 per cent stake in LAP, said Hellers pay was completely inappropriate for a company with a market value of less than 25 million. He wants the Heller family to put an end to the dispute by buying out the minority shareholders in LAP at a fair price. He complained that LAPs share price is very low compared with the value of the properties it owns. LAP has dismissed the resolution as pure opportunism. Perloff is not confident of victory but added: This is just the beginning. Paul Mumford, whose Cavendish Asset Management is a major shareholder of both Bisichi and LAP, said John Heller was very overpaid at LAP. Mumford voted against the Bisichi pay report. In the late 1940s, Sir Michaels father Simon bought a jams firm before launching KP Nuts in 1953. He sold the company 15 years later to McVities owner United Biscuits for 3.5 million, with Sir Michael as managing director. Multi-millionaire City financiers who bankrolled campaigns for Britain to quit the EU now say they fear Brexit will never happen. Jeremy Hosking, who has donated seven-figure sums to anti-EU campaigns and to the Tory party, said he was pessimistic that Brexit will take place in a meaningful way as it will be so watered down. Hoskings misgivings follow two weeks of political wrangling over the terms of the split from the EU. Concerned: Multi-millionaire City financiers who bankrolled campaigns for Britain to quit the EU now say they fear Brexit will never happen His views are shared by other pro-Brexit financiers, including billionaire Jim Mellon who told The Mail on Sunday he believes Britain is heading for a soft, almost imperceptible exit. But whether the country will experience the hardest of Brexits or is destined to do a U-turn and eventually remain within the EU, the major Brexiteers from the finance world are likely to profit. They have been busy hedging their bets so that whatever happens to the British economy they will personally be shielded from financial harm and will continue to maintain their fabulous wealth. Meanwhile, they have been voicing complaints that Brexit will not have the impact that has been envisioned for much of the time since the referendum in June 2016. Hosking, 59, said: I personally dont believe were going to have a Brexit that resembles a Brexit in any sense at all. He also blasted Prime Minister Theresa May. I think we will remain effectively tied to all the European standards virtually in perpetuity, he said. And I believe thats the deliberate strategy of No 10 and this Prime Minister. The real winners in Brexit roulette Jeremy Hosking Age: 59 Net worth: 355 million Brexit donation: 1.7 million Who is he? The veteran fund manager has three passions: steam trains, Crystal Palace FC and Brexit. He is sheltered from any impact of leaving the EU because his firms biggest investments are in US giants such as Amazon, PayPal and Google-owner Alphabet. Sir Paul Marshall Age: 58 Net worth: 520 million Brexit donation: 100,000 Who is he? Sir Paul, whose son Winston plays in folk-rock band Mumford & Sons, co-founded the 26 billion hedge fund Marshall Wace, ultimately based in the Cayman Islands. Marshall is disillusioned with EU policy relating to rules for hedge funds. Sir Michael Hintze Age: 64 Net worth: 1.4 billion Brexit donation: 100,000 Who is he? A British-Australian who set up hedge fund giant CQS in 1999 and is one of the City of Londons richest men. Hintze, who has donated more than 4 million to the Tory party, said of Brexit: I sense within a generation [Britain] will be better off. Jim Mellon Age: 61 Net worth: 1 billion Brexit donation: 10,000 Who is he? The billionaire investor is sometimes dubbed Britains answer to Warren Buffett. His Brexit donations are limited because he is based on the Isle of Man. Eurosceptic Nigel Farage and Arron Banks first met at an event hosted by Mellon. Peter Cruddas Age: 64 Net worth: 661 million Brexit donation: 350,000 Who is he? Founder and chief executive of online trading company CMC Markets. He resigned as co-treasurer of the Tories in 2012 and is a major donor to the party. He says Brexit will give the UK a bright future as an independent trading nation. Arron Banks Age: 52 Net worth: 100-250 million Brexit donation: 8.3 million Who is he? The maverick insurance tycoon gave a record 1 million to Ukip before co-founding the Leave.EU campaign, and is the biggest donor to the Brexit cause. Much of his wealth is held in Belize, the Isle of Man and Gibraltar. He is married to a Russian and was quizzed by MPs last week over meetings with Russian ambassador Alexander Yakovenko. Hosking is widely regarded as one of Brexits biggest backers among financiers, alongside insurance tycoon Arron Banks, financial advice firm Hargreaves Lansdowns founder Peter Hargreaves and hedge fund boss Crispin Odey. Leading pro-Brexit MP Jacob Rees-Mogg is the founder of fund management firm Somerset Capital Management. Hosking, who is worth 355 million according to The Sunday Times Rich List, says he backed Brexit to give the UK power over its own laws. Despite Hoskings views, his firm Hosking Partners is likely to be protected from any post-Brexit fallout. Its biggest investments are in US giants including Amazon, Bank of America, Paypal and Google-owner Alphabet. It has also ploughed millions into two dozen Russian firms including state-owned airline Aeroflot. About 11 per cent of its money is invested in UK companies. Fellow Brexiteer Mellon, a billionaire investor, is also sheltered from any ill-effects of Brexit as he lives in Hong Kong and runs his 400-employee firm from the Isle of Man, a Crown dependency. Much of his fortune was made in Russia. Many Brexiteers have substantial investments overseas and some have taken out heavy bets against leading British companies known as short positions meaning they will benefit from falling share prices in a downturn. Rees-Moggs firm has virtually no investments in the UK but more than 200 million in Russia. Peter Cruddas, who donated 350,000 to Vote Leave, netted nearly 200 million when he sold shares in his firm CMC on the London Stock Exchange just months before the referendum. The Mail on Sunday revealed last week that Odey has taken out more than 500 million worth of investment in short positions against leading British companies so will profit if their share prices fall. Advertisement Trapped, stuck up against an over-turned semi-trailer and waiting to die, Daniel Shaw is lucky to be alive. In 2013, Shaw unknowingly drove into the eye of what is now known to be one of the biggest tornadoes in United States history. Upon driving into the storm, Shaw, from Sydney, had a semi-trailer hit the back of his car, before pulling over and watching the huge truck turn over in front of him. 'It was without a doubt one of the scariest experiences of my life. I was waiting to die, I was trapped, and I was stuck up against an overturned semi-trailer waiting to be picked up and thrown.' Willoughby Owen has been chasing storms for a decade and captured this image just last week In 2011 when Shaw was in Joplin, Missouri, he witnessed how tornadoes could cause major devastation and decided to do something about it For many, storms are terrifying and more than enough reason to close the blinds and stay in bed, but for two of Australia's thrill-seekers, they actively chase the eye of the storm. Yet, for Shaw and friend, Willoughby Owen, storms have been a passion since they were young children. Now they routinely visit the United States to go and see some of the world's most dangerous tornadoes first-hand. Shaw is a storm spotter and storm chaser from Sydney. His primary focus is to witness Mother Nature at its most beautiful, but also at its most deadly. Shaw is now a proud volunteer of St John Ambulance and is trained as high as he can clinically to know how to help in times of need. Shaw's interest began at just age 11 after watching a lightning show in Bondi, and his interest grew as he got older. Originally a photographer and videographer for major networks and newspapers in Australia, Shaw was the one the media would call when a storm raged across Sydney. '98.5% of storm chasing it is driving, 1.4% is trying to work out where to go, and 0.1% of it is seeing a Tornado,' Shaw explains 'I've always been into weather, since I was about 13, because it's just such a challenge to broadcast and get right,' Owen says 'As I started to work with media I always had a fascination for storms and I'd actively chase them for the media,' he said. In 2004, Shaw went to the States and set out on his first ever storm chasing tour, where he saw what a real storm looked like. 'At that point, I knew I had my calling and from that point forward I learnt as much as I could about storms and severe weather and how to follow it.' Daniel Shaw interest began at just age 11 after watching a lightning show in Bondi, and his interest grew as he got older In 2011, everything changed. What used to be a fascination for Shaw became a shock to the devastation and deadly nature these storms caused. 'In the city of Joplin, Missouri I bear witness to one of the most deadly tornados in US history,' Shaw said. 'When I was in Sydney, I wasn't fearful of them, but in America I became fearful of storms.' Owen describes the feeling when he's bewildered by what he's seeing as 'Stormgasms. Where you go mental. You go off your chops. You're asking yourself, 'Is this real?'' Compared to the States, Australia is extremely lucky when it comes to the severity of our storms. Shaw calls us the 'lucky country'. 'We call Australia the lucky country, but I don't think we understand how lucky we are when you can wake up every single morning and know your house won't end up in the next state,' he said. He returned home, where he learnt first aid and is now a proud volunteer of St Johns Ambulance and is trained as high as he can clinically to know how to help in times of need. Willoughby Owen (left) and Daniel Shaw (right) chase storms for different reasons, but share a common goal and the same passion Although Shaw loves storms, he understand that there are limits around weather that need to be respected. 'Some can be wonderful and some will be setting out to kill you and you need to know when to back off. That's probably one of the biggest skills you need to know when you chase the US storm systems. Is knowing when to back off and when to run.' There's a number of aspects in order to know what you're doing when it comes to chasing severe weather systems. Safety, knowledge and forecasts all come into play. Although Shaw isn't trained as a meteorologist, he reads and understands weather models. Shaw says having an intimate knowledge of weather and how it impacts people is important and having an understanding of the risks Shaw is lucky to be alive. In 2013, he should've been killed in what has now been regarded as the world's largest tornado the El Reno tornado, west of Oklahoma City on May 31. The 2.6 mile wide tornado descended itself upon hundreds of storm chasers. 'It killed three of our colleagues,' Shaw said. 'I very nearly lost my life that day. And on that day I was trying to be careful. Even though I was spotting and communicating with the weather service, this storm twisted and turned like no other storm ever did before and it caught a lot of people out, in fact nearly every one of them.' Shaw's car (pictured above) was hit at the back by a semi-trailer before the truck rolled over in the 2013 tornado, El Reno When asked what it was like to be risking his life in the eye of the tornado, Shaw laughed and asked how much time he had to explain. Shaw drove straight into a rain wrapped tornado, thinking it was four miles away from his location. 'Having the medical knowledge I did gave me a good understanding of exactly how I was going to die,' he said. Willoughby Owen however, originally from Hamilton, New Zealand, got into storms in 2005 when some of his mentors returned from storm chasing in America. 'They came back and we had like a weather meet and they showed a video and that was just it for me,' Owen said. Owen's interest in weather and storms began at the age of 13. He's always loved the challenge that broadcasting weather brings. Although storm chasing wasn't Owen's plans for the future, he said he always would've ended up in some kind of weather-related career. When Shaw worked in Australia, he was the go-to for news organisations when storms were set to hit Sydney 'I didn't expect to be storm chasing over in America pretty much every year, it does get very addicting over here.' Like Shaw, Owen's life was also put at risk in El Reno. 'That storm was very dangerous. The largest tornado developed very quickly, it wasn't normal,' Owen said. Normal tornados usually go from South West to South East, but Owen said that this particular storm had a 'hook echo' on the radar, going in all different unpredictable directions. Looking back on their experiences, both chasers believe that being prepared and having escape routes is a key tool for chasing Talking about Australia, Shaw says 'We are extremely lucky to wake up every single morning and know your house won't end up in the next state' It was so unpredictable that it began to overtake the storm chasers, who were out in numbers due to the close proximity to Oklahoma City. 'We were going 55 miles an hour, as fast as we can down this dirt road. But luckily it just turned away from us. If it had kept going east it would've taken out quite a few storm chasers because the roads were clogged and people didn't have their escape route sorted.' Looking back on that day, Owen is wary of preparing in advance and keeping escape routes open. 'As I started to work with media I always had a fascination for storms and I'd actively chase them for the media,' Shaw said 'In hindsight we should've sorted out our escape routes a bit better. Maybe we could've dropped south instead of going east, but it was quite a wide tornado, 2.6 miles wide.' El Reno killed three well known storm chasers, scientists who put probes out and got right into the notch of the tornado. Owen's passion from storms comes from the challenge. He loves not knowing if the plans are going to work out and with the large land to cover, plans are critical. Shaw's love for storms continues, but respects their dangers and has trained to be better prepared for any future disaster No matter how good a storm may be, both men say always have to keep chasing, and there's always more to learn 'It's a really good feeling if it works out. You target in the morning, and it's not easy to say 'oh there's a storm that's going off' but what you've got to realise is that the distance is so huge you can't just drop south because that's a two hour drive' he said. When asked about his best moments in the States, he recalls a recent experience. Last Wednesday evening in Central Plains north of Laramie in Wyoming Tornado Alley, it's called Owen was chasing a storm that he witnessed form first-hand. Clouds were going up, supercells were turning and strong echos appeared on his radar, just turning and turning. Once he got over the mountains in Central Plains, he saw the big bell shaped super cell cloud. Owen was in shock when he came across the storm north of Laramie, Wyoming last week, he couldn't believe what he was experiencing 'Then we saw the tornado drop down and we jolted for it and the tornado and the structure was right in front of us for a good one hour.' According to Owen, that storm in Wyoming was 'an accident'. A weather accident. 'It wasn't forecasted. Weird things happen. Weird things happen on the plains. Sometimes it's science, sometimes it's experience. And it can be just straight dumb luck,' he said. When he came across the storm, Owen was frozen in shock. He couldn't believe what he was experiencing, describing his reaction with an interesting term. 'Stormgasms. Where you go mental. You go off your chops. You're asking yourself, 'Is this real?' This is what you build up for, this is what you wait years and years for, and it's actually happening right in front, and it happens within five minutes.' Shaw describes Owen's photos from last week as some of the best in the next two to three decades, frustrated at the fact that he didn't witness the storm himself. Both men are veterans when it comes to storm chasing in the United States, with ten years' experience. They agree that no matter how good a storm may be, you always have to keep chasing, and there's always more to learn. The storm chasers acknowledge that it's hard and takes determination, as all the driving can often lead to no results. For them, there's three places that they frequent the car, the hotel and the side of the road. 'There's a lot of people in the world who contact storm chasers who say 'I want to be a storm chaser', 98.5% of it is driving, 1.4% is trying to work out where to go, and 0.1% of it is seeing a Tornado,' Shaw said. Although Shaw chases for the media and prioritises safety, working with emergency management services and Owen chases for the challenge and picture opportunities, both men share a common goal and the same passion for storms. On April 22, 2016, eight members of the Rhoden family were found dead across four crime scenes in what's been described as a methodical, deliberate attack in Pike County, Ohio. The deceased were: Christopher Rhoden Sr, 40; his ex-wife Dana Rhoden, 37; their children Clarence 'Frankie' Rhoden, 20, Hanna Rhoden, 19, and Christopher Rhoden Jr, 16; Christopher Rhoden Sr's brother Kenneth Rhoden, 44; a cousin, Gary Rhoden, 38; and Hannah Gilley, 20, the fiancee of Frankie Rhoden. (left) Christopher Roden Sr, 40 (right) Dana Rhoden, 37 (left) Hanna Rhoden, 19, (right) Christopher Rhoden Jr, 16 (left) Frankie Rhoden, 20, and (right) fiancee Hannah Hazel Gilley, 20 (left) Gary Rhoden, 38, (right) Kenneth Rhoden, 44 More than two years after the murders, the investigation has gone cold as no arrests have been made and the motive remains a mystery. As of April 2018, two agents from the Ohio's Bureau of Criminal Investigation and a member of the Pike County Sheriffs Office remain assigned to the case full-time. POSSIBLE MOTIVES A drug turf war - About a month after the murders it was revealed that three of the four properties where bodies were found had been used for marijuana production, leading investigators to speculate that the massacre may have been the result of a turf war. Additionally, only of the bodies was said to have been found covered in dollar bills. Inter-family tensions - As of April of this year, authorities have focused their investigation on the Wagner family, who had ties to the Rhodens and moved to Alaska following the massacre. Angela Wagner and Christopher Rhoden Sr were longtime friends and alleged business partners - whom members of the community have claimed had a falling out before the massacre. Jake Wagner and Hanna Rhoden share a daughter, Sophia, and had come to a custody agreement in 2016. Some family members have said the negotiations were contentious. However, Wagners have continued to adamantly deny any involvement in the murders. While investigators would not specifically name the family - George 'Billy', mom Angela and adult sons Jake and George - as suspects, it appeared that they very well might be. In May 2017 a poster was issued to media outlets in Ohio and Alaska asking anyone with information about the family-of-four to call investigators. The poster asked specifically for information about 'interactions, conversations, dealings or transactions that the public may have had with these individuals, which could be personal, business, or otherwise. Specifically, information could include, but is not limited to, information regarding vehicles, firearms, and ammunition.' It is unclear whether any useful information has been collected as a result of the poster. Matt Oczkowski, Cambridge Analytica's former head of product, is believed to be quietly working on the Trump 2020 campaign with his new, similar company - Data Propria A company run by former officials at Cambridge Analytica, the political consulting firm brought down by a scandal over how it obtained Facebook users' private data, has quietly been working for President Donald Trump's 2020 re-election effort. Associated Press confirmed at least four former Cambridge Analytica employees are affiliated with Data Propria, a new company specializing in voter and consumer targeting work similar to Cambridge Analytica's efforts before its collapse. The company's former head of product, Matt Oczkowski, leads the new firm, which also includes Cambridge Analytica's former chief data scientist. Oczkowski denied a link to the Trump campaign, but acknowledged his new firm has agreed to do 2018 campaign work for the Republican National Committee. Oczkowski led the Cambridge Analytica data team which worked on Trump's successful 2016 campaign. Oczkowski has been meeting with political contacts and prospective clients in the past few weeks, talking about Data Propria's role in Trump's re-election effort. In one such conversation, which took place in a public place and was overheard by two AP reporters, Oczkowski said he and Trump's 2020 campaign manager, Brad Parscale, were 'doing the President's work for 2020'. In addition, a person familiar with Data Propria's Washington efforts, who spoke on condition of anonymity to protect business relationships, confirmed to AP Trump-related 2020 work had already begun at the firm along the lines of Cambridge Analytica's 2016 work. Oczkowski was overheard speaking about how he and Trump 2020 campaign manager Brad Parscale (pictured) were were 'doing the President's work for 2020' Cambridge Analytica worked on getting Trump elected in 2016, and are to credit for the President's focus on the rust belt Both Oczkowski and Parscale told AP no Trump re-election work by Data Propria was even planned, but confirmed that Parscale had helped Data Propria line up a successful bid on 2018 midterm polling-related work for the RNC, awarded earlier this week. Oczkowski called the contract modest. He had previously told AP the firm had no intention of seeking political clients. After being informed the AP had overheard him directly discussing campaign work, he said his young company had changed course and whatever he'd said about the 2020 campaign would have been speculative. 'I'm obviously open to any work that would become available,' Oczkowski said, noting he and Parscale had worked together closely during Trump's 2016 campaign. Parscale told AP he has not even begun awarding contracts for the 2020 campaign, which he was appointed to manage in March. 'I am laser-focused on the 2018 midterms and holding the House and increasing our seats in the Senate,' he said. Parscale says he has not begun awarding contracts for the 2020 Presidential Election and was 'laser-focused' on midterms 'Once we do those things, I'll start working on re-electing President Trump.' London-based Cambridge Analytica was accused of playing a key role in the 2014 breach of 87 million Facebook users' personal data. The company said it did not use the information for Trump's 2016 campaign, but some former employees have disputed that. Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg has said that it was 'entirely possible' the social media data ended up being used in Russian propaganda efforts. In May, Cambridge Analytica filed for bankruptcy and said it was 'ceasing all operations.' A British investigation of Cambridge Analytica and its parent company will continue despite the shutdown, the U.K.s Information Commissioner's office said last month. The description of Data Propria's efforts overheard by the AP reporters tracks closely with the services Cambridge Analytica provided to both commercial clients and Trump's 2016 campaign, including profiling voters based on data about them in a process known as 'psychography.' The technique classifies people according to their attitudes, aspirations and other psychological criteria to tailor advertisements or marketing strategies. Oczkowski told AP three of the people on Data Propria's 10-person team are Cambridge Analytica alumni, but said they were focused on campaign operations and data analysis - not behavioral psychology. Data Propria is 'not going down the psychometrics side of things,' he said. Among the former Cambridge Analytica employees is David Wilkinson, a British citizen who was the company's lead data scientist. During the 2016 campaign, Wilkinson helped oversee the voter data modeling that informed Trump's focus on the Rust Belt, according to a Cambridge Analytica press release issued after the election. Federal election law bars foreign nationals from 'directing, controlling or directly or indirectly participating in the decision-making process' of U.S. campaigns. The public advocacy group Common Cause filed a complaint with the FEC in March alleging that Cambridge Analytica's foreign employees broke that law, though the complaint did not name Wilkinson. Oczkowski told the AP that the London-based Wilkinson is a contractor and will not be involved in Data Propria's U.S. political work. Another issue raised by Data Propria's work on Trump's re-election effort is the firm's financial links to Parscale, Trump's campaign manager. Parscale is a part owner of Data Propria's parent company, a publicly traded firm called Cloud Commerce that bought his digital marketing business in August. Over the last year, Cloud Commerce has largely rebuilt itself around Parscale's former company, now rebranded Parscale Digital. Parscale (pictured) is a part owner of Data Propria's parent company, and both could be profiting from a contract awarded to the former Cambridge Analytica employees Parscale sits on Cloud Commerce's board of directors and provides the company with the majority of its $2.9 million in revenue, according to the company's most recent Securities and Exchange Commission filing. By working with a Cloud Commerce subsidiary, the Trump campaign could be helping Parscale profit beyond his $15,000 monthly campaign retainer and the commissions he has been collecting on Trump's digital advertising spending. While Parscale's personal business still works for the campaign, it's unclear how that work may be changing now he has become Trump's official campaign manager. Under one contract between Parscale and Cloud Commerce, he receives a five per cent cut of every dollar collected by Parscale Digital - which is largely composed of the web marketing business Parscale sold to Cloud Commerce last year. In SEC filings, Cloud Commerce has estimated that Parscale's cut of those revenues, excluding pass through payments, would total between $850,000 and $1.3 million. Parscale Digital would not be directly receiving funds from the RNC or the campaign. Even though Parscale is not directly receiving money from Data Propria work, the firms provide each other with business and Data Propria's success would help Cloud Commerce pay off the money it owes Parscale. Pictured: Data Propria's San Antonio office A second agreement obligates Cloud Commerce to pay Parscale $85,150 a month as part of its separate $1 million purchase of his former web-hosting business. Parscale earns another $3,000 per month from leasing computers and office furniture to Cloud Commerce. Trevor Potter, a Republican who once headed the Federal Election Commission and now leads the nonprofit Campaign Legal Center, said it was unusual for an incumbent President's campaign to direct large amounts of business to outside firms tied to his campaign manager. Such arrangements are more common for long-shot candidates in need of expertise, he said. 'Top-notch candidates have bargaining power and are less likely to put up with that,' Potter said. 'It sounds like a very rich opportunity for Mr. Parscale, but that's really the candidate's call.' Aside from the ties to Parscale, Cloud Commerce's parent company is an unusual candidate for blue chip political work. Founded in 1999, the firm has repeatedly changed its name and business model, and the company's most recent audit 'expressed substantial doubt about our ability to continue as a growing concern' without continuing infusions of cash. An AP investigation of Cloud Commerce in March found a former CEO of its predecessor firm pleaded guilty to stock fraud in 2008 and remained active in Cloud Commerce's affairs until at least 2015. Trevor Potter, a Republican who once headed the Federal Election Commission and now leads the nonprofit Campaign Legal Center, said it was unusual for an incumbent President's campaign to direct large amounts of business to outside firms tied to his campaign manager Cloud Commerce says the man has had no connection with its business since at least 2011. The AP also found discrepancies in the professional biography of current Cloud Commerce chief executive Andrew Van Noy, who has told investors that he worked for Morgan Stanley and was a private equity executive in the years immediately preceding his arrival at Cloud Commerce in 2011. Van Noy's August 2010 Utah bankruptcy filing conflicts with that portrayal, showing he spent most of the prior two and a half years unemployed. The filings also reveal that Van Noy had been accused of selling unlicensed securities and using $100,000 of an investor's money for personal purposes. 'Luckily I have not had to go to the homeless shelter,' Van Noy wrote to that investor in 2011 after the man asked what had happened to his investment. After the man sued for fraud, Van Noy agreed to pay him $105,000. A year later, he became president of Cloud Commerce. A disturbing video shows a Native American man being struck by a Border Patrol SUV on a road in southern Arizona. The victim has been identified as 34-year-old Paulo Remes, who told the Arizona Daily Star: 'I ran into the dirt road in front of my house, because I know they'll try and hit me.' The video shows Remes, who is holding the camera, walking into the middle of the road in the Tohono O'odham Nation where he stands for a few seconds before the white Chevy comes straight at him, knocking him to the ground. Remes claims that the vehicle didn't stop even after hitting him, and that the agent driver didn't check to see if he was okay. A disturbing video shows the moment a Native American man is run over by a Border Patrol SUV on a road in the in the Tohono O'odham Nation near Tuscon, Arizona The victim, Paulo Remes, 34, recorded the incident on his phone. Remes told the Arizona Daily Star: 'I ran into the dirt road in front of my house, because I know they'll try and hit me' Remes said he had been outside looking for a speaker to listen to music and talking to his cousin on the phone when he saw the white SUV coming down the road on Thursday. He said he decided to turn his phone camera on before stepping into the road because he had an idea of what would happen next. 'I think he saw me on the landline and didn't think I was recording,' he said of the agent. The video shows the white Chevy suburban coming straight at Remes and striking him head on Remes claims that the vehicle didn't stop even after hitting him, and that the agent driver didn't check to see if he was okay The video made its was to Border Control's Tucson Sector, which is currently investigating the incident with the Tohono O'odham Nation police. The FBI and US Attorney's office are also helping with the investigation. Remes was taken to the hospital where he was treated for minor bruising. 'I'm doing all right, I'm just a little sore, really,' he told the Star on Friday. Tohono O'odham Nation Chairman Edward D Manuel responded to the video in a statement on Friday, calling it 'disturbing'. 'The safety and well-being of the general public is the Nation's top priority, and the Nation's leadership is monitoring this issue closely,' Manuel said. Border Patrol also released a statement about the incident saying: 'We stress honor and integrity in every aspect of our mission. We do not tolerate misconduct on or off duty and will fully cooperate with all investigations of alleged unlawful conduct by our personnel.' A teen is fighting for life and another has been charged with attempted murder after an ongoing disagreement escalated into a near-fatal stabbing. The two 17-year-olds got into a fight in the pedestrian underpass at Nambour train station about 5.20pm on Friday in the Sunshine Coast, Queensland. One of the teens was flown to Brisbane after he was stabbed in the chest, while the other was arrested at a nearby residence later that night. Officers allegedly found a knife at the property where he was located. A teen is fighting for life and another has been charged with attempted murder after an ongoing disagreement escalated into a near-fatal stabbing Detective Senior Sergeant Phil Hurst said police were still trying to work out what caused the stabbing but the pair were known to each other. 'There was some disagreement between them leading up to this altercation,' he said on Saturday. Det Snr Sgt Hurst said there were several people in the subway about the time of the fight who were helping police with the investigation. Det Snr Sgt Hurst (pictured) said there were several people in the subway about the time of the fight who were helping police with the investigation 'The incident has been captured on CCTV and we're in the processes of getting that from the Department of Transport,' he said. 'We have viewed that footage and it assisted us in identifying the people involved.' Investigators established a crime scene at the underpass as they used blood spatter and other evidence to discern what happened. The stabbed teen remains in a critical condition at Prince Charles Hospital. The self-declared Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL, also known as ISIS) group has claimed responsibility for a suicide bombing that killed at least 25 people in the eastern Afghan province of Nangarhar. (AhlulBayt News Agency) - The self-declared Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL, also known as ISIS) group has claimed responsibility for a suicide bombing that killed at least 25 people in the eastern Afghan province of Nangarhar. The group's Amaq website said the attack on Saturday targeted "a gathering of Afghan forces" in Nangarhar, but gave no details. According to Attaullah Khogyani, the provincial governor's spokesman, the attack happened in Rodat district, some 25km from Jalalabad, and wounded more than 54 people. Civilians, security forces and Taliban members were among the casualties as people celebrated the second day of Eid al-Fitr, marking the end of the Muslim holy month of Ramadan. Speaking from Afghanistan's capital, Kabul, Al Jazeera's Jennifer Glasse described the bombing as a "very devastating blow" for the "unprecedented gathering of the Taliban and Afghan security forces in Jalalabad". The attack came as Afghan President Ashraf Ghani announced the government's extension of a ceasefire with the Taliban, without giving a timeframe. In a televised address to the nation, Ghani called for the Taliban to also extend the truce, which is due to expire on Sunday after both sides agreed to halt hostilities for Eid. Ghani also said that in the spirit of Eid and the ceasefire, the attorney general's office had released 46 Taliban prisoners. The Taliban had announced a ceasefire for the first three days of Eid, which started on Friday, promising not to attack Afghan security forces for the first time since the 2001 US invasion. That came after Ghani said that security forces would temporarily cease operations against the Taliban for eight days, starting last Tuesday - though he warned that operations against other fighters, including the ISIS group, would continue. Governors in Helmand, Kandahar and Zabul said both sides had adhered to the ceasefire. In his speech, Ghani also touched upon the subject of regional influences and international forces in Afghanistan. "The Afghan government is ready to discuss the roles of neighbouring countries and the presence of international forces, their roles and the future destiny of them," he said. Mike Pompeo, the US secretary of state, welcomed Ghani's remarks. "We support President Ghani's offer to extend the ceasefire and begin peace talks," Pompeo said in a statement. "As President Ghani emphasised in his statement to the Afghan people, peace talks by necessity would include a discussion of the role of international actors and forces. The United States is prepared to support, facilitate, and participate in these discussions." NATO forces also expressed their support for an extension to the ceasefire. "This is a unique opportunity for the Taliban to show they want the peaceful future that the Afghan people demand and deserve," NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg said. /129 An endorsement by Bernie Sanders is one of the most coveted gifts in Democratic politics. But the Vermont senator and liberal darling is notoriously reluctant to back many politicians, including, it turns out, his own son. Sanders has come under scrutiny in recent weeks for not publicly endorsing his son, Levi, in his race for a New Hampshire congressional seat. But people who know him say Sanders, a potential top-tier contender for the 2020 Democratic presidential nominee, has always been stingy with endorsements and that parsimoniousness is extending to his own family. Bernie Sanders had declined to endorse his own son, Levi Sanders', congressional bid (Pictured, Bernie Sanders, Jane Sanders, and Levi Sanders at a primary night rally in Essex Junction, Vermont, in March 2016) Going back to the mid-1980s, when Sanders declined to do more to help what has evolved into Vermont's Progressive Party, to last winter when Sanders declined to help his stepdaughter run for the mayor's office he once held, Sanders has frustrated many by his refusal to help. But that took on additional weight when it was noticed that, despite his crisscrossing the country endorsing liberal candidates, Sanders has declined to get actively involved in his 49-year-old son's race. Levi Sanders, a legal services analyst, is now one of 11 seeking the Democratic nomination to fill the seat held by retiring US Rep Carol Shea-Porter of New Hampshire's 1st congressional district. It's hard to square the non-endorsement, especially for the political movement he helped create in Vermont, said University of Vermont political science professor emeritus Garrison Nelson, who has watched Sanders' political career for decades. 'This is a fancy dance that Bernie has done, but it's not recommended for anyone else,' said Nelson. 'This is a testament to Bernie's uniqueness as a political actor.' When asked about his son's run for Congress, Sanders has said he doesn't like 'dynastic politics', and although he's proud of the work Levi Sanders has done, 'he's on his own.' Sanders' 2018 senate re-election campaign declined to answer further questions about the issue. The Vermont senator has said he doesn't like 'dynastic politics' and while proud of his son, said 'he's on his own' (Pictured: Bernie Sanders and his son Levi Sanders, left, take a walk in Brooklyn Bridge Park in New York, April 2016) For his part, Levi Sanders has joked that rather than being Bernie Sanders' son, he is the son of the fourth cousin of Larry David, creator of Seinfeld and Bernie Sanders' portrayer on Saturday Night Live. But since attention was focused on his political relationship with his father, Levi Sanders has also gone quiet. Levi Sanders is portraying himself as a progressive campaigning for tuition-free college, health care for all and sensible gun legislation. The first two issues were central to his father's latest presidential campaign. His campaign said in a statement Saturday that he also believes in equal pay for women and 'a minimum wage allowing people to work 40 hours a week without living in poverty.' Both Levi Sanders and his father 'do not believe in dynastic politics', the campaign said. But his campaign has struggled to gain traction, partly due to a crowded field for the September 11 primary. Levi Sanders has only raised about $11,500 through March, according to the latest campaign finance reports. Many have said Levi Sanders has done little to build support among the grassroots progressives who supported his father. Several analysts questioned whether an endorsement from his father would make all that much difference. 'Levi's candidacy has been a bit of curiosity,' said Dean Spiliotes, a longtime New Hampshire political observer and a civic scholar at Southern New Hampshire University. There is precedent for Bernie Sanders not doing more to help relatives. Last winter, Bernie Sanders' stepdaughter, Carina Driscoll, ran unsuccessfully for mayor of Burlington, the office Sanders used to launch his political career. When Driscoll announced her candidacy for mayor, Sanders said he and his wife wanted to be respectful of her desire to run on her own. Vermont's Progressive Party Lt Gov. David Zuckerman said Sanders has always wanted people to step up on their own. Senator John McCain's legacy was thrust into focus nearly one year ago when he announced his brain cancer diagnosis. The six-term Senator and decorated Vietnam War veteran is now fighting the illness from his beloved Arizona, and filling the role of one of the few Congressional Republican voices to publicly rebuke Trump administration decisions. Yet the question of what happens if McCain steps down from office before 2022 is a lingering one, casting an uncomfortable haze around the future of a seat that can't quite ever be filled. 'John McCain is a one-of-a-kind politician, and there's no replacing him,' said Stan Barnes, an Arizona Republican consultant. 'No one serving in political office today remembers a time when John McCain was not representing us in Washington.' Some Arizona Republicans have criticized conversations about the future of McCain's seat as inappropriate. But reflections around the 81-year-old statesman's life, legacy and status as a national political figure have resurfaced via a new HBO documentary, 'John McCain: For Whom the Bell Tolls,' and his new memoir, 'The Restless Wave.' Arizona senator John McCain announced nearly a year ago that he was diagnosed with an aggressive form of brain cancer. The 81-year-old politician has been battling the disease at his Arizona home There has been talks about what will happen to McCain's senate seat if he steps down, but Arizona Republicans are saying it's inappropriate to discuss that The McCains have a family retreat south of Sedona, Arizona, along tree-lined Oak Creek. Daughter Meghan McCain was married there. She said on KTAR's Mac and Gaydos radio show Tuesday that she's been trying to visit her father every other weekend. She said he's strong, walking, talking and hanging in there. 'Everybody's just dealing with it the best they can,' Meghan McCain said. Following a decorated military career that included spending more than five years in prison camps, McCain entered the political arena in the early 1980s. He went from the House of Representatives to being elected to the Senate in 1986, following Barry Goldwater who retired. McCain gained a reputation as a lawmaker who was willing to stick to his convictions rather than go along with party leaders. It is a streak that draws a mix of respect and ire. Matt Salmon, a former Arizona congressman, said McCain was instrumental in his own political career -along with countless other Arizona Republicans. Much like Goldwater, McCain's been 'the godfather of Arizona politics' for decades. Salmon said McCain exemplifies how to stand up for one's convictions and constituents regardless of the wants of party leadership. During the late 1990s, Salmon drove a successful effort to remove Newt Gingrich as Speaker. 'I don't know that I would've had the courage to go do something like that without a maverick like John McCain paving the way,' he said. When Salmon was elected to Congress, McCain, as a mentor, was supportive, loyal and quick to share his dry sense of humor. 'He said to me, 'Congratulations Matt, now you're part of the problem,'' Salmon said. John McCain's daughter opened up in an interview on Tuesday about her father's cancer battle saying that 'everybody's just dealing with it the best they can' McCain, who took a short break from The View last month to be with her father, said she tries to go home to see him every other weekend McCain's maverick ways have pressed on in the era of President Donald Trump. He continues to release statements and tweets from Arizona. Following Trump's decision to not endorse a G7 statement with other global trade leaders, McCain tweeted a message to U.S. allies that said in part 'Americans stand with you, even if our president doesn't.' Sen. Jeff Flake, Arizona's junior senator who is not running for re-election, said McCain's mantra of 'country before party' sets him apart from other senators. Flake praised his honesty and transparency, as witnessed in the recent documentary. 'He was open about his mistakes, and his failings, and that's part of what's so endearing about him,' he said. Flake said during a recent visit with McCain at his home, the two sat on the deck for about an hour and talked about what they miss about Arizona politics, the kind that put party and partisanship aside. Flake said he's concerned that Arizona voters may miss out on having an independent voice that they've grown accustomed to when McCain is no longer in office. 'Today's politics kind of reward those who stick with the crowd,' Flake said. 'The incentives are not here to be independent and it takes a strong personality, like John, kind of an outsized personality, to pull that off.' Former Arizona congressman John Shadegg said most lawmakers don't work as hard as McCain. He cited town hall meetings in Arizona that McCain held in non-campaign years. One time at Phoenix's Sky Harbor Airport, Shadegg was speaking with McCain but had to cut the conversation short when 'about a hundred people' came over to talk to the senator. 'There's a personal side to John McCain, which is very different than the public John McCain, and one that you can't help but like and respect,' Shadegg said. Some of the state's Republican voters have been critical of McCain for not being conservative enough. In 2016, primary challenger Kelli Ward came within 11 percentage points in a four-way race after running as a more conservative alternative. A few years before that, a censure effort from the state party called out McCain for campaigning as a conservative but voting more moderate. n the event McCain (pictured with his daughter) steps down from his Senate seat before 2022, state law requires the governor to fill a vacancy with an appointee of the same political party who will serve until the next general election On the flip side, McCain's service and his ability to stick to his convictions have earned him respect from Democrats. McCain's vote against a repeal of the Affordable Care Act shortly after he announced his diagnosis further endeared him to those who might disagree with him on other policies, Democratic consultant DJ Quinlan said. 'He did have his high profile moments where he was really willing to stick it to his party,' Quinlan said. In the event McCain steps down from his Senate seat before 2022, state law requires the governor to fill a vacancy with an appointee of the same political party who will serve until the next general election. Republican Gov. Doug Ducey hasn't been keen on speculating. He and his wife Angela visited John and Cindy McCain about two weeks ago. 'To anyone who uses this as an opportunity to speculate or fan the rumor mill: Washington DC's obsession with this when there is no issue to be discussed is disgraceful,' Ducey spokesman Daniel Scarpinato said in a statement. Yet rumors abound, with names being suggested as possibilities to fill the seat as an appointee, such as Cindy McCain, former Sen. Jon Kyl and former state attorney general Grant Woods. Republican consultant Barnes called replacement rumors 'desperate barbershop gossip,' though he said he understands the uncertainty some might have about the exit of such a dominant figure from the political stage. 'That particular Senate seat has been an outsized, powerful voice on the floor of the United States Senate, and you just can't overstate the importance of that phenomenon,' Barnes said. Some had wondered whether McCain's seat would be up this year if he left office before May 30, the deadline for candidates to file signatures to get on the ballot. That opportunity is likely closed - meaning the next general election where a candidate could run for the seat would be 2020 instead of 2018. Secretary of State Michele Reagan's office has said her office won't speculate on responses to possible vacancies, and will make any decisions once a vacancy becomes available. Salmon said he doesn't think anyone can fill McCain's shoes. He recalled a trip to Vietnam where he saw a monument to McCain. 'His voice is not just an Arizona voice,' he said. 'It's a world voice.' He said many are wishing McCain well and hoping for the best. 'He's one of the toughest guys I've gotten to know,' Salmon said. 'It's not a disease that most people diagnosed with are successful at fighting. But they're not John McCain. He's a fighter.' A man suspected of making fraudulent returns at more than 1,000 Walmart stores across the US has been apprehended in Arizona. Thomas Frudaker, 23, was arrested on Wednesday in Yuma after store employees reported a suspicious transaction to police. Frudaker had gone to the store to return a laptop from which police believe he had removed certain parts, according to Yuma Police Department spokeswoman Edith Ruiz. Investigators suspect he has pulled the same scam at hundreds of stores in the last 18 months, costing Walmart an estimated $1.3million. Thomas Frudaker, 23, was arrested at a Walmart in Yuma, Arizona, after he had tried to return a laptop from which police believe he had removed certain parts Frudaker was arrested at the Walmart location on Avenue B, and police say he had made a similar return at another store on Avenue 8 A the very same day. The 23-year-old is currently being held at the Yuma County Detention Center on multiple charges, including fraudulent schemes. His bond has been set at $40,000 and he does not have an attorney listed. Kim Kardashian has asked California Governor Jerry Brown to retest DNA evidence in a quadruple murder case from the 1980s to help a man on death row who may have been wrongfully convicte After successfully seeing 63-year-old grandmother Alice Johnson's sentence commuted, Kim Kardashian has turned her sights on helping another prisoner she believes may have been wrongfully convicted. The reality queen took to Twitter on Saturday to question the incarceration of Kevin Cooper, who has been on death row for 33 years and will face the lethal injection for the murders of four people, including two 10-year-old children. The California man has been fighting to have evidence in his case re-examined for years. Five judges even agreed that he was wrongly convicted, but he is still behind bars. David Alexander - the person who saved Cooper from the death penalty in 2014 just three hours and 20 minutes before he was to be executed and has been working on his behalf ever since - has asked Governor Jerry Brown to order a review of his case, with no success. He and Cooper want new DNA testing to be performed on evidence they believe was tampered with. Alexander has made it clear they are not asking for a pardon or commutation of Cooper's sentence, just new testing they believe will exonerate the 60-year-old and hopefully implicate the real killers. Kardashian took to Twitter on Saturday, just weeks after she helped 63-year-old Alice Johnson be commuted from her life sentence after 20 years behind bars Brown was arrested in 1983 and convicted in 1985 for the gruesome murders of two children and two adults - but he has always maintained his innocence 'All were asking for is testing, [we're] not rushing to demand release,' Alexander told DailyMail.com on Saturday. He said he and Cooper's legal team had approached then-Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger for help, and Alexander said he expressed concern about the evidence presented against Cooper, but referred it on to incoming Governor Jerry Brown. Brown is yet to act on requests for testing of evidence in Cooper's case, labelling it a 'complicated' situation. 'It is inexplicable to everyone who is familiar with the case why Governor Brown will not order the retesting be done,' Alexander said. 'It is not a complicated case - it is a case with lots of instances of law enforcement misconduct. 'We've already proven the blood on the t-shirt was planted, then the person who did the testing withdrew the results, claiming contamination, and we could not get copies of the report.' Kevin Cooper was sentenced to death in 1985 for the brutal slaying of Douglas and Peggy Ryen, their 10-year-old daughter Jessica, and 10-year-old Chris Hughes, who was staying at their house in the Los Angeles suburb of Chino Hills. Cooper and his legal team believe he was wrongly convicted and evidence was planted to incriminate him. In 2014, he was just three hours from facing the death penalty before Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger urged a review of his case Their eight-year-old son Josh was the only survivor, even though he had his throat slit, and his account of that night would be the key to the prosecution's case. Initially, police were looking for three white or Mexican men, based on Josh's recollection of the horrific killings and evidence which suggested there were multiple people involved in the crime. Witnesses also said they had seen three white men driving a station wagon, believed to be the family car, away from the home - but police continued to focus on Cooper. Cooper had recently escaped from a minimum security prison, and was hiding out at a home nearby, The New York Times reported. Prosecutors said a footprint of a prison issued shoe was at the home, as were cigarette butts with Cooper's DNA on them, and Josh eventually changed his story to say he saw a black man at the scene, not three white men. Cooper was sentenced to death in 1985, but during his appeal, testing of evidence, including a t-shirt believed to have belonged to the killer, was found to have Cooper's blood - and test tube preservative on it. Josh Ryen was the only survivor of the murder, and told police he had seen three white men at the home before his throat was slit This indicated the blood on the shirt had been put there from inside a test tube of Cooper's blood, not splattered on during the quadruple murder. The test tube containing Cooper's blood had DNA of at least two people inside, suggesting someone may have taken blood out of it and topped it up to cover up their actions. Evidence of another man being involved in the killing is overwhelming - Jessica, the 10-year-old girl who was murdered, died with a chunk of light hair in her hand, and the ex-wife of a convicted murderer who lived nearby said the man had come to her home covered in blood and there was a hatchet missing from her home. Alexander told DailyMail.com his client is 'innocent' and had been both 'wrongfully incarcerated for 33 years and wrongfully convicted'. He says he and Cooper would be 'happy to speak or meet with Ms Kardashian', and said 'of course' her efforts would make a difference. 'I think support from any people who are interested in justice is important,' he said. 'I don't know her from Adam, but I believe her speaking out and gathering other people in Hollywood to speak out, or anyone who is interested in criminal justice - speaking out and telling this Governor to have moral leadership - to have courage - to be better than his best excuses - [is a positive thing].' Kardashian made headlines earlier this month after meeting with President Donald Trump following months of campaigning for the release of Alice Johnson - a 63-year-old woman who was sentenced to life behind bars for her minor role in a drug trafficking syndicate. Johnson, who had been behind bars for 20 years, had her sentence commuted earlier this month - and Kardashian was widely credited for her release. DailyMail.com have contacted Kim Kardashian for comment, but did not receive a response before publication. Federal Liberal senator Lucy Gichuhi has been forced to pay back thousands of dollars after taxpayers footed the bill for two family members to be flown in to celebrate her birthday. The South Australian senator, 56, held a '50th birthday plus GST' in Adelaide last October, The Sunday Telegraph reported. She has since said it was an administrative error involving misunderstanding of travel rules. According to the publication, records show she billed taxpayers $2139 for two return airfares from Darwin to Adelaide as part of her 'family traveller' allowance. Senator Lucy Gichuhi (pictured right) billed taxpayers to fly two family members to Adelaide for her '50th birthday plus GST' The 'family traveller' allowance is a fund that can be used to pay for family members to visit politicians on 'parliamentary, electorate or official business'. One of the 181 photos from the birthday celebrations on the senator's Facebook page. 'A wonderful night of celebration with family and close friends,' she posted However, the rules state that the entitlement is provided to allow senators and members the chance to balance their work and family responsibilities. Ms Gichuhi has since agreed to repay the full amount and will pay an additional 25 per cent penalty. 'Regarding the media reports about my travel expenses, this was an administrative error involving misunderstanding of travel rules. Ive raised an invoice from the department to pay the costs of $2139 in full,' the senator tweeted on Sunday. More than 180 photos from the birthday celebrations held at Rydges Hotel were uploaded to her Facebook page at the time. 'A wonderful night of celebration with family and close friends,' she posted. Lucy Gichuhi has since agreed to repay the full amount and will pay an additional 25 per cent penalty A copy of Ms Gichuhi's birthday speech was also uploaded to her parliamentary website. 'Fifty is the Biblical year of Jubilee, of freedom from oppression and debt, of healing the land, of rest and of new beginnings,' the speech states. 'This is my prayer for all of you. Five is the number of grace and jubilee can only happen because of his grace. So, fifty plus GST is a very important birthday for me and I have now also taught you to deduct 10 per cent off your own age if you want to!' The Kenyan-born senator moved to Australia in 1999 and was elected in 2016 after the High Court ruled that Family First Party leader Bob Day had not been eligible to stand for election. Ms Gichuhi originally sat in the Senate as an independent before she joined the Liberals in February. Originally an independent, Senator Lucy Gichuhi, pictured with former prime minister John Howard, joined the Liberals earlier this year The P-plate driver who repeatedly threw punches at another motorist in a violent road rage attack has turned himself in to police. Footage taken by shocked drivers who witnessed the attack, captures the moment the 25-year-old man leaves his car on a busy highway in Sydney's west. The man can be seen getting out of his car on the Hume Highway in Chullora, before heading to the driver's window and delivering a flurry of punches to the man's head. The injured driver can then be seen opening his car door, before collapsing onto the busy highway in a state of shock and pain as the alleged attacker walks away. Scroll down for video A P-plater (pictured right) exited his car on a busy highway to repeatedly punch another motorist (centre) Police described the terrifying recording as one of the worst road rage assaults they had seen in recent memory. 'This is probably the most significant piece of footage that I have seen,' Chief Inspector Phil Brooks told 7 News. In a statement to police, the victim claims the driver of the Toyota Camry cut him off just before he was attacked. He said it was after he began filming the confrontation that the man left his car, beat him and allegedly took his phone. The 25-year-old attacker has turned himself to police and been charged with affray for behaving in an offensive manner in public. Affray in NSW law is classified as a public disorder offence and carries a maximum penalty of 10 years imprisonment. The accused will appear before the court in July. Witnesses filmed the driver (right) jump out on the Hume Highway, holding up other cars as he went to attack the man A man has been accused of planning a terrorist attack after he was stopped at an airport. Australian Federal Police say the man from Sydney's south-west was arrested at his home on Saturday by the New South Wales Joint Counter Terrorism Team. The 26-year-old Australian citizen has been charged with two terrorism offences, including planning an attack and preparing to engage in hostile activity. A man has been accused of planning a terrorist attack after he was stopped at an airport (stock image) It's alleged the man was stopped from travelling to Bangladesh from Sydney Airport in February 2016 after border force officials found 'items that indicated his support for extremist ideology' in his luggage including clothing and material on his electronic devices. After an investigation, it was alleged the man planned to travel to Bangladesh to 'meet with people who held similar beliefs and to possibly engage in terrorist acts outside of Australia'. In a statement, the Australian Federal Police said there is no threat to the community as a result of the arrest. AFP national manager counter terrorism Ian McCartney said the lengthy investigation was complex. 'The NSWJCTT will continue investigating all individuals who come to our attention and bring them to account for their criminal actions,' he said. It's alleged the man was stopped from travelling to Bangladesh from Sydney Airport in February 2016 after border force officials found 'items that indicated his support for extremist ideology' (Pictured: Sydney Airport) NSW Police assistant commissioner Mick Willing said they will 'continue working with our partner agencies to target and disrupt any threat to community safety'. The man arrested has been charged with preparations for incursions into foreign countries for the purpose of engaging in hostile activities, other acts done in preparation for, or planning, terrorist acts, and export tier one good without requisite approval. He is expected to face Parramatta Local Court on Sunday, with the two terror charges carrying a penalty of life in prison if convicted. An elite squad of armed former Royal Marines secretly joined passengers on a luxury cruise to protect them from pirates. The crack team boarded the Queen Mary 2 as it sailed through the treacherous Gulf of Aden, dubbed Pirate Alley because of the number of Somali outlaws there. Few of the liners 2,600 passengers were aware of the plain-clothes gun unit mingling with them. Water cannon were also fixed on deck to repel any attackers and the gunwales were fitted with sonic weapons capable of causing permanent hearing damage at close range. Although some measures were taken in secret, a serving Marines Colonel also boarded the vessel to reassure passengers and give them security briefings. An elite squad of armed former Royal Marines secretly joined passengers on he Queen Mary 2 (pictured) as it sailed through the treacherous Gulf of Aden, dubbed Pirate Alley because of the number of Somali outlaws there As the ship travelled at full speed for six days between Dubai and the Jordanian Red Sea resort of Aqaba, only essential deck lights were kept on at night and passengers were urged not to illuminate their balconies. Sections of deck were closed at night with notices warning: Please do not distract the watch-keepers. They are part of our security precautions. Captain Peter Philpott also wrote to passengers: In the unlikely event of a pirate attack, everyone should move to the inside of the ship, away from decks or windows. If your stateroom has a window or balcony, you should move to the corridor immediately outside to sit on either a chair or on the floor. He added that the QM2 would be under the protection of an international task force assigned by a UN mandate to protect merchant ships from a pirate attack. It is understood the security team boarded soon after the liner left Dubai. Their weapons were offloaded in a Red Sea rendezvous with a small, unmarked boat before the liner arrived at Aqaba presumably to avoid security problems with the Jordanian authorities. One passenger said: We always felt completely safe. A Royal Navy spokesman said it was routine practice for personnel to be invited to join merchant vessels for liaison visits and to brief on anti-piracy matters. QM2 owner Cunard said the precautions were standard practice in certain regions. Activist Venice Allan said they wanted to stick to 'dictionary definition' of man and woman The Co-operative Bank has banned a feminist group from using its services because of its stance on transgender issues. The bank claims the unnamed group has 'actively declined the rights of members of the transgender community'. But the ban has sparked outrage from feminist campaigners. Last night, activist Venice Allan told The Mail on Sunday: 'Feminist groups are constantly being told that they need to admit men who define themselves as a woman. 'But I think we are entitled to stick to the dictionary definition of what a man is and what a woman is. 'It is highly inappropriate for the Co-op Bank to treat a group in this way for sticking to the correct definition of a woman.' The boycott is revealed in the Co-op's Values and Ethics Report 2017, in which it proclaims: 'We declined banking services to' and then lists organisations it deems to be unacceptable and which it has turned down. Extraordinarily, the feminist group is top of the list ahead of organisations listed under 'oppressive regimes' and the 'fur trade'. The Co-op has refused to reveal further details, but there has been an increasingly heated conflict nationally over transgender issues. The Co-operative Bank has banned a feminist group from using its services because of its stance on transgender issues Feminists want to protect the rights of biological women. In contrast, transgender hardliners say that anyone who chooses to identify as female should be allowed into women's single-sex spaces. Last September, the factions came to blows at a rally at Speakers' Corner in London's Hyde Park during which a 60-year-old woman was punched in the face. Last night, a spokesman for Co-op Bank said: 'We will not provide banking services to any business, organisation or government that advocates discrimination and incitement to hatred. 'We gave the organisation an opportunity to provide clarification on their position relating to diversity and equality and how they comply with the UK Equality Act. 'The organisation failed to respond to this request and their application was declined.' Commons Speaker John Bercow is under renewed pressure after one of his deputies urged him to quit now. Deputy Speaker Eleanor Laing is understood to have told friends that Mr Bercow should go immediately triggering a contest where she herself would be a candidate. Her comments emerged after another tumultuous week for Mr Bercow, during which he was accused of 'sexist and demeaning' behaviour by a female Minister and faced a walkout by SNP MPs. Commons Speaker John Bercow is under renewed pressure after one of his deputies urged him to quit now Mr Bercow, who is also embroiled in allegations that he bullied staff, has sparked growing anger from critics for refusing to abide by his original pledge to serve no more than nine years a deadline which falls later this week. Allies say the Speaker, who voted Remain in the EU referendum, wants to stay until after Brexit next year to ensure Commons' scrutiny of the process. But last night, friends of Tory MP Dame Eleanor revealed she thought Mr Bercow's time was up. One said: 'Eleanor is tired of keeping quiet about this. She thinks that after recent events, Bercow will be forced to stand down this summer.' Deputy Speaker Eleanor Laing is understood to have told friends that Mr Bercow should go immediately triggering a contest where she herself would be a candidate Dame Eleanor made clear she would stand against Labour Deputy Speaker Lindsay Hoyle, favourite for the job, and ex-Cabinet Minister Harriet Harman who is mounting a bid. Dame Eleanor was not available for comment. A separate row is raging after Serjeant at Arms Kamal El-Hajji defended Mr Bercow, claiming the Speaker was the victim of a 'witch hunt'. It later emerged that the Serjeant at Arms himself faces an inquiry over claims he that verbally abused a female colleague. The Syrian Democratic Forces leaders are ready to talk to the central government unconditionally, a statement released by the militant group has announced. (AhlulBayt News Agency) - The Syrian Democratic Forces leaders are ready to talk to the central government unconditionally, a statement released by the militant group has announced. In the first view, the statement may not look that important but negotiations between Damascus and the SDF, a coalition of majorly Kurdish militants, can mark a start of a big shift in the war-hit countrys battleground equations to the detriment of the US and to the advantage of the Syrian government and the allied Resistance front. Taking to the AFP news agency, Hekmat Habib, a leader in the Syrian Democratic Council, said his group was seriously ready to sit on the negotiating table with Damascus. Now we say we are ready to talk, without any conditions, he was quoted as saying. Habib went on to say that all of the foreign forces on the Syrian soil, including the US-led international military coalition, are seen as intervening forces. He hoped that in the future all of the foreign forces leave the country and intra-Syrian negotiations to end the eight-year crisis be resumed. The remarks are seen as a fundamental change in the Syrian Kurds posture on the nations equations. Two points are of significance in SDF leadership members remarks. First, the foreign forces, including the Washington-headed military alliance which was founded by the US in 2014 for the so-called anti-ISIS air operations in Syria and Iraq and has been a backer of the SDF over the past two years, are occupying forces and have to withdraw. Second, the Syrian Kurds eye intra-Syrian dialogue, something Damascus government invited to over the past years. But why do Syrias Kurds take such a position in the present conditions? Tracking the course of their rise and power gain and role play in the conflict after 2012 helps answer the question. Canton system and self-proclaimed federal rule in the north According to unofficial figures, the Kurds in Syria are between 1.5 to 2 million, hence accounting for 10 percent of the Syria population. Before the crisis erupted in 2011, they were a marginal minority without a cohesive political organization and so sans a considerable place in the government. But the war transformed the climate for this ethnic group. Led by Peoples Democratic Union Party (PYD), which is a Syrian branch of the Turkish-based Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK), the Syrian Kurds officially announced federal self-rule in the north in a bid to seize the chance of a power vacuum as the government was engaged in more than one front. Their federal system covered the three cantons of Kobani, Afrin, and Island. Once all of the eyed territories are united, the Kurds can rule over a wide region starting from Ain Diwar village in Hasakah province and continuing to the western borders with Turkey where Iskenderun region is located. AS the crisis in the county unfolded, the Kurds in late January 2014 founded their first canton, dubbed Island, in an effort to formalize their self-rule. A week later, they announced the creation of Kobani and then Afrin cantons. Co-leadership system was adopted for the newly-created self-ruled areas, and each one got a 22-minister governing cabinet. The Kurds in 2014 formed a resistant force in opposition to the ISIS terrorist groups push to seize Kobani, saving the city from falling to terrorists hands. Their show of force caught the US attention and since 2015 they, under Peoples Protection Units (YPG) and Women Protection Units (YPJ), swept more territories in the north and elsewhere. They initially broke the ISIS-imposed Kobani blockade, and then pressed ahead to cleanse the south and southeast Hasakah province of ISIS fighters under a US-led air cover. They then took from ISIS Tell Abyad in Raqqa governorate, arranging a special position for themselves in a multi-sided, multi-fronted conflict. In mid-November 2015, the Kurds founded the Syrian Democratic Forces under the US support. Upon creation, the SDF advanced to Kobani area and then wrested Tishrin Dam in Manbij town in Aleppo province from ISIS control. The progression continuation finally put the SDF in control of strategic Manbij in August 2016. The Kurds were not invited to the Geneva 3 peace talks held in March 2016. The snub prompted announcement of foundation of Democratic Federation of Northern Syria, or Rojava, on March 17. The announcement came following a meeting of a council of 200 people representing the Arabs, Turkmens, Assyrians, and the tripartite cantons in the north. A 31-member leadership body was picked at the summit. Their triumphs came to a climactic point when the SDF reclaimed control of the self-proclaimed ISIS caliphate capital Raqqa on October 17. Despite the sweeping victories in the past years, 2018 has been a year of drawbacks for the SDF, and Syrian Kurds as a whole. On January 20, the Turkish army launched its Operation Olive Branch in Afrin along with its Syrian Arab militant allies. The Kurds resisted 58 days before the city fell to Turkish forces on March 18. Afrin fall unleashed strong Kurdish criticism against Washington dealing with Ankara campaign and the failure to provide military assistance. The Kurds in Afrin case felt falling victim to American treason. But their mishaps did not end with Afrin seizure. On June 5, Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu of Turkey and the US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said discussions between Washington and Ankara came out with a deal to remove SDF from Manbij. The Kurdish fighters, thus, pulled out of the city and moved to the east of Euphrates. Now, the Syrian Kurds are in a state of deep doubt about whether or not they should continue relations with the US. Washington disloyalty raises need to review alliance with US-led coalition The key drive behind the Kurds taking new approach is the US promise breakings, which to the Kurds mount to treason. Since late 2014, they rose to prominence as key US allies in a multi-fronted war, with many analysts labeling them as US infantry in Syria. But to their frustration, the Americans avoided helping them repel Turkeys Afrin assault. And very recently, they fell victim to a Washington-Ankara deal on Manbij. Now, they appear to see a necessity to rethink their alliance with the coalition. Saleh Muslim, the former PYDs co-chair and the current foreign affairs director of Movement for a Democratic Society TEV-DEM, has recently told the German DPA news agency that we hoped this would not happen, but what should not happen has happened. He continued: At the present circumstances, we have our own control and the US cannot decide for us. As the Americans have their own interests, we have our own. We are not slaves to anybody. So if our interests dictate, we will talk to and ally with any force, including Russia and the central government. Certainly, out relations with the US are not permanent and will change. The remarks are interpreted that the Syrian Kurds have made up their mind about going their separate ways from Washington and being ready to negotiate with Damascus. Turkish occupation poses existential threats The Kurds are seeing threats in the Turkish seizure of the northern cities and also further deals with Washington. This motivates their drift to the central government. Saleh Muslim pointed to the Kurdish concerns in his interview with DPA, maintaining it took many Kurdish lives to retake Manbij from ISIS, but the US betrayed them and that the Kurds are worried about further American accords with Ankara at the Kurdish price. This was a big US cruelty, so there is every possibility of an agreement with Damascus. These words reflect strong Kurdish concerns about an existential threat. They fear that Ankara could wrest more territories from them and change their structure demographically. Accepting Damascus rule for protection Another reason for readiness to talk to the central government stems from recent battlefield developments. The Kurds have the conviction that in next stages they have to either accept Damascus rule or enter a fight against the Syrian army in a war in which their defeat is certain. On the other side, according to the international laws, Damascus has every right to extend its rule over the whole Syrian territories. Negotiating with the government helps them survive the Turkish attacks and secure interests in the future Syria. A school that pleaded with parents to provide toilet rolls because it has been hit by funding cuts is sitting on a huge cash reserve. St Edmund Campion Catholic Primary School in Maidenhead, Berkshire, last week sent an email to parents with a link to an Amazon wish list page and asked them to buy essential items including pens, pencils and loo paper. Teaching unions and parents said the appeal by the school in Theresa Mays constituency should sound alarm bells over the Governments funding squeeze. Catherine del Campo, whose ten-year-old daughter is among the schools 420 pupils, said: This is really desperate, the fact they are asking for office supplies and toilet paper. However, accounts for the academy chain to which the school belongs reveal it had total assets of more than 3.5 million in 2017. It had more than 1 million in the bank or in hand and St Edmund Campion alone was more than 500,000 in the black. St Edmund Campion Catholic Primary School reportedly has more than 1m in the bank Critics accused some schools of putting out scare stories. John Redwood, the Conservative MP for the neighbouring Wokingham constituency, said: I would want to hear the schools side of the story, but it does look mighty odd if there is plenty of money in the accounts when they were last published. You would certainly hope they would be able to take care of all the basics. We do know in general terms that there are plenty of campaigns regarding underfunding run in conjunction with the Labour Party so its very important to look at all their accounts to work out exactly whats going on. A Tory councillor in Maidenhead, who asked not to be named, said: I just dont believe the school is so desperate that it needs to crowd fund to afford loo roll. The school did not respond to requests for comment but last week said it faces losses of 70,000 after the Government announced reductions in a grant to help academies provide key services. Kate Foreman, the schools business manager who came up with the idea of a wish list, told a newspaper that cuts had made the schools future uncertain. On the day I became Prime Minister, I said my Government would be driven not by the interests of a privileged few but by those of ordinary working people. Nothing matters more to the British people than our NHS. Thats why I will always put it first. We never know when we, or a loved one, might need the NHS, and we all sleep easier in our beds because it is there for us. World-class medical care, free at the point of use, is part of the social fabric of this country. This year, as we celebrate its 70th birthday, I am determined to take action to secure our NHS for generations to come. To do so, we will deliver a long-term plan for the NHS, and this week I will be setting out the principles that will guide it. It will be a serious plan for the future, led by the NHS itself, backed by new investment. The NHS budget today is 14 billion higher than it was eight years ago. Even as we have taken the difficult decisions to repair our economy, we have continued to increase NHS spending. But in the meantime, the demands on the NHS have continued to grow. On the day I became Prime Minister, I said my Government would be driven not by the interests of a privileged few but by those of ordinary working people We are living longer and asking more of the NHS. New drugs and treatments are constantly being developed that we rightly expect our NHS to provide for us, but which come at a cost. And too often, our dedicated NHS staff are let down by waste and bureaucracy that drain resources that should go to the front line. Our long-term plan for the NHS will address each of these challenges and give doctors and nurses the resources they need to deliver first-class care. For too long, Governments have funded the NHS in fits and starts, leaving it unable to plan ahead. I am determined to change that. So tomorrow I will set out a new five-year budget settlement, in return for a plan to deliver our vision of a better NHS. Under our plan, by 2023-24, the NHS budget will increase compared to today by over 20 billion a year in real terms, which is approximately 600 million a week in cash terms. This plan is affordable because of the difficult but necessary decisions taken by George Osborne and Philip Hammond to get the countrys finances back in order and the sacrifices made by the British people up and down the country. Now, as we leave the European Union and stop paying significant annual subscriptions to Brussels, we will have more money to spend on priorities such as the NHS. But to give the NHS the funding it needs for the future, this Brexit dividend will not be enough. As a country, we need to contribute a bit more in a fair and balanced way. We will listen to views about how we do this and the Chancellor will set out the detail in due course. To deliver, this plan must be about more than money. If the NHSs bureaucracy does not continue to become more efficient, some of our funding increases will be swallowed up before they reach the front line. So in return for the budget increases, we will hold NHS leaders to account for delivering even better services. What is more, the lack of integration between health and social care puts our NHS under pressure. Too many vulnerable older people still cannot move seamlessly between health and social care services and this is a problem we must solve. So as we develop our plan we will bring forward new proposals to integrate services and put social care on a sustainable footing. Under our plan, by 2023-24, the NHS budget will increase compared to today by over 20 billion a year in real terms, which is approximately 600 million a week in cash terms (file photo) New technology can transform the way we deliver care, make treatments faster and more effective saving lives and saving cash that can be better spent elsewhere. So we will help the NHS to use the tools of tomorrow to face the challenges of the future. If the standards of care that we see in the best hospitals were the standard across the board, waiting lists would be shorter and more people would live happy and healthy lives. So we will also help the NHS to share best practice and deliver better care for everyone. And the plan must also address an issue which is a priority for me mental health and its place at the heart of our NHS. We are at last breaking down the stigma and discrimination that has for too long attended mental health. But as more people rightly seek help, we must improve access and deliver genuine parity of esteem. All this will mean better outcomes for patients: improved cancer survival rates, better mental health care, and more doctors and nurses in our hospitals. And whether it is by making healthier choices in our own lives to reduce demand on the NHS, becoming a Dementia Friend, giving blood or signing up to be an organ donor we can each do our bit to help the NHS thrive. When I was diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes it came as a shock. I did not know what the impact would be on my life, or whether it would affect my ability to do my job. In that moment, the NHS was there for me, just as it has been for millions of others over seven decades. It helps me every step of the way. With the NHS on my side, I can manage my condition, live a normal life and get on with my job. By delivering a long-term plan for our NHSs future and backing it with the money it needs to we can make sure the NHS continues to be there for all of us. A cold snap has hit Australia overnight with temperatures dropping as low as -5 degrees and a fresh layer of snow at ski fields in NSW. In the early hours of Sunday morning Australia's capital cities were swept with feverishly cold temperatures. The mercury dropped to eight degrees in Sydney, Adelaide and Hobart, seven degrees in Melbourne and Perth, nine degrees in Brisbane and one degree in Canberra, according to Weatherzone. NSW, VIC and TAS residents can expect a very chilly day from cool south-easterly winds. A cold snap has hit Australia overnight with temperatures dropping as low as -5 degrees and a fresh layer of snow at ski fields in NSW In the early hours of Sunday morning Australia's south east was swept with feverishly cold temperatures. Residents in Oberon (pictured) in NSW took to social to take snaps of the town which was hit with sleet and snow on Saturday night In the early hours of Sunday morning Australia's south east was swept with feverishly cold temperatures Weather warnings for NSW Gale Warning for the following areas: Hunter Coast, Illawarra Coast, Batemans Coast and Eden Coast Strong Wind Warning for the following areas: Sydney Closed Waters, Coffs Coast, Macquarie Coast and Sydney Coast Source: Bureau of Meteorology Advertisement Jacobus Cronje, a meteorologist at Weatherzone told Daily Mail Australia south-east parts of Australia have experienced a drop in temperatures because of a cold front. Mr Cronje said: 'What's happening is a cold front is going up the south east coast and there's a low pressure system that's associated with it.' He said cold air is pushing in the country's south east making it significantly cooler today. Mr Cronje said while the majority of NSW, ACT and eastern VIC remain cold for now, temperatures are expected to increase gradually. 'Things will start to heat up a bit in western Victoria, eastern parts of South Australia and far west New South Wales,' Mr Cronje said. Meteorologist Mr Cronje said: 'What's happening is a cold front is going up the south east coast and there's a low pressure system that's associated with it.' Mr Cronje also forecasts that Sydney and the rest of the eastern seaboard of NSW will be hit with both rain and a lot of wind chill in the next few days. The freezing weather is good news for those getting ready for the ski season. Snowy Mountains in NSW received 60cm of snow over the last 24 hours and is forecast to receive another 10cm in the next day. Roughly 10-20cm of snow also dropped in Thredbo and Charlotte Pass on Saturday night, Mr Cronje said. On Saturday Thredbo opened its 2018 ski season with its best first day in years with temperatures at -5 degrees and 55cm of snow. More snowfall in the ski field is expected until Tuesday. 10-20cm of snow also dropped in Thredbo and Charlotte pass on Saturday night, Mr Cronje said Mr Cronje also forecasts that Sydney and the rest of the eastern seaboard of NSW will be hit with both rain and a lot of wind chill in the next few days Bimal KC, a meteorologist at the Bureau of Meteorology, told Daily Mail Australia there is also a chance of snow in the ACT today particularly in the Brindabella mountain ranges. Mr Kc warns of damaging winds at speeds of 60-70km/h with a big just in excess of 90km/h expected to hit the Hunter coast and Illawarra escarpment in NSW. The winds come from a complex low over the Tasman Sea which is directing a westerly airstream over NSW, according to the Bureau of Meteorology. Gusty winds are forecasted to continue southerly along the coast on Sunday evening until tomorrow. Jeremy Corbyn is so confident of winning power he is holding special seminars for his frontbenchers on dealing with the Civil Service even including how to react when bureaucrats ply them with tea and biscuits. Would-be Ministers are warned not to be 'hoodwinked' by 'enemy' Whitehall mandarins keen to stymie the Labour leader's radical programme such as renationalising the railways and scrapping tuition fees. Key Corbyn ally Jon Trickett, who is leading the 'ready for government' preparations, is telling colleagues to be wise to the classic 'tea and biscuits' ploy by canny officials out to tie inexperienced Ministers in knots. Key Corbyn ally Jon Trickett (pictured) has warned colleagues to be wary of civil servants Labour sources said Mr Trickett, a No 10 aide under Gordon Brown, is warning fellow frontbenchers not to be 'seduced' by their civil servants when they take office. One said: 'Trickett's told us that officials will sidle up, ask how we like our tea or coffee, or what biscuits we prefer. 'But we shouldn't be fooled. They are not our friends they're a potential obstacle we have to get round. We have been told not to be hoodwinked by enemy officials.' Shadow Cabinet Office Minister Mr Trickett has told colleagues: 'A Corbyn government will be a genuine 'change' government we can't have the civil servants slowing us down.' However, Corbyn critics are already mocking Mr Trickett's Ministerial training as 'Citizen Smith versus Yes Minister' after the TV sitcoms depicting a hapless Marxist urban revolutionary and Machiavellian civil servant Sir Humphrey Appleby who runs rings round a naive Minister. The tea-and-biscuits tutorial is not the first time Labour has issued guidance on Whitehall mandarins and beverages. Nine years ago, The Mail on Sunday revealed how Liam Byrne, then a Labour Cabinet Office Minister, had issued an 11-page memo to his staff which included telling them exactly when he liked his afternoon espresso. The threat of Mr Corbyn (pictured) winning Downing Street has played a key role in keeping Mrs May in power Labour's ambitious advice comes amid mounting confidence that Brexit turmoil could force Theresa May out by the end of the year but also concern that Labour's frontbench team has hardly any previous Ministerial experience. Although Labour was seven points behind in the most recent opinion poll, Mr Corbyn only needs a 1.5 per cent swing for Labour to become the largest single party in the Commons. The threat of Mr Corbyn winning Downing Street has played a key role in keeping Mrs May in power, with Tory whips warning the party's rebels against destabilising the Prime Minister. Chilling unanswered questions have been raised about the mysterious deaths of a young couple who were found at the bottom of a cliff in Portugal. Australian Michael Kearns, 33, was holidaying with his British girlfriend Louise Benson, 37, when the pair were found dead at a popular surf beach in the seaside town of Eceira. The couple plunged 30 metres off the rocky cliff after reportedly taking a selfie and losing their balance sometime between 1am and 6am local time on June 12. But devastated family members feel uneasy about the sudden loss of their loved ones, asking why local investigators haven't done more to help give them 'closure'. Michael Kearns, 33, was holidaying with his British-born partner Louise Benson, 37, before the pair were found dead at a popular surf beach in the seaside town of Eceira British national Louise Benson (pictured), 37, has been remembered as a 'gentle soul' The couple were reportedly still drinking at 4am before their fall, and a woman walking her dog along the edge of the cliff heard a scream or shot just after 5am According to an investigation by News Corp, Portugese police are yet to interview anyone who was with the couple in the time before they fell to their deaths. The couple were reportedly still drinking at 4am before their fall, and a woman walking her dog along the edge of the cliff heard a scream or shot just after 5am. She is yet to speak to police. A man who lives in the town said he had been drinking with the couple before going home at 2am - but the owner of a bar said she saw the man drinking with Mr Kearns and Ms Benson until 4am. Neither have been spoken to by police. 'Everything seems to indicate that the fall happened when they were probably trying to take a selfie,' said Rui Pereira da Terra, head of the rescue service in Cascais port. 'It seems they dropped their mobile phone and fell down while leaning over to retrieve it,' he added. But social media users have since pointed out there was little evidence to back up the policeman's apparent assertion the pair were taking a selfie before their fall. The cliff-face would have been pitch black, and there was light rain at the time they were supposed to have taken their photo. Portugese police have not sought CCTV of the supposed fall. Ms Benson was reportedly holding hair in her hands when her body was found. Portugese police are yet to interview anyone who was with the couple in the time before they fell to their deaths at Praia dos Pescadores (Fishermen's Beach) A man who lives in the town said he had been drinking with the couple before going home at 2am - but the owner of a bar said she saw the man drinking with Mr Kearns and Ms Benson until 4am There is no evidence the pair took a selfie before their fall, and the cliff-face would've been dark and there was light rain when they are supposed to have taken their photo Mr Kearns father Bill told the Herald Sun his son was a 'rough diamond with a heart of gold' and his girlfriend was a 'beautiful girl with a beautiful nature'. He said he wished he knew what had happened to his son. Bill Kearns' wife Kathy said she hopes the family can find some closure. A local fisherman found the two bodies in the sand beside a mobile phone early in the morning at Pescadores beach in Ericeira, 30km from Lisbon. They are believed to have checked in to a guesthouse about 3pm on the afternoon before the fall, before heading out for a walk through town. Mr Kearns father Bill said his son (left) was a 'rough diamond with a heart of gold' and his girlfriend (right) was a 'beautiful girl with a beautiful nature The couple were in Portugal for a friend's recent wedding before the fatal cliff wall fall (pictured). Their bodies were found by a beach cleaner next to a mobile phone Australian Michael Kearns, 33, (pictured) plunged to his death alongside his British partner after the pair reportedly slipped while taking a selfie They then ordered food and drinks at a restaurant at South Beach before leaving at 8.30pm - although there is confusion about the time they left. They arrived at a pizzeria before ordering dinner and sharing drinks with another couple and a local man. Mr Kearns and Ms Benson then went to another bar with the local man about 12.30am, before leaving at 2am. The couple then arrived at Bar Neptuno with a group of about eight people including the local man. The group left the bar at 4am, before a woman walking her dog near the cliff walls at the beach heard a scream. In a chilling twist, Mr Kearns shared a photo (pictured) of a glass of red wine on the beach with the exact 30-metre wall he would fall from just 24 hours before his death A beach cleaner then found the couple's bodies at 6.45am. They had been fatally injured when they hit a sign at the bottom of the cliff. Two sources with knowledge of the incident said Ms Benson was clutching hairs when she was found, and samples were taken from the scene for forensic investigation. Tributes have begun to flow for the beloved couple, who left Australia in January to travel the world. The pair attended a friend's wedding in Portugal just weeks earlier. Mr Kearns was a part-time worker at energy company Chevron's enormous Wheatstone project, a natural gas plant currently under construction in the Pilbara region of Western Australia. Ms Benson, who was originally from Bristol, and a keen diver like Mr Kearns, regularly took to social media to share photos of her overseas journey - including snaps of a dive the pair enjoyed in Sri Lanka in February. Her friends have written poignant tributes following her death, with one posting online: 'It can be such a cruel world we live in, RIP Louise Benson yet again another great soul (taken) away from us far too early.' Ms Benson was travelling with her Australian partner when the tragedy unfolded A beach cleaner found two bodies in the sand beside a mobile phone early Tuesday morning In another touching tribute, a friend posted: 'No words can describe what we have lost. 'Louise Benson you had a passion for life. A quiet, not for long (though), Bristol girl who just loved life. 'Your smiles infectious, your laughs amazing, your friendship invaluable and just the love you have out in shock and speechless. You will be missed and I will miss you so much. Love you Lou, one in a million.' In a chilling twist, Mr Kearns shared a photo of a glass of red wine on the beach with the exact 30-metre wall he would fall from just 24 hours before his death. Mr Kearns was a fly-in fly-out (FIFO) worker at Chevron's Wheatstone project in the Pilbara, Western Australia, and enjoyed diving The 33-year-old man and 37-year-old woman are believed to have fallen between 1am and 6am in Ericeira (stock image) after they had been travelling overseas since Januar The Australian Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade confirmed that one Australian had died while the British Foreign Office said a British woman had passed away. Pescadores beach is ringed by cliffs and a 30-metre high wall covered in shrubs. A DFAT spokesperson said it was 'providing consular assistance to the family of an Australian who died in Portugal. The Australian couple fell to their deaths in Portugal while apparently taking a selfie. Pictured is the beach wall they fell from 'The Department has been in contact with the British Foreign and Commonwealth Office regarding the other person who died in the incident. Owing to our privacy obligations we will not provide further comment.' A spokeswoman for the British Foreign and Commonwealth Office said: 'We are in touch with local authorities following the death of a British woman in Portugal and are providing support to her family.' The beach is at a surfing town on Portugal's western Atlantic Ocean coast. It is a popular hotpot, with countless tourists uploading their pictures of the enormous wall on Instagram. Pescadores beach is ringed by cliffs and a 30-metre high wall covered in shrubs Advertisement An exclusive suburb in the heart of Sydney's bustling city district is taking over Bondi as one of the most expensive places in Australia to live. Wealthy renters are snapping up two-bedroom apartments in Barangaroo, overlooking Sydney's idyllic Darling Harbour, for as much as $2,200 a week. The suburb offers harbourside views, waterfront dining, upmarket shopping and restaurants, along with close proximity to high-rise office buildings. Baarangaroo in the heart of Sydney's Central Business District is costing renters up to $2,000 per week for a two-bedroom unit The suburb offers harbourside views, waterfront dining, upmarket shopping and restaurants and close proximity to office buildings Domain property data shows an average median property price for a two-bedroom unit is $1,450 per week. Four apartments advertised online cost more than $1,700, with two offered for more than $2,000. Southbank in Melbourne, which boasts similar high rise apartment living and water views, has a median property price for a two bedroom apartment of just $610 per week. Meanwhile renters wanting to live in Sydney's iconic Bondi Beach pay $850 on average for a two-bedroom apartment of $1,300 for a three-bedroom abode. This two bedroom apartment, pictured, advertised with a price guide of between $3.4 to $3.7 million, sold in just one week The apartment, developed by Lend Lease, includes a large open plan living area, balcony, two bedrooms and two bathrooms. Mango Real Estate Sales Manager Jane Zhao - who sold a property in Barangaroo for $3.5 million within one week- told News Corp the suburb is a favourite with Chinese buyers. The property, developed by Lend Lease, included a waterfront view, two bathrooms, an open plan living area and a large balcony. 'Barangaroo is very popular with Chinese buyers because they want a water view and it's not too high up,' she said. A six-star luxury Crown Casino in the suburb is due to be completed in 2024 and a new metro train station is scheduled for completion in 2024. This property at Barangaroo, also boasting waterfront views was rented out for $2,200 per week. A bedroom inside a two-bedroom apartment in Barangaroo that costs more than $2,000 for rent. Southbank in Melbourne, which boasts similar high rise apartment living and water views, has a median property price for a two bedroom apartment of just $610 per week. A little schoolgirl who was allegedly kidnapped and raped over five hours before being dropped off at a train station has been described as a brave hero by police. The 11-year-old schoolgirl managed to give police a good description of the man who abducted her as she walked to school in Adamstown, Newcastle, on Tuesday. Her description eventually led to the arrest of a 'nomadic' man, 47, on Saturday, who has since been charged over the 'horrific' sexual attack. Superintendent Brent Greentree commended the young woman on her courage - after she provided them with detailed descriptions which helped them in their investigation. 'This brave little girl is certainly a hero,' Supt Greentree said. Her description eventually led to the arrest of a 'nomadic' man, who can't be named for legal reasons, 47, on Saturday, who has since been charged over the 'horrific' sexual attack The young girl was walking through Hudson Park on Terrance Street, Adamstown Heights, when she was allegedly approached and threatened by the man with a knife 'The courage she has displayed, and certainly her family, the heroism they have in supporting the police has just been fantastic and has ultimately led to this arrest.' The man who can't be named for legal reasons faced Newcastle Local Court on Sunday charged with kidnapping, six counts of aggravated sexual assault, and four counts of aggravated indecent assault. He did not apply for bail and was remanded in custody. Police have released video footage of the moment they arrested him over the girl's alleged rape. In the video the man, who has his face blurred, can be seen sitting in his car while he is questioned by police officers. Strike Force detectives, assisted by local police, arrested the alleged attacker during a vehicle stop on Beaumont Street and took him to Newcastle Police Station. The young girl was walking through Hudson Park on Terrance Street, Adamstown Heights, when she was allegedly approached and threatened by the man about 9.15am. An 11-year-old girl was allegedly abducted and sexually assaulted during a five-hour ordeal in Newcastle (pictured are investigators at one of the crime scenes) He allegedly threatened the young girl with a knife before kidnapping her. He then drove her to bushland where he allegedly further sexually assaulted her. Just before 2.15pm, the girl was released at Kotara Railway Station, where she returned home and police were notified. The girl was taken to John Hunter Hospital for medical examination and later released. A crime scene was established at Hudson Park and forensically examined. The girl was allegedly threatened with a knife by a man who sexually assaulted her, police said (pictured is an area under investigation by police) Northern Ireland has moved a step closer to legalising abortion after Sinn Fein voted in favour of liberalising abortion laws across Ireland. Party members voted overwhelmingly in favour of the move and said the procedure should be provided through a GP-led service for a 'limited gestational period'. The republicans represent an influential political voice in both countries, with the mood likely to have been triggered following the Republic of Ireland's abortion referendum last month. The British government has resisted renewed calls to step in and legislate for abortion in Northern Ireland due to the lack of government in Belfast and the political alliance with the DUP. Sinn Fein president Mary Lou McDonald (right) and vice president Michelle O'Neill (left) wave to the crowd during the Sinn Fein Ard Fheis The DUP are strongly opposed to any relaxation of abortion laws in Northern Ireland and are likely to try to thwart any legal changes in the country. Sinn Finn vice president Michelle O'Neill said: 'Sinn Fein refuses to hide. It will address this issue with compassion and will show the leadership that is required.' Last month's referendum in the Republic of Ireland was the latest in a number of long-standing conservative constitutional provisions. Senior members in Sinn Fein said loosening abortion restrictions in Northern Ireland was the next priority. The motion endorsed by delegates at the ard fheis (party conference) said the procedure should be provided through a GP-led service in a clinical context as determined by law and licensing practice for a limited gestational period. No exact period was fixed to allow for future changes in medical advice; debate surrounds when a baby is potentially viable outside the womb. Party members also voted to allowed terminations when a woman's life, physical or mental health was at risk, and in cases of fatal foetal abnormality, where an infant could not survive. Stormont Assembly member Megan Fearon said: 'I think today's result was very decisive, overwhelmingly we clearly said we support women, we are going to treat women with compassion. Party members also voted to allowed terminations when a woman's life, physical or mental health was at risk, and in cases of fatal foetal abnormality, where an infant could not survive 'Gone are the days of criminalising our women and girls here in Ireland. 'What we need to see is compassionate healthcare and we need to allow women access to safe and appropriate healthcare when they need it here at home.' The vote in the Republic of Ireland last month will make abortion freely available under medical supervision during early pregnancy and in limited circumstances at a later date. The new legislation will come into force in the new year. Sinn Fein is a major force in opposition to the Fine Gael-led Republic's Government and during the referendum campaign contained voices for and against abortion. Hundreds of thousands of teenage boys are to be given a lifesaving vaccine currently administered only to girls to protect them against deadly cancers. Health Secretary Jeremy Hunt will give the go-ahead for them to be inoculated against the cancer-causing human papillomavirus (HPV), after a hard-hitting six-month campaign by The Mail on Sunday. The dramatic move comes after experts revealed in this newspaper how HPV kills far more men than previously thought. Since 2008 the vaccine against the sexually transmitted virus has been given to teenage girls on the NHS but, controversially, not to boys. Girls have been prioritised because HPV causes cervical cancer, which kills about 1,000 women a year. Around 500 women die from other HPV-related cancers a year too. Hundreds of thousands of teenage boys are to be given a lifesaving vaccine currently administered only to girls to protect them against deadly cancers But it is now known to cause some 2,000 male cancers annually, resulting in the deaths of about 650 men a year, mainly from mouth and throat forms of the disease. Extending the programme will directly protect some 400,000 teenage boys a year from harbouring the virus for life. This will prevent thousands of cancers, say leading doctors. Last night, former throat cancer patient Jamie Rae said: 'This will save a lot of lives and a huge amount of suffering in the future.' Mr Rae, who founded the Throat Cancer Foundation, which has been pressing for HPV vaccination for boys, added: 'As someone who still lives with the aftermath of an HPV cancer, I can only express relief.' The Government's Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI) had previously concluded it was 'overwhelmingly' unlikely that vaccinating boys would be cost-effective. Thousands will be saved by Jeremy Hunt answering the call Year 8 schoolgirls have been offered the HPV jab on the NHS since 2008 to protect against cervical cancer and since then its incidence among young women has started to plummet. But until now, boys have been left out, although HPV, which is spread by intimate contact and kissing, triggers about 2,000 cancer cases annually among men of the throat, mouth, genitals and anus. Cases often develop decades after infection and about 650 sufferers will die. The change means that men will be protected from these illnesses, and from the gruelling treatments used to tackle them. Big rises in these HPV cancers led doctors to believe that we were heading for a pandemic. This will now be stopped in its tracks. Advertisement Its conclusions were based in part on a flawed computer model that wrongly assumed HPV caused relatively few cancers in men. It also reasoned the vast majority of young men would be protected as a result of vaccinating girls. But earlier this month the committee accepted new evidence that HPV causes many more cancers in men than previously thought. In particular it causes up to five times as many mouth and throat cancers as had been estimated. At a meeting on June 6, the JCVI subsequently switched its advice to conclude that vaccinating boys may well be cost-effective, this newspaper has learned. The advice is not due to be made public until mid-July, although it has been passed to Ministers. However, Health Department sources last night said that as soon as the advice is published, Mr Hunt will announce the extension of vaccination to Year 8 boys those aged 12 or 13. Now I know my pain has not been in vain Paul Younger, 53, (pictured with his partner Helen Powell) an NHS executive from Kent, has throat cancer caused by HPV and started chemotherapy and radiotherapy in March Paul Younger, 53, an NHS executive from Kent, was diagnosed with throat cancer caused by HPV earlier this year. Two months after his chemo and radiotherapy ended, he still suffers life-changing side effects but yesterday he responded with joy to The Mail on Sunday's victory. May 23, 2018 I saw my GP and it was evident that she didn't really know what to prescribe for my pain, saying that I must ride it out. She told me to try a Butec [a powerful opioid painkiller] patch. Mum cooked me a chicken pie, which was painful to eat, but at least my taste is coming back. May 29 I'm still tormented by a dry mouth, which makes me gag. I feel like I've got a fur ball stuck in my throat. There is pain around the site of the tumour, which causes me anguish too. I will have to take another laxative as the bowels have packed up again, no doubt due to the Butec patch, which has had no effect. June 4 I have always been a caring person, but at the moment I'm so tied up in my thoughts. Will I ever work again? Will I travel again? Will I see [my children] Katie and Ben get married? Will I ever be a grandad? I still feel that my life is over and I won't experience any of these joys. It's a long, lonely day and I spend time watching antiques programmes on TV until Helen [my partner] comes home. It doesn't get any easier eating. The worst sore is at the back of my throat, just where food and drink slip down. It's been there for more than six weeks. I try to tell myself it's not another tumour, but the result of trauma over the past few months. June 11 Today it's my birthday and Helen has taken a day off. She suggests a trip to the cinema but I'm still worried about sitting through a film in a public place. It just seems too early. We have an evening meal of cod with breadcrumbs which I struggle with the texture aggravates the soreness in my throat. I have to drink three pints of water to get through it. June 13 This morning I spend 15 minutes trying to remove the dead brown skin that has formed on the top of my throat overnight. The dryness causes me to heave over the toilet. After heaving I spit out blood secretions. Straight after dinner, my tongue starts stinging and it actually feels twisted due to the ulcers underneath. Every mouthful continues to be a challenge. June 16 Wonderful news. David Rose from The Mail on Sunday rings to say the Government is going to fund HPV vaccination for boys. The newspaper's campaign, and the lawsuit launched by the Throat Cancer Foundation, have forced them to admit the old policy was 'vaccine apartheid'. My pain has not been in vain. I feel elated that by writing my diary I have played a part in securing the health of our boys in the future. If I do succumb to this disease, I will depart happy that I played my part making the vaccine available to parents of all children. The sun is shining, I'm in a country lodge convalescing, the World Cup has started. My discomfort continues, but I'm going to fight to get my life back. Advertisement The move is likely to cost about 22 million a year but the NHS should eventually save money as it will need to treat far fewer men for HPV cancers. In the short term, it will also save it from not having to treat as many cases of genital warts, which the jab also protects against. One Government source said: 'The Mail on Sunday has made a huge contribution by raising awareness of the devastation caused by HPV, and how easily it can be prevented. 'In the long term, this will save not only lives, but money. As you have shown, treating HPV cancers is both expensive and extremely damaging.' Currently the only way to get boys vaccinated is to go private, costing about 300 for a course. HPV patient Paul Younger in his 'terrifying' mask during radiotherapy Experts last night welcomed the move. Professor Margaret Stanley, president of the International Papillomavirus Society, said: 'This decision will virtually eliminate anal cancer and oral HPV cancer. It's a massive step forward, and The Mail on Sunday has helped enormously.' Prof Chris Nutting, consultant oncologist at the Royal Marsden Hospital in London, who specialises in treating throat cancer, said it was 'truly something to celebrate'. And Peter Baker, director of campaign group HPV Action, said: 'The decision to vaccinate boys is long overdue but still very welcome.' A spokeswoman for the Department of Health and Social Care last night stressed there had been no official announcement. She said: 'The Government takes advice from an independent expert committee the JCVI when making decisions on vaccination programmes. We will carefully consider its advice on HPV once received.' Last week, the House of Commons rejected a number of amendments to the Brexit Bill from the House of Lords. This was good for British democracy as those amendments were designed by Remainer Lords to frustrate and ultimately reverse Brexit. The peers in opposition to the people broke the constitutional conventions to reject manifesto commitments and did not seek to revise the bill but to neuter its effect. This week, it is decision time for their Lordships. Do they accept the will of the Commons or continue their guerrilla war by returning yet more wrecking amendments? While some Lords are intent on playing the compulsive gambler continually spinning the legislative dice until they hit the double Remain, it is time they call it a day. Re-tabled in a slightly new form by the Lord Hailsham, it is anything but innocent. The aim of the meaningful vote is in fact a Brexit veto The House of Lords exists to revise legislation. Backing amendments that wreck the Bill, cut across a national referendum and multiple election manifestos has already raised serious constitutional questions. Out of these wrecking amendments, the one they are glued to is the seemingly innocent sounding meaningful vote amendment. Re-tabled in a slightly new form by the Lord Hailsham, it is anything but innocent. The aim of the meaningful vote is in fact a Brexit veto. Under this version, not only would Parliament vote on the EU deal - the Withdrawal Agreement - it would then give the power to negotiate to Parliament which is impractical. Indeed, it is a constitutional absurdity, so cannot be the real intention. If MPs do not think the government can negotiate, then the answer is a vote of no confidence but the Remainers lack the courage to risk a new administration. Instead, they prefer the chaos of Parliament trying to negotiate which is designed for one purpose - to allow for the inevitable binding Hailsham resolution to agree any terms offered by the EU or to suspend Article 50. If this were not the aim, the Remainers would accept the Governments proposed unamendable resolution which meets all their formally stated objectives but could not block Brexit. That was not what those who first raised the question of Parliamentary involvement and accountability for Brexit said they desired. When the Bill was first debated, the prominent and much respected Remainer the Rt Hon Dominic Grieve QC MP argued that the Government should not give itself the Henry VIII power to implement an EU deal by secondary legislation. He was right. This ensures that any deal will go through a full legislative process in Parliament, the highest form of scrutiny. The Commons went on to remove this power, ensuring any EU deal would require separate legislation. Unfortunately, for Remain Peers the normal constitutional process was never going to be enough. Now is the time for the arch-Remainers to ensure their words and deeds match rather than sending her to Brussels with her negotiating hands tied behind her back (pictured: Remain rebel Anna Soubry) On Thursday, the Government tabled a fresh amendment that would guarantee Parliamentary debates in the event that an agreement is not possible or indeed if Parliament decides to vote down what was on offer. The Government has now met all the Lords and MPs public concerns. However, what the Government has not done is to provide a legal backdoor to re-join the EU. The anger of some of the Remainers about this shows the real purpose even if they have not admitted it to themselves. Essentially, it is Parliamentary prestidigitation to overturn the referendum as some of the Peers alluded to in their earlier speeches. The Prime Minister at the end of the month re-joins the negotiations on the future relationship with the EU and the country wants her to succeed. Now is the time for the arch-Remainers to ensure their words and deeds match rather than sending her to Brussels with her negotiating hands tied behind her back. Jacob Rees-Mogg is Conservative MP for North-East Somerset and chairman of the partys European Research Group. The French newspaper "Le Figaro" revealed the presence of French troops participating in the battle of the West Coast of Yemen along with the UAE forces. (AhlulBayt News Agency) - The French newspaper "Le Figaro" revealed the presence of French troops participating in the battle of the West Coast of Yemen along with the UAE forces. The French newspaper quoted two military sources as saying: "There are Special French Forces on Yemen supporting the UAE forces." The newspaper gave no further details of the activities of the Special Forces, and no response has been received from the French Ministry of Defense so far, but its usual policy is not to comment on the special forces operations. The French Defense Ministry said on Friday that France is considering the possibility of implementing the process of clearing mines in order to reach Hodeydah port once the coalition ends its military operations. France, which has a military base in the UAE along with the United States and Britain, supports the alliance of aggression against Yemen since March 2015 in order to obtain money by providing Saudi Arabia and the UAE weapons, intelligence and logistical supplies and its presence in command and control rooms. The leader of the revolution, Sayyed Abdulmalik al-Houthi, vowed on Thursday to turn the West Coast into a quagmire for the invaders, saying: "With the help of Allah and the will of our people, the West Coast will turn into a great swamp". /129 A faithful Yorkshire Terrier named Fat Heath stayed by the side of a frightened toddler over the weekend after she went missing in rural Missouri. The ordeal began around 8.30pm Thursday with a 911 call that three-year-old Remy Elliott had wandered away from her home near the town of Qulin, 175 miles south of St. Louis. Missouri State Highway Patrol Sgt. Clark Parrott says a search began that included an airplane, but the girl was not found overnight, according to KFVS 12. The ordeal began around 8:30pm Thursday with a 911 call that three-year-old Remy Elliott had wandered away from her home Remy Elliott (left), 3, went missing on Thursday, leading to a 100-man rescue operation to locate her whereabouts (Pictured right, Remy's mother, Timber Merritt) More than 100 people joined police in the rescue operation and set out to search a cornfield Friday morning, according to ABC 7 News. Just after 8am, search dogs began barking - and a tiny dog started yapping in response. Searchers found the girl with her tiny terrier, whose name was later revealed to be Fat Heath. The child had several mosquito bites but was otherwise unharmed. She was examined by the Black River Medical Center in Poplar Bluff and returned home with some medication for the bites. Following the successful rescue mission, the Missouri State Highway Patrol lauded the effort in a tweet. 'This is what #Community looks like. Law enforcement, 1st Responders and community volunteers coming together to find a missing child. Her dog stayed by her side all night. #StrongerTogether,' the post read. Elliott's mother was overjoyed to have her daughter back, telling CBS affiliate KFVS 12 that she's relieved to have found her daughter. Just after 8am, search dogs began barking - and a tiny dog (Pictured: Fat Heath) started yapping in response Following the successful rescue mission, the Missouri State Highway Patrol lauded the effort in a tweet 'I feel a lot better, especially since we know she is okay. She is back to her normal self now,' said Timber Merritt, Remy's mom. 'I looked for her by myself thinking maybe she was just in the woods or somewhere where I just couldn't see her,' Merritt said. 'And I was calling for her and calling for her, and when she wasn't calling back I realized I don't think I'm going to find her on my own.' Remy Elliott pictured with her loyal Yorkshire Terrier, Fat Heath, who stuck by her side through the whole ordeal Merritt's brother, Quinlin, made the 258-mile drive from western Kentucky to help in the search and was credited with finding Remy and her dog about half a mile away from the house. 'They said that she was asleep when he picked her up,' Merritt said. 'She was definitely exhausted, hot, really sweaty and it took a while to drink anything. She said she wasn't scared because Fat Heath was there. If he wasn't I think she would've been terrified.' One of the volunteers, Makayla Hardcastle, told KFVS that parts of the search was challenging but was happy her community is whole again. 'The corn feels like razor blades cutting you, especially for a child,' Hardcastle said. 'And you don't hear well in the corn either, so when somebody is yelling your name you can hear them but you don't know where it is coming from.' Merritt says that she wants to raise awareness in her small community so other parents never have to go through the same experience. 'Hopefully put a fence around the yard, or keep her inside,' the mom said with a laugh. A storage shed in Sydney's northwest was a makeshift 'gun library' for bikie gangs until it was raided by Strike Force Raptor, a court has heard. Officers from the state's bikie-busting task force raided a unit at Windsor's Hawkesbury Self Storage in June 2015 and found it filled with guns and ammunition. Contents of the 'gun library', which rented out ammunition and drug-making equipment were recently revealed at the sentencing hearing of the so-called librarian, The Sunday Telegraph reported. A unit at Hawkesbury Self Storage (pictured) was a 'gun library' for bikie gangs until it was raided by Strike Force Raptor in 2015 Nomads bikie Sean Smith, who also goes by the name Sean Steele, had rented the storage unit, according to police documents tendered at his sentencing hearing this week. Strike Force Raptor's investigation led officers to believe that other gangs had access to the guns. 'It is not unusual in situations like this that the weapons are used by any number of other criminals or criminal groups provided there is an alliance, which there appeared to be in this case,' Gang Squad Commander Deb Wallace told The Sunday Telegraph. Some of the guns seized in the unit included a Remington sniper rifle, a Colt AR 15 semiautomatic rifle, a Ruger 14 semiautomatic rifle, a pump action shotgun, a Remington Savage rifle and a sawn-off shotgun. A court recently heard a stockpile of guns (stock image) was found in the storage unit rented by Nomads bikie Sean Smith Further investigation by officers found that Smith was also involved in a methylamphetamine manufacturing operation with Lone Wolf bikie Simon Campbell, according to court documents. Smith was charged with 42 drug and firearm offences. He pleaded guilty to five while the rest were taken into account as form one offences, which were considered as part of his sentencing. Smith was sentenced to a minimum seven years and four months jail, while Campbell was sentenced to five years and seven months on five drugs related charges. Their lawyers both refused to comment on the case. Ms Wallace told The Sunday Telegraph that it will seek advice from Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions on whether to appeal the sentences. A man is wanted by police in connection to a stabbing in a bar at a popular beachside bar in Bondi. Emergency services were called to Hotel Ravesis just metres from the picturesque beach about 9.45 on Saturday night. Police officers found a 35-year-old man with injuries to his hand and shoulder. It is alleged one of the men picked up a butter knife and stabbed the other, Nine News reported. A man is wanted by police in connection to a stabbing in a bar at a popular beachside bar in Bondi Emergency services were called to Hotel Ravesis just metres from the picturesque beach about 9.45 on Saturday night Inspector Paul Sly of Waverley Police said it is not known if the two men knew each other. 'We are currently going through CCTV footage to identify the suspect,' he said. The bar was screening the Australia-France World Cup match on Saturday night, but police don't believe the altercation was related to the game. The injured man was taken to Sydney Eye Hospital, and is in a stable condition. Police are looking to speak to a man who they believe may be able to help them with their inquiries. The man police wish to speak to is of Caucasian appearance, between 170-175cm tall and of a solid build. He had short, blond shaved hair and was last seen wearing a white t-shirt with a pattern on it. Anyone with any information on the alleged stabbing is being urged to come forward to police. Witnesses said they saw police rushing into the hotel around the time of the alleged stabbing. Witnesses said they saw police rushing into the hotel around the time of the alleged stabbing 'I saw a man with his hand with blood so I think [it was] a knife or bottle,' one person who works near the bar said. 'We were walking home and saw police rush in and a guy outside with a bleeding hand with security,' another said. Another witness said the hotel had to be shut down after the incident. 'Drunk person got aggressive and for safety reasons police shut the place down,' they said. Daily Mail Australia has contacted Hotel Ravesis for comment. A drug overdose at the Sexpo exhibition in Sydney has left a man in a critical condition in hospital. The illicit substance was found in a black package seized by police with the label 'Australia's number one'. Two people were treated at the scene for 'suspected drug overdoses' and rushed to hospital. The illicit substance was found in a black package seized by police with the label 'Australia's number one' A drug overdose at the Sexpo exhibition in Sydney has left a man in a critical condition in hospital. An image from the Sexpo event is pictured A label on the back of the bag describes the substance as 'incense', which is often used as a relaxant to reduce stress and anxiety. Police told Daily Mail Australia they were unaware what type of drug it was, however, in a statement, the drug was described as 'illicit'. The writing on the image of the black sealed bag released by police states the incense can be very good as a 'car ash tray deodorizer'. The label stated that the package did not contain any 'psychoactive' or 'prohibited' substances. The label also describes the mystery product as 'relaxing, hypnotic and erotic'. Police told Daily Mail Australia they were unaware what type of drug it was, however, in a statement, the drug was described as 'illicit' (pictured is an unrelated worker at the exhibition) Synthetic Cannabis can be marketed as incense, according to the Australian Drug Foundation. A 21-year-old man was taken to Liverpool Hospital in a 'sedated' and 'critical' condition, while a 24-year-old was taken to Bankstown Hospital in a stable condition. Police warned that taking taking 'illicit' substances could have harmful consequences including death. Police warned that taking taking 'illicit' substances could have harmful consequences including death. A stage show at the Sexpo, held at the International Convention Centre, is pictured. Bankstown Police Area Command Duty Officer Chief Inspector Brad Thorne warned 'you don't know what you are putting into your body and the effects it may have'. 'There is a reason why drugs are illegal they are very dangerous and can be harmful and in some cases, end in death,' he said. 'You need to ask yourself; is it really worth gambling with your life?'. A spokesperson for South Western Sydney Local Health District said the man at Liverpool hospital has now been discharged. Police urged anyone with any information on the source of the substance to contact Bankstown Police Station or Crime Stoppers. Suzanne Lachmann (pictured), a contract psychologist for the FDNY has declared Trump mentally 'unfit for office' A contract psychologist for the FDNY has diagnosed Donald Trump as mentally 'unfit for office'. Suzanne Lachmann took to Twitter to share her views on the President, claiming she had met and had 'direct interaction' with Trump, and said her work in determining if firefighters needed to be stood down from action qualified her to make the call. Lachmann has previously expressed her view in a 2017 article written for Psychology Today, citing an encounter she had with the President soon after his divorce from Ivanka in 1992. She said when she approached him and introduced herself, he told her: 'Why would I want to talk to you? I wouldn't even let you suck my d***. Look at all the beautiful women here. Don't waste my time.' Lachmann said in the article Trump was delusional and suffering from a deterioration in his cognitive functioning - things that were directly in contrast to the mental state expected of someone appointed the leader of the free world. 'Mr. Trump cannot uphold the duties of this office because even in his first 100 days, his insight and judgment have disintegrated to the point at which his public statements, accusations and tweets seem delusional,' she wrote. Lachmann said Trump was 'delusional' and the pair had once met at a party in the early 90s, where he dismissed her and said 'I wouldn't even let you suck my d***' when she tried to introduce herself Lachmann said in her tweet her work as a clinical psychologist who consulted for the FDNY qualified her declaration that Trump was unfit 'Delusions are fiercely protected by their holders. Not shockingly, Trump feels otherwise, declaring, "I think my strongest asset maybe by far is my temperament. I have a winning temperament".' 'His distorted thinking, disorganized conduct, and erratic, impulsive behavior, combined with his fixation on his own importance directly imperils our safety as citizens of the United States and he must be removed from the line of duty.' Lachmann told The New York Post she is contracted to the FDNY's counselling services unit and paid by the hour to treat firefighters. She says she is currently seeing six, and has previously shared letters from the FDNY thanking her for her service, and says she received a placard 'in recognition of the many [firefighters] I've aided'. Frank Gribbon, a spokesman for FDNY, told the Post Lachmann's tweets should not be associated with her work for the Department. 'It's inappropriate to cite her work with FDNY in social posts that express political views,' he said. A 25-year-old cancer survivor who was told a painful, hard lump in his testicles was 'probably hormonal' has urged young men to 'check your tackle, and if there is a problem 'demand an ultrasound.' 'Check your tackle, and if there is a problem demand an ultrasound', that's the message from a 25-year-old cancer survivor who was told a painful, hard lump in his testicles was 'probably hormonal'. Sydney man Ben Smith first felt the cancerous lump in December, but doctors turned him away twice, so he thought there was nothing to worry about. But then the lump, which was in his left testicle, became so painful he couldn't ignore it any longer - so on January 22 he asked for a scan. 'Check your tackle, and if there is a problem demand an ultrasound', that's the message from a 25-year-old cancer survivor who was told a painful, hard lump in his testicles was 'probably hormonal' Ben Smith, 25, pictured with his girlfriend Lucy and dog Sam - Lucy helped him through his cancer journey He told Daily Mail Australia he was sitting in his car reading the ultrasound notes when he realised he 'probably had cancer'. 'I have a little bit of anatomy knowledge, and anything ending with ''oma'' isn't good,' he said. 'So I called my mum and my partner and we decided I should go straight to hospital - because the lump had already been there for two and a half months. He took himself to Royal Prince Alfred Hospital's Emergency Department for confirmation - and his cancer treatment journey later began at the Chris O'Brien Lifehouse Cancer Hospital - starting with the removal of his testes followed by chemotherapy to tackle the disease which had spread to his abdomen. Now 'cancer-free', the young man is keen to make a difference - sharing his story so that other men can ignore advice telling them the lumps are normal. 'Guys, if you notice ANYTHING, literally ANYTHING abnormal with your tackle I urge you get to a GP and demand an ultrasound,' he wrote. 'Don't listen to a GP who tells you a lump is nothing, testicular cancer is very rare and I can almost guarantee the GP either has never seen it or has seen it very few times before, so honestly - they don't know about it, specialists do.' Mr Smith underwent nine weeks of gruelling chemotherapy but the cancer grew in size. But then the lump, which was in his left testicle, became so painful he couldn't ignore it any longer - so on January 22 he asked for a scan The cancer had grown from four centimetres to seven by the end of treatment. The most common place for a testicular cancer to spread first is the core of the abdomen, an area behind the bowel, pancreas and stomach. This is where his cancer spread. That's when his urologist, Dr Nari Ahmadi, spoke to him about his surgery options. Mr Smith opted for the newly-available keyhole surgery. 'This is only an option when it is technically safe and feasable, as it has only recently become available in Australia. The advantage is patients have less pain and faster return to normal activities,' Dr Ahmadi told Daily Mail Australia. Mr Smith was 'up and walking around' just two hours after waking up from surgery and was cleared to go home within two days. The ground-breaking robotic RPLND, keyhole surgery left him with a few scars about eight millimetres long, instead of a large scar down his torso. 'The standard treatment is an open surgery to remove residual cancer, it is still a very good surgery as the robotic surgery can't be performed on everyone,' he said. The doctor, who worked with a large team at Chris O'Brien Lifehouse Cancer Hospital to make sure Mr Smith's operation went smoothly, says early detection is vital with testicular cancer. 'There are a lot men with lumps, but when there is a solid mas that's more often than not cancer. 'Men should seek medical attention should they feel a lump or notice a change in size of their testes,' the Dr said. Mr Smith kept private about his cancer journey - but decided to speak out after a friend told him about a lump he he'd been 'putting off getting checked'. 'I have a little bit of anatomy knowledge, and anything ending with ''oma'' isn't good,' he said 'I could have five mates with lumps who aren't doing anything about them - even if one of them had cancer I wouldn't feel right not sharing my story,' he said. 'Cancer is horrible and I wouldn't wish it and the treatment upon anyone. Important to note is I had no history of cancer in my family and outside of a few bad joint problems I was extremely healthy. 'I will deal with ramifications of my battle with cancer for the rest of my life, but at least I have a rest of my life to live. Had I not insisted on the ultrasound and followed it up - I would be dead, simple as that.' Mr Smith said if a doctor refuses to do a scan then people should go somewhere else. 'If you are clued in then you can tell them that you would really appreciate an ultrasound and if they refuse then you can go to someone who will do it. 'Ultrasounds are quick, painless and the only way to be certain if there is something to worry about,' he said. He also admitted if his lump didn't hurt he would probably be dead. 'I only went back because of the pain - if I didn't have it I would have just taken the doctor's advice. 'The scary thing is with testicular cancer there is usually no pain, I didn't even feel sick except for after my surgeries and during chemo, because with this cancer it is only in the late stages where you actually feel like that,' he said. Testicular cancer is the second most common cancer for young men aged between 20 and 39 in Australia. Diners at the Trump International Hotel in Washington DC were delighted to see the President drop in for dinner with First Lady Melania on Saturday night President Donald Trump and his wife Melania were clapped and cheered into the Trump International Hotel in Washington on Saturday night. Trump and the First Lady were seen walking up the stairs to a crowd of excited fans and staff, who are seen holding out their phones and reaching out to shake his hand. 'No more missiles,' he tells the crowd repeatedly, as one overjoyed woman screams out: 'Nobel Peace Prize'. Staff members were seen standing at the top of the stairs in a line, and Trump went to shake one man's hand before the video cut out. Trump was at his own hotel for dinner with his wife, who appeared slightly taken aback by the extremely warm welcome. When the couple reached the top of the stairs, Trump began to greet his supporters and shake hands, while Melania moved off to the side - but many in the crowd were calling for the First Lady. In one video, she waved demurely, but did not appear to get too close to the screaming supporters. Melania was seen walking up the stairs ahead of Trump, as the couple entered to thunderous applause and screaming cheers from ecstatic supporters Trump and Melania greeted their supporters warmly as some called out for the President to receive the Nobel Peace Prize The couple are believed to have sat above other diners on a balcony area, though other people are seen sitting nearby them. It is not known if they were civilians or staff. The dinner comes off the back of a big week for the US President, after meeting with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un on Tuesday to discuss disarming the nation of its nuclear weapons. Many of his supporters have suggested Trump should be nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize should his summit have any effect. Trump also celebrated his 72nd birthday on Thursday, and told Fox News he 'got a lot of kisses' from his 'beautiful wife' as a present. Melania also had a big week, breaking the flying ban imposed on her by doctors following her kidney surgery to fly to New York for meetings, and it was announced she will join the President when he flies to London next month. The meeting will be Trump's first official visit to England, and he is expected to meet with the Queen during the trip. While Trump shook hands and spoke with those who had come out to see him, Melania stood to the side and waved demurely, appearing almost overwhelmed by the attention The man whose four young children and wife were killed in a murder-suicide first found out about the shooting after a colleague heard it on the radio. Aaron Cockman's wife Katrina, 35, their four children Taye, 13, Rylan, 12, Arye, 12, and Kadyn, eight, were all found dead at a farm in remote Osmington, Western Australia on May, together with Peter Miles, 61, and his 58-year-old wife Cynda. Mr Cockman was estranged from the family, and was at work as a concreter when he heard about their deaths, and was told by a co-worker. 'They said "hey have you heard on Triple J? Four kids and three adults",' he told Sunday Night. 'My heart just dropped. I said "yeah, I think that's my kids"',' Mr Cockman said before breaking down in tears. Aaron Cockman's wife Katrina, 35, their four children Taye, 13, Rylan, 12, Arye, 12, and Kadyn, eight, were all found dead at a farm in remote Osmington, Western Australia Mr Cockman was estranged from the family, and was at work as a concreter when he heard about their deaths - being told by a colleague who had heard it on the radio Mr Cockman said he believes his children would still be alive if family court orders had been enforced Mr Cockman said he believes his children would still be alive if family court orders had been enforced. He said Peter Miles - Katrina's father - was supporting her in their lengthy battle over custody rights. 'Myself and the kids and Kat, and even Peter and Cynda suffered so much through the court system. 'And for Peter to actually take on a farm with all my kids on it and be the father figure, it's a lot of pressure on someone that is not mentally capable and shouldn't be in that situation.' Peter and Cynda Miles applied for a Violence Restraining Order against Mr Cockman after they said he was following them. The order was eventually dismissed due to a lack of evidence. He said Peter Miles (centre) - Katrina's father - was supporting her in their lengthy battle over custody rights Mr Cockman claimed the Miles told him he would never see his children again. He also said Peter was stressed about family dramas, including his critically ill son Neil who needed a kidney transplant. Mr Miles' son Shaun killed himself in his early 20s, and Mr Cockman said Mr Miles would be devastated at the prospect of losing another son. Mr Cockman claimed Mr Miles had 'switched off' during the killings - 'just like killing a sheep'. 'I was out at the high school farm many times with him, killing sheep, and it's like, Peter, he just shut [his] mind off, and I know that's what he was done, he has shut his mind off, no feeling.' Lifeline - 13 11 14 The incredible moment a man picked up a distressed mother and helped her track down a thief has been captured on dash cam footage. A woman was seen screaming on the side of the road in Perth, Western Australia, after her electric bike was allegedly stolen. The driver, named Sio, pulled over and selflessly told the stranger to hop into his car after seeing a man riding a bike erratically moments earlier. 'Was that yours? Come in,' he can be heard saying, as the hysterical mother jumps into the car while shouting in distress. A woman was seen screaming on the side of the road in inner Perth, Western Australia after her electric bike was allegedly stolen The mother of a baby sounded hysterical as she explained her child was at home sleeping. The driver drove swiftly, but carefully through the suburban streets as he looked for the electric bike. 'Oh God, Oh God,' the woman was heard saying as the man continued to chase the bike. The pair stopped to talk to pedestrians on the side of the road and asked them if they had seen the rider. The driver, named Sio, helped the stranger and they stopped to talk to people on the side of the road (pictured) to ask them if they'd seen the bike After driving through a few intersections, finally they saw a man riding a bike out of a house. 'There he is,' driver Sio said as he stopped and the woman was heard saying: 'Oh yes, we've got him'. The woman confronted the bike rider and said: 'How dare you! You sh*t man.' In a social media message posted to Dash Cam owners Australia, the driver explained the culprit gave the bike back immediately when confronted. 'I helped a woman get her electric bike back on Wednesday afternoon,' he said. 'I had seen a guy riding a bike quite erratically and too fast for the footpath and curb and then when I turned onto my street saw a woman super distressed. 'Worked out that it was her bike and then we chased him down together.' The woman was heard saying: 'How dare you! You sh*t man', when they tracked down a man riding a bike (pictured) He explained that the mother thanked him and rode off but did not provide any contact details. He said he had not reported the matter to the police. Facebook users praised Sio's efforts on social media with the words: 'Well done to the dash cam driver to show kindness and empathy to a lady obviously in distress. Nice person.' Another person said: 'Good on you mate, absolute respect.' The former head of the CIA posted a series of ominous tweets on Saturday, likening Trump's immigration policy to Nazi Germany. General Michael Hayden, 73, shared a black and white picture of the train tracks leading to Birkenau, and wrote: 'Other governments have separated mothers and children'. Birkenau, also known as Auschwitz II, was the largest camp in the Auschwitz complex, and is the place where about 90 per cent of roughly 1.3million people transported to Auschwitz died. Former CIA director General Michael Hayden caused outrage on Twitter on Saturday when he compared the US' immigration policy to Nazi Germany Hayden's own position on the policy was not entirely clear, but he appeared dismissive of anyone who tried to tell him off for his actions People reacted angrily to the General's comparison - finding it in poor taste and insulting to those who went through the German concentration camps. When he was asked by one follower if he was on drugs he responded: 'No. Voignier' 'Theres no other way to say it... What an ignorant f***. How can anyone compare the genocidal atrocities of Nazi Germany to whats happening now,' Twitter user Topher Carlton wrote. 'Utterly disgusting, and deeply insulting to those who perished & to the survivors.' Keeping his words brief, the General responded: 'Wasnt hard. Really. No effort at all'. When one social media user told Hayden their mother-in-law was in the Holocaust, he responded within minutes. Continuing as ominously as he started, he wrote: 'Civilization is a thin veneer that must be protected'. Another simply asked: 'Are you on drugs?' to which he responded: 'No. Voignier' - a type of wine. A new 'zero-tolerance' policy has seen undocumented immigrants face mass trials (pictured) with most not knowing where their children are From his tweets, it is not entirely clear where the General stands on Trump's immigration policy, which has seen thousands of children separated from their parents. The administration has brought in a 'zero tolerance' policy, that sees everyone who tries to enter the US illegally prosecuted. Because the children are not charged with a crime, they are not able to be detained with their parents. In just six weeks, Homeland Security reported nearly 2,000 children had been separated from their families. Halfway through his discussion, Hayden was distracted by a conversation about wine his 'voignier' comment appeared to have sparked. The final communique issued on Thursday at the end of the emergency meeting of the Council of the Arab League on the situation in Yemen affirmed its support for the military operations in Hodeidah. (AhlulBayt News Agency) - The final communique issued on Thursday at the end of the emergency meeting of the Council of the Arab League on the situation in Yemen affirmed its support for the military operations in Hodeidah. The statement stressed the continued support of exile Hadi government in accordance with the decisions of the Council of the Arab League and relevant Security Council resolutions. Iraq and Lebanon on Friday rejected the contents of the statement, Lebanon rejects because it include positions that go beyond previous resolutions, especially the recent summit resolution, reiterating its previous positions in terms of support Yemens unity and legitimacy represented by Yemeni exile President Hadi. Iraq also rejected any military intervention to resolve the conflict in Yemen, calling for political dialogue between Yemenis, and supported the efforts of the United Nations envoy to Yemen, which would lead to the formation of a national unity government, involving all segments of the Yemeni people. The Arab Summit held in Saudi Arabia in April, confirmed the support of the efforts of Arab coalition in Yemen. This is in light of what is seen in Hodeidah governorate of the US-Saudi forces trying to control under the so-called Arab Alliance, while analysts believe it will be the bloodiest battle witnessed in the Arab region. /129 Teachers and parents have remembered a popular kindergarten teacher who died last weekend after falling from a cliff at a tourist whale watching spot near Sydney. Paul Lukasiewicz, 34, had been visiting Cape Solander with his boyfriend at the entrance to Botany Bay and was taking photos near the cliff edge when he fell. Catherine Mangana said that since she told her daughter Riana, who was in Paul's kindergarten class at All Saints Grammar, that Mr Lukasiewicz was 'in heaven,' she has been looking up to the sky trying to find him. Scroll down for video Teachers and parents have remembered a popular kindergarten teacher who died last weekend after falling from a cliff at tourist whale watching spot near Sydney Paul Lukasiewicz, 34, had been visiting Cape Solander with boyfriend at the entrance to Botany Bay and was taking photos near the cliff edge when he fell 'He always greeted the parents and took the time to tell us about our kids' day, which goes to show how committed he was, how much he loved those kids and why they adored him in return.' Catherine Mangana told The Sunday Telegraph. 'The kids say their classroom still smells like him,' said Ms Mangana. Mr Lukasiewicz, originally from the UK, had a decade of teaching experience and had worked in Bangkok, Singapore, and Sydney. A friend and former colleague from his time in Bangkok, Amy Sparkes, said that Paul was an enthusiastic and fun-loving person. 'His life was cut tragically short but every day he was out and about, exploring or going on an adventure, so it certainly wasn't a life half-lived,' she 'told The Daily Telegraph. 'Paul was somebody who could find the positive in any situation he was so full of laughter and joy.' Police are now preparing a report on what they have said appears to be a 'tragic accident.' They have also warned tourists to stay within fenced areas on coastal walks and not risk their safety by venturing close to cliff edges. Catherine Mangana said that since she told her daughter Riana that Mr Lukasiewicz was 'in heaven,' she has been looking up to the sky trying to find him Clay is facing several charges, including first-degree murder and unlawful possession of a firearm Authorities say the shooting occurred after Goode refused Clay's request for a ride to a pawnshop and $36 so he could get his television back Police allege that Clay shot Goode, 32, in the head on Wednesday while they were in a car parked in a Family Dollar parking lot in Jennings The St. Louis Post-Dispatch reports that 42-year-old Brian Clay was charged Thursday in the shooting death of his girlfriend Loreal Goode The St. Louis Post-Dispatch reports that 42-year-old Brian Clay (pictured) was charged Thursday in the shooting death of his girlfriend Loreal Goode Authorities allege a Missouri man killed his girlfriend in front of her daughter after she refused to lend him $36. The St. Louis Post-Dispatch reports that 42-year-old Brian Clay was charged Thursday in the shooting death of his girlfriend, 32-year-old Loreal Goode. Police allege that Clay shot Goode in the head on Wednesday while they were in a car parked in a Family Dollar parking lot in Jennings. Goode's 14-year-old daughter was also in the vehicle. 'My daughter didn't deserve this,' Goode's mother, Joann Goode, told the Post-Dispatch on Thursday. 'She didn't deserve to go out like this.' Authorities say the shooting occurred after Goode refused Clay's request for a ride to a pawnshop and $36 so he could get his television back. Loreal Goode said she needed the money to pay for bills and couldn't afford to hand over the cash, according to the Post-Dispatch. That's when Clay allegedly directed Loreal to drive to the rear of the store and pulled out a gun. 'My grandbaby was screaming: 'Please don't do it. Please don't do it, for me if you don't do it for anybody else,'' Joann Goode said. Police allege that Clay shot Goode (Pictured), 32, in the head on Wednesday while they were in a car parked in a Family Dollar parking lot in Jennings Police say those pleas were ignored with Clay shooting Loreal Goode in the back of the head. The couple had been dating for about six years. Joane Goode said the gunshot prompted her granddaughter to flee from the vehicle. Clay then allegedly pushed Loreal Goode's body out of the car and sped off. Police were able to track Clay using the vehicle's GPS tracking system. Clay is facing several charges, including first-degree murder and unlawful possession of a firearm. He was denied bail. 'He always said: "I would never put my hands on her,'" Goode said. 'He seemed very respectful.' This isn't the first time Clay has been charged with a felony. According to the Post-Dispatch, Clay was convicted in 1995 of robbery and assault. Joann Goode says that she hopes her daughter's death can serve as a cautionary tale for other young women. Joann Goode (Pictured), Loreal's mother, says that she hopes her daughter's death can serve as a cautionary tale for other young women and who they let into their life Noel Goode (pictured) said that the couple often fought over money, but never expected her mother's life would be taken so suddenly 'I want people to know they have to be careful who they are dating,' said Joann Goode. 'You need to know their whole background because I would never think he would take my daughter's life like that. I never thought he would do something like this.' A GoFundMe page has been set up by Loreal Goode's daughter, Noel, for funeral expenses and has raised just over $1,300 with a goal of $10,000. 'Her ex-boyfriend killed her right in my face and threw my mama out the car,' Loreal Goode's daughter explains on the fundraising site. 'My mama was a nice person, she didn't deserve that.' Noel Goode said that the couple often fought over money, but never expected her mother's life would be taken so suddenly. 'They always argued over little stuff like that, but I never thought she'd lose her life over $36 dollars,' Noel told KMOV 4 News. A six-year-old girl has died after an 86-year-old driver reversed into a mother and two daughters at a shopping centre car park. Police allege a hatchback reversed into a 37-year-old woman and two children at a pedestrian crossing in Nambour on the Sunshine Coast, Queensland. Indie Armstrong was rushed to Nambour Hospital where she was pronounced dead. A bottle shop worker told the Courier Mail many shoppers were 'traumatised' after witnessing the crash. A six-year-old girl has died after an 86-year-old driver reversed into a mother and two daughters at a shopping centre car park 'There were a lot of customers in the car park and I saw a lot of trauma, a lot of people walking past crying,' Mark Ellis told the publication. A candlelight vigil will be held across the road from the scene at 5.45pm on Sunday in support of the little girl. The other girl, eight, was taken to Sunshine Coast University Hospital with a lower leg injury. The mother, 37, received minor injuries while the 86-year-old female driver was uninjured. A section of the car park has been closed while the Forensic Crash Unit investigate the cause of the crash. A police spokeswoman told Daily Mail Australia no charges have been made yet as police are still investigating. The other girl, eight, was taken to Sunshine Coast University Hospital with a lower leg injury Former bikie boss Ricky Ciano had a half-a-million-dollar price tag on his head, and survived one assassination attempt only to be injected with a 'hotshot' of drugs two years later. But police still don't know who killed the man in the back of his luxury BMW 16-months ago - because gangs were 'queuing up' to take a shot. According to the Daily Telegraph Ciano owed 'hundreds of thousands' of dollars to a senior Lone Wolf bikie. Former bikie boss Ricky Ciano had a half-a-million-dollar price tag on his head - pictured with his wife But police still don't know who killed the man in the back of his luxury BMW 16-months ago - because gangs were 'queuing up' to take a shot They believe the 2015 attempt on the 35-year-old's life, where a 'pizza delivery boy' turned up to kill him, was in relation to the debt. Ciano was found 'half dressed' and sprawled in the back of his car in rural NSW, after travelling from the Gold Coast to Sydney to 'visit his daughter'. Police believe he went to a town near Bathurst in the state's central west, visiting a property being used as a drug lab, shortly before his death. They believe he was 'possibly injected with a hotshot by someone else' before death. Ciano was described as a family-man who was excited to welcome another child into the world. Friends don't believe he would have overdosed intentionally. 'I can't see him going out and overdosing, why would he if he was going to see his daughter and he's got a son on the way?,' one friend said. The believe the 2015 attempt on the 35-year-old's life, where a 'pizza delivery boy' turned up to kill him, was in relation to the debt Ciano was found 'half dressed' and sprawled in the back of his car in rural NSW, after travelling from the Gold Coast to Sydney to 'visit his daughter' In a funeral service at Pine Grove Memorial Park in Minchinbury in February, the 35-year-old was remembered as a doting father and loving husband who could not wait for the impending arrival of a baby boy. Ciano left the Sydney chapter of the Rebels Bikie gang in 2015 when he moved to the Gold Coast for a 'lifestyle change' and after surviving an attempt on his life outside his Central Coast home. He was told to remove any tattoos linking him to the Rebels. Rachel Ciano said her husband had last been seen in Penrith, in western Sydney, where he was supposed to be visiting his daughter. But any hope of reuniting with her missing husband vanished when it was confirmed he had been found dead in a rural town west of Sydney. Advertisement Three ships carrying a total of 630 migrants from Africa have finally docked in Spain after they were rescued off Libyan shores and Italy and Malta refused them entry. Italian coastguard vessel Dattilo arrived just before 7am on Sunday with 270 migrants on board, followed by the NGO-managed Aquarius ship carrying 106 and Italian navy boat Orione with the final 254. Among the African migrants are 123 unaccompanied minors, 11 other children and seven pregnant women. They were met by emergency health workers and psychologists at the port of Valencia. Today marks the end of their nightmare nine-day journey, which first saw them rescued off the coast of Libya Friday only to get stuck in the Mediterranean after two countries denied them entry. The first of three ships carrying a total of 630 migrants from Africa has docked at the Spanish port of Valencia after Italy and Malta refused them entry when they got stuck off the coast of Sicily last Saturday The NGO 'SOS Mediterranee' Aquarius ship is pictured coming into dock at the Spanish port of Valenica this morning. It was the second of three boats that finally arrived in Spain today after nine days at sea The Italian Navy ship Orione was the last of three ships carrying migrants to arrive in Valencia today carrying 254 people The Italian coastguard vessel Datillo (pictured) arrived in Valencia, Spain just before 7am on Sunday and will be followed by the NGO-run Aquarius and another Italian navy ship also carrying migrants from Africa The migrants (one pictured in a wheelchair centre) were welcomed by over 2,000 people, including 1,000 Red Cross volunteers, 470 translators, and some psychologists The three ships got stuck off the coast of Sicily last Saturday when Italian officials refused to let them dock, demanding Malta did so instead. But when Maltese authorities also refused, Spain stepped in. Spanish authorities have said they will examine the migrants case by case to see if they qualify for asylum according to the country's regulations. They were met by emergency workers, including health officials and psychologists, at the city's marina this morning. The migrants, mainly from Africa, were welcomed by over 2,000 people, including 1,000 Red Cross volunteers and 470 translators. Dozens of reporters who were on hand to cover their arrival were kept at a distance and no top government officials were expected at the port. The migrants were met by emergency workers, including health officials and psychologists, at the city's marina this morning One of the migrants rescued off the coast of Libya is pictured in a wheelchair and wearing a protective mask after he arrived Medical experts are pictured wearing protective clothing as they prepare to treat the migrants in a Spanish Red Cross tent The passengers (some pictured) are made up of 450 adult men and 80 women and come from 26 countries, mainly from Africa but also Afghanistan, Bangladesh and Pakistan, according to Medecins Sans Frontieres High waves and winds forced the convoy to take a detour on their 930-mile voyage to Spain. A huge banner was earlier put up at the port saying 'Welcome home' in various languages including Catalan, the local language, and Arabic. The passengers are made up of 450 adult men and 80 women and come from 26 countries, mainly from Africa but also Afghanistan, Bangladesh and Pakistan, according to Medecins Sans Frontieres. Chartered by a French aid group, Aquarius rescued the migrants off Libya's coast last weekend and were then supported by two Italian Government ships. Spain's minister of public works, Miguel Angel Abalos, said on Saturday that the migrants from the Aquarius would be granted a 'special authorisation' to remain in the country for one month before 'they will be dealt with according to our laws without exception'. Abalos said the Spanish government 'will act with sensitivity and at the same time within the law, and with a message to Europe that it doesn't have an immigration policy up to the challenge at hand'. Medical experts in forensic suits are pictured on board the Italian navy ship Orione as it docks in Valencia on Sunday The Orione was carrying the final 254 migrants, mainly from African countries, and including unaccompanied minors Members of the press await the arrival of migrant ships at the Spanish port of Valencia this morning Spanish authorities have said they will examine the migrants case by case to see if they qualify for asylum according to the country's regulations Among the African migrants are 123 unaccompanied minors, 11 other children and seven pregnant women. They were met by emergency health workers and psychologists at the port of Valencia. Pictured: Dattilo Daybreak: The Italian coastguard ship Dattilo is pictured docked in Valenica, Spain this morning after a nightmare journey Under the EU's asylum laws - currently the subject of a major political dispute and under revision - migrants must apply for asylum in the country where they first enter Europe. In practice, the policy has placed a heavy burden on Italy and Greece, where hundreds of thousands of asylum-seekers have arrived in recent years. Spain's new Socialist government has taken up the cause of the migrants' plight to demonstrate its commitment to protecting human rights and respecting international law. The arrival of the Aquarius convoy comes during a spike of seaborne migrants crossing from African shores to southern Spain. Spain's maritime rescue service pulled 986 people from 69 small boats its rescue craft reached in waters in or near the Strait of Gibraltar between Friday and Saturday. It also recovered four bodies. At least 792 migrants have died crossing the Mediterranean so far this year, according to the United Nations. Through the first five months of 2018, a total of 35,455 migrants reached European shores, with 11,792 of them arriving in Spain. Pictured: African migrants disembark the Dattilo, an Italian coastguard ship that arrived at the Spanish port of Valencia Just the beginning: African migrants are pictured arriving in Spain but will have to be assessed by Spanish officials before they can get asylum seeker status Emergency services are pictured awaiting the migrants at the Spanish port of Valencia just before 7am on Sunday The Spanish Red Cross erected a tent at the port of Valencia this morning ready to treat migrants that have arrived from Africa The Spanish Red Cross assembled at the Spanish port of Valencia to receive the migrants who arrived at 7am on Sunday Dr Jane Barton is accused of prescribing fatal overdoses of opiate painkillers to patients while at Gosport War Memorial Hospital A retired GP is expected to be found responsible for the deaths of hundreds after she prescribed fatal overdoses of opiate painkillers to her elderly patients, according to a report. Dr Jane Barton, 69, is accused of prescribing fatal doses of a painkiller as strong as heroin while she worked at Gosport War Memorial Hospital between 1988 and 2000. The 'brusque and indifferent' doctor is said to have shortened hundreds of lives with her prescription of diamorphine, according to a forthcoming report. The inquiry is investigating the deaths of more than 800 patients at the hospital that goes back nearly 30 years to scrutinise not just Barton's actions but also healthcare workers' actions. It questions why so many patients died and how authorities responded to complaints. The report centres on allegations stemming from the 12-year period that patients were 'almost routinely' given strong painkillers in high doses, which in some cases, led to their deaths. Barton is said to be the focus of the allegations and is expected to found responsible for hundreds of deaths, according to the Times. The report is set to be published on Wednesday, after former Bishop of Liverpool James Jones conducted a four year 13million inquiry into the matter. However, the GP inquiry is not expected to turn over the case to police, reported the Times. A source told the publication it wouldn't press for criminal investigation because 'it is not in our remit.' The report is set to be published on Wednesday, after former bishop James Jones conducted a four year 13million inquiry into the matter. Pictured: Gosport War Memorial Hospital Previous investigations resulted in 'unanswered questions' about deaths at the hospital. Stephen Lloyd, Liberal Democrat MP for Eastbourne, added to the Times: 'What went on at Gosport was wicked. 'I'm hoping that after this report Barton is in the cross-hairs along with Hampshire police, the NHS and the GMS. 'There has been the most enormous cover-up.' It was two years after Barton started working at the hospital that a group of nurses reported their worries about the liberal use of painkillers to bosses. Barton's frail patients were given cocktails of painkillers six times the recommended dose and lapsed into comas, a hearing in Central London was told. Police in 2002 launched an investigation into 92 deaths at Gosport War Memorial Hospital, but the Crown Prosecution Service ruled in 2006 there was insufficient evidence to prosecute. Another report in 2013 by Professor Richard Baker found opiates painkillers had 'almost certainly shortened the lives of some patients'. Barton was found guilty of 'multiple instances of serious professional misconduct' by the General Medical Council in 2010 but wasn't sacked over her conduct. She instead retired after the findings. Bridget Reeves accuses Barton of being responsible for the death of her grandmother Elsie Devine (pictured) who died at Gosport in 1999 aged 88, weighing just seven stone The death of Arthur 'Brian' Cunningham (pictured), was a 'monstrous cover-up', claims his stepson who said: 'Brian was being treated for bedsores; there's no way he was near death For her part, Barton said, after her own GMC hearing, that she did not want patients to be in pain, and always acted in their interests. 'I was faced with an excessive and increasing burden in trying to care for patients at the Gosport War Memorial Hospital. I did the best that I could for them in the circumstances.' The inquiry centres around accusations that patients were 'almost routinely' given powerful painkillers in dangerously high doses, sparking concern from family members. The panel wouldn't comment on how many deaths it is investigating, but it could go beyond the previous 92 cases police examined and the 833 death certificates Barton signed off on. The panel is also including patients who died under healthcare workers that acted on Barton's orders. Gillian Mackenzie said her mother, Gladys Richards, was admitted to recover from a hip operation and was prescribed morphine before her abrupt death There is no suggestion Barton is guilty of murder. More than 100 families are hoping that the findings will end their torment. Bridget Reeves accuses Barton of being responsible of for the death of her grandmother Elsie Devine who died at Gosport in 1999 aged 88. She told the Times: 'We would like to see Barton and the other people involved prosecuted.' Mrs Devine weighed just seven stone when she died on November 21, 1999, after being 'given enough drugs to lay out a six-foot violent man', according to her family. A month earlier, she'd been admitted to the small community hospital, which specialised in respite care, when her daughter Ann, with whom Elsie lived, had to go to London to be with her husband while he received treatment for leukaemia. Mrs Devine was visited daily by her son, Harry, and kept herself busy sending cards to friends and relatives. In a card, she wrote: 'I feel lost without you all, but never mind. The important thing to me is that you are all alright. Nothing else. I don't get up here till 8.30 am. One day they let me stay in till lunch. All I did was watch telly.' Two weeks later, Mrs Devine, who her family say was suffering from a kidney infection, suddenly died. An inquest into her death said that she had been given inappropriate medication at the hospital. One of the most poignant is that of ex-naval officer Robert Wilson, 74, who was admitted with a broken shoulder, who allegedly told his son 'Help me son, they are killing me' In August 1998, Hampshire police were contacted by a woman named Gillian Mackenzie who said that her mother, Gladys, was admitted to recover from a hip operation. Gladys was prescribed morphine before her abrupt death, although her contemporaneous medical notes stated that she was displaying 'no obvious signs of pain'. One of the most poignant is that of ex-naval officer Robert Wilson, 74, who was admitted with a broken shoulder. His son, Iain, visited him in the hospital. 'He was in bed and laid very, very still and very, very quiet. I leaned over him and he whispered: 'Help me son, they are killing me.' I said: 'No, they are not, Dad, they are trying to do their best for you.' ' Next day his father was in a coma, and never recovered. 'I am heartbroken Dad knew he was going to be killed,' Iain told the BBC, before his own early death from a heart attack a few years ago. A manhunt is underway for a 'low-risk' criminal who escaped a Melbourne prison overnight. Police are searching for prison escapee Adrian Horton who broke out of Judy Lazarus Transition Centre in Melbourne on Saturday. Horton, 31, was confirmed missing from the prison at 11.20pm. Manhunt underway for 'low-risk' criminal, Adrian Horton (pictured) 31, broke out of a Melbourne prison overnight Police have released an image of Horton, who is described as a Caucasian, bald, 173cm tall with a solid build. He was last seen wearing a hooded jumper and blue cargo pants. Police are hoping someone can 'recognise him and can provide information on his current whereabouts.' Though Horton is a 'low-risk' prisoner, police are urging the community not to approach him. Anyone who sees Horton is urged to contact Triple Zero immediately. The attacker used a toy pistol, similar to the one seen in this stock photo A student was wounded by a classmate who shot a water pistol containing hydrochloric acid in their face. The victim, aged between 11 and 15, was left 'stunned and with facial sores' after the corrosive liquid missed their eyes by 'millimetres', reported The Sun. The attack at an unnamed school in north Wales. The attacker was reportedly issued a community resolution order, which does not result in a criminal record and carries less weight than a caution. A victim was left with burns to the face after being squirted with acid that missed their eyes by 'millimetres' Hydrochloric acid was used in the attack. The Government has been acting to combat the use of corrosive substances as weapons Earlier this year, retailers including Tesco signed up to a voluntary Government initiative that banned the sale of products with harmful levels of acid to minors. It came following a sharp rise in the number of acid attacks taking place in Britain. There were 454 acid-based attacks in London alone in 2016, up on 261 the year before, according to Government figures. The Acid Survivors Trust International say there has been a 90 percent increase in acid violence in the UK over he last 10 years. The problem is prevalent among teenagers. A report last year indicated schoolchildren find it easier to squirt rivals with acid rather than stab or fight them. Just weeks ago a 17 and 18-year-old in east London were left with burns to their faces after an 'altercation' near a tube station. Last month a woman in her twenties was forced to strip her clothes and be hosed down on the streets of Brixton after an alleged acid attack. A suspected terrorist yelled 'I surrender, I surrender' as 13 policemen wrestled him to the ground in his pyjamas while raiding his home. Nowroz Amin, 26, was arrested at home in Ingleburn, south Sydney, at 9.30am on Saturday. He is accused by police of allegedly trying to carry extremist material in his luggage on a flight from Sydney to Bangladesh on 7 February. Police swooped on his house yesterday after surveying him for two years. A man has been accused of allegedly planning a terrorist attack after he was stopped at an airport (stock image) Neighbour Ali Lewis, 52, heard the raid. She told The Daily Telegraph: 'He was shouting "I surrender, l surrender" as they wrestled him to the ground face down. 'He was in his white pyjamas and eventually officers handcuffed him and led him into a police van.' The 26-year-old has been charged with two terrorism offences, including allegedly planning an attack and preparing to engage in hostile activity. It's alleged the man was stopped from travelling to Bangladesh from Sydney Airport in February 2016 after border force officials found 'items that indicated his support for extremist ideology' in his luggage including clothing and material on his electronic devices. After an investigation, it was alleged the man planned to travel to Bangladesh to 'meet with people who held similar beliefs and to possibly engage in terrorist acts outside of Australia'. In a statement, the Australian Federal Police said there is no threat to the community as a result of the arrest. AFP national manager counter terrorism Ian McCartney said the lengthy investigation was complex. 'The NSWJCTT will continue investigating all individuals who come to our attention and bring them to account for their criminal actions,' he said. It's alleged the man was stopped from travelling to Bangladesh from Sydney Airport in February 2016 after border force officials found 'items that indicated his support for extremist ideology' (Pictured: Sydney Airport) NSW Police assistant commissioner Mick Willing said they will 'continue working with our partner agencies to target and disrupt any threat to community safety'. The man arrested has been charged with preparations for incursions into foreign countries for the purpose of engaging in hostile activities, other acts done in preparation for, or planning, terrorist acts, and export tier one good without requisite approval. He is expected to face Parramatta Local Court on Sunday, with the two terror charges carrying a penalty of life in prison if convicted. An SAS sergeant bludgeoned three Taliban fighters to death with hammer after his pistol failed during a dangerous cave raid in Afghanistan, it has been revealed. The solider, 29, from the Midlands, volunteered to go looking for the terrorists after they escaped from a Taliban base in the north of the country. It was destroyed by a joint British and Afghan special forces operation in January, which saw them flee to the underground cave complex. The caves were barely big enough to fit a man inside, but in total darkness the SAS sergeant agreed to go in, reports The Daily Star. Describing the battle, a source told the newspaper: 'It was a brutal fight to the death. An SAS sergeant bludgeoned three Taliban fighters to death with hammer after his pistol failed during a dangerous cave raid in Afghanistan. File image used 'The SAS sergeant emerged from the tunnel half an hour later covered in blood, both his own and those of the men he had killed.' Using only smell and sound the hero found three Taliban fighters inside the narrow caves and shot them dead with his Glock sidearm. But when he saw another he pointed it towards him and the gun failed. Without enough room for a long-barreled weapon, he picked up a claw hammer and hit the Taliban soldier over the head with it. He used the tool to smash two fighters over the head, taking them on in a larger cave that was lit by a sole candle. The caves in northern Afghanistan were barely big enough to fit a man inside, but in total darkness the SAS sergeant agreed to go in. File image used After killing them both he was attacked by another who he eventually managed to kill with a single blow. He was underground for 30 minutes, which he later said were the most traumatic of his career, despite a long stint in Iraq. When he emerged he was covered in blood and unable to talk because he was so distressed. The mission took place in January, but can only now be revealed, reports The Star. MailOnline approached the Ministry of Defence for comment but they were unable to comment on the special forces. Using only smell and sound the hero found three Taliban fighters (file image used) inside the narrow caves and shot them dead with his Glock sidearm The story comes days after Defence Secretary Gavin Williamson agreed dozens of brave Afghan interpreters who worked alongside the SAS should be given asylum. 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 mission against the Taliban (pictured) took place in January, but can only now be revealed Turkish warplanes have struck a meeting of the outlawed Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) in Iraqs Qandil mountains, President Tayyip Erdogan said on Saturday, adding that Ankara believed high-profile militants had been hit. (AhlulBayt News Agency) - Turkish fighter jets have targeted a Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) meeting in Iraq's Qandil mountains, says Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan. With the latest operations, we struck a very important meeting point of theirs. We havent received the results yet, but it is certain that they have been hit, said Erdogan during a Kanal 7 television interview on Saturday. He added that Turkish forces government have also been deployed in a region some 20 kilometers inside northern Iraq, not far from Qandil. Last week, Turkish fighter jets destroyed 12 targets belonging to the outlawed PKK in northern Iraq, the Turkish military. The mountains are located roughly 40 kilometers southeast of the Turkish border in Iraqs Erbil Province. Ankara believes the rugged region is being used as the headquarters of the PKK, which has been seeking an autonomous Kurdish region since 1984. Turkey has conducted frequent airstrikes against PKK targets in northern Iraq. It previously carried out cross-border operations in the region in the 1990s and 2000s. A shaky ceasefire between Ankara and the PKK that had stood since 2013 was declared null and void by the militants in 2015 in the wake of a large-scale Turkish campaign against the group. The Turkish government has been opening military fronts against Kurdish groups in Syria as well. Earlier this year, it launched the ongoing Olive Branch offensive against the purported positions of the US-backed Peoples Protection Units (YPG) Kurdish militia in Syrias western enclave of Afrin. Ankara considers the YPG a terror group and the Syrian branch of the PKK. The Turkish operation has been launched without permission from the Syrian government. /129 Less than one in 20 street robberies and burglaries are being solved in the UK, shocking new figures have revealed. Official police data shows that just four per cent of robberies and three per cent of burglaries were solved in England and Wales in 2017. The figures will fuel concerns that there is a crisis in the nation's policing, with one MP describing London as 'the Wild West'. Rushcliffe in Nottinghamshire had the lowest rate of solved crime in 2017, while the most crimes were solved in Uttlesford in Essex In more than 1,000 neighbourhoods with at least 30 crimes, the police failed to catch and punish any of the suspects, The Sunday Times report. Rushcliffe in Nottinghamshire, south Buckinghamshire, south Cambridgeshire, Blackpool and Preston had the lowest rates of solved crime, according to figures. Meanwhile the most crimes, 26 per cent, were solved in Uttlesford in Essex last year, followed by Boston, Merthyr Tydfil, Darlington and County Durham. The number of police officers in England and Wales is at its lowest level since the late 1980s, with a significant drop between 2010 and 2017 The figures also reveal that only nine per cent of suspects in all crimes are caught and punished - a reduction of more than 50 per cent in the past five years. The worrying statistics will add to concerns about the surge of violent crime in the UK, particularly in London. Scores of violent attacks and muggings have been reported in the capital, with many incidents involving mopeds and knives. Home Secretary Sajid Javid was among those targeted. He revealed his phone was swiped outside Euston Station when he was communities secretary. This month comedian Michael McIntyre was mugged for his 15,000 Rolex watch by armed thugs while doing the school run in north London. And BBC radio presenter Eddie Mair was attacked by hooded youths on bikes as he boarded a bus in the capital last December. Two moped thugs seconds before they stabbed a charity worker to death in Little Venice. The pair attacked nine members of the public in two hours on October 16 last year Terrifying dashcam footage on the London's North Circular Road in Finchley shows a moped mugger seconds before he jumps on a motorist's bonnet in a vicious watch robbery Police data shows that the percentage of all crimes solved by police has plummeted from 19 per cent in 2013 to just nine per cent in 2017. Perpetrators in violent and sexual offences were brought to justice only in eight per cent of cases last year - a mere third of those in 2013. The percentage of all crimes solved by police has plummeted (left) and perpetrators in violent and sexual offences were brought to justice only in eight per cent of cases last year (right) Solved burglary cases halved from six per cent in 2013 to three per cent in 2017 (left) and robbery cases from nine per cent to four per cent in the same period (right) Meanwhile, solved burglary cases halved from six per cent in 2013 to three per cent in 2017, and robbery cases from nine per cent to four per cent in the same period. There were 159 robberies in Holloway Road and Highgate Hill last year, making them the streets most plagued by moped gang crime. However, just one offender was caught and punished. UK crime went up 13% in 2017 with sex offences, knife and gun crime among the biggest risers London's knife crime epidemic has also spread to the Home Counties. Hertfordshire, Hampshire, Warwickshire, Norfolk and north Wales' rates of knife crime have all increased by more than 100 per cent in the past three years. According to police forces with some of the best detection rates, having officers on patrol plays a crucial role in solving crime. But the number of officers in England and Wales is at its lowest level since the late 1980s. There were 23,552 fewer officers in 2017 than there were in 2010. Hertfordshire, Hampshire, Warwickshire, Norfolk and north Wales' rates of knife crime have all increased by more than 100 per cent in the past three years Some of the scores of terrifying blades recovered by officers in London in the past year The Met police told The Sunday Times: 'Solving crime is a key priority for the Met. 'Burglary presents particular challenges and we accept there is more work to be done and are always seeking ways to increase the number of crimes we solve.' It said it was also putting a 'huge amount of effort' into tackling moped-related crime. A man has been charged with using a shopping bag to allegedly 'up-skirt' women at a busy shopping centre in Sydney. Police were called to Pitt Street shopping centre in Sydney's CBD after security detained the man, who was allegedly seen using a shopping bag fitted with a camera to film up the skirts of women. The 27-year-old man was arrested about 5.30pm on Saturday. A man has been charged with using a shopping bag to allegedly 'up-skirt' women at a busy shopping centre in Sydney Police were called to Pitt Street shopping centre (pictured) in Sydney's CBD after security detained the man, who was allegedly seen using a shopping bag fitted with a camera to film up the skirts of women. The man was taken to Day Street Police station and charged with two counts of filming a person's private parts without consent Officers allege they discovered over 2,000 thousand photographs and videos depicting women being filmed without consent on the man's phone. The photos and videos were filmed at shopping centres and railway station across Sydney, police claim. The man was taken to Day Street Police station and charged with two counts of filming a person's private parts without consent. Police also attended the man's home in Mortdale and seized personal computers. The 27-year-old has been granted conditional bail and is set to appear at Downing Centre Local Court in July. Inquiries into the incident are continuing, and police urge anyone with information to come forward. A distraught mother broke down in tears and shrieked 'my babies, my babies' when her six and eight-year-old daughters were killed and injured by a car at a supermarket. Distressed witnesses have told how the 37-year-old's piercing screams echoed throughout the car park in Nambour on the Sunshine Coast this afternoon. An 86-year-old driver reversed her car into the mother and daughters who were walking across a pedestrian crossing. A distraught mother broke down in tears and shrieked 'my babies, my babies' when her six and eight-year-old daughters were hit by a car at a supermarket. Pictured: The smashed car The six-year-old girl was reportedly pinned against a pole and suffered horror injuries. She was rushed to hospital but did not survive. The eight-year-old is being treated for a broken leg and the mother was not seriously hurt. Shopper Kassie Pocza told Seven News: 'All you could hear was just her crying and her saying 'my babies, my babies.' Talking about paramedics' efforts to save the six-year-old, she said: 'They did CPR for so long, so long.' Witness Sukhrpreet Singh told The Courier Mail: 'It happened in a matter of seconds. I looked up and the six-year-old was falling to the ground. 'I ran over to help but there were so many people already helping.' Shopper Kassie Pocza told Seven News : 'All you could hear was just her crying and her saying 'my babies, my babies.' He said the elderly driver stayed in her car as instructed: 'She was in shock. We all were.' Another witness said people rushed to help the girl and several broke down in tears. A candlelight vigil was held across the road from the scene at 5.45pm. A section of the car park was closed while the Forensic Crash Unit investigate the cause of the crash. A police spokeswoman told Daily Mail Australia no charges have been made and an 86-year-old driver is assisting with inquiries. Eastenders actor Leslie Grantham 'died virtually penniless' according to a new report. The TV star, who had recently returned to the UK for treatment after living for some time in Bulgaria, passed away on Friday morning aged 71. Grantham who had been battling terminal cancer is said to have planned and paid for his own 'no frills funeral', after fearing his family would have to cover the costs. These are the last pictures taken of former EastEnders actor Leslie Grantham just months before he passed away. The actor looks extremely frail and gaunt as he crosses the road The TV star's hair was visibly thinning and looked grey when pictured just a few months ago He shares three children, Spike, 31, Jake, 29, and Daniel, 23, with his ex-wife, Jane Laurie, who he was married to for 31 years - who will receive nothing from his will. His only assets were a small share in a company worth less than 23,000, and a small home in Bulgaria. It is believed to take months to sell and once 'complex taxes and legal fees' are taken into account, his family would not be left with much from the proceeds. A source close to him said: 'Leslie suffered from really bad money troubles the past several years, and worrying about it did his health no good. 'In fact, the stress of his financial situation probably speeded up his death as he was so frail. 'He paid for the whole event and left specific instructions about what he wanted. An average funeral costs 4,000 and he made sure it was all sorted.' Despite being one of Britain's biggest stars as scheming Den on Eastenders, with his storylines pulling in 30million viewers, Grantham failed to get UK telly roles in his final years. After his character was killed off in 2005 he was forced to take panto roles to make ends meet. The actor admitted in an interview he was desperate to join Corrie but had been typecast by EastEnders. He spent some of his final years staying in the spare room of a friend's house following the collapse of his 31-year marriage to actress Jane. Graham's posture is poor as his shoulder are hunched forward. The star also appeared slightly slimmer than he had done in previous years. His appearance is not helped by the grey tinge in his skin The actor who was known as 'Dirty Den' on EastEnders appears rather grey and struggling for breath as he crosses the road Images of the former soap star looking frail emerged weeks before his death, with the soap star hunched over and his hair thinning dramatically from previous years. The small-screen actor's face looks sunken as he trudges along in the pictures, which were taken in March. Grantham's condition appeared to have deteriorated rapidly, as photographs taken from 2017 show the actor with a far healthier glow and complexion. The actor's real life was often compared to a plot from a soap. Investigative journalist and former police detective Mark William-Thomas tweeted that he investigated Grantham based on information given to him regarding to Jimmy Saville case. When asked by a follower whether there was any 'foul play', William-Thomas said he had 'compelling evidence' regarding his sexual antics. However he came under attack for the timing of the tweet, which was hours after Grantham's death was announced. Photographs taken of Graham last year him standing upright and having a much better complexion than he did in March A statement from his representative said: 'We formally announce the loss of Leslie Grantham, who passed away at 10.20am on the morning of Friday 15th June 2018.' Grantham had been visited by close friends from TV in the weeks before his death and he told some he had terminal cancer. Hollyoaks actor Joe Tracini tweeted: 'Last week he could barely hold his head up or make a sound. I held his hand for a while, kissed his forehead and told him I loved him. 'As I left, he bellowed - 'What am I f****** dying or something?' We'll miss you, Les x' His agent said: 'His ex-wife and sons have asked for their privacy to be respected at this difficult time. There will be a private funeral which will be attended by close family and friends only.' Leslie Grantham, pictured earlier this year filming in north London, has died aged 71 Grantham was best known for playing Den Watts alongside his on-screen wife Anita Dobson (left), who played Angie. He is pictured, right, with ex-wife Jane Lawrie. They divorced in 2013 EastEnders co-stars and friends paid tribute to the veteran actor soon after his death was announced. Co-star Letitia Dean, who played his on-screen adoptive daughter Sharon, said: 'I have very special memories of working with Leslie and will cherish them always. He and Anita looked after me in my early days and showed me the ropes, always with care and kindness. 'He never failed to make me laugh and I will remember him with love, affection and gratitude forever. See you up there Leslie! Thank you for everything. Love and respect always, Tish. X' Gillian Taylforth, who plays Kathy Beale, said: 'I'm deeply saddened to hear the very sad news. I have so many happy memories of working with Leslie, he was always great fun and we shared many laughs. 'Those iconic Christmas episodes were legendary and they will always be part of EastEnders history. My heart goes out to his loved ones. ' Dot Cotton actress June Brown said he 'always had a twinkle in his eye when he said outrageous things'. Grantham moved to Bulgaria, where he is pictured in a show called The English Neighbour in 2011, following the break-up of his marriage. He had recently flown back to the UK Grantham looked tired when he was pictured in February filming a drama about the Kray twins Grantham became famous playing Watts in EastEnders, originally from 1985 to 1989. A 1986 Christmas Day episode drew an audience of more than 30 million viewers, who watched as Watts handed over divorce papers to on-screen wife Angie. His character was apparently killed off in 1989 but made a shock return to Albert Square in 2003. Grantham had originally been a soldier, having enlisted in the British Army in 1965 and 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 shot in the head and died and, 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. Grantham said he was so devastated after the scandal that he attempted suicide. Another British boy with epilepsy could be allowed cannabis oil treatment after yesterday's landmark Home Office ruling on 12-year-old Billy Caldwell's case. Alfie Dingley, six, suffers from a rare form of the disease that can cause up to 30 seizures a day. His mother Hannah Deacon, of Kenilworth, Warwickshire, begged the Home Office to let her treat her son with marijuana but they refused. But the youngster is now expected to become the second UK epilepsy sufferer to be allowed cannabis treatment after Sajid Javid's intervention yesterday. And there could be many more to come, as ministers consider whether the UK is 'behind' other countries on their attitude to medicinal marijuana. Alfie Dingley (pictured left with is mother Hannah Deacon) could become the second person in the UK with epilepsy to be granted cannabis oil treatment after the Home Office allowed Billy Caldwell permission yesterday A Whitehall source told the Sunday Telegraph: 'Cases such as this obviously raise questions about the UK licensing regime, particularly when other advanced economies like Canada are able to license certain products. Alfie, six (pictured) suffers from a rare form of the disease that can cause up to 30 seizures a day 'There is a concern that we're behind the curve on this, which is why it would make sense to consider a review.' The Home Secretary yesterday stepped in to issue an 'urgent' licence to recover the drugs seized from Billy Caldwell's mother Charlotte at Heathrow airport last week. After long talks with senior clinicians Javid had the cannabis oil rushed to Chelsea and Westminster Hospital in London where Billy was fighting for his life. Ms Caldwell, of County Tyrone, Northern Ireland, believes his condition deteriorated after being deprived of the drug and said he would have held the Home Office responsible if he had died. Yesterday Alfie's mother said it would be 'unconscionably cruel' not to give him the THC treatment following the U-turn. The Prime Minister had said Alfie's application would be reviewed 'speedily' back in April but until yesterday's good news an outcome was yet to materialise. Ms Deacon said yesterday: 'It would be unconscionably cruel if the Home Office delay any further in issuing our medical team the licence they need to administer medical cannabis to our son Alfie. 'The Home Office asked us not to seek publicity while our application was being put together and considered. 'We have complied with that request. But we're now approaching three months. The time for process and bureaucracy has passed.' Billy Caldwell (pictured in hospital) was left fighting for his life after being deprived of cannabis oil at Heathrow Airport. But now the Home Office has given the drugs back Alfie's (pictured) mother Hannah Deacon, of Kenilworth, Warwickshire, had begged the Home Office to let her treat her son with marijuana but they refused. Now things could change WHAT IS CBD OIL AND IS IT LEGAL IN THE UK? Government advisers made it legal to buy CBD supplements in 2016 CBD oil is a legal cannabinoid that can be sold in the UK. CBD contains less than 0.2 per cent of the psychoactive substance THC. Although the oil has been thought to have some medicinal properties, including relieving inflammation, pain and anxiety, there is no conclusive science. Suppliers in England and Wales have to obtain a licence to sell CBD as a medicine. Manufacturers are able to avoid the strict regulation by selling it as a food supplement - ignoring the lengthy process of gaining a medicinal licence. CBD products comes in many forms, the most popular being an oil - which users spray under their tongue - or gel tablets which melt slowly in the mouth. Government advisers at the MHRA found that CBD has a restoring, correcting or modifying effect on humans. Cannabis oil, which is different to CBD oil because it contains THC - the compound that gives users a 'high' - is illegal under UK laws. Billy Caldwell, from Castlederg, Northern Ireland, made headlines last April when he became the first Briton to be prescribed it on the NHS. Cannabis oil, which reportedly has no side effects, influences the release and uptake of feel good chemicals such as dopamine and serotonin. Advertisement There is also growing pressure on Theresa May, to allow doctors to prescribe the drug without needing an individual licence in each case, as is already common in many other European countries and US states. An all party parliamentary group of at least 80 MPs is being formed to press the issue. Billy Caldwell is pictured with a sign campaigning for other young epilepsy patients to be allowed cannabis oil Billy's mother Charlotte Caldwell has called for a meeting with cabinet ministers to discuss re-thinking 'massively outdated' laws on medical marijuana so other children can receive treatment. She said today she wanted them to assure her she would not face 'another battle' for 12-year-old Billy when the 20-day supply returned by the Home Office runs out. Ms Caldwell, 50, said: 'I want nobody in Government, and nobody who has been impacted by massively outdated laws, to be under any impression that this is job done. This is just the start. 'I want to meet the Home Secretary and Health Secretary, urgently, this week, to get assurance that not only will Billy's meds never again be removed, but to call for an urgent review of the overall policy on medical cannabis as it affects everyone who could benefit.' 'He has 20 days worth of anti-epileptic seizure drugs. What happens after that? Another battle?' Border officials had seized seven bottles of Billy's cannabis oil after he and his mother Charlotte Caldwell flew in from Canada where it is legal. It contains two per cent tetrahydrocannibinol (THC), the main psychoactive compound found in cannabis. Home Secretary Sajid Javid stepped in to issue an 'urgent' licence, allowing Billy to be treated with the illegal cannabis oil, after he was rushed to hospital following a seizure Mr Javid said: 'This is a very complex situation, but our immediate priority is making sure Billy receives the most effective treatment possible in a safe way. 'We have been in close contact with Billy's medical team overnight and my decision is based on the advice of senior clinicians who have made clear this is a medical emergency.' Ms Caldwell thanked Mr Javid for his 'compassion', saying: 'I truly believe that somewhere in the Home Office there is someone with a heart.' But she said the week had been 'a dreadful, horrendous and cruel experience'. The saga started when, accompanied by a Mail on Sunday journalist, she and Billy flew in from Toronto, where they had seen a world-leading childhood epilepsy expert who had prescribed a six month supply of cannabis oil as an anti-epileptic treatment. His mother Charlotte said the Home Office has made just one bottle available - a 20-day supply - to be administered by hospital doctors Ms Caldwell vowed to declare to customs that she had the illegal oil upon landing, challenging them to leave her alone or arrest her. They did not arrest her but they did confiscate it. Later on Monday, she met Policing Minister Nick Hurd, who said drugs laws prevented him from returning it. According to Ms Caldwell, he told her she could apply for a special licence but that might cost 20,000 and take five months. In the meantime, she was given a list of three NHS neurologists to see. Despite efforts, she could not secure an appointment. During the week Billy's seizures returned for the first time in 250 days. He had been taking cannabis oil for 19 months, thanks to the family's GP in Northern Ireland, who had sourced it for him. Ms Caldwell said the week had been 'a dreadful, horrendous and cruel experience' for Billy and herself Ms Caldwell said her battle had 'nothing to do with recreational cannabis use'. However, her case has been backed by Paul Birch, a US internet entrepreneur who has openly pushed for full legalisation of cannabis in the UK But the supply ran out after the Home Office warned the doctor he could be disbarred if he prescribed any more forcing the Caldwells to fly to Canada. Ms Caldwell said the Home Office has made just one bottle available, a 20-day supply, to be administered by hospital doctors. Stressing she wanted to push for wider availability of medicinal cannabis, she said: 'Today this is about Billy. But from tomorrow this is about thousands of other kids and their families.' She said her battle had 'nothing to do with recreational cannabis use'. However, her case has been backed by Paul Birch, a US internet entrepreneur who has openly pushed for full legalisation of cannabis in the UK. Despite the huge support for Billy, doctors say they are bound not just by the law but also codes of conduct to ensure they only prescribe tested and approved medicines. A former Queensland police sergeant who broke ranks by leaking footage of police violence in a basement car park has said the decision 'didn't come lightly' after witnessing years of unjustified violence. Rick Flori was suspended from the police force, charged with police misconduct and has spent the last five years fighting a legal battle to clear his name. 'They can say what they like,' Flori said in relation to the police backlash he received. 'They just see me as upsetting the apple cart. Well I've exposed a few rotten apples ... now deal with them,' he told The Project. Scroll down for video Rick Flori, (pictured) a former Queensland police sergeant who leaked footage of police violence in a basement car park has said the decision 'didn't come lightly' Flori, who was later to be nicknamed 'Rickileaks', leaked footage to the media of police at the Surfers Paradise station savagely beating an unarmed man in a basement car park in January 2012. Noa Begic, who was charged and later acquitted of public nuisance and disrupting police, can be seen with his hands cuffed behind his back and appears to be compliant with police orders. The decision to go to the media 'didn't come lightly', Flori explained. 'It wasn't a five-second decision. It was years of seeing it. Years of trying to stop it. Trying to help the service, help the community, help everyone. It just fell on deaf ears.' 'There was blood on the walls, holes in the walls from heads, elbows and shoulders rammed into the walls... things were happening that were beyond just arresting someone.' Flori, who was later to be nicknamed 'Rickileaks', leaked footage to the media of police at the Surfers Paradise station savagely beating an unarmed man in a car park in 2012 (pictured) The decision to go to the media 'didn't come lightly', Flori explained. 'It wasn't a five-second decision. It was years of seeing it. Years of trying to stop it. Trying to help the service, help the community, help everyone. It just fell on deaf ears' Once the incriminating footage was run by The Courier-Mail, an internal investigation led to a search of Flori's family home, where the footage was located on an SD card. During the raid, Flori's 13-year-old daughter was home at the time - an incident which left her 'devastated' and 'shocked', he recalled. Flori said conducting the raid while a child was in the home was unnecessary and his daughter 'suffered significantly'. Flori told investigators he'd acquired the footage for 'training purposes' and denied knowing anything about the email address used to arrange the leak with a journalist. The former police sergeant had his name cleared by a court in February. Mr Begic received a compensation settlement regarding the incident in the Surfers Paradise station. No charges were brought against the officers involved. A British female biker who was raped by a machete-wielding gang in Bolivia stayed in the country for a year to see them jailed. Motorcyclist Vasilisa Komarova was left for dead by three men who dragged her from her tent, beat her and held blades against her chest and stomach. The 37-year-old was raped, robbed and abandoned by a lagoon in Bolivia, where she was on a solo motorcycle tour. Motorcyclist Vasilisa Komarova was left for dead by a gang of machete-wielding men who raped and robbed her The 37-year-old was dragged from her tent and abandoned by a lagoon in Bolivia, where she was on a solo motorcycle tour Rapist Jose Gongora (pictured) received 25 years in prison for rape and 10 years for armed robbery, to run concurrently After surviving the attack, Ms Komarova refused to leave South America for a year as she fought to bring her attackers to justice. Last month she came face to face with Jose Gongora, 26, Yery Yumacale, 24, and Fabio Bazan, 30 as they were jailed for a total of 42 years. Ms Komarova gained British citizenship after moving from Moscow to London when she was 20. She faced resistance from the Bolivian justice system but won invaluable help from the British Consulate. Ms Komarova refused to leave South America for a year as she fought to bring her attackers to justice The Russian-born biker gained British citizenship after moving from Moscow to London when she was 20 Attacker Yery Yumacale (pictured) smiled in court before his sentence of ten years behind bars She told the Sunday Mirror: 'Because of these men, I know how it feels to be raped, I know how it feels to think you're not going to see the sun rise again. 'I was advised to leave Bolivia as nobody thought I'd win my case. But I had to keep fighting. I couldn't live knowing I'd survived but done nothing to stop it happening again.' She said her attackers laughed in court and wouldn't look into her eyes. Last month she came face to face with her attackers - Jose Gongora, 26, Yery Yumacale, 24, and Fabio Bazan, 30 - as they were jailed for a total of 42 years She revealed the three men laughed in court and refused to look her in the eyes as they were sentenced Ms Komarova was attacked last June, 14 months after setting off to ride from Chile to Alaska on a Honda Tornado 250. She covered 6,000 miles riding through Patagonia and Argentina before crossing into Bolivia. She had safety rules she would stick to - like camping in areas where there were no people. Ms Komarova was attacked last June, 14 months after setting off to ride from Chile to Alaska on a Honda Tornado 250 motorcycle As she slept in her tent the men started shaking it and telling her to 'come out and party, we're looking for a b**** to have fun with'. Pictured: Ms Komarova (centre) with friends A local family she stayed with in Santa Rosa, northern Bolivia, suggested she should camp at a lagoon in remote Rurrenabaque. As she slept in her tent the men started shaking it and telling her to 'come out and party, we're looking for a b**** to have fun with'. They dragged her out of her tent and held metre-long machetes against her chest and neck. Her attackers dragged her out of her tent and held metre-long machetes against her chest and stomach The trio were convicted at San Borja court following a two-day trial. Gongora got 25 years for rape and 10 years for armed robbery, to run concurrently. Yumacale received 10 years for aiding the rape and eight for robbery. Bazan got seven-and-a-half years for aiding the rape. Video has emerged of one of the men suspected of shooting dozens at an all-night cultural festival in Trenton, New Jersey, bleeding after being shot. The shooting began around 2.45am at the 'Art All Night Trenton 2018' festival, a community cultural festival that showcases art, music and food. One of the shooters, a 33-year-old man, is dead after he was shot and killed by police, according to the Mercer County Prosecutor's Office. Both suspects were injured by the time police arrived, reported the Princeton Patch. In the clip, one of the suspects is seen bleeding heavily and trying to roll on the ground. A second man is in police custody. Neither have been identified. At least 22 people were injured at the event and four people are in critical condition, including a 13-year-old boy. Video has emerged of one of the men suspected of shooting dozens at an all-night cultural festival in Trenton, New Jersey, bleeding after being shot (left and right) The shooting began around 2.45am at the 'Art All Night Trenton 2018' festival, a community cultural festival that showcases art, music and food The shooting did not appear to be a targeted event but rather a dispute that eventually led to an exchange of gunfire with police. Edward Forchion, 55, told DailyMail.com that he was handing out flyers at the event when he heard an argument going on inside the building. 'One kid, about 30 [years old] was arguing with about four other guys saying that they hadn't take care of his sister and that she was lost,' he said. 'I don't know if that meant she was using - a drug addict. But he was saying that he was "away", I assume he meant in jail.' 'But he kept saying: "We're family, you take care of family".' Officials have not confirmed if this is the same argument that led to the shooting. The event began Saturday afternoon in the historic Roebling Wire Works building on South Clinton Avenue and was scheduled to continue through the night, ending on Sunday afternoon. It typically draws thousands of people. The other suspect is currently in police custody. Neither has been identified by authorities Police report that a 13-year-old boy and three other people are in critical condition Forchion said he was by the back door of the building where the event was being held when he heard 10 shots ring out. 'About 20 to 30 feet away were police officers and they ran towards the door and then six more shots rang out, which I think was police firing back,' he said. Reports say that of the 22 who were injured, 17 were being treated for gunshot wounds. A 17-year-old was reportedly shot in the head, although the state of his or her condition remains unknown. A spokeswoman for St Francis Medical Center in Trenton said 10 victims were being treated there for minor injuries. She said they were both men and women, ranging in age from 17 to 48 and are in various stages of being released. Angelo Nicolo told Philadelphia 6ABC station that he and his brother were at the event when they heard loud popping sounds. He said people started running down the street. 'I saw two police officers escort a guy that got shot in the leg, they bandaged him up and whisked him away,' Nicolo said. It is believed that the shooting was not a targeted incident but a dispute that eventually led to an exchange of gunfire with police A 17-year-old was also reportedly shot in the head, although the state of his or her condition remains unknown At a press conference on Sunday morning, officials said there as many as 1,000 people in the immediate area of the shooting. According to authorities, multiple individuals opened fire in the venue. Two suspects have been identified by police. One is a 33-year-old man who was pronounced dead and the other was taken into police custody. Multiple weapons have been recovered from the scene. Forchion said he was by the back door of the building where the event was being held when he heard 10 shots ring out. 'About 20 to 30 feet away were police officers and they ran towards the door and then six more shots rang out, which I think was police firing back,' he said. The jacket worn by a British war hero who survived being shot in the Battle of Waterloo has been confirmed as the real thing by forensic experts. Sir Thomas Noel Harris, a Brigade-Major in the battle, played a pivotal role in the conflict in 1815 where he was shot and had his arm amputated. Sometime after the battle his family bought a jacket purporting to be the one the officer wore at the time. It stayed within the family for 200 years. The jacket worn by Sir Thomas Noel Harris during the Battle of Waterloo has been confirmed as the real deal by forensic experts Recently his descendants wanted to know for sure that the item of clothing was genuine, so they asked forensic experts at Cranfield University in Oxfordshire to run tests. Professor Andrew Shortland, Director of Canfield Forensic Institute (CFI), and his team took DNA samples from the jacket's fibres to compare with relatives. They then extracted soil samples from the piece of clothing to compare with dirt from the Waterloo battlefield. The team found that the DNA from blood stains on the jacket had degraded too much for analysis. Pictured: An oil painting of The Battle of Waterloo by Jan Willem Pieneman in 1824 But the mineral content in the soil samples matched dirt taken from the British section of the battlefield, confirming that the jacket was worn in battle. It's thought that Sir Thomas lay on the dirt overnight after being wounded and falling off his horse. Prof Shortland told The Telegraph: 'We were able to safely confirm the authenticity of the jacket and place it on the Waterloo battlefield. Sir Thomas' day of glory - and how his jacket came to be In April 1815 he was appointed Brigade-Major to the 18th Hussars. On 15 June he attended the Duchess of Richmond's ball in Brussels where he received the order to join units. Harris left immediately in his red swallow-tailed court dress coat, which he subsequently wore at the battles of Quatre Bras and Waterloo. During the subsequent battle he had two horses shot from under him, but while charging in advance of one of the squadrons in his brigade his right arm was shattered by a musket ball. He was carried to the farmhouse of Hougoumont where his arm was amputated and was subsequently taken to Brussels for medical attention. Advertisement 'In doing so, we also gained further insight into the grievous wounds suffered by Harris during the battle, which themselves reflect the experience of those who fought, and died, on that day.' Family folklore suggested that Sir Harris was shot twice in the battle. The scientists inspected bullet damage to see if that was true or not. Examination of three holes on the right sleeve and right side of the jacket suggest he was actually shot once and the musket ball passed through both his arm and side. They believe that the ball shattering Harris' arm saved his life because it prevented it from penetrating his torso. Harris was found on the battlefield the following morning and taken to Hougoumont farm where his right arm was amputated with a surgical knife. It is probable that the surgeon who undertook the operation used the same knife to cut the sleeve as to amputate the arm, the team concluded. Labour MP Dame Margaret Hodge has asked for a salary for the unpaid post at Royal Holloway, University of London A Labour MP has applied for a voluntary position at a university - but has asked for a salary for the unpaid post. Dame Margaret Hodge, the former chair of the public accounts committee, is known for being a fierce critic of companies and institutions that fritter away taxpayers' money. However it has been claimed that she would only take up the post of Chair of Council at Royal Holloway, University of London if it came with an income of 20,000 per annum. Dame Margaret, who has held the position as a MP for Barking since 1994, was previously honoured by the Queen in 2015 for her political and public services. A source told the The Sunday Telegraph: 'The role attracted well over 100 good applicants when it was advertised. So lots of capable people wanted to volunteer to give back to support the University. 'Royal Holloway University's statutes, or laws, forbids the University from paying their Chair of the Council a salary. The post has to be done for free. 'This did not deter our Labour MP who is not willing to do the job for nothing, even though it had been advertised as a voluntary job. A very socialist approach to volunteering and the public good.' Similar to a governing body, the Council is responsible for maintaining academic standards at the university. It is also to ensure that finances are in order and setting the institution's overall strategic direction. Royal Holloway University's statute stipulates that the Chair, along with all other members of the Council, are charity trustees. Trustees can claim expenses however must only be paid a salary 'where this is clearly in the interests of the charity and provides a significant and clear advantage over all other options'. James Price, campaign manager at the TaxPayers' Alliance (TPA), said: 'Universities have complained about squeezed budgets for years now, so it seems odd to start paying tens of thousands of pounds for previously-voluntary roles. 'If a candidate 'demands' cash for a voluntary position, why not simply say no? There must have been a number of candidates for the role, presumably keen to do it voluntarily.' Royal Holloway University's statute stipulates that the Chair, along with all other members of the Council, are charity trustees If the Chair of Council were to be paid a salary it would mean changing the statutes and regulations, which would need the approval of the Privy Council. The university has now contacted both the Charities Commission and the Privy Council. Speaking to The Sunday Telegraph, Dame Margaret said: 'My application was made on the basis that I would receive modest remuneration for the work associated with this position.' James Price, campaign manager at the TaxPayers' Alliance (TPA), said it seems 'odd' to start paying for previously-voluntary roles A spokesman for the Privy Council confirmed that Royal Holloway University has submitted a draft proposal to amend its Statutes which is currently being considered. A spokesman for Royal Holloway University added: 'The role of Chair of Council is an important one, and the individual we appoint will have a key role to play in the governance and development of the university,' the university said. 'Given the level of commitment that we expect from the new Chair of Council, we are seeking permission from the Privy Council and Charity Commission to remunerate the post. 'Dame Margaret is a high profile and respected public figure and will bring a great deal of experience and knowledge to this role.' Syrian Human Rights Network head Ahmad Kazem said that US intelligence was preparing a provocation involving chemical weapons near al-Tanf, Syria, and that its purpose will be to drive a wedge between Damascus and Syria's Kurds. (AhlulBayt News Agency) - Syrian Human Rights Network head Ahmad Kazem said that US intelligence was preparing a provocation involving chemical weapons near al-Tanf, Syria, and that its purpose will be to drive a wedge between Damascus and Syria's Kurds. "Right now [at At Tanf] preparations are being made by US special services in coordination with Daesh (ISIS) in the region to stage a provocation identical to the kind that took place in Douma," Kazem said. "Kurds, including women and children, are being prepared for the false flag operation," he added. Kazem thinks there is an 'extremely strong' probability for the provocation to be carried out. "It is being prepared with the goal of causing a collision between the Kurds and the Syrian army," he said. On Monday, Russian Defense Ministry spokesman Igor Konashenkov said that the ministry has received information from numerous sources that Free Syrian Army militants and US special operations forces were preparing a false flag attack involving the use of poisonous substances in the eastern Syrian region of Deir ez-Zor. The US, the UK and France launched a missile strike against Syria in April after what they claimed was a chemical attack in Douma, Eastern Ghouta. Damascus and Moscow condemned the attack, and pointed out that the tripartite had offered no substantive evidence that a chemical attack actually took place. The United States occupies a 54 km zone around its military base at At-Tanf, where it trains and equips Syrian armed opposition forces. The situation at the nearby US-controlled Rukban refugee camp has been called a "humanitarian disaster," and is estimated to contain upwards of 60,000 refugees. The Russian defense ministry has accused al-Tanf of "spewing ISIS mobile groups who make inroads to launch subversive terrorist operations against Syrian troops and civilians." /129 Tory rebel ringleader Dominic Grieve today warned Theresa May that he and his allies 'could collapse the Government' if she refuses to bow to his Brexit demands. The Tory MP tore into ministers accusing them of U-turning on a compromise they thrashed out over giving Parliament a 'meaningful' vote on the Brexit Bill. And he said Tory backbench rebels will not give up on their plans to mount a fresh push to change the flagship legislation when it returns to Parliament this week. And Labour peers have vowed to back Mr Grieve's demands when the House of Lords votes on the crucial legislation tomorrow. It sets the scene for a crunch Commons showdown between Mrs May and the band of anti-Brexit rebels on her backbenches who could hold the balance of power when it returns to the Commons this Wednesday. Speaking to the BBC's Sunday Politics Show, Mr Grieve said his parliamentary allies remain 100 per cent committed to their battle to enshrine in law the right of MPs to have a real vote on the Brexit deal. Tory MP and arch Remainer Dominic Grieve said ministers U-turned on a compromise they thrashed out over giving Parliament a 'meaningful' vote on the Brexit Bill Without this guarantee MPs are being asked to sign up to a 'slavery' clause that will give minsters a free rein on Brexit. He said: 'We could collapse the Government, and I assure you I wake up at 2am in a cold sweat thinking about the problems that we have put on our shoulders. 'The difficulty is that the Brexit process is inherently risky, really risky. Risky to our economic wellbeing, to our international relationships and ultimately to our national security.' Dominic Grieve's remarks sets the scene for a crunch Commons showdown between Theresa May (pictured heading to church in Maidenhead this morning) and the band of anti-Brexit rebels on her backbenches who could hold the balance of power The former attorney general said the alternative to a Commons say over the Brexit process was a 'slavery clause' that bound MPs to taking action they may think would go against the country's interest. He said: 'Of course note will be taken of it in Brussels, but I can't save the Government from getting into a situation where parliament might disagree with it.' 'The alternative is that we've all got to sign up to a slavery clause now, saying whatever the Government does, whenever it comes to January, however potentially catastrophic it might be for my constituents and for my country, I'm signing in blood now that I will follow over the edge of a cliff. 'And that I can tell you, I am not prepared to do.' The major Tory row comes ahead of crunch votes on the Brexit Bill in the Lords and Commons this week. Mr Grieve last week brought forward an amendment to the Bill to enshrine in law that MPs must be given a 'meaningful vote' on the final Brexit deal. Faced with a potentially devastating rebellion which would have dealt a major blow to her authority, Mrs May promised to make some of the changes rebels were demanding to the Bill. What is the row over a meaningful vote on Brexit about? Tory rebels have been fighting to force Theresa May to agree to give Parliament a meaningful vote on the Brexit deal. The government has already committed that there will be a vote on the terms reached with Brussels. But Tory rebels want her to go further . They say that if the PM does not get a Brexit deal by November she must take a motion setting out her strategy to parliament - and this will be voted on by MPs. If she has still not reached a deal by next February next year then Parliament should be able to give her orders on what to negotiate. And if the PM does not get a deal, they want MPs to vote on it. Facing the prospect of a humiliating defeat in the Commons earlier this week, the PM thrashed out a verbal compromise with the backbenchers. But her compromise amendment has failed to win the support of the rebels. The PM has set the three red lines she says the compromise cannot cross. These are: 1. Not overturn the referendum 2. Undermine the negotiations 3. Not change the convention which gives the Government the power to negotiate Advertisement But Mr Grieve said he was left shocked when, at the eleventh hour, ministers reneged on the deal and said Parliament could only have a vote in 'neutral terms' on the deal - meaning MPs could not express any opinion on it. His rebel allies said accused ministers of 'sneaky' tactic and warned that the PM had shattered their trust in her. Mrs May is now set to face a fresh Commons showdown with the collection of jut over a dozen backbenchers who either support, or are considering backing, the amendment. Given her wafer-thin working majority, this may be enough to inflict a humiliating defeat on the PM - dealing what could be a near fatal blow to her premiership. Mr Grieve today said the original pledge given to him by the PM last week 'had to be fulfilled' when the Bill returns from the Lords on Wednesday. And Labour peer Baroness Dianne Hayrter, the party's hadow Brexit Minister, vowed to back the Try rebels. She said: 'Despite all the advances made, there is a fundamental democratic deficit with the Bill as it stands. It leaves the Prime Minister and her very divided Cabinet able to decide on both our divorce from the EU and future relations without parliamentary approval. 'To deny MPs a truly meaningful vote on the outcome of the Brexit negotiations is unacceptable, and Labour Peers will support Dominic Grieve's wholly sensible amendment.' 'We will also move an amendment to ensure that workers, consumers and equality rights and protections cannot be watered down without the express approval of Parliament.' But the Government's Solicitor-General, Robert Buckland, warned Mr Grieve's demands would had the EU a 'Trump card' in negotiations. He said: 'David Davis needs to be able to go out there and have a firm negotiating hand. 'My worry is about no matter how well intentioned Dominic's amendment might be. 'It actually plays badly in the most important negotiation - which is over in Brussels'. In a seperate interview aired on the BBC's ANdrew MArr Show today, Mrs May insisted that she is a 'woman of her word'a nd had not misled her back bench MPs in last week's compromise row. But she insisted that she must be allowed to freely negotiate with Brussels - and that parliament cannot be given the power to 'tie the Government's hands. She said: 'I did indeed meet a group of my fellow MPs. 'I listened to their concerns and I undertook to consider their concerns. 'And the next day I stood up in Prime Minister's Questions and said I'd put an amendment down in the House of Lords. I've done exactly that. 'We recognise the concerns people have about the role of Parliament.' Mrs May added: 'Parliament cannot tie the hands of Government in negotiations.' The six-year-old girl who died after an 86-year-old driver reversed into a mother and two daughters at a shopping centre car park, has been revealed to be Indie Armstrong from the Sunshine Coast in Queensland. Police allege a hatchback reversed into a 37-year-old woman and two children at a pedestrian crossing in Nambour. Indie was reportedly pinned against a pole and suffered horrific injuries. She was rushed to Nambour Hospital but did not survive and was pronounced dead. Distressed witnesses said the mother's piercing screams echoed throughout the car park as she broke down in tears and shrieked 'my babies, my babies'. Indie Armstrong, 6, (pictured) died after an 86-year-old driver reversed into a mother and two daughters at a shopping centre car park Indie Armstrong died after an 86-year-old driver reversed into a mother and two daughters at a shopping centre car park Shopper Kassie Pocza told 7 News: 'All you could hear was just her crying and her saying 'my babies, my babies.' Talking about paramedics' efforts to save the six-year-old, she said: 'They did CPR for so long, so long.' Witness Sukhrpreet Singh told The Courier Mail: 'It happened in a matter of seconds. I looked up and the six-year-old was falling to the ground. 'I ran over to help but there were so many people already helping.' Witnesses and shop owners told the Courier Mail the 86-year-old woman had lost control of her car and many shoppers were 'traumatised' after witnessing the crash. 'There were a lot of customers in the car park and I saw a lot of trauma, a lot of people walking past crying,' Mark Ellis told the publication. The eight-year-old girl was taken to the Sunshine Coast University Hospital with a broken leg. The mother, 37, received minor injuries while the 86-year-old female driver was uninjured. A section of the car park has been closed while the Forensic Crash Unit investigate the cause of the crash. 'The local Yandina family Jas and Emily Armstrong have lost their precious daughter Indie who was only 6 years old. Their eldest Lily has suffered leg injuries and is in hospital currently getting treatment,' a GoFundMepage set up for the family reads. 'They are small business owners (North Buderim Butchery) on the Sunshine Coast and really just need some time to grieve and get through this extremely hard and heartbreaking time ahead of them.' A candlelight vigil was held across the road from the scene at 5.45pm on Sunday in support of the little girl. A police spokeswoman told Daily Mail Australia no charges have been made yet as police are still investigating. The other girl, eight, was taken to Sunshine Coast University Hospital with a lower leg injury Australia is set to shiver through another brutal cold snap this week. Winds are expected to reach 90km/h New South Wales beginning on Monday, following a very chilly weekend across the country's south-east. The bureau has issued a severe weather warning for damaging winds in Sydney, Hunter, Newcastle, Illawarra and south coast. Meteorologist Mr Cronje said: 'What's happening is a cold front is going up the south east coast and there's a low pressure system that's associated with it' The coast is also expected to be lashed with heavy rainfall, with up to 25mm predicted for Monday and Tuesday, according to 9News. The temperature in the city will reach 16 to 18C, but will feel cooler because of the intense wind and rainfall. Storms in Melbourne over the weekend caused a dam to break on Sunday, flooding homes. Storms in Melbourne over the weekend caused a dam to break on Sunday, flooding homes The coast is also expected to be lashed with heavy rainfall, with up to 25mm predicted for Monday and Tuesday SES rescue crews were dispatched to assist in rectifying the damage of the Melbourne flash flooding The city received 5mm the following night, making it the wettest day of the winter so far. On Monday, Melbourne should expect showers in the morning with winds between 20-23km/h. Perth should expect skies to be partly cloudy, with a very high chance of rain in the early morning. There is also a chance of an additional thunderstorm. Expect gusty winds throughout the day. Adelaide is expected to be partly cloudy with slight winds. Brisbane's winds will pick up on Monday, however the sun is expected to be shining. Darwin is expected to be quite warm, with a minimal chance of rain. Tasmania should expect plenty of wind, however the fog, heavy storms and rain should begin to ease. The wild winds that are on their way will increase the adverse affects of the recent cold snap, which will see temperatures continue to plummet A cold snap has hit Australia overnight with temperatures dropping as low as -5 degrees and a fresh layer of snow at ski fields in NSW In the early hours of Sunday morning Australia's south east was swept with feverishly cold temperatures. Residents in Oberon (pictured) in NSW took to social to take snaps of the town which was hit with sleet and snow on Saturday night In the early hours of Sunday morning Australia's south east was swept with feverishly cold temperatures Weather warnings for NSW Gale Warning for the following areas: Hunter Coast, Illawarra Coast, Batemans Coast and Eden Coast Strong Wind Warning for the following areas: Sydney Closed Waters, Coffs Coast, Macquarie Coast and Sydney Coast Source: Bureau of Meteorology Advertisement Jacobus Cronje, a meterologist at Weatherzone, told Daily Mail Australia south-east parts of Australia have experienced a drop in temperatures because of a cold front. Mr Cronje said: 'What's happening is a cold front is going up the south east coast and there's a low pressure system that's associated with it.' He said cold air is pushing in the country's south east, making it significantly cooler. Mr Cronje said while the majority of NSW, ACT and eastern VIC remain cold for now, temperatures are expected to increase gradually. 'Things will start to heat up a bit in western Victoria, eastern parts of South Australia and far west New South Wales,' Mr Cronje said. The freezing weather is good news for those getting ready for the ski season. Snowy Mountains in NSW received 60cm of snow over the last 24 hours and is forecast to receive another 10cm in the next day. Roughly 10-20cm of snow also dropped in Thredbo and Charlotte Pass on Saturday night, Mr Cronje said. On Saturday Thredbo opened its 2018 ski season with its best first day in years with temperatures at -5 degrees and 55cm of snow. More snowfall in the ski field is expected until Tuesday. 10-20cm of snow also dropped in Thredbo and Charlotte pass on Saturday night, Mr Cronje said Mr Cronje also forecasts that Sydney and the rest of the eastern seaboard of NSW will be hit with both rain and a lot of wind chill in the next few days A heartbroken father whose wife and four children were slaughtered in Australia's worst murder-suicide has explained why their grandfather shot them in their sleep. Aaron Cockman's wife Katrina, their four autistic children and his in-laws were found dead at a remote farm in Osmington, Western Australia last month. His wife's father, Peter Miles, had shot them in their beds at around 4am before waiting an hour, calling police and turning his rifle on himself. In an tear-jerking interview, Mr Cockman has said he thought Miles carried out the slaughter because he wanted to die and did not want the children to be saddened by his death. Aaron Cockman's wife Katrina, their four autistic children (pictured) and his in-laws were found dead at a remote farm Osmington, Western Australia last month Miles left a bizarre suicide note (pictured) on the kitchen table that appeared to taunt Mr Cockman about the death of his children. It read: 'Ex-husband, Aaron Cockman to have house content.' 'It solves the problem. It solves his problem. How do I get rid of myself without everyone, all the kids suffering,' Mr Cockman told Channel Seven's Sunday Night. 'If you actually thought in your head that you just cannot possibly live anymore. I just want to kill myself, I want to kill myself, but I can't, but I can't, because I don't want the kids to suffer.' Miles was suffering from depression after one of his sons had killed himself and another was taken seriously ill with kidney failure. Mr Cockman explained that his children Taye, 13, Rylan, 12, Arye, 12, and Kadyn, eight, were very close to their grandparents, suggesting Miles knew they would be devastated if he killed himself and left them behind. Mr Cockman was living alone and in a custody battle after splitting from Katrina before the tragedy. Katrina had moved herself and the children into her parents' farm. Mr Cockman (pictured with his wife, mother and children) said he thought Miles carried out the slaughter because he wanted to die and did not want the children to be saddened by his death Mr Cockman explained that his children Taye, 13, Rylan, 12, Arye, 12, and Kadyn, eight, were very close to their grandparents. Pictured: The children in a home video Mr Cockman was living alone and in a custody battle after splitting from Katrina before the tragedy. Pictured: His son Kayden Katrina had moved herself and the children into her parents' farm. Pictured: Son Rylan Mr Cockman's mother - who was also interviewed on the show alongside her husband, his father - said she thought Miles killed the children to stop Mr Cockman taking custody. 'He wanted those children to be with him and Cynda,' she said. 'He would have to kill them all so that they weren't left on their own with Aaron. That's how much he hated Aaron.' Miles left a bizarre suicide note on the kitchen table that appeared to taunt Mr Cockman about the death of his children. It read: 'Ex-husband, Aaron Cockman to have house content.' In one heart-breaking section of the interview, Mr Cockman described his children in the present tense, calling them beautiful, quirky and unique. He then had to remind himself that his children were dead and broke down in tears. He said: 'They are all such interesting kids.. were.' Mr Cockman was estranged from the family, and was at work as a concreter when he heard about their deaths - being told by a colleague who had heard it on the radio Mr Cockman said Peter Miles (centre) - Katrina's father - was supporting her in their lengthy battle over custody rights Peter and Cynda Miles applied for a Violence Restraining Order against Mr Cockman after they said he was following them. Pictured: Kayden Mr Cockman, was at work as a concreter when he heard about their deaths from a co-worker. 'They said "hey have you heard on Triple J? Four kids and three adults",' he told Sunday Night. 'My heart just dropped. I said "yeah, I think that's my kids"',' Mr Cockman said before breaking down in tears. Mr Cockman said he believes his children would still be alive if family court orders had been enforced. He said Peter Miles - Katrina's father - was supporting her in their lengthy battle over custody rights. 'Myself and the kids and Kat, and even Peter and Cynda suffered so much through the court system. Mr Cockman said he believes his children would still be alive if family court orders had been enforced In one heart-breaking section of the interview, Mr Cockman described his children (pictured) in the present tense, calling them beautiful, quirky and unique 'And for Peter to actually take on a farm with all my kids on it and be the father figure, it's a lot of pressure on someone that is not mentally capable and shouldn't be in that situation.' Peter and Cynda Miles applied for a Violence Restraining Order against Mr Cockman after they said he was following them. The order was eventually dismissed due to a lack of evidence. Mr Cockman claimed the Miles told him he would never see his children again. He also said Peter was stressed about family dramas, including his critically ill son Neil who needed a kidney transplant. Mr Miles' son Shaun killed himself in his early 20s, and Mr Cockman said Mr Miles would be devastated at the prospect of losing another son. Mr Cockman claimed Mr Miles had 'switched off' during the killings - 'just like killing a sheep'. 'I was out at the high school farm many times with him, killing sheep, and it's like, Peter, he just shut [his] mind off, and I know that's what he was done, he has shut his mind off, no feeling.' Lifeline - 13 11 14 Police are investigating after a newborn baby was found alive in a dumpster in Texas on Friday morning. Both police and members of the Hurst Fire Department responded to a medical call shortly after 9.30am Central, and found the baby who had just been born inside a large, outdoor trash bin, Sgt. M. Bruner said in a news release. The mother had just given birth to the child at her workplace, Souper Salad, authorities told WFAA. The child was found in the dumpster behind the restaurant, in good health. Police are investigating the circumstances that led to their finding of a newborn baby alive in a dumpster behind the Souper Salad where its mother works in Hurst, Texas on Friday morning Both the mother and child were taken to a nearby hospital for evaluation, Hurst police spokesperson Nathan Duermeyer said. Police are now investigating how the child ended up in the trash bin, specifically whether the baby was intentionally placed inside or if it was somehow an accident. The mother was interviewed, Duermeyer said, but so far no charges have been filed. The Souper Salad and the dumpster where the newborn was found are located on Melbourne Road, between Walker Branch and West Cheryl Avenue, near the Northeast Mall. The Souper Salad and the dumpster where the newborn was found are located on Melbourne Road, between Walker Branch and West Cheryl Avenue, near the Northeast Mall The temperature in Hurst on Friday reached the upper 90 degrees Fahrenheit. The name of the mother and the sex of the child have not been released. Neither Hurst Police Department nor Hurst Fire Department could be reached for additional comment on the ongoing investigation. A 'long-time' KFC customer said he was appalled after finding a safety pin and strand of hair in his chicken lunch. A very unimpressed Jamie Allen recently posted an image of his Zinger box to KFC's Facebook page. Mr Allen said he bought his 'finger lickin good meal at the Cranbourne KFC outlet in Melbourne. A 'long time' KFC customer was left appalled after he found a safety and a strand hair attached to a piece of chicken Jamie Allen, who was unimpressed over what he had found in his meal, posted an image of his Zinger box to KFC's Facebook page 'So KFC, I am a long time eater, first-time complainer,' Mr Allen's post on the fast-food giants' Facebook page read. 'I enjoy your Zinger Box on a Sunday when I'm under the weather. 'But today, after paying a visit to your Cranbourne store I have a question to ask. 'Are two of your secret herbs and species, safety pins and hair? '(I am) not really impressed and (you) forgot my potato and gravy.' KFC responded to Mr Allen's post, telling him they 'take these matters seriously. 'Can you please send us a PM (personal message) with the details of your order (inc. time of visit) as well as your best contact details so we can follow this up with you. A spokesperson for KFC told Daily Mail Australia, 'we are extremely concerned to hear of this incident, as serving great food, to the highest standards is of paramount importance to us. 'We have contacted the customer and are in the process of investigating this issue,' the spokesperson said. Jamie Allen bought his Zinger Box meal at the Cranbourne KFC outlet (pictured) in Melbourne The post has also gained a large social media attention, with people sharing their disapproval over the incident. One comment read: 'KFC get your act together Ive seen this so many times its not even funny. Putting our lives at risk. Imagine a child bit into this ..' Another comment read: 'That why I refuse to go to Cranbourne KFC. It's so bad I got really sick when the chicken was under cook(ed). David Badillo was one of the first firemen into the tower A firefighter from the Grenfell tower disaster has hit out at claims the rescue operations on the night of the tragedy were 'racist'. David Badillo, 44, one of the first firemen to enter the tower on 14 June last year, said he was 'disgusted' by accusations from a top lawyer of institutional racism among members of the fire brigade. Imran Khan QC, representing more than 25 bereaved relatives and survivors of the fire, said in his opening statement to the Grenfell inquiry last month that the fire department should be investigated for their response. 'We submit that what occurred at Grenfell Tower may be explained as a product of institutional racism and we consider it right and proper that this should be investigated,' Mr Khan said. But Mr Badillo, who lost a close family friend in the blaze, hit back at the suggestion, calling the statement a 'slur' and a 'hurtful blow'. In an emotional Facebook post, the fireman said he and his colleagues 'gave all they had' to the inferno, which claimed 72 lives. The inferno killed 72 people last June in what has since become recognised as Britain's most deadly postwar fire Badillo posted an emotional statement on Facebook in which he defended the actions of the fire brigade on the night of the fire 'I'm disgusted by Mr Khan QC and his suggestion of institutional racism in the London Fire Brigade,' Badillo wrote. 'This slur is another hurtful blow to me and fellow firefighters who gave all they had on 14 June to rescue as many as they could from Grenfell Tower.' In his controversial statement to the Grenfell inquiry Khan argued that race played a key part in the rescue operations, saying the firefighters referred to residents by 'their ethnic origin' describing one person as of 'Middle Eastern appearance'. He added: 'Did race or religion play any part in the procedure and operation of the fire service on that night?' Badillo is reportedly a west London resident and a friend of Manfred Ruiz, whose niece Jessica Urbano, 12, was killed in the fire. Deputy Assistant Commissioner Andrew Bell is expected to defend the brigade's actions at the inquiry on Thursday. Members of the fire brigade console members of the public in the days after the deadly blaze President Donald Trump began his Father's Day with an early morning twitter attack on Democratic Sen. Chuck Schumer and a ferocious defense of the deal he made with North Korean leader Kim Jong-Un. Trump, in a series of Sunday tweets, slamming the opposition leader for his criticism of the agreement that came out of Singapore and staunchly argued for why the deal is good for America. 'Chuck Schumer said 'the Summit was what the Texans call all cattle and no hat.' Thank you Chuck, but are you sure you got that right? No more nuclear testing or rockets flying all over the place, blew up launch sites. Hostages already back, hero remains coming home & much more!,' Trump wrote. Trump in a series of Sunday morning tweets offered a ferocious defense of the deal he made with North Korean leader Kim Jong-Un Trump attacked Democratic leader Chuck Schumer Trump pointed out his getting back remains of American service members from the Korean War He also complained that 'some people would rather see this historic deal fail than give Trump a win, even if it does save potentially millions & millions of lives!' Democrats were critical of the arrangement that came out of Singapore in the past week, charging the president with giving a better deal to Pyongyang. They specifically attacked Trump's agreement to end joint military exercises with South Korea in exchange for the complete denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula. They also pointed out that the agreement between the world leaders had few details on how denuclearization occur, no time tables, and lacked a verification processes to ensure North Korea lived up to its end of the bargain. 'Now that the dust has settled after the Singapore Summit, three things are clear: first, Chairman Kim achieved more than President Trump did; second, our adversaries Russia and China have gained, while our allies like South Korea and Japan have lost footing and some degree of faith in America's reliability; and third, the summit was much more show than substance; what the Texans call all cattle, no hat,' Schumer said on the Senate floor on Wednesday. But Trump gave a fiery defense of the deal, which he hopes will net him a Noble Peace Prize and the respect of the world that comes with the prestigious honor. He dismissed the idea he gave in too much with North Korea and pointed out details were still being worked out. 'Funny how the Fake News, in a coordinated effort with each other, likes to say I gave sooo much to North Korea because I 'met.' That's because that's all they have to disparage! We got so much for peace in the world, & more is being added in finals. Even got our hostages/remains!,' he wrote on Twitter Sunday morning. And Trump doubled down on his argument that the joint military exercises with South Korea were too expensive for the U.S. to continue. Although he added the exercises can always begin again. 'Holding back the 'war games' during the negotiations was my request because they are VERY EXPENSIVE and set a bad light during a good faith negotiation. Also, quite provocative. Can start up immediately if talks break down, which I hope will not happen!,' he wrote. The President said after his summit there was no tit-for-tat deal with Pyongyang where there is denuclearization on the Korean Peninsula in exchange for an end to U.S. military exercises with South Korea. 'No, it is not drawing down at all,' Trump told Fox News when asked about that part of his agreement with Kim. 'In fact, honestly, it was never discussed. I am sure he would like that. It was never on the table. We sort of understood that was never on the table.' He pointed out how expensive they are to conduct. 'I would love to get the military out as soon as we can because it costs a lot of money and a lot of money for us,' he said last week. And Trump told ABC News after the summit the U.S. would soon end or scale back longstanding joint military exercises with South Korea, and agreed that they were 'provocative' toward the North. He characterized them as 'very expensive,' however, and portrayed their end as an economic decision rather than a negotiated concession that the U.S. had previously said it wouldn't budge on. 'We stopped playing those war games that cost us a fortune,' he told the network. 'You know, we're spending a fortune, every couple of months we're doing war games with South Korea, and I said, 'What's this costing?'' Trump said, 'We're flying planes in from Guam, we're bombing empty mountains for practice. I said, 'I want to stop that and I will stop that, and I think it's very provocative.' The president also argued Sunday morning that the deal was being celebrated all over Asia. 'The denuclearization deal with North Korea is being praised and celebrated all over Asia. They are so happy!,' he wrote. Trump has been on a victory tour of sorts since he returned from the historic summit, where he was the first U.S. president to meet with a sitting leader from North Korea. But Democrats have rained on his parade. And Schumer wasn't the only Democrat to knock the president last week. Trump said the joint U.S.-South Korean military exercises were too expensive to continue Trump complained people would rather see the deal fail them him a get win Democratic leader Chuck Schumer said the deal with Kim Jong-Un was 'what the Texans call all cattle, no hat' House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi complained Trump was so eager to be seen cutting a deal that he 'elevated North Korea to the level of the United States while preserving the regime's status quo. ' She claimed Trump had made concessions to Pyongyang in exchange for 'vague promises,' and failed to guarantee a 'clear and comprehensive pathway to denuclearization and non-proliferation.' Trump's decision to meet with Kim as an equal stunned Democrats on Capitol Hill. 'Kim's gulags, public executions, planned starvation, are legitimized on the world stage,' Connecticut Democratic Sen. Chris Murphy marveled on Twitter last week. 'U.S. gives up one of our biggest negotiating chips - military exercises. North Korea ends up BACKTRACKING on previous promises on denuclearization. What the hell?' Murphy asked. The president, who enjoys making deals and prides himself on his ability to do so, said after the summit concluded it was a very big day for the world. 'You know, over my lifetime I've done a lot of deals with a lot of people, and sometimes the people that you most distrust turn out to be the most honorable ones, and the people that you do trust they are not the honorable ones, so we are starting from a very high plane, we're starting from a very good relationship. This has been a very big day in terms of the world,' he told ABC News. Talks between the U.S. and North Korea are expected to begin again this week, according to Secretary of State Mike Pompeo. Pompeo said he hopes for 'major' North Korean nuclear disarmament before the end of Trump's term in 2021. Pompeo, who was visiting Seoul, South Korea following the summit, said he wouldn't disclose specific timelines but that the administration is hopeful that 'major, major disarmament' steps can occur before the end of Trump's first term. The president has pronounced his pride in the deal since he shook hands with Kim in Singapore. The agreement does include the return of the remains of American service members lost in the Korean War, as the president bragged about in his tweets. In a joint statement signed by the two leaders, the countries committed to the recovery of the remains of U.S. military personnel from the Korean War and the immediate repatriation of those already identified. Trump said he's heard from countless American families who want 'the remains of their sons back.' 'I asked for it today, and we got it,' he said at his press conference in Singapore Tuesday after he and Kim signed their deal. 'That was a very last minute. The remains will be coming back. They're going to start that process immediately.' Nearly 7,800 U.S. troops remain unaccounted for from the 1950-53 Korean war. About 5,300 were lost in North Korea. That line item in the accord between the U.S. and North Korea could produce the most tangible outcome of the agreement, which otherwise had vague vows of peace and nuclear disarmament. Democrats, including Sen. Chris Murphy, criticized Trump's deal Democrats have rained on Trump's victory parade after his summit Trump did come under fire, however, for not confronting Kim more on North Korea's human rights violations. The president said human rights in general - Human Rights Watch described North Korea as 'one of the most repressive authoritarian states in the world' - will be discussed more in the future. He told Voice of America in an interview Kim was doing 'what he's seen done' when it comes to human rights. 'Look, he's doing what he's seen done, if you look at it. But, I really have to go by today and by yesterday and by a couple of weeks ago because that's really when this whole thing started,' Trump said. A 2017 report by the International Bar Association estimates that North Korea is holding between 80,000130,000 political prisoners. Angelina Jolie witnessed the 'worst devastation' she's ever seen on a trip to Mosul A day after walking bombed out streets of war-torn Mosul, Angelina Jolie toured a refugee camp holding 33,000 refugees as a result of seven-year conflict in Syria. The Hollywood star called the scene of destruction in Iraq as 'the worst' she's ever seen during her 17-year humanitarian work with United Nations. 'This is the worst devastation I have seen in all my years working with UNHCR. People here have lost everything,' Jolie said in a statement. She also highlighted a lack of medical aid for inhabitants of the Domiz camp, a site she has visited three times in the past six years. 'They are destitute. They have no medicine for their children, and many have no running water or basic services.' The Hollywood A-lister visited Domiz refugee camp, home to 33,000 displaced by war in Syria Angelina Jolie told a press conference 'not to forget Mosul' after touring a refugee camp A family stands outside their home in the Domiz camp for Syrian refugees where Jolie visited 'I hope there will be a continued commitment to rebuilding and stabilising the whole of the city,' she said. 'I call on the international community not to forget Mosul.' The actress spent the morning visiting families in the Domiz, a UN official said. Her statement comes a day after she was greeted by fans in parts of Mosul where many of the buildings had been reduced to rubble. UN special envoy Angelina Jolie is recognised by a young fan in Iraq when she visited the war-torn city of Mosul yesterday The actress was evidently moved by her surroundings which saw some 8,300 destroyed by war Normality has returned to parts of the northern Iraqi city as it rebuilds, but getting displaced residents back home has been slow. Islamic Satte militants had occupied Mosul for three years and turned it into a stronghold of a 'caliphate' in a campaign that saw 900,000 residents flee. Two years after it was retaken from ISIS, more than 70 per cent of the city remains damaged or destroyed, according to the provincial council. In 2017, a Kurdish intelligence chief told the Independent that some 40,000 lives had been claimed in a devastating battle to retake Mosul from ISIS. Residents of the besieged city were killed by Iraqi ground forces attempting to force out militants - while airstrikes razed buildings with hundreds of souls inside according to Kurdish intelligence services. Jolie has worked for UN High Commissioner for Refugees since 2001, visiting uprooted civilians from Iraq to Cambodia and Kenya. This is her fifth visit to Iraq. A Spitfire mechanic was reunited with his wartime love after she spotted him talking about his experience of the war on television more than 60 years after they last saw each other. Joe Roddis, 83, and Betty Wood, 84, said a tearful goodbye for what they believed would be the last time they saw one another at Worthing railway station in 1944. The fighter plane mechanic had fallen in love with the WAAF corporal but they agreed to part ways as Wood had a fiance who was returning from the Middle East. But after Wood, a widowed grandmother, switched on a documentary about Spitfires she spotted Roddis giving an interview. Joe Roddis, 83, and Betty Wood, 84, were reunited after 60 years apart having met during the war After contacting the television company responsible for making the programme, the pair were finally reunited - on a railway platform. They then made up for lost time by moving in together almost immediately. A new book Spitfire: A Very British Love Story by John Nichol, tells their story. In an interview for the book, Roddis said: 'Even though all those years had passed, she was the same Betty I had last seen at Worthing 60 years earlier. 'It was a totally wonderful moment. The war and the Spitfire had come full circle and brought us together again. We relived all the places we'd danced and the things we'd done during the heat of wartime.' Wood told Roddis: 'What are we doing hanging about?' The pair spent eight years together before Wood died in 2012. Roddis died a few years later in April 2017, shortly after telling his story for the book. 'It was the start of what were to be eight of some of the most wonderful years of my life,' he said, 'It was the perfect ending.' A lone Spitfire performed a fly-past at his funeral. The U.N. World Food Program urged warring parties in Yemen to maintain a free food flow through the port of Hodeida, amid efforts by the Saudi-led coalition backing Yemens exiled government to retake the strategic port from the Ansarullah. (AhlulBayt News Agency) - The World Food Program has called on all warring parties in Yemen's Hudaydah to maintain a free food flow through the port city. The WFPs director for Yemen Stephen Anderson made the call on Saturday, while voicing deep concerns over the humanitarian situation in Hudaydah. The UN agency is appealing "to maintain the free flow of food and fuel and both commercial and humanitarian for the people who need it most," he said. Anderson noted that basic needs of those Hudaydah's civilians are not being satisfied, while warning the worsening situation in the port will have a "major impact" on its inhabitants. The World Health Organization also expressed concern over the fighting in and around the, calling for unbroken aid access and protection of health workers present in Yemen. "We stand with our U.N. partners to call on all parties to the conflict to protect the port, and allow its uninterrupted functioning. We also call on all parties to protect health workers and their facilities from harm, as well as to ensure unimpeded access for medical teams seeking to treat the wounded," said WHO Director General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus. He added that Hudaydah "an essential lifeline" for Yemen, saying that "more than 70% of all food, essential medicines and healthcare supplies are brought in through this port." Earlier in the day, the Le Figaro newspaper reported French special forces are present on the ground in Yemen supporting the ongoing Saudi-led military operation in Hudaydah. The Saturday report cited two military sources but provided no further details as Saudi Arabia claimed that forces under its command had entered the airport in Hudaydah. France, along with the United States and Britain, backs Saudi Arabia in the Yemen conflict and provides weapons to both Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates. /129 A Brooklyn high school principal has been removed from his post following accusations that he harassed and retaliated against an assistant principal whom he formerly dated. Principal Steve Dorcely was reassigned from Urban Action Academy in the Canarsie neighborhood to a central New York City Department of Education location on Thursday, in the wake of Jordan Barnett's harassment suit, the New York Daily News reported. Such transfers are known colloquially in the department as being sent to the 'rubber room', temporary assignments where educators wait for months or even years as their administrative cases are adjudicated. Barnett filed her lawsuit against Dorcely in November of last year, claiming he alternately harassed and retaliated against her on the job after she dumped him for cheating. Principal Steve Dorcely (left) was reassigned from Urban Action Academyto a central Department of Education location on Thursday, in the wake of Jordan Barnett's (right) suit In the suit, Barnett, 36, said that Dorcely once sneaked up on her as she was bending over to plug in her cell phone. 'Put your butt on me,' she claims the leering principal whispered in her ear. The following month, Barnett said she was talking with another teacher about a breast cancer scare due to cysts, which Dorcely overheard. 'That's because no on is sucking on your (breasts),' Dorcely later opined, according to the suit. Dorcely started with the school district as a computer aide in 2000. He reportedly rose to administration with only substitute teaching experience, and last year made $154,826. Neither Dorcely nor an attorney representing him could be reached for comment. 'The decision to dismiss Mr. Dorcely as principal of Urban Action Academy was made in the best interest of students and families, and after a careful review of the school's performance under his tenure,' Education Department spokesman Douglas Cohen told the News. 'The superintendent's office is working closely with the school to provide additional support and ensure a smooth transition.' Urban Action Academy (above) opened in 2008 with a focus on law and public service. But the school has poor graduation and attendance rates, and a history of scandals Urban Action Academy opened in 2008 as a public high school with a focus on law and public service. But the school has poor graduation and attendance rates, with only 58 per cent of students graduating in four years, according to Inside Schools. The school has made headlines in the past, including in 2016 when a whistleblower told the New York Post that administrators there promoted a cheating culture, naming both Barnett and Dorcely. Also in 2016, a social studies teacher at Urban Action Academy accused Dorcely of covering for a group of students who hacked her social media and exposed messages to her lover thanking him for 'a couple of orgasms'. 'The very fact that it took five days for the school to report the incident, and knowing they never interviewed any staff or students and did not conduct a proper investigation, makes me fearful to return to work because my own administration and deans are not there to protect me,' the teacher wrote in a letter to her union rep. Following Dorcely's ouster, Angelo Marra will take over as principal at Urban Action Academy until an interim acting principal is named, school officials announced. Emily Thornberry today renewed her attack on Donald Trump - branding the US leader a 'bully'. The shadow foreign secretary also revealed that she and Jeremy Corbyn have not yet received invitations to meet with the President even though his visit is less than a month away. The Labour frontbencher shrugged off criticisms that her repeated angry attacks on Mr Trump risks sending UK-US relations into the deep freeze. And she warned that Theresa May's attempts to have a close relationship with the President and not to criticise him directly have ended in failure. Her scathing attack comes after Mr Trump angered Western allies by tearing up the G7 summit agreement and slapping 25 per cent tariffs on steel and aluminium. The shadow foreign secretary (pictured right) also revealed that she and Jeremy Corbyn (pictured left) have not yet received invitations to meet with the President even though his visit is less than a month away. But her comments will spark alarm among other MPs who will fear her criticisms risk harming the Special Relationship between Britain and America. Appearing on the BBC's Andrew Marr show today, said she had 'no problem' standing up to him on policy disagreements. She added: 'The protocol normally is is that a visiting leader will ask to see the opposition if they want to. 'If we get an invitation to see him, of course we will go and see him.' Ms Thornberry stood by her previous attacks on the US leader, telling the show: She told the programme: 'I called him an asteroid of awfulness, that's because that's what he is.' Ms Thornberry also defended Labour's relationship with America, saying: 'We share values with the United States, we do not share values with Donald Trump when he wants to walk away from the Paris Climate Change, when he wants to tear up the Iran nuclear deal. 'I'm happy to say that openly and I will say it to his face, I have no problem with that.' She added: 'In my view when you have a bully like that you stand up to them and you're clear about what it is you disagree (with).' Her scathing attack comes after Donald Trump (pictured in Singapore last week) angered Western allies by tearing up the G7 summit agreement and slapping 25 per cent tariffs on steel and aluminium Her remarks come amid a growing frostiness between the UK and America - historically the country's closest ally. Mrs May made a big attempt to woo Mr Trump when he was first elected - becoming the first leader to visit him in the White House and inviting him for a state visit to Britain. But relations soured after the US leader fired off a series a tweets attacking Britain - criticising Sadiq Khan's handling of the London Bridge terror attack and wrongly claiing a rise in crime in England and Wales was down to Islamist terrorism. And he was slammed by the PM for retweeting anti-Muslim propaganda put out by far right group Britain First. More recently he has pushed ahead with his hugely controversial trade tariffs - dismissing Mrs May's repeated calls for the US to exempt its EU allies from the levies. Scotland Yard are braced for what are expected to be huge protests in London when Mr Trump visit the country on July 13. It is expected that the PM may take him away to her country retreat Chequers or to Scotland in a bid to a bid the protesting crowds. A man is in a critical but stable condition after a noxious substance was throw in his face in east London. Police are hunting for two men in connection with the attack, which happened on Wednesday at about 10pm in Ilford. The victim, who is in his 20s, was taken to an east London hospital after what is believed to be ammonia was thrown over him. William Deo, 20, and Gavin Okwu-Brewis, 29. Police want to speak to the pair in connection with the acid attack in Ilford, east London Officers said in a statement they want to speak to William Deo, 20, and Gavin Okwu-Brewis, 29. They have warned members of the public not to approach the two men. Anyone with information about their location is asked to call police on 999 quoting reference 8771/13 June. Alternatively tweet @MetCC or contact Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111. The UK has been plagued by a spate of horrific attacks involving acid in recent years The UK has been plagued by a spate of horrific attacks involving acid in recent years. Last month a girl was squirted in the face by a noxious substance as she rode a bus in Brixton, south London. Harrowing footage showed her writhing in agony after staggering into a shop and trying to cool down beside a chiller cabinet. Liberal senator Lucy Gichuhi is feeling the heat this week after a video clip has emerged of her telling a Kenyan TV host her $200,000 salary 'was not a lot of money.' The South Australian Senator appeared on Jeff Koinange Live, a popular Kenyan talk show, in January. She was asked by Mr Koinange how much her salary was and if it was public knowledge. Scroll down for video Liberal senator Lucy Gichuhi (pictured) said on Kenyan TV her $200,000 salary is not a lot 'Yes, my salary it is somewhere on the website, I don't look at it because it comes into the bank, but it's not a lot of money by the way,' she said. 'Politicians, and I mean Australian politicians, work so hard 24/7, nobody, and I mean nobody can compensate them for the work they do.' When pressed again by Mr Koinange about how much money she receives, the senator replied: '$200,000 Australian dollars, in a whole year, that's not a lot of money.' Mr Koinange compared the figure to how much Kenyan politicians are paid. 'It's a reasonable pay,' Ms Gichuhil then admitted. The video was revealed at a difficult time for the senator, who was criticised after it was revealed Australian taxpayers footed the bill for two of her family members to be flown from Darwin to celebrate her birthday. She has since said it was an administrative error involving misunderstanding of travel rules and will be paying the money back. She has said the travel expenses were an administrative error and she will pay the department back Lucy Gichuhi has since agreed to repay the full amount and will pay an additional 25 per cent penalty Senator Lucy Gichuhi (pictured right) billed taxpayers to fly two family members to Adelaide for her '50th birthday plus GST' The 56-year-old senator held a '50th birthday plus GST' in Adelaide last October. She billed the taxpayer $2,139 for two return airfares from Darwin to Adelaide as part of her 'family traveller' allowance. The 'family traveller' allowance is a fund that can be used to pay for family members to visit politicians on 'parliamentary, electorate or official business'. However, the rules state that the entitlement is provided to allow senators and members the chance to balance their work and family responsibilities. Ms Gichuhi has since agreed to repay the full amount and will pay an additional 25 per cent penalty. 'Regarding the media reports about my travel expenses, this was an administrative error involving misunderstanding of travel rules. I've raised an invoice from the department to pay the costs of $2139 in full,' the senator tweeted on Sunday. The new senator was initially elected following a recount after the High Court booted Family First's Bob Day but recently defected to the Liberal party. Senator Lucy Gichuhi, pictured with former prime minister John Howard, joined the Liberals earlier this year According to parliamentary travel records Senator Gichuhi has also billed taxpayers $4,400 for five nights she spent in Sydney in August. She spoke at the National Australia Bank's African Australian Inclusion Program, met former Prime Minister John Howard and community radio leaders. The tab also included flights for a family member. In November, she charged taxpayers more than $2,000 for one night in Sydney, where she was joined by her husband to speak at the African Professionals in Australia Gala Dinner. 'Fifty is the Biblical year of Jubilee, of freedom from oppression and debt, of healing the land, of rest and of new beginnings,' Lucy Gichuhi, 56, (pictured) told guests at her birthday party And she has claimed almost $4,000 for two one-night trips to Sydney where she attended an international event held by Christian radio station Hope 103.2 and appeared on the ABC's Q&A program. Senators and MPs commonly charge travel costs to appear on the program to the taxpayer. Under the entitlement rules, MPs and senators can claim travel expenses if they are facilitating and participating in debate, discussion, a meeting, event or function or undertaking research relating to matters of importance or interest to constituents. A spokesman for Senator Gichuhi told the Daily Telegraph the office was confident that all of the travel was in line with the rules. Senator Gichuhi is about to enter a tough contest to defend her place in the senate. Donald Trump's lawyer Rudy Giuliani said Sunday the president might pardon his jailed, onetime campaign chairman and others ensnared in the Russia investigation once special counsel Robert Mueller's work wraps up, if he believed they were treated 'unfairly.' Until then, consideration of clemency is unnecessary, Giuliani said, as the White House presses to bring the yearlong investigation to an end. Giuliani denied that Trump was trying to send a message to Paul Manafort, who was the 2016 chairman for nearly five months, or others to refrain from cooperating with prosecutors. The former New York City mayor suggested that an end to the investigation could be in sight one way or the other either by undercutting the Mueller's inquiry as illegitimate, or if necessary, by agreeing to a Trump interview with prosecutors under limited conditions. 'The president is not going to issue pardons in this investigation,' Giuliani said. 'Because you just cloud what is becoming now a very clear picture of an extremely unfair investigation with no criminality involved in it of any kind.' But, he added, 'When it's over, hey, he's the president of the United States. He retains his pardon power. Nobody is taking that away from him. He can pardon, in his judgment.' Rudy Giuliani insists there's 'no criminality' to be found in Robert Mueller's Russia probe but President Trump could pardon people anyone once the dust settles Paul Manafort, a short-time former Trump campaign manager, was ordered locked up this week ahead of his two trials for bank fraud and money laundering Trump has shown no reticence for using his presidential pardon powers but hasn't yet given clemency to anyone facing charges before they're convicted Manafort was sent to jail last week after a federal judge revoked his house arrest over allegations of witness tampering in the Russia investigation. Trump has criticized that decision as 'very unfair' as Manafort prepares for two criminal trials. Trump has worked outside the traditional pardon process and used his clemency powers in cases where he believed prosecutors may have been motivated by politics. He made clear on Sunday his view of Mueller's investigation, saying it was 'on pretty weak grounds right now.' Republican Sen. Susan Collins of Maine, said she thought it would be 'more helpful if the president never mentioned the word pardon again with respect to the Russian investigation because he wants to get that Russian investigation completed. And every time he brings up the issue of pardons it gives the investigators something else that they have to look into.' Seeking to undermine Mueller's work, Trump and his lawyers have seized on a Justice Department inspector general's report on the 2016 Hillary Clinton email investigation that found insubordination and poor judgment at the FBI. Some of the officials who worked on the Clinton investigation also worked on the FBI's Russia probe, but the report did not find that political bias had tainted the Clinton review. Former National Security Advisor Michael Flynn (right) has pleaded guilty to lying to the FBI, a minor charge, but still could face prison time The Justice Department has asked its internal watchdog to review whether there was any politically motivated surveillance by the FBI of the Trump campaign. 'This is a case where it's crying out for someone to investigate the investigators,' Giuliani said. 'We want the Mueller probe to be investigated, the way the Trump administration has been investigated.' Echoing Giuliani's view, former White House strategist Steve Bannon said there was no need for pardons because Trump could disrupt the Russia investigation by firing deputy attorney general Rod Rosenstein, who oversees Mueller. Bannon suggested that Trump should order Rosenstein to comply in the next two days with every subpoena he has received from congressional committees. 'If he does not do it in 48 hours, he's fired,' Bannon said. 'You're not going to need pardons. ... With the exposure of all this, as we go into it, we're going to get into the substrate and the foundation of the entire Mueller investigation.' Giuliani went on offense against Special Counsel Robert Mueller: 'We want the Mueller probe to be investigated, the way the Trump administration has been investigated' Signaling some openness to a Trump interview with Mueller's team, Giuliani outlined the possibility under narrow conditions and said he expected Trump to make a decision by July 4. Giuliani said he is opposed to having an interview but 'the president wants to do it so we have to sort through it.' 'If we did have it ... obviously what we would really like something in writing, responded to in writing. And it can be under oath.' He said the interview could be audio recorded, but that questions would need to be limited just to specific questions about 'the heart of the probe' - allegations of collusion between Russia and the Trump campaign. Mueller is also investigating questions of whether Trump improperly sought to obstruct the probe, such as by firing James Comey as FBI director, and if Trump refuses an interview, Mueller could resort to a subpoena to compel testimony. Giuliani said they'd prefer that Trump sit for a two-hour interview and Mueller's team probably wants four, 'so let's settle at 3.' 'There might be a narrow area that we could all agree on,' he said. Giuliani spoke on CNN's 'State of the Union' and CBS' 'Face the Nation,' and Bannon appeared on ABC's 'This Week.' Collins was on CBS. Advertisement Alcohol-fuelled Cambridge University students have taken to the water in cardboard boats to celebrate the end of their exams on 'Suicide Sunday'. Despite the chilly temperatures of 18C today, brave students hopped into makeshift boats to float down the River Cam in honour of the festive and boozy annual tradition. Teams piled into punts to race down the river, crashing into each other and sending some into the frosty water. Several groups ended up in the river, soaked and shivering as they held their precious bottles of wine and beer above the frigid water. Alcohol-fuelled Cambridge University students have taken to the water in cardboard boats to celebrate the end of their exams on 'Suicide Sunday' Despite the chilly temperatures of 18C today, brave students hopped into makeshift boats to float down the River Cam in honour of the festive and boozy annual tradition Teams piled into punts to race down the river, crashing into each other and sending some into the frosty water But teams struggled to punt in a straight line and crashed into rival teams, causing them to sink Several groups ended up in the river, soaked and shivering as they held their precious bottles of wine and beer above the frigid water Pictured: Cambridge University students get ready in boats made from cardboard float down the River Cam The students spent the morning fashioning homemade punts and canoes from cardboard, glue and gaffer tape. All of the students were attempting to row the course from Jesus Green to Magdalene Bridge in the city but many ended up in the cold water. Each boat had at least three crew members and some even had nine squeezed into the rafts. The Sunday immediately after the end of the summer term at Cambridge is known as Suicide Sunday. Famed for being a day of carousing and drunken antics, the undergraduates stripped down to shorts and t-shirts for a splash about on the River Cam. By this date, most students have finished exams but most of the results have not been published, so it is traditionally a period of nerves and suspense. All of the students were attempting to row the course from Jesus Green to Magdalene Bridge in the city but many ended up in the cold water The Sunday immediately after the end of the summer term at Cambridge is known as Suicide Sunday By this date, most students have finished exams but most of the results have not been published, so it is traditionally a period of nerves and suspense Many students were seen in fits of laughter as their boats quickly sunk into the frigid waters on Sunday A young man holds onto the side of his soggy boat as he appears shocked by the cold waters The students spent the morning fashioning homemade punts and canoes from cardboard, glue and gaffer tape Last Monday, several students at the prestigious university celebrated the end of exams by spraying each other in the street with Champagne - despite the tradition being banned by the university. Excited undergraduates popped bottles in the city centre as they marked the end of the gruelling study period - and the start of their summer holidays. Residents were spotted dodging around the groups of revellers as they kicked off their end-of-term partying. Meanwhile university proctors were seen keeping an eye on proceedings, although they did not appear to intervene. While bottles of Champagne and sparkling wine were favoured by most, others were seen spritzing their peers with rose and cans of lager. Some were watched by their parents as they took part in the playful celebration. The university banned so-called 'trashing', where students throw flour, eggs, milk and alcohol at each other, in 2012. Last Monday, several students at the prestigious university celebrated the end of exams by spraying each other in the street with Champagne - despite the tradition being banned by the university The university banned so-called 'trashing', where students throw flour, eggs, milk and alcohol at each other, in 2012 A student celebrates that his boat is still afloat during Suicide Sunday at Cambridge University today Spectators line the riverbank to watch the punters race down the river on Sunday Pictured: A team fashioning their boat with an impressive mast, complete with a flag and sail A Texas Tech University student has died in a fall while hiking on an island in Siberia. Elmer Arrieta, 27, died on Saturday on Olkhon Island in Russia's Eastern Siberia. He was participating in a group study hike with about 20 other hikers organized through the University of Texas. 'He was a dedicated architecture student and a respected and cherished member of our Red Raider family. Our thoughts are with his family during this difficult time,' Texas Tech said in a statement. Elmer Arrieta, 27, died on Saturday while participating in a group study hike though the University of Texas, with about 20 other hikers on Olkhon Island in Russia's Eastern Siberia Arrieta was born in El Paso and attended Texas Tech as an undergraduate before pursuing a master's degree in architecture from the school Arrieta was born in El Paso and attended Texas Tech as an undergraduate before pursuing a master's degree in architecture from the school. 'My heart aches knowing I won't be able to meet him at the bar for a beer and a good debate, like we did a hundred times before,' his close friend Jose Monarrez told the Austin Statesman. UT officials told the publication that the study abroad program in Russia was open to students from other universities. They did not specify how Arrieta died from the fall or what kind of injuries he had sustained. The rugged cliffs of Olkhon Island are seen in a file photo. The Siberian island sits within Lake Baikal, the world's oldest and largest freshwater lake Shaman's Rock (above) on the western coast of Olkhon, is said to be home to the lord deity of Lake Baikal by the indigenous Buryats, who fear and revere the sacred landmark University of Texas Dean of Students Soncia Reagins-Lilly says Arrieta's parents have been notified and the school is providing assistance to them. School counselors also have been sent to Irkutsk, the major city in the area. Olkhon Island is the world's fourth largest island within a lake, and sit within the world's oldest and largest freshwater lake, Lake Baikal. The island has been inhabited since antiquity and boasts a dramatic geography including forests, steppes and a small desert. A gang of drug-fuelled youths trashed a $1million rental house during a wild party. They rented the home in Carnegie, southeast Melbourne for one night at $400 on booking.com. When the manager went round the next day, she found the walls smashed, carpets torn up and hair and illegal drugs on the floor. Scroll down for video Damage: A gang of drug-fuelled youths trashed a $1million rental house during a wild party When the manager went round the next day, she found the walls smashed, carpets torn up and hair and illegal drugs on the floor 'It's terrible, we're just heartbroken,' Yuki Chan, who manages the property for the overseas owners, told Seven News. 'I think it will take a month at least to complete all the cleaning and repair the wall.' One cleaner estimated the clean-up bill at $200,000. The party started at 4pm on Saturday and quickly spiralled out of control before lasting all night. Distressed neighbours called police who didn't arrive until 9.30am on Sunday. Four teenage girls were arrested and released without charge. The party started at 4pm on Saturday and quickly spiralled out of control before lasting all night. Pictured: A light as among the damaged items This is not the first time youths have rented a house to hold a party and trash it. Last month, a devastated home-owner was forced to watch up to 100 'African teenagers' completely trash her booking.com rental house when a party spiralled out of control. The teenagers shattered windows, smashed holes through walls and broke down doors at the house in Footscray, west Melbourne on Saturday night and Sunday morning. The owner, named only as Kelly, got calls from horrified neighbours saying her $836,000 house was being destroyed. She rushed to the home and called police but they were unable to go in and stop the party without a warrant - forcing her to helplessly watch while 'balling her eyes out'. Up to 100 'African teenagers' completely trashed a booking.com rental house (pictured) during a wild party after planning the violence to make sure they would get away with it Tory MP are mobilising to launch a fresh bid to oust John Bercow as Speaker of the House of Commons after he was hit by bullying and sexism claims. Conservatives plotting to boot him out of the powerful post have been meeting in secret to gather names to add to their motion of no confidence. They are acting after Mr Bercow refused to follow through on his previous pledge to step down after serving nine years in office - which runs out this Friday. He has instead signaled his desire to stay on for another four years until the next General Election. His time in the Commons chair has been rocked by claims that he has bullied several of his former parliamentary staff. They are acting after John Bercow refused to follow through on his previous pledge to step down after serving nine years in office - which runs out this Friday. They claim that he flew into fiery rages and would talk down to, and harass, some of his aides. Mr Bercow strongly denies all the allegations against him. What are the claims of bullying and bad behaviour made against John Bercow? John Bercow has been hit by a number of bullying claims, all of which he denies. Here are the allegations: Andrew Sinclair, the former Speaker's Secretary: Said he left his post in 2010 after he was subjected to angry outbursts, foul- mouthed tirades and mimicry by John Bercow. He said was 'gagged' and stopped from speaking out about his time in the role as part of an 86,000 early retirement payoff. David Leakey, former Black Rod: Mr Leakey, who retired last year, said staff were terrified of the Speaker. Kate Emms, John Bercow's former private secretary: She took a job as Mr Bercow's private secretary in May 2010 but left her role less than a year later in February 2011 amid claims she was bullied by the Speaker. Her colleagues alleged that this was because of the behaviour of Mr Bercow after she told staff that she suffered from post-traumatic stress disorder. Colleagues told Newsnight that she was undermined by Mr Bercow in a range of ways and he seemed to shout at her a lot. Advertisement While Business Minsiter Claire Perry accused Mr Bercow of sexism last week after he described her as 'dilated' as he admonished her in bthe middle of the Commons chamber. It comes just weeks after he admitted calling Cabinet Minister Andrew Leadsom a 'stupid woman' in a brutal off-mic rant. Tory MP Andrew Bridgen told The Sunday Times: 'The number of MPs who want him gone is growing by the day.' It is understood that around a dozen MPs have signed up to the no confidence motion, which is expected to be tabled within a week if he does not voluntarily quit his post. Last week Ms Perry slammed Mr Bercow's 'sexist' treatment of women in the parliamentary Chamber. Ms Perry said the latest incident happened last night when she was taking questions from MPs in the chamber. She told the BBC's Daily Politics Mr Bercow kept cutting her answers short and was 'quite irascible'. 'He does that quite a lot with women on the government benches,' Ms Perry said. 'Men and women approached me afterwards to say his behaviour was sexist and demeaning.' Pointing to the previous clash with Mrs Leadsom, Ms Perry insisted Mr Bercow could not allow the impression to arise that he had a 'woman problem'. She said she had written to ask Mr Bercow to 'consider his behaviour'. Mr Bercow has also been facing demands to resign following a number of separate bullying allegations from former staff - all of which he denies. MPs on the standards committee sparked anger last month by voting to block an inquiry by the commissioner into the claims. A 10-year-old girl was forced to hide in a cupboard and call the police after her house was broken into by an armed man. Kate Luong's family had only left for half an hour to collect dinner on May 31 when a man used a brick to smash a window of their Melbourne property about 5.30pm. The St Anthony's Primary school student hid herself in a bedroom cupboard before calling triple-zero, The Herald Sun reported. 'They're in the house, they broke the glass door,' Kate can be heard tearfully telling the operator during the recorded call. Kate Luong's brother (pictured right) said when they came home the front door was open and all their lights were on 'I'm in the house. I'm in the room near the backyard. I locked myself in and I'm inside a closet,' she said. When asked by the operator to describe what she had seen, the 10-year-old gave a thorough description of the man. 'Yes I saw (him). A man with black hair, he was wearing gloves, he has like a black jacket on. (He's aged) around the mid-30s to 40s,' she said. The operator reassured her police would be there soon and reminded her to stay hidden. 'The police have already been notified, you've done a really good job,' he said. 'Don't hang up.' Police attend the scene and charged a 46-year-old Springvale man 'Please come quick,' she asked him. Kate's brother, Mike, told The Leader that her family returned home to find the front door open and all the lights on. 'I saw two policemen running around the court trying to figure out which house,' he said. 'I called them to come over and they got the guy in the living room and walked out.' Dandenong crime investigation unit detective Senior Constable Steve Woodhouse said that the police had arrived on the scene within two minutes and had found the man armed with a knife and a screwdriver. Police charged a 46-year-old Springvale man with aggravated burglary, possessing a controlled weapon and breaching bail. He will face the Dandenong Magistrates Court later this month. An Adelaide man charged over parcel bomb attack is reportedly refusing to eat out of protest. Domenic Perre, 61, has declined to eat the food provided by the Remand Centre, according to 9NEWS. It's believed Perre only wants to eat and drink products such as chips, chocolate bars and soft drinks from the canteen. Scroll down for video Domenic Perre, (pictured) 61 was charged over the parcel bomb attack in 1994 at National Crime Authority building in Adelaide is reportedly refusing to eat out of protest Domenic Perre, 61, has declined to eat the food provided by the Remand Centre (pictured) Correctional officers are monitoring Perre's conditions closely, as there are fears that his health is deteriorating. Perre, faced court over the 1994 bombing of the National Crime Authority building following a cold-case review South Australian police have called their 'largest and most comprehensive'. He appeared in Adelaide Magistrates Court in March charged with murder and attempted murder over the bombing, which killed Detective Sergeant Geoffrey Bowen and injured lawyer Peter Wallis. Perre appeared before a courtroom more than half full of police officers and detectives, and made no application for bail - though his lawyer indicated he may apply in future. He was remanded to face court again in July. Det Sgt Bowen, a member of the West Australian Police, was killed and Mr Wallis injured when a parcel bomb was delivered to the NCA building in Adelaide's CBD. Perre's arrest follows a joint investigation by a number of state and federal authorities including Australian Criminal Intelligence Commission, along with the Director of Public Prosecutions, who conducted a review of the evidence. Speaking on behalf of the Bowen family and Mr Wallis in March, Det Sgt Bowen's brother-in-law David Gorton thanked those involved in the investigation. 'We have never lost sight of justice, nor have we ever lost faith in the South Australian police,' he told reporters. Domenic Perre (centre) is escorted from the Adelaide Magistrates Court in Adelaide, Thursday, March 1, 2018 In March 1994, a bomb exploded at Adelaide's National Crime Authority office, killing Detective Sergeant Geoffrey Bowen Supplied file image obtained Tuesday, Oct 18, 2016 of the scene of the National Crime Authority bombing in Adelaide in 1994 The bombing has been one of the state's highest-profile cases, with a reward of $1 million issued in 2008 for information leading to the conviction of the person or people responsible. Assistant Commissioner Scott Duval said the charge marked a major milestone for police. 'This is the largest and most comprehensive cold case review ever undertaken by SA Police,' he said. 'As best we can, we've compiled a brief of evidence that we believe will support the charges, but again we put ourselves before the hands of the court.' WA Police Commissioner Chris Dawson said: 'No one can begin to understand how this day feels for Geoff Bowen's widow Jane, her two sons and the Bowen family.' A file image of the scene of the National Crime Authority bombing in Adelaide in 1994 Detective Sergeant Geoffrey Bowen (pictured with his wife Jane) was killed in the 1994 blast Det Sgt Bowen's sons are also serving WA police officers. 'Geoff's memory will remain with us and lives on. Past and present officers are still affected by it,' Mr Dawson said. The WA Police Union welcomed the charges. 'At the time, the death of Geoffrey Bowen rocked the WA police family and, 24 years later, it is a major achievement to have someone charged,' president George Tilbury said. Perre was arrested soon after the bombing, but charges were dropped six months later because of a lack of evidence In 2016, SA police revealed advancements in technology had assisted the renewed investigation into the bombing. They found the make-up of the bomb and technological improvements meant it was possible to locate DNA on remnants of the device, which could be later checked against the profiles of possible suspects. Sixty-five items were sent to the world-leading Netherlands Forensic Institute for further examination, while partial DNA profiles and fingerprints were recovered from other crucial exhibits. Locals who have been priced out of their pretty fishing village have voted to ban second-home owners from buying new builds in a landslide victory. Mevagissey, in Cornwall, has seen a boom in the number of houses being purchased as holiday homes over recent years. The average house now costs almost 300,000, which is 20 times the local salary, forcing locals to move elsewhere if they want to get on the property ladder. To clamp down, residents in the tourist hotspot held a referendum to block the sale of new builds to second-home owners - with 90 per cent in favour. Locals of Mevagissey, in Cornwal, who have been priced out of their pretty fishing village have voted to ban second-home owners from buying new builds in a landslide victory Cornwall Councillor for Mevagissey James Mustoe said the vote had a 32.74 per cent turnout, with 89.58 per cent, or 516 people, voting in favour The town has seen a boom in the number of houses being purchased as holiday homes over recent years. The average house now costs almost 300,000, which is 20 times the local salary, forcing locals to move elsewhere if they want to get on the property ladder It follows a similar referendum in St Ives in 2016, which was supported by more than 80 per cent of voters. And last month, three communities in Northumberland also voted in favour of new homes being permanent residences. The Mevagissey Neighbourhood Development Plan (NDP) was set up in an effort to 'restore the balance to the playing field for local people'. Cornwall Councillor for Mevagissey James Mustoe said the vote had a 32.74 per cent turnout, with 89.58 per cent, or 516 people, voting in favour. Just 60 people, or 10.4 per cent, voted against the plan. Cllr Mustoe said: 'I was delighted to see the Mevagissey Neighbourhood Development Plan pass into legislation following the referendum result. 'The landslide result, with 90 per cent of those who voted, voting for it, is a strong endorsement from our community that they want this strong and positive local planning legislation to protect the villages of Mevagissey and Portmellon now and for future generations. Cornwall Councillor for Mevagissey James Mustoe said the vote had a 32.74 per cent turnout, with 89.58 per cent, or 516 people, voting in favour Property portal Rightmove currently lists 51 properties for sale within a three-mile radius of Mevagissey. Just ten of these are below 227,000, the average price of a home in England and Wales, with 18 costing around 500,000 or more 'My thanks to all the volunteers, both members of the public and parish council who have worked so hard to bring this forward. 'On a personal note, I now look forward to having this publicly endorsed legislation by my side to fight for the types of development we do and do not want to see in the parish from now on.' Property portal Rightmove currently lists 51 properties for sale within a three-mile radius of Mevagissey. Just ten of these are below 227,000, the average price of a home in England and Wales, with 18 costing around 500,000 or more. The permanent population of Mevagissey has fallen slightly over the last 200 years but, since 1930, the buildings in the village have more than doubled. Around one-quarter of the properties in Mevagissey are now holiday homes. Just 60 people, or 10.4 per cent, voted against the plan Around one-quarter of the properties in Mevagissey are now holiday homes Steve Double, MP for St Austell and Newquay, welcomed the referendum result. He said: 'Congratulations to all involved in the outcome of the Mevagissey Neighbourhood Development Plan. 'The percentage voting in favour shows there is strong support for this plan in the parish and I would like to thank all involved for their hard work over the years in putting this document together. 'Local plans are a great way for communities to have a say in the development that takes place where they live, both now and in the future. 'I would encourage any parishes that are interested to speak to Cornwall Council on how to proceed.' Advertisement The owner of a confectionery shop officially named the oldest in the world hasn't had a day off in six years - and claims the secret to his relentless work rate is sweets. Keith Tordoff, 62, eats half a pound of sweets a day and is convinced his organs have been preserved in sugar which means he can match the demands of the job. The father-of-one often skips lunch because he's already had his fill after gorging on handfuls of sweets which are stored in glass jars and still weighed by the quarter. He has no plans to retire anytime soon and hasn't suffered any major illnesses from his sweet-toothed habit - only a couple of fillings and cracked teeth. Keith stocks more than 200 varieties of sweets at the modest store called the Oldest Sweet Shop which he purchased from the previous owner 25 years ago. An exterior view of the Oldest Sweet Shop in England in Pately Bridge, North Yorkshire which has been in business for 191 years Keith Tordoff, 62, bought the shop from the previous sweet shopkeeper and has been in charge of the business for 25 years Keith says he still eats a pound of sweets every day and credits his own confections with his longevity in running the ancient shop Keith, who lives one mile away from the 191-year-old business, specialises in traditional sweets and best-sellers include blue raspberry bonbons, rhubarb and custard and liquorice midget gems. Around 20,000 visitors call into the shop every year - described as a tardis because of its size - which sits nestled at the top of the high street in Pateley Bridge, North Yorks. But his story of sweet success has come at a price - he hasn't had a day off from the shop which is open seven days a week for six years. He said: 'I've not had a day off in six years and a holiday in 20. I'm not complaining because I get a buzz from what I do. 'If I got offered a holiday to the West Indies tomorrow, I would give it away. 'I love sweets and always have done. I have such a sweet tooth, I eat sweets every day of the week. 'I'm not greedy in business but I'm greedy when it comes to sweets. I eat half a pound a day and quite often don't have lunch. 'Sugar is a preservative and hopefully all my organs are preserved in sugar. 'We are experts in making sure people get sweets that they remember from their childhood, it's about memories. Around 20,000 visitors come through the shop each year despite its tiny size and remote location on the edge of the Yorkshire Dales According to locals the high street in Pately Bridge has been rejuvenated since Keith took charge of the shop and it even won the Great British High Street Awards in 2016 Keith stocks a massive array of sweets at the North Yorkshire shop with more than 200 varieties reportedly on offer at the store 'The things I love about my job are sweets, dealing with customers and the fact my shop is a piece of history after being named the oldest in the world in 2014.' In 2014, his business - which has been open since 1827 - was named the oldest sweet shop in the world by the Guinness Book of Records. The former detective sergeant and firearms officer for West Yorkshire Police first visited the sweet shop when he was five-years-old. When the elderly owner of the shop fell ill he was contacted by a solicitor acting on her behalf who said she was selling up. Keith ditched the police uniform and took over the shop from the elderly woman who kept 'no books, no records and no stock'. The sweet shop is located in a 400-year-old building which only fits around 30 people in at any one time who travel from as far as Sydney and China. 'The shop is tiny, I describe it as a tardis,' he added. 'You can smell the sugar in the air. 'The beams are original beams, I've got used to ducking. I would never want to expand it because it adds to the character.' The first sweet Keith ever had was a mint imperial which he was given by a family member at a funeral. 'He reached in the pocket of his overcoat and pulled out a white sweet, I put it in my mouth and it tasted like mothballs,' he added. Keith, a former detective sergeant and firearms officer for West Yorkshire Police, first visited the store when he was five years old Keith was recently honoured with an MBE for services to business and to the community in Nidderdale after his work in the shop An antique cash register which still shows the units of imperial currency on its keys sits on the till in the archaic sweet store 'I realised it was a mint imperial and from that day onwards I've loved sweets.' The main shopping street in Pateley Bridge was ailing in recent times but later rejuvenated under his stewardship, and won the village category of the Great British High Street Awards in 2016. His role in that area's reversal of fortunes is one that has led to him being honoured with an MBE for services to business and to the community in Nidderdale. He said: 'I'm very honoured and quite emotional at the moment, these are the times you reflect on if your parents were alive how proud they would be. 'I'm very proud to say we have a high street which has no empty shops, which in this climate is very unique, as I understand it.' His wife Gloria, 61, and son Alexander, 31, and his partner Kirsty, 32, have been lending a hand in the business. In 1827, herbal and spiced sweets were made on site and sold alongside chocolates, boiled sweets and toffees. An early photograph of Nidderdale high street dated 1903 shows the shop but it had no signs on the front. Past research had suggested it was the world's oldest but the record was not officially until 2014. Inside, it has been virtually unchanged for 100 years, with large glass jars on dark wood shelves and the original till, which Keith recognised in an antique shop and rescued. The potential of a Roseanne spin-off, minus the embattled TV star, is one step closer to a reality, as Barr has tentatively agreed to walk away from the show and the characters she helped create, sources say. ABC and producer Carsey-Werner have insisted that Barr not be involved creatively or financially in a spin off, despite her entitlement to fees on any spin-off of the eponymous show centered on the character she created. The Roseanne revival was cut completely after a racist tweet by the actress. By her agreeing to walk away from the spin off process, the next step is negotiating 'go-away' payoff money with her, sources tell the Hollywood Reporter. The new potential show is still very much in negotiations with Barr and individual cast members, it is claimed. Roseanne, minus Roseanne: A spin-off of Barr's eponymous show is one step closer to reality as Barr has tentatively agreed to let go of its creative direction and fees she could have gotten, should the new show get off the ground, sources claim Barr tweeted earlier this month that she is 'making restitution for the pain she has caused' which could have signaled her walking away from any spin off of her show, after it was cancelled by ABC If Barr signs off on the spin-off, and if ABC would even pick it up, the new show would in theory center around Sara Gilbert's character, Darlene, with both John Goodman and Laurie Metcalf also tentatively on board. THR reports the cast is expected to receive the same per episode compensation as was previously negotiated for the axed second season of the Roseanne revival. Gilbert, who was the reboot's executive producer, was the force behind pushing for the killed show's spin-off, which could potentially save not only the jobs of the cast, but also the writers and creative team who would like to remain on board. Getting a successful spin-off would also be a boon for ABC, who is on the hook to pay cast members for the 2018-2019 season- regardless of the cancellation, with Goodman, Metcalf and Gilbert who have all exercised their options for a $300,000-an-episode salary. Barr was widely condemned following a series of racist and offensive tweets, including comparing former Barack Obama adviser Valerie Jarrett to an ape. She also accused 87-year-old Jewish billionaire George Soros, who survived the Nazi occupation of Hungary during World War II, of being a Nazi collaborator. The potential new show would center around Sara Gilbert's (left) character, Darlene, with Laurie Metcalf tentatively signed on (far right) ABC swiftly canceled Barr's hit show 'Roseanne' and slammed the comedienne's comments as 'abhorrent, repugnant and inconsistent with our values'. Following the fallout, Barr apologized for the tweet about Jarrett and to her own colleagues. This month she posted a cryptic tweet which read: 'I'm making restitution for the pain I have caused,' but she did not elaborate on what that might entail. Barr has insisted she is not racist, and is now believed to be lying low at her parents' home in Utah, where she has been pictured looking disheveled. Angela Merkel (pictured) has been given just two weeks to find a Europe-wide agreement over the migrant crisis after receiving an ultimatum from her coalition partners Angela Merkel has been given just two weeks to find a Europe-wide agreement over the migrant crisis after receiving an ultimatum from her coalition partners. The German chancellor is battling to hold on to power amid a bitter row with her allies, the Christian Social Union, over immigration. The CSU, under Interior Minister Horst Seehofer, today put on hold moves to defy Merkel and turn back some migrants at the border. Instead, they gave her just two weeks for the near-impossible task of finding an accord with other European governments to solve the crisis. But Merkel immediately rejected the threat, saying there would be 'no automatism' if no European deals were found, and warning Seehofer and his Bavarian CSU party that she is ultimately in charge of government policies. Over the past week, a conflict between Seehofer and Merkel over migrant policy has escalated into a threat to her government. It comes with EU nations once again at loggerheads over immigration, triggered by Italy's refusal this month to allow a rescue ship carrying 630 migrants to dock. The CSU, under Interior Minister Horst Seehofer (pictured), today put on hold moves to defy Merkel and turn back some migrants at the border Wading into the crisis, US President Donald Trump tweeted today: 'The people of Germany are turning against their leadership as migration is rocking the already tenuous Berlin coalition. 'We don't want what is happening with immigration in Europe to happen with us!" Seehofer has been calling for Germany to turn back migrants previously registered as asylum-seekers in other European countries. Merkel opposes unilateral action, arguing that it would increase pressure on countries such as Italy and Greece and weaken the 28-nation European Union. Seehofer heads the Bavaria-only CSU, the sister party to Merkel's Christian Democratic Union. The CSU is determined to show that it's tough on migration, arguing that this is the best way to cut support for the far-right Alternative for Germany ahead of a challenging state election in Bavaria in October. Trump blasts migration in Europe as causing 'culture' change Donald Trump has blamed migrants in Europe for what he inaccurately described as a rise in crime in Germany and for violently changing the culture. The US President also waded into the political crisis facing Chancellor Angela Merkel Monday, declaring that the German people were 'turning against their leadership' over immigration. 'We don't want what is happening with immigration in Europe to happen with us!' he said in a pair of tweets. Trump's highly intrusive comments came as Merkel was fighting to save her coalition government amid demands by her interior minister to turn back immigrants at the border. The US President added that what was happening with immigration in Germany presented a similar threat to the United States. 'The people of Germany are turning against their leadership as migration is rocking the already tenuous Berlin coalition. Crime in Germany is way up. Big mistake made all over Europe in allowing millions of people in who have so strongly and violently changed their culture!' Trump, said in a tweet. Donald Trump has blamed migrants in Europe for what he inaccurately described as a rise in crime in Germany and for violently changing the culture Trump's administration is facing strong criticism from rights activists, Democrats and some in his own Republican Party for separating children from their parents at the US-Mexican border, a policy aimed at deterring illegal immigration. Crime has fallen off dramatically in Germany, with the country's internal ministry reporting last month that criminal offenses in Germany totaled 5.76 million in 2017, the lowest number since 1992, leading to the lowest crime rate for the country in more than 30 years. However, despite an overall drop in crime in 2017, statistics released in May revealed Germany has seen an increase in anti-Semitic incidents. Interior Minister Horst Seehofer noted the increase in attacks on Jews, in particular by non-German perpetrators. A month earlier, Chancellor Angela Merkel called an attack on a Jewish man in Berlin by a Syrian migrant a 'new form of anti-Semitism', and Seehofer said his office is taking the issue seriously. Merkel's open-door migrant policy is widely blamed for the rise of the right-wing AfD, now the main opposition party in Germany's federal parliament. More than 1.6 million migrants, mostly Muslims fleeing wars in the Middle East, have arrived in Germany since 2014. Advertisement A CSU leadership meeting in Munich unanimously backed Seehofer's plan to give Merkel until the end of the month to find a solution with other EU countries, dpa reported, citing unidentified participants in the ongoing meeting. Monday's compromise means Seehofer can introduce immediate expulsion for one subset of migrants. 'We wish the chancellor much luck,' Seehofer told a news conference in Munich, announcing that he would nonetheless issue orders for people who have already been expelled to be turned back at the borders. 'This is not about winning time or anything like that but rather that in July, if there is no result at European level, we must implement this - that is a question for the functioning of our constitutional state,' he added. Merkel welcomed compromise in the dispute, which has threatened to destabilise a coalition cobbled together just three months ago, and said her Christian Democrat (CDU) party would decide how to proceed after the two-week deadline elapsed. 'After the European Council, the (CDU) party presidency will decide what to do next,' she told a news conference. 'There is nothing automatic.' Merkel has insisted that an EU-wide settlement can be reached at a June 28-29 Brussels summit, and says Seehofer's plan to turn away migrants who have previously been expelled would prejudice her chances of reaching that deal. The row threatens to spell the end of Merkel's 13-year rule of Germany within days. An act of rebellion from Seehofer could force her to sack him, which 'would be the end of the government and the alliance between CDU and CSU,' an unnamed CDU source told Bild. It comes after a CSU MP suggested Merkel could be ousted by next week if she doesn't come up with a plan for the migrant crisis. Kai Whittaker, a member of Ms Merkel's Christian Democratic Union, said infighting could weaken the ruling coalition and make her position untenable. He said Germany could have a 'new situation' by the end of next week - later clarifying that he meant 'probably a new Chancellor'. Merkel is desperate to find a common European solution to the migrant crisis at the June 28-29 European Union summit. Seehofer has been one of the fiercest critics of Merkel's liberal stance that allowed a million asylum seekers into Germany since 2015. Merkel now has a two-week ultimatum, with the Herculean challenge of persuading EU governments to sign up to a common plan on the migrants. Central and eastern EU nations such as Hungary and Poland have either refused outright or resisted taking in refugees under an EU quota system that has essentially floundered. Italian navy vessel Orione is pictured carrying migrants to the Spanish port of Valencia yesterday amid a growing crisis over how to deal with asylum seekers arriving in Europe A populist-far right government in place in Italy, as well as the conservative-far right in power in neighbouring Austria, have also taken an uncompromising stance on immigration. EU states are deeply divided on how to deal with large numbers of people fleeing conflict, especially from the Middle East. The row boiled over this week when a boat carrying Libyan migrants rescued at sea was refused permission to dock on either Italy or Malta. As the two states refused to help, some 630 desperate migrants were left terrified and in desperate need of medical attention off the coast of Italy. They cried tears of joy as they were finally allowed in dry land in Spain today after nine-harrowing days at sea. But the heartbreaking case highlights the deep divisions on immigration which commentators warn could tear the EU apart. Merkel's talks on Monday evening with Italian Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte could prove crucial, if she is to have any chance of finding concordance in Brussels. How Merkel could be toppled by crisis A German MP has suggested Angela Merkel's 13-year rule over Germany could come to an end. Here is the possible chain of events that could lead to her being ousted: - Merkel's Coalition partners the CSU, led by Interior Minister Horst Seehofer, defy the chancellor and give the go ahead to turn away from the border migrants who have previously been registered in another EU country. - An act of rebellion from Seehofer could force her to sack him. - This 'would be the end of the government and the alliance' between Merkels' CDU and the CSU. - Weakened ruling coalition could make Merkel's position as chancellor untenable. Advertisement On Tuesday, she will huddle with French President Emmanuel Macron. Berlin is also reportedly preparing to call a meeting between Merkel and the leaders of several EU frontline nations in the migrant crisis ahead of the Brussels summit. Underlining the unenviable task ahead for Merkel, Welt daily said 'it would be almost a miracle if she emerges a winner from the next EU summit.' Three years after her decision to open Germany's borders to migrants fleeing war in Syria and Iraq and misery elsewhere, Merkel is still struggling to find a sustainable solution to end the grumbling from her Bavarian allies CSU over her liberal refugee policy. Popular misgivings over the massive migrant influx have given populist and anti-immigration forces a boost across several European nations, including Italy and Austria where far-right parties are now sharing power. In Germany, voters handed Merkel her poorest score in September's elections while giving seats for the first time to the far-right anti-Islam AfD. Several high profile crimes by migrants - including the 2016 Christmas market attack by a failed Tunisian asylum seeker as well as the recent rape-murder of a teenage girl allegedly by an Iraqi - have also helped to fuel anger. The NGO 'SOS Mediterranee' Aquarius ship is pictured coming into dock at the Spanish port of Valenica on Sunday morning. It was the second of three boats that finally arrived in Spain today after nine days at sea The case of a German teenager who was believed to have been stabbed to death in a supermarket by her Afghan asylum seeker boyfriend is due to be heard in court on Monday. With an eye on October's Bavaria state election, the CSU is anxious to assure voters that it has a roadmap to curb the migrant influx. Seehofer's 'masterplan' on immigration was meant to be the showpiece of the CSU's tough stance against new arrivals. But the interior minister was forced to cancel a planned presentation of his vision after Merkel disagreed with his proposal to turn some asylum seekers away at the borders, sparking last week's dramatic escalation of discord within the conservative bloc. For all the noise, the CSU knows that there is more at stake. Seehofer struck a more conciliatory tone when he told Bild on Sunday that 'it is not in the CSU's interest to topple the chancellor, to dissolve the CDU-CSU union or to break up the coalition. 'We just want to finally have a sustainable solution to send refugees back to the borders.' A mother of two who nearly took her own life last year has begun putting signs up on high-risk bridges to let people in the same position know that there is light at the end of the tunnel. Lisa Barnes, from Tameside in Greater Manchester, launched the 'Bridge the Gap' campaign last Saturday after considering suicide on a railway bridge before being talked down in 2017. She is hoping to place handwritten notes along all of the high-risk bridges in the Greater Manchester area so that people know they are not alone. The 46 year old told MailOnline: 'The message we are trying to give is that when you are on that bridge, in that really dark place, if you are looking for a sign not to do it here it is. Lisa Barnes, pictured here with husband Nick, daughter Molly, 18, and son Sam, 25, has begun placing messages of hope on high-risk bridges The 46-year-old manager suffered from depression from last year and was talked down from a railway bridge by a negotiator 'I was talked down by a negotiator, and Im here now to help other people and tell my story. 'Ring the Samaritans, ring the helplines, theres light at the end of the tunnel. What seems really bad today, tomorrow it doesnt seem as awful, and you are loved.' Mrs Barnes, who works as a manager for British Gas, named the campaign 'Bridge the Gap' because of the gap between her being talked down from the bridge and getting help. She added: 'The NHS is amazing, every person Ive dealt with has been amazing, but theyre underfunded. People can only do so much. 'I came home and my husband was looking after me, and so it was the gap between it happening and being able to afford counselling.' She is hoping her handwritten notes will give anyone in the same position pause to think, and potentially save a life. Mrs Barnes said: 'When I write them I really do mean what I say on them and I hope people can see that' Now Mrs Barnes is planning to expand her project through a GoFundMe page that hopes to raise money for further signs along more bridges After getting help Mrs Barnes found solace in mindfulness and messages such as 'suicide doesn't take away the pain, it gives it to someone else'. She is hoping that by placing similar messages on bridges she might be able to make someone pause to think, and potentially save a life. Mrs Barnes said: 'Theyre handwritten notes - its a personal note, its not just a plaque that some charity has donated. When I write them I really do mean what I say on them and I hope people can see that.' Greater Manchester Police have been working together with Mrs Barnes to put up the signs and identify other bridges to add them to. She has been 'blown away' by the support she has already received, with more than 180,000 views on her Facebook page in just over a week. Now Mrs Barnes is planning to expand her project through a GoFundMe page that hopes to raise money for further signs along more bridges. If you would like to donate to Mrs Barnes' GoFundMe page, please click here. For confidential support call the Samaritans in the UK on 116 123, visit a local Samaritans branch or go to www.samaritans.org for details. President Donald Trump, in a twitter rant on Sunday morning, repeated his charge that he's a target of 'witch hunt' when it comes to the Russia investigation as a new report revealed a previously unreported meeting between campaign officials and Russians. The president again defended himself against special counsel Robert Mueller's investigation into whether he obstructed justice in the Russia investigation and retweeted several of his previous tweets slamming former FBI director James Comey and Hillary Clinton. 'WITCH HUNT! There was no Russian Collusion. Oh, I see, there was no Russian Collusion, so now they look for obstruction on the no Russian Collusion. The phony Russian Collusion was a made up Hoax. Too bad they didn't look at Crooked Hillary like this. Double Standard!,' he wrote on Sunday morning. Trump lawyer Rudy Giuliani was on the Sunday morning affairs shows to defend the president and bash Mueller's investigation. President Trump was again tweeting he is the victim of a witch hunt Trump retweeted old tweets defending himself 'They can investigate from here to Timbuktu. They're not going to find a darn thing,' the former New York City Mayor told CBS' 'Face the Nation.' Giuliani also repeated his charge for the investigation to be investigated. 'I believe the the Mueller investigation should be investigated. Not because necessarily of Mueller but because of its genesis in this, very, very now, completely, almost illegal and unethical probe, this Russia probe,' he told CNN's 'State of the Union.' The latest defense from the president and his team comes after an inspector general report from the Department of Justice found Comey acted improperly. It also follows a report from The Washington Post that quotes former Trump campaign adviser Roger Stone as saying he met with a Russian man during the presidential campaign who wanted $2 million in exchange for damaging information on Clinton. Trump campaign adviser Roger Stone met with a Russian national who wanted $2 million in exchange for information about Hillary Clinton Stone told campaign aide Michael Caputo, who set up the meeting, it was a 'waste of time' Stone met with the man in May 2016 in Florida, which was set up by Trump campaign aide Michael Caputo. The meeting was previously unreported. Stone said he rejected the man's offer. 'You don't understand Donald Trump,' Stone said he told the man. 'He doesn't pay for anything.' Stone told Caputo the meeting was 'a waste of time.' Mueller is investigating the meeting, Caputo told the Post, and noted prosecutors asked him about it last month. Both Stone and Caputo allege the man, who called himself Henry Greenberg, was an FBI informant. 'If you believe that [Greenberg] took time off from his long career as an FBI informant to reach out to us in his spare time, I have a bridge in Brooklyn that I want to sell you,' Caputo told the newspaper. Stone said: 'I didn't realize it was an FBI sting operation at the time, but it sure looks like one now.' Records do not indicate that Greenberg - a Russian national - was an FBI informant, The Post reported. The documents do show he worked as informant in the past but stopped doing so after 2013. Greenberg denied to The Post that he was working on behalf of the FBI during the meeting. The meeting came at the same time as other episodes in which Russian interests approached the Trump campaign. Stone and Caputo's interactions with Greenberg mean that at least 11 Trump associates or campaign officials have acknowledged connecting with a Russian during the election season or presidential transition, according to The Post. Stone and Caputo told The Post in separate interviews they also did not disclose the Greenberg meeting during testimony before the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence because they had forgotten about it. Meanwhile, Team Trump continued to shift the focus onto actions of the FBI during the president election. Rudy Giuliani defended Trump: 'They can investigate from here to Timbuktu. They're not going to find a darn thing' Steve Bannon said Trump does not lie: 'I think he speaks in a particular vernacular that connects to people in this country' Former Trump adviser Steve Bannon said Attorney General Jeff Sessions needs to appoint a special prosecutor to examine actions taken by the FBI during that time. 'The attorney general of the United States, Jeff Sessions, good friend of mine, on Monday, he's got to put a special prosecutor on this,' Bannon said on ABC's 'This Week,' in reference to a section of the IG report that quoted texts between to FBI agents that did not want Trump to win the presidency. 'He has to put a special prosecutor. And that special prosecutor ought to call for a grand jury. And panel a grand jury and go with it. By the way, if he does not, I think the President of the United States, under Title II, ought to order' him to do it, Bannon said. 'This is to unearth a coverup. This is to get sunshine and accountability in this process. This IG report is just the beginning,' he added. Bannon also said the president has never lied. 'Not to my knowledge, no,' he said. 'I think he speaks in a particular vernacular that connects to people in this country.' The release of a Justice Department inspector general report on Thursday what Trump called 'a horror show' added more fuel to the White House's return-fire flamethrower. 'Maybe more importantly than anything, it totally exonerates me,' Trump said on Friday of the 568-page tome. 'There was no collusion, there was no obstruction, and if you read the report you'll see that.' 'What you'll really see, is you'll see bias against me and millions, and tens of millions of my followers. That is really a disgrace.' House Oversight and Government Reform Committee Chairman Trey Gowdy was asked if the report exonerates Trump. 'It certainly helps him,' he said. The report showed Comey presided over an agency where senior officials talked privately about how much they hated Trump and how far they would go to stop him from winning the White House. Peter Strzok and Lisa Page in particular were faulted for their biases. Thursday's bombshell report outlined conversations between Strzok and Page that had never before seen the light of day. In one message on August 8, 2016, Strzok reassured Page that she needn't worry about Trump winning the White House. Trump is 'not ever going to become president, right? Right?!' Page texted Strzok. 'No. No he's not. We'll stop it,' he responded. Trump has repeatedly tweeted the IG report exonerates him. 'The IG Report is a total disaster for Comey, his minions and sadly, the FBI. Comey will now officially go down as the worst leader, by far, in the history of the FBI,' he wrote. 'I did a great service to the people in firing him.' Trump also boasted that 'good instincts' led him to give Comey his walking papers amid political partisanship in the FBI, and expressed confidenve that his replacement, Christopher Wray, will restore order to the agency. Mueller is investigating whether Trump's firing of Comey was an attempt to obstruct the Russian investigation. A decorated Gurkha soldier who went to war with Prince Harry is battling the Home Office to stop his 75-year-old sister being deported to Nepal. Major Udaibahadar Gurung MBE served for around 50 years in the British Armed Forces and commanded HQ Company of 1st Bn Royal Gurkha Rifles, the unit Prince Harry deployed to Afghanistan with in 2008. His sister, Lal, a widow, shared his home in Colchester during his years of service. Lal, who is entirely dependent on her family and does not claim any public funds, is now facing being deported despite being in poor health and unwell. The courts refused an appeal by her family to allow her to stay earlier this year. And Major Gurung, who acted as Guard Commander for Her Majesty the Queen in 1998, has set up a petition on Change.org entitled 'Stop deportation of frail Nepalese lady'. If nothing changes in the next few weeks, Lal will be deported to Nepal where her old house has been unused since the 2015 earthquake and she has no family. Major Gurung (2nd left) on joining the Brigade of Gurkha's in November 1969 Major Gurung, said: 'I am paying for medical insurance every month, I take her to private GPs and we don't use the NHS. 'She is suffering from some major ailments, I'm not asking for help from the Government, I am asking for a visa so she can live well in this country as she has no-one in Nepal.' The family appealed the decision, and after speaking to their solicitors a second hearing was held at an upper tribunal in April this year. They were told they could make a fresh application for a visa, but Lal's circumstances must have changed for it to be approved. The Home Office believes Lal, who lost her husband in action in the Pakistan War in the 1970s, could have sufficient support back in Nepal, but her family disagrees. Major Gurung at Buckingham Palace when he was the Guard Commander for Her Majesty the Queen in 1998. Major Gurung continued: 'Lal was due to visit in May 2015 but the earthquake hit in April. 'She came to the UK and when her six months here was up she asked if she could stay as her home had been damaged. 'We applied for her to stay in September 2015 but this application was rejected by the Home Office.' Lal's home in Nepal has structural damage and is rat and cockroach infested.. She also has no family members there and will be alone. She said: 'Over the past few years I have been with my brother's family, I feel I am looked after extremely well. 'At the age of 75 I don't think I can be looked after so well by anyone in Nepal. 'Here I get loving home and care including excellent food. I like the UK so much. 'I live with my brother, his wife, son, daughter-in-law and their three-year-old son. 'I love to be with my nephew's son, he adores me. It will be very difficult for me to leave my whole family and return to Nepal.' Major Gurung (right) with Lal who is facing deportation (middle) at a wedding reception Lal, (2nd left) sister of Major Gurung (2nd right) with family in front of the Colchester Town Hall after the Remembrance Sunday in 2017 Major Gurung (right) with his sister Lal who came to the UK in 2015 (middle) and his wife (left) Major Gurung, Chair of the Colchester Nepalese Society, joined the Brigade of Gurkhas in 1969. After recruit training in Malaysia he served in, South Korea, Hong Kong, Brunei, New Zealand, the Falkland Islands, Germany, and the UK. A Home Office spokesperson said: 'All cases are carefully considered on their individual merits, including any compassionate circumstances, and in line with the UK immigration rules.' but the case was dropped A toddler who was thought to have accidentally drowned in a bath may have been drugged and transported into the water. Jordan Thompson was 21 months old when he was found unresponsive in his home in the NSW Hunter region on March 19, 2005 with a lethal dose of antidepressants in his system. Cecil Kennedy was in 2009 charged with manslaughter but the case was dropped after he claimed he left Jordan alone for 90 seconds and the toddler walked himself to the bath where he found him floating face down. But now new evidence has emerged that the boy was transported to the bathroom. A toddler (pictured) found with a lethal dose of antidepressants in his system was lethargic and nauseous several hours before his death A lab study of the bathwater found fibers likely from a blue blanket, which may suggest that the youngster was wrapped up and taken to the bath. Forensic expert Dr Susan Bennet told The Daily Telegraph: 'In my opinion these findings strongly support the theory that the blue bedspread is the source of a significant number of fibres from the bath water. Supporting this theory, experts said in an inquest in April that Jordan had so much amitriptyline in his body that he would have been knocked out. Police now believe Jordan died elsewhere in unit and was wrapped in the blanket so other children could not see him. Jordan's mother Bernice Swales told the Telegraph that she hopes the new evidence will let her 'finally get justice for Jordan.' In 2015, an inquest into the death at the Glebe Coroner's Court heard that traces of prescription medication were found in his vomit from when he was sick at 12pm that day. Jordan Thompson was 21 months old when he was found unresponsive in his home in the NSW Hunter region in 2005 A court previously heard Jordan was put to bed and appeared to have wet the bed when he woke up crying at about 5pm the evening he died. Cecil Kennedy, was at home looking after him at the time. Mr Kennedy told police Jordan then walked himself to the bath and was 'mucking around' while bathing. Mr Kennedy then left the bathroom for about 90 seconds, he said. 'On his return to the bathroom he saw Jordan face down in the water,' Counsel assisting Chris McGorey said. 'He described Jordan as soaking wet and feeling floppy.' Jordan's mother Bernice Swales arrived home soon after to find Mr Kennedy performing CPR on her baby boy. 'She then picked Jordan up and ran to the nearby hospital,' Mr McGorey said. His eyes were flickering and rolling around and his body was going limp. Efforts to resuscitate Jordan at hospital failed and he died at about 6.30pm. A post-mortem revealed significant amounts of antidepressants in his blood. The court heard at those dosage levels, Jordan would probably not have been able to walk or sit up unaided. However, Professor Olaf Drummer said the toxicity levels would have increased significantly after death. Prof Drummer could not say how much medication Jordan may have ingested. The little boy also had 'unusual bruises on his head and cuts on his feet. White House counselor Kellyanne Conway said Sunday 'nobody likes' to separate children from adults who are crossing the border illegally but she doubled down on the administration's line that it is up to Democrats to change it. 'As a mother, as a Catholic, as somebody who's got a conscience,' she said on NBC's 'Meet the Press,' I will tell you that nobody likes this policy.' She also echoed an argument made by President Donald Trump that it's in the hands of Congress to make the change. 'Congress passed the law that it is a crime to enter this country illegally. So if they don't like that law, they should change it,' she added. 'As a mother, as a Catholic, as somebody who's got a conscience,' Kellyanne Conway said,' I will tell you that nobody likes this policy.' Steve Bannon: 'It's a crime to come across illegally, and children get separated. I mean, I hate to say it, that's the law and he's enforcing the law' Trump is scheduled to go to Capitol Hill on Tuesday at 5:30 pm to speak with House Republicans about immigration reform. In early May, the Trump administration decided to prosecute adults caught crossing the border illegally, which requires children to be separated from those adults. Trump administration officials have repeatedly defended the policy of separating kids and adults, arguing that it acts as a deterrent against illegal immigration. Steve Bannon, Trump's former chief strategist, said the administration's 'zero tolerance' policy on immigration doesn't have to be justified. 'It's zero tolerance. I don't think you have to justify it,' Bannon told ABC's 'This Week' on Sunday. 'We have a crisis on the Southern border but the elites in the city want to manage situations to bad outcomes. And Donald Trump is not going to do that, he's just not going to kick the can down the road.' 'It's a crime to come across illegally, and children get separated. I mean, I hate to say it, that's the law and he's enforcing the law,' he said. 'Democrats and Republicans have spoken out against the practice. Rep. Beto O'Rourke, who is running for Senate in Texas against Republican Sen. Ted Cruz, said the process of separating families is 'inhumane.' 'I'd like to say it's un-American, but it's happening right now in America. And it's on all of us, not just the Trump administration,' he said on CNN's 'State of the Union' on Sunday. And Republican Sen. Lindsey Graham said on CNN on Friday that Trump could end the separate practice. 'President Trump could stop this policy with a phone call,' he said. 'If he can't [acknowledge] that, I'll go tell him 'if you don't like families being supported, you can tell DHS to stop doing it.' Trump administration officials have argued that the policy is in place because Democrats won't agree to negotiate stricter immigration laws. 'The president is ready to get meaningful immigration reform across the board,' Conway said on 'Meet the Press.' The president, too, has repeatedly blame Democrats for a policy his Sessions announced last month. Sessions has repeatedly touted the policy and it's necessity in appearance around the country and in interviews. 'I hate children being taken away. That's the Democrats' law,' Trump told reporters on Friday. 'The children can be taken care of quickly, beautifully and immediately. The Democrats forced that law upon our nation.' Trump has tweeted his blame of Democrats Last month, reportedly furious by record high numbers of illegal border crossings, Trump ordered new efforts to criminally prosecute anyone who crossed the border unlawfully. And on Sunday morning he retweeted a tweet from Saturday blaming Democrats for breaking up families. 'Democrats can fix their forced family breakup at the Border by working with Republicans on new legislation, for a change! This is why we need more Republicans elected in November. Democrats are good at only three things, High Taxes, High Crime and Obstruction. Sad!' Conway, meanwhile, claimed Democratic lawmakers are holding up funding that would allow the expansion of family detention centers. She called on Congress to simultaneously address Trump's border wall and the fate of the young immigrants left in limbo after the president rescinded the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program. 'This is an issue, and if the Democrats are serious and a lot of the Republicans are serious they'll come together, they won't just talk about the Dreamers or the wall or catch and release, it's all of the above,' Conway said. Department of Homeland Security figures obtained by The Associated Press on Friday showed that 1,995 minors were separated from 1,940 adults between April 19 and May 31. That's roughly 45 kids per day being placed in child immigrant detention centers. Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc (R) and Sabeco Chairman Charoen Sirivadhanabhakdi (Source: VNA) The reception took place on the occasion of the Vietnamese PMs trip to Thailand to attend the 8th Ayeyawady-Chao Phraya-Mekong Economic Cooperation Strategy Summit (ACMECS 8) and the 9th Cambodia-Laos-Myanmar-Vietnam Summit (CLMV 9). The PM spoke highly of ThaiBevs purchase of 53.59 percent of stakes in Saigon Beer Alcohol Beverage Corporation (Sabeco) with a value of nearly USD5 billion in the largest deal in Asia in late 2017, which was conducted in an open and transparent manner on the bourse. The event affirmed the Vietnamese governments stance on fighting corruption and negative phenomena in the equitisation of State-owned enterprises. As it is a high-value deal, the Vietnamese government supports ThaiBevs early joining in Sabeco executive board in line with Vietnams law, he said, expressing his belief that under the direction of ThaiBev, Sabeco will pay higher taxes to the State, abide by corporate operation regulations in accordance with Vietnamese law while upholding the value of Sabeco brand for the benefit of investors and Vietnamese brand. The Vietnamese government consistently follows the principles of equality, openness and protects legitimate interests of investors, including ThaiBev and Sabeco. Sirivadhanabhakdi, for his part, thanked the Vietnamese government for supporting ThaiBev in doing business in Vietnam and successfully purchasing Sabeco stakes in a transparent and open manner. He said ThaiBev wants to soon run Sabeco and has already prepared high-level personnel and devised a business plan to promote Sabecos growth. ThaiBev expects to build Sabeco into the leading beer brand in Vietnam with better quality and various designs, towards bringing more Sabeco products to the world market. Speaking highly of the Vietnamese governments management and policy enforcement, Sirivadhanabhakdi said Vietnam holds the potential of posting strongest growth in Southeast Asia. He wished that the government and agencies concerned would clear obstacles regarding taxation and finance for Sabeco. The corporate leader unveiled that ThaiBev will continue investing in other fields in Vietnam such as retail, consumer goods to contribute to economic development in the country./. First lady Melania Trump appeared on Sunday to break with the Trump administration's 'zero tolerance' policy on illegal immigrant children crossing into the United States with adult family members. The debate over the policy has focused on approximately 2,000 children who have been separated from their parents or adult guardians and transported to either government facilities or foster care. Resulting photos of the circumstances under which some of the minors are being housed have driven Democrats to decry the situation as 'heartless' and 'immoral' and to call for the use of discretion that would The first lady's spokeswoman Stephanie Grisham said in a statement to DailyMail.com, CNN and other outlets that 'Mrs. Trump hates to see children separated from their families and hopes both sides of the aisle can finally come together to achieve successful immigration reform.' 'She believes we need to be a country that follows all laws, but also a country that governs with heart.' First lady Melania Trump said Sunday that she wants to see an administration that 'governs with heart,' speaking about the unfolding crisis of illegal immigrant children being housed separately from adult guardians who are being prosecuted for jumping the U.S. border About 2,000 minors are being housed in specialized detention centers, drawing howls of protest from immigration advocates and Democratic lawmakers who oppose President Trump at every turn A national debate has erupted over how the children are being treated, with Democrats claiming they're being kept in cages and Republicans circulating photos like this one showing a teddy bear on a cot in one of the shelters While some of the holding centers are overcrowded, the Health and Human Services Department is trying to put a positive spin on a situation that the Trump administration says is an unavoidable consequence of strictly following existing immigration laws. An administration official said Sunday that the situation is no different from other criminals who are separated from their families while in jail awaiting trials What 'successful' immigration reform means, however, is in the eye of the beholder. The Justice and Homeland Security Departments are strictly applying immigration law, which treats border-jumpers as lawbreakers worthy of prosecution. The month-old 'zero tolerance' approach was put into place in response to a dramatic increase in the number of illegal immigrants being apprehended at or near America's southern border. That outcome, however, puts children who crossed the U.S.-Mexico border with them in the same category as children of other criminal defendants meaning they can't remain in custody with adults who are often their parents. 'It's the same as any other child who is left separated from a father or a mother who's held in jail pending prosecution of a criminal case,' an administration official told DailyMail.com on Sunday. That outlook is shared by Attorney General Jeff Sessions and the president. Trump tweeted Sunday that 'Democrats can fix their forced family breakup at the Border by working with Republicans on new legislation, for a change! This is why we need more Republicans elected in November. Democrats are good at only three things, High Taxes, High Crime and Obstruction. Sad!' U.S. Border Patrol agents took a father and son from Honduras into custody near the U.S.-Mexico border on June 12 President Trump has been blaming Democrats for refusing to go along with Republican immigration bills that would fund his border wall in exchange for legal changes in how many illegal immigrants are treated while their cases unfold In this case, however, the children are initially housed by the Department of Health and Human Services, compared to minor citizens who are left with a single parent or referred to civilian foster care. The official requested anonymity to speak freely, saying: 'There's no reason to treat any class of criminals differently than any other.' 'If Democrats want to change the law, they can come along with Republicans. That, however, will require a longer-term solution including more border security.' 'Border security' is the Trump administration's most common substitute language for the wall that Trump has promised since early in the presidential campaign. Aside from serving as legislative leverage to secure funding for the wall, the president and Sessions have repeatedly defended their chosen method of enforcing federal law, saying it has the added benefit of deterring future border-crossers. Protesters blocked an entrance to the headquarters of U.S. Customs and Border Protection during a protest on June 13, 2018 that included some Democratic members of Congress Another group of protesters chanted slogans outside an ICE detention center in downtown Los Angeles on June 14, part of a push to oppose new family separation policies The president has sometimes clumsily blamed Democrats for his policy, drawing howls of protests and claims Trump is a liar from commentators, immigration advocates and some news outlets as a whole, most notably CNN and The New York Times. Some in the administration have openly signaled their distaste with the policy and its effects. 'As a mother, as a Catholic, as somebody who's got a conscience ... I will tell you that nobody likes this policy, Trump counselor Kellyanne Conway said Sunday on 'Meet the Press.' She also tossed the political hot potato down Pennsylvania Avenue to Capitol Hill. 'Congress passed the law that it is a crime to enter this country illegally,' she added. 'So if they dont like that law, they should change it.' Trump counselor Kellyanne Conway said Sunday on 'Meet the Press' that 'nobody likes this policy,' but 'Congress passed the law that it is a crime to enter this country illegally. So if they dont like that law, they should change it' The policy of separating children from parents was sparsely applied during the Obama administration but there were cases where minors were held or referred to foster care while their parents were awaiting prosecution Senate Democrats remain the most persistent obstacles to a deal, refusing to join Republicans in a majority large enough to break a filibuster and bring a bill to a vote. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, a Republican, has refused to invoke a 'nuclear option' that Trump favors, abolition of the filibuster, a move that would allow Republicans to pass a White House-friendly proposal by the slimmest of margins. The president is expected to meet with the entire GOP caucus Tuesday in Congress to drive congressional Republicans toward either of two immigration bills stuck in legislative purgatory. Melania Trump last month unveiled a White House 'Be Best' initiative, a children's welfare platform focusing on 'well-being, social media use, and opioid abuse.' Former President Barack Obama gave one dad a special shout out this Father's Day. Lynell Jinks, 42, transforms his children's boring brown paper lunch bags into fascinating works of art by drawing anything from superheros, famous icons, activists, and even recreating the portraits of Barack and Michelle Obama. Impressed by Jinks' lunch bag drawings, the former president posted photos of the artwork to Instagram. 'Now this is a pretty cool dad move. Happy Fathers Day to all the great dads out there like Lynell Jinks, who creates beautiful art on his kids lunch bags to remind them to be proud of their own gifts,' Obama captioned the photo. The father-of-two from San Francisco told DailyMail.com that he is 'blown away' by the recognition and is now having his 'third-best Father's Day' after his first two as a new dad, of course. Barack Obama saw a photo of Lynell Jinks' brown paper bag artwork and posted it to his personal Instagram page wishing Jinks and all dads a Happy Father's Day Lynell Jinks, 42, draws stunning artwork and inspirational messages on his 11 and 12-year-old children's brown paper lunch bags On one of his daughter's bags, Jinks drew Lin Manuel Miranda as Alexander Hamilton and wrote, 'Zelina, don't throw away your shot!' The family-of-four traveled from San Francisco traveled to Washington DC in March to view Barack and Michelle Obama's official portraits Jinks, a creative director, told DailyMail.com he was inspired by the visit and recreated the portraits on his children's lunch bags 'I woke up this morning and a friend of mine sent me [Obama's post],' Jinks said. 'I woke my wife up and said ''look at this'' and she just started rubbing her eyes. We're all in shock,' he added. Jinks first drew artwork on his son's lunch bag about five years ago when his now 11-year-old son Izaac was going on a field trip. 'My wife said I should draw his name on the bag. I drew Iron Man but instead wrote Izaac Man,' he said. He said his daughter Zelina, 12, was shy in school. 'I drew Monster High on her bag as an ice breaker and conversation starter,' Jinks said. Working as an artistic and creative director, Jinks said his children never saw him draw, which made him feel very out of touch with his art. Last year, he decided to take one to two hours each night to illustrate something unique on each of his kids' lunch bags - and did so every day for a whole school year. He said his children have kept every single one after they use them for their lunch. 'The [drawings] would be of movies we watched or a song we listened to and it became a bonding experience for all of us,' Jinks said. Not only does he do illustrations on the bags, but Jinks also writes motivational messages to his children. On one of his daughter's bags, Jinks drew Lin Manuel Miranda as Alexander Hamilton and wrote, 'Zelina, don't throw away your shot!' His son's bag had a drawing of the real Alexander Hamilton and read: 'Izaac, stay young, scrappy and hungry!' The father-of-two drew Black Panther characters on his children's bags to take their lunch to school Jinks drew portraits of his children Zelina and Izaac on their brown paper lunch bags For an entire school year, Jinks would spend one to two hours a night drawing images from movies, characters, and icons, including Martin Luther King Jr on his children's lunch bags Jinks drew an image of Yoga for his son and Donald Duck for his daughter In March, the family-of-four flew from San Francisco to Washington, DC, where they visited the Smithsonian's National Portrait Gallery to view the official portraits of the 44th president and his wife. 'We went to see the portraits and there was a line just to see them,' Jinks said. 'We were so moved by it and I said ''I know what the next bags are going to be.''' He drew the presidential portraits and his kids took the lunch bags to school in April. The brown bag artwork had mostly received the praise of his children and social media followers, but his son's teacher was so impressed by the work she asked to keep it, to which Jinks said 'of course'. Through a mutual connection, the bag got in the hands of one of Obama's former secretaries. Earlier this week, Jinks was contacted by the Obama Foundation, but he said he never expected the former president himself to see and post his work. 'I'm blown away. It's awesome to have number 44 himself recognize it,' he said. The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette's cartoonist, Rob Rodgers, says he was fired after 25-years on the job for his scathing portrayals of President Donald Trump. Rogers said he saw his termination coming, after his last six cartoons were spiked from publication. His cartoons were often harsh critiques of the president's agendas, policies and politics. Rogers final cartoon that made print was of a heavy-set man representing America, impaled on a steel girder with 'trade war' written on it. The American is waving the flag with a voice bubble saying: 'Take that, Canada, Mexico and Europe.' One of Rob Rogers' recent illustrations that did not make print was this one depicting presumably illegal immigrants with their child being snatched away by Trump Rogers (pictured) was a Pulitzer Prize finalist in 1991 for his illustrations of then President Bill Clinton's scandalous affair with White House intern Monica Lewinsky A recently spiked cartoon depicts a 'caution' street sign, with Trump chasing after illegal immigrants and snatching their child from behind in a commentary on the administration's 'zero tolerance' policy on illegal immigration. In an editorial piece with the New York Times, Rogers said another indication of his eventual demise at the paper was an unusual conversation he had with his new boss a few months ago about changing the terms under which he had been working all these years. 'When I had lunch with my new boss a few months ago,' he wrote, 'he informed me that the paper's publisher believed the editorial cartoonist was akin to an editorial writer, and that his views should reflect the philosophy of the newspaper. That was a new one to me. I was trained in a tradition in which editorial cartoonists are the live wires of a publication as one former colleague put it, the "constant irritant".' In an interview with The Guardian, Rogers argues that suppressing voices over a specific subject is particularly dangerous. 'Suppressing voices in any situation is bad,' Rogers said. 'You want to have as many voices as you can and they are starting to have only one voice of the paper, and I think that goes against what a free press is all about especially when silencing that voice is because of the president.' His ouster at the long standing publication, for which Rogers was a finalist for the Pulitzer prize in 1991 for cartoons that targeted then President Bill Clinton's Oval Office escapades with intern Monica Lewinsky, was met with outrage from within the journalistic community, as well as the Mayor of Pittsburgh. Pittsburgh Mayor Bill Peduto released a statement about Rogers being shown the door at the Post-Gazette. He said: 'The move today by the leadership of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette to fire Rob Rogers after he drew a series of cartoons critical of President Trump is disappointing, and sends the wrong message about press freedoms in a time when they are under siege.' 'This is precisely the time,' the mayor, who has also been a target of Rogers' illustrations, added, 'when the constitutionally protected free press, including critics like Rob Rogers, should be celebrated and supported, and not fired for doing their jobs. This decision, just one day after the president of the United States said the news media is ''our country's biggest enemy,'' sets a low standard in the 232-year history of the newspaper.' On Saturday the publisher of the Post-Gazette defended the paper's decision to fire Rogers. 'He's just become too angry for his health or for his own good,' John Block, the publisher and editor-in-chief of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, told POLITICO. 'He's obsessed with Trump. 'I wanted clever and funny instead of angry and mean.' Rogers was fired on Thursday. He wrote an opinion piece in the New York Times in which he talks about the dangers of 'silencing a voice is because of the president' The Mayor of Pittsburgh also decried the publisher's decision to fire Rogers, despite being a target of the cartoonist's illustrations as well Rogers countered Block's narrative as to why he was fired, saying he simply covers the most urgent news of the day, which is typically Trump, and not about any presumed obsession with the president. 'If you look through my work, you will see that many cartoons had nothing to do with Trump,' he said, responding to POLITICO's request for comment. 'If I drew Trump more often than Block would have liked, it was because I base my cartoons on the most urgent topics at hand. Sadly, Trump provides that fodder every day. 'Mr. Block mistakes a strong opinion, particularly one he doesn't agree with, as anger. I see it as my job to critique injustices. I don't see that as anger, nor do many readers or fellow journalists.' Khaled Ismail, 50, has been struck off for groping a midwifes bottom as she delivered twins. She was one of four junior colleagues he targeted over a three-year period A senior gynaecologist who groped a midwifes bottom as she delivered twins has been struck off. Khaled Ismail, 50, put his hand on the nurse as she waited for the second baby to arrive. She was one of four junior colleagues he targeted over a three-year period. They were left embarrassed and fearful of reporting him because of his senior position, a tribunal heard. The midwife told how she felt a slow but gradual pressure on her left bottom cheek so she shifted her weight on to her right foot to move away from him only for the same thing to happen again. Ismail then moved his right leg so his inner thigh was pushing up against the back of her thigh, she said. The doctor, who was consultant in obstetrics and gynaecology at the Birmingham Womens Hospital, denied touching the four junior colleagues in a sexually motivated manner. But the hearing upheld the allegations, which happened between 2013 and 2015, and he was banned from the medical profession. The Medical Practitioners Tribunal Service in Manchester was told Ismail assaulted the midwife as she delivered twins and that he had no need to even be in the room. She told the tribunal: The way he did it was also very sly and made me question myself. They were left embarrassed and fearful of reporting him because of his senior position, a tribunal heard Ismail, who qualified at Ain Shams University in Egypt, also ran his little finger up and down the thigh of a PhD student during a meeting to discuss her studies, and, almost three years later, groped her bottom as she assisted him in surgery. The woman, known as Dr A, said she was left shocked and angry after the first incident and called her sister in tears to try and make sense of the situation. She told the tribunal: This whole experience has destroyed my life. The tribunal heard that Ismail, of Market Drayton, Shropshire, also slid his hand up and down another nurses thigh in a delivery suite and rubbed a womans leg during a meeting. Ismail denied the incidents, arguing evidence had been contaminated and that the women had discussed their allegations with each other. There were also rumours circulating in the Birmingham Womens NHS Foundation Trust at a time when Ismail was excluded relating to his arrest in 2014 for an incident on a train. The panel noted extensive and impressive testimonials provided by his colleagues but found the allegations proven, highlighting the opportunistic nature of the incidents. The Armed Forces need more cash to meet the resurgent threat from states like Russia, an MPs report has warned. The Commons defence committee called on the Government to start the process of moving the level of defence spending from 2 per cent to 3 per cent of total GDP. That would mean additional funding of around 20billion a year, bringing investment in defence to levels similar to those seen between the end of the Cold War and the mid-90s. The report said failure to finance the military on a sustainable basis makes it very difficult to implement a long-term strategy for defence needs. Financial stability is the only solution at a time when the UK faces a renewed threat from Russia, as well as increasing challenges from terrorism and cyber-warfare, MPs said. Democratic lawmakers joined hundreds of protesters outside an immigration detention facility in New Jersey on Sunday for a Father's Day demonstration against the Trump administration's practice of separating children from their parents at the U.S.-Mexico border. 'This must not be who we are as a nation,' said Representative Jerrold Nadler, one of seven members of Congress from New York and New Jersey who met with five detainees inside the facility, including three who said they had young relatives removed from their care after seeking asylum at the border. Seven Democratic members of the House of Representatives went to the facility to demand to see detainees - Nadler, Hakeem Jeffries, Carolyn Maloney, Adriano Espaillat, Frank Pallone, Bill Pascrell, and Albio Sires. When an ICE official noticed that there were cameras, she posted pieces of paper on the plexiglass divider so as not to be seen. That prompted one of the lawmakers to comment: 'You did wrong. You were doing fine up until now. Now you did wrong. 'What is this is America. This isnt Moscow!' The event in the city of Elizabeth came as news stories highlighting the family separations intensified political pressure on the White House, even from some of President Donald Trump's fellow Republicans. Democratic lawmakers (including Reps Jerrold Nadler, center, and Carolyn Maloney, second frim right) tried to gain access to an ICE facility in Elizabeth, New Jersey on Sunday where children have been detained Reps Albio Spires (left) and Bill Pascrell (right) try to gain access to the ICE detention facility Lawmakers said they had to wait at least 90 minutes before being allowed to speak to detainees Law enforcement officials (left) speak with the members of Congress. From right: Maloney, Nadler, Frank Pallone, Pascrell, and Adriano Espaillat U.S. officials said on Friday that nearly 2,000 children were separated from adults at the border between mid-April and the end of May. In May, Attorney General Jeff Sessions announced a 'zero tolerance' policy in which all those apprehended entering the United States illegally, including those seeking asylum, would be criminally charged, which generally leads to children being separated from their parents. The policy has drawn condemnation from medical professionals, religious leaders and immigration activists, who warn that some children could suffer lasting psychological trauma. The children are held in government facilities, released to adult sponsors or placed in temporary foster care. In South Texas on Sunday, several Democratic lawmakers, including Senator Jeff Merkley, were due to tour detention facilities to call attention to the policy, while Representative Beto O'Rourke, who is running for the U.S. Senate in Texas, said he would march with protesters to the border. 'This is inhumane,' O'Rourke told CNN. 'I'd like to say it's un-American, but it's happening right now in America.' Some moderate Republicans have also called on Trump to stop the separations. Senators Susan Collins and Jeff Flake wrote to White House officials on Saturday seeking more information on the policy. 'It is inconsistent with our American values to separate these children from their parents,' Collins said on CBS' "Face the Nation" on Sunday. Administration officials have defended the tactic as necessary to secure the border and suggested it would act as a deterrent to illegal immigration, while Trump has sought to blame Democrats, saying their support for passage of a broader immigration bill would end the separations. Trump's 'zero tolerance' policy generally leads to children being separated from their parents. The image above which was released on Sunday shows a child eating at an unaccompanied alien children program shelter in Brownsville, Texas 'As a mother, as a Catholic, as somebody who has got a conscience. ... I will tell you that nobody likes this policy,' White House adviser Kellyanne Conway said on NBC's Meet the Press on Sunday. 'You saw the president (say) on camera that he wants this to end.' Democrats have accused Trump of effectively turning the children into political hostages to secure stricter immigration measures, such as funding for a U.S.-Mexico border wall. 'Stop lying to the American people. This is your policy,' Democratic U.S. Representative Hakeem Jeffries said in New Jersey. A spokeswoman for Melania Trump told CNN on Sunday that the first lady 'hates to see children separated from their families' and hopes lawmakers from both parties can agree on immigration reform, in what was a rare public statement on a policy issue from the president's wife. Her 'Be Best' platform, unveiled in May, is dedicated to children's well-being. The administration continued to defend its actions on Sunday. Homeland Security Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen tweeted: 'This misreporting by Members [of Congress], press & advocacy groups must stop.' The lawmakers in Elizabeth waited about 90 minutes to gain access to the detention facility, which is operated for the U.S. government by a private contractor. While the legislators stood inside a cramped waiting room filled with relatives of detainees, a television showed an interview with Steve Bannon, the former senior adviser to the president whose hardline views on immigration helped shape Trump's presidential campaign and first months in office. Democrats in the U.S. House of Representatives will introduce legislation this week aimed at stopping separations, mirroring a similar Senate bill sponsored by Democrat Dianne Feinstein. But neither bill has much hope of securing enough support in the Republican-controlled Congress, let alone surviving Trump's veto pen. Roy Garcia, 43, attended the protest with his wife, Linda, and their sons, 8-year-old Julian and 11-year-old Sebastian. 'It's hard for me to enjoy Father's Day knowing what's happening to other children and families,' he said. 'It's heartbreaking.' The administration continued to defend its actions on Sunday. Homeland Security Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen tweeted: 'This misreporting by Members [of Congress], press & advocacy groups must stop. 'It is irresponsible and unproductive. 'As I have said many times before, if you are seeking asylum for your family, there is no reason to break the law and illegally cross between ports of entry. 'You are not breaking the law by seeking asylum at a port of entry. 'For those seeking asylum at ports of entry, we have continued the policy from previous Administrations and will only separate if the child is in danger, there is no custodial relationship between "family" members, or if the adult has broken a law. 'DHS takes very seriously its duty to protect minors in our temporary custody from gangs, traffickers, criminals and abuse.' Advertisement The annual Reno Rodeo Cattle Drive journeyed five days through the high desert leading up to the rodeo. Dozens of guests team up with professional cowboys to drive 300 cattle from Doyle, California to Reno, Nevada. The cattle reached Reno on Thursday for the The Reno Rodeo Cattle Drive, which celebrates the legacy of the 'Wild Wild West'. Visitors travel from around the globe to partake in this authentic western event. Even through the toughest weather the herd travels on towards the Reno Rodeo, an five-day long event where up to 60 guests join a team of volunteer cowboys to drive 300 head of rodeo steers through the desert from California to Nevada Masses of cattle are pictured travelling from Doyle, California to Reno, Nevada as a part of the Rendo Rodeo Cattle Drive The epic gathering sees wranglers, cattle, and cowboys gather to celebrate the legacy and lifestyle of the Wild Wild West Cattle are driven through the desert surrounded by the Nevada mountains for the Cattle Drive that attracts guests from across the globe to have a taste of the buckaroo lifestyle The epic gathering sees wranglers, cattle, and cowboys gather to celebrate the legacy and lifestyle of the Wild Wild West For many, the Reno Rodeo Cattle Drive is a chance to see the world through the lens of a true cowboy. 'Long, dusty afternoons are soaked up on horseback, navigating short-horned cattle through dusty plateaus and sunbaked sagebrush,' the Cattle Drive website reads. Food and supplies are transported in 1800s-style horse- or mule-drawn wagons that lug guests gear. Past participants say 'there's nothing like' the experience. The five days spent on horseback are long and can be grueling as the annual gathering goes on rain or shine. Hearty catered meals and an open bar are welcome staples to nights spent gathered around the campfire singing songs, sharing cowboy poetry and forging memories that will last a lifetime, the organization says. A wrangler feeds his horse during the journey towards Reno, Nevada, pictured above on Thursday in the middle of the desert Cowboys and cowgirls are pictured on their horses which they ride as they lead the cattle onward in the journey Detectives hunting for a man who allegedly kidnapped an 11-year-old girl and raped her for five hours in remote bushland tracked him down thanks to a bus dashcam. The 47-year-old 'nomadic' man was arrested in a vehicle stop in Hamilton, Newcastle, on Saturday. The unemployed man was then charged with kidnapping, six counts of aggravated sexual assault, and four counts of aggravated indecent assault. Scroll down for video A 'nomadic' man (pictured), who can't be named for legal reasons, 47, has been charged over the 'horrific' sexual attack Police used CCTV and dashcam footage to track down a man accused abducting an 11-year-old In the days after the horrific alleged attack, police examined CCTV and dashcam footage to trace the alleged child rapist's movements (pictured is one of the areas under investigation) In the end a dashboard camera from a bus provided the breakthrough needed, enabling police to arrest the man, who was driving a red Holden Commodore (pictured are police during the investigation) In the days after the horrific alleged attack, police examined CCTV and dashcam footage to trace the alleged child rapist's movements, The Daily Telegraph reported. In the end a dashboard camera from a bus provided the breakthrough needed, enabling police to arrest the man, who was driving a red Holden Commodore. The schoolgirl who was allegedly kidnapped and raped over five hours before being dropped off at a train station was described as a brave hero by police. Superintendent Brent Greentree commended the young girl on her courage - after she provided them with detailed descriptions which helped them in their investigation. Pictured circled in red is the man accused of kidnapping and raping a schoolgirl in Newcastle Pictured is the man accused of the brutal kidnapping and rape of an 11-year-old schoolgirl 'This brave little girl is certainly a hero,' Supt Greentree said. 'The courage she has displayed, and certainly her family, the heroism they have in supporting the police has just been fantastic and has ultimately led to this arrest.' The man who can't be named for legal reasons faced Newcastle Local Court on Sunday and did not apply for bail. He was remanded in custody and will appear on court again on June 20. In police video footage of the arrest, the man, who has his face blurred, can be seen sitting in his car while he is questioned by police officers. Strike Force detectives, assisted by local police, arrested the alleged attacker during a vehicle stop on Beaumont Street and took him to Newcastle Police Station. An 11-year-old girl was allegedly abducted and sexually assaulted during a five-hour ordeal in Newcastle (pictured are investigators at one of the crime scenes) The girl was allegedly threatened with a knife by a man who sexually assaulted her, police said (pictured is an area under investigation by police) The young girl was walking through Hudson Park on Terrance Street, Adamstown Heights, when she was allegedly approached and threatened by the man about 9.15am on Tuesday. He allegedly threatened the young girl with a knife before kidnapping her. He then drove her to bushland where he allegedly further sexually assaulted her. Just before 2.15pm, the girl was released at Kotara Railway Station, where she returned home and police were notified. The girl was taken to John Hunter Hospital for medical examination and later released. A crime scene was established at Hudson Park and forensically examined, and a manhunt was launched for the perpetrator. Dr Jane Barton is accused of prescribing fatal overdoses of opiate painkillers to patients while at Gosport War Memorial Hospital Grieving families last night called for a fresh police investigation into a retired GP who they accuse of being responsible for the deaths of their elderly relatives. Ahead of a major report into the deaths of hundreds of patients at Gosport War Memorial Hospital, they said they wanted 'criminal proceedings' if individuals were held to be culpable. Dr Jane Barton, dubbed 'Dr Opiate', has been accused of prescribing fatal overdoses of opiate painkillers to elderly patients while she worked at the hospital in Hampshire. Several of those who died had been admitted to the hospital for what their relatives thought were simple, routine procedures. A report into the affair will finally be published on Wednesday morning. It is said to have reviewed as many as 833 death certificates, the majority of which are thought to have been signed by Dr Barton. The deaths have already led to four police and Crown Prosecution Service probes, a General Medical Council hearing, various Health Service inquires and a special 'death audit' to find out why so many elderly patients died. But all have failed to result in any criminal prosecution of anyone involved. It means families have been battling for two decades for answers. Wednesday's review, which has cost 13million, will reportedly find Dr Barton responsible for shortening hundreds of lives through the prescription of diamorphine (heroin), a powerful painkiller. The investigation has been led by the former bishop of Liverpool James Jones, who led the Hillsborough independent panel. The report is set to be published on Wednesday, after former bishop James Jones conducted a four year 13million inquiry into the matter. Pictured: Gosport War Memorial Hospital Bridget Reeves accuses Barton of being responsible for the death of her grandmother Elsie Devine (pictured) who died at Gosport in 1999 aged 88, weighing just seven stone Last night, families and MPs insisted that if the report found that individuals were cuplable, it must lead to a fresh police inquiry and a potential criminal prosecution. The family of Stan Carby, a former naval officer, who was just 65 when he died withing 24 hours of being admitted for rehabilitation following a series of mini-strokes, called for a full probe into Dr Barton's actions. His daughter, Cindy Grant, said: 'The police never conducted a proper investigation into our allegations and it is time they looked at bringing criminal proceedings against those responsible. I think they ought to immediately look again at the case of Dr Jane Barton under whose care so many died.' Enid Spurgeon, then 92, was admitted to Gosport hospital after falling and fracturing her hip in March 1999. She was admitted to Haslar Hospital where the doctors operated on before being sent to Gosport for rehabilitation. But her family immediately had concerns for her welfare and she died after apparently being given powerful painkillers. Nephew, Carl Jewell, said: 'Obviously something should happen and people should be held accountable.' It is unclear how many deaths the Jones panel has reviewed, but the number of suspicious deaths on Dr Barton's watch could exceed the 92 cases previously examined by police. When asked about the forthcoming report at her Georgian townhouse in Alverstoke, Gosport, this week, Dr Barton said: 'I don't know what will be in the report, but I don't think it will be very pleasant. I've never spoken to the Press about what happened and I don't plan to now.' The death of Arthur 'Brian' Cunningham (pictured), was a 'monstrous cover-up', claims his stepson In an audit of care at the hospital, published by the Department of Health in 2003, a report concluded that 'a practice of almost routine use of opiates before death' was in place during Dr Barton's tenure. The report, written by Professor Richard Baker, covered the period 1988 to 2000, when Dr Barton worked there. The GMC investigation, completed in 2009, eight years after she was referred for a fitness to practice panel, found Dr Barton guilty of 'serious professional misconduct'. It heard she had a 'brusque, unfriendly and indifferent' manner and found her use of painkillers on the elderly ward was 'excessive, inappropriate and potentially hazardous'. Gillian Mackenzie said her mother, Gladys Richards, was admitted to recover from a hip operation and was prescribed morphine before her abrupt death She also displayed 'intransigence and a worrying lack of insight' and a 'failure to recognise the limits of her professional competence'. She was banned from prescribing injectable opiates or providing palliative care but was not struck off. Then in 2010, after reviewing the GMC findings and evidence heard at inquests into the deaths of ten patients, the CPS concluded 'the evidence is insufficient to provide a realistic prospect of conviction for an offence of gross negligence manslaughter... in respect of each of the ten deaths reviewed'. Dr Barton has twice been interviewed by police under caution over the 'potential homicide' of ten patients, but never charged. She refused to answer some questions put to her, according to a Hampshire police report. MPs last night hit out at previous investigations for 'failing' families and backed their calls for prosecutions if Wednesday's report points to any criminal activity. Norman Lamb MP, the former health minister who established the Hillsborough-style independent panel in 2014, told the Daily Mail previous investigations appeared to suggest there was 'no clinical justification' for the level of opioids administered in several cases. He said: 'If it points to potential criminality there absolutely has to be a new police investigation. The families have been extraordinarily let down by the system, the NHS and regulators.' Health minister Caroline Dinenage, whose constituency covers the hospital, said the Jones panel has investigated 'more deaths than they thought they would have to'. She added: 'Whatever they decide [including seeking prosecutions], the families will have my backing 100 per cent.' Ex-naval officer Robert Wilson, 74, was admitted with a broken shoulder. He allegedly told his son 'Help me son, they are killing me' Mr Jones will inform families of his findings in a closed session at Portsmouth Cathedral, before Health Secretary Jeremy Hunt makes a statement. Neither police nor the CPS would reveal whether they plan to re-open investigations after reading the report. There is no suggestion Dr Barton has committed a criminal offence. She is among several medical staff questioned over the years about the persistent allegations by relatives. Jean, 73, was bright as a button ... two days later she was dead Jean Stevens had entered Gosport War Memorial Hospital for rehab after a stroke at the age of 73. She was 'bright as a button' when she entered the now notorious Daedalus Ward in 1999. Yet she was quickly put on a cocktail of painkillers and sedatives and within two days was dead. Devoted: Jean Stevens and her husband Ernest in 1977 And her husband Ernest has been waiting for the truth about her death for nearly twenty years. The Second World War veteran, now 92, said: 'We had been planning a party for when she came home. 'But the next day I went in and she was just laid out. I asked a nurse what the matter with her was and she just said: 'I can't really tell you'. 'They had put her on a [drugs] pump straight away and she only opened her eyes once after that, just before she died. I truly believe my wife had quite a lot of time to go before she was put on those drugs.' Mr Stevens is now in failing health. He suffered a serious stroke followed by a heart attack in 2012. The great-great-grandfather, who served in the Royal Engineers and also worked as an ambulance driver, blames his fragile state on the stress of fighting for answers over his wife's death. 'I am past being angry now', he continued: 'The hospital admitted they had given her an overdose, a cocktail of drugs. But I still keep going over and over it in my mind. The GMC told me it would be sorted but it has never been. This report really is the last hope. I don't feel I am going to be here much longer, and I want some answers. It has been such a long 20 years. 'So many people like me... have died without knowing the truth about what happened. It is so sad. 'My wife Jean was perfect in every way. And I know she is looking down on me.' My mother wasn't in pain but they still gave her sedatives Gladys Richards was admitted to Gosport War Memorial Hospital in August 1998 for rehabilitation after a hip operation. But her family became extremely concerned that very strong painkiller and sedative doses were being given to their mother even though she wasn't in pain. Mrs Richards died in the hospital days later, aged 91. Daughter Gillian Mackenzie then became one of the first to raise concerns about the 'care' patients were receiving at the hospital. Loving mother: Gladys Richards died at the hospital in 1998 Mrs Mackenzie, now 85, said: 'She wasn't in any pain at all but they tried to give her diamorphine while we were there. 'I think they wanted to keep her heavily sedated so they didn't have to look after her. It was less work for the nurses.' She said she was told by nurse manager Philip Beed: 'I am going to make her life easier by giving her a shot of diamorphine.' But she added: 'I said 'No you will not. You are not going to give my mother diamorphine.' However Mrs Richards was later sedated and given pain killers on a continuous basis and died five days later. Mrs Mackenzie from Eastbourne, East Sussex, and sister Lesley O'Brien were horrified their mother died at the hospital despite being admitted for rehabilitation after a hip operation. Mrs Mackenzie believed her mother had been unlawfully killed and reported the matter to the police and the coroner. An investigation did not result in any charges and she decided to launch her own campaign for justice. In 2013 she was granted an inquest into the death. The coroner recorded a narrative verdict and the daughter continued on her campaign. For Mrs Mackenzie the 20 year battle for answers comes not a moment too soon. She has been battling cancer and other health problems herself and is praying she sees the day justice is done. She said she welcomed the latest inquiry, adding: 'It's been a massive cover up. The police, the coroner and lots of other people failed to take action and are all responsible. It's taken over my life. It is disgraceful.' A senior FBI agent who remains employed by the Bureau despite telling his lover in 2016 that they could together 'stop' Donald Trump from becoming president is willing to testify before Congress, his lawyer said Sunday. For supporters of the president, Peter Strzok's name has become synonymous with institutional bias at the Justice Department and a 'deep state' of anti-Trump collaborators whose influence runs through the agency's highest levels. But attorney Aitan Goelman told The Washington Post that Strzok 'wants the chance to clear his name and tell his story.' 'He thinks that his position, character and actions have all been misrepresented and caricatured, and he wants an opportunity to remedy that,' the lawyer said. FBI Special Agent Peter Strzok, who infamously texted his lover that the two of them could 'stop' Donald Trump from becoming president, is willing to testify before Congress voluntarily, his lawyer said Sunday Attorney Aitan Goelman wrote to House Judiciary Committee chairman Bob Goodlatte, who was preparing to subpoena Strzok, to say his client would testify before any congressional committee that invites him President Donald Trump sees Strzok and his lover Lisa Page as emblematic of a Justice Department with deep-seated biases against him, and has said he would prefer to see Strzok fired instead of keeping his senior job Goelman promised the Post that Strzok would answer questions without invoking his Fifth Amendment right against self-incrimination, a tantalizing guarantee for Republicans who have already been drafting a subpoena to drag him to Capitol Hill. Text messages between Strzok and FBI lawyer Lisa Page, both of whom worked on Special Counsel Robert Mueller's Russia probe, have given Republicans ample fodder to question the ongoing investigation. Strzok was a respected, veteran counterintelligence agent who helped lead the 2016 probe into Hillary Clinton's use of a private email server while she was secretary of state. That operation ultimately cleared her despite the presence of classified material among her messages and a conclusion that some of that material was accessed by foreign agents. Strzok was removed from the Russia probe in the summer of 2017 after the Justice Department found out about the texts. Texts between him and Page included observations about the 2016 election and criticism of Trump using words like 'idiot,' 'loathsome,' 'menace' and 'disaster.' Peter Strzok and Lisa Page were both working on Special Counsel Robert Mueller's Russia probe when their texts came to light; they commiserated in 2016 about Trump's rise to power but decided they could 'stop' him The amorous pair confided in each other their views about Trump, using words like 'idiot,' 'loathsome,' 'menace' and 'disaster' apparently not realizing that their cellphones and wireless accounts were subject to search by government investigators In one August 2016 exchange, Page wrote Strzok: '(Trump's) not ever going to become president, right? Right?!' Strzok responded: 'No. No he won't. We'll stop it.' House Judiciary Committee chairman Bob Goodlatte was preparing to subpoena Strzok when the FBI agent's lawyer told him it would be 'unnecessary' A DOJ inspector general report released Thursday found that exchange 'is not only indicative of a biased state of mind but, even more seriously, implies a willingness to take official action to impact the presidential candidate's electoral prospects. This is antithetical to the core values of the FBI and the Department of Justice.' Trump weighed in on the exchange on Twitter Friday morning, tweeting: 'Doesn't get any lower than that!' Still, investigators said they did not find 'documentary or testimonial evidence' that the bias affected the probe - a point echoed by Goelman last week. 'The IG concluded that there is no evidence that the political views of Special Agent Strzok and others in the FBI impacted the handling of the Clinton email investigation,' he said in a statement. Republican lawmakers remain at varying points along the spectrum from skeptical to outraged. President Trump has pulled no punches in criticizing Strzok and Page on Twitter, mocking them as 'the great lovers' who put their thumbs on the scales of the Clinton email probe and then conspired to ensnare him in a post-election Russia probe House Judiciary Committee chairman Bob Goodlatte, a Virginia Republican, on Friday told his Democratic counterpart, New York Rep. Jerry Nadler, that he planned to subpoena Strzok. That triggered a two-day waiting period before a subpoena could be issued. Goelman wrote to Goodlatte on Sunday, saying a subpoena is 'unnecessary.' Strzok 'intends to voluntarily appear and testify before your committee and any other Congressional committee that invites him,' he pledged. Goelman told CNN on Sunday that 'Pete is central to this story. We should let the American people see who he really is.' Trump tweeted his anger at Strzok and fired FBI director James comey on Saturday. 'The IG Report totally destroys James Comey and all of his minions including the great lovers, Peter Strzok and Lisa Page, who started the disgraceful Witch Hunt against so many innocent people,' he wrote. 'It will go down as a dark and dangerous period in American History!' Vietnam stands ready to step up relations with Haiti. (Photo: crossed-flag-pins.com) During the meeting, the Vietnamese diplomat suggested both sides enhance delegation exchanges, bolster cooperation in economy, trade, investment, telecommunications and agriculture as well as coordinate closely at multilateral forums. On the occasion, he conveyed President Tran Dai Quangs invitation to the Haitian leader to visit Vietnam. For his part, Haitian President Moise expressed his admiration for Vietnams culture, history and achievements in the Doi moi (reform) process and international integration. He appreciated Vietnams good will and expressed his hope to further the bilateral ties with Vietnam. The President also spoke highly of the telecommunications cooperation project between the two nations. NATCOM, a joint venture between Viettel and the Haitian government, has contributed substantially to the infrastructure development and media connection in the country. This is a vivid illustration for the practical and effective cooperation of both sides, he noticed. Meeting with Haitian Prime Minister Jack Guy Lafontant, Ambassador Thanh congratulated Haiti on its recent success in economy, society and diplomacy and briefed the host on Vietnams achievements in Doi moi and global integration. Lafontant committed to creating favourable conditions for Vietnamese enterprises to effectively and sustainably expand their investment in Haiti, calling for more Vietnams investment in agriculture and garment and sharing of experience in response to climate change and sustainable development. Regarding regional issues, including issues in the East Sea, the Haitian PM said that cooperation is necessary to promote peace, stability, security, and respect for international regulations. All of the disputes, including those at sea, must be handled in a peaceful manner based on international principles and regulations, especially the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) 1982, he said. During his stay, Ambassador Thanh also had meetings with Minister of Foreign Affairs and Religious Affairs Antonio Rodrigue, and Minister of the Interior Jean Marie Raynando Brunet, during which they discussed measures to promote bilateral and multilateral relations in the coming time. They said that both sides should cooperate in potential fields like telecommunications, agriculture, food security, energy and trade. The two sides agreed to accelerate the operation of a joint committee on trade and investment and kick off negotiations towards signing an Investment Promotion and Protection Agreement and the Double Taxation Avoidance Agreement./. David Dimbleby is the face of Question Time where he has spent over 20 years at the helm David Dimbleby announced last night that he will leave Question Time at the end of the year after 25 years at the helm. After years of speculation over his future, the veteran broadcaster said he is leaving the BBC's flagship political debate programme to become a reporter again. Mr Dimbleby, 79, said it had been 'exhilarating following the twists and turns of British politics' and a privilege to bring 'voters face to face with those in power'. BBC bosses on Sunday described him as a 'titan in British broadcasting' who has been a 'brilliant champion of the public'. However the corporation remained tight-lipped over who might replace him. Kirsty Young, the presenter of Desert Island Discs on Radio 4, and Newsnight presenter Kirsty Wark are considered to be the favourites to succeed him. Ms Wark said she was ready to throw her 'hat in the ring' for the role in an interview last month. Newsnight presenter Kirsty Wark and Desert Island Disks Host Kirsty Young could succeed him David Dimbleby pictured in 1974. The veteran TV presenter is standing down from the helm of the nationally loved Question Time David Dimbley and his wife Belinda Giles at Browns Hotel. The pair wed in 2000, after first getting together in 1993 Ms Wark told Good Housekeeping magazine: 'I think there will be many people [applying] when David Dimbleby decides he doesn't want to do it any longer,' she said. 'I think I will be one of them, but I'm sure lots of people will throw their hats in the ring for that.' Other candidates are said to include Victoria Derbyshire and Newsnight presenter Evan Davis. Mr Dimbleby, who took over from Peter Sissons in January 1994, will sit in the chair for the final time on December 13. The programme was originally hosted by Robin Day. Mr Dimbleby has presided over every BBC election night broadcast since 1979, as well as Budget Days and local, European and American elections. The broadcaster also fronts the BBC's coverage of the annual Remembrance Day service at the Cenotaph and other state occasions. Corporation chiefs refused to say whether he would continue in these roles. Who could replace David Dimbleby on Question Time? Victoria Derbyshire is tipped to be in the running to take David Dimbleby's job Victoria Derbyshire Victoria Derbyshire, 49, a Bafta-winning journalist and presenter, is also thought to be on the shortlist. The former Newsnight presenter is famed for her gentle but dogged interview technique. She won plaudits for making video diaries of her treatment for breast cancer. Kirsty Young Kirsty Young, 49, may be in with a chance after her widely-praised Royal Wedding coverage last month. The Desert Island Discs presenter was one of the original newsreaders on Channel 5 News. She also previously presented Crimewatch on BBC One. Evan Davis Mr Davis, 56, is a presenter of Newsnight. But having been found guilty of breaching the BBC's impartiality rules last year after seemingly favouring Emmanuel Macron over Marine Le Pen in the French presidential election, Mr Davis's likelihood of getting the role may be threatened. Kirsty Wark Kirsty Wark is also no stranger to current affairs and news programmes, having presented Newsnight since for over two decades, since 1993. Mrs Wark, 63, has an ascerbic, efficient interview style. Many may remember when she came to blows with the then-First Minister of Scotland, Alex Salmond during an interview in 2007. The BBC subsequently received over 100 complaints. She has spoken openly about dealing with the menopause and has advocated we have a four-day work week so we have time to learn new skills. Newsnight's Emily Maitlis and Dragons' Den host Evan Davis are also in the running Emily Maitlis In the running for the coveted position is Newsnight presenter and BBC election coverage extraordinaire, Emily Maitlis. The Cambridge-educated journalist, 47, has already worked closely with current host David Dimbleby when they covered the US elections together in 2012. The mother-of-two has suffered at the hand of a persistent stalker, Edward Vines, who she met as a platonic friend at university. In January this year, he breached his third restraining order against the television star and was jailed for three years and nine months. Mrs Maitlis was a central figure in the BBC's recent gender pay gap row, with her agent saying it was 'beyond madness' that she was not among some of the best paid presenters at the corporation. Andrew Marr Following a stroke in January 2013, Andrew Marr, 58, has suffered from ill health, but his efforts to continue with his Andrew Marr Show on BBC1 every Sunday have tested and proven his dedication to political interviewing and commentary. Marr, who earns more than 400,000, used to be editor of The Independent newspaper. Veteran broadcasters Andrew Marr and Jeremy Vine have also been tipped for the role Jeremy Vine Jeremy Vine, 53, shocked the nation when he decided to take a hiatus from broadcasting to star on BBC One's Strictly Come Dancing. Partnered with Karen Clifton, he wowed audiences with his salsa to Michael Jackson's 'Thriller' on the Halloween episode. But Mr Vine was previously known as an altogether more serious character, having presented the BBC's The Politics Show from 2003 to 2005. As a journalist, he has reported on the Angolan Civil War, interviewed Robert Mugabe and covered elections in Algiers and Kenya. In September he will take over from Matthew Wright as the presenter The Wright Stuff on Channel 5. Advertisement David Dimbleby married British cookery writer Josceline Gaskell at Kensington Register Office. He is now married to TV producer Belinda Giles David Dimbleby took over Question Time from Peter Sissons who had presented the show between 1989 and 1993 The 2015 election was set to be his last, with BBC News presenter Huw Edwards due to take over. But when Theresa May announced the snap election last year, there was a behind-the-scenes tussle resulting in a BBC announcement that Mr Dimbleby would front it. He scotched speculation that he might hand over the reins of the election coverage four years ago by saying: 'I don't have any instinct to make way gracefully. I shall be dragged kicking and screaming from my chair.' Announcing his decision to leave Question Time, he said last night: 'At the end of the year I will have been chairing Question Time for a quarter of a century and I have decided that this is the right moment to leave. 'It has been a privilege to work for a programme which brings voters face to face with those in power. It has been exhilarating following the twists and turns of British politics from John Major in 1994, through the Blair and Brown years to Cameron and May. 'I am not giving up broadcasting. Instead, after years in the studio, I now plan to return to my first love: reporting.' Mr Dimbleby, who got a tattoo of a scorpion on his back at the age of 75, started broadcasting for the BBC 57 years ago as a news reporter in Bristol after leaving Christ Church college in Oxford with a degree in politics, philosophy and economics. David Dimbleby, 79, from Surrey, is a veteran broadcaster who has been the face of the BBC's election coverage for years. David Dimbleby has even appeared on daytime TV show Loose Women. He told the all-female panel about his first tattoo which represents him being a Scorpio He presented the BBC's coverage of the first Europe referendum in 1975, a role he repeated in 2016 when the country voted for Brexit. The presenter had to compete for the coveted job of Question Time host with Jeremy Paxman with both men filming pilot shows as an audition. Mr Dimbleby, who is paid about 450,000 to front the show, said later: 'The BBC turned it into a prize fight, not me.' Although best known now for election nights and Question Time, he was at his post for the funerals of Diana, Princess of Wales and the Queen Mother. His name has been mentioned as a possible director-general of the BBC. Last night current director-general Tony Hall said: 'David has been at the helm of Question Time for over 25 years: a brilliant champion of the public and the audiences' friend - getting the answers they want on the big and difficult issues of the day. Presenters Anna Ford and David Dimbleby at the British Film Academy Awards Ceremony in 1989 Dimbleby has covered the most important news stories in the UK. Pictured: The BBC's studio set for an election programme with presenters David Dimbleby, Fiona Bruce, Jeremy Paxman and Peter Snow David Dimbleby's funniest moments on Question Time When told by John Prescott that he was called Dimblebot on Twitter, Dimbleby replied: 'I do know I'm called Dimblebot and I know there is a Dimbledance and I can do it, too... but this is neither the time or the place.' After committed Remainer Terry Christian repeatedly talked over the host and other panellists, Dimbleby told him: 'OK, let's stop, stop, stop, stop, stop, please. It's getting boring, boring, boring. If we're going to have arguments conducted like this, I can see why people get bored.' David has hosted Question Time since 1994 and has become the face of the BBC's election coverage. He said 2015 would be his last but he returned in 2017 to cover the snap election When an audience member refused to stop talking while guests were trying to speak, Dimbleby said to rapturous applause: 'I think you ought to leave.' During a debate on the EU referendum a year before the vote, he tried to move on from the topic by saying: OK, let's leave the EU for the moment.' After much laughter, he added: 'Only for the moment.' In 2013, when Boris Johnson warned against 'an orgy of banker bashing', comedian Russell Brand joked: 'An orgy of any kind would be great, but one that focuses on banker bashing would be the best kind of orgy I could imagine.' When Dimbleby gently mocked Jacob Rees-Mogg for attending Eton, the Tory MP replied: I was at school with your son.' Speaking of politicians on the show, he said: 'What they most dislike is the question that catches them off guard and the humiliation of being publicly mocked.' Advertisement 'Always a commanding figure, David has ensured Question Time has not only stayed relevant through the years, but a must watch for those interested in politics and current affairs. He is a titan in British broadcasting.' BBC's director of content Charlotte Moore, said: 'He has led Question Time through times of momentous political change, allowing the audience to set the agenda and hold those in power to account. Thursday nights have become essential viewing for anyone who wants to be part of the current debate.' Director of News, Fran Unsworth added: 'He's been a commanding figure in the chair and has been at the forefront of the biggest debates over the last 25 years. He has our huge thanks for holding politicians to account and ensuring the voice of the nation is heard.' David Dimbleby David Dimbleby receives an honorary Doctorate of Letters from the University of Brighton in 2009 David Dimbleby is the face of Question Time where he has spent over 20 years at the helm After 25 years in the Question Time hot seat, David Dimbleby announced on Sunday he was leaving the BBCs flagship political debating programme. The 79-year-old broadcaster said he was leaving at the end of the year to become a reporter again. Dimbleby said it had been exhilarating following the twists and turns of British politics, and a privilege to bring voters face to face with those in power. BBC bosses described him as a titan in British broadcasting who had been a brilliant champion of the public. However, the corporation remained tight-lipped over who might replace him. Kirsty Young, the presenter of Desert Island Discs on Radio 4, is widely considered to be the favourite. Other candidates are said to include Victoria Derbyshire, whose eponymous current affairs programme is on BBC2, and Newsnight presenter Evan Davis. David Dimbleby pictured in 1974. The veteran TV presenter is standing down from the helm of the nationally loved Question Time David Dimbleby married British cookery writer Josceline Gaskell at Kensington Register Office. He is now married to TV producer Belinda Giles Dimbleby, who took over from Peter Sissons in January 1994, will sit in the chair for the final time on December 13. The programme was originally hosted by Robin Day, who died in 2000. The veteran, who is paid about 450,000 to present the show, has presided over every BBC election night broadcast since 1979, as well as Budget Days and local, European and American elections. He also presents the BBCs coverage of the annual Remembrance Day service at the Cenotaph and other state occasions. Corporation chiefs refused to say whether he would continue in these roles. The 2015 election was set to be his last, with BBC News presenter Huw Edwards due to take over. But when Theresa May announced the snap election last year, a behind-the-scenes tussle resulted in a BBC announcement that Dimbleby would present it. Who could replace David Dimbleby on Question Time? Victoria Derbyshire is tipped to be in the running to take David Dimbleby's job Victoria Derbyshire Victoria Derbyshire, 49, a Bafta-winning journalist and presenter, is also thought to be on the shortlist. The former Newsnight presenter is famed for her gentle but dogged interview technique. She won plaudits for making video diaries of her treatment for breast cancer. Kirsty Young Kirsty Young, 49, may be in with a chance after her widely-praised Royal Wedding coverage last month. The Desert Island Discs presenter was one of the original newsreaders on Channel 5 News. She also previously presented Crimewatch on BBC One. Evan Davis Mr Davis, 56, is a presenter of Newsnight. But having been found guilty of breaching the BBCs impartiality rules last year after seemingly favouring Emmanuel Macron over Marine Le Pen in the French presidential election, Mr Daviss likelihood of getting the role may be threatened. Andrew Marr Following a stroke in January 2013, Andrew Marr, 58, has suffered from ill health, but his efforts to continue with his Andrew Marr Show on BBC1 every Sunday have tested and proven his dedication to political interviewing and commentary. Marr, who earns more than 400,000, used to be editor of The Independent newspaper. Advertisement David has hosted Question Time since 1994 and has become the face of the BBC's election coverage. He said 2015 would be his last but he returned in 2017 to cover the snap election David Dimbleby took over Question Time from Peter Sissons who had presented the show between 1989 and 1993 David was married to British cookery writer Josceline Gaskell, with whom he shares three children, Liza, founder of the food chain Leon, Henry and Kate David Dimbleby, 79, from Surrey, is a veteran broadcaster who has been the face of the BBCs election coverage for years. David Dimbleby has even appeared on daytime TV show Loose Women. He told the all-female panel about his first tattoo which represents him being a Scorpio In 2014 he told how hard it would be to hand over the reins of the election coverage, saying: I dont have any instinct to make way gracefully. I shall be dragged kicking and screaming from my chair. Last night, he said: At the end of the year I will have been chairing Question Time for a quarter of a century, and I have decided that this is the right moment to leave. I am not giving up broadcasting. Instead, after years in the studio, I now plan to return to my first love: Reporting. Dimbleby, who at 75 had a scorpion tattooed on his back, began at the BBC 57 years ago as a news reporter in Bristol after leaving Oxford with a degree in politics, philosophy and economics. He led the BBCs coverage of the Common Market referendum in 1975, a role he repeated in 2016 when the UK voted for Brexit. Although best known now for election nights and Question Time, he led coverage of the funerals of Diana, Princess of Wales, and the Queen Mother. His name has also been mentioned as a possible director-general of the BBC. Last night, BBC director-general Tony Hall described him as a brilliant champion of the public and the audiences friend getting the answers they want on the big and difficult issues of the day. Presenters Anna Ford and David Dimbleby at the British Film Academy Awards Ceremony in 1989 In 2013 David had got his first tattoo aged 75 - a scorpion on his right shoulder. He announced he would stand down from the helm of Question Time on Sunday Dimbleby has covered the most important news stories in the UK. Pictured: The BBC's studio set for an election programme with presenters David Dimbleby, Fiona Bruce, Jeremy Paxman and Peter Snow The Question Time host is one of the most recognised faces in television in the UK David Dimbley and his wife Belinda Giles at Browns Hotel. The pair wed in 2000, after first getting together in 1993 David Dimbleby David Dimbleby receives an honorary Doctorate of Letters from the University of Brighton in 2009 A national day will be held to recognise and honour the Windrush generation, the Government has announced. The annual celebration will take place every June 22, the date around 500 migrants from the West Indies arrived in the UK on the cruise ship Empire Windrush after the Second World War. Communities minister Lord Bourne, speaking days before the 70th anniversary, said it would help recognise and honour the enormous contribution of those who arrived in 1948 to help the country rebuild, as well as their descendants. He told activists that the day will be supported by a grant of up to 500,000, overseen by a panel of British-Caribbean representatives, that will be offered each year to charities and community groups to hold events. It will keep their legacy alive for future generations, ensuring that we all celebrate the diversity of Britains history, Lord Bourne said. A national day will be held to recognise and honour the Windrush generation on June 22, the Government has announced Windrush Foundation director Arthur Torrington said the announcement was a moment of great satisfaction. It will cement in the national consciousness the important contribution of those who travelled from the Caribbean to Britain 70 years ago to build a better life and participate in making Britain a stronger nation, he said. A national service of thanksgiving will also be held this Friday at Westminster Abbey to commemorate the 70th anniversary. At the time of their arrival, every Windrush migrant had an automatic right to stay, but many never applied for passports or were formally naturalised. Changes to immigration rules in 2014, dubbed the hostile environment strategy, then meant some Windrush migrants were treated as illegal immigrants and left unable to rent properties, work, open bank accounts, access NHS treatment or hold driving licences. In some cases, they were wrongly detained and deported. The scandal led to Amber Rudd resigning as home secretary earlier this year, and her predecessor at the Home Office, Theresa May, came under fire for the strategy. Sajid Javid, who replaced Miss Rudd, signalled a softening of immigration policy under his leadership. He pledged to do right by the Windrush generation and told MPs: When I heard that people who were long-standing pillars of their community were being impacted for simply not having the right documents to prove their legal status in the UK, I thought that it could be my mum, my brother, my uncle or even me. Last month Mr Javid told the Commons home affairs select committee that 63 members of the Windrush generation may have been wrongly deported. Suge Knight is reportedly trying to get out of jail for a day to attend his mother's funeral. His mother, Maxine Chatman, 77, died Sunday at a hospital in Paramount, California, according to TMZ. Chatman had suffered a stroke last month and her health had been deteriorating ever since. Her lungs recently collapsed and she had kidney failure. Suge Knight (pictured in May) is reportedly trying to get out of jail for a day to attend his mother's funeral His mother, Maxine Chatman (center), 77, died Sunday at a hospital in Paramount, California. Chatman had suffered a stroke last month and her health had been deteriorating ever since Knight's family is now trying to see if the court will let the Death Row Records co-founder out of jail so he can attend his mother's funeral. Last year, a judge allowed the jailed rap mogul an opportunity to see his ailing mother. At the time, Knight, who was charged with murder, had been blocked from seeing family and receiving mail or phone calls while awaiting trial. The 52-year-old pleaded not guilty to murder and attempted murder charges filed in 2015 after he ran over two men outside a burger stand in Compton, California. Knight was a key player in the gangster rap scene that flourished in the 1990s and has been kept under tight security since he turned himself in to authorities after the fatal altercation in January 2015. His lawyers have said Knight was acting in self-defense when he ran over Cle 'Bone' Sloan, who was punching Knight through the window of his pickup truck, and Terry Carter, who died from his injuries. Last year, a judge allowed the jailed rap mogul an opportunity to see his ailing mother (left, with his father). At the time, Suge (right, in 2011), who was charged with murder, had been blocked from seeing family and receiving mail or phone calls while awaiting trial The incident happened in Compton near Los Angeles, California. He faces potential life sentences if convicted because of prior convictions for armed robbery and assault with a gun. In April, Knight had some health problems of his own. He was Why the rap mogul was admitted into the hospital remains unclear but he was previously treated for blood clots in 2017, which has been a recurring problem for him. In her work helping traumatised war veterans, nurse Debbie Lawson has heard many harrowing stories. But one touched her more than most. It came from a former member of a tank crew in Afghanistan, who saw his friends killed when their group was attacked. He helped bring their bodies back to base. Now at home in the UK, having left the Army, he believes he sees his dead comrades every day. When Mrs Lawson, 63, read about a competition launched by Prince William to write a poem that reflects on humankinds ability to triumph over adversity, it was to this soldiers tale that she turned for inspiration. She had not written a poem since her youth in the 1960s. But the words poured out so easily as she sat at her computer that her poignant poem, entitled One For The Team, was completed in ten minutes, she said. There were more than 5,000 entries in the competition, A Poem To Remember, marking the opening of a 300million centre for wounded military personnel. And to her complete shock, Mrs Lawson was declared the winner. Nurse Debbie Lawson's tribute to a soldier who saw his friends killed when their group was attacked has won Prince William's war poem competition She had not written a poem since her youth in the 1960s. But the words poured out so easily as she sat at her computer that her poignant poem was completed in ten minutes The mother of twos poem will be read by Prince William later this week at the new Defence and National Rehabilitation Centre (DNRC) at Stanford Hall, near Loughborough. Her words will also be installed there permanently, cementing her place as a modern-day wordsmith in the great tradition of First World War poets such as Wilfred Owen and Siegfried Sassoon. Mrs Lawson, from Aylesbury, Buckinghamshire, has been a nurse for 42 years. As well as working in the A&E department at Stoke Mandeville Hospital, she is a trained counsellor, and has volunteered for the past few years to help those suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder. After learning that her poem had won, she said: Im overwhelmed, this is such an honour. I havent written poetry since I was a teenager probably when some boy left me! But I was very attracted by the subject and the cause behind the competition. When these boys come home, the band plays and they are all lauded. But after that, and when the funerals of those who didnt make it are over, some cannot move on. Ive carried with me for some time the tragic story of the man who inspired the poem. I was trying to say this person was a big, strong man who had a family and laughed and joked with his mates. Then this little group of friends went into a dustbowl of awfulness and he had to carry his friends home and tell their families. Now he says he sees his dead friends. I think it keeps them alive for him. Mrs Lawson feels so strongly about helping veterans due to her own military links. Mrs Lawsons uncle, Mieczyslaw Adamek (pictured), was among many heroic Polish airmen who fought for the Allies after Poland was invaded by the Germans and Russians in 1939 Theres something about the written word that keeps peoples memories alive too. I have shared the poem with him and he is very moved by it, as he believes it will always help evoke the memories of his comrades. I will never reveal who he is, but he knows he inspired it. He told me that he felt very proud to have done so and he has shown it to the family of his best friend who was killed. Mrs Lawson feels so strongly about helping veterans due to her own military links. Her husband Alan, 60, spent 42 years in the RAF and for much of their marriage they have lived on or near military bases. Falklands veteran Mr Lawson, a flight sergeant, retired this month. An engineer, he installed weapons arming systems in aircraft and trained others how to do so. Their daughter Carolines fiance, who cannot be named because of the nature of his work, has undertaken multiple tours in Afghanistan as a member of the Special Forces of the Australian military. After hearing Mrs Lawsons poem had won, he texted her, saying: Can I say thank you for choosing to write about the unspoken, hidden enemy that we all carry. Caroline, 28, a copywriter, lives with her fiance in Melbourne. The Lawsons other daughter Jenny, 29, is a recruitment manager and lives in Aylesbury. Mrs Lawsons paternal grandfather, Norman Wheeler, was a conscript in the First World War, while her maternal grandfather, Thomas Reynolds, was a major and fought in both world wars, once being held in a German prisoner of war camp. And Mrs Lawsons uncle, Mieczyslaw Adamek, was among many heroic Polish airmen who fought for the Allies after Poland was invaded by the Germans and Russians in 1939. The Spitfire pilot fought in the Battle of France and the Allied invasion of continental Europe, before being killed in May 1944 when his plane was shot down. The DNRC project was largely funded by the sixth Duke of Westminster, who died in 2016. His son-in-law, broadcaster Dan Snow, chaired the poetry competitions judging panel, which also included Stephen Fry. After they selected five finalists there was a public vote that Mrs Lawson, who will receive a 2,000 prize, won with 49 per cent. Ministers will today launch a 20million research fund to create environmentally-friendly alternatives to plastic packaging. Researchers will work with manufacturers, retailers and councils to come up with innovative new ways to tackle harmful plastic waste. Examples of projects that could get funding include designing recyclable coffee cups, finding ways for supermarkets to wrap meat and fish without using plastic, and creating non-plastic disposable fizzy drinks bottles. Science minister Sam Gyimah said: Theres been incredible progress in making people aware of the danger that plastic can do to our environment and our oceans. Today we are announcing a 20million fund for our best scientists and researchers through UKRI [UK Research and Innovation] to come up with new technology and also new plastics that do not harm the environment so much. This means moving from our current model of make, use and dispose to a new model where you use, you reuse and you recycle. Plastic bottles washed up on beaches. Discarded rubbish causes major damage to wildlife, while plastic in landfill damages the environment UKRI chief executive Professor Sir Mark Walport said: It is imperative we change our use and misuse of plastic. Although plastics have transformed the way we live and play an important role in many aspects of modern life, we are increasingly aware of the devastating damage plastic waste can inflict on the environment and peoples health. This fund will help to create the range of new approaches and alternatives needed to rapidly reverse the impact that our use of plastics is having on the planet. Earlier this year, Theresa May proposed a ban on plastic straws, drink stirrers and cotton buds as part of a bid to tackle Britains throwaway culture and reduce plastic waste. The Government has vowed to eliminate avoidable plastic waste by the end of 2042, and has launched a 25-year plan to improve the environment. A discarded coca-cola coke soft drink plastic bottle on Llanrhystud beach, Cardigan Bay coast Ministers want to help the environment by changing the way we receive goods. This could include meat packaging and drinking bottles Since introducing the 5p plastic bag charge in 2015, the Government has reduced bag usage by nine billion. It has also legislated to ban plastic microbeads used in cosmetics and cleaning products. Ministers have claimed that, in the UK alone, the sum of single-use plastics thrown away each year would fill the Royal Albert Hall 1,000 times over while a recent study revealed 8.5billion plastic straws are disposed of in this country every year. McDonalds last week announced it will replace plastic straws with paper ones in all its restaurants in the UK and Ireland from September. The fast-food chain uses 1.8million straws a day in Britain. The Daily Mail has led calls to end plastic pollution for the past ten years with its Turn the Tide on Plastic campaign, which has highlighted the threat posed to the environment, wildlife and the oceans. Earlier this year, a 12,000-strong army of volunteers joined the Daily Mails Great Plastic Pick Up, an unprecedented three-day drive to clear plastic pollution from our streets, beaches and green spaces. Many tons of plastic were removed in almost 1,100 events across the length and breadth of the country. Vanessa Trump extended her best wishes to her estranged husband via social media on Sunday wishing him a Happy Father's Day holiday. 'Happy Fathers Day times 5 @DonaldJTrumpJr! Hope you had an incredible day with our kiddies!,' Vanessa wrote in a Tweet posted around 3pm Sunday afternoon. The tweet also contained a picture showing Donald Trump Jr sitting in the middle of a couch holding his youngest daughter Chloe and surrounded by his other children. Vanessa Trump sent the well wishes Sunday afternoon via tweet for Father's Day (Pictured L to R: Kai Madison, Tristan, Chloe being held, Spencer and Donald Trump III) Helping hand: On Thursday, Vanessa defended Don Jr after new girlfriend Kimberly Guilfoyle was attacked for dating him, with some calling the relationship unethical Vanessa filed divorce papers last March to dissolve the 12 year marriage with the President's son, as rumors that the couple's relationship was on the rocks had swirled. On May 15, the two released a joint statement saying: 'We will always have tremendous respect for each other and our families. We have five beautiful children together and they remain our top priority. We ask for your privacy during this time.' Soon after the announcement, Donald Jr. was seen out and about with Fox News host Kimberly Guilfoyle were dating and a source close to the president's son made it official to DaiyMail.com last week. The president's son and Kim (pictured together) have been dating since March, around the time Don Jr and Vanessa announced their split 'They're really into each other, it's obvious from the way they are together, and they haven't tried to hide it,' a source told DailyMail.com. 'But they haven't felt compelled to make any kind of pronouncement that they're romantically involved,' In a tweet posted on Thursday, Vanessa revealed that the two had been separated for 'over nine months' and appeared to endorse the new relationship between her estranged husband and Guilfoyle. 'The lengths people will go to attack a woman simply because she's dating Don. We've been separated for over 9 months and respect each other's decisions & privacy. We'll focus on raising our great kids. Would be nice if the press did the same rather than obsess over our pvt lives,' she tweeted. The soon-to-be exes appear to be on good terms since the two were seen enjoying a friendly lunch in Manhattan just before the start of the weekend. Don, 40, and twice-divorced Kim, 49, have known each other for years but their relationship never went beyond friendship as one or both were married, the source said. Guilfoyle was previously married to Democratic gubernatorial candidate Gavin Newsom and product design firm CEO Eric Villency. Don Jr.'s divorce was revealed in March after Vanessa Trump filed divorce papers in Manhattan Supreme Court following 12 years of marriage. The divorce was listed as 'uncontested', meaning Vanessa is not asking for full custody of the children and Don Jr. does not object to the filing. Don and twice-divorced Kim, 49, have known each other for years but their relationship never went beyond friendship because both were married at one time or another, the source said. They are pictured above in 2008 Theresa May was today warned she must deliver on her pledge to cut NHS waste as she announced a 20billion spending boost. In a major speech in London, the Prime Minister will promise a funding injection to 'secure our greatest national inheritance for generations to come'. She will say the extra cash worth an extra 394million a week in real terms must come hand in hand with a new drive to tackle waste and bureaucracy. Pledge: Theresa May during her TV interview with Andrew Marr yesterday MPs said the money must be conditional on the Health Service taking action to cut excess spending on everything from agency nurses to rubber gloves. There were already fears last night that middle-class families could face tax pain to pay for the announcement, designed to mark the 70th anniversary year of the NHS. Mrs May has insisted the new settlement will be funded in part by a 'Brexit dividend' generated by the UK no longer having to pay EU membership fees. But she has conceded that the country will need to contribute 'a bit more' to cover the full cost of the extra funding. Although details will not be set out until the Budget this autumn, ministers are understood to be considering a freeze on income tax thresholds. Any freeze could result in millions more families having to pay higher rates of tax. As the announcement electrified Westminster: Labour was left completely outflanked, with the party scrambling to match the Tories' health funding plans, after initially attempting to dismiss them; Many health bosses welcomed the extra cash, saying it would bring much-needed improvements to cancer care and mental health, although others complained the increase still wasn't enough; Boris Johnson hailed the announcement as 'fantastic news' and said it represented a 'down payment on the cash we will soon get back from our EU payments'; A row broke out over Mrs May's 'dividend' claim as one Tory MP called it 'tosh'. In her speech to healthcare leaders and staff this morning, Mrs May will pledge that the NHS is the Government's 'number one spending priority' and pay an emotional personal tribute to its work. 'By 2023/24 the NHS budget [in England] will increase by over 20billion in real terms compared with today,' she will announce. 'That means it will be 394million a week higher in real terms.' The Scottish government will also be given 2billion, Wales will receive 1.2billion, with hundreds of millions for the Health Service in Northern Ireland. In a surprise additional boost, a further 1.25billion will be allocated each year to relieve NHS pension deficits. An estimated 1billion a year is wasted because patients are not showing up for hospital appointments while 26million a year is spent on prescriptions for gluten-free food However, in return Mrs May will ask the NHS to produce a ten-year plan later this year that includes significantly improving access to good mental health services and cutting waste. She will warn there cannot be a repeat of the increases in NHS spending under New Labour, when she said nearly as much as half of the money failed to get to frontline staff to improve patient care. She will say: 'This must be a plan that ensures every penny is well spent. It must be a plan that tackles waste, reduces bureaucracy and eliminates unacceptable variation, with all these efficiency savings reinvested back into patient care. 'It must be a plan that makes better use of capital investment to modernise its buildings and invest in technology to drive productivity improvements. It must be a plan that enjoys the support of NHS staff across the country not something dreamt up in Whitehall and centrally imposed.' There have been high-profile examples of NHS waste in recent years. For instance, one hospital was found to be spending 16.47 on a pack of 12 rubber gloves, while another spent 35p. On toilet roll, some hospitals pay 67p per roll, others pay just 34p. An estimated 1billion a year is wasted because patients are not showing up for hospital appointments, 26million a year is spent on prescriptions for gluten-free food even though it can be bought from supermarkets, and 1.5billion a year is spent on agency nurses. Last night, Tory former Cabinet minister John Redwood said Mrs May must follow through with her promise to crack down on NHS waste. He said: 'When we had the Blair/Brown years, they gave huge sums to the NHS and other public services and got very little gain for it because productivity either stayed the same or fell away.' Former health minister Lord Darzi added: 'The proposed increase in NHS funding is very welcome but must be accompanied by a serious plan for reform. NHS staff are trapped working in a fractured system that is in desperate need of radical simplification.' Mrs May's announcement represents a victory for Brexiteer ministers such as Boris Johnson and Michael Gove, who were part of the Vote Leave campaign that emblazoned a slogan about spending an extra 350million a week on the NHS on the side of their red bus. Mr Johnson tweeted: 'Fantastic news on NHS funding a down payment on the cash we will soon get back from our EU payments.' But Mrs May faced a backlash from Remain supporters who questioned how much money would be available. Sarah Wollaston, the Tory chairman of the Commons health select committee, tweeted: 'Don't even begin to swallow any rubbish that this will be some Brexit bonanza. In reality the tax rises and borrowing will need to be higher as a result.' Last night, Government sources said final decisions had yet to be made on how to pay for the extra spending. Any freeze on tax thresholds could drag millions more families into higher tax bands. The Tories have pledged to raise the threshold for paying basic rate tax to 12,500 and higher rate tax of 40p to 50,000 by 2020. Delaying or scrapping these planned rises could leave middle-earning families paying more as wages rise and they are caught by a higher band. Freezing the thresholds from 2020 onwards could raise as much as 4billion in the first two years. Simon Stevens, chief executive of NHS England, said the money would provide 'renewed certainty'. But Chris Ham, of the health think-tank The King's Fund, said: 'The Prime Minister has administered a welcome shot in the arm that will get the NHS back on its feet but not provided the long-term cure that would restore it to full health.' It appears Gwen Stefani has a lot to smile about these days. The pop superstar was absolutely beaming as she headed to a rehearsal studio in the Los Angeles neighborhood of Studio City on Saturday. And once again she proved she can make just about any outfit look super-stylish and high fashion. Scroll down for video Beaming: Gwen Stefani was all smiles as she headed to a rehearsal studio in the Los Angeles neighborhood of Studio City on Saturday For the most part, the pop superstar looked nearly identical to the days when she hit it big with her band No Doubt in the 90's. Her lean and toned body took center stage as she flaunted nearly flawless skin and her go-to bold red lipstick. Her outfit screamed of rocker Gwen- with her black Dr. Marten boots and Daisy Duke denim shorts over black leggings. She added a green military-style jacket and a white T-shirt with Jamaica written across the front, in what could be an homage to her love of reggae and ska music. Edgy Gwen: The pop superstar looked nearly identical to her days with No Doubt in the 90's Gwen has been been grinding away in preparation for her 25-date Gwen Stefani - Just a Girl run at the Zappos Theater at Planet Hollywood Resort and Casino on June 27. Boyfriend Blake Shelton has been been sitting in on some of the rehearsals, and recently tweeted about her amazing work ethic and how things are going. 'Setting here watching @gwenstefani rehearsals it continues to shock me the amount of GIANT hits this girl has written.' Shelton added, 'I highly recommend y'all catch her Vegas show if you can get tickets!!!' It took a few hours, but Gwen responded her country crooner beau: 'OMG just seeing this now!! I love you!' #Bestboyfriendever Standing by his woman: Blake Shelton has been sitting in on Gwen rehearsals for her Just a Girl residency in Las Vegas; says he is 'shocked on amount of GIANT hits this girl has written'; seen on Instagram Going strong: Gwen and Blake began dating in October of 2015; seen on Instagram Keeping close: The two singers try to keep their relationship fresh with some date nights; seen on Instagram Last week, the mother-of-three told ET that she is nervous - but very excited - about the upcoming career retrospective show. 'Im still in the panic mode of rehearsals. It feels like its not going to happen, but it will happen and its going to be one of those things that I look back on and go, that was a huge chapter of my life,' she shared. 'So, Im very excited, Im very honored. I feel like its the kind of show that Id never be able to do until this point in my life.' Gwen then gave a little peak at what fans can expect: 'The show is nostalgic, bringing people through the long journey Ive been on with music and sharing that and exchanging the love I have with people... Its really just that same journey again, but in a new Vegas-y way.' Gwen will be performing the summer leg of her Just a Girl residency in Las Vegas June 27, 29 and 30 and July 3, 6, 7, 11, 13, 14, 18, 20 and 21. She will pick it back up for the holidays in December. Viva Las Vegas! Gwen will kick off her Just a Girl residency in Las Vegas June 27; seen performing in November Sarah Jessica Parker was hard at work on Saturday. The 53-year-old actress, who wore a silky pajama set, sauntered down the streets of New York in the name of fashion. Intimissimian Italian clothing companyhired Parker to star in their latest advertising campaign. Scroll down for video Hot mama: Sarah Jessica Parker, who wore a silky pajama set, sauntered down the streets of NYC during a video shoot on Saturday Brand babe: Intimissimian Italian clothing companyhired Parker to star in their latest advertising campaign The Divorce starlet flashed her bra for the cameras as she leaned against a parked yellow cab. The commercial also seemed to include a crowd of young, screaming women. When the cameras were off, Parker spent time catching up on her reading as she perused a novel she'd brought to set. Strike a pose: SJP flashed her bra for the cameras as she leaned against a parked yellow cab Bling: The Sex And The City vet paired her lingerie with a dazzling diamond necklace and two matching bracelets Extra credit: She carried a black clutch and on her feet were a pair of sparkly pumps from the SJP Collection The Sex And The City vet, whose beloved show is available on streaming service NOW TV in its entirety, is now available paired her lingerie with a dazzling diamond necklace and two matching bracelets. She carried a black clutch and on her feet were a pair of sparkly pumps from the SJP Collection. Sarah's glam included a nude lip and a smokey eye to highlight her already crystal blue eyes. Book worm: When the camera were off, Parker spent time perusing a novel Squad: Sarah certainly had an entourage while the cameras rolled Lights, camera, action! The commercial included a crowd of young, screaming women Sarah currently stars in HBO's Divorce which returned for season two on January 14. The series follows Frances, played by SJP, and Robert, played by Thomas Haden Church, as they struggle through a long, drawn out divorce. In real life, Parker has had a wildly successful marriage. She's been married to Matthew Broderick since 1997 and the couple have three childrenson James, 15, and twins daughters Marion and Tabitha, eight. TV fame: Sarah currently stars in the HBO series Divorce which returned for season two back in January Endless: Her HBO series follows Frances, played by SJP, and Robert, played by Thomas Haden Church, as they struggle through a long, drawn out divorce Kiss off! Ever the charmer, Parker blew kisses at the crowd Fiction: Contrary to her HBO series Divorce, Parker has had a wildly successful marriage in real life Going strong: She's been married to Matthew Broderick since 1997 Family: She and her actor hubby have three childrenson James, 15, and twins daughters Marion and Tabitha, eight According to the General Department of Customs, Australia is currently one of Vietnams ten largest importers of wood and timber products, with the figure estimated at US$66.7 million in the first five months of 2018, up 11.3% from a year earlier. Data from the International Trade Centre shows that Australias wooden furniture imports were worth US$362.8 in the first three months of the year, mainly from China, Vietnam and Australia. Research conducted by IBISWorld suggests that Australian consumers are open to imported wooden furniture and are mostly concerned about its quality, appearance and price without a strong emphasis on the country of origin. According to the Ministry of Industry and Trades Department of Export-Import, Australias growing demand for wooden furniture, Vietnams favourable location and tax preferences provided by the ASEAN-Australia-New Zealand Free Trade Agreement offer ample opportunities for Vietnam to boost its exports to Australia in the future. However, Vietnamese enterprises should renovate the designs of their wooden furniture to suit Australia consumers taste, improve their product quality and lower their prices in order to convert these opportunities into profits. Shanina Shaik married DJ Ruckus in an intimate beachside Bahamas wedding in April. And the 27-year-old stunned on the cover of Vogue Australia Brides, which is out on Monday. Posing as part of a wedding couture photo shoot, the former Victoria's Secret model dazzled in a series of elegant gowns. Scroll down for video Here comes the bride! Shanina Shaik oozes elegance in wedding couture as she covers a special edition of Vogue Australia after tying the knot with DJ Ruckus One look saw the exotic brunette, whose parents are of Lithuanian, Pakistani and Saudi Arabian descent, dressed in a floor-length lace wedding gown. It came complete with a plunging neckline, sheer sleeves and a veil. Another look featured the catwalk queen in a glamorous strapless gown, with gathering around the bust and ruffled sleeves. Ruffled: Another look featured the catwalk queen in a glamorous strapless gown, with gathering around the bust and ruffled sleeves Tickled pink! A third snap showed the star in a blush-coloured layered frock as she posed with a chair on the floor The model's hair was styled in an elegant up-do and she wore silver drop earrings and a dainty necklace. A third snap showed the star in a blush-coloured layered frock as she posed with a chair on the floor. In April, Shanina said 'I do' with DJ Ruckus, otherwise known as Greg Andrews. I do! In April, Shanina said 'I do' with DJ Ruckus, otherwise known as Greg Andrews The model chose British designer Ralph and Russo for her own dress, who is a favourite of the Duchess of Sussex, Meghan Markle. 'Being in the Bahamas and having a beach wedding, I wanted a simple, bohemian, elegant dress,' she told Vogue Brides Australia. 'Something that complemented the location.' The model added that the dress took about eight months to make. Vogue Australia Brides 2018 is on sale on Monday. Johnny Depp's reps have canceled all of the actor's upcoming media appearances after recent pictures of his gaunt appearance prompted queries about his health. The 55-year-old actor was asked about his health by a German journalist, prompting 'panic among the large Depp camp' and a subsequent publicity crisis, The Times Magazine reported. The status of Depp's health made for a hot topic on social media after the Edward Scissorhands actor was snapped with fans at the Four Seasons Hotel Lion Palace in St. Petersburg, Russia while touring with his band, The Hollywood Vampires. Scroll below for video Time out: Reps for Johnny Depp, 55, have canceled all of the actor's upcoming media appearances after recent pictures of the actor's gaunt appearance prompted queries about his health Depp, who's partnered with rock icons Alice Cooper and Joe Perry in the musical outfit, sported a noticeably thinner face in the shots. The actor, who's played Jack Sparrow in the Pirates of the Caribbean series, wore a black cap that read FUGLY Los Angeles with a black T-shirt that read, 'Stay Humbled or Be Humbled.' The actor was enjoying 'good health' and did not have any ailments, a source revealed to DailyMail.com earlier this month after the public buzz over his well-being. The Hollywood veteran has since looked fuller and healthier in subsequent photos slapped in Warsaw, Poland on his tour with Cooper and Perry. Root: The status of Depp's health made for a hot topic on social media after he was snapped looking gaunt in these shots snapped in Russia Depp, who remains in demand in Tinseltown, has five films currently in different states of production, including Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald, Richard Says Goodbye, City of Lies, London Fields and The Invisible Man. It was not immediately clear if he was shedding pounds for one of the parts. Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald - which production ended on late last year - required a shaved head and bleached eyebrows for the role of Gellert Grindelwald. They began filming the sequel to their hit summer blockbuster earlier this week. And on Friday, Gal Gadot, 33, and Chris Pine, 37, were back on the set of Wonder Woman 1984 in Washington, D.C. The action stars looked to be shooting an intense and intimate fight scene as the two ended up chest-to-chest while on a balcony. Scroll down for video Back at it: On Friday, Gal Gadot and Chris Pine were back on the set of Wonder Woman 1984 in Washington, D.C The Justice League star, who plays the movie's eponymous lead, tucked a white tank top into high-waisted grey pants during the fierce tete-a-tete with Pine. Her long dark tresses cascaded in curls onto her chest as she tried to get past her costar. At times, Gadot was snapped while wearing a long trench coat with a tie in the middle. Passion: The action stars looked to be shooting an intense and intimate fight scene as the two ended up chest-to-chest while on a balcony Pine, who plays Steve Trevor in the superhero flick, matched his costar as he was also donning grey pants and a white T-shirt. His dirty blond locks were combed back as the actor looked to be well-groomed despite his demise at the end of the first film. Fans have been confused by Pine's appearance as he was killed off in the first film. Also, the movie is set in 1984, which is almost 70 years after the WWI setting of the first film. Wonderful: The Justice League star, who plays the movie's eponymous lead, tucked a white tank top into high-waisted grey pants during the fierce tete-a-tete with Pine In the new shots from the set, Steve appears as young as he did during the 1910s, yet everyone around him is in distinctly Reagan Era attire and surrounded by the corresponding decor. In the 2017 Wonder Woman film, the military pilot gives up his own life to prevent a German gas attack, so how exactly he returns for the sequel is still a mystery. Comic book characters have a tendency to not stay dead, and theories such as time travel, resurrection and alternate universes have all been flouted as possible explanations. There is also the theory that Pine is playing his character Trevor's son this time around. The movie is set to hit theaters November 1, 2019. Married At First Sight's Ryan Gallagher has responded to rumours that he is dating Love Island host, Sophie Monk. The 30-year-old aspiring comedian was linked to the 38-year-old bombshell after Yahoo!Be claimed they had been 'set up' by KIIS FM's Jackie O Henderson. And while the former Bachelorette has remained tight-lipped, Ryan finally broke his silence. Scroll down for video 'She's an 11 out of 10': MAFS' Ryan Gallagher (L) admits he's attracted to Love Island host Sophie Monk (R) as he FINALLY responds to dating rumours Taking to Instagram Story on Saturday, the former tradie let fans know he thinks the former Bachelorette is an '11 out of 10.' However, in a disappointing twist, he said they are just friends and that she is out of his league because he is a '2/10.' He wrote: 'We are just friends Soph is an 11/10 and I am a solid 2/10 on a good day. Those numbers don't work.' Nice thought! The aspiring comedian threw cold water on the rumours, saying while Sophie was an '11/10' he was a '2/10' and 'those numbers don't work' 'But thank you media it was a lovely thought.' On Friday, Yahoo!Be claimed an unnamed source said the pair are romantically involved however this is false. 'He said to me that he's been dating Sophie Monk and that they're official,' the insider supposedly said. Bogus: On Friday, Yahoo!Be claimed an unnamed source said Ryan and Sophie are romantically involved however this is false. Pictured: Ryan with Jackie O Henderson 'Ryan also said it was radio presenter Jackie O who set the pair up.' The source allegedly asked the reality star if he was enjoying all the female attention to which he allegedly responded: 'I'm taken now'. On Saturday, another insider told NW magazine: 'Soph gave Ryan a call one night and the rest is history!' 'They're talking everyday on the phone for, like, five hours... They're seriously smitten with each other,' they added. Friends indeed! This comes after Woman's Day reported that Ryan's parents were working on setting-up their handsome tradie son with the blonde bombshell (Pictured: Sophie with Jackie) According to the publication even Sophie's sister, Lucy, has given her seal of approval. The source said: 'Lucy has always wanted Soph to find what she has a devoted partner to have children with and she thinks that Ry could be that bloke!' 'My ideal girl is Sophie Monk': Ryan has said in the past he has had an interest in the busty former Bachelorette, adding he 'loves a girl that's just herself' This comes after Woman's Day reported that Ryan's parents were working on setting up their handsome tradie son with the blonde bombshell. According to the magazine, the Gallagher clan think the pair would be perfect for another thanks to their 'down to earth personalities and the fact the Love Island host loves Ugg boots - just like Ryan's mum. Earlier in the year, the aspiring comedian openly confessed the Love Island host was his dream woman. Ryan, who was partnered up with Davina Rankin on MAFS, admitted to TheFix: 'My ideal girl is Sophie Monk.' 'I love a girl that's just herself and who doesn't have to wear makeup all the time.' Last year Sophie Monk found love with millionaire publican Stu Laundy on The Bachelorette, but unfortunately called it quits in January 2018. Jada Pinkett Smith opened up on the valuable lesson she learned after daughter Willow once walked in the room when she was having sex with her husband, Will Smith. 'Lock your doors! Lock your doors. Lock. Your. Doors!' the Girls Trip star, 46, said in while appearing on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon Friday, after the NBC late night staple played a clip from her Facebook Watch show Red Table Talk in which Willow was candid about the awkward situation. Willow told her mother in the clip, 'My introduction to sex was obviously walking in on you and Daddy!' Scroll below for video Moving forward: Jada Pinkett Smith opened up on the valuable lesson she learned after daughter Willow once walked in the room when she was having sex with her husband, Will Smith, on Friday on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon The Gotham actress, who presides over the candid chat series with her mother Adrienne Banfield-Jones and daughter Willow, replied, 'When the hell did you walk in on us?' The Whip My Hair replied, 'I was in Utah - no, not Utah, Aspen. I was going downstairs to get some juice and I saw for a little moment and I ran away. I was like, "Oh my God, this is so crazy. What did I just see?"' Speaking with Fallon, Jada said that she's as shocked by some of Willow's revelations as the audience is, as the family doesn't talk about the day's topics beforehand. Candid: Willow told Jada on Red Table Talk that she had walked in on her and Will having sex Unpredictable: Jada said of Willow, 'I'm like, "Lord have mercy, what am I gonna learn about my child today?"' Jada said, 'I'm like, "Lord have mercy, what am I gonna learn about my child today?"' Continuing, she said she embraces a progressive mindset in discussing the personal issues in a public forum, while Banfield-Jones leans more conservative in what she will say. 'I think it's important to have these conversations,' she said. 'We just had the sex show and my mother literally was like ... "I'm not talking about this on camera." Fun: Jada said 'it is so much fun' to host Red Table Talk 'and the community we have is so great' Educational: Jada said that 'it's important to have these conversations' for the sake of learning 'And I was like, mom, come on, it's 2018 mom!' Jada said, adding that her mom gets 'embarrassed' by the sexual chatter with her 'old school' mentality intact. Jada told Fallon she's having a ball doing the streaming series, and enjoys the fan feedback. 'It is so much fun and the community we have is so great,' Jada said, 'we have such a beautiful Red Table Talk community.' He has struck up a romance with Danny Dyer's daughter Dani during this year's series of Love Island. And Jack Fincham had viewers hooked with his hilarious impressions on Saturday night, including a special one of the famous actor. The moment was hailed 'tv gold' by fans who said that Jack mimicking Danny had made their night. Scroll down for video Blossoming: Jack Fincham has struck up a romance with Danny Dyer's daughter Dani during this year's series of Love Island The pen salesman, 26, flaunted his impressive skills by imitating his fellow Islanders, including Hayley Hughes, Eyal Booker, Dr Alex George, Georgia Steel and Laura Anderson. However after he had taken on both Scouse and Scottish accents Jack was asked if he would impersonate his partner Dani's famous dad. After initially refusing, he said: 'One of my favourite Danny Dyer lines is when he's in a film and he goes (changing to a cockney accent) 'you alright girls, want a couple a tequilas?' ''A little cheeky tequila? Shall we get on it'?' Funny man: Jack had viewers hooked with his hilarious impressions on Saturday night, including a special one of the famous actor Hilarious: The moment was hailed 'tv gold' by fans who said that Jack mimicking Danny had made their night Fans praised Jack for his witty impressions, joking that they could imagine him at the Dyer's house being asked to 'do Danny'. One excited fan wrote: 'I looooove Jack and Dani and Jack's impressions! picturing him at a Dyer family event and everyone is shouting go on do Danny, do Danny #LoveIslandAftersun #funnyman #jackanddani #winners.' While another added: 'Jack doing an impression of Danny Dyer made my night #LoveIsland' Famous dad: However after he had taken on both Scouse and Scottish accents Jack was asked if he would impersonate his partner Dani's famous dad Twitter reaction: Fans praised Jack for his witty impressions, joking that they could imagine him at the Dyer's house being asked to 'do Danny' A third said: 'Jack's impression are actually so spot on they're giving me life #LoveIsland' Meanwhile, it appears that there's been no love gained between Love Island rejects Hayley and Charlie Frederick, as they were seen looking very frosty while waiting to fly home from Majorca on Saturday In a Twitter snap posted by a fan, Charlie and Hayley could be seen barely mustering a word as they sat at the same table in the airport, after their departure on Friday's show left fans cringing at the awkward display. In the snap, Charlie and Hayley could be seen sitting on different sides of a table while they waited in the airport cafe, exchanging barely a sentence as they both remained glued to their phones. Awkward! In a Twitter snap posed by a fan, Charlie and Hayley could be seen barely mustering a word as they remained glued to their phones, as they waited to fly back to the UK Cringeworthy: The fan captioned the snap saying it would a 'spoiler alert' to see Hayley and Charlie if you have not watched Friday night's show The fan captioned the snap: 'Imagine not watching love island last night and seeing these at the airport...talk about spoiler alert!!' And in another video posted to Twitter by a fan, Hayley and Charlie barely made eye contact as they strolled through the terminal, paying little notice to each other as they jetted back to the UK. The duo's exit from the villa left many viewers wincing after Charlie blamed Hayley's 'cold' behaviour for their exit, which she furiously denied. Fans of the ITV2 mainstay seemed to agree, as they rushed to social media to slam the Liverpudlian, along with celebrating that she had been voted off the show. The MTV Movie and Television Awards have often welcomed a cavalcade of eye-popping outfits. And Terri Seymour, Extra correspondent and ex-girlfriend of Simon Cowell, was a sight to see on the red carpet at the Barker Hangar in Santa Monica on Saturday evening. Sweeping her hair back into a high updo, the 44-year-old slipped into a multicolored sheer mini-dress with an intricate diamond pattern at the front. Hello, gorgeous: Terri Seymour, Extra correspondent and ex-girlfriend of Simon Cowell, was a sight to see on the red carpet at the Barker Hangar in Santa Monica Her outfit was hemmed at mid-thigh, allowing her to show off her enviably taut legs as she balanced on a pair of black ankle-strap stilettos. The Buckinghamshire-born presenter turned to offer the cameras a glimpse at the back of her ensemble, which was entirely different from the front. Silver splotches ran down a flat black background, offering a bit of metallic glimmer to complement the festive front half of the look. After her six-year relationship with the American Idol icon, Terri took up with a now 27-year-old model called Clark Mallon, who has also written a children's book. Radiant: Sweeping her hair back into a high updo, the 44-year-old slipped into a multicolored sheer mini-dress with an intricate diamond pattern at the front Terri has a two-year-old daughter called Coco by Clark - who swung by Extra to promote his book Tale of Timothy Price And His Dragon. Sunday's awards show will be hostessed by Tiffany Haddish, who recently publicly confirming the long-running rumor that it was in fact Sanaa Lathan whom she allegedly saw bite Beyonce at a party some months ago. Tiffany set off this biting furor when she dished to GQ about a party she attended in December where Beyonce introduced herself to her. Swanking about: Her outfit was hemmed at mid-thigh, allowing her to show off her enviably taut legs as she balanced on a pair of black ankle-strap stilettos Quoth Tiffany: 'There was this actress there that's just, like, doing the mostest,' specifically in the sense that 'She bit Beyonce in the face.' As the evening wound down, 'I said to Beyonce: "Did she really bite you?" She was like: "Yeah." I was like: "She gonna get her a** beat tonight."' Yet Beyonce 'was like: "Tiffany, no. Don't do that. That b**** is on drugs. She not even drunk. The b**** is on drugs. She not like that all the time. Just chill."' She stunned in a pinstriped suit on the Dolce & Gabbana catwalk. And Naomi Campbell continued her sartorial display as she attended the designer's Naked King secret show during Milan's Fashion Week on Saturday. The supermodel, 48, exuded style in a plunging chiffon dress as she headed to the venue with Wizkid, 27, and rapper Tinie Tempah, 29. Turning heads: Naomi Campbell continued her sartorial display at Dolce & Gabbana Naked King secret show after wowing on the catwalk during Milan's fashion week on Saturday Naomi sheathed her incredible figure in the black full-length gown, which was adorned with a playing card and astronomy pattern. She accentuated the plunging neckline with a chunky black velvet choker and added a boost to her frame with cream pumps. Styling her raven locks in a poker straight sleek centre-parting, Naomi amped up the glamour with grey eye-shadow, blush-swept cheeks and a slick of brown lipstick. Glam: The supermodel, 48, exuded style in a plunging chiffon dress as she headed to the venue with Wizkid, 27, (L) and rapper Tinie Tempah, 29 (R) Stunning: Naomi sheathed her incredible figure in the black full-length gown, which was adorned with a playing card and astronomy pattern Naomi appeared in high-spirits as she headed to the venue with her rapper pals, who were dressed to impress in bright shirts and chinos. Earlier on in the day, the world-famous supermodel slipped into a snazzy pinstriped suit as she hit the runway for men's 2019 Spring-Summer collection. Naomi confidently clashed her striped attire with a polka dot bow tie which she wore with her crisp white shirt. The statuesque model made quite the statement when she brought a feminine vibe to the men's collection catwalk with her sparkling silver stilettos. Wow factor: She accentuated the plunging neckline with a chunky black velvet choker and added a boost to her frame with cream pumps In her element, Naomi struck a number of poses as she strutted her stuff down the runway wearing her elegant hat. Dolce & Gabbana penned on Instagram explaining the range for the men's 2019 Spring-Summer collection line. The fashion brand's official Instagram read: 'Expressions of beautiful perfection. Every detail is looked over in the fittings before the Fashion Show.' (sic) Sexy in stripes: Naomi Campbell stunned in a pinstriped suit as she joined Monica Bellucci, 53, for Dolce & Gabbana's MFW show Looking lovely: In her element, Naomi struck a number of poses as she strutted her stuff down the runway wearing her elegant hat Head of Italy's national chamber of fashion Carlo Capasa divulged why women like Naomi and Monica were walking the catwalk for men's fashion week. Her return to the catwalk comes after the fashion favourite hinted at retirement during a recent interview. Naomi stunned with her revelation, admitting: I dont know if I can walk much longer, its been 32 years.' The runway queen went on to discuss passing on the baton to her younger counterparts: But its an honour to walk Id love for it to be carried on by the younger generation and for me to sit in the audience and watch. The trailer for his directorial debut, yet another A Star Is Born remake, bowed June 6. And Bradley Cooper cut a distinguished figure when he was glimpsed taking a sunlit stroll along a tree-lined New York City sidewalk this Saturday. The 43-year-old stepped out in a white sweatshirt, rolling its sleeves up over his toned forearms and slipping into a navy trousers. Scroll down for video Stepping out: Bradley Cooper cut a distinguished figure when he was glimpsed taking a sunlit stroll along a tree-lined New York City sidewalk this Saturday His hair in a perfect coiff, the Philadelphia-born actor slung on a black backpack and had a pair of matching headphones dangling round his neck. The four-time Oscar nominee shielded his face from the sun in a pair of aviator sunglasses, allowing a bit of scruff to sprout onto his face. Bradley, who after his A Star Is Born remake will helm a Leonard Bernstein biopic, has been dating Russian model Irina Shayk since 2015. On the go: The 43-year-old stepped out in a white sweatshirt, rolling its sleeves up over his toned forearms and slipping into a navy trousers Coordinated: His hair in a perfect coiff, the Philadelphia-born actor slung on a black backpack and had a pair of matching headphones dangling round his neck She first ignited pregnancy rumors when she flashed her midriff and sauntered down the catwalk at the 2016 Victoria's Secret Fashion Show in Paris. Their daughter Lea De Seine was born on March 21, 2017 in Los Angeles, according to People, who reported the news that April and cited the baby's birth certificate. Bradley is not only directing but also co-starring in his remake of the apparently inexhaustible A Star Is Born, with Lady Gaga as his leading lady. Bombshell: The four-time Oscar nominee shielded his face from the sun i a pair of aviator sunglasses, allowing a bit of scruff to sprout onto his face Matters of the heart: Bradley, who after his A Star Is Born remake will helm a Leonard Bernstein biopic, has been dating Russian model Irina Shayk since 2015 Though the original 1937 film was not a musical, the subsequent versions have been, and this upcoming Gaga version is going to be as well. Co-written by none other than Dorothy Parker, the original film starred Janet Gaynor as an ingenue whose career goes from strength to strength, while her older and more established movie star love interest (Fredric March) desiccates. Both Fredric and Janet received Oscar nominations for the film. Family matters: Their daughter Lea De Seine was born on March 21, 2017 in Los Angeles, according to People , who reported the news that April and cited the baby's birth certificate George Cukor's 1954 remake starred Judy Garland and James Mason, both of whom also received Academy Award nods for it. That film introduced the world to Harold Arlen and Ira Gershwin's song The Man That Got Away, which became one of the most enduring staples of Judy's repertoire. A 1976 version starring Barbra Streisand and Kris Kristofferson was directed by Frank Pierson, who wrote bitterly in New West about his persistent 'battles' with Barbra and her hairdresser-turned-producer boyfriend Jon Peters Another one: Bradley is not only directing but also co-starring in his remake of the apparently inexhaustible A Star Is Born, with Lady Gaga as his leading lady Though neither Barbra nor Kris got an Oscar nod for acting in the film, Barbra and Paul Williams did win Best Original Song by writing Evergreen for it. Bradley's remake, which according to Deadline will see Gaga credited under her Christian name Stefani Germanotta, is due out in October. After A Star Is Born, Bradley is planning to direct himself playing legendary composer Leonard - he of West Wide Story and Candide - per Deadline. The Broadway icon was married to Chilean actress Felicia Montealegre from 1951 until her death of cancer in 1978, in spite of the fact she knew he was gay. They have just returned from a sun-drenched break in Marrakech. But Yazmin Oukhellou and her boyfriend Yazmin made sure to carry on the party as they headed for a night out at Essex hotspot, Faces on Friday. The TOWIE star, 24, sported a glowing tan following her recent trip, as she put on a busty display in a figure-hugging gold dress. Golden wonder: Yazmin Oukhellou sported a glowing tan following her recent trip, as she put on a busty display in a figure-hugging gold dress Love: Yazmin wore her dark locks in a sleek loose style, which was left to cascade down her back, as she lent in for a smooch with her other half Yazmin's choice of dress drew attention to her curvy physique as she worked her angles in the metallic number. The low-cut frock made sure her ample-assets were on full display as she headed out into the night with her beau on her arm. The reality star, who is no stranger to a designer label, added a pair of sky-scrapper Louboutin heels and a Louis Vuitton handbag to her ensemble. Sensational: Yazmin's choice of dress drew attention to her curvy physique as she worked her angles in the metallic number Yazmin wore her dark locks in a sleek loose style, which was left to cascade down her back, as she lent in for a smooch with her other half. The pair put on a loved-up display as they planted a kiss on each others lips before heading into the club. James looked dapper in an all black outfit, which boasted a long sleeved polo neck and a pair of form-fitting jeans. Night out: James looked dapper in an all black outfit, which boasted a long sleeved polo neck and a pair of form-fitting jeans Yazmin previously revealed their romance first began in Morocco as she 'started talking' to James, after meeting him through her brother, during a month-long visit in 2016. She told the Daily Star: 'Last year my family and I went out there for a month and that's when I started speaking to James.' 'I'd known him a long time as he was close to my brother but we'd always been off-limits out of respect to my brother and because he had a girlfriend. 'We spoke everyday for a month. And look at us now!' However, the brunette went on to admit a proposal was still 'a couple of years' away, and would only occur if he were to ask her father's permission. He said it is necessary to push for coordination in the stance between the ACMECS members and their development partners and build a common voice on issues that need to be addressed and cooperation priorities. Greater attention should be paid to the mobilisation of financial sources via initiatives such as the ACMECS Fund and ACMECS Infrastructure Fund and Trust, the Vietnamese PM noted. He said that the ACMECS operation mechanism should be improved in order to be leaner and more effective, suggesting that the organisation of ACMECS meetings should be done in conjunction with events held by the ASEAN and other Mekong cooperation mechanisms. The PM added that ACMECS needs to contribute more directly to and become an integral part of the ASEAN Community formation process through integrating the implementation of the ACMECS Master Plan with that of the ASEAN Community Vision 2025, the Master Plan on ASEAN Connectivity, and other ASEAN cooperation programmes. The Vietnamese PM also recommended a number of specific contents for cooperation in transport connectivity, trade-investment, agriculture, tourism, environmental protection, natural resources management, and human resources development Besides PM Phuc, the ACMECS 8 was attended by the State and governments leaders of Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar and Thailand. Themed Towards an Integrated and Connected ACMECS Community, ACMECS 8 focused its discussions on measures to facilitate socio-economic development and improve the competitiveness of the member economies, while outlining the orientations for cooperation towards inclusive and sustainable development in the Mekong region. The leaders shared the view that the Mekong region boasts a wide market, capable human resources, and a strategic geo-economic location connecting the Indian Ocean, and the Pacific and Asian markets. The participants adopted the Bangkok Declaration and the ACMECS Master Plan for the 2019-2023 period with the goal of turning ACMECS into an economic hub with seamless connectivity and strong integration, on the three main pillars of hard infrastructure and soft infrastructure connectivity, and smart and sustainable development. The summit also discussed Thailands initiative on establishing the ACMECS Fund and ACMECS Infrastructure Fund and Trust as a financing mechanism for cooperation projects in the region. The funds are said to support the implementation of prioritised projects in the ACMECS member countries. The summit highlighted the role of businesses in and outside of the region, with the ACMECS CEO Forum and a dialogue between the ACMECS country leaders and CEOs of leading companies in the region taking place for the first time. This shows that the private sector is set to be an important partner of ACMECS in the future. The ACMECS leaders also welcomed Vietnams hosting of the World Economic Forum on ASEAN in Hanoi from September 11 13 this year. They said it would be an opportunity to highlight the Mekong region as ASEANs new dynamic economic engine and promote entrepreneurship in ACMECS countries. They agreed that Cambodia will host the 9th ACMECS Summit in 2020. Jersey Shore's DJ Pauly D, Vinny Guadagnino, Mike 'The Situation' Sorrentino, and Ronnie Ortiz-Magro shamelessly held up FYC Emmy Award posters on the red carpet of the MTV Movie & TV Awards in Santa Monica on Saturday. The 37-year-old disc jockey (born Paul DelVecchio) - who manned the decks for the ceremony airing Monday - held a sign reading: 'Yes, we're serious.' The New Jersey guidos won't know whether their promotional stunt paid off until the TV Academy announces the official nominees for the Outstanding Reality-Competition Program category on July 12. Scroll down for video For your consideration: Jersey Shore's DJ Pauly D, Vinny Guadagnino, Mike 'The Situation' Sorrentino, and Ronnie Ortiz-Magro shamelessly held up Emmy Award posters on the red carpet of the MTV Movie & TV Awards in Santa Monica on Saturday The 37-year-old disc jockey (born Paul DelVecchio) - who manned the decks for the ceremony airing Monday - held a sign reading: 'Yes, we're serious' The dapper dudes have reached many milestones including first-time fatherhood for Ronnie (daughter Ariana) and Pauly (daughter Amabella) as well as an engagement and 30 months of sobriety for Mike. The four Italian stallions served presenting duties at Barker Hangar alongside their lone female castmate, Deena Nicole Cortese. The 31-year-old guidette - who wed Christopher Buckner on October 28 - slipped her 4ft11in figure into a black short-sleeved floral gown. Hairstylist Jeremy Stewart coiffed Deena's waist-length brunette locks while make-up artist Justine DiVanna made sure her brown eyes popped with silver shadow and lashes. FYC: The New Jersey guidos won't know whether their promotional stunt paid off until the TV Academy announces the official nominees for the reality TV category on July 12 Growing up: The dapper dudes have reached many milestones including first-time fatherhood for Ronnie (daughter Ariana) and Pauly (daughter Amabella) as well as an engagement and 30 months of sobriety for Mike 'Great day today with my brothers!' The four Italian stallions served presenting duties at Barker Hangar alongside their lone female castmate, Deena Nicole Cortese Blowing kisses: The 31-year-old guidette - who wed Christopher Buckner on October 28 - slipped her 4ft11in figure into a black short-sleeved floral gown Getting ready: Hairstylist Jeremy Stewart coiffed Deena's brunette locks while make-up artist Justine DiVanna made sure her brown eyes popped with silver shadow and lashes Noticeably missing from the glammed-up gang was their scene-stealing co-star Nicole 'Snooki' Polizzi, who stayed back East to care for her injured five-year-old son Lorenzo with husband Jionni LaValle. 'Lorenzo got a boot & lighter bandage,' the 30-year-old mother-of-two lamented on Instagram. 'He's healing perfectly thank baby jesus. Had to stay home to nurse my baby back to health, but having fomo missing out on the Mtv Awards but i know the roomies will kill it! MISS U GUYS slay that carpet and represent!' And Jennifer 'JWoww' Farley wasn't on the red carpet because she and husband Roger Mathews needed to attend their three-year-old daughter Meilani's first dance recital. 'Having fomo missing out on the Mtv Awards!' Noticeably missing from the glammed-up gang was their scene-stealing co-star Nicole 'Snooki' Polizzi, who stayed back East to care for her injured five-year-old son Lorenzo 'Shout out to all my roomies at the MTV Awards!' And Jennifer 'JWoww' Farley wasn't on the red carpet because she and husband Roger Mathews needed to attend their three-year-old daughter Meilani's first dance recital 'Would never miss this moment!' the 32-year-old mother-of-two wrote on Instagram. 'Shout out to all my roomies at the Mtv awards. Have the best time guys!!! I'll be watching with the family!' According to Radar Online, the cast just wrapped the second season in Las Vegas this week after Ronnie's estranged babymama Jen Harley was accused of assaulting him in Planet Hollywood on June 7. Catch more of your favorites in the Miami Beach-set, 14-episode spin-off Jersey Shore Family Vacation, which airs Thursdays on MTV. The original MTV reality series - which lasted six seasons (2009-2012) - surrounded hard-partying roommates sharing a New Jersey beach house as well as the mantra 'gym, tan, laundry.' Drama never ends: According to Radar Online, the cast just wrapped the second season in Las Vegas this week after Ronnie's estranged babymama Jen Harley was accused of assaulting him in Planet Hollywood on June 7 'Future Mrs. Situation?' Catch more of your favorites in the Miami Beach-set, 14-episode spin-off Jersey Shore Family Vacation, which airs Thursdays on MTV She's hosting the awards show on Monday. And on Saturday, Tiffany Haddish gave a sneak peek of the attitude she'll likely bring to the role as she danced up a storm on the MTV Movie Awards red carpet. The 38-year-old actress showed off her shapely stems in a silver gown with a high thigh split at the Santa Monica event. Scroll down to see video Bringing it: On Saturday, Tiffany Haddish gave a sneak peek of the attitude she'll likely bring to the role as she danced up a storm on the MTV Movie Awards red carpet The breakout star of Girls Trip dared to impress in the gorgeous, ruffled gown with a large bow on the front and a lace train trailing behind. The Night School actress paired the flashy garment with silver heels. Haddish's raven tresses were pulled back in a tight pony tail for the star-studded event. Shine on: The 38-year-old actress showed off her shapely stems in a silver gown with a high thigh split at the Santa Monica event All that glitters: The breakout star of Girls Trip dared to impress in the gorgeous, ruffled gown with a large bow on the front and a lace train trailing behind Well-heeled: The Night School actress paired the flashy garment with silver heels In Wednesday's edition of The Hollywood Reporter, the comedienne spilled the beans on her recent A-list interaction. The Keanu actress, who graced the magazine cover in yellow rain boots and a gauzy white dress, revealed that she hit on Leonardo DiCaprio earlier this year. 'Yeah, I met him at a party two, three months ago, and I asked him if he'd let me hit that,' she said. 'He's like, "Tiffany, you're so funny" ... I told him, "My only stipulation: I wanna do it with you as your character in What's Eating Gilbert Grape."' She continued: 'He starts bustin' up laughin'. "Why?" he asks, and I say, "Cause I feel like that performance deserves a real reward and that reward is this (gestures at her own body)."' Leo played Arnie in the 1993 film starring Johnny Depp. The actor was a mere 19-years-old at the time. Spilling: In Wednesday's edition of The Hollywood Reporter , the comedienne spilled the beans on her recent A-list interaction She is rumored to be back on with her alleged old fling Alexander Skarsgard. But Charlize Theron took in a bit of family time when she was glimpsed on Saturday with her children, a female friend and another child. The 42-year-old platinum blonde film star emphasized her vertiginous legs in skintight dark jeans when she stepped out in Los Angeles. Scroll down for video Out and about: Charlize Theron took in a bit of family time when she was glimpsed on Saturday with her children, a woman friend and another child She slipped into a quilted white top and pulled on a black and off-white print blazer, pulling the sleeves slightly up over her forearms. The South Africa-born actress, who adopted her son Jackson in 2012 and her daughter August in 2015, modeled open-toed slippers and aviator shades. Charlize and Alexander, who were briefly linked in 2012, were claimed by a Life & Style source to have been 'flirting on set' of their upcoming film Flarsky. ''They're keeping it as private as they can, but it's hard to hide,' gossiped the source, dishing that 'They are both thrilled that this romance is back on.' Simply stylish: The 42-year-old platinum blonde film star emphasized her vertiginous legs in skintight dark jeans when she stepped out in Los Angeles From 2001 until 2010, she was in a relationship with Stuart Townsend - who shortly before had been cast as Aragorn in Peter Jackson's The Lord Of The Rings trilogy, only to be fired a day prior to the start of filming and replaced by Viggo Mortensen. She famously became engaged to Sean Penn in 2014, having dated him since the previous year, but over the summer of 2015 they split up. The blonde bombshell, who morphed garishly into serial killer Aileen Wuornos for an Oscar-winning turn in Monster, has complained of the drawback of being beautiful. Family matters: The South Africa-born actress, who adopted her son Jackson in 2012 and her daughter August in 2015, modeled open-toed slippers and aviator shades 'Jobs with real gravitas go to people that are physically right for them and thats the end of the story,' she whinged to British GQ in 2016. 'How many roles are out there for the gorgeous, f***ing, gown-wearing eight-foot model? When meaty roles come through, Ive been in the room and pretty people get turned away first,' claimed the two-time Academy Award nominee. Next year will see the release of Flarsky, a political comedy with a cast that includes Andy Serkis, Seth Rogen, June Diane Raphael and Randall Park. Within the Marvel Cinematic Universe, there's an internal ongoing 'battle' between stars Chris Pratt, Chris Hemsworth, and Chris Evans for the title of 'best Chris.' While each 'Chris' has their own strengths, Pratt thinks the 'battle' is too close to call. Speaking to The Daily Telegraph on Sunday, the Guardians Of The Galaxy star says it will be a close fight, particularly between himself and fellow Avengers hunk Chris Hemsworth. Scroll down for video 'It's a battle that will rage for years!' Chris Pratt (R) is set on toppling fellow Avengers hunk Hemsworth (L) as the 'best Chris' 'It's a battle that will wage for years,' proclaimed the actor. While he has no clue as to who will be the 'best Chris,' the 38-year-old jokes that he and Hemsworth are 'training really hard' to emerge victorious. When asking his Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom co-star Bryce Dallas Howard for her opinion, she preferred to stay out of the battle as she's linked to each 'Chris' in some way. Hemsworth has worked with Bryce's father, Ron Howard, on the film Rush, while Evans worked with Bryce on the 2008 film The Loss of a Teardrop Diamond. Hard to choose: Pratt jokes that he and Hemsworth are 'training really hard' to emerge victorious Hunky and hunkier: Both Pratt and Hemsworth recently starred alongside each other in the worldwide blockbuster hit, Avengers: Infinity War For now, it appears Pratt may hold the edge in the battle for 'best Chris.' The hunky actor is in the middle of a press tour for his latest blockbuster, Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom, which is scheduled for release on June 22. Chris reprises his role as velociraptor trainer Owen Grady in the film, a sequel to Jurassic World, which is currently ranked the fifth highest-grossing film of all time worldwide. No opinion! Pratt's Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom co-star Bryce Dallas Howard is wisely staying stay out of the battle as she's linked to each 'Chris' in some way Peter Stefanovic defended US President Donald Trump during a heated clash with Peter FitzSimons on Sunday's episode of Weekend Today. The tense exchange came about during a segment about Kim Kardashian's political aspirations, before talk quickly turned to the current Commander-In-Chief. 'Trump is a disgrace! He tells seven lies a day!' FitzSimons spluttered, before Stefanovic hit back trying to counter the claim. 'He's getting some things done!' Peter Stefanovic defended Donald Trump on Sunday's episode of Weekend Today after Peter FitzSimons slammed the US President as a 'disgrace' 'Trump is getting some marks though,' Stefanovic said. Co-star Jayne Azzopardi agreed, chiming in: 'He is popular!' Trying to persuade FitzSimons, Stefanovic then stated: 'You've got to admit that by sitting with Kim Jong-Un he's done something there.' 'Trump is a disgrace! He tells seven lies a day!' FitzSimons spluttered during the segment 'Has anything happened yet? Have they taken out a singular Double A battery from a nuclear missile?' FitzSimons replied. 'Not yet, but they've had the meeting, which is more than anyone's had in years,' Stefanovic shot back. However, FitzSimons seemed somewhat dismissive of the historic summit, saying: 'Terrific! Wonderful photo opportunity! Good luck, let's hope he gets on with it, and it'll be something he can put on his record. The rest of it is disgraceful!' 'How do you think that Donald Trump is going Peter? Do you think he's good?' The bandanna-wearing pundit continued to spar with Stefanovic And the bandanna-wearing pundit wasn't done with lashing out at Trump, interrogating Stefanovic by putting his hand on his chin and asking: 'How do you think that Donald Trump is going Peter? Do you think he's good?' 'I'm like you, he's got a funny way with words, but he's getting some things done!' Stefanovic tempered. 'Name them!' FitzSimons snapped back 'How's the environment going? How's America's prestige overseas going?' FitzSimons continued his tirade against Trump 'I mean he's turning the American economy around. He's getting some marks. You've just got to give him some marks. He appears to be getting more done.' But FitzSimons refused to yield, asking: 'How's the environment going? How's America's prestige overseas going?' Trying to ease the escalating argument, Jayne Azzopardi quickly ended the segment, moving on to another topic with a nervous smile. At just 15 years of age, Olivia Deeble is already making waves for her starring role on Home And Away. But her talent should come as no surprise given that she comes from an Australian acting dynasty. Both Olivia's mother and grandmother both appeared on Neighbours, while her grandfather, Reg Gorman, starred in the beloved 1970s series, The Sullivans. 'We often do lines together and he is a really big part of my acting': Home and Away's Olivia Deeble, 15, gushes over her famous grandfather Reg Gorman during an interview with The Sunday Telegraph Speakingto The Sunday Telegraph, Olivia gushed over her grandfather, saying he often gives her acting tips and that they rehearse scenes together. 'We often do lines together. He is a really big part of my acting and has been completely supportive of me which is really nice,' she said. 79-year-old Reg starred as Jack Fletcher in The Sullivans, which ran on Australian TV from 1976 until 1983. Iocn! 79-year-old Reg starred as Jack Fletcher in The Sullivans, which ran on Australian TV from 1976 until 1983 (pictured right) Meanwhile, Olivia's grandmother, Judith Roberts, played librarian Frances Nagel on Neighbours in the late 1990s and early 2000s. And her own mother, Kate Gorman, starred on the same soap back in the mid-1980s. However, Olivia has become a bona fide star in her own right after thee years on Home and Away, and she even has a celebrity trainer. That's mum! Olivia's mother, Kate Gorman, starred on Neighbours back in the mid-1980s In a recent Instagram post, the actress wrote: 'I went and trained with [trainer to the stars Jono Castano-Acero] @jonocastanoacero.' With her hair work-out ready in a high ponytail, the star posed for the camera while gripping on to her sporty chic pair of sunglasses. Avid fans of the show were quick to like the active snap, with the post rallying nearly 23,000 likes. He's the Perth born actor who has made his name in Hollywood as a handsome bad boy on the small screen. But although he plays a bully on TV, Dacre Montgomery looked entirely angelic as he took to the red carpet alongside his girlfriend Liv Pollock on Sunday. Clad in matching white outfits, the pair fronted at the MTV Movie Awards in Los Angeles where the 23-year-old is nominated for Best Scene Stealer for his work on Stranger Things. The couple that dresses together! Although he plays a bully on TV, Dacre Montgomery looked entirely angelic as he took to the red carpet alongside his girlfriend Liv Pollock on Sunday Clearly coordinating their looks before they left the house, Dacre chose a chic ensemble of fitted linen pants and a matching suit jacket in an off white. The summery look was completed with a thin white shirt underneath that showed off a glimpse of the Australian actor's taut muscles. He accessorised with brown brogues, a gold religious medallion necklace and smart tortoise shell spectacles. Also hailing from Perth, model Liv looked stunning in unusual trousers with laced up sides that showed a fair bit of skin. Racy: Also from Perth, model Liv looked stunning in unusual trousers with laced up sides that showed a fair bit of skin Creamy: Clearly coordinating their looks before they left the house, Dacre chose a chic ensemble of fitted linen pants and a matching suit jacket in an off white Chic: He accessorised with brown brogues, a gold religious medallion necklace and smart tortoise shell spectacles She appeared to go without underwear in the risque outfit, which also consisted of a tiny cream toned crop top that flattered her ample assets and showed off her toned midriff. The model wore her blonde hair slicked back off her face and a rosy lip for a pop of colour in the otherwise cream-toned ensemble. Dacre is nominated for his antagonistic role as Billy in the sci-fi hit Stranger Things, which has critics impressed with his diverse acting range. Doing well: Dacre is nominated for his antagonistic role as Billy in the sci-fi hit Stranger Things, which has critics impressed with his diverse acting range Particularly enamoured are female fans, whose hearts have been set aflutter with his good looks and on-screen persona. Speaking to The Hollywood Reporter of his newfound heartthrob status, he said: 'It's crazy, mate.' He added: 'To be honest with you, I'm sitting here this morning, and I've been up since five o'clock. I got 5,000 messages from girls yesterday.' Former escort Samantha X has revealed she's been 'sexually assaulted, threatened, stalked' in an angry Instagram rant about rape culture and violence towards women. Taking to Instagram on Sunday, the 44 year-old paid tribute to slain comedian Eurydice Dixon, who's body was discovered in a Melbourne park in the early hours of Wednesday morning, by sharing her own story. Sharing an illustration of a hand clutching a set of keys, she captioned the post: 'Sick of walking home like this.' 'I won't get on trains now!' Former escort Samantha X has revealed she's been 'sexually assaulted, threatened, stalked' in an angry Instagram rant about rape culture and violence towards women 'Ive been sexually assaulted, threatened, stalked,' she wrote, 'and this was BEFORE I became an escort.' 'Ironically Ive never felt safer on a date with a stranger than when I was being paid for it. This is real life for women.' Samantha- who's real name is Amanda Goff- went on: 'I am really sick of reading about another man hurting a child, or a jogger, or poor Eurydice Dixon, who was just walking home, her innocent pure young life cruelly snatched away by a man.' Tribute: Taking to Instagram on Sunday, the 44 year-old paid tribute to slain comedian Eurydice Dixon Tribute: The 44 year-old also paid tribute to slain comedian Eurydice Dixon who's body was discovered in a Melbourne park in the early hours of Wednesday morning In the impassioned post, Samantha admitted feeling terrified getting on public transportation alone and walking home by herself. 'I wont get on trains now because 9/10, the loner will approach me and I spend the trip working out how to get off the train without him following me,' she said. 'And Ive walked home with my sweaty palms clutching my keys on many an evening.' Impassioned: The author - who's real name is Amanda Goff - uploaded the impassioned post on Sunday 'I won't get on trains!' She admitted she's scare to board trains by herself 'I am sick to death of men hurting women,' she wrote. Samantha further explained that she won't wear her hair in a ponytail while on the street for fear of being 'pulled into an alleyway' by her hair. Samantha stopped working as an escort last year but still runs a highly successful female agency. They've been married for almost two decades, after tying the knot in 2001, and an item for 24 years. And Pierce Brosnan and his wife, Keely Shaye Smith looked happier than ever as they arrived to a special screening of Poisoning Paradise at the SOHO International Film Festival on Saturday night in New York. The James Bond actor, 65, and former model, 54, cosied up to one another as they happily posed for photos together. Loved-up: Pierce Brosnan and his wife, Keely Shaye Smith looked happier than ever as they arrived to a special screening of Poisoning Paradise at the SOHO International Film Festival on Saturday night in New York Pierce showcased his signature style in a brown suede jacket which he teamed with a crisp white shirt underneath, with the tops buttons undone. He complemented his look with a pair of dark wash denims while his salt and pepper coif was slicked off his face. Following his fashionable lead, Keely, who directed and produced the documentary, looked stunning in a black dress, which accentuated her curves. She paired her dress with a trendy leather jacket and accessorised with a long silver pendant as she flashed her diamond wedding ring. Dashing: Pierce showcased his signature style in a brown suede jacket which he teamed with a crisp white shirt underneath, with the tops buttons undone Pierce was showing his support for his other half, who had directed and produced the documentary which centres on the ongoing struggle to advance new legislation governing the fate of Hawaii. The Malibu-based couple have been inseparable since meeting on a Mexican beach back in 1994. Pierce and Keely both dote on their two sons together - IMG model Dylan, 21, and Next model Paris, 17. The actor tragically lost both his first wife Cassandra Harris and daughter Charlotte to ovarian cancer. He also has sons Chris, 45, and Sean, 34, with his late wife. Happy: Following his fashionable lead, Keely, who directed and produced the documentary, looked stunning in a black dress, which accentuated her curves Close: She paired her dress with a trendy leather jacket and accessorised with a long silver pendant The Pierce and Keely love story goes back to 1994 when the couple first set their sights on one another on a Mexican beach. They didn't marry until seven years later in a romantic ceremony at Ballintubber Abbey, in Ireland, in 2001. Although he is one of the best actors in Hollywood, it is evident that Pierce is a family man at heart as only last month he was offering his youngest son some advice. As Paris hits the runways and gets photo shoots under his belt as he breaks into the modelling industry, the Bond actor has been keeping a close eye on him. Tagging Paris in an Instagram post, he penned: 'Out in to the world they go ... do good things ... work hard, love life, be lucky, courage always, and dont forget to have lots of laughs...be kind... there ya go now lads.' Matt Preston is known for his controversial antics on Masterchef Australia. And the TV food judge has shocked viewers on Sunday by tasting a contestant's dish before the cooking process was finished. The episode featured a mystery box challenge which saw contestants use one hour to turn an everyday loaf of bread into an amazing dish. Too good not to try? Matt didn't seem to take heed of Gary's declaration when he noticed contestant Jess Liemantaras incomplete Indonesian fried bread sandwich with plum sauce Judge Gary Mehigan declared that he and Matt would only be tasting the 'three most appealing dishes.' However, Matt didn't seem to take heed of Gary's declaration when he noticed contestant Jess Liemantaras incomplete Indonesian fried bread sandwich with plum sauce. Matt was intrigued and called it a 'crazy kind of fried bread fried bread sandwich'.' Intriguing: The judge was hooked by Jess' work and called it a 'crazy kind of fried bread fried bread sandwich' (above) After complimenting Jess on her work, he then surprised viewers by saying that they should 'just taste it together'. Upon taking a big hearty bite of Jess' incomplete fried bread sandwich, Matt had nothing but praise. 'Im so proud that youre doing something totally different from what you normally do. Thats really good. And it tastes delicious,' said Matt to Jess. Unfinished yet tasty: Matt surprised viewers when he tasted Jess' unfinished sandwich before declaring it 'delicious' But after seeing Matt take a bite of Jess' incomplete dish, viewers were shocked and some declared it to be a violation of the show's competition rules. One viewer wrote: 'Isnt Matt tasting Jess food before cheating?' 'When we finally have our Royal Commission into #MasterChefAU judging, Matt pre-tasting Jess' dish and giving advance feedback is going to be the first cab off the rank,' joked another fan. Jess' Indonesian fried bread sandwich ultimately didn't make the cut as contestant Gina Ottaways chicken schnitzel with Italian potato salad won the challenge, putting her through to the next immunity challenge. Meanwhile. the other contestants were put through their paces during the invention test', where they were asked to create a winning dish to join Gina in the immunity challenge. Reece was triumphant with his rump steak with the carrot puree, gremolata and tasty jus. 'Isnt Matt tasting Jess food before cheating?' Viewers were shocked at Matt's actions and some declared it to be cheating Poking fun: 'When we finally have our Royal Commission into #MasterChefAU judging, Matt pre-tasting Jess' dish and giving advance feedback is going to be the first cab off the rank,' joked another fan More challenges: Meanwhile. the other contestants were put through their paces during the invention test', where they were asked to create a winning dish to join Gina in the immunity challenge Triumph! Reece was triumphant with his rump steak with the carrot puree, gremolata and tasty jus Attending the 9th Cambodia-Laos-Myanmar-Vietnam Summit (CLMV 9) in Bangkok, Thailand, on June 16, PM Phuc said Vietnam will help the countries to attend large trade fairs in Vietnam, build an e-government, improve digital capacity and skills, and continue to provide CLMV scholarships for Cambodian, Lao and Myanmar students. He stressed that narrowing the development gap within ASEAN is significant to the socio-economic development in Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar and Vietnam, as well as to the stability and prosperity of ASEAN as a whole. The Prime Minister said there are three points worth attention in order to achieve the best outcomes in CLMV cooperation. First of all, the cooperation should focus on sectors which are the strength of the concerned countries, with high feasibility, especially in the context of there being limited resources and the four countries participation in various Mekong mechanisms. He pinpointed a number of examples such as soft infrastructure connections, agriculture, tourism, human resource training, and the development of a sound and equal business climate. Secondly, the CLMV should be creative in mobilising resources and building joint projects, he said, suggesting integrating CLMVs contents into other Mekong cooperation mechanisms and involving development partners in CLMV meetings and project execution. Thirdly, the four nations should build mid and long-term cooperation strategies to serve as a foundation for their joint activities. During the 9th CLMV Summit, themed For Greater Economic Integration and Connectivity, the leaders of the four member states affirmed their determination to bolster collaboration in order to tap their economic potential, making contributions to the development of the ASEAN bloc and ensuring inclusive and sustainable development in the region. They expressed their hope that the close cooperation would help the CLMV countries to overcome formidable challenges and grasp new development opportunities. The summit lauded the efforts made by the member states in enhancing transport connections, facilitating trade and investment, and developing human resources. The leaders of Cambodia, Laos and Myanmar thanked the Vietnamese Government for granting scholarships and practical training courses for their citizens. The leaders reached a consensus on fortifying the multi-faceted connectivity among the four economies to realise the CLMVs targets. On transportation, the four nations will work to build missing roads in their transport connectivity, upgrade sections in the North-South Economic Corridor, the East-West Economic Corridor, and the South Economic Corridor, accelerate the construction of the Vientiane-Hanoi expressway, and study the feasibility of a road running through Myanmar, Laos and Vietnam. On the trade, investment and industrial cooperation, they will carry out their existing agreements, organise trade and investment promotion activities, stimulate border trade and the development of e-commerce, slash trade barriers through the harmonisation of standards, branch out special economic and industrial zones, build mechanisms to support small and medium-sized enterprises, and share experience in industrial development. In a bid to push tourism development, the Action Plan on tourism cooperation during 2016-2018 will be fully implemented. The four nations will create favourable conditions for travel associations to attend regional tourism events, as well as encouraging public-private partnerships in tourism and fostering aviation connectivity. The four member nations will continue the CLMV scholarship programme financed by the Vietnamese Government during 2016-2020, and study to set up a database on labour market demand and vocational training programmes. In agricultural cooperation, the countries will work to improve productivity, diversify agricultural products, and connect farm produce with consumption markets via value chains. They will also expand their ties in fisheries and forestry, share good practices and promote sustainable agricultural production. Regarding the energy sector, they will join hand for the study of the development of new, clean and renewable energy sources, and the sustainable management and use of natural resources, including water resources, while encouraging the harmonisation of electrical technical standards, and pushing forward the building of common mechanisms for electricity transmission pricing. The countries will share knowledge and experience in building policies and regulations on developing the information and communications technology (ICT) sector, promoting ICT connectivity among them, expand their cooperation in cyber security, and facilitate conditions for ICT enterprises. Leaders at the summit assigned their senior officials to study measures to streamline the CLMV operational mechanism and better combine CLMV cooperation with other Mekong cooperation mechanisms. They called for more a proactive involvement of the business sector and development partners in CLMV projects. At the end of the summit, the leaders adopted a joint statement of the CLMV 9 and agreed that Laos will be host of the CLMV 10. The same day, PM Phuc and the heads of delegations of members of the Ayeyawady-Chao Phraya-Mekong Economic Cooperation Strategy (ACMECS) had a working lunch with the CEOs of a number of businesses in the region. Vietnamese enterprises present at the function were BRG, T&T, FPT, Vietjet and Hop Luc corporations. She's just been outed as the girlfriend of Poldark's Aidan Turner - a man famed for his shirtless scything as well as his screen acting. But actress Caitlin FitzGerald can certainly give her new beau a run for his money, as proven in a clip from her US TV series Masters Of Sex [which was cancelled in 2016]. The 34-year-old blonde clearly isn't adverse to a topless performance herself, as she is seen bare-chested in scenes from the show, where she enjoys a romp on a bed - and on the floor - with her naked co-stars. Raunchy: Caitlin FitzGerald can certainly give her new beau Aidan Turner a run for his money in the shirtless stakes, as proven in a clip from her US TV series Masters Of Sex Ecstatic: Caitlin is seen crying out with pleasure as she romps between the sheets In one of the scenes - from the finale of season two - Caitlin's character Libby continues her affair behind husband Bill's [Michael Sheen] back, with Robert [Jocko Sims]. She is seen standing naked in front of her lover, also naked, before the pair are seen in a passionate clinch on the floor of the bedroom. In another image, she removes her clothes in front of her husband Bill before the pair take to the bed to make love. Caitlin is seen crying out with pleasure as she romps between the sheets. Giving him the glad (sc)ey(th)e: Caitlin is now envied by the droves of fans that have lusted after her boyfriend Adain throughout Poldark's four seasons Stripped: he's just been outed as the girlfriend of Poldark's Aidan Turner - a man famed for his shirtless scything as well as his screen acting Full-frontal: The actress can certainly give her new beau a run for his money, as proven in a clip from her US TV series Masters Of Sex [which was cancelled in 2016] Oh my! She in fact dated her co-star in the scene - Sheen - for a while in real life, too She in fact dated her co-star in the scene - Sheen - for a while in real life, too. Masters of Sex ran for four years before its cancellation by Showtime in November 2016. It was based on Thomas Maier's biography Masters of Sex, but often criticised for being too far-flung from reality. Set in the 1950s through the late 1960s, the series told the story of Dr William Masters and Virginia Johnson who were two pioneering researchers of human sexuality. Explicit: The 34-year-old blonde clearly isn't adverse to a topless performance herself, as she is seen bare-chested in scenes from the show New loves: The pair met while playing lovers in the forthcoming fantasy film The Man Who Killed Hitler And Then The Bigfoot, which opens in the US next month It was nominated for a Golden Globe Award for Best Drama Series in 2013 but failed to scoop the gong. Caitlin is now envied by the droves of fans that have lusted after her boyfriend Adain throughout Poldark's four seasons. Admirers of the hunky star had their hopes and dreams crushed this weekend when he confirmed he is dating the US actress by whisking her off to Paris. In snaps taken before their trip, it seems the actor, 34, was keen to ensure every last detail of the getaway was organised to perfection, as he was spotted making last minute calls ahead of the journey. Lovers: She enjoys a romp on a bed - and on the floor - with her naked co-stars Enjoying yourself? In one of the scenes - from the finale of season two - Caitlin's character Libby continues her affair behind husband Bill's [Michael Sheen] back, with Robert [Jocko Sims] She's loving it: She is seen standing naked in front of her lover, also naked, before the pair are seen in a passionate clinch on the floor of the bedroom The strapping star was seen on his phone, as he awaited Caitlin, who was due to meet him at his London property. Once there, the pair went off to France together; and were snapped on the romantic trip to Paris that ensued. They strolled hand in hand along the banks of the River Seine, with Aidan at one point leaning in to place a tender kiss on Caitlins cheek. The pair met while playing lovers in the forthcoming fantasy film The Man Who Killed Hitler And Then The Bigfoot, which opens in the US next month. Writer: Last month Glamour magazine published an essay by Caitlin entitled No one can tell you what good sex looks like, in which she admitted having had some really bad sex in my life It is thought they became close while filming scenes in Massachusetts. Sources say they rarely mingled with other cast members while staying at the historic Deerfield Inn, near Boston. In the film, Turner plays an American soldier in the Second World War who leaves Caitlins character behind to embark on a dangerous mission to assassinate Adolf Hitler and he is later called upon to kill a mythical sasquatch in the Canadian Rockies. Turner split with artist Nettie Wakefield, 30, last June. Before that he was in five-year relationship with fellow actress Sarah Greene, 32. They separated in 2015. In an interview last weekend, Turner, currently appearing in the fourth series of Poldark, coyly hinted at finding new love, saying: I do have a girlfriend, yeah. A new bond: It is thought they became close while filming scenes in Massachusetts In an interview last weekend, Turner, currently appearing in the fourth series of Poldark, coyly hinted at finding new love, saying: I do have a girlfriend, yeah' Caitlin has an intriguing family background: her grandfather, Desmond FitzGerald, was a high-ranking CIA officer during the 1960s. Last month Glamour magazine published an essay by Caitlin entitled No one can tell you what good sex looks like, in which she admitted having had some really bad sex in my life. She said she had initially crafted my bedroom behaviour around what I had seen women do on television lots of excessive moaning and hair tossing but very little personal satisfaction. She's known for her age-defying good looks and stylish ensembles both on and off the red carpet. And Halle Berry sure didn't disappoint on Saturday when she was spotted having lunch with a friend in West Hollywood. The 51-year-old actress stunned while flaunting her makeup free complexion and good looks. Let's do lunch! Halle Berry, 51, didn't disappoint on Saturday when she was spotted having lunch in West Hollywood with a friend all while flaunting her good looks in a sheer bra that showed off cleavage and toned abs Casually cool: The 51-year-old actress stunned while flaunting her makeup free complexion and good looks Halle wore an over-sized and unbuttoned black, long sleeved button down shirt that tucked into her jeans. Underneath her blouse was a black-sheer bra that showed off sexy cleavage and her toned abs. The actress accompanied the showing top with a pair of ankle-length, loose-fitting jeans that were slightly rolled at the bottom. The $159 One Teaspoon blue blossom saints boyfriends jeans seem to be a favorite of the star because she's been seen out and about in those before. Spotted: The X-Men star was photographed eating alongside a friend who seemed to be in deep conversation with the mother-of-two Her shoes matched her top, black, and had a cute heel that screamed simple but sexy. The tops of the shoes were velvet while the tips were leather, and they stopped at the right height, which was enough to show off a little bit of ankle. There was a silver buckle on the side of each shoe. The actress also accessorized her look with a pair of Serge Kirchhofer sunglasses. Baring all! Halle Berry went topless with a rainbow skirt in celebration of LA Pride in early June Halle appeared makeup free for the gathering. She had minimal jewelry on while her brunette locks were pulled back into a lower ponytail. The X-Men star was photographed eating alongside a friend who seemed to be in deep conversation with the mother-of-two. Halle's sighting comes just days after she was seen celebrating LA Pride by posing in a colorful skirt, topless for a photo. Next project: Berry just recently announced that she would be starring opposite Keanu Reeves in John Wick 3 'In support of all people having their individual right to BE...I will BE by my pool in my rainbow tutu as much as I can this month,' she shared. The beauty also added the hashtags 'pride month', 'pride', and 'just BE'. The photograph saw the actress appear makeup free as she kicked her pool water. Berry just recently announced that she would be starring opposite Keanu Reeves in John Wick 3. The plot line, while still unknown, involves a character named Sofia, played by Berry. The film is slated to premiere on May 17, 2019. She's been open about her battle with body dysmorphia in the past. And Ashley James was encouraging her social media followers to embrace their 'flaws' and focus on their inner happiness in a new bikini snap, taken on her Italian getaway. The busty blonde, 31, was later spotted out and about in Venice with a friend, enjoying the sights of the beautiful city on Sunday. Looking lovely: Ashley James was spotted out and about in Venice with a friend, enjoying the sights of the beautiful city on Sunday Taking a break from her tourist outing, Ashley took to her Instagram account to post an unretouched, 'unfiltered' picture of herself in an orange two-piece. Putting her peachy posterior on display, the one-time Made In Chelsea star proudly exhibited her tan lines and incredible curves. Alongside her body confidence post, she wrote: 'You don't need to filter happiness. Cheeky: Ashley was also encouraging her social media followers to embrace their 'flaws' and focus on their inner happiness in a new bikini snap, taken on her Italian getaway Casual: For her sightseeing outing, Ashley was casually clad in a pretty red sundress with a floral print, topping off her look with a straw boater Looking good: She wore her hair in two plaits and shielded her eyes from the sun with a pair of round shades Funky footwear: The former CBB star added some extra height to her frame with a pair of black platform heels featuring silver stud detailing 'When I had adult acne and was at my lowest point with body dysmorphia, I spent so much time editing my images and worrying what people in real life would think when they saw me unfiltered. 'It made me unhappy. What I didn't realise was that the more I faked it the unhappier I'd feel. 'Now I've been working on my happiness and I've stopped feeling the need to fake it, stopped worrying about the opinion of others, and started LIVING! Social media spree: Taking a break from her tourist outing, Ashley took to her Instagram account to post an unretouched, 'unfiltered' picture of herself in an orange two-piece Fun in the sun: The star was making the most of her fun-filled trip to Venice Leggy lady: The former reality star showed off her long legs in her flirty frock 'Be happy, not appy. #noretouching.' For her sightseeing outing, Ashley was casually clad in a pretty red sundress with a floral print, topping off her look with a straw boater. She wore her hair in two plaits and shielded her eyes from the sun with a pair of round shades. The former CBB star added some extra height to her frame with a pair of black platform heels featuring silver stud detailing. Snap happy: Ashley was happy to take photos for her pals during their outing Alongside her body confidence post, she wrote: 'You don't need to filter happiness' Ant McPartlin's personal assistant girlfriend Anne-Marie Corbett has been seen for the first time since his ex-wife Lisa Armstrong hit out at their new romance. The 42-year-old kept a low profile in jeans and dark sunglasses as she arrived back at her home in New Malden on Sunday, hours after news of their relationship emerged. It is the first sighting of Anne-Marie since she was targeted on Twitter by Ant's estranged wife and her former friend Lisa - who claimed she had 'broken girl code' by dating the troubled presenter. Pictured: Ant McPartlin's personal assistant girlfriend Anne-Marie Corbett has been seen for the first time (above) since his ex-wife Lisa Armstrong hit out at their new romance It emerged on Saturday that Ant and Ms Corbett have embarked on a relationship, since his divorce with Lisa in January. Heartbroken by the news, Lisa took to Twitter to criticise her ex-husband's new girlfriend of 'breaking girl code' by dating the troubled star. Lisa revealed to her 122,000 followers that she invited Anne-Marie into their marital home and the woman had been both hers and Ant's personal assistant. The news is believed to have devastated make-up artist Lisa, who was with Ant for 18 years. At 5am this morning she tweeted a broken heart emoji, signifying her upset. Lisa Armstrong took to Twitter to criticise her friend Anne-Marie Corbett (pictured together in happier times) and accuse her of breaking the 'girl code' by dating the troubled star The 42-year-old kept a low profile in jeans and dark sunglasses as she arrived back at her home in New Malden on Sunday, hours after news of her relationship with Ant emerged Lisa then went on to reveal that she did not know about the romance and had only found out about the new relationship after reading about it in the media. The 42-year-old I'm A Celebrity host announced his separation from Lisa earlier this year, with the pair filing for divorce in January. Since the breakdown of the couple's relationship, Ant has increasingly leaned on personal assistant Anne-Marie, who herself broke up with her husband in October. Anne-Marie was present when Ant arrived at a police station in March to answer drink driving charges, and was also at his later court hearing. 'She's his rock': Ant McPartlin is said to be on the road to recovery after reportedly finding love with his personal assistant, Anne-Marie Corbett (pictured together in April) 'Nope!': Lisa revealed TV star Ant McPartlin did not bother to get in touch with her after finding love with Lisa's former friend Anne-Marie Ant's new relationship is believed to have rocked make-up artist Lisa, who tweeted a broken heart emoji at 5am this morning, hours after the news was first unveiled After a Twitter follower asked whether or not she had been warned by Ant before it appeared in the media, she replied: 'Nope. Just how you guys did.' She then received a tweet of support from TV personality Nicola McLean, before replying: 'Thanks babe and to think she was MY friend!! xx' Another follower said 'so much for the girl code', to which Lisa answered: 'Exactly!' Lisa then replied to a follower to say that Anne-Marie was her friend and personal assistant to both her and Ant, adding that she let her 'into OUR home'. A source told The Sun on Sunday: 'He's had a tough time of it, but Anne-Marie has put a smile back on his face again - she has been his rock. 'They have been living in each other's pockets, day in, day out. 'Knowing someone is there for him has brought him back from the brink she's put him back together again.' Lisa received a tweet of support from TV personality Nicola McLean, before replying: 'Thanks babe and to think she was MY friend!! xx' Lisa then replied to a follower to say that Anne-Marie was her friend and personal assistant to both her and Ant, adding that she let her 'into OUR home' Anne-Marie and Ant having fun with the dog out in a nearby talk. Their romance is said to be in its 'early days' 'Put him back together': Anne-Marie reportedly bought the TV host 'back from the brink' after his drink-drive charge and admission to rehab Romance? The embattled TV presenter, 42, is said to have grown close to 'his rock' Anne, also 42, over the past few months Supportive: A source said: 'He's had a tough time of it, but Anne-Marie has put a smile back on his face again - she has been his rock' The source added their alleged romance was 'early days' but friends close to the star are hoping he can put his woes behind him and 'find happiness again' with the separated mum. MailOnline has contacted Ant's representatives for comment. Just last week, Ant looked in high spirits as he was seen indulging in a spot of retail therapy with his PA at Harrods, Knightbridge. The television host emerged from the famous luxury department story and headed to an awaiting vehicle with Anne, who was joined by her two young children, who she shares with her ex-husband Scott. Anne-Marie has been employed by the same London-based management company as Declan Donnelly's wife Ali Astall for ten years but began working closely with Ant only recently, according to The Sun. Anne-Marie Corbett is pictured on the day that Ant arrived at court to face drink driving charges in April Split: Ant announced he was divorcing his wife of 11 years, Lisa Armstrong, back in January Duo: His casual sighting at Harrods with Anne comes after Simon Cowell said he wants Ant to return for the next series of Britain's Got Talent His rumoured romance comes after Simon Cowell said that he wants Ant to return for the next series of Britain's Got Talent. BGT's live final and semis went ahead without Ant for the first time in the show's 11-year history. Simon told The Sun: 'It's a wake-up call. It's as simple as that. Maybe the pressure was more than I realised. I will support Ant when he comes back. The music mogul, 58 has vowed to put psychiatrists in place to support him, after admitting he didn't appreciate the pressure he was under before the rehab stint. Ant stepped down from his presenting commitments when he was charged with drink-driving following a three car crash. He was fined 86,000 and banned from the road for 20 months, after he was caught more than twice the legal limit following a crash in Richmond in March- with his mother in the car. The presenter pleaded guilty to driving with 75 micrograms of alcohol in 100ml of breath, after his involvement in a three-car collision. The legal limit is 35 micrograms Solo act: Britain's Got Talent's live final and semis went ahead without Ant for the first time in the show's 11-year history, with Dec hosting solo (pictured with BGT winner Lost Voice Guy) McPartlin was arrested after losing control of his black Mini and smashing into two other cars, a Mini and a BMW, while driving in Richmond, west London on March 18. The crash came after he formally announced he was divorcing his wife Lisa Armstrong after 19 years together. Their decision to get divorced was announced in January, within weeks of the presenter's return from Australia after filming I'm A Celebrity... Get Me Out Of Here! Ant's spokesman said at the time: 'In response to the recent speculation in the media, Ant is very sad to announce that, after 11 years, he is ending his marriage to Lisa McPartlin. 'Ant asks for privacy at this difficult time, for both himself, Lisa and their immediate families. No further statement will be made.' Farrah Abraham has revealed she has spoken with her nine-year-old daughter Sophia about her recent arrest. Last week the 27-year-old was arrested in Beverly Hills, where she was accused of striking a Beverly Hills Hotel security guard, then caught on camera cursing at police officers who reported to the luxury hotel over the incident. 'I actually did explain everything to her. As it happens, you've got to just say unexpected things may occur and you just gotta keep your cool,' Abraham told Us on Saturday in Santa Monica, California. Carefree and relaxed: Farrah Abraham, 27, and daughter Sophia, 9, looked content as they left Montage Beverly Hills on Sunday; last week Abraham was arrested in Beverly Hills 'You can be so nice to a certain extent and then it's like, Whew. People will try to ruin your career and you do nothing to have that happen.' The Teen Mom star added: 'I'm just working hard and we are on track. I'm just thankful I didn't get really in trouble because I really would've been sad about that, if it were my fault.' Farrah seemed carefree and relaxed when she was spotted leaving Montage Beverly Hills with Sofia by her side on Sunday. Both mom and daughter flashed great big smiles. Mommy-daughter date: The reality star looked stylish in a one piece jumper; while Sofia went casual in denim jeans, a long sleeve t-shirt and sneakers Farrah wore a one-piece stripped jumper that showcased her back, shoulders and arms. She added some fashionable sandals and had her hair stylishly pulled back off the left side of her face while carrying a small white purse. Sofia was far more casual for the mommy date. She wore some high cropped blue jeans with a long sleeve black shirt with 'Do What You Love' inscribed on the front of it and some sneakers. Social media blitz: Farrah and Sophia wish a Happy Father's Day to her grandpa; Farrah has also taken to Instagram to explain her side of the story pertaining to her arrest Mom and daughter also got to spend some quality time together when they attended the MTV Movie Awards in Santa Monica on Saturday. Despite all the happy faces this weekend, Farrah is due in court over the hotel incident on August 13, but has not been charged, the Los Angeles District Attorney's Office told People. According to authorities with the Beverly Hills Police Department, the Teen Mom personality lashed out after being told to exit the premises by the guard at about 1 a.m. after she allegedly created a disturbance inside the hotel. Looking good: Abraham graced the MTV Movie Awards with daughter Sophia in Santa Monica, California Saturday, just days after she was arrested in Beverly Hills She was held on $500 bail at the Beverly Hills Jail and was released about 12 hours later. Police have said that they suspect alcohol may have a played a role in the incident. In a number of subsequent Instagram posts, Farrah claimed she was targeted because of her fame. 'I chose this life and I handle being targeted as a public figure & public punching bag,' she wrote. 'I will never believe the lies that people need to sell to make a dollar off me.' In April, Farrah settled a $5 million wrongful termination of employment lawsuit she filed against Viacom, after being let go from MTV reality show Teen Mom. Changing it up: The reality star opted for a glittery menswear inspired look, which came complete with a bow tie, for the MTV Awards The cast of Love Island has been under the microscope since they entered the house nearly three weeks ago. On Twitter, critics of the show have not shied away from sneering about the education of this year's cohort. The BBC journalist Tina Daheley was criticised of snobbery after posting: 'A reminder that more people applied for Love Island this year than Oxford/Cambridge University.' But now it seems show bosses may be trying to lure in a higher caliber of contestants into the famous villa with the introduction of two new women - a Whitehall policy advisor and a sales executive. Government advisor: Zara McDermott joins the cast of Love Island tonight Making an entrance! Zara, 21, strutted on to the screen in a turquoise two-piece, making sure all eyes were on her toned physique This evening's show will see Ellie Brown and Department for Education advisor Zara McDermott head into the house. Following the exit of unlucky-in-love couple Hayley and Charlie, it was announced that two new arrivals will be heading into the show on Sunday. For the past eight months, Zara has worked for the Department of Education under Damian Hinds, advising on policy. Meanwhile new girl Ellie is a business development manager at Rich Energy Drink in London. New girl: Love Island is set for another shake up as it has been announced that new girls Ellie Brown (pictured) and government adviser Zara McDermott are to enter the villa on Sunday The high-flying 20 year old previously worked as a sales executive for Mercedes Benz. And beforehand, the brunette worked for the Department of Energy as an operational officer who helped combat fraud in renewable energy incentives. The brainbox studied psychology, English literature, religious studies and media at A level before working as a model for three years. She then started working at Whitehall in 2015 Beach babe: During a preview clip for the upcoming episode at the end of the show Ellie, 20, announced that she is best described as 'cute but psycho' Past relationships: Zara admitted she tends to go for guys who are 'emotionally unavailable' an give her the run around During a preview clip for the upcoming episode Zara, 21, strutted on to the screen in a turquoise two-piece, making sure all eyes were on her toned physique. Introducing herself, she said: 'I think I'm a catch. I'm definitely a catch. 'I tend to go for guys who are emotionally unavailable, don't want relationships but love to give me a chase. 'I've definitely got the brains and yeah, they just need to look good. 'But that makes me sound so shallow.' Meanwhile Ellie used her ten seconds of screen time to describe herself as 'cute but a psycho'. The 20-year-old from Newcastle said: 'I think boys would describe me as cute but psycho if they treat me bad.' 'I could fall in love with a piece of bread if it said the right things to us. 'They need to act right and I'll be the beast girlfriend ever but if they treat me bad, I'll make their life hell.' However some viewers seemed confused by Ellie's bread commenting, questioning why she was entering Love Island if all she wants is a slice of bread. One Twitter media user joked: 'Ellie would fall in love with a piece of bread? Why you going on love island then? Warburtons wasn't hiring? #LoveIsland' However another added that she admired her love bread: "I could fall in love with a piece of bread if it said the right things to me." Really Ellie? God love a girl who isn't afraid to admit she loves a good slice of toast or sandwich. #loveisland' Wasn't Warburtons hiring? Some viewers seemed confused by Ellie's bread commenting, questioning why she was entering Love Island if all she wants is a slice of bread Fans were rejoicing during the show as Hayley Hughes and Charlie Frederick were finally dumped from the villa. The duo's exit was nothing short of frosty as the hunk blamed the blonde beauty's 'cold' behaviour for their departure. Fans of the ITV2 mainstay seemed to agree, as they rushed to social media to slam the Liverpudlian, along with celebrating that she had been voted off the show. It proved to be tense evening as Caroline Flack entered to reveal which couple had been dumped from the villa, after the public had been voting between Alex and Samira and Hayley and Charlie. After it was revealed that the blonde duo had been sent packing, Charlie appeared to blame Hayley's 'cold' manner for the reason they were dumped. In an awkward exit Charlie said: 'Pretty savage to be dumped from the villa this early. I just feel you were a bit cold.' Hayley furiously responded: 'Things don't need to end bitter.' Charlie added: 'I just said we'll stay as friends' to which the model angrily replied: 'I don't have nothing else to say.' The pair had been at each other's throats throughout Friday's show, and even had a nasty argument just minutes before Caroline arrived at the villa. Charlie began by saying that he was not surprised that their fellow islanders had viewed them as incompatible, to which she replied that he was behaving in an 'angry' manner. He quipped back: 'Why would you pick me? You're still so cold. I'm not here to be mugged off and kept at arms length. I think I've dealt with it quite well to be honest.' 'You're f*****g boring. Ease down we've only been in couple for one night,' Hayley then added before storming off. He took his romance with Rosie Williams to the next level, with the pair performing sex acts under the covers on Love Island on Sunday night. But Adam Collard couldn't help his eyes from wandering once again when new islander Zara McDermott walked into the villa with Ellie Brown. The 22-year-old personal trainer was left looking starry-eyed after the government adviser, 21, told the group of men she fancied a 'challenge' and likes 'bad boys', leaving Rosie 'fuming'. Furious: Rosie was left 'fuming and shaking' when Adam sent a cosy photo of the boys standing next to two new girls on Love Island on Sunday night With the girls enjoying a dinner at a restaurant, the boys were left gobsmacked when the two newcomers arrived. And despite Dr Alex's best efforts to charm the duo with his chat about ironing and the elections, it wasn't long until Adam had swooped in to enjoy a cosy conversation with Zara by the fire pit, promising her a personal trainer date. Speaking in the Beach Hut, he said: 'I'm not going to beat around the bush. Zara fits the type of girl that I do fancy, so I would be lying if I said that she wasn't an attractive girl.' Ruffling feathers: The 22-year-old personal trainer was left looking starry-eyed after the government adviser, 21, told the group of men she fancied a 'challenge' and likes 'bad boys', leaving Rosie fuming Cheeky: Adam wasn't afraid to spark jealousy with his flame Rosie as he sent her a selfie of the newcomers In his conversation with Zara, Adam attempted to get to the bottom of whether she would tread on the other girls' toes to get the guy she wanted. Not afraid to ruffle feathers, the Essex singleton said: 'I like a challenge anyway. If you want to be nice, then you're on the wrong show.' Offering an olive branch, the hunky Lothario replied: 'I agree with that. I think people forget that coupled up don't necessarily mean you're in a relationship until you have that talk.' Flirty: Adam Collard couldn't help his eyes from wandering once again when new islander Zara McDermott walked into the villa with Ellie Brown Shock: With the girls enjoying a dinner at a restaurant, the boys were left gobsmacked when the two girls arrived Hi boys! It wasn't long until the arrival of Ellie and Zara got back to the girls, with Adam deliberately trying to spark jealousy in Rosie Wary of Adam's situation in the villa, Zara told the Beach Hut: 'Adam is literally so fit. But I'm not sure what his situation is with Rosie.' And despite him hotting up his romance with Rosie, the arrival of Zara left him uncertain at where his loyalties now lie. He said: 'Zara is a very attractive girl, yes. But I would say it was very early to say that Rosie would have anything to worry about,' despite offering her a personal training date. Viewers were quick to call out the Geordie hunk's behaviour on Twitter, with one fan writing 'Adam is so snaky' while another added 'Adam fancies everything doesn't he'. Outrage: Viewers were quick to call out the Geordie hunk's behaviour on Twitter, with one fan writing 'Adam is so snaky' while another added 'Adam fancies everything doesn't he' Devastated: Receiving the text, the solicitor struggled to contain her emotions, telling the girls she was 'fuming and shaking', while the others begged her to zoom in on the picture It wasn't long until the arrival of Ellie and Zara got back to the girls, with Adam deliberately trying to spark jealousy in Rosie by taking a selfie of him and the boys cosying up to the newcomers. Receiving the text, the solicitor struggled to contain her emotions, telling the girls she was 'fuming and shaking', while the others begged her to zoom in on the picture. Earlier on in the show, Rosie and Adam decided to take their romance one step further, with Rosie divulging the details while chatting to Megan on the bed. Competition: Despite Dr Alex's best efforts to charm the girls, it wasn't long until Adam enjoyed a cosy conversation with Zara by the fire pit, promising her a personal trainer date Cheers! Not afraid to ruffle feathers in the villa, the Essex singleton said: 'I like a challenge anyway. If you want to be nice, then you're on the wrong show' Wandering eye: Speaking in the Beach Hut, he said: 'I'm not going to beat around the bush. Zara fits the type of girl that I do fancy, so I would be lying if I said that she wasn't an attractive girl' She said: 'I did stuff with Adam a bit last night. I don't even care and it's a natural thing. I've being seeing someone all day everyday.' Meanwhile her personal trainer love interest told Jack, he woke up with 'a spring in his step' following a 'really good sleep'. Keen to cement her relationship with Adam, Rosie told him she wanted to meet everyone 'who was special to her' when they leave the villa. Meanwhile, Josh is also unsure of what Ellie and Zara's arrival means for his current relationship with Georgia. Hotting up: Earlier on in the show, Rosie and Adam decided to take their romance one step further, with Rosie divulging the details while chatting to Megan on the bed He said: 'Me and Georgia are early days. Things are going well. There are good things, there are great things, there are things that need a smidgeon of changing, but it would be wrong for me not to get to know these new girls to a deeper degree.' Wes also admits that, while he is still settled in his pairing with Laura, he doesn't feel their partnership has been tested enough to know if it is long term :'Say if I was on here, and someone came tomorrow, and Laura got kicked off for whatever reason, we wouldn't leave (together). I'd stay on. When someone that comes in that's her type, or someone that comes in that's my type. 'It would have to be someone that's even nicer than Laura, even sweeter than Laura, more attractive than Laura. It would have to be everything, because I've never been this happy in the first two weeks of a relationship, ever.'. The girls hastily make their way back to the villa, and, as they get ready to interrupt the boys' 'getting to know you' session with Ellie and Zara, Josh proclaims: 'Oh my god. Oh this is gonna go off mate, this is gonna go off.' Having doubts? Meanwhile, Josh is also unsure of what Ellie and Zara's arrival means for his current relationship with Georgia She's always dressed to impress for every occasion. And Elizabeth Hurley, 53, was putting on a demure display when she attended an NSPCC fundraising event, heled at the River Cafe in London on Sunday night. The actress looked lovely in a smart peach dress with a metallic sheen as she joined a host of stars including Eva Herzigova, 45, at the star-studded charity event. Striking: Elizabeth Hurley, 53, was putting on a demure display when she attended an NSPCC fundraising event, heled at the River Cafe in London on Sunday night, where she was joined by Eva Herzigova, 45, Liz showed off her youthful good looks in the lace number, which she paired with simple, nude coloured stilettos. She styled her locks in loose curls and accentuated her piercing eyes with dark kohl. The Royals star posed up a storm alongside veteran model Eva, who was dressed to impress in a white pleated skirt and matching blazer. Dressed to impress: Liz showed off her youthful good looks in the lace number Beauty: She styled her locks in loose curls and accentuated her piercing eyes with dark kohl Strike a pose: The ladies posed up a storm with Sir Elton John's husband David Furnish Glamorous: The Royals star posed up a storm alongside veteran model Eva, who was dressed to impress in a white pleated skirt and matching blazer The striking beauty wore the garment cinched in at the wasit with a studded black belt. Also in attendance at the event were David Furnish and David Walliams, with the BGT judge bringing his mum along as his plus one. Elizabeth's outing comes after she discusses her ex-flame Hugh Grant, saying he is 'very, very happy' following his wedding to wife Anna Eberstein. In conversation: Liz was seen chatting away to David, who was looking dapper in polka dots Joining forces: The British beauty also chatted to Mary McCartney at the glitzy bash All together now: David and Elizabeth caught up with Diala Khlat at the charity event Stepping out: Britain's Got Talent favourite David brought his mum Kathleen along Catching up: Eva was looking lovely in her smart white ensemble, worn belted at the waist Speaking to Harper's Bazaar, she enthused: 'He has three children with his wife Anna, who is adorable, and hes a very happy man.' Elizabeth dated Hugh between 1987 and 2000, after the actor famously got caught with a Hollywood prostitute eight years into their romance. Hugh, 57, tied the knot with Anna, 39, at Chelsea registry office last month despite his previous insistence he would never marry. The couple have been together for six years and share three children together, welcoming their youngest earlier this year. Night on the town: Britain's Got Talent favourite David brought his mum along as his plus one Stylish: David was his usual dapper self, jazzing up his suit with a floral pocket square In attendance: Kathryn and Paul Raphael were also among the guests Tziporah Malkah's last relationship ended badly, with the '90s socialite heading to court for assaulting her ex-boyfriend during an argument. But it seems Tziporah, formerly known as Kate Fischer - is putting the past behind her and enjoying the company of a handsome new suitor. New Idea published photos of the 44-year-old engaging in a steamy PDA session outside a Sydney restaurant with a man named Justin. Scroll down for video 'We've been having a great time': Tziporah Malkah has confirmed her new romance after being seen enjoying a steamy PDA session in Sydney - after THAT messy split with her ex-boyfriend Tziporah told the magazine that the relationship is going well, but declined to provide further details. 'He's a very nice person - but I'm not sure where it's going, and besides, he's a private person,' she said. 'We've just been having a great time. I enjoy spending time with someone else a little older than me.' Messy split: Last month, Tziporah spoke about the moment she assaulted her ex-boyfriend and three police officers, after taking a 'perfect storm' of alcohol and prescription drugs The Sirens actress revealed that they enjoy talking about important social issues, including homelessness and refugees. Daily Mail Australia has contacted Tziporah Malkah for comment. Last month, Tziporah spoke about the moment she assaulted her ex-boyfriend and three police officers, after taking a 'perfect storm' of alcohol and prescription drugs. She said she consumed antidepressants, gin and tonic and Stilnox before she 'cat-scratched' her ex in January. She pleaded guilty to the charge in a South Australian court in May and received a $1,200 fine without a recorded conviction. Legal dramas: Tziporah consumed antidepressants, gin and tonic and Stilnox before she 'cat-scratched' her ex in January. She pleaded guilty to the charge in a South Australian court in May and received a $1,200 fine without a recorded conviction Tziporah said she was ashamed by the attack, which happened during an argument about marijuana and a sick cat. 'I pulled open the bottle of milk, poured it all over his McDonald's and swished it around, and then just in my frustration I cat-scratched him on the face,' she later told A Current Affair. 'I was like: "What have I done?" I was very, very ashamed and very, very sorry.' They met and fell in love on Bachelor In Paradise. And now it has been reported that Tara Pavlovic and Sam Cochrane will tie the knot on TV, too. Woman's Day magazine claims that the lovebirds are set to exchange vows in a televised wedding, taking place where it all began...Fiji. Back to where it all began! Bachelor In Paradise stars Tara Pavlovic and Sam Cochrane to 'tie the knot in televised Fiji wedding'... so will Osher Gunsberg be the celebrant? According to the publication, Channel 10 are keen to film a 'three-part TV series' with the couple, which will document their wedding preparations and the ceremony itself. The news comes after Sam and Tara were recently forced to deny rumours they had split. Last week, Tara addressed speculation that she and Sam had ended their relationship, sharing a picture of the pair cuddling in bed to her Instagram story. Where it all began: Tara and Sam became engaged during the Bachelor in Paradise finale, which was filmed in Fiji last year and aired in late April 'Woke up this morning to reports Sam and I are over,' she wrote over the image, in which she was seen flashing her diamond engagement ring. 'But I woke up next to him... weird.' She added: 'Don't worry peeps, stop stressing, we're all G (good).' Speculation of a split began when fans observed that Tara and Sam, 31, were no longer following each other on Instagram. 'I think they've broken up - they've unfollowed each other on Instagram,' somebody commented below one of Tara's recent photos. Fan favourites: The televised wedding would be a real coup for Channel Ten Some of the comments included: 'Wait WHAT?', 'My world has literally just fallen apart' and 'Please tell me it's not true'. Tara and Sam became engaged during the Bachelor in Paradise finale, which was filmed in Fiji last year and aired in late April. Sam proposed with a GS Diamonds ring believed to be worth $11,000. 'I want to spend the rest of my life with you,' he said before presenting the magnificent sparkler and asking: 'Will you marry me?' At the eighth ACMECS Summit, themed Towards an Integrated and Connected ACMECS Community, the leaders focused their discussions on measures to facilitate socio-economic development, improve competitiveness of member economies, and outlined orientations for cooperation for inclusive and sustainable development in the Mekong region. The leaders also discussed establishing the ACMECS Fund and ACMECS Infrastructure Fund and Trust as a financing mechanism for cooperation projects in the region. The summit adopted the Bangkok Declaration and the ACMECS Master Plan for the 2019-2023 period with the goal of turning ACMECS into an economic hub with seamless connectivity and strong integration. It also agreed that Cambodia will host the 9th ACMECS in 2020. Addressing the event, Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc hailed the work of building the ACMECS Master Plan and affirmed that Vietnam will coordinate with other member countries to build a plan of action to implement cooperative projects as soon as possible. He suggested a number of measures to make ACMECS cooperation more effective, saying that ACMECS needs to contribute more directly to and become an integral part of the ASEAN Community formation process through integrating the implementation of the ACMECS Master Plan with that of the ASEAN Community Vision 2025, the Master Plan on ASEAN Connectivity, and other ASEAN cooperation programmes. It is necessary to improve the working mechanism of ACMECS and pay more attention to the mobilisation of financial sources via initiatives like the ACMECS Fund and ACMECS Infrastructure Fund and Trust, the Vietnamese PM noted. He also recommended a number of specific contents for cooperation in trade-investment, agriculture, tourism, environmental protection, natural resources management, and human resources development. He called for efforts to be channeled into developing the East-West Economic Corridor, the South Economic Corridor and building new roads to facilitate investment within the region. Meanwhile, the ninth CLMV Summit, themed For Greater Economic Integration and Connectivity, leaders of the four member states affirmed their determination to bolster collaboration to tap their economic potential, making contributions to the development of the ASEAN bloc and ensuring inclusive and sustainable development in the region. They shared the goal of narrowing the development gap within ASEAN and building a dynamic, prosperous CLMV region with sustainable development. At the end of the summit, the leaders adopted a joint statement of the CLMV 9 and agreed that Laos will be host of the CLMV 10. PM Phuc and his spouse leave Bangkok for Hanoi. (Photo: VGP) Addressing the CLMV 9, Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc stressed that narrowing the development gap within the ASEAN is significant to the socio-economic development in Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar and Vietnam as well as to stability and prosperity of ASEAN as a whole. The Prime Minister said there are three points worth of attention in order to achieve the best outcomes in CLMV cooperation. First of all, the cooperation should focus on sectors which are the strength of the concerned countries with high feasibility, especially in the context of limited resources and the four countries participation in various Mekong mechanisms. He pinpointed some examples such as soft infrastructure connection, agriculture, tourism, human resource training, and development of sound and equal business climate. Secondly, CLMV should be creative in mobilizing resources and building joint projects, he said, suggesting integrating CLMVs contents into other Mekong cooperation mechanisms and involving development partners in CLMV meetings and project execution. Thirdly, the four nations should build mid and long-term cooperation strategies to serve as foundation for their joint activities. He said Vietnam is ready to contribute to cooperation in the framework of the Cambodia-Laos-Myanmar-Vietnam (CLMV) mechanism and proposed specific support for the countries, such as helping the countries attend big trade fairs in Vietnam, build e-government, improve digital capacity and skills, and continue to provide CLMV scholarships for Cambodian, Lao and Myanmar students. During the time he attending the ACMECS 8 and CLMV 9, PM Phuc held bilateral meetings with his Thai, Lao and Cambodia counterparts and the President of Myanmar, and received executives of some major Thai corporations. On the occasion, PM Phuc and his Thai counterpart witnessed the signing of an MoU on cooperation between the Enterprises Development Department under the Vietnamese Ministry of Planning and Investment and Thai bank Kasikorn, and a deal on developing the solar power plants Dau Tieng 1 and 2 in Vietnams Tay Ninh province with total investment of approximately US$400 million. The trip to attend the ACMECS 8 and CLMV 9 of Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc demonstrates the importance that Vietnam attaches to the two cooperation mechanisms. It also helped enhance Vietnams position and role in the region, and contributed to opening up a new chapter in Mekong cooperation and to sustainable development and prosperity in the region. She began filming the sequel to last year's summer blockbuster earlier this week. And on Sunday Gal Gadot, 33, shared the first snaps of herself in character in Wonder Woman 1984. Little seemed to have changed about the superhero's revealing, shiny red, blue and gold costume, although her long brunette tresses seemed to be a little more tousled and curly, perhaps in keeping with the era the film is set in. Scroll down for video 'She's back...': Gal Gadot posted the first image of herself in Wonder Woman 1984 on Saturday She also posted a snap of herself as Diana Prince reflected in a wall of TV screens showing typically Eighties images including the late Larry Hagman as Texas oilman J.R. Ewing in Dallas. Meanwhile, Gal and co-star Chris Pine, 37, were seen filming Wonder Woman 1984 on a balcony in Washington, D.C., on Friday. The action stars appeared to be shooting an intense and intimate fight scene with the two ending up chest-to-chest. A different time: The 33-year-old also shared a shot of herself as Diana Prince reflected in a wall of TV screens showing typically Eighties images including the late Larry Hagman as Texas oilman J.R. Ewing in Dallas Back at it: On Friday, Gal and Chris Pine were seen going chest to chest on a balcony on the set of Wonder Woman 1984 in Washington, D.C. Chris plays Steve Trevor and how the character even came to be in the movie is a mystery to fans as he was killed in the first film, sacrificing himself to save London from a lethal mustard gas bomb. Since the movie is set in 1984, which is almost 70 years after the WWI setting of the first film, some fans suggest that Chris is playing Steve's son. In the 2017 Wonder Woman film, the military pilot gives up his own life to prevent a German gas attack, so how exactly he returns for the sequel is still a mystery. Comic book characters have a tendency to not stay dead, and theories such as time travel, resurrection and alternate universes have all been flouted as possible explanations. There is also the theory that Chris is playing his character Trevor's son this time around. The movie is set to hit theaters November 1, 2019. The nation was behind the unlucky-in-love doctor when two new beauties entered the villa. But Alex George only left viewers in stitches on Sunday night, after attempting to woo the new islanders with a selection of incredibly awkward chat-up lines. Fans immediately took to Twitter to poke fun at the 27-year-old's flirtations with new girls Ellie and Zara - which saw him discuss his love for cars, and even ironing. Awkward: Alex George left viewers in stitches on Sunday night, after attempting to woo the new islanders with a selection of incredibly awkward chat-up lines Trying his best: Fans immediately took to Twitter to poke fun at the 27-year-old's flirtations with new girls Ellie (L) and Zara (R) - which saw him discuss his love for cars, and even ironing Fitness fanatic Ellie and government adviser Zara made an explosive entrance to the Mallorcan love nest on Sunday, while the girls were enjoying an al-fresco dinner. Keen to find love after an unsuccessful first week, the A&E doctor was quick to make a move on both girls - with huge encouragement from his male co-stars. However, things started to go awry for Alex when he attempted to woo the girls, and instead came out with some cringe-worthy chat-up lines. Let's do this: Keen to find love after an unsuccessful first week, the A&E doctor was quick to make a move on both girls - with huge encouragement from his male co-stars Send help: However, things started to go awry for Alex when he attempted to woo the girls - simply replying 'I love cars' upon hearing Ellie sells cars Upon hearing Ellie sells cars, he simply replied: 'I love cars', before she admitted to hating ironing, causing him to quip: 'You know what I'm really good at? Ironing.' Later trying his luck with Zara, he tried to relate to her governmental interests by revealing one of his favourite things to do is to stay up late and watch the General Election votes. Viewers immediately took to Twitter to poke fun at his efforts, writing in their droves: 'I love cars Alex. Wtf was that fam!', 'oh, i love cars GOOD CHAT ALEX', 'Did Alex actually just say... oh yeah I like cars' and 'Think this is why its going wrong for Alex.' Doing his best: Ellie (R) later admitted to hating ironing, causing him to quip: 'You know what I'm really good at? Ironing' In common: Later trying his luck with Zara, he revealed one of his favourite things to do is to stay up late and watch the General Election votes Another added in frustration: ''I love cars' f*** sake Alex mate you dont help yourself do you!' while another wrote sarcastically: 'Oh I love cars what absolute belting chat Alex has.' Others used the opportunity to create funny memes about the scene - with one seeing a group of people with their heads in their hands, captioned: 'The whole nation when Alex said "I love cars"' Meanwhile another saw his face imposed onto the body of superhero Iron Man, captioned: 'Got any ironing that needs doing? Iron Man Alex has got your back?' Hilarious: Viewers immediately took to Twitter to poke fun at his efforts The ironing comment caught further attention from viewers, who both mocked the line but also praised his gentlemanly nature. One quipped: 'Alex you're trying to attract her with your ironing skills? Oh I can't handle all this passion' While another agreed: 'Alex tryna sell himself to the new girl by saying hes good at ironing...' Impressive: Others joked about his confessed love for ironing However others praised his pride in his appearance and honesty, writing: 'Alex sweeping in on ellie with his ironing skills, yesssss booo. You show her how good you are' And: 'Love how Alex's small talk is about family, work, ironing and watching the election results.' A whole host of other fans simply voiced their continued support for the doctor, and gush of their pride at his efforts to find love. One wrote beside a photo of an emotional James Corden: 'Me watching alex coming out of his shell, being more confident and talking to the new girls with all the lads supporting him' Proud: A whole host of other fans simply voiced their continued support for the doctor, and gush of their pride at his efforts to find love Shaking things up: Ellie and Zara (above) caused a stir when they arrived in the villa on Sunday night, while the girls were enjoying dinner together As another simply commented: 'Alex is even sitting different. Were looking at a new man.' While the chat up lines went down a storm with viewers, it seems they worked his magic over Zara, who later confessed her crush on him. She said in the Beach Hut: 'Alex I think is literally the loveliest guy I've ever met. He's so nice. I'd definitely consider pursuing things with him and seeing where things go.' However, it was 20-year-old Ellie who caught the doctor's eye, revealing after their first chat: 'Ellie could be a bit of me. 'She could be a bit of me. I think it takes me time to say 100% But I think there's a possibility.' She is a mother-of-three and daughter of famed attorney Robert Kardashian. And Kourtney Kardashian shared a moving Father's Day tribute to her late dad on Sunday. The 39-year-old television personality also shared images of herself and her children making pottery for their father, Scott Disick, 35. Missed: Kourtney Kardashian shared a moving Father's Day tribute to her deceased dad on Sunday The image of Kourtney and her father featured the Keeping Up with the Kardashians star sitting on her dad's lap. She donned a pink button down shirt and had her dark tresses in adorable ponytails. Robert, who passed away in 2003 shortly after being diagnosed with esophageal cancer, could be seen smiling in the image. A rose bud with the words 'good bye' written on it could be seen in the background. Memories: Robert, who passed away in 2003 shortly after being diagnosed with esophageal cancer, could be seen smiling in the image Robert was a lawyer and businessman who gained national recognition as O. J. Simpson's defense attorney during his murder trial. He was married to Kris Jenner from 1978 until 1991, when they separated for divorce. The couple had four children together, Kourtney, Kimberly, Khloe, and Robert. Rise: Robert was a lawyer and businessman who gained national recognition as O. J. Simpson's defense attorney during his murder trial Ceramics: The 39-year-old television personality also shared images of herself and her children making pottery for their father, Scott Disick, 35 Warmth: The kids made clay bowls with written inscriptions that said, 'daddi,' and 'I love dad' Kourtney also shared images to her Instagram of her and her children making pottery. The kids made clay bowls with written inscriptions that said, 'daddi,' and 'I love dad.' It was unclear which of the children joined their mother for the ceramics crafting event. Crafting: Kourtney also shared images to her Instagram of her and her children making pottery Heartfelt gift: It was unclear which of the children joined their mother for the ceramics crafting event Kourtney has three children with Scott, Mason, eight; Penelope, five; and Reign, three. The couple were together from 2006 until 2015, but never married. Kourtney has been dating Algerian model Younes Bendjima, 24, since December 2016. Scott has been dating 19-year-old Sophia Richie since September 2017. The Project left fans cringing Hollywood legends Richard Dreyfuss and Kathleen Turner an awkward interview on The Project on Sunday. Things started off in a lighthearted fashion with the panel asking the two actors about their experience attending the Supanova Comic Con And Gaming convention in Sydney. But the interview took an awkward turn when the topic abruptly shifted towards sexual abuse in Hollywood. Took a turn for the awkward: Richard and Kathleen's interview on The Project on Sunday started about Supanova but quickly shifted towards sexual abuse in Hollywood Responding to a question regarding the misogynistic attitudes towards women in Hollywood and how it is changing in the wake of the #MeToo movement, Kathleen commented: 'Contempt for women or inherent assumption of women as lower class citizens is universal.' Host Lisa Wilkinson then asked Richard about a recent controversial statement he made previously made in response to a colleague calling him out for his past inappropriate behaviour. Richard answered by saying that past actions 'revolted' him in the past before explaining that he was a 'lowdown dirty dog' during his early Hollywood years in the late 70s to early 80s. 'I was a lowdown dirty dog': While admitting that he was ashamed of his past behaviour, Richard explained that his actions were 'culturally supported' While admitting that he was ashamed of his past behaviour, Richard explained that his actions were 'culturally supported' and women all know but simply 'didn't want to remember it that way.' As Kathleen visibly struggled to interject her own thoughts about the topic, the actor then shared his view on the recent slate of accusations due to the #MeToo movement. Richard says that people 'shouldn't accused someone of a crime before the crime has been defined.' Comments: The actor commented that people 'shouldn't accused someone of a crime before the crime has been defined' in regards to the recent slate of accusations due to the #MeToo movement Can't get a word in: As Richard shared his thoughts on the #MeToo movement, Kathleen visibly struggled to interject her own thoughts about the topic The Jaws actor then attempted to defend disgraced US senator Al Franken, who was recently pressured to step down from his position due to sexual misconduct allegations. Host Tommy Little then cut Richard off mid-sentence as they were 'running out of time' but quickly gave Kathleen the chance to share her thoughts about the topic. The actress said that while the #MeToo movement is fantastic for women speaking out, she believes that organisations set up to offer aid for women unable to afford lawyers to defend themselves are more important. Cut: Host Tommy Little cut Richard off mid-sentence as they were 'running out of time' but quickly gave Kathleen the chance to share her thoughts about the topic As the awkward interview unfolded on The Project, viewers took to Twitter to slam the segment. Some viewers weren't particularly pleased with the change of topic from Supanova to the #MeToo movement, while others believed the hosts were rude for cutting off Richard and Kathleen mid-sentence. One person wrote: 'Damaging your winning recipe there, [The Project]. Inviting guests, placing them at the end of the show, then cutting them off... really poor form and rude.' 'I'm no way endorsing any of Mr Dreyfuss's actions or comments in any way but I thought that last segment was about Supernova not blindsiding one of the guests,' wrote another viewer. The father of the four children killed in a suspected family murder-suicide feared they were dead when he heard about a shooting from co-workers. Peter Miles, 61, his 58-year-old wife Cynda, their daughter Katrina, 35, and her four children - daughter Taye, 13, and sons Rylan, 12, Arye, 10, and Kadyn, eight - were found dead at Forever Dreaming Farm in Osmington, near Margaret River, on May 11. Aaron Cockman, who was estranged from the family, was at a jobsite when he heard about the shooting from co-workers who heard about it in on the radio. "They said 'hey have you heard on Triple J. four kids and three adults'," he told Seven's Sunday Night in an interview. "My heart just dropped and I said 'yeah i think that's my kids'." Police officers who had texted him to speak to him, arrived moments later. "I asked, 'Is it true, is it my kids?' and they said 'yes'." Mr Cockman previously told reporters he believed Mr Miles planned the murder-suicide. 1800 RESPECT (1800 737 732) Lifeline 13 11 14 Lifeline 13 11 14 beyondblue 1300 22 4636 The Refugee Action Coalition says 21 refugees have left Nauru for the United States, only two days after an asylum seeker died on the island nation from a suspected suicide. The RAC's Ian Rintoul says the departure on Sunday's of the 21 detainees is "bittersweet" as the Nauru community mourns the death of 26-year-old Farhad who was found dead in his family's tent on Friday. "The Nauru community is still in shock because of Farhad's death," Mr Rintoul said. "Everyone is wondering who is next. With so many nationalities being denied entry to the US, many people are left thinking that there is only one way off Nauru now." Sunday's departure reportedly included individuals, as well as two families, from Myanmar, Sri Lanka, Pakistan and Afghanistan. Mr Rintoul said no other flights from Nauru this year have included refugees from Iran, Somalia, Iraq, Sudan or Syria. "The unofficial ban on nationalities under the Trump administration's travel ban continues," he said. By Mr Rintoul's tally, 930 people, including 140 children, are still being held on Nauru. The US has now accepted 186 refugees as part of a deal struck between former president Barack Obama and Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull. The minister responsible for immigration, Peter Dutton, has been contacted for comment. A man accused of filming up the skirts of shoppers in Sydney's Pitt Street allegedly had more than 2000 photos and videos of women on his mobile phone. The 27-year-old was detained by security at a shopping centre on Saturday afternoon after he was allegedly seen using a shopping bag fitted with a camera to film up women's skirts. Officers seized his phone, which allegedly contained the enormous stash of images from shopping centres and railway stations across Sydney. Police later searched a home at Mortdale and took away computers. The man was charged with two counts of filming a person's private parts without consent and was granted conditional bail. He's expected to appear before Downing Centre Local Court on July 11. NSW enforcer David Klemmer is set to avoid a ban that would rule him out of State of Origin II after being charged with dangerous contact. The match review committee has handed the Bulldogs prop a grade one charge for his late hit on Gold Coast half AJ Brimson late in Saturday's home NRL loss to the Titans. However Klemmer has no prior offences in the past two years and he can avoid a suspension with an early guilty plea. That will clear him to play for NSW when they attempt to clinch the Origin series at ANZ Stadium next Sunday. He will face a one-match ban if he chooses to contest the charge and loses. Cronulla captain Paul Gallen can likewise avoid a ban with an early guilty plea after being charged with dangerous contact to the head/neck of Brisbane forward Joe Ofahengaue. Manly's Joel Thompson is facing a fine only for a careless high tackle on St George Illawarra centre Euan Aitken. Former federal treasurer Wayne Swan is expected to be elected the new national president of the Australian Labor Party. Vote counting in the party ballot was continuing on Sunday, with Mr Swan understood to be leading the postal vote count. Incumbent president Mark Butler is believed to be lagging Mr Swan, who is polling about 48 per cent of the vote, by at least 12 per cent. However electronic votes were still to be counted. Mr Swan is retiring from parliament at the next federal election, while Mr Butler is looking for a new seat after his was slated for abolition in a recent boundary redraw in South Australia. Mr Swan campaigned on a platform of addressing inequality and boosting party membership. The party's national conference will be held in December. THE DREAMWORLD INQUEST WHAT: A coronial inquest into the deaths of four people at Dreamworld in October 2016 will start on Monday. The circumstances that led up to and caused the incident on the Thunder River Rapids will be examined, as will the construction, maintenance, safety measures, staffing, history and modifications of the ride. The coroner will also look at the sufficiency of the training provided to staff in operating the family-friendly ride and how to prevent a similar incident from occurring. -- WHY: Cindy Low, Kate Goodchild, her brother Luke Dorsett and his partner Roozi Araghi were killed when the Thunder River Rapids malfunctioned on October 25. -- WHERE: The inquest will be held at the Southport Magistrates Court. It is expected to be held in two parts, with the opening period scheduled to run from June 18 to 29. -- TIMELINE 2016 * October 25 - The Thunder River Rapids Ride malfunctions and causes the deaths of Ms Low, Ms Goodchild, Mr Dorsett and Mr Araghi. * October 26 - Dreamworld announce plans to reopen on October 28. The reopening is later cancelled following advice from police to scrap the plans. * October 27 - Parent company Ardent Leisure hold its AGM in Sydney. Then CEO Deborah Thomas comes under fire for not speaking directly to the victims' families. * November 3 - New Zealand-expat Cindy Low's funeral is held on the NSW Central Coast. * November 5 - Roozi Araghi's funeral is held in Sydney. * November 7 - Kate Goodchild and Luke Dorsett are farewelled at a funeral in Canberra. * November 9 - Dreamworld announces it will demolish the Thunder River Rapids Ride. * November 25 - Workplace Health and Safety auditors issue seven improvement notices and three prohibition notices following inspection of Dreamworld and WhiteWater World. * December 10 - WhiteWater World fully reopens and Dreamworld partially reopens, with many of the big rides undergoing safety reviews. 2017 * January 6 - Ardent Leisure announces revenues have plummeted by 63 per cent across Dreamworld and WhiteWater World. * April 26 - Deborah Thomas announces she is standing down as Ardent Leisure CEO. She later leaves the business with a $731,000 payout. * June 30 - Ardent Leisure report $62.6 million loss for the financial year. Crowds at Dreamworld estimated to have dropped by as much as 30 per cent. * September 28 - A Workplace Health and Safety investigation is completed. Industrial Relations Minister Grace Grace says charges against Dreamworld are possible. * October 13 - Police conclude its report into the incident and deliver a two-volume brief to the coroner. At the special national relic site, the delegation, which was on a working trip to the central province of Quang Tri, offered incense to the people who laid down their lives during the fierce 81-day battle to protect the citadel and Quang Tri township from the US-backed army of the Republic of Vietnam in 1972. The fight contributed to Vietnams triumph at the Paris Conference and was a prerequisite for the General Offensive and Uprising in the Spring of 1975, which completely liberated the South and reunified the country. The delegation also offered incense to the heroic martyrs at the Truong Son National Martyrs Cemetery, Road 9 National Martyrs Cemetery, the Martyrs' Cemetery of Trieu Phong district, and dropped flowers in the Thach Han River. Vice Chairwoman Phong said she hopes the administration and people of Quang Tri will continue doing a good job of repaying national contributors and educating younger generations about Vietnams revolutionary history. Popular support for Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull has reached 40 per cent for the first time in two years, while One Nation suffered a drop in its primary vote, the latest Newspoll shows. The result marks the 34th consecutive Newspoll loss for the coalition under Mr Turnbull, with Labor continuing to enjoy a lead over the coalition in the two-party preferred stakes, 52 per cent to 48. The primary vote of One Nation fell from eight to six per cent following a public falling out between leader Pauline Hanson and Senator Brian Burston, who resigned from the party this week over a dispute about company tax cuts. The Turnbull government faces pressure to take the GST off tampons, with draft laws passing the Senate. Labor, the Greens and crossbenchers combined in a parliamentary vote to take the 10 per cent tax off feminine hygiene products on Monday. However, while the vote is a blow for the government, the bill is not expected to pass the lower house where the coalition has the majority. The Turnbull government faces pressure to take the GST off tampons, with draft laws passing the Senate (stock image) Some Liberal MPs have sought to lobby Treasurer Scott Morrison to remove the tax, but he argues it would need the support of all states and territories to approve any changes to the GST. Labor deputy leader Tanya Plibersek told AAP it was fair tax reform. 'It's time this arrogant and out-of-touch prime minister gave women a tax cut, instead of his mates at the big banks,' Ms Plibersek (pictured) said Poll Do you think feminine hygiene products should be exempt from the GST? Yes No Unsure Do you think feminine hygiene products should be exempt from the GST? Yes 33 votes No 8 votes Unsure 1 votes Now share your opinion 'It's time this arrogant and out-of-touch prime minister gave women a tax cut, instead of his mates at the big banks,' Ms Plibersek said. Labor announced in April that if elected to government, the tax would be removed. Australian women spend around $300million on sanitary products - tampons and pads - each year. The tax component is about $30million a year. Under Labor's proposal, the loss of revenue to the states from GST on sanitary items would be offset by applying the GST consistently to 12 natural therapies that are sometimes GST free, such as herbalism and naturopathy. Australians could be a step closer to cheaper imported French champagne with Canberra and Brussels set to begin free trade talks. EU Trade Commissioner Cecilia Malmstrom is in Canberra on Monday for meetings with Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull, Foreign Minister Julie Bishop and other ministers. They will officially launch the start of negotiations for a free trade pact that would open the door to a market of half a billion consumers and a GDP of $US17.3 trillion ($A23.2 trillion), making it one of Australia's biggest agreements. "This is significant for Australian businesses," Trade Minister Steven Ciobo says. "The more Australian produce, products and services sold to the world, the more Australian jobs created." Mr Turnbull says an agreement with the soon-to-be 27-country European bloc will help push back against rising protectionism. Agriculture tariffs are likely to be a major sticking point, especially beef, lamb and dairy exports from Australia. "I want to see more Australian premium produce on plates from Prague to Paris," Mr Ciobo says. "More Australian know-how helping build infrastructure from Italy to Belgium, and more Australian services providers making their mark across Europe in finance, engineering and education." Ms Malmstrom is expected to deliver a speech at the Australian National University about the opportunities, benefits and challenges stemming from a free trade agreement. The first round of negotiations will be held in Brussels in early July. Australians are opting for faster internet in droves, according to new figures released by the company delivering the nationwide broadband network. The latest NBN Co monthly progress report released on Monday showed seven in 10 new orders on the network seek wholesale speeds of 50 megabits per second or higher. The demand for higher speeds has almost tripled, increasing from 16 to 44 per cent. NBN Co attributes the dramatic take-up to the network's new wholesale discount options. The options support internet providers in reducing bandwidth congestion and selling higher speed broadband retail plans. The report also finds the network rollout is ramping up in Australia's capital cities. More than a quarter of a million new homes and businesses in metropolitan areas can hook up to the NBN access network within the next three months. Average congestion on the network has also reduced from more than five hours to less than 30 minutes per service, per week compared to this time last year. Finance Minister Mathias Cormann is staying tight-lipped about how his negotiations over the Turnbull government's tax package are going with the Senate crossbench. "I don't provide running commentary on my conversations with Senate colleagues," he told reporters on Sunday. Plans for both personal income and business tax cuts will be put to the test during the next two weeks of parliamentary sittings. Senator Cormann insists he will not be giving in to Labor's demands to split the seven-year, multi-phased personal income tax plan which will be debated in the upper house for the first time on Monday. Labor backs two tax changes that will start from July 1, but opposes further changes in 2022 and 2024. "We have prioritised low and middle-income earners but we have ensured that we address bracket creep across-the-board," Senator Cormann says. But Opposition Leader Bill Shorten has described the plan as it stands as "pretty dodgy" although he's willing to work with Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull to vote for the cuts due this year. "If you want to give promises of tax cuts in more than two elections' time, fight the next two elections and see where we are going then," Mr Shorten told reporters in Latrobe, Tasmania. The Australian Institute believes over the long term the government is over-compensating for bracket creep at all income levels. "Our analysis shows the two highest income tax brackets have received the largest amounts of overcompensation in the name of bracket creep, when in fact they actually require the least," the institute's senior economist Matt Gradnoff says. Next week the Senate is scheduled to recommence debate on the remainder of the government's 10-year business tax plan which will reduce the corporate tax rate from 30 per cent to 25 per cent. The government fell short of two senators just before Easter to get the plan passed and since Pauline Hanson has reneged on an agreement with Senator Cormann to pass the plan. Senator Cormann confirmed he had not spoken to Senator Hanson since the last sitting week in May. "I have spoken to all other crossbench senators who were prepared to speak to me," he said. Refugee activists will rally outside Home Affairs Minister Peter Dutton's office in protest over another death of an asylum seeker on Nauru. The Refugee Action Collective has called the peak hour protest outside Mr Dutton's Strathpine electoral office, north of Brisbane, for two hours on Monday morning. The group says it's in response to a 26-year-old Iranian man taking his own life on Friday after he was "broken by the system of detention and medical neglect". "This was another unnecessary death and the responsibility rests squarely with Peter Dutton," said RAC spokesperson Mark Gillespie. Mr Gillespie said it was the 12th death in Australia's offshore detention system and came two months after the man's 12-year-old brother made a video and pleaded with authorities to help his sick mother. In the video, the boy said "my brother is totally depressed". The Refugee Action Collective says it will hold up signs to the passing traffic claiming Mr Dutton has blood on his hands. Lifeline 13 11 14 beyondblue 1300 22 4636 Apprenticeships will be free in NSW under a $285 million plan to fund 100,000 positions, due to be announced in Tuesday's state budget. The program for aspiring tradies will mean students will no longer have to pay up to $3000 in fees to learn plumbing, carpentry or bricklaying skills. "We have already created positions for apprentices ... and now we are covering the cost of training," coalition Premier Gladys Berejiklian told The Daily Telegraph on Monday. Treasurer Dominic Perrottet said the economy was "humming" and he wanted to ensure "we are equipping a workforce with the skills to meet future demand" from the government's infrastructure building program. Dozens of people have attended a candlelight vigil for a young girl who died after being hit by an elderly driver in the car park of a Sunshine Coast shopping centre. The six-year-old Indie Armstrong, her sister, 8, and her mother were on a pedestrian crossing at the Nambour Mill Village complex when an 86-year-old woman reversed into them on Sunday. Indie died in hospital, with her sister treated for leg injuries. Their mother also suffered minor injuries. Local families rugged up against the cold to attend a vigil near the scene on Sunday night. Candles were lit and prayers offered, with one of the organisers saying it was showing kindness, compassion and community support. "I just want the family to know were here for them. No one can take away their pain, but the community is here for them," Carey Holden has told The Courier-Mail. A gofundme page has been set up to help out the family. Cost of living is expected to be front and centre of this week's NSW budget, with Treasurer Dominic Perrottet planning to mix the state's record infrastructure splurge with tax cuts and concessions. Having already revealed a cut to payroll tax for NSW businesses, Mr Perrottet says the government's last budget before the 2019 election will attempt to address the state's rising cost of living. "Infrastructure is always there and continuing, at the same time, we've got a clear focus of making sure we're meeting people where they are, cost of living is front and centre," Mr Perrottet told AAP ahead of Tuesday's budget. "In the last two budgets we've substantially cut tax, business taxes and stamp duty taxes, and that will continue." The government will lift the payroll tax threshold from $750,000 to $1 million by 2021/22, returning a projected $881 million to NSW businesses. Mr Perrottet has also promised to cut 10 of the most common parking fines by 25 per cent, as well as setting aside $157 million for a new parents package to reduce the initial costs faced by new parents. Despite bracing for a significant hit to stamp-duty revenue, caused by a cooling housing market paired with government first-home buyer concessions, Mr Perrottet said he had no intention to alter policy settings. "The increase in first-home buyers is significant, and if that means the budget of NSW loses some revenue, as a result of young people getting the keys to their first home, then that's a great thing," he said. "That's why we run a surplus." Stamp-duty revenue represents around nine per cent of government revenue. Aside from cost of living measures, Mr Perrottet said health and education were going to also feature heavily in the budget. "We want to have the highest quality healthcare and the best education system in the country and they're always, to me, the foundations of a good budget," he said. An extra $1 billion will also be spent on recruiting more doctors and allied health workers across the state. The government will also make a multi-billion dollar commitment to the state's police over the next four years, with $118 million set aside to build six new police stations. The budget will also feature close to $3 billion in roads funding, including a commitment to build the first section of the F6 extension. The long-awaited inquest into the deaths of four people at Gold Coast theme park Dreamworld is set to begin. Cindy Low, Kate Goodchild, her brother Luke Dorsett and his partner Roozi Araghi lost their lives on the Thunder River Rapids Ride in October 2016. The four ride passengers were killed instantly from compressive and crushing injuries when they were caught in a malfunctioning mechanism on what was billed as a tame family friendly attraction. Ms Goodchild's 12-year-old daughter and Ms Low's 10-year-old son were on the raft that flipped at the end of the ride, but survived. Since then the families have sought answers and relatives of Ms Low have said how they hoped the probe would prevent others from suffering "such enormous heartbreak". Dreamworld suffered steep falls in visitor numbers following the fatal accident and the park's subsequent 45-day shutdown. Before Monday's inquest several hearings were held and attended by lawyers for the four victims, Dreamworld chief executive Craig Davidson, Dreamworld's parent company Ardent Leisure and the Office of Industrial Relations. At a conference in April at the Brisbane Coroners Court it was suggested the inquest be held in two parts. Coroner James McDougall last month ordered the list of witnesses needed to attend the inquest be finalised by June 1. Final evidence submissions were to be made by June 8. The inquest is listed to open at Southport Courthouse on Monday morning. Pham Hong Huong, Deputy Chief of the General Staff, was promoted from a lieutenant-general to a colonel general, while Rear admiral Pham Hoai Nam, Commander of the Vietnamese Navy, was promoted to a vice admiral. The decision was formally announced at a ceremony held at the Presidential Palace on June 16. Congratulating the two officers on their new ranks, President Quang expressed his wish that they would continue to remain absolutely loyal to the Party, State and people, as well as successfully fulfil all of the tasks entrusted to them. For his part, Colonel General Pham Hong Huong affirmed that in whatever capacity, he will always endeavour to overcome all difficulties and perform the duties assigned to him by the Party, State, people and the Army. On behalf of the senior military officers, he also pledged to remain politically steadfast and vowed to devote his entire energy in serving the Vietnamese Peoples Army. The former operators of a Melbourne CBD dental clinic allegedly underpaid an overseas skilled worker almost $37,000. The Fair Work ombudsman has launched legal action against Nobrace Centre Pty Ltd and its former part-owner and operator, Dr Ari Masters, who formerly operated the No Brace Centre dental clinic, for allegedly underpaying the worker, who it was sponsoring on a 457 visa. It will be alleged in the Federal Circuit Court a South Korean national, then aged in his late 20s, was underpaid $36,693 for his work as a dental technician at the clinic between 2012 and 2014. NSW could soon be home to more driverless cars, with the state government setting up a special $10 million fund for more trials of the technology. The kitty, to be announced in Tuesday's state budget, will allow governments, universities, the private sector and start-ups to join forces and test driverless technologies in NSW's cities and regions. "The future belongs to those who hear it coming, and this investment looks to harness the power of technology to improve lives across the state," Treasurer Dominic Perrottet said in a statement on Monday. While it still might feel like something out of The Jetsons, the driverless vehicles are already being built and used around the world. Transport Minister Andrew Constance said the technology will "change the playing field" and provide new opportunities for personalised transport services. "The technology is here and we are going to make sure we are ready to embrace it," he said. New laws were introduced in 2017 to allow trials of connected and automated vehicles in NSW. The first trial under the legislation - a shuttle bus - has already begun at Sydney Olympic Park. Transport for NSW will administer the fund, which will have $2.5 million a year over four years. Advertisement Mount Everest has become the world's highest rubbish dump with increasing numbers of big-spending climbers turning it into a 'disgusting eyesore', experts claim. Fluorescent tents, climbing equipment, empty gas canisters and even human excrement litter the well-trodden route to the summit of the 29,029ft (8,848-metre) peak after being dumped by people paying little attention to the environment. As the number of climbers on the mountain has soared - at least 600 people have scaled the world's highest peak so far this year alone - the problem has worsened. Scroll down for video Discarded climbing equipment and rubbish is scattered around Camp four of Mount Everest (pictured), where decades of commercial mountaineering have left a trail of discarded waste 'It is disgusting, an eyesore,' Pemba Dorje Sherpa, who has reached the summit Everest 18 times, told AFP. 'The mountain is carrying tonnes of waste.' Meanwhile, melting glaciers caused by global warming are exposing trash that has accumulated on the mountain since Edmund Hillary and Tenzing Norgay made the first successful summit 65 years ago. Five years ago Nepal implemented a $4,000 (3,000) rubbish deposit per team that would be refunded if each climber brought down at least eight kilograms (18 pounds) of waste. On the Tibet side of the Himalayan mountain, they are required to bring down the same amount and are fined $100 (75) per kilogram if they don't. In 2017 climbers in Nepal brought down nearly 25 tonnes of trash and 15 tonnes of human waste - the equivalent of three double-decker buses - according to the Sagarmatha Pollution Control Committee (SPCC). This season even more was carried down but this is just a fraction of the rubbish dumped each year, with only half of climbers lugging down the required amounts, the SPCC says. There are concerns about overcrowding as well as fears that ever more inexperienced mountaineers are being drawn by low-cost expedition operators desperate for customers Fluorescent tents, discarded climbing equipment, empty gas canisters and even human excrement litter the well-trodden route to the summit of the 8,848-metre (29,029 foot) peak Instead many climbers opt to forfeit the deposit, a drop in the ocean compared to the $20,000 (15,000) - $100,000 (75,000) they will have forked out for the experience. Compounding the problem, some officials accept small bribes to turn a blind eye, said Mr Dorje. 'There is just not enough monitoring at the high camps to ensure the mountain stays clean,' he said. The Everest industry has boomed in the last two decades. As the number of climbers on the mountain has soared - at least 600 people have scaled the world's highest peak so far this year alone - the problem has worsened This has sparked concerns of overcrowding as well as fears that ever more inexperienced mountaineers are being drawn by low-cost expedition operators desperate for customers. This inexperience is exacerbating the rubbish problem, warns Damian Benegas, who has been climbing Everest for over two decades with twin brother Willie. Sherpas, high altitude guides and workers drawn from the indigenous local ethnic group, carry heavier items including tents, extra oxygen cylinders and ropes up the mountain - and then down again. Previously most climbers would take their own personal kit like extra clothes, food, a sleeping bag as well as extra oxygen. Some say that operators need to employ more high-altitude workers to ensure all clients, their kit and rubbish get safely up and down the mountain Last month a 30-strong cleanup team retrieved 8.5 tonnes of waste from the northern slopes, China's state-run Global Times reported But now, many climbers can't manage, leaving the Sherpas to carry everything. 'They have to carry the client's gear so they are unable to carry down rubbish,' Mr Benegas said. He added that operators need to employ more high-altitude workers to ensure all clients, their kit and rubbish get safely up and down the mountain. Environmentalists are concerned that the pollution on Everest is also affecting water sources down in the valley. At the moment the raw sewage from base camp is carried to the next village - a one-hour walk - and dumped into trenches. WHAT IS BEING DONE TO REDUCE RUBBISH ON MOUNT EVEREST? Decades of commercial mountaineering have turned Mount Everest into the world's highest rubbish dump. As the number of climbers on the mountain has soared - at least 600 people have scaled the world's highest peak so far this year alone - the problem of waste disposal has worsened. The worst rubbish is found at Camp Two, which is 21,000 foot (6,400m) above sea level. Five years ago Nepal implemented a $4,000 (3,000) rubbish deposit per team that would be refunded if each climber brought down at least eight kilograms (18 pounds) of waste. On the Tibet side of the Himalayan mountain, they are required to bring down the same amount and are fined $100 (75) per kilogram if they don't. In 2017 climbers in Nepal brought down nearly 25 tonnes of trash and 15 tonnes of human waste - the equivalent of three double-decker buses - according to the Sagarmatha Pollution Control Committee (SPCC). This season even more was carried down but this is just a fraction of the rubbish dumped each year, with only half of climbers lugging down the required amounts, the SPCC says. Instead many climbers opt to forfeit the deposit, a drop in the ocean compared to the $20,000 (15,000) - $100,000 (75,000) they will have forked out for the experience. Another solution, believes Ang Tsering Sherpa, former president of the Nepal Mountaineering Association, would be a dedicated rubbish collection team. Advertisement This season even more was carried down but this is just a fraction of the rubbish dumped each year, with only half of climbers lugging down the required amounts, the SPCC says US engineer Garry Porter is considering installing a biogas plant near Everest base camp that would turn climber waste into a useful fertiliser Decades of commercial mountaineering have turned Mount Everest into the world's highest rubbish dump. The worst rubbish is found at Camp Two, which is 21,000 foot (6,400m) above sea level Ang Tsering Sherpa, a former president of the Nepal Mountaineering Association, believes one solution would be a dedicated rubbish collection team This then 'gets flushed downhill during the monsoon into the river', said Garry Porter, a US engineer who together with his team might have the answer. They are considering installing a biogas plant near Everest base camp that would turn climber poo into a useful fertiliser. Another solution, believes Ang Tsering Sherpa, former president of the Nepal Mountaineering Association, would be a dedicated rubbish collection team. His expedition operator Asian Trekking, which has been running 'Eco Everest Expeditions' for the last decade, has brought down over 18 tonnes of trash during that time in addition to the eight-kilo climber quota. Last month a 30-strong cleanup team retrieved 8.5 tonnes of waste from the northern slopes, China's state-run Global Times reported. 'It is not an easy job. The government needs to motivate groups to clean up and enforce rules more strictly,' Mr Tsering said. Malaysia's new government, led by PM Mahathir Mohamad, has pledged to review Chinese deals seen as dubious Malaysia was once a loyal partner in China's globe-spanning infrastructure drive but a new government is now pledging to review Beijing-backed projects, threatening key links in the much-vaunted initiative. Kuala Lumpur's previous regime, led by scandal-mired Najib Razak, had warm ties with China and signed a string of deals for Beijing-funded projects, including a major rail link and a deep-sea port. But the long-ruling coalition was unexpectedly turfed out of power last month by voters disgusted at allegations of corruption and angered at rising living costs. Critics say many agreements lacked transparency, fuelling suspicions they were struck in exchange for help in paying off debts from a financial scandal which ultimately helped bring down Najib's regime. The new government, led by political heavyweight Mahathir Mohamad, has pledged to review Chinese deals seen as dubious, calling into question Malaysia's status as one of Beijing's most cooperative partners in its infrastructure push. China's ambitious initiative to revive ancient Silk Road trading routes with a global network of ports, roads and railways -- dubbed "One Belt, One Road" -- was launched in 2013 and is the economic crown jewel of President Xi Jinping's presidency. Malaysia, along with Beijing ally Cambodia, were seen as bright spots in Southeast Asia, with projects in other countries often facing problems, from land acquisition to drawn-out negotiations with governments. "Malaysia under Najib moved quickly to approve and implement projects," Murray Hiebert, a senior associate from think-tank the Center for Strategic and International Studies, told AFP. Chinese foreign direct investment into Malaysia stood at just 0.8 percent of total net FDI inflows in 2008, but that figure had risen to 14.4 percent by 2016, according to a study from Singapore's ISEAS-Yusof Ishak Institute. However, Hiebert said it was "widely assumed" that Malaysia was striking quick deals with China in the hope of getting help to cover debts from sovereign wealth fund 1MDB. Najib and his cronies were accused of stealing huge sums of public money from the investment vehicle in a massive fraud. Public disgust at the allegations -- denied by Najib and 1MDB -- helped topple his government. - Beijing's plans derailed? - Malaysia's first change of government in six decades has left Najib facing a potential jail term -- and appears to have already unsettled Beijing's plans in the country. The regime of Malaysia's ousted PM Najib Razak signed a string of deals for Beijing-funded projects New prime minister Mahathir has announced a planned high-speed rail link between Kuala Lumpur and neighbouring Singapore will not go ahead as he seeks to reduce the country's huge national debt. The project was in its early stages and had not yet received any Chinese funding as part of "One Belt, One Road". But Chinese companies were favoured to build part of the line, which would have constituted a link in a high-speed route from China's Yunnan province to trading hub Singapore, along which Chinese goods could have been transported for export. Work has already started in Malaysia on another line seen as part of that route, and which had received Chinese funding -- the $14-billion East Coast Rail Link, running from close to the Thai border to a port near Kuala Lumpur. Mahathir has said that agreement is now being renegotiated. Other Chinese-funded initiatives include a deep-sea port in Malacca, near important shipping routes, and an enormous industrial park. It is not clear yet which projects will be changed or cancelled but experts believe axing some will be positive. Alex Holmes, Asia economist for Capital Economics, backed cancelling some initiatives, citing "Malaysia's weak fiscal position and that some of the projects are of dubious economic value". The Chinese foreign ministry did not respond to request for comment. But a recent commentary in China's Global Times, a nationalist state-run tabloid, warned Mahathir if he damaged the interests of Chinese companies, they had the right to seek compensation. "The Chinese government will also take concrete measures to safeguard the interests and rights of Chinese enterprises," it said. Adding to China's woes, Mahathir has a clear preference for Beijing's rival Japan, and last week went to Tokyo for his first foreign trip since taking office. During the visit, the 92-year-old signalled ties with Beijing would cool: "We will be friendly with China, but we do not want to be indebted to China." Talk show legend Oprah Winfrey, pictured, became a mentor for child star Storm Reid She hasn't yet turned 15 but child star Storm Reid is wise enough to have picked up some life lessons already -- the most important of them from Oprah Winfrey. The talk show legend and media tycoon became a mentor for the Atlanta-born newcomer on the set of Disney sci-fi fantasy "A Wrinkle in Time," which came out in March. "She said, 'Don't waste energy on things you can't change in life when you could be using that energy on something else positive.' It's my life motto," Reid told AFP. Speaking on the red carpet at the MTV Movie and Television Awards in Los Angeles, Reid said she "fangirled a lot" when she met Winfrey, who was raised in poverty and became America's first black multi-billionaire. "My head exploded! And when I walked in the room she knew my name," Reid said of their first encounter before filming started in Los Angeles in November 2016. "She was like, 'Ah - Storm,' and I was like, 'Oh my God, she knows my name.' I was freaking out." Unkind critics might point out that Oprah's advice would work well in the case of "Wrinkle," which was panned by critics and made losses estimated at up to $186 million. Reid, though, described the experience starring in her first blockbuster as "amazing," adding that "to see my film impact so many people was really incredible." Next up is HBO young adult drama series "Euphoria," in which Reid co-stars with Zendaya ("Spider-Man: Homecoming," "The Greatest Showman"). "It's basically about teenage drama, love, lies and drugs," Reid said. "Even though it's a heavy topic, I feel like it underlines what's going on in the world right now." The awards, hosted this year by comic Tiffany Haddish, have been taking a sideways look at Hollywood since 1992, handing out "golden popcorn" statuettes to honorees. The nominees are decided by producers and MTV executives, while the winners are chosen by the public, who vote online. The annual celebration of youth pop culture expanded last year to include television, and became a live show, but MTV reverted to pre-recording this time around. Filming took place Saturday in a hangar at Santa Monica Airport, and MTV is keeping the winners top secret until the ceremony airs nationally on Monday. "Black Panther," the breakthrough superhero film that has become the ninth highest-grossing movie of all time, led the nominations with seven. Placing second with six nominations was "Stranger Things," the Netflix series about supernatural occurrences in a small town in Indiana. The new oil? Locals have always known that a vast deposit of gold sits underneath the cocoa trees and towering thickets of bamboo in the tropical jungle of Osun state in southwest Nigeria. The country's focus on oil has meant the gold has been ignored for decades. But the government is now looking to revive the moribund mining sector as it seeks to diversify revenues following the 2014 crash in global crude prices. A few companies are already venturing into the sector, hoping to repeat the success of mining in nearby west African countries Ghana, Senegal and Sierra Leone. On a humid morning, Segun Lawson, chief executive of gold mining firm Thor Explorations, leads a site visit of his proposed mine. "No one has a clue about mining in Nigeria," said Lawson, dressed in a white shirt, chinos and construction boots as he walked down a red dirt road swatting away tiny insects. The Nigerian government mined the vein in the 1980s "but oil was so prolific they just left it", he added, stopping at an abandoned 20-metre (65-feet) deep trench. "The gold runs 210 metres deep," the geologist said, rattling off statistics about the deposit to the group of investors. One British broker sounded impressed by the numbers. Lawson hopes to start production at Nigeria's first large-scale gold mine in early 2020. "This is the low-hanging fruit. This is a small gold province that no-one has explored with modern technology," he said. - The danger of digging - Gold-mining has a long history in West Africa. The region was home to the powerful Asante and Mali empires, who were a major source of bullion to the Mediterranean and Islamic worlds in medieval times. The trade took a back seat to slavery before being ramped up again in the late 1800s, when Europeans introduced industrial mining techniques. In the 2000s, a commodity "super-cycle" drove another boom, with technical advances helping to discover new sites and make mining more efficient. But this new technology has been slow to come to Nigeria. Down the road from Lawson's mine is a small gold market in the city of Ilesa, where artisanal miners sell alluvial gold extracted from the earth with backbreaking labour. People can only dig so deep. "We've always had the gold but we haven't had the people to mine it," said traditional ruler Adeyeye Bamidele Adeniji at his house in Ilesa. My mind is very clear, I want to start the work." "My expectation for you people is to let us benefit," he told Lawson and his team. Across Nigeria and West Africa, tens of thousands of people work in dangerous open pit mines, digging everything from gold and tin to sapphires. There is controversy over working conditions of miners "Their sheer numbers combined with the weak regulatory framework surrounding their work has alarmed many environmentalists in the region," said Cassandra Mark-Thiesen, Africa researcher at the University of Basel. "The use of child labour, accidental deaths among miners and the smuggling of winnings are other troubling aspects." But this is what most mining looks like in Nigeria, which has a sophisticated oil and gas industry at the expense of everything else. Africa's largest economy depends on oil for 70 per cent of its government revenue and almost all its foreign currency, despite being rich in iron, bitumen and gold. Since coming into power in 2015, President Muhammadu Buhari's government has tried to wean the economy off crude. Last year, the World Bank approved a $150 million credit to support growth in Nigeria's mineral sector, which currently represents less than one per cent of gross domestic product. - 'Long-term greedy' - Nigeria's mining sector faces big problems, including lack of basic infrastructure to transport minerals and a dearth of geological data. "You have to be long-term greedy to make it in Nigeria," said Gabriel Olumide Odediran, head of investment at the Lagos-based Asset and Resource Management Company. "Trying to make money quickly won't work here." Lawson, who had been eyeing the mine for years before buying it, hopes to lead the gold pack. But he has to publish the definitive feasibility study before starting construction of the mine. Then there's an issue about equipment: Nigeria currently doesn't even have the proper machinery in the country so Lawson will have to import crushers and mills from China. Yet the end is in sight. "Developing the mine is quite surreal," said Lawson. "We had no idea it would get this far." China's first domestically manufactured aircraft carrier during its sea trials China has launched a corruption investigation into the general manager of the state-owned firm responsible for building aircraft carriers, a potential complication in ambitious plans to modernise its navy. Sun Bo is being probed for "suspicion of serious breach of the party discipline and the law", Communist Party watchdog the Central Commission for Discipline Inspection said in a brief online statement late Saturday. Sun, 57, is second-in-command of China Shipbuilding Industry Corporation. The country's first domestically built aircraft carrier started sea trials last month. The carrier, known only as "Type 001A", is expected to be commissioned by 2020, giving China a second aircraft carrier as it asserts its extensive claims in the South China Sea and seeks to deter any independence movements in Taiwan. It is unclear whether the investigation into Sun will have an impact on the new carrier's status. China's first carrier, the Liaoning, is a secondhand Soviet ship built nearly 30 years ago and commissioned in 2012. President Xi Jinping has pursued a highly-publicised anti-corruption drive since taking office in 2012, vowing to go after both senior "tigers" and low-level "flies". Volunteers take an injured man to hospital following the suicide bombing in Jalalabad The Taliban on Sunday ordered its fighters in Afghanistan to avoid gatherings of security forces and civilians, a day after a suicide bomber killed 25 people including members of the militant group celebrating an unprecedented ceasefire. Saturday's attack on the outskirts of Jalalabad in the eastern province of Nangarhar marred an otherwise extraordinary Eid holiday as Taliban members hugged, posed for selfies and prayed with Afghan police and troops, politicians and civilians around the country -- scenes that would have been unthinkable only a few days ago. It was the first formal nationwide ceasefire since the 2001 US invasion and the display of jubilation and unity has fuelled hopes among war-weary Afghans that peace is possible. The attack on a crowd celebrating the truce in Rodat district also wounded 54 people and was blamed by officials on the Islamic State group. After the bombing the Taliban ordered fighters to stay at their posts or in areas under its control. "To avoid harm to civilians, which God forbid we may cause (by our presence), all commanders should stop mujahedeen from attending such gatherings," Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid said on Twitter. "The enemy has misused the ceasefire issue and there is a chance of more such bad incidents happening." Some Taliban commanders also told AFP they disapproved of their fighters visiting government-controlled areas and celebrating with security forces. Mujahid made no mention of President Ashraf Ghani's announcement on Saturday extending the government's eight-day ceasefire with the Taliban that was due to end on Tuesday, and his call for the Taliban to do the same. Ghani also said 46 Taliban prisoners had been released, a trend that "is going to continue". Other militants, including IS, are not part of the government's ceasefire. The Taliban had agreed to a truce but only for the first three days of Eid, which started Friday, promising not to attack Afghan soldiers or police. They would, however, continue attacking US-led NATO troops. Ghani's extension of the ceasefire drew immediate international support and calls for the Taliban to reciprocate. The European Union called the truce "historic". NATO's Resolute Support mission in Afghanistan and US Forces vowed to respect Ghani's announcement. The head of Afghanistan's High Peace Council, charged with negotiating with the Taliban, called Sunday on the Taliban to "consider the wishes of the people" and extend its own ceasefire. "If the ceasefire is extended, the next step will be the exchange of prisoners and then we will have a good base for the start of direct negotiations between the two sides," Mohammad Karim Khalili told reporters. Optimists say that with mineral wealth, cheap labour, and a helpful geographical location, the North has huge potential Donald Trump dangled the carrot of foreign investment in front of North Korean leader Kim Jong Un at their nuclear summit, but analysts say few will want to put money into one of the highest-risk business environments in the world. The US president showed Kim a movie of bright lights, high-speed trains and soaring tower blocks -- pitching a future that could be possible if Pyongyang gives up its weapons. Optimists say that with mineral wealth, cheap labour, and a helpful geographical location, the North has huge potential. But the history of overseas firms who have tried to set up operations in the isolated, impoverished country is a long and sorry one. Rules that can change on a whim, bills that are never paid, and the threat of expropriation hang over foreigners who step into the wildest of wild east investment destinations. People play pool at a leisure centre in Pyongyang For now, dozens of restrictions apply under the various sanctions regimes imposed on the North over its nuclear ambitions. Joint ventures are banned by the UN Security Council, the European Union blocks financial transfers of more than 5,000 euros, and US regulations mean international banks are loath to enable transactions of any kind -- so much so that even humanitarian organisations struggle to fund their activities. And even if they are lifted, there are major challenges to working in the North. Infrastructure is poor, and analysts say corruption is widespread. Crucially, said a diplomatic source in Pyongyang, "legal guarantees for business are very weak". - 'Huge cultural gaps' - During the Sunshine Policy, a previous period of warmer ties, South Korean conglomerate Hyundai poured hundreds of millions of dollars into a tourist resort for Southerners to visit the scenic Mount Kumgang. The history of overseas firms who have tried to set up operations in North Korea is a long and sorry one But the trips came to an abrupt halt when a North Korean soldier shot dead a woman from the South who strayed into a forbidden zone. Many South Korean firms set up operations in the joint-venture Kaesong Industrial Complex where they employed cheap labour from the North, but Seoul closed the project in 2016 over Pyongyang's weapons programmes. Egyptian telecom firm Orascom poured hundreds of millions of dollars into setting up the North's first mobile phone network, Koryolink, only for the government to set up a rival operator of its own. The company was also unable to get its money out. "I am taking all the hits," Orascom's billionaire owner Naguib Sawiris told Bloomberg last month. "I am being paid in a currency that doesn't get exchanged very easily, I have put a lot of money and built a hotel and did a lot of good stuff there." Construction giant LafargeHolcim last year disposed of its stake in a North Korean cement plant for an undisclosed sum, nursing significant losses. The most successful foreign firms in North Korea focus on trading activities to avoid having assets in the country that are vulnerable to seizure "Governance is weak, information is lacking and there are huge cultural gaps with local partners," said Geoffrey See, founder of Choson Exchange, a non-profit that trains entrepreneurs and economic policymakers in the North. The most successful foreign firms in the North, he added, focus on trading activities to avoid having assets in the country that are vulnerable to seizure. - 'Filthy wind of bourgeois liberty' - Kim undoubtedly wants to make his country better off. He declared earlier this year that having completed the development of his nuclear arsenal, "socialist economic construction" was now his top priority. Kim Jong Un declared earlier this year that having completed the development of his nuclear arsenal, "socialist economic construction" was now his top priority State media's coverage of the Singapore summit included extensive pictures of the prosperous city-state, a port, and even Kim's motorcade passing a Cartier advert -- images that would not have been shown in the past. It was an indication of "permissible aspiration", said an Asia-based diplomat. The highly secretive North has been quietly bringing in reforms for several years, allowing private traders to operate in informal markets, giving state-owned enterprises some freedoms to operate, and turning a blind eye to private company operations. The moves are reminiscent of China's "reform and opening" under Deng Xiaoping, which propelled the country from a basketcase to the world's second-largest economy. Foreign firms have also begun to make inquiries since Pyongyang's recent diplomatic thaw, says Michael Spavor of Paektu Consulting, who has been working with the country for 20 years. "Our organisation has had much interest recently from investors interested in market research as well as face-to-face matchmaking with potential DPRK ministries and future partners," he told AFP, using the official acronym for North Korea. Recent economic changes in North Korea have prompted renewed interest in the country as an investment destination But the North has not officially embraced the market. At the last ruling party congress, Kim decried the "filthy wind of bourgeois liberty and 'reform' and 'openness' blowing in our neighbourhood". China has taken North Korean officials on study tours of Beijing, Shanghai and its coal-rich provinces to try to encourage them to follow its example, and diplomats say it is offering detailed development planning. But they add that Pyongyang is wary of being too dependent on Beijing, and prefers to look to Vietnam for an example of how a smaller Communist country has been able to adopt capitalism while not weakening the authorities' hold on power. "It's going to take a very brave investor to venture in again," says one economic analyst of North Korea North Korea does have some advantages, says Gareth Leather, senior Asia economist for Capital Economics, pointing out natural resources including zinc, magnesite, iron and copper, low-cost labour, and an advantageous location. But even if sanctions are lifted, he said, "it's basically a police state and you have a long way to go to North Korea becoming a normal economy". "It's going to take a very brave investor to venture in again." A picture taken on February 8, 2017 shows the Israeli outpost of Tapuah West located in the occupied West Bank and part of which according to Israel's supreme court is built on private Palestinian land Nearly a dozen Israeli police officers were injured in clashes Sunday as they began evicting Jewish settlers from an outpost in the occupied West Bank, police said. Police spokesman Micky Rosenfeld said that 11 officers were "injured lightly" during the eviction of 10 buildings in the Tapuah West outpost in the northern West Bank. Israel's supreme court had in February 2017 ruled that part of the settlement outpost must be removed since it was built on private Palestinian land. According to Rosenfeld, six protesters were arrested. Honenu, a pro-settler legal advocacy group, said 40 youths were removed from the area by police. One was said to be lightly injured. Rosenfeld said the eviction was expected to last the entire day. On Tuesday, police evicted settlers from 15 homes in a separate outpost north of the West Bank city of Hebron that was deemed illegal. All Israeli settlements are viewed as illegal under international law, but Israel differentiates between those it has approved and those it has not. Israel occupied the West Bank in the 1967 Six-Day War. Settlements there are seen as major stumbling blocks to a peace deal since they are built on land the Palestinian wants for their future state. Some 600,000 Israeli settlers live among nearly three million Palestinians in the West Bank and east Jerusalem. The statement was made by Deputy Foreign Minister Bui Thanh Son in reply to reporters queries on the outcomes of the two summits and Vietnams contributions to the events. According to Deputy FM Son, as the host of ACMECS 7 and CLMV 8 in 2016, Vietnam made proposals on the reform of the two mechanisms in order to raise their effectiveness. Vietnams proposals served as a foundation for the main outcomes of these summits: ACMECS Master Plan for the 2019-2023 period and the involvement of businesses and development partners. In the past two years, Vietnam actively participated in making new initiatives to carry out the outcomes of ACMECS 7 and CLMV 8 and contributed ideas to documents of the ACMECS 8 and CLMV 9. Vietnamese ministries and sectors organised a string of activities within the framework of the two cooperative mechanisms such as international tourism fairs, annual trade fairs or transport projects. He said that speeches and proposals on cooperative orientations of Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc at the events won high praise from participating countries as they were close to real demand and may bring about benefits to countries. PM Phuc took the occasion to announce that Vietnam will maintain technical assistance for Cambodia, Laos and Myanmar, help the countries attend and organise big trade fairs in Vietnam, and continue to provide CLMV scholarships for Cambodian, Lao and Myanmar students, Son stated. He added that representatives from Vietnams leading enterprises such as FPT, Vietjet, BRG, T&T and start-up ones actively took part in discussions at the ACMECS CEO Forum and a dialogue with ACMECS country leaders. Regarding the outcomes of the two summits, Deputy Foreign Minister Son affirmed that the ACMECS 8 themed Towards an Integrated and Connected ACMECS Community and the CLMV 9 themed For Greater Economic Integration and Connectivity in Bangkok, Thailand, on June 16 were successful. The two summits took place in the context that the two mechanisms go through 15 years and are facing both opportunities and challenges, he said, adding that the participating leaders stressed the need for Mekong nations to intensify connectivity and boost integration to bring into full play the regions strength of geo-political position and market potential. The leaders agreed to pass important documents giving orientations for development of the two mechanisms in the time to come. The joint declarations of the summits affirmed member states resolve to build a Mekong sub-region of peace, inclusive and sustainable development, and prosperity. The summit also discussed Thailands initiative on establishing the ACMECS Fund and ACMECS Infrastructure Fund and Trust as a financing mechanism for cooperation projects in the region. The funds aim to support the implementation of proritised projects in ACMECS member countries. In addition, the leaders also reached a high consensus on tightening collaboration between ACMECS and CLMV and development partners, as well as coordinating closely with the ASEAN Secretariat to effectively mobilise resources for regional development. This ACMECS Summit also stressed the role of the business community inside and outside the region. This was the first time the ACMECS CEO Forum and the dialogue between ACMECS country leaders and CEOs of leading companies in the region had been held, which showed that the private sector would be an important partner of ACMECS cooperation in the coming time, Deputy FM Son added. Yemeni pro-government forces launch an attack on Huthi rebels in Hodeida province on June 16, 2018 as loyalists try to take back control of a key port Yemeni pro-government forces, backed by Saudi Arabia, battled Huthi rebels around the key port city of Hodeida on Sunday, as a top UN envoy held crisis talks with the insurgents in the capital. Saudi Arabia and its allies in a regional military coalition on Wednesday launched an offensive aimed at retaking the Red Sea city of Hodeida, home to the country's most valuable port which is controlled by the Iran-backed Huthis. The United Nations has warned the offensive could spark a fresh humanitarian crisis in a country already hit by war and impending famine, sending its envoy for Yemen to the capital Sanaa in a bid to come to a solution with the rebels. The Huthis, who accuse the UN of bias, however said there were major obstacles to any peace talks shortly after meeting with envoy Martin Griffiths on Sunday. The United Nations and relief organisations have warned that an all-out assault on Hodeida by the Saudi-led coalition, which commands a massive joint air force, would put hundreds of thousands of people at risk. Nearly 4,500 households have been displaced in Hodeida province so far this month, the UN said Sunday. Yemen's military forces have closed in on areas south and west of the port, pushing closer to an airport just south of the docks, sources in the army said. More than 70 percent of imports to all of Yemen pass through the docks of the Hodeida port. The army on Saturday claimed it had seized the defunct Hodeida airport, which has been in Huthi hands since 2014. The Shiite rebels, however, denied the claim in a statement on their Saba news agency on Sunday. They have also reported Saudi air strikes on Huthi outposts across Hodeida, with the insurgents' representative Hisham Sharaf pointing to the raids as a major obstacle to peace talks. The highway between Hodeida and the government-held port of Mokha was cut off Friday in battles between the two warring sides, disrupting precious supply lines to the military. Assault on Hodeida The fighting is already nearing densely populated residential areas, rights groups have warned, and aid distributions have been suspended in the west of the city. At least 139 combatants have been killed since the launch of the operation on Wednesday, according to medical and military sources, most of them rebels. - Closely guarded UN talks - More than 70 percent of imports to all of Yemen pass through the docks of the rebel-held Hodeida port The Huthi rebels drove Yemen's government out of Sanaa in 2014, pushing President Abedrabbo Mansour Hadi into exile and sparking an intervention by Saudi Arabia and its allies the following year. The Saudi-led coalition earlier this year imposed a near-total blockade on Hodeida port, alleging it served as a major conduit for arms smuggling to the rebels by Riyadh's regional arch rival Iran. The potential capture of Hodeida would be the coalition's biggest victory of the war so far. Rebel leader Abdulmalik al-Huthi has urged his forces to put up fierce resistance and turn the region into a "quagmire" for the Saudi-led coalition troops. UN envoy Griffiths arrived in rebel-held Sanaa on Saturday for a second round of talks since taking the post in February. Huthi representative Sharaf, however, accused the Saudi-backed government of "obstructing negotiations", saying the Hodeida offensive had foiled any potential peace talks in a statement carried by the rebels' Saba news agency. Multiple rounds of UN-brokered talks between the rebels and the Hadi government have failed to find a solution to the conflict. Griffiths, whose talks in Sanaa have been largely kept under wraps, is believed to be pressing the Huthis to cede control of the Red Sea port to a UN-supervised committee that would allow deliveries of commercial goods and aid to continue to flow. UN special envoy for Yemen Martin Griffiths holds talks with a Huthi official upon his arrival at Sanaa international airport on June 16, 2018 On Saturday he called for restraint and said he was in contact with all the warring parties in a bid to halt the fighting. The UN Security Council on Thursday demanded that Hodeida port be kept open to vital food shipments but stopped short of backing a Swedish call for a pause in the offensive to allow for talks on a rebel withdrawal. The Yemen war has claimed some 10,000 lives since the Saudi-led coalition intervened in 2015. More than 22 million Yemenis are in need of aid, including 8.4 million who are at risk of starvation, according to the UN, which has described the conflict as the world's worst humanitarian crisis. German Chancellor Angela Merkel has so far given a cautious welcome to French President Emmanuel Macron's ambitious efforts to deepen EU integration French President Emmanuel Macron heads to Germany on Tuesday seeking progress with Chancellor Angela Merkel on elusive eurozone reforms, but the deepening EU rifts over migration threaten to dominate an already daunting agenda. The Franco-German ministerial meeting, being held at the Meseberg castle north of Berlin, is seen as key for forging a consensus ahead of a crunch EU summit on June 28-29. But Italy's refusal last week to allow a ship carrying 630 rescued migrants to dock on its shores has shattered the bloc's fragile status quo on dealing with the wave of people fleeing war and misery in Syria, Iraq and elsewhere since 2015. Merkel herself is facing a showdown with her own hardline interior minister after his call for turning back undocumented migrants at German borders and speeding up ejections of rejected asylum seekers. Most Germans support the moves according to opinion polls, while critics say Merkel's liberal migrant policies have bolstered far-right and populist parties at home and abroad. EU deals with Turkey and Italy have sharply reduced the number of new arrivals, yet hundreds of people still attempt to cross the Mediterranean from Libya each day. Merkel and Macron both agree on the need for a Europe-wide response, and are hoping to hammer out a policy acceptable to all member states that would ease the burden on Italy, Greece and other main entry points. An EU diplomatic source told AFP that European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker will also attend the talks Tuesday to help prepare for the EU summit at the end of June. - 'Maximum of agreements' - Yet the tensions that flared across Europe last week after Italy's move to block the Aquarius rescue ship have pushed any potential deal further from reach. Paris no longer harbours any illusion of securing a revamp of the so-called Dublin rules before the end-of-June deadline set by EU leaders last December. German Chancellor Angela Merkel is facing a showdown with her Interior Minister Horst Seehofer, who wants tougher measures to clamp down on migration to Europe The rules require migrants to apply for asylum in the first country they enter -- a policy France has used to defend its own efforts to keep people from trying to cross over from Italy. But Paris is hoping to get Berlin's agreement on increased funding for the EU's Frontex border force, harmonised asylum rules and the creation of asylum processing centres in Africa. "We're hoping to obtain a maximum of agreements on Tuesday, and in late June," a source in the French presidency told AFP. That hope, however, is running up against an "axis of the willing" to combat immigration announced last week by Italy's new far-right interior minister and his German and Austrian counterparts. And countries such as Hungary and Poland have either refused outright or resisted taking in refugees under an EU quota system that has essentially floundered. - Common ground? - Despite the migrant policy headache, Macron and Merkel might find more common ground on deeper EU economic integration. Macron, a centrist who swept to power last year, pledged to reconcile Europeans with the Union after years of austerity and growing disillusionment with the bloc's institutions. Merkel has cautiously come around in recent weeks, but she may not have much political room to manoeuvre further. Rightwingers in her delicate governing coalition -- as well as several northern European countries -- remain hostile to France's push for a common eurozone budget, fearing taxpayers could foot the bill for fiscal irresponsibility in southern EU states. Merkel made some concessions earlier this month, agreeing to support Macron's call for an investment fund to help poorer European countries catch up in the areas of science, technology and innovation. The size of the fund remains unclear, however, with Germany resisting the hundreds of billions of euros sought by France. Nonetheless, French Finance Minister Bruno Le Maire, who will attend Tuesday's meeting along with the two countries' defence and foreign ministers, tweeted late Saturday that "an agreement is close at hand". France and Germany may also strike a deal aimed at harmonising corporate taxes across the bloc, to stop multinationals from taking advantage of low-tax regimes in countries like the Netherlands, Ireland or Luxembourg. Merkel said the common tax system would also help both countries shore up their competitiveness in the face of a potential trade war unleashed by US President Donald Trump. Trump's threat to reduce US funding for NATO unless European members step up their contributions could also lead to new measures for strengthening EU defence cooperation. Merkel has said she is "favourable" to a French call to create a European Intervention Initiative of forces which could be deployed rapidly to deal with crises outside the framework of NATO. The blasts targetted people returning from celebrating the Eid al-Fitr holiday, in an attack bearing all the hallmarks of Boko Haram Suspected Boko Haram jihadists killed at least 31 people in a twin suicide bomb attack on a town in northeast Nigeria, a local official and militia leader told AFP on Sunday. Two blasts ripped through the town of Damboa in Borno state on Saturday evening targeting people returning from celebrating the Eid al-Fitr holiday, in an attack bearing all the hallmarks of Boko Haram. Following the suicide bombings, the jihadists fired rocket-propelled grenades into the crowds that had gathered at the scene of the attacks, driving the number of casualties higher. "There were two suicide attacks and rocket-propelled grenade explosions in Damboa last night which killed 31 people and left several others injured," said militia leader Babakura Kolo. Two suicide bombers detonated their explosives in Shuwari and nearby Abachari neighbourhoods in the town around 10:45 pm (2145GMT), killing six residents, said Kolo, speaking from the state capital Maiduguri, which is 88 kilometres from the town. "No one needs to be told this is the work of Boko Haram," Kolo said. A local government official, who spoke on the condition of anonymity, confirmed the death toll. "The latest death toll is now 31 but it may increase because many among the injured may not survive," said the official. "Most of the casualties were from the rocket projectiles fired from outside the town minutes after two suicide bomber attacked," he said. The jihadist group has deployed suicide bombers, many of them young girls, in mosques, markets and camps housing people displaced by the nine-year insurgency which has devastated Nigeria's northeast. On May 1 at least 86 people were killed in twin suicide blasts targeting a mosque and a nearby market in the town of Mubi in neighbouring Adamawa state. Nigerian President Muhammadu Buhari came into power in 2015 vowing to stamp out Boko Haram but the jihadists continue to stage frequent attacks, targeting both civilians and security forces. The militants stormed the Government Girls Technical College in Dapchi on February 19, seizing over 100 schoolgirls in a carbon copy of the abduction in Chibok in 2014 that caused global outrage. An oil refinery in Libya's northern town of Ras Lanuf on January 11, 2017 The self-styled Libyan National Army loyal to strongman Khalifa Haftar announced Sunday a "major offensive" to drive rival groups from the country's northeastern oil crescent. Armed groups on Thursday attacked the Ras Lanuf and Al-Sidra terminals held by Haftar's forces around 650 kilometres (400 miles) east of Tripoli. "We have launched a major offensive supported by the army and air force to drive out the militias of (Ibrahim) Jadhran and his allies", LNA spokesman Ahmed al-Mesmari told AFP. Jadhran's Petroleum Facilities Guard controlled the terminals for years following the 2011 ouster and killing of longtime Libyan strongman Moamer Khadafi, but were eventually forced out by the LNA. The LNA controls most of eastern Libya and is opposed to an internationally recognised government based in Tripoli, which has itself condemned Thursday's militia attacks. On Thursday, Jadhran said in a video that he had formed an alliance to retake oil terminals seized by Haftar's forces in September 2016. The LNA's air force on Sunday told residents in the oil crescent to stay away from "areas where the enemy gathers, munition stores and sites with military vehicles". "Fighter (planes) are carrying out raids against terrorist positions and gatherings in the operational military zone stretching from Ras Lanuf to the edge of the city of Sirte," the air force said on its Facebook page. The Red Crescent in Ajdabiya, 150 kilometres east of Ras Lanuf, on Friday said it received 28 bodies, without specifying to which group they belonged. The NOC on Saturday said a storage tank had been "significantly damaged" due to the armed incursions into Ras Lanuf and Al-Sidra. It called for the "immediate and unconditional surrender" of Jadhran's militia to "prevent an environmental disaster and further destruction of key infrastructure". The NOC on Thursday said it had halted oil exports from Ras Lanuf and Al-Sidra because of the violence. NOC chief Mustafa Sanallah warned that if oil exports from these terminals remain at a standstill it could cause a "national disaster". The oil firm warned on Friday that output could fall by up to 400,000 barrels per day if the export shutdown continues. Libya's economy relies heavily on oil, with production at 1.6 million barrels per day under Kadhafi. The 2011 uprising that ousted and killed Kadhafi saw production fall to about 20 percent of that level, before recovering to over one million barrels per day by the end of 2017. Jean-Pierre Bemba has spent 10 years behind bars Former Democratic Republic of Congo vice president Jean-Pierre Bemba "can return" home if he wants to, following his acquittal on appeal of war crimes, Kinshasa said Sunday. Foreign minister Leonard She Okitundu did not however specify whether the one-time rebel leader will face prosecution by DR Congo authorities. "Jean-Pierre Bemba left of his own will. If he wants to return, he can return," Okitundu told the French language 'Internationales' television programme. "I am not able to answer you. I have not been informed that Jean-Pierre Bemba has a judicial record here," Okitundu added, referring to a possible arrest warrant. Bemba, who had already spent a decade behind bars, was "released provisionally under specific conditions," the Hague-based International Criminal Court said on Friday. In a surprise decision, judges last week overturned the 2016 verdict against Bemba and quashed his 18-year prison sentence, saying he could not be held criminally liable for crimes committed by his troops in the Central African Republic in 2002-2003. Bemba's wife and children are believed to be living in a villa in the suburb of Rhode-Saint-Genese, 15 kilometres south of Brussels, where he was originally arrested in May 2008 at the ICC's request. Judges had initially found Bemba guilty on five counts of warcrimes and crimes against humanity committed by his private army during a five-month rampage in the neighbouring CAR where they committed murder, rape and looting. The 18-year sentence was the longest ever to be handed down by the court and was the first trial to determine whether a military commander bore responsibility for the conduct of troops under his control. Bemba's interim release relates to a separate case in which he was handed a one-year jail sentence and fined 300,000 euros ($350,000) in 2017 for bribing witnesses during his main war crimes trial. He lost an appeal against that sentence and the ICC is yet to decide on any new jail term, with the possibility of a maximum of five years. A police officer stands guard at the Roebling Wire Works building in Trenton as other officers inspect the crime scene after the shooting in the early hours of Sunday At least 20 people were hurt early Sunday in a shooting at an all-night arts festival in Trenton, the state capital of New Jersey, that also left one suspect dead, a local prosecutor said. "Multiple individuals opened fire" inside the festival venue shortly before 3:00 am, Mercer County chief prosecutor Angelo Onofri told reporters. A 33-year-old man, one of the suspects, was killed, and another was taken into custody, he said. Among the injured at the Art All-Night Trenton event was a 13-year-old boy in critical condition. Several weapons were recovered at the scene, Onofri said. The local CBS affiliate said 22 people were wounded, and that four of them were in critical condition. Officials offered no immediate theory as to what prompted the shooting spree, or how it unfolded. Art All-Night Trenton is an annual event in the city, which is home to 85,000 people and is located about 65 miles (100 kilometers) south of New York. The event was meant to last 24 hours from 3:00 pm Saturday. "It's with great regret that we announce that the remainder of Art All Night has been cancelled due to a tragic incident that occurred overnight," organizers said on the event's Facebook page. "We're still processing much of this and we don't have many answers at this time," the statement said. "Our sincere, heartfelt sympathies are with those who were injured." US President Donald Trump's lawyer Rudy Giuliani is calling for an investigation of the Russia collusion probe led by special counsel Robert Mueller Donald Trump's personal lawyer on Sunday called for an investigation into special counsel Robert Mueller's Russia probe, claiming it was tainted from the outset under former FBI director James Comey. "We want the Mueller probe to be investigated the way the Trump administration has been investigated," Rudy Giuliani said on CNN's "State of the Union." "This is a case where it's crying out for someone to investigate the investigators," he later told CBS. Giuliani's comments were the latest in a barrage of attacks on the probe by the president and his lawyers as Mueller appears to be nearing a conclusion to his investigation into possible collusion between Trump's campaign and Moscow. "WITCH HUNT! There was no Russian Collusion. Oh, I see, there was no Russian Collusion, so now they look for obstruction on the no Russian Collusion. The phony Russian Collusion was a made up Hoax," Trump tweeted on Sunday. "Too bad they didn't look at Crooked Hillary like this. Double Standard!" he added, referring to his 2016 Democratic presidential rival Hillary Clinton. The Washington Post reported Sunday that Mueller is pressing to wrap up his findings by the end of summer and, in the words of former Republican leader Newt Gingrich, Trump and his allies were "prepared for war." "We want to see if we can have the investigation and special counsel declared illegal and unauthorized," Giuliani, a former New York mayor and federal prosecutor, told the Post in an interview Friday. Mueller has been investigating possible obstruction of justice as well as contacts between Trump campaign officials and a Russian effort to sway the 2016 presidential race in Trump's favor. So far, 20 people have been indicted and at least four are cooperating with Mueller's investigators. The Post reported Sunday that Roger Stone, a onetime Trump advisor, has acknowledged meeting a Russian national who was offering dirt on Clinton in May 2016, but said the man wanted money and nothing came of it. In his appearance on CNN, Giuliani argued that the Mueller probe was tainted from the start, thanks to Comey. "I believe that the Mueller investigation should be investigated not because necessarily of Mueller but because of its genesis in this very, very now completely almost illegal and unethical probe, this Russian probe," he said. "I'm saying what led up to the special counsel. I don't think Mueller and his people need to be investigated, unless something comes out of that," he said. Trump fired Comey in May last year, later admitting that the Russia probe was on his mind when he did so, which in turn ramped up suspicions of obstruction of justice. - Comey memo - Giuliani argued, however, that the Mueller probe was based on Comey's contemporaneous notes of his private meetings with Trump before his firing, which the lawyer claimed was "illegally leaked." "That usually leads the court to say the thing is tainted. They may come out with a lot of problems if they don't get this resolved," he said. Giuliani also pointed to a Justice Department inspector general's report as vindication of the president's position. That report criticized Comey's decision-making involving a probe into Clinton's use of a private email server. But while it found instances in which FBI investigators expressed bias against Trump in private emails, it concluded there was no evidence that the sentiments played into the investigation itself. In a subsequent interview on Sunday with CBS's "Face The Nation" show, Giuliani said the Mueller probe should face both an internal government investigation by the Justice Department's inspector general and a grand jury probe. Anti-government protesters took to the streets in Moroni last month in protest of President Azali Assoumani The Comoran vice-president has denounced as "illegal" a planned July referendum on constitutional reform that could allow President Azali Assoumani to seek re-election. Assoumani only took office in 2016 but wants to hold a fresh vote next year, two years early, so that he can remain in power beyond 2021 when his currently non-renewable term would otherwise end. The referendum, scheduled for July 29, could change the current system -- which sees power rotate every five years between the archipelago's three main islands -- and enable the president to run for two fresh five year-terms. The nation was plunged into crisis in April when Assoumani suspended the Constitutional Court, the highest court in the country, sparking opposition protests. One of his leading critics, ex-president Ahmed Abdallah Sambi, has been placed under house arrest, while another prominent opposition leader was jailed Monday following violent clashes between security forces and anti-government demonstrators. At a rally Saturday, Vice-President Ahmed Said Jaffar called on Comorans to "reject the dangerous abuse" of power. "The planned constitutional referendum which we are meant to vote on is illegal," he told the crowd, adding that "the law has been stamped on". "The Constitutional Court, which regulates the proper functioning of the state and arbitrates the electoral process, has been suspended... So how can this electoral process happen?" He also warned that the country's political future was at stake. The president's office has not commented on Jaffar's statements. But senior members of Assoumani's ruling party were holding a crisis meeting in the capital Moroni on Sunday, an AFP correspondent there said. Comoros -- situated in the Indian Ocean between Mozambique and Madagascar and one of the world's poorest countries -- has been beset by instability and political disputes for years. Assoumani's critics say the president is intent on enshrining himself in power and destroying democracy. He first seized power in a coup in 1999 and ruled until 2006 after winning a democratic election in 2002. He returned a decade later as president after an election marred by violence and allegations of voting irregularities. WASHINGTON (AP) - The Latest on immigration (all times local): 5:30 p.m. The White House says President Donald Trump does indeed support an immigration bill crafted by House leadership that he said he wouldn't sign in a morning interview. President Donald Trump walks to an interview on the North Lawn of the White House, Friday, June 15, 2018, in Washington. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci) Trump had said in the interview with "Fox & Friends" Friday that he was looking at two House immigration bills, but that he "certainly wouldn't sign the more moderate one." The comment prompted widespread confusion on the Hill as top congressional Republicans struggled to understand why the president would oppose a bill that would achieve his top objectives on immigration and that his team had helped craft. But White House spokesman Raj Shah clarified Friday evening that the president had been commenting on the separate - and now abandoned - effort by moderate Republicans to push votes on other legislation. He says would sign a more conservative version "or the leadership bills." __ 2:50 p.m. Civil rights leader Rev. Jesse Jackson is criticizing Attorney General Jeff Sessions for citing the Bible to justify the government separating immigrant children from their parents. Jackson says that in the past "the government tolerated lynching just like they tolerated slavery." The Chicago-based Jackson is a former Democratic presidential candidate and was speaking from the annual Rainbow PUSH Coalition convention. Sessions cited a verse in the Book of Romans during a speech to law enforcement on Thursday. He said "I would cite you to the Apostle Paul and his clear and wise command in Romans 13, to obey the laws of the government because God has ordained them for the purpose of order." White House press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders defended Sessions' use of the Bible saying "it is biblical to enforce the law." ___ 1:40 p.m. President Donald Trump was confused when he said he wouldn't support a "moderate" immigration bill that aligns with his administration's own stated goals. That's according to a senior White House official speaking on condition of anonymity to discuss the president's thinking. Trump ignited eleventh-hour confusion Friday when he said on Fox News that he was looking at two immigration bills expected to be voted on by the House next week, but that he "certainly wouldn't sign the more moderate one." The official said the president believed the interviewer, Steve Doocy, was referring to a separate push by Republican moderates to force a floor vote on a number of immigration bills - not the comprise bill negotiated by the party's conservative and moderate wings, with the White House's input. Associated Press writer Jill Colvin ___ 11:20 a.m. A leading House Republican says the chamber won't tackle immigration legislation unless President Donald Trump supports it. Rep. Patrick McHenry is the House GOP's second-ranking vote counter. He made the comment Friday after Trump told reporters that he won't sign a "moderate" bill. The remarks have ignited confusion. Republicans planned votes next week on a hard-right immigration measure and a middle-ground package negotiated between the party's moderate and conservative wings. Many have viewed Trump's support as crucial if the compromise measure is to pass. The conservative alternative is considered to have no chance of passage. McHenry tells reporters Republicans won't "take on immigration without the support and endorsement of President Trump." He says leaders are seeking "clarity" from the White House. __ 10:25 a.m. President Donald Trump says he won't sign a "moderate" immigration bill written by House Republicans. His comment deals an apparent damaging blow to GOP lawmakers hoping to push legislation through the House next week. Republicans have produced a hard-right immigration measure and a separate package negotiated by the party's battling moderates and conservatives. Both bills have stringent border security provisions. Only the compromise measure offers a chance at citizenship for young immigrants who arrived in the U.S. illegally as children. Trump tells reporters that he's looking at both plans. But, he says, "I certainly wouldn't sign the more moderate one." He also says he needs money to build a wall with Mexico. Both bills have that. Trump's words are causing confusion among GOP leaders, who have said Trump backs the compromise. ___ 12:25 a.m. Congressional Republicans have distanced themselves from the Trump administration's policy of separating children from their parents at the southern border even as the White House cited the Bible in defending its "zero tolerance" approach to illegal border crossings. White House press secretary Sarah Sanders said "it is very biblical to enforce the law." Attorney General Jeff Sessions had earlier cited the Bible in his defense of the border policy that has resulted in hundreds of children being separated from their parents. The comments came as House Speaker Paul Ryan and other Republicans said they were not comfortable with family separations. JERUSALEM (AP) - The Israeli military on Sunday said it carried out four airstrikes targeting Palestinians launching burning kites and balloons into southern Israel. No one was injured in the strikes, but it marked an escalation in Israel's response to a phenomenon that has wreaked havoc on fields and nature reserves in southern Israel in recent weeks. Burning kites set fields ablaze in more than a dozen locations on a hot, windy, dry Saturday. The army said two of the airstrikes targeted vehicles and infrastructure in the Gaza Strip belonging to Palestinians involved in launching "arson balloons" or kites. Gazans began flying kites with burning rags attached to them during mass protests against the Israeli and Egyptian blockade of the territory. Israeli troops have fired on the protesters, killing more than 120 Palestinians since the weekly demonstrations began on March 30. Most of the casualties, who also include some 3,800 wounded by gunfire, have been unarmed, according to Palestinian health officials. The Israeli military says militants have endangered civilians by using the protests as cover to carry out attacks and to try to breach the border fence. The Islamic militant group Hamas, which rules Gaza, has led the protests. Israel says it holds Hamas responsible for the fires. While Israel has been mostly successful in thwarting militant infiltration attempts and rocket fire, it has struggled to stop the low-tech kites drifting into its territory. A parliamentary committee last week said the fires have destroyed more than 6,000 acres of land, causing some $2 million in damage. Israel says it plans to deduct from tax funds it collects for the Palestinians to compensate farmers. The military says its drones have been able to shoot down more than 90 percent of the kites and flaming balloons, and that it will continue targeting them. Cabinet Minister Naftali Bennett compared the kites to rockets, and said the response to them should be the same. "We should not wait until Israeli citizens are hurt and only then wake up," he said. In the West Bank, meanwhile, Israeli police evicted Jewish settlers from 10 homes they had built in violation of Israeli law. Israel captured the West Bank along with east Jerusalem in the 1967 war and today about 600,000 settlers live in those areas. Most of the international community considers settlements to be either illegal or illegitimate. Israel's Supreme Court often rules that structures built illegally have to be evacuated and demolished. Police spokesman Micky Rosenfeld said 11 officers were wounded in scuffles and that police arrested six protesters. Also Sunday, Israel's Shin Bet internal security agency announced that it uncovered a Hamas cell operating in the West Bank city of Nablus in April that it said was plotting carry out a series of attacks in Israel and the West Bank. The agency said it arrested over 20 members of the group. Addressing the event, Tran Thanh Man, President of the Vietnam Fatherland Front (VFF) Central Committee, extended his congratulations to the VWU for their significant achievements over recent years, while praising the honourees from provinces, units, regions, ethnic groups and religions for their significant performance in studying and following Uncle Hos example. He underscored the pivotal role played by the VWU in gathering, uniting and encouraging its members to become engaged in socio-economic development and national construction and protection tasks, stating that the acceleration of the study and following of Uncle Hos example has been extensively implemented by the VWUs all-level branches in diverse and substantive forms. VFF President Man asked the VWU to continue making the following of Uncle Hos ideology, morality and lifestyle a regular practice of each of its branches, and to pay greater care to women in remote and isolated areas and disadvantaged regions. The patriotic emulation movements must be substantive and work towards resolving challenges, with a focus on facilitating rapid and sustainable economic development, while covering all socio-cultural issues and ensuring social security and national defence, he added. LONDON (AP) - British Prime Minister Theresa May has announced a significant funding increase for the country's beleaguered National Health Service. The prime minister said the NHS will receive an additional 384 million pounds ($510 million) per week once Britain leaves the European Union next March. She linked the increased funding to Brexit in a column published in the Mail on Sunday. May says "As we leave the European Union and stop paying significant annual subscriptions to Brussels, we will have more money to spend on priorities such as the NHS." Britain's Prime Minister Theresa May leaves 10 Downing Street to attend the weekly session of PMQs at parliament in London, Wednesday, June 13, 2018. (AP Photo/Kirsty Wigglesworth) May admitted the "Brexit dividend" would not be enough to generate all the extra health service funds. Extra taxes and borrowing will likely be needed. The NHS has been struggling to cope with funding shortages in recent years, particularly during the flu-ridden winter months. PARIS (AP) - A woman crying "Allahu akbar" - "God is great" in Arabic - injured two people with a box cutter Sunday at a supermarket in southern France before she was detained. A customer in the store in the maritime town of La Seyne-sur-Mer was injured in the chest and hospitalized. A woman working the cash register was hurt less seriously, French radio station Europe 1 quoted the prosecutor in nearby Toulon as saying. Prosecutor Bernard Marchal said the suspect may have mental health problems. She has not been identified. Police were searching her home. "It's apparently an isolated case involving a person with psychiatric issues," the prosecutor told Le Monde newspaper quoted the prosecutor as saying. However, that does not exclude the possibility that the suspect was radicalized, Marchal added. "There is a presumption of attempted murder and ... of a crime with terrorist implications," Marchal was quoted as saying. Regional newspaper Nice-Matin, which first reported the 10:30 a.m. attack, quoted an unidentified witness as saying that people in the store stopped the woman from cutting anyone else. A sense of edginess has been with France since a murderous series of killings in 2015 in the name of the Islamic State group. Adding to concerns are the hundreds of French who have traveled to the Iraq-Syria war zone, or are returning as IS crumbles. In March, an hours-long attack and hostage-taking in a supermarket near the southern French town of Carcassonne left four people dead. A man attacked people near the Paris Opera house in May, killing one person and injuring four, an action claimed by the Islamic State Last week, a man who took hostages in a Paris building was hospitalized in a psychiatric unit. SOUTHAMPTON, N.Y. (AP) - The Latest on Sunday's final round of the U.S. Open (all times local): 6:40 p.m. Brooks Koepka has won a second consecutive U.S. Open, the first player to do so since Curtis Strange in 1989. Brooks Koepka reacts after putting on the 12th green during the final round of the U.S. Open Golf Championship, Sunday, June 17, 2018, in Southampton, N.Y. (AP Photo/Julio Cortez) Coincidentally, Strange was covering Koepka's twosome for Fox. Koepka shot 16 under par last year at Erin Hills for his first major victory, winning by four shots. He was in a four-way tie for the lead after three rounds at Shinnecock Hills and shot 68 on a benign course for a 1-over 281 total as no player could match par. Koepka's birdie at the par-5 16th stretched his lead to two shots over Tommy Fleetwood, who tied the U.S. Open single-round record with a 63. Fleetwood missed an 8-footer for birdie on the 18th that would have given him the record for this tournament and tied the 62 Branden Grace shot in last year's British Open for lowest round in any major. Then Koepka parred 17 and had the luxury of making bogey at 18. The USGA admitted Saturday it had lost a handle on the course. So Shinnecock Hills was relatively tame in the final round. Fleetwood, who finished much earlier, wound up alone in second place at 282. Retief Goosen was the most recent player with a good chance of repeating since Strange did it. The South African won at Shinnecock in 2004, then led by three shots at Pinehurst the next year. But he shot 81 in the final round and Michael Campbell was the surprise winner. There have been 22 multiple winners since the U.S. Open first was played in 1895. ___ 4:25 p.m. Nine holes to go at the U.S. Open and defending champion Brooks Koepka has a one-stroke lead. Koepka is 2 under par through nine at Shinnecock Hills and 1 over for the tournament. Tommy Fleetwood is in the clubhouse with a 7-under 63, tying the record for the lowest round at a U.S. Open. Fleetwood is 2 over for the week, tied with Masters champion Patrick Reed and Dustin Johnson, who are just starting the back nine. Third-round co-leaders Daniel Berger and Tony Finau had a rough start and are up to 5 over as they approach the turn. Shinnecock played easier on Sunday morning than in the third round, when the USGA admitted that it lost control of the course when the winds picked up in the afternoon. ___ 3:55 p.m. England's Tommy Fleetwood has tied the U.S. Open record with a 7-under-63 in the final round. With Shinnecock Hills playing far easier than in a brutal third round when the USGA admitted the course was at points unfair, Fleetwood had eight birdies and one bogey. He tied the record held by five others at 63, including Johnny Miller when he won in 1973 - the only time a 63 was shot in the Open's last round. Fleetwood barely missed an 8-foot putt for birdie on 18. He finished at 2 over and stood one shot out of the lead as he walked off the course. Defending champion Brooks Koepka and Masters champion Patrick Reed are tied for the top at 1 over. ___ 3:10 p.m. No one is taking advantage of benign conditions at Shinnecock Hills more than England's Tommy Fleetwood. Starting the day at 9 over par, Fleetwood reeled off eight birdies to move within one stroke of the lead held by defending champion Brooks Koepka. Fleetwood has birdies on the second, third, sixth and seventh holes - he bogeyed the ninth - and a string of four straight birdies on Nos. 12-15. In the second round, he shot a 66 to move into contention, but then had a 78 on Saturday. Masters champion Patrick Reed also is on a charge, making birdies on four of his first five holes to get within one shot of Koepka. The USGA pledged to ease off the severe conditions at Shinnecock Hills and, thus far, that has been the case. ___ 2:45 p.m. Defending champion Brooks Koepka has taken the lead early in the fourth round of the U.S. Open. With Shinnecock Hills playing much easier than on Saturday, when it was a brutal test that the USGA admitted was unfair to the leaders, Koepka birdied the par-3 second to move to 2 over par. That put him clear of four players - third-round co-leaders Dustin Johnson, Daniel Berger and Tony Finau - and surging Patrick Reed. The Masters champion birdied his first three holes. ___ 12:30 p.m. The USGA pledged to ease off the severe conditions at Shinnecock Hills. Rickie Fowler responded with the low round of the U.S. Open. Fowler tapped in for birdie on the 18th hole for a 5-under 65. If nothing else, he wins most improved. Fowler was 19 shots better than his 84 in the third round, the highest score in his U.S. Open career. Fowler played with Phil Mickelson, who shot a 69 in his 27th U.S. Open without winning. That included a par on the 13th hole, where on Saturday he swatted a moving ball to keep it from rolling off the front of the green. Mickelson was given a two-shot penalty and made a 10 on the hole. This time he raised his arms in mock triumph. ___ 11:30 a.m. The U.S. Open won't be so tough on Sunday with the trophy at stake. After the third-round conditions prompted complaints from some of the world's best players, Open officials promised to make things easier at Shinnecock Hills for the final round. The USGA said overnight watering would reduce green speeds, and hole locations would be set up to be more accessible to players. The moves came after an uproar among players, who felt the course was unfair. In the last 22 groups on Saturday, no one even matched par-70 on the treacherous layout. The early results Sunday showed the move was paying off. Rickie Fowler was 5 under through 13 holes and Hideki Matsuyama was 4 under through nine holes. Phil Mickelson was 2 under after saving par on the 13th hole, where on Saturday he purposely whacked his golf ball back toward the hole as it was rolling off the green for a two-shot penalty. Mickelson raised his arms and began a mock celebration after his par on Sunday. ___ 9:30 a.m. Happy Father's Day, Vic Parziale. Now get to work. The retired Brockton, Massachusetts firefighter will be spending the day at the U.S. Open, carrying the bag for his son, Matt, in the final round. Matt Parziale earned a spot in the tournament by winning the Mid-Amateur, and then became the first mid-am to make the cut in 15 years. The Parziales say they don't usually make a big deal about Father's Day. This one is different. "It's special," Vic Parziale said. "It's the best one ever." Both Parziales were firefighters as their real jobs. Matt is on leave from work to play in the Open and a couple of other tournaments. Vic is retired, but quickly found work as his son's caddie. He thinks he's got a future. "I keep my mouth shut and carry the bag. If he asks me a question, I answer it. I haven't gotten fired yet," he said after the third round. "Can't find anybody cheaper." ___ 8:55 a.m. The water hoses were out early Sunday for the final round of the U.S. Open in its attempt to slightly soften Shinnecock Hills. USGA officials have conceded that wind and dry conditions made the third round tougher than it needed to be. Tony Finau and Daniel Berger started the weekend 11 shots out of the lead. They go into the final day tied for the lead with Dustin Johnson and defending champion Brooks Koepka. That set the stage for a final round in which 15 players were separated by four shots. Koepka has a chance to become the first back-to-back winner of the U.S. Open since Curtis Strange in 1989. Among those playing early was Phil Mickelson, who purposely struck a moving ball on the 13th green Saturday. Brooks Koepka reacts after putting on the 14th green during the third round of the U.S. Open Golf Championship, Saturday, June 16, 2018, in Southampton, N.Y. (AP Photo/Julio Cortez) Tommy Fleetwood of England hits an approach shot on the eighth hole during the final round of the U.S. Open Golf Championship, Sunday, June 17, 2018, in Southampton, N.Y. (AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster) Rickie Fowler plays his shot from the 13th tee during the final round of the U.S. Open Golf Championship, Sunday, June 17, 2018, in Southampton, N.Y. (AP Photo/Frank Franklin II) Phil Mickelson walks off the course after finishing the 18th hole during the third round of the U.S. Open Golf Championship, Saturday, June 16, 2018, in Southampton, N.Y. (AP Photo/Julio Cortez) Matt Parziale plays his shot from the 11th tee during the third round of the U.S. Open Golf Championship, Saturday, June 16, 2018, in Southampton, N.Y. (AP Photo/Frank Franklin II) Dustin Johnson misses a putt on the 18th green during the third round of the U.S. Open Golf Championship, Saturday, June 16, 2018, in Southampton, N.Y. (AP Photo/Julio Cortez) BERLIN (AP) - Almost 80 years after the first "Kindertransport" evacuations of Jewish children to safety in Britain, 42 people set off Sunday on a memorial bike ride that will retrace their journey from Berlin to London. The cyclists set off from Berlin's Friedrichstrasse station, where a statue commemorates the 10,000 mostly Jewish children who made it to Britain from Nazi Germany and elsewhere in Europe starting in late 1938. Organized by the British-based World Jewish Relief group, the ride retraces the route of the trains. It's expected to take the riders six days to get to London's Liverpool Street station. Paul Alexander stands in front of a commemorative statue, dedicated to perpetuating the memory of the 'Kindertransport' (children transport), near the train station Friedrichstrasse in Berlin, Sunday, June 17, 2018. Paul Alexander, one of the children whose life was saved with the transports from Berlin to London, attends a memorial bike ride from Berlin to London to mark the Kindertransport's 80th anniversary. (AP Photo/Miriam Karout) Among the saved children was Paul Alexander. The only participant in the ride who was on a Kindertransport - "children's transport" - he was joined by his 34-year-old son, Nadav, and 14-year-old grandson, Daniel. "This ride is for me a victory ride. It's one of celebrating a good life," he said. "I'm riding also in honor of my mother and father who sent me away and had the courage and foresight to save me to send me away from the Holocaust." "It's a ride I do every 80 years," joked Alexander, whose mother reluctantly sent him - aged only 1 - to safety abroad. He was able to reunite with his family in England, where they settled. He later moved to Israel. Many of the rescued children never saw their parents again. As Sunday's ride started, the cyclists gathered for a safety briefing and the Jewish prayer for travelers. The British ambassador and German government representatives gathered to see them off. "Our past is a reminder to fight against anti-Semitism, racism and other forms of discrimination," said German Foreign Ministry representative Karina Haeuslmeier. "We owe this to the children who survived and those who didn't." Paul Alexander, center, attends a memorial bike ride from Berlin to London to mark the 'Kindertransport's' (children transport) 80th anniversary, near the train station Friedrichstrasse in Berlin, Sunday, June 17, 2018. Paul Alexander was one of the Jewish children whose life was saved with the transports from Berlin to London 80 years ago. (AP Photo/Miriam Karout) HARTFORD, Conn. (AP) - Fresh off his second stint in federal custody, former Gov. John Rowland is now working as a fundraiser for a Christian group that helps convicts return to their communities and turn their lives around. The 61-year-old Republican was released May 25, nearly a year early from his 30-month sentence for conspiring to hide his political consulting roles in two failed congressional campaigns. He previously served 10 months in prison in a corruption scandal that forced him to resign as governor in 2004. Rowland began working this month for Prison Fellowship, said Craig DeRoche, the group's senior vice president of advocacy and public policy and former speaker of the Michigan House of Representatives. "He has a background and experience that would help us in our mission," DeRoche said. "What we find is that people who have experience working in government ... as well as experience in prison can help change the prison system for the better for the people who are in the system today." Rowland, who is working from his home in Southbury, is raising money for Prison Fellowship, and maintaining and establishing relationships with people who help provide the group's services, DeRoche said. Rowland did not return phone and email messages from The Associated Press. He told The Wall Street Journal in a recent interview that his second time in prison was a "humiliating" experience, but also "a good experience in that it gives me a chance to refocus myself to be a better person, to contribute to society in a different way." "I would just stay away from politics. It's my drug of choice sometimes," Rowland said. "It's intoxicating, and it's exciting. But there are times when you have to walk away from it and have to decide to do something different and better with your life." Prison Fellowship, based in Lansdowne, Virginia, describes itself as a faith-based group that works inside and outside prisons to help inmates return to their communities. It was founded in 1976 by the late Charles Colson, a former top aide to President Richard Nixon who served seven months in prison on a Watergate-related charge. Staff and volunteers run programs in hundreds of prisons and jails including Bible studies and life-skills classes. In communities, the group coordinates with churches and other organizations to build local support networks for former prisoners and also helps their families. Rowland was governor from 1995 to 2004 and was considered a rising star in the GOP. He was elected as a state representative at age 23, served three terms in the U.S. House and became the state's youngest governor at age 37. He was mentioned as a possible vice presidential candidate or cabinet member. But he resigned in 2004 amid a corruption scandal that sent him to prison for 10 months for taking more than $100,000 worth of illegal gifts while in office including private flights to Las Vegas and repairs and a hot tub at his vacation cottage. He later regained some popularity as a radio show host. In 2014, he was convicted by a federal jury of plotting to hide political consulting roles through sham contracts in the failed 5th Congressional District campaigns of Lisa Wilson-Foley in 2012 and Mark Greenberg in 2010. Prosecutors said Rowland was paid $35,000 for political consulting for Wilson-Foley, but the payment was disguised in a contract between Rowland and Wilson-Foley's husband, who owned a nursing home chain, over concerns about negative publicity. Greenberg said he declined a similar proposal by Rowland. Francis Salemme leaned forward in his chair and craned his neck to get a better look at the photo being shown to jurors. On the computer screen was Salemme with brown curly hair, at the time the New England Mafia boss known as 'Cadillac Frank,' holding court outside a hotel under the watchful eye of the FBI. Almost three decades later, the 84-year-old Salemme, on trial in the strangling of a nightclub owner in 1993, would fit in better at a nursing home than at the helm of a Mafia meeting. In this 1993 FBI surveillance photo, Francis 'Cadillac Frank' Salemme, left, Stephen 'The Rifleman' Flemmi, second from left with back to camera, and Frank Salemme Jr., behind right, are seated at The Charles Hotel in Cambridge, Mass This is a courtroom artist's depiction of former New England Mafia boss Francis P. 'Cadillac Frank' Salemme appearing before Judge Joyce Alexander in federal court in Boston Wednesday, Nov. 10, 2004 For prosecutors, Salemme is perhaps the last man standing from an era when organized crime flourished in Boston and its environs. The geriatric mobster who was wheeled into the courtroom on the trial's first day is a shell of his former self - much like the New England Mafia he once led. 'It's the end of an era - at least this chapter of organized crime in the Boston area,' said Brian Kelly, a former U.S. attorney who prosecuted Salemme in prior cases and helped secure a conviction against notorious gangster Whitey Bulger. The Mafia still has a presence in cities like New York, Chicago, Philadelphia and Detroit, but it's not nearly as powerful or violent as it was decades ago, said Scott Burnstein, who has written books about the mob. When the upper echelons, like Salemme, started cooperating with authorities, it opened the floodgates for members to turn on one another, Burnstein said. In this Sept. 22, 2008, file photo, Stephen 'The Rifleman' Flemmi testifies in a Miami court room in the murder trial of former FBI agent John Connolly Salemme turned state's witness and agreed to serve 11 years in prison on racketeering charges after he learned Flemmi and 'Whitey' Bulger (pictured) had been informing the FBI And as the oath of omerta - the code of silence - went out the window, the men left on the street stopped taking care of the families of those behind bars, which pushed angry members to make deals with the government, said Thomas Foley, a former Massachusetts State Police colonel who wrote a book on the pursuit of Bulger. 'The last part of the golden age of American organized crime went down with people like Cadillac Frank,' Burnstein said. 'The city will never see a mob trial like this again.' Brian Kelly (pictured), a former federal prosecutor turned author, tried a number of high-profile cases including Bulger's Salemme's baggy suits hang on his frail frame, and gray wisps that are slicked back over his balding head replace his brown curls. Before leaving court one day in May, his lawyer had to remind him not to forget the inhaler he had left on the table. Salemme, who headed the New England family of La Cosa Nostra, shuffles in and out of the courtroom, hunched over, only occasionally lifting his head to wave and wink at a reporter who has covered him for decades. Salemme looks so different that his former partner in crime, 84-year-old Stephen 'The Rifleman' Flemmi, initially couldn't even recognize him sitting just a few feet in front of him in court. Salemme's trial has transported jurors back to a time when the Mafia was a force to be reckoned with. And the parade of old allies who have marched in to testify against him shows that the oath of omerta is long dead. 'The loyalties aren't there like they used to be; the discipline isn't there like it used to be,' Foley said. 'Now all you have to do is threaten them with a significant penalty ... and they're pretty much ready to turn over,' Foley said. Salemme and his co-defendant, Paul Weadick, are accused of killing Steven DiSarro because Salemme feared he would cooperate with authorities. Salemme, who has admitted to several other killings, and Weadick insist they are innocent. DiSarro's remains were dug up in 2016 after authorities got a tip they were buried near a mill in Providence, Rhode Island. For more than a month, jurors have heard from and about gangsters with nicknames like 'The Cigar' and 'Fatso.' They've watched as U.S. Marshals Service officials disguised by makeup and wigs to protect their identities explained how Salemme quietly left Atlanta - where he had been living in the witness protection program under the name 'Richard Parker' - with more than $28,000 in cash after DiSarro's remains were found. And they've heard hours of colorful testimony, like when a mob associate uttered 'bada bing bada boom' as he described how Salemme once grabbed him by the throat. Salemme and his co-defendant, Paul Weadick, are accused of killing Steven DiSarro (pictured) more than 25 years ago Pamela DiSarro holds a photo album with a photograph of her husband, Steven holding their son, Steve Jr. on the left hand side of the album at her home in Westwood, MA on Nov. 14, 2016 Closing arguments in the case are set for Monday. Salemme, a survivor of gang wars that plagued Boston in the 1960s, decided to cooperate with authorities in 1999 and agreed to serve 11 years in prison on racketeering charges after he learned Flemmi and Bulger had been informing the FBI. Salemme was kicked out of witness protection in 2004 when he was charged with lying to investigators for suggesting other mobsters killed DiSarro and was later allowed back under government protection - until DiSarro's remains were found. Salemme's regime was the last of the truly feared and powerful ones in New England, said Stephen Johnson, who investigated organized crime for the state police before retiring last year. Decades of prosecutions and stiffer penalties that gave authorities more leverage to persuade mobsters to give up their friends have left a fractured organization made up of 'Soprano wannabees' who dabble in loansharking, illegal gambling and drugs, Johnson said. One of the men helping prosecutors who hope to put Salemme away for the rest of his life is his ex-partner Flemmi, who claims he walked in on DiSarro's killing. After Flemmi took the stand this month, prosecutors asked Flemmi about dozens of killings he's been involved in, including one of his own criminal colleagues. 'I didn't feel that he would be able to stand up' to authorities, Flemmi explained when asked why he shot the man. He then continued to testify against his onetime best friend. MILAN (AP) - Youthful designers injected energy into the third day Sunday of Milan Fashion Week menswear previews for next spring and summer. While the topics of generational and creative change at some of the most-established Milan fashion houses were running in the background, young brands carved out their own space to grow by their own rules. Some highlights from Sunday's shows, including Milan mainstay Prada alongside younger brands Palm Angels, MSGM, Sunnei and Korean newcomers BESFXXK. A model wears a creation part of the Palm Angels men's Spring-Summer 2019 collection, that was presented in Milan, Italy, Sunday, June 17, 2018. (AP Photo/Luca Bruno) ___ PRADA BASICS Miuccia Prada says she was "trying to do elegant in a new young way" with her latest menswear collection. At Prada, young does not translate to streetwear, even if there were sneakers. The new plastic square logo on nearly every garment, including the folded turtle neck, was strictly an ironic answer to prevailing trends. Against previous intentions, elegant at Prada translated into sexy - i.e. short shorts for men - and at times playful - big stuffed aviator hats made for summer despite the decidedly wintery earflaps, mostly in Prada's trademark black vinyl. "I never pronounced sexy in my life. I never wanted Prada to be sexy," but willingly embraced the notion as the rest of the fashion world seemed to resist sexiness in favor of boxy street looks, the designer said. "You know I am a bit of a contrarian," she said. The looks amounted to basic mix and match, layer or not: Straight trousers, turtle necks, shirts and jackets, and the short-shorts, which Prada called "a miniskirt" for men. Materials included denim and suede. The colors were mostly neutrals. There was a slightly psychedelic feel to daisy print shirts and fantastic scenes that conjured the animated film version of the Beatles' "Yellow Submarine." Underlining the message, Prada stripped the showroom bare, put clear plastic sheets on the wall and sat guests on inflatable clear cubes. "Sometimes, it is good to go back to simple things," she said. ____ PALM ANGELS: ITALIAN STREET WEAR Francesco Ragazzi's America-inspired street fashion brand, Palm Angels, had all the codes of the latest trends: neon flashes, thick-soled sneakers, short gym shorts, technical cargo pants. But the 32-year-old designer underlined the luxury in the brand with details. The gym shorts were suede and had orange trim. Shorts and a baby blue top with puffy sleeves came with draw sting. The footwear included cowboy boots painted with the Stars and Stripes, the perfect accompaniment to a jumpsuit in a bald eagle-American flag print. A striped strap worn across the chest, apparently binding the upper arms, was an accessory, not part of the garment, as was made clear when a model sported one bare- chested. The looks were tagged as much as branded, with neon tags hanging from pockets. Tiny goggles with colored lenses added an urban edge. ___ VITAMIN INJECTION AT MSGM Massimo Giorgetti's MSGM collection for next spring and summer recalls his youthful 1980s summers in his native Adriatic coastal city of Rimini, a time, the designer said, when the beach crowds never abandoned their fashion sense. And Giorgetti paid homage to classic looks of his adopted home in Milan, where he launched his MSGM brand eight years ago. Giorgetti said he wanted to emphasize his Italian roots while also injecting a dose of 1980s energy. "It's a show that recharges you,"Giorgetti said backstage. The 41-year-old designer made the point quite literally, imitating colorful graphic logos from well-known Italian vitamin brands with the MSGM Milano logo on silky button-down shirts. There was a plethora of 1980s neon colors, bright florals and prints -from Manga volley-ball playing characters to Roger Minick photographs of tourists. Rimini is celebrated in slouchy knitwear with the city's name in rainbow colors, worn with striped denim shorts layered over longer boxers. But also in the tangerine shorts and lime green swimming briefs. For Milan, there were tie-dye knits over colorful print thigh-baring short, jeans and color-block hoodies, and pin-striped suits with palm tree shadows and the band logo on the back. ____ SUNNEI Designers Simone Rizzo and Loris Messina showed their Sunnei label against the backdrop of the Milan skyline as seen from the 31st floor of Gio Ponti's famed Pirelli Tower. It was an aspirational location, reflected in the invitation that showed the tower from below in a faux smart-phone snap - the view the designers have from their studio. But the sophisticated, architectural designs were a natural fit for Gio Ponte's arched ceilings and geometrically tiled floors, and showed the designers have definitely arrived. The collection included for the first time women's looks alongside the menswear, and the designers said they found a natural interplay. "They speak the same language. For us, men and women change little. Unfortunately, we have to categorize it. But for us it is the same thing," Rizzo said. The looks were clean and sharp, with a focus on soft comfort. The color palate was soothing, from pale blue, sea green, cream and gray offset by orange and red. Parachute pants worked for him and for her, paired with knit cropped tops for her or an oversized jersey hoodie for him. Her transparent anorak with orange draw strings gave a sporty touch to an orange terry cloth dress with an asymmetrical hemline. His anorak features a notched collar and doubles as a suit jacket with wide-legged cropped pants. He wore a worn leather vest with utility pockets with loose jeans and a floppy brim hat, while she wore it with slim skirt with cargo pockets. He carried a large travel bag, hers was a rectangular purse, as the designers also presented a full range of accessories including wavy platform shoes and simple sneakers, sunglasses and headbands. "It is the natural extension of the brand that we have always presented," Rizzo said. "Our goal is not to change the mood for style from season to season, but to grow, expand the categories." ___ SOUTH KOREAN NEWCOMERS UNVEIL BESFXXK BRAND South Korean newcomers to Milan, Jae Hyuk Lim and Bona Kim, unveiled their BESFXXK brand that mixes Japanese textiles with American street-styling from the 1980s and British tailoring. The unusual name combines the notion of bespoke designs with a more irreverent street looks. The 33-year-old designers aggressively deconstruct and recompose everyday garments for their combined menswear and womenswear collection, like sweatshirts and trench coats. So a top for him is composed of a T-shirt and a jean jacket sewn together, while hers is a man's collared shirt on one side and an angelic white woman's shirt on the other. Trench coats feature asymmetrical hems. Or can be transformed into a skirt for her, the arms of it wrapped around the waist as a natural belt. "It is not just a mix of two different elements, it is a mix of cultures," Lim said. ___ This story has been amended to correct the spelling of Miuccia Prada's name. Models wear creations part of the Prada men's Spring-Summer 2019 collection, that was presented in Milan, Italy, Sunday, June 17, 2018. (AP Photo/Luca Bruno) A model wears a creation part of the MSGM, men's Spring-Summer 2019 collection, that was presented in Milan, Italy, Sunday, June 17, 2018. (AP Photo/Luca Bruno) A model wears a creation part of the MSGM, men's Spring-Summer 2019 collection, that was presented in Milan, Italy, Sunday, June 17, 2018. (AP Photo/Luca Bruno) A model wears a creation part of the MSGM, men's Spring-Summer 2019 collection, that was presented in Milan, Italy, Sunday, June 17, 2018. (AP Photo/Luca Bruno) A model wears a creation part of the MSGM, men's Spring-Summer 2019 collection, that was presented in Milan, Italy, Sunday, June 17, 2018. (AP Photo/Luca Bruno) Fashion designer Massimo Georgette runs on the runway at the end of the MSGM, men's Spring-Summer 2019 collection, that was presented in Milan, Italy, Sunday, June 17, 2018. (AP Photo/Luca Bruno) Models wait backstage prior to the Sunnei men's 2019 Spring-Summer collection, unveiled during the Fashion Week in Milan, Italy, Sunday, June 17, 2018. (AP Photo/Luca Bruno) A model wears a creation as part of Sunnei men's 2019 Spring-Summer collection, unveiled during the Fashion Week in Milan, Italy, Sunday, June 17, 2018. (AP Photo/Luca Bruno) A model wears a creation part of the Sunnei men's Spring-Summer 2019 collection, that was presented in Milan, Italy, Sunday, June 17, 2018. (AP Photo/Luca Bruno) A model wears a creation part of the Sunnei men's Spring-Summer 2019 collection, that was presented in Milan, Italy, Sunday, June 17, 2018. (AP Photo/Luca Bruno) A model wears a creation part of the Sunnei men's Spring-Summer 2019 collection, that was presented in Milan, Italy, Sunday, June 17, 2018. (AP Photo/Luca Bruno) Models wear creations part of the Sunnei men's Spring-Summer 2019 collection, that was presented in Milan, Italy, Sunday, June 17, 2018. (AP Photo/Luca Bruno) Fashion designer Francesco Ragazzi takes the catwalk at the end of the Palm Angels men's Spring-Summer 2019 collection, that was presented in Milan, Italy, Sunday, June 17, 2018. (AP Photo/Luca Bruno) A model wears a creation part of the Palm Angels men's Spring-Summer 2019 collection, that was presented in Milan, Italy, Sunday, June 17, 2018. (AP Photo/Luca Bruno) A model wears a creation part of the Palm Angels men's Spring-Summer 2019 collection, that was presented in Milan, Italy, Sunday, June 17, 2018. (AP Photo/Luca Bruno) A model wears a creation part of the Palm Angels men's Spring-Summer 2019 collection, that was presented in Milan, Italy, Sunday, June 17, 2018. (AP Photo/Luca Bruno) A model wears a creation part of the Palm Angels men's Spring-Summer 2019 collection, that was presented in Milan, Italy, Sunday, June 17, 2018. (AP Photo/Luca Bruno) A model wears a creation part of the Palm Angels men's Spring-Summer 2019 collection, that was presented in Milan, Italy, Sunday, June 17, 2018. (AP Photo/Luca Bruno) A model wears a creation part of the Palm Angels men's Spring-Summer 2019 collection, that was presented in Milan, Italy, Sunday, June 17, 2018. (AP Photo/Luca Bruno) A model wears a creation part of the Palm Angels men's Spring-Summer 2019 collection, that was presented in Milan, Italy, Sunday, June 17, 2018. (AP Photo/Luca Bruno) A model wears a creation part of the Prada men's Spring-Summer 2019 collection, that was presented in Milan, Italy, Sunday, June 17, 2018. (AP Photo/Luca Bruno) A model wears a creation part of the Prada men's Spring-Summer 2019 collection, that was presented in Milan, Italy, Sunday, June 17, 2018. (AP Photo/Luca Bruno) A model wears a creation part of the Prada men's Spring-Summer 2019 collection, that was presented in Milan, Italy, Sunday, June 17, 2018. (AP Photo/Luca Bruno) A model wears a creation part of the Prada men's Spring-Summer 2019 collection, that was presented in Milan, Italy, Sunday, June 17, 2018. (AP Photo/Luca Bruno) A model wears a creation part of the Prada men's Spring-Summer 2019 collection, that was presented in Milan, Italy, Sunday, June 17, 2018. (AP Photo/Luca Bruno) A model wears a creation part of the Prada men's Spring-Summer 2019 collection, that was presented in Milan, Italy, Sunday, June 17, 2018. (AP Photo/Luca Bruno) A model wears a creation part of the Prada men's Spring-Summer 2019 collection, that was presented in Milan, Italy, Sunday, June 17, 2018. (AP Photo/Luca Bruno) A model wears a creation part of the Palm Angels men's Spring-Summer 2019 collection, that was presented in Milan, Italy, Sunday, June 17, 2018. (AP Photo/Luca Bruno) Models wear creations part of the BSFXXK, men's Spring-Summer 2019 collection, that was presented in Milan, Italy, Sunday, June 17, 2018. (AP Photo/Luca Bruno) A model wears a creation part of the BSFXXK, men's Spring-Summer 2019 collection, that was presented in Milan, Italy, Sunday, June 17, 2018. (AP Photo/Luca Bruno) A model wears a creation part of the BSFXXK, men's Spring-Summer 2019 collection, that was presented in Milan, Italy, Sunday, June 17, 2018. (AP Photo/Luca Bruno) A model wears a creation part of the BSFXXK, men's Spring-Summer 2019 collection, that was presented in Milan, Italy, Sunday, June 17, 2018. (AP Photo/Luca Bruno) A model wears a creation part of the BSFXXK, men's Spring-Summer 2019 collection, that was presented in Milan, Italy, Sunday, June 17, 2018. (AP Photo/Luca Bruno) HARTWELL, Ga. (AP) - A 46-year-old woman strangled a rabid bobcat after the animal attacked her in her front yard in northeast Georgia. The Athens-Banner Herald reports DeDe Phillips of Hart County went outside on June 7 to take a picture when the bobcat lunged at her. She then grabbed the cat by its throat and didn't let go. Phillips says she grew up in the country, where her father-in-law was once a trapper of bobcats. As a result, she knew something about the animal's behavior. Phillips says she was afraid of calling for help because her 5-year-old granddaughter was in the house. The woman is being treated for rabies and recovering from a broken finger and several bite and claw wounds to her hands, arms, chest and legs. The Longines Master Collection: the Moon on her... The Longines Master... Elegance, character and purity are the pillars of The Longines Master Collection, which is aimed at those who love the exceptional Elegance, character and purity are the... NOTTINGHAM, England (AP) - Johanna Konta failed to shake the umpire's hand on Sunday after a bad-tempered end to the Nottingham Open final, with Ashleigh Barty winning 6-3, 3-6, 6-4. After the first two sets were shared, Konta recovered from 4-1 down in the decider to level at 4-4 but got angry with umpire Paula Vieira Souza for not overruling a Barty shot that looked long as the top-seeded Australian held for 5-4. Neither the line judge nor Souza called it out. "It's an absolute joke," fourth-seeded Konta told Souza. "You're making decisions that affect our lives. Do you fully understand that?" The British No. 1 won only one more point as Barty clinched victory with a backhand pass. Konta then walked straight past Souza and off the court. Several minutes passed before she returned for the trophy ceremony, although Konta would not say whether she was complaining about what had happened. Konta lost to Donna Vekic in the 2017 final before defeating the Croat this year in the semifinals. GAUHATI, India (AP) - Suspected insurgents killed at least four Indian paramilitary soldiers Sunday after ambushing their vehicles in a hilly area in the country's remote northeast, police said. Two other soldiers belonging to the Assam Rifles were wounded when the rebels attacked one jeep and a truck in which they were moving, using automatic weapons and hand grenades, said a police officer, who spoke on condition of anonymity as he was not authorized to talk to reporters. No group claimed responsibility for the attack in Nagaland state, but the police suspect it was carried out by rebels belonging to a faction of the National Socialist Council of Nagaland (Khaplang group). Other details were not immediately available. The area is nearly 400 kilometres (250 miles) east of Gauhati, the capital of Assam state. The faction has been fighting for an independent homeland for the Naga tribes. It ended peace talks with the Indian government in 2015 after 14 years of futile negotiations. In 2015, the group ambushed an Indian army convoy in neighboring Manipur state, killing 18 soldiers in their worst attack in two decades. Since then, the army has stepped up operations against the group. Separatist groups in the northeast accuse the Indian government of exploiting the region's rich natural resources while neglecting local development. WASHINGTON (AP) - President Donald Trump is falsely crediting his Singapore summit with the destruction of missile launch sites in North Korea. No such action has been announced by the North Koreans. Trump tweeted Sunday in response to criticisms last week from Sen. Chuck Schumer of New York, the Senate Democratic leader, that the summit was all show, no substance, or as the Democrat put it in Senate remarks, "what the Texans call all cattle, no hat." He meant all hat, no cattle. The president countered with some demonstrably bad information. FILE - In this June 15, 2018, file photo, President Donald Trump speaks to reporters at the White House, in Washington. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci, File) TRUMP: "No more nuclear testing or rockets flying all over the place, blew up launch sites. Hostages already back, hero remains coming home & much more!" THE FACTS: This much is true: North Korea announced the suspension of nuclear-weapons testing and testing of intercontinental ballistic missiles in April, to soften the ground for the diplomatic opening with South Korea and the U.S. North Korea has not conducted a missile test since Nov. 28. But it remains in possession of fissile material for a dozen to 60 nuclear bombs, independent experts say. Last year, it tested long-range missiles that could reach the U.S. mainland, although it's not certain that the North has mastered the technology to deliver a nuclear warhead that could re-enter the atmosphere and hit its target. The summit produced a general agreement from North Korean leader Kim Jong Un to work toward denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula, but there were no specific commitments on eliminating or even reducing his country's nuclear arsenal. As for Trump's other points: -North Korea has not said it blew up launch sites. Before the summit, it destroyed something else - its test site for underground nuclear blasts. Journalists witnessed the demolition of three tunnels and nearby buildings. The site may have already been compromised by the earlier, nuclear explosions and its destruction was one step among many that would be needed to achieve denuclearization. If anything has been done to pull back on missile launch sites, it's marginal at best. Officials have not verified reports that North Korea may have demolished a stand used for missile-ejection tests in May. Ejection tests are a limited step short of a full-blown launch. -Three American detainees, called hostages by Trump, were sent home in May, the latest in a series of U.S. citizens to be freed in recent years with the intervention of high-level U.S. officials. One had been sentenced in April 2016 to 10 years in prison with hard labor after being convicted of espionage. The other two had been held for about a year and apparently not been tried. As well, Otto Warmbier, a student sentenced to 15 years in prison with hard labor for stealing a propaganda poster, died in June 2017, days after he arrived back in the U.S. with severe brain damage. -Trump is premature in tweeting about "hero remains coming home." This may happen, as Kim agreed to work toward the return of U.S. troops missing in North Korea from the Korean War. But as of Friday, no remains have been repatriated from North Korea since 2007. Trump has falsely claimed that this mission has been accomplished, telling reporters Friday: "He gave us the remains of our great heroes." About 5,300 U.S. troops are still unaccounted for from North Korea. Trump has inflated the numbers of troops who are missing in the North and whose returns are bound to be located and returned more than 60 years after the conflict. About 2,400 are still missing from South Korea. ___ Find AP Fact Checks at http://apne.ws/2kbx8bd ___ Follow @APFactCheck on Twitter: https://twitter.com/APFactCheck DURANGO, Colo. (AP) - A welcome dose of rain spawned by a hurricane that churned through the Pacific has given a boost in the battle against two large wildfires in Colorado and Wyoming. The remnants of Hurricane Bud slowed the growth of the a fire in southwest Colorado, which has blackened more than 50 square miles (129 square kilometers) and is 25 percent contained, The Durango Herald reported Sunday. Butch Knowlton, director of La Plata County Emergency Management, said Bud provided the perfect amount of rain, helping firefighters increase containment. But Scot Davis, a spokesman for the team coordinating firefighters, warned of the misconception that rain has doused the fire. Smoke from a wildfire drifts through trees on the side of a hill Saturday, June 16, 2018, in the Medicine Bow National Forest near Jelm, Wyo. (Shannon Broderick/Laramie Boomerang via AP) He said it kept the blaze from spreading, but crews are still putting out hot embers that could ignite dry trees, grass and shrubs. Fire officials also are worried that rain could cause flash floods in the burn scar, which now has much less vegetation to hold back runoff. "It's going to come down at some point," Davis said at a community meeting Sunday morning. The fire started June 1 about 10 miles (16 kilometers) north of Durango in the Four Corners Region where Colorado, Arizona, New Mexico and Utah meet. The area is the epicenter of a large swath of land in the U.S. Southwest that is experiencing exceptional drought. At one point, the blaze forced the evacuation of 2,200 homes, none of which has burned. It also triggered the closure of the San Juan National Forest, which is comprised of more than 2,800 square miles (7,252 square kilometers). Weekend rainstorms also helped crews to the north in their fight against a wildfire that destroyed one home and has burned more than 30 square miles (78 square kilometers). The fire in southern Wyoming near the Colorado border was 62 percent contained Sunday, and firefighters were taking advantage of the moisture to extinguish remaining hot spots near structures and to cut additional containment lines. Late last week, the flames moved from dense forests full of beetle-killed trees into areas with mostly grass and brush that burn with less intensity. The causes of both fires are under investigation. In northern Nevada, authorities are asking people to evacuate due to a growing wildfire. Lyon County Manager Jeffery Page said in a statement that 50 homes are in the area and numerous structures are under threat, though none have been lost. No injuries have been reported. The fire grew to a little over 2 square miles (6 square kilometers) Sunday afternoon. It is burning in the area of Pinon and Upper Colony. The statement does not say what caused the fire. ___ Information from: Durango Herald, http://www.durangoherald.com A 20 billion funding promise for the NHS leads the agenda on Sunday. The story of Billy Caldwell also features on many of the front pages after the 12-year-olds cannabis epilepsy treatment was returned by Home Office officials. The Mail on Sunday says Theresa Mays extraordinary health service pledge is her boldest move since calling the last election. What the papers say - June 17 The Sunday Telegraph says the promise, which far outstrips Boris Johnsons infamous Brexit campaign bus pledge, signals an insistence that the UK will leave the EU next year. The front page of tomorrow's Sunday @Telegraph: 'NHS to get extra 384m per week' #tomorrowspaperstoday pic.twitter.com/1gBBZ3FGf7 The Telegraph (@Telegraph) June 16, 2018 The Sunday Express says the boost is a victory for EU leavers. However the PM will ask taxpayers to fund part of the massive injection of extra cash, The Observer reports. THE OBSERVER: May to unveil 20bn a year boost to NHS spending #tomorrowspaperstoday pic.twitter.com/hwkN4l6E8Y Neil Henderson (@hendopolis) June 16, 2018 The Sunday People leads with Billy, whose mother Charlotte Caldwell has vowed to fight for his therapeutic cannabis treatment to be made available to other children with similar conditions. In other news, the Sunday Times says figures suggest that fewer than 5% of street robberies and burglaries are being solved by police. SAVING BILLY: MOTHERS CANNABIS OIL VICTORY Hundreds of hospital deaths due to one GP Under 5% of all burglaries and robberies solved #TomorrowsPapersToday pic.twitter.com/naiycClAtm The Sunday Times (@thesundaytimes) June 16, 2018 Pop star Sinitta has told the Sunday Mirror how Simon Cowell confronted a man who had forced himself on her during an incident at his holiday villa. The Aquarius rescue ship, a pawn in Europes latest battle over immigration, has docked in the Spanish port of Valencia after a week-long odyssey carrying migrants around the Mediterranean. The boat operated by aid groups SOS Mediterranee Sea and Doctors Without Borders touched land shortly before 11am Sunday with 106 migrants on board. An Italian coastguard ship had already arrived in Valencia with 270 of the 630 migrants that the Aquarius saved off Libyan shores more than a week ago. Another Italian navy ship with the rest of the migrants from the Aquarius will arrive later. Italy and Malta had denied entry to the rescue ship last Saturday. Spain then stepped in and offered to let it dock. It took the convoy nearly a week to travel the 930 miles between Sicily and Spain. The head of Doctors Without Borders in Spain said he was glad that Spain had allowed the convoy to dock but he was worried about European nations closing their ports to those rescued at sea. David Noguera told The Associated Press: I have mixed feelings. I am happy that the journey is over, a journey that was too long, and I am worried for the situation in the Mediterranean and the closing of European ports. For as long as European governments fail to fulfill their responsibilities. #Aquarius is obliged to continue to conduct search and rescue operations in the #Mediterranean. pic.twitter.com/KuEU91JS2e MSF Sea (@MSF_Sea) June 17, 2018 Spains minister of public works Jose Luis Abalos said due to their ordeal, the migrants would be granted a special authorisation to remain in the country for one month before they will be dealt with according to our laws without exception. Mr Abalos said: Spain will act with sensitivity and at the same time within the law, and with a message to Europe that it doesnt have an immigration policy up to the challenge at hand. The migrants include 123 unaccompanied minors, 11 children and as many as seven pregnant women. Theresa May has said she was not aware she had given Jeremy Corbyn the death stare during Prime Ministers Questions. The Prime Minister allegedly froze and gave the Labour leader the death stare in Wednesdays exchanges. Appearing on BBC Ones The Andrew Marr Show, Mrs May said she was not really conscious that she had looked at the opposition leader in such a way. Prime Ministers Questions Asked about her response to a question from Mr Corbyn during PMQs, she said: Somebody else actually yesterday talked to me about this thing they call the sort of death stare. Im not really conscious that Im doing it at the time. Tory rebels could collapse the Government, former attorney general Dominic Grieve has said. Rebel ringleader Mr Grieve made it clear pro-Europe Tories did not intend to back down in their clash with Prime Minister Theresa May over how much say the Commons gets over Brexit. Rebels want Parliament to have the right to block a no-deal Brexit. Asked if voting against the Government could bring it down, Mr Grieve told BBC1s Sunday Politics: We could collapse the Government. And I can assure you I wake up at 2am in a cold sweat thinking about the problems that we have put on our shoulders. The difficulty is that the Brexit process is inherently risky. The showdown over a so-called meaningful vote for MPs is set to dominate the Commons again this week as the EU (Withdrawal) Bill returns from the Lords in a bout of Parliamentary ping pong. Mr Grieve told the Press Association that his comments about collapsing the Government referred to a future vote on rejecting a Brexit deal, not to this weeks clash with the PM. Palace of Westminster incident The former attorney general said it was important for MPs to have a real say on a Brexit deal. He told the BBC: I cant save the Government from getting into a situation where Parliament might disagree with it. The alternative is that we have all got to sign-up to a slavery clause now saying whatever the Government does, when it comes to January, however potentially catastrophic it might be for my constituents, and my country, Im signing in blood now that I will follow over the edge of the cliff. And that, I can tell you, I am not prepared to do. The comments came after Tory rebels expressed disappointment that a compromise amendment Mrs May tabled after talks was weaker than they wanted. Rebels are angry because the Government amendment leaves Parliament facing a deal or no deal choice. Theresa May attends church If MPs reject the agreement reached by Mrs May with Brussels, or if no deal has been obtained by January 21, Parliament will be offered the opportunity only to vote on a neutral motion stating that it has considered a ministers statement on the issue. Crucially, the motion will be unamendable, meaning that MPs cannot insert a requirement for Mrs May to go back to the negotiating table, extend the Brexit transition or revoke the UKs withdrawal under Article 50. Mrs May insisted she was a woman of her word and had listened to rebels concerns and acted on them. The PM told BBC1s The Andrew Marr Show: I did indeed meet a group of my fellow MPs. I listened to their concerns and I undertook to consider their concerns. And the next day I stood up in Prime Ministers Questions and said Id put an amendment down in the House of Lords. Ive done exactly that. We recognise the concerns people have about the role of Parliament. Mrs May added: Parliament cannot tie the hands of Government in negotiations. A suicide bomber struck in Afghanistans eastern city of Jalalabad on Sunday, killing at least 19 people. It was the second attack in as many days targeting Taliban fighters, security forces and civilians celebrating a holiday ceasefire. Attahullah Khogyani, spokesman for the governor of Nangarhar province, said another 60 people were wounded in the attack, which struck a crowd of people as they left the governors compound. Saturdays attack, which also took place in Jalalabad, killed at least 36 people and wounded 65, according to Najibullah Kamawal, director of the provincial health department. Afghanistan Explosion No-one has claimed responsibility for the attacks, but they appear to be the work of the Islamic State group, which is not included in the ceasefire and has clashed with the Taliban in the past. The local IS affiliate has a strong presence in the province. The bomber on Saturday targeted a gathering of Taliban fighters who were celebrating a three-day truce coinciding with the Eid al-Fitr holiday. After the attack, Afghan President Ashraf Ghani announced a nine-day extension of the ceasefire. There was no immediate word from the Taliban on whether they would observe the extension. The three-day holiday and the ceasefire end Sunday. The chairman of the High Peace Council, a government body charged with negotiating an end to the nearly 17-year war, called on the Taliban to accept the extended ceasefire and join the peace process. We hope that the extension of the ceasefire will be announced by the leadership of the Taliban, Mohammad Karim Khalili told a press conference in the capital, Kabul. He said there had been an exchange of views between the government and the Taliban over the past week, without elaborating. The Taliban have steadily expanded their presence in recent years, seizing a number of districts across the country and carrying out near-daily attacks on Afghan security forces. But over the past two days Taliban fighters could be seen celebrating the truce alongside Afghan troops and other people in a number of locations. The Conservative MP who single-handedly blocked the criminalisation of upskirting has defended his much-criticised move. Sir Christopher Chope told his local newspaper he supports outlawing the vulgar, humiliating and unacceptable act of upskirting, and added: The suggestion that I am some kind of pervert is a complete travesty of the truth. The 71-year-old MP for Christchurch in Dorset shouted down the bill that would have criminalised what Theresa May called invasive and degrading act when she pledged to revive an attempt to ban it. In an interview published in the Daily Echo on Sunday, the Tory grandee said he was acting on a long-held principle that has seen him routinely oppose backbench private members bills. I feel a bit sore about being scapegoated over this, he said. The suggestion that I am some kind of pervert is a complete travesty of the truth. Its defamatory of my character and its very depressing some of my colleagues have been perpetuating that in the past 48 hours. He urged the Government to find the fastest, fairest and surest passage for a bill banning people from taking pictures up someones clothing without consent, and accused ministers of hijacking backbenchers time with the Friday afternoon debate. Sir Christopher was met with a barrage of criticism and heckled with cries of shame! when he shouted an objection during the second reading of the Voyeurism (Offences) Bill. Theresa May attends church Gina Martin, an upskirting victim whose petition to criminalise the act won her a legion of celebrity supporters and political backing, said the move left her extremely upset. Culture Minister Margot James said Sir Christopher had brought the Tories into disrepute, while the Prime Minister expressed her disappointment at his move. London mayor Sadiq Khan said he was dismayed and appalled and Labour MP Richard Burgon said he was disgusted. Without a specific law, victims in England and Wales must seek prosecution of upskirting through other legal avenues, such as outraging public decency or harassment. A specific law already exists in Scotland and the blocked bill would have seen upskirting offenders face a maximum of two years in prison. Mrs May reassured on Sunday that the Government would provide time for anti-upskirting legislation to pass through Parliament. It is an invasive, offensive act and we need to take action against it, she added. Related Meet Egypt's 12 new ministers in PM Mostafa Madbouly's cabinet President Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi has appointed former Prime Minister Sherif Ismail, former Defence Minister Sedki Sobhy and former Interior Minister Magdy Abdel-Ghaffar as presidential aides, according to an announcement published on Friday in Egypt's official gazette. The decision, made effective by presidential decree, appoints former Prime Minister Ismail as the presidential aide for national and strategic projects. Former Defence Minister Sobhi has been appointed as the president's aide for defence affairs, and former Interior Minister Abdel-Ghaffar as the presidential advisor for security and counterterrorism affairs. A new cabinet headed by newly-appointed Prime Minister Mostafa Madbouly was sworn in before the Egyptian president on Thursday. The new cabinet replaces that of former PM Ismail, which submitted its resignation to President El-Sisi last week, following his swearing-in for a second term as president on 2 June. The new cabinet includes 12 new ministers out of a total of 32. The foreign, justice, investment and tourism ministers all retained their positions, as did some economy-related ministers, such as those of supply and planning. Mohamed Ahmed Zaki was named minister of defence, succeeding Sobhy, who held the post for more than four years, while Mahmoud Tawfik replaced Abdel-Ghaffar as interior minister. Search Keywords: Short link: Renee Zellweger's boyfriend Ant Anstead says that it is 'too early' for the two to move in together and that they are taking their relationship 'slow' A shooting incident at an all-night art festival in New Jersey has left one suspect dead and 20 people injured, a local prosecutor said. Many of the 20 injured were treated for gunshot wounds, Mercer County Prosecutor Angelo Onofri said Sunday morning. Four of those, including a 13-year-old boy, were in critical condition. Art All Night Shooting A quick update from the scene of the #ArtAllNight shooting in Trenton, where 16 people were hit by gunfire overnight @NBCPhiladelphia One suspect believed to be dead, another in custody #Trenton pic.twitter.com/2YKjwGoQMB Randy Gyllenhaal (@RandyGyllenhaal) June 17, 2018 He said that two suspects opened fire around 2:45am local time during the Art All Night festival in Trenton that showcases local art, music, food and films. One of the suspects, a 33-year-old man, was killed. Another suspect is in custody. Authorities say that about 1,000 people were in the area when the shooting started. Trenton resident Angelo Nicolo told Philadelphia 6ABC-TV that he and his brother were at the event when they heard loud popping sounds. He said people started running down the street. I saw two police officers escort a guy that got shot in the leg. They bandaged him up and whisked him away, Mr Nicolo said The Queen and the Duke of Edinburgh spent their Sunday afternoon watching polo. The Cartier Trophy - Guards Polo Club One week after his 97th birthday, Philip arrived at the Cartier Queens Cup Final at Windsor Great Park, Berkshire, wearing a khaki jacket. The Queen wore a pale blue dress coat with white lace waist detail, and a matching hat. The Cartier Trophy - Guards Polo Club As she has done in previous years, the Queen presented the winners trophy. The Cartier Trophy - Guards Polo Club Also seen at the event were rapper Tinie Tempah and actresses Jenna Coleman and Lily Collins. The Government is set to announce an annual Windrush Day to celebrate the Windrush generation and their descendants. Minister Lord Bourne told activists and others who had attended roundtable events over the 70th anniversary of the beginning of the generation that he will make the announcement with great pride on Monday. It comes ahead of Fridays anniversary of around 500 Caribbeans disembarking from the Empire Windrush ship at Tilbury Docks in Essex on June 22, 1948. Windrush generation Really productive discussions at today's Windrush Roundtable meeting on continuing the legacy of Windrush in Britain Lord Nick Bourne (@lordnickbourne) June 13, 2018 The annual Government-backed day will celebrate the generation and their descendants and be will be overseen by a panel with a Windrush Day grant, the Housing, Communities and Local Government minister told activists. The announcement comes after a period of turbulence for the Government over the Windrush scandal, which has seen citizens wrongly detained and deported. Others were denied access to healthcare, work, housing benefits and pensions. Amber Rudd resigned as home secretary over the scandal, and Theresa May her predecessor at the Home Office came under fire for her hostile environment policy towards migrants. Sajid Javid, who replaced Ms Rudd, signalled a softening of immigration policy under his leadership and that the much-criticised policy would be reviewed. The Government did not immediately provide more information on the announcement. A furious Johanna Konta refused to shake hands with umpire Paula Vieira Souza after a narrow loss to Ashleigh Barty in the final of the Nature Valley Open in Nottingham. The British number one had battled back from 4-1 down in the decider and had Barty under pressure on her serve when a shot from the Australian appeared to land long, but neither the line judge nor Souza called it out. Konta confronted Souza, saying: Its an absolute joke. Youre making decisions that affect our lives. Do you fully understand that? Johanna Konta reacts to the line call that led her to refuse to shake umpire Paula Vieira Souza's hand She won only one more point and after a final passing shot from Barty clinched a 6-3 3-6 6-4 victory, Konta walked straight past Souza and off the court. Several minutes passed before she returned for the trophy ceremony, although she would not say whether she was complaining about what had happened. It is not the first time the 27-year-old has refused to shake an umpires hand, and she said: At 4-4 in the third set, thats quite an important time of any match. Its a difficult position to be in. I definitely burned through quite a bit of energy at that moment in time. But, except for one loose shot (in the last game), I dont think I did too much wrong. Obviously Im a little bit sad I could not come through with the win today but Im also taking a lot of positives from this week in general. Konta lost in the final in Nottingham for the second successive year Konta was playing in a final for the first time since doing so here 12 months ago, when she lost to Donna Vekic. It has been a difficult season for a player who was ranked fourth after reaching the semi-finals of Wimbledon last summer and is now down at 22. She showed impressive resilience here, though, withstanding strong pressure to take the second set and then fighting back in the decider against the top seed and a player regarded as one of the best grass-court exponents. Konta will hope to build on the positive things in her game in a very tough opening match at the Nature Valley Classic in Birmingham on Tuesday against defending champion Petra Kvitova. Kontas defeat made it a double British disappointment against Australia after Dan Evans lost 7-6 (7/4) 7-5 to 19-year-old Alex De Minaur in the mens final earlier. Dan Evans slips over during his defeat by Alex De Minaur The 28-year-old had hoped to win the first title of his comeback from a 12-month drugs ban but was nevertheless happy with his weeks work. Evans, who now heads to Queens Club, said: It was a good level. I had my chances. Its been a great week leading up to the bigger tournament. He was relentless. That match there has pretty much told me Im there or thereabouts. Despite his excellent form, Evans said he is not expecting to be given a Wimbledon wild card and would be prepared to miss the chance to play at the All England Club if he does well at Queens. If he is not given either a main draw or qualifying wild card, he would have to go through the wild card play-off, which gives lower-ranked British players the chance to earn a spot in qualifying and begins on Wednesday. Dan Evans is waiting to find out whether he will be given a Wimbledon wild card Evans, who even suggested he could play two matches in a day to enable him to compete in both competitions, said: My year doesnt revolve around just trying to play Wimbledon. But it wouldnt be my preference to miss the best slam there is. The first batch of wild cards will be announced on Wednesday, with Evans, who will be ranked around 340 on Monday, the biggest conundrum. The former British number twos form on grass is comfortably the best of any home man so far, but he added: Ive had easily the worst past of any British player. Theyve got their criteria. If I dont fit it, I dont fit it. CARACAS, June 16 (Reuters) - At least 17 people suffocated to death at a party at a Caracas club early on Saturday morning, when a person activated a tear gas device inside, Venezuela's interior minister Nestor Reverol said. Over 500 people were at the party at the Los Cotorros club in the middle-class Caracas neighborhood of El Paraiso when the device went off during a fight between several young people, Reverol said on state television. Eight of those who died from suffocation were younger than 18, he said, and five people were injured. Reverol said authorities had arrested 7 people and the investigation was ongoing. (Reporting by Angus Berwick and Vivian Sequera Editing by Chizu Nomiyama) CAIRO, June 16 (Reuters) - Islamic State said on Saturday it carried out a suicide bombing targeting Taliban and Afghan forces in eastern Afghanistan that killed at least 26 people, the group's Amaq news agency said. The agency said the attack targeted "a gathering of Afghan forces" in Nangarhar but gave no details. An Afghan official said a car bomb killed at least 26 people at a gathering of Taliban and Afghan armed forces in the eastern city of Nangarhar on Saturday, as soldiers and militants elsewhere in the country celebrated an unprecedented ceasefire. (Reporting by Omar Fahmy; Writing by Sami Aboudi; Editing by Catherine Evans) ATHENS, June 16 (Reuters) - Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras survived a no-confidence motion in parliament on Saturday, setting the stage for the signing of a historic accord with neighbouring Macedonia on a name dispute. Lawmakers backing Tsipras rejected the motion brought by the opposition New Democracy party. Opposition had accused Tsipras of making too many concessions over the deal, due to be signed on Sunday. Thousands of Greeks were protesting against the agreement outside parliament, calling for Tsipras to resign. Police used stun grenades and teargas to prevent them from entering the building. (Reporting By Michele Kambas) Sri Lanka captain Dinesh Chandimal has been charged for breaching Level 2.2.9 of the ICC Code of Conduct. More details to follow in due course, the ICC tweeted. Sri Lankas players refused to take the field on the third day of the match in St Lucia on Saturday after they were accused by match officials of altering the condition of the ball. Sri Lanka captain Dinesh Chandimal has been charged for breaching Level 2.2.9 of the ICC Code of Conduct. More details to follow in due course. #WIvSL pic.twitter.com/F0Kf7YKj24 ICC Media (@ICCMediaComms) June 17, 2018 A Muslims offer Eid prayers on the first day of the Eid-ul-Fitr festival at the Galle Face Green in Colombo June 16, 2018. The festival began after the sighting of a new moon, which marks the end of the fasting month of Ramadan. Pix by Pradeep Pathirana Egypt has received a group of Italian tourists who are visiting the country to embark on a tour of the path the Holy Family of Jesus Christ took through Egypt, as the country continues to promote international Christian pilgrimage. In an official statement, Egypts tourism ministry said the chief of its Tourism Authority Ahmed Youssef received on Sunday the Italian tourists, who travelled to Egypt through Italys National Italian Union for Transporting the Sick to Lourdes and International Shrines (UNITALSI), a union specialised in organising religious trips. The visit is part of the ministry's efforts to incorporate the trip from Bethlehem through Egypt by the Holy Family (Joseph, the Virgin Mary and Jesus) in the global religious tourism map. Accompanying the tourists are a number of religious leaders, including the Bishop of the Italian city of Viterbo, the Bishop of the Coptic Church in Rome and Torino, as well as the head of UNITALSI and a delegation of Italian journalists. The tourists will conclude their trip on 21 June. Egypts Minister of Tourism Rania El-Mashat welcomed the tourists, and said that the ministry has organised a programme for the delegation that includes visiting a number of locations as part of retracing the path of the Holy Family through Egypt. According to Youssef, the visit comes a few months after the ministry organised an orientation trip for the UNITALSI delegation to visit Egypt. Last February, the Italian religious travel association said it would be organising religious trips to Egypt. The story of the Holy Familys journey from Palestine to Egypt has long been recounted by historians and authors around the world, with many seeing the journey as an important part of Egyptian history, not Christian history. Egyptians look with fondness and pride on the passage of the holy mother and her child through the land of Egypt, and the fact that they found solace there. Search Keywords: Short link: UNP Deputy Leader Sajith Premadasa over the weekend denounced allegations that he had obtained a cheque from Perpetual Treasuries Chief Arjun Aloysius. Minister Premadasa responded to an allegation made by Member of Southern Provincial Council D. V. Upul. Mr. Upul who threw challenge at Mr. Premadasa asking him to submit an affidavit to Speaker Karu Jayasuriya and prove that he had not obtained money from Aloysius. Mr. Premadasa responded to this allegation while speaking during a ceremony to donate a bus to Viharagala MV in Sooriyawewa recently. I am not a robber who had taken money from Aloysius. I can swear by my late father President Ranasinghe Premadasa and my mother that I have not obtained any cheques or cash from Aloysius, Mr. Premadasa said. He said one who had accused him of taking money from Perpetual Treasuries Chief is a person who is engaged in trafficking drugs in Hambantota. Those who are accusing me are engaged in trafficking drugs using easy cash in the district. I will not hand over affidavits to any one just to please drug traffickers in the Hambantota District, he added. He also accused Mr. Upul of being involved in the underworld activities. Mr. Premadasa said he will only answer to people in this country. I am a politician who does not go after perks. I use what I get as a minister to the Sevana fund so that it could be used to provide shelter to the homeless, he also said. He said one should follow the teachings of Buddha who had said one has to have credibility before preaching. (Yohan Perera) Malaka Dewapriya presents with rare ingenuity and acumen insights into the lives of todays youth The Sri Lankan political and socio-economic environment has undergone change from time to time. We do not need fancy data analysis to identify such change we experienced ourselves in the 60s. We have not forgotten the socio-economic trends of that era brought about by political transitions. Those of us who have passed the 55th milepost in life may probably remember the political environment and the associated social and economic setting under the rule of seven-party coalition government of 65 70. The simple life style of 70-77 era and the hardships we endured during the period are not easy to forget. Subsequently, we experienced the social transitions that emerged with the introduction of the open economic policy in 1977 and the social trends consistent with political changes during 88-93, 94-2001, 2002-2004, 2005-2014 periods. The expectations of life and the behavioural patterns of the Sri Lankan youth changed in a subtle manner in accordance with and in relation tothe social transformations that occurred following change of governments. In evaluating The Undecided, maiden cinematic creation of Malaka Dewapriya, we must call to our minds some of the notable films centred on the youth of the era described above. It will help, I believe, to properly identify and compare the life styles, behavioural patterns and relationships and the expectations of the youth who underwent change due to social metastasis with the current social patterns portrayed through interactions of Sasitha, the undecided youth in Malakas film. To begin with, let us focus our attention on Ahas Gawwa (One league of sky), momentous cinematic creation of renowned Sri Lankan film maker, Dharmasena Pathiraja. In my opinion, Ahas Gawwa accurately and realistically depicted the life of urban youth in early 70s. Joblessness (unemployment) was rampant and it was the lower-middle-class urban youth, who were greatly affected. Even a casual job just to eke out a living was hard to find. Youths didnt dream of owning a car or building a house of their own. Nor did they fantasize about sipping a bourbon in a plush hotel. Walmathwuwo, the cinematic creation of Wasantha Obeysekara screened in 1976, brings to light the life of village youth in the 60s and 70s. The expectations of love fizzle out. As the aristocrat craftily plans to acquire his merge properties youth, in desperation decides to terminate the tyrant. (Even though it is not shown in the film, it was this type of youth who joined the 1971 uprising). Pathrajas film Para dig (On the run), first screened in 1980, outlined the ethos of the urban youth of the period. "The youth, who leads a dubious, arrogant and rather parasitic life, is more dangerous than the youth who aspires to spend a steady life even outside the country" The newly introduced free economy policy has presented them with opportunities to earn a fast buck by hook or crook to keep them going. The protagonist of the film is a youth from a village who comes to the city in search of his destiny. He lands a job as a vehicle seizer, a person entrusted to grab forcibly from vehicle owners who default paying monthly lease instalments. Free economy has not only changed the economy but also the city life which transformed drastically. It is normally enjoyed by the upper classwho have the economic punch. Glamorous city life attracts the uprooted protagonist who uses the hard earned money to for a taste of it. He sums it up in a single sentence: We are like thrown away twigs; they may sprout but there are no roots. As far as I know, however, after the year 2,000, there are no noteworthy films that portrayed the life of the youth so authentically. Malaka Dewapriyas The Undecided fills that void, I conclude. One may wonder why I took a long and arduous route to arrive at the conclusion. In my opinion, the analysis provides an appropriate backdrop for the better understanding of the protagonist in Malakas Undecided. I must begin by stating that the film The Undecided, doesnt just strive only to portray the life of unemployed urban youth. It goes far beyond that. It offers a complete picture of the cross-section of the contemporary society. It is brought to us through the interactions of Sasitha the youth with the other characters of the film. The picture thus presented is realistic. In it is depicted the upshot of socio-economic and political evolution that took place during last few decades. The film demands us to subtly sift through the complexities of the social network that was born out of interpersonal connections brought about by the internet and other developments in the communication sphere in the decade closet. Sasitha, the protagonist in the film represents the majority who, for different reasons, fail to complete successfully the formal education. Like the majority of them, however, he shows dexterity in manipulating mobile phones, smart phones and other modern-day personal communication devices. He has mastered the use of computers for purposes he likes best. Deftly utilizing the devices and the technology, he manages to establish relationships with many. Facebook and Skype is his mainstay in this endeavour. Society too, especially in the last decade or so has been engulfed and entangled in the World Wide Web. Sasitha is not leading a comparatively simple life style similar to that of the youth in Ahas Gawwaor Walmathwuwo. In a way, it is an extension of the character of young man in Para dige. Sasitha is relentless, adamantly and unceasingly run after the electronic contrivances needed for his idee fixe. For his dreams, Sasitha needs money shedloads. He dresses well and although not addicted, smoking pot comes naturally to him. It is the Sri Lankan women in middle-east he easily befriends via Facebook and frequently chats with using Skype. It is not necessary here to discuss in detail, why these women go to Middle East. However, it must be said that, in contrast to early migratory workers, the new breed is quite conversant with modern communication technologies and use of Facebook, Skype to establish relationships and communicate in order to find some relief from the dissatisfactions and frustrations originating as a result of socio-economic milieu. "The social atmosphere and perhaps, the psychological ambience that prevailed during and after the war between the two ethnically divided groups served to foster and boost Sinhala chauvinism, Buddhist extremism or fanaticism and localism" In the present day Sri Lankan society, it is not only the customary or typical company owner who exploits youth labour. The new communication technologies that are associated with and that accompanied open economy paved way for a multitude of small-scale enterprises like communication centres, record bars, distribution services, computer and internet cafes, printing shops, all over the country. It so happened that some of these entrepreneurs were ex-members of traditional Leftist Parties. Few were those who lost employment en masse following the July 1980 general strike. They knew well what exploitation was, being at the receiving end. Now, after becoming proprietors themselves, they use new enticements like motorcycles, mobile phones and even internet facilities to good advantage. They use endearing language to deceitfully afford feelings of camaraderie. Thus the exploitation continues. It is a preach and leech approach with a subtle and discreet threat of violence sometimes. Sasithas friend in Undecided is such a character. Sasithas sister in the film represents a set of oppressed women struggling hard to make a living and often without hope of marriage or a reassuring future. Generally, they are the by-products of the garment industry and in most cases, forced into self- employment. These characters, both in the film and in society at large, almost always interact strongly with each other with varying consequences in their pursuit of aspirations and expectations and may be, perhaps their brand of happiness. Reciprocity is so complex, so intense one finds it difficult to analyze and comprehend on his or her own. But the young film maker Malaka Dewapriya, in his very first attempt, has, I believe, presented us with rare ingenuity and acumen clear insights into the lives of present-day youth. On June 12, as the world held its collective breath, so-to-say, as US President Donald Trump, leader of the worlds foremost military power, met with his adversary - President Kim Jong-un of North Korea - a protege of China, the worlds leading economic power. The bone of contention - North Koreas nuclear weapons as well as its missiles programme. In the aftermath of Trumps ascendance as President of the US, the war of words, threats and counterthreats to the use of nuclear weapons as a means of settling the dispute which broke out between the US president and his counter-part in North Korea, alarmed people worldwide and led to calls for tempering down of the rhetoric to ensure the vile threats did not lead to an accidental outbreak of nuclear war. Even prior to his inauguration Trump had taken an extremely belligerent stance towards the North Korean regime as well as against China. While tensions continued to rise, of a sudden on Apr 30, 2018 - Trump floated the idea of meeting Kim on the border of Koreas. Then, equally suddenly on May 24, Trump called off summit citing various reasons and then again on Jun 1, 2018, Trump announced that the summit with Kim Jong Un was back on track, a week after he called it off. So it was President Trump finally met at a summit meeting with President Kim Jong-un of North Korea. The on-again, off-again meeting finally taking place on June 12 in Singapore. The hurriedly planned event which began at approximately 9.00 am, included a bilateral private meeting between the two leaders sans advisors - only included their translators - and was followed by an expanded bilateral meeting. The summit itself had no clear or specifically enunciated goals. While US Secretary of State Pompeo described US objectives as the immediate permanent, verifiable, irreversible dismantling of North Koreas weapons of mass destruction programme, North Koreas state media said the pair would discuss a permanent and durable peace-keeping mechanism on the Korean peninsula, denuclearisation of the peninsula and other issues of mutual concern! Not surprisingly the joint declaration issued by the two sides after the summit did not commit North Korea to the complete, irreversible and verifiable dismantling of Pyongyangs nuclear arsenal. Rather, it included a comment that North Korea would work toward the complete denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula and for follow-up talks. Since North Korea had already committed itself to halt testing of nuclear weapons, at a summit between the North and South Korea earlier, the joint declaration had little serious content. So what exactly changes after the summit between the most powerful man in the world -Trump and the North Korean leader? As we mentioned in these columns earlier, the US move to focus on Asia is to counteract Chinas growing economic might and military stature, which is being seen as a threat to US interests in the region. The Trump-Kim summit needs to be understood in the light of how the US views China. Its (Chinas) rise to the position of worlds leading economic power and its ambition in the region and beyond. It would appear the US summit meeting with North Korea is an attempt to leverage on this new-found friendship a means of outflanking China in its own backyard. It is also a means of building new alliances with countries in the South China Sea region who have issues with Chinas growing ambitions. In the recent past we have witnessed US allies making efforts to convince countries in the South Asia region to beware of possible Chinese debt traps which could turn these countries - including Sri Lanka- into pawns in a game of Chinese Chequers. Through its meddling in West Asia (Middle East), the US and its western allies have brought ruin, death, suffering and destruction to the people in that region of the Asian continent. The Kim-Trump Summit looks more like a preparation of the ground, to create similar situations of destabilization and unrest as are prevalent in the Middle East in South and East Asia. It appears to be, not only an effort to not contain China, but to regain US dominance in the Asia region. Egypt condemned on Sunday a terrorist attack that killed at least 31 people in Nigeria, expressing its condolences to the families of the victims. Egypt's foreign ministry released a statement where it stressed the support of the government and people of Egypt to Nigeria in facing terrorism, and called for concerted efforts to combat the phenomenon. The statement comes one day after two suicide bombers attacked the northeastern town of Damboa in Borno state. The blasts were followed by rocket fire on the town. No group has claimed responsibility for the attack so far, although the terrorist group Boko Haram is suspected of being behind the attack. At the start of May, a military operation was launched to expel Boko Haram terrorists from northern Borno and the Lake Chad region. Search Keywords: Short link: Nearly 5,000 families have been displaced in Yemen's flashpoint Hodeida province this month, the UN said Sunday, as violence escalates in the rebel-held Red Sea region. After nearly a month of sporadic clashes, the Yemeni government -- backed by Saudi Arabia and its allies -- on Wednesday launched a major assault to retake the densely populated city of Hodeida, capital of the province and home to the war-torn country's most vital port. The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs said 4,458 households had been displaced from their homes in Hodeida since June 1, with 36 families losing their livelihood as their farms were damaged in the conflict. The fight for Hodeida has sparked fears of a fresh humanitarian crisis in a country where more than 22 million people are in need of aid, including 8.4 million who are at risk of starvation. The Yemen war has claimed some 10,000 lives since a Saudi-led coalition joined the government's fight against the Iran-backed Houthi rebels. The UN has called for restraint as Yemen envoy Martin Griffiths holds talks with the Houthis on potentially ceding control of Hodeida port to the international body. *This story was edited by Ahram Online. Search Keywords: Short link: Turkish warplanes killed 35 militants from the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) in air strikes in northern Iraqs Qandil mountain region on Friday, the Turkish military said. Turkeys President Tayyip Erdogan had said on Saturday that Turkish warplanes had struck a meeting of the outlawed PKK in Qandil, where he believed high-profile militants had been hit. The Turkish military in its statement on Sunday, released via Twitter, did not specify whether the air strikes it referred to were the ones Erdogan had talked about on Saturday. The Turkish military has ramped up air strikes in northern Iraq, targeting PKK bases in Qandil, close to the Iraq-Iran border, where Ankara suspects high-ranking members of the militant group are located. The PKK, which has fought a decades-old insurgency against the state in southeastern Turkey, is designated a terrorist organization by Turkey, the United States and European Union. Ankara has also recently stepped up its warnings of a potential ground offensive into the Qandil region, with Erdogan vowing to drain the terror swamp in Qandil. Search Keywords: Short link: A 50-year-old woman died when she was struck by a car in a Carmel Valley parking lot Friday, June 15, police said. The incident occurred just before 3 p.m. at 12570 High Bluff Drive, an area full of office buildings housing businesses such as law firms. San Diego police said a 44-year-old male drive was driving a Dodge van southbound through a parking lot, when he made a right turn and struck the woman, who was on foot. Police said the woman was taken to a hospital, but died from her injuries there. The San Diego Police Department Traffic Division is investigating the incident. Police said not drugs or alcohol were involved. Neither the deceased woman, nor the driver, were identified. Egypts finance ministry dispensed EGP 1.5 billion for the national project to install energy-saving bulbs on street lamposts, the ministry announced on Sunday. "The project to upgrade the street lighting system comes as part of government plans to reduce public expenditure and energy consumption, while providing proper lighting in the streets," said the ministry. The EGP 1.5 billion will finance a three-phase project to update the bulbs in street lampposts to an energy-saving LED model, as the ministrys statement describes. The first phase of the project has already been completed, and the second phase is near completion, the ministry said. The project is a joint effort between the Ministry of Local Development, the Ministry of Electricity, and the Arab Authority for Industrialization, and is being carried out according to a specific timeline and with full government funding. Egypt has 2.5 million lampposts and 64,000 meters used to measure the level of energy used in street-lighting. Search Keywords: Short link: Why was Ujjwala Yojana needed? In India, indoor air pollution is the second biggest killer after high blood pressure. According to Census 2011, nearly 121 million households used traditional stoves (chullha) that trapped them in a highly polluted environment. In 2010, indoor air pollution caused two premature deaths every minute. Dirty cooking fuel has been a major contributor to this pollution. Percentage distribution of households by primary source of energy used for cooking in rural India, 2011-12 hover over the graph to know more Changing dimension of India's clean fuels and technologies for cooking access since 2000 in South Asia hover over the graph to see details Air quality, primarily in rural households, becomes lethal due to use of wood or cow dung as cooking fuel. It is not surprising then that it caused 124,000 premature deaths in the country in 2015. Under such circumstances, it was important to make clean energy affordable and accessible. Ujjwala scheme was launched to address this challenge. Did you know? Cow-dung cake was the major fuel for rural households in Uttar Pradesh (33.4%) Punjab (30.3%), Haryana (24%) and Bihar (20.8%) What has Ujjwala achieved so far? The Pradhan Mantri Ujjwala Yojana had kicked off in May 2016 with an aim to give 5 crore LPG connections to BPL families by 2019. The government had allocated Rs 8,000 crore for that. The cost of an LPG connection, which earlier used to be between Rs 4,500 and Rs 5,000, came down to Rs 3,200 as the government bought it in bulk. State wise LPG connections released as on 31-05-2018 (in numbers) hover over the states to know more Data Source: Official dashboard of Pradhan Mantri Ujjwala Yojana, Last updated 31 May 2018 Of this Rs 3,200, the government gave half the money as a one-time grant. If people were unable to bear the remaining Rs 1,600, they could get a loan from the oil marketing companies. Thus, one could get the LPG connection without having to pay anything in the beginning. The scheme has helped 4.10 crore households get LPG connections so far. According to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, his government has distributed 10 crore LPG connections in four years, including free connections to four crore poor women, of which 45 per cent beneficiaries have been dalits and tribals, resulting in a big social transformation. Did you know? LPG household usage has grown from less than 2% of rural households 20 years back to 15% in 2011-2012 Whats the impact so far? Distributing LPG connection is a job half done. People are either reluctant to give up wooden stoves or cant afford to get LPG cylinders refilled. The beneficiaries keep using LPG minimally so that they dont have to quit wooden stoves completely, sometimes to the extent that a single LPG cylinder lasts up to a year. In other situations, this happens because refilling a cylinder is unaffordable for many since the government provides no support at this stage. Graph shows the remaining gap between Household using Fossil fues for cooking and LPG connection released under Ujjwala yojna hover over the graph to know more As explained earlier, under Ujjwala scheme, the cost of each LPG connection is between Rs 3,100-Rs 3,200. Initially, per family indemnity of Rs 1,600 was offered and families were supposed to pay the rest for an LPG stove and gas cylinder. The gas companies started offering interest-free loans to those who were unable to pay the remaining amount However, when a household took a loan from the gas company, the repayment of the loan was effected through deductions from the gas subsidy of Rs 200 provided by the government on a gas cylinder of Rs 715. Thus, the household availing loan had to pay Rs 715 for seven-eight gas cylinders till the full loan is paid. Out of 32.2 million new LPG connections in 2016-17, 20 million were beneficiaries under PMUY. This increase, however, does not reflect itself in LPG consumption. Year-on-year (y-o-y) growth in LPG consumption increased from 9 per cent in 2015-16 to 9.8 per cent in 2016-17. Contrast this with y-o-y growth in LPG customers, which increased from 10.2 per cent in 2015-16 to 16.2 per cent in 2016-17. Graph shows the Poorer states have the biggest mismatch between customer and consumption growth Year on year growth in packed domestic sales of LPG and number of customers between FY 16 and FY 17, hover over the bubbles to know more (All figures in per cent) Both these situations resulted in several accounts turning inactive. Did you know? As of January 2018, the country had 3.82 crore inactive LPG connections, almost at par with the total number of gas connections distributed under the scheme Graph shows the large number of LPG connections are inactive in country (All figures in Lakhs), hover over the graph to know more Information Gaps Scramble for achieving connection targets questions effectiveness of the scheme, especially when there are anomalies in terms of coverage data. Firstly, unlike other government schemes, data on PMUY connection is provided only at a state level and district-wise disaggregation is not available. Even at the state level, according to the results of the study commissioned by Petroleum Planning and Analysis Cell, connection has exceeded 100 per cent coverage in states such as Punjab, Haryana, Kerala, and Telangana. These connections do not necessarily indicate households are moving away from using solid fuels for cooking, but that they are possibly being used for other purposes. Did you know? Use of firewood and chips for cooking has fallen over the years from 78.2% in rural households in 1993-1994 to 67.3% in 2011-2012 What's next? The government is now faced with the dual challenge of reaching the eight crore mark by 2020, as per the revised target, and also ensure that the beneficiaries continue to use LPG instead of biomass. For this to happen, it has to remove the barriers to adoption of LPG, especially among rural households. High Initial and Recurring Cost In a survey conducted in 2016, most of the states cited initial high cost as a major barrier to adoption of LPG. More than 90 per cent women in Chhattisgarh, Nagaland, West Bengal, Bihar, Uttar Pradesh and Rajasthan cited this issue. Both urban and rural households across states cited recurring cost as a major barrier. Graph shows the percentage of surveyed households citing high initial cost as a barrier Please select the barrier and hover over the graph to know more Long waiting time and sparse LPG distribution centres The number of distributors has not kept pace with the increasing number of active LPG consumers. Between April 2016 and January 2018, the total number of active LPG consumers increased by 31 per cent, while total number of distributors went up by 9 per cent. Experts suggest that refilling be made a door-to-door facility and smaller cylinders be provided to families so that refilling becomes physically and economically feasible. Graph shows the state-wise percentage of surveyed households citing long waiting time for LPG refill as barrier hover over the graph to know more Data source: Official dashboard of Pradhan Mantri Ujjwala Yojana, Last updated 31 May 2018 EnviStats India, 2018 Assessment report: Primary survey on household cooking fuel usage and willingness to convert to LPG, June 2016, Petroleum Planning & Analysis Cell, Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas Planning & Analysis Cell, PSU OMCs (IOCL,BPCL and HPCL) Census of India, 2011-12 World Bank, Sustainable Energy for All (SE4ALL) database from WHO Global Household Energy database, 2018 Ujjwala scheme: Are cleaner cooking fuels affordable and accessible?, Down To Earth What Has the Pradhan Mantri Ujjwala Yojana Achieved So Far?, EPW, Vol. 53, Issue No. 20, 19 May, 2018 How Ujjwala Yojana is emerging as Modi govts MGNREGS ahead of 2019, Mint, May 2018 Lack of awareness regarding benefits of LPG hinders scheme's objective at rural level, First Post 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relatively straight forward. A member of the corruption network allegedly headed by former Salvadoran President Mauricio Funes during his 2009 to 2014 term would arrive at a state bank, fill up big black trash bags with thousands of dollars in cash and then drive them to the presidential residence.The money was allegedly for Funes, his family and other members of his inner circle who used it to pay for travel, properties, luxury goods and services such as plastic surgery, according to El Salvadors Attorney Generals Office.The trash bags might seem like a small detail, but they arent. They speak not only to the large amounts of cash that the presidents men picked up on Funes orders, but also to the complicity of a broad network that included the head of the Banco Hipotecario, one of the main banks managing government funds in El Salvador.In a June 8 press conference, El Salvadors Attorney General Douglas Melendez accused Funes and his network of embezzling $351 million, an amount equivalent to nearly 1.5 percent of the countrys gross domestic product (GDP) in 2017, or about seven percent of the governments 2017 budget. The Attorney Generals Office has dubbed the case Public Looting.The Salvadoran Attorney Generals Office has issued 32 arrest warrants in the case, including for Funes, his former private and communications secretaries, administrative personnel from his administration, the head of Banco Hipotecario, Funes partner and her parents, as well as his ex-wife and two sons. Twenty-seven of the suspects are accused of money laundering, while two are accused of obstruction of justice.On June 5, six suspects were arrested. Among them was businessman Miguel Melendez Avelar. Known by the alias Mecafe, Avelar is suspected of orchestrating the diversion of public funds into the construction of a spa tied to Funes partner, Ada Michelle Guzman, according to an investigation by the news outlet El Faro.For a short period, Mecafe served as the head of a state-run fairground and event space in the capital of San Salvador, where he met regularly with Funes and his inner circle, according to information two former officials in Funes administration gave to InSight Crime. In a video circulated in El Salvador, Mecafe can be seen giving money to former Attorney General Luis Martinez, who is currently under arrest in relation to a separate corruption case.We have found a sophisticated structure created by ex-President Funes and Miguel Menendez Avelar to extract public funds from the state and subsequently launder and invest them using the names of frontmen, companies and individuals, said Attorney General Melendez during the June 8 press conference.According to the Attorney Generals Office, the diversion of the funds began in El Salvadors presidential palace. There, Funes ordered various government ministries to redirect money to his administration. Then the presidents private office deposited the money in the accounts of employees and companies through the Banco Hipotecario. One way the cash was brought back to the president and his collaborators was the aforementioned black plastic bags.In 2009, Funes was the first Salvadoran president to enter office representing the Farabundo Marti Front for National Liberation (Frente Farabundo Marti para la Liberacion Nacional FMLN), a former guerrilla group that converted into a political party following the signing of a peace accord that ended the countrys civil war in 1992.Funes campaign platform centered on the fight against corruption, which he attributed to El Salvadors four previous presidents whose administrations spanned from 1989 to 2009 and who were members of the right-wing National Republican Alliance (Alianza Republicana Nacionalista ARENA) party.El Salvadors justice system first initiated a civil lawsuit against Funes in 2016, after the countrys Supreme Court detected irregularities in the former presidents financial statements. Funes, supported by his party, fled to Nicaragua, where the government of Daniel Ortega granted him political asylum. Last week, Attorney General Melendez announced that he will request the extradition of Funes and for an Interpol red notice to be issued for his arrest.Funes insists that all of the accusations are fabrications orchestrated by his political enemies and that his life is in danger.A judge in San Salvador has also ordered the arrest of Vanda Pignato, the former first lady of El Salvador, who has been accused of money laundering. UK: Daesh terrorists freed under 'secret' deal with SDF According to Telegraph newspaper, nationals from France and Germany are among terrorists released so far European Daesh terror group members have been released by the SDF under secret prisoner swap deals, raising fears the terrorists could reenter the battlefield and even return to Europe, according to a British daily Friday. The U.S. has supported a number of terrorist groups under the umbrella of the Syrian Democratic Forces, also known as the SDF, which includes the PYD/YPG that is considered by Ankara as the Syrian offshoot of the PKK terror group. BLOODY AGREEMENTS According to the Telegraph newspaper, nationals from France and Germany are among the militants released so far. However, there are three British Daesh members still held by the SDF who could be released in future deals, it said. The SDF has struck three agreements with Daesh, which saw the exchange of Daesh members and their families with that of SDF members. The first of these agreements was made in February this year and involved the release of an estimated 200 people, majority of whom were from Chechnya but also included nationals from Europe and other countries in the Middle East. Upon release, the militants returned to the territory under the control of Daesh and it is unclear whether they aim to stay in Syria or return to Europe. SDF militants were also released by Daesh in exchange for their members. The SDF argues they do not have the capacity to hold and detain Daesh terror group members. Furthermore, SDF allies in the west have refused to accept responsibility for these secrete prisoner swaps. European countries who have citizens fighting for Daesh have refused to take the returning militants back and argue that they should be tried and imprisoned in Syria where they fought. Daesh lost a majority of its territory it once controlled in Syria due to western-backed offensives by the SDF. They now hold a few towns and villages in the desert of eastern Syria near the Syrian-Iraqi border. Hi all, I am completely new to this forum and hoping someone may have some advice for a pretty dire situation. My mother has been informed her contract is not being renewed - she has worked for the same place for 21 years and they informed her with only 2 months notice, instead of the stated 6 months and they informed her by email! They tell her it is because she is now 65 and must retire. The rules for this changed in February, but they waited until the end of May to inform her of this...She is finishing work in a few weeks and will then have a month to leave the country. After 21 years - and several cats to now find homes for because it's costs $17,000 to send one home - it's a huge shock. This is upsetting and despicable enough by itself, but the worst of it is that she has large debts that were organised, by a major bank, to be paid off by 2021. They assumed also that she would get another contract. It's foolish and shortsighted and irresponsible and everything, I know, but there's no use in regrets now. Her company won't pay the end of service benefit until she gets a bank clearance - she can't pay the bank loans to get clearance without the EOSB...so, what are the options? Jail? Is that it? We can't find anyone in the family who can lend us the amount. An inheritance is supposed to be coming through from a house sale but has been delayed for years now by an ill family member who refuses to sell - recently it looked like progress was being made, but it's still likely months from actually paying out. She's going to throw herself on the mercy of her employers and try to beg them to pay her EOSB without the clearance, or to keep her employed until she can figure something else out. But time is running out and her employers have been extremely evasive so far. Does anyone have any advice on this situation? Is my 65 year old mother with rheumatoid arthritis really going to end up in prison because of partly, her shortsightedness, but mostly the callousness of her employers and the inflexibility of the banks? Thanks for the reply probably can get another letter of employment, it would get here by 23rd June now. 23 days on from last payslip! I have two employment letters now. One states payslips provided from Nov to May are genuine and that I started on 9 Oct 2017 The other states that payslips provided from Dec to May are genuine but didn't state the date which I started my current role (09 10 2017) I guess I will have to explain in the fianace part of the form that I am relying on payslips from Dec to May JavaScript is disabled. For a better experience, please enable JavaScript in your browser before proceeding. Yes, ClickyC is quite right, there's a lot of experience in this forum.I'm in the middle of buying myself, but I've done it several times before.The important things to note, in my opinion are....1. the whole process of buying is very different from the UK....so don't make assumptions...a good book will help greatly.2. the process is a lot less confrontational than in the UK....usually only 1 notaire who has the legal responsibility to see that everyone understands what they are doing. This may include insisting that you have a certified translator present at the signing if your French is not too good.3. USUALLY, but not always, the seller pays the agent, the buyer the notaire. But ask and be clear about these. Notaire fees are fixed and usually about 8% of the purchase price.4. It's advisable to have a French bank account set up as soon as possible. You will need to make several payments....2 for the notaire, insurance (manadatory), property taxes. electricity etc. Much easier with a French bank.Good luck, please ask questions as you go along.DejW Any one renting a house in Dumaguete or has been looking? Trying to get an idea of house rental cost there. Will be visiting there in November and looking to retire there next year. Has the rental prices been moving up or staying flat in that area? Hopes that Denmark might hold its own Grand Prix on the streets of Copenhagen suffered a blow this week. The popularity of Kevin Magnussen had put the country on a fast-track to host a race. However, disagreements between the municipal and national authorities over funding for the proposed event mean it might not happen at all. Danish newspaper Politiken quoted Finance Minister Kristian Jensen as saying he didn't think the current proposals were reasonable. The government is prepared to put some money into the hosting of Formula 1 in Denmark," he said. "But we don't think its reasonable that the city where such a large event is to take place does not also contribute economically." Other Danish cities such as Odense, Herning and Horsens have bid to host stages of the Giro d'Italia and Tour de France. But in each case they had made significant contributions to the costs, Jensen pointed out. We ask all cities to be a part [of funding] when a major sporting event is in town," he said. "So it is also fair for Copenhagen Municipality to do this." Despite opposition from other political parties in the council, lord mayor Frank Jensen will continue talks with the government, and with private investor Lars Seier Christensen and former minister Helge Sander. It's believed that Liberty had been hoping to add a race in Copenhagen to the 2020 calendar, as well as a new event in Vietnam. Formula 1's commercial rights holders hope to stage a Miami Grand Prix as early as 2019. It's unclear whether these new events will replace existing Grand Prixs, or add to the number of races on the calendar. Spa just confirmed a three-ear extension to its current contract to host the Belgian Grand Prix, and Barcelona remains hopeful of continuing to hold the Spanish Grand Prix. However the Italian race at Monza remains in doubt, and Silverstone has executed a break clause in its contract with Liberty which puts the British Grand Prix in doubt after 2019. Malaysia ended its decade-long involvement in Formula 1 last year after complaining about the costs of hosting the Grand Prix at Sepang. Gallery: The beautiful wives and girlfriends of F1 drivers Keep up to date with all the F1 news via Facebook and Twitter At the last Winnebago City Council meeting, a motion was passed to increase the cost of storm sewer and water utilities. These will be the first rate increases of this kind since 2014. Previously, the storm water monthly fee totaled $3.92. After the rate increase, the monthly fee will be $4.92. The water utility base fee, which now stands at $20.05, will also increase by one dollar per month to $21.05. Also, an extra 50 cents per thousand gallons above 2,000 will be added to the water utility fee. These changes will go into effect as of July 1. Meanwhile, sanitary sewer fees will not be affected. City administrator Chris Ziegler cited audit reports which revealed the utilities have been running at a break-even point or lower for several years. However, plans to move forward with the Northwest Project has created the need for a rate hike as dictated by the Public Facilities Authority. Meanwhile, city council-woman Jean Anderson expressed sympathy for the citizens affected by the additional costs. I think its unfortunate that we have to raise costs because weve been trying to keep costs down, Anderson said. Other items at the meeting included: The council authorized deputy city clerk Jessi Sturtz to attend the Municipal Clerks Advanced Academy on Sept. 20 and 21 in Brainerd. The resignation of part-time police officer Robert Toland was accepted by the City Council. At the suggestion of Winnebago Ambulance captain Cari Jenkins, the council authorized the purchase of a second LUCAS chest compression device. According to Jenkins, she has already raised approximately $13,000 of the $15,000 needed for the new equipment. The council went into a closed session to discuss the performance evaluation of city administrator Chris Ziegler. After the closed session, the council approved a three percent salary increase for Ziegler, retroactive to his anniversary date of Dec. 3. In a separate motion, Ziegler was authorized to attend the Coalition of Greater Minnesota Cities Conference. The CGMC conference will be held in Mankato from July 25-27. Additionally, Zieglers membership to the Minnesota City/County Management Association was also approved by the City Council. Category Select Category Apparel/Garments Textiles Fashion Technical Textiles Information Technology E-commerce Retail Corporate Association Press Release SubCategory Select Sub-Category Alla Kushnir was a finalist on the first season of the Ukraine's Got Talent show in 2009. She was also been the finalist and winner of several dance competitions. Prior to dancing she studied at the Odessa National Academy of Law. Flixxy editors search the internet daily, to find the very best videos for you: SELECTION: From over 300,000 videos uploaded to YouTube daily, Flixxy editors select only 13 videos to be added to the site daily. PG RATING: Flixxy videos and comments are all PG rated. They are "Safe For All Ages" and "Safe For Work". All content is uplifting. SELECTED START AND END POINTS: Many of Flixxys videos start late or end early. We skip lengthy introductions and get to the point. CONCISE CAPTION AND DESCRIPTION: We know your time is valuable. so we distill the information down to what you want to know. This blog covers software patent news and issues with a particular focus on wireless, mobile devices (smartphones, tablet computers, connected cars) as well as select antitrust matters surrounding those devices. In 2012, her winning streak on TVs Jeopardy! set a record for a female contestant. But when shes sentenced July 20, she could get a prison sentence of up to five years. Stephanie Jass, 48, of Tecumseh, Mich., pleaded guilty Wednesday in Lenawee Circuit Court to a charge of unauthorized computer access. The seven-time "Jeopardy!" winner -- who taught history at a small Michigan college -- sneaking into the email accounts of other professors, administrators and students at the school, authorities said. During a four-day period last year, the college reset everyone's passwords and assigned everyone the same temporary password. During that time, Jass logged into other people's email accounts without permission, authorities said. Another professor learned what Jass had done and told school officials. Jass was later fired. Privacy rights are a fundamental principle of our American democracy and Adrian College stands with those who protect these rights, the school said after Wednesday's plea. Privacy rights are a fundamental principle of our American democracy and Adrian College stands with those who protect these rights. Adrian College statement Jass' seven-episode "Jeopardy!" winning streak in 2012 was later broken by Julia Collins in 2014. Defense attorney Raymond Correll said in court Wednesday that he intends to seek a delayed sentence, which would push back Jass' sentencing to see how she follows bond conditions set by a judge, according to the Daily Telegram of Adrian. The Associated Press contributed to this story. Kim Kardashian West is continuing her fight for justice reform after her successful campaign to get Alice Marie Johnson freed from her life sentence. The beauty mogul on Saturday called on California Gov. Jerry Brown to take a closer look at the case of Kevin Cooper. Kardashian West tweeted a link to an opinion piece from The New York Times about Coopers case. Governor Brown, can you please test the DNA of Kevin Cooper? she wrote in the caption. The case, for those unfamiliar, centers on a grizzly quadruple homicide that unfolded in 1983. Cooper is sitting on death row in San Quentin State Prison even though legal experts have questioned his role in the murders. The evidence of police tampering is overwhelming, Nicholas Kristof wrote in the Times opinion piece. When lawyers working on Coopers appeal asked for DNA testing on a T-shirt believed to belong to the killer, the lab found Coopers blood on the shirt but also something astonishing: The blood had test tube preservative in it! In other words, it appeared to have come from the supply of Coopers blood drawn by the police and kept in a test tube. He went on to explain more evidence suggesting police may have tampered with the DNA, and described strong indicators that somebody else may have committed the crime. The Keeping Up With The Kardashians star has a bit of clout in the world of justice reform as of late. As previously reported, she took the case for Alice Marie Johnson all the way to the White House, meeting with President Trump before he commuted the 63-year-old woman's sentence. Kardashian West has since talked about the political accomplishment and even went as far as to discuss a potential run for office, saying she wouldn't rule it out. Johnson was serving a life sentence for a first-time, non-violent drug offense. Now heres a campaign to get behind. Fresh off her winning pitch to Donald Trump to spring a non-violent drug offender, Kim Kardashian is mulling her political prospects and wont rule out a White House bid. Never say never, she coyly told CNNs Van Jones in an interview set to air on The Van Jones Show Saturday at 7 p.m. after he asked if she would run for office. I honestly saw that if I could use my platform just to do something for one person, that it opens the conversation for so much more and for other people to want to do the same thing, the reality star said. If more people would just put their personal feelings aside and talk about really important issues that have to be discussed, then so much more can get done, she said. The 37-year-old pop princess said public service wasnt in her immediate future but added: I guess never say never. No matter who you talk to, no matter what political party, people feel whats right is right and thats what I love about this, is that it can just be so bipartisan, she said. The prospective Kim-mander-in-chief Kardashian famously huddled with Trump in the Oval Office May 30, when she pleaded with him to free Alice Johnson, a Tennessee granny and first-time offender who had served 21 years of a life sentence for cocaine possession and other charges. A week later Trump commuted Johnsons sentence, prompting the curvy Kardashian to tweet, BEST NEWS EVER!!!! and express gratitude to Trump and adviser Jared Kushner, with whom she also met. This article originally appeared in The New York Post. A Jacksonville, Fla., restaurant owner is responding to a customers claims that her dish had maggots in it, stating the food they serve is safe. Last week Keondra White ordered a chicken dish from Caribbean Sunrise Restaurant and Bakery. White claims once she started eating the dish, she noticed live maggots on top of the chicken. White posted a video of the maggots on Facebook. It was just pure disgust, something you cant fathom seeing that, White told Action News Jax. DELAWARE BURGER KING REOPENS FOLLOWING RODENT INFESTATION AND 'GROSS UNSANITARY CONDITIONS' Now restaurant owner Denise Daley has responded to the customers allegations. There was no doubt on our part that the food was safe, Daley said to Action News. Daley confirmed on Facebook that an incident did occur at the restaurant that compromised our standards, but insists it was not due to the cooking. I have no idea what the customer did (with) the food, Daley said. but once the food leaves here, we have no control over what happens to it. Daley told the news outlet their jerk chicken which the customer ordered goes from being cooked in an oven to smoked on a grill and then stored in a hot box before being heated again in a microwave before it is given to the customer. Daley also shared the restaurant had discarded all contaminated meat. Lauri Wright, a nutrition professor at the University of North Florida, told Action News high temperatures should kill off any maggots or fly eggs. You want it a good 180 degrees internal temperature, Wright said. If you dont hit that, the maggots could still be alive. Though, flies can lay their eggs after food has been cooked. Often, (the maggots) come after the food has been prepared, has been cooked, and when its sitting out, Wright said to Action News. FOLLOW US ON FACEBOOK FOR MORE FOX LIFESTYLE NEWS Daley denies the food was left out before the customer took it. Florida state health inspectors reportedly found violations at the restaurant two days in a row. On Friday, inspectors found flies in the kitchen and dining area and cited Caribbean Sunrise for not keeping food, including chicken and beef, in a cold enough storage area, Action News Jax reported. NEW You can now listen to Fox News articles! When President Trump and Kim Jong Un grasped hands in Singapore last week, it signified the beginning of a relationship between leaders of the U.S. and North Korea that had been thought impossible for 65 years. Many commented that it was almost a surreal moment. The historic Trump-Kim handshake and the dialogue that followed represented a promising first step forward a step toward peace. Relations with North Korea have troubled U.S. administrations of both political parties for decades. Bringing to pass this initial step toward a new era of peace and cooperation took strength and courage on our presidents part. I very much appreciate and applaud him for his leadership. We should also not overlook the fact that millions of people were praying for this meeting and the leaders involved Americans, North Koreans, South Koreans and others around the globe. Peace between nations is fragile and many times requires taking risks. Throughout the Cold War, my father, Billy Graham, consistently denounced the godless communist system that was restricting the religious and economic freedoms of millions. Yet in 1982 my father received an invitation to attend a peace conference on the topic of preventing nuclear catastrophe in, of all places, Moscow. The conference was not a distinctively Christian conference, and many people advised him not to go, fearing his presence would be used for propaganda purposes. However, after much prayer, my father did decide to go. Peace among people of different cultures and views takes patience and work, but its worth it. Ultimately, his participation opened the door to a new era of opportunity for the Gospel across the former Soviet Union. Less than a decade later, the Soviet Union itself collapsed. These historic outcomes might never have taken place if Billy Graham and others had not had the faith and vision to take a risk. President George Washington a great military general and war hero said: My first wish is to see this plague of mankind, war, banished from the Earth. In other words, he was expressing his longing for lasting peace. The Bible speaks of three kinds of peace. The first is peace with God, which each of us needs because our sins have separated us from him and we deserve his wrath and judgment. Having made peace through the blood of his cross (Colossians 1:20), God then raised Christ from the dead. We have the eternal good news that Therefore being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ (Romans 5:1). A second type of peace in the Bible is the peace God offers those who trust him in the daily trials of life. Jesus said to his followers: Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. Not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your hearts be troubled, neither let them be afraid (John 14:27). Millions of people across the globe are searching for peace that is greater than their regrets, their fears, their storms and their stresses. Recent studies have documented dramatic rising rates of loneliness, depression and suicide in our society. Christ alone offers peace that endures through the challenges of this world to all who call on him. A third type of peace in the Bible is peace in our human relationships and between nations. This is the peace President Trump was seeking to further through the Singapore summit. Peace among people of different cultures and views takes patience and work, but its worth it. Jesus said: Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God (Matthew 5:9). While we are saved from our sins solely through faith in Christ alone, being willing to work for peace is consistent with his nature. He is, after all, the Prince of Peace. We are instructed in Gods word to pray for those in authority, with the goal of peace for kings and all who are in high positions, that we may lead a peaceful and quiet life (1 Timothy 2:2). That should be a great motivation to pray for our leaders. The human race does not have the capacity in itself to eliminate hatred and bloodshed totally, but as we have opportunities we should do all we can to promote peace, to seek peace and pursue it (1 Peter 3:11). It pleases God. Its good for our nation. And it matters for our children and grandchildren. Democrat lawmakers from Oregon who visited with immigrant detainees on Saturday leveled harsh criticism at President Donald Trump's zero tolerance border policy, saying it "makes zero sense and shows zero understanding of American values. U.S. Sens. Jeff Merkley and Ron Wyden, and Reps. Suzanne Bonamici and Earl Blumenauer spoke to reporters following a visit to a federal detention center in the state, where they met with people detained by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). Over the past month, 123 would-be asylum-seekers -- from Central and South America, Mexico, China and India -- have been detained in a Federal Correctional Institution facility in Sheridan, about 60 miles southwest of Portland, the Oregonian reported. The detainees -- being held on alleged violations of Trump's "zero tolerance" policy, which U.S. Attorney General Jeff Sessions began implementing in May -- aren't being properly treated, the Democrats claimed. Merkley said the immigrants arrived from various countries and, among other things, were fleeing political and religious persecution, as well as the impact of organized crime. There was a lot of concern about legal representation, Merkley added, specifying that many of detainees hadnt yet gotten to talk with a lawyer. The immigrants were also having difficulty contacting family members, including their children, he said. TRUMP ACCUSES DEMOCRATS OF PROTECTING MS-13 GANG MEMBERS: THEY WANT THEM TO BE LEFT ALONE The separation of immigrant children from their parents at the border has drawn a good deal of criticism, targeting the policy instituted last month by Sessions. That policy says that any adult who enters the U.S. illegally is to be criminally prosecuted. U.S. protocol does not allow children to be detained with their parents because they, unlike their moms and dads, aren't charged with a crime. In the detention center, there was also a lack of translators, Merkley said, and a sense of uncertainty. Many of them, virtually all of them, had no information about what comes next, so a lot of uncertainty and stress that comes from that, the senator said, adding that the detainees were basically in limbo. He later declared that the Trump administrations justification for the policy was morally bankrupt. SESSIONS CITES BIBLE TO DEFEND SEPARATING IMMIGRANT FAMILIES Wyden told reporters that what the group saw over the last hour demonstrates that the Trump zero tolerance policy makes zero sense and shows zero understanding of American values. After speaking to detainees, including one individual who was separated from a child younger than 2 years old, Wyden said he left with a sense that the detainee rights are rights in name only. America and Oregon are better than this. We are better than this, Wyden said. All weve had in America, a system where we examine the specifics of an individuals circumstance. Look at the case, theres an allegation of law-breaking, we follow that up. But we dont just lump and dump. And that is my sense of what this policy is all about. The immigration policy enforced by the administration is not what we stand for as the United States of America, Bonamici told reporters. She said the detainees, who are fearing for their lives deserve more than how theyve been treated. 10 ILLEGAL IMMIGRANTS ARE FOUND HIDING IN SQUALID ARIZONA HOME As a parent listening to the fathers talk about not knowing where their young children are, not knowing where their spouse or partner is and not knowing when they can talk to a lawyer, when they can get medical care, is just devastating and completely unacceptable, Bonamici said. In an at times emotional statement, Blumenauer said this was "a shameful moment in our history. The notion that we're gonna criminalize being persecuted and were gonna try and enforce it by yanking children from their family and sending them God knows where its abhorrent, he said. And I dont care whether youre Republican or Democrat, what you think about immigration, whether weve got too much or not enough, nobody should treat children like that. He later added that the immigration policy has struck a chord and had the potential to help some of my Republican friends grow a spine and stand up to Donald Trump. The Associated Press contributed to this report. If Bernie Sanders doesnt receive a Fathers Day card on Sunday, the reason might not be hard to figure out. The U.S. senator from Vermont has declined to endorse his son Levi Sanders, 49, a candidate for a U.S. House seat in New Hampshire, according to reports. Hes on his own, the elder Sanders told CNNs Chris Cuomo on Thursday night, adding that he doesnt like dynastic politics. "He's on his own." Bernie Sanders, referring to son Levi's run for a congressional seat Some say they are not surprised, because the elder Sanders has a long history of being stingy with political endorsements. In the mid-1980s, for example, Sanders declined to do more to aid what has evolved into Vermont's Progressive Party. Then last winter he declined to help his stepdaughter, Carina Driscoll, run for the mayor's office in Burlington, Vt., which Sanders himself once held. This is a fancy dance that Bernie has done, but it's not recommended for anyone else," said Garrison Nelson, a University of Vermont political science professor emeritus. This is a testament to Bernies uniqueness as a political actor. This is a testament to Bernies uniqueness as a political actor. Garrison Nelson, political science professor emeritus, University of Vermont For his part, Levi Sanders -- a legal services analyst who is one of 11 seeking the Democratic nomination to fill the seat held by retiring U.S. Rep. Carol Shea-Porter -- has joked that rather than being Bernie Sanders' son, he is the son of the fourth cousin of Larry David, the co-creator of Seinfeld who has portrayed Bernie Sanders on Saturday Night Live. But since the father-son political relationship has drawn recent attention, Levi Sanders has gone quiet on the matter. Levi Sanders is portraying himself as a progressive campaigning for tuition-free college, health care for all and sensible gun legislation. The first two issues were central to his father's latest presidential campaign. His campaign said in a statement Saturday that he also believes in equal pay for women and "a minimum wage allowing people to work 40 hours a week without living in poverty." But Levi Sanders campaign has struggled to gain traction, partly due to a crowded field for the Sept. 11 primary. Levi Sanders has raised only about $11,500 through March, according to the latest campaign finance reports. Many have said Levi Sanders has done little to build support among the grassroots progressives who supported his father. Several analysts questioned whether an endorsement from his father would make all that much difference. The Associated Press contributed to this story. Seven Democratic lawmakers gained entry to an immigration detention center in New Jersey on Sunday after "arguing" with the police and "literally banging on the door," one of the congressmen posted on Twitter. The Father's Day episode was the latest in a series of similar trips by Democratic lawmakers to immigration detention centers, which are part of a broader effort to draw attention to the family members who have been separated by federal authorities while illegally crossing the border from Mexico into the United States. Also Sunday, first lady Melania Trump weighed in. Mrs. Trump hates to see children separated from their families & hopes both sides of the aisle can finally come together to achieve successful immigration reform. She believes we need to be a country that follows all laws but also a country that governs w/heart, her office told Fox News. Before being allowed inside the Elizabeth facility on the unannounced visit, Rep. Jerry Nadler, D-N.Y., said that he was forcibly holding a door open at the site. "We have gotten the door open at the Elizabeth, NJ ICE detention center and refusing to let it close until we are given access to the detainees," he wrote. Even after being promised access, Rep. Bill Pascrell of New Jersey voiced his indignation at security protocols at the facility. "Now they're asking us to empty our pockets like we're common criminals?" he tweeted. "We are duly elected Members of Congress -- and we want access," he wrote, adding that he had been very "patient." ICE's website for the New Jersey facility says visiting hours are only for "friends and family" of detainees, and that all visitors are subject to pat-down searches. "The Congressman came unannounced but ICE accommodated their request and they were allowed to visit and meet with several detainees," ICE told Fox News. Earlier this month, Democratic Sen. Jeff Merkley was denied entry at a detention center he attempted to visit in Texas after the police were called and an official told him to "please go away." He and other Democratic politicians have successfully visited other immigrant detention facilities. In a press conference outside the facilty, Nadler, appearing to read from prepared remarks, said that "several" of the detained parents he had spoken to inside had their children "ripped from their arms" and were "in tears when we were speaking to them." He went on to accuse President Trump of "lying" about why the families were separated. COPS CALLED ON DEM SENATOR AT IMMIGRATION FACILITY Nadler was joined at the facility Sunday by New Jersey Reps. Pascrell, Frank Pallone and Albio Sires, as well as fellow New York Reps. Hakeem Jeffries, Carolyn Maloney and Adriano Espaillat. But authorities initially refused to let the group in, Jeffries tweeted Sunday, along with a picture of the representatives idling in what appeared to be a lobby area. "ICE staff told us to wait five minutes. That was 50 minutes ago. @RepJerryNadler @FrankPallone @RepSires @RepMaloney @RepEspaillat @RepJeffries and I literally banging on the door to gain entry to the jail to see separated families," Pascrell wrote in a tweet. "Were here to stand against the Trump admins policies that have led to a sharp increase in detained immigrants and separated families," Pallone said. Nadler tweeted later Sunday that "we're going in now," as cameras followed the New York Democrat into the facility. Just minutes later, he added that the group had been temporarily thwarted again. WATCH: OBAMA-ERA PHOTOS OF KIDS IN CAGES GO VIRAL "Now @BillPascrell and I are arguing with Elizabeth Police as we face further delays and stalling tactics preventing us from entering ICE detention center," Nadler wrote. Rep. Maloney at one point claimed that officials were "covering the windows with paper" so the representatives could not see in. She added, "This is not America." After officials at the facility relented and allowed the Democratic representatives to access the building, the reporters who had been following the congressmen apparently staged their own act of defiance. "With congressional Members just allowed inside to see prisoners and conditions, jail staff now asking all press to leave and go outside," Pascrell wrote. "Press and staff refusing to move." The Trump administration, which has called it "horrible" that illegal immigrant children are sometimes separated from their parents when their parents enter criminal proceedings, has been criticized in recent weeks for increasing the proseuctions of illegal immigrants under a "zero-tolerance" policy that critics say leads to those separations. Children illegally entering the U.S. are generally separated from adults at the border if the child is in danger, has no clear relationship to the adult, or the adult enters criminal proceedings. Fox News' Matt Leach contributed to this report. Blame it on the bullies? In a surprise appearance Friday, Hillary Clinton delivered a commencement address to graduates of San Francisco's exclusive Hamlin School. Media reports said Secret Service personnel whisked the former Democratic presidential nominee and U.S. secretary of state into the all-girls private school -- where tuition is $34,500 per year. "Tuition includes lunch and snack," the school's website says. Once inside, Clinton spoke about her own experiences being bullied while growing up in suburban Chicago, as well as the need to be courageous in a world dominated mainly by men, graduate Alexa Tabibian told San Francisco's KGO-TV. The event was closed to the media. I never thought Id ever get to see her in person and it was just so great, Tabibian said. As Clinton recalled of her youth, in a YouTube video posted by the school: "As I would go out looking to play, the kids who were already there would circle around me, bully me, knock me to the ground, and I would get up and run crying into the house. This went on for weeks. It was a pattern of our lives." She then described being forced to fight another girl. "Accidentally, one of my arms touched the girl and she fell over, and so I was now part of the neighborhood -- and she became my best friend growing up." "Accidentally, one of my arms touched the girl and she fell over, and so I was now part of the neighborhood -- and she became my best friend growing up." Hillary Clinton, talking about growing up near Chicago Ryan Froeb, another eighth-grader, told the station that Clintons anti-bullying message resonated with her own experiences. It was striking, the eighth-grader said. I didnt know she had those hardships of bullying. I have gone through some bullying as well and that connection just really touched my heart. Some said Clintons message also touched on her 2016 presidential election loss to Donald Trump, KGO reported. Details about how Clintons appearance was arranged or how much she was paid if at all were unknown. Clinton said her close friend, Susie Tompkins Buell, has a granddaughter who was among the graduates. The previous night, Clinton appeared at the Hyatt Regency in san Francisco to address the Giffords Law Center to Prevent Gun Violence, the Chronicle reported. Other attendees included former U.S. Rep. Gabrielle Giffords of Arizona and survivors of February's massacre in Parkland, Fla., who discussed the need for gun control, the report said. Top White House adviser Kellyanne Conway on Sunday sharply condemned a leaker who reportedly claimed that President Trump wants to use illegal immigrant children as political leverage. "I certainly don't want anyone to use these kids as leverage," Conway said on NBC's "Meet the Press." "I'd like to know who that is, by the way," she added, referring to the leaker, who spoke to The Washington Post. "I want that person to say it to my face, I really do. I'll meet them at the White House today, because I think that is a disgrace." Conway added that, "As a mother, as a Catholic ... nobody likes this policy" of separating illegal immigrant children from their parents at the border. "Its zero tolerance. I don't think you have to justify it." Former top Trump adviser Steve Bannon DEMS GAIN ENTRY TO IMMIGRATION CENTER AFTER ARGUING WITH COPS, BANGING ON DOOR By law, children are generally separated from an accompanying adult upon crossing the border only if officials cannot determine their relationship with the adult, if the child is in danger, or if the adult is charged with a crime. President Trump's administration has implemented what it calls a "zero-tolerance" policy for crimes at the border, leading to a spike in prosecutions that had resulted in more separations. But Trump and his advisers have repeatedly expressed their regret that children are sometimes sent to separate detention facilities, and the president has called on Congress to solve the issue with legislation. "The president has told folks that in lieu of the laws being fixed, he wants to use the enforcement mechanisms that we have, the leaker, identified only an anonymous administration official, told The Washington Post last week. The thinking in the building is to force people to the table. But also on Sunday, former top White House strategist Steve Bannon told ABC's "This Week" that the administration doesn't need to justify separating children from their parents at the border. "Its zero tolerance. I don't think you have to justify it, he said, in a notable contrast to Conway's messaging. He added that the administration had an electoral mandate to enforce the law unapologetically. "We ran on a policy -- very simply -- stop mass illegal immigration and limit legal immigration, get our sovereignty back to help our workers, and so he went to a zero tolerance policy," Bannon said. "It's a crime to come across illegally and children get separated. I mean, I hate to say it, that's the law and he's enforcing the law. A top FBI agent who was removed from Special Counsel Robert Mueller's Russia investigation after the discovery of anti-Trump texts he sent to his mistress is willing to testify before Congress about his actions, his attorney confirmed Sunday. Aitan Goelman, the attorney for Peter Strzok, told The Washington Post that his client would not invoke his Fifth Amendment rights and would be willing to testify without an immunity deal. "[Strzok] thinks that his position, character and actions have all been misrepresented and caricatured," Goelman said, "and he wants an opportunity to remedy that." When contacted by Fox News, Goelman confirmed the statement he gave to the Post was accurate. Rep. Bob Goodlatte, R-Va., the chairman of the House Judiciary Committee, told "Fox & Friends" Sunday morning that his panel had requested that Strzok appear "for quite some time now." "If an agreement is not reached in the next day or so to produce him voluntarily, we will issue [a] subpoena early this week," Goodlatte said. The reported offer to testify came three days after Justice Department Inspector General Michael Horowitz wrote that Strzok's messaged conversations with FBI attorney Lisa Page created the appearance that investigative decisions were motivated by bias against then-Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump. In the most notorious exchange, from August 2016, Strzok texted Page that "we'll stop" Trump from becoming president. Horowitz cited numerous exchanges between Strzok and Page, who were in a romantic relationship, but ultimately concluded that there was no evidence that anti-Trump bias played a role in the FBI's investigation of Hillary Clinton's private email server. Strzok was a lead investigator on the Clinton case and later worked on the Russia investigation, but was removed from the Mueller probe last year after the Justice Department inspector general's office brought the texts to Mueller's attention. Fox News' Bill McColl contributed to this report. President Trump on Sunday strongly rebuked Democratic Sen. Chuck Schumer's claim that the North Korean nuclear summit was "all cattle and no hat," and also took aim at critics who said his G7 meeting with other world leaders was marked by tension and hostility. The president's broadside against the New York Democrat followed a speech Schumer delivered on the Senate floor last week, when he used an apparent variation on the Texas saying all hat and no cattle" to mock Trump's accomplishments at the Singapore summit. "Chuck Schumer said 'the Summit was what the Texans call all cattle and no hat,'" Trump wrote. "Thank you Chuck, but are you sure you got that right? No more nuclear testing or rockets flying all over the place, blew up launch sites. Hostages already back, hero remains coming home & much more!" WATCH: THREE HOSTAGES FREED FROM NORTH KOREA THANK TRUMP FOR RELEASE The president continued by noting that the summit with North Korea has proved popular abroad, with polls in South Korea showing that the majority of people there approve of Trump's historic meeting with reclusive dictator Kim Jong Un. "The denuclearization deal with North Korea is being praised and celebrated all over Asia," Trump wrote. "They are so happy! Over here, in our country, some people would rather see this historic deal fail than give Trump a win, even if it does save potentially millions & millions of lives!" Trump also tweeted a defense of his decision to promise the suspension of war games in the region, which he characterized as "VERY EXPENSIVE" and needlessly provocative. "I thought what [Trump] did on China is right." Sen. Chuck Schumer The tweets came the same day that Schumer, a staunch Democrat, uncharacteristically praised Trump's decision this week to impose major tariffs on Chinese goods worth $50 billion. China takes total advantage of the United States," Schumer said in an interview. "They steal our intellectual property using cyber theft. Its going to take a little bit of toughness at the beginning," he added. "China will bark back. But they need us more than we need them President Trump is right about that and we should be strong. So I thought what he did on China is right." Trump on Sunday also re-posted one of his tweets from last week that contained multiple, previously unreported photographs from the G7 summit showing Trump smiling and seeming comfortable with other world leaders. "I have a great relationship with Angela Merkel of Germany, but the Fake News Media only shows the bad photos (implying anger) of negotiating an agreement -- where I am asking for things that no other American President would ask for!" Trump wrote. The more cheery photos were a response to a widely circulated shot of Trump at the G7 with an apparently obstinate facial expression, as a seemingly exasperated Angela Merkel looked on -- a scene that the president says has been unfairly taken out of context. On Sunday morning, he appended to his re-posted tweet an exhortation to the media: "Please clear up the Fake News!" This is a rush transcript from "Sunday Morning Futures," June 17, 2018. This copy may not be in its final form and may be updated. MARIA BARTIROMO, HOST: Good Sunday morning, everyone. Thanks for joining us. Happy Father's Day to all of the dads out there this morning. Washington rocked by the release of the inspector general's report on Friday about the FBI's handling of the Clinton investigation. President Trump's comment about a GOP House immigration bill sparks panic, before the White House issued a reassurance. And the Trump administration cracking down on China with more tariffs and says more could be in store if Beijing retaliates. Good morning, everyone. Thanks for joining us. I'm Maria Bartiromo. This is "Sunday Morning futures." New reaction this morning to the inspector general's bombshell report, as the inspector general himself gets ready to testify before Congress about his findings, this as FOX News gets word about a high-level meeting between House Republican leaders and the top Justice Department officials on Friday. The chairman of the House Intelligence Committee, Devin Nunes, was at that meeting. He joins us next. We will also hear from Congressman John Ratcliffe, one of the first lawmakers who will question DOJ inspector general Michael Horowitz on Tuesday. President Trump will huddle with House Republicans on Tuesday as well after sowing some confusion about which of their two immigration bills the president actually supports. The White House issued a clarification, saying that the president backs both bills. House Homeland Security Chairman Michael McCaul is here. He helped craft one of those bills. And he will give us his reaction to that, plus his take on the historic Trump-Kim summit. And then a tit-for-tat on tariffs between the U.S. and China, it's sparking fears of the trade war. The Trump administration says it's really sending Beijing a message: Stop stealing U.S. innovation. It's all coming up, as we look ahead right now on "Sunday Morning Futures." And breaking news this morning about a high-level meeting between members of the Justice Department's top brass and powerful House Republican committee chairmen, the same chairmen who have been requesting for months documents from the Justice Department related to the Russia investigation. Of course, this all comes in the wake of that highly anticipated report by the Department of Justice's watchdog, the I.G., on the FBI's handling of the Hillary Clinton investigation, a probe in which the inspector general unveiled some deplorable behavior by FBI officials, ultimately concluded that political bias didn't affect the investigation's outcome. That's a claim President Trump and many Republican lawmakers do not buy. Reaction to that in a moment. But, first, let's get back to the meeting between Justice Department officials and influential House GOP lawmakers. My next guest was one of those people in attendance. And joining me right now is House Intelligence Committee Chairman Devin Nunes of California. Mr. Chairman, it's good to see you this morning. Thanks so much for joining us. REP. DEVIN NUNES, R-CALIFORNIA: Good morning, Maria. It's great to be with you. BARTIROMO: A lot to talk about with you. And we understand that you were at that meeting on Friday with Christopher Wray, Rod Rosenstein, Paul Ryan, as well as the other committee chairmen, Bob Goodlatte and Trey Gowdy. Can you tell us about that meeting? NUNES: Well, this was a long time coming. It was very difficult to get this meeting put together. However, I think that we have a process to move forward. We're supposed to meet on Monday. Our staffs are supposed to meet on Monday. And all the subpoenas are supposed to be complied with this week. Now, I'm not sure. I have -- my confidence level is extremely low that DOJ and FBI are going to comply. I don't have a lot of confidence. However, it was good that the speaker of the House was there, along with the other two committee chairmen, to make sure that the FBI and DOJ know that they have been put on notice, that we're not going to take no for an answer anymore, and that the subpoenas will be complied with, or the House will have to take other measures. BARTIROMO: So, in other words, you put a deadline in place. You want to see the documents that you have requested by when? What is the deadline in place that you have agreed to? (LAUGHTER) NUNES: Well, the deadline -- multiple deadlines -- let's not forget, multiple deadlines have been blown past. OK? So, this is -- we could just -- there's countless deadlines. I think we went through a list of about 20 outstanding deadlines that have -- that have only partially been met or have not been met at all. So -- but the key is, the key takeaway is that the speaker of the House wanted to make sure that we essentially reset everything and got back on track to make sure that, this week, all of the outstanding requests are complied with this week. BARTIROMO: What specifically are you looking for? NUNES: That's where -- that's where it was left. BARTIROMO: What requests? What is the request specifically? (LAUGHTER) NUNES: Well... BARTIROMO: What are you -- what documents are you looking for? NUNES: Well, as you know, we are looking into FISA abuse and other matters. So, what does this mean is, how did you use our nation's counterintelligence capabilities -- these are capabilities that are used to track terrorists and other bad guys around the globe -- how did you weaponize that against a political campaign, the Trump campaign, where, ultimately, it ended up in Carter Page having FISA warrants put against him, which allowed the government to go in and grab all of his e-mails and phone calls? So, that's primarily what we have been investigating for many, many months. We have asked for documents as it relates to -- to that. And on -- and I will tell you, Chairman Gowdy was very, very clear with the Department of Justice and FBI, and said that if there was any vectoring of any informants or spies or whatever you want to call them into the Trump campaign before the investigation began, we better know about it by Sunday, meaning today. He was very, very clear about that. And, as you probably know, there's breaking news this morning that now you have a couple Trump campaign people who are saying that they were -- that they -- actually, they have amended their testimony before the House Intelligence Committee. They sent in both Friday night and this morning amendments to their testimony, saying that, in fact, they feel like somebody -- they don't -- they're not claiming it was the FBI, but someone ran informants or spies into them to try to get information and offer up Russian dirt to the Trump campaign. Now, this would have been in May of 2016, which is obviously months before this counterintelligence investigation was opened by the FBI into the Trump campaign. BARTIROMO: So, what you're saying is Trey Gowdy told the DOJ on Friday night, if there was any activity, any communication, any documents related to the Trump-Russia probe launching, if there was any information before it actually launched, you want to know that today, by today? NUNES: By today. BARTIROMO: And have you heard from them? Is there any other... NUNES: Yes, he told them on Friday night. And I -- I reiterated -- I reiterated it. BARTIROMO: So, is there any -- have you heard from them that there is more information? NUNES: No. Well, I have -- they have my phone number. They have my phone number. They know how to call myself or Mr. Gowdy. If I were them, I would pick up the phone and call us and let us know what-- what this is all about, this story that broke in The Washington Post this morning, just hours ago. BARTIROMO: Right. NUNES: They probably ought to tell us whether or not they were involved in that, or else they have a major, major problem on their hands. BARTIROMO: So, the Washington Post is reporting that Trump associate Roger Stone reveals new contacts with a Russian national during the 2016 campaign. And, yes, you're right. It was in May of 2016, when Roger Stone says that he was -- that he was -- met with a Russian -- he's calling him an informant -- wanting money for information about Hillary Clinton that he says that he wants Donald Trump to pay for. You think that this is a new meeting that you didn't know about, and you should have been told about this by today from the DOJ? NUNES: Well, we should have been told about this about eight months ago, OK? Let's start there. In compliance with the subpoena that we issued last August. But, for sure, a couple months ago, when we went and -- when we began to ask, hey -- we asked questions about -- we had a subpoena, and we wanted to figure out what they were doing before and after -- right before and right after the opening of the counterintelligence investigation. So we asked for specific information and documents. As you know, that's what we have been fighting over for the last couple months now. And on Friday night, it culminated with us telling them, because they have swore up and down that they have given us everything that's pertinent to our investigation after the investigation was opened. And they have claimed that there is nothing else that exists before that date. Now, this Washington Post story, I don't know that they're claiming for sure that this was an FBI spy or informant. And I have no idea whether it is or not, but it has all the makings or the looks of some type of spy or informant. And that would be a major problem, because that is not something that has ever been brought to us. And it would be totally out of bounds. BARTIROMO: Well, I guess it's important to note that Paul Ryan was at your meeting on Friday night, because we haven't heard from the leadership in terms of this issue, aggressively, for sure. And then we did have a comment from Trey Gowdy a month ago which basically questioned whether or not the FBI did everything right. So, the fact that Paul Ryan was there on Friday night, is this an indication that the leadership in the House are becoming more unified with the committee chairmen? NUNES: Yes, I think it is. If you look at -- I think both Chairman Gowdy and Speaker Ryan have been giving the FBI and Department of Justice the benefit of the doubt. I have not been, as you know. My patience is -- is -- has run out. I believe that they have leaked -- they created massive leaks. We know that from the I.G. Report. Inspector Horowitz showed us these major, major gaffes. BARTIROMO: Well, we have a shot of that. Do we have that graphic of all of the leaks, Matt, that you want to put up? Yes. I have the I.G. report in front of me, by the way, 560 pages. I have gone through a lot of it. This is the picture in the I.G. report that shows communication between senior FBI and DOJ people and reporters. NUNES: Yes. So, in that -- and I reviewed that chart yesterday. And what I have been saying is, OK, look, we knew the FBI, under Comey, was leaking like a sieve everywhere. Director Wray has said that he has put in new requirements to make sure that they're not leaking to the press. Now, think about that. All of those contacts. You have the FBI, the world's premier law enforcement agency, leaking to the press about ongoing investigations, while at the same time they're not giving information to Congress. Now, what's happened in just the last couple weeks, what we have seen -- and this is why I was very, very concerned about what Chairman Gowdy and Speaker Ryan had said, because they went way out on a limb protecting the Department of Justice. And what I had said is, well, wait a second here. How did this -- how did these major leaks that have occurred here in the last couple weeks, how did those occur? Where did this information come from? And what we have found now is that we know, at midnight, just a week ago, at midnight, the Department of Justice put out something on Republicans saying that we had not read documents that the Department of Justice had provided for us to read. BARTIROMO: Right. NUNES: Now, that is a major leak of a classified meeting that also happens to be false, because they knew that we ran out of time and didn't have time to actually read these documents. But they did that to embarrass the speaker of the House and myself and Chairman Gowdy, who were given access to those documents, but not given time to read those documents. That came from the top of the Department of Justice. OK? BARTIROMO: Yes. NUNES: Why are those people still working at the Department of Justice? They are leaking. So, if you learned anything from the Horowitz I.G. report, where you had lots of leaks occurring at the FBI, it doesn't now make it OK that you just leaked from the very top. BARTIROMO: Well, you know... (CROSSTALK) NUNES: So, I'm tired of the threats. I'm tired of the leaks. BARTIROMO: Yes. And you make a really important point here, because Peter Strzok is the one who has all of these texts that really show us firsthand what the feeling was about Donald Trump, certainly from Peter Strzok and Lisa Page's position. But I want to bring up this text, which we have been talking about all week, from the I.G. report. And this text is first from Lisa Page. She's writing to her boyfriend Peter Strzok: "Trump's not going to become president, right?" And Peter Strzok answers: "No, no, he won't. We will stop it." Now, this is on August 8 of 2016. Peter Strzok was put in charge of the Trump investigation. He was put in charge of it on July 31, 2016. So, nine days later, after he is put in charge, he writes, "We will stop it." What's your take on this? NUNES: Right. So, what that shows, that shows -- so, what that shows is, it shows clear intent to run a very biased investigation. And, look, I don't believe for a second that Mr. Strzok was just happily put in charge of this just a week before. Strzok and Page and the rest of them all knew about this months in advance. They were well aware of what they were doing. They had opened this investigation, maybe not officially, but they were doing lots and lots of bad things that they have not shown Congress before that July, late July date. And that's really what we have been investigating here the whole time. And they would help themselves a whole lot if they just complied with our subpoenas and gave everything over to Congress. And, look, here's the bottom line. Mr. Rosenstein, the deputy attorney general, and Director Wray have to decide whether or not they want to be part of the cleanup crew or they want to be part of the cover-up crew. That's really the decision that they have to make for themselves here. The best way they can be part of the cleanup... BARTIROMO: Yes. NUNES: Of this mess is give us all the documents this week, so that we can put this behind us and let the American people begin to heal. BARTIROMO: Well, well said. And I think we should point out that that text, "We will stop it," why are we just learning about that today? We're going to talk about that. Let's take a short break, Devin Nunes. We will be right back with a lot more with the chairman of the Intel Committee. Stay with us. (COMMERCIAL BREAK) BARTIROMO: Welcome back. We're back on "Sunday Morning Futures." And joining me once again, House Intelligence Committee Chairman Devin Nunes. And, Mr. Chairman, before we went to the break, you said you want to be part of the cleanup crew or the cover-up crew. That was a very important analysis that you raise, because we're looking at this text from Peter Strzok to Lisa Page, his girlfriend, when he says, no, President Trump will not -- Donald Trump will not be president because we will stop it. That was on August 8. We just got this information, this text, in the I.G. report. It's all in the I.G. report. How come we didn't see this text sooner than this, when we know that, just four days later, Peter Strzok said to Lisa Page, same couple, he says, "We need an insurance policy." We knew that we had that insurance policy text months ago. But, for some reason, this text didn't see the light of day until the I.G. report. Why? NUNES: Well... (LAUGHTER) NUNES: What you're going to have to believe -- now, I'm just telling you -- I'm not saying that I believe this -- I'm just telling you this is the story that you're going to hear -- is that the -- at -- the high levels of the Department of Justice didn't know about this until a week ago, and the Department of Justice and FBI had only learned about it at the beginning of May. Now, I'm not sure that's -- now, that is -- that is probably all true. At the highest levels, they just learned about it. But I think the bigger question is, is that, was this just some technical glitch, as they tried to claim in the past, or did somebody deliberately get rid of that text? And you have to understand, because that text message is so damaging and shows intent and shows the context of all the other text messages that surround that text message, and it's at the beginning of the investigation, you have to ask yourself, did somebody actually try to remove that text message from the FBI? BARTIROMO: So, and, by the way, you are... NUNES: And I think the answer -- it's hard for the American people not to believe that that wasn't removed on purpose. BARTIROMO: Well, you are right. The Department of Justice tells us, FOX News, that the I.G. just gave them that now, so that they just learned about it. It's in the I.G. report. So, we will -- we will watch that. But the broader is... NUNES: Yes, but on that, too, Maria, if I can just expand on that, well, wait a second. You have known about it for a month. Wouldn't it have been important for us to know, the congressional investigators to know about that even a month ago, if you did just get it a month ago? You probably should have brought it to us fairly quickly. BARTIROMO: So, explain how Christopher Wray... NUNES: Now, that's what I would have done, right? BARTIROMO: Right. NUNES: If I'm in charge -- if I'm in charge of this, and I want to be part of the cleanup, not the cover-up, part of the cleanup, I bring those text messages. I get on the phone, and I call the speaker of the House and all the committee chairmen and ranking members, and I say, look, you have got to he see this immediately. BARTIROMO: Right. OK. So... NUNES: That's what I would do if you want to be part of the cleanup. BARTIROMO: How is it possible that Christopher Wray gets in front of a podium the other day and says, look, we looked at the I.G. report, and what we have come up with, the I.G. report, is that -- that no political bias actually impacted the end result, when we have the head of the Trump investigation, Peter Strzok, sending a text eight days after he gets the job, "We will stop it," four days later saying, we need an insurance policy so Donald Trump doesn't become president? So, how could you actually make the claim that bias didn't impact decision- making? NUNES: So, I believe what they're saying -- and the media -- the left-wing media is trying to spin this. What they're really saying, what the I.G. report actually says is, is that, as it relates to the Clinton e-mail investigation, they couldn't prove bias... BARTIROMO: OK. NUNES: Which is far different than that they didn't find any. BARTIROMO: Yes. NUNES: If you read -- like, I know you have read a lot of that. I read most of it yesterday... BARTIROMO: Yes. NUNES: Flying back from Washington to California. BARTIROMO: We have got to jump. NUNES: What I see through -- on every single page, you see that, Maria. BARTIROMO: We have got to -- we have got to jump. NUNES: You see -- you see bias. BARTIROMO: Real quick, because we have a hard break, but I want to know how far you are willing to go. Are you going to go for contempt of Congress? When we come back. Stay with us. (COMMERCIAL BREAK) BARTIROMO: And we are back once again with House Intelligence Committee Chairman Devin Nunes. And, Mr. Chairman, this is my question as we continue diving into this I.G. report. You have been asking for these documents from the DOJ and the FBI now for a year. You had a major meeting on Friday and have come up with an agreement that they're going to deliver all of the documents that are left to be delivered to you by next Friday. If you do not get those documents this week, by your deadline of Friday, what are you going to do? NUNES: Well, I would say it's more this. The deadline's not Friday. The deadline is this week. So, if documents do not begin to be turned over tomorrow and a clear way and path forward for everything else is not clear here in the next couple days, there's going to be hell to pay by Wednesday morning, because we can no longer -- it's not just about the committee chairman any longer. This is about rank-and-file members of Congress who continue to come up to me and say, what on Earth are you guys doing? I have many members of the Intelligence Committee that are Republicans that are trying to get to the bottom of these issues. They're relying on me to get the documents, so that they can complete the investigation that we began. So, we are quickly -- this is going to go from just myself and a few committee chairmen to all the members of the House of Representatives, who are going to begin to take action against the Department of Justice and FBI. BARTIROMO: Taking action, meaning contempt of Congress? NUNES: Well, that's just one of the options. That's just one of many options. But I can tell you that it's not going to be pretty. BARTIROMO: What are your options? What's not pretty? Are you going to force the resignation of Rod Rosenstein? NUNES: Well, we can't force the resignation, right? But we can -- we can hold in contempt. We can pass sense of Congress resolutions. We can impeach. And, look, and I think we're getting close to there, right? I mean, if they don't have good reasons why they haven't provided us this information, the American people's patience have run out. My patience have run out. You had -- I think the speaker of the House and Chairman Gowdy gave them every opportunity to try to -- to try to clear all of this up. And there's just -- there's just no time left anymore. It just looks like they're trying to run out the clock, as I have said many times on your show. BARTIROMO: So, you will -- so, the bottom line is, you're willing to go all the way; you're willing to move to impeachment of the leadership of DOJ and FBI? NUNES: Absolutely, yes. I have been there for a while now. BARTIROMO: We will -- we will leave that subject here. And, obviously, we want to talk with you next week, throughout the week, to see if you're getting these documents and where we stand on this. But I want to get to a quick question from you on China, given the tariffs that the president instituted on Friday. We're waiting to see -- or China already said that it's going to retaliate. But I wrote an op-ed in RealClearPolitics this weekend basically saying, forget about having China buying more stuff. The more important issue here is the fact that the Chinese steal our intellectual property. And innovations by Chinese firms can carry benefits far beyond their shores, as long as they truly are innovating. Unfortunately, business executives from outside China have found too often that they are required to share their innovations via forced technology or the theft of intellectual property. You are investigating China for a similar situation in terms of the military moves, correct? NUNES: Mm-hmm. Yes. So, a couple points on the intellectual property. So, our first hearing that we had, we looked at military basing across the globe. And I think that I read your piece, Maria. And, also, Secretary Mattis had some great comments on what he believes the Chinese are doing globally and the military footprint that they're putting down. As it relates to intellectual property, we know that the Chinese have -- have -- are very sophisticated in cyber-intrusion. And, in fact, they're probably all over nearly every network globally every day trying to glean information out of companies' computer systems, government computer systems. They're very sophisticated and very good at what they do. It also happens to be illegal. Secondly, they -- what they also do is, they buy up companies, so that they can -- they buy up companies, and they then intrude that way, so that they can find a way around to go in and get the information and steal it. So these are great, innovative ideas that are created in the free market by either ourselves or European countries or other great governments around the world or great countries around the world that have all these people that come together to innovate. And then to have that stolen by the Chinese government, and then put into action and monetized in China is a big problem. And that's what they have been doing for many, many years. BARTIROMO: Yes. NUNES: And that's what your piece -- your piece in RealClearPolitics actually pointed out. BARTIROMO: Right. All right. Well, we will leave it there. We will watch the developments there, because, obviously, this is unnerving for markets, and people want some clarity on where this is going. Congressman, it's good to see you, sir. Thanks very much for joining us. NUNES: Thank you. BARTIROMO: A lot of news this morning from Devin Nunes, the chairman of the House Intel Committee. President Trump will meet -- be meeting with House Republicans this Tuesday to discuss immigration legislation meanwhile. There are two different bills being proposed, a moderate one written by House leadership and a more conservative composed by House Judiciary Committee Chairman Bob Goodlatte. My next guest helped write that legislation. He is Congressman Michael McCaul of Texas. And he joins me right now. He is the chairman of the House Homeland Security Committee, a member of the House Foreign Relations Committee. And, Mr. Chairman, it's a pleasure to see you. Thanks so much for joining us. REP. MICHAEL MCCAUL, R-TEXAS: Oh, Maria, thanks for having me. Can I first say, as a father of five children, happy Father's Day to all the dads out there. (LAUGHTER) BARTIROMO: And happy Father's Day to you, Mr. Chairman. MCCAUL: Thank you. BARTIROMO: Thank you so much for joining us on this special day. Thank you for that. What are you expecting on Tuesday, when the president comes to Capitol Hill to look at these two bills and discuss these bills with you? MCCAUL: Well, look, I have been working with the -- working with the president of the United States and the administration. I talked to him, in fact, just yesterday. The president is fully committed to both of these bills. He has put the full weight of his office behind it. You know, the McCaul-Goodlatte bill, they both, I would say, provide the four pillars that I discussed with the president at that sort of famous roundtable discussion. Most importantly from my perspective, Maria, it has got border security in there. It has got funding for the wall that the president really wants. It has got the technology and boots on the ground. And the four pillars being ending chain migration, ending this random visa lottery system, providing border security, and a DACA solution. So I think obviously I'd like to see McCaul-Goodlatte pass on the floor and we wouldn't have to get to a second bill. But if it gets to that point, I do think this is a historic opportunity to advance a conservative agenda that we've been trying to do for the last 25 years, to structurally change the way we do immigration and make it more merit-based rather than random, and also get that border secure because, Maria, the threats, as I get briefed by the secretary and the ICE director, of potential terrorists and drug cartels and all the other stuff, is real. BARTIROMO: Yes, I want to ask you the cooperation you're getting from your colleagues in the Senate and certainly your colleagues on the left because this is an issue that America wants taken care of. And it just seems that you get to some success and then it stops. MCCAUL: Well, look, I don't think without the president's leadership, and I applaud him for doing this, and I applaud his team. Without him coming to Capitol Hill on Tuesday, I don't think we would have that sort of maximum pressure, if you will, to get us across the goal line. And I anticipate on Tuesday he's going to be the leader he is and we're going to get something passed out of the House. And to your point, what I do worry about is Mitch McConnell and the Senate and what can they do. But I do think this is the beginning of the conversation. We won't get anything done if the House doesn't get its business done and pass something. BARTIROMO: Hold that thought, Mr. Chairman, more after this short break. (COMMERCIAL BREAK) BARTIROMO: Welcome back. I'm with Congressman Michael McCaul this morning in the wake of the historic Trump-Kim summit. President Trump tweeted this morning this: "Holding back the war games during the negotiations was my request because they are very expensive and set a bad light during a good faith negotiation. Also quite provocative." I'm back now with Congressman Michael McCaul. And, Mr. Chairman, what about that? Because after this historic meeting between Kim Jong-un and the president, a lot of debate over stopping the missile-testing that has been taking place between the U.S. and South Korea. MCCAUL: Yes, I think the president and Secretary Mattis actually supports what the president said with respect to the war games and South Korea. And I think it was a good faith gesture, based upon Kim Jong-un's agreement to stop nuclear testing, to destroy nuclear military facilities, and also the remains of our prisoner of war victims over there, to bring those remains home, back home to the United States. So this is, in my view, the maximum pressure campaign has been working. We're willing to snap back to that at any time. I think the difference between this and the Iran negotiations that Obama did was that he was not willing to walk away from the table. I think this president is. And I met with the vice president, he said that this -- the chemistry between the two is very positive. And I know personal chemistry is important to this president. But always have a healthy amount of skepticism when you deal with North Korea. They had deceived three prior administrations and presidents and each time gotten concessions from us and then thrown the United States and the global community under the bus. BARTIROMO: Mm-hmm. And yet you still call this meeting a monumental diplomatic breakthrough. MCCAUL: I do. You know, I really do. I mean, Trump is a -- I mean, he's a different president. He's not going to give away the store. He's going to negotiate. If anybody can get this thing done, and I'll admit it's a big challenge to do so, I think he's the man to do it. He's really negotiating out of strength, strength through peace, like Reagan talked about, because of the sanctions that we, that Congress and the administration put on them, and also, you know, Kim Jong-un looks at his shoreline and sees our submarines and our naval ships. He knows that there is another option here and it's not a pretty one. And he knows that this president is willing to exercise that if necessary. Of course, that's the path we would least like to see take place. BARTIROMO: Right. Well, we'll be watching. This is incredible storylines. Mr. Chairman, it's always a pleasure to see you. Thanks so much. MCCAUL: Thanks, Maria. BARTIROMO: We'll see you soon. Michael McCaul, joining us there. Tomorrow the Department of Justice inspector general, Michael Horowitz, will head to Capitol Hill as well. He'll be answering questions about the IG report on the Clinton email investigation. He will first face members of the Senate Judiciary Committee. And then on Tuesday, he'll return to Capitol Hill for the joint hearing to address members of both the House Judiciary and Oversight committees. My next guest will be one of the first people to ask Inspector Horowitz about his findings, Republican Congressman John Ratcliffe of Texas sits on both the House Judiciary and the Homeland Security committees, and is a former federal prosecutor. Congressman, it's great to see you this morning. Thanks so much for joining us. REP. JOHN RATCLIFFE, R-TEXAS, JUDICIARY COMMITTEE, HOMELAND SECURITY COMMITTEE: You bet. Thanks, Maria. BARTIROMO: And I know, Congressman, you've gone through the IG report. Do me a favor, go through it for us. You've put it into three categories. Explain to our viewers what's most important in terms of this inspector general report. RATCLIFFE: Yes, it's hard to break down 565 pages, but there are three main take-aways or categories for me. And the first one is the IG report really tells us that the problems at the FBI and the Department of Justice were more pervasive and problematic than any of us realized. The second thing is it sadly confirms that even though Hillary Clinton should have been charged with mishandling classified information, she was never really in danger of seeing that happen. And finally, the inspector general report really provides a factual basis to call into question the legitimacy of all of the actions taken, all of the decisions made, and all of the evidence gathered in the first nine months of the Trump Russia investigation, based on who was in charge of that investigation. BARTIROMO: Yes, that's a very good compilation of the three areas that we want to focus on. That first one was the FBI and the DOJ. And here you said it was much more pervasive than any of us thought, the animus against Donald Trump really came through in some of these texts. I point your attention to the text of August 8th, 2016, between Lisa Page and Peter Strzok when she says "Trump is not ever going to become president, right?", Peter Strzok says "no, no, he won't, we will stop it." Interesting to note that Peter Strzok was put in charge of the Trump-Russia collusion case on July 31, 2016. Eight days later, August 8th, he says "we will stop it." Four days later, another text. "We need an insurance policy" so that Trump doesn't become president. Is that the kind of animus you're referring to? RATCLIFFE: Yes. And it's not limited to Peter Strzok, although I will say I don't know that the FBI could have chosen anyone worse to lead the Trump- Russia investigation had they picked Hillary Clinton to lead that investigation. I don't know that the level of animus or bias or prejudice against Donald Trump would have been any higher. But the IG report tells us that it's Peter Strzok and it's Lisa Page, but it's also teams of agents and lawyers that are identified in this IG report, five of whom who have been referred to the Office of Professional Responsibility for their anti-Trump texts. And so really throughout the 565 pages of this report, Maria, on every page you find some evidence of political bias against Donald Trump and that really calls into question the work that was done here with respect to the two highest profile investigations in recent times, both the Hillary Clinton email investigation, and the Trump-Russia investigation that became the special counsel matter. BARTIROMO: You know, if anybody has given us a window into how the rank and file or some of the leadership certainly felt about Donald Trump, it's Peter Strzok with his texts. I mean, that has been incredibly revealing. Why does he still work there? How is it possible that he still has a job at the FBI? I know he was demoted. But still? RATCLIFFE: I can offer you no explanation for that. I would hope, you know, that Director Wray would care enough about the 13,000 folks at the FBI that instead of just offering platitudes about how great an organization it is would defend those 13,000 by holding accountable agents like Peter Strzok and others who, you know, tarnish the badge that the 13,000 other agents hold. And to me there's no excuse for him to be employed at the FBI at this point in time. I would hope that both Director Wray at the FBI and Rod Rosenstein at the Department of Justice would be asking and taking the hard stances and questions that they need to, to defend their people and their institutions and hold them accountable. They should be asking tougher questions than members of Congress are asking. BARTIROMO: Yes. On to the second point, and that is the second subset which was the Hillary Clinton investigation. You say this was supposed to be a serious investigation. I want to ask you about that because there are texts here too from one agent to another saying "I'm with her." The person, four days before Hillary was supposed to be interviewed, the agent -- or one of the agents who was going to interview her sends a text to her -- or one of the colleagues and says "just so you know, I'm with her." And this was the person that was going to be interviewing her. So let's take a short break. I want you to go through what you learned from this IG report about the Hillary Clinton investigation as well as the Trump investigation. We'll take a short break and come right back with Congressman John Ratcliffe. (COMMERCIAL BREAK) BARTIROMO: Welcome back. And I am back with Congressman John Ratcliffe. And, Congressman, let me ask you about the Hillary Clinton investigation and what you gleaned from the IG report, because you said to me this weekend when we were talking about this, this was supposed to be a very serious investigation. RATCLIFFE: Right, Maria. I mean, you referred to it as the Hillary Clinton email investigation. And we do that. But remember what it really was supposed to be was an investigation into whether the secretary of state of the United States violated the Espionage Act by mishandling classified information. That's a very serious matter and it should have compelled a serious investigation. And yet the IG report confirms that exactly the opposite happened, a very light touch where Hillary Clinton got preferential treatment, limited use of a grand jury, limited use of subpoenas, immunity agreements handed out like candy to witnesses that destroyed evidence and lied to the FBI. And, you know, really speaking to the lack of seriousness, we have this tarmac meeting between Loretta Lynch and Bill Clinton, and five days later a team of DOJ and FBI agents and lawyers sit down with Hillary Clinton and she doesn't get asked a single question about the meeting between their boss and her husband. And, of course, there's that exoneration memo that was drafted, written, revised by the entire investigation team before 17 important witnesses, including Hillary Clinton, wherever interviewed. So, again, she was never going to be charged by Obama administration officials for the types of things that we're now finding out many of the folks involved have been accused of as well. BARTIROMO: This is all quite extraordinary. Let me ask you, is there a chance that there will be charges against Jim Comey on the very same issues that he was looking at for Hillary Clinton, the misuse of classified information? RATCLIFFE: I think there's certainly a chance. I mean, a lot of this will come forward in testimony. We expect that former Director Comey will come back because there's a lot in this IG report that is inconsistent with testimony or appears to be inconsistent with testimony that he and others have given under oath to various congressional committees. So, again, to that point, I mean, we have Andrew McCabe accused already of potentially giving false testimony. Jim Comey is certainly not out of the woods with respect to testimony that he has given or action that he has taken with regard to the handling of classified information. And there is Peter Strzok. I mean, how he is not seriously considered for obstruction of justice charges based on the text messages and the emails that we have seen that really cannot be taken out of context or read any other way. When you say you're going to stop Donald Trump from becoming president, it doesn't get any more clear than that. BARTIROMO: No. We're going to be watching your committee testimony on Tuesday. You're going to be one of the people asking the questions of Michael Horowitz. We will be watching that and certainly with great interest. Congressman, it's good to see you this morning. Thanks so much. RATCLIFFE: Thanks, Maria. BARTIROMO: We appreciate it. Up next, Alan Dershowitz will react to all of the breaking news we've heard this morning as we look ahead on "Sunday Morning Futures." Don't miss Alan Dershowitz next. (COMMERCIAL BREAK) BARTIROMO: Welcome back. And we have heard a lot of information on this program this morning from the chairman of the Intel Committee, John Ratcliffe from Judiciary, as well as Michael McCaul. Joining us right now to talk all about all of the above is Harvard Law Professor Emeritus Alan Dershowitz. Alan, great to see you. Thanks for joining the conversation. ALAN DERSHOWITZ, PROFESSOR EMERITUS, HARVARD LAW: Thank you. BARTIROMO: What's your take-away on the IG report? What we've heard in the last hour is that obviously there was -- it was laced with bias, the FBI, in terms of what -- how they felt about Donald Trump and how they felt about Hillary Clinton. There was a dereliction of duty certainly in the Hillary Clinton investigation, as we just heard from John Ratcliffe. What's your take- away. DERSHOWITZ: Well, remember, FBI agents are allowed to be biased. They're allowed to support political candidates. That's part of the law. Where I draw the line is when an FBI agent says, we'll stop him. That's not an expression of bias. That's not saying who we're going to vote for. That sends a message to the American people that the Federal Bureau of Investigation is going to interfere in an election, in an effort to try to stop the election of one candidate rather than the other. I don't understand how Strzok can remain an FBI agent after saying, we'll stop that, we'll stop him from being president. That, to me, is where the red line was crossed. When he said, you know, we need an insurance policy, I support her, you're entitled to support a candidate if you're an FBI agent. But you're not allowed to try to use your office to stop somebody from being elected president of the United States. BARTIROMO: Exactly, we've been showing that text all morning where Lisa Page says to her boyfriend, Peter Strzok, is Donald Trump going to become president? No, right? And he says, we will stop him. And this was eight days after he was put in charge of the Trump-Russia investigation. So here's the guy who is basically running the investigation saying, we'll stop him. And by the way, four days later was the other text that you just referred when he said, we need an insurance policy. DERSHOWITZ: Right. But there are things here that are more general than just the election. For example, the jailing of Manafort on the basis of a prediction or on the basis of an assumption that he did something. You know, there are thousands of people in jail today in America, mostly poor people, who are there on the basis of preventive detention, predictions that they will do something bad or belief that they did something bad, without a trial. I would hope the Trump administration would use the Manafort case to look into the thousands of poor people who are today in prison based on an assumption or a statement by a judge that this person has committed a crime, without a trial, without any opportunity to dispute. What's happening here is we're seeing elements of denial of civil liberties. Now Republicans are concerned about these denials, as they should be. But they ought to generalize. And they ought to do the same thing they would be doing if it were poor people who were in prison rather than their friends who are in prison. This is a time to look at civil liberties from a neutral, objective point of view and improve our system considerably on both sides. Take partisanship out of it and have real reform. BARTIROMO: Right, which is why I always say this is not about Donald Trump, this is about the rule of law and this is about America. We don't want the tipping of the scales from people who have those powerful positions. Alan, it's always great to hear your instincts and your insight. I so appreciate you joining us this morning. DERSHOWITZ: Appreciate it. BARTIROMO: Thank you, Alan. Alan Dershowitz there. That will do it for us on "Sunday Morning Futures." Have a great week, everybody. I'll see you on "Mornings with Maria" on the Fox Business Network next week. "MediaBuzz" with Howie Kurtz. END Content and Programming Copyright 2018 Fox News Network, LLC. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. Copyright 2018 CQ-Roll Call, Inc. All materials herein are protected by United States copyright law and may not be reproduced, distributed, transmitted, displayed, published or broadcast without the prior written permission of CQ-Roll Call. You may not alter or remove any trademark, copyright or other notice from copies of the content. Dexter the peacock is more than proud. The fine-plumed, elegant bird that was denied entry on a United Airlines flight in January was invited to a stylish soiree last month. The peacock, which is owned by the Brooklyn artist Ventiko, made an appearance at the Newark wedding reception of Rebecca Pauline Jampol and Randy Hayes Harris Jr. in the citys historic and ornate Symphony Hall. After a viral story about a woman having her emotional support peacock denied entry, United tightened its policy for traveling with emotional support animals. Jampol arranged for Dexter to strut around a reception in the concert halls lavish ballroom while the birds owner took photographs of guests "against a Dionysian backdrop of velvet, pearls and animal skulls, according to the New York Times. Jampol wanted to evoke a sense of what Newark, at its creative best, can look like. I wanted this to be kind of a big thing for the community, she told the Times. Jampol, 34, and Harris, 33, met in Newark in 2012. Jampol is a design professor at Rutgers University Newark and a modern art curator, while Harris is a musician who leads a rock band called the Randy Haze Trio, the Times reports. Police in New Mexico announced charges Friday against two suspects who allegedly damaged a Vietnam War memorial in mid-May. Marvin Reyes, 18, and an unidentified 16-year-old male each face one count of criminal damage to property following an incident last month that caused more than $5,000 in damage, Las Cruces police said in a news release. FISHERMAN HOOKS UNEXPLODED VIETNAM WAR DEVICE IN MASSACHUSETTS POND On May 16 at around 10 p.m., police said, a report came in about young individuals damaging the Vietnam War Memorial at Veterans Park. When authorities went to the location, they discovered that parts of a Huey helicopter, which is lofted over the park, had been vandalized. The damage included a cracked windshield, a shattered downward vision window and a broken search light, the release said. WWII PILOT MISSING SINCE 1944 LAID TO REST AT ARLINGTON Multiple tips led authorities to the two suspects, "who both acknowledged their involvement, police said. Reyes indicated they both threw rocks at the helicopter before running into an undeveloped property nearby as police arrived on scene, police said. President Donald Trump is falsely crediting his Singapore summit with the destruction of missile launch sites in North Korea. No such action has been announced by the North Koreans. Trump tweeted Sunday in response to criticisms last week from Sen. Chuck Schumer of New York, the Senate Democratic leader, that the summit was all show, no substance, or as the Democrat put it in Senate remarks, "what the Texans call all cattle, no hat." He meant all hat, no cattle. The president countered with some demonstrably bad information. TRUMP: "No more nuclear testing or rockets flying all over the place, blew up launch sites. Hostages already back, hero remains coming home & much more!" THE FACTS: This much is true: North Korea announced the suspension of nuclear-weapons testing and testing of intercontinental ballistic missiles in April, to soften the ground for the diplomatic opening with South Korea and the U.S. North Korea has not conducted a missile test since Nov. 28. But it remains in possession of fissile material for a dozen to 60 nuclear bombs, independent experts say. Last year, it tested long-range missiles that could reach the U.S. mainland, although it's not certain that the North has mastered the technology to deliver a nuclear warhead that could re-enter the atmosphere and hit its target. The summit produced a general agreement from North Korean leader Kim Jong Un to work toward denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula, but there were no specific commitments on eliminating or even reducing his country's nuclear arsenal. As for Trump's other points: North Korea has not said it blew up launch sites. Before the summit, it destroyed something else its test site for underground nuclear blasts. Journalists witnessed the demolition of three tunnels and nearby buildings. The site may have already been compromised by the earlier, nuclear explosions and its destruction was one step among many that would be needed to achieve denuclearization. If anything has been done to pull back on missile launch sites, it's marginal at best. Officials have not verified reports that North Korea may have demolished a stand used for missile-ejection tests in May. Ejection tests are a limited step short of a full-blown launch. Three American detainees, called hostages by Trump, were sent home in May, the latest in a series of U.S. citizens to be freed in recent years with the intervention of high-level U.S. officials. One had been sentenced in April 2016 to 10 years in prison with hard labor after being convicted of espionage. The other two had been held for about a year and apparently not been tried. As well, Otto Warmbier, a student sentenced to 15 years in prison with hard labor for stealing a propaganda poster, died in June 2017, days after he arrived back in the U.S. with severe brain damage. Trump is premature in tweeting about "hero remains coming home." This may happen, as Kim agreed to work toward the return of U.S. troops missing in North Korea from the Korean War. But as of Friday, no remains have been repatriated from North Korea since 2007. Trump has falsely claimed that this mission has been accomplished, telling reporters Friday: "He gave us the remains of our great heroes." About 5,300 U.S. troops are still unaccounted for from North Korea. Trump has inflated the numbers of troops who are missing in the North and whose returns are bound to be located and returned more than 60 years after the conflict. About 2,400 are still missing from South Korea. ___ Find AP Fact Checks at http://apne.ws/2kbx8bd ___ Follow @APFactCheck on Twitter: https://twitter.com/APFactCheck At least 12 people were ejected from a Chevy Suburban SUV carrying illegal immigrants after it crashed following a high-speed chase with U.S. Border Patrol vehicles near the Texas-Mexico border, a sheriff said Sunday, adding that five illegal immigrants were confirmed dead. Dimmit County Sheriff Marion Boyd said four people died at the scene off Highway 85 in Big Wells, Texas, at about noon, and one other person died at the hospital. A sixth person was said to be in "very" critical condition. Footage of the crash showed four bodies on the ground, the charred Chevrolet and several Border Patrol vehicles at the scene, Fox 29 reported. In all, 14 people were inside the SUV, including the driver and passenger, according to the sheriff. The driver, believed to be a United States citizen, was rushed to a hospital; the passenger, also believed to be a U.S. citizen, currently is in custody. The chase had reached speeds topping 100 mph, the sheriff added. A Border Patrol agent believed that three vehicles "traveling in tandem," including the SUV that crashed, were smuggling illegal immigrants, Customs and Border Protection said in a statement Sunday night. Officials added that "multiple arrests" were made from each of the three vehicles. Boyd credited good police work for the reason why deputies started pursuing the vehicle, News 4 San Antonio reported, adding that Boyd said human smuggling was a real problem in the area. The sheriff said he hadnt spoken to Border Patrol on the exact cause of the pursuit and nature of the crash. He added such chases, not the crash, happened almost every day. Boyd said the driver was known to police, and had been seen in the area last week, either scouting the area or looking for immigrants to smuggle. Click for more from Fox 29. Fox News' Kevin Kirby contributed to this report. Not long after her father went missing during the Korean War, Carol Elkin spotted then-Gen. Dwight Eisenhower in downtown Chicago and did what any kid might do when coming face to face with the nation's most famous soldier: She asked him to bring her dad home. On Tuesday, the now 76-year-old Elkin will be at Arlington National Cemetery to bury the remains of Army Maj. Stephen Uurtamo, nearly seven decades after he was taken prisoner by the Chinese and died. It is a chance to say goodbye to her father, watch as his remains are laid to rest with the dignity and honor he deserves, and watch her children and grandchildren see that their own history is linked to the history of their country. "This tells my family they are part of something," said the retiree, who lives on Chicago's North Side with her husband. "I just think that these kids might think we went from World War II to Vietnam and they don't even know there was a Korean War." The service comes as questions about the whereabouts of those who never returned from the 1950-53 war have pushed their way into the news, with the commitment by President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un to recover the remains of as many of the nearly 7,700 U.S. troops that are still unaccounted for as possible. US ARMY BY THE NUMBERS For the Uurtamo family, the service is the final chapter of a story that began in late 1950 when the 32-year-old career soldier was declared missing in action after fierce fighting in one of the bloodiest battles of the war near the Ch'ongch'on River in North Korea. He was declared dead after several returning U.S. prisoners of war reported that Uurtamo had been captured and died at a war transient camp where prisoners who survived came home with stories of watching their buddies starve to death. "He died from malnutrition and pneumonia," Elkin said. The whereabouts of his body remained a mystery for decades. Then, in 2005, a joint U.S. and North Korean military recovery team recovered 32 sets of remains from a burial site. About eight years after that, Elkin went to a Chicago hotel for one of the events the Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency holds around the country in which people like her are updated about their missing loved ones and given a chance to provide DNA samples for comparison with DNA pulled from recovered remains. The match came last September and with it, Uurtamo's name was taken off the list of Americans unaccounted for from the Korean War, which now stands at 7,697 names. He added to the list of 459 people whose remains have been identified since 1982. And, according to the POW/MIA agency, the spot where his name appears on the Courts of the Missing at the National Cemetery of the Pacific in Honolulu will be affixed with a rosette to indicate he's now accounted for. MILITARY FIANCEE OPENS UP ON PLANNING WEDDING WITH MARINE DEPLOYED OVERSEAS Elkin said she, her husband and more than 30 relatives will attend the burial. Inside the casket will be his remains, dress uniform and his medals, she said. Elkin said it is a chance to be openly proud of the father, whom she rarely talked about because he died in a war few seemed to care about, and her parents were divorced and "you didn't talk about things like that." Now, she said, she can talk about her father and her most lasting memory: a day when she was young and he visited her in the hospital and told her not to cry because "little soldiers don't cry." She is excited by the prospect of her father being buried in "his rightful place" in the most famous military cemetery in the U.S. "I am proud that our country would do this for someone who served so long ago that he gets to go out in a blaze of glory," she said. A former Oklahoma cop was arrested this week after a woman he allegedly kidnapped escaped from his car and called 911. James Otterbine, 32, of El Reno, met the woman from Miami online about two months ago, the Miami Herald reported, citing police. Otterbine and the woman continued an online relationship for several weeks before he bought her a plane ticket to Oklahoma, she told police. Within a few weeks of her arrival, Otterbine turned violent, she said. At one point, Otterbine allegedly duct-taped and handcuffed her to a chair during an argument, she told police. At another, Otterbine locked her in his basement, threatening to kill her and himself, police said. Otterbine told police his actions were consensual, because the woman liked rough sex. He added that for one of the brutal episodes, his 10-year-old son was present. On Tuesday the woman called police from inside Otterbines car, but the call was disconnected. Police obtained her identity through the phone number and contacted her relatives in Florida, who said she was staying with Otterbine. As police drove to Otterbines house, they received another call from the woman, who had managed to escape from Otterbines car. Police found her at a nearby bank, battered and bruised, the Herald reported. Otterbine was arrested and charged with kidnapping and domestic abuse in the presence of a 10-year-old child, according to jail records. "When investigators informed me of the details this poor girl had lived through, I was absolutely mortified, but elated she had survived." Canadian County Sheriff Christ West When investigators informed me of the details this poor girl had lived through, I was absolutely mortified, but elated she had survived, said Canadian County Sheriff Christ West. Otterbine was an employee of Geary Police Department until a month or two ago, a dispatcher said. It was not known why he was terminated. He remained in jail as of Saturday with bond set at $30,000. On an autumn afternoon in 2014, Jim Zanfagna received a phone call from his son-in-law, alerting him to a string of alarming messages that were surfacing on Facebook. His 25-year-old daughter, Jacqueline, had died, and friends were posting condolence messages before the Zanfagnas ever heard from authorities. Social media learned before we did, Zanfagna said, as he fought back tears inside his Plaistow, N.H., home. The cause of death was an accidental overdose from heroin laced with fentanyl, a powerful synthetic opioid that is killing more people in New Hampshire than in any other state. Fentanyl is deadly at two milligrams akin to a few grains of salt making the risk of a fatal overdose high. While the drug is commonly used by hospitals, it is also made illicitly in China and imported into the U.S. by Mexican drug cartels. Fentanyl is extremely powerful and was intended mainly for use in anesthesia and postoperative pain control, said Dr. William Goodman, medical director at the Catholic Medical Center in Manchester. One thing that makes abusing street drugs so dangerous is that quality control is very poor, Goodman told Fox News. You may get a chunk of white stuff with a lot of fentanyl and it takes very little to kill you. For Jim Zanfagna, trouble began shortly after his wife, Anne Marie, was prescribed Vicodin a widely-used narcotic drug to relieve her debilitating knee pain. One day, Zanfagna said she noticed a depleted supply of pills and confronted her daughter about it. I would always ask Jackie and she would say, No, Zanfagna said. Before long, it was obvious to the family that their daughter was addicted to the pain killers. I stopped her from leaving the house with a bottle of it a big bottle of it. And she said, Youre choking me and I guess I was but I couldnt let her take it, Zanfagna recalled. Jacqueline Zanfagnas drug use would later progress from prescription opioids to heroin. So strong was her addiction that the young woman would often steal her mothers jewelry and sell it at a nearby pawn shop to get cash, according to her family. Zanfagnas story is a sad representation of the nations opioid crisis an epidemic that does not discriminate based on age, race, income level or location. We know that the people using street drugs illicit opioids four out of five started with prescription pills, said Goodman. Either they had them prescribed directly or theyre using diverted pills. And often what leads them to go from pills to injection of fentanyl or heroin is that its easier to get. You dont need a prescription and its often much less expensive. In the 1960s, most people abusing heroin started with heroin not pills, Goodman said. Now thats changed. First-time users start with pills, then go to heroin, as opposed to the past when they started with the injection drugs. In 2016, there were more than 20,000 deaths in the U.S. related to fentanyl and other synthetic opioids, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The three states with the highest rates of death due to drug overdose are West Virginia, Ohio and New Hampshire. Daniel Goonan, the Manchester city fire chief, said firefighters routinely carry Narcan -- a life-saving anti-overdose drug which also goes by the generic name naloxone -- when responding to the scene of an overdose. It takes just a tiny amount of fentanyl or its derivatives, which can be inhaled or absorbed through the skin or mucus membranes, to result in an overdose making it dangerous for anyone who comes across it, including first responders. We dont have a heroin problem in New Hampshire. We have a fentanyl problem. Its almost all fentanyl, Goonan said. I dont know how to describe the death that were seeing here as a community. Its mind-boggling. After the death of her youngest daughter, Anne Marie Zanfagna, a talented artist, channeled her grief by painting faces of the opioid crisis 120 victims to date from all over the country. The first portrait I painted was Jackie, Zanfagna said as she sat in front of an easel in the art studio of her home. I spent two months painting it. It was like spending time with her. There was joy and there was sorrow. After showing the colorful oil painting of her daughter to a support group, Zanfagna said she received requests from other families. She soon started a non-profit, called Angels of Addictions, to make portraits for people who had lost loved ones to opioids. The families are amazed by them. They feel that their son or daughter is not forgotten, she said. And when you see the portraits all together, it is extremely powerful. It shows you that this is a tragedy that can happen to anyone. A Florida man was arrested early Saturday morning in the murder of a woman whose body was left on the side of a road, authorities said. Miami Police arrested Juan Carlos Hernandez-Caseres, 37, three days after paramedics found the body of Ann Farran, 41, The Miami Herald reported. Hernandez-Cortes allegedly told police he had picked up Farran for sex. According to an arrest report, the two began arguing during sex. Hernandez-Cortes allegedly knocked Farran unconscious. Surveillance footage from the purported encounter on Wednesday shows a man getting out of a black car, pulling out an unresponsive body from the passenger side and leaving it on the sidewalk, before the man gets back in his car and drives away. Farran was found dead after 6:30 a.m. The Miami-Dade Medical Examiner's Office ruled the death appeared to be homicide by strangulation. Hernandez-Cortes was arrested and charged with first-degree murder. He remained Saturday in Turner Guilford Knight Correctional Center without bond and under an immigration hold, The Herald reported. A 3-year-old girl was found safe on Friday after spending the night in a rural Missouri cornfield with her faithful Yorkshire terrier by her side. The Missouri State Highway Patrol said the whole incident began around 8:30 p.m. Thursday after officers received a 911 call that 3-year-old Remy Elliott wandered from her home in the town of Qulin, located about 175 miles south of St. Louis. Missouri State Highway Patrol Sgt. Clark Parrott told the Associated Press a search began that included an airplane, but the girl was not found overnight. Volunteers joined police to search a cornfield Friday morning and eventually came across the girl after 8 a.m., when search dogs began barking and a tiny dog voice started yapping in response. "This is what #Community looks like. Law enforcement, 1st Responders and community volunteers coming together to find a missing child. Her dog stayed by her side all night. #StrongerTogether," police posted on Twitter. Volunteer Makayla Hardcastle told FOX4 the thick corn field made it an especially challenging search. MINNESOTA FIREFIGHTERS RESCUE SAINT BERNARD STUCK ON ROOF You dont hear well in the corn either, so when somebody is yelling your name, I mean you hear them, but you dont know where it is coming from. The corn feels like razor blades cutting you, I think anyway, especially for a child, said Hardcastle. Authorities said the small girl had several mosquito bites but was otherwise unharmed. The girl's mother, Timber Merritt, told FOX4 she now is going to keep a close eye on those bites. Ive never seen that many mosquito bites," she said. "We are going to give her a bath and keep putting medicine on it." Merritt said that she plans to put up a fence so Remy wont wander out of the yard again. The Associated Press contributed to this report. Nearly two dozen people were injured after gunfire broke out early Sunday during a fight at an all-night art event in New Jerseys capital city, leaving one suspect dead which authorities said appeared to be caused by "neighborhood beef." Mercer County Prosecutor Angelo Onofri said at a news conference that a total of 22 people were injured in the shooting, 17 of whom were treated for gunshot wounds at nearby hospitals. A second suspect is in custody. "It's a massive crime scene," Onofri said. Two suspects opened fire shortly before 2:45 a.m. at the 24-hour Art All Night show in the Roebling Market section of the city, according to Onofri, who told The Associated Press a "neighborhood beef" was behind the shooting. The event began Saturday afternoon and was scheduled to continue until Sunday afternoon and typically draws thousands of people. The festival showcases local art, music and food. "This is truly a tragedy for Trenton," Trenton Mayor Eric Jackson said. Four people are listed as in critical condition, including a 13-year-old boy who is in "extremely critical condition," according to Onofri. Police have identified at least two suspects in the shooting. One, a 33-year-old man, was pronounced dead while the other was taken into police custody. Onofri said authorities "believe" the suspect who died was shot and killed by police. Trenton police at the scene told NJ.com that officers engaged with at least one gunman. Authorities are now combing through the warehouse where the shooting took place as part of the investigation. Onofri said that "multiple weapons" were recovered at the scene. The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives said on Twitter the agency is "actively assisting" Trenton and New Jersey State Police with the shooting. Onofri said that authorities are also investigating an attempted carjacking that took place in the area after the shooting. Three people were in a vehicle when a man came up and pointed a gun at them, the prosecutor said. Their vehicle sustained "some damage" during the confrontation, he added, without releasing further details. A witness told The Trentonian he witnessed a fight break out before gunshots rang out, with several punches being thrown. "I saw two punches and then heard several gunshots," Franco Roberts said. Roberts told the newspaper he thought something bad was going to happen because there were "more people outside than in the warehouse" standing around. Everybody ran toward the door, he said. And the people fighting and shooting got mixed with the crowd that was running and they went out the door shooting. Angelo Nicolo told WPVI that he and his brother were at the event when they heard loud popping sounds, and that people started running down the street. "And all of a sudden, my brother goes to me, 'You hear that gunfire?' I go, 'It sounds like fireworks.' He said, 'No, that's gunfire.' Next thing you know, we turn around and everybody's running down the street. All hell broke loose," Nicolo said. TWO KANSAS SHERIFF'S DEPUTIES KILLED IN SHOOTING WERE BOTH PARENTS The Trenton resident said he saw one person with a gunshot wound to the leg. "I saw two police officers escort a guy that got shot in the leg; they bandaged him up and whisked him away before the ambulance came here," he told WPVI. "It was pretty gnarly." The event was billed as a showcase for more than 1,500 pieces of art. Authorities said that about 1,000 people were in the area when the shooting started and people stampeded. "Devastated by last nights shooting at Art All Night Trenton," New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy said on Twitter. "We must eradicate the scourge of gun violence from our communities." In a Facebook post, the group said it was "deeply saddened" by the shooting and it had canceled the remainder of the event. Were still processing much of this and we dont have many answers at this time, but please know that our staff, our volunteers, our artists and musicians all seem to be healthy and accounted for. Our sincere, heartfelt sympathies are with those who were injured, the group said. The Roebling Market parking lot was covered in trash, broken glass and liquor bottles as police processed the scene for evidence, according to the Trentonian. Regular patrons of the art festival told the newspaper it's usually cleaner than what was seen in the aftermath of the shooting. Weve never seen anything like this, a woman who asked to remain anonymous told the Trentonian. This trash is surprising. It didnt look like this last year. The Associated Press contributed to this report. Authorities in Pennsylvania are asking the public to "be vigilant" after another explosion was reported Thursday, the latest in a string of mysterious blasts in the area over the past two months. Pennsylvania State Police said in a news release that a Milford Township road crew member was cutting the grass along Brick Tavern Road, located about 40 miles northwest of Philadelphia, when the mower traveled over an object that "produced a sound similar to an explosion." "There were no injuries to the township worker and no visible damage to the tractor," police said. After getting off the tractor, the worker observed an area of the ground that was "disturbed." State Police released photos of the location of the incident, which showed a mower and a hole in the ground next to where the mower stopped, according to FOX29. The incident on Thursday is believed to be connected with other events in Bucks County, where there have been more than 20 early-morning explosions since April 2. "Our main goal is keeping the public safe and apprehending the subject(s) responsible for these events," police said. Police have previously said that no one has been injured since the explosions began, but the events "disrupt emergency response personnel from their normal course of duty, straining local resources and impeding emergency personnel from responding to other calls for service." MYSTERIOUS EXPLOSIONS PLAGUE PENNSYLVANIA TOWNS, 'STRAINING' EMERGENCY SERVICES, POLICE SAY Residents across the area have reported booms loud enough to rattle windows and shake walls taking place between 1 and 4:30 a.m. and waking them up. Its just like a boom. Thats just how it sounds, Donna Weaver told FOX29 at the end of April. Weaver, a resident of Quakertown, said she heard the booms several times over the course of the month, which woke her up in the middle of the night. "I dont know and its kind of scary," she told FOX29. "Because I thought of thinking maybe it's underground, maybe underground somewhere." Pennsylvania State Police are asking people to report "any suspicious items or activity" and those with information to call Lehigh Valley Crime Stoppers at (800) 426-TIPS. A welcome dose of rain spawned by a hurricane that churned through the Pacific has given a boost in the battle against two large wildfires in Colorado and Wyoming. The remnants of Hurricane Bud slowed the growth of the a fire in southwest Colorado, which has blackened more than 50 square miles (129 square kilometers) and is 25 percent contained, The Durango Herald reported Sunday. Butch Knowlton, director of La Plata County Emergency Management, said Bud provided the perfect amount of rain, helping firefighters increase containment. But Scot Davis, a spokesman for the team coordinating firefighters, warned of the misconception that rain has doused the fire. He said it kept the blaze from spreading, but crews are still putting out hot embers that could ignite dry trees, grass and shrubs. Fire officials also are worried that rain could cause flash floods in the burn scar, which now has much less vegetation to hold back runoff. "It's going to come down at some point," Davis said at a community meeting Sunday morning. The fire started June 1 about 10 miles (16 kilometers) north of Durango in the Four Corners Region where Colorado, Arizona, New Mexico and Utah meet. The area is the epicenter of a large swath of land in the U.S. Southwest that is experiencing exceptional drought. At one point, the blaze forced the evacuation of 2,200 homes, none of which has burned. It also triggered the closure of the San Juan National Forest, which is comprised of more than 2,800 square miles (7,252 square kilometers). Weekend rainstorms also helped crews to the north in their fight against a wildfire that destroyed one home and has burned more than 30 square miles (78 square kilometers). The fire in southern Wyoming near the Colorado border was 62 percent contained Sunday, and firefighters were taking advantage of the moisture to extinguish remaining hot spots near structures and to cut additional containment lines. Late last week, the flames moved from dense forests full of beetle-killed trees into areas with mostly grass and brush that burn with less intensity. The causes of both fires are under investigation. In northern Nevada, authorities are asking people to evacuate due to a growing wildfire. Lyon County Manager Jeffery Page said in a statement that 50 homes are in the area and numerous structures are under threat, though none have been lost. No injuries have been reported. The fire grew to a little over 2 square miles (6 square kilometers) Sunday afternoon. It is burning in the area of Pinon and Upper Colony. The statement does not say what caused the fire. ___ Information from: Durango Herald, http://www.durangoherald.com Beachgoers along the Jersey Shore were greeted with an unpleasant surprise on Saturday when a social media post about a party went viral and thousands of revelers showed up, leading to fights on the boardwalk. Seaside Heights Police Chief Tommy Boyd told the Asbury Park Press his command sent officers and resources into neighboring Seaside Park to assist with crowd control. An estimated 15,000 revelers showed up on the boardwalk and beachfront as a result of the post, according to the APP. Boyd told the newspaper the situation was a mess," and there were a number of fights among the would-be partygoers. The event was named Beachnik, and advertised on Instagram as being from 12 p.m. to 7 p.m., with an $8 beach admission. Those who planned to attend were told to bring speakers and beach balls. "It was a madhouse at Funtown Beach," Jessica Richardson wrote on Twitter. "Multiple fights at the beach location and overflow issues as that area was cleared by police. A few additional fights broke out on the boardwalk following that. Not a good night in Seaside Park/Heights." Videos posted to Twitter showed several large brawls on the beach and boardwalk area. WARNING: EXPLICIT LANGUAGE IN VIDEOS "Seaside heights and seaside park are out of control Ive never seen it like this in decades police are doing an amazing job keep up the great work," Brian Riolo wrote on Twitter. Ocean County Sheriff Michael G. Mastronardy told the APP that sheriff's officers had been deployed to the scene to assist with crowd control and other law enforcement issues. There were some fights, but the situation is under control, Mastronardy told the paper. The Seaside Heights Police Department told the APP it has been in contact with the person behind the social media post. Nigerian police and military officials say that six suicide bombers killed at least 20 people in northeastern Nigeria. Borno State Police Commissioner Damian Chukwu said Sunday that people celebrating the end of Ramadan were hit by the explosions in Abachari town in the Damboa area. He said that in addition to the fatalities, 48 people were injured. Major General Rogers Nicholas said army that troops in the area can stabilize the situation and maintain general safety. He dispelled as rumors the suggestion that the explosions were from military artilleries. The injured were taken to Damboa General hospital and the Teaching Hospital in Maiduguri. Authorities in the United Kingdom have pledged to work harder at bringing criminals to justice after figures show that 95 percent of robberies and burglaries are not being solved. The Metropolitan Police said they were putting a huge amount of effort into tackling the uptick in crime related to the theft of motor scooters, reports the Guardian. The British publication reports that burglary is particularly challenging for authorities and that people are fearful about a wave of criminality in certain parts of the country. An increased supply of crack and cocaine has been cited as causing the surge in murders and robberies in Britain. London has seen more than 70 murders so far this year, surpassing New York Citys murder rate for the first time in February, and the Times of London reports that there have been on average 60 moped muggings in the British capital each day over the last year. BRITAIN'S VIOLENT CRIME WAVE TIED TO SURGE IN CRACK, COCAINE REPORT SAYS Home secretary Sajid Javid on Sunday said he fell victim to thieves on a motor scooter who stole his phone, reports the Guardian. Scotland Yard said its London sanction detection rates how it measures cases that are solved were 5.5 percent for burglary and 7 percent for robbery between April 2017 and April 2018. That, compared with an overall rate of 13.2 percent for all offenses included in the statistics. Solving crime is a key priority for the Met and we are committed to doing all we can to cut crime, pursue offenders and support victims to make London even safer, a spokeswoman told the Guardian. National police data show the proportion of suspects who are caught and punished for all crimes has more than halved to 9 percent over the past five years, according to the Sunday Times. The figures also suggested only 4 percent of robberies were solved in England and Wales in 2017, compared with 9 percent in 2013. The burglary detection rate halved from 6 percent to 3 percent in the same period. A British man who believed he was wearing a "stab-proof vest" died last summer after he took a knife to his own chest, local newspaper Teesside Gazette reported Saturday, citing an investigation into his death. Jordan Easton, 22, of Thornaby, reportedly was in a friend's kitchen on Aug. 23, 2017, when he stabbed himself. "While in the kitchen, he took hold a knife to demonstrate it was stab-proof and sadly realized it wasnt the case," assistant coroner Karin Welsh said during a court hearing. Easton reportedly was rushed to the hospital, where he died. The newspaper reported that while his injuries were self-inflicted, there was no evidence that proved Easton purposely tried to harm himself. POLICE: STABBING BEGAN WITH HOT SAUCE SQUIRTING INCIDENT The man's mother, Alison Price, said in court that Easton stabbing himself was "out of character," and added she "can't absorb it." Friends described Easton, who had just turned 22 five days earlier, as a "one of a kind kid" with a "golden heart." Easton's death was ruled a "misadventure," which Welsh said meant he victim died from consequences which were not intended. "It seems clear that's the situation with Jordan," she said. Australian Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull has issued a statement condemning soldiers who flew a Nazi swastika flag above a military vehicle while on duty in Afghanistan in 2007, Voice of America reported Saturday. "Completely and utterly unacceptable," Turnbull said. "It was reported in 2007, that incident. The flag obviously was removed and the personnel involved were disciplined, but the incident it was wrong, it was absolutely wrong. Their commanders took action at the time." The Australian Broadcasting Corporation obtained the photo and quoted a military source as saying that flying such an offensive flag was more of a "twisted joke" than evidence or an expression of genuine neo-Nazism, according to VOA. However, Ben Wadham, an associate professor in the School of Education at Flinders University in Adelaide and a former military investigator, believes the flag may signify something more sinister, VOA reported. "Historically, arms corps in the Australian Defense Force and militaries across the globe are very conservative environments," he said. He added: "The picture was taken around 2007. I think this is at the same time that we had a scandal around our soldiers over there using racist language towards the locals." South Korea and the United States are likely to announce their decision to suspend large-scale military exercises this week as a step in the ongoing push to get North Korea to give up its nuclear weapons. Reuters reports that any announcement will include some type of snapback provision whereby the exercises would restart if North Korea fails to keep its promise to denuclearize. According to South Korean news agency Yonhap, the suspension will only affect major joint exercises between the two allies, not more routine military training. Officials in Seoul and Washington were reportedly surprised when President Trump pledged to end war games after his historic summit with North Koreas Kim Jong Un in Singapore last week. Trump has also previously derided the joint exercises as too costly. Yonhap also reported Sunday that during military talks between the two Koreas on Thursday, South Korean officials asked their northern counterparts to relocate artillery 18 to 24 miles away from the heavily fortified military demarcation line that divides the two countries. However, the Souths defense ministry denied that it made such a request. The U.S.-South Korean military exercise drills involve thousands of troops from both nations. The next major drill, Ulchi Freedom Guardian, is planned for the end of the summer. Last year, 17,500 American and more than 50,000 South Korean troops participated in Ulchi Freedom Guardian, although the exercise is mostly focused on computerized simulations rather than live field exercises with tanks and weapons. From J.C. Tuvugishukuri Dear Mr. and Mrs. Reader: Hey Long Beach, in case you missed it, the Earl Burns Miller Japanese Garden is now open after being closed for over a year due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Opened in 1981, the garden has been a unique part of...